I probably shouldn't respond to this... but after all, part of the nature of
the FFML is learning how to write, and how to critique other's writing.  ^_^

Subjective reactions are not shallow.  Quite the contrary.  If you leave
them out, all you have for C&C are spelling corrections.  It is the
subjective element that adds depth to a work of literature.

First, I never mentioned the reactions.  I said that the point where
a fanfic element deviates too far from the source is capriciously
chosen.

The question you need to ask yourself as an author is, will your readers be
able to follow along and understand the characters, the way they act, and
the plot?

Secondly, subjectivity, which formed the core theme of my

argument, is by definition shallow when compared to deeper, dynamic
understanding--objectivity.  This is a guiding principle in the
analysis of the relationship between the sciences and social studies.

Spelling corrections?  Hardly.  What about style commentary?  What
about phrasing?  What about criticism on internal consistency,
or maybe the viewpoints expressed by the author.

These things are by definition subjective.

There's no definition

of fanfic I know of that defines the author's mission to primarily
abide by the source material.  A derivative work is by its nature
derivative, whether the connection is explicit or elusive is not
the issue.

The point for me is whether you've set things for your readers so that they
can logically follow and understand the characters and the story.  If you
depend upon prior knowledge of the characters, as many fanfics do, then you
can logically be expected to remain true to what your readers know, or
provide reasons that they can accept for why things are different.
Otherwise, I'd suggest you introduce each character as you would in an
original work of fiction, assuming that your readers know nothing about the
character.  But most fanfiction authors don't write that way, hence the
problem.

Again, this is a subjective rule, but it's also common sense if you want
your readers to be able to follow your story.  There's nothing to stop you
from writing nonsensical drivel, unless you actually want an audience.

What about it?  Given that the actual story wasn't a parody, I don't see
the relevance.

The relevance lies in the fact that you arbitrarily conclude that a
parody is fundamentally different from any other story when it comes
to "obeying rules of the canon."  I disagree.

It's not arbitrairy -- a parody is inherently different from a serious work.
If it wasn't, there wouldn't be a name for it.  You can get away with a lot
of things in a parody that you can't get away with in a serious work.  And
again, this is all based on what your readers will accept.  It's only
"anything goes" if you don't care about your readers.

No, some people simply don't care for certain types of critical commentary.
I write BGC fanfiction that complete rewrites the characters of the
original series--drops some out of the scene completely--all without
any internal justification.  I rewrite the story in much the same
way, contradicting the series outright without bothering to explain
myself.

I haven't read any of your stories, and it sounds like I wouldn't want to.
It's not that you can't change things radically -- you can do anything you
want, of course, provided the readers can make sense of it -- but that's the
point, isn't it?  Any story of any type needs needs internal consistency,
and needs to let the reader know why characters are the way they are, and
why they do what they do.  If you avoid doing these things, you may still
have readers that like your work (every story on the net has probably been
read at least once), but you won't be telling your story as well as you
could.

Fan fiction, by it's very nature, often neglects to do a lot of the things
that an author would normally do -- namely, set scenes, introduce
characters, and in general explain things for the reader.  You can get away
with not doing some of that in a fan fiction story -- especially a short
story -- if your readers are familiar with the characters, locations, and
themes already.  But it's a good idea to be aware that you're doing it.

The real problem here is that you can write a story about Anne McMichaels,
the Wall Street Executive, and your readers will accept you at your word --
that this woman has done what it takes to become a Wall Street Executive.
You'll probably have to clue the reader in on how she thinks and what
motivates her, and, if the story is long enough, you might want to get
around to explaining how she got where she is.  But essentially your reader
accepts what you write at face value.

But if you write a Ranma 1/2 fan fiction story about Shampoo, the Wall
Street Executive, then you have to understand that your readers are going to
approach the story with a lot of preconcieved notions about who Shampoo is
and what she's like.  If you don't bother to explain how a somewhat ditzy
Chinese Amazon martial-artist became a Wall Street Executive, the you are
doing your readers a great disservice.  Yes, it's true that you can ignore
all of that, and there will still be Shampoo fans out there that will read
the entire thing and like it.  This does not mean that it's well-written,
but if you don't care about writing well, there you are.  Just don't expect
more discerning readers to like your work.

The more you take your readers into consideration, the more people will be
able to enjoy your writing.  ^_^

Miko