Clearing Something Up. Oh my Lordie Lou. · 1:37am Mar 31st, 2014
My latest story, Rotten Apples? Some guy named Shadow Star just brought another story to my attention in the comments section. It's a story that was published in 2011.
Its name? Rotten Apples. And guess what it's about? Apple Bloom stealing candy.
Guess what my story's about? Apple Bloom stealing something from Sugarcube Corner.
...
Now, I have absolutely no way of definitively proving to anybody that I didn't copy the idea from the author of this story, Dubs Rewatcher. All I can do is just say that I didn't do it. I had no idea that this story existed until Shadow Star brought it to my attention. The thing was published in 2011, and I don't even follow the guy. I just thought that the old title for my story, "Honest Apple," wasn't attention grabbing enough, so I re-read through the story and honed in on one of the first lines I wrote where Apple Bloom's ragging on herself and calls herself "rotten." Then I was like, "Oh, that would sound cooler as the title!" and so I changed it to "Rotten," and then to "Rotten Apples," because pun.
I know this might not seem like a big deal to people, and I might just be getting worked up over nothing, but I don't want people to think that I'm copying other people's stories when I'm not. This was a crazy coincidence, but nothing more. I don't know how I can prove that fact to anybody, but I just hope you can believe me.
EDIT: I actually went over and read the other story. Turns out, I did in fact get worked up over a bunch of nothing. The two stories look the same from their synopses and titles, but they are really, REALLY different. Just as a quick example so I don't spoil either story: in Dubs Rewatcher's Rotten Apples, Apple Bloom steals something on accident, but in mine, Apple Bloom knew full well what she was doing. The rest of the story's plots are going to be completely different, too, so... crisis averted.
Sorry for being so paranoid for nothing, y'all. I just really, seriously don't want anybody to think I'm pulling a fast one when I'm not.
~Arwhale
I believe you buddy.
1968087
I appreciate it, man.
With this many people working with a limited supply of characters and settings, it's bound to happen eventually. This probably isn't even the first time. Just a roll of the dice, really. Don't get too worked up over it.
Dude, your story is really good. If you got the same name or basic premise as some other story, who cares? There are entire groups on FIMFic based around writing stories on the same premise. You didn't even know, which I completely believe, as there are already so many gazillion stories on the site that it'd be impossible to check all of them. Heck, I even read yet another fic about AB being an actual cleptomaniac. It was very dark and depressing, but it never got finished. Why am I saying this? Because the Apple family has always been thought of some sort of ideal in the fandom and as the previous episode showed, in Ponyville as well. Apple Bloom, being a child of that family is the perfect vessel for a story about stealing, as the stakes are immediately much higher in her case than with one of the other foals.
Just write with all you have and don't worry about these things. Having the same name or setting is very common.
I believe you!