GOSH

[nanslice]

I typically try to stay out of school drama because I'm around a decade older than these people and it's just dumb. But sometimes I get dragged in and in the instance of the girl submitting fanfiction for critique, of course I get dragged in. :\

So I'm in a 3000 level creative writing class, right? We write weekly and do workshops and it's great. Well, the last assignment was flash fiction; fiction that's 500 words or less. A classmate submitted a piece to be workshopped and it was Naruto fanfiction.

And look, I get it. I submitted a piece with a character that was heavily inspired by Sherlock (his name was Davenport!). My friend submitted a piece that was originally How to Train Your Dragon fanfiction. But this girl. This girl. She didn't change character names, settings, or relationships. It was straight up fanfiction.

Anyway, I got dragged into the professor's office before class to talk about this. He wasn't angry, just thankful that we came forward, and that he would appreciate that we mentioned it during workshop. so I did!

Apparently right after class the girl went to the professor and tried to argue that it wasn't fanfiction and I don't know what all she said but apparently it angered the professor because he told her it was plagiarism and that she had to write something new for the prompt and that piece had to be in her final portfolio.

So that was yesterday! Today a friend was sitting behind her in another class and she was still talking about how it wasn't fanfiction and "just because I couldn't think of original names, doesn't make it fanfiction!" Like, bruh. Just stop.

Anyway, not looking forward to seeing her on Monday, hahaha.

Something's wrong with my car. I'm thinking it's something related to power steering, which is. Unfortunate. It's not drivable! So I'll be missing class tomorrow morning and instead will be calling all car guys to see if I can get it fixed in the next few days. If worse comes to worse, I can maybe carpool with a friend to class on Monday. But this really sucks. If only it waited two weeks! But nope.

I've been out of the video game loop lately (apparently Persona 5 is pretty great? That series isn't one that I'm super attached to - I've only played bits of Persona 3, although what I played was wonderful and I need to get back to it) but apparently Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is coming out in May! Apparently it's a remake of a game that's considered a "black sheep" of the series but I'm cautiously optimistic and hyped about it. That might be because look at these adorable characters I can't wait to ship them all. Absolutely no one is surprised.

Comments

[praxedes_osaka]

"just because I couldn't think of original names, doesn't make it fanfiction!"

I choked into my water bottle when I saw that. DX That has to be one of the weakest excuses I think that I've ever heard.

[nanslice]

Right? It's so dumb! She just assumed no one would be familiar with the canon. I don't like Naruto but as soon as I read Uzumaki and obsessed with ramen I knew what was going on lmao.

[praxedes_osaka]

And good lord, if you're in that level of creative writing and can't think up new names?? Bob! Mary! Henry! Henrietta!! Go to a baby name website even. 9_9

I have watched maybe five minutes of Naruto, and even I know the ramen and Uzumaki thing. Cripes.

[killertofuuu]

Wow. She could have called him Bob the ninja and she'd have been all set. What a whiner! Got caught with your pants down, kid. Deal with the consequences.

[nanslice]

I know! She's digging her heels in because she got caught, even though originally the professor was pretty accepting of fanfiction (not ideal for this class but he was pretty respectful towards it). I bet if she'd just acknowledge that yeah, it's fanfiction, he would have been way more chill about it but nah, she lied.

[darthneko]

.....wooooooow. That's... that's some epic level dug heels in stubborn denial there. XD just because I couldn't think of original names, doesn't make it fanfiction - ROFL! No, really, just pop over to any baby name sight, that is ZERO excuse. XD

[nanslice]

RIGHT? I get it, it came be hard to name characters, but maybe not name the characters the exact same characters of this anime, give them the same personalities and the same relationships. That's just so dumb. :P

[divinemusings]

Sigh. Icon says all.

I've heard good things about Persona 5, but haven't played my copy yet. I will. I did enjoy 3 and 4 a lot. I'm not a rabid fangirl for it, but I enjoy it. :) I've never played a Fire Emblem game.

[nanslice]

YUP.

I might catch Persona 5 once it goes on sale (if that ever happens!) but yeah, they're quality games! Fire Emblem is a really great strategy jrpg series! If you have a DS/3DS I definitely suggest checking them out. They vary in difficulty though and most have permadeath for characters, which ups the strategy needed and also the frustration and feels. XD

[divinemusings]

Oooh boy permadeath. Yikes! I'll give it a look!

[tropicsbear]

Me, all the way over in a different timezone: *whispers* It's fanfic, suck it up. You're making fanfic writers look bad.

[nanslice]

YES. Just accept it for what it is. :\

[chagrined]

haha that's the funniest argument for why it's not fanfic. XD

i feel like fanfic isn't plagiarism, definitely not in the way most college ethics codes consider plagiarism. but otoh if you're in a creative writing class you'd think you'd understand you're supposed to be writing fully original works. that's just dumb. and yeah i can also get how the prof would get angrier if the student tried to lie and argue that it somehow wasn't fanfic haha.

also lmao about your other comment about how she thought no one would be familiar with naruto. NARUTO!!! i mean. if you're gonna make that assumption come on make it about something more obscure. lmao

[nanslice]

I definitely agree that fanfiction isn't plagiarism in the classical sense and originally the professor stressed that he didn't have as much a problem with it being fanfiction than the suggestion that it might have actually been someone else words. I don't know what changed or what she said, but final word from him was that it was fanfiction. :\ I guess the fact that she argued about it being fanfiction at all did it for him lmao.

YEAH LIKE. NARUTO. They weren't like, the main characters or anything, it wasn't Naruto the character, it was backstory characters (Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko) but still. SOOOO ridiculous.

[ayebydan]

What sort of mental cartwheels is she doing?! Totally fanfiction.

[nanslice]

That's what I'm saying. And if she'd just owned up to it, she probably wouldn't have been in the trouble she ended up in.