hot take but I really dislike it when people say that fanfiction is automatically better then the actual official media. Like, if you're making fanfiction of a piece of media, shouldn't you already appreciate and like the initial thing?
respectfully, I disagree.
sometimes canon can be better than fanfiction, sure.
but sometimes fanfiction is way better than canon.
just because fanfics are inspired by the source material and just because fanfics are about characters who belong to the source material does NOT mean fanfics can never be better than canon and the source material.
I have personally read so many brilliant fanfics out there that are SO MUCH BETTER than the source material.
I have personally read so many brilliant fanfics out there and thought to myself that the fanfic writers know and understand the characters better than their canon creators.
you can appreciate the source material if you want, sure. but other people can also say fuck you to that same source material and create their own world for the characters they love.
fanfic is about writers’ love and passion for the characters and the stories/the world that they create for these characters.
fanfic is not about “here’s my free promo and tribute to the source material because the source material is so amazing you guys”.
also source material and canon are only suggestions. how much of it a fanfic writer will follow, if any, is entirely up to them.
I love canon divergent fics, I love self-indulgent fics, I love fix-it fics. I love saving my comfort characters from the source material that can be a shit hole.