Before getting back on track after coming back from my September 4-16 vacation there is something I need to confess regarding my first year blogging in 2011 before I found my own writing style.
When I started looking for co-writers on the blog sometime in 2015 I made it clear that I would repay them by crediting and plugging them. I make sure to mention and reference sources and authors every time I post something not mine. I now know why that is very important.
I made a boo-boo. Some of the reviews during my first year blogging in 2011 were not all 100% written by my person…so yeah, plagiarism. I will set things right by mentioning the person who did and quoting the parts I copy/pasted. The person in question is Cryssoberyl. There is one problem though. The source material all this came from was the “Master List of Yuri” from the now defunct “Shoujoai.com”. The site went down sometime between 2013-14 and unless Cryssoberyl saved all her writing, the best I can do for the time being is quote every single part of the early reviews I can remember and rightfully credit the paragraphs as hers.
I will now share all the reviews I plagiarized and correct them. Some are a paragraph or 2 while others…yeah I was reckless back then.
A Little Snow Fairy Sugar
Saki
Devil Lady
Simoun
Haibane Renmei
El Cazador de la Bruja
Animation Runner Kuromi
Murder Princess
Maze
Aoi Hana and Sasameki Koto
Candy Boy
Kashimashi; Girl Meets Girl
Battle Athletes Victory
Stellvia of the Universe
So remember ladies and gentlemen, newbie or not, always make sure to mention, reference, credit and quote the source material or author because even if it takes a day, a week, a month or even 30 years, the owner of the source will come after you. Plagiarism is wrong and I am sorry Cryssoberyl.
The Yuri Empire 
Good on you man for clearing a problem that might cause some issues. I respect that and I am glad that I was right in associating with you. I am sure Cryssoberyl understands and appreciate the proper credit that’s due.
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It is her decision to make whether she accepts my apology or not.
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Major respect for coming clean; it’s never easy. Yeah copying was a mistake, but owning up is definitely admirable. Even moreso because very few people would have caught on (I’d like to say I did as a shoujoai lurker, but I can’t), so it’s not because of fear of being caught, but rather the right thing to do.
That said, you’ve got a position to benefit from now, as a spiritual successor and honestly one of the last good yuri links now that the oldies like ListlessInk and shoujoai are dead. Do it proud.
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You mentioned visiting those sites as well at some point.
Hope Listlessink’s Yi is doing well with her studies. I’m sure she is.
I just want to get back to having fun writing about yuri and other stuff I like without the shame looming over me any longer.
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Oh, where to begin on this subject:
Call me Ishmael …
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Oh my.
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Welcome back! Also, good on you to be able to admit a mistake, many can be stubborn to not apologize for something that happened decades ago. If anything, this is a testament to how much people can learn and grow over the years.
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I was wrong to not give her credit right away.
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That’s nice from you and i fully agree with “eclecticdude26”. :3
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Like I told him it’s up to her.
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No matter how long that mistake has been it’s still a mistake and it’s good that you apologised for it. There are people who would never admit that. One example is a certain elected official who told a number of speeches then later some professors, authors, historians and even the family of a late famous politician from another country came to the media saying that most parts of his speech (90% more or less) were written by them for their blog/speech/article. Afterwards, that elected official made a statement saying that the things he wrote in his speech are his despite there are already proofs of plagiarism. That news went for days then finally the guy apologized to those people…but still denied plagiarizing -_- (WTF…)
So what you did here is very admirable. We have our reckless moments but the important thing is admitting our mistakes and taking responsibility. And it is from those faults (big or small) that we are able to learn and grow 🙂
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Yeah. Otherwise the shame would haunt me forever.
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I am dissapoint. You might have to review Triangle struggle to earn my forgiveness :P. On a serious note, I’m not going to congratulate you for coming clean, but you’ll have earned some respect points.
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Your call.
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good to see you again
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Good to be back dood.
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I am glad to see people willing to admit that they are wrong or did something that was wrong. To me it feels like it would be something that some people would sweep under the rug, apologize to that person, give them credit, and that is it. I am glad that you came out and told everyone about this. Since this is an important life lesson. It is something that is always taught in school, and most of the time some people feel like it is not that important. Hopefully others avoid this mistake, since we can all learn from not just our own but other people’s mistakes as well.
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Atleast you’re willing to admit and correct your past mistakes. Something that many people do not actually own up to. Also, better that it was in a context such as this rather than an academic or actual business context which would have much more serious ramifications.
Proud of you, man! Also happy to see you back to writing once again.
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I do this because it’s fun and I want to spread the yuri love as far as possible. Most visitors come here looking for guidance on yuri, not because they like me. Some do and I am very grateful to the fans I have earned along with their trust but really it’s all about the yuri and that is how it should be.
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Welcome back! I missed your posts these past couple of days, when I was watching Idolmaster and GG I missed coming here afterwards and commenting 😉
Tbh I don’t care all too much about plagiarism, I didn’t even know what yuri was back in 2011 lol
Good job coming clean about it I guess and I will see you on your next reviews! (Ha, as if some plagiarism scandal would prevent me from coming here! Lol)
Speaking of shoujoai.com, man that site was good, so bad it went down.. Do you know why it went defunct? I never found out…
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I was going to ask the same thing. I was a regular (lurker; I only posted on the forums occasionally) there at one time, but not at the time it went down, so I’ve been wondering what happened ever since I noticed it wasn’t there anymore.
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I don’t know myself because it happened out of nowhere.
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Fret not my loyal subject for I have returned and the episodics will resume this Fall. The Summer shows are ending after all (as of this writing).
It is an important issue that should not be taken lightly. I found out the hard way as you can see.
As I told D.T. Nova it happened out of nowhere as far as I know.
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I am Cryssoberyl. I accept your apology and respect the clarity of your response. As others have said, this is probably not an easy thing to admit doing. You haven’t disappointed me by ignoring my words, and you have honored our old acquaintence.
And in fact, it is a roundabout form of service for, although obviously I know my own writing, a lot of those old reviews from shoujoai.com were NOT saved by me – something I deeply regret not doing before it was too late. So not only have you preserved documents that are an important piece of some of the best years of my life, but they are now once again (or perhaps “still”) available to people to learn from and be influenced by.
So thank you for doing the right thing. You have my blessing. Continue to use this platform responsibly and honestly to promote the yuri that we both love so much.
To the person who asked for the specifics of why shoujoai.com disappeared: to my understanding, sec (the owner) died. This is startling when one considers that he only became the owner because the original owner and creator of the site, Phillip Mak, also died a few years earlier. I don’t even know exactly how the site was originally rescued after Pmak’s death.
Strange to think that shoujoai.com was such an ill-fated site for its caretakers. Without question, that forum was a loved home for me for many years. That it is one of the few websites I can think of that has truly died and disappeared from the web leaving almost no trace (I’ve searched in vain for complete mirrors or archives) is something I reflect on often, with great sorrow.
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I know you dislike being highly revered but I still respect you despite my mistake.
That is, in a sense, also the reason why I used your words to shamefully reflect mine. You have a beautiful way of conveying your thoughts and your words were part of what helped me eventually find my own writing style today. But yeah I was wrong for not crediting you.
Also it would be an honor for you to grace us with your presence around here from time to time sharing your thoughts on shows that caught your interest.
Shame to hear you weren’t able to save your work on SA.com. SPEAKING of which. I have a proposition for you. If you are interested, respond when able.
To honor everyone who helped me and the people who continue supporting me I will continue doing my best to spread the yuri love far and wide.
Yes. I wasn’t there when the site was first conceived but when I joined it was part of what helped mold me into the yuri ambassador I am today.
Oh dear. I did not know that at all.
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I’ve sent you an email.
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Right on.
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This post made me want to go check out the site that’s why I tried looking for archives and yes, sadly, I found tidbits only – 2007 archive with the banner in memoriam to Philip Mak; his uid; with uid=2 the web designer’s account; forum link; etc. I hope you could salvage some of your works though. Maybe you could contact the second owner, Sonata here
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That’s actually quite a tough thing you did there. Kudos.
And I’m really glad you saved Cryssoberyl’s work that way. =) Bright spot on a dark day!
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WELCOME BACK ZEFIRIS! I’m starting to think that as crazy as it sounds, my shameful act was a good thing if it got you two to grace the nation with your presence. But in all seriousness, sorry and thank you.
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Wave Forum’s gone, but the people are still around, liking lillies ^^
And no need to be sorry to me. Wasn’t my stuff! I was just the one always disagreeing with Cryssoberyl on everything!
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Yuri will never die!
I enjoyed our conversations over at the alma mater.
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Yuri better not die, we need more Fujieda manga.
And yes, shoujoai sure has some good memories… …as long as one stuck to the yuri boards anyway. The other places, there were dragons.
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More yuri series, period.
True that.
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