Is this a fan fic or no

Discussion in 'Author Discussions' started by Anvis, Aug 31, 2021.

  1. Anvis

    Anvis Well-Known Member

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    I want to know if I made the mc system has a powers or skills form anime or tv show or movie a fan fic
     
  2. Marvin

    Marvin The Man who realize love

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    More details and pls make your question more easy to understand
     
  3. Blank-1

    Blank-1 Fantasy-holic

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    If it makes direct references to different series or franchises, or uses the same powers without any adaption, I’d say yes.
    In the same way terror infinity is kinda a fan fiction.
    Though you could argue there’s a spectrum and threshold here.
     
  4. Westeller

    Westeller Smokin' Sexy Style!! Staff Member

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    If you directly borrow the characters and/or setting of a pre-existing work, then, yes, you're writing a fan fiction.

    If you borrow something smaller, like a character's special power, or hair style, catchphrase, or a neat quote, but the story is otherwise entirely your own, then it's harder to say. I think most people would just consider that a hat tip to the work you referenced, but it might depend on how specific/extensive the copying is.

    If you write something like Terror Infinity, as @Blank-1 mentioned, you're writing crossover fanfiction. That is, fanfiction that mixes multiple works together. -- And, yes, it's very much fanfiction.

    Fanfiction is illegal to sell without permission from the copyright holder(s) of the original works. Depending on what country you live in, though, and what country they live in, you may get away with it.

    ...

    If you feel like what you intend to copy might be too much, might blur the line on whether your work is fanfiction or not, then put your own spin on it. Alter it. Change it. Just enough, at least, so that it isn't a direct copy of the original.
     
  5. Beer_Kitty

    Beer_Kitty Just a very very drunk kitty that likes beer

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    from what i can understand with that broken sentence.

    for me, its fanfiction if you insert your character in some anime or story. ex. putting my beer_kitty in onepiece or having to live in the same universe as a mob in some other anime.

    but if you are only planning to put out a power system similar to an anime but not staged in that world then it can be your own fictional story.
     
  6. Ddraig

    Ddraig Frostfire Dragon|Retired lurker|FFF|Loved by RNG

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    This ^

    But also that if you copy a decently huge chunk, most people are more likely to accuse you of plagiarism so there is that too.

    Depending on amount of copying, it goes from reference -> inspiration -> plagiarism
     
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  7. Darius Drake

    Darius Drake A poster of verbose posts

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    For a clear answer, you need to give more details. For example, a story that has a character charge up glowing energy between their hands before releasing it in a beam of light, and/or that charges up energy in two finger's before releasing two beams of light, one of which is straight and the other spiralling around the straight one, is not necessarily fanfiction of the Dragon Ball Franchise. Despite the descriptions being that of the Kamehameha and Special Beam Cannon/Makankōsappō. If you have both, you're probably would be accused of plagiarising attacks from Dragon Ball, but it's still not necessarily Fan Fiction, nor plagiarism.

    Similarly, despite having a early one-shot villain who was obviously based off of Piccolo from Dragon Ball, One Punch Man isn't a fan fiction, mostly because the character was most certainly not meant to be Piccolo, and ends up transforming in a way that Piccolo can't before he's defeated. There's also some webcomics (I've usually seen it in Asian ones), where unimportant background characters are dressed up to look like characters from anime & video games. This is particularly prevalent in stories set in virtual worlds (ie, VRMMO stories), where it can simply be disregarded as some fan-boy dressing up as the character, instead of being the character themselves.

    However, if you actually have a character using the Kamehameha, Special Beam Cannon/Makankōsappō, or have a character that's specifically meant to be from the Dragon Ball franchise (like Goku, Piccolo, or Krillin), then the story immediately becomes fan fiction. Similarly, having eyes that read the flow of how the local mystical energy is being used and both copy or predict the techniques being used would be fine, but specifically using the Sharingan from Naruto would make the story fan fiction. Even if your story is wholly original with a minor b-list villain using a weak Kamehameha/Sharingan poorly, it would become a fan fiction so long as it's specifically stated to be that thing (though, including the ability for someone to steal the Sharingan-like eyes and still have them easily work & use their powers would be getting a bit close to the grey line of plagiarism for my liking).

    Mentioning the Kamehameha/Sharingan as something similar to what's being used creates a grey area that you would probably want to avoid. Particularly since it means that you are at best only partially explaining the powers in your story, hiding the explanation under "it's just this", or outright not explaining the powers you have character's using. None of which makes for good storytelling.
     
  8. Jojo775

    Jojo775 Honorary Algae Knight

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    I'll give you an honest advice, don't write any kind of fiction in English.
    System is a bad and unoriginal idea as it is.
     
  9. Darius Drake

    Darius Drake A poster of verbose posts

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    That depends on the plot, author, and world. System's in stories are usually used as an easy way to give "cheats" to the MC while pretending that they're supposed to be on an even playing field with everyone else. But there's ways in which it's done such that the System is actually an interesting part of the story (Delve), where the System is there to showcase how OP the MC is (Instant Death), and more. Originality doesn't come from the tools you use, but how you use those tools. If you compare it to crafting, it can be argued that your post is the equivalent of a crafter saying "Don't use wood, it's boring and an overused material that's in nearly everything", without paying any attention to the personalised touches and modifications the crafter would put on the design of their potential creation.
     
  10. ToastedRossi

    ToastedRossi Well-Known Member

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    The reality is that authors steal from each other all the time. This is a good thing as it encourages people to explore similar ideas in different ways and because authors shouldn't be able to own ideas. And because of this, I'd say that a work is a piece of fanfiction only when it borrows characters or a specific setting. Just stealing a couple of ideas or powers isn't enough as a ton of stories do that kind of thing.

    Think about it this way, there are a million isekai novel out there which borrow a ton of material from Dragon Quest so is it reasonable to think of them as fanfiction? Or how about all of those fantasy novels out there which are heavily influenced by Dungeons and Dragons; should these be considered fanfiction? I'd say that it'd be unfair to do so.

    All that said, if you're going to take something recognizable from another writer, you really should try to do something special with it or else your readers will just consider you uncreative.
     
  11. Jojo775

    Jojo775 Honorary Algae Knight

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    That's true for any of the core things in life. You can't say don't use romance at all, everyone does and it's overused! Romance is essential, unless you're writing something tragic or horror and so on.
    System though, that's a a trash genre and do you seriously think this guy will write anything good when he can't even manage one sentence? It will be like : Hey system, can you defeat my enemies for me, add another item as a bonus reward and then wipe my ass?
     
  12. Xian Piete

    Xian Piete Author of many mediocre stories

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    No, using elements from other works won't make your story fan fiction. It would only be fan fiction if you wrote about your own character that exists in the same world using many of the same characters as another author.
     
  13. Darius Drake

    Darius Drake A poster of verbose posts

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    Honestly, the System Stories most likely to be like that are English Originals that you can predict to turn out that way five minutes into the story, if that far. There are a few different English Original System Novels that I would suggest to you, specifically, however, each with their own twist that makes it interesting. After which I will also add a couple (marked separately) of a few System Novels where the MC's OP in some way, but that doesn't stop them from still being enjoyable reads in their own right.

    System Novels Done Right, in their own way:
    - Delve - MC is a person from Earth who was transported to another world, which has a System, and survived a fight with a monster soon after his arrival. This is important, because the System in this world has hard-caps on levelling dependant on how strong a monster you have defeated. MC tries to Min-Max his stats & system-given skills, and arguably succeeds, though with costs and sacrifices. An interesting story that goes deep into how the System actually operates and affects people, throughout the story as the MC learns or discovers new things.
    - He Who Fights With Monsters - This is a good one, but you now need to pay to read the beginning, as it's on Kindle. Anyway, MC wakes up one morning in a hedge maze on a new world, with nothing, no clothes or even hair. He soon discovers that he has a System, some racial skills, and the ability to absorb a weird item he gets from the system in order to use a type of elemental magic power. Long story short, MC's System is a racial skill he got due to his inter-world transport, and is basically a part of his subconscious that uses a bit of his magical powers. An interesting read, and a unique take on how to incorporate a person with a System into a magic/power system without one.
    - Tower of Somnus - MC lives in future Earth where Megacorporations have taken over. There's also aliens, who decided that we aren't really suitable for joining inter-galactic society, and dropped down copies of a video-game they have that gives lesser versions of the powers gained in the game world in real life, hoping that the upper crust of society wouldn't realise until it was too late. That didn't happen, but the MC manages to get given a copy years later. System only works in the game world, but powers and other benefits do carry over to the real world, though weakened. Also fun alien conspiracy things.

    System Novels carried by fun MC's or concepts, be they OP or not:
    - Azarinth Healer - MC gets transported to another world, and ends up getting a forgotten class that mixes healing with punching things. This goes well for her, and she levels up quickly while relying on her ability to take incredible amounts of damage and deal incredible amounts of damage. There's a good story in there too, but that's the focus of much of the "fun" stuff without spoilers.
    - Beneath the Dragon Eye Moons - MC gets found in the void between everything by a god/dess of change, and ends up being reincarnated into the god/dess's world as a human, though with some of her memories taken that were considered too dangerous (she doesn't know what a "nuke" is, despite knowing the word and possibly that it was a weapon). Grows up, makes decisions (both good an bad), and learns a bunch of stuff about magic, and becomes possibly the most powerful healer at her level in the world. Or seems to, at least.
    - Chrysalis - MC get's reincarnated into a world with a System, seemingly by the System Administrator, as an Ant. They go onto find and work with other ants make a race of sentient ants, and form a major force in the dungeons of the world.
    - Defiance of the Fall - The System in this world was made by a now long fallen multiversal empire to expand the empire into more universes and train it's troops into formidable warriors. Even long after the empire in question fell, the System continues to do so, working to make those who live within its control have to grow stronger, and expanding its reach to more and more universes & planets. MC was on Earth when the System started integrating with the planet, merging Earth with a couple of other planets for strengthening them all. This is the MC's story as a Mortal (non-cultivator) trying to Cultivate and protect his home, despite the challenges and impossibilities thrown his way.
    - Blue Core - MC ends up awakening as a dungeon core. Due to... circumstances, they end up turning into the first "Blue Core", a type of dungeon core that purifies and doesn't produce monsters. Additionally, due to having memories from a sci-fi universe, the MC has a bunch of knowledge that nobody else in the world has, and rapidly becomes a reasonably powerful "Power", which is a term for some existences that are otherwise beyond the scope of concept, with their own unique rules. An interesting story, but the MC rapidly becomes incredibly powerful, if not outright OP, despite their lack of monsters, due to a variety of things.

    ...and I've got more, particularly of that second section, but I'll stop here. None of these are fan fic's, though, even with some of them having similar concepts to other stories.
     
  14. Jojo775

    Jojo775 Honorary Algae Knight

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    Sorry I didn't ask for recs. While you are right, original Japanese Systems can be funny and some RRL ones are alright, I'm sick of Systems. Especially the kind new chunni users are asking for in I'm Looking For, it's that or BL. I stopped reading web novels years ago coz I've read all the best ones and grew tired of tropes and cliches. Here I just shit post in General or TV forum, this one I saw on front page so I just clicked out of curiousity, not of interest. The only time I like seeing the word System is when fanfics on SB make fun of it.
     
  15. Darius Drake

    Darius Drake A poster of verbose posts

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    I gave "recommendations" more as examples of how System Stories can be good, and just rejecting them out of hand and complaining about someone who's just starting to write because their initial idea is a System Story is silly. One of the GOOD things about System Stories is that over 98% of them are upfront about the fact that they're System Stories, so you can avoid them if you want without difficulty. Basically, I'm saying that your complaint that "all system stories are sh*tty" is unfounded, and you shouldn't tell an aspiring writer that they shouldn't write simply because YOU have gotten bored with, and would avoid, a part of what may be the first story they may produce.
     
  16. Jojo775

    Jojo775 Honorary Algae Knight

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    He's as much of an aspiring writer as the 70% of people are aspiring musicians, sure they all tried playing a guitar or a keyboard before giving up a month in. Except this is even worse, you need talent for writing.
    Better he face reality sooner than later. I welcome him to post his story on SB, he'll get a couple of comments correcting his grammar and asking is this all there is to it, a Gary Stu with terrible world building and no character development?
     
  17. Xian Piete

    Xian Piete Author of many mediocre stories

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    Jojo, I agree. As soon as I see a system in a novel I know it's locked on rails. I have read system stories that did a few twists, but eventually that system brought it straight to Mary Sueville.
     
  18. Anvis

    Anvis Well-Known Member

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    I am writing a novel that the mc has a system but he is not dependent on the system and the mc need points to do things with the system which is really hard to get
     
  19. SylviaViolet

    SylviaViolet Toast to the ones that we lost on the way⚓️

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    Keeping it simple, as long as you use the same skill names, characters, or world (if fantasy) of any book, anime, manga or any work that already exists, it's a fanfic.
     
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  20. Darius Drake

    Darius Drake A poster of verbose posts

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    With the exception of names that are considered completely generic, like "Fireball", "Lightning Bolt", and "Laser Sword/Gun". It has to be something that can be directly related to the other work, like "Hadouken", "Force Lightning", and "Lightsaber".

    A partial exception is also given to items far outside of copyright, like Mjölnir, the mythical short-handled hammer of Thor that became lightning when he threw it, and created thunder when it hit things, so long as you make it obvious that you're taking from the mythology and not the comics. An easy example of which being that even Thor can only wield Mjölnir with the aid of his belt, Megingjörð, which doubles his already incredible strength, and his gloves, Járngreipr, which Wikipedia doesn't seem to have much information on the direct benefits the gloves give, with the exception that Thor needs them to wield Mjölnir. Items like these, the Aegis, and more can be incorporated into original works, so long as something based on the original mythology is also worked into the story.

    This happens because "Fan Fic" can simply be explained as a term for "I took something easily recognisable under copyright and played with it for fun, so you can't claim I'm plagiarising". This can be as broad as an entire world with characters (even if only to steal the appearance of said characters, completely ignoring their personalities), or as small as named techniques, but it is the same thing either way. Even if you just make a tall, three eyed bald martial artist named Tien, it can be argued that the character is close enough to Tien from Dragon Ball to assume that they're supposed to be the same character, and thus your story is either a fan fic or has plagiarised the character.