I was musing ideas with someone for a sci-fi horror anthology I've been asked to participate in in a few months. Sci-fi is usually not my thing but I want to stretch my legs. Someone is helping me cook up the sort of stuff I work well with/find interesting in horror and apply it to sci-fi stuff

One concept is good, I start musing on it. The person who gave the initial vague thing (AI doing a dark harvest kind of deal) keeps going, having his own ideas for how the plot should go down to dialogue. I kind of feel like any of my stuff is ignored or brushed aside

Like it was his idea and he clearly has ideas about how the story should go, I say I appreciate it but it feels more like his story and the ideas are good, I don't want to feel like I'm plagiarizing him

He gets all huffy, mad about how "you don't have to use my ideas" and "you can do anything you want with that concept"

but he had already told the whole story and incorporated one major idea I did have while ignoring the rest. If I wrote it down my way it would feel weird to go "I didn't like any of that" and ignore him, or use his ideas and feel like a thief. I would feel bad either way and I may as well come up with something on my own

We've had tiffs like this before, where there's an idea or story I start working on and he just runs away with his own ideas and then gets mad when I say I don't want to do that or would feel weird using those ideas, saying I don't have to.

But man if you talk for 20 minutes about your ideas for something it feels bad to touch it anymore?

That's Your thing now

idk I might be the asshole

It feels like "Here's an idea" "Here's MY ideas for how it should go-" "Okay its your idea then" "What do you mean"

Mnnnnnno I don't think you're the asshole. If I'm reading the room correctly, that feels like a case of "here's my great idea, now YOU write it." which is. kinda school project energy.

He keeps insisting I don't have to take any of his suggestions, but he also won't stop giving them so I kind of say "look you clearly have a lot of good ideas for how this should go, I don't feel like using this idea anymore." and then he gets mad

"Can you make an idea suggestion" "here's a full story" "Okay I don't want that" "Well you don't have to write THAT story"

You're not obligated to use every idea thrown at you, especially if it's so hyperspecific you don't feel like it's yours

yeah, I feel like using the base concept we both came up with isnt fair anymore either since he just... told the whole story he would Want to see from that concept.

It got more detailed than the base AI doing stuff with people meat concept cause he was working in a specific setpiece I had come up with too

I mean. If he doesn't intend to write it himself I don't think it's plagiarizing to scrounge for the parts you liked

petty me would also do my own thing and be like "well you said I didn't have to write your thing." Malicious compliance. But that's me being bitchy

Thats fair for sure, I have every right to just use the ideas I want since he said he didn't intend on writing it, I just hate using ideas other people come up with. I don't mind brainstorming concepts with someone but once its a bunch of detailed ideas it sort of feels like its not my thing anymore and I'm not going to do it any service

yeah, I'm certainly not saying you should if you don't want to. but whatever you decide I don't think you're the asshole here. He's rubbing me the wrong way

like I can't say for sure this is his intention, but it feels like he just wants you to write what he wants so he doesn't have to write what he wants

He writes a Lot for himself, he's just... an Ideas Guy in his own words kind of, he has a tendency to go overboard suggesting things and then getting frustrated when I say it makes me uncomfortable because he never said I Had to use those ideas but it just. Starts not feeling like my story anymore, you know? Even if he's not trying to tell me how to write

it feels kind of like a fanfic author coming in and setting up his stuff right in the middle of a project in progress

Yeah, from my own experience in writing groups and things....in AITA language, I don't think there's any assholes here. You guys just have two entirely different approaches to brainstorming and idea sharing. You are 100% valid to not want to use the suggestions and not feel like it's your story anymore. You want to craft a story, not just write words.

I appreciate the insights, I think that captures it for sure