My Mates

Is there an interesting story behind your username? I was in high school and thought "Author By Night" sounded so edgy. I realized about two or three years later that it was not, but it stuck, and even decades later, I haven't had the heart to change it. Although I do have a different username on tumblr.

Location and language(s): US (sigh, I know), and English.

Age range (e.g 20s, 30s, etc.): Early 40s.

Hot button/deal breaker issues that will likely lead to unfriending: Queerphobia, racism, sexism, the usual. Definitely no MAGA.

Do you have an "About Me" post new friends can read to get a sense of who you are, the people you talk about regularly, etc.? https://author-by-night.dreamwidth.org/260431.html

Is your profile up-to-date or at all useful? Not particularly.

List a few things you think it's important new friends know about you right away:

I take posts as conversation openers, so I do sometimes get chatty. That being said, I will always be mindful if I feel you're just venting or making a casual observation. But if you really use your DW as more of a diary and aren't looking for discussion, we might not click.

I'm also not really a "good vibes only" person; I don't think it's "negative" to have an opinion (as long as there's tact and care involved). That being said, I don't like bashing or nihilism, either. I call myself a cautious optimist.

You never or very rarely write about:

- I rarely do "daily life" posts. I talk about my personal life, but I don't really journal everything I did on a given day. I'll sometimes offer snippets I think are interesting or worth mentioning, though. I'm single and childless, I'm a bit of a homebody, there's not much "daily life" for me to say.

- Rarely talk about politics. I'm left-wing and deeply disturbed by the everything of everything, but I have other social media to panic/be depressed on.


Is your journal mostly public, locked, or a mix of public and locked?

Mostly locked.

Do you use filters for certain types of posts (e.g. fandom-related posts, or posts about sex, or mental health issues, etc.)?

No, but I do use cuts and trigger/content warnings. I'll also sometimes separate posts into two so that non-fandom people don't have to be bored by fandom posts.

Your posting frequency (e.g. daily, every few days, weekly, etc.): Varies. At least once a week, sometimes three or four times a week.

Does your journal frequently include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc? I do sometimes answer "random questions" (things I find on reddit and quora), but they're not really memes. I don't post the other items listed very often.

What do you enjoy most about journaling? I'm very much someone who thinks out loud, and journaling is a perfect outlet for that.

How often do you read your friends list (e.g. daily, every other day, once a week, etc.)? Daily.

You really enjoy reading about: Fannishness, thoughts on books/TV/movies etc., thoughts on life.

You have very little interest in reading about: I'm less interested in therapy journals. Nothing against people who use their journals for therapy, that's just not for me.

Your thoughts on journals that regularly include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc? They're fine, though if they're just links, photos and videos with no context, I don't always know how to comment.

When it comes to comments on your posts, what matters more -- quality or quantity? I don't want people to feel obligated to comment, but beyond that, you do you.

Do you unfriend people who don't comment much, even if you know they are reading you regularly? No.

What is your approach when it comes to commenting on other journals? As I said above, I tend to assume people want to hear my thoughts.

When you friend someone, but things don't really click, do you unfriend them without warning, or do you send them a note first? How do you prefer to be unfriended in similar circumstances? I usually don't say anything, or expect people to. Honestly, in my experience, explaining why you unfriended someone only results in more hurt feelings. There are exceptions, but where exceptions are concerned, I still believe in tact.

AND LASTLY

Friending memes often ask people to list their favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., but more often than not, those aren't things people actually write about in their journal. Do you have any favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., that you DO often write about -- not necessarily in a fandom sort of way, just in general?

Not a lot of my friends share my media interests, or are really into "meta" for specific shows. That being said, I talk a lot about books, movies and TV shows in general, which includes mentions of media I like. I also talk about fandom often, but again, in a more general way.

Shows I'd love to talk about more often include Schitt's Creek, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Heartstopper, Buffy, Our Flag Means Death.

Any final thoughts you'd like to share with potential new friends?