Grab a chair and a couple of root beers...

Okay, I got a friending request that I'm going to turn down, and I'm going to explain here rather than in a comment to the person asking.

I'm sure you are a very nice person.  I'm sure you have no nefarious plans.  However, that being said, Auntie is a cautious old broad, even more so since all the troubles with the Strikethrough in May, and then the stunts of July with deleting artists.  I don't trust anyone I don't know or isn't recommended to me by someone I know.

And just for general information's sake, if someone wants to friend me just to read my fiction, well, I'm going to check up on you to see who you are.  If I go to your LJ, and there is nothing there, no entries, no user pics, no nada, the chances of my friending you are extremely low to the point of being non-existent.  The person who asked is 18, and I'm glad, but... there is nothing in his/her journal.  Nothing.  The journal has existed since May.

I know there are people out there who get LJ's just for the sake of being able to read fiction, and make comments.  That's great.  However, since all the fracas of the past summer with LJ, and some of the lovely people out there who want to label us as nasty-bad writers and artists and have us run out of LJ on a rail, complete with tar and feathers, well, I'm afraid that at least for me, I'm not going to friend you.  Because I have no way of knowing who you are.  Are you a friendly?  Or are you wanting to stir up new trouble using ME as your scapegoat?

Nope, not going to play, sorry.  Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, right?  Maybe I'm being over-cautious, but there it is.  Blame LJ, blame WFI, blame my own wild paranoia, but I will repeat it again.

If you want me to friend you, then you'd best have some sort of way for me to at least get an idea of who you are, what you're about, and what you want.  Age statements aren't enough.   I'm having enough trouble writing right now as it is, and from what I've been seeing (or not seeing) I'm not the only one.  Give us writers and artists a break, folks.  We're all as nervous as virgins at a prison rodeo.

Sorry, honey.  I'm not going to friend you so you can, and I quote, "access all my fics."  That one line sent warning sirens all through my head.

*stomps off to sulk in corner)

Beware of Bear.