This Is a Work of Fiction: Difference between revisions

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Sometimes this disclaimer is [[Blatant Lies|the only part of the movie that's fiction]], especially when [[Historical Domain Character|the real people in question lived long enough ago that they're not going to sue anybody]]. (And sometimes publishers make the mistake of putting it in books openly [[Based on a True Story]]; e.g., the [http://www.nizkor.org/features/denial-of-science/schindler-04.html first printing of the Touchstone paperback edition] of ''[[Schindler's List]]''.) Works [[Based on a True Story]] may use a modified disclaimer, acknowledging the historical basis for the work but stating that it doesn't necessarily conform 100% to history.

Although not a [[Dead Unicorn Trope]], this can easily be mistaken for one by the unobservant. When played straight, the disclaimer is generally buried amid a bunch of similar legalese (at the end of the credits or on the copyright page of the book, for example) where it might be easily missed. More playful versions are generally given much more prominent placement, so everyone can recognize how clever the creators are being.

Although not a [[Dead Unicorn Trope]], this can easily be mistaken for one by the unobservant. When played straight, the disclaimer is generally buried amid a bunch of similar legalese (at the end of the credits or on the copyright page of the book, for example) where it might be easily missed. More playful versions are generally given much more prominent placement, so everyone can recognize how clever the creators are being. These often include [[Suspiciously Specific Denial]]s, just in case more generic denials are insufficient to the task.

If a work uses [[Write Who You Know]], the issue will probably be avoided.

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{{examples|Interesting uses:<ref>As the disclaimer itself is ubiquitous, only parodies, [[Based on a True Story|inversions]], [[In-Universe]] examples and the like should be listed.</ref>}}

== Anime ==

* It's repurposed in ''The Melancholy of [[Haruhi Suzumiya]]''; the SOS movie includes a version of it so that Haruhi won't make everything in the movie real.

* ''[[Occult Academy]]'' ends with this: (translated to English) This programme is a work of fiction. Departed Spirits, Psychic Abilities, Aliens, UMA's, etc., do not exist.

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:: This is pretty gutsy from a series that in fact goes against the popular (in Japan) interpretation by not ignoring Japan's role in what happened and presenting it as a bad thing.

* ''[[Samurai Champloo]]'': "This work of fiction is not intended as an accurate historical portrayal... LIKE YOU GIVE A %#@&!"

== Comic Books ==

* In ''[[Transmetropolitan]]'', Spider Jerusalem starts watching porn based around his persona, preceded by this disclaimer: "This is a work of fiction not intended to represent anyone living, dead or [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|writing a weekly column for a newspaper.]]"

* ''[[Books of Magic]] III'' has: "This is a work of fiction. All the characters in it, human and otherwise, are imaginary, excepting only certain of [[The Fair Folk|the fairy folk]], whom it might be unwise to offend by casting doubts on their existence. Or lack thereof."

* [[Marvel Comics|Marvel UK]]'s ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]'' and ''[[Count Duckula]]'' comics disclaim any resemblance to persons "living, dead, or undead".

* As does Eric Powell's ''[[The Goon]]'', published by Dark Horse.

== Film — Live Action ==

* The 1969 film ''[[Z (film)|Z]]'', which satirizes the military dictatorship ruling Greece at that time, has this notice: "Any resemblance to actual events, to persons living or dead, is not the result of chance. It is DELIBERATE."

* ''[[The Three Stooges]]'' short "[[You Nazty Spy]]" claims that "Any resemblance between the characters in this picture and any persons, living or dead, is a miracle."

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== Image Boards ==

* The infamous /b/ board on 4chan has one of these:

{{quote| The stories and information posted here are artistic works of fiction and falsehood.<br />

Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact. }}

** Similarly, the German Krautchan includes a bilingual disclaimer after the site was [[New Media Are Evil|featured in the news]].

== Literature ==

* ''[[American Gods]]'' has a long version of the disclaimer, including discussion of precisely how real certain locations discussed in the book are, and ending "Furthermore, it goes without saying that all the people, living, dead and otherwise in this story are fictional or used in a fictional context. Only the gods are real."

* Carl Hiassen has a tendency to start his books this way.

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* In ''[[The Pale King]]'', [[David Foster Wallace]] points out the paradox of the book being both a memoir and literary fiction in The Author's Foreword, first saying that everything in the book is true, and then pointing out that [[Logic Bomb|the sentence in which he says that is itself covered by the disclaimer at the beginning of the book]].

* In ''You Have to Stop This'', the final book of [[Secret Series]], the disclaimer reads "The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Of course, you know what they say about good intentions...."

== Live Action TV ==

* ''[[Red Dwarf]]'' has an episode in which an ancient scroll containing this disclaimer for [[The Bible]] is unearthed.

* The video case for ''[[Blackadder]]'s [[Yet Another Christmas Carol|Christmas Carol]]'' states that all characters are fictional and any resemblence to any real person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Except the Awful Screeching Woman, who knows ''exactly'' who she is.

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* Every episode of [[Unsolved Mysteries]] started out with a warning in (first) an ominous male voice, and on the [[Lifetime Movie of the Week|Lifetime]] broadcasts, an equally ominous female voice:

{{quote| This program is about unsolved mysteries. Whenever possible, the actual family members and police officials have participated in recreating the events. What you are about to see is not a news broadcast.}}

== Music Videos ==

* The phrase "...any persons living, dead or undead" is also used by the music video for [[Michael Jackson]]'s ''Thriller'' (which, like ''An American Werewolf in London'', was directed by John Landis).

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== Theatre ==

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== Theatre ==

* ''Knickerbocker Holiday'', Epilogue for Stuyvesant:

{{quote| What more remains is but to say<br />

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Nor does one actor here portray<br />

The person that he represents. }}

== Video Games ==

* Used at the beginning of ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty]]'' (and that game alone), because it was written in 1999, depicted terrorist attacks in New York and [[Too Soon|was completed in September 2001]].

* Can be seen at the beginning of both the English and Japanese versions of the ''[[Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army|Raidou]] [[Raidou Kuzunoha VS King Abaddon|Kuzunoha]]'' games, perhaps due to the historical([[Alternate History|ish]]) setting and the use of a few [[Historical Domain Character|Historical Domain Characters]].

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== Web Comics ==

* ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'': Tom Siddell says this, almost word for word, in the annotation for [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=380 this page] and the one following. However, the the message here is not "''Although this looks like it could have really happened, it didn't.''", but rather "''[[MST3K Mantra|I KNOW this is impossible! It's a fantasy story, OK?]]''"

== Western Animation ==

* ''[[South Park]]'' displays this at the beginning of each episode:

{{quote| "All characters and events in this show—even those based on real people—are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated ... [[Self-Deprecation|poorly]]. The following program contains coarse language and due to its content it should not be viewed by anyone."}}