Markup View

Author: normal

Jul 7th 2011 at 11:22:22 PM

You can usually tell if an idea, such as an event in a character's backstory, is repeatedly hinted at, enough that the event becomes fanon, but the hints are just vague enough that they can be interpreted another way. Bonus points if the event, were it stated flat-out in canon, would cause a lot of controversy. Confirmation usually comes in the form of the event being used as if it was canon to further develop the character/plot/a relationship.

As an example, let's say that a show strongly hints at the possibility of Susie having lost a baby as a teenager. Almost all of the fans accept this, but the hints are vague enough so that they can also be interpreted to support the idea that the baby that died was Susie's younger sister. Confirmation for the supporters of the first theory would come in the form of Susie over-empathizing with a mother who has just lost her baby and being very tight-lipped when Joe asks her why (why would be tight lipped if it was her sister?) and getting teary-eyed when watching mothers interact with their children. So while Susie losing her sister fits with the hints (though not as well as the more widely accepted story), it doesn't explain either of these situations, where Susie losing her daughter does.

Of course, there are alternate explanations for both of these situations, but really only one that explains them both, and the show has already hinted at it repeatedly.

As far as ''absolute'' confirmation goes, outside of a WordOfGod confirmation, it doesn't tend to happen because any sort of confirmation in canon would, in most cases, defeat the purpose, the purpose being to get a point across to the majority of viewers while offering an alternate explanation for those viewers who don't want to believe. In most cases, to use a legal metaphor (I've been watching a lot of Law & Order lately), you're going to get a lot of strong evidence, but you're not going to get a confession, and there is always an alternate theory of the crime.

Anyway, hope that long-winded response helped.