If you'd like to have an idea about what's on this LJ beyond the public entries, see my profile.

First, I got about two hours of sleep last night, so don't hold me accountable for any weirdness.

Here are some random questions. Some are advicey, others are Q&A-y, and I'm very -y today. :)


My 16 year old daughter is going to a school dance with her friends and my 12 year old wants to go too. The elder is saying she just wants to be with her friends, what should I do?


Neither one of the girls is going to be happy if she goes, because the youngest is going to realize pretty quickly she's the xth wheel when the friends leave her out of conversations, and/or the oldest is going to spend the whole time watching her sister. If they even let her into the dance, which I doubt they will? A twelve year old doesn't need to go to a high school dance.

I wonder if it's really the twelve year old sister who posted this... that would actually make more sense. Then again, I know parents who make me go "do you really not remember what it was like when you were Logan's age?"



How old are you and what do you think of Gen Z?

36, and mostly I'm disappointed when I see Gen Zers with intolerant beliefs. My hope is that there's still time for them to break from what they were taught at home, because I'm sure that's a huge part of it. I know a nineteen year old who voted for Trump, and it breaks my heart because I've known him since he was five, and just... why? But being nineteen also means there's time for him to learn.

I'm not saying this is common for Gen Z. I don't think that's the case at all. It's just a side point. There are also a lot of Gen Zers who are doing great things, and I think that's awesome.

And yeah, I know they're all laughing at my parted hair and skinny jeans. Oh well. :)

Mostly I think people are people, and generational labels are often way too simplified.


When a guest leaves your home, do you stand outside your house until they leave?


I was just thinking about that. I live in an apartment, so generally I don't, but I've wondered whether I should be doing that. If it matters, I live in a low-rise complex (meaning you just walk out, pretty much - there's a short hallway and that's it).

When you were a teen, how important was the phone in your daily life?

I was far from being a cliche teenage girl who was always hogging the phone, but it was fairly important.

What are some good telephone-themed songs?

There's only one answer, isn't there?

Stop calling, stop calling I don't wanna talk anymore...

tl;dr I enjoy lurking Fandom Secrets and finding post fodder there. I feel like that's mostly what I do anymore. Eventually I'll come up with my own ideas for content, guys. :P No images behind the cut, just typing out and responding. Because why not.

This isn't making fun of anyone's secrets, either! I'm not always snarky, sometimes I just like commenting on things I see other people saying.

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In other news, here's a question for those of you who read WIP fanfic: Which do you prefer - fewer but longer chapters, or more shorter chapters? In other words, would you rather read a fic that has 8 chapters that are 14 pages each, or 20 chapters that are maybe five pages each?

I felt like looking at some FandomSecrets. Basically based on PostSecrets - a collection of fandom "secrets", which are usually just semi unpopular opinions or things people don't have anyone else to talk about with. Which I totally get. They send images, but I feel weird copypastaing, so I'm just going to post the transcriptions. Or, if there aren't any, parts of submissions. (Since they're often long and I love my fingers too much to retype an entire secret.)

I'm not posting these to judge anyone, so if yours shows up, no worries! Not judging at all, just responding to ones that give me food for thought. I'm actually collecting several and just posting a few responses at a time, so they may be very out of order. Just felt like a fun way to talk about fandom, since these days so many of us have completely different ones, therefore can't really get too specific.

Cutting because I know fandom's not everybody's jam.

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https://squidgiepdx.dreamwidth.org/297595.html


Skipping around because what is order, anyway?


Compare and/or contrast your very first fandom obsession and your very latest fandom obsession.

Under the cut - Harry Potter, Schitt's Creek, Buffy.

(Obligatory disclaimer: I talk about Harry Potter in this post. I in no way, shape or form support anything The Author has said regarding transgender and nonbinary individuals. Harry Potter was very important to me, and still is for the role the fandom played in my life. The Author is in the Azkaban of fandom, and I'm good with that.)

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 What would make you leave a fandom, or prevent you from getting into it in the first place?

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Do you have any channels you regularly watch on YouTube? & Do you listen to any podcasts?

I tend to listen to YouTube videos while I work from home and do chores, more than watch, so I'm lumping them together. I go in cycles.
 
YouTube: Lindsay Ellis, Sarah Z, Stephanie Harlowe (LOVING her Bonnie and Clyde videos), Crime After Crime, Telltale Atheist, Jimmy Snow, Dominic Syracuse, and I just discovered Nick Riamo (sp?) He does a lot of movie recaps, which I enjoy, especially because IMHO he does them right. They're not angry, in fact a lot of the time you can tell he kinda loves them, he just pokes fun at what's worth making fun of. It's not like other recappers who scream at the movies.

I also love Stuff You Missed In History Class.

Podcasts: Still Pretty (Buffy recaps), The Restricted Section (Harry Potter recaps), The Real Weird Sisters (was Harry Potter recaps, analysis now), Angel on Top (AtS recaps), and I listen to Family Ghosts on and off, but it's not updated regularly. It isn't a supernatural podcast, more about various family mysteries. "Every house is haunted."

I wish there were more book recap podcasts, or recap podcasts for older shows that aren't spoiler free. Any recs? I prefer ones that aren't spoiler free.

I shouldn't read Facebook in the morning. I am a fool. Brought to you by another slew of morons.


Do you hate cops?

I don't hate anyone on basis of existence. I wish I could say that was true of everyone. Unfortunately, it is not, and therein lies the problem.

So you think all cops are bad.

Every single police officer? No. I think there are good police officers. I also think it's fairly evident that there needs to be reform, because many bad cops have hurt and killed people. Too many.

What about veterans?

First I hated veterans because I didn't want kids to be kept in cages, now I hate veterans because I don't want POC to die during traffic stops, in bed, in their apartments and driveways. It's almost like you link national pride with violence towards people who don't look like you. Might want to think about that.

George Floyd was on drugs.

So it's okay to kill people who are on drugs? What about people with mental illnesses? Learning disabilities? Oh wait, nevermind, police have killed in those situations as well. Great.


Police officers see things you can't imagine.

So do doctors, nurses, firefighters, mental health professionals, social workers... I don't envy those jobs, I truly don't, but no one thinks policing is just being a school crossing guard.


I have a black nephew.

And you probably think your black nephew would never be "like" the other victims of police brutality. Why is that, truly?

Irish immigrants -

Okay, being of Irish descent myself, let me stop you right there. History has been terrible to a LOT of groups, yes. Including the Irish. Black Americans, however, were systematically oppressed in a way Irish Americans never were. "Irish need not apply" is terrible, but do you really think it's the same thing as your fourteen year old son being lynched while on vacation? Also, why aren't you using that rhetoric to defend immigrants who face prejudice now?

This is why I voted Trump.

That's not the argument you think it is.

I haven't said much about the anti-Asian attacks in Atlanta. I have been trying to better understand my own privilege, listen to Asian and Asian American voices, and I even wrote about it in a poem. However, I'm not sure that poem was the right direction to take, because it spoke to experiences which are not mine. I still have a lot to learn.

Western society has a deeply problematic relationship with Asian cultures, Asian immigrants, and people of Asian descent, which I realize we all know, but don't always consider. Since the Colonial era, Asia has always been this place where things are ~exotic~, and we still do this by Eat Pray Loving without really understanding the cultures we're borrowing from or visiting or exploring. It gets uglier and uglier the more layers you reveal, to the point where violence against Asian women can be justified by calling it "sex addiction," not racism.

I have a lot more I want to say, but I'm going to let others speak by linking to two videos below. There are many more, and lots of articles as well. Both videos do frankly talk about racism, misogyny and sexual violence, just as a heads up. That may not be something you are up for watching/listening to, and I completely understand.

So this is the Crunchy Questions Meme. We already have so many questions I decided to go ahead and post the several we already have. I will keep updating, so by all means keep up the suggestions in the comments below.


The purpose of this list is to inspire in-depth LJ/DW entries. Fandom, day-to-day, personal reflection, history, the list literally goes on. In whichever order you'd like, however many questions you'd like to answer per entry. I think there's something for everyone, so have at it - and please share!

Link to LJ question call: https://author-by-night.dreamwidth.org/1304228.html

Link to DW question call: https://author-by-night.livejournal.com/1397327.html



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So I want to say up front that this isn't an "anti-" anything anyone else has done or any community has done. It's just my own take on a questions meme/blog prompts.

A lot of memes (fandom or not) ask pretty casual questions. Which are great for many people, but sometimes more conversational questions are preferred. The object of this meme is to compile questions that are little deeper OR sillier. Obviously everyone's idea of deeper or interesting is going to be different, so no pressure. Ultimately, my goal is questions that lend themselves to conversation, as opposed to more brief answers. You can ask questions about religion, spirituality, fandom, opinions on various topics, life experiences, serious stuff, funny stuff, anything you like.


I figure I'll accept questions over the next month or so, depending on how many I get. Ask however many you want. Making it public so anyone can contribute!