what do people have against fandoms?

Opossum My Possum

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I've noticed that on most role play sites people are pretty much never interested in fandom role plays. Especially if it's canon x oc. (Yes, even with doubling). I just wanted to know (from those of you who don't like fandom role plays) why that is?

I mean, honestly, it's 100% possible it could just be me. But in the small percentage that it's not, I'd like to know the other possible reason.
 
I've actually nothing against fandom rps, even though all of the ones I tried died. ^_^'

However one deterrent I can see, especially with playing a Canon character, is that justice will not by done to the way the character is portrayed, that he/she will be played OOC. You see it happen many times in fanfiction, and I'm assuming the same thing happens in fandom rps.
 
One big deterrent for me in rping fandoms is that many people have disagreements on how a particular universe/character/plotline should be interpreted. In general, there are just so many variables involved in making a fandom roleplay run smoothly. Plus depending on what you're doing, you have to do a lot of fact checking to make sure you're doing things right in regards to setting and what have you. Just my take on it.
 
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Personally I have and do participate in the occasional fandom RP (being part of the Murder Group here), but I can see why fandom RP isn't very much popular.

It's hard to get canon character portrayal right, or the way the author intended them to be. I know we have the freedom to write what we want but there should also be respect to the series, you know? Yet on the other hand exploring these characters and how they may possibly develop in situations and events that occur in fanfiction or fandom RP is also fun. So that's just looking at it from opposite sides of the same coin and there should be a balance somewhere.

Lately I know I do prefer original roleplay to fandom roleplay but that's because it allows me so much more space to grow as a writer. To develop my own worlds, lore, stories, and characters. I can't have that same growth if I only write for a fandom or a series.
 
Personally, when I play fandom I don't play my favourites. I just think my writing will not portray them well and destroy my love for the character because I did not make them sound like... them. I think some people feel this way as well.
 
I love playing Fandoms but I prefer it being 100% OC. I like playing in the world of the universe but I refuse to taint it by having OC and Canon meet.
 
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I do occasionally participate in fandom role-plays, but I really don't like the idea of canon x oc pairings. Can't really articulate why; might have something to do with the old stigma of ocs with canon characters being Mary sues. Might have something to do with the fact that ocs just aren't established in the world and it seems totally out of character. Either way, it's canon x canon or oc x oc for me. Usually just oc x oc though. Less stress that way.
 
I personally don't like playing pre-established characters. One of the things I really enjoy about RPing is creating my own characters, and exploring different ideas. Canon characters seems restricting. I have little issue with pre-established settings, as I often enjoy putting different characters into well known settings and seeing what that's like.
 
I don't do fandom RP's as a rule, but as others have inferred in their responses, it's a personal rule. There is nothing particularly superior or inferior about others taking a crack at an established work. Go wherever your passions lay, obviously.

That being said, here's some reasons off the top of my head why I don't do fandoms, to actually answer your question to some measure of satisfaction. Others might echo them, might not.
  1. Fandoms are bastions of Internet cancer: That is, most fandoms have an ultra vitriolic sneering obsessive-compulsive side to them. Especially if they're related to anime, or other obscure forms of media. I can weed out and deal with the crazies as they come, but guaranteed, I will deal with more crazies in fandoms, than outside of them.
  2. OC's that are just better versions of existing characters: Let me introduce you to my completely original character in the Sonic universe, Sanic. Sanic is super fast and super smart and kool. He's Sonic, but without any flaws or remotely interesting aspects of character. Now I'm going to drown you in fandumb obsession that explains how this is somehow an acceptable character.
  3. I prefer original works: No matter how much effort I might put into a fandom work, I will always have to acknowledge that the original foundation came from someone else's labour directly. Indirect inspirations are normal, ordinary--being able to draw comparisons between works is what the stuff of genres is made out of. That being said, at the end of the day, when I'm investing dozens (if not sometimes hundreds or thousands of hours) of writing and editing into my stories, I want them to be just that: My stories. Not "my stories based within the world of Tolkien" or "my stories based within the world of Miyazaki" no. "My stories based within my worlds." Call it ego, but I don't want to have to deal with that niggling doubt in the back of my mind that my successes or failures may simply be riding the coat tails of my betters. Because I love Tolkien, and Miyazaki, but I'm sure both of them would understand that I don't want to just be known as "the lesser Tolkien" or "the lesser Miyazaki" when I could simply be known as "the guy who tried his best."
  4. My best and most beloved role plays are original works: Legend of Renalta and The Last Bastion: Bunker Chicago, rank among my best labours of love. They each take indirect inspirations from others (LoR has D&D references, TLB has small nods here and there to Ghost in the Shell), but they're worlds I've built up over time, with interesting NPC's I've altered and edited and simply know. It isn't "my interpretation of Kouri" it is quite simply "this is Kouri." Some of the most memorable moments I've ever had have come from expanding this world and trying new ideas out. Like Legend of Renalta has a sentient race of lizard people with parasitic offspring that everyone fears and rejects from common society. TLB has plentiful references in-universe to Christian symbolism and mythology, to help players grasp some of the fantastical and enigmatic aspects of the universe. I could find other universes with these elements in them, or I could simply make them myself, and making them myself is simply more satisfying to me.
  5. My characters are not bound by anyone's rules but my own: I don't have to retcon or destroy any rules simply to make new characters or ideas work like I might have to in a fandom RP.
  6. My players have more freedom to create their characters: Seeing as how I don't have to enforce both my RP's rules and the universe's rules on my players. Just the former.
  7. I don't have to artificially handicap or fundamentally break the universe to make a functioning role play: How the fuck would I build a balanced universe out of DC or Marvel or Naruto or Dragon Ball or numerous other franchises? The answer is: You don't. It goes contrary fundamentally with what they are. There are supposed to be power imbalances even between team members. In a role play, where I have to try and keep my players on a relatively even playing field? That's a problem. An irrevocable problem. Unless I establish a lot of handcuff rules that sap a lot of the fun out of these universes, and in some ways, even fundamentally break how they function, or why they exist.
  8. I don't have to fight to differentiate my Naruto RP from anyone else's Naruto RP: Because at the end of the day, most of them end up quite samey.
That's 'bout it really.

tl;dr why not fandoms?: I avoid the cancer OCD fan bases made of pure vitriol that often come part and parcel with fandom RP's. I avoid an entirely new type of Mary Sue. I appease my inner writer and creator. I give myself more freedom and liberty to write. I don't have to potentially abridge or break universes I adore. My players will have more freedom. I don't have to compete with other fandom RP's within the same fandom to prove who is the best Chinese knockoff.
 
Others have already gone into great depth about why some people avoid fandoms, but, uh, what roleplay sites are you talking about that have no interest in fandom roleplays? Every single one I've used has had fandom stuff as a significant portion of the group roleplays and a ton of people seeking 1x1 stuff with fandoms listed in their desired premises/pairings. Seriously, fandom is a huge roleplay area of interest on every site I've seen, so I have no idea what you're talking about. To give you an idea of why I'm confused, here's a quick breakdown of the first pages of the interest check and partner search sections right now.

1x1 Partner Searches
Only original premises: 10
Only fandoms: 8
Both: 12

Group Interest Checks
Original premise: 16
Fandom: 14

So, like I said, no idea what you're talking about when you say people are never interested in fandom roleplays. Maybe you've just got some niche fandom things that you wanna do that others aren't into so it feels like there's nothing out there for you, but I guarantee you that fandom roleplaying as a whole is alive and well on Iwaku and other roleplaying forums.
 
I agree with those who say it's a matter of portraying the character properly and such. More than that, for me personally, it's because I want to expand my creativity as much as I can. I want to make something different, not play something that was already created. I of course love playing in these fictional universes as much as the next. I've yet to find someone to write a Star Wars story with me, and a Scott Pilgrim one.
 
I don't want to play someone else's character. Especially not in a romantic context. It's not even about the difficulty of portraying them right. I simply do not like the aspect of having to constantly consider someone else their material to uphold consistency.

Conversely, when someone else plays a canon character, I have a certain expectation based on what I know about the character and will be far less open-minded about actions the character takes than I would have been if said character was original.

I'm fine with using an existing world (unless I GM, for creative licence reasons) but characters is a bit too much.
 
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I have to agree with what everyone else said above. I struggle to roleplay a character that is not mine, not matter how familiar I am with them through book/TV/movie/etc. In addition, I find that there is a lot of arguments between players regarding how the world should be represented, how the characters should be represented, so on and so forth.

That said, I do enjoy basing roleplays on fandoms. For example, the Criminal Minds TV series... while I've never actually used the team specified, or any of its main/subsidiary characters, I have used that plotline (or a plotline very similar) in the past. I feel the same could be done for a lot of fandom universes.
 
I haven't found a problem with sites and players not wanting to write fandoms in general. They're everywhere. It is difficult, however, if you, like me, are into a niche tv show or a specific pairing only and not many people know about it. The pool is tiny and you may not find a suitable player in it anyway.

That said, I would write in a fandom. But I usually don't because 1) I don't care for 99.9% of the tv shows, books, movies etc I consume or, more pertinent to your question, the characters in them and 2) I refuse to do canon x OC because primarily, I assume that the OC will be a Mary Sue and secondarily, I've already shipped the canon character I would play with another canon character to leave no room for anyone else.

I've got a couple of fandom pairings I am looking for in my interest check. I would play these characters because I love them and it's fun to explore their back stories, consider and write out their reactions to future created events. I love being in their world and to have adventures with them. These are characters I would or have spent a lot of time thinking about their personalities, their whys and wherefores, their POV in various aspects; all grounded by (somewhat) relevant canon justifications, by my trying to stay as true to the source material as I can. As such, I feel icky to use my babies and romance some Mary Sue. And when I am partnering up with somebody else who's playing the counterpart of our specific pairing, we would exchange fanfics or writing samples first to see if our versions of the characters are to our tastes. A last trivial reason would be that I find it requires much more brain power and tiring to consistently stay in-character as compared to writing for OCs. I analyse everything every time I post again and again to make sure the dialogue, action, body language, etc, are all (kind of) acceptable; while it's a breeze to take on OCs because they're mine and I can mould them however I want.

So, for me, I wander out in original worlds because my fandom parameters are stringent.
 
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There has only ever been one fandom in which I felt completely comfortable in portraying the canon characters. However, I don't find interest in it anymore. With that being said, I don't really play fandoms too often. I do want to try an Outlander AU or Game of Thrones AU, maybe some X-men, but I'm more comfortable with original works because, like other people said, it's difficult to portray a canon character. I'm often in the stump that I don't feel like I'll do a canon character justice when they've got so much to admire about them and you try them out, then it's just... nope (e.g. Sansa Stark, Jamie Fraser, etc.)
 
I have been trying for months to play my niche fandom characters on this site now. While I have found games taking interest checks, none of them ever seem to actually start the game. I think people have difficulty writing the multiple universe situation I think I need, as I don't think anyone will ever try to start an Ah! My Goddess game.

I've been RPing in various formats for decades, and almost all OC's throughout. For me, it was only the attraction of the two particular characters themselves that even had me interested in writing with online strangers again. In the meantime, I have been enjoying writing my own fanfiction about the same characters

So for me, it is coming out of a desire to try to take these characters away from anything they had experienced before and to try to feel what it is like to be them. Keeping it in the same spirit, keeping them in the same personalities even as they must adapt to meet new situations both small and large. As I am an actor in RL, I appreciate that kind of improvisational experience.

That being said, Belldandy and Keiichi have yet to actually find a home here. I even tried to do it by making their orphaned son today. I could make a game, but have decided I would rather write fanfiction than to face those headaches for this purpose. Nor can I find any other site to do it on.

So, I as a mostly OC writer do feel difficulties with placing the fandom characters. So much so that I may give up on it if the new group system does not lead to a good opportunity for me.
 
I'm always surprised to see just how many imaginative people struggle to write fandom. It's just such an ingrained skill with me. As early as I can remember my childhood friends and I would play pretend with fandom characters and their associated universes. From my point of view, I've simply grown into a more mature storyteller, and my favored fandom stories are just as ripe for harvesting.

I love my original characters, I love a plethora of fandom characters, and I'll gladly jump at the chance to write either.
 
As Sen has said, it is difficult to get a canonical character right, especially when a good deal of the character is left to speculation due to lack of development.

For example, one moment you depict the character to be using a tablet, and tomorrow you discover from official sources that they are very, very bad at technology.

Most of the canon characters I play are pretty much that, except they're more of an 'avatar' kind of left to intepretation.
 
It's not that I have anything against fandoms in particular, but some fandoms don't give enough elbow space for some creativity, ya know? And Canon Characters (especially) really limit that creativity. Personally, I'm just a little bitter towards the Canon x OC Pairing, OC not only has creative elbow space but knows the ins and outs of the canon character without having to worry about slipping up like falling out of character. Not to mention Canon characters might vary on interpretation from person to person, like a grey area in the characters personality and unfortunately, you and the other person don't seem to see it to be the same shade of grey. I'm not gonna jump into a role-play and pull a Lemon Grab. To each their own, yo.
 
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