The fic suggestion thread was starting to get derailed by "real person fiction does or does not equal fanfiction" debate, so I made this thread. Well, not just so that debate could continue without further derailing the other thread, but also other aspects.

It seems to me that there are two types of real person fiction: ones that are just written about various real people and ones written by fanbrats not content to keep their shipping to the characters and/or always assume the actors are just like the characters they portray even off-screen. An example of the latter would be, say, a fic that involved the pairing of Matthew Gray Gubler/Shemar Moore or Daniel Radciffe/Tom Felton instead of, you know, the characters they portray. And yes, het pairings can fall victim to this, too (Dan Radcliffe/Emma Watson stuff exists as well as the aforementioned Dan/Tom, I've got a sinking feeling there's some Natalia Tena/David Thewlis fics out there, and I seem to recall encountering some Jason David Frank/Amy Jo Johnson fics before I left that fandom), as can voice actors for animated characters.

Well, whether it's refusal to dissociate actor with character or just writing about real people, I disagree with real person fiction on principal. Though actorshipping annoys me more than any other type of real person fiction, probably because it's more fanbrat-ish.

Three posts equals the thread "getting derailed" to you? (If all it takes is three posts I could make a comment about your lack of attention span, but I guess I won't). I'm going to copy and paste my post on the subject in that thread:

Quote:

^Actually that would be historical fiction. Real-person fiction applies to people who are living, generally celebrities or entertainers, sometimes athletes, artists, politicians, etc. People who have developed fan followings during their lifetime are the subject of fanfiction. When they've been dead for a couple centuries or more it's generally considered historical fiction. Although, if you were to write a story based on "The Other Boleyn Girl," that would be fanfiction because your source is someone else's creative work, as opposed to doing your own research and coming up with your own story. (Was there even research involved in "The Other Boleyn Girl"? I don't even know.)

Not all real-person fiction about actors is simply confusing the actor with the character they play, believe it or not (although that certainly does happen). Sometimes fans of an actor may write about that actor with reference to various roles they've played, but that doesn't mean the author is getting them confused. And do tell, why is it exactly that your disagree with real-person fiction "on principle"?

Would you like it if someone wrote fanfiction about you? If someone were writing about me in, say, a variety of sexual situations in which I'd never engage, in a romantic relationship with their Gary Stu (or Mary Sue even if they know I don't swing that way), as a blood relative of their Sue or Stu, or that I was actually some evil, all-powerful entity that must be destroyed, I'd be less than flattered.

Well, that's you. Personally, I don't care. And I know that there are celebrities who don't care either (believe it or not, some people are ok with it). Some celebrities even encourage fanfiction. Of course there are celebrities or other figures who don't want fanfiction written about them, and that's totally understandable. Writing about anyone who doesn't want it is horribly disrespectful (and the fans who do it are often batshit insane). However, there are book authors who have expressly stated that they don't want fanfiction written about their work, and doing so in defiance of their wishes I think is equally disrespectful.

As long as authors acknowledge that what they're writing is fiction, and it's not meant to suggest anything or in any way comment on that person's life, then I really don't see the problem.

I limit my real person fanfiction to people who have been dead for at least a few decades, but that's historical fiction.

To each their own, if you want to write about real, living people, it's not a crime (I think), and the principle is basically the same. I just wouldn't feel comfortable doing it.

What I always shake my head at are fics where a fanbrat saw a hot actor playing a real historical figure and decided to create a Mary Sue to be their twu wuv, despite the historical figure being:

a) married
b) gay
c) both
d) Henry VIII

You know, when I clicked on this thread I was expecting something about whether or not fics about real people count as fan fiction. Instead I find... this, someone else complaining about how they 'don't agree with it so it shouldn't exist.'.

Yes, I realize that actorshipping can be annoying if you happen to be a fan of them and knew their actual personalities but really, most don't care. If one of actors/actresses didn't agree with it we'd know about because most celebrities can't even sneeze without the ragmag writers having a conniption fit.

All in all, real person fic can be annoying but really why would should we care? Compared to the amount of anime fanfic and the like, real person fic barely takes up a corner in the fanfiction community.

Unless the people being written about step in and say they don't want anyone writing about them I say leave the writers be.

Real Person Fanfiction is always going to have a spread of opinion, from one pole to it's polar opposite. I have written RPF, a long time ago now, but was always very careful. I don't think I would do it now.

Back in the 1970's there was a children's magazine called Look-in. I stopped buying it when I thought it was over-priced at seventeen and a half pence an issue. It had cartoons in it and one of them was about Madness, the ska group. Their made up adventures with wacky Madness, er, ness. (I think at one point they went to the moon). So that was official RPF. So as Owlish said, some celebrities don't mind.

I expect someone like Daniel Radcliffe wouldn't necessarily care if you wrote him to be having an adventure, or meeting the fictional Harry Potter. On the other hand if you write him as a practicing paedophile and post it to the 'ternets you should be prepared for him to release a pack of lawyers on you that will rip you to pieces. And rightly so.

"Pick up the fucking soap," growled Big Jack.

Knorg, trembling, did so.

"Thank you," said Big Jack, before finishing his shower.

Later they watched TV.

LOL Knorg


I've done this, it was a story about two users on a forum I used to frequent and it was erotic to boot. Fortunately the subjects of the fic loved it, one of them told me I had tuned into her sexual fantasies really well, almost to the point where she wondered if I had hidden cameras in her house


If anyone's up for some hot WGW action, I'll certainly give it a go.