Long-Belated Intro Post (Updated January 2024)

[justanorthernlight]

About me/my journal:

I've been on Dreamwidth for over 3 years now, and keep putting off making an 'About Me' post. I hate talking about myself, but here goes.

Hi, I'm justanorthernlight , J for short.

I'm a lurker, reader, and vidder. I'm considering giving up 'writer' as part of my identity considering how long it's been since I've written anything.

On my journal you will mostly find my monthly 'Reading Wrap-Up' posts where I talk about what I read that month. Expect sci fi, fantasy, historical fiction, and occasional forays into other genres. Also lots and lots of Star Wars expanded universe content. I'm also trying to read more nonfiction.

Occasionally when I'm mid-project and want to talk about it I will do WIP Wednesdays, or something similar. I have in the past tried liveblogging various books and shows, but I don't stick with it. I do make extremely occasional meta posts.

I don't make all that many fanworks so when I do I tend to link to them from here.

I post occasional real life updates in locked entries.

How many times am I going to use the word 'occasional' in this bio? Ugh.

Fandoms:

Star Wars is my forever and always fandom. I have been reading Expanded Universe novels since I was a tiny child in the '90s, and in online fandom since the early '00s. Because I've been in it so long I don't feel super compelled to keep up with new entries in real time (ex, it's 2022 and I haven't even seen The Mandalorian yet), they will always be there waiting for me.
(Updated Jan 2024: I have seen some Mandalorian but not Ahsoka, I'm currently knee-deep in The High Republic comics/novels, but also behind the curve there).

(Side note, in general I don't even like keeping up with new fandoms in real time, hot takes and speculation kind of exhaust me. Rereading and rewatching old shit FTW!)

Babylon 5 is another forever fandom, although I came to it in the early 2010s.

In general, I love sci fi and fantasy movies, tv shows, literature, etc. A lot of my current fandoms are smaller fantasy books.

I also like historical fiction, Black Sails was my last big non-SFF obsession.

Friending/access policy:

Feel free to subscribe/follow/comment/lurk! I don't always follow back, but I love seeing new people. I'm just a little picky about what comes into my feed.

When it comes to granting access, I'll (probably) show you mine if you show me yours ;) Most of my content is public, so don't feel obligated to grant or request access if you don't want to.

Comments

[spikedluv]

Hi! I used to read the Star Wars extended 'verse, but when I found fanfic a lot of published books languished. That's one 'verse I never returned to. *sad face*

Since you like historical fiction, have you read the Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries? I was rec'd them two years ago now, I think, during Snowflake, and read them almost back to back. Now I have to wait for new ones to come out. *g*

[justanorthernlight]

I have not read the Sebastian St. Cyr series, but it looks like it's right up my alley! *Adds to tower TBR pile*

The Star Wars kids books like Jedi Apprentice and Junior Jedi Knights really got me into reading as an elementary schooler. I read some of the adult ones too at that age (this was before YA was it's own genre), but took a break from it as a middle/highschool/college student, and got back into it when the whole Disney decanonization/reboot happened.

[spikedluv]

I hope you enjoy them!

I recall being turned off by a certain death that was totally unexpected to me, and that might be part of the reason I let it go so long and then gave up on the books. :(

[justanorthernlight]

Well, there is a reason that despite having read dozens of Star Wars books I have never delved into the NJO and beyond sections... I was spoilered for two major character deaths in them, and there's a 3rd later on that might be the one your referring to instead. Everything before that is fair game, though :)

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I'm also trying to read more nonfiction.<<

https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/nonfiction

https://flipboard.com/@bigthink/big-think-khcrlejbz

>>Feel free to subscribe/follow/comment/lurk! I don't always follow back, but I love seeing new people. I'm just a little picky about what comes into my feed.<<

I have friended you.

Drop by my blog and see if it's something you'd like to read. I have a lot of, mm, nonstandard fans of many types.

If you want to see them run around like squirrels under a freshly filled birdfeeder, come tomorrow (Tuesday Feb. 1) for the Poetry Fishbowl on "flipping expectations." Oh gee, you could prompt me for "normal humans are disabled on Mars because 24-hour sleep cycle." I would totally write that, and if there's a new prompter or donor, then I post an extra freebie.

Re: Thoughts

[justanorthernlight]

I will take a look at those nonfiction lists just as soon as I get through my pile of unread nonfiction I already own, my 'saved for later' lists on various online bookstores, and the rec list I have saved as a word document, lol.

>>"normal humans are disabled on Mars because 24-hour sleep cycle."

There is actually a lot of scientific research that suggests humans could easily adapt to Mars's day length. Most people's internal circadian rhythm is actually around 24.5 hours, it is just periodically reset by the day's light/dark cycle. This reset is how (most) people recover from jet lag and adapt to new time zones, and one of the main reason N24 is more commonly recognized in blind people with zero light perception.

Why sighted people develop N24 is still a medical mystery :)

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I will take a look at those nonfiction lists just as soon as I get through my pile of unread nonfiction I already own, my 'saved for later' lists on various online bookstores, and the rec list I have saved as a word document, lol.<<

I know that feel.

>>There is actually a lot of scientific research that suggests humans could easily adapt to Mars's day length. Most people's internal circadian rhythm is actually around 24.5 hours, it is just periodically reset by the day's light/dark cycle. <<

Interesting.

I still like the Mars idea, though, and may throw it into today's fishbowl on "flipping expectations."

>>This reset is how (most) people recover from jet lag and adapt to new time zones, <<

I have no trouble adjusting to time changes, but it resets to the same orientation of preferring second-shift.

>> and one of the main reason N24 is more commonly recognized in blind people with zero light perception.<<

Yeah, if they can't pick up the light cues, it has the same effect as people living in caves.

>> Why sighted people develop N24 is still a medical mystery :)

Diversity. A species with more natural variation is better equipped to withstand any challenges than one with little variation. What can be a nasty disadvantage in modern times would've been an asset to hunter-gatherers. It's better to have someone awake at any time in case danger approaches the camp, and that person will be more awake if they're a natural night owl than if they just drew the short straw to stand watch. In a longhouse or other communal dwelling, that person is also available for night or predawn baby-tending.

Re: Thoughts

[justanorthernlight]

>>I have no trouble adjusting to time changes, but it resets to the same orientation of preferring second-shift.

Ah, that sounds a lot more like Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder than N24, if your sleep period doesn't hit every single part of the day before starting over, it's not really N24. Your previous comments made it seem like you were going all the way around the clock on a regular basis, as we tend to describe it.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

It wants to creep around the clock, but some parts of that clock are more attractive than others. If I let it cycle, it'll go all the way around, which I don't really like; I've tried it in summer when I was younger. The morning hours are not when my body likes to be awake, so it would rush through that phase. It creeps slower through the evening and night hours. If I'm not careful, it creeps until I'm going to bed late enough in the morning that I don't sleep well. But the creep means that dialing it back can be challenging -- sometimes it works, other times it crashes into some other weird pattern that takes days to get back to a comfortable one.

It's not no circadian rhythm; it has a cycle, sort of.

It's not a 24-hour rhythm, or it wouldn't creep.

It's kind of like playing with loaded dice. It overlaps somewhat with various descriptions, but I haven't seen an exact match in a description anywhere. Since I'm not entirely human, that's no surprise.

It is somewhat malleable; I can compensate for jet lag easily, and I can kinda sorta keep a schedule that works for me, most of the time. But sometimes it goes off on a tangent for a while. Trying to keep a rigid schedule is a recipe for disaster; if I'm not sleepy then I just lie in bed for hours, and I'm almost never alert in the morning. :/

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

The Martian poem is up if you want to see it.

[vysila]

Hi there, just introducing myself. We clearly have a lot in common, with both Star Wars, B5, fanfic and vidding. Just subscribed to your journal, looking forward to getting to know you. Most of my journal is public, except for the specifically personal items.

[justanorthernlight]

Welcome!