Another FFR Link

Yet another "is there different etiquette for using a fanwriter's OC than for using the source creator's characters?" discussion, here (unlocked this time).

Every now and then, usually when one of these posts pops up in FFR, I get the urge to sit down and write a nice long tl;dr soapboxy meta piece like I do with every other fandom issue that pisses me off. I can never get more than a few sentences in, because I just don't get it.

It seems so painfully obvious to me that the principle is the same, that it's hypocritical to deride someone for doing exactly what it is you do because of convenience (well it would take forever/is hard/is impossible to contact source authors, less so fanwriters), or assumed feelings (canon authors probably don't care/want to know about fic), or whatever other arbitrary straw someone manages to successfully grasp. And it's hard to argue something when you just don't get where your opponent's coming from, where you really truly cannot see why they disagree with you.

To me, it's as simple as this: if it's an etiquette breach to use someone's OC without asking or notifying, then it's an etiquette breach. Even if you think it's so hard you don't think it would be fruitful to bother trying. Even if you don't think the author wants to hear the question. Even if you think the answer might be no (and if you're not prepared to respect a "no", I consider it far ruder to ask than not).

And I wish I could figure out why other people don't see it that way, so I felt like it meant something to discuss it.

Edit: So not very long after I posted this, something interesting happened. I...figured out where the other person was coming from. Ha!

This is probably something entirely specific to the individual I was discussing with (and, I know it's hard to believe, it's actually been a pleasant discussion. Two people who disagree having a pleasant conversation! In fandom! I KNOW SO CRAZY.) but what I figured out was:

We agree up to a certain point: that contacting the creators of source material is, at this point in time, not necessary.

Here's where we diverge:

I think it's not necessary because I don't believe it's ever necessary - I don't ever think one needs to inform a creator or ask permission when one creates a fanwork. This has a lot to do with my interpretation of where the author and text become separate entities (once it's published and has been read/viewed/heard by one person, it's no longer solely the author's; more than that, I believe the mere act of publication severs the tie between author and text, even if no one ever reads it), which I explained in-depth in a WAY tl;dr comment here. I'm babbling! It's late/early and I haven't slept. Anyway. Contacting author is never necessary, although if I know for sure not being alerted would bother/annoy/insult someone I don't want to bother/annoy/insult, then I'll let 'em know.

She, however, appears (and this is entirely extrapolation, but when I posted this in the comments, while not actively confirming, she never denied) to believe contacting the author is a necessary point of etiquette, and that the only reasons not to contact the professional creator of the source text are practical/social ones. Thus, if an author provided a proper channel to let her know about fanworks, there was a guarantee it wouldn't result in a massive crackdown on fandom, and that delightful fandom attitude that it's rude/creepy/tinhatty to inform the creator of your fanworks, she would feel the same about notifying source creators as fanwriters.

So! We're never going to agree, because we're coming from completely opposite viewpoints! So here I am thinking all these practicalities are attempts to justify the hypocrisy of believing one should contact fanwriters and not source creators, when it's not hypocrisy at all, because, all else aside she does think you should contact source creators.

I feel so much smarter for having figured that out.