History Main / DependingOnTheWriter

In some stories, a character is very different every time they appear -- so different that it's almost [[AlternateUniverse a different character with the same name]]. This is particularly common with long-running shows and comic books and even Wiki/ThisVeryWiki, due to the large number of writers on staff. But there are some characters where even the ''same'' writer makes them different every time, deciding to tweak their personalities as the plot demands or for RuleOfFunny.

This is not the same as CharacterDevelopment -- nothing happens in the story to justify the personality change. WriterOnBoard or CreatorBreakdown might, though.

** In some versions Arachne actually ''is'' that good and wins the weaving contest, with Athena retaliating out of pettiness. In others, Arachne weaves a tapestry that is indeed very good, but Athena (being an immortal goddess) weaves one which is infinitely more beautiful, and Athena punishes Arachne for her hubris by transforming her into a spider. Additionally, some versions have her weave a deliberately blasphemous tapestry showing the gods' misdeeds.

* Myths and legends are highly subject to this, as even the written records originated from OralTradition and thus have no known original version and thus there is no "canon" (so you can ignore anyone who tries to tell you what the "real" version of a myth is). For one specific example, consider the [[Myth/GreekMythology Greek myth]] of Arachne. The basic details are always the same: Arachne is [[BlasphemousBoast said to be a better weaver than even Athena (the goddess of weaving) herself]], Athena challenges her to a contest to see who's better, and by the end Arachne is a spider. The specifics, however, change from telling to telling.

* Myths and legends are highly subject to this, as even the written records originated from OralTradition and thus have no known original version and thus there is no "canon" - so you can ignore anyone who tries to tell you what the "real" version of a myth is. For one specific example, consider the [[Myth/GreekMythology Greek myth]] of Arachne. The basic details are always the same: Arachne is [[BlasphemousBoast said to be a better weaver than even Athena (the goddess of weaving) herself]], Athena challenges her to a contest to see who's better, and by the end Arachne is a spider. The specifics, however, change from telling to telling.

** In some versions, Arachne openly boasted that she is superior to Athena. In another, it is Arachne's mother who says her daughter surpasses the gods. In another, Athena simply notices a highly skilled mortal and challenges her to a weaving contest.

** In some versions Arachne actually ''is'' that good and wins the weaving contest, with Athena retaliating out of pettiness. In others, Arachne weaves a tapestry that is indeed very good, but Athena (being an immortal goddess) weaves one which is infinitely more beautiful, and Athena punishes Arachne for her hubris by transforming her into a spider. Additionally, some versions have her weave a deliberately blasphemous tapestry showing the god`s misdeeds.

* Myths and legends are highly subject to this, as they originated from OralTradition and thus have no known "original" version and thus there is no "canon" - so you can ignore anyone who tries to tell you what the "real" version of a myth is. For one specific example, consider the [[Myth/GreekMythology Greek myth]] of Arachne. The basic details are always the same: Arachne is [[BlasphemousBoast said to be a better weaver than even Athena (the goddess of weaving) herself]], Athena challenges her to a contest to see who's better, and by the end Arachne is a spider. The specifics, however, change from telling to telling.

* Myths and legends are highly subject to this, as they originated from OralTradition and thus have no known "original" version. For one specific example, consider the [[Myth/GreekMythology Greek myth]] of Arachne. The basic details are always the same: Arachne is [[BlasphemousBoast said to be a better weaver than even Athena (the goddess of weaving) herself]], Athena challenges her to a contest to see who's better, and by the end Arachne is a spider. The specifics, however, change from telling to telling.

** In some versions Arachne actually ''is'' that good and wins the weaving contest, with Athena retaliating out of pettiness. In others, Arachne weaves a tapestry that is indeed very good, but Athena (being an immortal goddess) weaves one which is infinitely more beautiful, and Athena punishes Arachne for her hubris by transforming her into a spider.

*** In general, Arachne and Athena's characterization changes depending on the storyteller. In some Arachne is not only proud of her skill but openly insults the gods, and quite frankly is asking for it. In others she simply caught the eye of Athena by being a talented weaver. Conversely, in some versions Athena is a graceful goddess who gives Arachne every chance to prove herself, while in others she's petty and vindictive.

** In some versions, Arachne openly boasted that she is superior to Athena. In another, it is Arachne's mother who states her daughter surpasses the gods. In another, Athena simply notices a highly skilled mortal and challenges her to a weaving contest.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Invoked with Music/{{Vocaloid}}: In order to give users as much freedom with their song-writing as possible, the official creators generally give Vocaloids little-to-no canon personality. Needless to say, this results in fans portraying any given character as an AxeCrazy killer one day to the kid-friendly salesperson of vegetable juice the next. May qualify as FridgeBrilliance: since the Vocaloids are musicians (at least in the context of songs that feature them) they may just be playing a role rather than actually acting like that (contrast Hatsune Miku's ''World Is Mine'', where she's portrayed as something of a brat, to her GenkiGirl self in ''[=PoPiPo=]'').

In some stories, a character is very different every time they appear -- so different that it's almost [[AlternateUniverse a different character with the same name]]. This is particularly common with long-running shows and comic books and even Wiki/ThisVeryWiki, due to the large number of writers on staff. But there are some characters where even the ''same'' writer makes them different every time, deciding to tweaking their personalities as the plot demands.

Don't get this confused with character depth. Just because you can't predict a character's moves 100% of the time doesn't mean they're inconsistent. Now, if you can predict a character's moves 100% of the time ''only when you know who's writing'', then they're definitely inconsistent.

If the writers themselves begin to notice this, they might attempt an AuthorsSavingThrow. This can be in the form of trying to plausibly reconcile the differing depictions, leading to genuine CharacterDevelopment (such as revealing [X] to be the reason why this character acts like [Y]), or agreeing to stick to a single persona that the audience has come to enjoy the most (writers A, B, and C write this character different, but audiences love C's take the most, so A and B follow suit).

In some stories, a character is very different every time they appear -- so different that it's almost [[AlternateUniverse a different character with the same name]]. This is particularly common with long-running shows and comic books and even Wiki/ThisVeryWiki, due to the large number of writers on staff. But there are some characters where even the same writer makes them different every time.

If the writers themselves begin to notice this, they might attempt an AuthorsSavingThrow. If they can find a way to plausibly reconcile the two depictions, it may even lead to genuine CharacterDevelopment, acknowledging that real people are complex and full of apparent contradictions.

** In the ''Avengers'' films written and directed by Joss Whedon, Natasha's main connection to the team are Bruce Banner (as a feared TerrorHero to her in the first and PromotedToLoveInterest in the second) and old friend Hawkeye. In the ''Captain America'', ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', and ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', written by Stephen [=McFeeley=] and Christopher Markus and directed by the Russos, her ''Avengers'' orbit goes through Steve Rogers, elevating the pair into eventual PlatonicLifePartners. Similarly, she's more emotionally open to her teammates (especially Steve) in the latter films while more of a dryly detached teammate in Whedon's films.

** In the ''Avengers'' films written and directed by Joss Whedon, Natasha's main connection to the team are Bruce Banner (as a feared TerrorHero to her in the first and PromotedToLoveInterest in the second) and old friend Hawkeye. In the ''Captain America'' sequels and ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', written by Stephen [=McFeeley=] and Christopher Markus and directed by the Russos, her ''Avengers'' orbit goes through Steve Rogers, elevating the pair into eventual PlatonicLifePartners. Similarly, she's more emotionally open to her teammates (especially Steve) in the latter films while more of a dryly detached teammate in Whedon's films.

[[folder:Theme Park]]

[[folder:Other]]
* Invoked by WebOriginal/JennyEverywhere - she's an open source superhero specifically designed for anybody to interpret any way they wish. She is described on The Shifter Archive (a fansite) as [[GenkiGirl having a ready smile, good body image and loads of confidence and charisma]], but that could be ignored if the writer chose.
* [[http://chainletters.net/chainletters/mutually-sadistic-english-assignment/ This creative writing assignment.]]
** The Creator/DaveBarry[=/=]Alan Zweibel book ''Lunatics'' was written like this, causing crazed SerialEscalation as they tried to write each other into corners.
* The Webcomic/NuzlockeComics involve turning [[AfterActionReport a playthrough of one of the Pokemon games into a comic strip or written story]], and there are a lot of variations on the rules of the challenge itself, as well as the setting and the characters involved. Does the term "Nuzlocke" have any meaning within the world itself? Is it a Self-Imposed Challenge, a curse, or simply an unnamed rule of the world? Can trainers understand what their Pokemon are saying? If so, how? Can only some of their Pokemon communicate with them, via human speech or telepathy, or can all of them speak freely?
* [[AnthropomorphicPersonification Being a symbol of the United States of America]], Uncle Sam can be interpreted as anything, ranging from a sinister fascist {{chessmaster}} to [[TheWoobie a poor old man begging for help]].

* DependingOnTheWriter/TableTopGames

[[folder: Fan Works]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* In any theater production, it is common that the [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation way the characters are presented]] will be different depending on the actor and director. For example, in ''{{Theatre/Oklahoma}}!'', Jud Fry can be played as a buffoon lacking intelligence, a possessive and evil man, a slightly insane man or a sympathetic and misunderstood man who struggles with depression. Curly could also be played as an overconfident and cocky braggart who is slightly cowardly or a person who is confident and charming. This mostly depends on the depth of the director.

* ''Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'': In his book ''The Fairest One of All'' on the making of the film, J.B. Kaufmann points out that Snow White's expressions and body language subtly change throughout the picture, depending on which of her two main animators is handling her. In the scenes animated by Hamilton Luske (e.g. when she runs in terror through the forest, or in "Whistle While You Work") she's more wide-eyed and childlike, while in the scenes animated by Creator/GrimNatwick (e.g. when she teases Grumpy, or in "Someday My Prince Will Come") she's a slightly more sophisticated young woman. The differences are so small that there's no sense of inconsistency, but if you know which animator did which scenes, they show.

** In some versions, Arachne is a JerkAss who [[TooDumbToLive doesn't know when to stop]] (weaving images mocking the gods into her tapestry, for example); in others she's just a talented weaver who crosses a goddess by virtue of being that good.
** Regarding Athena, sometimes she's a JerkassGod who transforms Arachne out of petty jealousy (and beats her first). Other times (such as the Literature/{{Cryptonomicon}}) say Athena [[GracefulLoser willingly admits that Arachne is better]], only for Arachne's overwhelming hubris to get on her last nerve.
** The character of Arachne's mother: in some versions she's the one who does the the BlasphemousBoast bragging; in others she's the OnlySaneMan who tries to rein in her daughter's ego and begs Athena for mercy.
** The transformation itself is subject to this as well. Sometimes it's punishment for her actions, while in others it's comparatively a mercy, Athena choosing to spare Arachne's life and turn her into a form where the whole world can see her beautiful weaving.
*** In the darkest version (but arguably the one that portrays Arachne and Athena most favorably), Arachne hangs herself in Athena's temple as a self-imposed penance for defeating her idol whom she worshipped (she would have thrown the match had she known who her opponent was before hand). Athena is saddened by Arachne's death, and touched by her devotee's piety. To memorialize her skill, she changes the noose into a thread, and Arachne's corpse into the first spider.

** In the ''Avengers'' films written and directed by Joss Whedon, Natasha's main connection to the team are Bruce Banner (as a feared TerrorHero to her in the first and PromotedToLoveInterest in the second) and old friend Hawkeye. In the ''Captain America'' sequels and ''Film/AvengersInfinity War'', written by Stephen [=McFeeley=] and Christopher Markus and directed by the Russos, her ''Avengers'' orbit goes through Steve Rogers, who elevates into a PlatonicLifePartner. Similarly, she's more emotionally open to her teammates (especially Steve) in the latter films while more of a dryly detached teammate in Whedon's films.

** [[Characters/MCULoki Loki]]'s characterization: in the ''Film/{{Thor}}'' movie writers portray him as an AffablyEvil AntiVillain and [[TragicVillain tragic figure]], where Creator/JossWhedon's version is FauxAffablyEvil and almost entirely without redeeming features. Whedon even states on the DVDCommentary that he set out to make Loki less sympathetic. The writers of ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' and ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' had to merge the two characterizations.
** A smaller version occurred with [[Characters/MCUIronMan Tony Stark]] in the first ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' movie. Tony was always snarky, but now being written by Whedon, AuthorAppeal shines through as his snarks include many movie references.

* Is a young dragon called a "hatchling", "wyrmling", or a "whelp"? That also doesn't stop works from using other names as well. For example, the book series ''Literature/WingsOfFire'' refers to non-adult dragons as "dragonets".