History CharacterDerailment / Fanfic

* This happens in a lot of {{Grimdark}} WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic fan stories, most notably the horrid {{Fanfic/Cupcakes}} and its multitude of spinoffs, in which [[GenkiGirl Pinkie Pie]] turns out to be a [[SerialKiller murderous]] [[ImAHumanitarian cannibal]]. And then there's Sweet Apple Massacre, which makes ''Cupcakes'' [[EvilerThanThou look downright tame]].

* In the ''HarryPotter'' fandom, the two most common victims of this are Dumbledore (typically flanderized from a well-meaning ObiWan into a sadistic ManipulativeBastard) and Ginny/Hermione (whoever's on the wrong side of DieForOurShip this week), but other characters aren't immune to this either. Tragically, Luna Lovegood seems to be a frequent target of authors who don't know ([[TheyJustDidntCare or don't care]]) how to keep her unique personality intact. Typically, these stories wind up revealing that Luna's CrazyAwesome BunnyEarsLawyer personality is a "mask" used to conceal a much more normal (read: ''boring'') character underneath.

*** And speaking of ''Manga/DeathNote'', [[FoeYay LxLight]] fangirls will often do this to Misa for [[DieForOurShip obvious]] reasons. Yes, Misa is not that smart compared to L and Light (and really, WHO IS?) but she is still pretty clever when she wants to be. Fanfic writers tend to ignore this and just make her a complete idiot (occasionally having her use Valley Girl speak to make her look even stupider) before ultimately killing her off.

*** One of the best examples is of course ''MyImmortal'', where Dumbledore shouts: "What the hell are you doing you motherfukers!"

** In the ''HarryPotter'' fandom, the two most common victims of this are Dumbledore (typically flanderized from a well-meaning ObiWan into a sadistic ManipulativeBastard) and Ginny/Hermione (whoever's on the wrong side of DieForOurShip this week), but other characters aren't immune to this either. Tragically, Luna Lovegood seems to be a frequent target of authors who don't know ([[TheyJustDidntCare or don't care]]) how to keep her unique personality intact. Typically, these stories wind up revealing that Luna's CrazyAwesome BunnyEarsLawyer personality is a "mask" used to conceal a much more normal (read: ''boring'') character underneath.

** ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'': In addition to the usual MarySue-related stuff (everyone loves Sue except for Suethor's least favorite character, who is now an ax murderer and gets hit by a semi... show me a fandom that doesn't have it) there are a few characters people like to pick on. Most prominently, Matt (Yamato) has never really been forgiven for [[DieForOurShip winding up with Sora]], so he's usually turned into an abuser and Sora falls into the arms of her One Twoo Wuv Tai(chi). Rika (Ruki) also winds up being nothing but a damsel in distress to be saved by [insert male character here.] It can actually be ''any'' of the male leads - the only consensus is that Rika's actual {{badass}} canon persona won't do, she must do nothing but cry and be 'rescued.'
** ''{{Transformers}}'': While there's a lot of HoYay there, make no mistake: ''Starscream really does want to kill Megatron.'' In fanfiction they have more of a SlapSlapKiss relationship.
** An [[DoubleSubverted interesting case]] happens in ''Fanfic/LightAndDarkTheAdventuresOfDarkYagami'' with Naomi. She's first introduced wanting to catch Kira for killing Raye, which is an accurate basic reflection of her character. However, it's revealed that it was actually Takada in disguise, and the real Naomi mainly serves as Dark's girlfriend.

** ''GundamWing'' fanfiction almost always does this to [[DieForOurShip Relena]], Heero's canonical love interest, since there's more or less no possible way for Heero to get with Slasher favorite Duo while her personality is intact[[hottip:*: especially given that, as she is, [[ShipperOnDeck Duo ships Heero/Relena]]]]. In fanfic, she's usually a catty, jealous shrieking harpy willing to kill to make Heero her's by force and blood. In canon, well, apart from anything else, her ImageSong is about how IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy and she'd be willing to leave him if he fell in love with someone else.
** ''KingdomHearts'' fanfiction has the habit of taking the members of Organization XIII, the resident ambiguously evil group, and turning them into misunderstood people who only want to have hearts and it's the series' protagonist and his allies who are the real evil. The fics usually also gloss over the pesky "no hearts" part, despite this and the subsequent lack of emotion being the Nobodies' trademark characteristic in the games. [[spoiler: Granted, [[KingdomHearts3D Dream Drop Distance]] revealed that they do actually naturally develop replacements for their hearts over time, but this still does not excuse the general out-of-characterness that runs rampant in the fanworks.]]

** [[FanFic/BraveNewWorld The sequel's]] version of Dawn (yes, THAT Dawn) is so different from the anime's version that she might as well be a separate character. To clarify, she is essentially a mix between [[AvatarTheLastAirbender Zuko]] and [[NoMoreHeroes Shinobu]]. This could be attributed to the fact that she is a CompositeCharacter of Sadic from the aforementioned ''Latias' Journey'' and Dawn's Bunery in regards to her romance.

* {{Torchwood}} fandom will often do this to Ianto Jones. For example, in stories that take place in the Year That Never Was, Ianto will [[SpotlightStealingSquad suddenly show up]] and [[PossessionSue defeat the Master often by himself.]] In canon, Ianto was a [[BattleButler genuinely badass character]], but so were [[TheCaptain Jack]], [[BewareTheNiceOnes Martha]] and [[DoctorWho The Doctor]].

* {{Torchwood}} fandom will often do this to Ianto Jones. For example, in stories that take place in the Year That Never Was, Ianto will [[SpotlightStealingSquad suddenly show up]] and [[PossessionSue defeat the Master often by himself.]] In canon, Ianto was a [[BattleButler genuinely badass character]], but so were [[TheCaptain Jack]], [[BewareTheNiceOnes Martha]] and [[DoctorWho The Doctor]].

*** Speaking of Magenta, most Frank/Riff Raff fanfics either portray her as a manipulative and abusivise sibling towars Riff Raff or she simply doesn't exist. In the play/movie, she shares a very close bond with her brother and even helps him rebel against Frank.

** ''{{Digimon}}'': In addition to the usual MarySue-related stuff (everyone loves Sue except for Suethor's least favorite character, who is now an ax murderer and gets hit by a semi... show me a fandom that doesn't have it) there are a few characters people like to pick on. Most prominently, Matt (Yamato) has never really been forgiven for [[DieForOurShip winding up with Sora]], so he's usually turned into an abuser and Sora falls into the arms of her One Twoo Wuv Tai(chi). Rika (Ruki) also winds up being nothing but a damsel in distress to be saved by [insert male character here.] It can actually be ''any'' of the male leads - the only consensus is that Rika's actual {{badass}} canon persona won't do, she must do nothing but cry and be 'rescued.'

* This happens in a lot of {{Grimdark}} WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic fan stories, most notably the horrid {{Fanfic/Cupcakes}} and its multitude of spinoffs, in which [[GenkiGirl Pinkie Pie]] turns out to be a [[SerialKiller murderous]] [[ImAHumanitarian cannibal]]. And then there's SweetAppleMassacre, which makes ''Cupcakes'' [[EvilerThanThou look downright tame]].
** Then there's ''Pattycakes''. Fluttershy is written as being so obsessed with having a child of her own that she psychologically breaks Rainbow Dash until the blue pegasus reverts to an infantile mental state, and in one ending totally destroys Scootaloo's mind for failing to comprehend the philosophy she never bothered to explain (Element of Kindness? Mo' like Element of MindRape!). Zecora is mentioned in backstory as having helped develop the mental regression drug, which fits with her herbal skills but not her actually possessing a functional brain. There's also a lot of [[ConvenientlyCommonKink ponies who are just sort of arbitrarily "into" age play]], to the point of taking doses of the aforementioned drug - even ultra-prim-and-proper Rarity (who, if you suggested that she entering a state where she would periodically shit herself, would likely give you the same kind of expression you'd earn from the Pope if you visited him with pamphlets about converting to Islam).

* This happens in a lot of {{Grimdark}} WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic fan stories, most notably the horrid {{Fanfic/Cupcakes}} and its multitude of spinoffs, in which [[GenkiGirl Pinkie Pie]] turns out to be a [[SerialKiller murderous]] [[ImAHumanitarian cannibal]]. And then there's {{Fanfic/SweetAppleMassacre}}, which makes ''Cupcakes'' [[EvilierThanThou look downright tame]].

* A case of CharacterDerailment that may well surpass the above is in the ''HaruhiSuzumiya'' fic ''Fanfic/YouGotHaruhiRolled''. In it, the minor villain Tachibana Kyouko goes from a girl who thinks that her best friend would make a better deity than the title character, but still a very reasonable person who disapproves of her organization's excesses, to a CloudCuckooLander with [[TheDitz ditzy]] tendencies who is obsessed with [[LesYay Sasaki]], who is horrified at this. Not that the readers are complaining, mind you, for this is a CrackFic and as a result, [[TropesAreNotBad most of the readers actually consider this characterization to be]] ''[[TropesAreNotBad more]]'' [[TropesAreNotBad entertaining than Kyouko's canon personality.]]

** This can apply to other characters as well. Columbia is either a ClingyJelousGirl or a ditzy DamselInDistress in the fanfics unlike the Harley Quinn-esque character she is in the play/movie.

*** And speaking of ''DeathNote'', [[FoeYay LxLight]] fangirls will often do this to Misa for [[DieForOurShip obvious]] reasons. Yes, Misa is not that smart compared to L and Light (and really, WHO IS?) but she is still pretty clever when she wants to be. Fanfic writers tend to ignore this and just make her a complete idiot (occasionally having her use Valley Girl speak to make her look even stupider) before ultimately killing her off.

* In an unusual example of TropesAreNotBad, there's [[http://harmonystuck.tumblr.com/ Harmonystuck]], a {{Homestuck}} AU in which the kids, trolls, Felt, and Midnight Crew are raised by a good version of Doc Scratch and every single evil character is nice. It's one of the sweetest AUs in the fandom, and is generally considered an antidepressant to the canon.

* This happens in a lot of {{Grimdark}} WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic fan stories, most notably the horrid {{Fanfic/Cupcakes}} and its multitude of spinoffs, in which [[GenkiGirl Pinkie Pie]] turns out to be a [[SerialKiller murderous]] [[ImAHumanitarian cannibal]]. And then there's {{Fanfic/SweetAppleMassacre}}, which makes ''Cupcakes'' [[BeyondTheImpossible look downright tame]].

* A case of CharacterDerailment that may well surpass the above is in the ''HaruhiSuzumiya'' fic ''Fanfic/YouGotHaruhiRolled''. In it, the minor villain Tachibana Kyouko goes from a girl who thinks that her best friend would make a better deity than the title character, but still a very reasonable person who disapproves of her organization's excesses, to a CloudCuckooLander with RalphWiggum tendencies who is obsessed with [[LesYay Sasaki]], who is horrified at this. Not that the readers are complaining, mind you, for this is a CrackFic and as a result, [[TropesAreNotBad most of the readers actually consider this characterization to be]] ''[[TropesAreNotBad more]]'' [[TropesAreNotBad entertaining than Kyouko's canon personality.]]

* Perhaps one of the worst cases of character derailment ever seen is in the ''intensely'' [[LoveItOrHateIt polarizing]] ''{{Pokemon}}'' fan fiction ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3119315/ Pokémon Revolution]]'' written by Farla. In it, characterization is completely discarded. In two of the worst cases, Gary goes from asshat, egotistic rival to misanthropic sociopath. And Ash goes from loving but dim Pokémon trainer to hateful trainer with a raging vendetta. All the while, the pokémon themselves are derailed into KillAllHumans types who will gladly slaughter ''hundreds of thousands'' of civilians at the mildest coercion.

* This happens in a lot of {{Grimdark}} MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic fan stories, most notably the horrid {{Fanfic/Cupcakes}} and its multitude of spinoffs, in which [[GenkiGirl Pinkie Pie]] turns out to be a [[SerialKiller murderous]] [[ImAHumanitarian cannibal]]. And then there's {{Fanfic/SweetAppleMassacre}}, which makes ''Cupcakes'' [[BeyondTheImpossible look downright tame]].

* A case of CharacterDerailment that may well surpass the above is in the ''HaruhiSuzumiya'' fic ''Fanfic/YouGotHaruhiRolled''. In it, the minor villain Tachibana Kyouko goes from a girl who thinks that her best friend would make a better deity than the title character, but still a very reasonable person who disapproves of her organization's excesses, to a CloudCuckooLander with RalphWiggum tendencies who is [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean obsessed]] with [[LesYay Sasaki]], who is horrified at this. Not that the readers are complaining, mind you, for this is a CrackFic and as a result, [[TropesAreNotBad most of the readers actually consider this characterization to be]] ''[[TropesAreNotBad more]]'' [[TropesAreNotBad entertaining than Kyouko's canon personality.]]

* Perhaps one of the worst cases of character derailment ever seen is in the ''intensely'' [[LoveItOrHateIt polarizing]] ''{{Pokemon}}'' fan fiction ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3119315/ Pokémon Revolution]]'' written by Farla. In it, characterization is completely discarded. In two of the worst cases, Gary goes from asshat, egotistic rival to misanthropic sociopath. And Ash goes from loving but dim Pokémon trainer to hateful trainer with a raging vendetta.