[ SECRET POST #3217 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3217 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 064 secrets from Secret Submission Post #460.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[dreemyweird]

I... don't get the "keep ALL the fandom away from the creators" sentiment. At all. Fandom isn't just explicit fic with mpreg and tentacles. Perfectly gen canon-compatible fanart and fic is also "fandom". Hell, some fanart is the sort of thing you could see as an illustration to the original canon. In what universe is it harmful or cringeworthy to show that to the creators?

IDGI. I talk to one of our canon creators sometimes and they've been overjoyed to see fanart of their works (not my fanart, to be clear, but still).

[(Anonymous)]

Fan created content can be a minefield for canon creators. Most of them (if they're writers or have anything to do with the story production) won't look at it to protect themselves from plagerism claims.

As for the rest. Fandom and fans can get ...crazy, and not always in a good way if people don't respect boundaries. I know a few pros too, and while they appreciate their fans, interacting with them is a balancing act.

[dreemyweird]

"To protect themselves from plagiarism claims"? You're literally either okay with fanworks of your stuff, in which case there's no problem in your looking at them, or you're not, in which case you should probably say as much? How is not looking at them in any way helpful?

I agree fandom can get crazy. But it does depend on the fandom and it does depend on what kind of creator involvement we're talking about. If a creator e.g. gets a tumblr blog, I can see where problems can arise; but if it's just someone sending them fanmail with gen fic/art, why not? This is a perfectly culturally acceptable practice, people have been doing this sort of thing for centuries.

[(Anonymous)]

Send an unsolicited script or story to your favourite TV show writer or production office. It will be sent back to you unopened (and unread) It's a legal thing. Nothing personal, and has nothing to do with how they feel about fanworks.

[dreemyweird]

Yeah, feotakahari just posted about the plagiarism claim from a fan. Um. Wow. I had no idea.

I think the OP could be OK, though, seeing as it's an actor they're talking about, not a writer. And many creators are definitely cool with getting fanart!

[feotakahari]

I think they're referring to that thing where a fanfic writer accused an author of plagiarizing her fanfic in a later canon work. That's affected how a lot of creators approach fandom. (For instance, this is why Hasbro shreds fanmail without opening it.)

[dreemyweird]

Seriously? Holy shit, I didn't know that happened o_o This is crazy. Yeah, I can understand being wary after that. I guess it's just that my experience is with the creators of smaller canons who aren't that meticulous/with fanworks that cannot be "plagiarazed" by the creators.

[(Anonymous)]

Trust me, that's how it is. I've known one television writer for twenty years. If I wanted pointers to improve my craft, the last thing I could show off is fic based off projects they've written for, even past projects because of Hollywood's habit of recycling properties.

[dreemyweird]

Is that an exclusively American practice, or a worldwide one? And would it still apply if there were no proof that the creator read a particular story (e.g. if they just randomly found it on the internet and did not inform the author about having read it)?

[(Anonymous)]

SA I couldn't say. All the pros I know are American. Having said that, we live in an increasingly litigious world with lots of international overlap (especially in the entertainment community) so I wouldn't be shocked if 'Better safe than sorry' weren't words to live by everywhere.

[(Anonymous)]

As for your other question I think there needs to be proof, because of the concept of finite ideas. Having said that, every so often you'll hear about someone like JK Rowling having to defend themselves from the author of some previously published work. Nothing is certain.

[dreemyweird]

Thank you! That's very interesting. I'm reassured that the way I handle these things is OK, but this is the sort of fact one wants to know if their canon creators do not completely isolate themselves from the fandom.

[sarillia]

The story of the creator being sued by a fan for plagiarism might be apocryphal. I've seen people arguing with the story as it's commonly presented.

[dreemyweird]

It does appear to have a real influence on people's and even corporations' behaviours, though, if I'm to believe the anon above! Maybe there was a similar but true story, or perhaps no one is willing to risk the possibility.

[(Anonymous)]

Terry Pratchett completely stopped visiting the online forum after fan speculation came dangerously close to the plot of the largely-written-but-not-published Fifth Elephant. That might be the origin of the story.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's apocryphal, but I think it was about an author who published anthology books and one of the writers who writer for one of her books. It may have been either Mercedes Lackey or Marion Zimmer Bradley, I can't recall which.

[feotakahari]

Found it! http://fanlore.org/wiki/Marion_Zimmer_Bradley_Fanfiction_Controversy

[(Anonymous)]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptomnesia

I have seen a few well-known creators who say they love that the fandom is out there but don't want to read any fanworks in case later they think of an idea that turns out to be from a fic. JK Rowling comes to mind, and I know a lot of Harry Potter fans have gotten canon details confused with fic so I'm sure it could happen with the author too.

There was also the time John Green accidentally stole a 13-year-old girl's quote, but that's just a hilarious aside.