I've got that horrible dread feeling in the pit of my stomach. I hate that. Makes me very on edge and snappy with people over things that simply aren't important.

Gahhh....

I am definitely PMSing now. Crampy and grumpy and reliving past gripes.

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Must return Laura to the video store and books to the library. Fire up the work puter. I have to say, though, we all worked on the house yesterday and it looks so much better now. We're trying very hard to impart to the kdis that the house is not their personal trash can. The sheer amount of TRASH is ridiculous. The wrapper to a juice box straw. THe empty juice box, dropped wherever they were when they finished it. Candy wrappers. School papers just tossed into their rooms. GAHHHHHHHHHH

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Am feeling utterly devoid of creativity today. Can I just crawl back into bed and wait until tomorrow?

It sincerely hurts to see a lack of respect for someone else's work. We're such tight little communities, all trying to do our thing while flying under the radar of TPTB, while still maintaining the integrity of the work. To disrespect another artist to further one's own work -- it just  sincerely hurts. Is it really that difficult to ask to play in the sandbox someone created? And if the mistake was an honest one, why continue once you've been made aware of the generally accepted ethics within a fandom?

Is it that hard to show respect to an author for the universe she has created with her stories?

Style choices in photo manips and iconage?

Song choices for vidding in the same fandom?

I know that the (very few) times someone has been inspired by something I did, it's an absolute honor to know that they were, and a bigger honor to be asked for my OK to play. It shows respect to me, and I return that respect by saying, "Of course you can, I'm so excited now!" Not everyone will answer like I do. It's respectful to honor that, as well. If I recall correctly, I have twice asked to play, and twice been given the honor returned for asking. Alex and Rebelcat, you are my heroes. (Remind me if I missed someone, for you know my steel sieve memory...)  I've even been invited TO play, wherein if the bug bites, I'll jump at that offered opportunity. There's an honor, isn't it? I'm still blown away by it.

ETA: To correct myself slightly: I wrote a bit in one of Alex's stories, and sent it only to her. She liked it and allowed me to share it out. I knew I'd remember something wrong, lol.

Arguments about "copyright" are moot here - we all know about copyright, out in the real world. This is about respect within fandom. I need my thesaurus, for I've said 'respect' too many times here already.

account, admiration, appreciation, consideration, estimation, favor, honor, regard, respect

There's an honor code among us, and when someone flings that aside and just does what they want, with great defense when asked about it, they've not engendered any respect back, have they? Honor among thieves. Yes. That's it, right?

Honor among thieves.

I'm not without wanting to do what someone else has done. I'm just as wannabe as the next person. But for me, the Golden Rule applies, and I want for it to apply both ways.