Who are these people? Do I know them?

[vaznetti]

This may be an exercise in cliquishness. In fact, the whole LJ thing may be an exercise in cliquishness. But that's a rant for another day. Instead, here's my version of the .

I think my friendship with deslea began when I sent her a random question about theology. I love the fact that I can do that, and she knows the answers. We agree about a lot of things, and, I suspect, disagree about a lot of things. Now I consider her a great friend, and wish she lived somewhere a little nearer than Sydney. Even though I owe her detailed comments on "Not My Lover" and have done so for at least a year, she still likes me. Go figure!

I met gryphonrhi through her HL fanfic, some years ago. I think I sent her annoying feedback about grammar, and yet she still invited me onto her private list. Where we talked about everything, a lot. I want her to take good care of herself and get healthy. And, of course, to write more of that darned Krycek/Connor/Aidan story. But mostly, to take good care of herself.

I've been reading jennyo's fic for years, and am a total groupie, in a very low-energy way. So low energy that she probably doesn't even know it. I like the way her mind works. Plus, people who can think about Irigaray without actually having their heads explode or turning into total assholes interest me.

kellykeil is a kick-ass writer and an asset to any list she's on. I guess she's more of a friend of a friend kind of person, but I want her to be my real friend.

kristenk2 and I went to college together. We didn't know each other then. Instead, we must have bonded over something Krycek-related over on RATales or GO or X-OK or any of the other lists we cohabit on. We meet up whenever I get to Chicago (note to self--email Kristen about next trip to Chicago). In fact, not seeing Kristen is going to be a serious downside to the whole graduation thing. She is the reason I am here. Well, Deslea too. Plus, I am her Mary Sue.

maidenjedi came to my attention when she started posting fic on Glass Onion, but I think we really started to bond at the Harem, and then here on LJ. Her challenges are just wonderful, and I'm really pleased that I've gotten to know her better on lj. And she's corrupted me into writing Harry Potter fic. Yay! And femslash. Yay!

I know ratkrycek from RATales and what seem like a million other lists, so it was only natural that I would add her to my list of friends. How could I have an internet thing that didn't have her on it?

I used to be frightened of se_parsons, because she was so forthright in her opinions. She takes no prisoners, and doesn't tolerate stupidity, and I like that. I want to be more like her when I grow up.

shahara_zade is also on a lot of email lists with me. I like watching to see what she'll come up with next, because her stories always seem to have an interesting twist to them. And don't we share that Bay Area thing?

slyredfox is on the Harem with me, and so of course I added her in wifely solidarity. Plus, I see that we're corrupting her to the Krycek side of the force.

spican sent me some of the best feedback ever, only a few months ago. Now I consider her a good friend, and look forward to her letters. She seems like such a lovely person. Plus, every list needs a Norwegian (and if anyone gets that obscure Sandman joke I'll be enormously pleased).

tarshaan and I bonded over some ancient history issues and a discussion of absolute morality on Rhi's list. I was really pleased to discover that she's here on lj and added her right away.

thepiratequeen is another Harem member (yeah, we get everywhere), although I think I met her over on P2K in that other women discussion that spawned the Harem in the first place.

A lot of interesting people seem to have moved off the lists and onto the lj, so I was really pleased to find twinkledru here. She's a great writer and has cool things to say, and should be encouraged to write more of this Scully/Giles thing.

I just added veejane the other day, when I found her through someone else's page. She wrote the best X-Files story I've ever read. Or rather, since it's the Sovereignty Trilogy, the three best X-Files stories I've ever read. And I've read a whole lot of X-Files fanfic. Plus, she's smart and interesting and I like seeing her around, in a forum like this.

wenchita is another friend from the Eyrie. More of a friend of a friend, I guess, but I like having her posts turn up in my friends list. It seems like a way of keeping in touch.

There are a few other people I've been meaning to add to this list. I mean, is it reasonable for me to head straight for Twinkledru's friends list every day to see what lizbee is up to? And other interesting present and former onionites, and friends of friends. But then I get put off by the whole "friends" thing. It seems intrusive to call someone a friend with whom I've had very little personal contact. But like I said, that's a rant for another day.

Comments

[se-parsons.livejournal.com]

I obtained most of my friends list from friends. And is it REALLY so much a clique?

I mean, you can't know everybody. And you only know who you know and who your friends know, but your universe gradually expands through them until you know lots of new, cool pre-screened people becuase if your friends like them, you probably will too, even if they disagree with you on things.

Aren't cliques determined more by perceived status, than by mere association or like-mindedness? Aren't they rather more exclusive than most of our LJ's have proved?

I mean, I haven't added anybody to MY friends list because their LJ was getting "buzz." I wouldn't know whose those were, anyway. I added people becuase they said something interesting on my LJ or someone else's I knew. Usually more than once. Because, by then, they are friends, or at least acquaintances I want to know better. The LJ community seems to grow just like real life, at least for me. You see people around, they seem cool, you listen to what they have to say, they become your friends, you hang out..

[vaznetti]

I mean, I haven't added anybody to MY friends list because their LJ was getting "buzz."

Actually, that's a good point. I think the whole notion of having a list of friends strikes me as very high school, and that's why I view it with resistance. But you're right to say that issues of perceived status has very little to do with it--most of the people I would consider adding are friends of people I consider my friends, and I find them interesting, and want to get to know them better. I don't even know how I'd know who was all status-y and who wasn't.

Thanks.

Re:

[se-parsons.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's the "having a list of friends". I mean, there are lists of people you send birthday cards to or whatever. That's a friends list as much as anything else. The people you keep in your real life address book.

Clique IS high school. Because it implies there is a "right" group to be with or something. And exclusivity beyond someone you know vs. someone you don't know.

I understand the "List" thing, though. I don't like having to list people. It's like the "What's in, what's out" columns in EW.

[k2daisy.livejournal.com]

Interesting discussion. Vanzetti and I were hashing it out a couple of weeks ago, and I still haven't come to any firm conclusions.

Being a newbie to LJ, I'm still figuring out the nuances, and for me, the label of "friends" is off-putting. I don't see it as a clique - simply because half the people on my list don't know the other half and thus can't be considered part of the same group except in that I am the common denominator. And a clique that revolves around me is a frightening idea. Very frightening.

But because it's called "friends", I feel odd about adding someone whose LJ or list comments have interested me but I've never spoken to one-on-one either in email or RL. If it were called "funny/smart people who make me think" I'd be a lot less intimidated by the concept and my list would probably be double in size. Hmm...maybe it's not a bad thing the way it is.

[veejane.livejournal.com]

Hello, you.

I fear you will find my LJ boring, in fannish terms; recently I have been reading Jane Eyre and pondering my gross psychological problems.

Thrill-a-minute, I tell you. I'm deep in BTDT mode, with a side of "Oh come on, I had this argument 5 years ago." With luck, the ennui will lift by the time the new fall season kicks in.

[vaznetti]

Vee, I just used my lj to review a Hindi movie about cricket. Jane Eyre has nothing on me.

[slyredfox.livejournal.com]

Plus, I see that we're corrupting her to the Krycek side of the force.

Hee. Would this be a good time to ask/beg for Krycek gen recs? I want to read something non-romantic about Krycek and you seem to know a lot of Krycek fic...

You can e-mail me (simply.me3@verizon.net) if you don't want to clutter up your comments page. Or just tell me to sod off. It's all good. ;)

[vaznetti]

Well, an easy shortcut would be to go up in this post and find out if Veejane links to her fic page from her lj, and read the Sovereignty Trilogy. Which is long, but excellent. Really long--how do you feel about novels? And full of plot. But excellent Krycek characterization as well as completely in character and believable Mulder and Scully. Otherwise, I'll have to think some more. There's a story, probably on gossamer, by Exeley_61 called "Preemptive Strike" which is one of the most painful things I've ever read.

[slyredfox.livejournal.com]

I read novels on a recs-only basis since I don't want to spend two days reading something only to get a cop out ending or something equally annoying. But you rec'ed, so I'll give it a look.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm hoping reading Krycek will invite a few Krycek plotbunnies over. Of course if it does, then that combined with the story I'm already writing will probably drive me nuts, but if there's anything I learned in high school, it's how to multi-task.

Thanks again. :)