What Makes a Good Character Headcanon?

The world of storytelling and its creators has a certain power to a headcanon regarding a character. Taking a character whose reputation proceeded them and reshaping that image can completely processes the experience, providing depths the original media would never dive. So, Yet, What Comprises a Decent Person Headcanon? Knowing the three keys to a detailed and convincing headcanon has the potential to change the way we relate to stories and their people forever.

Steady with present character traits

But not even a good character headcanon happens in a vacuum - a good one always fits perfectly into what we already know about the character. Better to improve or expand what is there than to completely deny the dogs natural traits. One example, a chess geek headcanon would work wonderfully if you have a hyper-strategic character, but no sense for sports or driving or assembling IKEA. It's why the headcanon sounds natural, feels like a logical outgrowth of the story of that character.

Provide More Depth W/O Overwriting

A great headcanon is a layer upon which the existing backstory or personality of a character is built without overshadowing, or altering the storylines themselves. Said references should be complicated and tantalizing, teasing at a less superficial or more complex backstory which fans can speculate about. For example, a headcanon that a superhero is a closet gardener humanizes them and gives them layers to complement their superhero exterior.

Plausibility and Relatability

The most popular headcanons are those that are not just compelling but also reasonably true. So they conform to the laws of the world and the character’s social and cultural environments. Believability: A headcanon that seems too crazy or out of character for the associated with character would take away the audience from believing in that character. In addition, solid headcanons often show flaws or commonality among figures, further expressing characters out to the viewer. A character may share any one of those with the audience - they might have the same fears, hobbies, or dreams, increasing the emotional connection we feel.

Fosters engagement and creativity

To be a good headcanon, it must encourage fans to engage and create. It will help kindle discussions, fan art, fanfics, and in short all types of fan work. A great headcanon opens up new places for fan exploration, adds to the text and the reading experience as a whole, and invites audiences to be considered participants in the process of stake-building. [] How successful a headcanon actually depends heavily on how much it fires up the fandom at large.

Character Headcanon Creator

This is very helpful for writers (both from lack of inspiration or a desire to get their writing on the map), and for fans who want to create or inspire headcanons about characters. Instead, they create ideas that may not be the first things to come to mind, but still fit into the character's world logically. Whether you are sitting ploddingly during a writing session or imbuing some more depth to a character in your RPG, they provide some starting paths for those interested in greater character depth.

Finally, a character headcanon rings true in that it is believable, plausible, and develops the mythos of the character, and thus asks fans to further explore their universes. With a more nuanced understanding of these components, both creators and fans are allowed to craft headcanons that are both entertaining and add to the character in a significant way.

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