Bugger all

[misscam]

Remember Thalia's trouble with "Eliana"?

Yeah, not so true.

Eliana never existed.

Sigh. I'm deeply sorry to anyone I dragged into this, especially since I actually doubted Thalia's story in the first place. I just didn't want to trust my instinct, as Thalia is friends with my friends and I felt bad suspecting her. I should have trusted my Inner Journalist from the start. (Have a cookie, IJ)

So now I'm wondering if the two times she was plagiarised was also just Thalia wanting to get attention.

And I really, really want to hate her for all this, but I just feel sad and kinda tired.

Again, I'm sorry to all those who gave Thalia some support due to my asking. Thank you for doing that for me, though. It was a very kind gesture, even with the outcome.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Don't feel bad. You feel lied to, that's not a nice feeling but the thing that matters that you were there when you thought a friend needed help and defending. And that you were willing to inspire others to a good cause, namely offering support to one who seemingly needed it. Remember that, not the lie.

I've been following this event ever since you mentioned it in your journal. I suspected it could have been a hoax since the second day but that was mainly because I wasn't involved. It's difficult to stay objective when friends are involved. But then, that's what makes us human, doesn't it?

*offers sympathy and chocolate*

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Thank you, anon... And yeah, the main reason I did not listen to my Inner Journalist (stop gloating, IJ) was that she is in my circle of online friends. And friendships operate on trust.

Sometimes, it gets betrayed. And then it's defintely chocolate time, yes.

[pipibluestockin]

I took it at face value - just in case.

On the internet that is all you can do - if you can not see the body language and pick up the non-verbal cues.

Frankly, I am glad it was not a real incident.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Frankly, I am glad it was not a real incident.

Yeah, there's that - unfortunately, knowing this doesn't really cheer me up at the moment, as I'm dreading that I'm going to find out that the two times Thalia was plagiarised also was staged and then I will feel really shitty.

[ginmar.livejournal.com]

I really don't know what to think. I know I told her she needed to pursue legal action against her 'stalkers' and it was bad enough that I was going to talk to my ex about the case.

My ex boyfriend is an FBI agent.

She disappeared from IM immediately. I knew right then and there.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Yeah. There were a lot of little things that surely did not add up. Her refusal to log IPs, for one thing. The presitence of "Eliana" - very troll-like. The escalation of the whole situation. Little incoherencies in the story.

I think a lot of us picked up on this, but when it's a friend, things just get muddy.

[mystefaction.livejournal.com]

I just feel sad and kinda tired

:[sigh]: Me too. I mean, *Thalia*...

You don't know me, but I'm a lurking OFUMer and an SNAOLer. Mind if I friend you?

[misscam.livejournal.com]

You don't know me, but I'm a lurking OFUMer and an SNAOLer. Mind if I friend you?

No, no, go right ahead. Gotta like someone withan Elrond-icon.

*grin*

[(Anonymous)]

Elrond? Woo-hoo!

[norwegianne.livejournal.com]

It makes me angry for those people who actually have those kind of trouble in school, and need support.

But the trouble with internet is that you don't know who's behind everything.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Unless you live in Norway, where you can pretty much track down anyone, eh?

Ah, my tiny little tiny country... *hugs it*

But yeah, Thalia's little stunt was rather shitty done towards anyone who actually have to face those kinds of troubles.

[norwegianne.livejournal.com]

Yeah, living in Norway's pretty nice when it comes to that...

[baronmind.livejournal.com]

Your reaction was still the right one, even if the situation turned out to be imaginary. You've done nothing wrong here.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It's just because I chose to believe her against my better judgement, you know? I'm not sure if I would feel better or worse if I hadn't doubted her at all.

And if it turns out she also staged the plagiarism incidents... I've been plagiarised myself, so my reaction is not likely to be charitable. On the other hand, if she tells me those were genuine, will I really be able to trust her?

I am with you there.

[jocelyncs.livejournal.com]

I have reacted very strongly to the plagiarism allegations. Thalia's constant--now alleged--targeting was one of the reasons we founded the PPC Plagiarism Department. I hope it doesn't turn out that those incidents were not real, although now, looking back on them and the way they unfolded, I fear it's a distinct possibility.

Jocelyn, bummed.

Re: I am with you there.

[ginmar.livejournal.com]

She's just confirmed that two of the three incidents were fake.

(Siiiigh)

[jocelyncs.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. This just gets uglier and uglier--or sadder and sadder. I switch opinions on it every three seconds.

Like Miss Cam, I feel almost out of energy to rant. I've been duking it out verbally with other members of the PPC board over this, trying desperately to err on the side of compassion...but I don't know how to be gentle about this.

Plagiarism is a very serious issue with me, being such a lover of writing myself, and I become utterly enraged when I see my fellow authors ripped off. I've been among the more vitriolic flamers of Miss Cam's thieves, Thundera Tiger's, Scribe's...and Thalia's. It's upsetting to learn that the energy spent getting the word out and keeping the heat up was merely to indulge some immature desire for attention.

I think I'll sleep on it. I very much want to avoid acting precipitously, but on the other hand...grrr. Oh well, to bed with me. (Damn, I'm so distracted I can't even get my stupid reading assignment done tonight!)

Jocelyn, feeling incredibly used and bitterly disappointed

*hugs*

[bjam1402.livejournal.com]

It's not at all your fault. She lied to all of us, and yes, it wasn't the smartest idea; lots of people belived her. *shrugs* Think of it this way, you were doing a good thing for Thalia(back then) by linking the livejournal and asking for people to support her. That shows what a good friend you are. Just maybe not how good a friend Thalia is...

*more hugs* Please don't feel bad.

Re: *hugs*

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Please don't feel bad.

No helping that, I fear. But hey, my reaction, my problem. It's not like I have suffered a mortal blow. It'll feel sucky a little while, is all.

[ladyiapetus]

Don't be sorry, because you didn't drag anyone into it. Those of who followed the links to Thalia's journel from wherever they were posted chose to do so on our own. And Thalia was the one who was lying, not you. You were just following your instincts; there's no fault in that.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Don't be sorry, because you didn't drag anyone into it.

Yes, but I did ask people to give Thalia support and people did so out of friendship to me. So I'm sorry.

[aralanthiriel.livejournal.com]

Just look at it this way, Cam - it would have been much worse if you doubted her openly, and the story turned out to be true. And yeah, I don't feel terribly angry, either, but I don't think I'll bother reading her journals from now on, since I won't be able to believe a word she says from now on.

As for the plagiarism thing... now that you bring it up, it is possible. But I don't think it really matters anyway. Didn't she get f_wanked over that whole kerfluffle anyway?

[misscam.livejournal.com]

As for the plagiarism thing... now that you bring it up, it is possible. But I don't think it really matters anyway.

It matters to *me*. Maybe I'm being irrational because of my own history with plagiarism, I don't know. But I feel I need to know if it was true or not. I might be acting stupid, but I want her to answer me.

[aralanthiriel.livejournal.com]

Hmm... Re: Plagiarism claim. Have you seen this post on f_w?

The last time she was plagiarized and got her friends to flame the plagiarist, the writing style in the bio was almost the same as her own except for bits of randomly added Netspeak, and the story was only taken down when the comments started saying, "Hmmm... I think she's making this up."

I wouldn't put it past her to have made this whole thing up. I guess I missed the whole thing about her stories being plagiarized, but I can see how you would want to know if she's lying or not.

Best of luck getting a response!

....

[blackpearl500.livejournal.com]

Don't be too hard on yourself Miss Cam. Your reaction shows what a good person you are, and a good friend. I have to admit, however, that the whole situation has me a bit reluctant to believe anything said in any future lj dramas.

Re: ....

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Well, I'd rather be too hard on myself than too easy on myself. But thanks. And yeah, once that fake 'wolf' has been cried, distrust comes a-sneaking.

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I feel suckered too (by her, not you). But look at it this way: it's better to err on the side of wanting to help, isn't it?

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I'd like to think so.

But right now that's not really giving me much cheering up, given that I just found out she also staged the plagiarism cases.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

And I really, really want to hate her for all this, but I just feel sad and kinda tired.

I know the feeling. It's what I feel every time when I discover that my schoolkids abused my care and efforts to help them. Which happens about every other week. *shrugs* You get used to it after a time.

I actually believed her (yes, so incredibly guillable at my advanced age!) and wrote a supportive comment. I'm not sorry about that though. I'd rather err a hundred times than fail to support someone who really needs it.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

That is the right attitude, I suppose, but it's not very helpful just as you've been screwed over and all...

But then you do get over it.

[hippydeath.livejournal.com]

I sat and watched this unfold, and all the time I had this niggly feeling it was a lie, that's why I didn't say anything.
I don't think you should be sorry to the people who supported her, they did it out of their own kindness, which is a good thing in the end.

I would spout something highly intelligent about being on the recieving end of things like this before (which I have) but I'll spare you the boredom.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Nice Balrog.

[megpie71.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, my feelings are rather mixed. On the one hand, my inner cynical bitch is busy saying "I told you so" in a rather smug tone of voice. On the other, my inner teenager is saying "gee, she must be really upset". Problem is, the inner bitch responds to the inner teenager with a comment along the lines of "How can you tell?", and that gets the inner teenager upset as well.

Okay, I was hoodwinked. Alarm bells started going off when she didn't take action (I've been stalked online, it's scary, and the reaction Thalia was giving didn't really ring true for that) and when she seemed to be ignoring advice. Now? Well, it's just another kick in the side from someone I thought I trusted. I've a history of 'em, and I'll have to live with it.

(Oh, and the reason I'm all out of stupid is that I've used up the supply I had...)

I wonder whether Thalia realises just how difficult trust is to regain when it's been lost? Ah well, she's due to find out.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I hear ya. Only I got an Inner Journalist, not an inner bitch. The bitch morphed into the journo, really. And I don't really have an inner teenager, I have an Inner Miss Ever-Nice. But same kind of conflict.

This really is a big, fat mess.

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. I did send her an email, because I figured if it was true, then no one should be treated like that. This is a really sucky thing to have to go through. I'm here for you, even though you don't know me very well.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

It's the plagiarism-scam that bothers me the most, especially since it seems to have come from one time I was plagiarised. I just feel... trod on, in a way.

[ninjaloki.livejournal.com]

Hi. You don't know me (I used to lurk on the PPC board, thought), but I give you mad props for wanting to help her. It's horrible the way she repaid you though.

*offers Pocky*

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[maureenlycaon.livejournal.com]

I'm reminded of a line of advice out of Hambly's novel, "Dragonsbane": "Ahh, but she hasn't betrayed your striving, love. She's only betrayed her own."

A lot of people feel their better natures were betrayed by Thalia. But her betrayal didn't really cheapen your sympathy. In the end, she only betrayed and cheapened herself.

[(Anonymous)]

You did an awesome thing. If it'd been real, I'm certain the person you supported would be extremely grateful for it. Think that if it'd really happened, and you did the same thing, someone would be happy, very happy, because of you.