in need of some advice

[trisana_mcgraw]

So, I got a review for Romantic Notions (that monster fic that first got me into Raoul/Buri), but it wasn't exactly positive:

From 'shame' (anonymous review, natch, and I can't figure out if it's the person's username or if s/he is trying to make me feel bad)

i think this is very much like the story takrimon wrote...shouldn't you have mentioned

Comments

[fyrethief]

That sucks. *hugs* I'm really not sure how you could reply to them... You could delete it if it irks you that much. The only thing I could think of is to post either a new chapter/in your next R/B fic put an A/N and mention it there.

(P.S. Sorry for the multiple replies in your other post.)

[onetrickponies]

If this reviewer is trying to drag you into the realm of plagiarism, I think it'd be pertinent to remember that both fics are "missing scene" fics that were written based off an alluded to event in the original published work. Everyone with a brain who read Squire knows that Raoul and Buri Got It On during the night of Joren's ordeal after (and laregely because) they attended Raoul's aunt's Midwinter party. It'd be like accusing fics of Joren's ordeal of being too similar because Joren dies at the end. :P It's what fanfic writers do: fill in the gaps. That scene was just a particularly tasty one for ficcing. People are bound to end up writing about the same things

[onetrickponies]

ETA: especially because they reviewed anonymously. Coward. *scoffs* And a few years after the fact.

[sylvia_rachel]

Yeah, actually, on second thought, I think I agree with ^

If they were really serious, and not just trying to stir up bad feeling, they'd PM you or e-mail you and ask a question, rather than making a public accusation on slender evidence. And if they can't bother to spell the alleged victim's name correctly, well, they don't deserve a response.

'Course, I'm the fanfic reader who hits the "back" button if there's more than one grammar or punctuation error in the first paragraph of a new story and never goes back.

[sylvia_rachel]

One thing you could do, although I know it's considered Bad and Tacky and Trying To Boost Your Review Count, is review the fic yourself and answer the accusation in the review. (I did that once, early on, when an anonymous reviewer objected to something -- I haven't done it since, but if it were something as serious as this, I probably would.)

Just a thought.