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on Death of the Translator, I suppose
Aug. 24th, 2021 02:38 pmSo, I was just reading a great post about Neil Gaiman and Death of the Author, and it reminded me that every now and then, I get a question from one anon or another which seems to be hoping I will validate one of their personal headcanons.
I am afraid I'm very much not here for that! And I would further like to encourage my readers to please just... take a deep breath and remember that no one else needs to validate your headcanons for them to be valid. While I'm at it, I might as well add: if Lelouch/C.C. isn't a 'ship you care to sail, or if — like me! — you liked it a lot in the original TV show but haven't cared for the way it's been handled by more recent content (perhaps including Re;surrection), then that is absolutely fine. You don't have to 'ship what's canon. The creative team here gave you an "out" for Re;surrection by framing it as a "what-if" story rather than a true reboot while talking about the movies, but even if they hadn't: go forth and be free.
I'm more than happy to answer specific questions about the nuances of a particular line I translated, but if you want to know what a given character "meant" by a line, or if such-and-such thing is "canon" (I've had multiple people ask me about Shirley's status in the Re;surrection comic, and I guess it's flattering that y'all think I know), I only have my own opinions to offer, and they're not more (or less) valid than yours.
My hope with all of the material I've translated is that it can be enjoyed by y'all, whatever your headcanons, whatever your 'ships. ❤ We all need a little bit more happy in our lives, okay.
(All that said: if the author said something that makes you very happy, I'm definitely not saying you shouldn't be happy! I too enjoy it when Word of God lines up with a personal headcanon, or if it canonizes a 'ship I enjoy. I'm just saying: canon isn't binding. You shouldn't let it stop you from an interpretation, whether it's a 'ship or something else, that makes you happier. The only place online where it should matter what's strictly canon is on a fandom wiki, or some other similar aggregation of 'facts', where they cite their sources. Every other fandom space is a sandbox, so... get out there and play.)
I am afraid I'm very much not here for that! And I would further like to encourage my readers to please just... take a deep breath and remember that no one else needs to validate your headcanons for them to be valid. While I'm at it, I might as well add: if Lelouch/C.C. isn't a 'ship you care to sail, or if — like me! — you liked it a lot in the original TV show but haven't cared for the way it's been handled by more recent content (perhaps including Re;surrection), then that is absolutely fine. You don't have to 'ship what's canon. The creative team here gave you an "out" for Re;surrection by framing it as a "what-if" story rather than a true reboot while talking about the movies, but even if they hadn't: go forth and be free.
I'm more than happy to answer specific questions about the nuances of a particular line I translated, but if you want to know what a given character "meant" by a line, or if such-and-such thing is "canon" (I've had multiple people ask me about Shirley's status in the Re;surrection comic, and I guess it's flattering that y'all think I know), I only have my own opinions to offer, and they're not more (or less) valid than yours.
My hope with all of the material I've translated is that it can be enjoyed by y'all, whatever your headcanons, whatever your 'ships. ❤ We all need a little bit more happy in our lives, okay.
(All that said: if the author said something that makes you very happy, I'm definitely not saying you shouldn't be happy! I too enjoy it when Word of God lines up with a personal headcanon, or if it canonizes a 'ship I enjoy. I'm just saying: canon isn't binding. You shouldn't let it stop you from an interpretation, whether it's a 'ship or something else, that makes you happier. The only place online where it should matter what's strictly canon is on a fandom wiki, or some other similar aggregation of 'facts', where they cite their sources. Every other fandom space is a sandbox, so... get out there and play.)
