#this shit should've died in the past why does this discourse come up again every few years

[redysetdare]

The trend of people saying "Don't take inspiration from my OCs!!!" is so weird to me because like....you GENUINELY cannot stop people from taking inspiration when you post your OC online - hell THEY can't stop themselves from taking inspiration when they have seen your OC. Because the brain automatically pulls from things we know when having to create something new. the brain isn't exactly able to create something completely new from thin air. it takes what it knows and mix matches it all together collage style to make something new.

The fact is that you cannot stop people from being inspired by your characters and designs the moment they get posted online. You cannot stop people from using a similar concept to you because you do not own the idea or the concept. What you DO own is the Original character you made from that idea or concept. that is a tangible thing YOU own and all the features TOGETHER that make up that character are what is protected under your ownership. People cannot copy or make minor changes and then call that character their own because that's just straight up stealing your character.

but if you made say....a platypus girl and someone else becomes inspired to make their own platypus girl....that's not stealing. you can't force someone to not be inspired by the concept of a platypus girl. you cannot say they are copying you for making a platypus girl. Now if they make their platypus girl look very similar to yours? yeah thats sus as hell and definitely something you could probably call them out on because then it is just copying. But inspiration? you can't get after people for that and genuinely you need to get off your high horse and stop assuming that people taking inspiration is an attack on you at all. like literally grow up and learn how the world and art works, bozo.