Hey guys
I haven't been here with any frequency in the last few years. I keep telling myself I'll rectify that, but the days pass by and I don't.
I figured that now, with Christmas coming close and all, it would be a good time to just share some memories from here and thank you all for this beautiful place. (Thanksgiving might have been another good time for it, but we don't have it in my culture, so there.
)
So yea... for those who don't know me, I've been a registered FoLC since early 2003. I was in my last year of junior high, a few months shy of 15 years old. These boards and the fanfic kept me the best company until I finished school.
Afterwards, I started drifting off. First to venture into Harry Potter fanfic communities, then life became more RL-centered. Actual Greek people started getting online *g* and I shifted to interacting more with them on my online time, too. However, I've always had the fondest memories from this place and community and I've repeatedly regretted not being around more often.
I'm now in my final year of university. I have a boyfriend who's watched some L&C with me
and I've talked to him about this place; about what a lovely community we are and how this place saw me through my adolescence, which is admittedly a difficult time for everyone.
Every time I stop by, there are always new faces blending in with the old ones. It makes me so happy that the community is still going strong! This is one of the most loving and peaceful corners of the Internet; and it didn't change, despite the Internet growing so vast, despite the large influx of people online in the past few years. We've always attracted people that have been genuinely interested in the show and that have contributed to keeping the spirit alive. I mean... just go to any YouTube video and read the comments. Every time I do, I feel so grateful for having grown up in this place. It's sad to think that today's average 15-year-old hangs out there, among comment wars riddled with profanities and bad grammar/spelling.
(It's funny how when I was a teen, people older than me fretted about how dangerous the Internet is, how bad for the children and how you shouldn't disclose your personal info to anyone, and I always thought of it being such a great place for finding friends. Now I'm the one fretting about how much inappropriate stuff exists on the Internet, and people older than me have made Facebook accounts to share everything with everyone they've ever made eye-contact with.
Oh, the times, how they change!
Still, as I've always said, in Internet, like in real life, you have to choose where to go and who to befriend. And this is one of the best places with some of the best people.
)
Thank you all so much for being here, or for having ever, at some point, been here. I'm proud to call myself a FoLC and I wish everything in life was as beautiful as this place is.
I love you all.
