History Main / FanonDiscontinuity

[[caption-width-right:300:That's ''TheMatrix'' they're talking about, in case you were wondering.]]

[[caption-width-right:300:That's ''TheMatrix'' [[strike:series]] movie they're talking about, in case you were wondering.]]

[[caption-width-right:300:That's ''TheMatrix'' they're talking about, in case you were wondering.]]

[[caption-width-right:300:That's the ''TheMatrix'' they're talking about, in case you were wondering.]]

[[caption-width-right:300:That's the ''[[TheMatrix Matrix]]'' [[strike:series]] movie they're talking about, in case you were wondering.]]

[[quoteright:350:[[{{xkcd}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fanon-discontinuity_xkcd4_9883.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:That's the ''[[TheMatrix Matrix]]'' [[strike:series]] movie they're talking about, in case you were wondering.]]

If the questionable elements are written out of canon by the [[WordOfGod creators themselves]], then said elements entered in CanonDiscontinuity territory, or, luckily, are given a DiscontinuityNod. If the creator just bashes it, then it's CreatorBacklash. If, on the other hand, the controversial element is somehow reworked into being tolerable or even popular, it's been RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap.

->'''Comic Book Guy:''' ...Get out of my store.

In moviedom, {{Sequelitis}} is the most common cause of FanonDiscontinuity. It's very common to hear fans of a popular movie series disavow all sequels beyond a certain point, typically the first or second movie. For example, the unofficial slogan of the ''{{Highlander}}'' fandom is, "There Should Have Been Only One." FanonDiscontinuity also tends to arise when an audience has been dealt a particularly bad WallBanger.

[[caption-width-right:350:That's the ''[[TheMatrix Matrix]]'' [[strike:series]] movie they're talking about, in case you were wondering.]]]]

[[quoteright:350:[[{{xkcd}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fanon-discontinuity_xkcd4_9883.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:That's the ''[[TheMatrix Matrix]]'' [[strike:series]] movie they're talking about, in case you were wondering.]]

[[quoteright:350:[[{{xkcd}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fanon-discontinuity_xkcd4_9883.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:That's the ''[[TheMatrix Matrix]]'' [[strike:series]] movie they're talking about, in case you were wondering.]]]]

[[caption-width-right:214:That's the ''[[TheMatrix Matrix]]'' [[strike:series]] movie they're talking about, in case you were wondering.]]]]

FanonDiscontinuity is the act of fans mentally writing out certain events in a show's continuity which don't sit well, no matter if it's a single episode, [[Main/DorkAge a season-length arc]], an entire season or even an entire ''series''. If a plot or [[SnicketWarningLabel ending]] rubs one the wrong way severely enough, fandom can just decide that the offending events never happened. On the series level, events may fall under Discontinuity because the show is perceived to [[Main/JumpingTheShark suck at that point]]. Events also get "discontinued" for particularly screwing up the characters or setting, and a show that starts to suck will end up screwing things up eventually anyway.

[[quoteright:307:[[PinkyAndTheBrain http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PinkyElmyraBrain_7897.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:307:Don't worry Brain, the fans shared the same sentiment.]]

[[quoterigh:307:[[PinkyAndTheBrain http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PinkyElmyraBrain_7897.jpg]]]]

->'''Comic Book Guy:''' ''That was an imaginary story dreamed up by [[{{Superman}} Jimmy Olsen after Supergirl's horse Comet]] kicked him in the head. It never really happened.''
->'''Bart Simpson:''' ''Hey, none of this stuff ever'' really ''happened.''
->'''Comic Book Guy:''' ''...Get out of my store.''

[[PinkyAndTheBrain http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PinkyElmyraBrain_7897.jpg]]
[[caption-width:307:Don't worry Brain, the fans shared the same sentiment.]]

->''TheSimpsons:'' "Husbands and Knives."

-->How could they fuck up Zelda this bad? It's not a Zelda game, I wouldn't call it that. "Oh, but it is, it has Zelda in it, it has Link." Yeah, but you know what, that's a pointless argument right there. That's like if your Dad says "I fucked your mom". It's like... I can't argue with ''that''.
-->--The AngryVideoGameNerd, concluding his CD-i trilogy.

-->Burn it, hang it on the strings of a guitar, whatever. This is NOT Macross. I won't accept it as such. Minmay, come back!
-->--Carlos Ross, reviewing [[http://www.agreetodisagree.net/search.php?u=99008917d30c3a1eOi8vd3d3LnRoZW1hbmltZS5vcmcvdmlld3Jldmlldy5waHA%2FaWQ9MTgz&b=21 Macross 7]]

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->'''Comic Book Guy:''' ''That was an imaginary story dreamed up by [[{{Superman}} Jimmy Olsen after Supergirl's horse Comet]]. It never really happened.''

->'''Comic Book Guy:''' ''That was an imaginary story dreamed up by [[{{Superman}} Jimmy Olsen after Supergirl]] kicked him in the head with cosmic force. It never really happened.''

FanonDiscontinuity is the act of fans mentally writing out certain events in a show's continuity which don't sit well, no matter if it's a single episode, [[Main/DorkAge a season-length arc]], or even an entire series. If a plot or [[SnicketWarningLabel ending]] rubs one the wrong way severely enough, fandom can just decide that the offending events never happened. On the series level, events may fall under Discontinuity because the show is perceived to [[Main/JumpingTheShark suck at that point]]. Events also get "discontinued" for particularly screwing up the characters or setting, and a show that starts to suck will end up screwing things up eventually anyway.

In effect, FanonDiscontinuity is the opposite of {{fanon}}. (And not unrelated, either -- much FanonDiscontinuity has resulted from violations of fanon.) While extremely negative audience reactions may lead to an offending storyline being [[AuthorsSavingThrow officially removed from canon]] in response, FanonDiscontinuity specifically refers to when ''fans'' disregard a storyline ''regardless'' of the creators' opinion on it.

For questionable elements ignored or written out of canon by the [[WordOfGod creators themselves]], see CanonDiscontinuity, or at the very least, a DiscontinuityNod. If, on the other hand, the controversial element is somehow reworked into being tolerable or even popular, it's been RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap.

In moviedom, {{Sequelitis}} is the most common cause of FanonDiscontinuity. It's very common to hear fans of a popular movie series disavow all sequels beyond a certain point, typically the first or second movie. For example, the unofficial slogan of the ''{{Highlander}}'' fandom is, "There Should Have Been Only One." Discontinuity also tends to arise when an audience has been dealt a particularly bad WallBanger.

This is a very subjective trope, more based on the fandom than the event itself. The visceral response to FanonDiscontinuity can baffle other fans who don't take the event as seriously, or even * gasp* like the event. '''Please only post examples of the ''fandom'' disregarding an event;''' posting Personal Discontinuities could -- and ''did'' -- get messy, and should only be posted in [[TroperTales/FanonDiscontinuity Troper Tales]]. Also, using this as a {{pothole}} is generally rather rude and irritating, '''''so don't''''', unless you want to use CanonDiscontinuity instead. If ''you'' would rather forget about it, then don't put it on the examples list!

!!Examples[[index]]

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