DISCLAIMER
1/9/2014
So, a long, long time ago, I wrote a my first Trixie story, called Flashbacks. It no longer exists, and honestly, that's probably for the best. As I posted each chapter, I dutifully included some kind of standard disclaimer. "I don't own these characters, blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada, fishcakes." Somewhere along the way, I got to the point where I thought,"This is stupid. First of all, no one reads these things. Second? No one - absolutely no one - thinks I do own these characters, so saying so is about as useful as mentioning the sun will be coming up tomorrow. Third? It's not like a disclaimer would really protect me in a court of law. If the owners of Trixie came along and gave me a cease-and-desist order, that would be the end of it. I couldn't fight that. I have no grounds to do so." After that, my disclaimers became total jokes. In one, I somehow worked the titles of every single Trixie book into a short story. In another, I wrote a "All I really need to know, I learned from Trixie" thing. Eventually, I stopped writing them altogether.
When I posted new stories to Fanfiction.net in the summer of 2013, I put in the disclaimers - rolling my eyes the entire time - along with author notes per story, something else I don't much like doing. I figured I'd better follow the general FF.net protocol, though, so there they are.
As far as I'm concerned, ASKOF only needs one real disclaimer, and it's there in bold letters on the main page: This is a Trixie/Regan story for mature audiences only. Of course I don't own these characters! I know this. You know this. Random House knows this. If they ever come along and tell me they want me gone, gone I will be.
Also? Because I've borrowed (without permission) characters and settings I don't own, I do not feel I have the right to then turn around and say no one can do the same to me. While I put a copyright notice on this site and The Reluctant Monkey, the truth is, if you ever want to borrow (with or without permission) from anything I've come up with, you have my full blessings. Take it. Borrow it. Steal it. Run with it. Parody it. Build on it. Destroy it. Do whatever the heck you want with it. I would feel like nothing less than a thundering hypocrite if I got upset by someone doing to me the same thing I've done to Random House.
So have at it, if you so feel inclined. I don't own these characters/settings. And the ones I did dream up? I make no real claims on them, either.
So, a long, long time ago, I wrote a my first Trixie story, called Flashbacks. It no longer exists, and honestly, that's probably for the best. As I posted each chapter, I dutifully included some kind of standard disclaimer. "I don't own these characters, blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada, fishcakes." Somewhere along the way, I got to the point where I thought,"This is stupid. First of all, no one reads these things. Second? No one - absolutely no one - thinks I do own these characters, so saying so is about as useful as mentioning the sun will be coming up tomorrow. Third? It's not like a disclaimer would really protect me in a court of law. If the owners of Trixie came along and gave me a cease-and-desist order, that would be the end of it. I couldn't fight that. I have no grounds to do so." After that, my disclaimers became total jokes. In one, I somehow worked the titles of every single Trixie book into a short story. In another, I wrote a "All I really need to know, I learned from Trixie" thing. Eventually, I stopped writing them altogether.
When I posted new stories to Fanfiction.net in the summer of 2013, I put in the disclaimers - rolling my eyes the entire time - along with author notes per story, something else I don't much like doing. I figured I'd better follow the general FF.net protocol, though, so there they are.
As far as I'm concerned, ASKOF only needs one real disclaimer, and it's there in bold letters on the main page: This is a Trixie/Regan story for mature audiences only. Of course I don't own these characters! I know this. You know this. Random House knows this. If they ever come along and tell me they want me gone, gone I will be.
Also? Because I've borrowed (without permission) characters and settings I don't own, I do not feel I have the right to then turn around and say no one can do the same to me. While I put a copyright notice on this site and The Reluctant Monkey, the truth is, if you ever want to borrow (with or without permission) from anything I've come up with, you have my full blessings. Take it. Borrow it. Steal it. Run with it. Parody it. Build on it. Destroy it. Do whatever the heck you want with it. I would feel like nothing less than a thundering hypocrite if I got upset by someone doing to me the same thing I've done to Random House.
So have at it, if you so feel inclined. I don't own these characters/settings. And the ones I did dream up? I make no real claims on them, either.