Talk:The Generic Slash Defense Letter

Regarding the section added by fan MsVM on September 21, 2019 titled: Some Comments/Observations on Inaccuracies etc in the Defence Letter -- What is the best way to incorporate this fan's opinion as Fanlore is a place to document and describe comments and fan reaction elsewhere? The section added is meta and certainly a valid opinion, but Fanlore is not a place to record a personal essay/fanwork itself, and Fanlore is not a personal blog. Even if it is edited to read "some fans feel/felt," we have nothing to link back to unless MsVM is citing other fans or other sources.  --MPH (talk) 12:16, 21 September 2019 (UTC)

Lack of sourcing/citation and attribution is problematic as well as it being written as a personal essay.

One solution is to move the essay to the talk page in its entirety, and cite it to the contributor. Then on the main page put a few sentences in such as:

Even 24 years later, the letter stirs strong reactions, especially among Blake's 7 fans. On September X, 2019. [Fan x] wrote a personal essay "Some Comments/Observations on Inaccuracies etc in the Defence Letter". In it she claimed that the show creators' did object to slash. In support, she argued that actor Paul Darrow created the character of Avon, not the show's creator Terry Nation, so Paul's objections to slash should be the deciding factor. In addition, the fact that Terry Nation read a letter from Paul Darrow during the Gambit convention about why Paul could not attend and Paul's feelings of betrayal by members of the fandom community, meant that Terry supported Paul's objections to slash.

She also claimed that the Blake's 7 characters were not gay, citing numerous examples where the characters kissed women on screen, going on to state that slash was based on "desperate excuses and lameness from slash writers searching for justification." Many of the arguments in the personal essay echoed the anti-slash arguments raised both in the 1995 Slash Defense letter as well as during the Blake's 7 Wars of 1988. You can read the full essay here [link to Talk page]."MeeDee (talk) 19:44, 21 September 2019 (UTC)

Some Comments/Observations on Inaccuracies etc in the Defence Letter

The personal essay added September 20, 2019 to the article page has been moved here.

Some Comments/Observations on Inaccuracies etc in the Defence Letter

There are a number of inaccuracies in this defence letter. I will address only the most obvious as there is not space to address each point in the letter.

Section 7A: It is stated that the only person who has a right to complain is the original writer, Leah Rosenthal claims: Nation has "never voiced any viewpoint". This is either lies or blatant disinformation, in fact Terry Nation DID complain: he was supportive of Darrow & Keating's cease and desist letters https://fanlore.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Blake's_7_Wars#Paul_Darrow.27s_and_Michael_Keating.27s_letter_to_Ann_W..2C_Leah_R..2C_and_Linda_T.

Paul Darrow's statement was even read aloud by Nation personally at the The 1989 Gambit Convention. https://fanlore.org/wiki/Gambit_(convention) This proves that the slash writers defences are based on pure lies. It can also be argued that Paul Darrow in fact largely created the character of Avon. Nation admitted that the character was a bare outline on paper, it was Darrow who filled it out. So BOTH of them have an original creators right to the characters and a right to say that they want the slash to cease and desist.

Section 11: The bottom line is that the characters were NOT homosexual, this was not just implied. Avon especially kissed at least half a dozen different women. The only time he even touched Blake was to save his life. It is a very weak argument if the only thing one can come up with to suggest homosexuality is that Avon fell near Blake when there was a bomb going off! Equally as lame is the defence in Section 10: Where it is claimed that Dorian "eyed up" Avon, so they conclude that this means Avon and Dorian were a couple. Personally I don't recall any "eyeing up", just Dorian giving his girlfriend Soolin a passionate kiss. Even if he did "eye him up", this does not mean Avon was interested, anymore than a random man "eyeing up" a woman in the street means they are a couple. Again more desperate excuses from slash writers and their defenders searching for justification.

To conclude, it would be a different matter if the actors and creators had stated that did not mind or were ambivalent about slash. In fact the opposite is true: they found it distressing. It shows a lack of respect for the show and those involved to continue publishing slash when the creators asked for it to stop. What people think and do in their own home is up to them, but it is entirely different to publish, sell and otherwise make public when you have been asked to cease and desist from doing so.

Reply

I am the author of the essay, while I have no objections to it being moved, I wish to point to an inaccuracy in your summing up of what I said, I did not state that it was ONLY Darrow who created the role (I used the word "largely" NOT "only") - I stated it was BOTH of them, so both have original creators rights as defined by Leah Rosenthal a pro-slash fan who states that this original creator status would be a valid objection (see section 7). I have also added some citations which I omitted previously.

Thanks for the clarification. My thinking is we make this edit to the article page: "....they argued that actor Paul Darrow was largely responsible for the creation of the character of Avon, not the show's creator Terry Nation, so Paul's objections to slash should be taken into consideration."MeeDee (talk) 02:36, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

Undid the removal of words

It's not okay to alter or remove someone else's words on the talk page. In fact, altering by removing or revising previous statements on talk pages, even one's own words, is not okay. One may clarify or add info, but not alter it. Talk pages are meant to be a transparent record of conversations. --MPH (talk) 13:57, 1 October 2019 (UTC)

reference to a site?

Slash Fiction Index Is this the same as Zoë Rayne's Slash Fiction Index? --MPH (talk) 15:43, 16 February 2022 (UTC)