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Art is amazing.
May. 4th, 2010 10:16 amYou know, it is a matter of personal opinion as to whether or not you like fan fiction. You are allowed to think it's loser-ish and creepy. That's fine. We don't have any control over that. I have real life friends who have let me know in no uncertain terms how they feel about what I do on the internet. Which is also fine. I'm not asking them to read or enjoy it. We as a fandom are not asking the authors to read and enjoy our efforts based on their works, either. There may be a few people who want that attention, but please treat them on a case by case basis. There is no group on the planet that can speak for every one of its individual members.
What it is not okay to do, is decide that fan fiction is tantamount to any kind of rape. Because it's not. Rape is about power and control and inflicting pain on another person. Fan fiction is about creativity and excitement and wanting to explore a text. What you are doing by suggesting that people who write fan fiction are raping your mind or creativity, is trying to beg sympathy for yourself on an issue where you feel shaky in your moral justification. It's the same tactic politicians use when they get people to focus on abortion or god instead of actual issues at hand.
And the thing about art. The very best thing about art. Is that it never stays the same. Once it leaves your pen or your brush or your digital audio file creator thingamajig, it becomes a part of the world. It is out there to be manipulated and analyzed. And good art will be. Art that makes people think something or feel something will be taken and turned over and studied and changed. It's why people enjoy parody novels and media tie in novels. It's why people enjoy songs that are remixed and covered. It's why people try to paint after the style of a certain painter. It happens. It's amazing. It is not harmful to you or your work. You have already said what you have to say. Let the art speak for itself now. Let the people speak for how they feel about the art.
Also. I make my living mucking about in copyright and determining when we can get around it. COPYRIGHT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY.
*ahem* *kicks away soap box*
This post is unlocked.
What it is not okay to do, is decide that fan fiction is tantamount to any kind of rape. Because it's not. Rape is about power and control and inflicting pain on another person. Fan fiction is about creativity and excitement and wanting to explore a text. What you are doing by suggesting that people who write fan fiction are raping your mind or creativity, is trying to beg sympathy for yourself on an issue where you feel shaky in your moral justification. It's the same tactic politicians use when they get people to focus on abortion or god instead of actual issues at hand.
And the thing about art. The very best thing about art. Is that it never stays the same. Once it leaves your pen or your brush or your digital audio file creator thingamajig, it becomes a part of the world. It is out there to be manipulated and analyzed. And good art will be. Art that makes people think something or feel something will be taken and turned over and studied and changed. It's why people enjoy parody novels and media tie in novels. It's why people enjoy songs that are remixed and covered. It's why people try to paint after the style of a certain painter. It happens. It's amazing. It is not harmful to you or your work. You have already said what you have to say. Let the art speak for itself now. Let the people speak for how they feel about the art.
Also. I make my living mucking about in copyright and determining when we can get around it. COPYRIGHT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY.
*ahem* *kicks away soap box*
This post is unlocked.
