Thoughts on Parody Names in Stories?

[Nynah]

All in all, don't try this. There is no need to be cute. Yes, I know it's tempting to try and dazzle readers with your incisive wit and brilliance -- which I believe is the real reason for coining those fictional names -- but why don't you expend those creative juices on original things that are relevant to the plot and to your characters? Your story will be better for it.

I think that's accurate for some authors but I feel (anecdotally as I don't have any hard evidence) that most will have legally distinct brand names for products as a function of best practice. Most professional publications use legally distinct brand names so they don't run afoul of being caught up in (highly unlikely but still all-too-possible) litigation should corporations choose to enforce their copyright. I imagine quite a few writers here are also trying to be published in other non-erotic mainstream spheres so it stands to reason that being cautious with brand names is an ingrained behavior (at least for them).

That being said, I don't have a problem with seeing made-up brands in Lit stories. I'd wager a fair few readers who consume the works posted here aren't bothered either, especially since most of them are just here for the lurid content. Reality is already stretched and disbelief is already at a certain level of suspension when you read Lit stories, so what's a little more?

Personally as a writer, if I have a story set in the real world, I just won't mention brand names unless it was absolutely needed, and I can't imagine myself writing one with that caveat. I don't see the point of mentioning that my character drank a Pepsi or had a burger from Burger King when "drink" and "meal" are perfectly serviceable in conveying the picture I'm trying to paint for the reader.

 

[ChuckWolf]

Stuff like "Desperate Housewives" is a bit harder though because the name already sounds like a parody on its own.

Maybe a parody name that encapsulates what the show essentially is? Maybe something like, "Scandal Town" or "Wicked Wives" ?

 

[NuclearFairy]

Personally as a reader I find that names of actual people, places or name brands breaks the immersion for me. I know I'm reading a fictional universe and I don't want to hear about someone drinking a Pepsi, coke, or RC. Just tell me it's a cola, or hero, or QC or something.

That's why as a writer I tend to avoid them whenever possible, and when I can't and I try to think up something else, such as a 24/7 pharmacy named Bluewall.

 

[TheRedChamber]

As part of its government charter, the BBC was not supposed to advertise specific products in shows. This was lampshaded by one of the old impressionist shows (Dead Ringers? Allistair McGowen?) doing a parody of EastEnders

Regular: "Pint please, luv"
New Barmaid: "Pint of what? Carlsberg? Heiniken?"
Landlady: "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You'll get us closed down."
Barmaid: "But I need to know which drink to serve him..."
Landlady: "Look, we've only got one tap. Anyway, he's only going to take one sip before I throw him out over an argument about who owns the caff"

Next week:
Regular: "Pint of Old Unspecific please luv"

This thread is like that.

 

[YmaOHyd]

Personally as a reader I find that names of actual people, places or name brands breaks the immersion for me. I know I'm reading a fictional universe and I don't want to hear about someone drinking a Pepsi, coke, or RC. Just tell me it's a cola, or hero, or QC or something.

Personally as a writer, if I have a story set in the real world, I just won't mention brand names unless it was absolutely needed, and I can't imagine myself writing one with that caveat. I don't see the point of mentioning that my character drank a Pepsi or had a burger from Burger King when "drink" and "meal" are perfectly serviceable in conveying the picture I'm trying to paint for the reader.

That's interesting, because when I'm writing I want the reader to think the story's happening in the real world. I want it to feel as grounded and realistic as it can.

And, if possible, I want to make some of that brand information work for me. A character whose snack is an RC and a moonpie presents, to me, a different image than someone who has a soda and a cupcake. The RC and moonpie combo has regional associations and economic ones. It's blue-collar Southern food. Saying two American characters go get coffee means something a little different than saying they go get coffee at McDonalds. Two characters can have a beer, but there's different images associated with Bud Light or Morrison's Saver and a fancy microbrew.

 

[Nynah]

That's interesting, because when I'm writing I want the reader to think the story's happening in the real world. I want it to feel as grounded and realistic as it can.

And, if possible, I want to make some of that brand information work for me. A character whose snack is an RC and a moonpie presents, to me, a different image than someone who has a soda and a cupcake. The RC and moonpie combo has regional associations and economic ones. It's blue-collar Southern food. Saying two American characters go get coffee means something a little different than saying they go get coffee at McDonalds. Two characters can have a beer, but there's different images associated with Bud Light or Morrison's Saver and a fancy microbrew.

If that's the vibe you're going for then I can absolutely see how you'd want to inject authenticity into your story by including those details, for sure. Inclusion of specific names and terms to convey a particular setting definitely makes a story feel more "real". For your example about the American South, I'd posit that some of the product names down there have become so ingrained in the culture that they have transcended past mere corporate brands and become integral parts of the identity of the people living there.

I haven't yet written a story like this but I wouldn't mind trying my hand at it someday. I'm sure if I ever get around to it, I'll likely use some regional flavor to try to make the world feel legitimate. I don't know that I'd use specific brand names to achieve that effect but I think that's more a product of the regions I'd likely be writing about (American Northeast / American Pacific Coast) than anything else.

 

[NuclearFairy]

That's interesting, because when I'm writing I want the reader to think the story's happening in the real world. I want it to feel as grounded and realistic as it can.

And, if possible, I want to make some of that brand information work for me. A character whose snack is an RC and a moonpie presents, to me, a different image than someone who has a soda and a cupcake. The RC and moonpie combo has regional associations and economic ones. It's blue-collar Southern food. Saying two American characters go get coffee means something a little different than saying they go get coffee at McDonalds. Two characters can have a beer, but there's different images associated with Bud Light or Morrison's Saver and a fancy microbrew.

That there is why I don't like them. I grew up in the north, with parents who were from the north, and no real friends and one of my favorite snacks has always been a moonpie and an RC. But if I were to write about someone having them as a snack people would make immediate assumptions about the character or setting that very likely would be wrong. And when I read about people eating certain foods or at certain places it doesn't give me any real clues about the character because I don't understand a lot of cultural connections to them even when I live or have lived in the area it's supposed to take place.

So for me personally it's best to just not rely on the name brand short hands, and I find them in other stories immersion breaking. Huh, after typing this out I think I have a better grasp on why I find it immersion breaking... When people use them they're giving you context for things that they otherwise might have to give in another way, and I can tell that I'm missing that context. Whereas when parody names are used no one is expecting you to just get the context and so it's given in ways that just about anyone would get.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

Maybe a parody name that encapsulates what the show essentially is? Maybe something like, "Scandal Town" or "Wicked Wives" ?

I'm sure LW will appreciate Wicked Wives.

 

[ChuckWolf]

I'm sure LW will appreciate Wicked Wives.

Is "Wicked Wives" a Literotica thing? I didn't know that.

 

[YmaOHyd]

When people use them they're giving you context for things that they otherwise might have to give in another way, and I can tell that I'm missing that context. Whereas when parody names are used no one is expecting you to just get the context and so it's given in ways that just about anyone would get.

Yeah -- I see the danger you're pointing to. I don't think you'd want to tell the audience that a character is blue-collar and Southern just by their choice of snack. It's one card in the deck, one piece of the puzzle, one arrow in the quiver, pick your metaphor. It's a little detail you can use to reinforce an image, or shift away from that image, without having to go out of your way narratively. Right? I don't want to rely on it, but it lets me add a bit of shading.

And I like writing dialogue, and little things like that can be nice ins for conversations. Someone gets out their RC Cola and moonpie from their lunchbox, someone else is like 'aww I remember having those every day back when I lived in Biloxi, you from Alabama too?', and that first character can laugh and say 'actually I'm from Wisconsin' and blah blah blah. If the reader doesn't get the existing context, then okay, nothing much is lost, but if they do, cool (and, of course, I better know what I'm doing when I deploy that. I don't want to use something that has context I'm unaware of, which is a hazard).

Is "Wicked Wives" a Literotica thing? I didn't know that.

No but it's a common theme in the Loving Wives category.

 

[yowser]

And I like writing dialogue, and little things like that can be nice ins for conversations. Someone gets out their RC Cola and moonpie from their lunchbox, someone else is like 'aww I remember having those every day back when I lived in Biloxi, you from Alabama too?', and that first character can laugh and say 'actually I'm from Wisconsin' and blah blah blah. If the reader doesn't get the existing context, then okay, nothing much is lost, but if they do, cool (and, of course, I better know what I'm doing when I deploy that. I don't want to use something that has context I'm unaware of, which is a hazard).


No but it's a common theme in the Loving Wives category.

I think that's an excellent approach. Not trying to be too cute, but adds flavor for those who catch it. The story really is what matters as to specificity. There are certainly times when I want the reader to know that Sir Wellworn stepped out of a Mercedes, not just 'a high end German automobile.' Etc.

As for your last point, the category is simply misnamed, really needs to be 'Hating Husbands.'

 

[YmaOHyd]

I think that's an excellent approach. Not trying to be too cute, but adds flavor for those who catch it. The story really is what matters as to specificity. There are certainly times when I want the reader to know that Sir Wellworn stepped out of a Mercedes, not just 'a high end German automobile.' Etc.

Characters care about different things, too. If I'm writing a story about Gavin, who's a car enthusiast, it'd make sense for him to notice whether it's a Mercedes or a BMW or an Audi or a Porsche, and it'd make sense for him to notice that it's a Porsche 718 GTS with the flat-six, not the S with the turbo-four. Emily probably notices the brand -- a Porsche is a Porsche -- and Corey only gets that it's a fancy sportscar, but her artist's eye is drawn to the star-ruby purple paint. And doing the 'high-end German car' thing feels simultaneously too generic and too specific. You probably have to know what the brand is to know where the car's from, right? How many people know that the tri-point star represents a German company without knowing that it's Mercedes?

 

[AllenWoody]

Something else I did was avoid mentioning real companies, pop culture, etc... I know there's no legal issue, but it seemed right to me. Over time, my stories grew and I wanted to put in more of real life and less sex. I'm still working on getting that right! Either way, I flushed out the universe I created.

Fleshed out.

To flesh out is to add detail and fill in the gaps. To flush out is to purge.

Sorry for being a borderline (?) pedantic ass but this is one of my pet peeves.

Unrelated: Have you ever seen the movie Young Doctors in Love? An eighties film that parodied soap operas.

Allen

 

[calmlikeabomb]

Fleshed out.

To flesh out is to add detail and fill in the gaps. To flush out is to purge.

Sorry for being a borderline (?) pedantic ass but this is one of my pet peeves.

Unrelated: Have you ever seen the movie Young Doctors in Love? An eighties film that parodied soap operas.

Allen

Parody names.

AllenWoody.

Hmmm... Seems like you have a vested interest here.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I think that's accurate for some authors but I feel (anecdotally as I don't have any hard evidence) that most will have legally distinct brand names for products as a function of best practice. Most professional publications use legally distinct brand names so they don't run afoul of being caught up in (highly unlikely but still all-too-possible) litigation should corporations choose to enforce their copyright.

Brand names are not protected by copyright. Many authors writing in modern-day settings refer to real brands as appropriate for the story, and you don't need permission. For instance, American Psycho references RL brands and businesses extensively as a way of conveying Patrick Bateman's shallowness and materialism. Many of those businesses would probably prefer not to have been mentioned in a high-profile story about a deranged serial killer, but Ellis doesn't need their permission to do that.

Personally as a writer, if I have a story set in the real world, I just won't mention brand names unless it was absolutely needed, and I can't imagine myself writing one with that caveat. I don't see the point of mentioning that my character drank a Pepsi or had a burger from Burger King when "drink" and "meal" are perfectly serviceable in conveying the picture I'm trying to paint for the reader.

The point is that RL brands have associations which an author might want to invoke.

If I mention that my protagonist took his girlfriend to Burger King and proposed to her with an engagement ring he bought on Temu over a glass of Pepsi, that paints a very different picture to the guy who takes his girlfriend to Dorsai and buys her Tenuta San Guido before pulling out a ring from Mociun. Either of those pictures is much more specific than "He took her to a restaurant and proposed to her over a drink".

Invoking RL brands isn't the only way to convey those things, but sometimes it's the most effective, especially if the author doesn't want to spend a lot of words on establishing them.

 

[jaF0]

"Sluts About Town" sounds okay. Stuff like "Desperate Housewives" is a bit harder though because the name already sounds like a parody on its own.

Maybe 'Devious Maids.'


Oh ... wait ...

 

[Nynah]

Brand names are not protected by copyright. Many authors writing in modern-day settings refer to real brands as appropriate for the story, and you don't need permission. For instance, American Psycho references RL brands and businesses extensively as a way of conveying Patrick Bateman's shallowness and materialism. Many of those businesses would probably prefer not to have been mentioned in a high-profile story about a deranged serial killer, but Ellis doesn't need their permission to do that.

Apologies, I misspoke. Brand names are covered under trademark, not copyright law. And you are right, brand names that are mentioned in media don't have to have explicit permission granted by the companies who own them. However, companies can protect their trademarks if the author paints them in a negative light. In your example of American Psycho, I'd argue that the brand names are portrayed as neutral objects, serving the purpose of highlighting Bateman's predilection for excess, which isn't inherently negative so the companies who own them didn't have any reason to demand their removal from the story and/or seek damages.

Speaking only for myself, I've mostly avoided mentioning brand names in my work in an overabundance of caution, even though the few times I have used them, it's been in a neutral or positive light.

The point is that RL brands have associations which an author might want to invoke.

If I mention that my protagonist took his girlfriend to Burger King and proposed to her with an engagement ring he bought on Temu over a glass of Pepsi, that paints a very different picture to the guy who takes his girlfriend to Dorsai and buys her Tenuta San Guido before pulling out a ring from Mociun. Either of those pictures is much more specific than "He took her to a restaurant and proposed to her over a drink".

Invoking RL brands isn't the only way to convey those things, but sometimes it's the most effective, especially if the author doesn't want to spend a lot of words on establishing them.

I agree with this! I did have to look up all the names in the second half of your example though because they sounded made-up to me.

 

[ChuckWolf]

Another alt name, "Sin Street".

 

[FidelityBoss]

When I started posting on Literotica, I decided that my stories existed in a world without STI's. It's fantasy, STI's suck, it made sense. People seem alright with it. I've received a few comments mentioning that certain actions would result in STI's, but most people didn't complain.

Something else I did was avoid mentioning real companies, pop culture, etc... I know there's no legal issue, but it seemed right to me. Over time, my stories grew and I wanted to put in more of real life and less sex. I'm still working on getting that right! Either way, I fleshed out the universe I created.

To do this, I made parodies of certain popular media. For example, instead of Grey's Anatomy, I created something called "Hospital Doctors in Love" or "HDL." This was helpful in a couple ways. For example, I have never watched a single episode of Grey's Anatomy. I didn't want to watch an entire damn series just to comment on it. So, I made up my own and I can say whatever I want happened. I had two people arguing; one likes HDL, one likes the show Planet Trek Wars(I assume you can guess what that's a parody of). I had a fun argument where they discussed how unrealistic they both were. I've also never watched Star Trek, so I couldn't make that seem realistic without making things up that didn't happen in the actual show. Another reason is that the main character from HDL is a famous fictional actor, and I had him actually appear in the story.

Oh, I also have a few different story lines, stories where the characters are not related to each other in any way. I'll mention the new characters like a series I brought up in the first story as a way to show they all share the same universe.

Most people seem to like this, but I've had a few people comment that this breaks the immersion for them. One person sent me a scathing email about how unprofessional it was and how I need to just use the proper names(Star Trek, Grey's Anatomy). I was wondering what other writers think? I don't think it's wrong to mention Star Trek, but I don't see a real issue with what I did. I realize not everyone will like it, but well, that would be true no matter what I wrote.

Thoughts?

-Witty

Honestly, your approach sounds so creative and fun, building your own universe with parodies gives you way more freedom (and saves you from binge-watching Grey’s just for research, lol). Most readers probably enjoy the playful vibe, but there’ll always be a few purists. If it works for your stories and most fans dig it, keep doing you!

At the end of the day, it’s your world write it how you want!

 

[FidelityBoss]

At some point, use of parody names can get to be a chore, if it leaves me having to decode the text to understand some in-universe joke. It creates a similar kind of accessibility problem one often finds in fantasy and science fiction, where the author has invented a lot of special vocabulary for the reader to learn in order to make sense of the story. If it's truly necessary in order to understand the story being told, it can come off as authorial laziness, since it kind of pushes the 'burden' of doing research to the reader.
I understand not wanting to learn all about Star Trek or whatever in order to have characters talk about it, or be bound by the minutiae of the lore, but at the same time, it kind of defeats the purpose of name-dropping real-life references if you then have to explain the differences in the content in your own universe. Rather than helping the reader immerse themselves in the story by making the world seem real, it can serve as a reminder that it's fake, because they may have to remind themselves what it means every time they encounter such a reference.
There's also the potential issue of the readers not wanting to do any more work understanding the supposed context than the author did crafting it. If they encounter such references, they may assume that the author is depending on them knowing the nuances of the thinly-veiled name drops to some other IP in order to understand the plot of the story they're reading. If they don't, they may nope out or otherwise lose interest. The ones that actually do know the original property are the ones that probably get the most irritated, if they feel like the author was just trying to 'ride the coattails' of the more famous work without even bothering to get the details right.
All that being said, I love puns, so as long as the joke is self-contained in the altered title, I think it works fine. It's only when you have to explain the joke that it stops being funny, after all.

Yeah, parody names can be fun, but when they turn into a puzzle the reader has to solve just to follow the story, it gets exhausting. If the joke lands on its own, great! But if it needs a whole explanation, it kinda defeats the point. Also, relying too much on thinly-veiled references can backfire, either readers won’t get it or the ones who do might just find it lazy. A well-placed pun? Always a win.

 

[FidelityBoss]

When it comes to movies and stuff, I tend to go with it like it exists in the world - I had the characters watch the Godfather and threw in a lot of easter eggs from the Godfather in one of the stories, for instance. Certain things, like cars and other objects that people use all the time, I don't bother changing the name. I did fictionalize a lot of stuff about companies and the like, but that was to give me some freedom in how the story played out. For instance, in one case, a strip club, I fictionalized the name. In another instance, I used an actual bar name. So, I know I'm not always consistent.

But I do tend to change people's names if they're going to be interacting with the characters. I had a number of very high ranking people, like the President and the King of the UK in the series, but I didn't name them, and I changed the names of the King's kids and the President's spouse. I had a famous hockey player as a character and I changed the name, but it was still pretty obvious in all of those situations who I based the fictional characters around, but it made the legalese "any relation to real life people is coincidence" a bit less boilerplate-y.

Sounds like a solid balance between realism and creative freedom! Keeping real-world stuff like movies and cars makes the world feel grounded, while fictionalizing certain names lets you shape the story without getting boxed in. The approach to famous figures makes sense too, letting the inspiration be clear without making it too direct. Plus, it keeps those legal disclaimers from feeling completely ridiculous.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Brand names are not protected by copyright. Many authors writing in modern-day settings refer to real brands as appropriate for the story, and you don't need permission.

Not necessarily true. I mean I get what you mean. You can have a character say, "I'll have a coke," and Coca-Cola can't sue you. But if you do some research, you'll find dozens of productions over the decades that got a call from George Lucas' lawyers for mentioning anything to do with Star Wars. George Lucas is notorious for over-zealously protecting his brands. He tried so hard to shut down the original Battlestar Galactica, even stomping around the sets at Universal, wrecking shots because their spaceships had lasers and he claimed to copyright spaceships with lasers. EVERY FUCKING SPACESHIP IN CINEMATIC HISTORY USES LASERS! Same with Disney. Try mentioning Mickey Mouse in anything more than a passing reference in your movie and see how much it will cost you. Furthermore, while you may be able to have Coke or McDonald's in your story, if you marketed a book or movie about the Coca-Cola Killer who used Coke as a crime scene signature, I'm sure that Coca-Cola would take legal action for defaming their product and capitalizing on their brand.

So, in principle you're absolutely right. I'm just adding the fine print.

 

[YmaOHyd]

It's classic the-process-is-the-punishment stuff, especially from the House of Mouse. Though Steamboat Willie, Mickey and Minnie's debut, is in the public domain now.

 

[Rob_Royale]

In one story I referred to the local coffee house as Apollos instead of Starbucks.

 

[SimonDoom]

That's interesting, because when I'm writing I want the reader to think the story's happening in the real world. I want it to feel as grounded and realistic as it can.

And, if possible, I want to make some of that brand information work for me. A character whose snack is an RC and a moonpie presents, to me, a different image than someone who has a soda and a cupcake. The RC and moonpie combo has regional associations and economic ones. It's blue-collar Southern food. Saying two American characters go get coffee means something a little different than saying they go get coffee at McDonalds. Two characters can have a beer, but there's different images associated with Bud Light or Morrison's Saver and a fancy microbrew.

The problem is that those of your readers who did NOT grow up in that specific culture may not understand the references, or even understand what the brands are.

In most published fiction, there's not a lot of reference to specific brand names, for this reason. Avoiding brand names makes the work more intelligible to a larger readership. It avoids the risk of one's story being dated or provincial.

There are some authors, like Tom Wolfe, who like using brand names because it helps them place the reader into a specific cultural environment, which is the object of commentary or satire.

That's not what I do in my stories, so specific brand names aren't needed.

There's nothing legally wrong, by the way, with using brand names. Names do not enjoy copyright protection, and even if they are trademarked, trademark rights only protect one's mark against a use that is likely to cause confusion. If you happen to mention in your story that your characters went to McDonald's and drank Cokes, nobody is going to be confused.