Also, with the rise in Tumblr fandom of reposting without attribution, I've noticed a lot of writers and artists are concerned for the way their work is basically appropriated without taking their wishes into consideration -- or even acknowledging them as creator.
Not at all to sound contentious about this statement ('cause I've written a ton of fanfic in my day), but, isn't it ever so-slightly-hypocritical for any fanfic writer to take this stance when it's the exact same argument that the original creator(s) of a media universe can make against distributed fanficton in general? And with MUCH more justification?
Whenever I publish any media-based fiction or art to the WorldWideWeb, I know for a fact it is out there for every one of 7 billion humans to see, for all time to come (maybe even some space aliens, too.) I also know for a stone-cold fact that I NEVER asked JK Rowling or Scholastic or WB or Paramount or Robert Jordan or Universal or George Lucas or 20th Century Fox or Anne MacCaffrey or DC or Marvel or Arthur Conan Doyle or BBC, etc, etc their wishes about appropriating their creations. As a full adult with decision-making capabilities, I accept responsibility for such actions beforehand and whatever ramifications extend afterward. If I didn't want such responsibility (or knew I'd want to flee from it), I would never publish to a public forum as the internet in the first place.
In this case it's not a comparison of fanfic to its source/canon, or to the liberties taken by creating another work based on the characters and world. What I have in mind is more like pirating -- if someone were to download all seven books of the HP series and share them with their friends, for example, so as not to have to pay for them. Or put them on an archive for anyone to read or download, free of charge.
The only guaranteed credit a fanfic writer or artist usually has is the acknowledgement that they've written that fic or drawn that artwork. They may or may not receive comments. If someone posts their work without attribution, they get no credit at all, and they will definitely not receive feedback. Fandom isn't often (well, some people are, but for the purposes of this point let me generalize) guilty of reproducing a canon work on their own blog and ignoring the author.
To me, what would be comparable and hypocritical in the sense you describe is if a fan were to write a fic based on another writer's fanfic, and the first writer were to declare themselves outraged because no one asked their permission.
I do understand what you mean, but in my experience fandom always acknowledges the source and the creator. Of course, some canon writers are emphatic in their rejection of fanfiction (although fan art, by contrast, is often welcomed), and the majority of fans seem to respect the wishes of those particular people. But there's a large middle ground of tolerance and of deliberately looking the other way, as long as fans honor the boundary lines. The relationship between fandom and canon is complex; tribute, and money, and commercial support all play into it. Those who'd simply copy a work to their own site are the ones most likely to bring a C&D down on their heads, versus the fans who just like to play in that sandbox.
Also, with the rise in Tumblr fandom of reposting without attribution, I've noticed a lot of writers and artists are concerned for the way their work is basically appropriated without taking their wishes into consideration -- or even acknowledging them as creator.
Not at all to sound contentious about this statement ('cause I've written a ton of fanfic in my day), but, isn't it ever so-slightly-hypocritical for any fanfic writer to take this stance when it's the exact same argument that the original creator(s) of a media universe can make against distributed fanficton in general? And with MUCH more justification?
Whenever I publish any media-based fiction or art to the WorldWideWeb, I know for a fact it is out there for every one of 7 billion humans to see, for all time to come (maybe even some space aliens, too.) I also know for a stone-cold fact that I NEVER asked JK Rowling or Scholastic or WB or Paramount or Robert Jordan or Universal or George Lucas or 20th Century Fox or Anne MacCaffrey or DC or Marvel or Arthur Conan Doyle or BBC, etc, etc their wishes about appropriating their creations. As a full adult with decision-making capabilities, I accept responsibility for such actions beforehand and whatever ramifications extend afterward. If I didn't want such responsibility (or knew I'd want to flee from it), I would never publish to a public forum as the internet in the first place.
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The only guaranteed credit a fanfic writer or artist usually has is the acknowledgement that they've written that fic or drawn that artwork. They may or may not receive comments. If someone posts their work without attribution, they get no credit at all, and they will definitely not receive feedback. Fandom isn't often (well, some people are, but for the purposes of this point let me generalize) guilty of reproducing a canon work on their own blog and ignoring the author.
To me, what would be comparable and hypocritical in the sense you describe is if a fan were to write a fic based on another writer's fanfic, and the first writer were to declare themselves outraged because no one asked their permission.
I do understand what you mean, but in my experience fandom always acknowledges the source and the creator. Of course, some canon writers are emphatic in their rejection of fanfiction (although fan art, by contrast, is often welcomed), and the majority of fans seem to respect the wishes of those particular people. But there's a large middle ground of tolerance and of deliberately looking the other way, as long as fans honor the boundary lines. The relationship between fandom and canon is complex; tribute, and money, and commercial support all play into it. Those who'd simply copy a work to their own site are the ones most likely to bring a C&D down on their heads, versus the fans who just like to play in that sandbox.
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