It's been long enough that a list developed.

[ratbones]

Um...I'm back? I guess? When I say I'm going to be gone, I post again within a week, and then other times I spontaneously vanish for a month. I don't know why I bother with the concept of planning.

-There is one chapter left to go in All-Consuming. I plan (*weeps*) to post a little followup-y treat a week or two after the last chapter goes up. There will be a post here about the science stuff in the fic, as several people have said that would be interesting or useful, and I've always wanted to write a research paper with dirty jokes and swears in. I might also post something later on about writing process stuff, if I can figure out what would be interesting to people? I know that I like reading others' writing meta but I'm such a baby writer and it feels slightly presumptuous? I probably have something interesting to say though, if I edit my rambling down.

-I started watching The Untamed and I'm up to episode 8. (Please no major spoilers!) So far I'm enjoying myself. There are so many talented actors! Pretty fight scenes! Gorgeous sets! Gorgeous people! And the shippy stuff has made me make squeaky noises a few times. I have no idea what degree of fannishness this thing is going to inspire in me, if any. I'm obviously a slow starter. I do already have a big hearteyes crush on Wen Qing, though. Shh. Don't tell me anything. Just let me suffer at my own pace.

-I don't like to kill spiders. The fast ones kind of yeek me out, but they eat pests and don't actually do anything bad except for looking creepy. I tell myself they're just really small eight-legged cats. So I don't kill them, but there's this one in my bathroom, and I've seen it three or four times now, and it's one of those fast-running ones, and last night when I got out of the shower it was sitting on my glasses. Don't. Don't do that. Please no.

-This would be a good time for me to start deciding what to write next. I think it's sort of happening? I'm inclined to write some short (or shorter, anyway) stuff, because I have some ideas sitting around, but in my limited experience I am more comfortable in the middle of a major project. I have a loose concept for a longish original piece, and maybe I'll tinker with that while writing shorter fics, but I'm not sure that will actually help, because it's only going to fragment my attention further. Maybe I'm worrying too much about it; probably, when I've finally put the cork in All-Consuming and its peripheral material, I'll have the impulse to write something.

-Since I started writing fic, I've stopped regretting every single thing I post on the internet. I just regret everything that's in my own voice. I can't look at my own old entries here, they distress me.

-@sylleblahsome has posted an excerpt of one of our conversations about Zhu Yilong. Please enjoy our adorable banter.

Comments

[rlyqueer]

And yeah, there's a time and a place for that, too, it's just that it's become kind of hard to find places that are NOT designed to favor that.
Yeah, probably something to do with how those are also the platforms that really highlight the engagement features like shares, likes, and comments—and often, the more socially commodifiable you are, the more engagement you get. DW is such a simple journal format and it also doesn't have any algorithms playing with our feeds, which helps with the organic feel I think.

I am a slllowwww communicator
I feel this lol! On one hand I really like that DW doesn't have that instant gratification culture with commenting/conversations. But on the other hand, it's something I feel pretty guilty for, and the longer I wait to comment or respond, the less likely I am to do so because I might convince myself it's "too late". In that sense, I appreciate more rapid-fire chatting platforms because when I am feeling social, I like to be able to bang out short and fast responses that are usually more casual than how I comment on DW and AO3.

Also omg bless DW it's so grassroots but it's so not mobile-friendly jkdlasj. I definitely have a few gripes, but that's my major one. 😂

[ratbones]

Yeah, probably something to do with how those are also the platforms that really highlight the engagement features like shares, likes, and comments—and often, the more socially commodifiable you are, the more engagement you get.
Absolutely. I mean, I think the bottom line is, DW has no financial interest in keeping me staring at DW for as many minutes as possible, so it has no reason to toss me approval cookies (e.g. likes and shares) or manipulate my feed to promote content that will keep me engaged. That business model obviously makes a lot more money, but disincentivizes weird ramblings and mundane personal posts and...well, the kind of stuff you put in a journal.

I totally understand the guilt and feeling like it's too late to comment/reply! I think for the most part late comments are very welcome, but knowing that, I still convince myself I'm too late, all the time. I love the extensive, thoughtful exchanges I have here and on AO3, but there's definitely a place for chatting alongside that, for more regular, casual contact with people.

Also omg bless DW it's so grassroots but it's so not mobile-friendly jkdlasj. I definitely have a few gripes, but that's my major one.
Ahhh yes. My kingdom for a functional DW mobile app. Even an ugly one, I don't mind!

[rlyqueer]

DW has no financial interest in keeping me staring at DW for as many minutes as possible
Exactly! DW is basically just a straightforward journal with limited engagement capacity focused purely on communication (simple commenting and DM system), which is a breath of fresh air. I completely skipped the Livejournal phase back in the day, so I'm still a little starry eyed about it having come from social media platforms like Tumblr and Twitter lol.

I think for the most part late comments are very welcome, but knowing that, I still convince myself I'm too late, all the time.
Ahhh this is my biggest mood! Why do our brains recognize that for other people it's totally chill, but when it comes to us we're like, "But no..." People are absolutely fine with late responses to comments for the most part, and generally just appreciate the effort and the actual engagement. Brains are very silly and I'm trying to get better at chilling out on this particular thing lol.

I love the extensive, thoughtful exchanges I have here and on AO3, but there's definitely a place for chatting alongside that, for more regular, casual contact with people.
This is something I haven't had in years, so it's a bit of a culture shock and I'm still acclimating. I love it too, though! We can really dig in on here and on AO3. 😊

My kingdom for a functional DW mobile app. Even an ugly one, I don't mind!
You took the words right outta my mouth LOL! Maybe, one day... dreamy sigh

[ratbones]

I completely skipped the Livejournal phase back in the day, so I'm still a little starry eyed about it having come from social media platforms like Tumblr and Twitter lol.
I only ever lurked on LJ (well, I was a kiddo, too, but I was a fandom kiddo) so actually using DW was pretty new to me as well. I was on Tumblr every single day for years, though, well after the death of LJ. I met some great people on there and had a lot of positive interactions, but it really got compulsive in a way that was not good for me, so I love DW for not doing that to me.

This is something I haven't had in years, so it's a bit of a culture shock and I'm still acclimating. I love it too, though! We can really dig in on here and on AO3.
I'm just super happy that people are willing to have these nerdy conversations with me, lol. I think part of it is the culture of Guardian fandom, too? Like, we're an older and somewhat more navel-gazey population already, and then the platforms encourage that, maybe.

Oh look I replied late! One point in the chillout column for Ratty :P