11-12-13

[kelly_chambliss]

Today is November 12, 2013, or (in American fashion) 11-12-13.

Not only is today a fun date, but it's also an auspicious anniversary -- one month to the day since my beloved friends, those crafty co-conspirators therealsnape, tetleythesecond, and cranky__crocus, conspired to give me one of the best gifts I've ever received: a whole LJ community just for me, to celebrate my fifth anniversary in Harry Potter fandom.

It's called transfic_today, and it features a banner of Minervas against a lovely blue tartan layout (blue being my very favorite color, and tartan being. . .well, I think you know why I like tartan /g/) made by the equally-lovely talesofsnape.

To fill this anniversary community, many of my dear flisties contributed treasure beyond measure: gifts of stories and art, pictures and poems, drabbles and declarations.

I can't tell you how touched and thrilled I am by this labor of love. To all of you wonderful contributors -- truly,I am more moved than I can say. I know just how much time and effort many of these extraordinary presents cost you. It means a great deal to me, especially since these last few months have been extremely difficult (the fact that the difficulties are all of my own creation doesn't help!) Your kind and generous tribute couldn't have come at a better time for me.

To make the pleasure last, I spaced out my reading of your excellent contributions as long as I could (longer than I should have, I know -- it must have seemed ridiculously rude of me to have waited so long to comment on some entries, but I hope you'll forgive me when you know how much I enjoyed the anticipation.)

I'd like to thank each of you by name, because you deserve to be in the Valhalla of Best. Friends. Ever.

And I'm not putting you under a cut, either. I want the WORLD to know who you are (or my tiny corner of the LJ/DW world, anyway).

To you original perpetrators -- Tetley, TRS, and Kiwi -- you already know how I love you, but I'll say it again!

To my wonderful story writers, with your gifts of Minerva and Severus and Poppy and Elphinstone and Arabella Figg and Captain Janeway and Reg and Nigel, "thank you" seems a pitiful return, but please know that it's heartfelt:

aabbey
albalark
atdelphi
delphipsmith
jean_doe_27
lash_larue
purplefluffycat
selmak
squibstress
teddyradiator
the_winterwitch
twisted_twister

And many thanks to Madam Rita Skeeter, who gifted me with my very own issue of the cackling_crone and who also managed to convince HEADMISTRESS McGONAGALL HERSELF to write me another fantastic, totally true installment of Minerva McGonagall, Spinster Detective. (And thanks for the recipe, too, Madam S!)


To my talented artists, of course I've printed off your pieces for my "keeper" file. I'd put them on the Minerva filing cabinet in my office, but the Headmistress thinks that my students might not be able to handle the notion that older women have sex. (And she thinks they might faint dead away if they had to see Severus in the altogether. With ropes.)

akatnamedeaster
mothwing


To my clever picspammers, with your

• delightful cats and
• trips to Scotland and Canterbury and
• collages of the things I love best and
• inspiring views of universities and cathedrals and
• visions of Severus on beds of a) lichen and b) whipped cream
• miraculous tattoos and
• historically significant images of the Holyhead Harpies

I say thank you for giving me the chance to romp through so many countries and time periods without ever having to leave my recliner:

magnetic_pole
minervas_eule
miss_morland
queen_of_snapes
tetleythesecond
the_winterwitch
woldy (and poetry!)

And of course, I mustn't leave out the inimitable Colin Creevey, junior shutterbug for the cackling_crone, who provided so many cunning illustrations for the Headmistress's story.


To those of you who left me such beautiful comments, please know how much they meant to me:

cranky__crocus
dreamy_dragon73
notearchiver
perverse_idyll


To you who defy categorization, I thank you for the fabulous

• icons -- queen_of_snapes (HP and DA, too!)
• comm layout -- talesofsnape
• review -- tetleythesecond


Finally, I thank all of you for your kind words, your kind thoughts, and for the priceless figt of your time, your effort, and most of all, your friendship.

I have to say, I am so damn glad I broke my foot in 2008.

Comments

[dueltastic]

Well-deserved. I was very unhappy that I didn't find out about it until it was too late, because I appreciate you, too! I wish I'd been able to take part.

[kelly_chambliss]

Ditto on the appreciation front! Thanks so much for the kind thoughts. (And you can always consider writing more MM/SS /g/)

[dueltastic]

I'm sure something could be arranged there... :)

[lyras]

Well, I'm sorry I missed that, but also very glad (I hope) that you know how much your presence in fandom is appreciated, if you didn't before! What a lovely gesture, and much deserved.

[kelly_chambliss]

It really was a lovely gesture. And thank you so much for your kind words. You and all my flisties are the best part of fandom.