hey, I'm new and I have a question ^_^

[misstumbledown.livejournal.com]

I have an urban fantasy story about a secret conspiracy of uber-rich, supernaturally gifted people who have been running the world from the shadows since Atlantis (from which all the magic comes form, and from which a portion escaped when it sank). Sort of like the Illuminati myth, only with 'kewl powerz'. Now, over half of the novel is set in real-world London, circa now, with a few minor (and not mentioned in the novel itself, I've just written it out for my own benefit) historical changes in order for some of the characters to be old money aristocracy. Nothing big, just additions of the characters' ancestors. However, at one point, one of my characters--a minor villain--manages to kill the entire royal family, the 50+ people who are above him in the order of succession and lots of innocent observers at a diplomatic function (without anyone knowing it's him orchestring it all), becomes King, plunges UK into chaos, blames another country for the slaughter, exposes the masquerade to the wider public and starts World War III. Voila, The End Of The World As We Know It!

The problem I have with this is that, if it's set in contemporary Britain, then the royal family I'm killing off is made of real people, and I'm wondering if it's illegal or libelous or something like that to kill them off for plot purposes. If it were set in America, I'd just replace the current president with some fictional fellow and then kill him, with the excuse that he was elected after the current one or instead of the current one without changing the setting an awful much, but this is hereditary monarchy, and I can't just say, 'Oh, hi, the whole dynasty doesn't exist in my world and the UK is ruled by the Randybuckles with Randy III as King.' I was thinking of just changing around the names, but I want it to be completely real-life authentic until the entire supernatural powers shtick is uncovered and the world turns to major mindscrew-ery.

Now, Alan Moore's V for Vendetta killed off the royal family in a nuclear war that supposedly happens in the eighties, while being written in from '82 to '85, and references 'Queen Zara' as the eldest remaining member. So I was thinking of either setting it 'five minutes into the past', so to speak, and having the slaughering happen in, say, 2008 or early 2009, in order to make it obvious that the world branches off into an AU at that point, or to make it 'five minutes into the future', the way Moore did it, what with trying to predict the '83 PM elections et all.

What of the above options should I use?

Comments

[fanfictionaxis.livejournal.com]

I would make a whole new royal family and use that as the current royal family.
For Alan Moore's V, they never mentioned the names of the royal family (I only saw the movie, didn't read the book), so you should consider renaming the royal family and using them.

The idea sounds really good. Good luck with your story.

[misstumbledown.livejournal.com]

Thanks :) I'm now thinking of just referring to her as 'The Queen'--as otherwise the content of the story doesn't reference the royal family in any way--and then, once she's killed off and the AU is established, uncover that her name is something entirely else.

Also, there was a reference to 'Queen Zara's birthday' in the original comic series (it was a ten-issue comic books series, not a book, btw ^_^). They changed the movie a lot because the original was a social commentary on UK politics in the eighties, and they decided to adjust the adaptation to modern-day issues and turned it into a social commentary on current US politics. It's good stuff, and I'd definitely recommend it unless you're really not into comic books (because as an artist first and foremost, I definitely am, and sometimes fail to understand that some people just aren't).

[ceirdwenfc.livejournal.com]

My question to you would be that since you've already made a few minor (and not mentioned in the novel itself, I've just written it out for my own benefit) historical changes in order for some of the characters to be old money aristocracy, does it matter if you change the royal family?

It's possible that no one would notice the changes in a real world setting. (ETA: I meant no one would notice your minor changes, not the changes to the current royal family.:-))

I'm sorry that I don't know about your original question on the legality of fictionally killing the royal family. Originally, I thought 'why not?', but in a post 9/11 world, I suppose you can't be too careful.

Personally, I would change the names (keeping the family dynamic intact) and keep writing (to get the story out) and find out if you can change the names back if legally you can do what you like.

Also, could you set it in the future and have it be the royal family, but with no reference to the current real people - like since William and Harry have no children yet, make it their children that you kill off.

Sorry if I've added more to the confusion.

[misstumbledown.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, no one would notice the minor changes. I've just added people to various historical eras or had medieval lords whose lines have been exctinct not die without any heirs, but as the members of the secret organization are very keen on not having their influence shown, the historical changes aren't mentioned or noticeable in the novel itself. Mostly because all the characters are too busy avoiding getting killed to make in-depth research on obscure medieval nobility--and they'd need to do that in order for the changes to be noticed.

The family dynamic isn't of much importance, as the rest of the story is in no way related to the royal family, and the only time we really see any of them is when the characters are watching the Queen's Christmas speech on TV, when the new prime minister is elected, which is never shown directly, and during the scene when they're killed. Well, we don't even see them in the scene when they're killed--that scene is from the villain's POV, he's attending the formal function, and it goes something like this:

Villain: *drinks champagne, chats with other guests and wonders why the assassins he had hired are late* Personally I think that charity work is exceedingly important...

Assassins: *come in and start shooting everyone*

Villain: *ducks*

Royal Family: *die offscreen*

And then you have the local Magnificent Bastard watching the secret service discreetly taking the out the Queen's body, thinking, 'F*#k, this just messed up all of my plans,' and deciding to ask his anorexic girlfriend on a date and discuss it with her over tacos.

Meanwhile, the above minor villain's girlfriend, a working class punk-rock-ish sort of girl whom everyone is trying to either kill or turn into a puppet leader because they (mistakenly) think that she's the long lost incest child of the last descendants of Atlantis royalty, sees the report on telly and goes, 'OMFG.'

Also, I really can't set it in the future, because if I set it far enough into the future that Will and Harry's children get to be King/Queen, I'd have to invent, like, a century of technological, political and economical progress all over the world, which sort of seriously messes with the entire plotline :/

So far I've decided that, as we don't even see the Queen in person and she does't have much with the story aside from her death being a plot device, the characters are just going to refer to her as 'The Queen' until she dies and the AU is established, at which point I'll uncover that her name is really something different entirely.

Still, thanks ^_^ Talking through things like this with other people always helps :))

[dunmurderin.livejournal.com]

Tom Cain's novel "Accident Man" was the (fictional) story that used the death of Princess Diana back in 1997 as a jumping off point to create a conspiracy/thriller story. While the princess and the rest of the royals are never on stage as characters and are usually referred to by epiteths ("the princess," "The Prince of Wales", etc), they are clearly meant to be referring to the real individuals.

Cain is from the UK and I've not seen anything about him having legal difficulties because he uses the real royal family in his book. I'd assume using them would be no trouble, so long as you're not actively defaming them.

[misstumbledown.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, thank you for this! XD I've actually decided on using the same method prior to reading this--never to show them on stage and use epithets like 'The Queen' to refer to them for as long as it's necessary. Plus I totally want to read that book now, so thanks for the rec, too ^_^

[clawfoot.livejournal.com]

Sue Townsed wrote a novel called The Queen and I about the current (real) royal family getting the boot by the British government and having to move into rent-controlled tenements. She had Prince Charles become obsessed with tomato plants and the Queen Mum fall into dementia.

I think you're safe.

(The Queen and I is a very funny book. Highly reccommended for light summer reading.)

[misstumbledown.livejournal.com]

Oooh, thanks! That books sounds great (btw, is that she the same woman who wrote Adrian Mole?) and I'm definitely putting it on my reading list ^_^

[clawfoot.livejournal.com]

One and the same! I'm a shameless Adrian Mole fangirl (I grew up with the books, and read the first one when I was 13 and three-quarters, natch).

[rephen.livejournal.com]

Awesome idea :)

Good luck with it! And I think the other posts have shed more light on your question than I could possibly do.

[misstumbledown.livejournal.com]

Thanks :) I'm hoping I'll be able to pull it off, it's so full of various people manipulating each other that it took me, like, two months to work out all the cunning plans :/

[rephen.livejournal.com]

:D That sounds exciting! I love cunning plans, and people pulling agendas and manipulating each other. Sounds like my kind of book.

[misstumbledown.livejournal.com]

Well, I write what I enjoy reading, so Magnificent Bastards FTW! :D

[rephen.livejournal.com]

I LOVE! Magnificent Bastards! :D I wish I can write one of my own some days, but my brain tends to be full with nonsense D:

Horrible.

Ah well :D I await your Magnificent Bastards :D

[misstumbledown.livejournal.com]

I'll post online everything I write in that universe once I'm done editing and once I actually write the first chapter. Being a moron, I started with chapter two because I couldn't decide how to start the damn thing, and now I'm at chapter six and still haven't got chapter one :/ Me=moron ^_^

I don't think I write nearly as good to get published, as I'm too young, so I'm just writing this out because I'm starting to get mildly obsessed with the characters ^^ Besides, it's fun, even when it's really, really not.

Also, icon love. *is a total coffee addict*

[rephen.livejournal.com]

Hahahah. You're funny :) Actually, it's always hardest to start, so, I think I understand why your chapter one is still missing XD

I think writing it out just cuz you wants to is the best kind of feeling. And being obsessed with your own characters = awesome :D Do you have any character page / sheets online? I'd love to get to know your Magnificent Bastards :D

I LOVE COFFEE. <3

[misstumbledown.livejournal.com]

Naw, I haven't posted any of it yet, but basically half of the cast are Magnificent Bastards or at least trying to be, and I've got 50+ characters, so...it's complicated (and now I'm reminded of a webcomic where a guy asks a girl, 'Will you be my "It's complicated" on Facebook?' haha).

There's the villain above, his father (the co-ruler of the secret conspiracy...which means the shadow ruler of the world, basically), his elder brother (future shadow ruler of the world), elder brother's fiancee (the greatest Magnificent Bastard of them all, and the closest thing to a Big Bad I've got), fiancee's father (co-shadow ruler of the world), a mad scientist type of fellow (who went completely mad fifteen years ago, but knew lots of things prior to that and arranged his plans so well that they're still in motion present day and no one can do anything to him), his daughter (well, she's really a Manipulative Bastard), daughter's boyfriend (comes from a disgraced, dirt-poor part of some noble family, so he's trying to get rich by blackmailing the shadow ruler of the world...among other things)... those are the most important ones, I guess. I can't say more because any bit of backstory or example of Magnificent Bastardry would spoil large chunks of the book--which I'm planning on starting to post soon ^_^

[rephen.livejournal.com]

Sorry I went afk, and then got waylaid by games. I Suck.

OOOOH. Those sound really awesome ! Cant wait to see you post your story / get published / something awesome!

: D

Guess I'll friend you here on LJ, if you dont mind? :)

[misstumbledown.livejournal.com]

Nah, nevermind. It was my birthday so I was too busy dressing slutty and getting drunk to check my LJ, anyway ^_^

Thanks. Though it's got several chapters of introducing the cast and very awkward teenage behaviour before it gets to the bastardry... *bangs head*

Of course not! XD You go on :)))

[rephen.livejournal.com]

Friended you :) Here's stalking to your writings, then :)

WOW. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hope you had a fun day :) Cake, at least? : D

[misstumbledown.livejournal.com]

Thanks! XD

Two separate parties, one boring for the relatives and the people I'd rather not invite but have to out of common courtesy, and another wild one for the 'cool' people who wanted to drink their arses off instead of getting bored to death with the relatives. Am now horribly busy cleaning up their mess and only got around to actually replying to any comments today (and didn't even figure out that you replied to this because the GMail is a bastard and lumps several LJ notifications into the same email), but it was Awesome enough to deserve the capital A :)))

And just a little bit of cake--I'm on a diet :)))