Media References to Fanfic, the week ending 5/28/16

[wneleh]

Short, because somehow it's Monday already.

From Mike Vago on A.V. Club: Guy Fieri/Ted Cruz erotic fan fiction may be our darkest hour. Or, as Stefan Sirucek put it in Death and Taxes: This Ted Cruz/Guy Fieri erotic fiction will leave you hungry, thirsty, and scared.

From Ryan Porter in Toronto Star: Fan Fiction the Show celebrates the weird and

Comments

[wneleh]

The sports radio guys I listen to like to bust on Guy Fieri, so I do think there must be something about him. But I find food shows frustrating because I'd really rather just eat, so.

WRT GRRM - I thought this was very telling. Generally author objections to fanfic fall into:

(1) My babies! You can't write about my babies!
(2) I'm afraid that, if other people are writing using my characters, this will somehow block my own creativity.
(3) I write for children; could you please not be having my readers stumble upon your porn, kthx.
(4) If I don't vigorously defend my creation it becomes public domain, and then the movie deal I'm planning my future around won't happen. Plus, Darkover! (Which hasn't been referenced in a while, but you probably remember; for the youngsters reading this, see http://fanlore.org/wiki/Marion_Zimmer_Bradley_Fanfiction_Controversy)
(5) Copyright!

I actually have some sympathy for (1), (2), and (3); I just think they're pointless. (4) is untrue. (5) treats civil authority like divine law/inherent morality, but there are certain personality types who confuse the two, and while I'd personally be okay with a blood test that weeded the overly legalistic from the gene pool, I realize that this is mostly my issue. Plus the hope is that, when it becomes obvious that courts are, for the most part, taking a pretty common-sense approach to derivative works, those clinging to (5) due to personality defects will come around. (Though "for profit" doesn't really hold much import for the law, as I understand it, it does matter when it comes to enforcement, such as it's been.)

And then, there's GRRM, who's doing a (5) but makes it clear here that it's about not wanting anyone to get one iota of fun from his output w/o him making money off of it. Greed, pure and simple, wrapping itself in pseudo-legalese. This I just can't respect.