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Alternative Character Interpretation in Fan Works.

Remember that this is when the audience of the fan work is alternatively interpreting the character. When the fan work explicitly changes the character (because the fan author alternatively interpreted them), that's Adaptation Deviation, usually Adaptational Personality Change.


The following have their own pages:

Crossovers

  • Of both Ranma and Suika in Ranma ½ and Touhou Project crossover Carried Off. The latter is noted in canon for being unwilling to kidnap humans, whereas in Carried Off she has no issues with doing so.
  • Child of the Storm does this with a number of characters and varying degrees of subtlety, due to the author's taste for exploring the implications of characters' powers and backgrounds.
    • Thor used to be James Potter, during his first run at the humility thing. Once he gets those memories back, is he a wiser and more temperate figure than his canon counterpart, or is he just more overprotective?
    • Doctor Strange is a big one, with the good Doctor being cast as the Magnificent Bastard in a setting chock-full of them, being centuries old and smoothly navigating the resultant Gambit Pile Up by means of his future knowledge and extremely effective deployment of the Butterfly Effect, playing absolutely everyone in the cast like a harp, partly thanks to his reputation for not lying. But is he genuinely a Well-Intentioned Extremist, focused entirely on his goal to stop Thanos, or has he become far too comfortable with using everyone as puppets? Whatever the answer is, he considers himself Necessarily Evil and He Who Fights Monsters.
    • Is Warren Worthington III a.k.a. Archangel a grumpy and faintly Wangsty young man, or is he genuinely traumatised by the nature of his wings' transformation and what they can do to people? It's implied that it's a bit of both.
    • Snape's character interpretation is very much on the side of total Jerkass rather than lonely misunderstood Woobie, with his affection towards Lily painted as his Loving a Shadow. However, Thor/James does make a point of thanking him for saving Harry's life.
    • Is Lucius Malfoy truly one of the Magnificent Bastards of the series, claiming HYDRA for his own in a coup and bringing the world to its knees? Or is he just an extremely high-functioning Smug Snake who critically over-reaches, underestimating his enemies (and his former master), and meddling with powers that he cannot control - like the Darkhold?
    • Jean-Paul Beaubier is altered from a supremely arrogant Straight Gay Quebecois Jerk with a Heart of Gold to a French Camp Gay Chivalrous Pervert Gay Best Friend who uses a lot of Gratuitous French. However, it is quickly revealed that the Camp Gay and Gay Best Friend parts are almost entirely a façade to hide a ruthless Combat Pragmatist who is extremely protective of his (somewhat insane) sister and capable of pulling an almost absent minded Sherlock Scan on someone he barely knows, a façade put in place to ensure that people underestimate him. As Harry, no stranger to scary people himself, notes, when the façade drops, what's beneath is actually pretty frightening. Though he really is a terrible flirt and among Harry's friend group, he tends to default to Only Sane Man status.
    • Is Lex himself a morally improved version of his early Smallville self, improved by the influence of an actual friend or two who can be open with him and is willing to act as a Morality Chain, including Clark in the sequel (quickly figuring out that Clark is superhuman)? Or does he just have a slightly greater moral 'circle', with a canonical Lack of Empathy for those who aren't 'his' people?
    • And finally, after Forever Red, is Harry a hero, a future great who has passed through the Despair Event Horizon and teetered on the edge of true darkness to become a Knight of Faith and a Knight In Shining Armour, one who is willing to make hard decisions where necessary? Or is he ruthless and casually manipulative, willing to lie to his friends and lead them around in circles for the sake of convenience? Or, indeed, is he a ticking time-bomb of PTSD and anger issues?
  • Christian Humber Reloaded, having a Designated Hero main character fighting against many characters who qualify as Designated Villains, naturally invites this.
  • Invoked by the Wandering Scholar in The Good Hunter.
    • In his new work, Wild Hunt, he wants the readers to make their own conclusions regarding the Good Hunter: a cruel murderer who seeks nothing more than an eternity of bloodshed? Or just one of many who wished to make a place for himself?
    • He also invokes this regarding the nature of the Wild Hunt: an agency for good? Or a band of murderers?
  • Green Ice (Jeeves and Wooster & Lord Peter Wimsey): The fic interprets Bertie Wooster as a victim of severe post-traumatic stress disorder that has rendered him all but incapable of looking after himself, and in massive denial about the events of the War ever having occurred. The rest of his friends and family are correspondingly engaged in a kindly conspiracy to prevent him from being reminded of it, due to his severe PTSD episodes whenever a reminder is unavoidable.
  • iFight Crime With Victorious: Neville Papperman goes from being a snobby rich kid to a snobby rich kid with an evil power and an obsession with destroying the symbol of his greatest failure, instead of just harming Carly, Sam, and Freddie's reputations.

Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra

Bluey

  • Nightfall:
    • When did Bandit find out that the vampire wasn't real, and it was All Just a Prank? Did he know all along, did he only realise once he saw everyone appearing to be vampires, or did Chilli tell him somewhere between the morning he discovered the tomato juice bottle had been bitten and the night of the prank? If he did know all along, does that mean he was faking his Lost Food Grievance, or was he genuinely unhappy at his wife wasting food as part of her prank?
    • The reveal seems to explain why Chilli was acting so tired. But was she feigning tiredness to further convince her daughters that she was a vampire? Or was she genuinely tired, but it wasn't from late work like Bandit claimed, but rather from being unable to catch up on sleep after getting up in the night to dress as a vampire and bite the food? On the morning the hot sauce bottle was revealed to be bitten, she not only acts tired but also coughs. Was she pretending to cough to fool her daughters into thinking she was a vampire and the daylight was making her sick? Or was she actually coughing because the hot sauce irritated her throat?

Buffyverse

  • Watching Angel's past while in Heaven in Finis Vitae Sed Non Amoris, Buffy muses that she can understand how Angel might see nothing commendable in his attitude as Liam, but looking at memories of Liam's life, Buffy muses that, where Angel might think of himself as a drunken vagabond who never applied himself to anything, she recognises that Liam had a boundless capacity for love that he retains as Angel, but was simply too disillusioned by the gap between his dreams and the expectations everyone else had of him to really try to explore his potential.

Calvin and Hobbes

Chick Tracts

Code Geass

  • Code Geass: Colorless Memories Considering which series the fics are based on, a number of character's actions and motivations are subject to speculation and viewed differently depending on your opinion and feelings.
    • Did Suzaku have a point when he accused Kallen in Chapter Seventeen of not really caring about Rai, is taking advantage of someone with no memories and just using him for her own purposes and to please Zero? Or is he being a Hypocrite when he himself wanted Rai to join the Brtiannian Army and help him with his goals? Or do Both Sides Have a Point in regards to their views, to Rai and their own actions?
    • In Chapter Eight, was Zero really thinking of shooting Rai when he remained silent to his offer? Or was it simply a intimidation tactic to coerce Rai into joining, guessing that Kallen would come to Rai's aid and plead for Rai to join.
    • Backstage 4 did OSI Special Agent Harald Thompson tell Kaguya about the Sumeragi Legacy due to thinking that her guards would shoot him if he didn't give up some useful information? Or did he lead her on knowing that she would search the Sumeragi temple for clues and be a Unwitting Pawn for whoever it is he is actually working for?
    • Even Rai himself is subject to this, did he really join the Black Knights in Chapter Nine because he wants to truly fight for Japan? Or is he simply using them for the simple purpose of regaining his memories and that he could care less about what they want to achieve? His answers to E.E in Chapter Seventeen raises the Ambiguity further.
    • Is his attitude to Zero's and other officers praises sign of Rai being a Humble Hero? Or does it point to Rai secretly being arrogantly proud and seeing such remarks as beneath him and a sign of him holding back so not to stand out? Even if he does not process it in that way.
    • Carrying on, is Rai's lack of confidence in his skill down to him being Amnesiac, a Fish out of Water and that he is a shy person overall? Or does he have some disorder that makes it hard for him to process his feelings and thoughts externally and in places internally. Or is he Obfuscating Stupidity without realising it in order to lower everyone's guard around him so he isn't at risk.
    • In Chapter Twelve, was Kaguya Obfuscating Stupidity when Rai entered the room she was in and figured out who he was when he talked to Zero? As she mentions she has seen his face before somewhere. Or did she simply think he was a Black Knight solider that had got lost?
    • Chapter Seventeen: was E.E really just testing Rai with her questions and putting on an act. Or did she have another motive and agenda in mind. Some of her responses to the questions posed mires her more in Ambiguity in regards to Rai.
      • Also did she really not know about C.C taking Rai's memories as part of their deal? Or is she lying to Rai to keep him from finding out the truth of her involvement in his amnesia?
    • Chapter Eighteen has what Rai's Mother says about her husband and so far unknown reasons for marrying Rai's father. Along with what exactly she was up to along with E.E.
    • Chapter Eighteen also raises the very likihood that Rai is suffering from PTSD from the death of his family and it's only now in the fic that he has started his recovery.
    • How much of Rai's POV is reliable? Considering his amnesia, talking in halting, short, and uncomplicated sentences, passive personality early on, lack of POV's from other characters. Is Rai POV's a clear view of the people, events and relationships evolving in the fic? Or is he an Unreliable Narrator and is secretly got an Agenda with E.E that has yet to be revealed.
    • Chapter Eighteen raises the ambiguity even further with Rai, was he telling the truth about his attack on Bismarck? Or is he lying about it to excuse his failure and brash actions? Did Rai really come to Japan just for a sword? Or did he have a Secret Agenda that hasn't been revealed to us yet?
  • Is Lelouch more stable in Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion because of the Rational Fic trope, or the You Need to Get Laid trope?

Danny Phantom

  • Danny Phantom: Stranded: "Visited" raises the question if Beatrice has always been such a Hate Sink or if she turned out like that as life went on, and if so, why?
    • Richard claims that Beatrice was genuinely sweet and kind when they first met but changed for the worst over the course of their marriage. Johnathan, however, thinks she was simply putting on an act and merely dropped it after getting Richard as a husband. Both interpretations come from admittedly biased sources, so it's unclear who has the more accurate read on Beatrice's behavior.
    • Beatrice being an Impoverished Patrician who was pushed to marry for money by her parents does paint her actions in a new light. She could honestly think she was doing what was best for the family given what happened to her, and her other flaws just obscure what would otherwise be good intentions. Beatrice could also be bitter that her parents shoved her into a relationship she wasn't looking for, even if Richard genuinely loves her. Remember that both Star and Stella have had issues with how their respective mothers tried to raise them, so this being a familial version of The Chain of Harm wouldn't be surprising.
    • Beatrice's recently released bio revealed info that gives credit to both interpretations of her behavior by Richard and Johnathan and her feeling about her Arranged Marriage.
      • Her biography states that she was raised from an early age to be a Proper Lady and was spoiled with every luxury that money could buy, all while growing up to believe that her status in life made her superior to others. However, when she turned 18, her family almost became bankrupt and was on the verge of losing their ancestral estate. It was due to this that Beatrice's parents introduced her to many suitors in hopes that they would marry her off to a wealthy family to clear their debts. Beatrice's parents pressured her to marry into wealth in order to avoid poverty. One of the suitors happened to be her future husband, Richard. At first, they seemed to get along, and after a brief courtship, Richard fell in love and proposed to her, and their wedding was arranged not long after. After their marriage, Richard paid off her family's debt and restored their wealth. Despite the circumstances of their relationship, it's revealed that Beatrice did indeed get along with Richard at the start of their relationship and tried to be (at least HER idea of) a good wife at the start, giving credit to Richard's interpretations of her behavior. However, the bio made it clear that Beatrice always thought she was superior to others and that she felt a deep resentment over the lack of control she had in her youth and the fact that she was essentially sold by her parents to the Traville family. That resentment, along with her own domineering personality, personality flaws, and twisted views, cemented into bitterness over the years, and she began to rule over the Traville estate with an iron fist. This show that, as Richard believes, Beatrice was a better person when she was younger and at least tried to be a decent wife to him when she was younger. However, as Johnathan believes, Beatrice was always an awful person, mainly because she was raised that way, and since her family was desperate to regain their former wealth and status, she likely hid her awful personality from him until later in life from Richard in order to acquire control over his wealth and estate.
      • It's heavily implied that Beatrice's actions were partly because of how her family almost became poor, and she was forced to marry to regain the wealth and never wants that to happen again. But at the same time, it is made clear that she cares more about herself and her family image rather than her family itself, and if she ever had good intentions and good personality traits, they were long gone by the time she reached old age.

Death Note

Dragon Age

  • In Walking in Circles, when Fitz reveals his latest method of escaping to Solas, does he genuinely think that Solas has a chance of escaping and just doesn't know that the later doesn't have the knowledge about the phylacteries? Or does he try to use Solas to seek new ways of freeing himself?
    • When Solas keeps Evelyn, who has been made Tranquil, with him for two years, is it purely for her protection, or also for his own benefits since with his resources, he could have sent her somewhere safe instead of taking her with him everywhere? Does he want to have her by his side because he still loves her and can't bear to be apart, or does he intended to punish himself by always seeing his mistake right in front of his eyes?

The Fairly OddParents!

Ghostbusters

  • Fan Fiction has this for both Ray and Egon:
    • Ray sometimes sits close to Egon, puts his hand on his shoulder, etc. Does this mean he's in love with him, or is he just a Cuddle Bug?
    • Egon was reading stories that featured Ray tying him up. Does this mean he has a crush on Ray and is into BDSM, or had he started reading them out of curiosity and gone down a rabbit hole?
  • Egon in If You Didn't Stop Me: He becomes miserable, lethargic, and unclean and tries to do things like drill through his head and (in the sequel) jump out the window (the second time while thinking about wanting to become a star in the sky)... but on the other hand, he was taking notes about the paranormal, and unlike most depression sufferers, he was studying a lot. Was he depressed, possessed, or was it some sort of attempt to do something supernatural such as communicate with the dead?
  • Egon in My First Attempt at a GB Fanfic — Janine thinks that he's Oblivious to Love because he's autistic (which he may or may not be; she simply Googled the symptoms), while Dr. Snow claims that he does notice Janine's advances and is simply playing coy. It's never revealed who is right.
  • Ray in Jenny, Ray's Girlfriend: He zig-zags between acting romantic and acting like simply a close friend to both Jenny and Egon. Is he polyamorous, bisexual, and in love with both of them? In love with neither, but extremely touchy-feely? Only in love with one of them and sees the other as a close friend?

Girls und Panzer

  • In Boys do Tankary?, Ami is presented as being quite upset with Vincent's group of boys for taking her position as instructor and later getting her demoted when she tries to kick them out for fraternizing with the girls, and later turns out to be working for the main antagonist. The question remains of whether and how Ami's anger over losing her position and turn to villainy are related. One possibility is that she did a Face–Heel Turn after the humiliation she suffered, and another is that she was Evil All Along and was upset with Vincent because serving as Oarai's instructor was her job for the villains, and his taking over prevented her from doing that.
  • Boys und Sensha-dō!:
    • Shiho, according to the author, had to disown Miho because she couldn't continue to oppose having boys in sensha-do while her own daughter had them on her team, and believes that doing so will allow Miho to live her own way. Is Shiho making a harsh but necessary decision, but also taking Miho's best interests into account? Or is Shiho simply rationalizing a cruel decision made for the sake of expediency (note that her elder daughter had also wanted Miho to live her own way, and to do so, chose to be Shiho's heiress). Furthermore, is the cause Shiho's fighting for and the reason behind her actions- keeping boys out of sensha-do- even a good reason, much less one worth disowning your daughter over?
    • Akio, an Original Character who will eventually become Miho's boyfriend, also has this apply to him. He despises Shiho for the way she treats Miho and dislikes Maho for, in his eyes, not doing enough for Miho. He's also the only person besides Maho who openly protests Shiho's disowning Miho to her face, and the author says that he also provides Miho a level of support that her canonical friends can't give by standing up to Shiho. Is he someone Miho needs to become a stronger and more confident person, or is he simply an ignorant hothead who needlessly antagonizes Maho (who, as Miho's sister, is one of the people dearest to her) and butts into the Nishizumi family's private business without understanding what he's getting intonote ?
    • After the match with Saunders, none of Miho's friends from Anglerfish Team invite her to come with them (not even Yukari, who idolizes Miho), leaving her alone with Akio. Is this an Out-of-Character Moment for everyone involved that shows them as being unusualy distant from Miho? Or are they trying to play matchmaker between Miho and Akio?

Godzilla

  • Abraxas (Hrodvitnon): When an insane Sergeant Travis shoots himself after being over-exposed to Ghidorah's Brown Note, is this him choosing to die as himself (something which his earlier scenes hinted he wanted to do), or is it just an act of self-harm with no sensical end-goal (like him clawing his own temples open with his fingernails earlier)?

Good Omens

Harry Potter

  • My Immortal:
    • Are the "preps" actually bullies, and in particular, is Britney actually an Alpha Bitch? Or do the "goffs" just hate them for how they dress and what music they listen to, and they're the bullies? Especially since the only bad thing Britney did onscreen was free "Snap", "Loopin", and "Hargrid" from Azkhaban.
    • Is "Dumblydore" truly a poser, is he Obfuscating Insanity to try to manipulate Ebony into killing Voldemort, or does he just behave erratically because he was senile? When he got mad at Ebony and Draco for having sex in the Forbidden Forest was it because he thinks Sex Is Evil, or did he think the Forbidden Forest was too dangerous a place to have sex?
    • At the end, Ebony uses the Killing Curse. Was she trying to kill Voldemort, or (considering she mentions being suicidal several times in the story) herself?
    • "Tom Satan Bombadil", the fanfic's version of Tom Riddle, somehow knows what will happen in the present, which is his future. Is this because he has Psychic Powers (or "telekinesis" as present Voldemort puts it)? Or is he a Con Man using Time Travel?
    • Why did Dobby run away crying after watching Snape and Lupin have sex? Was he horrified by the sight of them doing it, or was he embarrassed that Ebony caught him watching?
    • Was "Doris Rumbridge" telling the truth when she said Dumbledore had Alzheimer's, but was wrong for saying it was dangerous and he had to "retry" (retire)? Or was she lying?
    • Did Ebony not nickname Draco despite nicknaming all her other friends because she's lovesick and sees everything about him, including his name, as perfect? Or is it because "Draco" means "dragon" and is thus already gothic enough?
    • Are Snape and Lupin Immune to Bullets (hence surviving uninjured when Ebony shoots a "gazillion" bullets at them) or does she just have bad aim?

The Haunted Mansion

  • Haunted Mansion and the Hatbox Ghost totally reimagines the Hatbox Ghost to make him a grumpier but also funnier character than he is originally supposed to be.
    • Is Christian "Vashblade" Humber an extremely ruthless and sociopathic Anti-Hero at the dark end of Type V or a Villain Protagonist with very few redeeming qualities.
    • Another interpretation is that he's a deconstruction (intentional or otherwise) of fictional action heroes, showing what happens when someone receives virtually no formal education, always solves his problems with violence and is powerful enough that few people are even remotely a threat to him. He will kill the villains, but will also kill innocent people, and no one can protect them from him.
    • Kekanu could also be interpreted as a cunning good guy trying to stop "Vashblade", he's the only one who is able to beat the protagonist in a fight (Granted, he had help but this is fighting against someone who could punch suns) with a bit of forward-planning. Sadly, he was not to last, making way for the Corrupted-self to appear more often.
    • Is the Corrupted Self evil-er twin who murders with even greater impunity, or diabolic mastermind urging on Humber's base urges?
    • The webcomic suggests that when the kids "tackled" Vash after he killed Soku again near the end of Part I, they did so out of hatred since he unintentionally gave suggestions that he was a pedophile.
    • Did Soku make the difficult decision to turn in her friend because she realized she was unable to get him to stop his violent lifestyle, or was she merely opportunistic and motivated by the money?

Homestuck

  • Cultstuck: Who are the cultists, really? Are they good — if desperate — people who protect the innocent and worship Karkat because their belief in him gives them enough hope to continue living? (Alternia is a dystopic Crapsack World, and several cultists are traumatized in some way.) Or are they selfish, overbearing fanatics trying to force a child into an idealized role he cannot possibly live up to, at the expense of his freedom? (Karkat's narration implies that the only reason they let him live outside the Dark Hive was that the Big Elder ordered them to, and he detests the thought of having to go back there.) Canon generally shows them as a mix of both depending on the person, and- while he's severely injured and suffering from a concussion- Karkat, the fic's main narrator, concedes that he's been unfair to them.

Kill la Kill

  • Rei's suicide in Cellar Secrets. The story (and her diary) says that she killed herself out of guilt, but one could say she killed herself because to escape a perceived punishment, if Nui's flashback was a clue.
  • We have this with an implied to be Secretly Dying Ryuuko and her illness in Raindrops. Did she really grasp the severity of her illness and just didn't want to upset her sister but went to live with her anyhow or did she know she was dying and, due to denial and her stubborn nature, refused believe it until the end?
  • In Second Story Window, this comes along with "Rashomon"-Style, Perspective Flip, and some bit of Mind Screw. Is Ragyou a mentally ill and unintentionally abusive woman who was prone to lashing out her children or is Satsuki the mentally ill one who perceived her mother as such?
    • Or, as a recent review on the story asks, are both Ragyo and Satsuki mentally ill and unaware that they are?
    • Likewise, we get Rei's suicide and her motives: did she commit suicide out of fear or did she have other reasons?

The Loud House

  • Luan in Cleansing: She is oddly sad, apathetic, and lethargic. At times, this seems like depression (she writes a story in which a girl that seems like an Author Avatar tries to kill herself and she seems incapable of being excited), but she perks up after a good cry, so perhaps it was just a run-of-the-mill bad mood (which the narration speculates could be from bombing at a party last week, needing her braces for another year, or going back to school). Seeing as she's a teenage girl, it might also be hormones.
  • The Nightmare House: Many examples, considering the majority of the action takes place in the characters' nightmares, and dreams are often ambiguous:
    • Why did Luan have her nightmare? Was she afraid that no one found her funny (as evidenced by the audience initially seeming like a Tough Room, and and Mr. Coconuts saying that she wasn't funny) or was she just lonely (hence the "I don't want to be alone" at the end)? Or was it both or neither?
    • In Lana's nightmare, why is Rita so cool with Lana being turned into a stereotypical "good girl"? The most common interpretation is that she actually requested this transformation, but it could also be that she was just taking Lana for a normal check-up but liked the change when it happened. If she did request it, did she come up with the idea on her own, or was Lynn Sr. in on it too?
    • Lola's nightmare:
      • Why did Lola have it? Was she having a fit of insecurity and feeling she wasn't beautiful? Or was she afraid of losing her beauty? Or was it more of a fear of losing her identity?
      • Did the judge actually take Lola's face, or did her words just unintentionally cause the face to fall off? Either way, the judge is bad news, since even if she didn't take Lola's face, she didn't mind the face being gone.
    • Why did Lincoln have his nightmare? Is he afraid for his sisters' wellbeing? Does he fear that they have a bad reputation? Or, seeing as the story shares an author with Peeking Through the Fourth Wall, did he have the nightmare due to reading fanfiction which vilified his sisters? Or did he just get scared after watching a horror movie or something?
  • Lincoln's sisters in Road Trip Rage — Are they just pretending to not notice Lincoln is gone, or are they really that oblivious?
  • In Singled Out, was Lola always Satan, or did Satan corrupt her?
  • In Sleeping Woes, Lucy takes a nap with Lincoln, and later comments that taking a shower with Lincoln would be lucky. Some readers have interpreted her as having inappropriate feelings for him, while others believe that she used to take naps and shower with him in the past and that she was just feeling nostalgic.

Miraculous Ladybug

  • Recommencer:
    • After Chat Noir's forcible retirement, Ladybug defends him to a reporter by saying that while he did sexually harass her, she sincerely believes that he wasn't aware that his actions constituted sexual harassment, and that he acted that way in part due to the immense pressure and responsibility that came from being one of Paris's primary protectors. It is somewhat unclear how much of this is an accurate read of his character versus Marinette giving him more credit than he was due.
    • On Adrien's side of things, it's worth noting that he has a Jerkass Realization about his behavior as Chat Noir right before the Ring is stripped from him, after being Shamed by a Mob for his actions during his last outing. He is also given another chance in the form of a different Miraculous, and becomes The Atoner, along with being much happier in his newfound role.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

  • Asylum (Daemon of Decay): Twilight Sparkle wakes up in the titular asylum where she is told that her whole life, from becoming Celestia's personal student onward, was just a dream/side-effect of her treatment. However, she is also told by Celestia's voice that the asylum universe is just a trick to hide a threat to the entire world. Which world is real and whether Twilight is truly insane, are both left up to the audience to decide.
  • Bubbles:
    • What is going on with Derpy? She apparently has some kind of birth defect in her brain, since her mother calls her a retard and she's uncoordinated and has bad eyesight. However, how much of her naivete stems from said disability, and how much stems from her young age, since she is also a child?
    • Derpy's mother is abusive, but exactly how abusive is a little ambiguous. It's heavily implied that she tried to poison her daughter, but perhaps Derpy simply got sick from the muffins because she ate too many of them. She also cries a lot and takes pills to stop it — does she have some kind of psychological disorder causing violence and depressive episodes, is she taking pills to suppress her remorse for wronging her daughter, or is she a Junkie Parent and her abusiveness comes from the drugs?
  • In The Liar, Night Mare states that she has been following Trixie all her life in order to feed off of the misery and torment she experiences for being a unicorn incapable of doing magic, but it is implied (though never outright stated) that she may have been influencing other ponies to treat Trixie horribly in order to absorb her unhappy emotions. There's nothing in the story that suggests she is incapable of such a thing, and it would make sense for her to keep making Trixie miserable so she has access to a continued "food source". On the other hand, she has never lied to Trixie before, to the point of using Brutal Honesty when the situation calls for it, so maybe these ponies who tormented Trixie were just horrible ponies to begin with, no magical influence needed, and Night Mare was just taking advantage of her terrible situation.
  • In Trust, Celestia gives Trixie a tongue-lashing about lying about her talents merely in order to build a good reputation, saying that making claims she couldn't live up to would imprison her in a "cage" of lies. After insisting that Shining Armor to teach Purslane how to cast his shield spell, Celestia pretends to raise the sun. Is Celestia a hypocrite? Is she trying to warn Trixie against making the same mistakes she did? Has Celestia been impersonated by Queen Chrysalis, hence why the author had her specifically bring up the changelings? What is the cause/significance of the sun moving on its own without Celestia's influence?
  • Under the Northern Lights: In-Universe. The reindeer have very different views from ponies (and viewers/readers) on the Mane Six. The reindeer believe the Mane Six are Celestia's personal wetworks squad, a team of hand-picked elite troubleshooters led by "the most powerful and evil sorceress in the world", who take care of all major unrest in Equestria, and let Celestia be the benevolent ruler of a perfect little sugar bowl as far as everyone else is concerned.

Naruto

  • In First Try Series, specifically Team Tetsuonote , some reviewers do this with Tetsuo, primarily how he goes about teaching Sakura and Sasuke. Is he a teacher who gives them the lessons they should have learned in the academy, or is his teaching style overly harsh to the point of being counterproductive, if not intentionally cruel? When Sakura almost goes AWOL, thereby ending her ninja career and ruining her life, is it mostly her fault for her lack of discipline (and her mother's for spoiling her), or does Tetsuo share a fair portion of the blamenote  for forcing her to go on a two-month camping trip that he knew she wasn't prepared for? Does Tetsuo care about Sakura and Sasuke, or does he see them as a means to an end to help Naruto become a Chunin, to the point where it's detrimental to the two of them individually and the team as a whole? (The fact that he once saw Naruto in a similar way can be seen as proof that he doesn't see anything wrong with seeing his subordinates this way, and/or that he can warm up to them).
  • Done In-Universe in More Than Enemies:
    • Under the alias of Tetsuya, Itachi slowly warms to Sakura and it’s shown to be a good friend to her – worrying over her, training her so she can defend herself, and coming to her aid when she’s in danger. Sakura also discovers he is emotionally stunted, lonely, and sick. She then proceeds and succeeds in being a balm to the soul for him, as Shi-chan puts it. Binge-eating dangonote  and kidnapping abused cats certainly help. However, the dreaded moment where she discovers his identity as the Uchiha Massacre’s perpetrator, no amount of denying prevents her from second-guessing her interactions with him.
    • Río is presented as Danzo’s loyal second in command. However impertinent she may be, she’s still ROOT -– not actually obeying the Sandaime, putting the mission over comrades, cold, and brainwashed… right? Well, Kakashi and the readers are for a shock as she’s slowly revealed to be quite the opposite (maybe barring the Sandaime part). She’s emotional, rebellious, and a good teammate to cite her least spoiler-ish traits. It goes to a point where Kakashi is left wondering just why is serving under the foundation. The real shock comes when we find she is the false Yugao, the first friend Kakashi made after Minato’s death while still in ANBU. Given how is she described in her friend's recollections, she couldn’t resemble the stereotypical ROOT agent any less.
    • Kakashi remembers Minato as a caring sensei who managed to be liked by almost everyone. Minato was a Parental Substitute of sorts after Sakumo’s death and the one who brought the color back to the world and made it possible for Kakashi to meet Obito and Rin. Even if Kakashi had to subconsciously know no one, particularly a Clan-less man, gets so high up in the hierarchy and to be a war hero without being ruthless and a dirty but terrifying fighter. It doesn’t help Minato used to be part of ROOT.
    • To Sakura, Yuna has always been this batty cat-lady who manages her favorite thrift shop. She is the one who taught her how to bargain and her store is where she gets pretty but affordable clothes. Yuna knowing how to use medical chakra comes as a surprise but nothing too outlandish considering she merely healed Sakura's sprained calf muscle. By the time Sakura needs serious healing after blowing Orochimaru's snake to pieces, she is too out of it to take notice of it. The real shock comes when Sakura finds Yuna working along with Kabuto and, therefore, helping Orochimaru with the Konoha Crush. Not only that, but it turns out Yuna is a retired, elite kunoichi who can hold herself marvelously well in a fight despite her advanced age. To top it all, Yuna is following Orochimaru out of loyalty, as he was the only one to put his life on the line when he could have easily sought Fuinjutsu knowledge somewhere else.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

  • The Child of Love: Gendo is a bigger bastard than he ever was in canon. In the original series he was a broken shell of a man who made horrible things to get his wife back, cared about his son but sent him away because he was afraid of Shinji, and was really bad at manipulating and scheming. In this story he makes horrible things because he has delusions of godhood, does not care about Shinji at all, is depicted like a cunning schemer and he is willing to use babies to fight his war.

Plan B

  • Done In-Universe in Interpretive Steps for a New Tango, when Ana theorizes that Bruno, instead of genuinely intending to just use Pablo to steal his girlfriend back from him before his faked feelings for him became real, was subconsciously attracted to Pablo from the very beginning and his "Plan B" was really just a convenient excuse to get closer to him. Bruno neither confirms nor denies this.

Pokémon

  • Pokémon Reset Bloodlines has this with several characters in its main story and sidestories:
    • In the Clemont Gaiden, is Belmondo really the Well-Intentioned Extremist he claims to be? Or does he have some ulterior motive? And if he does, what is it?
    • Was Twenty Gyarados Bill a Death Seeker? Since he began his rampage to get back at everyone who wronged him, lacked any plan of what to do after the destruction, and died with no regrets, one has to wonder if wanting to commit Suicide by Cop was a contributing factor in his attack.
    • What's the real reason behind Misty's older sisters hatred for her? Do they just fall into plain Fantastic Racism out of fear like most everyone else, or are they actually jealous because their younger sister has something that sets her apart and makes her "special" compared to them?
    • While it's undeniable that Ash's Charmander's pride and desire to regain what he lost motivates him to train, whether that's the only factor is unclear. As his Gaiden sidestory reveals, he was unable to defend himself or his original trainer from the hyper-aggressive Spearow and Fearow flock - with horrible results. Maybe he also wants to make sure that he's strong enough to prevent something so terrible from happening again.
    • Reset! Iris can be argued as being similar, though a version of herself whose wild child aspects are played up more and her tsundere aspects are greatly reduced, if not absent entirely as Divergent Character Evolution from Misty.
    • Similarly, Reset! Sapphire is a version of her who focuses more on her 'assistant researcher' side than her 'wild child' in depiction. This was also likely done to keep her from being a second version of Iris.

Rugrats

  • The Rugrats Theory:
    • Was Drew originally married to Cynthia and he met Charlotte after she died, or did he cheat on Charlotte with Cynthia before her death?
    • Did Betty have an abortion because she didn't want kids, or did she have to terminate for a medical reason?
    • When Susie created the show, did she do so to exploit Angelica's Sanity Slippage for profit and/or fame, or to honour Angelica's memory?

RWBY

The Simpsons

  • Dead Bart:
    • Why did no one want to speak of the eponymous missing episode, until Groening acquiesced? Were they trying to keep the episode a secret, perhaps because the ending hinted at an apocalypse? Or were they just too scared to talk about the episode and Groening somehow faced his fears? If the former, did Groening betray the secret because he was too troubled to keep quiet, or because he was giving the narrator a Cool and Unusual Punishment for their nosiness?
    • Why did Maggie and the pets go missing? It's implied that it had something to do with Homer, Marge, and Lisa's grief-induced neglect, but is it that they died, or that the authorities took them away?

Sonic the Hedgehog

Soul Series

Teen Titans (2003)

  • Terra in The End of Ends is interpreted as having faked her amnesia to live a school life.

Total Drama

  • Total Drama: Cody's Redemption: Gwen's continued hatred of Cody despite Cody doing nothing to warrant has cause fans to theories she also traveled back in time, and remembers how he acted in seasons after the first. This has been debunked, as it's been revealed that her reason is actually very petty.
  • Total Drama Island, by Gilbert and Sullivan invokes an alternate interpretation of Cody, due to the themes and character types that appear in the operettas, and corresponding limitations on the subject matter available in the verses. Because Cody's verses relate mainly to his unsuccessful suit for Gwen's affections, with frequent gender flipping that gives him verses originally sung by pining maidens, the cumulative effect is to depict him as a much more tragic and pitiable figure than the one that Total Drama portrays.

When They Cry

  • Redaction of the Golden Witch posits that In-Universe, the mystery and intrigue surrounding the Rokkenjiima Incident was such that several Forgeries modeled after the discovered novellas were created. Redaction is one such Forgery, which proved unpopular and was largely rejected by the Witch Hunters due to how its characterization differed from the usual Flanderizations found in more popular works. Battler, for instance, is presented as more pensive and introspective than usual.


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