Sigh.

[cleolinda]

So someone else has run off and reposted my work (this time, it's Twilight in Fifteen Minutes. NO DOGPILING, Y'ALL). I don't go looking for this stuff, because honestly, if I started trying to police the internet--which I did try for a little while, back when I was first writing these things--I would never, ever get anything else done. But I feel

Comments

[megaleena]

Can we all think bad thoughts about her?

[cleolinda]

Bad thoughts are completely acceptable.

[megaleena]

Thank Jizzy C, because I'm full of them today!

[particle_person]

My imaginary sharks with LASERS just fried her.

[chris_walsh]

But at least at some level, saying "Aw HALE No" is strangely satisfying...

(Where's that "Aw HALE No" icon from, by the way?)

[cleolinda]

It's Rose on Lost. She and her husband Bernard go live in the jungle on their own while the other Lostaways are stuck living undercover in the Dharma village, and when some of the Losties stumble upon them, they're all like, we were trying to get AWAY from you people and your crazy. I believe Rose actually says, "Oh HELL no."

[chris_walsh]

Got it. I'm two discs into Season 1 so I definitely don't have everyone straight yet.

[cupcakery]

Oh, Cleo. Want me to beat up the universe for you?

And: kids today, Goddamn. I can't wait until that twit gets to university and tries to pull that shit on a paper.

[annemjw]

I take somewhat malicious joy at red penning people who copyright at a tertiary level.

It isn't as fun at a secondary level, cause you still have that niggling feeling that they should be doing work to actually get an education, but tertiary, hah! Who cares if they're throwing their own (or their parents') money down the sink! Red pen of shame for you.

[cupcakery]

Ah, the red pen of shame, my favourite weapon. I became well-versed with its uses in high school writer's craft class wherein I became the de-facto editor. (Personally, I think that all English degrees should come with a very special red pen. Pfft, diploma. Pen, people, pen!)

[annemjw]

I would have liked that, instead of my (very attractive, but rather boring) piece of paper. It could have my name on it and everything!

[chulacabra]

First off, of *course* you're angry. One of the shitty things about being a writer is that people don't take ownership seriously. Like they know if they took your bicycle or something, it's theft, but somehow taking a written work, which potentially could be worth a lot more than a bicycle, is a-okay. So don't apologize for being pissed.

Regarding the comments and dogpiles, I kind of wish you'd read them because your readers are being so incredibly polite. No name calling, no trash talking. Just firmly and respectfully asking her to take it down. That's why her asshatery comes across so badly. It's not like anyone said, "TAKE IT DOWN YOU BITCH" and yet she's being incredibly uncivil about it. Anyway, the way your readers are handling it is really a testament to you, I think--you put out good energy and you're attracting good people to your blog as a result.

Many hugs going out to you. The situation just sucks.

[cleolinda]

Aw, that's really great. The problem is, I'd have to see her comments in order to see theirs, and I just don't know that I could handle that right now. I'm ridiculously fragile at the moment for some stupid reason.

Although, yeah--civility is an excellent way to let assholes hang themselves with their own rope.

[maleficently]

Don't go read them. Without going into it, she's a twat (and I hate that word, so that should tell you enough right there) and your fans are being really polite and fantastic about it. Stay here, where we can tell you how much we love you instead. :)

[scornedsaint]

At least she has changed the title to "highly amusing twilight summary." So it's sort of like she's acknowledging your brilliance, in her own special, asstastic way.

And amid all my busyness and tiredness, there is a stubborn little part of me that's like, AW HALE NO. A very petty, vindictive, counterproductive part, because am I honestly going to waste my energy on something this inconsequential?

Sometimes you just have to...I hesitate to say "indulge" since it's not like you're doing something fun, but sometimes you just have to spend some time on that because it does really, really bug you. I swear that's at least 60% of the reason why my mom deals with all the school board/grassroots political organizations she does. And like you said, people who get bitchy about stealing other people's work annoys you, so it's not just a "me me me!" thing; this bugs you in general. So I don't see this as you screaming "MY ART WILL BE RESPECTED!", basically

[cleolinda]

Well, it was originally "Highly amusing Twilight summary," just with no credit, leaving it open for people to think she wrote it. Although usually people don't describe their own work that way, which is a subtle indication that she didn't. But most people don't think about that kind of thing.

[mamapduck]

I had a flash of Cartman hollering, "Respect Mah ArtThoritay!" here. :) But yes, this comment is spot on.