The Case Against Angel-Buffy17
On November 23, hamrensel reported possible plagiarism of Gia’s story, Secrets and Lies, on the part of Angel-Buffy17 on fanfiction.net. hamrensel provided screencaps of Chapter IX of Gia’s story and Chapter 5 of Angel-Buffy17’s story.
Screenshot of Secrets and Lies, Chapter IX
Screenshot of Our True Nature, Chapter 5
It appears as though Angel-Buffy17 did remove scenes from Gia’s story, most specifically from Chapter IX. I have included pertinent parts from both stories for comparison:
Secrets and Lies, Chapter IX:
The chime on the door sounded when Angel pushed it open and entered Magos Exousia. The small shop was actually quite busy for the time of the evening, several patrons milling about, browsing and collecting their various books and supplies.
"Angel! My man!" Nikkos greeted him cheerfully, coming around the small counter and extending his hand. He pulled Angel into a half hug, clapping him heartily on the back. "Good to see you. It's been a long time."
"Too long." Angel replied as he stepped back from the smaller man, glancing again at the other people wandering around the small shop. He had hoped to be able to talk to Nikkos alone, but no matter. All he needed was information.
"How's the P.I. business these days?" Nikkos asked earnestly, leaning against the counter and nodding at the small, wrinkled and bespectacled little man that stopped next to them, peering intently at the object in the counter display case.
"Fine. Busy." Angel acknowledged, watching the little man next to them. The object that the man was staring at was a mummy's hand. Written on a placard that was placed in front of the hand was a note that simply read, "Must be special ordered. Display not for sale."
Briefly Angel wondered why mummy's hands would need to be special ordered, but then dismissed the abstract thought as unimportant. Assured that the man was harmless, Angel spoke again. "I need some information."
The man touched Nikkos on the sleeve and pointed at the hand.
"Mummy's hands are special orders. Takes 3-6 weeks." Nikkos replied to the mans' questioning look.
The little man nodded resolutely, then moved away, drawing a small piece of paper out of his pocket and squinting at it determinedly.
"I take a month off and the first day I'm back everyone comes in wanting something. If I'd have been this busy before the holidays I could retired and stayed in Greece." Nikkos joked as he moved behind the counter to ring up a sale from a young girl with cropped, dyed pink hair and piercings through her eyebrow, nose, belly button and most likely a nipple from the outline of the hoop evident through her thin t-shirt that read "I like boys. They're stupid." She glanced at Angel, now leaning against the wall nearby, forcing Nikkos to repeat the amount due twice in order to get her attention. She cast an irritated glance at the shop owner, paid for her various herbs, then flashed a flirty smile at Angel as she turned to leave.
Our True Nature, Chapter 5:
The chime on the door sounded when Buffy pushed it open and entered. The small shop was actually quite busy for the afternoon, several patrons milling about, browsing and collecting their various books and supplies.
"Buffy! My girl" Elijah greeted her cheerfully, coming around the small counter and pulled a stiff Buffy into an affectionate hug. "Good to see you. It's been a long time." He was a tall man and had jet black hair that nearly touched his shoulder. His dark wash jeans and silk shirt just screamed money. And lots of it.
"Too long." Buffy replied as she stepped back from the smaller man, glancing again at the other people wandering around the small shop. She had hoped to be able to talk to Elijah alone, but no matter. All she needed was information.
"How's the slaying business these days?" Elijah asked earnestly, leaning against the counter and nodding at the small, wrinkled and bespectacled little man that stopped next to them, peering intently at the object in the counter display case.
"Fine. Busy." Buffy acknowledged, watching the little man next to them. The object that the man was staring at was a mummy's hand. Written on a placard that was placed in front of the hand was a note that simply read, "Must be special ordered. Display not for sale."
Briefly Buffy wondered why mummy's hands would need to be special ordered, but then dismissed the abstract thought as unimportant. Assured that the man was harmless, Buffy spoke again. "I need some information."
The man touched Elijah on the sleeve and pointed at the hand.
"Mummy's hands are special orders. Takes 3-6 weeks." Elijah replied to the mans' questioning look.
The little man nodded resolutely, then moved away, drawing a small piece of paper out of his pocket and squinting at it determinedly.
"I take a month off and the first day I'm back everyone comes in wanting something. If I'd have been this busy before the holidays I could retired and stayed in Greece." the handsome warlock joked as he moved behind the counter to ring up a sale from a young girl with cropped, dyed pink hair and piercings through her eyebrow, nose, belly button and most likely a nipple from the outline of the hoop evident through her thin t-shirt that read "I like boys. They're stupid."
Secrets and Lies, Chapter IX
"I see. Problems at home?" Nikkos mouth twitched into a half smile.
Angel's gaze swiveled to Nikkos abruptly. "No." He replied with exasperation. "There was a girl in here. Probably three years ago. Beautiful. Blonde. About this tall," holding up his hand, he indicated Buffy's height, his tone taking on one of reverence for the subject.
"Three years? Beautiful? Um, nope. Not ringing a bell. And that sounds like one hell of a love spell. I've heard of lust spells like that before. a really good glamour perhaps." Grinning, Nikkos studied the vampire's expression, finding his tone and manner interesting. Leaning an elbow on the counter, he prompted. "What else can you tell me about her? Might jog my memory a bit."
"Big hazel green eyes, full lips with a smile that can light up the room." Angel closed his eyes, Buffy's image coming into vivid view in his memory. "Glorious golden hair, soft and thick, creamy skin, so warm and smooth. like velvet. She's slender yet perfectly form-" His eyes snapped open suddenly as he realized what he was saying. If he could have blushed he would have. He sounded like an adolescent schoolboy.
"Sounds like an absolute vision. Got a picture?" Nikkos asked as he turned to the young woman approaching the counter in a charcoal gray business suit. She sat two books on the counter, then asked him about various software packages and Internet resources. Nikkos answered her questions politely, stopping twice to extract cards from a file behind the counter containing information for additional contacts she might be interested in then rang up her purchases. She paid and left, studying one of the books she had bought intently on the way out.
"These techno-pagans are taking over the art, I swear." Nikkos shook his head ruefully. "I tell you the days of the cauldron are numbered, my friend." Lifted his brows in question to Angel.
"So, picture?"
Our True Nature, Chapter 5
"I see. Problems at home?" Elijah’s mouth twitched into a half smile.
Buffy’s gaze swivelled to Elijah abruptly. "No." She replied with exasperation. "There was a girl in here. Probably two weeks ago. Timid. Red head. About this tall," holding up her hand, she indicated Willow's height, her tone taking on a sharpness for the subject.
"Two Weeks? Timid? Um, nope. Not ringing a bell. And that sounds like one hell of a spell. I've heard of animation spells like that before. Gets the corpse dancing around." Grinning, Elijah studied the Slayer's expression, finding her tone and manner interesting. Leaning an elbow on the counter, he prompted. "What else can you tell me about her? Might jog my memory a bit."
"Green eyes, got a computer nerd look to her." Buffy described, careful to hide the hostility toward her "best friend"from her voice. "She’s a powerful witch, though her appearance may be deceiving."
"Doesn’t sound like my type. Got a picture?" Elijah asked as he turned to the young woman approaching the counter in a charcoal gray business suit. She sat two books on the counter, then asked him about various software packages and Internet resources. Elijah answered her questions politely, stopping twice to extract cards from a file behind the counter containing information for additional contacts she might be interested in then rang up her purchases. She paid and left, studying one of the books she had bought intently on the way out.
"These techno-pagans are taking over the art, I swear." Elijah shook his head ruefully. "I tell you the days of the cauldron are numbered, my friend." Lifted his brows in question to Buffy.
"So, picture?"
"Sorry, no picture." Buffy grimaced, mentally kicking herself for not taking one from her house. Why hadn't she thought of that earlier? Although with events that transpired since her return, scrap booking was the farthest thing from her mind. That and the fact that she would actually need a picture of her betrayer further added to her anger and agitation. She cursed softly.
Secrets and Lies, Chapter IX
Angel stared at the smaller man with a piercing intensity, studying his face, his body language. His eyes widened as the implication of Nikkos's statement struck him and his gaze took on a sudden intensity. Reaching across the counter, he grabbed the warlock by the shirt and yanked him forcefully forward into the counter between them, causing the objects in the display case to rattle and the pencil cup on top of the case to tip over, sending the pens, pencils and other things spilling out onto the counter and off to the floor.
"You!" Angel growled angrily, his eyes flashing with bits of gold. "You did it. You cast the spell on her."
"Hey, let go of the shirt." Nikkos stared back, unflinching, his pale blue eyes showing no signs of fear. "This is custom made Italian and I don't appreciate the handling of it in such a manner. Nor am I able to think of anything you might be interested in knowing with you staring in my face and not breathing on me."
Angel hesitated a moment longer then let him go, releasing his grip and stepping back slightly to force himself to calm. Whatever Nikkos had done, he could undo.
"I'm not saying I did." Smoothing the wrinkles out of his shirt, Nikkos replied quietly as he smiled and waved at the two women that were openly staring at them after hearing the altercation. The women were new age type wiccas, as evidenced by their long, floating skirts and diaphanous tops, the masses of necklaces practically concealing their necks and chests and a multitude of bracelets around each wrist. The frowned at the two men and whispered quietly to each other, casting an occasional glance over their shoulders.
Nikkos turned his eyes back to the tense vampire and continued flatly, "And I'm not saying I didn't. What's it to you anyway? You got your girl now, your true love."
Angel only snorted in reply, his eyes dark with anger.
Our True Nature, Chapter 5
Buffy stared at the taller man with a piercing intensity, studying his face, his body language. Her eyes widened as the implication of Elijah's statement struck her and her gaze took on a sudden intensity.
Reaching across the counter, she grabbed the warlock by the shirt and yanked him forcefully forward into the counter between them, causing the objects in the display case to rattle and the pencil cup on top of the case to tip over, sending the pens, pencils and other things spilling out onto the counter and off to the floor.
"You!" Buffy growled angrily, her eyes flashing with bits of silver. "You did it. You sold her the supplies."
"Hey, let go of the shirt." Elijah stared back, unflinching, his pale blue eyes showing no signs of fear. "This is custom made Italian and I don't appreciate the handling of it in such a manner. Nor am I able to think of anything you might be interested in knowing with you staring in my face and breathing on me."
Buffy hesitated a moment longer then let him go, releasing her grip and stepping back slightly to force herself to calm. It was taking longer than normal to do, but eventually did.
Whatever Elijah had done, he could help undo.
"I'm not saying I did." Smoothing the wrinkles out of his shirt, Elijah replied quietly as he smiled and waved at the two women that were openly staring at them after hearing the altercation. He nodded reassuringly at his top employee, Yvette, letting her know that he was fine, before she alerted the authorities.
Elijah turned his eyes back to the tense blonde and continued flatly, "And I'm not saying I didn't. What's it to you anyway? Aren’t Slayer’s supposed to be more of the hand to hand combat type? Spells and magic hardly seem your forte."
Buffy only snorted in reply, her eyes dark with anger. "Do you have any idea what you’ve just done, Elijah?"
It appears as though the scene was lifted whole cloth from Gia's story, with just the names and a few phrases having been changed. I contacted both Angel-Buffy17 and Gia. Angel-Buffy17 sent the following reply:
I want to thank you for taking the time out to hear my side of the story and not just permanetley tag me as a plagarist without investigating the case first. Also, the name of the girl who offered and stole the part in "Our True Nature" is Kim. I met her through a Buffy/Angel chatroom last year and we have kept in contact through e-mail. I donot know her personally, nor have I seen what she looks like. [Email address redacted.] After I was informed that a part of my story was stolen, and from a well-known fanfic writer as Gia nonetheless, too say I was shocked is an understatement. I give you my full and most sincere apologies. I understand that it is the writers responsibility to make sure every part of their work is original and I take full responsibility for the crime on Kim's part. I want to let you know that I have tried to contact Kim since the second I was informed of what she has done, but as you can imagine, she has not returned any of my e-mails. I will continue to try and get her to apologize and accept the consequences for as long as possible. Please feel free to do the same, and if she does respond to let me know.
As for my story, "Our True Nature", yes, I have taken it down and will only re-post it once i have omitted the stolen parts and re-written them myself. I assure you, I have learned my lesson in entrusting people I donot know and in researching writings that have been offered to me in the future.
Thank you once again.
Roxy
I also contacted Gia to let her know what happened. Angel-Buffy17 did remove the story as promised, and I contacted the person purported to have provided the scene, but have not heard back. However, because Angel-Buffy17's friend was not credited as a co-author on the original story, and because there is no proof that this person provided the scene for her, I will be adding Angel-Buffy17 to the list of known plagiarists.
Screenshot of Secrets and Lies, Chapter IX
Screenshot of Our True Nature, Chapter 5
It appears as though Angel-Buffy17 did remove scenes from Gia’s story, most specifically from Chapter IX. I have included pertinent parts from both stories for comparison:
Secrets and Lies, Chapter IX:
The chime on the door sounded when Angel pushed it open and entered Magos Exousia. The small shop was actually quite busy for the time of the evening, several patrons milling about, browsing and collecting their various books and supplies.
"Angel! My man!" Nikkos greeted him cheerfully, coming around the small counter and extending his hand. He pulled Angel into a half hug, clapping him heartily on the back. "Good to see you. It's been a long time."
"Too long." Angel replied as he stepped back from the smaller man, glancing again at the other people wandering around the small shop. He had hoped to be able to talk to Nikkos alone, but no matter. All he needed was information.
"How's the P.I. business these days?" Nikkos asked earnestly, leaning against the counter and nodding at the small, wrinkled and bespectacled little man that stopped next to them, peering intently at the object in the counter display case.
"Fine. Busy." Angel acknowledged, watching the little man next to them. The object that the man was staring at was a mummy's hand. Written on a placard that was placed in front of the hand was a note that simply read, "Must be special ordered. Display not for sale."
Briefly Angel wondered why mummy's hands would need to be special ordered, but then dismissed the abstract thought as unimportant. Assured that the man was harmless, Angel spoke again. "I need some information."
The man touched Nikkos on the sleeve and pointed at the hand.
"Mummy's hands are special orders. Takes 3-6 weeks." Nikkos replied to the mans' questioning look.
The little man nodded resolutely, then moved away, drawing a small piece of paper out of his pocket and squinting at it determinedly.
"I take a month off and the first day I'm back everyone comes in wanting something. If I'd have been this busy before the holidays I could retired and stayed in Greece." Nikkos joked as he moved behind the counter to ring up a sale from a young girl with cropped, dyed pink hair and piercings through her eyebrow, nose, belly button and most likely a nipple from the outline of the hoop evident through her thin t-shirt that read "I like boys. They're stupid." She glanced at Angel, now leaning against the wall nearby, forcing Nikkos to repeat the amount due twice in order to get her attention. She cast an irritated glance at the shop owner, paid for her various herbs, then flashed a flirty smile at Angel as she turned to leave.
Our True Nature, Chapter 5:
The chime on the door sounded when Buffy pushed it open and entered. The small shop was actually quite busy for the afternoon, several patrons milling about, browsing and collecting their various books and supplies.
"Buffy! My girl" Elijah greeted her cheerfully, coming around the small counter and pulled a stiff Buffy into an affectionate hug. "Good to see you. It's been a long time." He was a tall man and had jet black hair that nearly touched his shoulder. His dark wash jeans and silk shirt just screamed money. And lots of it.
"Too long." Buffy replied as she stepped back from the smaller man, glancing again at the other people wandering around the small shop. She had hoped to be able to talk to Elijah alone, but no matter. All she needed was information.
"How's the slaying business these days?" Elijah asked earnestly, leaning against the counter and nodding at the small, wrinkled and bespectacled little man that stopped next to them, peering intently at the object in the counter display case.
"Fine. Busy." Buffy acknowledged, watching the little man next to them. The object that the man was staring at was a mummy's hand. Written on a placard that was placed in front of the hand was a note that simply read, "Must be special ordered. Display not for sale."
Briefly Buffy wondered why mummy's hands would need to be special ordered, but then dismissed the abstract thought as unimportant. Assured that the man was harmless, Buffy spoke again. "I need some information."
The man touched Elijah on the sleeve and pointed at the hand.
"Mummy's hands are special orders. Takes 3-6 weeks." Elijah replied to the mans' questioning look.
The little man nodded resolutely, then moved away, drawing a small piece of paper out of his pocket and squinting at it determinedly.
"I take a month off and the first day I'm back everyone comes in wanting something. If I'd have been this busy before the holidays I could retired and stayed in Greece." the handsome warlock joked as he moved behind the counter to ring up a sale from a young girl with cropped, dyed pink hair and piercings through her eyebrow, nose, belly button and most likely a nipple from the outline of the hoop evident through her thin t-shirt that read "I like boys. They're stupid."
Secrets and Lies, Chapter IX
"I see. Problems at home?" Nikkos mouth twitched into a half smile.
Angel's gaze swiveled to Nikkos abruptly. "No." He replied with exasperation. "There was a girl in here. Probably three years ago. Beautiful. Blonde. About this tall," holding up his hand, he indicated Buffy's height, his tone taking on one of reverence for the subject.
"Three years? Beautiful? Um, nope. Not ringing a bell. And that sounds like one hell of a love spell. I've heard of lust spells like that before. a really good glamour perhaps." Grinning, Nikkos studied the vampire's expression, finding his tone and manner interesting. Leaning an elbow on the counter, he prompted. "What else can you tell me about her? Might jog my memory a bit."
"Big hazel green eyes, full lips with a smile that can light up the room." Angel closed his eyes, Buffy's image coming into vivid view in his memory. "Glorious golden hair, soft and thick, creamy skin, so warm and smooth. like velvet. She's slender yet perfectly form-" His eyes snapped open suddenly as he realized what he was saying. If he could have blushed he would have. He sounded like an adolescent schoolboy.
"Sounds like an absolute vision. Got a picture?" Nikkos asked as he turned to the young woman approaching the counter in a charcoal gray business suit. She sat two books on the counter, then asked him about various software packages and Internet resources. Nikkos answered her questions politely, stopping twice to extract cards from a file behind the counter containing information for additional contacts she might be interested in then rang up her purchases. She paid and left, studying one of the books she had bought intently on the way out.
"These techno-pagans are taking over the art, I swear." Nikkos shook his head ruefully. "I tell you the days of the cauldron are numbered, my friend." Lifted his brows in question to Angel.
"So, picture?"
Our True Nature, Chapter 5
"I see. Problems at home?" Elijah’s mouth twitched into a half smile.
Buffy’s gaze swivelled to Elijah abruptly. "No." She replied with exasperation. "There was a girl in here. Probably two weeks ago. Timid. Red head. About this tall," holding up her hand, she indicated Willow's height, her tone taking on a sharpness for the subject.
"Two Weeks? Timid? Um, nope. Not ringing a bell. And that sounds like one hell of a spell. I've heard of animation spells like that before. Gets the corpse dancing around." Grinning, Elijah studied the Slayer's expression, finding her tone and manner interesting. Leaning an elbow on the counter, he prompted. "What else can you tell me about her? Might jog my memory a bit."
"Green eyes, got a computer nerd look to her." Buffy described, careful to hide the hostility toward her "best friend"from her voice. "She’s a powerful witch, though her appearance may be deceiving."
"Doesn’t sound like my type. Got a picture?" Elijah asked as he turned to the young woman approaching the counter in a charcoal gray business suit. She sat two books on the counter, then asked him about various software packages and Internet resources. Elijah answered her questions politely, stopping twice to extract cards from a file behind the counter containing information for additional contacts she might be interested in then rang up her purchases. She paid and left, studying one of the books she had bought intently on the way out.
"These techno-pagans are taking over the art, I swear." Elijah shook his head ruefully. "I tell you the days of the cauldron are numbered, my friend." Lifted his brows in question to Buffy.
"So, picture?"
"Sorry, no picture." Buffy grimaced, mentally kicking herself for not taking one from her house. Why hadn't she thought of that earlier? Although with events that transpired since her return, scrap booking was the farthest thing from her mind. That and the fact that she would actually need a picture of her betrayer further added to her anger and agitation. She cursed softly.
Secrets and Lies, Chapter IX
Angel stared at the smaller man with a piercing intensity, studying his face, his body language. His eyes widened as the implication of Nikkos's statement struck him and his gaze took on a sudden intensity. Reaching across the counter, he grabbed the warlock by the shirt and yanked him forcefully forward into the counter between them, causing the objects in the display case to rattle and the pencil cup on top of the case to tip over, sending the pens, pencils and other things spilling out onto the counter and off to the floor.
"You!" Angel growled angrily, his eyes flashing with bits of gold. "You did it. You cast the spell on her."
"Hey, let go of the shirt." Nikkos stared back, unflinching, his pale blue eyes showing no signs of fear. "This is custom made Italian and I don't appreciate the handling of it in such a manner. Nor am I able to think of anything you might be interested in knowing with you staring in my face and not breathing on me."
Angel hesitated a moment longer then let him go, releasing his grip and stepping back slightly to force himself to calm. Whatever Nikkos had done, he could undo.
"I'm not saying I did." Smoothing the wrinkles out of his shirt, Nikkos replied quietly as he smiled and waved at the two women that were openly staring at them after hearing the altercation. The women were new age type wiccas, as evidenced by their long, floating skirts and diaphanous tops, the masses of necklaces practically concealing their necks and chests and a multitude of bracelets around each wrist. The frowned at the two men and whispered quietly to each other, casting an occasional glance over their shoulders.
Nikkos turned his eyes back to the tense vampire and continued flatly, "And I'm not saying I didn't. What's it to you anyway? You got your girl now, your true love."
Angel only snorted in reply, his eyes dark with anger.
Our True Nature, Chapter 5
Buffy stared at the taller man with a piercing intensity, studying his face, his body language. Her eyes widened as the implication of Elijah's statement struck her and her gaze took on a sudden intensity.
Reaching across the counter, she grabbed the warlock by the shirt and yanked him forcefully forward into the counter between them, causing the objects in the display case to rattle and the pencil cup on top of the case to tip over, sending the pens, pencils and other things spilling out onto the counter and off to the floor.
"You!" Buffy growled angrily, her eyes flashing with bits of silver. "You did it. You sold her the supplies."
"Hey, let go of the shirt." Elijah stared back, unflinching, his pale blue eyes showing no signs of fear. "This is custom made Italian and I don't appreciate the handling of it in such a manner. Nor am I able to think of anything you might be interested in knowing with you staring in my face and breathing on me."
Buffy hesitated a moment longer then let him go, releasing her grip and stepping back slightly to force herself to calm. It was taking longer than normal to do, but eventually did.
Whatever Elijah had done, he could help undo.
"I'm not saying I did." Smoothing the wrinkles out of his shirt, Elijah replied quietly as he smiled and waved at the two women that were openly staring at them after hearing the altercation. He nodded reassuringly at his top employee, Yvette, letting her know that he was fine, before she alerted the authorities.
Elijah turned his eyes back to the tense blonde and continued flatly, "And I'm not saying I didn't. What's it to you anyway? Aren’t Slayer’s supposed to be more of the hand to hand combat type? Spells and magic hardly seem your forte."
Buffy only snorted in reply, her eyes dark with anger. "Do you have any idea what you’ve just done, Elijah?"
It appears as though the scene was lifted whole cloth from Gia's story, with just the names and a few phrases having been changed. I contacted both Angel-Buffy17 and Gia. Angel-Buffy17 sent the following reply:
I want to thank you for taking the time out to hear my side of the story and not just permanetley tag me as a plagarist without investigating the case first. Also, the name of the girl who offered and stole the part in "Our True Nature" is Kim. I met her through a Buffy/Angel chatroom last year and we have kept in contact through e-mail. I donot know her personally, nor have I seen what she looks like. [Email address redacted.] After I was informed that a part of my story was stolen, and from a well-known fanfic writer as Gia nonetheless, too say I was shocked is an understatement. I give you my full and most sincere apologies. I understand that it is the writers responsibility to make sure every part of their work is original and I take full responsibility for the crime on Kim's part. I want to let you know that I have tried to contact Kim since the second I was informed of what she has done, but as you can imagine, she has not returned any of my e-mails. I will continue to try and get her to apologize and accept the consequences for as long as possible. Please feel free to do the same, and if she does respond to let me know.
As for my story, "Our True Nature", yes, I have taken it down and will only re-post it once i have omitted the stolen parts and re-written them myself. I assure you, I have learned my lesson in entrusting people I donot know and in researching writings that have been offered to me in the future.
Thank you once again.
Roxy
I also contacted Gia to let her know what happened. Angel-Buffy17 did remove the story as promised, and I contacted the person purported to have provided the scene, but have not heard back. However, because Angel-Buffy17's friend was not credited as a co-author on the original story, and because there is no proof that this person provided the scene for her, I will be adding Angel-Buffy17 to the list of known plagiarists.