Writer's Block: Previously on My Journal

[laliandra]

[Error: unknown template qotd]I know this is late but I went to watch The Official Secrets Act play instead of posting this. I feel it was a fair trade off!

So I have made a few new friends (if by 'made' you mean 'was friended by because I am a terrible wuss and fail at friending', and I do), so I thought this would be an opportune moment to fill you all in, and sneak in some extra stuff for those already in the know. Also, to me this seems like a question that could mean two things.

HI! Lets get to know each other better!

I go by the name of Lal round here, and sometimes IRL too. (Hi people-who-already-knew-that. I can't think of anything extra to put here, apart from that sometimes I am also the Maven of Cupcakes, which was news to me too!)

I study French and History -more on that here- at the University of Leeds. I should really be doing scary Final Year work instead of doing this. (and I am drowning in books and post-it notes.)

I live in a house at the end of a terrace with 3 other girls, Belle, Wren and Sal. They are charming and fabulous and put up with my absent-mindedness with great forebearance. (Also, sometimes we all sit around the table with tea and biscuits and talk about Narnia for hours on end.)

I have some too good to be true friends, but mostly they are a bit odd. I have a boyfriend called Nat, who has a grown up job and who lives to mock me. I have a slightly crazy family (you know, the type who people meet and go "Ah, I see, this explains a lot"), who are mostly in the Isle of Man or South Africa. Which are 2 of the places I grew up. (my crazyawesome Granny sent me a book about emoticons and an Aero bar today)

In regards to this journal, I have a Mission101, which I try and update every month, and I like to talk about books, languages, random things that happen to me, music and anything that takes my fancy. My most used tag is crazy conversations. I don't update everyday, but often. I often make bad jokes and literary references. Sometimes there are pictures of cake. (I think I am quite good at commenting and the like, no?)

Recently I won an Advanced Reader's Copy of Sarah Rees Brennan's- sarahtales - book. I love her blog and her writing and fangirl her madly. (And it came today!!!! With a really sweet message! I am throughly gripped and delighted already.) So you'd need to know that I will probably mention her too.

My fandoms are wide and varied, I write fanfiction occasionally, and I run a Sekrit Book Club, but mostly I lurk in corners and am generally delighted by people's creativity, involvement, silliness, insight and ability to bring the lulz. (that means you guys!)


If there's anything you would like to know, feel free to ask. Suggestions here.

The question is weird though, because to me it initially sounded like, if someone you already knew read this journal, what would they need to know?

Well, they would need to know that I have probably given them a pseudonym. That I love my lj, but no, I don't tell RL friends about it. This is mostly because it contains Things That I Have Written, which I neurotically cannot show to people face to face. I wouldn't have to tell them that I am weird, because that, they already know...

The line between RL and online stuff is a strange one, essentially. I might need to think more and post more later. What do you think? I would write more but I need to finish my ARC!

Comments

[cellophane_ria.livejournal.com]

Well, they would need to know that I have probably given them a pseudonym.
Oooh, really? Or do you need to have a history to acquire one?

Sekrit Book Club! You keep mentioning it, and it drives me crazy! :)

I don't have any questions now, just like I don't have any thing to say, really, too tired. But do you have any questions? Seeing as I'm on sort of melancholic semi-hiatus since we've friended:)

Also, "on being a tortured artiste" is one of the best tags I've seen:)

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

Well, I didn't know if I wanted to use people's actual names here on the internet, so I gave all my friends/housemates etc fake names. But I've put a lot of thought into them! They are not just random names! If I knew you IRL, I would be like, hmm, well, she is called Ria, which is pretty and short and European, and she is an artist, so i would maybe call you Renée. See!

Sorry! It is a Harry Potter fanfic club of a writer who has taken all of her work down since she got her book deal. But I'm not supposed to talk about it!

That's ok. If I think of anything, I'll ask.

It was our talk of garrets and berets that made me make it. I have a slight tagging obsession. Yours are amazing!

[cellophane_ria.livejournal.com]

Oh, I misunderstood. I thought you're automatically giving all your f-list pseudonyms... Heh, my reading skills! *eyeroll* But I'd love Renée. So 20s! So Chateaubriand! :)

Sorry! Didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I guess I know what you're talking about, and I'll be discreet, and won't mention it anymore. xD

Hee, I have a slight tagging obsession too. It worries me sometimes, because I probably should be more mature by now. :)
&hearts

I just realized that I forgot to say how I enjoyed the mentions about your Grandmother! She seems like just the kind of lady one would like to become;)

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

That's ok! I'm not uncomfortable, it's just a bit of a joke, like Fight Club. I shan't mention it again.

Whenever people say things like "I should be more grown up about things" I think of this http://www.xkcd.com/150/.

My Granny is the stuff of legend among my friends! She is all kinds of awesome.

[kaiserkuchen.livejournal.com]

Hullo hullo! That FB spam thread we all have going is seriously a thing of brilliance is it not? AHH, happiness ♥

And ahhh what a post full of cool things! I just checked out your 101 list and ahh, word on all the travel bits! I'd love to say word on the uni bits too, but my non-mandatory lecture attendance is at about 40% on a good go lolol and even then I bring other things to read. We have professors who can't present well, that is the excuse I'm sticking with XDD

Your housemates sound great! I am insanely envious of people who have pleasant roommates, since I hate mine with the passion of a thousand burning suns (see 'roomie u suck' tag@my lj for my crazed ranting lol), and hope every day that the next will be the day she moves out and I get to try my luck with some new sad sack the dorm lottery has graced me with.

I was wondering about the Writer's Block question too, and came to the conclusion that I am fine with having my RL friends know THAT I blog, but I will never send them the link. I don't think the pornfic I like to link on my LJ and rave about sometimes fits with what they would like to think of as me, and it's too much of a hassle to explain fandom, and especially slash/yaoi to non-fen >_>;;

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

IT IS A SHINY THING OF DELICIOUS SPAMMY GOODNESS.

I may not be doing so well on the uni attendence thing. Mostly. But seriously, I have French conversation class at 9 on a Friday morning and it is like the Most Pointless Thing Ever. So I go, like, every other week.

I love my housemates it is true. I chose them though, they were not just assigned to me. Even though they are all crazy english students. I will miss them when we move out D:

That is pretty much how I feel. Sure, they know I do fannish things, but not exactly what... And yeah, the p0rn. Tricky to explain!

[lettered.livejournal.com]

yay you! Your living situation sounds uber cool. Housemates rock.

The Mission 101 thing is cool. Somehow I missed that you were doing that.

So glad you finally got your book! Yayayaya! Can't wait to see what you think.

I'd love to see your RL vs life online thoughts. Mostly my deal is I feel I can say stuff online that no one in my rl is interested in, and at least one person online will be interested. It's weird, because I moved in with someone I met on lj through fandom, and that has made it so that I lot of stuff I might've talked about on posts I just talk to her about. But there actually is a whole lot of stuff I want to say I don't think she'd be particularly interested in--she'd be interested because it's me, but I don't even know how to broach the subjects. But online I just have to talk to myself like a mad person and people come to play! So you end up talking about really different things than you would irl.

Hmm....questions for you...I'm sure I have some somewhere. Have you ever met anyone from online irl? Anyone from lj? Anyone from fandoms?

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

I am currently alone in my house and pining for them!

MY BOOK! I have finished it and will write some sort of review soon. *glees*

I'll write that post someday then...

I've never met anyone from fandom, mostly because most of my LJ friends live far too far away! There are some people I would really like to though. Recently I found out that a girl from one of my seminars has a livejournal and fandoms and stuff. She used the phrase "Draco in Leather Pants" in conversation and I was so happy!

[isil-helyanwe.livejournal.com]

I love your icon. :)

Also, I agree that the gap between LJ and real life is a sizeable one. My friends used to use LJ but stopped, and now mine is essentially my own entended monologue.

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

It's from a site called Graph Jam. I must warn you, that place is addictive...

It's weird because sometimes I get a real urge to draw a line between the two, and sometimes I think it would be cool if they could merge more.

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

NO I DID NOT! YOU STUMBLED UPON AND AND THEN MADE ME TALK ABOUT IT ON A TRAIN. LOUDLY.

[dumb-as-eyes.livejournal.com]

I love this! And so helpful, too, since starting now I plan to frequent your lovely journal.

Case in point: You seem awesome. It's great to e-meet you.

Also: Pictures of cake are always relevant.