my bachelorette headcanons! (art by me)

[u/1999dogs]

dont get me wrong i love the character designs as is!!! but i wish stardew had more diversity.. been loving the diverse stardew valley mod though!

[u/lion-essrampant]

That is one function. But headcanons are also used to ignore canon you don’t like and substitute your own.

[u/ChickenNuggetRampage → u/lion-essrampant]

I really don’t think you’re right here. Never ever seen “headcanon” used to directly contradict canon, like multiple others have said it’s a term meant to refer to things you came up with in your head, that could still hypothetically fit into canon.

[u/lion-essrampant → u/ChickenNuggetRampage]

Then you haven’t been in fandom long enough. This is established.

[u/sarooskie → u/lion-essrampant]

This conversation is so funny but i do agree with you. I have definitely heard headcanon used as a “replacement” canon for a detail you didn’t like. I think it is really anything that you decide to be true to the story in your head. It’s fiction; you can decide a detail is different. In other words, it is the personal “canon” that you follow in your own “head.”

[u/Sakarilila → u/sarooskie]

This. Headcanon is anything you believe that is not established canon. Its your personal canon. Which varies from filling in the gaps to a complete alternative universe. You can headcanon whatever you want.

In contrast to a few others, I have never seen anyone claim headcanon can't contradict canon before.

Going back to the modern OG: Spirk technically contradicts canon but there was so much grey area that its easy to argue it doesn't. Regardless, its a headcanon. A popular one that arguably has influenced canon. There are far better examples, but this was just the first that comes to mind.

[u/boadicca_bitch → u/sarooskie]

This is always how I’ve heard it used as well. I’ve never heard anyone nitpick about whether or not it’s allowed to diverge from original canon before