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Girls who like Boys who like Boys – Ethnography of ... - Yuuyami.com

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discussions: similarly to the term Harry!mun, the exclamation mark denotes<br />

emphasis as well as connection. Frequently the characterizations <strong>of</strong> a<br />

protagonist will differ from that character’s pr<strong>of</strong>ile in the original text or<br />

canon, and, <strong>of</strong>ten, specific characterizations will be taken up by others and<br />

used consistently in fanfiction. The expression “fanon” is all-around, and<br />

stands for that which is no longer the canon <strong>of</strong> the original text, but has<br />

be<strong>com</strong>e the canon <strong>of</strong> the fandom. To keep with the Harry Potter fandom, the<br />

character <strong>of</strong> Draco Malfoy is characterized frequently in multiple layers and<br />

quite differently from his somewhat flat description in the canon <strong>of</strong> the Harry<br />

Potter books. If a story featuring an angsty Harry, <strong>who</strong> yields to bouts <strong>of</strong><br />

depression, is successful enough, that characterization will be frequently<br />

picked up by others, and “Angst!Harry” as a shortcut to describing part <strong>of</strong> the<br />

story has been born.<br />

Referring back to the Fanfiction Glossary, we find “canon” defined as<br />

“an adjective referring to a character, event, plotline, etc. which happened "for<br />

real" -- the actual pr<strong>of</strong>essional source material” while “fanon” is explicated as<br />

“information or characterization that has never been confirmed in canon but is<br />

accepted as such by fans.” Fanon is a frequent topic <strong>of</strong> discussion within<br />

fandom; some fans revel in it, others abhor it. The concept <strong>of</strong> fanfiction and<br />

fandom osmosis, as depicted with the “Angst!Harry” example and the<br />

traveling <strong>of</strong> fan-language, is not undebated either, and closely tied to fanon<br />

formation, as fanfiction is generally seen as <strong>com</strong>munal writing. In the<br />

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