That girl who wrote that fic.

1. People who read an article I raved about and then pull a single line out of context in order to go on a rant about how _____-ist/stupid/wrong the writer is, and make a comment on my post to that effect.


2. People who assume that my life choices are somehow a commentary on their life choices, and then treat me accordingly.


3. People who assume that anyone who did not make the same life choices as they did are idiotic sheep who just haven't thought hard enough about their lives before having/not having kids, pursuing an education/career, getting into a relationship, putting food in their mouths, etc.


4. People who are quick to point out someone who is different and mock them for it, no matter how "different" they themselves are.


5. People who tell me that I am wrong about my motivation for being in fandom, reading/writing/enjoying slash, enjoying geeky things, having the sexuality I do, etc.


6. People who don't think of the people they're being cruel to on the internet as people, but as faceless avatars with no feelings.

Disclaimer: I have probably done all of these things at some point in my life, so I understand that it's an easy trap to fall into, especially on the internet. And I'm sure that I will continue to add to the list as I get older, and include things I do right now. :-P

One of the things I really struggle with on Tumblr these days is the hypersensitivity of the collective Tumblr community to being... well, politically correct is the best way I can think of to phrase it. I will frequently find myself composing a post and then have to go back and edit my language and add in disclaimers and trigger warnings, and I finally just delete the whole thing in frustration. It can be exhausting to have discussions on Tumblr, frankly. People seem so often to be more concerned about the way something is said rather than what is actually being said.

And I do totally get that language is important, and that the ways we use language have historically excluded and marginalized and erased various groups of people. I understand that, and I really, genuinely, try so hard. But after a while, it actually has the effect of making me not want to participate in the conversation. And maybe that's the desired effect, now that I think about it. Maybe the idea is to make people in privileged groups feel marginalized and erased.

( Cut for rambling )

But my point (and I do have one) is that I'm finding myself at a point where I'm choosing not to engage rather than to get in there anyway. Am I afraid of making mistakes and being criticized? Maybe. Am I just too lazy to make the effort? Possibly. I have this classic Southern white female please-everyone complex, and I hate the idea that something I say or do will make anyone else feel bad, so I often choose to say or do nothing instead of taking the chance. And that is ridiculous and cowardly, I know, but I feel stuck right now.

I don't even know what I'm hoping to get here. Commiseration, possibly, or reassurance that it's really okay to say stupid things occasionally and learn from your mistakes. Only, the culture of Tumblr is such that mistakes are amplified and mocked and passed around as an example of how not to do it, and that makes me less likely to want to make them in the first place. :-/

I've had a twitter account for almost 48 hours now, and I've been amazed at how much I'm using it already. It's like a nice blend of LJ and FB, somehow, and easy to use on my phone. :-D

( On a related note, I had a bit of an epiphany this morning. )

I'm posting this here so I will keep my word to myself. I know I will be tempted, but if I've posted it publicly, hopefully I will be able to resist because of the embarrassment factor. Right?

This year, I'm not signing up for any holiday exchange fests. For the last two years I signed up for at least three fests, and though I completed all the fics, they were all significantly late. I seem to be unable to just sign up for one fest, and also unable to start working on those fics until the deadline is looming. I've been unhappy with many of the fest fics I've written as a result. I also have not had time to enjoy the fests the last few years, because I spent half of December frantically finishing my own fics. And this year I would really rather spend my limited free time (while BG is napping) reading.

I have three long H/D fics on my hard drive in various states of completeness, and what I really need to do is get those done and posted. If I can do that before the fests start, it would be awesome.

But everyone else, go sign up! I can't wait to read the results!

Last night, I did a little experiment. I made a post that contained some data about the differences between the British and American versions of the HP books, and intentionally said nothing about what I thought fanfic writers should take from that. I hit post, and then watched to see what would happen. I guess you can say I wasn't surprised by the response, though I will admit to being a little disappointed.

Commenters seemed to fall into a few different groups. One group looked at the information, said, "Interesting", and then engaged in discussion in (sometimes long) threads about why the books were different and debated the validity of making such changes. Those threads were interesting to follow, and though they got heated at times, for the most part people were making reasoned arguments and backing them up with evidence. Implications for writing fanfic came up in the process, of course.

( But there was another group of people whose comments frankly left me baffled. )

It sure seems quiet around here lately. Maybe it's just me?

I have a new layout! It was time -- the other one had been around for quite a while, and I was gettig a little tired of it. I also have a Guestbook now! Feel free to go and sign it. ;-)

Pimpage: summerwriting. Cool idea, especially since I've always wanted to do NaNo but haven't been able to, as it comes at a really bad time of year for me. Even if you aren't interested in the challenge, you should go checkout the gorgeous layout legomymalfoy created for that comm!

I've decided to allow anonymous commenting again, though IP addresses will still be logged and anon comments will be screened. :-)

I'm really honored to be the featured author this month on hd_darkestmagic! You can read my interview by clicking on the image below. :-D

1. I woke up really early this morning (jet lag) and spent some time updating my web site. I now have 43 HP fics listed there! I had no idea I'd written that much fic.

2. My not-so-trusty laptop has been making me crazy for months, and I've decided to break down and buy a new one. Despite the cost, I'm really looking forward to getting it. This one is many years old, anyway, and I've been having a lot of trouble running Dreamweaver on it, as well as multimedia software. *pets it* Time to put this one out to pasture, I think.

3. On an unrelated WTF-ish note, I've seen video clips on both CNN and NBC this morning (though I can't seem to find a link) of a model wearing the latest fashion trend: a jewel-encrusted live cockroach on a leash. Apparently you let it crawl around on you while you look aloof and hold its little silver leash. Because really, nothing says beautiful like cockroaches crawling all over you, hmm?

ETA: Thanks to twilight_nyx for the link to the cockroach video and to tavi_b for this link to the story. It may have been featured on America's Top Model, but this is actually for real! *shudders*

You were one of the first people to send me supportive and encouraging feedback when I was just a newbie on the MA list, and you've been there for me ever since. You've helped me become a far better writer than I would have been otherwise, but more importantly, you inspire me to a better person by your example. I know I'm not the only one who feels that way! Thanks for being such a supportive person for so many people in fandom, and thanks also for sharing your writing talent with us. You fic never ceases to amaze me, and I count myself fortunate to be one of the first people who gets to see it! ;-)

I hope you have a great birthday!

I think you'll be getting an email about my present for you...