So, an introduction of sorts.

[valis2]

For all of the new and exciting people who've friended me recently, an introduction. A re-introduction for those of you who have suffered through my LJ for longer.



From a previous question meme:

The lion has to do with a trip I took to Italy several years ago. I ended up photographing several lion statues, and I wrote a poem about photographing lion statues, and it just sort of stuck. I don't care about *real* lions at all, honestly, but a lion statue...they intrigue me. After I wrote that poem I just kept seeing lion statues. People make symbols out of lions.

I'm not making much sense, but I guess it has to do with all sorts of feelings I experienced in Italy, thoughts of being a stranger in my own 'culture' and then being a stranger in an entirely different culture. There I was, not wanting to do 'tourist'-like things, yet I couldn't stop myself from taking these pictures of lions (the lion is the unofficial symbol of Venice & St. Mark's).

I just wanted to use pictures that I had taken myself. I'm rather stubborn that way. I didn't want to have to mess around with figuring out how to credit and such. I just wanted a nice set of icons with a common theme. I started with the lion and with some grave marker icons, and then I phased out the grave marker icons when I took more pics of lion statues and scanned in pics.

I also am intrigued by lions in art, and what emotions the artists infuse them with. We do so much projection with art, and I always like to see what artists show with art of lions.

More answers here. Thoughts about friending here.

I started out in the Mummy fandom, honestly. I wandered into HP fandom because I wrote a quick smutlet (we used to call them "weasels") for my friend bookwench2096 about Snape accusing her of hiding something from him, and insisting upon doing a strip search. (I wonder if she still has that.) I wasn't really into him while I was writing it, but then it started to work on my subconscious, and before I knew it, I was thinking about him quite a bit.

I went online officially in Nov 2003, when I bought my supah computah. I spent a few months reading everything about the Mummy I could get my hands on, but I also started to look through stuff in the Harry Potter world as well. I ended up spending three months on ffnet reading, skimming, or at least checking out the summary for EVERY Snape story there. Seriously. I looked at them all.

I was telling Bookwench about a story that had taken root in my brain, and she wisely steered me to look up Mary Sue online. I did so, and became fascinated with that author's rite-of-passage...the self-insert. Based on what I read, I went through and changed a lot of things in my head, and eventually began to post The Last Sanguimagus online. It's a story I usually abbreviate as tLS, and I talk about it quite a bit. It's a ss/ofc story, still a WIP, and I've learned a lot about writing just from the experience of working on it. Nearly everything else I've written has ended up here.

I'm pretty spazzy, and I do like to comment quite a bit. I post nearly every day that I'm home, but I'm gone over four months every year, so there will be points where I'm not saying anything. I always leave a message so you'll know when I'll be back to spam everyone again.

Occasionally I slip into a trance, and become valismort, high queen of unknowable custard. I'm not really into memes, except text-based ones. I have a couple I've developed that I do every so often, the Everyone Gets a Compliment meme (example here) and the valismort Death Eater Flist meme (example here).

I have a lot of fun with livejournal. I like to talk about fandom and RL, and I like to ponder about absurdities, and rant occasionally. I still really love the HP fandom, and I haven't really explored any other fandom yet. HP fascinates me because I love the characters.

I also have an unhealthy obsession with bad!fic. I talk about bad!fic mostly with fellow bad!ficcers on MoMAD, a private yahoo mailing list. If you want to apply to join, you're more than welcome to.

I do not friendslock posts. I do not filter. I read each and every entry on my flist. Even when I go away I try to make an effort to read everything when I come back.

I can't think of anything else to add! heh.



Glad you're here! Ask me a question if you're bored.

Comments

[rinsbane.livejournal.com]

and become valismort, high queen of unknowable custard

*snort* Sounds like something I should aspire to!

I like what you said about friending in the linked post. I have had, for over three years, a general policy of friending anyone who friends me, because what did I care? Before I was in HP, I was in a small segment of another fandom. I knew anyone who friended me because of that, and there weren't that many. And anything personal I did post was heavily filtered, at least after the first year or so, but I never posted much personal stuff to begin with. I post nothing of that nature now at all.

But lately, my flist is getting too big for me to handle - I don't have that much time. I love that, mind you, since it means that people are interested in my fic. I think, hope? But I'm having to rethink my reciprocal "friending" policy. I just feel horribly mean about it, after having been so "friendly" about it for three years. Part of me would actually like to cut it a bit, because I do read everything, and sometimes I wonder why I'm reading some of the stuff I'm reading when probably almost half my flist has never even spoken to me. But I cringe at the thought of defriending. I've only ever defriended someone who didn't defriend me first once, because her style of speaking drove me fucking nuts.

You're right, it's the stupid name of it, "friending."

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I have had, for over three years, a general policy of friending anyone who friends me

Wow!

I used to do that, at first. Now I go and check the journal info page, and read the last couple weeks' worth of entries. That usually makes my decision for me. I can't friend everyone; I have to draw a limit somewhere. Even though I feel guilty about it.

But lately, my flist is getting too big for me to handle - I don't have that much time.

I totally understand that. I like to read every entry; I like to get to know people. But keeping 180 personalities apart in my head can get messy!

But I cringe at the thought of defriending.

To be honest, I've done it several times at this point, and even though it makes me cringe and feel terribly guilty, it still ends up having to happen.

I always mention it on the journal a few days before I do it; and I always mention that it's not personal, because it's not. It's just an attempt to keep myself sane. If I'm skipping over entries, I defriend. If they are a person I've known and interacted with, I always sent an email. People are usually fine with it.

Now I'm thinking that it will be pretty hilarious if I'm one of the people you defriend first. *snort*

[rinsbane.livejournal.com]

Wow!

Well, like I said, I was involved in a very small subset of a fandom, so the people pretty much stayed the same. And RL does take me a way at times, alas!

Now I'm thinking that it will be pretty hilarious if I'm one of the people you defriend first.

Hah! As if, she says a la Valley Girl. No, I've actually talked to you. Therefore, you interest me. It's the people, nice and interesting as I'm sure they are, who have friended me for my fic (I assume bc that's all there is) but never spoken to me, or who I don't see around generally. Like you say, I have enough people who I do talk to or want to keep up with even if I don't talk to them to keep me busy. Must stay sane.

See, talking about this with you is giving me courage. Even if I don't defriend anyone, I'm changing my reciprocal policy. Actually, did it this morning (but not explicitly) by taking a sentence out of my user info. Now I'm just confirming my resolve by putting it in writing. So thank you, this is very helpful!

[valis2.livejournal.com]

It's the people, nice and interesting as I'm sure they are, who have friended me for my fic

Ah, yes! Of course, that's what most people do. Especially fanartists who are completely overrun with people wanting to see the art. You'll go mad if you just friend everyone; your work is excellent, and you'll keep attracting fans as long as you post, seriously.

So thank you, this is very helpful!

Yay! I did something useful on the internet! *laughs*

[marginaliana]

I used to do that, at first. Now I go and check the journal info page, and read the last couple weeks' worth of entries. That usually makes my decision for me. I can't friend everyone; I have to draw a limit somewhere. Even though I feel guilty about it.

That's pretty much how I do it, too - I never thought I'd have enough people wanting to friend me that I'd have to not reciprocally friend, but then it happened - weird! I just figure - life's too short for me to spend it scrolling past entries of a person I'm completely uninterested in. Although I do have some people I met in person who are on my flist who I'd kind of secretly like to defriend, but I feel socially unable to do so. In a weird way, it's easier to deal with people in a fandom context, because then I can say "it's not personal," but if I knew someone as an in person friend first, it's a lot harder to do that.

Of course, I also just came back from Lumos and friended a bunch of people, yourself included! :D So I suppose I brought some of the time sink on myself. Oh, well. I just got so excited about meeting awesome new people. :D

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I never thought I'd have enough people wanting to friend me that I'd have to not reciprocally friendlife's too short for me to spend it scrolling past entries of a person I'm completely uninterested in.

Oh, yes, that is exactly my thought as well.

Although I do have some people I met in person who are on my flist who I'd kind of secretly like to defriend, but I feel socially unable to do so.

I've been very lucky so far...I've managed to defriend most people whose entries I skipped.

And now that I've piled another bunch of people on top of the flist, I find myself a bit apprehensive...I just hope that I'll be able to keep up with everyone! hee!

[harry-crazy.livejournal.com]

Well, I must admit that I'm not into fanfic...yes, I hear you "defriending" me at this minute! I can't read fanfic until Jo's canon is complete. Otherwise, I get too mixed up! I would, though, like to stay in touch so we can meet up at future HP events. Do you have a pic of you at the con? I might have had one...if I hadn't lost my camera in NYC!! **sigh**

[valis2.livejournal.com]

hee! No, I just *friended* you. ;)

Let's see...there's a pic of me here (http://valis2.livejournal.com/195580.html).

The pic at the bottom. I'm not a pillow or a nekkid man. It's not the clearest, but you know, my soul was in mortal peril at the time, so it's understandable.

[harry-crazy.livejournal.com]

yeah, I found that one...now I'm deathly afraid of carrot top...

[rickfan37.livejournal.com]

I'm bored. What question shall i ask you?
;-P

[valis2.livejournal.com]

hee! Does that count as the question? *laughs*

Hmm...maybe it could just be a pretty pic of Trent Reznor. That would certainly delight both of us.