I do not understand a lot of things. In time I like to learn more, but there is something I'm not sure I'll ever fathom.

"Slash" fiction. I mean, I can understand writing romances, porn, whatever--yet why not use your own characters? Why mess with stuff you'll never legitimately publish, is never REALLY yours, and you're having to stretch the fiction by altering those characters. (Even the milder usually "Shipping" doesn't make sense to me.)


If you really like the characters, I get that. I like Spider-Man, heck I like female characters like the Black Cat, Tigra, Kitty Pryde and many others who exists in the SAME universe as Spider-Man. Yet just because they exist in the same universe, and some have even interacted with each other doesn't make me in any way want to hook them up.

Why not instead create your own stories, with their own names, use the traits you want them to have, rather than change someone's hard work?

Many of the people who do this are incredibly and wonderfully talented. It seems to be throwing away good writing effort, on stuff that simply can't ever be utilized by them for anymore than a momentary amusement.
It isn't even the setting them up in their usual orientation that is the biggest issue. That's more of a side annoyance, its more the taking something that is not yours, without permission, and in an artists sense, defacing it for your own interests. I don't see value in spray painting over the Mona Lisa, simply to entertain myself. (Or even over the daily comics in the newspaper...)


Maybe I probably take writing too seriously.

I would like anyone reading this to think: Take your favorite art, favorite story, wholly created by you--and consider for a moment: Do you want those characters changed by someone else? Without your permission?


Perhaps its just a personal flaw on my part. I know many good people who enjoy such things--I just don't understand why they do.