can you tell I'm bored - thoughts on RPF
Jun. 17th, 2005 04:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tommygirlSo there is a lot of discussion going around in various fandoms on the het versus slash and real person fic (RPF).
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penknife wrote up a wonderful breakdown that everyone should read on the whole het/slash debate.
And basically, those same sorts of things can apply to the real person fic debate. I don't understand the need for certain writers to put other writers in fandom down for using real people in their stories. Most stories have a summary or a cut-tag and you don't have to click on it if you're not so inclined. It's rather a simple process:
Me - (looking at friends list) wow...so and so has written Jared Padelecki/Chad Michael Murray Fic. Not my cup of tea.
(moves right along)
Please note that I don't go on to read it and then send comments/feedback that basically go on about the evils that are RPF/RPS nor do I get confused at how such a thing could dare to show up on my friends list.
I personally enjoy RPF/RPS. I started getting involved in fandom via Nsync fanfics and it's something I enjoy. I've always made it quite clear, as well as all other authors I stumbled upon who weren't psychopathic trolls, that it was all fiction, as in a figment of my bloody imagination written out to share with whoever was interested. Never did I force people against their will to read (well, unless you were my sister).
The first argument always seems to be it's much easier to write or not as creative. Obviously, this argument is made by people who've never even read a RPF story. Because, as someone who has written both RPF and regular fanfiction based on shows/movies/books, I can tell you that both are equally as hard. And that I never claim that my take on the personality is completely accurate - it's FICTION. I take liberties the same way others take liberties with plotlines in their fandom universes - the goal is just to make it believable to the reader.
The second argument seems to be something even more illogical as a reason. People who call RPF bad writing simply because of who it's about is on par with saying that those who write slash are superior to those who write het. (i.e. not true) You're going to stumble upon bad writing no matter what genre or type you choose to peruse in fandom. It's the way things go.
But bad does not equate with "not my cup of tea." Let me repeat - your preferences does not automatically mean that something is awful or poorly written. There are certain types of fics that I'm not interested in so I don't write them and I don't read them. I make no assumptions about the writer's ability - I simply keep going on with my day in my happy place.
So why is this something that continually comes up? Is it because certain people only feel good about themselves when they hide behind the security of their computer to bash someone else's personal preferences? Like those people that we've all worked with at some point in our lives, who measure their greatness by forcing other people into roles of failure?
Whatever the answer my philosophy will always be this. Fandom is for fun. Read and write what you want and ignore what you want. No need to point out in your journal how those who do this or that are lesser than you. it just makes you seem like an asshole.
penknife wrote up a wonderful breakdown that everyone should read on the whole het/slash debate. And basically, those same sorts of things can apply to the real person fic debate. I don't understand the need for certain writers to put other writers in fandom down for using real people in their stories. Most stories have a summary or a cut-tag and you don't have to click on it if you're not so inclined. It's rather a simple process:
Me - (looking at friends list) wow...so and so has written Jared Padelecki/Chad Michael Murray Fic. Not my cup of tea.
(moves right along)
Please note that I don't go on to read it and then send comments/feedback that basically go on about the evils that are RPF/RPS nor do I get confused at how such a thing could dare to show up on my friends list.
I personally enjoy RPF/RPS. I started getting involved in fandom via Nsync fanfics and it's something I enjoy. I've always made it quite clear, as well as all other authors I stumbled upon who weren't psychopathic trolls, that it was all fiction, as in a figment of my bloody imagination written out to share with whoever was interested. Never did I force people against their will to read (well, unless you were my sister).
The first argument always seems to be it's much easier to write or not as creative. Obviously, this argument is made by people who've never even read a RPF story. Because, as someone who has written both RPF and regular fanfiction based on shows/movies/books, I can tell you that both are equally as hard. And that I never claim that my take on the personality is completely accurate - it's FICTION. I take liberties the same way others take liberties with plotlines in their fandom universes - the goal is just to make it believable to the reader.
The second argument seems to be something even more illogical as a reason. People who call RPF bad writing simply because of who it's about is on par with saying that those who write slash are superior to those who write het. (i.e. not true) You're going to stumble upon bad writing no matter what genre or type you choose to peruse in fandom. It's the way things go.
But bad does not equate with "not my cup of tea." Let me repeat - your preferences does not automatically mean that something is awful or poorly written. There are certain types of fics that I'm not interested in so I don't write them and I don't read them. I make no assumptions about the writer's ability - I simply keep going on with my day in my happy place.
So why is this something that continually comes up? Is it because certain people only feel good about themselves when they hide behind the security of their computer to bash someone else's personal preferences? Like those people that we've all worked with at some point in our lives, who measure their greatness by forcing other people into roles of failure?
Whatever the answer my philosophy will always be this. Fandom is for fun. Read and write what you want and ignore what you want. No need to point out in your journal how those who do this or that are lesser than you. it just makes you seem like an asshole.
