(no subject)
there's a funny thing about my fanfic, and I'll explain why in a moment, but I am a "writer's" writer, which means the people whose fic you're reading have probably read my work, but the ground level fangirl has never heard of me
this delights me because of reasons, but it's because of my "innovation" and experimentation. I try things, sometimes it works, sometimes not, but my fics aren't like any others, which is fine, whatever
but it has a backlash, which is actually usually hilarious, and it came up today
My fic something there is in beauty came under fire today, not on ao3 where i linked it because some acts deserve to be shielded
the story is one of an angel, Castiel, asked to watch over the reincarnation of the Angel Michael as he is punished for casting Lucifer out/not killing him
it's not a new piece, it was first published in december 2009
but today a spn fangirl emailed me through lj about how I had plagiarised another story, a wincest one. About twenty minutes later I got a second email apologising for the first from the original author of the story in question, which was about a month old. She was very patient and explained that she had recieved an email from the fangirl in question and had at first thought that SHE was the one being accused of plagiarism because she had explored a similar idea, in fact, she had taken the idea from a note I had put on the comments, that Sam was Lucifer who had killed the first guardian.
She had read my story, liked it, and it gave her an idea, but her work was different enough, it didn't deal with the reincarnation aspect at all, that she didn't think to say based on an idea by which wouldn't bother me anyway. However the fangirl in question had found Beauty and didn't check any of the date stamps or anything and launched into a rather nasty attack and saying that if I didn't take the story down she would tell Ao3 I was a plagiarist because she knew there was nothing she could do about LJ
the amusing thing is that this happens at least once every six months or so, usually with the other author apologising and either admitting they'd never heard of my work before the accusation was made, checked the date stamps went hey, you were first, btw i read your fic it was awesome, or I wouldn't have thought of doing that, sorry about my readers.
The funny thing is I don't particularly mind, well I could do without the threats and name calling, and someone taking the time to actually look at date stamps or who left comments because sometimes it was the other author asking if they could play with the idea, but it does make me worry, and the really hilarious thing - the one that baffles the hell out of me - is that it's invariably that the idea has been turned into wincest and the great sin I have committed is not that I have "stolen" their idea or their story, but instead that I have made it "destiel"
sweetie, if I wanted to offend you, I'd do a whole lot more than just changing the pairing in your story.
and people wonder why I poke the sam girls.
usually my response is thank you very much for bringing this to my attention, I will be in contact with the original author in regards to your accusation of their plagiarism as their story is X months younger than the one which I published. I'll make sure to keep you updated.
99 times out a hundred I'm never going to take it anywhere because it's not worth the fuss and bother arguing it down over one scene (which is usually all it is) but I do like to make their heads explode.
Plagiarism is a terrible thing, and perhaps people should learn what it is before making accusations, or at least take the time to discover which fic came first and was the one "plagiarised"
and no, honey, two stories dealing with reincarnation does not mean one was stolen.
edit: I should tell you about the funniest one
In Immortal Beloved there is a scene where Dean gets in the car, turns on the radio and it plays Simon and Garfunkle's The Boxer - I was accused of stealing that bit of poetry from a wincest story. Apparently she had had Dean recite it or something and the poor reader thought it was original poetry - despite the footnotes explaining it wasn't) and that I had nicked it, I had, but not from her, instead from my father's record collection.
I told you, it's the stupidity of it that bothers me, not the accusations. I've been accused of plagiarism and been plagiarised, this is just stupidity.
this delights me because of reasons, but it's because of my "innovation" and experimentation. I try things, sometimes it works, sometimes not, but my fics aren't like any others, which is fine, whatever
but it has a backlash, which is actually usually hilarious, and it came up today
My fic something there is in beauty came under fire today, not on ao3 where i linked it because some acts deserve to be shielded
the story is one of an angel, Castiel, asked to watch over the reincarnation of the Angel Michael as he is punished for casting Lucifer out/not killing him
it's not a new piece, it was first published in december 2009
but today a spn fangirl emailed me through lj about how I had plagiarised another story, a wincest one. About twenty minutes later I got a second email apologising for the first from the original author of the story in question, which was about a month old. She was very patient and explained that she had recieved an email from the fangirl in question and had at first thought that SHE was the one being accused of plagiarism because she had explored a similar idea, in fact, she had taken the idea from a note I had put on the comments, that Sam was Lucifer who had killed the first guardian.
She had read my story, liked it, and it gave her an idea, but her work was different enough, it didn't deal with the reincarnation aspect at all, that she didn't think to say based on an idea by which wouldn't bother me anyway. However the fangirl in question had found Beauty and didn't check any of the date stamps or anything and launched into a rather nasty attack and saying that if I didn't take the story down she would tell Ao3 I was a plagiarist because she knew there was nothing she could do about LJ
the amusing thing is that this happens at least once every six months or so, usually with the other author apologising and either admitting they'd never heard of my work before the accusation was made, checked the date stamps went hey, you were first, btw i read your fic it was awesome, or I wouldn't have thought of doing that, sorry about my readers.
The funny thing is I don't particularly mind, well I could do without the threats and name calling, and someone taking the time to actually look at date stamps or who left comments because sometimes it was the other author asking if they could play with the idea, but it does make me worry, and the really hilarious thing - the one that baffles the hell out of me - is that it's invariably that the idea has been turned into wincest and the great sin I have committed is not that I have "stolen" their idea or their story, but instead that I have made it "destiel"
sweetie, if I wanted to offend you, I'd do a whole lot more than just changing the pairing in your story.
and people wonder why I poke the sam girls.
usually my response is thank you very much for bringing this to my attention, I will be in contact with the original author in regards to your accusation of their plagiarism as their story is X months younger than the one which I published. I'll make sure to keep you updated.
99 times out a hundred I'm never going to take it anywhere because it's not worth the fuss and bother arguing it down over one scene (which is usually all it is) but I do like to make their heads explode.
Plagiarism is a terrible thing, and perhaps people should learn what it is before making accusations, or at least take the time to discover which fic came first and was the one "plagiarised"
and no, honey, two stories dealing with reincarnation does not mean one was stolen.
edit: I should tell you about the funniest one
In Immortal Beloved there is a scene where Dean gets in the car, turns on the radio and it plays Simon and Garfunkle's The Boxer - I was accused of stealing that bit of poetry from a wincest story. Apparently she had had Dean recite it or something and the poor reader thought it was original poetry - despite the footnotes explaining it wasn't) and that I had nicked it, I had, but not from her, instead from my father's record collection.
I told you, it's the stupidity of it that bothers me, not the accusations. I've been accused of plagiarism and been plagiarised, this is just stupidity.