Heads up!

[katikat]

Heads up, folks! Fanfiction.net went ga-ga again. They demand that the authors take down all stories that use lyrics in them. That means not only songfics but ALL stories with even a single lyric! Even if you wrote a disclaimer about the lyrics not being yours and added the name of the rightful owner. Doesn't matter. You HAVE to take the story down or there will be repercusions.

My opinion: They completely lost it this time. They went bonkers without anybody noticing. I mean, I know that it's their site and they can do whatever they want with it, it's their right, but come ON! This is ridiculous. If I post a disclaimer, why shouldn't I use the lyrics? Even while writing a history paper I use books by different authors. And when I use a quotation, I add a disclaimer. That's how it's done in the REAL world and it's not enough in the CYBER world? This is just plain silly and all they achieve is that they will make their users angry. But hey, suddenly they'll have a lot of free space on their servers. I'm sure that THAT has nothing to do with it (/sarcasm).

So, I decided to take down the only songfic I ever wrote (I think - to be honest I don't remember what my old stories are about *embarassed*) - "Angel in the Snow" - and post it here:

Angel in the Snow

by KatiKat




The song Angel in the Snow belongs to a-ha, not to me! :)





>>Angel,<<


I lusted after him from the first time we met. And why not. Just look at him - the shining mane of hair, the soft skin, the bottomless pools of violet, the smooth curves of his body... But lust was the only thing I felt. The sex was incredible, but that was all. Until...


>>Angel or so
Wherever you may go<<


We were staying in one of the safe houses - just me, Duo and Quatre. Trowa and Wufei were away on a mission. And they were late. Very late. Quatre almost worried himself sick, he was just standing at the window,
looking out at the snow covered road, waiting for his lover to return. And then one day Duo just couldn´t watch it anymore and so he dragged us out into the snow. He was incredibly excited about the white cold stuff that covered everything. Well, I was less enthusiastic, but seeing the meaningful look he gave me, and pouting at Quatre, I decided to indulge him - for Quatre´s sake of course.

And so we played in the snow just like normal teenagers. We made snow angels and built snow men and we had a snowball fight. A really big one. So okay, I must admit that I enjoyed myself. I really didn´t know how much fun it could be to be out in the snow to just... play.


>>Hmm, yeah...
I´ll follow<<


After almost an hour, we heard the sound of an engine coming up the road. Recognizing the rumbling of the old jeep Duo had stolen for us almost two weeks ago, Quatre jumped up out of his hiding place behind a fallen tree and raced around the house to welcome his returning lover. Well, the arrival of our comrades didn´t mean that the snowball fight between me and Duo was over though. You see, he dared me that I couldn´t win, that I couldn´t take him down. And so I used the distraction the coming car provided and snuck up on Duo who stood up and covered his eyes against the sun to see if it really was Trowa and Wufei. He noticed me at the last possible second and wasn´t able to do anything to stop me from tackling him to the ground. He squealed as we rolled down the small hill behind the house. After a couple of seconds we stopped finally. I was lying on top of him, pressing him into the fluffy snow, demanding that he give up, to admit that I won. Laughing hard, he admitted his defeat and I rolled us over so that I was now lying on my back with him on top of me. After all I didn´t want him to catch cold again. He got sick so easily. I looked up at his smiling face and...


>>And always will I be there
Shake worries from your hair<<


... something changed. He was looking down at me, his hands on my chest, the white puffs of air escaping his smiling mouth... and it was as if I saw him for the first time. His hair was poking out from underneath his black cap, his cheeks were red from the cold just like the tip of his nose. His eyes twinkled with mischief and the small snow flakes melted on his lashes decorating them with small diamonds. He was the most beautiful being I had ever seen. And he was mine.

One of my gloved hands traveled up his back and pressed him closer to me, the other cupped his cheek tenderly. Why was it that I was always so gentle with him? I couldn´t hurt or harm him for my life. I don´t know what he saw in my eyes but the expression on his face changed. The cheeky grin disappeared, leaving only the tender loving one behind. He pressed his cheek into my hand and closing his eyes, he rubbed it against my glove.


>>Hmm, yeah...
I´ll be there<<


It was strange. I never knew that my heart could ache so deliciously. We´ve been together for months now but I never felt like this before. Was this what Duo called love? I didn´t know. The only thing I knew for sure was that I couldn´t live without it anymore. I couldn´t live without him. He was the center of my world, he was the sun around which everything in my universe turned. I couldn´t let him slip through my fingers. I couldn´t let him disappear.

"Duo..."

"Hm?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"After the war...."

That got his attention and he opened his eyes looking down at me, so serious suddenly. I never spoke about what would happen after the war. I didn´t even expect to survive. But if I did, if we did...

"After the war... will you marry me?" His eyes grew huge and a world of happiness glistened in them. One single tear slipped down his cheek and I brushed it off with my thumb. "Will you?" I needed to know if I had something to survive the war for.

He nodded, love shining in his amethyst orbs. "Yes, Heero. I will."

I smiled, just a little and pulled him down for a kiss. I was in love.


>>Always<<


The End

This is a Gundam Wing story that focuses on the 1+2 pairing. Written from Heero's POV. And you know what? I just realized that it's one of the most popular one-shots I've ever written.

Comments

[seraphim-grace.livejournal.com]

god i know what you mean, they say it's plagiarism but it's not, they pulled one of mine that had work in it from me, they said it was plagiarism when i had written the damn thing in the first place.
Stupid stupid ff.net is it any wonder that everyone goes to mediaminer.

[katikat.livejournal.com]

I understood while they banned nc-17 stories. I didn't like it, but I understood it. But this is simply ridiculous. They will simply delete all the stories that have lyrics in them without checking them out if the "lyrics" ARE actually "lyrics". *grumbles*

[seraphim-grace.livejournal.com]

also an aha songfic, sugoii, I'm going to see them in november (is not as old as it might appear but has an older sister) there was this comment in the guardian for the release of the last album, that "if morton harket was ugly he'd have the greatest voice in music, but yes ladies, he's still pretty fly."
I liked that.

[yami-tai.livejournal.com]

I'm going to see them in november

*bounces* Ooh, where, where??

[seraphim-grace.livejournal.com]

nottingham arena! tickets are on ticketmaster already. they're touring the new greatest hits package. Fingers crossed they play slender frame (like it will happen) but they are almost guaranteed to play manhattan skyline, and maybe how sweet it was.

[yami-tai.livejournal.com]

Fingers crossed they play slender frame (like it will happen)

They did when I saw them on the 'Lifelines' tour so I don't see why they wouldn't again ^_~!

I'm going to get tickets, seeing them twice is just not enough *wry grin*!

[seraphim-grace.livejournal.com]

the first time they toured i wasn't allowed to go, and then the next time my father refused to take me and then it got worse until i pretty much gave up hope, and now all my friends, none of which were old enough to go for the first set of albums are going en masse, and it's all my sister's fault for playing them ad infinitum until we all loved them. and despite my sister's protests i really do think they've got better with age. I love the memorial beach album, but i haven't got the new one yet.

[keire-ke.livejournal.com]

I expect it might have something to do with ff.net being largely populated by 13-year-olds who have yet to discover the meaning of 'disclaimer'. Though it is pretty stupid of them, I agree.

Still, I wonder - the only "proper" songfic I wrote uses a Shakespeare's sonnet. Am I supposed to take it off as well?

[katikat.livejournal.com]

As seraphim grace posted in the comments, they took down her story because she had "lyrics" in it. It was her own poem, a poem she wrote herself and they took it down anyway, without asking for explanation or anything. Should someone tell the admins that you have lyrics in your story, they will take it down without researching.

[keire-ke.livejournal.com]

Makes you think what will they do when someone reports a piece of poetry to the ever watchful admins. *snorts* I could understand the banishment of lyrics, but the correct order of doing things would be 'reported' 'read' 'confirm' 'delete'.

[katikat.livejournal.com]

And WHY should they do it? It's their site after all - that's what everybody will tell you. But I would expect at least a little bit fairness. But they would tell you that they don't have the time for checking every one reported story. They simply delete it and that's it. Why do them maintain the site then, I don't understand.

[keire-ke.livejournal.com]

Well, I think there is a note in the terms of use that the story might be deleted at any given time, without notice, but considering they chose to maintain a site encouraging 'unleashing the imagination', they should live up to it.

Whatever happened to 'Innocent until proven guilty'?

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Whatever happened to 'Innocent until proven guilty'?

And did that EVER exist in fandom?

They haven't banned any of my stories so far, but I did expect them to bann "The Claim" or the sequel. The birthing scenes were rather "graphic" >.< Or the birth in "He Is Having a Baby" in the Fake fandom. I was surprised they didn't accuse me of child pornography since it was Bikky who helped Ryo with the birth.

[keire-ke.livejournal.com]

Not to sound completely off-putting, but am not liking the trend they established. First the NC-17, now the lyrics - next they will probably ban sex, then violence and in a few years FF.net will be a place solely for 13-year-olds.

It sure sounds like it's run by one.

[yami-tai.livejournal.com]

I adore this fic ^_^! I don't understand why ff.net would object to songfics... I mean the focus of these fics is the story, the song is just a guide in my opinion *shrugs*.

[katikat.livejournal.com]

I think someone blamed them for plagiarism and instead giving the authors the benefit of doubt and leaving the stories with disclaimers they decided to get it out with the root and get rid of all the songfics.