Line #35 Main/SincerestFormOfFlattery


1	->''"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."''
2	-->-- '''Attributed to Charles Caleb Colton''' [[SelfDemonstratingArticle (although he probably stole it from someone else)]]
3
4	The above quote is an axiom that holds especially true with FollowTheLeader. After all, why follow something that you don't think has enough merit to follow?
5
6	So this is a SubTrope, where the creator of a FollowTheLeader work [[WordOfGod has explicitly stated]] they are taking something as inspiration for their work.
7
8	Just the inspiration being obvious is not enough. There has to be a direct admission that this is so. Admitting in the form of a TakeThat might still count, as it's just denying that they are following this trope, [[ImplausibleDeniability even when we know better]]. For this kind of thing in fiction, see IrritationIsTheSincerestFormOfFlattery.
9
10	Also compare WhatWouldXDo
11
12	''Note'': We don't require citations like Website/TheOtherWiki does, however, since this trope is about comments made by a creator about a work of media, it is highly recommended that citations be provided.
13
14	----
15	!!Examples:
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17	[[foldercontrol]]
18
19	[[folder:Comic Books]]
20	* The creator of Franchise/{{Batman}} admitted the main character to be based on Franchise/{{Zorro}}. This is the reason Batman watches a Zorro movie the night his parents are killed.
21	[[/folder]]
22
23	[[folder:Fan Works]]
24	* ''Fanfic/FluttershysNightOut'': WordOfGod in the comments states that the fic was inspired by John Steinbeck's The Crysanthemums.
25	* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'': [[WordOfGod StaffSergeant]], the author, has admitted that the original version of the fanfic is inspired by ''two'' Kuroinu fanfics on Website/FanFictionDotNet -- ''The Irregular'' by Omegas Prime, and ''Kuroinu Rebellion Challenge'' by Wimblegurk Brigade. The statement is present at the beginning of Chapter 1, where the author's note is.
26	* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' is based on ''Fanfic/AshesOfThePast''. ''Fanfic/PokemonShadowOfTime'' is based on both of them, along with ''{{Fanfic/Symbiosis}}'' and ''Fanfic/TheSunSoul''.
27	* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'' inspired multiple other authors to write their own stories using its style of 'Meta LitRPG', and many also borrowed its emphasis on [[FullFrontalAssault nudist warrior protagonists]]. Typing "Vow Of Nudity" into [[Platform/ArchiveOfOurOwn AO3]] search brings up a slew of results by other authors acknowledging the series as an inspiration.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:Film]]
31	* Supposedly, when the Wachowskis were peddling the script for ''Film/TheMatrix'', they brought with them a comic book and told prospective buyers that, basically they wanted to do something like that as a movie. The comic in question? ''Manga/GhostInTheShell''.
32	** Not just the comic, too. Watch the [[Anime/GhostInTheShell1995 GITS movie]]'s scene of Kusanagi going invisible. Then watch the Trinity scene. They specifically showed the movie to Joel Silver to give him an idea how they wanted ''The Matrix'' to look.
33	** Also ''ComicBook/TheInvisibles''.
34	* The writers of ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' admitted that their movie ''Film/UpTheAcademy'' was heavily inspired by ''Film/AnimalHouse'', another movie based on a comedy magazine (Film/NationalLampoon). They ended up disowning the film.
35	* ''Film/LaLaLand'' was marketed as a [[{{Pastiche}} "love letter"]] to UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood, particularly musicals.
36	* ''Donkey Xote'''s [[https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_llbl4mTLEv1qa2nvdo1_1280.jpg cover art]] straight up says: "From the producers who saw ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}''". No, we're not kidding.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Literature]]
40	* Creator/IsaacAsimov
41	** "Literature/TheAuthorsOrdeal": The [[{{Dedication}} apology at at start of the poem]] admits that Dr Asimov was imitating [[Creator/GilbertAndSullivan W. S. Gilbert]] when he was composing this poem.
42	** "Literature/TheFoundationOfSFSuccess":
43	*** The [[{{Dedication}} apology at the start of the poem]] admits that Dr Asimov was imitating [[Creator/GilbertAndSullivan W. S. Gilbert]] when he was composing this poem.
44	*** This work subtly admits that Dr Asimov's success comes from imitating historical society (such as UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire).
45	*** This work subtly admits that Dr Asimov's success comes from imitating Creator/EdwardGibbon (for his ''Literature/TheHistoryOfTheDeclineAndFallOfTheRomanEmpire'').
46	*** This work subtly admits that Dr Asimov's success comes from imitating {{Creator/Thucydides}} (for his ''Literature/TheHistoryOfThePeloponnesianWar'').
47	[[/folder]]
48
49	[[folder:Live Action TV]]
50	* The producers of ''Tallafornia'' openly stated that they were trying to make ''Series/JerseyShore'' [[RecycledINSPACE in Tallaght]].
51	* In the first episode of ''Series/SzeUTonight'', Johnson mentions that he is inspired by American talk shows, and that he wants to re-create it for Hong Kong audiences. That said, the show has since developed its own quirks and style.
52	[[/folder]]
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54	[[folder:Music]]
55	* Music/{{Opeth}} frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt admits "Ending Credits" is "totally a Music/{{Camel}} ripoff". He's also acknowledged that "Slither" is his attempt to rewrite Music/{{Rainbow}}'s "Kill the King", which is fitting for a song intended as a Music/RonnieJamesDio tribute.
56	* Creator/NobuoUematsu acknowledged lifting the intro riff of Music/JimiHendrix' "Purple Haze" for "One-Winged Angel".
57	* Music/DavidBowie admitted that the chorus of "[[Music/TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardustAndTheSpidersFromMars Starman]]" is basically a rip-off of "[[Film/TheWizardOfOz Somewhere Over the Rainbow]]".
58	* Music/TonyBanks has described playing back a recording of Music/{{Genesis\|Band}}' "Afterglow" and realising to his horror that he had just rewritten "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". From the same band, Music/PhilCollins admitted to stealing the EvilLaugh in "Mama" from Music/GrandmasterFlashAndTheFuriousFive.
59	* Music/TearsForFears have done this a lot:
60	** WordOfGod admits that "Sowing the Seeds of Love" and "Schrödinger's Cat" are both pastiches of "[[Music/TheBeatles I Am the Walrus]]" (main songwriter Roland Orzabal also notes that the piano break on "Schrödinger" is "reminiscent of [Thunderclap Newman's] 'Something in the Air'"). These were far from the only Beatles pastiches the group recorded; large parts of ''The Seeds of Love'' and ''Everybody Loves a Happy Ending'' bear clear Beatles influence (although maybe not quite this clear). "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending" and "Who Killed Tangerine?" could almost be lost Beatles tracks, for example.
61	** "Music/BrianWilson Said", as might be expected from the title, is a Music/TheBeachBoys pastiche (it also alludes to Music/VanMorrison's track "Jackie Wilson Said", which appears on ''Saint Dominic's Preview'', though if there is any other Morrison influence on the track, it's oblique at most).
62	** With "Lord of Karma", Orzabal says the group were "trying to get somewhere between the Music/HappyMondays and Music/JimiHendrix's 'Crosstown Traffic'".
63	** "I Believe" is such a clear Robert Wyatt homage that the band covered his track "Sea Song" for the B-side. The album's liner notes further lampshaded it by stating "Dedicated to Robert Wyatt (if he's listening)", referencing the song "Dedicated to You But You Weren't Listening" by Soft Machine, which Wyatt was previously a member of.
64	** Orzabal admitted that he was listening to "too much Art of Noise" when "Empire Building" was recorded.
65	* Music/{{Eminem}}:
66	** Eminem stated in a 2009 interview that Music/{{Survivor\|Band}}'s "Eye Of The Tiger" was 'the original version of "Lose Yourself"'.
67	** Averted with "Untouchable", which was widely interpreted as an attempt to rewrite Joyner Lucas's "I'm Not Racist", but Eminem had in fact written it before he heard "I'm Not Racist".
68	[[/folder]]
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70	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
71	* Wrestling/RingOfHonor and Wrestling/{{Chikara}} are completely open about the ideas they lifted from Mexican and Japanese promotions like Lucha Libre Internacional, Wrestling/{{All Japan\|ProWrestling}} and Wrestling/{{New Japan\|ProWrestling}}.
72	* Wrestling/{{SHIMMER}} was setup to increase the respect for women's pro wrestling on an international level. In 2011, a promotion calling itself GLAMOUR started up in Australia using the same style of font in their logo as SHIMMER[[note]]this did not last, becoming Ladies of Australian Wrestling instead, then Glamour Championship Wrestling[[/note]]
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Roleplay]]
76	* ''Roleplay/DorfQuest'' has stated from the beginning that it was inspired by ''Roleplay/RubyQuest'' and was an attempt at another sort of "quest".
77	[[/folder]]
78
79	[[folder:Video Games]]
80	* Bioware has stated that the setting for ''Franchise/{{Dragon Age}}'' was inspired by ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''.
81	* Hideki Kamiya, the director of ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'', said ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' franchise influenced his game. Although he thought ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' could have looked better, he admitted that [[http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/06/okami-creator-disappointed-by-twilight-princess/ "it's no overstatement to say that I created Okami because of Zelda."]]
82	* The creators of ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' have [[https://i.redd.it/zae5nhkdskky.jpg freely admitted]] to "taking notes from Nintendo-sensei for a long, long time," when fans compared some of the changes ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' made with ''Souls''' own style.
83	* The makers of the ''UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}'' game ''VideoGame/TheConduit'' have stated they are taking tips from ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', and trying to make the Wii's Halo.
84	** They also said they would be glad if other Wii game developers did this to ''them''; specifically their customizable FPS controls with the Wiimote.
85	* Ben Mattes, producer of ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia2008'', told MTV.com about [[http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/01/05/prince-of-persia-producer-addresses-colossus-copycat-critique/ the influences they used]].
86	-->"We've always been very open about the huge influences that ''VideoGame/{{ICO}}'', ''[[VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus SoTC]]'' and ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' had on us during our development."
87	* David Jaffe has gone on record saying both that ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' was heavily inspired by ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' and later on that he thinks ''Devil May Cry'''s fighting system is better. [[http://www.gamespot.com/users/JLuke360/video_player?id=JHRnxDb55bgLuj7f See for yourself]].
88	** Likewise, the developers of ''VideoGame/DantesInferno'' have happily stated they were just out to make a ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' version of ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', essentially.
89	* In an interview, the director of ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' was asked "You're a fan of ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'', aren't you?" His response was simply to smile.
90	* Many Creator/AmbrosiaSoftware games are modernized remakes of classics. [[http://www.ambrosiasw.com/about/ For instance]], ''Maelstrom'' is ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}'', ''Apeiron'' is ''VideoGame/{{Centipede}}'', and ''Swoop'' is ''VideoGame/{{Galaxian}}''.
91	* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' creator Creator/CliffBleszinski frequently cited the game ''VideoGame/KillSwitch'' as the inspiration for ''Gears of War''[='=]s [[TakeCover cover system]]. He also cited both ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' and ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' as gameplay inspirations, particularly their focus on creating "memorable moments".
92	** He also revealed [[https://twitter.com/therealcliffyb/status/1512511948797194246 in a tweet]] that ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' inspired ''VideoGame/JazzJackrabbit''.
93	* Around the late '90s a low-budget CD-ROM called "Pac Pack" could be found in many computer stores. [[ShoddyKnockoffProduct While the cover has a decidedly more]] ''VideoGame/PacMan''-ish [[CoversAlwaysLie design than the games contained]], the blurb on the back touts plainly that "Pac Guy" is "a ''Pac-Man'' ripoff - but a ripoff with style." The various sequels were less audacious, [[WritingAroundTrademarks recoloring the main character green and giving him the more lawyer-friendly moniker of "Pea Guy"]].
94	* The developers of ''VideoGame/CartoonNetworkPunchTimeExplosion'' have admitted to being heavily influenced by ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''. [[http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/26388 They even had testers play both games one after another to make their own game feel like SSB as much as possible]].
95	* Beenox, when making ''VideoGame/TheAmazingSpiderMan'', stated that they took inspiration from ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' when creating the game's combat.
96	* [=SuperBot=] confirmed that ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale'' is (in part) inspired by ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''.
97	* When ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' was first announced, many people were quick to point out the similarities between the eponymous celestial super-structure and Creator/LarryNiven's ''Literature/{{Ringworld}}''. Creator/{{Bungie}}'s public liaison actually went on record as saying that the fortress worlds in ''Halo'' have more in common with the orbitals in ''Literature/TheCulture'' than they do with the Ringworld of Niven's ''Literature/KnownSpace''. Granted, this statement may have been done to deliberately distance Bungie's creation from Niven's for legal reasons (a Ringworld game already exists under copyright) but the depiction of The Covenant in ''Halo'' partially mirroring the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Idirans]] in ''Literature/ConsiderPhlebas'' seems to lend further credence to this particular inspiration.
98	* ''VideoGame/{{AirMech}}'''s developer Carbon Games have never been shy about their game being a tribute to ''VideoGame/HerzogZwei''. In addition, the Platform/{{Steam}} description of the game describes the gameplay as "[[VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients DotA]]-style", acknowledging the game's other main influence.
99	* Masaki Tsuzuk, the creator and main writer of the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise, confirms in an interview included in the ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable: The Gears of Destiny'' strategy guide that the ''VideoGame/WildArms'' elements in the plot of the game weren't coincidental, mentioning that they were done as a show of respect to Akifumi Kaneko and the franchise he made.
100	* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' [[GameMod ROM hack]] ''Super Mario Kollision'' actually says in the ending credits 'Level design inspired by VideoGame/BrutalMario and VIP series', in case you didn't already figure out that much of it was ripping them off. Considering that the final level was literally an abridged carbon copy of Brutal Mario's Bowser's Castle level, this wasn't exactly hard to work out without the official statement.
101	* ''VideoGame/SongsOfConquest'': The game's description admits to being inspired by '90s strategy games, but the developers specifically cite ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic 2'' during the interviews. The similarities are apparent in design and gameplay.
102	[[/folder]]
103
104	[[folder:Webcomics]]
105	* Comics that have the format of ''Webcomic/DMOfTheRings'' usually state that is what inspired them, like ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids''.
106	* The [[MissingEpisode Long Lost Prologue]] of ''Webcomic/OurLittleAdventure'' shows the Palm Tree Ghost saying the comic was inspired by ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''.
107	[[/folder]]
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109	[[folder:Other]]
110	* Radio comedian Fred Allen paraphrased the above quote as "Imitation is the sincerest form of television." ''WesternAnimation/MightyMouse'' invokes it in the Bakshi-produced episode "Don't Touch That Dial."
111	* The team behind the French VideoReviewShow ''WebVideo/JoueurDuGrenier'' never shied away from admitting their biggest inspiration originally was ''WebVideo/AngryVideoGameNerd'', they even put it in the description of the first episode.
112	[[/folder]]

Context Main / SincerestFormOfFlattery