Fandom Ghost: Created Out Of Wholecloth By Fanon

Fandom Ghost: Created Out Of Wholecloth By Fanon (originally untitled) is a tumblr post originally written by wildehack, and expanded upon by subsequent commenters. It discusses the phenomenon where a specific character archetype is applied to (almost always) a white male side character, ostensibly for the purpose of shipping him with a more-developed-by-canon "messy" white male character. There is some debate with regards to whether the phenomenon solely applies to minimally-characterized side characters (also known as blank slates), or whether it also applies to main characters whose canon traits are replaced.
The archetype may be related to the "blue oni", "frigid romcom heroine", and/or "Byronic hero" archetypes.
This meta essay specifically referenced the character of Hux from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, drawing parallels between Kylux and Arthur/Eames from Inception. This post was widely shared and very influential in discussions ongoing in Star Wars fandom at the time. It also influenced and inspired other meta, including Stitch's 2019 essay What Fandom Racism Looks Like: Beige Blank Slates, which further popularised the concept of a fandom ghost or archetypal blank slate.
==Topics Discussed in the Post and Comments==
* The concept of the "fandom ghost"
* Fanon
* Unconscious racial bias in shipping preferences
* Migratory Slash Fandom
==Original Post==
==Wildehack's Subsequent Comments==
==Reported Examples of Characters Whom The Ghost Possesses==
*Armitage Hux
* Arthur (Inception)
*Carlos in early Welcome to Night Vale fandom, prior to the casting of Dylan Marron as voice actor
*Draco Malfoy
*Erestor (Tolkien)
*Mycroft HolmesArchived link here (May 3, 2016)
*Mark Zuckerberg (The Social Network)Archived link here (May 3, 2016)
*Phil CoulsonArchived link here (May 4, 2016)
*Q (James Bond)Archived link here (May 3, 2016)
*Remus Lupin
*Parrish (Stargate Atlantis)
*Grillby (Undertale)Archived link here (May 5, 2016)
*Human!JarvisLink here (June 19, 2016)
*Harry Hart (Kingsman)Archived link here (July 17, 2016)
*Percival Graves (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)
*Hermann Gottlieb (Pacific Rim)Archived link here (May 20, 2017)
*Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan)Archived link here (May 21, 2017)
*Illya Kuryakin (Man from U.N.C.L.E)Archived link here (May 23, 2017)
*Brad Crawford (Weiß Kreuz 1997)Archived link here (May 26, 2017)
*Kerr Avon (Blakes 7)Archived link here (August 8, 2019)
*(Robin) John Blake (The Dark Knight Rises)Archived link here (May 3, 2016)
*Tom RiddleArchived link here (May 3, 2016)
*Percival (Kingsman)Archived link here (May 4, 2016)
*Ezra Standish (The Magnificent Seven)Archived link here (May 4, 2016)
*Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)Archived link here (May 5, 2016)
*Sakusa Kiyoomi (Haikyuu)Archived link here (September 29, 2021)
==Female Fandom Ghost thread (AKA The Queen Bee)==
==Self-Inserting, the Feminine Ghost, and the White Male as Safe Substitute==
==Other Responses==
See Fandom Ghost: Created Out Of Wholecloth By Fanon/Other Responses
==Rebuttals/Extenuating Factors==
 
==Related and in Response==
* What Fandom Racism Looks Like: Beige Blank Slates by Stitch
* Prowl, Original Fandom Ghost (original post May 23, 2019)
==References==
Category:Meta_on_Tumblr
Category:Fanfiction_Meta
Category:Star Wars Meta
Category:2016 Meta
Category:2022 Featured Articles