Beyond Canon: Divergence & Fanworks (Patreon)

Back in the day, I didn't quite get AUs and other similar tropes within the Fandom. Fanart, Fanworks, when I first started to become attached to a few series, my expectation upon looking up stuff was to find events which would take place somewhere within the canon boundaries of the work. Perhaps during a lull or Timeskip the authors had created, leaving people to fill in the blanks, or even after all was done and solved within the story. And to be honest, I still sort of prefer this to wild divergence, stories that could easily exist within the frame of canonicity, that totally could've happened at some point during the series' lifespan. But I can appreciate some wild divergence much more than before.

I've been following Homestuck for years now, and one of the things I have learned from it, is the good that comes from allowing the Fandom to come up with their own side-stories, long-winded theories, or alternate series of events. Given the way this specific story is structured, with divergent Timelines and alternate Universes within the canon itself, playing around with some major difference in your work is almost encouraged. And even then, it's only now, with the advent of the Epilogues and Homestuck^2, that I have been thinking more and more about this separation from Canon, as explored by the Fandom. 

Many people have voiced their discontent at the idea official content can be considered "Dubiously Canon" or "Beyond Canon", that it feels non-committal and lazy, since that way they can "hand-wave any major inconsistencies" or "disregard events that came prior". However, I feel that a lot of people simply miss the point of calling these things Dubiously Canon, and how Homestuck tries to push for AUs and Divergence in Fanworks at every turn.

It's a take that has personally warmed me up to divergence in Fanworks even more, and one that I feel deserves some exploration.

Why Do People Make Canon-Divergent Works?

Oh yeah, Spoiler Warning for a, uh, 20+ year game with one of the most infamous death scenes in the history of the Franchise, and Gaming in general. What, I already put the image up there? Whoops! Sorry!

Still, Aerith' death serves to point out one of the major reasons why people like to diverge from the original series of Canon events, and that is, sometimes... Bad things happen in Canon. Humans are empathetic creatures, we bond and project on pretty much anything, and become attached easily to characters that are presented in front of us with a compelling story and arc. And stories, of course, don't have to treat the characters we specifically fall in love with right. Whether they are killed off to advance the plot or build tension and set the stakes, or put to sleep for an undefined amount of time and having their agency taken away from them, Canon is not a walk in the park. Unless a story is slice-of-life and fully humorous, conflict in some capacity, hurting the characters, is pretty much everywhere, and even in said slice-of-life humorous series, there's always the occasional moment of hurt and angst- The group having to split as they grow up, someone's surprisingly tragic backstory being revealed...

This is not... Bad or wrong. Once more, Humans are inherently empathetic creatures. Unfairness, loss, death, on characters we love, can hit us hard, and authors use these emotions to manipulate the way we feel, get us more invested in the story. Want things to get better for someone who's been treated wrong, want revenge on someone who took out or favorite character... But there's a lot of Loss and Unfairness in the world as is. And with Fanworks being bound only to the fan creating them, using them as an escape from this, to create their own reality, in their mind, where things go right, can help people assess and understand their emotions towards a work better.

Of course, this is not the only reason. It is, however, the one that I felt was primary within Fandom, and that drove me away from Divergence for a long time. Young me was stupid, and liked canon, and disagreed with the idea of Fanfic 'fixing' something, because I couldn't see it broken. Of course this was dismissive of the feelings people have and how others than myself react to events in Canon, and it also, missed a completely different facet of Fanworks.

Sometimes, people just want to have fun?

There doesn't need to be a big reason behind a divergence, no hurt that needs to be fixed, or flaw that the Fandom pushes against. Sometimes people just like the characters and are interested in presenting them in funny or sad situations, or give dynamics that haven't been explored in canon more of a spotlight. And of course, people also just want certain characters to make out and date, and that is totally valid!

Not only is this totally valid, this is the lifeblood of a Fandom. When a work has made people so attached to a character, or a bunch of characters, to the point where people are using said characters in different settings, projecting themselves on them, or twisting Canon to include stories they want to see, but haven't happened within the series itself, this is all a celebration of love. It's a mark of success, of having created a compelling work, a compelling story and compelling characters, that beckon people and make them want more of what has been presented to them.

There is no reason why people make Fanworks, whether canon-divergent or not. It's all simply a show of love and commitment. And while some may create works because they feel Canon has done something bad and they're trying to fix it, even these actions can be seen to showcase a deep attachment to the content, just a dissatisfaction with the way things have been handled.

The community loves a specific work, and that is what makes it possible for it to keep going forward. Their love for it spreads, and newcomers become aware of it. People within the Fandom have their interest renewed through the passion of others. An interwoven net of appreciation, a bond among people, converging on the enjoyment of the same thing. Fanworks are how Fandom grows, and how a Series is able to continue and prosper.

And most people inherently understand or know this, of course. But given I was closed off from Fanworks for a long time for this reason, I felt like I had to at least talk a bit about it.

Because now that I've talked about Fandom an Fanworks in general, it's time to talk about Homestuck, and what it means to be Beyond Canon.

So, What Is The Deal With Official Non-Canonicity?

Homestuck has been a specially strange case in the matters of canonicity. Hussie would often joke about everything being Canon- Ships, Headcanons, Fantrolls, he likes messing with the Fandom, and being aware of the things going on with his readers so that he can build this sense of comedy, a back and forth between him and the audience. Some aspects of Homestuck, such as body types, heights, ethnicity, have always been left blank for the fans to fill in and project onto, and certain aspects of the story itself are shrouded in mystery and open to interpretation.

Along with Homestuck being a coming-of-age story, the message was rather clear. Hussie wanted fans to project onto the characters, and come up with their own stories, with their own sequences of events, with their own explanations. Some can consider this to be lame, sure, but by allowing multiple headcanons to proliferate uncontested, the Homestuck community grew to include a vast array of different interpretations of characters. Jade is one of the examples I like to use the most, because I don't think I have ever seen a character that has been drawn in so many different styles, with so many different looks, and still be recognizable as Jade Harley. This variety draws people in, it allows all sorts of individuals to relate to them all that much more. 

All of this culminated with an open ending for the whole story, that left the true fate of the main antagonist up in the air, and closed off apparently leaving character arcs unresolved, and the future of the main cast uncertain. Several key points of things that need to happen were peppered across the story, but the events bridging these together simply... Didn't exist. This was a rather mixed ending for the Fandom, and in a way, for many, it re-defined everything that came prior to the Finale, changed their conception of canon, and what the story was about.

And so the Epilogues come along. Unlike Homestuck, they are practically a novel, rather than a webcomic with images and animations. Unlike Homestuck, the characters within are adults, and rather than dealing with teens growing up, it focuses on the hardships of adulthood. Unlike Homestuck, it gave an answer to the questions left behind. And most importantly, unlike Homestuck, it debunked some major Headcanons about certain characters.

I think this is the key to understanding what Hussie means by 'Dubiously Canon' and 'Beyond Canon'. He and the WhatPumpkin Team are the authors of this work, yes, but they're, at their core, also fans of the story. They know what the Fandom says about characters, they know the different opinions and takes and theories that exist. And they like that.

They like it, because this idea of Canon being malleable, and people coming up with so much different stuff, is appealing and charming to anyone who likes the series. It provides an immense amount of content, with very little need for justification. But from the point of the view of an author, it is a double-edged sword. It brings health to the Fandom, and makes people invested in your work. But in doing so, it limits your options. If you try to explore a specific series of events that debunk or confirm a specific theory, then suddenly everyone who thought otherwise would feel invalidated. This is a normal part of Fandom, new information presented changing the way Fans see the content- But within the context of Homestuck, it almost goes against this freedom of projection that had been given since the beginning.

So, in the same way Hussie toys with the idea of what an 'Act' means, or what an 'Epilogue' should be, so does he toy with the idea of what is 'Canon'.

Because the current works being Beyond Canon does not mean the Team want to hand-wave inconsistencies and chicken away from dealing with consequences. If anything, it's the opposite. The Team are fans. The Team know that certain changes or confirmations could be controversial among the Fandom. Beyond Canon is a reassurance that things don't have to change.

Of course, they do change. They need to change, when new things are presented, they change our conception of what came prior, of how it relates to the new material. But also, the Authors themselves, want to humble themselves down to the level of the Fans. They, too, love the content. The characters. And they have their own headcanons. Their own ideas. Their own stories they want to follow and express. Stories and events that, if followed, would set in the stone of Canon a lot of things. But they don't want these divergent ideas to not be explored anymore, or to be explored in bad faith to 'spite' Canon.

By messing with the meaning of Canon, the Team sends a message. The message that, despite being Officially Sanctioned by the people who are authors of the work right now, this is but a potential series of events for the various characters. It is their take on what comes next, but Homestuck is a sprawling work with so many things left up to interpretation, and so many wonderful Headcanons, that stopping this trend just because suddenly X thing happened in the Epilogues just feels like a shame.

The Team are going to keep creating their work, however they see fit, and deliver a story that they find compelling. But they are also aware that not everyone is going to agree with them. And that is fine! Not only it is fine, they expect it, and they want these people to voice their own takes on the content, and the characters, and keep talking about their Headcanons without being constrained by Canon.

I think that is an important message to keep in mind. Outside of a work suddenly trying to like, positively present some bigoted point of view, a work merely deviating from what certain Fans want it to be, and exploring other avenues, is not inherently wrong. But it can ruin the enjoyment of sections of the Fandom.

It's a message that you do not need to enjoy or keep following a work if its current direction is no longer something you feel compelling and attractive, but also, that it doesn't mean you simply have to burn down everything that came before and abandon what you loved entirely. No matter how good or bad a work may be, with the size of Fandom nowadays, you can certainly find people who share your opinion, about specific events, about how something or other has developed. And instead of being negative towards something you don't love anymore, critiquing a work you used to enjoy together, and making content for it, diverging from what you think is bad, and exploring what you think is good, should be completely valid.

Because in the end, even the most vitriolic of takes tends to come from a point of love and enjoyment. Constructive Criticism can always be good, when you truly believe something to be wrong and that it needs to be fixed, voicing your opinion about it, without harassing others of course, should be encouraged. But when it comes to subjective feelings, simply losing interest in what Canon is doing with your work, it shouldn't devolve into a call to take down what you loved, or a campaign to hurt others for enjoying it. If one truly loves a work, there's a place for them in the Fandom that doesn't require them to bash others down.

And that is what I believe is so beautiful about Divergent Fanworks and Beyond Canonicity. It's an acknowledgement of people having different opinions and tastes. A taste of what different kinds of people think, their opinions and wants, their desires and fears. Variety is the spice of life as they say, and Fandom certainly can provide any kind of spice known to Humankind.

So be kind to each other, and try to turn negativity into positive things. Because the best way to show you love a show or a character, is not by making others hurt, but to make those who share your opinions smile.

Consume your media healthily, everyone! <3