Forums » RP Discussion » RPing Canons?

I don't mean the explosive types of canons either. xD

What is everyones opinions on others roleplaying as premade characters? Characters that are officially established or well known throughout various fandoms.

It's something I have done in the past and have a fondness for doing; but only if I feel that I can connect to the character and roleplay as them properly without warping their personalities to much.

I played a skyrim RP before, and we used characters from the game...but I don't see the problem with playing with premade characters myself

I love to rp as Canon characters, I have done Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Sherlock holmes, Jack Grimauldi. It is entertaining to study their personalities as well.

I dislike canon characters in roleplay. I don't have faith in the idea people are able to play the character as the original creator/author intended. Nobody can look into my brain and understand fully what makes Smile tick the way she does even if I give a good description of her, therefore nobody will ever be able to roleplay the way I designed her to be. I don't believe this is different for other people's creations. It just doesn't feel the same. I also can't wrap my head around the idea of roleplaying a storyline with a canon character. Does it start where the book/game/movie left off, does it start in a different world, does it start in the storyline itself? I wouldn't know where to put them and it would be awkward all around.

No, canon roleplay is definitely not for me. If it makes you happy then that's good for you, though.

I got my major start on X-Men roleplay. I don't think I ever officially played canon myself, but I start up my own forum later on and was expected to help the other mods with the burden of playing Professor X, Magneto, Wolverine among others. Basically we had try-outs for canon characters a whole shwack of rules regarding each character.

One of the reasons why the other forum that I'd been part of died was because a great number of the players were allowed to play canon on a first-come-first-serve basis. You have to know that the person playing the character can play the character. It's not fair to anyone if they can't keep it IC, or they start messin' about with other characters.

While I'm okay with people making whatever pairing in fanfiction (if I don't like the pairing, I just don't read it!), I wouldn't be able to handle another pair of people intent on a Cyclops/Wolverine pairing saying things like "I play the character so I can tweak them how I like."

/rant.

TL;DR - if the person plays the character to the character in canon (and then a bunch of rage mixed in there)

I... I don't know. Like berserker said, we did a skyrim rp and skyrim characters were in it. But because they were minor and only showed up a couple times. their personality didn't need to be perfect. However, when it comes to someone using a canon as their main I tend to stray away from it. For example, I had someone play Alistair from Dragon age and I was my own OC, He was great for the first part and then he completely went out of character and I didn't want to do it anymore. I am very very picky about canon characters if it is your main and if I am emotionally attached to the character. Its going to bug the crap out of me if you're making them act in a way they would not. Soooo lol I have mixed feelings.

Same here, I enjoy doing it for the challenge it poses. It's nice to have people say; "You got their personality down to an art." Equally, it's nice to know when you're doing it wrong. xD


I can see your point there with the personality knowing; I guess thats why you're meant to do your homework before taking the plunge. And, I always figured with the setting you decide that with the people you're RPing with?
I understand it's not for everyone and appreciate that it's not for you.
I've asked because I am curious and do both, Canon and Original RP's. I can't decide which is my favourite! xD
I guess the difference with Fanfiction and RP is that, RP is writing with others and you can get more out of it, interactions and the likes with RP which you don't get with Fanfiction. I generally find RP more enjoyable than FanFic because of it; but I don't want to leave my favourite characters from settings out of the picture, if that makes sense?
I know where you're coming from. I'd hate to be in the position where someone gets a character completely wrong! I'd hate it if someone made Sebastian into a complete pervert with no reason, explaination or anything. Argh, yeah. That would really irritate me no end. So, I can see why people are against canons in RP.


Sorry if I've come across defensive for the RPing of Canons, thats not my intention at all. I'm, just interested to hear what poeples opinions on it are. I do both, canons and OC's; so it's interesting to see what people think on it.

That is not entirely my point. You can do homework all you want but you will never be the creator who came up with the character. Doesn't only the creator truly know how a character responds? Doesn't an author often surprise you by having the character take sharp turns you never anticipated yourself? That's why I wouldn't be comfortable with it. I feel I wouldn't do the character justice and always lack something only the original creator would know how to work into the character.

On this topic, a friend and I once did and experiment where we attempted to RP each other's characters. Despite RPing together for years, it was much harder than expected. So I think that if I struggle to write my friend's characters, I couldn't possibly write an canon character correctly.

If you're curious, you can see the RP here: -Link-

Hey, an actual Canon character here
I personally think I could never be able to play a canon as their creator intended, plus, canons are too restrictive when it comes to backstory, personality, appearance and the like. And if you do want to change them, you have to make it believable for the fanbase might come after you.

Granted, I love roleplaying WITH other canon-rpers, in fact, I frequent the dream X-Men Rage and Serenity in Imaginarium, where a few splendid Canon rpers go, alongside OCs.

Now, I know what you're all think, I have my own Canon character, this one infact, but I have my reasons for playing Sigyn.
One: She isnt defined as a major canon in Marvel, sure, she has a history but its short and ends rather abruptly. Shes a side-character, hardly given any REAL development or spotlight. Even the myths about Sigyn are sparse.
Two: Because of the lack of information I have on her, I decided to essentially make her into an OC, despite the character being a Canon. Yes, she shares some history aspects with Marvel's version and with the Myth version, but I tweaked her history and her appearance to suit my tastes. I havent heard any complaints since getting her (;

Ive also been rping OCs for as long as I can remember, canons are awesome but I doubt I'll ever have the skill to properly portray them.

I think I am going to have to fully agree with Amen. There is something about roleplaying a canon character and having someone compliment you on your ability to play them at a level that is very close to the original author's character. It's a challenge I very much like doing, though when it comes to choosing between Canon and original, I wouldn't even be able to decide. They are both appealing and entertaining to me for different reasons.

I used to do a bit of canon roleplay before I was confident enough to make believable characters of my own, and in the process experimented with my capacity to portray certain traits that I enjoyed reading and writing. My favorites were Sherlock Holmes (ten or eleven years ago, I would like to note (; ) and Severus Snape, back before either had acquired a horde of horrifying fangirls. I like to think that I did the characters justice, and I suppose that that is primarily because I had no emotional attachment to them. I simply studied their behavior, and so had the advantage of possessing no desire to bend them against their established traits or do anything with them except play them as true to their character as possible. To that end, though, I never got very invested in those roleplays, and that's what sparked me to start making characters of my own that I could guiltlessly grow fond of.

I'll admit that I usually groan at roleplayed canon characters nowadays because so many of them have been ruined beyond belief to satisfy fan-isms, but I am well aware that there are plenty of great players. Even so, I like to avoid it as much as possible, now, both roleplaying it myself and playing with people who do so. Nothing ruffles my feathers like seeing someone else's careful, well-loved creation reduced to a painful caricature or, worse, an outlet for some immature writer's disgusting fantasies.

Personally I think it depends on how the character is played. If you stick to the personality and the true nature of the character, go for it. More respect to you for stickin' to it. But if you can't, try and be original. I just can't stand when someone takes a canon and 'makes it their own', that's stealing someone's brain child and bludgeoning it with a wooden plank full of rusty nails.

I'm... kind of like, Ed, maybe? Er, wait, getting ahead of myself-- perhaps I should start at the 'beginning':

I've dabbled plenty in canon-related RP, both in settings that have an official copyright AND in canon characters. Back when RP was child-like fun and I had little concept of godmodding and sues, I didn't do anything too much justice. As I matured in my style and grew in my knowledge, picking up canon characters to play from time to time in their own settings, I began to treasure the canon characters for who they were. I get the feeling I was far more emotionally attached than Edward was, and am to this day with the one or two canon characters I have bouncing about in my headcanon. Did that mean maaaybe I didn't quite do them justice sometimes because I let my heart do the talking and not my head? Probably!

Regardless, I tried to do my best to try to keep them as canonical as possible, and even then I haven't RP'd a canon-character in serious roleplay in years and years. Various lil' stints on Skype that were "for lulz" or to try to get the feel of those characters don't really count.

But keeping to the written canon is hard in some places, and in an instance or two I have taken some liberties. Let us take Pokemon for example-- better yet, let us take my favorite Psychic trainer, Will, for example. What does Game Freak give us as canonical information or what can we glean from the game he debuted in?

• He traveled the world at some point. This is stated in Gold, Crystal, Silver, and their remakes, that sometime prior to his induction into the Elite Four, he traveled the world. That's about it though. Where did he go? What did he do? Who did he meet?
• His team (generally) all-female. Well that's interesting. I wonder why that is? I've heard one theory on this in the history of ever, and it's a fan-one, so you bet I'm not taking that as canon.
• He dresses rather spiffily. Just look at that vest and cravat! Does that mean the Elite Four make a pretty penny in their jobs? (Maybe, given their reward cash...)
• He's presumably a psychic. For those of us who've played a lot of the games, we know psychic and ghost using trainers (the Psychic class, Hex Ladies, Elite Four/Gym leaders, &c.) are psychics or possess some form of mystical powers). Oddly enough, Will doesn't really display any abilities outright, but perhaps we can assume he may have something. But what? Who knows--until Game Freak clues us in, I'd dare to say I and anyone else who would like to RP Will can take a shot at giving him x-psychic/mystic power.

And... that's... it, really, if we only go by the games and stick only to that canon. Where are his parents? What is his hometown? Is he even natively from Johto? Who was his starter? (Could be Xatu as a Natu, given that's consider his 'primary Pokemon' amongst fans and the manga?) My point is, in some canons with some characters, there's very little information to go off of, and until we're given that information by the Official Sources That Be, I'd argue putting a little of our own creativity on a canon of our choice is perfectly alright. Whether one stays true to the canonical information while doing so is up to the individual.

After all, it's all in fun. Surely no one out there is trying to make money off of any of this or rip off someone's work, and if this is one way to get your RP-kicks, I say have at it. We've all got a choice of how we play and who we play with, don't we?


... although, that said, while I do speak so freely on that note, I've ran afoul of some canon-playing folks before and will groan and frown much like my pal Edward will. But still, it's jolly good fun using canon characters as an exercise in writing and understanding established traits!

Gosh I've been on both sides of this. Back in my younger years (cough) I did some canon rp, it wasn't bad but it didn't allow me to have as much fun as I'd like. I was constrained to the "lore" and "history" of the character and that meant that certain reactions had to be certain ways and there wasn't much to do with it. I was a moderator of a group at that time so I -had- to take a few canons and keep the storyline going.

That being said, I won't do it again. I prefer OCs. But, I have no issues playing in a pre-made world. I have a "hunter" character that exists in Supernatural-verse even though he'll never run among any canon characters the world is his world. It's kind of an odd balance.

I like to avoid it as much as possible but it has happened in the past that I had to play canon characters in Adventure RP's set in an established setting, mostly (although not exclusively) pokémon. As many others I also always try to play the character as believable as possible, in Pokémon's case I will almost always use the Pokémon Adventures Manga as a reference to a certain character's behaviour.

That said I usually dislike playing them because it always feels to me like I'm making them do OOC stuff, it's like using another artist's creation and very much without true permission most of the time. Much like Edward, one of my greatest pet-peeves is seeing someone play a canon-character wrong, especially when it is done to forfill some kind of sick fantasy.

I've never outright RPed canonical characters, but I have written stories for friends I RP with. I generally prefer not to in fear of butchering the character, and sometimes I'm just not sure what the character would do. No matter how much information I can gather from my friend, his/her character overall might make different decisions compared to those made in my short stories. The same goes for my own character, believe it or not -- I created her and I gave her a complex personality. However, I generally do not know what she'll say or do until I start writing it. There are points where she makes one certain decision, but if any amount of time had passed, she might've made a completely different decision that still is consistent with her personality.

Unless asked to write a story about it, I tend to stay away from other RPers' OCs as well as canonical characters. In situations like RPing in World of Warcraft, I prefer little to no RPing as established WoW figures. An actual instance was, "Sylvanas loves me, she would do anything to save me. I can hurt you, but if you try to hurt me back, she'll personally come and kick your posterior," Sylvanas being the Banshee Queen of Undercity in WoW canon. I don't mind if other RPers mess around with it, but in certain scenarios such as RPing in WoW, I'd rather not be a part of it.

Generally I am in one of two minds when it comes to canon RP. It can be done well, but generally doesn't end up being so. Someone can play a canon close to how they were intended, but never fully. So canon characters are rarely ever entirely true to form.

But on the other hand, canon characters can add further depth to roleplaying settings where fan-characters are also involved, to give another level of interaction. By that I mean, someone controlling both an OC and a canon character in the same roleplay, to give a little more diversity.

Really for me, it depends not so much on how they are roleplayed, but what sort of setting and intentions they have for the canon character in the first place.

I generally frown upon it, to be perfectly honest. Much of what I enjoy about roleplaying is the creation process in itself- coming up with original concepts and fleshing them out from there, be it strictly in the written sense, or also in the physical design (a drawing, for example). Drawing some inspiration from characters in popular culture is fine, but seeing, for example, a Loki character based solely off of the marvel universe (or even strictly from the film adaptations) feels tiresome and stale, to me.

There is, as has been addressed, also the issue of not being able to roleplay the character as the original creator intended. While it's all good and fun to fantasize, adapting the canon character based on what you, the player, wants them to be would only change and-- dare I say it-- butcher the original concept. I would suppose that, in order to play it right by the character, you would need to have researched the character extensively, but even then I think it takes the creative aspect out of it and, subsequently, the fun. And there is, of course, those that would play a character and change the sexual orientation of the character for the sake of their own... ah, fantasies.

Really, I think that the largest issue is what I would say to be a lack of creativity and a high degree of limitation. If I'm roleplaying with someone who is playing a canon character and I know the original character well, I would think that it might strike me as predictable and redundant.

That said, I will admit that several of my characters themselves are based off of historical and fictional figures, but there is much of those original ideas that I have changed or added to in order to make my character original, and they are constantly changing and developing.

Anyway, that's only a matter of preference and opinion and is in no way directed personally. I don't mean to knock anyone down or offend anyone. I'm sure there are many things I play that people might object to as well, but it's really just what makes you happy and what you can have fun with-- that's all that really matters! [ Holy large block of text, Batman! ]

I really don't care for it. If it isn't in a specific setting with specific rules, I have little interest in having my OC interact with a character from a book, game, movie, so on.

The main concern, already addressed a few times, is people warping or changing the character to fit their interests. To me, you aren't respecting the original creator's wishes by being liberal with the design. If there are pre-established rules, I think it's fine, but I simply have little interest in roleplaying it.

I do, however, have interest in RPing in those continuities but without the OC's. For example, Furcadia as a Hogwarts dream but it is set quite a few years in the future after the events in the final Harry Potter book. I think this works out brilliantly and gives people a chance to be creative, but still RP within an already created and explored setting.