(no subject)

[floranna]

Diana Gabaldon talks about fanfiction.

Thank you so much. You have me crying here. Are you happy? You've got no idea how important fanfic is to me? It is to find other possibilities in verses, about characters I love and cannot seem to get enough. Even if you gave a book per year it isn't enough. That's why I read fanfiction, to keep the interest in it, to meet people, talk about the books and become friends. The friends I have met in fandom have literally saved my life, given me a reason to go on through my depression and suicide attempt. Because of them I am still alive and slowly starting to feel better.

You call us rapists? YOU HAVE RAPED TOO! You have raped your characters, so you are as 'bad' as we are! And don't you dare to compare fanfiction to rape! Rape is one of the worst things which can happen to a person, and now you are making a mockery of it!

WE DON'T GET MONEY OF THIS! The only time I have paid for fanfiction was when I bid for a fic in an auction where the money went to Haiti after the earthquake. And even then, after I had received those fics, I wanted them to be public. So that other people could enjoy them.

Through fandom I FOUND YOU! And now you are seriously making me doubt if I want to continue to read your books. And I liked them too.

Fanfiction is about sex? Really? And I was getting tired of reading your books because of the sex scenes which were awesome two years back, but now just bore me in general. Nowadays I mostly skip them to get to the plotty part. Why? Because even good porn scenes are getting a bit boring after you repeat them over and over again.

Through fandom I have found acceptance and courage to stand by myself. I came out and informed I am a lesbian. People call me brave because of this, but two years ago I was too scared to open my mouth and be myself.

Fuck you. You have made me lose my respect on you.

Comments

[avocado-love.livejournal.com]

I saw that today, and that killed any interest I might have ever had in her book series. Screw her. There are plenty of other artists out there who don't mind their fans, and I'd much rather buy their product.

[floranna.livejournal.com]

Yeah but that... If she had politely informed that she really doen't want us to use her characters, I would've been completely fine.

But now? Now I am trying not to cry.

[avocado-love.livejournal.com]

Well think of it this way: she had the opportunity to politely tell her fans what she thought, but instead she decided to show her true colors and take the low road. I don't think she deserves your tears. For my part, she only gets my disgust.

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

Her books suck and encourage spousal beating. Seriously, she is a sucky Sue author. In my writing, I am at least aware that some things my characters believe are insane and morally wrong. Clare gets BEATEN by her husband and it's romantic. And I mean, beaten to the point that she has problems walking. And she's talking fanfiction as rape?

And Flo, you rock. I'm happy you feel confident to come out and I am proud to be your lj friend.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Clare gets BEATEN by her husband and it's romantic. And I mean, beaten to the point that she has problems walking. And she's talking fanfiction as rape?

what

How is that....I don't even....

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

"I dinna know what's a sadist. And if I forgive you for this afternoon, I reckon you'll forgive me, too, as soon as ye can sit down again."
"As for my pleasure..." His lip twitched. "I said I would have to punish you. I did not say I wasna going to enjoy it." He crooked a finger at me.
"Come here."

Chapter 22: Reckonings - Page 393

He's holding a belt.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

...*shudders a little* How is that sexy? I can understand SOME kind of kinky interludes, and maybe that's what they have? (I didn't get to far into the series to find out) but that sounds more, well, sadistic, like he said, than kinky.

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

I think one of the things that must happen when you write a book with a culture that contradicts with your own values is make sure the reader is aware that you are being realistic, but do not agree. Now, yes, having a character in 18th century Virginia thinking modern thoughts on race issues, is foolish, but you can make sure to have characters who maintain that slaves are humans, who speak up for their mistreatment or show the terrible consequences of humans being reduced to chattel. If it's normal to have men beat women, show it, but don't show it as sexy. Show it as horrible and damaging. Being historically accurate doesn't mean apologist.

In a fanfic I'm writing for Avocado, I have the main character (Lu Ten) be Fire Nation, and hence he's effed up to an enormous degree. He wholeheartedly believes in slavery, he wholeheartedly embraces genocide on others who aren't like him and he thinks of himself as a god. I don't agree with them and I show that as best as I can. I show the awful consequences. So if wife beating is okay, having Clare become more withdrawn due to them would be a more appropriate reaction.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I was just confused o.O;

(Lu Ten fanfic? In the AB-verse?)

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

While part of a larger universe (the Mimamakim series), it's an AU of Another Brother in a weird way.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Mimamakim?

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

Yes.

It consists of a few fanfics, all separate on the same timeline on my fanfic profile.

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/828484/Hotspur

Fragile
Just the Girl
The Mark of True Love
From the Depths

[floranna.livejournal.com]

I know what you are talking about. If there is a one thing which makes me truly sick, it's slavery. I have had to read your fics and when slaves are mentioned I have to hold my vomit in. But I have never felt that it's 'okay' or somehow even remotedly acceptable in your fics.

That fic truly interests me. How near you are putting it up?

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

Fragile, it's up.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5440300/1/Fragile

It's an AU as a private joke.

And hugs, I'm so sorry. Being the granddaughter of someone who was used for slave labor makes me hate it so much. But it's a reality in that world and I want to show how terrible it truly is.

[floranna.livejournal.com]

In Finland there has never been slavery, or it was so lonbg ago that noone remembers it but it still makes me sick. There are some good fics which I haven't been able to finish or had to jump several chapters to not read about slavery and the awful hate it brought up in me. I really like how you still tell about it.

Ahh, I was thinking you were speaking about some other story. ^^

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

And don't forget this scene.

"You're mine, mo duinne," he said softly, pressing himself into my depths. "Mine alone, now and forever. Mine, whether ye will it or no." I pulled against his grip, and sucked in my breath with a faint "ah" as he pressed even deeper.
"Aye, I mean to use ye hard, my Sassenach," he whispered. "I want to own you, to possess you, body and soul." I struggled slightly and he pressed me down, hammering me, a solid, inexorable pounding that reached my womb with each stroke. "I mean to make ye call me 'master', Sassenach." His soft voice was a threat of revenge for the agonies of the last minutes. "I mean to make you mine."

Chapter 23: Return to Leoch - Page 436

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

....wow. Just...wow.

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

That isn't pillow talk, unless we're taking Othello.

[alexb49.livejournal.com]

Dowling v. United States tells Diana Gabaldon to suck it. I use US law since she cites ICA. The US Supreme Court has expressly said that while copyright violations may incur economic loss (and the argument that the majority of fanfic does this is laughable) that since there is no physical object being appropriated that it is not theft because it is not a rival good.

She complains about badly written sex scenes but perhaps one could argue that they are a subtle parody of her own cloying scenes. That would make them legal since parody is protected speech.

If she believes that the inclusion of sex in a story is a pathetic cry to get noticed then what does that say about her own works?

tl;dr FU Diana Gabaladon.

[jellyjay.livejournal.com]

Seriously? Oh, Diana Gabaldon, all my respect for you as a published author just flew out the window.

Woman doesn't know what the literary world of today is like. The days of author gods are over and we're allowed to take whatever reading we want and write about it from a different representation. Illegal, my foot. It's only illegal if we claim ownership over your characters, which we don't. More often than not, people leave disclaimers at the top of their fics.

And what does she think? That we all have to accept her reading of it? What if we disagree? What if we just want to write about something from a different perspective so the representations can be different? We're not even making money! She should be honoured that people find it good enough to write fics about it!

FAIL, Ms Gabaldon. Fail.

[jellyjay.livejournal.com]

Oh geez. That came out longer and rantier than I thought it would.

*blames English Extension*

[corset-camellia.livejournal.com]

I don't even know who this woman is, but if we start making a massive stink about fanfic being 'illegal' and 'cracking down' on it, we're going to have to start arresting five year olds for playing Harry Potter. :I

Fuck her in the ear, seriously.

[empath-eia.livejournal.com]

Good lord, she could do with a large dose of humility, preferably delivered via suppository.

[nataliadarimini.livejournal.com]

I have never even heard of this woman, so what she says is vastly unimportant to me, but I am so sorry that she made you sad. :(

Here, have a series of hearts in a large font:

<3<3<3<3<3

[devo79.livejournal.com]

Wow!

Fanfic = Rape

Clearly she has no idea what rape is about...or fanfiction for that matter.

Really she's just kinda sad (she is right about the International Copyright Law but let's face it every time a kid in school finds a photo on google and uses it in school work they're breaking that law)

I wonder if she's never used google photos or youtube...or if she's ever printed out pages from a book or photocopied a book or newspaper article. Cause that's illegal too.

Also I have never actually heard about her before so...I don't really give a shit about what she thinks.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

It's big name authors like her that make me want to scream. Seriously. Doesn't she remember at ALL how hard it was to get started?

And what's wrong with writing for pleasure and not profit, UNLIKE HER?

I remember trying to read her first book and finding it boring. Now I know why; because she, herself, is dull, boring, and stupid.

Honestly, if I ever get famous and people want to write fanfic of my characters, all I ask is that they don't make a profit off of it. Other than that? Fucking go nuts. It's flattering! You care enough about my creations to want to write them? Cool! Just don't sell it is all I ask. You know?

People like this, like her and all of those other writers who "ban" fanfic....they make me SICK.

[beckyh2112.livejournal.com]

Fandom_Wank has been having a field day with this.

My opinion: woman does not understand how a healthy fandom works. A healthy, strong fandom writes fanfiction/creates fanart/makes fanvids/talks about stuff/BUYS stuff/keeps things alive even after the source material is gone. Even if an author personally dislikes fanfiction, letting people play with their toys is way too much of a boon to want to squash it down.

(I admit, I probably could not read fanfiction of my original work, not only for legal reasons but for the need to yell at people that they're doing it wrong. But we all know I have issues.)

[incasink.livejournal.com]

*reads blog*

How funny.

My biggest, most secret of all dreams, is having an original character that people loved so much, they *wanted* to write fanfic about them.
Because that's what fanfic is, it's someone saying "I love your character so much I want to write my own stories for them. I want to write them because they are a part of me, and have affected me so much."

Joss understands that - he always encouraged his fans to write fanfic.

[seraphim-grace.livejournal.com]

reassuringly I had to look her up to find out who she was, then when i saw she had written Outlander I immediately thought, oh that's that groovy film about the aliens and the vikings with ron perlman and jim cavaziel
then i read that it wasn't and her books didn't interest me in the slightest

in fact reading the synopsis i came to the conclusion that perhaps no one was writing fanfic about her books and it was all sour grapes

[beboots.livejournal.com]

I'm like seconding everything everyone else is saying. This lady really doesn't know what she's talking about. A really good fandom is a wonderful form of free advertisement for authors. I think that one of the reasons the Harry Potter series took off so much was BECAUSE of the hugely active fandom.

As others have said, fanfic isn't for profit, it's for fun. Most authors put disclaimers up - we make no claims of ownership, and make nothing off of these things except the pleasure of having written them and having others enjoy them. That in itself may be more rewarding than a monetary profit, but even if so, it's not illegal.

I think someone else said it, but I would LOVE it if I wrote something some day that people loved so much they wanted to write fanfic about it. I would consider it the highest form of flattery.

Seriously - this lady should NOT have used such strong language. People who resort to name-calling and negativity and such instead of calmly stating their position in a logical and polite manner frustrate me. All she had to say was "I would appreciate it if you would please not write fanfiction of my works" and I think that many people would have respected that. But this? No respect.

[ishte.livejournal.com]

Seriously her ranting sounds like that of a Hollywood star complaining about publicity paparazzi and gossip papers. "Why can't they just leave us alone? We're private people and don't want you prying into our lives." Really? Private people? People who live public lives are private people? Yah, I don't think so.

This author is not typical in her view of fan fiction, and it seems that a lot of the comments back are actually clueless about fanfiction and what it does.

She ought be be glad there are people out there sharing interest in her work so that when she eventually issues another book people won't have forgotten about her.

As for me? I have no interest in reading this author due to the vindictive way she has handled fan fiction writers.

Anne McCaffrey was much more gracious in her prohibitions/restrictions on fan fiction. (http://www.annemccaffrey.org/index.php?page_id=20) Recently she has even relaxed some of that by establishing specific ground rules for fan fiction, and a way that a writer can register their work with her website. So essentially it is possible to become a Registered Fanfiction Writer for her works.

I understand an author wanting to protect the rights to their work. But trying to put a cork in fan fiction is just not the way to do it. Most of us specifically disclaim any right or monetary gain in the work. (often with great comedy) to make it very clear that we're just playing in the author's sandbox and that we clearly know that we'd better put all the toys back when we're finished.

[spyridona.livejournal.com]

Has she started making ranting reviews on Amazon, yet?

[lady529.livejournal.com]

Ok, I have no idea who this woman is, but WTF?!? I will never even consider picking up one of her books now, not for a sack of gold.

floranna: hugs for you.

The Lady 529