[disclaimer- I’m in a really weird easily excitable mood right now, this is written really weirdly. Will probably be very embarrassed about this later.]
Kira finds link to Slate Star Codex that some person put in a list of their favorite blogs.
It might’ve been in the comment section of Wait But Why, might have been on reddit.
Kira goes, “hmm, sounds cool”.
Kira reads a few of Scott Alexander’s posts.
Kira goes “!!!!”.
Kira binges a good half of his archives.
Kira reads the comments.
Kira goes “Oh my god a comment section that doesn’t make me want to wipe humanity from the face of the earth”.
“who are these people and where have they been hiding for my whole life?”
Kira obsessively stalks SSC’s comment section for maybe a month.
Kira finds LW, the Sequences, and HPMOR.
Kira is useless for the next two weeks, can be seen reading her Kindle, ranting at her Kindle, and threatening to throw her Kindle at a wall.
Kira develops obsession/special interest in anything related to rationalists.
Kira finds Ozy’s blog, Scott’s twitter, figures out he has a tumblr, finds his tumblr, finds Ozy’s tumblr.
Goes ”!!!!! I can talk to these people!!!“.
make a tumblr.
follows rationalist blogs.
lurks
lurks more
lurks some more
“this Alison @sinesalvatorem person sounds really cool…”
“wait a minute I can talk to her”
“this is a thing I can do”
“wait no that’s scary”
“form letters. She has form letters. I can do form letters.”
Kira sends form letter.
Kira freaks out because that’s embarrassing.
Alison responds.
“!!!!!!” thinks Kira.
a few days later:“oh my god she likes me?”
“is this flirting? I think this is flirting”
“how do I flirt back oh my god this stressful”
“wait. did that work. are we actually dating? For real? In real life? Wait, so this means I’m gay. And poly. OK, that’s a thing I can do.”
“!!!!!!!!!”
Kira proceeds to be extremely surprised by this for the next month or so.
Kira then realizes that she can talk to other people.
Kira also realizes that it’s probably a good idea to actually post original content, because people who do that are much more interesting and then people are more likely to talk to me.
@inquisitivefeminist sends me a message!
I effortpost at @socialjusticemunchkin and we talk!
I send the most awkward hello of all time to @sdhs-rationalist. We talk. And then we talk more. And then we meet IRL. And then I figure out that hugs are possibly the best thing yet invented.
@ghostofasecretary sends me a message!
@ilzolende talks to me! @pistachi0n sends me a message! @segfaultvicta talked to me! I talk to @futureresearcheralex! @somnilogical sends me a random heart and puns about replies in my direction! Other people who I might have forgotten talk to me!
Suddenly I have a social life, which I’m still confused by.
I wouldn’t call it unreasonable to be excited by people talking to you. I used to think I was just an introvert and I spent an entire year having basically 0 friends/friend-like acquaintances, and all the social contact I get from the LW Diaspora has been really amazing for me too.
