In Flames // 9-1-1 Fox (seasons 1-4)

apologies for the notification

But I cannot stand aside and let bullies be bullies. I have addressed this partially on my notification board and I have also contacted Wattpad Support but seeing that it is the weekend, they are not open until Monday.

In March of this year, @Luke_Eat_My_Waffles reached out to me and asked me to design a cover for her Evan Buckley story because she liked my cover. My cover was designed by my friend and, therefore, I couldn't help her but I did go check out her story because I was interested and I love supporting other fanfic authors.

When I started to read her story, I was struck by the similarities between her character, Delia, and Mariana. I continued to read and found that she had similar dialogue and plot lines that I added on my own volition to the story. In fact, here are a few of the pieces of evidence I sent to Wattpad regarding our stories:

Epigraph - character sounds eerily similar to mine

Theirs states "with genius level smarts, a can do attitude and anger issues, she decided to sign up for the LAFD. After everything she's been through she could use a new change of pace. Delia soon finds herself as a member of the 118, where she learns to open up and cope with all the trauma. But when she meets a blue eyed beauty, with a killer smile and sarcastic charm. Will she finally let herself fall in love? Or will she pack up her life and leave again."

Mine states "At twenty-six, she has seen her fair share of loss not only in her life but also in her ER. After a devastating day in the emergency room, Mariana decided to join the LAFD in hopes of saving lives before they reached the ER. As a fully fledged member of the 118, Mariana must learn to cope with her losses, trust people again, and maybe even find love in her heart. Can someone who has lost so much find themselves again? Or will Mariana lose herself entirely?"

Ch 1 - opening is similar to mine

Character waking up and going through their morning routine

Affirmation to get through the day that the character says/writes (theirs: "I am powerful", mine: "help me get through this day")

Comment about LA traffic when driving into work

Hen Wilson (from the show) greets character when she walks into the firehouse

Their character works in a "non profit free clinic" when they aren't a paramedic. My character was a part time ER nurse who worked shifts when she wasn't a paramedic.

Hen and character discusses Delia/Mariana's work the night before as Delia/Mariana gets dressed in their uniform, including even pulling her hair back for work.

My story:

"He can take the damn truck out but when I punch a guy trying to kidnap a kid, I'm put on suspension," she muttered as she grabbed a cup.

Original dialogue that I placed there

Their story:

"Mm. But when I broke that guy's nose because he liked to beat up on his wife. I got suspended for two weeks and mandatory anger management courses. He takes the truck out for one of his many sexcapades and gets a write up. Make it make sense."

Similar dialogue and placement as mine

Theirs - ch. 4; mine - ch. 6

Mine - Bobby (character from the show) gets angry on a call and inadvertently shoves Mariana. This was entirely an original idea and does not occur in the show.

Theirs - Bobby, on the same call and at the exact same time, punches Delia

Theirs - ch. 6; mine - ch. 16

Theirs - character meets Eddie Diaz (a character from the show who isn't explicitly named in the chapter) after a night out. He is alluded to be Eddie based off identifying remarks. He helps the character and is given the nickname "dog tags dude"

Mine - character meets Eddie Diaz during a night out. He is alluded to be Eddie and he helps the character and is given the nickname "dance guy".

In their ch. 7, it is revealed that Delia was raised in foster care and her boyfriend committed suicide via hanging himself. In my ch. 13, it is revealed that Mariana lived in foster care after her father died in a car crash and her mother died via hanging herself. Seriously, it can't be more obvious that they're taking from my work.

These are just some of the similarities I noted and you can even go and compare them. That is plagiarism. I reached out to Wattpad and filed a report and then reached out to Erika to let her know. She proceeded to argue with me, curse me out, and she ended it with, and I quote, "I literally didn't copy a single thing but like one idea if that and your like omg she stole my whole fucking plot. Get over yourself" and then blocked me.

I was okay with that. She wanted to establish a boundary and I respect that. I was ready to wait until Monday (possibly Tuesday since Monday is a holiday. Please look into Juneteenth and its history!).

A friend reached out to me and sent me a screenshot of the author's message board where she has now accused me and said "I've had enough of this upon further investigation I've had a few other people say that the person likes to report other stories that are gaining likes and stuff so hers can be number one in that category". This is entirely false. I have only reported four stories on Wattpad and all four incidents have been instances of plagiarism. All four were taken down by the author or by Wattpad once investigated. One instance was published with proof on In Flames Extra. Another was taken down by the author and I still have screenshots of proof if anyone needs further evidence.

I do not care about reads. I don't care about being any number on any board. I care about Mariana. I care that I found her in a dark period of my life and found solace in her and, while sharing her, discovered that others could relate to her. I grew up on Wattpad and I wanted to pay the community back through the only way I knew how: my words.

Writing has been my light and joy for years and I find myself reaching out to it in the darkest of times and the highest of highs. I've felt miserable the past few months and so incredibly guilty for not having the energy or mental state to produce the stories that you all deserve and for that, I am sorry. It breaks my heart to know that I'm letting you all down, but I also feel myself losing the joy in writing knowing that the characters I hold so dear and true and the hours I put into this aren't being respected.

I didn't want to do this, but my character has been questioned and I can't and won't stand for that. I've treated this place as a safe haven and have always encouraged others to delve into their own writing. I have had numerous people reach out to me with questions or to ask if I'll read their work and if I haven't responded, I am so sorry. That was all me and my messed up head. I am not an excellent writer or a good person, and the fact that you reach out to me and trust me with your vulnerability makes me emotional and proud.

Please, please, please do not go after any authors. Do not go into their comments or their DMs or their message boards. I just ask that you be aware and that you seek out original stories crafted by the incredibly talented writers of this site and fandom. Tenacious by logicaldreamer14 and Begin Again by goodgirlfaith_13 and Until the End by sunfliers and Nebulous by aprilmoonlight16 and Light My Fire by villainobrien are all amazing stories that I highly recommend. Please, please remain kind and peaceful. If you see a story that you feel is similar to one you have read in the past and you feel it might be plagiarized, please contact the author and/or flag it for Wattpad to know.

Thank you. I love you. I hope you are staying healthy and safe in this time. I hope to get back to writing soon and I hope you are having a good time reading and writing. Be kind. Be loving. Be creative. Be proud of yourself. (Happy Pride to my LGBTQIA+ friends!)