I've been reading through some of the Diana Gabaldon mess. Haven't got through a big chunk of it because for the love of Hugh, people are stupid sometimes. How many different ways can it be explained, in tiny words, that in order to steal something you actually have to, y'know, remove it from that other person's possession?
Possibly the strongest argument in this mess (and I don't actually know how the legalities of it work) is that money being raised to help pay the bills of a cancer patient might actually be owed to the original creator. Though why you'd want to make such a dick move argument is beyond me. I mean, seriously, who wants to be the asshole on the internet whining about how an unauthorized story about your characters could help save someone's life? Oh, right. Diana Gabalon would.
And there lies the spark for me even making this post in the first place, because authors/creators being douchebags about fanworks is nothing new. Point, laugh, move on is generally my mantra. But this shit has actively upset me. 'Cause, see, when I was sick there were fans who did things like writing stories and making vids and sending me silly gifts and making fannish based donations to breast cancer organizations on my behalf. In my most horrible moments, these were the things that kept me sane, that helped me hang on in the fight for my life. Y'all, I still watch this vid![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
trelkez made for me every time I start feeling scared or alone. You should go watch it right now again too. I'll wait. Back now?
There was no need of a big whip around for my bills, but oh god do I know what it's like to sit and stare at over a hundred thousand dollars worth of medical bills in despair, and I know that if I had needed it, or did need it in the future, that y'all would come through. 'Cause you're awesome like that. And so I try to imagine what it would feel like if one of the creators of, say, Doctor Who had come along and chosen that hill to plant their flag in and rail about the grossness of fans and how awful and disgusting and illegal it all was. In public. To take a moment of peace in pretty much my darkest hour and piss all over it and start a huge wanky controversy where this thing that was keeping me from starting to scream and never stopping was suddenly the centerpiece of a big internet wide wankfest.
Hey, Diana? I think I can say with absolute certainty it would feel about a thousand times worse than your discomfort at the idea your characters might be having unapproved sex in a story someone wrote somewhere. You are a horrible person, and you should feel horrible.
The end.
Possibly the strongest argument in this mess (and I don't actually know how the legalities of it work) is that money being raised to help pay the bills of a cancer patient might actually be owed to the original creator. Though why you'd want to make such a dick move argument is beyond me. I mean, seriously, who wants to be the asshole on the internet whining about how an unauthorized story about your characters could help save someone's life? Oh, right. Diana Gabalon would.
And there lies the spark for me even making this post in the first place, because authors/creators being douchebags about fanworks is nothing new. Point, laugh, move on is generally my mantra. But this shit has actively upset me. 'Cause, see, when I was sick there were fans who did things like writing stories and making vids and sending me silly gifts and making fannish based donations to breast cancer organizations on my behalf. In my most horrible moments, these were the things that kept me sane, that helped me hang on in the fight for my life. Y'all, I still watch this vid
trelkez made for me every time I start feeling scared or alone. You should go watch it right now again too. I'll wait. Back now? There was no need of a big whip around for my bills, but oh god do I know what it's like to sit and stare at over a hundred thousand dollars worth of medical bills in despair, and I know that if I had needed it, or did need it in the future, that y'all would come through. 'Cause you're awesome like that. And so I try to imagine what it would feel like if one of the creators of, say, Doctor Who had come along and chosen that hill to plant their flag in and rail about the grossness of fans and how awful and disgusting and illegal it all was. In public. To take a moment of peace in pretty much my darkest hour and piss all over it and start a huge wanky controversy where this thing that was keeping me from starting to scream and never stopping was suddenly the centerpiece of a big internet wide wankfest.
Hey, Diana? I think I can say with absolute certainty it would feel about a thousand times worse than your discomfort at the idea your characters might be having unapproved sex in a story someone wrote somewhere. You are a horrible person, and you should feel horrible.
The end.