Scope of Author's Saving Throw

I'm not sure how there is any confusion between Author's Saving Throw and Fix Fic. The former applies when the same author, or at least the same IP owner, makes a change; the latter applies when a non-IP owner makes their own version of a story.

In other words, AST is about first-party works, Fix Fic is about fics.

How is this unclear, except to those aberrant people who consider fics to be canonically equal to original works?

Edited by Fighteer on Aug 1st 2022 at 4:05:12 AM

That's the first I've heard that distinction. Makes sense though. What of this example under Fix Fic?

• The My Little Pony: Friends Forever issue about Rainbow Dash and Soarin attempted to fix the problems of the episode Rainbow Falls. In that episode, the leader of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire, tried to replace Soarin with Dash for their Equestria Game team after he hurt his wing since they had a better chance at winning with her on their team. Fans didn't like how Soarin just brushed aside the act as well as Spitfire's attitude over the situation. The issue however shows that it did affect Soarin greatly, especially after he flubs a flight routine, and runs off to a mountain making deliveries for an outpost. Dash goes to find him and eventually he reveals he did have resentment over what happened and doesn't think Spitfire cares for him. He's proven wrong when Spitfire comes to the mountain herself and personally apologizes for her actions.

The comic is an officially licensed work but made by a separate creative team from the show, whom more often than not don't coordinate their works which oft contradict each other. Would that fall under FF or AST?

@nrjxll

If we remove the audience reaction part AST would be Trivia and require citation that it was the author intent to fix. Or some other rules/restrictions if the problem it's already too broadly used.

That sort of example rides on the question of whether the work is part of the official continuity of the IP or is completely independent. Fix Fic, by its title, would apply only to fanfiction, which we define as an unlicensed work. So there's a grey area between Author's Saving Throw, which is about the IP owner repairing a perceived fault in their own work, and Fix Fic, which is about a fan writing a story that fixes a perceived fault in an original work.

An officially licensed, non-canon work wouldn't technically qualify for either trope.

There are also Running the Asylum and Armed with Canon for cases when an IP is written by different people over time and each writer tries to change things to suit their own pet ideas.

Edited by Fighteer on Aug 2nd 2022 at 2:42:17 PM

TBH I'd much rather just merge with Win Back the Crowd and not worry about the author intent concern at all.

The comic staff has stated the comics are officially canon unless/until contradicted by the show. So that comic issue is canon as it hasn't be contradicted. But the show staff have purposely avoided answering if they're considered canon◊ and the question of if just the contradicted parts are non-canon or the whole arc containing such…

This argues Fix Fic should be fanwork only (AST for anything else) as otherwise we get this issue over fuzzy canon.

AST can apply if the fix(es) are deemed legit but the rest of work was too divisive, inferior, or the prior work was too good for Win Back to apply to the next. It is not about the overall reception to the work like Win Back the Crowd, just the reception of parts.

I wouldn't outright object to merging them, but I need addressed if the above differences between AST and WBTC are worth keeping AST over (or would be if we cited proof the change was an intentional fix).

Edited by Ferot_Dreadnaught on Aug 3rd 2022 at 1:26:43 AM

I mean, I'm suggesting a change based entirely on what I think would be best. I know there's differences in meaning, but I don't think those differences actually help AST's case.

But of course we can't propose any changes if there's no wick check. These things need evidence, not just opinion, ya know?