Transfan Fanfic Rants

Number Fourteen: Cursed

Rant Number Fourteen: The Curse of Having A Popular Fic

        *Cue eye roll and head shake*

        So, here's something that just absolutely slagging SUCKS about having a popular fic, just as much with transfans as any other fandom that creates a signficant level of fanfics.

        Ideas. Get. Repeated.

        Stolen.

        Duplicated.

        Whatever you'd like to call it. The truth of the matter is, people seem to lack originality. My guess is that people just see these ideas and how popular they become, and rather than just create something original that is utterly theirs, they'd rather try and piggyback as much as they can.

        Or they assume it's just a great idea and don't actually think they can create something worthwhile so they just give up automatically and piggyback off other original ideas.

        Or they just, I don't know, can't think of any other way to do things.

        I don't know how it happens. All I know is it does.

        And it drives me a little crazy.

        For instance, Both TFASGAwriter and Liz (can't remember her current username, it's changed so many times I gave up. I think it's DrgRcnGrl or something). Anyway, they both had/have these popular fics where their fandom is real, just in another dimension or some such thing. And they wander inside it, knowing eveyrthing they could possibly know from the shows or movies or whatever

        And what happens?

        Bam. These fics are EVERYWHERE.

        Legitmately, just fracking everywhere.

        Yes, it's a cool idea, not really my cup of tea, but pretty cool, and very different.

        But that doesn't really mean you have to rip it off.

        Or the techno-organics. Usually kidnapped by the Decepticons within the first . . . Oh, three chapters? First chapter? Just one day, they're living their life, and BAM kidnapped. Or maybe they magically keep their techno-organicism a secret despite the fact that it's painfully obvious.

        Um. Okay. Whatever.

        And then, the randomness that is what really set me off, and drives me a little crazy every single fragging time I see it: the completely 'original' idea that is to turn your human into a Cybertronian.

        You know what? I'd be completely flattered if anyone actually said, "Hey, I really love your fic with Tracy and whatnot, and would it be all right if I used a very similar scenario?" I would love that. And I have had that happen. Once. And I'm still conflicted about it because I see it happen so often and it seems like people are trying to pass it off as their original idea.

        When I created the series, it was an original idea. It was something I had never heard of before, at all. I legitimately didn't know that it had actually happened in G1.

        It was just something that had popped into my head.

        And when I came to Wattpad, I saw nothing of the sort here.

        What happens after Stay made it up there and STAYED up there?

        The same sort of thing is everywhere. Absolutely everywhere.

        I scroll through random pages and wind up on these random stories, and all of a sudden "Oh my human randomly became a transformer!" With the prevalence of ghost readers, I can never fully say, "Oh, there's no way you ever read my fic so you're not ripping off my idea." It just doesn't really happen because so many people never vote or comment. They're ghost readers, which makes it all that easier for them to use something that isn't originally theirs.

        It drives me insane.

        But, maybe I'm delusional. Maybe I'm crazy. I can't say for sure. But it still irritates me. More so when the people I consider 'friends' rip off the idea without a word. The legitimately just try to slip it under the radar.

        I see it, thank you very much.

        And I remember your 'defense' of it when I ranted about a similar situation with another person.

        Um, yeah. It all makes sense.

        Anyway, just come up with your own fragging ideas. Odds are, they'll be more successful, and more desirable,  when you're not making a cheap knockoff. Or a cheap Knockout. But that falls under characterization.

        So, yeah. That's out of my system.

        To anyone who thinks I'm crazy: you're probably right. To anyone who doesn't: I think we'd be good friends in CrazyTown together.

        ~Just do your fragging research, and your own ideas, when getting involved in the transfan universe.