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Greetings!
I'll start with how I made my way here. Unsurprisingly, it was HPMOR. Perhaps even less surprisingly, said fanfic was recommended on Tumblr. After reading that excellent story and a couple of follow up fanfics, I decided that rational fics are the thing for me, and also that, as someone who desperately wants to write a good story, the underlying rationality is something that I needed to get a handle on. (Also, for a large portion of my life I've been obsessed with logic.)
I've acquired Rationality: From AI to Zombies, and am slowly working my way through it. Stunting progress is my limited available time, and also my limited knowledge of mathematics. (Tangent, this was caused by poor teachers convincing me that I'm just inherently bad at mathematics, and only once I was much older and have had opportunity to apply mathematics beyond basic addition /subtraction /multiplication and division to real world experiences did I realise that when I learn things my way, I do well enough thank you.)
In the mean time, I've decided to join this community, though I'm likely to be a very infrequent participant, at least to start with.
So about me.
Firstly, if something seems odd about how I write, I am South African, and while I grew up learning English and am actually more comfortable with it than my native Afrikaans, I've also spent most of my life speaking to people who aren't very goof at English, if they speak any at all.
I am a security officer. I was trained for control, but I'm currently a guard. I work night shifts exclusively, and it's during these night shifts that most of my activity is likely to occur. Let's hope sleep deprivation doesn't become too obvious.
I hope to study computer science as soon as finances allow, or alternatively forensic science. If the former, I'd like to work in cyber security and/or computer forensics.
I spent the early years of my life as a Seventh Day Adventist and from my teens until just a handful of years ago I explored various pagan traditions, identifying as a pagan with a general Hellenistic bent. Right now I'd call myself an atheist (or, if pressed, a Discordian and/or Pastafarian) but I'm happy to discuss religious views.
I was dubiously diagnosed as schizophrenic late in my teens - my psychiatrist said pre-schizophrenic, which is not a phrase I've encountered anywhere else before or since, so if someone can provide clarity on what that means, that'd be great. I'm assuming it refers to showing early signs of schizophrenia, at a stage where its more manageable. I took medication for a time, but have since managed to keep myself in check through an effort of will and a very particular mindset.
I'm very interested in the workings of the mind, and, as a point of interest, I've spent a lot of time learning about the underlying theory of MBTI which, while obviously pseudoscience, I think can still be a tool of limited use. For those interested, I'm most likely typed either as an ISTP or INTP.
Other interests include reading (obviously.) I especially enjoy the Wheel of Time, the Discworld novels, and LitRPG stories, aside from rational fiction. In rational fics, I'm anticipating the continuations of Pokemon: The Origin of Species and A More Perfect Union. I'd recommend the fanfics Something Blue (Mass Effect) and Dragon From Ash (Skyrim) to any fanfic readers who want fairly rational stories that aren't necessarily written as rational fics. In LitRPG I recommend Everybody Loves Large Chests, and for science fiction I recommend anything by Daniel Suarez. I try to write, but I have difficulty continuing stories for long periods of time. I love video games.
I've rambled on enough, now. Thanks for the awesome community!