You said it, I've bolded the bit that says it all, which means they're NO LONGER originals but altered.
Which is why I said the "the ss link is all over the place", they're no longer in the same consistent spot but varying locations.
You're 'stretching' isn't consistent enough to always cause it to end up in the exact same location.
Their source may be originals, what you post certainly is no more.
Doesn't mean I don't appreciate them; I just disagree completely with your claim.
Original means straight from the source without modifications. Just state that you edited them and don't call them originals.
And if you're hung up about folks reposting them and claiming them as theirs... that happens regardless.
Oh and leaving metadata untouched? The moment you save an edited image, the metadata changes too.
The software you use leaves its own fingerprints.