An Idiot's guide to writing FFs w/o plagiarizing - Page 9

Originally posted by: Semanti

Uh-oh!

The leads in WAUFMAIO meet in an airport for the first time.

WHAT DO I DO NOW?

*hits panic button*

Originally posted by: Semanti

Uh-oh!

The leads in WAUFMAIO meet in an airport for the first time.

WHAT DO I DO NOW?

*hits panic button*

Originally posted by: Semanti

Uh-oh!

The leads in WAUFMAIO meet in an airport for the first time.

WHAT DO I DO NOW?

*hits panic button*

Originally posted by: madmaxine

On behalf of the World Airport Meet Cute Authorities, I now declare you an WAMC offender- Grade I. Repeat this, and I will be forced to tweet your shame to all my 69 followers.

Originally posted by: madmaxine

On behalf of the World Airport Meet Cute Authorities, I now declare you an WAMC offender- Grade I. Repeat this, and I will be forced to tweet your shame to all my 69 followers.

Originally posted by: arisai

Okay so, I tried to stay away from this but it's gotten to the point where I feel as though I need to say something.

Maxine, I didn't realise that I'd annoyed you and Zehra so much by not PMing you about my internet connection at Uni once it was back up. I saw that you'd skipped over my go and figured that was the end of it. I thought letting you know I wouldn't be able to do it before hand would have been enough. I should have sent you a follow up, I'm sorry I didn't. I'll admit that it was irresponsible. I didn't take it as seriously as I maybe should have and was completely overwhelmed with Uni work by the time my College got internet in my room functioning again- it was my second term of University and I was falling behind. Even so, not considering its effect on everyone else was rude. I'm sorry.

Zehra, I don't know what I did to upset you or offend you so much. I'd apologise if I knew, but I don't.

I'm not trying to take the high road here, I get told that my long essays do exactly that as well as making me sound arrogant, derisive, pompous and 'Look-At-How-Much-Better-Than-You-I-Am' (direct quotes), but I'm just wordy.

That all said, I am 100% NOT okay with this post, I think it's mean and hypocritical after how you guys reacted when somebody did this exact thing to one of you- and to be honest with you, it's really, really upsetting.

I know that it was your intention to hurt peoples' feelings and you've all deliberately been as vicious as possible because your friend was upset, but I would like to hope that you didn't actually take time to consider the effect it would have on the people you were targeting when you made it. I'd like to believe that because this is the internet and it's a virtual platform, you didn't stop to consider the effects of your words on real people. Because I'd like to think none of you are happy that the result has been to bring a teenager to tears and to make me feel like scum over something as simple and as basic to me as sticking up for my friends. I like to think I have a pretty thick skin, but seeing people I thought were friends being so openly mean about me is really upsetting.

I appreciated having you guys as friends, and I honestly DID consider some of you friends. I have defended some of the Chamelis and recommended your writing and humour just as strongly as I have recommended and defended Munchy. You can pretend you don't remember, but you all know that I have. We were friends, you guys. If you've ever had a friend suddenly turn on you, then you know what I'm feeling right now.

I know you guys notice things like this as I've seen you comment on it when others have done it in the past, but I've unfollowed the Chamelis on Twitter. I didn't realise your opinions of me were so low and I don't want to fight with you. So I've just cut off connections on other platforms such as Twitter. I don't like being upset and so it just seemed smart to me to stay away from things and people that make me upset. I won't insult your intelligence by saying it wasn't personal. It was.

I'm half-expecting to see this mocked in future posts of yours, but as a group of people I once had a lot of respect for, I would be grateful and really appreciate it if you'd see this as me making a sincere apology and not laughing about it or belittling it by making snarky references to it in your comments to each other. I can't stop you, but I'm asking anyway.

Ridz is a very close and very dear friend of mine and I know she is now one of yours as well. She knows and has known me very well for over a year now, if you have any doubts as to whether or not I'm being sincere here, you can ask her.

Originally posted by: madmaxine

Rafa: I don't really care that you didn't PM me about the FF. I was mocking it as an example of your irresponsibility. That is all. You've offered an apology and that is the end of that. So far, we're square.

@red: How exactly did I react last time when this was done to SJ? As far as I remember I responded once on Munchy's post saying I disagreed. That was the end of that from my end. I never said a word in public afterwards as far as I can remember.

@bold: Sorry if I've reduced you to tears. I don't like to think I made someone cry. But understand this and understand it well. I don't know Rae. I've never read her work and couldn't care less about it. So this post was not to defend anyone. Rather it was to highlight what I consider some really horrendous, narcissistic conduct on the part of certain people. (But I don't want to discuss that here either) But reflect on this Rafa. You say I made you cry by mocking the fact that you were sticking up for your friends. Not yourself. Your friends. What about the people who've been humiliated in public by you and your friends? Most of whom had no prior warning what was to come. Any consideration for how many tears they might have shed? So, their conduct (and yours to an extent- reflect on your post in response to Rae please- if you truly wanted it kept private, you should have maintained a dignified silence also) is acceptable, but mine isn't?

And don't give me that but they were sinners and deserve public shaming crap. Even if they were sinners (and that is highly debatable)- who are you to punish them? What authority do you have to denounce them publicly and make them feel like crap? And if that doesn't count as cyber-bullying why should this? The moral high ground is not an easy place to live in. It comes at a very heavy price.

If you're going to dish it out, be prepared to take it as well. And everyone responds differently. I prefer not to waste emotional energy trying to reason with people who are obviously not amenable to reason. Nor do I have any interest in doing so. I do have an interest in stating my opinion.

Maybe I don't say it very politely. But then, I do believe in offering a proportionate response.

I'm the last person in the world to be quite so vicious unless pushed to the edge- ask my friends here on IF. They know how easy-going I am. Believe me, I don't enjoy speaking sarcasm with such venom.

I don't care who follows whom on twitter. I don't ask people to follow me. I don't make people do anything. Because it simply can't be done. So, you'll have to excuse me on that front. These petty twitter issues make no difference to my life whatsoever. If you feel disengaging works best for you- more power to that.

That said, let me say this (and I speak objectively and in your best interests alone-it makes no difference to me how you handle this or anything else in your life) You are a teenager. If I were you, I wouldn't be so quick to be quite so opinionated about people. I don't need to ask Ridz for a character certificate. I believe you when you say you are sincere. Believe me when I say I am perfectly sincere too. I don't require an apology from you. Or anyone. All I require is some reflection and thoughtfulness on your part before you hit the post button next time on something that is clearly about to hurt someone.

And I promise I will reciprocate in full measure.