RPS and Canon

[and_chocolate]

In my non-RPS fandoms, I'm an absolute canon whore. It goes along with my being an absolute characterization whore. But the concept of canon in RPS fandoms feels contradictory and uncomfortable to me.

First, let me define the concept of canon as I see it: it's the factual structure of a fandom; the details of the characters and their lives that are gleaned from the source material and maintained (or at least not contradicted) in order to support the authenticity of the fanfic narrative, thus allowing it to be viewed as belonging to the fan-controlled segment of the source material's universe.

Looking at that definition, the entire concept of canon seems to me to be inappropriate to apply to real people. The "source material" is someone's life, and as such it's a really personal thing; I'm torn between my need to have the authenticity provided by canon and my desire to intrude as little as possible upon the person's actual existence.

The argument is easily made that we're fictionalizing the people we write RPS about, which makes applying the concept of canon to their lives no different than it is for any other fandom. That's all well and good, except that (barring a few RPS a/u shared universes) the canon we're using still consists of real facts about real people, regardless of how fictionalized the end result is.

Despite my discomfort, I still find myself being a canon whore, even in RPS. I have a collection of transcribed interviews and articles, my Pictures folder overfloweth, my TiVo is set to auto-record anything to do with LotR or any of the main actors, and I have a calendar specifically to record the dates of various appearances, location shoots, etc.

I don't honestly have any answers, but I welcome discussion. What do y'all think?

Comments

[libitina]

Long before reading/betaing RPS, I was a bit of a canon whore for actors. For example, I do alcohol geeking: I consider it am important part of my fannish geeking to know (to the best of my ability) what a favorite actor likes to drink. Peter Wingfield pimps Brain's Dark (a Welsh beer). Viggo Mortensen likes Carlsbad beer, and every reference to his hard alcohol tastes (one of his photographs and a scene in G.I.Jane) is to Jameson's.

And, yes, I did talk a writer out of having Viggo drink single malt for just that geeky reason. I am all for using whatever knowledge you can glean from publicly published fora.

[and_chocolate]

Viggo Mortensen likes Carlsbad beer, and every reference to his hard alcohol tastes (one of his photographs and a scene in G.I.Jane) is to Jameson's.

*files this information away for future use*

I am all for using whatever knowledge you can glean from publicly published fora.

I just wish that it didn't make me feel quite so much as if I were invading their privacy. I mean, yes, the information is available, it's out there--often with their knowledge and permission--but I think my qualms come from the use to which I put it. I mean, if someone said, "Hey, Elijah, what's your favorite alcoholic drink? I'm asking because I need to know what to write you getting smashed on before you proposition Dom," that Elijah would blink and politely decline to answer. *g*

BTW, I opened my mail yesterday and o.O -- I am boggled and speechless and...and...gobsmacked. Thank you! I feel like I ought to say more than that, but I don't know exactly what to say.

*has a horrible case of nerves at the thought that this time next week she'll be in New Orleans*

[libitina]

"Hey, Elijah, what's your favorite alcoholic drink? I'm asking because I need to know what to write you getting smashed on before you proposition Dom,"

Hee! At Highlander conventions we just asked, "What's your favorite beer/alcohol so we can bring to conventions in hopes of getting you smashed enough to say silly cute things (and proposition us)."

As far as what Elijah would drink... I think he's a chameleon who would drink whatever his companions were drinking. If he were the first one ordering at a decently trendy Hollywood place, then I think he'd be the type to go for an Apple Cosmo (unless they have ceased being the drink of the moment) because it is fruity and light while still having enough tartness and tang not to be completely girly.

[and_chocolate]

As far as what Elijah would drink... I think he's a chameleon who would drink whatever his companions were drinking.

Spot on, as far as my observations have gone. In a recent special, everyone was out at a restaurant and most people were drinking some kind of beer in a green bottle (with a label I couldn't clearly see), and Elijah was drinking the same thing.

Re:

[acari.livejournal.com]

In media fandoms I'm a total canon whore. I check and double-check every detail.

RP fandom is tricky.

First, it's just too much detail. I have a rather firm knowledge when it comes to my OTP: Orlando Bloom and Harry Sinclair. It's in part my love for both men, and in part them being my OTP.

Second, I value the freedom RP fic gives me in creating characters. Sometimes writing it seems like a mixture of inventing original characters from scratch, and writing in the boundaries of media fandom. I do love both. Lotrips gives me the freedom to choose, in a way.

I highly value stories that keep all available details straight, just like in FPF. On the other hand, when the characterisation is brilliant, but RL details like Orlando's NZ girlfriend are ignored, it doesn't bother me so much. If I can see the real person shine through the RP character, that's all the canon I need. I'm not so much a canon whore, but a characterisation whore. Does that make any sense to you?

Third, I have issues with including certain canon facts like spouses, children, non-celebrity family members,... in a way that makes them real characters. Mentioning them in passing is fine with me, but anything beyond that makes me queasy.

re: invading privacy
I think it's a grey area, as always. For instance there was this incident on Atti's mailing list. An author asked questions specifically to use the gathered information in later stories. It was that obvious. (and she already had a reputation for rude behaviour) I thought it tacky at best.

Say you go to a convention and someone asks about the aftershave Craig uses, IMO, it's fine to use it in your next story. Public information. Then again, I would never ask anything for the sole purpose of getting more "meat" to my RP character. In the world according to Ghani, it's not on.