Changing times
It's so weird to see an indepth article on slash in the mainstream press. It's a good read, and the writer did his homework and wasn't judgey. I recognized the names of a few people interviewed. Stewardess! Loooove her BoB fic. :D
The Leverage creator is cool. And we've been over this a zillion times with Jeff Davis and how I get it that the ( Read more... )
The Leverage creator is cool. And we've been over this a zillion times with Jeff Davis and how I get it that the ( Read more... )
For me, the legitimacy of it has to do with the balance between semiotic democracy (where the audience assigns meaning to what they're seeing based on perceived subtext) and respecting the desires of the creators, not just in terms of legality (copyright) but in terms of canon.
I understand what you're saying about getting your HEAs, and I say this as someone who has written and/or read thousands of fanfics myself... but fanfiction based on other people's creations is kind of like taking an artist's painting and saying, "You know what? I think this painting of a (possibly) lonely man in a boat needs to show another man standing on the dock, smiling at him!" Or maybe it's more like taking that man out of the boat and putting him in your own painting. In that case, it's just the subject of the creation, not the entire story of the creation, that is being used.
Not really sure I have a point here, just that I can see both sides of it, and how some authors, actors, showrunners, etc. might feel a bit put out by fanfiction in general. And while the definition of "slash" has evolved to include all kinds of pairings and situations, there's (unfortunately) still a stigma associated with it, likely borne of homophobia. I tried having a conversation with some co-workers about this a while back, because they were all reading 50 Shades and didn't understand what I had against it. I think one of them thought I found it too "racy." Good grief. If they could only see some of the stuff I've read online.
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I can see both sides of it, and how some authors, actors, showrunners, etc. might feel a bit put out by fanfiction in general.
For me, as long as fans aren't profiting from other people's creations, I don't see the problem. We write and read fic because we love the show/movie/whatever. The anti-fic creators (e.g. Anne Rice, George R.R. Martin) don't seem to get that love is the driving force behind the vast majority of fic.
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That said, I can also understand how protective someone might be of an original character they created, and don't feel comfortable with someone else putting their own characterizations and scenarios on that person. I would suspect that those who have the greatest problem with it are likely fiercely attached to their own creations and don't want anyone else "messing with them".
as long as fans aren't profiting from other people's creations, I don't see the problem
They're not profiting monetarily, no, but one might argue that there is an intrinsic "artistic" value to the depiction of the character in the way the creator imagined it, and if someone takes that character and does something else with it, they are "profiting" from the way their interpretation is then received by the fanfic readers, for better or for worse. They can also be influencing the way that viewer interprets the original creation after that, because there could be expectations (even subconscious ones) placed on the character.
Anyway, I know it really isn't all that deep, but I know to some people it's important and I can see both sides of it.
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