Forums » RP Discussion » fandom vs original

I’ve played both fandom and original characters in the past and was wondering what y’all’s opinion is! Do you prefer fandom or original rp, and why?

I personally prefer original, I'm a big fan of world building and just aimlessly expanding on things I think are cool.

I also feel often times when people play a fandom character it become easy to lose sight of the character and who they are as a person. This isn't inherently a bad thing on its own but it becomes really easy to break character in this case.

I'm not sure if we're talking about fan characters, or canon characters. I've played a few fan characters as well as original characters not tied to a pre-existing universe, and like both for different reasons.

I don't think I would like playing a canon character very much because of the reason stated above: It's hard to keep track of who a character should be, and some people have different interpretations of who a character should be in the first place. If I were to play Tails from Sonic, I feel I could do that comfortably because he's one of my favorite characters in anything, but the way I might play him might not be how my partner sees him, especially as he has different interpretations in different versions of his canon and I disagree with the way he is portrayed in even the canon sources sometimes.

It's just easier to play a character that is mine, than to navigate the expectations of adopting someone else's baby, if that makes sense.

Fair enough. Being in character is something that people worry a lot about on platforms mostly catering to fandom character rp. For the most part I’ve found that people are fairly open to interpretation, but you always get somebody who doesn’t like how you play character XYZ.

I think the pros of fandom rp is that it lets you really expand on characters you like. As a fanfic writer, fandom rp is a great way to get into a character’s head and work out how to write about them.

I tend to stick to original mostly because of a mix of ingrained (and probably a little "self-righteous") fears and biases. Same reasons why I've never been one to read or write fanfiction (outside of very few parody-esque exceptions). I don't consciously view it as "lesser" or anything, but something about it continues to seem a little odd to me for some reason. And more importantly, specific to writing things myself, I get really worried about getting things right or ending up looking like an idiot. Uncertainty makes me uncomfortable, but it's harder to screw something up if you're just starting with whitespace. (There are plenty other contradictions in my brain that make even less sense.)

And... while its influence has waned, I also still have a bad memory regarding a sort-of fan character someone used in an RP, and because of my poor understanding of that property, I was blindsided by the insane level of godmodding tied up in that character on top of the player just generally being unpleasant to play with. I'd like to think that mess isn't still affecting my choices, but it was sorta a foundational RP memory for me, so it very well could be.

In the past, I heavily preferred fandom/canon characters. Today, my tastes have changed and I prefer OC's today. OC's provide so much more freedom to do what I want, without having to constantly worry whether I'm playing them out of character.

Of course, it also depends on who I am writing with. If they are a very understanding person and they grant me plenty of freedom then I'll be more than happy to play a fandom/canon character for them. I've done it before and I have had tons of fun. But it has to be with the right role-playing partner. There is always the risk of upsetting someone who thinks your playing canon characters the wrong way.

I prefer original characters - but that stems from my fear of not being able to play anyone else's characters 'properly'. The same reason I err away from writing commissions - I'm scared I can't do people's OCs justice! Exactly the same with canon characters.

That, and sometimes I find the pre-existing universe constraining. Certainly if I don't know the lore - but even if I do. Fitting my characters into an existing storyline, mainly. Mind you, I am a semi-realism fan, so I might be biased lol!

I do have huge respect for anyone who plays canon characters, though! It takes a lot of understanding and research.

Also - I'd personally find it weird to see someone playing the same character as me haha! But I can imagine if someone's playing a different character from the same canon, it's great.

I prefer OC's. I hate fandoms so much that I refuse to rp with them. I have barely a handful that I will make an exception for. My reasoning is that a lot of people don't play them correctly or even attempt to. Essentially they're using it as a faceclaim. That's also the reason I don't rp as them either. If I do then I'm making an alternate version so I don't need to be accurate.

Interesting replies so far!

I started text roleplay from its tabletop/video game perspective, with OCs in established IPs and settings, and wrote strictly original fiction all through school. You know Tina Belcher? Friend fictions? That was us, trading journals and notes and sketches believing we were creating something unique, self-inserts in every corner lmao.

But I got some exposure to media studies and creative discourse, and found out there's really no such thing as original. Stories are old, humanity is old, and what we read or watch or hear as 'new' is really just a remix of all the language and culture and themes to have come before.

My favorite parallel, when discussing original vs fanwork: DaVinci was a fanartist.

The use of the term 'canon' when discussing fanworks? Yeah, originally used in religious discussions to refer to proven texts vs the reading/listening public's interpretation of those texts. Not only is storytelling as old as humanity, but so is fandom discourse.
>B]

So I started writing fanfiction as a bridge -- fandoms cast wider readership nets, and original fiction is INCREDIBLY difficult to market to the internet, for free, especially if it doesn't serve a more viscerally fascinating niche like romance or horror (ask the creepypasta authors, listen to the NoSleep and LORE and WTNV, horror fandoms THRIVE on the internet). I found so many writers and artists sharing OCs and stories over the years, developed lasting friendships and chronicles of growth, migrated with the waning online galleries and forums. And, eventually, I found a writer with AMAZING prose and dialogue, but who only roleplayed fandoms, and I figured I could get over myself just a little, just this once, to cross the bridge between fandom and original here too, because bridges are made to connect things.

That writer eventually married me.

Didn't matter if I did a 'good job' at the fandom roleplay, I did a human job using human lore in a human-made IP, and got to connect with another human being over the characters' human flaws. Storytelling is as old as humanity, and so is fandom. The only difference is, fandom grows by the publishing money that's used to reach a broader audience -- and that's okay.

I'm damn notorious for playing as canon/licensed characters. I'm incredibly guilty for it and anyone who knows me knows I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. I find that taking a pre-existing character and attempting to fit within the brackets of their world, views, personality, standards, etc. is a challenge for me. And while I will occasionally take a canon and make alterations at my leisure, I only ever do so when that canon has been altered enough canonically. For example, I play Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock has undergone immense transformations -- my partner even made a joke at Books-a-Million about it once -- Sherlock was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the character along with the books now belong to the public domain. Different variations of shows, writings, interpretations, theories, rhetoric, etc. have been done with the characters to a point, as my partner put it, that Sherlock has reached the stage where just about anyone can write fanfiction about him, and get it published.

Of course, I don't go crazy with this newfound artistic liberty. I enjoy staying as true to the character as I can possibly muster, but I do like taking the knowledge I've acquired from the literature and mixing it with the modern-era show. There have been some absolutely amazing theories and pieces I've read from people with PhDs that focus a humble amount of their life's work on understanding the character and his processes. I can only hope to glean from the surface of some of the material I've read and apply it to my portrayal. It's all pretty amazing -- the different perspectives and thoughts!

It all boils down to doing what makes you happy though. As a person who plays a crap ton of canon characters, I have had more than my fair share of being talked down to, told I was unimaginative, segregated from groups, harassed, demeaned, and what have you for being 'uncreative' or 'lazy' by choosing this route. But believe you me, if you want to play a canon, there is a heavy amount of research that goes into it, even if there are a lot of artistic liberties for some of them.

So there you have it! Sorry, it was so long-winded. I just enjoy the opportunity to say my piece and speak on behalf of the fandom side of things. I hope that everyone kindly accepts all forms of writing for what they are, particularly when the author is genuinely trying, because behind whatever character they are attempting to portray is someone who is connected to that role on some level and they want to share that with everyone else!

Admittedly, I'd also be that way about characters I like. If someone "stole" a character I wanted to play as before I got the chance, especially, I'd be critical of their performance. Playing my own characters circumvents this entirely for me.

I'm also that person who only does fandom stuff if people can remain reasonably close to the canon though. I don't find wacky interpretations of Things I Already Like As They Are that appealing, and wonder why some people feel the need to "fix" them, or whatever. (Ex: Everyone who wants to play a Pokemon setting, but make it darker for some reason. I showed up to play Pokemon, you're getting a bit far from the pitch here.)

Ive been portraying canon characters for as long as I can remember. I firstly entered this roleplaying world with little to no knowledge of what this was about, all I knew was that I was meant to pick a character and write it, that I would have more people to interact that with their own characters. I was told I could either write one character entirely made up by me or any character of my liking from any series or movies I would fancy. So, my first character was Katherine Pierce from TVD(The Vampire Diaries). Call it crazy, but back in the days I thought it would be easier to grab an already existent character from some fandom and be the characters. I would try my hardest to be as loyal as possible to the character's essence, and do right by it(the character) as much as I could. I ebentually got accostumated to writing canon and for a long while I didn't have an oc of mine.

The canon I wrote for longer was Sam Winchester, and I can't say that I was totally what most expect of him, I would mostly portray according to my own perspective of the character, I put my best efforts into geting in the character's mind and think 'what would San do', and it was natural, because I would go throught his mindset, what I had seen of him at the show. Now I'm aware that no one will be able to please everyone with their own versions of canon characters, and it's pratically impossible to write a canon as accurate as the creator of the character. We gotta live with it and allow our creative minds to go with the flow. That's what I did. I love Sam and his brotherhood with Dean, I think Sam has his up and downs throughout the series and often desappoints Dean.... They are amazing characters who went throught well but stood together nothless.... Sam was a good charcater if you ask me cause he wasn't perfect, but he tries to change.


I have so much more to say about writing canons, but I won't and I can't put it all here. I just thought I could share my thoughts about the matters with all due respect to all the writers around here and their likings.

I'll have to throw my hat into the 'Original' circle.
I have in some fandom-based roleplays written some parts for a canon character, but they were always secondary and more as an NPC in the story, and never anything out of their character. My main character in a fandom is always an OC.

I'm definitely, 'original.' I used to really like playing canon characters but I just don't have the drive for it any more. I really prefer my own creations and building an original world with people.

I think both are great honestly. There are times and places for both.
Sometimes I like to chill and write for a fandom to try and get a hold of a favourite character in a setting that I, alone, don't have total control of. It helps with my fanfiction writing greatly, especially if I feel connected to the character.

On the other hand I also love creating my own characters, especially ones without a set universe so I can throw them in wherever fits best and will be the most fun.

For me it is original characters all the way. There are a few settings I would be willing to use that are considered canon though. Star Wars is the biggest one that comes to mind. The large time skips between trilogies still have plenty of potential to drop original characters into. And having an established "direction" for the story to go can help cut down on writer's block sometimes. For example, if I wanted to write about the earliest days of resistance to the New Empire after the close of the Clone Wars, there are years of story to explore, but it still all ends with the construction of the Death Star. So I know that any huge resistance operations are going to still result in a win for the Empire. So instead of trying to decide which outcome best "fits" the story, I can focus on whether I want the ending to include a theme of resilience and perseverance or if it should be more of a classic tragedy.

To me that has always been the greatest strength of the Star Wars setting. At the core it is a struggle between good and evil. And it has always acknowledged that good doesn't always win the battle. Whether on a large scale like Empire Strikes Back or a smaller one like Anakin Skywalker. (before Return of the Jedi) So in that kind of way canon settings can be good ones in my opinion.

Another reason I like original characters is that I feel like too often fanfiction becomes a bit of a crutch. I see people with so much creativity and so much talent that I almost feel robbed when they aren't putting that into their own creations. A little like taking a jet engine and cramming it into a 1970s Pinto or using the Mona Lisa as a placemat. Technically they can serve those purposes, but why? I am always more impressed to see that talent breath life into something new and add to the world.

And I understand that a lot of it is connected to the resonance people feel with a character. They identify with them and feel passionate about it. And that is not a bad thing. Like many others I started out writing fanfiction and using canon characters. I guess I just see them as more suited to being stepping stones in growth rather than a platform in and of itself.

That's 100% my opinion though. I am truly not looking to make anyone feel bad or like their preferences are wrong or somehow less. I apologize if I came across that way. I can only plead passion in myself at seeing creativity flourish in others.

Fandom has always been my preference. I love really exploring the in depth aspects of pre-existing characters from franchises I love, developing unique interpretations of them, etc. So many series have caught my interest over the years that I don't think I could ever really get a lot out of writing my own OCs, despite how much I enjoy writing alongside OCs played by other people.

I will rp with people playing original or fandom characters, but I will only play originals myself. I just don't want to try and get into the headspace of someone else's character and try to guess what they would do. I already have a couple of characters that even though I made them, I have to think pretty hard for exactly what they would do. I don't want to add on the challenge of trying to do it for a character I didn't make.

As for when someone rps a fandom character, as long as they make a reasonable attempt to properly personify the character, then that is enough for me. To use harry potter for an example, I wouldn't want someone to rp Draco as loving muggleborns and being humble. So as long as they avoid doing anything blatantly wrong like that, then we are good. One other pet peeve is making an original character and then suddenly making them part of a canon character's family in post with no previous discussion on it. I don't care if you want to give your character a relationship to a canon character, but don't drop it like a bombshell out of nowhere.

Basically, just remember that good communication is key, don't set up unrealistic expectations, give it your best effort and have fun.

Personally I would love to rp with someone doing Jareth from the Labyrinth or a couple other characters from other fandoms.

Honestly ive always been a OC player. Fandoms can be fun but honestly all fandoms i have been pulled into with my OCs has been on stuff I dont know anything about.

I feel limited most times when doing fandoms cause i dont feel I have access to the full creative potential we could do.

Now its not all bad i did make a few fandom characters for friends who wanted to do story on stuff I knew about and I would do a few rps here with some fandoms but I will strictly remain as a OC player and use my creations. Its just funner that way and allows for more creative freedom.

Original characters without direct connection to existing properties almost exclusively, but I also know this is mostly me having issues and existing bleh experiences.

Part of it is that if I know the franchise I tend to get picky about portrayals, especially if I've wound up going all literary analysis in my understanding of the concepts at play and the other person hasn't. Like I said, my issues, but basically I tend to find flandersization annoying.

Part 2 is the opposite, and that's when I don't know the franchise. Not understanding what's accessible in a setting makes writing.... weird. It's not strictly power balance, though that too, but I guess kinda expectation balance? An example is a semi-general sci fi RP and then finding out that your partner is running on Dune shield and laser rules without having known how that works in Dune (lasers on shields make nuclear level blasts in that setting, btw).

Part 3 is sorta independent of knowing a franchise or not, and that's that... characters from media aren't always consistent or written with narrative balance in mind. I said it, I'm sorry, I don't like that messiness in RPs. Comic books especially, namely long running ones, tend to have periods of a character being written out of character and then that's part of their character, or they get extrapolations on their abilities that don't make sense, or other things. Videogame characters are power fantasies, and some of them are.... insane. Hack and Slash protagonists, first person shooter characters like Doom Guy or Master Chief, RTS heroes, and others who can put down hundreds of mook without breaking a sweat tend to pull out nonsense that just breaks stories or doesn't play nice with settings. I've found that, at least in my experience, people who like to play them want to play with all their toys, which is understandable but not always appropriate or expected. blehhhh.... Lastly, anime and manga characters, especially characters from long running shounen and magical girl series, tend to already break their own settings and/or their settings just stop making sense after a while because of continuous scaling, and I am VERY much on the side of setting consistency and world "rules."

Part 4 is a weird one and probably mostly bad luck on my part with people I've RP'd with, but something I call "story over-fidelity." This sorta ties back into 2, where sometimes not understanding something about a franchise, and more importantly the character, in a particular context of events, ticks the fandom player off, or they assume things should work the way they do in the character's narrative because the character is in play even though that wasn't agreed on, or they essentially try to replay parts of the characters story with you as a special guest but A) don't tell you that and B) don't want you to change the flow of events. Like I said, that's prooobably just me having interacted with less experienced or courteous RPers in the past, but it's definitely coloured my experiences along with the rest.

This all said I know there are mirror-issues with not running in a franchise, namely that there's not a hard and easily searchable reference for the rules the character is built off of if they aren't essentially normal, but knowing that because ya made 'em, at least in my experience, tends to make communication about capabilities, expectations, etc. more likely to happen.

Again though, a LOT of this is just from my experiences and my own issues, and honestly if I find a franchise with good room for character building and stable setting logic I like that avoids things going too insane or inconsistent which doesn't already have a TTRPG for it, may even try fandom stuff more properly at some point! ^v^ Or maybe I should just set up a freeform Shadowrun-setting RP at some point. 0 v0 huhhh....