San Diego Uber Alles!

Greetings and welcome to my temple. I am Sir Mach the Azure Knight. My pen-name is German because I have been quite fond of the German Language ever since I visited Munich (Munchen) back in '07.

I enjoy playing video games and watching anime.

Racism is wrong, no matter the circumstance. If you believe racism is wrong no matter what, copy and paste this in your profile.

Likes: family, friends, eating, sleeping, video games, anime, sudoku, reading, basketball, 80s music (it gets my adrenaline rushing)

Dislikes: racism, incest, drugs, alcohol, rapists, child abusers, pedophiles, homophobia, the government, plagiarism, spam, and politicians

Ok, what am I doing here? I'm here to combat story theft. With the spike in plagiarism since 2012, someone has to take action. My policy is simple: if you plagiarize, your stolen fic will be flagged (i.e. reported) to kingdom come.

Excuses and Questions Conjured By Plagiarists:

1. You don't have any stories!

Me: Nice try. I have 9 stories. I wrote 8 of them on my own and received written permission from another author to continue his/her story. My blood, sweat, and tears went into them all to varied extents. You may have more stories than me, but you didn't write any of them.

2. This is a free country! I can write anything I want!

Me: Go ahead and write anything you want, as long as you write what you want on your own. Plagiarism is not writing what you want. It's stealing.

3. You have no right to judge me!

Me: Oh really? You have a point in the sense that I don't have the right to judge you, but how about you look in the mirror. You're judging me to be a gullible fool when you steal work from others. Ergo, I'll judge you back for judging me, rights be damned.

4. Plagiarism is fan fiction!

Me: On the contrary, there is a fine line between plagiarism and fanfics. Fanfics are original spin-offs of canon by fans. Plagiarism is theft. Don't give me the different characters excuse. Switching characters does not make it unique.

5. You are wrong! You have no proof!

Me: If I am wrong, then I apologize. Having said that, I always have proof if I am right.

6. Plagiarism isn't against the rules!

FYI, it is very much against the terms of service. Have you read the copyright policy? Besides, plagiarism goes beyond violating site guidelines. Plagiarism violates literary integrity and just about any common code of ethics that a person observes. In other words, plagiarism is beyond pathetic.

7. Screw the guidelines!

I dislike many of the guidelines as much as you do, so we're in the same boat. However, I draw the line at plagiarism because it violates personal and literary integrity, never mind the guidelines. You have to draw the line somewhere right?

8. Everyone else borrows text and plots from one another, so why can't I?

Me: Borrowing text and plots from other authors is acceptable as long as you ask permission and credit the original authors. If (a big IF) you have a sense of decency and do both, then I will let your actions slide. If you want to borrow song lyrics, then you better write a letter to the lyricist(s) and hope you get permission.

9. I'm sorry! I forgot it belonged to someone else!

Me: Don't apologize to me. Apologize to the author you stole from. In addition, don't give me the lame excuse that you forgot. You had plenty of time to ask permission and credit the original author(s) before you got caught.

10. I couldn't help myself! I wanted attention!

Me: If you want attention, then be original and write your own story. People will appreciate you more that way. You never know, I could end up being your biggest fan if you write an original story.

11. I'm just figuring out how to post stories!

Me: You can do so by writing a trollfic instead. I'll even let spam, one-word entries, and gibberish slide as long as you don't cross the line of theft. Anything but plagiarism!

12. I didn't steal jack squat! (Insert original author) stole my work!

Me: BS!! Now you're a lying plagiarist! Why is your date of upload later than the original author's publishing date of upload? Hmm? If you can find a way to prove me and the site wrong I'll change my mind. I doubt that'll happen because the site is pretty accurate with its dates of publishing/updating. Until then, grow up.

13. It's only a joke!

Me: Plagiarism is not a prank, joke, or thrill. It's a crime. It'll get you thrown out of college. In some places you can be sued and even jailed.

14. You have no life!

Me: Your words aren't sticks and stones, so they can't break my bones. If insulting me makes you happy, then by all means keep at it.

15. Who cares? What are you going to do about it?

Me: Simple. I'll give you 2 days to take your copy down before I report you for plagiarism. :3

16. You're such a tattle-tale! Why don't you shut up and go join Critics United? You'll fit in just fine!

Me: I don't report every violation out there like CU does. I only report plagiarists. Comparing me with CU members is like comparing chocolate and onions. We don't mix. Besides, I don't report plagiarists right away. First I threaten to report, and then I give the plagiarist two days to take copy-pastas down voluntarily.

17. Why 2 days? You're quite patient for someone who takes your stand.

Me: I believe that even plagiarists deserve second chances at redemption, and the two-day window is a second chance that I am giving you. Please make that chance count and remove the stolen fic.

18. Isn't this site about unleashing you imagination?

Me: By plagiarizing stories, you are pilfering someone else's imagination. It takes zero imagination to plagiarize, so DON'T use the motto to defend theft.

19. It's only a parody!

Me: Parodies are NOT directly copied from the original script or story. Watch Spaceballs if you want a clear-cut definition of a parody.

20. I posted a disclaimer and cited my sources!

Me: Good for you, but did you ask for permission? If not, then you still plagiarized. Go to #8 for further info.

21. The original story is on another site! I'm just sharing it with other readers!

Me: You could always post a link to the original story. If you feel the need to upload the original story word-for-word, then you better get the original author's consent and post a disclaimer. Otherwise, it's still theft buster.

22. The site admins don't give a d*n about plagiarism.

Me: I'll give you a list of users that have been banned from the site for plagiarism. Nice try sucker.

Bottom Line: If you committed plagiarism on accident and it was truly an honest mistake, then do the right thing and come clean. Take your copy down while you're at it. If you come clean, you'll earn my respect. For the record, I will NOT report stories unless they involve blatant plagiarism or excessive and blatant copyright infringement.

Announcement regarding TAPIR: I am NOT a member of TAPIR. Please disregard any claim of membership.