Character Hate: An FAQ

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The Mods' Quick and Dirty Guide to Character Hate: An FAQ

Queer as Folk is obviously a show that people deeply connect with, and because of that, fans have a lot of strong feelings about characters and events during the course of the series. Usually, this is a fantastic thing! However, at times, it creates a lot of negative feelings about certain characters and very positive ones about others, and this can create problems when you're celebrating something like Queer as Folk as a community.


How are the mods defining character hate?

The mods are defining character hate as unfair treatment or portrayal of a particular character that rejects a majority of that character's characterization developed during the course of the series. In short, they become less of a "real" person with faults and remarkable strengths and simply a caricature of an idea, most often one of the villain.

Are there characters who receive this sort of treatment more than others? Definitely! Your mods find that the characters that receive the most hate are Michael, Lindsay, Ethan, Melanie, and even at times Justin. Usually these portrayals stem from ship wars or feelings about the ending of the series, but not in all cases.


Why can't I include character hate in my work?

This community is one that supports and celebrates each character and pairing in Queer as Folk. There are fans participating in the fests that love all characters and those that have an affection for some of the characters who receive the most character hate. Our goal is to foster an environment where everyone feels comfortable, and the only way to do that is to ensure that all characters get treated with the respect that they deserve.


How do I avoid character hate?

Sometimes it's hard to determine what constitutes character hate and even more difficult is recognizing it in your work if you have a particular aversion to a character. The best advice the mods can give is simply ask us if you have any question about it; we're very fair judges.

When creating your submission, ask yourself whether you're staying true to the character as he/she was portrayed in the show. Would the character on the show do X? Is it realistic to think that he/she would? And try to think how the fandom at large would answer those questions.

Even AU versions of the characters should still maintain a sense of canon characterization; otherwise, it's simply a original fiction with people and places that share names with the characters on the show. If you're creating an AU work, please keep in mind that the mods still expect the work to be absent of character hate.


What are some examples of character hate?

Chances are if you're portraying a character (especially one of the core nine) as a child molester, rapist, murderer, semen thief, or child abuser, the mods will immediately refuse your submission since nine times out of ten those characterizations are completely founded in character hate. The exception for this being that there is canon evidence for the behavior. For example, a submission portraying Jack as a child abuser is fine since it's canonically established that he was.

If you hate the idea of treating one of the characters you don't like fairly, the mods suggest that you avoid putting them into your submission. If you can't play nice, don't play at all, right? There are ways around every scenario that could be perceived as character hate. If you want Gus to live with Brian and Justin, don't make Linds and Mel child molesters. Not only is that very offensive to some readers and disrespectful to the fans of those characters, but there's no canon evidence for the behavior. Just simply create around the idea. Kill them if you can't think of a good, in character way to go about it. Or, set up some scenario about good schools near Britin. There are definitely ways to tell the story you want without offending the masses.


You keep talking about canon. Do I have to follow it perfectly?

No, not at all. There is plenty of flexibility in canon, and you're allowed to play around with that. If canon doesn't do it for you, feel free to write an AU.

Our emphasis on canon elements is stressed so much in this discussion because character hate tends to result in behavior that is way outside of canon. By focusing on canon characterization, it's much less likely that a participant is going to fall into the danger area of hate. Beyond avoiding character hate, please don't feel restricted by canon, but please do keep it in mind.


What will happen if my submission contains character hate?

The mods will reject your submission for the fest and explain which part that we took issue with. As stated in our community rules, we have a zero tolerance policy for this sort of thing. You can post anything you like on your personal journal, but at this community we have no place for fanworks featuring character hate.

Participants who are worried about this are welcome to contact the moderators via the Page-A-Mod post or by PM. We're here to help and have given everyone ample time to create and sort out any potential issues that might come up of this nature.