This Is A Story Of Friends (but not the tv show)
Despite the icon, this is not about the TV show "Friends" - though I love that show and oddly it is on my TV right now! (I needed a break from the background noise of Criminal Minds).
No, this is a story about how I found a friend, and then found her again.
A few weeks ago was menel's birthday and I thought I would share the story of how we met.
I got my first computer and the internet in 2001 (huh, I always thought it was 2000, but I just looked and Fellowship was released in 2001). I was immediately drawn into fandom (LotR and West Wing) and slash and was all, "Hobbits, hobbits, hobbits!!" For about a year I wrote only hobbits, though sometimes I would read some stories about Men and thanks to elfscribe5 I was a little into elven twincest. (What?)
And then I met this woman named menel and she proceeded to try to convince me that there were other Men in the world besides Boromir and King Theoden, and that Legolas was good for more than playing dress-up.
We engaged in lively debates about the subject. In long wordy emails. I would write to her the length of a small book - three weeks later, she'd write back in kind and I'd reply three weeks later...and so on. Our conversations took on many forms and we talked about every little thing - sometimes to death. She was writing an epic Legolas/Eomer fic and I was lucky enough to get first glance, where I would helpfully point out when something didn't make sense and then I would end every email screaming about what a tease Legolas is (well, he is).
Our crazy emailing went on for about three years.
Then my health and my real life took an abrupt turn for the worse and I suddenly had to leave the internet. I thought this hiatus would last a few months, but once I was away from the internet, I had no drive to go back. I still wrote occasionally, but only for my sister and The BFF, and I mostly watched a lot of TV and slept and tried to get healthy.
And I missed people from the internets. Then my computer crashed and I lost all my favorite links and people whose fics I read. And my only way to contact some old friends.
Now my health and life are much better and last year I really got into Supernatural fandom and CW RPS. So The BFF made me this Livejournal. The first week I had it, she said to me, "You know, everyone is on Livejournal. I bet you could find some of those people you used to talk to back in the day."
And I thought for a minute and the name that repeatedly came to my mind was menel. I said, "You know, maybe once I get set up on LJ, I'll look for her, but what are the odds."
I spent the next week setting up my LJ and finding all the authors in SPN that I loved. Then I went to check out the Supernatural newsletter - and I'm scrolling through the fic list, looking for anything that catches my attention...
And suddenly, a name jumps out at me, right off the page (computer screen) - menel!!!
In the Supernatural fandom - years after meeting her in my very first fandom of "Lord of the Rings" - there she was.
I contacted her and asked, "Are you the Menel who wrote the epic Legolas/Eomer fic, Riding Lessons?" and she was all, "Are you The Artful Dodger?" and then we screamed and hugged and cried - I mean, hardcore fist bumped because we are hardcore fist bumpers, not huggers and criers. Word. ;)
Anyway, four years and my life has completely changed - after all this time - and coming back to a fandom, to the internet world and community of fans felt like coming home again.
A feeling that was made complete by finding menel again.
Of All The Fandoms In All The Internet-World!
And now that you have all suffered through my gushing - I shall end this by saying that it was her birthday recently and so menel - and in turn, all of you - gets fic!
Dean and Gabriel and angst and friendship.
For my girl.
In my next post - after I eat dinner and watch Entourage.
No, this is a story about how I found a friend, and then found her again.
A few weeks ago was menel's birthday and I thought I would share the story of how we met.
I got my first computer and the internet in 2001 (huh, I always thought it was 2000, but I just looked and Fellowship was released in 2001). I was immediately drawn into fandom (LotR and West Wing) and slash and was all, "Hobbits, hobbits, hobbits!!" For about a year I wrote only hobbits, though sometimes I would read some stories about Men and thanks to elfscribe5 I was a little into elven twincest. (What?)
And then I met this woman named menel and she proceeded to try to convince me that there were other Men in the world besides Boromir and King Theoden, and that Legolas was good for more than playing dress-up.
We engaged in lively debates about the subject. In long wordy emails. I would write to her the length of a small book - three weeks later, she'd write back in kind and I'd reply three weeks later...and so on. Our conversations took on many forms and we talked about every little thing - sometimes to death. She was writing an epic Legolas/Eomer fic and I was lucky enough to get first glance, where I would helpfully point out when something didn't make sense and then I would end every email screaming about what a tease Legolas is (well, he is).
Our crazy emailing went on for about three years.
Then my health and my real life took an abrupt turn for the worse and I suddenly had to leave the internet. I thought this hiatus would last a few months, but once I was away from the internet, I had no drive to go back. I still wrote occasionally, but only for my sister and The BFF, and I mostly watched a lot of TV and slept and tried to get healthy.
And I missed people from the internets. Then my computer crashed and I lost all my favorite links and people whose fics I read. And my only way to contact some old friends.
Now my health and life are much better and last year I really got into Supernatural fandom and CW RPS. So The BFF made me this Livejournal. The first week I had it, she said to me, "You know, everyone is on Livejournal. I bet you could find some of those people you used to talk to back in the day."
And I thought for a minute and the name that repeatedly came to my mind was menel. I said, "You know, maybe once I get set up on LJ, I'll look for her, but what are the odds."
I spent the next week setting up my LJ and finding all the authors in SPN that I loved. Then I went to check out the Supernatural newsletter - and I'm scrolling through the fic list, looking for anything that catches my attention...
And suddenly, a name jumps out at me, right off the page (computer screen) - menel!!!
In the Supernatural fandom - years after meeting her in my very first fandom of "Lord of the Rings" - there she was.
I contacted her and asked, "Are you the Menel who wrote the epic Legolas/Eomer fic, Riding Lessons?" and she was all, "Are you The Artful Dodger?" and then we screamed and hugged and cried - I mean, hardcore fist bumped because we are hardcore fist bumpers, not huggers and criers. Word. ;)
Anyway, four years and my life has completely changed - after all this time - and coming back to a fandom, to the internet world and community of fans felt like coming home again.
A feeling that was made complete by finding menel again.
Of All The Fandoms In All The Internet-World!
And now that you have all suffered through my gushing - I shall end this by saying that it was her birthday recently and so menel - and in turn, all of you - gets fic!
Dean and Gabriel and angst and friendship.
For my girl.
In my next post - after I eat dinner and watch Entourage.