Fanon

Fanonis a portmanteau word formed from the words "fan"and"canon".It refers to so-called" facts "that a significant number of fans think are true, but for which there is no evidence in any official material. A piece of fanon usually becomes widespread due to having been discussed and picked up by other fans. Some fanon is based on misinterpretations of canon (especially when translations from Japanese material are involved) and some is simply stuff fans made up. While fanon originates with fans rather than the official canon of theTransformersmultiverse,it sometimes becomesincorporated into the canonviaretconor other means if a writer decides to establish the fans' interpretation in official fiction. Sometimes, this can also happen because an official writer mistakes fanon for established canon.

Misuse of the term has broadened the word's definition (among some) to include fan-characters andfan fiction.(See "Transfanon Wiki" link below.) The difference is that fan-fiction is anextensionbuilt upon canon, while fanon is aninterpretationorexplanationof existing canon.

Examples

Fanon terms or ideas that later became canon:

• "Gestalt" as a term forcombiners
• Theacid rain-creating team literally being named "Rainmakers"
• TheTerrorconsbeingQuintessoncreations
• Greatshotbeing an upgraded form ofSixshot
• Gaiacrossbeing an upgraded form ofLandcross
• The name of the Predacon ship being theDarksideorDarksyde
• Tarantulasliterallybeing affiliatedwithUnicron
• TheMagnabossconstituent trio ofProwl,Ironhide,andSilverboltbeing the Generation 1 characters of the same names
• TheBeast Wars IIandBeast Wars Neocasts (sometimes) hailing from the same timeframe as theBeast Warscast
• TheArmadabeast redecoesbeingUnicron's "horsemen"
• "Herald of Unicron"
• Subspaceas an interdimensional storage medium
• Hot Shotis crazy and cravesjam
• U-Haul Robot from the cartoon isSentinel Prime
• The large number ofSweepsare due to them possessingInsecticoncloning abilities

Fanon terms or ideas that never became canon:

• Seekersbeing teamed up in pseudo-familial "trines"
• Dionhaving been rebuilt into somebody "important"
• Metrotitanbeing a "zombie"Metroplex,orclonedfrom a severed leg

Fanon and this wiki

TFWiki.net generally tries to avoid including fanon, until it becomes so widespread that excluding it is quixotic. Even then, however, fanon should be clearly identified as such. The best way to reference fanon in articles without interrupting the coverage of actual canon is to confine it to trivia notes sections (or, ifreallynecessary, clearly marked notes within a paragraph.)

External links

• The Transfanon Wiki
• The Transformers Fanon page on TV Tropes