As I said in the previous chapter, “I'm going to make a bold statement here and outright say that RPF actually isn't fanfiction under most circumstances and shouldn't be called fanfiction under most circumstances.” I know for a fact that some people aren't going to like this statement and will feel insulted by someone even suggesting the idea that RPF isn't fanfiction. The definition I'm using here for fanfiction is “derivative works based off another persons work”.

 Why be this specific about this definition though? And don't certain sites including this one place RPF under fanfiction? The first thing I'm going to say is that not all sites place RPF under the category of fanfiction. The main site I use for writing fanfiction actually does not consider RPF to be fanfiction unless the story is based off a pre-existing RPF. All RPF is otherwise labeled as original fiction and there is a ban on modern RPF, which is its way of dealing with legal matters that can crop up in regards to RPF.

 Even here on this site not all RPF is going to go under fanfiction. The other place for RPF to go is the historical category. In other words if you're writing a story with Benjamin Franklin in it, you're going to be putting your story under historical and not fanfiction. It would be a bit odd to place it under that despite the fact the people in modern RPF technically will end up being historical characters eventually. What is the difference then? Nothing really.

 If you thought my suggestion that RPF isn't fanfiction was an insult then I can tell you right now that some of the people who write historical fiction are going to throw a gasket at the idea that their works are no different then modern RPF. Some will rant on and on about how professional they are in comparison and others will rant on and on about how it is a difference between being a rabid fan of the group and actually being a serious writer.

 I don't think these distinctions are fair to make. Not only have I come across people who have written modern RPF in a professional manner I've also come across well written ones as well. In the same token I've known of so called professional writers who react to criticism in an amateurish manner and I've read plenty of historical novels that are only well written grammatically and some... well, some even have grammar issues.

 This may be confusing for some people, so lets reverse this a bit. Instead of talking about what the definition of fanfiction is lets talk about what the definition of original fiction is. Original fiction is fiction that is a work of fiction that is completely original to the writer. The story can use common tropes that other stories use as I've mentioned in the previous chapter and/or they use elements from real life. Hence why I say most RPF isn't fanfiction but original fiction. I also think it is something to be proud of, writing ones own original fiction.

 A bit more on that in a bit.

 The question that is going to come up after I say this is “if RPF doesn't fit the definition of fanfiction then why are they placed under the fanfiction category”.

 There are actually three known definitions for fanfiction and the use is going to fluctuate based on need. My introduction to “fanfiction” for example is meant to focus on the fanfic that uses the definition “derivative work not created by the original creator” and not the two other definitions. One of the reasons to bring up the fact there are different definitions is because a writer and a reader need to know how it is being used. For example... just because a site is a site dedicated to fanfiction doesn't mean RPF is allowed. The other reasons for knowing the different definitions is because not all RPF fits under the umbrella of these definitions, which is also why I personally don't like using them.

 One of the other definitions people use is “fiction written by fans”. This definition covers a good chunk of “derivative work not created by the original creator” as well as most modern RPF. It can also cover a good deal of historical RPF as well. The first problem that arises from this particular definition is the fact those who write historical RPF don't like their stories being labeled as “fanfiction”, particularly if they are publishing through a professional publishing company. Some of the historical fiction writers here on this site are likely to object.

 The second problem that arises from this particular definition has to do with something I pointed out in the previous chapter. Not all RPF is written by fans. Why would you write RPF if you weren't a fan of said person? I think historical RPF is a prime example of cases where a person may not write because they are a fan of a particular historical person but because a certain story idea hit them instead. I'm not saying that they dislike the historical person either... simply that they're not dedicated hard core to that particular historical person. More examples in a bit.

 The second of the other definitions people apparently use is one I've not been able to find a good source for. One of the things Wikipedia currently says is that “before about 1965, the term “fan fiction” was used in science fiction fandom to designate original, though amateur, works of science fiction published in science fiction fanzines, as differentiated from fiction that was professionally published by professional writers; or fiction about fans and fandom.i”

 Let me make it clear that I don't know how accurate this statement actually is. The first thing I know is that wikipedias are not reliable sources even when it comes to fandom wikis. Anybody can edit them. The second thing I know is that I haven't come across this information very often in my researches. Why then bring this definition up? I want to bring up what it implies, particularly in regards to RPF. There is an implication that works not published through a professional means aren't as good as those published through a venue not recognized as professional.

 As I've already said though... I've seen plenty of works that are published through non-conventional methods that are well written and I've seen plenty of works that are published through conventional methods that lack in professionalism. This definition though says that these writers who publish through the non-conventional manner can't be considered professional in the way they go about their work simply because of where they publish from. This is an unfair bias, particularly when more and more people are publishing through non-conventional manners for not just fanfiction but original fiction as well due to particular restraints.

 So then... RPF can't go under the fanfiction category?

 I'm not saying that.

 On the page “What counts as 'original fiction' and 'non-fiction'?” it says “Fan fiction borrows elements from an original author's established fictional universe in order to tell a new, alternative story that differs from the canon. Fan fiction includes, for example, stories that use the original author's canonical characters and put them into non-canonical plots, as well as stories that use non-canonical characters and put them into the original author's canonical settings or already-imagines worlds.iii”

 RPF fits under the category PopFic. The same article says of PopFic, “PopFic is a form of fiction whose subject matter focuses on celebrities or popular culture re-imagined in new and creative ways. The characters in the stories are real people set into imagined situations.iii”

 This also said there is a different definition used on the “Content Guidelines” page. “Fanfiction is writing that remixes characters, places, or plots from existing narratives to tell new, original stories. Existing narratives could mean things like popular books, tv shows, movies, games, comics, or plays. Some types of fanfiction even cast real people as characters in the stories. Fanfiction can expand the story world (like sending Katniss into the 76th Hunger Games) or can take known characters in completely new directions (like having Katniss battle it out with Pikachu).iv”

 Some people may think... “real people” is mentioned in this definition, so that must mean the definition fanfiction includes RPF... right? Maybe... maybe not. The above definition uses the words “cast real people as characters”, not... “use real people as characters”. Wattpad is unique in the fact unlike other fanfic sites you get to cast real people to “play” the role of certain characters. Change the words of something and you change the meaning. This is why when people write out a definition for people they are careful about how they word it.

 Now some people may be thinking something along the lines of... if RPF isn't fanfiction, then why is it that the fanfiction category is flooded with RPF and not fanfiction that is based off other peoples works? If you go to categorize your story you'll find that the pop-fic category is actually non-existent. The site admins made the decision to include fanfiction and RPF all in the same category. There are multiple reasons as to why the site admins decided to go this route instead of having multiple categories.

 One of the reasons I can personally think of is that there are a lot of newer writers who do think that the definition of fanfiction is “fiction written by fans”. One young writer once told me that the word “fan” wouldn't have been used in “fanfiction” if it wasn't part of the definition. The reason though the word “fan” is used is because of where fanfiction was originally published... fanzines. These were magazines passed around by fans at conventions. This said... fanfiction has its roots much earlier then the fanzine. The term came about because people needed a term for this kind of writing. RPF on the other hand, otherwise known as pop-fic had its own terms.

 A second reason though is because the admins wanted the fanfiction category to be specifically for “fan labors” and a place fans could go and publish their stories and where they would easily find a niche to publish works that had particular legality issues involved for those who wrote said stories. Some of the RPF fans are probably thinking... but 1D is fine with RPF about them... what kind of legality trouble could you possibly be talking about?

 Before I get into the nitty gritty part that people really don't like talking about I wish to get into the fact there is nothing wrong with writing RPF. I'd also like to point out again that not all RPF is written by fans. I talked about historical RPF, but there are also RPF pieces created by the actual person or persons involved or by someone they commissioned to actually write the work. These works tend to involve fictionalized versions of the people and some sites favor RPFs that involved fictionalized versions of people and don't allow autobiographies or biographies.

 A prime example would be The Monkees and The Andy Griffith Show. Some of the main characters in these series actually shared the same names as the people who played these characters. These shows from the 60's were precursors for other shows like Jonas L.A (2009), Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (2004) and Jackie Chan Adventures (2000). It should be noted here that reality TV isn't considered to be RPF despite the fact some are known for fictionalizing the events that go on.

 RPF isn't limited of course to television either. H.B. Gilmour published a book called “My Fantasy Dream Date With...” that was a collection of one-shots involving real people, the list including Leonardo DiCaprio, James Van Der Beek, Nick Carter, Taylor Hanson... and some of the younger readers are probably going who for some of these. Just know that they were popular when the books were published. She had connections to these people too when she wrote the book.

 One can say that some “real people” don't object to fiction being written about them. One of the current groups that RPF is being written about are the boys from 1D (One Direction). The boy band is aware that their fans write fanfic and even worked to have an official fanfic created for their fans. There are other groups that have come to realize that having fanfiction written about them helps to spread the word about their existence so they're supportive.

 Here though is the bad news.

 Not all real people are supportive of RPF. It's actually considered a taboo subject to even bring up because it makes people feel uncomfortable. Why though? I mean... the fans are writing stories about them, so they should be flattered... right? Not always. Tom Felton who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series was shown a photo shopped picture of him with Daniel Radcliffe and he suddenly became very uncomfortable. It didn't help he revealed that a relative of his liked to tease him about that particular picture.v

 Here comes the legal trouble that comes with writing RPF... libel. According to Merriam-Webster the word libel means “the act of publishing a false statement that causes people to have a bad opinion of someone.vi” A few people may be thinking... but it's fiction and not real in the first place. If we clearly label our stories as fanfiction and thus being fictional then there is no way that we can be called for libel. Wrong. That's not how all people's minds work for one thing... some do really think that fiction is reality. On top of this it is possible to go into a story on any site and not realize that it is in fact RPF.

 So what does this mean for RPF writers?

 Don't write something you wouldn't want written about yourself. Remember that these people are real people. There are people both in the fanfiction community (fanfiction here meaning derivative works, not RPF) as well as people who write original fiction (which includes historical RPF) who take issue with RPF because they feel a lot of people who write RPF forget that the people they are writing about are real people with actual feelings and lives.

 Some people may think... whats the big deal? Some people may think this because they don't think anyone would cross the line. However, I've seen at least one 1D fic here on Wattpad that happened to turn one of the boys into an abuser of the OC the writer created. On the positive side of things I saw some of the other fans of 1D come down on the writer for portraying one of the boys in such a negative manner. Mind you... it wasn't comments along the lines of “go die”, but more along the lines of “they aren't like that”.

 Still... as I read the comments and the writers replies I couldn't help but notice the writers stance on the matter. It's a stance that I've heard before. It's just fiction, so why does it matter? This comes down to the fact some people really do believe that fiction means “not real” instead of “didn't really happen. While it is true that the things in a story doesn't really happen, the story can still be “believable”. Think of a magician's tricks. They really don't happen, but the eye tells you to believe that the trick is real.

 One of the more scary stances fans take is that its all right to write what ever they want about the pop stars because it is the fans who make their careers? Think that's scary? These people also feel that the pop stars throw away the right to have stories written about just because they became famous, because everyone knows that all pop stars mean to be famous. What they forget though is that pop stars are still people like you and I, people who have feelings.

 The question is “how would you feel if someone wrote stories about you?”

 Now... there are some people who would outright think that other people writing stories about them without permission is down right creepy. Others though as I've already said think that it would be flattering for other people to write stories about you. Some people feel that their personal lives are their personal lives and that this should remain this way. Others are all right with a little bit of make believe.

 Of course, this reminds me of another type of fan that is related to the one I've already mentioned... the fan that believes that the rich and famous lost the right to privacy because they became famous. The court of law says otherwise. Yes... paparatzi make money off the stars private lives, but there are certain things they aren't allowed to do. A recent example is the photographer that got slammed for taking pictures of Princess Kate of England while she was on private property with a long distance lense.

 On top of this people have rights. Many countries guarantee the rights of their citizens to varying degrees. Being famous doesn't suddenly make these rights go away. One of the reasons famous people don't like talking about RPF is because they're already having to deal with paparatzi. They also don't want to alienate their fans despite the fact they may not be comfortable with said RPF. They're more likely to be comfortable with RPF that doesn't present them in a way they wouldn't want to be represented and these are less likely to be prosecuted by the law.

 Truth of the matter is, while I've heard of cease and desists on RPF that had material that would be considered libelous and others that involved bad things happening to the RP in question, I have never heard of a cease and desist on a story that the RP was represented in a good manner as well as treated in a good manner. This said... RPF isn't limited to nice clean fun and this is the real place that RPF gets intro trouble.

 My word of advice to people who wish to write RPF... particularly the younger writers... is this. If you wouldn't want that kind of story written about yourself, then don't write it. For the young writers who really don't care, ask yourself if you could show the work to your parents. For older writers don't care... well... nothing much I think I can say to make them stop and think about they write anymore then I can do this for actual fanfiction.

 iUnknown Writer, Wikipedia, “FanFiction: History ~ Modern phenomenon”, retrieved 7/14/2014.

 iiWattpad Staff, Wattpad Help, “What counts as 'original fiction' and 'non-fiction'?”, last updated April 03, 2014 06:44

 iiiWattpad Staff, “'original fiction' and 'non-fiction'”, last updated April 03, 2014 06:44.

 ivWattpad Staff, Wattpad Help, “Content Guidelines”, last updated May 22, 2014 12:18.

 v (A bit of help citing this one. I don't know which late night talk show this aired on or the date it originally aired. I've simply seen the video clip.)

 viMarriam Webster, definition of “libel”, retrieved 7/17/2014.