[ SECRET POST #5960 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #5960 ⌋

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


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[Arknights]



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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 24 secrets from Secret Submission Post #852.
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

[(Anonymous)]

No? The argument from the point of view of the subjects is that they might be personally uncomfortable knowing that such a thing was written about them.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, and that might also bring unwanted attention to them.

Doesn't really change the argument.

[(Anonymous)]

It changes the argument to the extent that the two situations aren't really symmetrical.

[(Anonymous)]

1. Not if both apply (which I think they do - big actors might expect it as part of the job, but small content creators may really not want to attract a fanbase that parasocially sexualises them over engaging with their content, which is a culture RPF can encourage/ goes hand in hand with)

2. You haven't made any argument yourself about why symmetry matters in this situation (if, as other commenters have said, the RPF subjects are just riffing on the fic, not making fun of the authors) - so ... ?

I mean, I can make the argument myself and then argue against it, but I feel like I'm putting in all the effort here

[(Anonymous)]

Isn't the whole argument based on symmetry? As I understand it the argument is basically, "if you think that fic writers are entitled to a heads up, then the subjects of RPF should also be entitled to a heads up". So that seems like it's entirely based on the idea that the two situations are parallel - but in fact, they're not parallel. The harm that would hypothetically be done to the subjects of RPF (them knowing that people on the Internet are writing sexual fanfiction about them and being uncomfortable with it) can also be avoided if the subjects of RPF simply do not read that fic. The same just isn't true on the other hand.

And to the extent that parasocial fanbases are a concern, I don't think that really has to do with RPF per se; any fannish activity can be parasocial, fic isn't particularly distinctive in that regard.

[(Anonymous)]

It seems to me that, in the situation you're describing, the parallel harm to the authors would be discomfort with knowing that the people they're writing about are reading their fic, which could be avoided by not watching the episode. And sure, other fans may see it and harass them over it, but that applies to your "don't read the fanfic if it makes you uncomfortable" situation as well.

"Real life" consequences are only a concern if real names are being used (unlikely!) or if the author has zero common sense when it comes to basic internet safety. If the author is that easy to track down, they've got bigger problems than someone reading their fanfic in public. Let's be honest though. The people who've gotten upset about this aren't afraid of negative consequences. They're just embarrassed because for some reason it never occurred to them that writing things down and posting them in a public place might mean that someone would read those things in public.

[(Anonymous)]

And sure, other fans may see it and harass them over it, but that applies to your "don't read the fanfic if it makes you uncomfortable" situation as well.

No - the reason that it's not symmetrical is because, in general, the people who encounter fanfic regularly are people who are part of a community that is built around writing and reading fanfic and that can be expected (to some extent) to be familiar with the cultural norms of that community. A celebrity reading RPF fic about them exposes that fic to general audiences, including tons of people who are not part of the community.

In other words, the problem here is that celebrities referencing fic are breaking containment.

[(Anonymous)]

AYRT

No, you (or the anon of that is not you) said 'what would be the purpose' of the fic authors giving a heads up to the video creators, and I said the reason would be the same argument for giving a heads up to the fic authors - letting them know in case they don't want that attention.

But putting forward that argument doesn't preclude the existence of other arguments, nor did it mean the effect of that courtesy has to be equal for both parties.

In relation to parasocial fandom, I am talking specifically about the shipper types - you know, the ones who basically sit on the sidelines/comments shouting 'kiss!!'. For some fans, RPF normalises this behaviour by reinforcing the feeling that the subjects are characters for their entertainment. Some subjects would find this behaviour more uncomfortable than others, and I bet all of them would prefer their fandom not be based on the fantasy that they're fucking their costar/collaborator.