Is It Wrong?

[on:]

Hey everyone long time no see, anyway I am very into fanfics, but recently I was reading the new fanfic at TLZ from Fryfan called It's A Wonderful Life.  Now if you go to my section of fanfic's under B.B.R you'll see I wrote a story about a month and a half earlier called It's A wonderful life, part one and two.  Now I know sometimes people don't mean to plagairize because they haven't noticed someone else already wrote it, but he should at least ask Teral or anyone if there was already a fanfic like the one you are writing,that's what I do. I know sometimes people just don't care about if there is already a fanfic like theirs, and that makes me really mad.    I take pride in my fan work and I don't appreciate what he did, even if he didn't know.  I'm really going to get mad if he scores higher on the same story.  Anyway if you talk to Fryfan tell him!!!!! What do you think about my situation, or a better way to say it is what would you do.

[Reply #1 on:]

Is it the same situation? The same plot/chuncks of text? Or is it just the same title with a similar theme?

If it's the 1st 2, you could email Fryfan to calmly sort things out; be polite. If it's the third, it's probably a coincidence; I don't think asking "Teral or anyone if there was already a fanfic like the one you are writing" would work for _everyone_ - all the old timers would be inundated with emails!

In any case, remember the idea of parallel evolution - it's perfectly possible for 2 fanfic writers to have a very similar idea and write it up; doesn't mean someone plagerised!

[Reply #2 on:]

I haven't read FryFan's story, but I know it's been available on FSAC since at least mid-May (probably longer, since they completely revamped the website structure around that date), he probably just didn't get around to submitting it to TLZ before now. For me it just looks like a coincidence and a bit of bad timing.

The "ask Teral" part wouldn't work since I don't really read fanfics. I read the ones I put up on TLZ, but that's about it. If people ask I'll answer to the best of my ability, but can't give any guarantees.

[Reply #3 on:]

well I briefly looked at both fics and they both seemed to be using the film "It's a wonderful life" as a template. As such I don't think you can call the plagerism card.

Well I will say that I know the sting of having a great idea and then finding out some one else had already done it. It is annoying but it does happen. The fact of the matter is that there are very few orginal ideas left on this tiny blue planet so these things will happen. Perhaps it is mimicry and mimicry is the highest form of flatery.

Oh and just in case someone say "great minds think alike" I will say no. If all great minds thought alike then nothing would progress. Adversity is always needed for progression.

....what was my point?... aaahhh yes smoking is bad

[Reply #4 on:]

 

Originally posted by Teral:
I haven't read FryFan's story, but I know it's been available on FSAC since at least mid-May (probably longer, since they completely revamped the website structure around that date), he probably just didn't get around to submitting it to TLZ before now. For me it just looks like a coincidence and a bit of bad timing.
[snipped]

This seems consistent to what Fryfan wrote to me in his email containing the said fiction. He said it was an old work of his, so it's likely that this has been around on other sites for some time.

Anyway, I do think it's hard to call plagiarism when parodying a famous classic film. Sort of like the pot calling the kettle black... and other such cliched remarks. 

Well, maybe Fryfan will turn up and defend his work. Not that I think it needs defending, myself. I just see it as a coincidence.

[Reply #5 on:]

i actually remember reading fryfan's fic 1st and you wern't even here. I'm affraid that you did it 2nd.

[Reply #6 on:]

 

Originally posted by B.B.R:
Hey everyone long time no see, anyway I am very into fanfics, but recently I was reading the new fanfic at TLZ from Fryfan called It's A Wonderful Life.  Now if you go to my section of fanfic's under B.B.R you'll see I wrote a story about a month and a half earlier called It's A wonderful life, part one and two.  Now I know sometimes people don't mean to plagairize because they haven't noticed someone else already wrote it, but he should at least ask Teral or anyone if there was already a fanfic like the one you are writing,that's what I do. I know sometimes people just don't care about if there is already a fanfic like theirs, and that makes me really mad.      I take pride in my fan work and I don't appreciate what he did, even if he didn't know.  I'm really going to get mad if he scores higher on the same story.  Anyway if you talk to Fryfan tell him!!!!! What do you think about my situation, or a better way to say it is what would you do.

You wrote your story a month ago. Let me make this clear, I wrote It's a Wonderful Life, Fry a year and half ago and it was at ff.nt.   Hopefully, someone like kryten will step in and vouch for that.  I was forced to remove that fanfic from ff.net because it was in script form.  I managed to polish it up for TLZ.  Corrected the spelling grammar, but didn't change anything big.  As far as the other It's A Wonderful Life fanfic, I have nothing against it.  I was aware of that fanfic, but was not influenced by it in any way.  I respect you as a fanfic writer and would never intentional steal someone's idea.

[Reply #7 on:]

Ok about the 1st second thing, ah forget about it.  I meant, but I put the story on TLZ about a month or two ago I wrote it or had ideas for it long ago.  And I'm not mad at anyone for the "coincidence", but don't you think if everyone put the same thing on the same website it would be boring especially if you were aware of mine.  Aw well Fry Fan I respect your work and everything and I admire your work, and maybe not all great minds think alike,but I think ours do. (one more thing, I'm not a mean guy like I come on as, I'm actually really nice.  It's just I let my mouth speak before my mind, or in this case fingers before my mind.

[Reply #8 on:]

Trust me, I understand how you feel.  I felt concerned about copying other fanfic writers' ideas.

Example would be Kryten.

Since 2003, I had planned to do a fanfic involving Michelle making Fry love her.  The result was "St. Valentine's Day Disaster".  My original draft was Michelle using a potion to make Fry fall in love with her.  It ends with Fry overcoming with the effects of the potion and Michelle getting hit with a pie.

Of course, this sounds like Kryten's fanfic involving Cubert making a love potion and making Leela fall in love with him, which I read after I came up with my draft for a story.  After reading Kryten's story, I had to change my story to make it different.

I was inspired to do a fanfic featuring Amy as captain, after reading Kryten's fanfic, A Wong And A Prayer".  I told him about before, writing it, and he gave me his blessing.  Thus, I wrote The Wong Move and Kryten said he liked it and was nothing like his fanfic.

I did a Fry/Amy fanfic which was inspired from  other Fry/Amy fanfics, like Kryten's Osyter Syndrome, or "Love Hurts".  Of course, I decided to acknowledge those writers and others who influenced me to do a fanfic of my own and no harm.

So, I'm always careful about trying not to copy other people's ideas.

[Reply #9 on:]

i agree, fryfan, i used a name from dave vincents fic "background noises" and i put that he made the name and he said it was cool.