Hello, new friends!

[chocolatepot]

As I'm making new friends from the friending meme, and maybe some from Tumblr(?), I thought I'd make some kind of introductory post to Me.

I'm a thirty-something, bisexual*, cis woman, long-term single, unfortunately with no pets. I work in a small museum as, effectively, the curator (stlawrencecoha), and am a moderator and frequentish poster on the subreddit AskHistorians.

*I've been intending to come out to you guys here for a while now

I'm a fashion historian by training and have spent a lot of time doing that on my own, through sewing and blogging and such. (Tired of trying to do it on Tumblr, where unless you work very hard to build up a sizable following, nobody listens to you, and Facebook, where it is all arguing over what is or isn't plausibly accurate in reenactment costume or just looking at dresses.) I also have a broader interest in social history, particularly relating to women, from commoners to queens. (Literally, I have bookmarks in Unexpected Heirs in Early Modern Europe: Potential Kings and Queens and Women in the Medieval English Countryside: Gender and Household in Brigstock before the Plague right now.) My personal style is "1950s", so I normally have at least one sewing project going on at a time that's either from a '50s pattern or is proper historical dress.

I have a loooong history in Harry Potter fandom, first as a dumb kid and then as a dumb college student, and while I went through a long period of inactivity due to the post-books lull in the old-school group, I've been dipping my toes back in. I'm not active-active in any fandoms, but I enjoy consuming and occasionally writing meta about all kinds of fictional properties, old and new! Right now I'm watching and loving Deep Space 9, but I'm also into the Queen's Thief series, The Goblin Emperor, Diana Wynne Jones (partic. HMC), L.M. Montgomery, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Jane Austen, Jasper Fforde's Shades of Grey (GIVE US MORE), random 18th and 19th century novels I find on Google Books or in book sales, whichever period miniseries the BBC or ITV give us ... Ficwriting tends to only happen in fest contexts because I need a deadline to force myself to finish anything (speaking of which, didn't I plan to write a few Yuletide treats?), but I have a habit of musing meta-ly about anything I happen to be consuming, usually when I'm about halfway through it.

Comments

[jamethiel]

oh! I love sewing, although I'm in the middle of a long hiatus myself. I'd love to see your work!

The Goblin Emperor is my go-to comfort read. It's such a great book: that even if things have been bad, they will not always remain that way, that you can grow and change and things do become better.

[chocolatepot]

I sadly have not been sewing much over the past ... six months? or so? due to stress, but right now I'm very slowly working on a Regency gown for a visit to Genesee Country Village next April. Two seams done so far. :|

It really is a comfort read!

[ktlovely]

That's more seams than I have done for Genesee!

[mala_14]

I like a lot of the same books as you (Montgomery, Austen, Jonathan Strange), so I am going to check out the others! Also, it's neat to see this intro post, even though we've known each other online for a while. :)

[chocolatepot]

They are all gems! I hope you enjoy them.

[lavinia]

YAY for coming out!!! Hoorah hoorah hoorah! Yay for being bisexual!!! So happy and proud of you!

[chocolatepot]

Thank you! I kept meaning to post, but I was like, do I just make a whole post about this even though I don't feel like it needs its own post? Or do I stick it in as a footnote on another post, is that weird? Fortunately the opportunity presented itself. :D

[author_by_night]

I'm glad you felt ready to come out to us. :) *Hugs*

have a loooong history in Harry Potter fandom, first as a dumb kid and then as a dumb college student,

Fandom sure did corrupt us, didn't it? ;) Best years of my life, but yeah.

I'm sort of where you are, not active-active, yet sort of active. I think that as we've discussed before, fandom is also very different from when we were in it, so... that makes it more challenging to participate.

[chocolatepot]

Thank you!

Sometimes I think to myself, "Why were you such a bitch to so many people??" But we had good times. If only we didn't lose so many along the way. /pour one out *futilely checks gunderpants's AO3 profile page*

Yeah, on Tumblr I always felt like unless you were actively writing fic or drawing art or making gifs, you might as well not be a part of things.

[author_by_night]

Yeah, I wish I knew what happened to her.

[scripsi]

My personal style in late 1930/ealry 1940s. And I seem to be unable to not sew on at least three things at once...

[chocolatepot]

Very cool! I want to get more into that period, but I'm just not sewing enough lately to do it.

[scripsi]

I try to sew a little every day, but on the other hand, I'm quite slow.

[starlitshore]

Happy coming out post! *confetti*

Really looking forward to getting a nerd fix from your historical fashion posts and any book recs you want to throw our way.

I wonder if we ever bumped into each other in HP fandom on LJ? It's been so long that I don't remember everyone's usernames.

[mandie_rw]

Cheers! I like intro posts even of old friends, 'cause sometimes you've known someone online for long enough that they've changed (or, less extreme, updated may be a better word?) since you first got acquainted.

Facebook is totally exhausting for trying to have real conversations about fashion history...although I do enjoy when somebody really gets their panties in a wad on certain groups over there. 3:) Ahhh, schadenfreude. But that's not ACTUALLY productive, haha!