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I really want to use this idea, but is it alright to use it?

So, in my favourite manga, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, the heroine Sakura has these wings, and the feathers form her memories. She [predictably] looses all of her feathers and has to find them again. However, the one memory that cannot be recovered is the memory of her childhood friend, Syaoran.

I wanted to do something similar for my new story, but since TRC did it so perfectly already, it would just feel weak and plagiarizing.

Now I'm trying to come up with better ideas, since I am so much better than this [even though I did 'borrow' the Crystal Stasis idea from Final Fantasy XIII for my first book...]
 
Ideas can't be copyrighted, so you're good, as long as you don't actually plagiarize. If you think you might be plagiarizing, then change it up.
 
One thing you might consider is how you can make it better. I think this is one thing R.W.Emerson said in his essay on Shakespeare: that, yes, Shakespeare "stole" a lot, but everything he stole he made much better than the original, heh. So if you think that your readers might also be fans of the manga, and you are worried their reaction might be to sigh or even feel a little irritated by the use of that idea, alter it so that it becomes better than what it was in the original version. People will forgive that and might actually approve.
 

Queshire

Auror
I frequently have the same problem. My suggestion is to look at other things that you can mix with it or ways to twist it until it's uniquely yours. For example, pick another series you love and imagine what it would be like if you mixed one of the things from there with it.
 
Well, my favourite anime is Clannad, and I frequently 'gush' about how brilliant all of it is, especially the last ten episodes and the ending...
 

ushKee

Scribe
I would suggest instead of using wings/feathers, use the "memory as something physical" concept in a different way. That would put your own original twist on an overall idea that's not yours rather than just copying. It's something been done hundreds of times in fantasy and Sci-fi (for example wands had been done before Harry Potter, but JKR makes it her own). I think it's a beautiful idea that memory can be stored in something physical. What if it grows as different colored streaks in her hair, and then her hair gets cut off? Or you stretch it further away and have her store it in tiny bottles, because something has been trying to attack her mind and she needs to keep them safe.

:wink:
 
I was thinking...there are three beings whom the main character [Na-Ah] meets: Ia, a ghost girl who turns to crystal every night and forgets any memories of Na-Ah in the morning; Alula, a mysterious winged child who follows Na-Ah and Ia around; and Ii, a mystical being trapped in a collapsing realm. All three could be Na-Ah's beloved wife, split into three beings.
 

staiger95

Scribe
You may take a moment to ask yourself, is this just a really cool conceptualization that I liked and want to emulate and possibly expand upon, or is this a functional component of the story I am trying to tell? If you want to make something your own, start with the story. The archetypes you utilize and the conceptual imagery that emerges may come from a myriad of unnameable sources, but if you are telling your story--not your version of someone else's--then you will always be much better off.
 
Hi,

Can't comment on the Manga ref - don't watch / read such things. But I'm fairly sure that the idea of a bird leaving its memories / soul in feathers it drops is actually a very old myth. Can't remember which one though. In any case as others have said, switch it up if you think it's too close. Maybe the memories get dropped off as crystals, since you have one character whois crystallising. Maybe she's crystallising because she is an actual memory.

Cheers, Greg.
 
Hi,

Found it! Or part of it. It's Norse. Odin - the father of the gods, the shaman god, God of War and death etc - was also the Raven God. He carried two ravens with him - under his cloak, whatever that means and however it works - Thought and Memory. He sent them out at the dawn of every day to gather thoughts and memories. And his great fear was that one day the birds would not return, and those thoughts and memories would either be lost or end up with other people. Even when they were out gathering, people who saw them gained ideas / inspiration.

Cheers, Greg.
 

kdl121

Dreamer
Sounds like a lot of people gave you some good tips and ideas :) I just wanted to say, I take inspiration from anime as well! For me it's mostly names I like, but sometimes it's things that are used in other stories anyways so it's not copying (example: thanks to Fullmetal Alchemist, I want to somehow incorporate the seven deadly sins, but FMA isn't the only thing that's done that).

I definitely like the concept from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles ... sorry, I haven't watched it yet (it's on my list!). When you were explaining the feathers and stuff, I had a couple thoughts. First, it reminded me of Inuyasha ... there's a sacred jewel that's super powerful and everyone wants it (humans, demons, half-demons), and the main female accidentally breaks it ... so now she and a half-demon have to find all these jewel shards, which aren't as powerful as the full thing but definitely do have enough power to do damage. My second thought, not sure why, but it reminded me of Beauty and the Beast with the rose petals falling.

^ I think my point is, I don't think you necessarily have to copy something directly ... let your imagination run wild, what ideas flowed through when you first watched Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles?
 
Yeah, I've watched and read Inuyasha. [Kikyo's my favourite].

I highly recommend not watching the Tsubasa anime at all--most of the episodes are filler and only go up to Vol. 9 of the 28 volumed manga
I can send you the link to read the manga online, if you'd like.
 
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