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My Thoughts On (RPF)
I've been thinking about real person fic a lot lately.
RPF is a contentious subject, even within the fairly liberal confines of fandom; a place where subjects like homosexuality, incest, non-con, and underage sex* are generally treated with a "live and let live" philosophy (when they're not actively being celebrated), but where a number of people profess to be horrified at the concept of a fic which depicts two actors meeting for coffee after work.
It isn't difficult to see peoples' objections to real person fic (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
melpemone's post was one I particularly enjoyed, because it provided a well-reason essay on "why I don't like RPF" without ever descending into "why you shouldn't like RPF"). Fanfiction, except in the case of occasionally overprotective authors, harms no-one. They are fictional works about fictional characters, written for fun. RPF, on the other hand, deals with real people. Real people have feelings. Real lives. They could potentially come across a fic written about them, and react with anything from amusement to embarrassment to terror to real anger. Some people who dislike RPF see it as a personal squick; others as an invasion of privacy. And I see where they're coming from. I used to be one of them.
When I started out writing fanfiction, I thought of RPF as a huge line I would never cross. It was squicky, for all the reasons mentioned above. When I created![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
fivebyfiction, RPF claims were the one thing I wouldn't allow. And then, somewhere down the line, I began to question why - and where to draw the line.
What was the deciding factor that made RPF Not Okay? Was it the "real person" part? The "fiction" part? Was it not the fic itself, but the subjects' potential reception of it? Real person fic, as with most contentious issues in fandom, is a slippery slope. The more you look at it, the more obvious it becomes that there is no clear line to be drawn, bar potentially arbitrary ones we draw ourselves.
What about biopics, for example, or unauthorised biographies? These are clearly about real people, and while they are not necessarily intended to be fictional, many contain at least some fictional elements. A biopic may remain true to a person's life as a whole, but include scenes, dialogue, or plot elements that never actually occurred. The filmmakers know they never occurred. The subject knows they never occurred. The audience knows they never occurred. They are purely fictional, yet they are acceptable. Is it because they are a part of a larger, "non-fictional" work? Because they have been okayed by the subject, or because the subject is no longer around to okay them? Because they are a part of mainstream media, and not fandom subculture?
What about if we move one step further? Becoming Jane is a movie based on the life of Jane Austen, but it is a fictional take. The creators have stated that it is not a biopic; it does not pretend to be non-fictional. And yet, nobody is objecting to the film; in fact, it seems, so far, to have been critically praised.
What, then, is the basis for peoples' objections to RPF, or their acceptance of similar (fictional) projects? Is it that, unlike the actors in Veronica Mars, Jane Austen is not alive to object to fictional works based on her life? In that case, would people who see and enjoy the movie be equally okay with John Lennon/George Harrison bandslash? What about celebrities who have stated that they have no objections to RPF? Is it that Becoming Jane is not explicitly sexual, and if so, how and why are there still objections to even the most general RPF? Is it that the movie is at least partly based on actual events from Austen's life, and would people be equally accommodating in the case of a fic which similarly depicts actual, verifiable events from its subject's life in a fictional manner?
Do people who dislike RPF draw their own lines? Are people who are uncomfortable with NC-17 slash okay with PG-rated genfic about actors rehearsing their lines? Is there a distinction between depicting events which have (likely or definitely) occurred, and RPF "AUs?" Is a suicide darkfic different to a humorous action/adventure story? Do we cross a line when we bring celebrities' families into the mix? Is a fic with serious and genuine literary merit more acceptable than a PWP crackfic?
I'm not trying to challenge others' views on RPF, or defend my right to write it (though I'll get to that in a minute). As I said, there are many, often personal, likely unquantifiable reasons why people may object to it. I don't pretend not to understand both sides of the story. Rather, I just felt some need to get down on (virtual) paper my own thoughts on the subject; to try to reason out my own feelings about real person fic, how and why they've changed since I entered fandom, and to what end. It is, I've come to believe - like most things which ultimately boil down to moral argument - neither empirically right nor wrong; it is an opinion (preferably founded on some reasoning, spurious or not), and I'm as free to hold it as people are to disagree with me - though, as with any opinion, I'd probably choose not to hear at length why mine is objectively wrong.
If we can understand the "why not?" however, that still leaves the "why?" What is the temptation to write RPF? Is it merely the textual representation of personal sexual or romantic fantasies? An attempt to understand actors' portrayal of characters and relationships? Natural curiosity about someone we like or identify with? The desire to make fictional characters more "real" by understanding the actors behind them, or drawing parallels between real life and fiction? Like regular fanfiction, I'd say there are a number of motivations behind it, including (but not limited to) those given above.
And a final note, on the legality of real person fic. Legality in fanfiction is, and always has been, a fairly controversial subject; existing as it does away from mainstream culture, it isn't something that has yet been definitively tested. I can say that RPF has received fewer (pseudo-)legal threats against it than regular fanfiction, and I'll add that, in my opinion, RPF probably has less to worry about legally than other fanfiction. Unlike regular fanfiction, RPF does not have to worry about copyright infringement, which is generally fanfiction's biggest legal concern; barring libelous content, I'd say that RPF is, in and of itself, legally permissible.
*I am not in any way equating adult homosexual relationships with rape or incest, merely trying to draw a parallel between subjects which range from controversial to outright abhorred in the "real world" and their reception within fandom/fanfiction.
RPF is a contentious subject, even within the fairly liberal confines of fandom; a place where subjects like homosexuality, incest, non-con, and underage sex* are generally treated with a "live and let live" philosophy (when they're not actively being celebrated), but where a number of people profess to be horrified at the concept of a fic which depicts two actors meeting for coffee after work.
It isn't difficult to see peoples' objections to real person fic (
melpemone's post was one I particularly enjoyed, because it provided a well-reason essay on "why I don't like RPF" without ever descending into "why you shouldn't like RPF"). Fanfiction, except in the case of occasionally overprotective authors, harms no-one. They are fictional works about fictional characters, written for fun. RPF, on the other hand, deals with real people. Real people have feelings. Real lives. They could potentially come across a fic written about them, and react with anything from amusement to embarrassment to terror to real anger. Some people who dislike RPF see it as a personal squick; others as an invasion of privacy. And I see where they're coming from. I used to be one of them.When I started out writing fanfiction, I thought of RPF as a huge line I would never cross. It was squicky, for all the reasons mentioned above. When I created
fivebyfiction, RPF claims were the one thing I wouldn't allow. And then, somewhere down the line, I began to question why - and where to draw the line.What was the deciding factor that made RPF Not Okay? Was it the "real person" part? The "fiction" part? Was it not the fic itself, but the subjects' potential reception of it? Real person fic, as with most contentious issues in fandom, is a slippery slope. The more you look at it, the more obvious it becomes that there is no clear line to be drawn, bar potentially arbitrary ones we draw ourselves.
What about biopics, for example, or unauthorised biographies? These are clearly about real people, and while they are not necessarily intended to be fictional, many contain at least some fictional elements. A biopic may remain true to a person's life as a whole, but include scenes, dialogue, or plot elements that never actually occurred. The filmmakers know they never occurred. The subject knows they never occurred. The audience knows they never occurred. They are purely fictional, yet they are acceptable. Is it because they are a part of a larger, "non-fictional" work? Because they have been okayed by the subject, or because the subject is no longer around to okay them? Because they are a part of mainstream media, and not fandom subculture?
What about if we move one step further? Becoming Jane is a movie based on the life of Jane Austen, but it is a fictional take. The creators have stated that it is not a biopic; it does not pretend to be non-fictional. And yet, nobody is objecting to the film; in fact, it seems, so far, to have been critically praised.
What, then, is the basis for peoples' objections to RPF, or their acceptance of similar (fictional) projects? Is it that, unlike the actors in Veronica Mars, Jane Austen is not alive to object to fictional works based on her life? In that case, would people who see and enjoy the movie be equally okay with John Lennon/George Harrison bandslash? What about celebrities who have stated that they have no objections to RPF? Is it that Becoming Jane is not explicitly sexual, and if so, how and why are there still objections to even the most general RPF? Is it that the movie is at least partly based on actual events from Austen's life, and would people be equally accommodating in the case of a fic which similarly depicts actual, verifiable events from its subject's life in a fictional manner?
Do people who dislike RPF draw their own lines? Are people who are uncomfortable with NC-17 slash okay with PG-rated genfic about actors rehearsing their lines? Is there a distinction between depicting events which have (likely or definitely) occurred, and RPF "AUs?" Is a suicide darkfic different to a humorous action/adventure story? Do we cross a line when we bring celebrities' families into the mix? Is a fic with serious and genuine literary merit more acceptable than a PWP crackfic?
I'm not trying to challenge others' views on RPF, or defend my right to write it (though I'll get to that in a minute). As I said, there are many, often personal, likely unquantifiable reasons why people may object to it. I don't pretend not to understand both sides of the story. Rather, I just felt some need to get down on (virtual) paper my own thoughts on the subject; to try to reason out my own feelings about real person fic, how and why they've changed since I entered fandom, and to what end. It is, I've come to believe - like most things which ultimately boil down to moral argument - neither empirically right nor wrong; it is an opinion (preferably founded on some reasoning, spurious or not), and I'm as free to hold it as people are to disagree with me - though, as with any opinion, I'd probably choose not to hear at length why mine is objectively wrong.
If we can understand the "why not?" however, that still leaves the "why?" What is the temptation to write RPF? Is it merely the textual representation of personal sexual or romantic fantasies? An attempt to understand actors' portrayal of characters and relationships? Natural curiosity about someone we like or identify with? The desire to make fictional characters more "real" by understanding the actors behind them, or drawing parallels between real life and fiction? Like regular fanfiction, I'd say there are a number of motivations behind it, including (but not limited to) those given above.
And a final note, on the legality of real person fic. Legality in fanfiction is, and always has been, a fairly controversial subject; existing as it does away from mainstream culture, it isn't something that has yet been definitively tested. I can say that RPF has received fewer (pseudo-)legal threats against it than regular fanfiction, and I'll add that, in my opinion, RPF probably has less to worry about legally than other fanfiction. Unlike regular fanfiction, RPF does not have to worry about copyright infringement, which is generally fanfiction's biggest legal concern; barring libelous content, I'd say that RPF is, in and of itself, legally permissible.
*I am not in any way equating adult homosexual relationships with rape or incest, merely trying to draw a parallel between subjects which range from controversial to outright abhorred in the "real world" and their reception within fandom/fanfiction.