SB & justTripn, I'm so sorry to hear you two had encounters with predators, that's really a shame - especially when it happens to a young person who doesn't understand whats going on there. I lost my virginity in a date-rape situation when I was 22, but being older, I'm sure that wasn't anywhere near as traumatic as what it was for you's to deal with as children. Anyway, I can still empathize with you on that. I think those who prey on others (especially the innocent) should either be shot or sent to a remote island with other predators who could hopefully teach them how it feels to be victimized themselves.
About slash - I don't think being turned off by it is in any way meant as a slam against gays or against those who like to write or read that type of literature. Thats strictly a matter of personal taste. But in the first place, I can't understand what female slash writers see in writing about male homosexual encounters; and I think they are wasting their time and talent there because it does seem offensive or like character assasination to portray heterosexual characters as being gay when they clearly are not. I mean, if they want to write slash, then why not choose to write about characters (like say Crewman Daniels for instance) who never had their sexual preferences explored on the show and who may or may not be gay for all we know. Thats nothing against gays, slash writers, or whatever a person's tastes are, but to make a straight character gay in a story does a disrespect to the character (for not being portrayed in an honest way) and seems like the writer could find a better use for their talent. Or if they are dead set on focusing on a certain straight character, then why not give him a counterpart in an AU story who happens to be gay? To change a character's sexual preferences seems like a cheap shot or degrading to that character, thats what I find offensive about it - aside from the fact that it really turns me off as far as my own tastes are concerned, like it's hitting below the belt there or a disrespectful thing to be engaged in doing. I avoid stories where I think the characters as well as the writer themselves are being degraded by it. (But hey, that's just strictly my opinion - no offense to those who either like slash or disagree with me about that, to each their own.)
About using others works, yeah, you're right, justTripn, it wouldn't be fair to use the work of another writer if that author doesn't want their work continued by others into fanfic - though I think thats a pretty mean spirited or selfish way for some of these famous authors to feel about their works, to not want their fans to see what they can do with those characters. I mean, it's not like fanfic writers profit from it or it in any way harms the writer who created it. And I do think it's just showing good manners to ask a writer's permission to use their work as the foundation in their 'spin-off'- or to at least give them credit if you can't contact them (like folks do when giving disclaimers about Paramount owning Star Trek, etc). Hell, I even gave permission to and got an acknowledgement in her story from that writer who used my idea - and that was just an idea she put an entirely different type of a spin on (I was just avoiding what I thought could be a potential "what if?" type of disaster, but she laid out my potential disaster theory as a full blown nightmare complete with executions, imprisonments, etc in her story); both stories were based on my theory, but they really didn't have anything to do with each other and while I was flattered by it, I don't think she even needed my permission or to give me an acknowledgement for as much of a different type of a spin as she put on it, I mean, I wouldn't have been at all offended by it if she hadn't contacted me about it. And too, as far as borrowing storylines - well, I think its okay if you take an idea and run in a different direction with it to make it a totally unique creation (like that writer did with my theory), or to pick up on an abandoned storyline the original author isn't going to pursue, like I left my story hanging with them going to permanently park Voyager on a planet in the Delta quadrant and said "to be continued..." so if someone else wants to pick it up from there, be my guest, I'm not going to write it a sequel after all these years. (writing that story not only is a fine example of why I should not try writing - it left me in awe of and feeling totally starstruck by those of you who do write fanfic - you guys seem like geniuses and rock stars to me
).
But in any case, I don't think plagerism is ever right, or to use a storyline someone is currently working on (as in a novel it might take them a long time to complete) unless you can so dramatically go in a different direction with it to make it unique. But the reason I say that is because there's alot of stuff out there numerous fans are writing similar stories about (like say Trip and T'Pol get married) - well, maybe 100 people have done that type of a story, but as long as you make your story unique, I think its okay to pursue stories in a similar vein or to borrow ideas if you put an entirely different kind of spin on it. (I was lucky being able to tread into virgin territory by doing something that was considered blasphemy in Voyager fanfic and luckily I was the first person to write about what I seen was a serious flaw in the idea of them going home that nobody else had previously dealt with or considered before then - but when alot of folks share similar tastes and want similar things, there's bound to be some borrowing there and thats fine, I think - as long as you can do it in a way that makes it uniquely yours, thats all I meant by borrowing being okay in my opinion. Its like that with faking in a way too, I can't accuse another faker of stealing my idea if they want to do sexy fakes of a character, I don't own that character and I certainly can't tell others what they can do or accuse them of stealing there - although if seeing my work can interest another faker into creating their own work, I feel very flattered by it.
Okay, I'm going to shut up about these subjects here and get back to work on those fakes. (its so much fun talking with you's here, I tend to lose track of time and get carried away with it to the extent I tend to ignore other stuff I should be doing, Sorry about that. Bye!)