RL

Synonyms:	meatspace, Real Life, Real World, Offline, In Real Life
See also:	Mundane, Real Name, Wallet Name, Fandom Closet, Meetup
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RL is an abbreviation for "Real Life." The term makes the assumption that there is a great divide between a fannish life and "real life."

In regards to online fandom, the term "RL" is often used to mean everyday "offline" life (e.g. "Sorry for not commenting, but RL keeps getting in the way."), but can also mean physical space, or "fleshspace" ("I met my beta in RL the first time at Games Convention.")

The acronym is often criticized for devaluing fannish relationships and experiences, online and offline, in its implication that these are "less real".

Some Comments About Integrating One's Fannish Identity with One's Real Life Identity

• On The Naming Of Names ; archive link by meri oddities (2003)
• The merits of sock-puppets; archive link by painless j (July 2005)
• Fanonymity, ^{Archived version} (2006)
• Sharing fandom/fannish selves by entrenous88 (September 2006)
• Establishing one's fandom bona fides ; archive link page 1, archive link page 2 by liviapenn (December 2006)
• Fandom and real life - do you cross the streams? at fail-fandomanon (2014)