Questions Regarding Fanfiction

[Dreadmallon 353]

These are basically constructive questions that I am hoping someone could answer and help me with?

 

1. What is the difference between plagiarizing a character from another media, or being inspired and basing your character off that character? Do you have to outright say it? I'm asking because there are characters like King Sombra, who is clearly based of King Sauron from LotR, and it's just something that's been on my mind.

 

2. How do you effectively introduce a villain? Everyone loves a good villain, but what I'm specifically asking is, what leaves a good impression of "Oh, this guy's dangerous," or "This guy's awesome!" I was trying to introduce the villain in a fiction I am writing, but it's difficult to do, because his introduction doesn't fit what I have in store for the character in the future.

Edited January 9, 2014 by ProngD

[Standard User 2,127]

1) Woah, I never even thought of Sombra as Sauron...weird.

 

Plagiarizing is, in a basic sense, taking something that someone else created and claiming it as your own. This can be as extreme as stealing a story word-for-word or as innocent as quoting someone and forgetting to credit them. If you take a character and change nothing about his or her core values -- personality, demeanor, habits, the whole shebang -- that could be seen as plagiarism. If you create a character that is inspired by an existing character, that is...well, inspiration. The more unique you make the character, however, the better.

 

2) This really depends on the villain and the story itself. Villains could be introduced indirectly (think Alduin from the beginning of Skyrim: you know he's dangerous and obviously important, but you don't know anything about him) or directly (think Fallout: New Vegas played straight with the NCR being the "good" guys and Caesar's Legion being the "bad" guys). They can be mysterious (Alduin) or showboaty (Discord). Review your villain's personality, then think: if the villain was writing the story, how would they want to be introduced? Would they want the hero and the reader to know their name and fear it, or would they want their actions to speak for themselves? 

 

If you need more help, feel free to shoot me a PM or check out the Writing Centre.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Kolth

[Scootalove 10,689]

1. If you create a character from something that inspired you to create said character, that is inspiration. Plagiarizing a character is when you take credit for a character that someone made, and steal the character without the owner's permission.

 

2. You can introduce your villain in many ways whether you introduce them later in the story, giving them a personality and introduce them in the beginning, or you can have them disguised as something that you wouldn't expect the villain to be. There are many alternate ways to do so, just some suggestions.

[Dreadmallon 353]

Well, yes, but I was asking how to make it seem like it is inspiration rather than plagiarism. Do I outright say "so and so is based off so and so?" Forgive me for not being clear.

[Standard User 2,127]

You CAN say that, but part of the joy of reading a story is discovery. Like, you just blew my mind with the Sauron/Sombra link.

 

It would help if we knew what you wanted to be inspired rather than plagiarized.

[Dreadmallon 353]

You CAN say that, but part of the joy of reading a story is discovery. Like, you just blew my mind with the Sauron/Sombra link.

 

It would help if we knew what you wanted to be inspired rather than plagiarized.

 

   Basically, what I'm trying to do is create an antagonist OC (who plays the villain, but is really neutral, if that makes sense (he's not evil, but not good either. Just happens to be with the bad guys this time)), who is a young (relatively same age as main cast) thief, and as such, is rather active, and commonly does his own work physically. However, in his debut, I have him a tactician who's in his hideout, who hired others to do his work, due to circumstance (that is later revealed in the plot). Although his reasons are justified, it's not a good debut for his type of character.

 

   Also, regarding the second question, I really liked the style of villainy Slade Wilson from Teen Titans showed where he had his own plans, fought the heroes, disappeared, and returned, working for a higher being (and then working with the heroes to put down said being), and I wanted to follow that template. However, I was wondering if that would be plagiarism. Oh, and no, he wouldn't be doing the same actions as Deathstroke did. Generally, the only conflicts prior would regard his thievery, as I feel that would work in the current position MLP:FiM is in right now (meaning, the point in the plot), and it would fit the atmosphere (<- that's my main goal).

[Sky Warden 2,243]

1. What is the difference between plagiarizing a character from another media, or being inspired and basing your character off that character? Do you have to outright say it? I'm asking because there are characters like King Sombra, who is clearly based of King Sauron from LotR, and it's just something that's been on my mind.

Inspired:

 

"Wow. The idea of being trapped in a virtual MMORPG is very interesting! Sadly, this anime is very horribly-written and turned out very badly. Oh! I know what interesting conflicts that might happen if some people were trapped in a virtual MMORPG like the ones in that anime."

 

I'm talking about an anime called Log Horizon. It's set in a theme similar to Sword Art Online (trapped in an MMORPG), and seems to be inspired by it and my favourite MMORPG, Ragnarok Online, at some points. What doesn't make it a plagiarism is that it has original conflicts, story line, etc. Watch the two and you will get it.

 

Plagiarism:

 

"Geez. This series is cool, but I wouldn't have set it that way. I will make my own series with similar character, setting, and stuff, making it run exactly on how I want them to."

 

Example (an extreme one):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Already see the differences? In the first example, a new and fresh idea is triggered by another story. In plagiarism, you're merely rewriting an already existing story with your own twists, usually to get readers or just to fulfill your own fantasy. You rewrite the story of Romeo and Juliet (a couple with different social statuses and both of them end up *spoiler* dead, bla bla bla) but with a modern high school as its setting (because I think it's so original and fresh), or something along that line. That's plagiarism, as well as those ponified story. None of the essential elements changed. Only this time it's in Equestria, with some extra hoof-and-hay minor conflicts.

 

 

2. How do you effectively introduce a villain? Everyone loves a good villain, but what I'm specifically asking is, what leaves a good impression of "Oh, this guy's dangerous," or "This guy's awesome!" I was trying to introduce the villain in a fiction I am writing, but it's difficult to do, because his introduction doesn't fit what I have in store for the character in the future.

Well, duh. Show your readers, obviously.

 

You can't expect to introduce them by, "Hi, I'm Voldemort. I'm an awesome wizard who can do some tricks and kill you with a swing of my wand. I'm very dangerous, I'm telling you, so you must fear me. Thanks, guys." We got the idea that this Voldy is the villain as soon as one of the characters told another character about whom he killed, or showed their fear to the Dark Lord by not daring to say his name, etc. At this moment, we already have the idea that Voldy is the villain. I mean, killing is clearly an evil thing, but we haven't got the idea about how dangerous, cruel, and scary he is, or why, so J.K. Rowling, as a kind author that she is, showed us that by making Harry to have that horrifying duel where Cedric dropped dead.

 

You don't need to think about the way your villain shows up first, like, "Should he show up with an evil black coat or a skull walking-stick?" Show us why one is evil, or why should we believe that one is evil. Audiences tend to believe what's shown on the stage (ex: a man brutally chewing a baby), so that's where you play the tricks and illusion.

Edited January 10, 2014 by Sky Warden