Hello!

[author_by_night]

Is there an interesting story behind your username? I was in high school when I signed up for fanfiction.net, back in the early 2000's, and thought "Author By Night" sounded super edgy. The name just stuck, all the way to my current fandom. 

Location and language(s): The US (possibly Canada in the near future because... yeah). My native tongue is English. 

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

Hot button/deal breaker issues that will likely lead to unfriending: Bigotry of any kind. Queerphobia, racism, sexism, etc. 

Also, due to past experiences I have to say this - don't post my posts or comments on your journal or anywhere else because they bothered you. That will result in an immediate defriending. I can't believe I have to say this, but it's been a problem in the past, so apparently it needs to be said.


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.? Yes. Otherwise my DW is mostly flocked. 

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

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

I think the questions below cover it.

You mostly write about: Why people do the things they do, fandom thoughts, general media and entertainment thoughts, spiritual stuff (non-secular, I just like speculating), random observations. I'll often find questions on the internet (Quora and AskReddit, mostly) and answer them. Sometimes I also tackle reddit advice subs. 

I do occasionally talk about politics - I'm very left leaning (US). However, there's already so much on twitter and Facebook that DW is generally where I come to not think/talk about how deeply angered and saddened I am by the state of my country. 


You never or very rarely write about:  Day to day life. I'm the odd one out in that this really isn't a journal where I talk about what I had for breakfast, what I bought at the store, etc. When I do talk about my personal life, it's usually something specific. I'm conversational, not brief. 

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

Do you use filters for certain types of posts (e.g. fandom-related posts, or posts about sex, or mental health issues, etc.)? No.

Your posting frequency (e.g. daily, every few days, weekly, etc.): It varies, but generally two or three times a week.

Does your journal frequently include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc? Not really.

What do you enjoy most about journaling? Sharing my thoughts and hearing what others think!

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

You really enjoy reading about:/you have very little interest in reading about: I love conversational posts where we can talk about any given subject, be it something in my friends' personal lives, fandom, whatever else.

I'm far less interested in "daily life" posts, which I realize makes me the odd one out. Which is not the same thing as "real life". I love getting to know my friends, however many personal details they do or don't share, but I find it hard to engage with posts that stick to what the poster had for breakfast or how they bought new shoes.


Your thoughts on journals that regularly include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc? That's really hard to say. I guess it kind of goes back to what I said above? If they spark conversation, give interesting insight into things, then that's one thing. If you just post pictures of your back porch with no context, and that's all or almost all you post, I'm probably not going to comment very much. 

When it comes to comments on your posts, what matters more -- quality or quantity? Eh, I'm not going to monitor how other people comment. 

Do you unfriend people who don't comment much, even if you know they are reading you regularly? It's usually a combination of things - they've stopped posting, we just don't click, etc.  

What is your approach when it comes to commenting on other journals? I don't always comment, but I try to when I have something to say! That being said, my comments are sometimes on the longer side, which I know not everyone likes. 

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?

I appreciate this question! (And you're absolutely right. Even in fandom friending memes, which is why I've stopped doing those.) 

Specific things I sometimes talk about, AND/OR would love to talk about more:

- Schitt's Creek (currently the only fandom I read/write fic for)

- Our Flag Means Death (enough people on my flist are in that fandom that I actually should post about it more...)

- Buffyverse (but Joss Whedon is garbage)

- The Good Place 

- Firefly (again, Joss Whedon is garbage)

- Crazy Ex Girlfriend

- Harry Potter (JK Rowling is dead to me, though)

 

- Parks and Recreation

I also love talking fannishness/nerdiness in general. That being said, I'm not really into tumblr fandom, and there have been a few translation issues lately because of that. Just so you're aware. (Someone mentioned "purity culture" and I thought they were talking about purity culture in evangelical Christianity. Apparently in fandom, that term means something different. Just to give an example.)