After this our exile

[maypirate]

So I'll post about my weekend later, but, um...am I overreacting?

From my ST fic posted last fall:

Jim Kirk was born in the sky and he's spent his life trying to get back there, whether he knows it or not, whether he meant to or not,

From a different fic posted in the last few days:

He was born in space and he feels like he spent much of his adolescence unknowingly trying to get back out there.

Yes I realize this is fanfiction. Yes I realize that people can have the same thoughts and the same ideas but it's...it's the phrasing, and how it's so much like mine just slightly rearranged. And I'm very distressed. It's probably a coincidence, but it stopped me in my tracks and I couldn't keep reading. I'm not going to run around shrieking "THIEF!!" but I'm all flummoxed. I don't know, I've been tired and PMS-y and nuts for the past few days, so please tell me to get the hell over myself because I'm not a beautiful and unique snowflake of writerly magic and precision.

._.

Edit: Since I keep saying it in comments, I figured I might as well post it up here. I'm pretty sure it is just a crazy coincidence, and I'm not trying to be a scary accusatory jerkface because that's the last thing I want. But almost exactly a year ago someone sent me a series of nasty messages accusing me of stealing MY OWN FIC. And it was so upsetting and angry-making and still bothers me to this day, so my gut reaction was partially one of "what if someone sees this and thinks of my fic and thinks I'm stealing my own things again? OH GOD, STUFF!"

Anyway, thanks for discussing things with me. I'm more level-headed and not as lonely now, and my coworker had a family crisis, so that put things in life back into perspective.

Comments

[sphynxle.livejournal.com]

Sometimes it is honest to God co-incidence. I've written things before, and later found stories that were posted BEFORE mine that had almost the exact same phrasing. Sometimes people have the same train of thought, and that leads to similar phrases.

It's distressing, but it doesn't mean they stole it directly from you, sweetie <3 And if they did . . .personally, I'd congratulate you on having such a well phrased sentence.

[maypirate.livejournal.com]

I love good turns of phrase and I know I try to write like things I enjoy. It's so complicated, because on the one hand I'm like "BWAH MY WORDS!!" and on the other hand it's like "Dude, it's fanfic, get over it."

Part of the problem is that almost exactly a year ago, a girl sent me a series of nasty emails and stalked me across several sites to insist that I was taking credit for her boyfriend's epic InuYasha poker-themed story which was, of course, MINE. So now I'm all "people keep taking my things and then accusing me of stealing them instead and WAAAH!"

..I've been in a bad mood for a few days too, it doesn't help. ;_;

Thanks, though. I really needed someone to help me put it in perspective.

[thistlerose.livejournal.com]

*hug*

I haven't seen the rest of the other story, but just going by that excerpt, I would guess it's a coincidence. I could be wrong, of course. But I can totally understand why it's upsetting! If it helps, your is much better written.

[maypirate.livejournal.com]

Thank you for not thinking I'm totally overreacting. I'm sure it is just happenstance, but it was sudden and alarming and I've been mentally floppy lately so it was very jarring. Plus -and sorry if you've seen the other comments- I've been accused of stealing my own writing before and the thought of someone thinking that I'd stolen this somehow or...something. I dunno. I got all freaked and ran to the internet.

Thank you. ♥

[sedesla.livejournal.com]

I'm going to be the voice of concern here and say that if I were a random, unrelated 3rd party coming across those two lines, I would assume one was copied from the other. Same fandom, same subject?

I could be way off base, of course, andsphynxle might be 100% right. Coincidences do happen. There's really no way to be sure without directly confronting the other writer (which would probably just lead to drama). But I'd keep an eye on their work, and see if any other "coincidences" pop up in the future. Copying is supposed to be the sincerest form of flattery, but I don't personally agree. Especially in the world of fanfic where your credibility as a writer is a huge chunk of your success. If someone is stealing your work, altering it slightly and putting it out there as their own, eventually it just becomes your word against theirs with the fandom left to declare the winner.

Also... I recently had someone take one of my stories and rewrite it, so I'm kind of bitter. Like I said, just be cautious and keep an eye out.

[eonism.livejournal.com]

Recently a fic was posted with the same title, set-up, and ending as one I put up a few months ago. I was kind of irked, but it's like, man, it's fandom. The nature of the fanfiction beast is that there's thousands of people, thinking/talking about a small handful of topics, and eventually people are going to trip over each others feet. Shrug. But I am sorry for the distress.

[maypirate.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and I'm leaning toward that, I just...I've been in a weird mood the past few days so I saw it and in conjunction with people accusing me of stealing my own fics, I kind of freaked out and had no one to talk to so I ran to LJ.

And then my coworker had a family emergency that put the world back into perspective so...I'm better now.

[zrana.livejournal.com]

I'm not in the fandom. There's my disclaimer. Yay.

Yes, those sentences are similar, one may be derived by the other.

However, I've heard similar phrases with the sentiment about "trying to get back there" totally unrelated to Star Trek, usually based on where someone was born or lived at some early point in their life. I just can't remember specifics. I just know I'm already familiar with it somehow.

Thus I'm leaning towards coincidence.

[maypirate.livejournal.com]

It likely is, it was just so very sudden and jarring and I dunno if you saw my earlier comments, but I've had people accuse me of stealing my own fics before so I'm all "Oh no my things?"

I've just been distressed in general lately too, so my perception of events is skewed.

[soda-and-capes.livejournal.com]

Oh man, so hard to tell. :\ I would definitely be suspicious, but I guess that one line isn't evidence enough. (P.S. YOURS IS BETTER. BECAUSE YOURS IS AMAZING. I just reread it the other day.)

[taskemus.livejournal.com]

I'd assume it's a coincidence, unless there's some other reason you think it could be stolen. Star Trek is a pretty huge fandom, and space seems so important to Kirk's character that I can see how two people would say the same thing.

[maypirate.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It's just...I think it's mostly the fear of someone seeing these two things, coming to me, and then telling me that I'm the thief... that scares me. It was bad enough when someone told me I stole my own stupid InuYasha fic.

Prime Mover

[weilide.livejournal.com]

Then again, there's always the inspiring line from Look Who's Talking about men and women: "It's weird, isn't it? You spend the first nine months trying to get out and the rest of your life trying to get back in. " So inspiring -- brings a tear to my eye every time. Anyhow, the important thing here is to just remember that sometimes great minds really do think alike.

[feels-like-fire.livejournal.com]

For the record, I don't agree that it's "JUST" fandom (whole other ranty post, what up srs bznss!) but regardless, it doesn't lessen the amount of work and effort and care you put into your writing. Fandom writers especially write because they love, even if there's no monetary factor, and you have every reason to be upset or anxious because of something like this.

As far as actual plagiarism goes.... I would base it on the rest of the fic. If it's just one isolated sentence, it may still have been lifted (perhaps even unconsciously) from your fic. That idea is a profound one, and she may have read your fic and had that sitting in the back of her head and then barfed it back up when she sat down to write her own.

Then again, if in the rest of the fic, you see other lines or ideas or phrasings that more closely match yours, then I would be worried about intentional plagiarism.

Regardless, have some hugs. I think it's pretty flattering (in a stupid ARRRRGH-inducing way) that someone might have liked your fic enough to go "oooh! Shiny!" and lift or imitate it. Still: ARGH. I sure hope you feel better, dear. *huuuuugs*

[perivates.livejournal.com]

That particular sentiment about Jim trying to get back out into space is a very common theme throughout a lot of Trek fic I've read. (Mostly Academy era K/S, in this instance.) So I really wouldn't be particularly concerned over it.

[sink-or-swim.livejournal.com]

This is what I was going to say. I've seen that all over the fandom on the kinkmeme. It's a coincidence.

But I will agree also with the others who've said that yours is better written.

[flybynight00.livejournal.com]

Someone accused you of stealing your own fic? That is so strange. And awful.

[loreamara.livejournal.com]

If it isn't coincidence, it might still be unintentional. The author could have done it unknowingly, having read your fic and internalized the phrase, later to regurgitate it thinking it their own. If that's the case, then it's quite a compliment for you (well, so is outright plagiarism, but at least this way they didn't do it on purpose, and that's easier for me to stomach).

Anyway, your version is better.

[thalialunacy.livejournal.com]

That's a common sentiment when it comes to Kirk. You put it better, for sure, but there is such a thing as group consciousness, imo. I mean, they always could have copied you knowingly, but even if they did, the stink it would raise--as you know--is probably not worth making the accusation. I'm not saying you overreacted -- overreacting would've been IMMEDIATELY CONTACTING THEM WITH ANGRY WORDS OF ANGRINESS. Just saying I approve of the lack of after-action. :B