Agreed.

Authors who don't approve of fanfic by anamia on 2010-05-14 05:21:00 UTC Reply

Is it a charge to write fanfiction for stories by authors who've said they don't like it? I'm thinking of people like Diana Gabaldon, Anne Rice, and Robin Hobb, among others. How serious a charge would it be? Could it be considered enough of one to kill the thing right there, or would there have to be other infractions to send Agents in?

(Mostly I want to know if it's worth having Agents work in the Oulander-verse, but I'm also genuinely curious. -grins-)

--anamia

Is there a list of authors who don't want fanfic? by Calista on 2010-05-15 00:08:00 UTC Reply

I think it'd be a good idea to link a list from the wiki, if one could be found. I don't know there's an official PPC policy; but either way, there are probably people here who'd prefer not to go against authors' wishes whatever the official ruling happened to be.

According to Wikipedia by anamia on 2010-05-15 03:05:00 UTC Reply

The list is as follows:
Anne Bishop
P.N. Elrod
Raymond Feist
Diana Gabaldon
Terry Goodkind
Laurell K. Hamilton
Robin Hobb
Dennis L. McKiernan
Robin McKinley
Anne Rice
Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb
Archie Comics

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legalissueswithfanfiction#Copyrightholders.27attitudetowardsfan_fiction
--anamia

I suggest putting that on the wiki... by Sedri on 2010-05-16 05:54:00 UTC Reply

I'll add it to the mission writing guide, at least, but if anyone thinks it should have its own page... or, is there already a page for this sort of thing?
Also... by Tomato on 2010-05-15 03:07:00 UTC Reply

George R. R. Martin
Carrie Vaughn

...? by JulyFlame on 2010-05-15 21:31:00 UTC Reply

Last I knew on Carrie Vaughn, she just really doesn't want to know it's there, not that she's saying 'Don't do that'.

*looks it up* by Tomato on 2010-05-15 23:32:00 UTC Reply

Whoops, you're right. Thanks for the correction.

I don't think... by Tomato on 2010-05-14 06:37:00 UTC Reply

...we usually PPC those fandoms at all. Since the PPCing, after all, is a fanfic in itself.

I know there weren't any Dragonriders of Pern missions until after Anne McCaffrey lifted her ban. And I seem to recall a Pern mission specifically mentioning that fact. (Anyone remember what mission that was? I read it when I first joined up.)

Agreed. by Neshomeh on 2010-05-14 07:01:00 UTC Reply

That Pern mission didn't even get finished (sort of) for something like three years, as I recall, so that was WELL after the ban was lifted. Can't say the same for the badfic, though. The mission in question is Brown DragonRider of Pern. I think hS is hosting the badfic, too, if you're interested. There's probably a link around there somewhere.

I agree that we shouldn't PPC in banned fandoms. It's just compounding the issue, really.

~Neshomeh

Agreed. by Sedri on 2010-05-14 10:30:00 UTC Reply

Why tickle a sleeping dragon? Best to leave them be. On the other hand, I see nothing wrong with someone mentioning banned fandoms in their missions, as long as it's clear that the PPC isn't involved - so no offhand mentions of an agent from that 'verse, for instance.

Just my "two cents".

Maybe the PPC isn't necessary for those worlds. by Calista on 2010-05-14 15:25:00 UTC Reply

I just thought of this; tell me if it makes sense?

An Author is practically omnipotent in relation to his own world; and no mary-sue or author wraith can ever match up to that level of power. Even the most omnipotent of god-mode Sues can't match the creativity of the omnipotent Author; so the Author can always overpower any Sues--if he chooses to do so by blocking off his world entirely from both good and bad.

Therefore, it might be that an Author who has chosen to block all fanfiction from his world's canon may have effectively set up a two-way creativity shield around the canon, stopping anyone from getting in or out--Agent and Sue alike. An author who blocks his continuum would force any fan author who wants to write fanfiction anyway to create an entirely new world for it which is quite unconnected to--and thus can't hurt--the original canon. PPCing it wouldn't make much sense because that effect puts it in the same existential category as original fiction.

That's not to say that blocking all fanfiction is the obvious choice. An open world is not just needlessly vulnerable to warping by badfic; it can also be strengthened and made more detailed when good fanfiction is written in that world. An Author who allows fanfiction is taking the gamble that the good will outweigh the bad.

Very logical! by Sedri on 2010-05-15 02:37:00 UTC Reply

It's certainly possible. :)
Re: Maybe the PPC isn't necessary for those worlds. by Miah on 2010-05-14 22:03:00 UTC Reply

So along those lines it is more plagiarism than fanfic.
That is exceedingly well-thought-out and very smart. (nm) by Wide Eyed Idealist on 2010-05-14 19:55:00 UTC Reply

Very true... by anamia on 2010-05-14 05:52:00 UTC Reply

Sounds like something the Legal Department would have to cope with. I suspect they would find it worse to go against an author's wishes than to allow a Mary Sue to roam free, but it's a tough choice. -sighs-

--anamia
Hmm, but wouldn't your PPCing be a fanfic too? by Calista on 2010-05-14 05:45:00 UTC Reply

If you used that charge, you'd be admitting to knowingly writing a fic set in a world made by an author who doesn't like fan fiction. Sure, it's a PPC fic, and you're making fun of bad fanfiction; but the setting's still the author's.
my two pence by doctorlit on 2010-05-14 05:44:00 UTC Reply

I don't think we should bring that up, really. It feels like we would, by writing a mission into that same fandom, be committing that same offense, as it were.

As an odd sidenote, when I attended NAU, I stayed in the dormitory named after Diana Gabaldon...

Ooh, really? by anamia on 2010-05-14 05:53:00 UTC Reply

Shiny! She's one of my favorite authors. Even if Claire starts out as a self-insert, more or less.

--anamia

Yah, really! by doctorlit on 2010-05-14 06:04:00 UTC Reply

Unfortunately, I had a lab the day she was signing her novels in the campus book store...