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3%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!
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6->'''Animal Man:''' How can they make me eat meat? I ''don't'' eat meat! I don't ''want'' to eat meat! I'm a vegetarian.\
7'''Grant Morrison:''' No, ''I'm'' a vegetarian. You'll be whatever you're written to be.
8-->-- ''ComicBook/AnimalMan'', "Deus Ex Machina", Creator/GrantMorrison's last issue as writer
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10%% One quote is sufficient. Please place additional entries on the quotes tab.
11
12In some stories, a character is very different every time they appear--so different that it's almost [[AlternateUniverse a different character with the same name]]. This is particularly common with long-running shows and comic books and even Website/ThisVeryWiki, due to the large number of writers on staff. But there are some characters where even the ''same'' writer makes them different every time, deciding to tweak their personalities as the plot demands or for RuleOfFunny.
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14This is not the same as CharacterDevelopment--nothing happens in the story to justify the personality change. WriterOnBoard or CreatorBreakdown might, though.
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16This trope is particularly common (almost {{Enforced}}) in Live-Theatre performances, as the [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation way the characters are presented]] will be different depending on the actor and director.
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18Don't get this confused with character depth. Also, just because you can't predict a character's moves 100% of the time doesn't mean they're inconsistent. Now, if you can predict a character's moves 100% of the time ''only when you know who's writing'', then they're definitely inconsistent.
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20Different writers with different ideas and understandings of the work are also the usual culprit of ContinuityDrift, such as which character may be TheStoic, a DeadpanSnarker, or TheTroublemaker.
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22If the writers themselves begin to notice this, they might attempt an AuthorsSavingThrow. This can be in the form of trying to plausibly reconcile the differing depictions, leading to genuine CharacterDevelopment (such as revealing [X] to be the reason why this character occasionally acts like [Y]), or agreeing to stick to the most popular persona (writers A, B, and C write this character differently, but audiences love C's take the most, so A and B eventually follow suit).
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24See also PingPongNaivete.
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26Compare AlternativeCharacterInterpretation, DependingOnTheArtist, EraSpecificPersonality, SameCharacterButDifferent, InterpretativeCharacter, ArmedWithCanon, RunningTheAsylum, CharacterDerailment.
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28----
29!!Example subpages:
30
31[[index]]
32* DependingOnTheWriter/AnimeAndManga
33* DependingOnTheWriter/ComicBooks
34** DependingOnTheWriter/TheDCU
35** DependingOnTheWriter/MarvelUniverse
36* DependingOnTheWriter/{{Literature}}
37* DependingOnTheWriter/LiveActionTV
38* DependingOnTheWriter/TabletopGames
39* DependingOnTheWriter/VideoGames
40* DependingOnTheWriter/WebOriginal
41* DependingOnTheWriter/WesternAnimation
42** ''DependingOnTheWriter/AmericanDad''
43** ''DependingOnTheWriter/ScoobyDoo''
44** ''DependingOnTheWriter/TheSimpsons''
45** ''DependingOnTheWriter/SpongeBobSquarePants''
46[[/index]]
47
48!!Other examples:
49
50[[foldercontrol]]
51
52[[folder:Audio Drama]]
53* Under the ironic pen of Paul Magrs in the ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' audio ''Excelis Dawns'', Lord Grayvorn is something of an IneffectualSympatheticVillain, with strong hints that his unseen army is a lot less impressive than he suggests. In the subsequent audios in the ''Excelis Trilogy'', he's a much more serious threat. It could be that he's TakenALevelInBadass, but even the Doctor doesn't argue much with the idea that he was the planet's most powerful warlord back in the day.
54[[/folder]]
55
56[[folder:Asian Animation]]
57* In ''Animation/{{Lamput}}'', the living situations of the Docs varies per episode, depending on what works for the episode proper. Some episodes have them living in separate houses, which also becomes inconsistent if the two of them are neighbors or not. Other times they're roommates living in the same house, which then becomes inconsistent if they have their own rooms or share one.
58[[/folder]]
59
60[[folder:Eastern Animation]]
61* Gustav of ''Animation/{{Gustavus}}'' played loads of different roles across the 120 shorts, but stories written and/or directed by co-creator József Nepp (whose solo short film ''Passion'' inspired the series in the first place) liked to focus more on DarkComedy and the negative side of humanity. He made Gustav into a horrible {{Jerkass}} corrupted by and taking advantage of society, whereas in other episodes he was more redeemable or fully innocent.
62[[/folder]]
63
64[[folder:Fan Works]]
65Fanfiction is, by its very nature, this trope. How canon characters are portrayed vary greatly from fanfic to fanfic depending on [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation how the writer interprets them]].
66
67* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' fanfiction has a few prominent "fan-verses", but the one with most variants is the ''Fanfic/ReverseFallsAU'', where Gideon Gleeful and Pacifica Northwest switch places with Dipper and Mabel. Outside the basic foundations of it being a MirrorUniverse, many of the surrounding details change a lot depending on the author's headcanons. Sometimes Pacifica will have a personality similar to canon Mabel's, and sometimes she's a GranolaGirl. The twins' villainous nature varies wildly, going from redeemable antagonists to irredeemable monsters. Sometimes Stan and Ford are pawns of the twins ala Bud Gleeful, and sometimes they’re subtle manipulators. Sometimes Will truly is a wimpy version of Bill being victimized, and sometimes he's the true BigBad playing the long time. Sometimes the story will be tonally in line with the show; other times it will be DarkerAndEdgier or even BloodierAndGorier. Outside that basic morally alignment switch regarding the four kids (and the resulting costume changes), everything else is pretty fair game.
68* Due to not having much of an official canon, period, the ''[[Ride/TheHauntedMansion Haunted Mansion]]'' fandom is full of alternate continuities, backstories, mechanics and characterizations for the same familiar house and spooks. Even within the ''Fanfic/HauntedMansionAndTheHatboxGhost'' FanVerse, characterization can greatly vary. For instance, the Hatbox Ghost is a GrumpyOldMan in most people's comics, but Sidisney tends to ramp up his childish mischief instead. Also, some of the comics by most authors who are nominally included in the FanVerse have to be [[FanonDiscontinuity discounted in the fanverse's canon]].
69* This is just as pronounced, if not more so, in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fandom; different authors will very often have different interpretations of the characters and setting, as expected of fanfic. But it gets ''really'' extreme when it comes to works about the many background characters whose personalities are based primarily in fanon rather than canon. While there is some basic {{fanon}} you can expect to be adhered to for each character (much of which became AscendedFanon over the show's run), there is still more than enough room for stories by different authors to treat characters like [[MemeticBystander Derpy Hooves]] ''very'' differently from each other.
70* A key plot point in ''Fanfic/RedactionOfTheGoldenWitch'' is the existence of "Forgeries", InUniverse fanworks that off their own interpretations of what happened on Rokkenjima island during the events of ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry''. ''Redaction'' itself is partially one such forgery, and one of the {{Driving Question}}s of the work is who wrote it and ''why''.
71** This is further PlayedWith through the character of Andromalius, who was originally created by the InUniverse author as a way of representing their guilt, self-loathing, and grief. However, another character who reads their work adopts Andromalius as their AuthorAvatar, infusing him with his persecutory, NeverMyFault attitude and effectively transforming him into a completely different character.
72* The ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' fandom does this with select characters, where different authors might have drastically different characterizations for the same people. While almost everyone gets hit with this to an extent, these are some of the most notable examples:
73** In general: Should the [[AllThereInTheManual biographies]] on the campers written back in season one be followed to the letter, or ignored [[InformedAttribute much like what]] [[CharacterizationMarchesOn canon does?]]
74** Ezekiel: Shallow {{Jerkass}} or good-at-heart borderline {{Moe}}?
75** Courtney: Reasonable if a little uptight person or [[NoIndoorVoice capslocking]], sue-crazy sociopath? This would be a case of RonTheDeathEater, except depictions of her in the series following the first season ''does'' lean over to the latter, particularly in season two.
76** Owen -- not so much the guy himself, but what people think of him. Is he still one of the most popular characters in-universe or does everyone feel sympathetic, yet sick of him at the same time?
77** Izzy: Truly deranged nutcase or just an energetic ShamelessFanserviceGirl who happens to like telling tall tales?
78** Gwen: Thanks to the [[spoiler:Duncan-kiss incident]], she can either be a hero in the right or a devious antagonist depending on the author's character and/or shipping preference. Mostly shipping preference.
79** Alejandro: The [[ContinuationFic sea]][[FixFic son's]] [[RonTheDeathEater sadistic]] BigBad or misunderstood guy who just wants Heather to love him?
80* VideoGame/{{Touhou}} fanworks. It's extremely common to see takes on characters that either hew close to the official details, exaggerate them for parody or drama, or blatantly ignore them. Complicated with endless arguments about what is canon and fanon. One doujin can make one character extremely nice, another a complete {{jerkass}}, another an AxeCrazy mass murderer.
81[[/folder]]
82
83[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
84* ''Film/HarryPotter'': Screenwriter Steve Kloves has often been derisively called a [[IdiosyncraticShipNaming Harmonian]], for the emphasis his films put on Harry and Hermione's relationship, including a slow dance after Ron abandoned them in the forest in the Deathly Hallows movie (though the end stuck with the book's Hermione/Ron marriage).
85* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
86** Loki's characterization: in ''Film/{{Thor}}'', he's characterized as an AffablyEvil AntiVillain and [[TragicVillain tragic figure]]. In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', Creator/JossWhedon characterizes him as FauxAffablyEvil and almost entirely without redeeming features. Whedon even states on the DVDCommentary that he set out to make Loki less sympathetic. The writers of ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' and ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' had to merge the two characterizations, while ''Series/{{Loki|2021}}'' centered its character development on his inconsistent personality and finding who the "real" Loki is (Loki himself feels troubled watching his gleeful sadism from ''The Avengers'').
87** A smaller version occurred with Tony Stark in the first ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' movie. Tony was always snarky, but now being written by Whedon, AuthorAppeal shines through as his snarks include many movie references.
88** In the ''Avengers'' films written and directed by Joss Whedon, Natasha's main connection to the team are Bruce Banner (as a feared TerrorHero to her in the first and PromotedToLoveInterest in ''[[Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron Age of Ultron]]'') and old friend Hawkeye. In the ''Captain America'' sequels, ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', and ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', written by Stephen [=McFeeley=] and Christopher Markus and directed by the Russos, her ''Avengers'' orbit goes through Steve Rogers, elevating the pair into eventual PlatonicLifePartners. Similarly, she's more emotionally open to her teammates (especially Steve) in the latter films while more of a dryly detached teammate in Whedon's films.
89** Bruce Banner during his first few films was portrayed as struggling to come to grips with his alter ego. In ''Thor: Ragnarok'', he's written as a more nebbish ComedicHero, although waking up from a two-year Hulk coma on an alien planet can partly explain it.
90** Steve Rogers:
91*** Although the question of whether ToBeLawfulOrGood has remained consistent throughout his appearances, Steve Rogers has had different sides of his personality emphasized depending on whether Joe Johnston or the Russo Brothers or Joss Whedon are helming the movie. In the Johnston/Russos' movies (written by Christopher Markus and Stephen [=McFeely=]), their take on Cap emphasizes the grimmer, human side of Steve, forcing him to reflect upon all that he's lost, his place in the world and whether he should be ''Captain America'' or ''Steve Rogers'', with him always picking the latter, lawfulness be damned. Conversely, Whedon's take on the character tends to have him focusing on the threat at hand while downplaying his "Man Out Of Time" habits, emphasizing his ''Captain America'' persona and having him be a more self-assured figure who takes pride in the lawful GoodOldWays and is critical of rulebreakers.
92*** Steve's LoveInterest - be it hinted or stated - varies depending on the movie. ''The First Avenger'' and ''Age of Ultron'' showcases Peggy as his one true love, only for ''The Winter Soldier'' and ''Civil War'' to bounce him between a ShipTease with Natasha Romanoff and Sharon Carter, respectively. ''Endgame'' puts the debate to rest by solidifying Peggy as his heart's desire, but it's pretty clear that his romance subplot went through more twists and turns than was strictly necessary due to WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants (Sharon was planned to be Steve's primary love interest as in the comics, but a combination of Peggy becoming a SmurfetteBreakout, Natasha's expanded role in ''The Winter Soldier'' absorbing scenes originally meant for Sharon, and the delayed Steve/Sharon romance in ''Civil War'' going over like a lead balloon, made the decision to return to Peggy a case of last-minute course correction).
93[[/folder]]
94
95[[folder:Music]]
96* Invoked with Music/{{Vocaloid}}: In order to give users as much freedom with their song-writing as possible, the official creators generally give Vocaloids little-to-no canon personality. Needless to say, this results in fans portraying any given character as an AxeCrazy killer one day to the kid-friendly salesperson of vegetable juice the next. May qualify as FridgeBrilliance: since the Vocaloids are musicians (at least in the context of songs that feature them) they may just be playing a role rather than actually acting like that (contrast Hatsune Miku's ''World Is Mine'', where she's portrayed as something of a brat, to her GenkiGirl self in ''[=PoPiPo=]'').
97[[/folder]]
98
99[[folder:Mythology]]
100* Myths and legends are highly subject to this, as even the written records originated from OralTradition and have no known original version, and thus there is no "canon." For one specific example, consider the [[Myth/GreekMythology Greek myth]] of Arachne. The basic details are always the same: Arachne is [[BlasphemousBoast said to be a better weaver than even Athena (the goddess of weaving) herself]], Athena challenges her to a contest to see who's better, and by the end Arachne is a spider. The specifics, however, change from telling to telling.
101** In some versions, Arachne actually ''is'' that good and wins the weaving contest, with Athena retaliating out of pettiness. In others, Arachne weaves a tapestry that is indeed very good, but Athena (being an immortal goddess) weaves one which is infinitely more beautiful, and Athena punishes Arachne for her hubris by transforming her into a spider. There is another version in which Arachne [[BullyingADragon weaves a tapestry that depicts evil things the gods have done]], and this is the final insult that drives Athena to turn her into a spider.
102** In some versions, Arachne openly boasts that she is superior to Athena. In another, it is Arachne's mother who says her daughter surpasses the gods. In another, Athena simply notices a highly skilled mortal and challenges her to a weaving contest.
103** Arachne and Athena's characterization changes depending on the storyteller. In one version Arachne is not only proud of her skill but openly insults the gods, and quite frankly is asking for it. In another she simply caught the eye of Athena by being a talented weaver. Similarly, in some versions Athena is a graceful goddess who gives Arachne every chance to prove herself, while in others she's petty and vindictive.
104** In the darkest version (but arguably the one that portrays Arachne and Athena most favorably), Arachne hangs herself in Athena's temple as a self-imposed penance for defeating her idol whom she worshiped (she would have thrown the match had she known who her opponent was). Athena is saddened by Arachne's death, and touched by her devotee's piety. To memorialize her skill, she changes the noose into a thread, and Arachne's corpse into the first spider.
105* Who killed [[Literature/TheTrojanCycle King Agamemnon]] and why? According to Creator/{{Homer}}, it was his cousin Aegisthus, as an extension of the CycleOfRevenge that defined the House of Atreus. Homer also holds Aegisthus [[TheCorrupter wholly responsible]] for Agamemnon's wife Clytemnestra turning against the king. A later and more popular version, told by Aeschylus in ''Theatre/TheOresteia'', says that Agamemnon was forced to sacrifice his and Clytemnestra's daughter Iphigenia to Artemis in penance for a BlasphemousBoast and Clytemnestra murdered him herself in revenge.
106* Myth/ArthurianLegend: Myth/KingArthur. Basically every possible interpretation of him has been seen somewhere, from noble warrior with a few minor failings, to a largely inactive figure who sits back and lets the Knights do all the work, to a deeply flawed man who happens to be the hero Logres needs, to a bloody-handed tyrant. This is to say nothing of the lineup of the Round Table, many of whom have been altered so many times and written in so many different ways that only the name remains even semi-constant.
107* In the Myth/NartSagas, Setenaya takes on [[https://web.archive.org/web/20141211025003/http://www.aheku.net/datas/users/1-satanaya_cycle.pdf a multitude of roles]], many of them seemingly contradictory. In different tales she may play the part of the wise woman, the innocent maiden, the seductive temptress, the rape victim, the manipulative bitch, the compassionate mother, the quasi-scientist, or the wily sorceress.
108* One Aesop fable invokes this: a man and lion debate about who is the strongest of the two, with the man supporting his claim of man being the strongest with a statue of a man slaying a lion. The lion retorts that the statue was man-made, and if a lion could sculpt it would show a lion slaying a man.
109[[/folder]]
110
111[[folder:Theatre]]
112* In ''Theatre/BareAPopOpera'', Nadia's EstablishingCharacterMoment is a song about how she's fat and hates the way people treat her for it, however in some productions she's only HollywoodPudgy, and her problem is how she sees ''herself''.
113* In ''Theatre/JasperInDeadland'', the script has Mr Lethe describe to [[SecretaryOfEvil Ms Hathaway]] what their lives will be like when he is in charge, to which she responds "My heart beats with anticipation...". Depending on the production, Hathaway is either speaking genuinely as there is [[SleepingWithTheBoss some kind of relationship between them]], sarcastically because he's describing her still doing [[YouGetMeCoffee menial labor like getting him drinks and sunscreen]], or genuinely because [[IgnoredEnamoredUnderling she's in love with him]] despite the fact that he sees her as just an employee.
114* AdaptationDistillation of ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' means characters and relationships are very much up to the actors' interpretations. One example is the relationship between Enjolras and Grantaire - some productions play up their closeness and/or HomoeroticSubtext more than others.
115* In theatrical performances of ''Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}}'', Brunhilde normally has a [[BrawnHilda fat or extremely masculine looking women]] play her, but with a choice of actress, she becomes more attractive.
116* In ''Theatre/{{Oklahoma}}'', Jud Fry can be played as a buffoon lacking intelligence, a possessive and evil man, a slightly insane man or a sympathetic and misunderstood man who struggles with depression. Curly could also be played as an overconfident and cocky braggart who is slightly cowardly or a person who is confident and charming. This mostly depends on the depth of the director.
117* This was the downfall (or, rather, show stopper) of UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler in ''Film/TheProducers''.
118* There are lots of examples from Creator/WilliamShakespeare. Is Theatre/{{Hamlet}} mad, or just faking it? Does Gertrude drink the poisoned wine deliberately (suggesting a greater understanding of the situation than indicated in the text)? Is Banquo's ghost really there during the feast, or is Theatre/{{Macbeth}} hallucinating? Is [[Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice Shylock]] a truly nasty piece of work, or is he an IneffectualSympatheticVillain? Is [[Theatre/TwelfthNight Antonio]] [[HoYay in love with Sebastian]]? Just how straight is [[Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew Kate's]] end-of-play [[ValuesDissonance lecture on wifely submission]] played? And so on ad infinitum. It all depends on the director and the actor.
119[[/folder]]
120
121[[folder:Theme Parks]]
122* The Ride/JungleCruise at the Ride/DisneyThemeParks is well known for the [[HurricaneOfPuns pun-filled]] banter of the tour boat skippers, where jokes are changed out or shuffled around every so often.
123[[/folder]]
124
125[[folder:Web Comics]]
126* The Webcomic/NuzlockeComics involve turning [[AfterActionReport a playthrough of one of the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games into a comic strip or written story]], and there are a lot of variations on the rules of the challenge itself, as well as the setting and the characters involved. Does the term "Nuzlocke" have any meaning within the world itself? Is it a Self-Imposed Challenge, a curse, or simply an unnamed rule of the world? Can trainers understand what their Pokémon are saying? If so, how? Can only some of their Pokémon communicate with them, via human speech or telepathy, or can all of them speak freely?
127[[/folder]]
128
129%%[[folder:Other]]
130%%* [[http://chainletters.net/chainletters/mutually-sadistic-english-assignment/ This creative writing assignment.]]
131%%** The Creator/DaveBarry[=/=]Alan Zweibel book ''Lunatics'' was written like this, causing crazed SerialEscalation as they tried to write each other into corners.

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