It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way."

Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities.

"Better write for oneself and have no public than write for the public and have no self"

Cyril Connolly.

I do not tolerate plagiarism.

Just because "the age of privacy is over", to quote the infamous Facebook founder, doesn't mean that you can just claim anything you want, unless you're the original author who I'm pretty sure would be happy over his/her creation being honored. The world we live in may not be all in place, but we do not practice "free agency", termed and defined by Michel Foucault, as the worst stage of barbarism when you can just take anything at will without being held responsible. Believe it or not, the Internet is not entirely anonymous as it seems.

Think it over before you decide to plagiarize - simply put, to claim as yours something has never been and would never be yours. Is it really necessary? Does it worth it? Is a moment of greed, or whatever motivation you have to steal - yes, you heard that right, plagiarism is nothing but stealing - satisfying to you if it ends up costing you all the reputation you've constructed online?

If you still want to go ahead, don't keep the naive belief that fan fic authors will just let it slide. As true writers, we recognize no owners to our plot other than ourselves, and no owners to the borrowed characters except for the ones who had introduced them to us in the first place. We respect the original author(s), we respect one another, and we deserve - and demand - respect from fellow writers as well as beloved readers.

If you plagiarize, your violation will be reported and sufficient actions will be taken.

Remember one thing after this small speech, which I hope hasn't bored you to (nearly) death: Plagiarism is nothing but stealing.

1/ Pay attention to the lines in italics, they either mark the point of narration in comparison to the whole plot; or simply indicate reminiscence/inner thoughts.

2/I'm a serious musicoholic, which means my fics would be blended with lyrics quoted from my favorite songs. My apology in advance to those who aren't interested in the same composers/artists/songs and get annoyed by them. Otherwise, if you can't stand this type of mixture, take it you've been warned.

3/ I do not claim to speak for anyone else but myself.