LJ meeeehm
Nicked off the lovely kuukiventomu.
How did you come to start your LJ?
It was in 2002 when Blogger was being an arse and when this place had more interesting conversations going on. Especially with fannish people. It was a bit less one-sided and yet allowed that personal soapbox aspect. So I got hooked.
How did you find your first friends?
They were people I knew from other online groups, mostly fannish and Pagan mailing lists.
Are those first friends still on your FL?
Some still are.
How long have you been on LJ?
8 years.
Do you have more friends or communities on your FL?
Oh, friends. I only belong to a small handful of comms, and generally avoid the bigger ones. I'm only on a few major fanfic ones, one actor one and several photo/scan comms. And even the comms I'm on drive me nuts sometimes because of the stupid.
Do you do a lot of friends cuts?
I've been seriously considering dropping people again because gah. I very very rarely friend people back these days and don't like being friended. I appreciate discussion and comments, especially on some fannish stuff, but personal stuff is different. But I do hate it when I feel like I've drifted apart from people I've known for years and then they seem to be making tons of posts that I can't relate to or lots of posts that upset me (I can only take so much politics, for instance--probably because I am all too aware of politics and reading extra just makes me angry and frustrated when there's only so much I can do). But that's just one example--the general feeling of not being able to connect is the saddest thing, when you realise you don't have that much in common any more. It's depressing.
What do you like in an LJ friend?
I like people who I can have interesting conversations with. Whose posts I want to read and comment on, people who make me think, people who make me laugh. I really love it when someone's post prompts me to actually write about something I've been thinking of but would've otherwise forgotten about. Nos posted recently about the WTFness of people liking to read the same story over and over again in different forms, and that reminded me of how I'd recently thought about that aspect of the stories people love--I was wondering to which extent people still had that childhood thing of wanting to hear the same bedtime story over and over again. That whole familiarity vs. variety thing, and how the mix of the two is different for different people. I'm sometimes more repetitive in my head, but when I write and read, I want more variety woven into a few of my favourite key themes, and that dynamic is always interesting to explore--especially with fanfic, when people go in wanting more material of the characters and the worlds they love: essentially something familiar, but with a new twist. Oh, that went off on a tangent, didn't it? Well, I like good conversations and brainy people and people with a sense of humour. That sums it up, doesn't it?
What do you dislike?
Shitty typing. It's the written equivalent of nails on a chalkboard--it's fucking painful to even look at. Way beyond any elitist assholery on my part--I just find it incredibly painful *before* that discomfort turns into grumpiness and anger. And it includes excessive "lol"s and "hehehehe"s and bad grammar and excessive anime smileys and xoxoxoxo hon!!1 stuff. It's like being slapped in the face with Stupid. This is why I don't go on many big comms or read all the comments on big comms. It's just painful first and foremost, and then angrymaking. But then I don't generally read people like that. It's more annoying when otherwise smart people start writing like immature fuckwits. I really can't explain the amount of violent pain that sort of thing gives me. I can't.
What would make you unfriend someone immediately?
Well, it'd be a surprise if they made it to my flist in the first place, but right-wing politics. Sexism or going on about gender stereotypes without any irony in there. (I fear that I may have come across as a right twat for grumbling I was like a stereotypical comedy bloke obsessed with unfings, the other week, but I mean it when I say "stereotype" and "comedy"--mentioning those things are not an indication that I actually *buy* into them, or that I'd be one of those crazy fangirls who suddenly decided they were blokes because girls were icky.) Religious conservatism. Ignorance. General stupidity. Persistent squee over things that offend me in fandom (I don't even friend someone if they are a Rose fan or a Ten/Rose shipper, though). In some ways the fannish stuff is a good indication of how someone's mind works--why would I ever think I'd get along with someone I disagree with so much, if they see everything in a mindbogglingly different way from mine? It's that whole "uh, I have no idea how this person can see the world this way" thing that I get with politics/religion at times--it's just too WTF and can be incredibly offensive and dangerous. Yes, it's just as bad in fandom, or worse. So I don't bother.
Have you been caught up in a lot of LJ drama?
Not willingly. I tend to want to stay away from drama. If friends mention Issues on their posts, I will drop a few comments if I feel like it, and state my opinions. But I really don't want to get dragged into fucking wars over it. I really don't. I'm mostly an arsehole on my own fucking journal, but even that gets little batchipper bitches in arms and results in witch-hunts. Jesus. I really, really fucking hate drama and regard people with suspicion if I know they enjoy even *reading* wank. The same way I'd be suspicious of people who like to watch public stonings. I really don't like getting involved in that shit. At all. Arguments are private and should not be dragged into the public--if I am pissed off at someone, it's between me and that person. It's nobody else's fucking business.
Do RL friends and family members know you have a journal on LJ?
Yes. Almost all of them are here. Friends, that is. And my folks don't even know how to use the internets, and my sister doesn't give a shit, so...
Do you also have Facebook and if so, what do you prefer - LJ or FB?
I don't do Facebook. Or Myspazz. I'm here for the conversations, yo.
What about Twitter?
Again, I prefer proper conversations. Twitters are too short to engage me. And are so often pointless and annoying.
Do you blog on any other sites?
Nope. I can't even remember my Blogger password.
How often do you check in on LJ?
As soon as I wake up. And generally all day long. Because I'm sad like that.
What do you rarely or never post about?
What I ate or what my day was like, unless something fairly important happened. Unless I'm super-fucking-bored. Um, I don't often blog wanks? But the stories resulting from those may become chatporns. But again, not so often on this journal. Which is a miracle, considering how much time I spend thinking up stories (erotic or not).
Why don’t you post about that?
Because it wouldn't be all that interesting. I really don't get the sort of blogging that's all about what you ate, where you drove, who you talked to at work today, etc. if there is nothing there that gets a conversation going. It can all be one-sided and just a listing of facts and the listener will go "...and?" or just can't think of anything to say. That's especially bad with Twittering. Sometimes I might not want an elaborate conversation, and sometimes I will just dump my thoughts on the page, write things down purely to process and analyse them better. But usually, if I say things "out loud", I do want to talk about them. I don't do small talk, and as much as I keep rambling, what I say is usually something that means something to me, something that I feel is important and needs to be mentioned. What I had for dinner? Not so much.
Have you ever thought about deleting your journal?
Very briefly, but I know that if I ever came back (because I wouldn't be able to stop blathering), I'd be recogniseable even under a different name. So there's not much point. I'm just... here. Warts and all.
Have you ever changed your username?
Nope. No matter how bad its reputation is. See my previous answer--it wouldn't work.
Why did you choose your current username?
This question seems to come up in every meme ever, so you all know the answer by now, I expect. Because it's me.
If you’re looking for new friends, how do you find them?
Through mutual friends and comments on my fannish posts. I don't really look for new friends, but I am always happy when I really click with someone and can share jokes and ideas with them.
Are you taking new people on to your Friends List just now?
Well, again, only rarely, if I really click with a person. I'm usually really slow to warm to people, especially after all the mindbogglingly vicious shit that can go down in fandom. I have very good reasons not to trust people, and it isn't pure paranoia, sadly. It's bad experience all the way from people breaking flock to trying to send me viruses, so, eh. And they think *I'm* a hostile arsehole? Yeah. Okay. So... yes, there are reasons why I am such a grumpy shit. Fuck, I shouldn't even apologise for that, because it's just self-preservation.
Finally, tell us the reasons why you keep an online journal.
Again, the conversations. Being able to put my thoughts on the screen and share them and interact with people. To have conversations. To have that soapbox I'd always need anyway because I feel strongly about many things and can't Shut The Fuck Up. To share creative stuff. To make people laugh and/or go "unf". To share fannish things and obsessions and hobbies. To keep up with friends. You might as well ask "why do you open your mouth to speak?" or "why do you live and breathe?", really.
How did you come to start your LJ?
It was in 2002 when Blogger was being an arse and when this place had more interesting conversations going on. Especially with fannish people. It was a bit less one-sided and yet allowed that personal soapbox aspect. So I got hooked.
How did you find your first friends?
They were people I knew from other online groups, mostly fannish and Pagan mailing lists.
Are those first friends still on your FL?
Some still are.
How long have you been on LJ?
8 years.
Do you have more friends or communities on your FL?
Oh, friends. I only belong to a small handful of comms, and generally avoid the bigger ones. I'm only on a few major fanfic ones, one actor one and several photo/scan comms. And even the comms I'm on drive me nuts sometimes because of the stupid.
Do you do a lot of friends cuts?
I've been seriously considering dropping people again because gah. I very very rarely friend people back these days and don't like being friended. I appreciate discussion and comments, especially on some fannish stuff, but personal stuff is different. But I do hate it when I feel like I've drifted apart from people I've known for years and then they seem to be making tons of posts that I can't relate to or lots of posts that upset me (I can only take so much politics, for instance--probably because I am all too aware of politics and reading extra just makes me angry and frustrated when there's only so much I can do). But that's just one example--the general feeling of not being able to connect is the saddest thing, when you realise you don't have that much in common any more. It's depressing.
What do you like in an LJ friend?
I like people who I can have interesting conversations with. Whose posts I want to read and comment on, people who make me think, people who make me laugh. I really love it when someone's post prompts me to actually write about something I've been thinking of but would've otherwise forgotten about. Nos posted recently about the WTFness of people liking to read the same story over and over again in different forms, and that reminded me of how I'd recently thought about that aspect of the stories people love--I was wondering to which extent people still had that childhood thing of wanting to hear the same bedtime story over and over again. That whole familiarity vs. variety thing, and how the mix of the two is different for different people. I'm sometimes more repetitive in my head, but when I write and read, I want more variety woven into a few of my favourite key themes, and that dynamic is always interesting to explore--especially with fanfic, when people go in wanting more material of the characters and the worlds they love: essentially something familiar, but with a new twist. Oh, that went off on a tangent, didn't it? Well, I like good conversations and brainy people and people with a sense of humour. That sums it up, doesn't it?
What do you dislike?
Shitty typing. It's the written equivalent of nails on a chalkboard--it's fucking painful to even look at. Way beyond any elitist assholery on my part--I just find it incredibly painful *before* that discomfort turns into grumpiness and anger. And it includes excessive "lol"s and "hehehehe"s and bad grammar and excessive anime smileys and xoxoxoxo hon!!1 stuff. It's like being slapped in the face with Stupid. This is why I don't go on many big comms or read all the comments on big comms. It's just painful first and foremost, and then angrymaking. But then I don't generally read people like that. It's more annoying when otherwise smart people start writing like immature fuckwits. I really can't explain the amount of violent pain that sort of thing gives me. I can't.
What would make you unfriend someone immediately?
Well, it'd be a surprise if they made it to my flist in the first place, but right-wing politics. Sexism or going on about gender stereotypes without any irony in there. (I fear that I may have come across as a right twat for grumbling I was like a stereotypical comedy bloke obsessed with unfings, the other week, but I mean it when I say "stereotype" and "comedy"--mentioning those things are not an indication that I actually *buy* into them, or that I'd be one of those crazy fangirls who suddenly decided they were blokes because girls were icky.) Religious conservatism. Ignorance. General stupidity. Persistent squee over things that offend me in fandom (I don't even friend someone if they are a Rose fan or a Ten/Rose shipper, though). In some ways the fannish stuff is a good indication of how someone's mind works--why would I ever think I'd get along with someone I disagree with so much, if they see everything in a mindbogglingly different way from mine? It's that whole "uh, I have no idea how this person can see the world this way" thing that I get with politics/religion at times--it's just too WTF and can be incredibly offensive and dangerous. Yes, it's just as bad in fandom, or worse. So I don't bother.
Have you been caught up in a lot of LJ drama?
Not willingly. I tend to want to stay away from drama. If friends mention Issues on their posts, I will drop a few comments if I feel like it, and state my opinions. But I really don't want to get dragged into fucking wars over it. I really don't. I'm mostly an arsehole on my own fucking journal, but even that gets little batchipper bitches in arms and results in witch-hunts. Jesus. I really, really fucking hate drama and regard people with suspicion if I know they enjoy even *reading* wank. The same way I'd be suspicious of people who like to watch public stonings. I really don't like getting involved in that shit. At all. Arguments are private and should not be dragged into the public--if I am pissed off at someone, it's between me and that person. It's nobody else's fucking business.
Do RL friends and family members know you have a journal on LJ?
Yes. Almost all of them are here. Friends, that is. And my folks don't even know how to use the internets, and my sister doesn't give a shit, so...
Do you also have Facebook and if so, what do you prefer - LJ or FB?
I don't do Facebook. Or Myspazz. I'm here for the conversations, yo.
What about Twitter?
Again, I prefer proper conversations. Twitters are too short to engage me. And are so often pointless and annoying.
Do you blog on any other sites?
Nope. I can't even remember my Blogger password.
How often do you check in on LJ?
As soon as I wake up. And generally all day long. Because I'm sad like that.
What do you rarely or never post about?
What I ate or what my day was like, unless something fairly important happened. Unless I'm super-fucking-bored. Um, I don't often blog wanks? But the stories resulting from those may become chatporns. But again, not so often on this journal. Which is a miracle, considering how much time I spend thinking up stories (erotic or not).
Why don’t you post about that?
Because it wouldn't be all that interesting. I really don't get the sort of blogging that's all about what you ate, where you drove, who you talked to at work today, etc. if there is nothing there that gets a conversation going. It can all be one-sided and just a listing of facts and the listener will go "...and?" or just can't think of anything to say. That's especially bad with Twittering. Sometimes I might not want an elaborate conversation, and sometimes I will just dump my thoughts on the page, write things down purely to process and analyse them better. But usually, if I say things "out loud", I do want to talk about them. I don't do small talk, and as much as I keep rambling, what I say is usually something that means something to me, something that I feel is important and needs to be mentioned. What I had for dinner? Not so much.
Have you ever thought about deleting your journal?
Very briefly, but I know that if I ever came back (because I wouldn't be able to stop blathering), I'd be recogniseable even under a different name. So there's not much point. I'm just... here. Warts and all.
Have you ever changed your username?
Nope. No matter how bad its reputation is. See my previous answer--it wouldn't work.
Why did you choose your current username?
This question seems to come up in every meme ever, so you all know the answer by now, I expect. Because it's me.
If you’re looking for new friends, how do you find them?
Through mutual friends and comments on my fannish posts. I don't really look for new friends, but I am always happy when I really click with someone and can share jokes and ideas with them.
Are you taking new people on to your Friends List just now?
Well, again, only rarely, if I really click with a person. I'm usually really slow to warm to people, especially after all the mindbogglingly vicious shit that can go down in fandom. I have very good reasons not to trust people, and it isn't pure paranoia, sadly. It's bad experience all the way from people breaking flock to trying to send me viruses, so, eh. And they think *I'm* a hostile arsehole? Yeah. Okay. So... yes, there are reasons why I am such a grumpy shit. Fuck, I shouldn't even apologise for that, because it's just self-preservation.
Finally, tell us the reasons why you keep an online journal.
Again, the conversations. Being able to put my thoughts on the screen and share them and interact with people. To have conversations. To have that soapbox I'd always need anyway because I feel strongly about many things and can't Shut The Fuck Up. To share creative stuff. To make people laugh and/or go "unf". To share fannish things and obsessions and hobbies. To keep up with friends. You might as well ask "why do you open your mouth to speak?" or "why do you live and breathe?", really.