In general, I dislike screwing with canon sexuality, because, well, that’s not how life works. If you’re a woman and want to sleep with a Kinsey 6 man, you can’t rub a lamp and make him interested. But I afford fictional characters the same philosophy I apply to nonfictional ones. With that in mind, let’s move on.

I see the logic of those who claim canonical tinkering should go either way. Does there seem to be a double standard? Yes. I’m in no position to say whether it’s right or not, but on pure observation, yes, one exists. On the other hand, I’ve seen some top-notch fic treatments of characters whose proclivities were up in the air. I’ve only seen one gay-to-straight fic that I thought was handled with any tact. The rest have stunk the bitter stink of “fixing,” and I know a lot of people that are pretty hurt by such sentiment. As a straight cis female I’m not a good source of authority on this, which is why I’m ultimately not going to take either side. It’s not my job to speak for a community I’m not part of. Consider these insights without value judgments.

But I also noticed the debate turned into an excuse to get sour on canon/OC pairings as a whole, and, well, you guys know me. Most, if not all, the fan work I write is canon/OC. In an effort to hold true to this essay I’m not gonna use the term ‘Mary Sue,’ but, yeah, I’ve read some OCs that made my hair curl. Some people are just not talented at characterization. Can’t win ‘em all.

But I’ve also read a lot of really good ones. Ones penned by writers good enough to be published. I didn’t name the bad, so I won’t name the good - but I’ve likely complimented you to your e-face about them if you’re one of the ones I’m talking about. They were geared with the universe in mind. They were characterized as real human beings with real, organic flaws. The nature of Fallout’s PC system invites you to insert a character of your own creation into its universe, and writer-gamers see this as a golden opportunity.

Good OCs will not alter the behavior of canon characters. Good OCs will not bend the universe to their will. They’ll work around them.