Just a heads up, most of my posts will be aesthetically unappealing (arial, 12, no color, no gifs) for the days ahead for this Keeper will constantly be in AFF mobile.

Now that we got that out of the way, let us proceed with the main topic of our discourse...err...my blog today.

Earlier this morning, I read another blog on plagiarism; of one AFFer copying a fellow AFFer's story. I have lost count on the number of blogs I dedicated to this crime. Plagiarism is something I take seriously; that I report it once I get sufficient evidence.

How do we report plagiarism in AFF? It is advised in the FAQ section that we must inform the original author first of the plagiarism, and he/she will contact the plagiarizer.

This statement, however, has brought me to a dilemma every time original author is M.I.A. But it is also problematic when original author is present. For instead of contacting the other author to reach an agreement, otherwise, reporting it to the mods, Miss author posts a chapter informing her subscribers about the plagiarism.

I understand that all rationality flies out the window when we suffer from an injustice. We get emotional. And instead of going through the process, we tell the whole world that we are wronged to gain sympathy or justice. And being emphatic readers that we are, we go to the other fic and flood it with our comments, making sure that our dislike towards the act or person is eloquently conveyed (lol).

Another example of this was when parts a featured fic were copied word for word, with only the characters' names changed. Miss famous author posted a chapter about it and instantly, AFF became a circus. Even non-readers were on both fics. And for the first time, I have seen all the mods in the comment section. In the end, Miss Plagiarizer wrote a letter of apology. Apparently, she was really scared to log back in because of the comments, wallposts and pms she received.

She had it coming. What she did was wrong. What was she thinking copying from a famous fic?

How many of you thought that?

/raises hand

But I also know that all these drama could have been avoided, and not blown to epic proportions, if it was handled correctly...if Miss author went through the process.

It is also because of these examples (yes, the first one also happened and Keeper didn't see it coming. Original author, upon telling her about it, messaged the plagiarizer, then posted a chapter about it.) that Keeper skips step one. I no longer inform original author. I just go ahead to 'contact' and create a ticket. I fill out all the fields and copy-paste the links. Story will be removed without author knowing about it. Lol. Less hassle. If I am kind enough, I inform the author after it has been dealt with. Haha. Less drama, since the story is already removed xD

If informing the original author blows up things to epic proportions, talking to the plagiarizer aka The Culprit will get you nowhere. They will never admit their mistake. They use this excuse that readers often fall for when they inform them that they will put down a story: "My friend told me about this idea."

"It is her, not me."

Did friend also write it for you? Apparently, friend has a great memory and told you every word from that fic.

How convenient is it to blame other people? Imaginary people, that is.

And believe it or not, when readers go to these fics and post their 'opinions', it is classified as bullying.

Bullying is bad. And we are not bullies. We just want to bring justice!

So, since this plagiarizer won't admit to her crime, this Keeper pm'd all of her subscribers. I told them the reason why her fics are being put down, showed them the links and advised them not to confront author about it. I am merely informing them. Unfortunately, most of them didn't understand me, lolololol.

That was the first and last time I did that. I messaged almost a hundred of them OTL. But somehow, with those who 'got' my message, I felt like justice has been served.

As I have said before, merely deleting the fic is not a punishment. And I understand why we want to expose the criminals. I was so close in putting up my bingo book (ref. Naruto). But what kept me from doing it is the knowledge that we are not ready to know these names.

The playground will be in chaos. And we have to avoid that. This is Keeper's damage control.

On a side note, it is really funny when reviewers review a copied fic. Lol. I know not many of us can distinguish a fake from the original, but...at least, these people should know. Or not? Am I expecting too much?

Remember: We are not bullies.