Happy Ten Years Today, SWG!

[dawn_felagund]

Today, the SWG officially turned ten years old! It was ten years ago today that ford_of_bruinen and I started encouraging our friends to join our nascent Silmarillion group. Ever since then, we have grown in ways that I would not have imagined possible on this day ten years ago, when I recall reaching ten members on our Yahoo! group and feeling such a giddy sense of accomplishment.

I recorded a video in honor of our birthday. It's pretty short, and you can see my dusty study and hear my Baltimore accent! What's not to love! :)

This last decade has been simply incredible to me. I never imagined the group taking off like it has. So many people have made the SWG what it is. You are to credit with what the group has become. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for all that you have given to this community over the past ten years. Here's to many more!

(Also, a gentle reminder that the birthday cards will be closing soon. On August 1, I will take down the form and begin sending out the albums to recipients. If you want to send birthday cards and have not, our birthday card page can be found here.)

Comments

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Dawn. Great job. You know I always tell everyone that the SWG is my fandom home. It represents my heart. What can I say except that I don't know what I would do without it. I appreciate everything that you do and the efforts of everyone else who has worked so hard to make it what it is. Further, I do not regret a minute of the time I have put into it myself (and it's been a few hours--cough, cough). I've received so much more back that what I spent. Very proud of it too--the quality of the fiction, the dedication to the source material and resulting resources, and just the whole set up of it (dare I add the lack of drama--knock on wood!). It makes everyone connected to it look good--a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Oh. Wow! I'm not done with my birthday cards yet either! Where does the time go? (Trying to get started on my bio tonight also.)

Love your presentation. Can't see any of the dust in your study, don't if that is my poor eyesight or quality of my viewing apparatus. No worries there.

[dawn_felagund]

I definitely angled the chair, too, so that the visible spiderwebs on my walls weren't in the background. My study wasn't even habitable up till about two weeks ago, when Bobby felt sorry for me and cleaned it for me one day, since he is off for the summer: "cleaned" as in removed the junk and piled-up books and swept up the leaves from the plants we overwinter in there. He didn't touch the dust and spiderwebs, which probably have some kind of historical value by now.

I hoped for all of the things you listed, but most of all, for a site where people feel comfortable and welcome, no matter their ability level. I didn't like the sense that places in the fandom had when I first joined, that if you didn't meet some bar in terms of your skill as a writer or knowledge of the "canon," then you weren't welcome. You know me: I am a soft soul who can't stand seeing people hurt. And I was such a rank beginner in terms of the canon and so young as a writer that I hope I am proof that even young movieverse fans are worth taking seriously. :)

I think I've only done three birthday cards myself. Of course, I have the advantage of being able to skip the middleman and just upload mine directly. Although you might be heartened to know that I've forgotten which I've already sent, so some people will probably get duplicates! :D

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

Although you might be heartened to know that I've forgotten which I've already sent

I am laughing! Not at you. That was an unholy mess I made for myself. The organization genius here. I was shorted the gene for organizational logic.

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

I forgot about how not pretentious it is. I go ape-shit when I meet someone new and they say they haven't posted there because they feel insecure. I just thought of my new answer to that--point out to them my first Silm story. What a useless little drabble and I made you edit it. You probably don't even remember it (and that is a good thing). And you were just as kind and welcoming as you would have been if it had been really something!

[dawn_felagund]

I can understand insecurity, since I spent most of my twenties in a chronic state of insecurity. (Well hidden.) But really! I think Tumblr is light years scarier than the SWG.

I have my share of cringe-worthy early stories too. I started posting them last year on the SWG; you left nice comments on a lot of them! So I think you are harder on your work than I would ever be.

I forgot to mention two things: One, your reply to my comment yesterday made me smile. So consider yourself successful! Also, I actually do have a ukulele, inherited from my maternal grandmother, so be careful what you offer. ;)

Second and most important: You have been one of the backbones of this group across the years. Thank you so much for everything! *hugs*