Just a quick note-

[gone_byebye]

Hi, folks.

Just wanted to drop a heads up for those of you who might not have been here the last time the question arose. When it comes to characters recognizing other characters as being fictional:

- If Hogan the Overly Malicious or his canon Hoganville is mentioned in Melissa the Peculiar's canon What A Strange Lawyer as being fictional ("Oh, Hoganville is on Channel 12 Friday nights at eight PM!"), then okay, yes, Melissa the Peculiar can be expected to know ICly that Hogan the Overly Malicious is fictional.
- In this situation Melissa the Peculiar is not allowed to tell Hogan the Overly Malicious that he/his world/etc. is fictional without the okay of all the players from the Hoganville cast.

- If Hoganville has never been explicitly mentioned in Melissa the Peculiar's canon, but is a major element of culture in general in one or more countries (it has been said, for example, that there is more evidence for the existence of Batman than there is for quite a few people who actually existed in the real world), it is very strongly requested that Melissa the Peculiar's player talk to the Hoganville cast first before making any comments/Millicanon decisions about whether or not to include Hogan the Overly malicious in Melissa's set of knowledge from home.
- Melissa the Peculiar is very definitely not allowed to tell Hogan the Overly Malicious that he or his world is fictional in this circumstance without the okay of all the Hoganville players.

- If Hoganville has never been mentioned in Melissa the Peculiar's canon, and is not a major element of culture in one or more countries, and Melissa the Peculiar's player wants to reference it in some way, it is entirely up to the Hoganville cast members whether or not Hoganville even exists as a canon at all within the world of What A Strange Lawyer.

Bottom line: please, ask first.

Thank you.

Comments

Suggestion!

[redintheledger]

Could there be a list of various big canons where the players are okay with it being fictional/it's already been established as fictional? Or the big name canons go and talk to each other so a list can be made? Given the scattered nature of the game, and that not everyone checks in for months on end, a request in the back_room might get only the players who checked in that week, not three months down the line.

Re: Suggestion!

[damncompass]

I would be on board with this.

Re: Suggestion!

[ceitfianna]

I like this idea as a few of mine are so well known that they're okay with people knowing of them. I mean talking always helps but having a sense of which ones don't have as many pitfalls would help too.

[herr_bookman]

This is pertinent to my interests.

ETA: Disclaimer added! Good idea.

[wanderlustlover]

I am a very big fan of the always asking plan.

Especially since it changes with new adoptions all the time, too.



I have characters that go both ways. Whereas Marian and Snow White are massive fairytale domain and it's pretty much literally impossible to not have their stories be known (though Marian knows, and Snow doesn't yet), the entire Twilight cast was vehemently in agreement against anyone ever knowing/mentioning(/thinking near Edward) they were book characters.

I've always just gone with the asking a player I'm interacting with thing. Whether that was in chat, or in private message, or even just side-bar in a thread already going on, the same way a lot of people ask for slowtimes.

[bjornwilde]

This. I've also tried to include permission in my pups profile is applicable, liek with Ben since Marvel comics exist in the MU.

[ladyoflorien]

This is actually a really good idea, and as easy to organize as a disclaimer.

[bjornwilde]

I would worry about my permission being taken for the whole canon's permission though, so this only works if all canon mates do the same.

[thebesteverseen]

Which in a canon as big as marvel, both comics and movie, is a pretty large number of votes to reach any kind of consensus.

It, also, throws into question whether a decision made by the current cast of marvel players (for example, not as the specific or finger pointing, just using the reference we already have) then effect how incoming apped marvel characters have to have their fictional status already picked for them. Whether they do or don't get a vote on their incoming characters being known or not known then.


I'm not sure this whole thing effects many of my characters, but I am going to be curious to watch this debate continue.

[ever_lovin]

Definitely great points and I think Ben is a great example, especially since there is the added thorn of the comics existing within canon. I think individual muns should definitely be able to decide if their pups have to deal with the canon punch even when their canon has already sort of punched anyway.

Great topics!

[ladyoflorien]

Very true. It would be incredibly hard to mandate (and also incredibly inappropriate to do so), but as far as voluntary notations go, it could be similar to a disclaimer. Sort of like my character recognizes there are stories/action figures/et al. of them in their world, or in other worlds, and is okay with your character noticing, but my opinion does not reflect the opinions of everyone in this universe. It's the same principle as asking a player before doing anything, just having it easily/publicly accessible in your profile with the rest of your character/player notes.

I just think it's shiny you have something like that. I might do the same for some of mine. :D

[ever_lovin]

You know I just went to look and see how I worded my disclaimer since I liked yours so much and realized, I don't actually have one. I must have misremembered it as Ben's when it was Wonder Woman's (which I have read before).

Adding now! ETA: His profile also needs a serious overhaul.

[ashen_key]

Oh, I think that's an excellent idea, as well. Particularly with the sprawling messes that are the collected canons of DC and Marvel.

[genarti]

Agreed!

It's not something I've done as a policy before, but I think it's a good one. I did put it in a journal entry (linked from the profile, although I could make that clearer) for the one character I knew right away would be fine with most forms of canon-puncture.

But even then, there's an "If it's this or this or you have any questions, talk to me" caveat appended, just because I think when in doubt, OOC communication is always, always the way to go. That way you know everyone's on the same page.

And, similarly, even if I know Character A is okay with someone knowing there's a book or movie about them, I'd always check in OOCly before my character said as much to Character Q from a different canon. Just because you never know.

[ladyoflorien]

Yes, this! This exactly.