Fandom and Viewer Issues: "Fan" Is Short for "Fanatic"

[maryle]

OK, not a Regina fans but I have nothing against Lana. But in this case I imagine if Colin had read something similar. I am sure he will be accuse of sexuality harressment and others such a thing. in Jen case, it will be she is a homewrecker or just using Colin to hide stuff.

 Anyway, this one cross some boundery to me I cannot imagine how I felt if a co- work was reading this kind of stuff in public. I know each actor want to please their fans just try to be classe and not embrasse your colleague while doing so. And that for all the cast!

[mjgchick]

More embarrassing moments in the fandom and this time it's the actors being involved? I can't even finish reading this thread. I'm just to embarrassed. I gotta go.

[Faemonic]

Was the armpit licking fanfic the one the kid was showing Lana in the book in the picture? Without effective line handlers, maybe steering into the thing seemed like the thing to do.

 

I mean, I heard that Cumberbatch was put on the spot to read a fanfic aloud by I think a talk show host? The fanfic writer reportedly felt humiliated, because they didn't post their fic expecting that to happen.

 

Apparently it's been the cool thing to do, since Supernatural, for the Powers That Be to slum it with the plebians.

 

On the upside, things can't get more awkward from now on. Or can they?

[Stuffy]

^ Graham Norton was probably the talk show host. He's done that with fan art too.  He does it for laughs, so I could see a fan getting upset. He always uses the most ridiculous art and often smut fiction.  One of the times he did it was a male character being pregnant which is impossible.  The most recent time he made fun of fan stuff was with people's tweets.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Stuffy

[sharky]

This actually wasn't Graham Norton. The particular case that @Faemonic is referring to was a Q&A to promote the airing of series 3 in which the moderator tricked Benedict and Martin Freeman into reading Johnlock smut. Here's a story about it.

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But in the middle of a Q&A that many onlookers found awkward and uncomfortable, Moran reportedly tricked stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman into reading aloud an explicit work of erotic Johnlock fanfic that Moran had gleaned from the fan-run Archive of Our Own. Moran assured the two actors that the excerpt she wanted them to read was purely innocent. But as the actors read the scene aloud, as london-reviews reported, “it was clear it wasn’t as innocent as she kept making out:”

Caitlin decided that it would be funny to focus on the same thing all boring interviewers focus on when interviewing actors with huge fandoms—fan fiction. It’s been done to death, usually by Graham Norton, but in general it’s brought up a lot. I have never seen two actors being asked to read slash fanfic together though. And there’s a good reason for that—they don’t like it.

 

And here is another story that quotes the author's response.

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After finding out that her work was read out in public, by Cumberbatch and Freeman nonetheless, the author responded on Tumblr, “I hope Caitlin Moran understands that she was hurtful and unprofessional, that in fact she used her position of privilege to belittle and humiliate, and that she leaves us in peace to enjoy what we enjoy.”

“Thank you for spoiling something I found joy in. Thank you for humiliating me, taking my writing out of context without permission, belittling it and using it to embarrass actors who I deeply admire,” she continues.

 

As a fanfic writer, I appreciate the writer's reponse. I guess where I get confused is what if the actors read fanfic because they want to? And they like it? Maybe it's because I've been writing fanfic for 10 years, but I feel like there is a fourth wall that should not be broken down between fanfic and the show's production. You don't give the writers or actors on your favorite show your fanfic to read. Period. But with lines becoming blurred in fandom, what happens when your fanfic is sought out by the actors? I'm not sure exactly. That being said, it's one thing to read it. It's another to acknowledge you read it and then quote it. That's just too blatantly breaking down the fourth wall to make me comfortable. I don't think I would ever want Colin to mention my Cursed!Killian fanfics at a con even if I did write them with his character in mind.

[pezgirl7]

6 hours ago, Stuffy said:

^ Graham Norton was probably the talk show host. He's done that with fan art too.  He does it for laughs, so I could see a fan getting upset. He always uses the most ridiculous art and often smut fiction.  One of the times he did it was a male character being pregnant which is impossible.  The most recent time he made fun of fan stuff was with people's tweets.

I made some paper dolls that Graham showed to an actor on his show. That was over 10 years ago, and it was slightly embarrassing, but now I think it's pretty awesome! They both seemed impressed with them and weren't too depricating. However, I never expected the actor to see them, so I can see how some fans would not be happy. My philosophy is, if you'd be too embarrassed to show your fan art or fanfic to the person it's about, it's best not to post it online.

[Rumsy4]

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My philosophy is, if you'd be too embarrassed to show your fan art or fanfic to the person it's about, it's best not to post it online.

Fanfic is by definition meant for consumption by other fans. If actors want to read fanfic in private, I don't care. But I most definitely don't want to be made a mockery of by having my work read out loud in conventions or quoted on twitter. Fanfic authors write for fun and occupy a specific niche in fandom. They don't get paid for it. "If you can't take criticism/hate don't do the thing" is the fastest way to stop a bunch of people from creating things. And I don't see that's a good thing at all. We don't all have thick skins, and if I need to wait until I grow a thick skin before posting something online, it's never going to happen. ;-)

Edited June 6, 2016 by Rumsy4

[pezgirl7]

9 hours ago, Rumsy4 said:

Fanfic is by definition meant for consumption by other fans. If actors want to read fanfic in private, I don't care. But I most definitely don't want to be made a mockery of by having my work read out loud in conventions or quoted on twitter. Fanfic authors write for fun and occupy a specific niche in fandom. They don't get paid for it. "If you can't take criticism/hate don't do the thing" is the fastest way to stop a bunch of people from creating things. And I don't see that's a good thing at all. We don't all have thick skins, and if I need to wait until I grow a thick skin before posting something online, it's never going to happen. ;-)

That's why I said it's MY philosophy, after having something of mine shown to millions of people without my permission. I've lived and learned it first hand. But I posted it online, so it was fair game. And honestly, it didn't change the types of things, or the way, I posted. People are free to mock or criticize something that is posted online. Doesn't mean it's the nice thing to do, but if you post something in a public space, you can't complain when people actually see it and then comment on it. Heck, this board is full of people who post hate and criticism about other people's work/writing. And yes, I know it's not the same thing, but I see more similarities in it than differences. People are always going to have differences of opinion on this subject matter, and I understand where those with other view points are coming from, but I just have my own opinion. :)

[Curio]

10 hours ago, Rumsy4 said:

Fanfic is by definition meant for consumption by other fans.

I always thought fanfic was by definition written by fans, but there's no controlling who the audience ultimately is. Once something is posted on the Internet in an open forum, it's fair game to be read by all. The fact that Supernatural has written fanfic plots into their show proves that even television professionals stumble across it. And then you have numerous fanfic writers who eventually have their stories turned into novels or eventually turned into movies and television shows, so the fourth wall is breaking down the more people learn about this subculture of fandom. The Internet can give us a false comfort that the things we post online are private or seclusive, but the harsh truth is that our words or images can eventually be seen by anyone, and then it's no longer in our control what they decide to do with that information. 

Edited June 6, 2016 by Curio

[sharky]

I think the problem for is me is that I started writing fanfic a decade ago when I wrote Jim/Pam Office fic. The online fanfic landscape was still a bit wild with most fics posted on LJ or fanfiction.net. Then along came FanLib (and I had to look this up because I forgot about most of this). FanLib was started in 2007 as a place where fans could post their fanfic for PROFIT. The fanfic community revolted and FanLib died a quick and painful death for many good reasons. (The incident also helped spawn AO3, a place for fans by fans for fan stuff, and not created by some corporate hack trying to profit from fanfiction. Of course, I could see something like FanLib being able to get a foothold in today's fandoms compared to when they started.)

Anyway, since then, the landscape has dramatically changed. Fanfic has become more mainstream due to writers like Cassandra Clare and EL James and because of that, fanfic is being treated differently than it used to be. Vulture did a whole huge package last year on fanfiction, which was really interesting but again, not something that would've happened a decade ago.

And so I think what you're seeing now is old-school fangirls like me, who had our fanfic in our little corner of the Internet with our readers, facing the reality that it's become more accessible, more widespread, and more noticed. I get that if it's on the Internet, anyone can read it. But there has always been this unwritten understanding that it's written by fans for fans and you don't mention it to actors or producers or whatever. But with things like Twitter and Facebook, the fourth wall is already breaking down between fans and actors/creators/etc. So some of us bristle when we see fans bringing in fanfic to photo ops with actors or mentioning it to actors. Just like many of us bristled when FanLib started up and told me I could make money writing fanfic. There are so many problematic things when you introduce actors or money or other outside forces to fanfiction, and I just don't think some fans get that, especially younger fans who think they are "so connected" to these actors simply because of something like Twitter.

And btw, not every actor is like Lana. Here is a snippet from an interview that JMo and MRJ did back in 2013 at Comic Con that kind of explains why I feel weird with this Lana thing. (emphasis mine)

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Has there been fanfiction written about your characters?

MRJ: I’m sure…

JMo: Yeah, we don’t read it. I find it kind of hard and complicated with the internet and Twitter and all this stuff. I do feel like it’s a wonderful way to interact with people who are so supportive of the show and I also feel like I have to be very careful, and I think we all sort of feel this way, to avoid looking at any of the good or the bad of some of that stuff because otherwise it’s  … if you believe the good then you have to believe the bad and there’s some really nasty things out there. So in order to sort of protect the decisions we make for our characters and to be genuine about the way we play our characters we have to sort of try to stay clear of some of that stuff and do our best to kind of not look at the good or the bad … a little bit.

MRJ: It’s also just not practical really. Nobody has a simple backstory in this show. Things are complicated enough and we have to focus on the words that we’re told to say that are written for us as opposed to reading about somebody’s else’s sort of extrapolation of where they would prefer it to go. Or you don’t want the brain to be like “That’s a really good idea! Let me run that up the flagpole!”

 

[Souris]

Lana gives me such second-hand embarrassment. I believe she's also made reference to her & her husband's sex life on stage at a con before. 

[Curio]

I don't understand why actors or writers even discuss non-canon things in general. There's a difference between speculating something that might legitimately happen versus something so completely out of left field that it turns the conversation away from the show and into imaginary land created by a small group of people online. I guess if you're attending a fandom event like a con you have to cater to that crowd, but if I were ever the person on stage discussing my craft, I'd have a really difficult time discussing things that aren't actually canon to the show.

[Eolivet]

Devil's Advocate, but the (non-romantic) relationship does exist on the show. It's not like it's completely out of nowhere. I mean, if she was discussing Regina/Archie fic or something, I understand. But I seriously doubt (and I could be wrong, as I've never been to a convention) that people who watch the show are completely unaware of a subtext that certain fans feel exists between Regina and Emma.

I also have to say, this is probably a 180 from what I would've said a week ago, but ever since that fandom is broken article white mansplaining how fandom should be done, I'm all for making fanfic more widely accepted in the general fandom space. Women are the ones who write fanfic and I feel like the only way to prove women matter in fandom is to have a wider acceptance of ways in which women show their fannish nature. So, bring on the actors reading fanfic -- of all ships! Somebody slip some to Colin O'Donoghue at the next convention, too! Because every time an actor's response to fanfic is "Eww," that comic book guy (and his male-dominated definition of fandom) wins.

Edited June 6, 2016 by Eolivet

[Curio]

6 minutes ago, Eolivet said:

I mean, if she was discussing Regina/Archie fic or something, I understand. But I seriously doubt (and I could be wrong, as I've never been) that people who watch the show are completely unaware of a subtext that certain fans feel exists between Regina and Emma.

Everyone I know who watch the show and know nothing about OUAT fandom don't even have Regina/Emma on their radar. It would probably be on the same level as Regina/Archie in terms of pairings that might have popped up in their minds. Then again, they're also the same people who regularly forget simple plot things like who Milah is and that baby Neal exists. (I don't blame them for the last one, though.)

Edited June 6, 2016 by Curio

[YaddaYadda]

I had no idea Emma and Regina were a thing until I started posting on TWoP, and even then, it really wasn't all that discussed from what I remember.

[Mari]

19 minutes ago, Eolivet said:

So, bring on the actors reading fanfic -- of all ships! Somebody slip some to Colin O'Donoghue at the next convention, too! Because every time an actor's response to fanfic is "Eww," that comic book guy (and his male-dominated definition of fandom) wins.

I've got to disagree on this point.

First of all, Colin O'D is a person.  Hook is not.  At some point we need to stop blurring the line between real person and made-up person.  If an actor wants to read fic, that's one thing.  If the writer wants to recommend it, that's another.  However, fanfic is essentially someone else's fantasy.  At times, they are graphically violent or sexual in nature.  Trying to force someone to participate  in or approve of a fan's fantasy is creepy and intrusive.  

Edited June 6, 2016 by Mari
Words have meanings.

[sharky]

I agree, @Mari. I think JMo and MRJ's comments kind of solidify my belief that first, actors shouldn't get near fanfic and second, that fanfic writers and readers shouldn't push it on the actors.

38 minutes ago, Eolivet said:

I also have to say, this is probably a 180 from what I would've said a week ago, but ever since that fandom is broken article white mansplaining how fandom should be done, I'm all for making fanfic more widely accepted in the general fandom space. Women are the ones who write fanfic and I feel like the only way to prove women matter in fandom is to have a wider acceptance of ways in which women show their fannish nature.

And yes, I agree with this too! Why is it that it's totally OK for men to fanfic under the guise or role-playing games (D&D is motherfuckin' fanfic), but women writing fanfic and creating fanart is somehow squicky? I don't think giving fanfic to the actors is the way to go or would make it more acceptable, but screw that guy for even hinting that female fans should be ashamed of creating whatever they choose as part of their fandom. These morons are wearing handknit Jayne Cobb hats and Fourth Doctor scarves, but knitting is for girls. Whatever. Like I said, I don't think giving actors fanfic is the way to get acceptance, but there has got to be some other productive ways to do it besides the SDCC coverage every year.

[Souris]

56 minutes ago, Mari said:

I've got to disagree on this point.

First of all, Colin O'D is a person.  Hook is not.  At some point we need to stop blurring the line between real person and made-up person.  If an actor wants to read fic, that's one thing.  If the writer wants to recommend it, that's another.  However, fanfic is essentially someone else's fantasy.  At times, they are graphically violent or sexual in nature.  Trying to force someone to participate  in or approve of a fan's fantasy is creepy and intrusive.  

I totally agree on not giving fanfic to actors. It puts them on the spot and could make them very uncomfortable. And ESPECIALLY if it's done without the author's permission. That's just not cool, whether it's legally OK or not.

Edited June 6, 2016 by Souris

[janett snakehole]

I think the whole fanfic thing with Lana was icky, largely because of the greater context. If the cast and the writers in general seemed comfortable discussing swan queen and there was a good rapport with the fandom, I don't think it would have mattered as much. But Lana seems to be the only one who likes to talk about and really delve into the swan queen fandom, which she has a right to do. It gets icky to me when she decided to say she specifically reads Emma/Regina fanfic and made it clear that she reads sexual sq fanfic. I image that would make Jen a bit uncomfortable if she heard about it. I think it would make most actors uncomfortable to hear that their co-worker reads sexually explicit fan fiction that involves a character they play. If she wants to read it, that is her prerogative, but if she was going to talk about reading fan fic at a convention, I think it would have done her better to be vague and not do what seemed like obvious pandering (especially because I think it can give the fandom false hope about Lana fighting for certain story lines). 

I think any actor reading sexually explicit fan fic about their own character is kind of icky. Because they are the ones who play the character, who live the character when they are filming. I have a hard time believing Lana really sought out fan fic on her own. What is the motivation? For one, you spend so much time reading about, preparing for, acting as your character, why would you want to read about that character in your free time if not required for work? Also, as an actor, couldn't that muddle the internal understanding and motivation you have for your character? Why chance it? The above quotes from Jen and MRJ make much more sense to me. 

Last thing, is it really worth it to play up for the crowds at these conventions if what you're saying could possibly make your co-works uncomfortable? Why would you want to say things that could alienate people you have to work with every day or cause strain in your work environment? Maybe no one knows or cares what she says at conventions, but I think it's a definite possibility that they do. Making some fans happy at a convention isn't worth complicating your work life. But of course, for all I know, they know what she says and aren't bothered by it. You never know. 

[Shanna Marie]

Back in the Olden Days before social media, it was generally understood that it was best to pretend that fanfic didn't exist to anyone involved in the show. You didn't talk about it or point it out to anyone official. There was the issue that fanfic itself is on somewhat shaky legal grounds, as it's using other people's characters and situations, so creators could turn a blind eye while pretending it didn't exist but the legal departments might have to say something if it were brought to their attention. There was also the issue that the writers had to avoid it, lest someone claim that their fanfic idea was stolen (apparently this actually did happen in relation to one of the Star Trek shows, and even if the suit gets tossed out because someone violating copyright can't really claim to have their copyright violated by the entity whose copyright they're violating, lawyers are expensive). In the Usenet days, a lot of series writers would participate in the newsgroups relating to their shows, with the understanding that threads containing fanfic or story ideas were clearly labeled and that no one would direct fanfic or story ideas to them. There was also the understanding that you didn't draw actors' attention to fanfic because of the potential for discomfort, since a lot of it is people's sexual fantasies that have a lot to do with the actors' bodies. If the actors want to seek it out, then that's on them, but you don't give it to them or put them on the spot. I feel like we had better and more substantial interaction with writers in those days because they could discuss the shows without being bombarded with demands from fans. There were little in-jokes that sometimes made it on the screen, and it was more like a community. I don't know if it's social media or some overall change in fandom, but it was a very different vibe than I see now.

I'm really uncomfortable with TV hosts using fan fiction to tease actors. It's mean to the writers by holding their work up to ridicule, plus is using their work out of context without their permission, and it's tacky to the actors. I don't like the idea of shaming fanfic writers for writing fanfic, but I do believe that their behavior is fair game for criticism if they get out of line. Write what you want, but don't push your vision onto the show, whether it's giving it to the actors or demanding that your wishes be made canon.

[sharky]

14 minutes ago, Shanna Marie said:

Back in the Olden Days before social media, it was generally understood that it was best to pretend that fanfic didn't exist to anyone involved in the show. You didn't talk about it or point it out to anyone official. There was the issue that fanfic itself is on somewhat shaky legal grounds, as it's using other people's characters and situations, so creators could turn a blind eye while pretending it didn't exist but the legal departments might have to say something if it were brought to their attention.

Yes! I remember when I first started posting fanfic on LJ and such, I would put these cheesy disclaimers on my fanfic. "These characters don't belong to me etc." Those didn't seem to transfer to tumblr when the site started to get popular. I think those were a good reminder to fanfic writers, that when you put those disclaimers on, you were reminding yourself that you were technically in the wrong. So when you added the disclaimer, it was a reminder that there was a glass wall between you and the studio. You could see their show, they could see your fanfic, but as long as neither of you tried to break the glass by making money off the show or suing fans for copyright infringement, it was all good.

Then someone like Lana comes along with SQ smut and it's like she's taking a swing at the glass wall with a baseball bat. It's not really that big of a deal, you can clean up a little broken glass, but it's still a bit shocking that she's even taking a swing at all and for what purpose even? I don't know if she got or will get any kind of push back from A&E or the studio, but there were definitely fans who were weirded out by it.

And can I just say I LOVE that we're having an intellectual discussion about fanfic? It makes me happy.

[janett snakehole]

21 minutes ago, Shanna Marie said:

I'm really uncomfortable with TV hosts using fan fiction to tease actors. It's mean to the writers by holding their work up to ridicule, plus is using their work out of context without their permission, and it's tacky to the actors. I don't like the idea of shaming fanfic writers for writing fanfic, but I do believe that their behavior is fair game for criticism if they get out of line. Write what you want, but don't push your vision onto the show, whether it's giving it to the actors or demanding that your wishes be made canon.

I totally agree about tv hosts asking actors to read fan fic. It's always done as a joke which is cruel to the one who wrote it and the actors usually seem uncomfortable and would most likely prefer not to do it. Fan fic writers should not be shamed, but I do thinks actors should stay away from fic that involves their character. It just seems like a bad idea. 

[orza]

When actors go to conventions they are working. This is just as much legitimate work for an actor as TV, stage or movie work. They get paid a lot of money to put on a good show. I think Lana has a very good grasp of what her job is when she signs on to do conventions. She knows how to work the crowd and create excitement and adjust her performance on the fly based on audience reactions. Not every actor is good at convention work, just like not every tv or movie actor is good at stage acting. It's performance art, if you will, and some people have a knack for it and some don't. Robert Carlyle also puts on a good show at conventions. He knows how to play to the crowd during panels and take control of the conversation when the small-time bloggers and amateur reporters try to interview him. Jennifer Morrison and Colin, on the other hand, suck at convention work.  It would never occur to me to take anything actors say at conventions seriously.

[Curio]

20 minutes ago, janett snakehole said:

If the cast and the writers in general seemed comfortable discussing swan queen and there was a good rapport with the fandom, I don't think it would have mattered as much. But Lana seems to be the only one who likes to talk about and really delve into the swan queen fandom, which she has a right to do.

This is kind of my take on it as well. Heck, the show itself doesn't seem to even want to touch the topic of sex on screen or off screen, so when a reporter jokes about Emma raising Hook's "mast," it already comes off as taboo and makes the actors blush. And that's for arguably the biggest True Love couple on the show, not an imaginary couple.

Quote

Also, as an actor, couldn't that muddle the internal understanding and motivation you have for your character? Why chance it?

That's a good point, and if you squint hard enough, there might actually be a case for Lana incorporating some of her fandom's attitudes into her performance. I've noticed a few scenes where Lana awkwardly goes out of her way to put physical touch into her performance with Jennifer, but not the other way around. There's the moment where Regina awkwardly puts her hand on Emma's shoulder after the Chernabog incident while Emma stands there motionless, and then there was the moment where Regina awkwardly grabs both of Emma's arms during her pity party monologue in the Season 5 finale while Emma stands there motionless again. I wouldn't be surprised if Lana threw those acting choices in because of her knowledge about the SQ fandom, which really muddles the line between only-portray-what-you-read-in-your-script and letting-outside-critics-influence-your-performance.

12 minutes ago, orza said:

Jennifer Morrison and Colin, on the other hand, suck at convention work.  It would never occur to me to take anything actors say at conventions seriously.

Personally, Jennifer is my favorite person to watch during panels because she really puts in an effort to be eloquent and sound intelligent when she answers questions and takes the canon seriously. But if you're a fan who's more into watching the actors play the "Dance Monkey Dance" part and entertain the crowd, then I could see why her more low-key style isn't as fun. 

[tri4335]

I think the difference is Robert doesn't appear to put on the show at the expense of his co-workers - could you imagine RC reading Golden Hook to the audience...I doubt it.  I think many people are reacting to what they believe the fall out could be for JMO, who has been the target of this group of fans in the past. I agree with Radiogirl27, everyone else appears to have something going on outside of OUAT.

On 6/4/2016 at 11:30 AM, RadioGirl27 said:

But I get her. While Jennifer Morrison is directing her first featured film, with a cast that includes Michael Angarano, Allison Janney and Ed O'Neill, she is doing her third or forth con of the summer (I have lost count) and she has a few more scheduled. She knows where her place is once the show ends and that she would need those fans she is pandering if she wants to be a bit relevant. I mean, from all the main cast, she is the only one who hasn't worked in anything else (other than gg to cons) since the show started.

I love fanfic and enjoy it for a number of pairings across a number of works and sometimes think the fan fic authors have done a better job with the characters then the original creator!  However, there is also a lot of bad fanfic too and I'm sorry that there are low level "interviewers" who hold that up to public ridicule or ambush actors into reading it. 

[profdanglais]

I don't mean to offend anyone here because of course everyone should do their own thing, but personally I tend to be uncomfortable with fan fiction, particularly the sexual kind. It's one thing if people are writing to fill gaps in the canon (especially on a show like OUAT where there are so, so many gaps) but slash fic and out-of-character sex scenes blur the lines between fantasy and reality in a way that I find really disturbing, and I feel very strongly that it should not be forced on actors/authors/anyone involved in the original product. What they choose to do in their own time is their business, but reading a stranger's fantasy about them having sex with a co-worker is not part of anyone's job description. I feel the same way about excessive fangirling. It's OK to admire people's talent and be interested in the aspects of their lives that they choose to make public, but the people who obsessively follow the minute details of actors' lives, and particularly the ones who invent conspiracy theories about the actors' partners, I just can't understand how they can get so obsessed by someone they've never met. I mean, when I was 12 I absolutely planned to marry Jordan from New Kids on the Block, but even though I dreamed about that with all the PG detail my tween brain could conjure, I always knew it would never actually happen. Sometimes it seems like the super-fans genuinely think that if only they could [meet/give fan fic to/eliminate the SO of] their idol, that person would realise that the fan is their One True Love and they would live happily ever after. It's really a failure to establish and enforce boundaries within their own minds. The act of writing fan fiction by its very nature draws the fan into the fantasy world in a more active way than simply watching the show or reading the book ever could, which means that fan fic writers have a responsibility to make sure that they establish appropriate boundaries for themselves and then enforce them. That's a difficult thing to do under any circumstances, but when you are cherishing the belief that if only the universe would properly align you could be with your idol forever it must be nearly impossible. Maybe I'm completely off base here, but I find it worrying nonetheless, how many people seem to be deliberately blurring the lines. 

[Rumsy4]

2 hours ago, Eolivet said:

I also have to say, this is probably a 180 from what I would've said a week ago, but ever since that fandom is broken article white mansplaining how fandom should be done, I'm all for making fanfic more widely accepted in the general fandom space. Women are the ones who write fanfic and I feel like the only way to prove women matter in fandom is to have a wider acceptance of ways in which women show their fannish nature. So, bring on the actors reading fanfic -- of all ships! Somebody slip some to Colin O'Donoghue at the next convention, too! Because every time an actor's response to fanfic is "Eww," that comic book guy (and his male-dominated definition of fandom) wins. 

Yeah--no. That would be the fastest lane to bringing fanfic to the attention of the big bosses and invite crackdown on the fans. With or without the consent of the author it is tacky. Someone as introverted and shy as Colin would be horrified if he were handed any of the CS smut fics (good or bad). 

I personally don't care if fanfic is never accepted as a mainstream thing. At the end of the day, even if it is done for fun, and as outlet for creativity, it is still something that builds off on other people's creations. So, in many respects, fanfic is better off left to the fans.

Edited June 6, 2016 by Rumsy4

[daxx]

Actually I believe you are off base here. Fan fiction is no different than any other kind of creative writing except there is a built in readership and the hard work of creating worlds, characters or settings is already done for you.

Many of the excellent writers I follow are happily married often with children and this is just a fun outlet for their muse not some wish fulfillment.

The tiny bit I've written was filling the gap stories or what if x happened instead of y.

Obviously fan fic isn't for everyone but I don't believe most of it is pure wish fulfillment.

Unless by wish fulfillment you mean fixing the plot holes and adding offscreen conversations we would wish to see on the show. :)

[Kktjones]

46 minutes ago, orza said:

Jennifer Morrison and Colin, on the other hand, suck at convention work.  

I think this statement is HIGHLY subjective and completely depends on who you are and what you like. I love watching panels from both of these actors - mainly because they play my two favorite characters on the show, but also because I find their behavior and responses to be thoughtful and mature. I get so much second-hand embarrassment from watching Lana (and even Sean & Bex sometimes), that I would never attend one of her panels. I fully understand that she is "working the room" and giving the audience what she thinks they want, but sometimes it feels like she's selling her dignity.

I saw one fan bragging about the fact that she'd asked Lana which role she and Emma would be in terms of top/bottom/power bottom, etc. She admitted that Lana looked uncomfortable when she realized the woman meant sexual positions. I hate to break it to you Lana, but it's only going to get worse as you've actively encouraged this kind of question and behavior by not nipping it in the bud. Just because someone asks who you would kiss/marry/kill doesn't mean you have to answer. 

Edited June 6, 2016 by Kktjones

[Rumsy4]

21 minutes ago, profdanglais said:

Sometimes it seems like the super-fans genuinely think that if only they could [meet/give fan fic to/eliminate the SO of] their idol, that person would realise that the fan is their One True Love and they would live happily ever after. It's really a failure to establish and enforce boundaries within their own minds. The act of writing fan fiction by its very nature draws the fan into the fantasy world in a more active way than simply watching the show or reading the book ever could, which means that fan fic writers have a responsibility to make sure that they establish appropriate boundaries for themselves and then enforce them. That's a difficult thing to do under any circumstances, but when you are cherishing the belief that if only the universe would properly align you could be with your idol forever it must be nearly impossible. Maybe I'm completely off base here, but I find it worrying nonetheless, how many people seem to be deliberately blurring the lines. 

There are people who do self-insert fanfics, but by and large, fic writers do not fantasize themselves as their charatcers. I certainly don't. However, I completely get why fanfic can make some people uncomfortable as being perceived as too obsessive. 

In real life, the most negative perception of fanfic I have seen comes from the idea that ficcers are people who "steal" other people's works and profiting by it. Which when you think of people like Cassandra Clare, doesn't seem too off-base. But the CCs of the fic-world are the exceptions to the rule, IMO. I have read fanfics which are so well-written and self-actualized that I can totally see them being turned into original fic successfully. There are definitely blurred lines there. 

Edited June 6, 2016 by Rumsy4

[sharky]

25 minutes ago, profdanglais said:

I mean, when I was 12 I absolutely planned to marry Jordan from New Kids on the Block, but even though I dreamed about that with all the PG detail my tween brain could conjure, I always knew it would never actually happen.

Replace Jordan with Joe and you are me. I'm so thankful the Internet wasn't widely available then. I can only imagine how embarrassed I would be by my old self -- and it would be immortalized on the Internet! Ugh, let's not think about that.

To your other point about fanfic, I know there are people who don't like it at all, and that's perfectly fine. I've been getting a bit more into the romance novel genre and there's a great blog called Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. One of the women who posts there often talks about "your catnip," which I love. It's a way of saying, "If you like something and someone else doesn't like that something, it's OK. It's your catnip and someone else has their catnip and there's nothing wrong with either of you." Some people might like smutty Killian the shapeshifter fics, some people might like Sheriff Emma fics, some people might like canon or non-canon. It's OK to like fanfic, it's OK to not like fanfic. There's room for all of it depending on what's your catnip. I think the issue I have is when you take it beyond your little fandom litter box -- like you're the cat who loves SQ catnip so much that you kill a dead bird and drop it on Lana's doorstep.

[profdanglais]

Sharky I agree completely. People can write whatever they want, have whatever fantasy they like, read fanfic or not read it, as long as everyone maintains a sense of perspective and doesn't begin to mistake fantasy for reality. Of course not all fanfic writers self-insert and I have friends who absolutely love it and rave about how imaginative and well-written some of it is. I'm not against it in principle, it's just not my jam (or catnip :) ) and I do worry that it can have an adverse effect on some people who are already susceptible and inclined to blur lines, along with social media, etc, which can create a false sense of intimacy with celebrities. That's why I think it's incumbent on all fans to make sure they understand where the boundaries are.  

[myril]

There is a wide spectrum of fan fiction, from the wish-fulfilling, drooling over characters and actors, rather embarrassing and should have better stayed in the drawer kind to well thought out and written ones, filling gaps, playing with detailing story lines and character development which on the show were not important enough to be developed or lacked development, or even creating interesting alternative universe variations offering different perspectives on how things could go a different way in different scenarios. As the motivation to write fan fiction can be a number of things, from flexing writing muscles to exploring different sides of your favorite shows/characters to detailing the wish-fulfillment dreams people have in their beds, and for many there can be a mix of motivations to write. The problem is that the different motives, ways and affects of this vast fan fiction spectrum is lumped together in general reviews and discussions.

A lot of the wishful kind of fan fiction is something with usually little literary worth, and for outsiders barely bearable nor understandable. From the inside it simply enjoyable. Seeing it from a point of view of cultural studies, social science, anthropology it serves a purpose, one quite important for the writers and readers. It is a way to explore sexuality and romance and building relationships in ways, that in society still are often a taboo, thus it has particular for women a very important role concerning empowerment. Something that often enough is down played or ignored when that kind of fan fictions is decried as smut or naive, childish romance. I think it's one of the toughest things to write really good erotic literature - it's something barely to find with fan fiction, but I don't expect this side or area of fan fiction to be good literature, it's self-made fanservice so to speak, and it has its function. There are good ones though even in that branch of fan fiction. For some reason many outsiders, critics, those seeing themselves as normal, average, adult mainstream, always seem to neither see what function this sort of fan fic fulfills while as well wrongly they take it as all what fan fiction does.

I disagree, that RPG are any more respected, only among nerds maybe. Self proclaimed normal adult people look down at that as well and judge it as childish and obsessive, something maybe understandable to do for a transition period aka the teenager years, but when grown up, people should stop doing such things. No surprise there that very often it is assumed, that many fandoms for fictional stuff, books, TV shows, movies are mostly composed of teenagers, which can be quite a wrong assumption. As many wrongly assume that fan fic is written by overly romantic or love sick teenagers.

I do think, that the article, "Fandom is broken", that got some critical reactions, has a point. The author is not just questioning "fangirls" and romanticising fan fic blurring eventually lines, he as well if not more is questioning fanboys and their ways of fighting for their hero stories to stick to the canon they are used to, fanboys rallying against any attemps to open up to a more diverse world and against getting rid off all that toxic masculinity some so profoundly love (like GamerGate, the Mass Effect 3 uproar or recently reactions to all female Ghostbusters stand for, example the author names in the article). Problem I see is, that the author is coming from a more intellectual point of view while he at the same time doesn't reflect, for sure not in the article, how the world around eventually might be reflected in those "trivial" fandom demands and quarrels. He doesn't consider that different realities, the inner fictional realities, the writers', creators' realities, the actors, the audience's realities, the reality of business and society are in play, often sometimes in conflict, and often enough all these different realities in fandom discussions are mixed up, hard to distinguish. When I look around it's not just fandoms getting out of hand recently, unless you see for example people rallying for Trump, Sanders and Clinton off-line or online as fandoms and fanboy and fangirls, although some things suggest even to do so, at least for a social scientist.

It's a new regime of absolut thruth rearing its head, in many places. It's a fight about the power of definition, about who affects, governs what, decide how things should be done, what is wrong or right. Sometimes it might seem easier to have such fights over what is deemed more inconsenquential like fictional stories and characters.

Not just fandoms are struggling with figuring out how off-line and online world converge, how we can and should now define and shape relationships, personal interactions, with lines blurring or seemingly blurring. We feel a closeness with all kind of people that is merely an illusion, they seem to sit right with us in a room, but they don't, we think we know them, but we see only a tiny part of them, while at times we forget on the other hand how much of a person there indeed is somewhere in the distance behind some screen.

It's interesting, how different Lana and Jennifer seem to handle conventions and fan interaction. From what I see it seems to me Lana is talking more to the emotional side, while Jennifer seems to have a more intellectual approach. Lana talks about the affect of the story, the character, the emotional impact it all has, Jennifer more about the work behind creating the character. I think both of these different approaches have merits for fans, as there are different types of fans, and some might enjoy both, even though I prefer the more intellectual one looking at the art of acting and filming. There was a more intellectual side in the fandom as well in the beginning, having fun musing and speculating which fairy tales and characters could be in Storybrooke and part of the stories, who is who, how do things connect, a mind for inter-texuality, but it became a lot more about emotions and romance over time. And as well some discussion about morality, but coming often from a more emotional corner as well. It's about more and more about feeling, less about thinking.

[maryle]

There so much layer to fanfic phenomenon.

 I am not a big reader et but I do read some CS fanfic. I usually go for the long one and not too sexual. 

Now people you like to watch at panel is definitively  subjective dependint on the actor personnality who like the most and the character they play.

In my case Colin and Jen are the ideal team and honestly the only I watched. But, I will be totally weird out if someday they begin to talk about smut CS at a panel.  And I love the way they play off each others. But that will be too much. 

[Rumsy4]

1 hour ago, myril said:

Problem I see is, that the author is coming from a more intellectual point of view while he at the same time doesn't reflect, for sure not in the article, how the world around eventually might be reflected in those "trivial" fandom demands and quarrels. He doesn't consider that different realities, the inner fictional realities, the writers', creators' realities, the actors, the audience's realities, the reality of business and society are in play, often sometimes in conflict, and often enough all these different realities in fandom discussions are mixed up, hard to distinguish....

I didn't want to quote your entire post, @myril, but I love it! And you bring up an excellent point here. Fandom is a complex animal, and hard to define and contain. I suspect the nature of online vs offline fandom will go through multiple evolutionary leaps before we figure out how the first step works.

1 hour ago, XrystalPond said:

Colin is night and day different from when he first started. When he does his DVD commentary or does interviews, the interviewer or others still have to prod him a bit. However, he's becoming more comfortable with giving answers and explaining more about what he does and feels about the character.

I think it is becasue of his real-life friendship with Sean MaGuire. I noticed Colin being much more comfortable and confident at cons and interviews once he and Sean became friends. 

[Shanna Marie]

I would think that reading someone else's interpretation/portrayal of the character you brought to life might be weird as an actor. In my "day job" as a writer, there's a fanfiction.net category for my books, and I won't go near it, not because it offends me -- I'm actually flattered -- but because I feel proprietary about these characters. They're like friends to me, and it would be weird to see them doing things that I didn't (and probably wouldn't) write. I can't even listen to the audiobooks and hear someone else giving them voices. Just listening to audition samples made me squirm. I can't imagine what that would be like for actors who put a lot of work into developing and portraying their characters, especially since I'd guess that it's not the people writing what you might call "pseudo canon" fanfic who are giving the actors copies to read. There's a lot of fanfic out there that's people working out some personal issues or playing out personal fantasies (it doesn't have to be self-insert with a Mary Sue character for that -- a lot of times, it's characters with the names and maybe a few of the traits of the TV characters who are otherwise entirely different). And that's okay. It's a wonderful creative outlet that can be empowering and even healing. But that shouldn't be shared with the actors and would surely make them uncomfortable to read about their characters doing or saying things that seem out of character to them or that are so personal to the fan writer.

I remember reading an interview with Robert Pattinson about how uncomfortable he was when he tried reading the novel Twilight when they were making the movie, and he knew he was reading Stephenie Meyers' personal fantasies about his character -- and that was pretty tame and wasn't written with him in mind. He came to the role later. But it was weird for him because he felt a connection to the character from playing him, so it became more personal to him. I also recall hearing a writer's commentary on a TV episode when he mentioned he couldn't watch the sex scene in the episode even though he wrote it because he thought of the characters as having become like "friends" from writing them for so long, and he'd become friends with the actors, so it was like watching his friends have sex. I could imagine that the erotic fanfic might strike some actors the same way. It would be weird to be confronted with the fact that your face and body play a starring role in someone else's sexual fantasies. But there may be other actors who compartmentalize their characters and identify less with them who might find it flattering that someone finds them that attractive. There's almost no way of knowing which it might be, so it's still a bad idea to shove fan fiction at people involved in the show. If they want to find it, the major archives are pretty easy to find and search. Don't put them on the spot in public. I'm sure to a lot of fans, that's a way of showing they care about these actors' work, but it's also sometimes done to further an agenda (like very non-canon fic, in some hope that it will inspire people involved with the show to make it canon).

[Eolivet]

17 hours ago, myril said:

The author is not just questioning "fangirls" and romanticising fan fic blurring eventually lines, he as well if not more is questioning fanboys and their ways of fighting for their hero stories to stick to the canon they are used to, fanboys rallying against any attemps to open up to a more diverse world and against getting rid off all that toxic masculinity some so profoundly love (like GamerGate, the Mass Effect 3 uproar or recently reactions to all female Ghostbusters stand for, example the author names in the article).

I just cannot agree with this -- he lumped Gamergate in with women who just want Captain America to be happy (which he snootily declared as "not good drama"). He equated men who treat women like garbage with women who like fluff fic, and said they both need to change. I don't think he's intellectual at all -- I think he's a sexist jerk, and his tweets more than speak for themselves in terms of what he thinks of women in fandom and how they express themselves.

But on topic, I feel the only way to drown out his antiquated ideas of what fandom should be (which again...who died and made him king?) is to broaden fandom representation. On the other hand, I understand the very valid points raised here about not wanting to make actors or fanfic writers uncomfortable. It seems fanfic often inspires self-loathing (and articles like fandom is broken don't help), which is upsetting to me. I also feel that an actor's willing acceptance of fanfic might go a long way to help that self-loathing.

I suppose my ultimate hope would be that if an actor happens to enjoy fanfic and even discusses it unironically in a public setting, eventually the default fandom reaction won't be "Eww."

[CatMack]

I think the Hannibal fandom is a good example of this.  I'm not really in the fandom but one of my friends is obsessed and through the fandom osmosis of tumblr my impression is the fandom and writers and actors all had a really nice synergy, including acknowledging smutty fanfic with a good humor that wasn't about making anyone uncomfortable or mocking them.  

Everything comes down to context and respect.  I don't think there will ever be a universal consensus about what is the appropriate level of connectivity between fandom and content creators, because everyone is going to have different opinions and none of those opinions are wrong, they're just different.  So if you're in a fandom and the writers and actors have a really good back and forth with the fandom and they can talk about things like fanfiction and even dirty fanfiction and everyone is having a good time, great.  If people aren't comfortable with it, though, don't do it.  I think with Once, enough people have made it clear that it makes them uncomfortable that the most respectful course of action is to keep a boundary between, at the very least, the smutty side of fandom and the actors.  

[Faemonic]

On 6/6/2016 at 4:58 AM, sharky said:

As a fanfic writer, I appreciate the writer's reponse. I guess where I get confused is what if the actors read fanfic because they want to? And they like it? Maybe it's because I've been writing fanfic for 10 years, but I feel like there is a fourth wall that should not be broken down between fanfic and the show's production.

I don't think I would ever want Colin to mention my Cursed!Killian fanfics at a con even if I did write them with his character in mind.

That wall between the pros and we derivative/transformative amateurs used to be broken down by wrecking balls like Anne Rice's lawyers. As long as this wave of wall-breaking is based on mutual respect on an individual level, I'm not personally averse to it. It should be passe by now to argue that it would change culture into something easily abused, like accusations of plagiarism was to fanfiction-existing-at-all.

 

Let's not ignore this generation of ascended fanwork creators, either: Cassie Claire, Seanan Mcguire (strong language in the link), whoever wrote the SQ AU book, and whoever published CS AU Coach something? And even A&E, who write pro fanfic. All criticism against how they do it dissolves the glorious golden inferno of the fact that they can pay the mortgage and send their kids to university doing what I would love (although I would love it less on  a deadline, by committee, with executive meddling and feedback from the cesspool of Twitter). 

 

That said, I often can't help but notice that the writing on this show is...not...good sometimes. And the actors come off as thinking they're savvy for knowing ship names but I want to tell them to run and save themselves from Fandom culture do NOT go down this rabbit hole. And especially that fan behavior is...not...good sometimes.

 

I'm remembering Colin's S2 interview I think in Montreal. He mentioned seeing some fans made fan art of him (or of Killian Jones, who he bears a suspicious physical resemblance to)...and my blood froze. Killian Jones was kind of a Mr. Sexy Fanservice type character. What kind of fan-art did Colin get to see? Was all I could think. So, I totally get the impulse to want to primly call out to fellow fans for us to show some decency,  please! But, for practicality, this may not entirely be the correct course of action.

 

Oh, my favorite cafe in this college town has a TV hooked up to the computer on which the owner/cashier watches music videos. We can make requests! I wanted to watch The Words again (Christina Perri) but my friend was feeling 90s nostalgia. I fought to have my choice play first.

 

And I regret it, because the follow-up to "The Words" was my friend's request, Eminem's "Stan" (feat. Dido). Two very different fan behaviors serve as the backstories. 

 

(Then a third friend requested "Don't Dream It's Over" and the music video was just kind of weird. Goats and parachuters. Cheered me up a bit.)

Edited June 8, 2016 by Faemonic

[sharky]

1 hour ago, Faemonic said:

Let's not ignore this generation of ascended fanwork creators, either: Cassie Claire, Seanan Mcguire (strong language in the link), whoever wrote the SQ AU book, and whoever published CS AU Coach something? And even A&E, who write pro fanfic. All criticism against how they do it dissolves the glorious golden inferno of the fact that they can pay the mortgage and send their kids to university doing what I would love (although I would love it less on  a deadline, by committee, with executive meddling and feedback from the cesspool of Twitter). 

The CS AU Coach thing wasn't published. The author decided to edit it a bit and repost it chapter by chapter as fanfic. And as for Cassie Clare, I was reminded last year during some fandom kerfuffle that she was part of the biggest fandom wanks ever. I present the history of Ms. Scribe.

And I do know that some of the actors have seen fan art and even support it, including JMo and Colin. (And luckily it was good fan art.) I just wonder if there a difference between sharing fan art and sharing fanfic with them, and why I feel like one is fine and the other isn't.

[Rumsy4]

1 hour ago, sharky said:

And I do know that some of the actors have seen fan art and even support it, including JMo and Colin. (And luckily it was good fan art.) I just wonder if there a difference between sharing fan art and sharing fanfic with them, and why I feel like one is fine and the other isn't.

It's odd. I feel the same way too. JMo particularly seems to appreciate fanart, and follows Scribblecat on Instagram. Here again, as @CatMack said, it's probably best to go off of the comfort level of actors. However, from what I've seen, most fandom artists are hurt and upset when other fans have shared their artwork w/o their permission to the actors (or reposted them w/o credit). 

Funnily enough, most fandom artists have accounts on redbubble and sell art prints online, while the majority of fic authors don't make money off fanfic. To be strictly technical, I don't suppose they ought to be doing so. I've purchased a few fanart prints myself, but I haven't attempted to sell my own (not that I'm prolific or anything). To me, fanfic and fanart are just ways to express my creativity, and if I had to choose, I would rather the actors saw my artwork than my writing. 

Edited June 8, 2016 by Rumsy4

[YaddaYadda]

Adam has fanart Fridays where people submit their art creations, and he chooses a winner. There's this guy who sells his art at some of the cons. He is super talented. I mean I can't even make a straight line with a ruler, so...

The art is something that seems to be encouraged by the actors, and the creators. But I'm assuming they draw the line there too.

[Shanna Marie]

I can understand actors being more comfortable with fan art than fan fiction. Unless it's X-rated, nudity, or showing the characters in action in a way that's way out of line with their usual behavior, art is an image rather than an action or feelings, and actors are used to their images being used. They're on posters for the show, they're turned into action figures and dolls, etc. So with art, they're generally just getting pictures of themselves in costume. Narrative fiction, on the other hand, is getting into the head of their characters in a way that may or may not mesh with the way they interpret the character, and even if it's done well and isn't too far from their view, it's still not the way they internalize it, and that could mess with their work. It also gets into action, using the mental image of the actor in character to play out scenarios.

Some actors may not want to read any other interpretation of their characters in order to keep their own vision clear. Some might be okay with reading more general stuff, like missing scenes. Some might even find the erotic stuff amusing. You might be able to tell from the way they interact with fans how open they might be -- you wouldn't want to bring up the erotic stuff to the actor who turns bright red when his character's love life is mentioned in interviews, the actor who talks at length about the creative process of developing her character from within might not be open to reading anything, and the one who constantly makes innuendo-laden comments on Twitter or who speculates on her character's sex life on panels might find even the X-rated stuff amusing. But I don't think it's a good idea to put any of them on the spot in public because you never know how much of the public persona is real and how much might be their coping mechanism for dealing with the spotlight. And I think the fan's agenda/attitude make a difference -- are they presenting the work (art or fiction) as a way of thanking the actors for doing work that they find inspiring, are they trying to put the actor on the spot to get a reaction, are they hoping to get something out of it like attention from the actor or to hope their vision of the story might get passed up the food chain to the writers?

[Rumsy4]

2 hours ago, YaddaYadda said:

Adam has fanart Fridays where people submit their art creations, and he chooses a winner. 

Yeah. I forgot about that. Any fanwork that is not too close to their calling (writing) has greater chance of acceptance by writers I suppose. 

2 hours ago, Shanna Marie said:

I can understand actors being more comfortable with fan art than fan fiction. Unless it's X-rated, nudity, or showing the characters in action in a way that's way out of line with their usual behavior, art is an image rather than an action or feelings, and actors are used to their images being used. They're on posters for the show, they're turned into action figures and dolls, etc. So with art, they're generally just getting pictures of themselves in costume. Narrative fiction, on the other hand, is getting into the head of their characters in a way that may or may not mesh with the way they interpret the character, and even if it's done well and isn't too far from their view, it's still not the way they internalize it, and that could mess with their work. It also gets into action, using the mental image of the actor in character to play out scenarios.

Funnily enough, scribblecat mentioned that JMo loved one of her artwork of Emma wearing a beanie or something, and she wanted Adam to incorporate that into a scene. I can't remember what it was exactly now.

And here's a clip of Lana talking about reading SQ fanfiction. I suppose the question was if she reads SQ fanfic. It was one thing to read second-hand accounts, but from watching the clip, it seems clear that Lana does read plenty of smutty SQ fic and finds it "sexy". I don't want to slut-shame Lana for her choices (goodness knows I read plenty of smut fics myself), but I have a hard time believing she can keep herself from being influenced by it in her acting choices. As someone else pointed it out upthread, it does lend some credence to SQ fans who insist SQ is there in the writing/acting. I don't think Lana was baiting her SQ fans intentionally here. That is, I don't think she meant to give hope for SQ being canon in the future. But I do think she got a little carried away.

Edited June 8, 2016 by Rumsy4

[KAOS Agent]

28 minutes ago, Rumsy4 said:

Funnily enough, scribblecat mentioned that JMo loved one of her artwork of Emma wearing a beanie or something, and she wanted Adam to incorporate that into a scene. I can't remember what it was exactly now.

I believe Jen used fanart of Emma wearing a beanie to make the case that fans see it as a part of Emma's uniform as it were because Adam wasn't a fan of her wearing one. Mostly, I think Jen gets cold filming all winter long and her character wearing a beanie means she can wear a hat to help her stay warm and not worry about her hair.

[Serena]

I think Lana may have read one fanfic a fan gave her at a con, maybe. But do I believe she regularly does so in her off time, for fun? No. I honestly don't even believe she likes SQ that much, outside of the attention she receives from that fandom. She has said in interviews that they are like "sisters", which is an insane statement by itself. Am I supposed to believe she reads smut of characters she sees like siblings? 

Now, if you told me one of the straight male cast member was into SQ smut, maybe I could believe you. Lana pings my skepticism radar, though.

[Rumsy4]

Do you think she was embroidering the truth to play up to her audience then? Because in the clip, I can hear her say she reads a lot of Emma and Regina fics. I can see her exaggerating, but I don't think she is outright lying. (I'm sure her version of "a lot" and my version would significantly differ).

Edited June 8, 2016 by Rumsy4

[YaddaYadda]

4 minutes ago, Rumsy4 said:

Do you think she was embroidering the truth to play up to her audience then? Because in the clip, I can hear her say she reads a lot of Emma and Regina fics. I can see her exaggerating, but I don't think she is outright lying. (I'm sure her version of "a lot" and my version would significantly differ).

Just playing devil's advocate here for a second. People can take this to mean whatever they want it to mean. Emma has her own fics separate from Regina, and vice versa. This doesn't even have to mean SQ. If Lana really reads fanfic, then I would assume she might have read some OQ stuff, some Regina family stuff and so on.

Edited June 8, 2016 by YaddaYadda

[Serena]

I mean, there's no nice way to say it, so I'm just gonna go ahead and say that I don't believe for a second she reads SQ smut for fun. Like... since they gave her that SQ book, I can maybe believe she read that. But "a lot" of SQ fic? Sexually explicit, too? 

Lucky for Lana, I'm a nobody and not part of her fandom so it matters not at all that I'm not convinced by what she said!

Edited June 8, 2016 by Serena

[Rumsy4]

55 minutes ago, YaddaYadda said:

Just playing devil's advocate here for a second. People can take this to mean whatever they want it to mean. Emma has her own fics separate from Regina, and vice versa. This doesn't even have to mean SQ. If Lana really reads fanfic, then I would assume she might have read some OQ stuff, some Regina family stuff and so on.

She follows up her statement that she reads fanfic by making an explicit reference to Regina er... servicing Emma. So, I don't think there's room for alternate interpretations here. Or as Serena says, she was just lying about the whole thing, and doesn't read fanfic at all.