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kalika_maxwell (![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} kalika_maxwell) wrote in ![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/community.gif){kind=small} fandom_wank,@ 2005-03-07 21:32:00 |
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Most elaborate art theft ever
This isn't from me but the author said the article could be distributed at will. It's long, it's crazy and it's wanky. Original post here.
I almost didn't post this entry.
First of all, it feels at times like I'm kicking the ass of a child. A malicious, petty child who's been beating up smaller or better-mannered kids on the playground for years without fear of adult intervention. It's overkill and I'm the first to admit it--but to leave it at that is to miss the point. I'm debunking this chick not because I have to OMG STOP HER!!!1, but because someone really should discredit her, as quickly and publicly as possible. I just happen to have done the most homework.
I've chosen to write this article as if the person it describes were some kind of intellectual property cat burglar instead of a lame little hack. It makes for better reading if I pretend to take her seriously, see? In truth, though, the confusion and havoc she creates (not her cleverness) have deflected most of the accusations. I'm pretty curious to see what happens when that cover is taken away.
I imagine there'll be retaliation; one can never really predict how a fraud will react to being discredited. I expect she'll make a Fireball voodoo doll or something. Just between you and me, as long as she doesn't stick it up her ass where her head's currently hiding, I confess to being a bit less than terrified of her mad kur51ng powarz.
I actually gave Banrai a few months to back off before I decided to post this article. I even considered dropping the matter entirely in mid-February when she made what looked like a brief stab at legitimacy. But it's become clear that I have to choose between outing the troll in a single flood of wank, or watching her pop up every 6 months to harass people until she has a change of heart and decides to give up. Which I'm pretty sure she won't, because she's nuts. I don't think she knows how to let go of her Aido obsession. Aido is Banrai's precioussssss.
I promise we can go back to quizzes, gross fanart, and actually IMPORTANT news tomorrow. Til then, you might want to pack a lunch, because this is gonna take a while to read...
BACKSTORY
If you read the webcomic Fallen, you probably know about its creator, Aido. Aido told me she's been targeted over the years by a girl called Banrai. Banrai is laughably obvious about her behavior, but she takes it from "annoying and creepy" to downright scary. The problems started in 2000, when Banrai stole a number of characters and stories as well as Aido's online identity. She made changes to some of the characters--altering appearances but keeping names and traits. She changed the names or sex of others but they were still visibly Aido's characters. A few were altered enough to create an almost legitimate original character, but their similarities are still there, and on top of the rest of the evidence, they don't help Banrai's case much.
In 2001 Banrai took Aido's entire fantasy world and settings as well. These days, she isn't even discriminating--she'll take anything, any time, and put a copyright date of 1999 on it to prove she created it herself. Banrai has also adopted the names Aido and Kaido, claiming that she was the original Aido, while the real Aido is...well, just some anonymous art thief.
Aido gave up on the drama years ago, deciding the only recourse would be to ignore her. But that hasn't been working. To this day, Banrai shows up in places Aido is sure to see her, accusing Aido and posting art of stolen (sometimes hurtfully twisted) characters, possibly trying to prod Aido into joining the fight again.
If this isn't bullying, there's no such thing.
For purposes of clarification (thanks to the issue of identity theft), when I use the name "Aido" throughout this entry, it refers only to Yuko Ota, not Banrai.
THE PLAYERS
Yuko "Aido" Ota, currently an animation student in New York and the creator of the popular webcomic Fallen. She's got a lot of characters: Aido, Taishou, Dhio, Arashi, Eouen, Realeigh, Singe, Pyr, and many others. She also created a world called "Altaedeus" with a distinctive world map and a pantheon of gods (some of which I've just named) for her stories. She also created a species of feline-appearing dragons called the Kendii, noted for their distinctive tail and wing designs. Used to go by "KAido" but has since dropped the K. Was friends with Banrai (who was also going by the name Lantur Rusvul) until Fall of 2000, when she discovered Banrai had been borrowing liberally from her work and stealing her identity.
Banrai, currently a pet groomer in North Carolina. Banrai claims to have ALSO created characters called Aido, Taishou, Dhio, Arashi, Eouen, Realeigh, Pyr (renamed Wesimbi), Singe, and many others. She now claims that she was inspired by her idol. Together with her husband, Banrai runs a MUD called "Altaedeus." Altaedeus started with the exact same distinctive world map as the one Aido has on her site, complete with locations marked in Aido's handwriting. The world of Altaedeus features a pantheon of gods identical to Aido's own. Banrai claims to have created a species of feline-appearing dragons called the Derra, noted for their distinctive tail and wing designs (and for being identical, up to February 2005, to Aido's Kendii). Banrai has, in the past, claimed the names Kaido or Aido, and at least on one memorable occasion opened an Elfwood account as 'Yuko Ryuuza Siang.'
Pokketmowse, aka Katie, currently an art student. She used to have a roommate named Banrai and a sketchbook full of artwork. Now she doesn't have that roommate anymore, and part of her sketchbook has gone missing. Katie's part of this story is small but significant, since she created a character who was stolen by Banrai. I will prove this accusation later in this entry.
Jason B., currently a...snow leopard. He's the boyfriend of Banrai, but (like Katie) his part isn't prominent in this story. In the past he has proven himself quite capable of astounding feats, however. In Autumn of 2003, for instance, Jason actually transformed himself from a humble fast food slave into a real live superhero! Yes, his secret identity is in fact... INTARWEB LAWYER MAN. His super powers include damaging libel and the ability to fold like a cheap cardboart cutout when confronted. His weakness turned out in the end to be pieces of paper sent by the Bar Association, cautioning him that "YOU ARE NOT LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN NORTH CAROLINA." Oh, SNAP.
IDEA TWINSIES
There are some interesting similarities between the characters and art of Banrai and Aido. For instance, Aido's webcomic Fallen takes place in a world called Altaedeus, on the continent Runel (city of Midcross). Banrai's MUD group takes place in a world called Altaedeus, on the continent Runel (city of Midcross). In Yuko's version of Altaedeus, there are a number of gods. They have names like Taishou, Dhio, Eouen, Realeigh, and others. Banrai's MUD group has an identical pantheon of gods, identical in many cases right down to the desciptions and html coding. In fact at one point, Altaedeus.org (Banrai's website) was a mirror of Aido's, but with different copyright information.
Aido's god Dhio is a cloaked smith god in a "grate-like" mask, and is often connected by worshippers with the concept of death (think Anubis). Banrai's Dhio is a masked, cloaked god of death with an iron mask.
Aido's Taishou is a male bat, the patron god of writing and communication. Banrai's Taishou is a female bat goddess of music and written word.
Aido's favorite goddess, Eouen, is a mother-creator-phoenix figure, and is a symbol of growth and rebirth. Banrai's Eouen (in what I can only imagine is a surprisingly vicious and thinly veiled attack on Aido) is a six-armed slut-goddess of vice and pleasure whose followers are cruel, mindless, cannibalistic minions (Fantards?) who follow her every whim, live in a city of filth and debauchery, and are certain they're doing the right thing even though they're disgusting and insane.
Aido's Realeigh is a mantis goddess of theatre and trickery, sometimes pictured wearing Baelae (the mask god) on her face. Banrai's Realeigh was some kind of a furry creature and also a goddess in 2002, but has become a mantis anthro (but not a goddess) as of March 5, 2005. Banrai's Realeigh also wears Baelae as a mask.
Aido's Baelae is a mask god and the child of Realeigh. Banrai's Baelae is probably the same thing, but I've only seen one picture and so cannot be sure she hasn't changed him at least a little in name.
Aido created two types of dragon called "Storm Leviathan" and "Mast Leviathan," . Banrai also has "Storm/Mast Leviathan" dragons
Aido created a species of creature called the Kendii, wyvern-like, with wings attached to the arms and a distinctive pair of horns on the end of the tail. Banrai created a species of creature whichlook exactly like Kendii look totally unlike the Kendii as of February 13, 2005, called Derra.
I don't believe so many identical concepts could have come spontaneously to two separate people. Even without mentioning the distinctive names, it's just farfetched as hell.
I'M YOUR NUMBER ONE FAN...
And the similarities continue as we get into the identity trouble. Yuko Ota uses the name Aido, formerly KAido. Banrai also uses the nicknames KAido and Aido, and at one point in 2001, she registered an Elfwood account under the name Yuko 'Ryuuza' Siang. Banrai claims that she was using the name Aido until Yuko came along and began to steal from her.
One question that's asked often but never answered to my satisfaction deserves to be addressed: Who was going by the name "(K)Aido" first?
I did a search on the Wayback machine for Banrai's Elfwood gallery, and found several archived versions of the index page, ranging in date from 2000-2001. Banrai does not use the names KAido or Aido to describe herself anywhere in these archives. The name DOES appear on the pages, though--in each archived page, from 2000 through April of 2001, Banrai links to a friend called "(K)Aido Rakaen." When I clicked the link, it took me to Yuko's art gallery, which exists to this day. Banrai refers to Aido as her friend in these links and calls her an inspiration until April 2001, well after Yuko first complained publicly that Banrai was stealing her work.
It's logial to assume, based on this, that Banrai was aware of Yuko's existence and the fact that she was going by the name (K)Aido. By her own admission, in fact, the two were friends. Banrai was not calling herself KAido at that time. The archived 2000-2001 Lothlorien gallery of Katie Slone, a friend of Banrai's, features drawings of 'Aido the Kendii' with a notice that the character was copyrighted to Aido Rakaen, a name which linked yet again to Yuko's Elfwood gallery.
My conclusion from these archives is that Yuko Ota was and is the original Aido.
FAIRY TALES
Both Banrai and Aido claim the rights to the same creations. Both tell the same identity theft story, accusing one another as the culprit. The next question is: Who's lying?
Well, I've told Aido's story already, so let's focus on the three stories Banrai tells interchangeably to explain herself:
STORY ONE - OVERSENSITIVE AIDO
Used Oct 15th 2004, 6:26AM on Sheezyart, and in a Gaia forum post on Oct 21, 2004 5:38 pm: "Well, apparantly someone's trying to say that I've stolen the design for my Derra species from some chick. I'll admit they look similar, but as I told the moderator that I was speaking with, there's not enough similarities to make them that close."
Banrai claims Aido is overreacting to perceived art theft, and that Aido has been sending fans of Fallen to attack Banrai over minor similarities. I've considered the Wayback evidence and the fact that Banrai's the one doing the harassing (I'll prove that later on), not to mention the number of identical (not just similar) characters and creations. These facts, plus learning that they used to be friends, lead me to reject this argument. Too many issues are left un-addressed and unexplained. It makes for a nice story, but logically it falls flat on its face.
STORY TWO - EVIL AIDO
Used Sat, Oct. 23rd, 2004, 11:07 pm in a Greatestjournal entry: I just... I'm so tired of fighting. And she does this shit to make me angry, has been doing it since I FIRST showed up on the internet (when I went by Aido, before this BITCH started stealing from me), and I don't want to take it anymore, but I'm not strong enough to stand up and stop it..."
This argument is the one that pissed me off enough to get me involved in this whole situation. First of all, when she 'first' showed up on the internet, she was not going by the name Aido. We already covered this, so I'm gonna move on.
But instead of defending herself, Banrai is going on the attack! She claims here to be the victim of a massive and vicious intellectual property and identity theft, and that she's crushed by the amount of beloved creations Aido had taken from her. This story DOES touch on an earlier established fact, that Aido was an old friend of Banrai's. But in this version of reality, Banrai is the creator and Aido the insane fangirl. Aido, Banrai says, who was allowed to use the disputed characters, betrayed Banrai's trust and took these wonderful creations for her own, stole Banrai's identity, and has been sending her webcomic's fans to harass Banrai ever since to top it all off. The only reason she gets away with it, Banrai complains, is that Aido is a better artist. Though I've actually seen a friend argue that Banrai was once the better artist, until that bitch Aido MYSTERIOUSLY TOOK AWAY BANRAI'S ABILITY TO DRAW. See the end-of-essay link marked 'FRAUD FILES' for the full sob story. It's like something right out of a fanfic.
STORY THREE - THE INSPIRATION CARD
Used February 11th, 2005 10:46 PM on Furaffinity: "Alright, I'm tired of the crap. I've changed my Derra to where they are NOTICEABLY different from Aido's Kendii. If you still think they're the same, that's not my problem. Furthermore, YES I do admit inspiration, hoever I was INSPIRED back in oh lessee 1997 or so?
The DERRA are copyright ME...."
In this third argument, Banrai downplays the resemblances between creations to 'inspiration.' Well, maybe. But I think my definition of the word might be out of date. Does inspiration usually involve a person copy-and-pasting a webcomic's entire backstory and world setting PLUS the map graphics on her own site, changing the copyright information to credit only herself? Also, if she was inspired, why has she been attacking Aido and committing libel by telling anyone who will listen that her mentor stole her identity and creations? It doesn't make sense. The inspiration card gets tossed for the same reason as the "Oversensitive Aido" argument--it's a logical black hole.
CONCLUSION
It's impossible for any two of Banrai's arguments to simultaneously be true, so two out of the three are automatically lies. What reason would an innocent person have to changer her story? If I didn't know the two people involved and hadn't seen a full folder of evidence pointing to Banrai as the culprit, I'd blame the person who's been caught lying repeatedly.
I'm going to go ahead and assume that argument two is at least getting close to the truth here--SOMEONE is maliciously stealing art and stories here. What hasn't been settled yet is the question of who.
OCCAM'S RAZOR
To me, the simplest explanation for all of this drama is that Banrai fell in love with Aido's characters and story ideas. She took these ideas and drawings for her own, got caught, and went on the attack against Aido in retaliation, and has been refusing to let the fucking thing drop ever since. I sometimes get the feeling that Banrai believes the amount of labor expended in finding the CTRL+C/CTRL+V keys all by herself justifies claiming credit for an entire creative process. I believe, too, that she's orchestrated fraud against Aido in an attempt to FORCE Aido to give up the disputed characters and stories. I base my accusations on the proof I've seen (also available in the link list at the bottom of this entry) that Banrai is a chronic liar, an identity thief, and a dirty fighter to boot.
Occam's razor, yo.
While I can't rule out the possibility of supernatural forces traveling time to change the past and incriminate an innocent person, it doesn't seem very plausible. I'm also uninspired by Banrai's track record. As art theft goes, she's a repeat offender. She's perma-banned from many online galleries (vcl, sheezyart, and Elfwood, to name three) for plagiarism and abuse. She was banned from Deviantart as well until a couple of weeks ago, but was reinstated, then banned again in late February for using her journal to post the legal name and address of another user (me) in retaliation for that person calling her a thief and a bully. This is not the behavior of an innocent victim. Then again, though, maybe I'm just biased. God knows I'm a little touchy about innocent mistakes like harassment and stalking...
It should be added that to date, the only art theftaccusations of any kind I've ever found against Aido come from Banrai herself, when she uses the Evil Aido Defense.
NO, REALLY, I'M A LAYWUR
Now, I said I was going to explain the libel thing in more detail as well as bring in Banrai's boyfriend. No time like the present, so let's tackle that now.
In October of 2003, a man identifying himself as a copyright lawyer, licensed to practice in 3 states, posted in the Fallen webcomic forum to accuse Aido of copyright infringement. This lawyer threatened to "bury Aido on a court" if she did not hand over ownership of the disputed world, gods, and characters to Banrai's MUD group. He framed his demands as terms for avoiding legal punishment. This man gave his home phone number as contact information, and upon calling the number Aido discovered that this 'lawyer' was actually Banrai's husband, who worked not as a lawyer, but as a burger lord at a Sonic in North Carolina. The Bar Association sent him some lovely paperwork explaining in small words that he's not a lawyer and that claiming to be one is a crime.
Impersonation of an authority in order to force someone to comply with demands sure sounds like fraud to this armchair detective. The accusations Jason B. made in this false capacity also appear to be libel. How can Banrai cry 'harassment' now when she herself is doing the harassing?
Jesus, it's like watching a four-year-old throw a tantrum over a cookie. I expect she'll be on the floor kicking and screaming next.
GROWING PAINS
There was some potentially good news I planned to put here, though as usual it turned out to have been temporary. As I said earlier, Banrai has changed the 'arm wings' on her Derra species in the past month so they won't resemble the Kendii species as much anymore. She has also publicly admited that she was 'inspired' by Aido many years ago. Inspired, great. Changing the designs to make them her own, also good. There's a possibility of some real change in this small attempt on Banrai's part to move away from her usual bullshit.
There's just one little thing that bugs me.
Where was this humility and willingness to make amends two months ago? Where is it now? As of March 5, Banrai has begun her campaign of ripoffs again, this time posting pictures of a newly re-warped version of Aido's goddess "Realeigh" with a copyright notice claiming the character as her own. Banrai hasn't actually changed at all, she's just altered a few details to reduce the pressure of accusations against her. She did as little as possible to get the heat off her, and then she proved she hadn't learned a fucking thing. Her Aido-isms continue, and the spite only gets worse. But now we at least have proof that she knows what she's doing is wrong.
And there's always chance she might, someday, decide to leave people alone. (And my lower intestine houses a magical palace full of bacteria fairies that make my shit smell like chocolate cake).
FLYING WITH HER OWN WINGS?
But don't get me wrong here. Banrai may be obsessive and insane, but she has broadened her horizons a bit. I have discovered that Aido's not the only one Banrai targets! She's also victimized a roommate from art school, who created a character called Mel the Bat Pooka. I'm not sure this is great news, but at least it proves Banrai isn't exclusively fixated on Aido, but prefers to share the wealth.
Thankfully, this is a pretty easy theft to prove.
The short version is that Banrai ripped some pages out of her roommate Katie's sketchbook while they were in art school together. These pages, drawings of a certain Bat Bard named Mel, later appeared on Banrai's gallery as pictures of Banrai's new character, Taishou the Bat Bard. (Remember Aido's Taishou? The bat god of travelling and written language? Well, he done got a sex change.)
Now, because the actual pages were stolen, no one but Banrai has access to the proof that those exact drawings were the roommate's work--but it doesn't take a professional analysis to see that they can't possibly be Banrai's. Banrai can't even begin to compete with Katie in terms of talent and skill, and the difference in style is distinctive as hell. The pictures of Taishou are completely unlike anything in Banrai's entire body of work, but they fit right in with the pictures of Mel posted in her roommate's gallery.
Here's Katie's gallery.
And here's Banrai's.
See what I mean?
Here's a drawing of Mel, the female bat pooka bard, drawn by roommate Katie.
Here's another of Mel by Katie This one has an added bonus: a comment left by Banrai (Daaa) complimenting the character in August of 2002, LONG before "Taishou The Bat Bard" showed up on the web.
Here is Aido's bio for Taishou, the male bat god of travel and writing.
Put Taishou and Mel together, and what do you get?
Taishou, the female Bat Bard and goddess of the written word. Banrai's awfully creative.
Note: If she takes this one down, let me know and I'll post an archived version.
In July of 2003: Banrai complained on a DA forum about the problems she was having with Pokketmowse over this character/art theft.
Quoted from her complaint:
"this girl [Katie] is claming that i've stolen the actual PAGES out of her sketchbooks and copied them, when I don't even know who the heck she is. What's more, now she's saying that I was her room mate or something in school. I don't know what to make of all of this, except that this girl must honestly be off her rocker."
Sounds like Banrai's the victim of an oversensitive nutball again, doesn't it? But when I used the Wayback machine to check the facts, I found THIS old Wyvern page of Banrai's, under the pseudonym Sophie Darnall. You can tell it's Banrai because the stories in her gallery are about herself and a friend as furries, all the contact information is hers, and her website link leads to daaa.deviantart.com, one of her (currently banned) alias accounts.
From the intro paragraph:
"you can also visit my roommate, Katie Lisk"
I've never seen someone pwn herself before. Impressive.
Here is a thread Banrai started, appealing to the readers of the Gaia Online art forum for advice in the Aido situation.
She posts using a blue-haired avatar under the name 'Andrea Hall' , using one of Pokketmowse's drawings as a signature picture. In a separate thread posted
the same day, someone asked Banrai if she had drawn her signature picture and she said she had. At which point someone called her an art thief.
These Gaia posts were made in October of 2004, months after Banrai and Katie had their conflict about Taishou/Mel. Incidentally, Katie Lisk has a character called "Andrea Hall" who also has blue hair in a similar hairstyle to Banrai's Gaia avatar. Maybe Andrea feels entitled to assume the identity of a character because their names are similar, but why was she using that name and stealing Katie's art? Especially if we are to believe Katie was harassing Banrai with false accusations of art theft at the time. It doesn't make any fucking sense.
It is fun, though, watching Banrai get her ass handed to her by a bunch of forum kids.
YOU CAN'T FIRE ME, I QUIT!
now it's time to explore some of her shady past transgressions.
From: erb@elfwood.lysator.liu.se
To: banrai_san@****.com
Subject: ERB: Removed from Elfwood
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 01:54:44 +0200 (CEST)
In response to your letter, this is to let you know that you have been suspended from Elfwood due to numerous rule breaches, as well as severe misconduct and immature behaviour in Elfwood. These are very much NOT in the spirit of the Elfwood Community. Our records show that we have issued you numerous warnings ranging from your bio picture to art theft and each time our records also show no response to our emails.
More recently, we have noticed your involvement in a situation along with some other artists. Upon research, we found rude comments (to say the least) left by you, in the comment boards. We also noticed that your gallery seems to have been taken over by at least 2 other people, hence this letter is unaddressed. Gallery sharing is not allowed in Elfwood, nor is the sharing of your Extranet password. Your password is confidential and is yours. Disregarding this means -immediate dismissal- from Elfwood. Not only do you compromise your security, but Elfwood's as well.
This case is still under investigation. Feel free to email back, however no further discussion will be entertained about your dismissal from Elfwood due to the oustanding rule breaches. Do not flame the ERB, Thomas Abrahamsson, other Elfwood administrators or other artists either via email or any other form of communication as this will be considered as harrassment and can be grounds for legal proceedings. We hope this answers your query.
Thank you,
Elfwood Review Board
/X0:banrai:/~//
---------------------
If you feel you need to reply back to the ERB, please go back to the ERB page and post. Always read the ERB page carefully before raising an arguement at http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/erb.html
Banrai posts a Deviant Journal Entry, explaining why she left the furry art site VCL. Ch'marr, an admin of the VCL site, has already explained in the past that Banrai was booted for plagiarism. When she starts up on Deviantart, he steps in to set the record straight yet again.
Just for fun, let's check out this old version of Banrai's story, as told on a YNA forum. In this case, she's sticking to pretty much the same story that Aido tells, except reversing the roles (of course).
________________________________________________________
Banrai
(6 Posts)
New Meat
Ok, I've asked this around a few other boards that I frequent, so I'm just gonna throw it on here, too, for some input from you guys. Alright, here's the situation. I've a friend, and she writes stories. I let her use some of my characters in her stories. Now, due to adverse circumstances, this friend are no longer friends. I asked her to please refrain from using my characters, and she said fine. I thought everything was fine. Still following? Good.
Right, so a little time goes by, and then one day I was bored so I was searching for my characters names. And I get a few hits, one of which I had never heard of before. And who is it, but my friend? Great. So I go, and I'm looking around her gallery, and what has she done, but changed them.
Not this is where some people get confused, so I'll explain. I have these characters: Luos Restil - Tiger Wesimbi Kahen -- Fire Dragon Lorave D'ala -- Water Dragon Ryus Pbaydorn -- Beaked air Dragon Right, got that? Now, what she has done (I'll use Wes as an example) is take their origional form (a Fire Dragon) and change it (into a Phoenix) and leave his name the exact same.
Now, this irritates me to no end, and I've spoken with Ch'marr abot it (yes, all of this is taking place on VCL) and I don't want to be mean, but I want my characters back. I know htat she is mad at me for numerous reasons (most are silly, to boot) and I feel that what she is doing is a personal attack. So, now my question is: what should I do? Ch'marr says that he won't take action untill I tell him... But I don't want her worse mad at me (as I hate having people ill at me)...
I've told her that the characters are mine, but she seems to ignore all emails I have sent her... and now she's writing me, telling me to change my characters names. I have drawings that date back from 1996 with their names written on them, very learly. That was before I even knew her. *sighs* I've scanned them in and put them somewhere safe, but I'm so upset...
So again I ask: What do you guys think I should do?
You can read the original post here. Careful the color scheme doesn't burn your eyes out, though.
Here's another Banrai quote:
"Haha, I've got a good one. I've been accused of theft because my character is a mamillian dragon with *gasp* arm wings! And I'v ebeen harassed over this crap for YEARS."
Taken from here.
Shaaaaameless. But that's not the best part! Banrai has reinvented herself on LJ as an art thief catcher since her last attack on Aido.
Oh, the BURNING IRONY. What will this amusing caricature do next?
EVERYONE IS A HYPOCRITE BUT ME!
Well, so far she's used her "art thief catcher" identity to accuse two people of ripping her off based on similar character coloration. Check the posts out here and here. I talked to the artist who drew Radio, who was extremely confused about the whole thing, and explained why Banrai was suddenly making with the accusations. Least I could do, really. It's shitty to be accused of art theft by nutjobs. I'm sure Aido would agree.
Yanno, though...for somebody who constantly fights against accusations of theft by downplaying the evidence to mere similarities, Banrai sure is touchy about other people using her favorite colors (an so uncommon they are, being blue, green and yellow and all). Why, that kickin' Radio design has STRIPES! Stripes on a furry!? My god. This makes my Angler Light On A Canine With Wings look like...moogle pompoms! (OMG in-joke!)
Listen up, guys. New law: LIGHTNING BOLT PATTERNS, 2 OF THE 3 PRIMARY COLORS, AND STRIPES ARE NOW COPYRITES TO BARNAI. Someone phone JK Rowling immediately, this is serious business!
This sordid tale is neaing conclusion. I'm sure those of you who survive the telling of it wonder if I can possibly think of anything else to add--and I'm wondering if it's even necessary to bother. I think about that, and my answer is hell yeah. It'd be a real waste to not use all the evidence I have, no matter if it's overkill or not. I'm actually leaving quite a bit out, but we'd be here all day if I included every little thing she's ever said or done that proves she's a fucking fraud. I'm sure most of you are extremely grateful for my discretion XD.
So without further ado, I give you....
LINKS LINKS LINKS!
SheezyArt - Banrai using the "Oversensitive Aido" defense.
GreatestJournal - Banrai using the "Evil Aido" defense.
Furaffinity - Banrai pulls the "Inspiration Card."
The Fraud Files - A long and scary archive of the original Banrai/Aido conflict emails. In some of the emails, people refer to Banrai as (K)Aido. It gets confusing, I know. All I can say is, welcome to the Banrai zone.
The Fraud Files, Continued - Thomas Abramsson, creator and head cheese of Elfwood, officially gives Banrai the heave-ho from Elfwood for art theft, harassment, and abuse of the Extranet.
The Fraud Files, Concluded - Here you see Banrai popping up again to start some new Elfwood accounts.
Letter of Caution - A copy of the letter Banrai's husband was sent by the Bar Association after he impersonated a lawyer to harass Aido.
First Contact - Banrai posts my info on her journal to scare me away from pursuing the art theft matter. Her attempt, obviously, was unsuccessful.
Kendii/Derra - Two Kendii and one Derra. These species are, we've been told, unrelated.
And another - Aido's pencil sketch of a Kendii, with Banrai's Derra to the right.
Taishou - The stolen sketchbook page on Banrai's Elfwood site.
Comparison... - A collage I made featuring stolen sketchbook art and comparison shots.
Elfwood - Wayback Machine archives of Banrai's Elfwood gallery.
GODS
Gods - The gods of Aido's Fallen.
Gods (Banrai) - Banrai's twisted ripoff version.
Altaedeus - Banrai's MUD site, which uses Aido's world and characters.
MAPS
Map (Low) - Aido's (low resolution) map of Altaedeus. Runel's at the bottom.
Map (High) - Here is Aido's high resolution working copy of Fallen's world map, converted from PSD format. This map comes in two parts: without text layer & compass, or just the text layer. A simple art thief would be stuck with the JPG version, and the quality would NOT be this good.
Banrai's World Map (mirror HERE) - Banrai reposts Aido's drawing of the Altaedeus world map on another Altaedeus mud site.
Altaedeus Map (Ripped) - Banrai's "larger version" of the the world map. That is some horrible compression. It looks like a JPG that's been upsized by someone who hasn't got a high-resolution version to work with...
World Map Paintover - Banrai posted this bizarre re-paint of the Runel map on Altaedeus.org for a while. I guess she forgot the stolen map was (and IS still) left up on the other site...
Dhio and Keir - Aido posted this drawing of the god and his horse on her lj.
Dhio and Kheir(sp?) - Banrai cut out and reposted this segment of that same picture on her own site.
GENERAL RIPOFFS
*RRRRIP!* - To the left: Aido's minor mask god, Baelae. To the right, Banrai's own version as seen on her site. I loved this one enough to make a title graphic out of it.
Realeigh and Baelae - Aido's art, featuring Realeigh wearing Baelae the mask.
Realeigh and Baelae - Banrai's art, featuring Realeigh wearing Baelae the mask.
Realeigh (Aido) - Bio of the mantis goddess Realeigh, with a picture of her animal form.
Realeigh (Banrai) - Banrai's 2002 version of a goddess character named "Realeigh." At least THIS Realeigh does not appear to be a preying mantis goddess, right? It's just the name that's the same...
Realeigh (Banrai) - But Banrai uploaded this a few days ago. Now Realeigh is a mantis, but not a goddess anymore.
Sheryn Brown had a picture taken and reposted on Banrai's gallery, where it was removed as soon as Banrai was confronted. But I've got a copy in my records ^.^
Jedi Padowan - More Aido art rips.
Old Derra - Banrai posted this 'old' picture as evidence that the Derra predated exposure to Aido's Kendii.
Green Derra - Another 'old' Derra picture Banrai (re)posted on DA.
Banrai's Artistrealm Account - Banrai's old art gallery, found on Wayback with images still intact. Remember how Banrai says she created the Derra in 1996 or 1997, but they're absolutely not a ripoff of Aido's KENDII? Well, scroll down to the "K" names.
OMGWTF! - What's this? A picture of that green Derra, posted on Banrai's ArtistRealm account in 2001...But...but the filename is Kendi! Oh Banrai, SAY IT AIN'T SO!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 This series of screenshots is just awesome. Banrai posted in a furry art community, asking for art critiques. She offered the Bat Pooka image she stole from Pokketmowse, plus a picture of a dragon she drew herself and a third image that was broken by the time I found the thread. Watch the hilarity as people point out the difference between the stolen art and Banrai's own pictures.
Oh yeah, I saved the best for last. If you're not interested in the backstory, you can skip it and just check these out and come off equally amused:
BANRAI'S ILLUSTRIOUS PORTFOLIO OF TOTALLY ORIGINAL DRAWINGS COMPLETED WITHOUT ANY HELP FROM THAT "AIDO" GIRL WHO KEEPS ACCUSING HER OF ART THEFT FOR SOME COMPLETELY UNKNOWN REASON
ETA: I removed these links to try to protect her bandwidth a little. >_< If you really must see more evidence, try the original link at the top.
Banrai's plagiarized versions of these pictures were almost all archived from Banrai's own art folder, which can be found at www.altaedeus.com/art. Until she removes the pictures, at least.
And that's it.
I'm glad it's out in the open--please feel free to link to this post and disseminate the information it contains as needed. I just ask those of you who are involved with the situation or are fans of Fallen to please not use this article as a weapon to start pointless wank against the art thief herself. I didn't put all this work into creating a nice, mature (if hideously snark-infested) article just to have it end up as another empty "OMG U SUCK" flame war. The idea here is to stop the spreading infestation of Barnai the Pointless Dinosaur, not to win at the internet.
ETA: Banrai reported Lukadia to photobucket for art theft for posting the evidence shots. I backed up a bunch of them, if anything else doesn't work, try the original post linked at the top.
That's a whole new level for art thieves. I would hate to be the target. *winces*
This isn't from me but the author said the article could be distributed at will. It's long, it's crazy and it's wanky. Original post here.
I almost didn't post this entry.
First of all, it feels at times like I'm kicking the ass of a child. A malicious, petty child who's been beating up smaller or better-mannered kids on the playground for years without fear of adult intervention. It's overkill and I'm the first to admit it--but to leave it at that is to miss the point. I'm debunking this chick not because I have to OMG STOP HER!!!1, but because someone really should discredit her, as quickly and publicly as possible. I just happen to have done the most homework.
I've chosen to write this article as if the person it describes were some kind of intellectual property cat burglar instead of a lame little hack. It makes for better reading if I pretend to take her seriously, see? In truth, though, the confusion and havoc she creates (not her cleverness) have deflected most of the accusations. I'm pretty curious to see what happens when that cover is taken away.
I imagine there'll be retaliation; one can never really predict how a fraud will react to being discredited. I expect she'll make a Fireball voodoo doll or something. Just between you and me, as long as she doesn't stick it up her ass where her head's currently hiding, I confess to being a bit less than terrified of her mad kur51ng powarz.
I actually gave Banrai a few months to back off before I decided to post this article. I even considered dropping the matter entirely in mid-February when she made what looked like a brief stab at legitimacy. But it's become clear that I have to choose between outing the troll in a single flood of wank, or watching her pop up every 6 months to harass people until she has a change of heart and decides to give up. Which I'm pretty sure she won't, because she's nuts. I don't think she knows how to let go of her Aido obsession. Aido is Banrai's precioussssss.
I promise we can go back to quizzes, gross fanart, and actually IMPORTANT news tomorrow. Til then, you might want to pack a lunch, because this is gonna take a while to read...
BACKSTORY
If you read the webcomic Fallen, you probably know about its creator, Aido. Aido told me she's been targeted over the years by a girl called Banrai. Banrai is laughably obvious about her behavior, but she takes it from "annoying and creepy" to downright scary. The problems started in 2000, when Banrai stole a number of characters and stories as well as Aido's online identity. She made changes to some of the characters--altering appearances but keeping names and traits. She changed the names or sex of others but they were still visibly Aido's characters. A few were altered enough to create an almost legitimate original character, but their similarities are still there, and on top of the rest of the evidence, they don't help Banrai's case much.
In 2001 Banrai took Aido's entire fantasy world and settings as well. These days, she isn't even discriminating--she'll take anything, any time, and put a copyright date of 1999 on it to prove she created it herself. Banrai has also adopted the names Aido and Kaido, claiming that she was the original Aido, while the real Aido is...well, just some anonymous art thief.
Aido gave up on the drama years ago, deciding the only recourse would be to ignore her. But that hasn't been working. To this day, Banrai shows up in places Aido is sure to see her, accusing Aido and posting art of stolen (sometimes hurtfully twisted) characters, possibly trying to prod Aido into joining the fight again.
If this isn't bullying, there's no such thing.
For purposes of clarification (thanks to the issue of identity theft), when I use the name "Aido" throughout this entry, it refers only to Yuko Ota, not Banrai.
THE PLAYERS
Yuko "Aido" Ota, currently an animation student in New York and the creator of the popular webcomic Fallen. She's got a lot of characters: Aido, Taishou, Dhio, Arashi, Eouen, Realeigh, Singe, Pyr, and many others. She also created a world called "Altaedeus" with a distinctive world map and a pantheon of gods (some of which I've just named) for her stories. She also created a species of feline-appearing dragons called the Kendii, noted for their distinctive tail and wing designs. Used to go by "KAido" but has since dropped the K. Was friends with Banrai (who was also going by the name Lantur Rusvul) until Fall of 2000, when she discovered Banrai had been borrowing liberally from her work and stealing her identity.
Banrai, currently a pet groomer in North Carolina. Banrai claims to have ALSO created characters called Aido, Taishou, Dhio, Arashi, Eouen, Realeigh, Pyr (renamed Wesimbi), Singe, and many others. She now claims that she was inspired by her idol. Together with her husband, Banrai runs a MUD called "Altaedeus." Altaedeus started with the exact same distinctive world map as the one Aido has on her site, complete with locations marked in Aido's handwriting. The world of Altaedeus features a pantheon of gods identical to Aido's own. Banrai claims to have created a species of feline-appearing dragons called the Derra, noted for their distinctive tail and wing designs (and for being identical, up to February 2005, to Aido's Kendii). Banrai has, in the past, claimed the names Kaido or Aido, and at least on one memorable occasion opened an Elfwood account as 'Yuko Ryuuza Siang.'
Pokketmowse, aka Katie, currently an art student. She used to have a roommate named Banrai and a sketchbook full of artwork. Now she doesn't have that roommate anymore, and part of her sketchbook has gone missing. Katie's part of this story is small but significant, since she created a character who was stolen by Banrai. I will prove this accusation later in this entry.
Jason B., currently a...snow leopard. He's the boyfriend of Banrai, but (like Katie) his part isn't prominent in this story. In the past he has proven himself quite capable of astounding feats, however. In Autumn of 2003, for instance, Jason actually transformed himself from a humble fast food slave into a real live superhero! Yes, his secret identity is in fact... INTARWEB LAWYER MAN. His super powers include damaging libel and the ability to fold like a cheap cardboart cutout when confronted. His weakness turned out in the end to be pieces of paper sent by the Bar Association, cautioning him that "YOU ARE NOT LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN NORTH CAROLINA." Oh, SNAP.
IDEA TWINSIES
There are some interesting similarities between the characters and art of Banrai and Aido. For instance, Aido's webcomic Fallen takes place in a world called Altaedeus, on the continent Runel (city of Midcross). Banrai's MUD group takes place in a world called Altaedeus, on the continent Runel (city of Midcross). In Yuko's version of Altaedeus, there are a number of gods. They have names like Taishou, Dhio, Eouen, Realeigh, and others. Banrai's MUD group has an identical pantheon of gods, identical in many cases right down to the desciptions and html coding. In fact at one point, Altaedeus.org (Banrai's website) was a mirror of Aido's, but with different copyright information.
Aido's god Dhio is a cloaked smith god in a "grate-like" mask, and is often connected by worshippers with the concept of death (think Anubis). Banrai's Dhio is a masked, cloaked god of death with an iron mask.
Aido's Taishou is a male bat, the patron god of writing and communication. Banrai's Taishou is a female bat goddess of music and written word.
Aido's favorite goddess, Eouen, is a mother-creator-phoenix figure, and is a symbol of growth and rebirth. Banrai's Eouen (in what I can only imagine is a surprisingly vicious and thinly veiled attack on Aido) is a six-armed slut-goddess of vice and pleasure whose followers are cruel, mindless, cannibalistic minions (Fantards?) who follow her every whim, live in a city of filth and debauchery, and are certain they're doing the right thing even though they're disgusting and insane.
Aido's Realeigh is a mantis goddess of theatre and trickery, sometimes pictured wearing Baelae (the mask god) on her face. Banrai's Realeigh was some kind of a furry creature and also a goddess in 2002, but has become a mantis anthro (but not a goddess) as of March 5, 2005. Banrai's Realeigh also wears Baelae as a mask.
Aido's Baelae is a mask god and the child of Realeigh. Banrai's Baelae is probably the same thing, but I've only seen one picture and so cannot be sure she hasn't changed him at least a little in name.
Aido created two types of dragon called "Storm Leviathan" and "Mast Leviathan," . Banrai also has "Storm/Mast Leviathan" dragons
Aido created a species of creature called the Kendii, wyvern-like, with wings attached to the arms and a distinctive pair of horns on the end of the tail. Banrai created a species of creature which
I don't believe so many identical concepts could have come spontaneously to two separate people. Even without mentioning the distinctive names, it's just farfetched as hell.
I'M YOUR NUMBER ONE FAN...
And the similarities continue as we get into the identity trouble. Yuko Ota uses the name Aido, formerly KAido. Banrai also uses the nicknames KAido and Aido, and at one point in 2001, she registered an Elfwood account under the name Yuko 'Ryuuza' Siang. Banrai claims that she was using the name Aido until Yuko came along and began to steal from her.
One question that's asked often but never answered to my satisfaction deserves to be addressed: Who was going by the name "(K)Aido" first?
I did a search on the Wayback machine for Banrai's Elfwood gallery, and found several archived versions of the index page, ranging in date from 2000-2001. Banrai does not use the names KAido or Aido to describe herself anywhere in these archives. The name DOES appear on the pages, though--in each archived page, from 2000 through April of 2001, Banrai links to a friend called "(K)Aido Rakaen." When I clicked the link, it took me to Yuko's art gallery, which exists to this day. Banrai refers to Aido as her friend in these links and calls her an inspiration until April 2001, well after Yuko first complained publicly that Banrai was stealing her work.
It's logial to assume, based on this, that Banrai was aware of Yuko's existence and the fact that she was going by the name (K)Aido. By her own admission, in fact, the two were friends. Banrai was not calling herself KAido at that time. The archived 2000-2001 Lothlorien gallery of Katie Slone, a friend of Banrai's, features drawings of 'Aido the Kendii' with a notice that the character was copyrighted to Aido Rakaen, a name which linked yet again to Yuko's Elfwood gallery.
My conclusion from these archives is that Yuko Ota was and is the original Aido.
FAIRY TALES
Both Banrai and Aido claim the rights to the same creations. Both tell the same identity theft story, accusing one another as the culprit. The next question is: Who's lying?
Well, I've told Aido's story already, so let's focus on the three stories Banrai tells interchangeably to explain herself:
STORY ONE - OVERSENSITIVE AIDO
Used Oct 15th 2004, 6:26AM on Sheezyart, and in a Gaia forum post on Oct 21, 2004 5:38 pm: "Well, apparantly someone's trying to say that I've stolen the design for my Derra species from some chick. I'll admit they look similar, but as I told the moderator that I was speaking with, there's not enough similarities to make them that close."
Banrai claims Aido is overreacting to perceived art theft, and that Aido has been sending fans of Fallen to attack Banrai over minor similarities. I've considered the Wayback evidence and the fact that Banrai's the one doing the harassing (I'll prove that later on), not to mention the number of identical (not just similar) characters and creations. These facts, plus learning that they used to be friends, lead me to reject this argument. Too many issues are left un-addressed and unexplained. It makes for a nice story, but logically it falls flat on its face.
STORY TWO - EVIL AIDO
Used Sat, Oct. 23rd, 2004, 11:07 pm in a Greatestjournal entry: I just... I'm so tired of fighting. And she does this shit to make me angry, has been doing it since I FIRST showed up on the internet (when I went by Aido, before this BITCH started stealing from me), and I don't want to take it anymore, but I'm not strong enough to stand up and stop it..."
This argument is the one that pissed me off enough to get me involved in this whole situation. First of all, when she 'first' showed up on the internet, she was not going by the name Aido. We already covered this, so I'm gonna move on.
But instead of defending herself, Banrai is going on the attack! She claims here to be the victim of a massive and vicious intellectual property and identity theft, and that she's crushed by the amount of beloved creations Aido had taken from her. This story DOES touch on an earlier established fact, that Aido was an old friend of Banrai's. But in this version of reality, Banrai is the creator and Aido the insane fangirl. Aido, Banrai says, who was allowed to use the disputed characters, betrayed Banrai's trust and took these wonderful creations for her own, stole Banrai's identity, and has been sending her webcomic's fans to harass Banrai ever since to top it all off. The only reason she gets away with it, Banrai complains, is that Aido is a better artist. Though I've actually seen a friend argue that Banrai was once the better artist, until that bitch Aido MYSTERIOUSLY TOOK AWAY BANRAI'S ABILITY TO DRAW. See the end-of-essay link marked 'FRAUD FILES' for the full sob story. It's like something right out of a fanfic.
STORY THREE - THE INSPIRATION CARD
Used February 11th, 2005 10:46 PM on Furaffinity: "Alright, I'm tired of the crap. I've changed my Derra to where they are NOTICEABLY different from Aido's Kendii. If you still think they're the same, that's not my problem. Furthermore, YES I do admit inspiration, hoever I was INSPIRED back in oh lessee 1997 or so?
The DERRA are copyright ME...."
In this third argument, Banrai downplays the resemblances between creations to 'inspiration.' Well, maybe. But I think my definition of the word might be out of date. Does inspiration usually involve a person copy-and-pasting a webcomic's entire backstory and world setting PLUS the map graphics on her own site, changing the copyright information to credit only herself? Also, if she was inspired, why has she been attacking Aido and committing libel by telling anyone who will listen that her mentor stole her identity and creations? It doesn't make sense. The inspiration card gets tossed for the same reason as the "Oversensitive Aido" argument--it's a logical black hole.
CONCLUSION
It's impossible for any two of Banrai's arguments to simultaneously be true, so two out of the three are automatically lies. What reason would an innocent person have to changer her story? If I didn't know the two people involved and hadn't seen a full folder of evidence pointing to Banrai as the culprit, I'd blame the person who's been caught lying repeatedly.
I'm going to go ahead and assume that argument two is at least getting close to the truth here--SOMEONE is maliciously stealing art and stories here. What hasn't been settled yet is the question of who.
OCCAM'S RAZOR
To me, the simplest explanation for all of this drama is that Banrai fell in love with Aido's characters and story ideas. She took these ideas and drawings for her own, got caught, and went on the attack against Aido in retaliation, and has been refusing to let the fucking thing drop ever since. I sometimes get the feeling that Banrai believes the amount of labor expended in finding the CTRL+C/CTRL+V keys all by herself justifies claiming credit for an entire creative process. I believe, too, that she's orchestrated fraud against Aido in an attempt to FORCE Aido to give up the disputed characters and stories. I base my accusations on the proof I've seen (also available in the link list at the bottom of this entry) that Banrai is a chronic liar, an identity thief, and a dirty fighter to boot.
Occam's razor, yo.
While I can't rule out the possibility of supernatural forces traveling time to change the past and incriminate an innocent person, it doesn't seem very plausible. I'm also uninspired by Banrai's track record. As art theft goes, she's a repeat offender. She's perma-banned from many online galleries (vcl, sheezyart, and Elfwood, to name three) for plagiarism and abuse. She was banned from Deviantart as well until a couple of weeks ago, but was reinstated, then banned again in late February for using her journal to post the legal name and address of another user (me) in retaliation for that person calling her a thief and a bully. This is not the behavior of an innocent victim. Then again, though, maybe I'm just biased. God knows I'm a little touchy about innocent mistakes like harassment and stalking...
It should be added that to date, the only art theftaccusations of any kind I've ever found against Aido come from Banrai herself, when she uses the Evil Aido Defense.
NO, REALLY, I'M A LAYWUR
Now, I said I was going to explain the libel thing in more detail as well as bring in Banrai's boyfriend. No time like the present, so let's tackle that now.
In October of 2003, a man identifying himself as a copyright lawyer, licensed to practice in 3 states, posted in the Fallen webcomic forum to accuse Aido of copyright infringement. This lawyer threatened to "bury Aido on a court" if she did not hand over ownership of the disputed world, gods, and characters to Banrai's MUD group. He framed his demands as terms for avoiding legal punishment. This man gave his home phone number as contact information, and upon calling the number Aido discovered that this 'lawyer' was actually Banrai's husband, who worked not as a lawyer, but as a burger lord at a Sonic in North Carolina. The Bar Association sent him some lovely paperwork explaining in small words that he's not a lawyer and that claiming to be one is a crime.
Impersonation of an authority in order to force someone to comply with demands sure sounds like fraud to this armchair detective. The accusations Jason B. made in this false capacity also appear to be libel. How can Banrai cry 'harassment' now when she herself is doing the harassing?
Jesus, it's like watching a four-year-old throw a tantrum over a cookie. I expect she'll be on the floor kicking and screaming next.
GROWING PAINS
There was some potentially good news I planned to put here, though as usual it turned out to have been temporary. As I said earlier, Banrai has changed the 'arm wings' on her Derra species in the past month so they won't resemble the Kendii species as much anymore. She has also publicly admited that she was 'inspired' by Aido many years ago. Inspired, great. Changing the designs to make them her own, also good. There's a possibility of some real change in this small attempt on Banrai's part to move away from her usual bullshit.
There's just one little thing that bugs me.
Where was this humility and willingness to make amends two months ago? Where is it now? As of March 5, Banrai has begun her campaign of ripoffs again, this time posting pictures of a newly re-warped version of Aido's goddess "Realeigh" with a copyright notice claiming the character as her own. Banrai hasn't actually changed at all, she's just altered a few details to reduce the pressure of accusations against her. She did as little as possible to get the heat off her, and then she proved she hadn't learned a fucking thing. Her Aido-isms continue, and the spite only gets worse. But now we at least have proof that she knows what she's doing is wrong.
And there's always chance she might, someday, decide to leave people alone. (And my lower intestine houses a magical palace full of bacteria fairies that make my shit smell like chocolate cake).
FLYING WITH HER OWN WINGS?
But don't get me wrong here. Banrai may be obsessive and insane, but she has broadened her horizons a bit. I have discovered that Aido's not the only one Banrai targets! She's also victimized a roommate from art school, who created a character called Mel the Bat Pooka. I'm not sure this is great news, but at least it proves Banrai isn't exclusively fixated on Aido, but prefers to share the wealth.
Thankfully, this is a pretty easy theft to prove.
The short version is that Banrai ripped some pages out of her roommate Katie's sketchbook while they were in art school together. These pages, drawings of a certain Bat Bard named Mel, later appeared on Banrai's gallery as pictures of Banrai's new character, Taishou the Bat Bard. (Remember Aido's Taishou? The bat god of travelling and written language? Well, he done got a sex change.)
Now, because the actual pages were stolen, no one but Banrai has access to the proof that those exact drawings were the roommate's work--but it doesn't take a professional analysis to see that they can't possibly be Banrai's. Banrai can't even begin to compete with Katie in terms of talent and skill, and the difference in style is distinctive as hell. The pictures of Taishou are completely unlike anything in Banrai's entire body of work, but they fit right in with the pictures of Mel posted in her roommate's gallery.
Here's Katie's gallery.
And here's Banrai's.
See what I mean?
Here's a drawing of Mel, the female bat pooka bard, drawn by roommate Katie.
Here's another of Mel by Katie This one has an added bonus: a comment left by Banrai (Daaa) complimenting the character in August of 2002, LONG before "Taishou The Bat Bard" showed up on the web.
Here is Aido's bio for Taishou, the male bat god of travel and writing.
Put Taishou and Mel together, and what do you get?
Taishou, the female Bat Bard and goddess of the written word. Banrai's awfully creative.
Note: If she takes this one down, let me know and I'll post an archived version.
In July of 2003: Banrai complained on a DA forum about the problems she was having with Pokketmowse over this character/art theft.
Quoted from her complaint:
"this girl [Katie] is claming that i've stolen the actual PAGES out of her sketchbooks and copied them, when I don't even know who the heck she is. What's more, now she's saying that I was her room mate or something in school. I don't know what to make of all of this, except that this girl must honestly be off her rocker."
Sounds like Banrai's the victim of an oversensitive nutball again, doesn't it? But when I used the Wayback machine to check the facts, I found THIS old Wyvern page of Banrai's, under the pseudonym Sophie Darnall. You can tell it's Banrai because the stories in her gallery are about herself and a friend as furries, all the contact information is hers, and her website link leads to daaa.deviantart.com, one of her (currently banned) alias accounts.
From the intro paragraph:
"you can also visit my roommate, Katie Lisk"
I've never seen someone pwn herself before. Impressive.
Here is a thread Banrai started, appealing to the readers of the Gaia Online art forum for advice in the Aido situation.
She posts using a blue-haired avatar under the name 'Andrea Hall' , using one of Pokketmowse's drawings as a signature picture. In a separate thread posted
the same day, someone asked Banrai if she had drawn her signature picture and she said she had. At which point someone called her an art thief.
These Gaia posts were made in October of 2004, months after Banrai and Katie had their conflict about Taishou/Mel. Incidentally, Katie Lisk has a character called "Andrea Hall" who also has blue hair in a similar hairstyle to Banrai's Gaia avatar. Maybe Andrea feels entitled to assume the identity of a character because their names are similar, but why was she using that name and stealing Katie's art? Especially if we are to believe Katie was harassing Banrai with false accusations of art theft at the time. It doesn't make any fucking sense.
It is fun, though, watching Banrai get her ass handed to her by a bunch of forum kids.
YOU CAN'T FIRE ME, I QUIT!
now it's time to explore some of her shady past transgressions.
From: erb@elfwood.lysator.liu.se
To: banrai_san@****.com
Subject: ERB: Removed from Elfwood
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 01:54:44 +0200 (CEST)
In response to your letter, this is to let you know that you have been suspended from Elfwood due to numerous rule breaches, as well as severe misconduct and immature behaviour in Elfwood. These are very much NOT in the spirit of the Elfwood Community. Our records show that we have issued you numerous warnings ranging from your bio picture to art theft and each time our records also show no response to our emails.
More recently, we have noticed your involvement in a situation along with some other artists. Upon research, we found rude comments (to say the least) left by you, in the comment boards. We also noticed that your gallery seems to have been taken over by at least 2 other people, hence this letter is unaddressed. Gallery sharing is not allowed in Elfwood, nor is the sharing of your Extranet password. Your password is confidential and is yours. Disregarding this means -immediate dismissal- from Elfwood. Not only do you compromise your security, but Elfwood's as well.
This case is still under investigation. Feel free to email back, however no further discussion will be entertained about your dismissal from Elfwood due to the oustanding rule breaches. Do not flame the ERB, Thomas Abrahamsson, other Elfwood administrators or other artists either via email or any other form of communication as this will be considered as harrassment and can be grounds for legal proceedings. We hope this answers your query.
Thank you,
Elfwood Review Board
/X0:banrai:/~//
---------------------
If you feel you need to reply back to the ERB, please go back to the ERB page and post. Always read the ERB page carefully before raising an arguement at http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/erb.html
Banrai posts a Deviant Journal Entry, explaining why she left the furry art site VCL. Ch'marr, an admin of the VCL site, has already explained in the past that Banrai was booted for plagiarism. When she starts up on Deviantart, he steps in to set the record straight yet again.
Just for fun, let's check out this old version of Banrai's story, as told on a YNA forum. In this case, she's sticking to pretty much the same story that Aido tells, except reversing the roles (of course).
________________________________________
Banrai
(6 Posts)
New Meat
Ok, I've asked this around a few other boards that I frequent, so I'm just gonna throw it on here, too, for some input from you guys. Alright, here's the situation. I've a friend, and she writes stories. I let her use some of my characters in her stories. Now, due to adverse circumstances, this friend are no longer friends. I asked her to please refrain from using my characters, and she said fine. I thought everything was fine. Still following? Good.
Right, so a little time goes by, and then one day I was bored so I was searching for my characters names. And I get a few hits, one of which I had never heard of before. And who is it, but my friend? Great. So I go, and I'm looking around her gallery, and what has she done, but changed them.
Not this is where some people get confused, so I'll explain. I have these characters: Luos Restil - Tiger Wesimbi Kahen -- Fire Dragon Lorave D'ala -- Water Dragon Ryus Pbaydorn -- Beaked air Dragon Right, got that? Now, what she has done (I'll use Wes as an example) is take their origional form (a Fire Dragon) and change it (into a Phoenix) and leave his name the exact same.
Now, this irritates me to no end, and I've spoken with Ch'marr abot it (yes, all of this is taking place on VCL) and I don't want to be mean, but I want my characters back. I know htat she is mad at me for numerous reasons (most are silly, to boot) and I feel that what she is doing is a personal attack. So, now my question is: what should I do? Ch'marr says that he won't take action untill I tell him... But I don't want her worse mad at me (as I hate having people ill at me)...
I've told her that the characters are mine, but she seems to ignore all emails I have sent her... and now she's writing me, telling me to change my characters names. I have drawings that date back from 1996 with their names written on them, very learly. That was before I even knew her. *sighs* I've scanned them in and put them somewhere safe, but I'm so upset...
So again I ask: What do you guys think I should do?
You can read the original post here. Careful the color scheme doesn't burn your eyes out, though.
Here's another Banrai quote:
"Haha, I've got a good one. I've been accused of theft because my character is a mamillian dragon with *gasp* arm wings! And I'v ebeen harassed over this crap for YEARS."
Taken from here.
Shaaaaameless. But that's not the best part! Banrai has reinvented herself on LJ as an art thief catcher since her last attack on Aido.
Oh, the BURNING IRONY. What will this amusing caricature do next?
EVERYONE IS A HYPOCRITE BUT ME!
Well, so far she's used her "art thief catcher" identity to accuse two people of ripping her off based on similar character coloration. Check the posts out here and here. I talked to the artist who drew Radio, who was extremely confused about the whole thing, and explained why Banrai was suddenly making with the accusations. Least I could do, really. It's shitty to be accused of art theft by nutjobs. I'm sure Aido would agree.
Yanno, though...for somebody who constantly fights against accusations of theft by downplaying the evidence to mere similarities, Banrai sure is touchy about other people using her favorite colors (an so uncommon they are, being blue, green and yellow and all). Why, that kickin' Radio design has STRIPES! Stripes on a furry!? My god. This makes my Angler Light On A Canine With Wings look like...moogle pompoms! (OMG in-joke!)
Listen up, guys. New law: LIGHTNING BOLT PATTERNS, 2 OF THE 3 PRIMARY COLORS, AND STRIPES ARE NOW COPYRITES TO BARNAI. Someone phone JK Rowling immediately, this is serious business!
This sordid tale is neaing conclusion. I'm sure those of you who survive the telling of it wonder if I can possibly think of anything else to add--and I'm wondering if it's even necessary to bother. I think about that, and my answer is hell yeah. It'd be a real waste to not use all the evidence I have, no matter if it's overkill or not. I'm actually leaving quite a bit out, but we'd be here all day if I included every little thing she's ever said or done that proves she's a fucking fraud. I'm sure most of you are extremely grateful for my discretion XD.
So without further ado, I give you....
LINKS LINKS LINKS!
SheezyArt - Banrai using the "Oversensitive Aido" defense.
GreatestJournal - Banrai using the "Evil Aido" defense.
Furaffinity - Banrai pulls the "Inspiration Card."
The Fraud Files - A long and scary archive of the original Banrai/Aido conflict emails. In some of the emails, people refer to Banrai as (K)Aido. It gets confusing, I know. All I can say is, welcome to the Banrai zone.
The Fraud Files, Continued - Thomas Abramsson, creator and head cheese of Elfwood, officially gives Banrai the heave-ho from Elfwood for art theft, harassment, and abuse of the Extranet.
The Fraud Files, Concluded - Here you see Banrai popping up again to start some new Elfwood accounts.
Letter of Caution - A copy of the letter Banrai's husband was sent by the Bar Association after he impersonated a lawyer to harass Aido.
First Contact - Banrai posts my info on her journal to scare me away from pursuing the art theft matter. Her attempt, obviously, was unsuccessful.
Kendii/Derra - Two Kendii and one Derra. These species are, we've been told, unrelated.
And another - Aido's pencil sketch of a Kendii, with Banrai's Derra to the right.
Taishou - The stolen sketchbook page on Banrai's Elfwood site.
Comparison... - A collage I made featuring stolen sketchbook art and comparison shots.
Elfwood - Wayback Machine archives of Banrai's Elfwood gallery.
GODS
Gods - The gods of Aido's Fallen.
Gods (Banrai) - Banrai's twisted ripoff version.
Altaedeus - Banrai's MUD site, which uses Aido's world and characters.
MAPS
Map (Low) - Aido's (low resolution) map of Altaedeus. Runel's at the bottom.
Map (High) - Here is Aido's high resolution working copy of Fallen's world map, converted from PSD format. This map comes in two parts: without text layer & compass, or just the text layer. A simple art thief would be stuck with the JPG version, and the quality would NOT be this good.
Banrai's World Map (mirror HERE) - Banrai reposts Aido's drawing of the Altaedeus world map on another Altaedeus mud site.
Altaedeus Map (Ripped) - Banrai's "larger version" of the the world map. That is some horrible compression. It looks like a JPG that's been upsized by someone who hasn't got a high-resolution version to work with...
World Map Paintover - Banrai posted this bizarre re-paint of the Runel map on Altaedeus.org for a while. I guess she forgot the stolen map was (and IS still) left up on the other site...
Dhio and Keir - Aido posted this drawing of the god and his horse on her lj.
Dhio and Kheir(sp?) - Banrai cut out and reposted this segment of that same picture on her own site.
GENERAL RIPOFFS
*RRRRIP!* - To the left: Aido's minor mask god, Baelae. To the right, Banrai's own version as seen on her site. I loved this one enough to make a title graphic out of it.
Realeigh and Baelae - Aido's art, featuring Realeigh wearing Baelae the mask.
Realeigh and Baelae - Banrai's art, featuring Realeigh wearing Baelae the mask.
Realeigh (Aido) - Bio of the mantis goddess Realeigh, with a picture of her animal form.
Realeigh (Banrai) - Banrai's 2002 version of a goddess character named "Realeigh." At least THIS Realeigh does not appear to be a preying mantis goddess, right? It's just the name that's the same...
Realeigh (Banrai) - But Banrai uploaded this a few days ago. Now Realeigh is a mantis, but not a goddess anymore.
Sheryn Brown had a picture taken and reposted on Banrai's gallery, where it was removed as soon as Banrai was confronted. But I've got a copy in my records ^.^
Jedi Padowan - More Aido art rips.
Old Derra - Banrai posted this 'old' picture as evidence that the Derra predated exposure to Aido's Kendii.
Green Derra - Another 'old' Derra picture Banrai (re)posted on DA.
Banrai's Artistrealm Account - Banrai's old art gallery, found on Wayback with images still intact. Remember how Banrai says she created the Derra in 1996 or 1997, but they're absolutely not a ripoff of Aido's KENDII? Well, scroll down to the "K" names.
OMGWTF! - What's this? A picture of that green Derra, posted on Banrai's ArtistRealm account in 2001...But...but the filename is Kendi! Oh Banrai, SAY IT AIN'T SO!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 This series of screenshots is just awesome. Banrai posted in a furry art community, asking for art critiques. She offered the Bat Pooka image she stole from Pokketmowse, plus a picture of a dragon she drew herself and a third image that was broken by the time I found the thread. Watch the hilarity as people point out the difference between the stolen art and Banrai's own pictures.
Oh yeah, I saved the best for last. If you're not interested in the backstory, you can skip it and just check these out and come off equally amused:
BANRAI'S ILLUSTRIOUS PORTFOLIO OF TOTALLY ORIGINAL DRAWINGS COMPLETED WITHOUT ANY HELP FROM THAT "AIDO" GIRL WHO KEEPS ACCUSING HER OF ART THEFT FOR SOME COMPLETELY UNKNOWN REASON
ETA: I removed these links to try to protect her bandwidth a little. >_< If you really must see more evidence, try the original link at the top.
Banrai's plagiarized versions of these pictures were almost all archived from Banrai's own art folder, which can be found at www.altaedeus.com/art. Until she removes the pictures, at least.
And that's it.
I'm glad it's out in the open--please feel free to link to this post and disseminate the information it contains as needed. I just ask those of you who are involved with the situation or are fans of Fallen to please not use this article as a weapon to start pointless wank against the art thief herself. I didn't put all this work into creating a nice, mature (if hideously snark-infested) article just to have it end up as another empty "OMG U SUCK" flame war. The idea here is to stop the spreading infestation of Barnai the Pointless Dinosaur, not to win at the internet.
ETA: Banrai reported Lukadia to photobucket for art theft for posting the evidence shots. I backed up a bunch of them, if anything else doesn't work, try the original post linked at the top.
That's a whole new level for art thieves. I would hate to be the target. *winces*
