Copycats? Where to draw the line from being inspired, coincidence, or blatantly being copied

As a writer and concept creator, I have had my fair share of fear of being copied, of being inspired, of accidentally copying other people's work. It happens to everyone, in every field, intentionally and unintentionally, but sometimes especially online, it can get hectic.

As a creator, when should you worry about copycats?

Like I said, I'm a writer and concept creator. As a writer, the setting, precise, and characters of your novel are your intellectual property, and here in America, it is protected under copyright laws. As an artist, your designs and drawings are also protected. Likewise for musicians, journalists, etc, anything you create with your own hands is, in a sense, yours.

But sometimes, accidents happen. People happen. So when should you be worried?

Sadly, all the time. If I had a dime for every story I heard about an artist having their art stolen, I would be Bill Gates. Artists have tried many methods to prevent their art from at least going uncredited, but sadly, if someone is bent on stealing, there is little that can be done to stop them. The Internet is a free space for people to do just about anything, and I personally can't get behind the idea, being as I fully support a free Internet. The Internet also doesn't help matters as it makes it not only easier for content to be spread, but easier for it to be stolen.

The most we can do as content creators is catch the act and stop the individual before things get out of hand, but even then things can get out-of-hand. So things can escalate from a thief stealing to a full on riot on the streets, as a metaphor for how the internet can get wildly out of control.

As a content creator, I can report that I have been accused of stealing and unintentionally stole this year. In one case, I overstepped the boundaries of being inspired, however, I did go to the original creator and apologized after realizing my error, and they graciously forgave me. In regards to the other case, I was accused yet have not committed it, even though the other individual insisted on it.

I will not go into details in either case, as they're bygones now, but I wished to use them as examples to show anyone can be on either side. I thankfully haven't had anything stolen from me yet, so I cannot speak from that stance as of now. But I can speak of the otherside, one that rarely gets talked about in terms of these types of discussions.

Sometimes, we can become inspired by the little of things. Sometimes, something sticks, and we wish to take that item and use it for our own devices. Sometimes, something is mentioned, it fades for awhile, only to reappear as if a new idea. And lastly, sometimes, great minds think alike.

None of these are intentionally malicious, nor are these people acting with the intention of stealing. Even the example of something sticking and being carried over isn't out-right copying, although it can easily pass the line if not careful.

So when is it stealing? That's hard to say, honestly, as the action has to be connected to the intentions of the individual, and people can lie. And I'm not talking about blatantly copying, where all that is changed is the hair color or the signature. I'm talking sharing maybe too many characteristics that might feel comfortable, or maybe sharing a similar design/feel. It's not blatant, but something internal is abuzz and you're becoming worried.

I will not say that the content creator is wrong in feeling this way. They have every right to feel wary in a world where everything can be stolen with the simple click and drag of a mouse. What I am saying is do not overreact.

When it came to speaking with the content creator I accidentally stole from, she was very considerate and kind, did not call me names but asked that I never do something like that again. Mistakes happen, they are forgiven, but they are not forgotten. This is how content creators should behave. If they feel something of theirs is being stolen, they should speak with the individual in question politely, in case it was an earnest mistake. Drama is avoided and things that could have resolved easily are resolved with no one's feelings hurt.

To close this article, I would just like to say that I am not speaking of blatant theft cases. I am not speaking of characters who look 100% alike and share similar stories, etc. I am speaking of cases where a character shares the same name, where a world has a similar structure, superficial cases where it lies in the details, like having the word "Muggle" in the title.

My thoughts on Hakuouki Shinkai

For those interested in Hakuouki, some of you might be surprised to hear there's a reboot called Hakuouki: Shinkai. So far, there is some information circling around the internet, especially on tumblr, over just what Shinkai will have. For more details, check out my friend, Mocha, on her blog for more info.

I'm not here, however, to talk about the details or theories about the reboot. This post is mainly to contain my own personal thoughts and where I stand on the matter, yay or nay sort of thing.

Now, reboots are pretty controversial, depending on who you talk to and over what medium. DMC fans, for example, still seem to be fuming over the apparent "reboot" of Devil May Cry, while FFVII fans are still begging to this day for a reboot of Final Fantasy VII. However, many will probably more readily associate "reboot" with negative traits, such as not being the same, ruining the original, being a sloppy remake, etc.

On tumblr, for those aware of the upcoming reboot, there seems to be two camps. The nay-sayers, or the ones who do not like the idea, are fearful of it, or just generally untrusting; and the yay-sayers, or the white knights of the reboot, foaming to the mouth happy, or just excited in general. Obviously, the spectrum is wide and carries various degrees of feelings, but in order to keep things simple, the nay-sayers are those who carry more negative feelings than positive feelings towards the reboot, while the yay-sayers are those who carry more positive feelings than negative feelings. (This is just a quick PSA; just because you're in one camp does not mean you're wrong about your feelings. You are completely justified in whatever you feel; just realize that both camps have problematic behaviors, as with any group.)

Where am I on that spectrum? Well, I like to think of myself in the middle of both camps. I can't say I'm not excited for the possibilities for the game; in fact, when I found out, I had done a little dance. However, with more news coming out for the game, my excitement has waned, and now I am more wary while still being happy for the new game.

What am I excited for? What am I nervous about? Let's split the good and bad;

I am happy about;

• the potential this game has
• more KazaChi
• the possibility of Kazama actually having a legit route
• the possibility of more information on the oni
• the oni
• the possibilities of babies
• the potential of learning more
• the "main bad guy"

I am wary of;

• the potential Otomate could shit on the characters
• the new romance routes
• the possibility it will be as "new" of a story as Warriors of the Shinsengumi was
• very little change
• very little new information
• NOTP
• no babies
• Kazama once again gets a short route

Some of you might be scoffing at my lists, but just remember this is my personal thoughts. I can't really go debating why more KazaChi is a good thing while NOTP is a bad thing, but they are still feelings I have towards the game.

However, some of these feelings are very real and debatable. "The possibility (or lack therefore) of new things." The chance to learn more about the era the Shinsengumi was a part of. Numerous abouts of topics I could go over, good or bad, but these are just my thoughts.

At the end of the day, I'm really neutral. I can't say I'm super pumped for this game, yet I also can't say I'm dreading the day the game(s) will come out. All I can say is I shall approach with excited caution.

Plans for this Blog

So what will I be doing on this blog? Well, what I would like to do is analyze various things that catch my interests. Those various items so far are the following; Hakuouki, Steven Universe, and Gravity Falls. Nothing is concrete, however, so I might add other things to talk about.

By analyzing, what do I mean? Well, I might do what a lot of Youtube reviewers do and review different episodes, shows, games, etc. I might also research the culture or history of certain works, depending on what it is. I might talk about various theories, I might rant about things that didn't work out well. It all really depends on what catches my interest.