Question for f-list fic writers

[frozencatnip]

I recently ran into a round robin contest on a forum, in which the latest entry bore a Very Definite resemblance to a friend's fic plot.  The plot in question is unique, and the writer of the round robin is known to be familiar with it

Comments

[fatal_blue]

It took you ten days and the best you could manage was three examples of parodies and satire, most, if not all, of which come from material that falls well within public domain? Here, let me alleviate your ignorance a bit.

From a simple google definition search: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=kRu&pwst=1&defl=en&q=define:plagiarism&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

From wikipedia, specifically mentioned under the bit on online plagiarism: "It is important to reiterate that plagiarism is not the mere copying of text, but the presentation of another's ideas as one's own, regardless of the specific words or constructs used to express that idea."

It's not based on amount used, it's not based on exact wording. I knew this by the time I was a freshman in high school, if not before. And, as has already been said, you can't really have it both ways.

As I've already pointed out, I don't personally give a damn what you may or may not have used from my fic. It's utterly immaterial to me, considering it's simply that - a piece of fan fiction. What did bug me is the attitude when it was brought up, both yours and Amokitty's. Especially given your own grousing not days before about the similarities between your Book of Magik fic and some of the plot points in X-Infernius.

The thing about using someone else's ideas in the writing community without so much as dropping a line to say 'do you mind'? It's considered unethical, not to mention tacky and rude. Even if it's totally unintentional, when that possibility is brought to your attention, the proper, polite response is 'whoops, you may be right, my bad'. It is not to go off on a defensive tangents of denial which only ends up making you look more guilty than you may or may not actually be.

If you'd learn to deal with criticism and differing opinions with some sort of mature grace, and a little honesty and objectiveness, you'd likely find yourself in fewer situations of this type. Why on earth would anyone bother to offer you honest critique on anything when this is the type of response they'd get? It's a waste of time.