My fic got plagiarised by a time-traveller from 2002

[lokifan]

Someone fully ripped off my old Harry/Draco fic Aftershocks and posted it as their own, in order to add an author’s note being like “yaoi is bad and stupid”. Like, what???

Honestly, I’m pissed off they stole my work, but it’s also just so weird to see someone doing “if you avoid reading any straight fics, that is actually heterophobia” and ‘We don't just see hot people on screen and immediately think “OMG I want them rubbing their genitals together right now!!!!1”’ in the year of our Lord 2023. They said something about winning the interwebs in the comments. This is someone way, way too old to think this is funny.

It’s also kind of weird and funny to me that they’re like… saying this is trolling but they also earnestly believe their ‘point’. Like they’re simultaneously making fun of people for recognising the fic as stolen (because it’s ‘sad’ to have read enough fic to recognise this one) and having weird dust-ups about how reverse racism is real in the comments.

And for all the open trollishness of the author’s note at the end, they didn’t admit to having stolen it. The other two fics on their account do seem to be actual parodies they wrote themselves, which obviously just got no attention as people scrolled by, so they decided to steal a real, decently popular fic and just add ‘surprise ending’ to the tags, in which the surprise ending is the screed about how m/m pairings are bad actually. Their last reply before people started calling them out on the theft includes a part that really makes no sense unless they were hoping/assuming people wouldn’t realise that they didn’t write the fic themselves: why shouldn't trollfics be allowed on AO3? This is a valid form of parody as far as I'm concerned and the South Park-style ending to this cracks me up. People just need to lighten up a little. I'm not trying to stop anyone from doing what they want, just trying to poke fun at the nonsensicalness of it all. And BTW, I only use this account to post fics which I anticipate will be unpopular due to their subject matter.

This all feels so 2006. WTAF.

(It’s already been reported, btw, and I’m hoping the fic will be gone v soon.)

Comments

[torino10154]

OMG what is wrong with people?! I just went to look at the fic and wow, what a .... 🤬 I'm so sorry they picked your fic for this exercise in offensive stupidity. I hope it gets removed soon.

[lokifan]

Thanks <333 Ugh, honestly, I'm trying not to get too pissed off since that's clearly their goal, but it's so homophobic (and misogynistic - this exercise in making fun of stupid girls and their stupid girly hobby).

[nerakrose]

i had a quick look, and...that person must be so sad and bitter and desperate for attention to be pulling this shit. i'd hoped we'd left this kind of trolling behind in the 00s as well.

[lokifan]

Honestly, they genuinely must be so sad and bitter. Like, I commented and their reply was, among other things, that they write REALLY GOOD fic actually, on a different account, you wouldn't know her. Much better fic than mine.

Like, I get the impression this person is really bitter that their fic, whatever it is, got less attention than mine - which is under 2k of smut and has over 10k kudos. Which like - it's by far my most successful fic, but probably not my best! You can't predict what people will like, and what they like has very little to do with quality! You gotta move on, babe.

My favourite is that they described PWP like mine as "low effort, copy and paste fics". The call is coming from inside the house...

[nerakrose]

it's also just such a weird fixation? like...why you? did they just happen across yours and something in them got incensed? weird.

[lokifan]

I'd love to know!! (But not enough to ask, lol, I'm very done interacting with them.) Apparently they filter out m/m since they don't want to read it - which, yep, good job, love it, curate your experience, but it makes it even weirder.

[itsnotmymind]

That is deeply messed up. At least it sounds like most of the people commenting are aware how messed up it is. It's sad to have read so many fics to recognize this one? Sadder than stealing someone else's fic just to create drama?

[lokifan]

It's sad to have read so many fics to recognize this one? Sadder than stealing someone else's fic just to create drama?

Right????? It's so, so messed up. Honestly I genuinely hope things improve for this person because this isn't the behaviour of a happy person.

They replied to me saying 'this isn't satire, it's just theft - your 2 actually-satire fics got no traction so clearly you moved on to theft' with a screed about how they write ACTUALLY GOOD fic. Which makes me think a lot of the bitterness/urge to fuck with slash fans comes down to anger that lots of people enjoyed reading my fic. These stupid people enjoying themselves reading stupid smut and giving kudos to some stupid writer who doesn't deserve it! Like, the format of 'enjoy reading this fic then get yelled at for liking it' is very, um, psychologically telling.

[pauraque]

Wow, I'm sorry. That someone would spend their time on something like this is so pathetically deranged.

[lokifan]

<3 Thanks.

It's genuinely pathetic. Like to the extent that I do hope things get better for the thief, because this really seems like a very unhappy person, and a writer who's not getting 'enough' attention for their fic, taking it out on other people. I'm pissed off, particularly because it's such a shitty thing to do to a reader - here's a fun little bit of smut except actually fuck you - but man I'm glad not to be that person.

[rionaleonhart]

This is so awful! I'm really sorry. I've had a fic plagiarised a couple of times, and it's never much fun, but having it stolen by someone who's outright disrespecting the entire concept is so much worse.

[lokifan]

Thank you <333

having it stolen by someone who's outright disrespecting the entire concept is so much worse

Yeah, exactly. IDK I'm going back and forth between being pissed off, especially because it's a shitty thing to do to a reader and I hate the idea of my words being used to sort of lull people into a false sense of security - and just being like... that is a very unhappy person. And it's so weird that someone who must be in their 30s at least, judging by the slang and references, is still doing this!! So I do feel sorry for them.

I'm getting a strong vibe that this is basically bitterness and anger about their own fic not getting enough attention. I (foolishly, lol) replied to one of their comments to say this isn't satire, it's theft, and they went off on one about how they actually write GREAT fic that's much better than mine. "The stuff that I could proudly submit to an English teacher", because apparently that's still the metric...?!

[isis]

Oh, yuck, what a crummy thing to happen to you.

[lokifan]

<3 It's very weird and gross! But people almost immediately called it out as plagiarism, and reported it and came and told me about it, which is great.

[sabotabby]

That's so bizarre.

[lokifan]

So, so weird. And they're like "no one's responding to my rational arguments!" (which are bad and not especially rational) while also patting themselves on the back for their "hilarious" "South Park style ending" and like... I dunno, did a 14yo off 4chan get trapped in amber 20 years ago???

[princessofgeeks]

I'm sorry this happened to you.

[lokifan]

<3 Thanks. At least it's nice that multiple people called them out and reported it.

[musyc]

wowww, what a sad and jealous little person they must be.

[lokifan]

YEP. When I accused them of theft they went off on one about how they actually write great fic, much better than stupid gay PWP, which makes me think this is mostly about jealousy that my fic/smutty slash in general gets more kudos than theirs.

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, wow, that's really awful! I'm so sorry. I hope it gets removed soon! Trolls will be trolls, I suppose; the one unhappy constant of the internet. :-/

[lokifan]

<3 Yeah. I'm optimistic it'll go down fairly early tomorrow, once people have a chance to look at it.

[archaeologist_d]

How terrible. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I would check other locations to see if they posted it anywhere else. Hopefully, AO3 will take it down ASAP.

[lokifan]

Fingers crossed! It's not down yet but it's not been long.

Good point - I can't see anything from a quick Google but I might check some other sites.

[enchanted_jae]

O.o

I'd be frustrated and angry in your position, but I also believe the thief/poster must have a very sad and empty life to do such an absurd thing for attention.

[lokifan]

I completely agree, yeah. This really isn't something a happy person does. And when I accused them of theft their response talked about how actually on a different account they write really good fic, much better than slash, and they don't care about how many kudos they get... which says to me that they're jealous of the kudos & positive response I/other writers of smutty slash get, and angry with our readers for liking it. It's depressing in its own way; I hope they end up with a fuller life and stop doing this kind of thing.

[lunabee34]

OMG and WTF. Why in the world is this what someone wants to expend their energy on?

I'm sorry this happened to you.

[lokifan]

Right??? It's just so weird. I reckon this is jealousy over not getting enough attention, combined with anger at people who do enjoy smutty yaoi, hence wanting to be a dick to people reading it. And that still comes back to... why is this what you want to expend your energy on???

[meteordust]

I'm sorry someone stole your fic! That really sucks. I hope it gets pulled soon.

[lokifan]

Thanks <3 Still waiting unfortunately, but hopefully soon.

[dolorosa_12]

What an absolutely bizarre situation.

[lokifan]

It's so, so weird. Even the stuff about how "m/m ships are OOC" is weird - like, I don't remember seeing that complaint in the last 15 years?!

[magic_at_mungos]

SO I left a passive aggressive comment because they're clearly a knob

[lokifan]

Love ya, babes.

(I went and had a look and omg, their reply is so weird???? Like??? No you don't leave that kind of comment when a fic isn't stolen and has normal author's notes, because your comment was on how the fic was stolen and has a dickish, tired-joke author's note??? I don't understand this person's brain.)

[magic_at_mungos]

I am currently unemployed and have time to bait the trolls

[kelly_chambliss]

Wow! This is sort of where we are now in today's totally Orwellian, gaslit world: obvious and outright theft is "rebranded" and twisted until the thief proudly proclaims that they are offering a legitimate, even valuable social commentary and argues that it's the people who point out the theft who are the morally bankrupt, short-sighted, intolerant bigots who just don't know how to "lighten up."

These people are literally everywhere these days, and many of them are treated as heroes who will finally speak truth. Trump is the most obvious example, but just recently in the US, there was a con-artist fraudster who stole and lied his way into Congressional office. . .and now is blaming and criticizing the people who finally ousted him. HE didn't do anything wrong; other people have done a lot worse; HE is the one being persecuted and mistreated. And a lot of his right-wing supporters are agreeing with him!

WTAF indeed.

Hope you're doing well otherwise.

[lynnenne]

It’s probably JK Rowling.

The worst part of the crime is that it’s not even funny! They can’t claim it’s a parody when it’s making nobody laugh.

[sabethea]

Wtf? That’s just… I can’t with people sometimes. I just.

Gah. I’m sorry. At least it’s so shit that it’s not, like, horribly distressing, just annoying and rude and wtf-ish. But still. Ffs.

[eggsbenedict]

This is completely mind-boggling and yeah, I agree they've got to be at least in their 30s, particularly with that username. So weird that they yell about needing to address your "weird pairings" when they're apparently filtering out and skipping over the works...

I assume Support is swamped but I hope it gets taken down soon. :(

[lordhellebore]

What an idiot. (I looked at the link, and it IS gone, so at least there is that...)