I just saw this partial description for Pixar's new movie Brave: http://pixar.wikia.com/Wisps In it, there are apparently characters called "wisps" that are "spiritual, ethereal beings" who appear as little blue orbs of light and have the ability to change one's fate. OK, then. I wrote this piece in January 2008 for a BotP fan fiction challenge: http://gatchfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=757 My alien characters were called wisps who appeared as shimmering colored wisps of light (my main characters were green) and lived in the Theta Region, where they harnessed the dream energy of other sleeping beings. How weird is that? I kind of hoped that someday I could go back and use the original part of my story for some original science fiction. Guess I'll have to scrap that idea now.

I know that feeling. However, I wouldn't write it off as a possibility. There's nothing original left under the sun, wisps have been done before, and they'll be done again. Just maybe don't put your story out too close to the movie.

Chris - I know you're right about nothing being truly original. In haiku, there's even a commonly used term for two poems that arise independently from different writers but seem the same: deja ku Still, it feels weird. :/ P.S. Gotta hand it to you, though - Raven is pretty darn original!

Thanks, though in digging around for all the Gatch/BOTP fanfic I could find one day, I found multiple stories where there was a Raven, or Ken became Raven, or both Ken and Joe were Ravens, or ... And in one they were crazy and wearing black. I spent a few days after that going, "Man, I hope no one thinks I read this one before writing mine." Like I said, I totally get where you're coming from.

The nice thing about our fandom is that most folks are pretty understanding about that sort of thing. I know that I've borrowed a few quarts of Gatch spackle from my friends when I've been stuck. One of my favorite things about beta-ing for others is when I see an opportunity to throw a plot loop in and the authors take me up on it. In the best of times, it feels like we are weaving a larger universe together.

Originally posted by jublke The nice thing about our fandom is that most folks are pretty understanding about that sort of thing. I know that I've borrowed a few quarts of Gatch spackle from my friends when I've been stuck. One of my favorite things about beta-ing for others is when I see an opportunity to throw a plot loop in and the authors take me up on it. In the best of times, it feels like we are weaving a larger universe together.

Indeed! I remember saying to myself, "Come on, they use bird names, and Raven is a cool bird name. What did you expect? You were so freaking original you'd be the first to realize that?"

Ha! I felt that way when I named one of my OCs the Falcon. Wait, you mean I wasn't the first to think of this?

Hehehe ... btw, my little bruised ego answered that question with a tiny, "Yes." Anyway, keep that wisp idea going. You'll make it work.

This sort of thing happens all the time. Do you have any idea how many Gremlins there were before the 1980's movies? (I can think of two -- one from Disney and the other from a Twilight Zone episode!)

Julie, I understand that feeling as well. In fact I get it a lot when I read other people's stories. I keep finding elements of their stories in mine, or key things in their stories that I also have in mine. Then I, like you and Chris, have to wonder why I should continue to write/post my stories - after all it has already been written. Not that you two have said you would stop writing, but I have certainly wondered if I should.

Originally posted by clouddancer Julie, I understand that feeling as well. In fact I get it a lot when I read other people's stories. I keep finding elements of their stories in mine, or key things in their stories that I also have in mine. Then I, like you and Chris, have to wonder why I should continue to write/post my stories - after all it has already been written. Not that you two have said you would stop writing, but I have certainly wondered if I should.

I've had my moments, but in general, the important thing to remember is that an idea is just an idea. Can't be copyrighted, and it's also typically quite vague. It's the details and implementation that brings that idea to life. That's where we make things uniquely us. At least, that's what I tell myself. Don't stop writing, Cloud!

Oh, I've definitely written fics that have the same plot/aspects as something else. But the point is, I enjoy writing them, so I'll keep doing it. That's all that matters.

Originally posted by clouddancer Julie, I understand that feeling as well. In fact I get it a lot when I read other people's stories. I keep finding elements of their stories in mine, or key things in their stories that I also have in mine. Then I, like you and Chris, have to wonder why I should continue to write/post my stories - after all it has already been written. Not that you two have said you would stop writing, but I have certainly wondered if I should.

Aw, Cloud, you've got such a unique take on your AU, how could you even think that your stories aren't original. I like to think of all of us fanfic writers standing in a circle with the Gatch universe in the center. Everyone has their own unique slice of the pie - we all see things a little differently to contribute to the whole. And TJ, I know what you mean. I wrote stories in my head for this fandom long before I knew there was a name for what I was doing. But it's nice to share & have others enjoy what we write. It always is interesting, though, to see which of our stories other people like.

Originally posted by clouddancer Then I, like you and Chris, have to wonder why I should continue to write/post my stories - after all it has already been written. Not that you two have said you would stop writing, but I have certainly wondered if I should.

The next time you feel this way, keep this in mind: Isaac Asimov didn't let discovering similar aspects of his story ideas in other places deter him, and he's still the world's most prolific writer, though he died in 1992!

At least twice, I've used titles for fics that I only realized later have already been used at the Gatch Archives -though I'm not sure if I felt better or worse when I did searches of them at fanfiction.net and saw they've been used for dozens of fics across a swath of fandoms.

Thank you for your support Chris, Julie and EW. As I say, what I worry about is that someone else will see me using their idea and thinking I have copied theirs. What I need to keep reminding myself, as has been pointed out, is that there can only be an certain number of ideas that fit with the BOTP/Gatch universes before people start reusing them. The other thing I keep having to remind myself is that if I have thought about it (had an idea), then others have certainly considered it as well. I shouldn't expect my ideas to be original. Only how I put them together and use them, if even that.

Originally posted by jublke I just saw this partial description for Pixar's new movie Brave: http://pixar.wikia.com/Wisps In it, there are apparently characters called "wisps" that are "spiritual, ethereal beings" who appear as little blue orbs of light and have the ability to change one's fate. OK, then. I wrote this piece in January 2008 for a BotP fan fiction challenge: http://gatchfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=757 My alien characters were called wisps who appeared as shimmering colored wisps of light (my main characters were green) and lived in the Theta Region, where they harnessed the dream energy of other sleeping beings. How weird is that? I kind of hoped that someday I could go back and use the original part of my story for some original science fiction. Guess I'll have to scrap that idea now.

Jul, I'd look into it further. Was anything published about 'wisps' prior to your story, which I remember and loved. When did Pixar start their movie? It could be pure coincidence, but that sounds too similar to me. Once you post a story on the internet, it becomes your creative property. It just depends on how similar the 2nd story is to the original one. Our fanfics are okay because we're not trying to make money on them, but a movie is trying to make money.

Becky - Good point, even if for my own peace of mind. Well, it turns out that Nintendo came out with a whole wisp planet & culture in 2010: http://sonic.wikia.com/wiki/Wisps. This is also after my story. But good old Wikipedia points out that the term will-o'- the-wisp, an unexplained glowing orb of light, has been described since at least the 19th century. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp Which begs a bigger question: what if alien wisps are real?

Originally posted by jublke Which begs a bigger question: what if alien wisps are real?

I heard of stranger things...

And, when the chips are down, aren't there only seven plots in story-telling anyway, no matter what kind of fiction you write?

Originally posted by jublke Ha! I felt that way when I named one of my OCs the Falcon. Wait, you mean I wasn't the first to think of this?

Some time ago, I was also trying to think of bird names that have not been used already in fanfic for a possible OC -- and would fitting for our own birdies. Didn't come up with much -- I think Auk was the best one. So come on, give me some nice bird names to use in my fics

I've been doing the same. There are hundreds, but most of them don't have the right sound to them, like the Ball Vulture from Africa. I have a small list and scratch them off as others use them.

Maybe we should start with bird names we've already seen in use in our fandom in addition to our five friends. I know of raven, falcon, hawk, sparrow, cuckoo & kite. I'm sure there are more ...

You know of a fic with a cuckoo? Awesome! Does "blackbird" count?

Originally posted by Daniella T You know of a fic with a cuckoo? Awesome! Does "blackbird" count?

The cuckoo was from one of Lori McDonald's humor pieces, where Katse goes undercover & joins the Gatchaman team. I think blackbird probably gets scratched off too, if you're looking for something original.

Originally posted by Daniella T You know of a fic with a cuckoo? Awesome! Does "blackbird" count?

There's just one problem I see with "blackbird": Galactor's rip-off of the Science Ninja Team was referred to as "the Blackbirds".

Yes, yes, I'm trying to see what already exists, so as to avoid it. Is there, perhaps, an ornithologist in this forum?

Hmmm, I am not sure if this has been used, but I am considering in my AU having Keyop return as a Merlin after his "death." I wanted a small raptor, rather than having him as a songbird.

Choosing bird names for OCs has always been touchy. People come and go from the group, so you don't know if they mind if you inadvertantly use one they had.

Wasn't PeeWee in G-Force a merlin?

Originally posted by Daniella T So come on, give me some nice bird names to use in my fics

How about this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_by_common_name

Originally posted by Transmute Jun Wasn't PeeWee in G-Force a merlin?

You would have to tell me, I have only watched a couple of those and don't remember a bird name being mentioned. But if you go by the introduction, then all the characters are mixed up. Ace is LIKE a Hawk, Dirk is an LIKE an Eagle, Agatha is LIKE a Dove and yes Pee Wee is LIKE a Merlin. Is that what you mean. Do I recall a site one can go to to compare the similarities and differences of the various series? Maybe it is there ...

Originally posted by amethyst

Originally posted by Daniella T So come on, give me some nice bird names to use in my fics

How about this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_by_common_name

Hey, good idea, Ame! Thanks!

Either that or we start an OC bird names thread to keep track of it all.

I made a nice list for my Blackbirds but never used it. (And this was for personal names not code ones.) I recall that one of my Blackbirds names was Earne (a sea eagle) You could try some dialect names if you like.

I think for stories, that duplicate birds are okay, as long as we are not stealing the character. As authors we cannot own the names of birds or names period. Now, if our original characters cannot be distinguished from some one else's, then that could be a touchy area. It could be a case of plagarism, or it could be minor, flat, irrelevant character and no one will care. Although, it is courteous that if someone has an active story with an original bird, than we should avoid that bird if possible, but at the same time if no other bird fits the original character, the polite thing to do would be ask the author if she/he minds. Although, technically, as long as the characters are distinct, there should be no issue.

I'd hesitate to ask people not to use "Raven" as a bird name just because I am. People should use the name that best suits their story/characters. However, I'd hope their Raven was pretty distinct from mine.

Originally posted by ChrisW I'd hesitate to ask people not to use "Raven" as a bird name just because I am. People should use the name that best suits their story/characters. However, I'd hope their Raven was pretty distinct from mine.

I agree Chris, but authors are funny people sometimes.

I don't see your Raven as a bird character, Chris. He uses a jet pack and doesn't have a typical bird uniform, so I don't see a problem with it.