(no subject)

[sakon76]

Ponderings while embroidering this evening ran along the lines of fanfic taboos.

SailorMac posted recently in her LJ that she'd opened a can of worms via an inquiry about RPS (real person slash). Myself, I don't understand why anime fanfic fandom is so afraid of it. I've written a little RPS and then stopped, mostly because I just didn't have the drive for it. This in and of itself I don't feel is a condemnation--there are many fandoms out there I don't have the drive to fanfic. I feel no call to write fanfic about novels (Harry Potter), movies (Pirates of the Caribbean), or TV series (Buffy). The fandom I write for is, in fact, pretty narrow: anime and manga.

Why is RPS considered so inherently bad? It's not as if anyone pretends these are the real people. (Well, there may be, but such individuals would not be in touch with reality no matter what.) Is it a problem with disrespect/confusion of reality? That I can maybe see. But still, there are many wonderful, talented RPS writers out there whose work I critically and non-critically adore. The "cup of coffee" that jump-starts my week is reading the newest installment in Matthew Haldeman-Time's boy band RPS series "Living." I consider it a work that teaches me something with every single chapter, whether it be a lesson on social dynamics, a demonstration of rock-solid faith, or simply an opening of my eyes to a new way to view the world.

RPS can be good too.

Comments

[sailormac.livejournal.com]

I think it's considered taboo mainly because of the "invasion of privacy" factor. Of course, there's also the question about how much right to privacy a public figure *has*. Which is, I believe, the heart of the RPS controversy.

I had NO idea it was *that* much of a hot button issue. When I asked that question on Fanficrants, I expected a few essays on the pros and cons. I did NOT expect a flame war that was destined for fandom_wank.

As to people who believe RPS is *real* -- have you ever heard of the Domlijahs? This is a group that believes two of the actors who played the Lord of the Rings hobbits are *actually* sleeping together, are being oppressed by "evil PR people" and send "shoutouts" to their "true believers" through, among other things, color-coded clothing. They light candles in hopes that their "true love" can at last be brought to light. The fandom_wankers even started a community just for monitoring the activity of the Domlijahs: http://www.journalfen.net/community/dl_anon/

[sakon76.livejournal.com]

Have heard of them. They're part of that "not in touch with reality, no matter what" section I was thinking of.

[sandpanther.livejournal.com]

There was a pannel at last year's Yaoicon which may shed some light on why RPS is so scary...

Basically, it comes down to this: Real people have real lawyers. Real people can sue if they decide they do not like how an author represents them. And in many cases the law will support them, under the idea that what the author is writing is defamation of character (or, in some cases, libel.)

[sakon76.livejournal.com]

The people who own books and movies and TV series have real lawyers too. For that matter I seem to recall seeing books in stores titled "Alternate Kennedys" and suchlike wherein it's basically fanfic of real people. *shrug*

[branna.livejournal.com]

Well, I've always thought about it this way; if an acquaintance posted a long, detailed slashfic about you and another acquaintance, and you happened to run across it, what would your response be?

I'm not talking about someone happening to use your name. I'm talking about a fic that is clearly based on you, that uses details
of personal appearance, your age, your workplace, the more obvious of your likes and dislikes. Enough information to clearly identify you to people who know you, mixed in with details of sexual preference, past history, and private behavior that are all pure fiction.

I don't see why actors/celebrities aren't entitled to react the same way we might, under such a circumstance.

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

As someone who's working for a law firm, I'll put in my two cents- FWIW.

The danger is real that a celebrity or the company they represent may take offense and sue for libel, defamation of character and damage to a career. Now one can say that entertainment companies have lawyers to take care of lawsuits, but literary agencies and such also have lawyers to check submitted materials for lawsuit potential. Sometimes that doesn't work, and those lawsuits, even if they don't go to trial, are damn expensive. If one doesn't have a large company for backup, such lawsuits can be ruinous. That's why it's common for small-scale publishers to alter the names of people that are referred to in order avoid lawsuits.

One can protest at the fairness of the situation, but that's the way things are- according to the last copyright panel I attended, there are companies trolling the internet looking for violations.

Another thing is, as far as the celebrity is concerned, they don't know that the person isn't pretending they are writing about the real person- there's a hell of a lot of fans to one celebrity, and they become sensitive to possible stalkers. From the celebrities' persepective, there's a person making up stuff about them, stuff that may be damaging to their career and livelihood, and publishing it in a public forum.

Bottom line- if someone REALLY wants to write a RPS fic, I can't stop them, but I would recommend caution, and checking with an attorney before publishing anything in public.

[racerxmachina.livejournal.com]

Let's say:
I work as an unpaid intern for the Goleta Gabble, a tiny community paper folks use for wrapping fish, in the celebrity gossip column. Wishing to liven up a slow day for scandal, I decide to write about the new opera production that has come into town, and the two stars, Mrs. Grenouille and Herr Samovar. To simply say that they sang La Boheme well is boring, I find, so I allege that they seemed to have a chemistry that suggested that they are intimate offstage as well as on.

This story gets pasts the editor's eye, and hits the stands. Sure, a couple of hundred people may simply place the newspaper unread under the dog's water bowl that evening, but what if, before it lines a parrot cage, it meets the eye of Herr Samovar? Or his wife? Or his child? Should this story be called into question, the paper would have to write a retraction or take the risk of a lawsuit. I would lose my internship. And this in only a paper of a few hundred readers.

The internet has thousands of readers. Someone who knows someone is always out there. I remember reading the comments of a woman who was related to Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees, who was rather unhappy about a fanfic which described her uncle having graphic sex with the author, who was writing as a Mary Sue. In the YC panel we went to, they described an incident in which a person brought an RPS to an X-files con and presented it to one of the actors featured in the fic. The actor was quite upset, and security was called and the fan escorted away. A bit extreme, but the possibility for hurt feelings on the part of the subject is very real.

Copyright Spiders

[(Anonymous)]

I can't remember the exact details now but someone (MoonShadow, I believe) mentioned that there are now internet spiders (such as the ones that index pages for Google) that specifically look for possible copyright violations on the net.

No longer does your story have to be read by a friend of a friend of the person in question... Now the lawyers are actively hunting you down.

Paranoia and silver-foil hats anyone?

--Kazuhiko