(if you have trouble reading the side-by-sides check Twitter)
FROM TWITTER (I am NOT the "I" in these! But I know who is, they're a friend, and this evidence looks pretty iron-clad to me)
>I'm what you'd call a voracious reader. I read all the time, everywhere. I read non-fiction, fiction, & fanfiction. I don't discriminate great stories. What I do despise is plagiarism. Color me surprised when I bought "Paid to Kneel" by Romilly King. It seemed so familiar.
>By chapter 2, I realised I could mouth along with the lines, because this is almost verbatim "You can hurt me, it's okay, baby" by Blue_Jack.
>All of these screenshots are of "Paid to Kneel" (with yellow highlights of plagiarised text) next to "If you hurt me, that's okay, baby" by Blue_Jack on Ao3.
(unforth's note: ...I've hit Tumblr's image limit, but you get the idea. There are even more images on Twitter, but even just these ten prove the point. Here's the rest of OP's commentary from the thread)
>I contacted Blue Jack to see if they're Romilly. They're not. They filed a plagiarisation claim with Amazon, who pulled the book. The audio book still remains, for the moment.
>Romilly has published a book approximately once a month during 2020 and into 2021. It's entirely possible she's been writing ahead of time and is only publishing now. It's also entirely possible she's plagiarised more fic.
>The plagiarisation isn't even remotely subtle.
>This was a work put out into the world to be enjoyed for free. Blue_Jack spent *hours and hours* writing and editing this *for free*, for people to enjoy *for free*, and someone tried profiting from it. That's not okay.
>If this fanfiction has been plagiarised so thoroughly, how can I trust other books by Romilly aren't also plagiarised fic? If this fanfiction has been plagiarised so thoroughly, how can I trust other books by Romilly aren't also plagiarised fic?
Romilly King has almost 23 books out since early last year up on Amazon. They've got thousands of reviews on Goodreads. Given how often they publish, and how flagrantly they plagiarized this one, whatcha want to bet they've stolen wholesale from many different authors in different fandoms? This is major, guys, and totally unacceptable.
Spread this like wild-fire, and let's bring this plagiarist down in flames!
Alright, since notes are kind of all over the place, I wanted to post a brief update with things I know now that I didn’t when I wrote this yesterday. I’m sure I’m missing some things, but I’ll try to be thorough.
Romilly King has been withdrawing from social media; their Twitter has been deleted and their Facebook group is gone. They’ve not issued any public statements as far as we’re aware.
Two people who worked with King have been identified and peripherally involved - Emma Jaye, who did some editing for King, and Gavin McAllister, who did the narration for the Audible books. There is zero evidence that either knew about the plagiarism. DO NOT harass them! They are victims of King’s deceit as well.
So far, only “Paid to Kneel” has been removed from Amazon and other sales platforms.
The following people with Kindle Unlimited accounts have offered to help do side-by-side comparisons, so no one has to buy the books to check: @clonesdreamgirl; @shamelesslymkp; …at least one other, I’m not finding it in the notes rn, though, I’m sorry. *sweat drop*
A lot of leads are being tracked across various platforms, but King was just good enough at this that finding originals has proved very challenging.
2. King’s works “Handled” and “Cleansed” are actually “CONventional Psychopathy” parts 1 and 2 by @mayalaen. Maya’s initial Amazon take down request was rejected, but she’s working on compiling more evidence and will re-file.
3. We’ve just figured out a third - @nickelkeep communicated with fannyvonfabulus and the author has confirmed that King’s “Paid to Take Control” is stolen from their Stony work, “You’ve Built Your Wall So High (That No-One Can Climb It)”. This is also the first confirmed plagiarized piece that didn’t start as Destiel.
4. As an aside we also have strong suspicions that “This is Not Revenge” and “What Revenge Looks Like” are, if not directly plagiarized, likely rewritten from the deleted work “With Understanding” by apokteino. There are enough plot elements in common that it’s dubious, though a couple side-by-side comparisons didn’t reveal direct plagiarism, and we’re not pursuing it more at this time because apokteino deleted their AO3 and isn’t known to be on any other social media - so even if it was, we wouldn’t know who to contact to file the DCMA.
As far as I know, those are the big things at the moment.
Unraveling King’s lies is a huge job - there are an immense number of dark BDSM fics and sub-for-hire fics across every major fandom, totaling thousands of fics. To everyone who has helped so far - THANK YOU - we have been trying to chase every lead we get (me, OP, and @nickelkeep), and many others have also been helping follow up on leads, especially folks who commented here that they have Kindle Unlimited. The work isn’t done yet, though, so if you’re reading this and you haven’t yet taken a look at the summaries - please do. We’ve had plausible leads from Supernatural, the Witcher, Hannibal, MCU, 1D, Sherlock, and many other fandoms - don’t assume it couldn’t touch your fandom! Romilly was picking based on kinks that would fit their audience. Please, please, help - if it was your story, if it was your fave, you’d want them to get credit. The authors who’ve been stolen from can file for the works to be removed, AND can get restitution from Amazon, AND can potentially sue King - so this is a big, big deal.
We couldn’t have done this without everyone on Tumblr, Twitter, Reddit, Discord, and elsewhere who has helped - by looking, by spreading the word, by suggesting leads.
I didn’t even realize it was gonna come with swag 🤣🤣🤣
Gonna out the stickers on my sticker spot, and hang at least one of the Hualians on my wall, and use the bookmark when I read the manhua (cause I just crossed 250 days on Duolingo, I have Pleco, and I’m *determined* to read this now that it’s mine) and not sure about the plastic thingies yet. But. I do love me some swag.
How to Read Manhua on Bilibili: Legal, Free, and in English
In my posts on this blog, I keep sharing screen caps from manhua I've read on Bilibili, along with the link to read it yourself, but I know:
This blog doesn't have all that many followers.
It's one thing for me to post the link and quite another for people to realize just how easy this is to do.
Considering how often I see English-speaking MXTX/c-novel/c-drama/donghua fandom peeps screaming and begging for more content, I'm now begging you in return:
STOP SLEEPING ON THE BILIBILI APP!
If you want more danmei content, fully legal, entirely free, already translated, you literally c.a.n.n.o.t. do better than using the Bilibili app to read manhua. That's not to say this is a perfect method - their translations are...um...wanting sometimes? (Shout out to the four pages in a row I recently read where someone broke in to a residence and every time the breaker-inner was mentioned they were called "the intrud") But it's still ALL THERE, FOR US, ANYTIME, and the more eyes the manhua in the apps gets, the more content we'll get, so please, PLEASE, if you're out there thirsting for danmei content, DO THIS.
Wondering how?
Well, I've got you covered.
WAY 1: The Bilibili Manhua Website
I know I said "get the app" but honestly you don't even need an app to do this! You can read on Bilibili using any web browser.
There are 38 titles in GL and 121 titles, yes ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE titles, in BL.
AND there's het stuff, and non-romance stuff too!
New episodes general come out weekly or biweekly, though a few things are daily. The website is often a few chapters ahead of the app (which I actually didn't realize until just now - Chapter 55 of Legend of Exorcism, for example, came out today on the app, but it lists 60 episodes as available on the website. Which, considering the cliffhanger I just read... *eyes emoji*...though apparently in other cases there are more chapters on the app than on the website, so ymmv.)
The best-known title available (again: FOR FREE. OFFICIALLY. LEGALLY. IN ENGLISH) is Tian Guan Ci Fu. When you go to a specific title's page, you get this...
...and reading it is as simple as selecting the chapter you want, clicking it, and et voila! Just scroll down and read to your heart's content!!
NOTE: SOME CHAPTERS WILL HAVE WAIT TIMES. More on this shortly.
WAY 2: The Bilibili App for Android
I personally have been reading primarily from the Android app, since I have a Samsung Galaxy phone and a lot of time sprawled on my couch while my kids watch cartoons.
You can download the app from the Play store - here's a link, for what that's worth.
It looks, essentially, like this (I'm logged in so mine looks a little different than non-logged-in, I made an account even tho you don't actually need one):
If you don't want to make an account, you don't have to. If you choose to, as you see it'll try to guess what other titles you might like. tbh I have no idea how good these recommendations may be; I'm still reading/catching up on the specific titles I wanted to read so I haven't had to try their recommendations yet. But, there's definitely some stuff that looks interesting (that top middle one definitely looks up my alley...)
You can also "favorite" things (again: EVEN WITHOUT AN ACCOUNT) and it'll store them in your library and make a red dot (like you can see on the above screen cap) when something has an update you haven't read yet. For example, here's my Favorite list, which helps me keep track of what I'm reading and enjoying (or, well, in one case I'm more "wtfing" than "enjoying" but hey that still counts).
There's even a weird, like, "dress up" side game??? So like, every chapter you read there's a chance the app will drop a "card" and you can use the cards to dress your avatar up, and there's a whole crafting system built in? It's. A little odd. But, considering I recently quit my Love Nikki addiction after 3+ years, it's nice to get a small hit of pointless dress up.
Yes, my avatar is currently wearing San Lang's shirt.
The point is, again: this app is free to download, and incredibly easy to use, and even has a fun pointless side game.
BUT. There is one "but" here. See the Coins: 0 Top Up right below my randomly assigned username?
There is an optional pay system. What does it do? It reduces wait times.
Some titles, but not ALL, have a "built in delay" that kicks in at some point. On some, it seems to start when you're "within 5 chapters of the most recent" (that's what's happened with Global Examination and TGCF, for example). For others, it seems to be arbitrary - for A Single Strike of Shimmering Frost, it kicked in at chapter 40 even tho there are, like, 80 something chapters up. Regardless, it always works the same.
The system functions using wait times, and it has 5 tiers that are always the same.
Tier 1: You must wait one minute before you can read the next chapter. This tier is rarely an issue; the count down sometimes (but not always??? it's weird) starts when you start a new chapter, and it almost always takes more than one minute to read a full chapter, so this tier is often "satisfied" before you even get to the next chapter.
Tier 2: You must wait six minutes before you can read the next chapter.
Tier 3: You must wait one hour before you can read the next chapter.
Tier 4: You must wait six hours before you can read the next chapter.
Tier 5: You must wait twenty-four hours before you can read the next chapter.
I initially thought this system functioned as "once you reach Tier 5, you're just stuck there and can only read a chapter a day" but it's turned out that's not the case - A Single Strike of Shimmering Frost having 40+ semi-locked chapters has given me the chance to actually test this a bit. In fact, what happens is:
The first time you hit a "wait delay" chapter, it puts you at Tier 1 and you have to wait a minute. The next chapter, you up to Tier 2, the next to Tier 3, then Tier 4, then Tier 5...and then it cycles back to Tier 1. So, with a little care and planning (which I almost always fail at) I can time reading something with many wait-delayed chapters such that I can read 5 chapters in one day, then I have to wait a full day, then I can read 5 more chapters.
Here's how it looks when you've done your waiting in purgatory and can now read on...
...and here's how it looks when the sad trombones play...
Now, I mentioned I'd circle back to the coins? THE TIME HAS COME! Because, look - for 17 coins, you can read on instantly!! Alternatively, if you're willing to share on social media, you can also skip (I have no if that's something you can do over and over, or just once, cause I haven't tried - you can skip the wait time once for free). This begs the question, then...is 17 coins a lot?
And the answer is...
...eh not really, no. Ten bucks will get you the ability to pay 17 coins many, many times (58, to be precise), but honestly? I haven't spent a penny yet and I've caught up on 7 different titles and am steadily reading through two more (one of which hasn't had wait times kick in yet, I just can only read so fast).
All of which is to say: yes, there's a pay system, and tbh, I'm probably going to throw them a few bucks not because I care about the wait times but because I'm getting so much enjoyment out of reading these titles and I want to support them a little (I also bought the print version of the TGCF vol. 1 and will likely buy the other volumes, and I once-upon-a-time paid to watch TGCF s. 1 streaming as they came out). With a little patience there is absolutely zero call for spending even one penny to read as much of this cornucopia as you want.
WAY 3: Download the Bilibili App on Apple
I don't have access to an iPhone and don't feel like grabbing my tablet rn and I've hit the Tumblr image limit anyway, but the Apple app looks about the same as the Android app, and you can download it HERE.
Basically: use the website, or download the app for whichever platform you're using, and READ, READ, READ!
So, what is there to read?
I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED!
I've been reading on the app pretty regularly for like two months (prior to that I was only reading TGCF, and only when I remembered, which was rarely), but I'm juggling a lot AND reading other stuff too so I am far from having explored the wide range of options. I can, however, highlight a few I think are likely to be of interest to a danmei-reading audience. Note that of these, I've only read the novels for TGCF, TYQHM, and Daomu Biji, which means that I only know as far as the manhuas have covered for the rest - I haven't read farther than that yet.
A. Tian Guan Ci Fu by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. The one, the only - this is the official manhua with art by Starember. It tells the story of newly ascended god Xie Lian trying to navigate the intricacies of the heavenly bureaucracy, figure out his place in the world, and understand why a sexy guy in red keeps showing up in his life. (Worst synopsis ever award goes to: ME!). The English translation is currently on episode 77, which has Xie Lian and Hua Cheng in the gambler's den. A volume just ended, which means it's on hiatus temporarily - there's usually a month or two break between volumes - so it'll be back soon!
B. Global Examination by Mu Su Li. Based on the book Global University Entrance Examination, featuring art by E Zi. Global Examination is a story set in a dystopian near-future about a world where groups of people are randomly selected (read: kidnapped and forced) to participate in an "exam" where they have to answer extremely complex puzzles. If they succeed, they get to live and become one of the people who administer the exam. If they fail, they die. Despite the premise sounding dark, it's really not been so bad and I've been reassured it won't become so. The story itself focuses on You Huo, a recently selected examinee with amnesia, the other people in his examinee group, and Examiner 001, who clearly has some kind of history with You Huo. If only he didn't also have amnesia, we might even know what that history is...
C. Dinghai Fusheng Records and Legend of Exorcism, both based on the books of the same names written by Fei Tian Ye Xiang. The art for Dinghai Fusheng Records is by Qianerbai (who has also done a lot of work for the Mo Dao Zu Shi audio drama) and for Legend of Exorcism, it's by Warp. These stories are set in the same 'verse, at least several hundred years apart; it's a xianxia high-fantasy setting, and the main enemies are resentment monsters and demons (...or are they? dun dun duuuun). Dinghai Fusheng Records takes place, chronologically, first, and occurs a couple hundred years after a calamity caused all qi to fade from the world - there are only mortals, and no one can cultivate. It follows Chen Xing, a young man born with a gift, as he seeks his protector - Xiang Shu - and others, and they encounter (surprise!) unspeakable evil. Legend of Exorcism takes place in the "future" of Dinghai Fusheng Records, and focuses on Kong Hongjun, a half-demon boy who has received a summons to join the Exorcism Department, as he explores the mortal world for the first time and gets to know the others who have summoned to join the Department, especially the mortal leader Li Jinglong.
D. Daomu Biji titles, originally by Nanpai Sanshu. There are two DMBJ titles on Bilibili right now, though both only have a few chapters, and the website lists them as "on hiatus." I've read them both, and am not entirely sure what's up with one especially, but... Grave Robbers' Chronicles starts where Book 1 starts, with changes of course but it's quite recognizable as the initial "Wu Xie is brought a silk scroll and gets curious and then Wu Sanxing gets involved" plot line. The Grave Robbers' Chronicles Seven Dreams is...odder...and as far as I can tell is an alternate canon/AU which starts with a "what if" of "what if the Zhang's were incredibly abusive, raised child!Zhang Qiling themselves, and Wu Xie and he met as kids." It's. Um. Extremely weird. And not for those sensitive to kids getting beaten bloody. But I'm still hoping they'll release more than 9 chapters, if only because I'm curious.
E. A Single Strike of Shimmering Frost, based on the novel A Sword of Frost by Yu Xiao Lanshan. This one opens with the Prince Ji Yanran approaching Sect Master Yun Yifeng, who runs a sect of spies and information collectors, to ask for help finding an item that has been stolen from the palace. In exchange, he promises to give Yun Yifeng the cure to an ailment that plagues him. Problem 1: he doesn't actually have this cure. Problem 2: everywhere they go people start dying. Problem 3: catching feels for the pretty Sect Master. Despite having the trappings of xianxia, this story has actually thus far been a sequence of murder mysteries with politics-related causes.
F. Saved the Public Enemy By Mistake by Liu Muqiao. If this is based on a novel, I haven't been able to track it down. It's xianxia; demon immortal cultivator Liu Jianghe shows up, nearly dead, on the doorstep of famed doctor Lu Jiu who is just trying to live a quiet life in seclusion. Not knowing who Liu Jianghe is, Lu Jiu saves him, and thus stumbles into a mess of politics and history he doesn't understand...but nothing is actually how it seems, there's amnesia and hidden back stories galore, there's a heavy side plot of sword lesbians, and honestly I've read like 50 chapters and I'm still a little lost but the art is pretty and I really need to read the reveal on the two MCs history together so I'm sticking with it. Warning that it's got a fair amount of blood and gore.
G. Those Years in Quest of Honor Mine by Man Man He Qi Duo. A historical (non-cultivation) setting focused on politics, machinations, and the long history and deep love between Zhong Wan - former top-scorer on the national exam who lost his position when his adopted father was accused of treason - and Yu She, of dubious parentage and believed by most people to be the bastard son of the Emperor. I loved the book for this, and finding out that the manhua was on Bilibili is a lot of what drove me to download the app.
So - that's everything I'm currently reading: 6 titles inspired by explicitly BL danmei titles, 2 based on other books I like that aren't BL, and 1 BL that just looked interesting and my taste.
There's SO MUCH MORE, seriously. I'm going to be reading on this app for months and still finding more, I'm positive of it.
But unforth, I hear you say, there's some other manhua I want to read! What about Mo Dao Zu Shi? What about Erha? Are those on Bilibili? Can I read them? And the answer, sadly, is no. Those two are published by Kuaikan, which does not offer free legal English translations at this time. But! I am holding out hope that if the audience for Bilibili grows, other manhua publishers will see the profitability in emulating them. I cannot guarantee that anything we do will result in this happening, but I do feel pretty confident that if we don't read with the options currently available, we sure ain't likely to get more options.
SO. GO FORTH. READ THE THINGS I'VE MENTIONED. READ OTHER THINGS. COME BACK AND TELL ME WHAT YOU LOVED SO I HAVE SOME IDEA WHAT TO READ NEXT.
(and signal boost this post to get other people to do the same!! help the small fandoms grooooow! I really just wrote all of this so I'd have someone to scream with about the current awful that is the recent chapters of Legend of Exorcism PLEASE WE ALL NEED SQUEEMATES COME READ!!! THE THINGS! THEY'RE GOOD! WITH PRETTY ART!)
For three years, Marshal Lan “The Swan” Zhan and Marshal Jiang “JC” Cheng have been scouring the country for Wei Wuxian, who’d done a runner from Chicago after causing a fracas. Could it be they finally found… him???
cobaltmoonysart
