I miss Livejournal

[kalliel]

I went looking for a fanfic from 2008 and couldn't remember the title, so I had to look through my Scrapbook to find fan art I remembered doing for this fanfic in 2008 and the whole thing just really made me miss Livejournal.

Obviously the platform is still here--and a number of you are too! <3 Which I am so glad for.

But I miss doing fandom in

Comments

[dustbunny105]

I feel this down deep. Every platform has its pros and cons but I'll always favor the LJ format. These "[blank] is [x] years old!" things usually make me feel old but eighteen actually feels too young, somehow, for LJ. Even though it's not where I started out, it feels like such a bedrock foundation of how I understood fandom for so long that it's wild to think it's only now about to be old enough to enlist.

And every year I wish I'd started it two days later, so that it could share a birthday with Dean Winchester. I truly have this thought every single year.

Have I told you lately that I love you?

[kalliel]

The part that kind of boggles me is how many people simply have no reference for or no memory of Livejournal at all. If they're too young for it, I mean, why would they, but also it's just weird to think that there are so many people on fannish social media today that straight up do not know how it worked on LJ. Not that everything was balmy or perfect (and here I'm talking only about the tech, not the people), but THEY DON'T KNOWWWWW. THE CONCEPT IS FOREIGN.

And XDDDD always happy to be That Person.

[dustbunny105]

OMG, RIGHT? It blows my mind every time! Sometimes I'll see people talking about how they wish for a platform that was more like x, y, z that fits LJ (or at least the LJ model) and lament that there's no such place and I'm just like *flails and gestures*

I am always happy for you to be that person, too, never change ♥

[bratfarrar]

Oh yes, I feel very much the same--it's while I'm still around, despite everything.

[kalliel]

My primary fansite is currently Tumblr, but the things I enjoy most about fandom are still the same things I have always loved, except now they're even lower prestige than they already sometimes were on LJ, LOL. Because I love... fanfic... and long textposts where people talk about their favorite things... and comments, and comment THREADS...

And I really miss getting to see more of people's personal lives. You know, the stuff we post under lock about life, and family, and all of that. There are snippets on Tumblr that sometimes people will mention, but obviously not to the degree of LJ, because Tumblr is absolutely not the platform for that, being open to the wild and all. And I feel like if I act too interested I'll come across as some kind of weird creeper. But MEH, becoming *friends* with people through fandom is meaningful to me! That's all!

[amberdreams]

With you 100%. I chat on Discord to a handful of SPN folk, I'm on Dreamwidth paying their stupid fee just to be able to get notifications about the small number of people I talk to on there, I have a couple of Whatsapp groups for a handful of different SPN folk, then there's people on Twitter (which I loathe) and on Facebook (which is mainly something I want to keep for RL family stuff so don't want to put my fanself out there), and then I joined Mastadon which I never look at because it's too fragmented, and keep an eye on Instagram for art and - yeah. Way too many places and none of them do what LJ used to. Even all together they don't do it.

I'm grateful for the friends who remain!

[kalliel]

You are braver than I--that is so many social medias to put work into just to get something LESS back, bleh. My primary fannish social media is Tumblr, which is...fine... I guess... but all my favorite things about fandom are so NOT built for Tumblr (comments, comment threads, textposts, fanfic, actual interaction). The parasociality/parallel play is so ungratifying for me. I want to appreciate people's work and TALK about it, and also get to know PEOPLE and that site really isn't for that.

And it's so funny, because I feel like that assumption of parallel play is super baked into adjoining fandom spaces that you'd think would be more dialogue-based?

Like, okay. I have only participated in one fandom Discord server in any real way. And I have a "server" but it's just a glorified groupchat that's for RL and NASCAR and is used very sporadically unless it's a NASCAR Sunday.

But even with this limited experience, the server I joined (tried to join?) a few months ago is absolutely bananas lol. I feel like it's not how the platform is

[amberdreams]

We'd love to have you active in our Discord server - it's really only there to talk. We do have that bunch of channels/rooms(?) for different topics - writing ones, art ones, general SPN ones, salty ones. You know some of the folks - quickreaver, wings, roadie, de_nugis - some maybe not so familiar. A lot of Sam girls so another Dean girl would be nice. There are 50+ members but only about 12-15 active who talk most days. If you don't want to see the salty channels you can mute them.

You are already a member (The Saloon) so I assume you could just stick your head in and have a look...see if you want to join at any time. A few folk dip in and out, though my FOMO has me checking everyday LOL

[kalliel]

I am indeed a member! Though I've never actually... been, as of course you know. XP It's a little overwhelming to walk into the bar and be like "um hello! I see you've all been drinking together for hours but I would like to order the alcohol please" but maybe I will give it a try one of these days. <3

Right now, I'm active in/writing for a different fandom (with the weird Discord LOL) and trying to figure out how to enjoy myself there. And feeling like a freak because omg is it too creepy if I am *too forward* or reply *too much* etc.

[borgmama1of5]

I miss all the fanfic and the episode commentaries :(

[kalliel]

I miss people like, talking to each other!! Is the point of all this not! To talk to each other! To get to know each other! Rather than ride in parallel lanes in some impersonal void...

[borgmama1of5]

I loved when I could have some back-and-forth over an episode where someone pointed out something that never occurred to me. And how other people's imaginations could take SPN stories in directions I never dreamed of.

[kribban]

Wohoo, congrats ln advance! Yes, nothing will ever come close to lj in its heyday, although for fic purposes, it's such a relief that the AO3 exists!

[kalliel]

I'm glad AO3 exists, for sure! Though it's more a repository than it is an opportunity to actually make friends and talk to people. The way I use it is going through the tag for my fave once a month, not finding anything I want to read, and then reading the absolutely worst most heinous thing I can find so I don't leave empty-handed. XDDD