I want to talk about Canon Events

Representing_Tromba

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I didn't know whether to put this in reader or author discussions because it's kind of both.

There are many types of canon events in stories for both readers and writers. Currently, I know of six which include,

SpiritCanon(Author's head)
This is canon stuff only known to the writer, daydreams about what would happen next and what hasn't been written by the author in any format. None of this will be known to the reader-base unless the author says it to them. That said, it doesn't make it canon.

Canon(physical books, Ebooks, Webnovels, author's notes, audiobooks, etc)
This is what is actually codified in writing, either in a book or in notes. There has to be some recognizable authority on it to be canon, IE the author, publisher, or copyright holder can say what is and isn't official canon. There is a hierarchy for those depending on the situation but I don't want to get into that.

HeadCanon(Fanfiction, Readers head)
This is a reader-specific canon as the writer's equivalent is SpritCanon. It is what the reader thinks can happen based on the information given by the canon writing. This can be anything from assuming something due to a weirdly out-of-context sentence to accidentally realizing the ending to the series because of a series of foreshadowing events.

SoulCanon(Reader's heart, author's heart)
This is the bullshit that no one will ever agree with you on because there is no basis for it. It is what you believe and want to happen in your soul for one reason or another despite the narrative of the writing saying otherwise. Readers mostly have this form of canon but writers can sometimes do this too, making it the bi of the Canons. Unlike SpiritCanon, SoulCanon has no basis in the canon story itself. Think of it Teen Titans Go compared to Teen Titans, the characters, story, style, and feeling are all different despite sharing a similar name. Oftentimes, this is reserved for shipping characters that have never actually met.

CrotchCanon(every plausible medium)
This is what it sounds like. It is what you feel horny for whether the narrative allows it or not. There is no other category for it as it can fit into all the other Canon categories as needed. If SoulCanon is bi then CrotchCanon is pan as writers, readers, and non-readers will often take part in the smut fanfics. Smut writers will use this and even non-smut writers will partake in this occasionally as some studies(I pulled out of my ass because I heard a famous author say this once) say that a quarter of people with writer's block are stuck because they are stuck on a horny scene. It is shameful but I believe it is true since half of the books written during National Novel Writing Month, which also happens to take place during NNN, are smut.

What do you think of the different Canons? Is there more that you can think of? Do you have any of the following for a story that you can identify and categorize?
 

RepresentingWrath

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I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand everything. In my opinion there is canon and head canon. Head canon is the thing you described. Canon is whatever author made, and it doesn't matter whether it was documented or not. The reason why I don't think it matters if it was documented or not is to keep fans active. Explaining canon can ruin the fun and multiple head canons.
 

BearlyAlive

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Cannon

 

Representing_Tromba

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I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand everything. In my opinion there is canon and head canon. Head canon is the thing you described. Canon is whatever author made, and it doesn't matter whether it was documented or not. The reason why I don't think it matters if it was documented or not is to keep fans active. Explaining canon can ruin the fun and multiple head canons.
That's where things get dicey. If it's a published work with a publisher and/or a copyright holder, there are some things they can do to say that only what is written and published is canon so not everything the author makes is canon if it isn't documented. Even deleted scenes and rewritten storylines aren't official canon. If you have no publisher and are the copyright holder or IP holder then you can say whatever you want is canon. Webnovel writers, indie authors(some of the time), and Ewriters can say whatever they want is canon because they have nothing to hold them back from saying it's canon. I personally don't think it will ruin the fun because all it does is categorize. If you don't like it, we are allowed to disagree and still be friends.
 

TheMonotonePuppet

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I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand everything. In my opinion there is canon and head canon. Head canon is the thing you described. Canon is whatever author made, and it doesn't matter whether it was documented or not. The reason why I don't think it matters if it was documented or not is to keep fans active. Explaining canon can ruin the fun and multiple head canons.
I disagree.
Because SpiritCanon is still changing, and may not even exist how it is. For example, I had a SpiritCanon that the main character was going to die.
But they are still around because I changed my mind. So my Spirit Canon wasn’t canon.
Also, to Paul, cannon:

IMG_0083-compressed.jpeg
 

RepresentingWrath

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That's where things get dicey. If it's a published work with a publisher and/or a copyright holder, there are some things they can do to say that only what is written and published is canon so not everything the author makes is canon if it isn't documented. Even deleted scenes and rewritten storylines aren't official canon. If you have no publisher and are the copyright holder or IP holder then you can say whatever you want is canon. Webnovel writers, indie authors(some of the time), and Ewriters can say whatever they want is canon because they have nothing to hold them back from saying it's canon.
I understand this, it happened to Star Wars. However, here's a question. Who knows the work better, 10 men in suits, or the person who actually made the thing? You should refer to the author\creator, not the studio\publisher\ip owner. Sometimes you can no longer do this since the author is no longer with us, but it is what it is.
 

TheMonotonePuppet

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That's called discarded idea, yes.
Yes. Exactly. Which is why the designation of SpiritCanon, which includes ideas that may or may not be discarded, is a good extra designation.
It’s not over complicating things.
Other categories of canon than just canon and head canon makes sense.
So you agree?
 

RepresentingWrath

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Yes. Exactly. Which is why the designation of SpiritCanon, which includes ideas that may or may not be discarded, is a good extra designation.
It’s not over complicating things.
Other categories of canon than just canon and head canon makes sense.
So you agree?
You can use the term that already exists. No need to invent a new one, especially by using another term that has a specific meaning. There is canon and head canon for fans to play with, and discarded idea. Discarded idea has nothing to do with canon. That's my opinon. I won't change it, and I have no intention to force it upon others either.
 

Representing_Tromba

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