Yeah, I really wouldn't get too worked up about it. I don't think the act of writing fanfic should be about taking sides or subscribing to theories, and if the canon winds up proving you 'wrong' that's okay. With such ambiguous characters, the best you can do to be faithful to them is make sure their voices are right.
Have faith in your own ability to make the reader believe. It's an ability you've proven yourself to have in spades. What makes your stories feel like they fit in the canon isn't so much about having certain facts tally up - it's just about getting their voices right and staying true to what is essential about them. Even essentials can shift, if the writing shows how they evolve. Capturing the voice of the characters is more important than anything else. Even OOC stuff can usually work as long as the voice is right. If I read a fic and John says things that I can't actually imagine him saying in Martin Freeman's voice, I tend to back-button, but if he sounds like John, I can be convinced of a lot. Really, there's not much you can't have happen. Exploring possibilities is the whole point of fanfic and of the show as well; after series 1, for example, I think many of us would have found the idea of Sherlock standing up and making a speech about how much John has changed his life to be a bit OOC, but they pulled it off. It's all just playing and exploring. :)
I've probably said more than enough, but I'm suddenly reminded of Martin Freeman remarking: 'My job should be a pleasure. It's called playing. It's not called fighting, it's called playing a part... so it should have a certain lightness to it and it should have a joy to it.'
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Date: 2014-06-27 10:18 am (UTC)Have faith in your own ability to make the reader believe. It's an ability you've proven yourself to have in spades. What makes your stories feel like they fit in the canon isn't so much about having certain facts tally up - it's just about getting their voices right and staying true to what is essential about them. Even essentials can shift, if the writing shows how they evolve. Capturing the voice of the characters is more important than anything else. Even OOC stuff can usually work as long as the voice is right. If I read a fic and John says things that I can't actually imagine him saying in Martin Freeman's voice, I tend to back-button, but if he sounds like John, I can be convinced of a lot. Really, there's not much you can't have happen. Exploring possibilities is the whole point of fanfic and of the show as well; after series 1, for example, I think many of us would have found the idea of Sherlock standing up and making a speech about how much John has changed his life to be a bit OOC, but they pulled it off. It's all just playing and exploring. :)
I've probably said more than enough, but I'm suddenly reminded of Martin Freeman remarking: 'My job should be a pleasure. It's called playing. It's not called fighting, it's called playing a part... so it should have a certain lightness to it and it should have a joy to it.'