Why I don't do rps
Apr. 10th, 2009 07:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
davincis_girlI found out accidentally on a review site that male leads of Supernatural live together in the real world, sharing a house in Vancouver and carpooling to work. The on-line reaction comments to that got me thinking about the fanfiction phenomenon of RPS (writing fiction based on real people not fictional characters).
I should start by saying I read some crazy, crazy stuff in fan fiction. I’ve read a little of most of what’s out there in cyberspace before settling on my crack of choice in each fan base. However, reading RPS always makes me feel vaguely guilty. That’s why I avoid it most of the time, even when it is written by excellent writers who write fictional characters stuff that I love.
The best thing about a fictional character is that they don’t exist in the real world. Despite that last entertainingly meta episode of Supernatural, when fan writers put them in painful or out of character situations no one is hurt. It’s escapist fantasy.
The real people who are paid to portray those characters live in the real world with real parents, spouses, and kids. I can’t help but think when I see a particularly graphic RPS summary about how the actor or his family members feel when they run into these on the internet. It’s the same reason I don’t read National Enquirer style magazines. Actors in my favourite shows are doing me a favour by doing their jobs well and entertaining me. Personally, I don’t want to do anything to infringe on their privacy or make their lives off the set uncomfortable.
I don’t think RPS is sick or disgusting. I just don’t think it’s for me.
Addition: for the sake of balance, here is a very well written argument that's pro RPS http://www.squidge.org/cabs/rps.html
I should start by saying I read some crazy, crazy stuff in fan fiction. I’ve read a little of most of what’s out there in cyberspace before settling on my crack of choice in each fan base. However, reading RPS always makes me feel vaguely guilty. That’s why I avoid it most of the time, even when it is written by excellent writers who write fictional characters stuff that I love.
The best thing about a fictional character is that they don’t exist in the real world. Despite that last entertainingly meta episode of Supernatural, when fan writers put them in painful or out of character situations no one is hurt. It’s escapist fantasy.
The real people who are paid to portray those characters live in the real world with real parents, spouses, and kids. I can’t help but think when I see a particularly graphic RPS summary about how the actor or his family members feel when they run into these on the internet. It’s the same reason I don’t read National Enquirer style magazines. Actors in my favourite shows are doing me a favour by doing their jobs well and entertaining me. Personally, I don’t want to do anything to infringe on their privacy or make their lives off the set uncomfortable.
I don’t think RPS is sick or disgusting. I just don’t think it’s for me.
Addition: for the sake of balance, here is a very well written argument that's pro RPS http://www.squidge.org/cabs/rps.html