Fifteen Years!
I guess the anniversary was technically on the 23rd, but I made this account fifteen years ago. Gosh, it's so weird to think of it now.
I remember I had found Cheryl Dyson's fic on Y!Gallery, of all places, and she was one of my favorites even on there. (I read fic on FF.net often and somehow I still found her there instead, haha.) On a random chance, I checked her page when she had up some sort of news post talking about starting up the first ever HD Smoochfest. I was intrigued! I wanted in! I needed an LJ! ...Oh.
I'd had a personal account since I was like...15, but 21yo me was kinda embarrassed about...well, having been a teenager, and all the cringiness that entails. XD I wanted my writing to stand apart from that. So I made this account, and I did participate that year, and in a few other years' Smoochfests and another fest or two and some wonderful rounds of drunk!fic, found a good many friends in the comments and the HD Chatzy group. But sadly life got busy and I haven't written much in the past decade or so.
It's odd to think about everything that's happened since I've made this account: I got out of a long-term relationship with a toxic person, traveled to meet online friends (including Cheryl at a con, which was a trip!), met-dated-got married to my husband (10 years married as of last summer!), graduated uni, have lived in like 6-7 different places in 3 different states, had two kids (almost-6 and just-turned-3!), took in 4 kitties, and have worked a handful of jobs since then.
I'm in such a wildly different place now than I was when I made this account, but I think it's a pretty good place. I hope all my old friends and acquaintances are doing well too, and you're all taking care of yourselves. ♥