Snowflake Challenge - Day 13

[dizzojay]

 Challenge #13

In your own space, share a favorite memory about fandom: the first time you got into fandom, the last time a fanwork touched your heart, wild times with fellow fans (whether on-line or off-line), a lovely comment you’ve received or have left for someone. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

There are a whole host of special memories I have in fandom, and special people that I have met, but I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to someone who encapsulated everything that was good about fandom, and who I had the privilege to call my friend, jj1564, who passed away on 9^th April last year.   

When I look at my best fandom memories, I’m reminded of how many of them involved JJ in some way.  I will continue to embrace fandom, and I will continue to enjoy the blessing of the many wonderful friends I have made, and JJ will always be with me in spirit; she will be with us all in spirit.

I first met JJ through Livejournal in 2013, simply by reading and commenting on each others' fanfic and over time, we moved beyond our mutual love of Supernatural and, in particular, a certain Mr J Ackles, and we came to realise we had so much more in common. 

We were a similar age, we both had the same naughty and rather infantile sense of humour and we were both proud South London girls.  We realised that we'd spent the first ten years of our lives living about a mile and a half apart!

We lived only fifty miles apart, so we were able to meet in real life many times, and we had so many wonderful adventures together. Laughter and naughtiness - and cake - was always the order of the day! 😊

JJ was dearly loved by so many across the Supernatural fandom and at her funeral, I read out tributes from all over the world, as far afield as USA, Canada, Europe and Australia.  The outpouring of love across social media that followed her passing was overwhelming and deeply touching, and when I collated it all into a single document as a keepsake for her family, it came to almost eighty. pages.

Throughout the whole time I knew her, JJ was living with Motor Neurone Disease, and she bore this horrible illness with huge fortitude and positivity, and even humour. She was without a doubt one of the bravest, most admirable people I have ever known and the world is a poorer place for her passing.

I call this picture 'where is Jensen's hand?'

A birthday gift :D




Bookends!

Comments

[kingstoken]

Those are some wonderful memories of your friend.

[dizzojay]

Thank you. I have so many lovely memories of her x

[tellshannon815]

Such amazing memories, thanks for sharing with us!

[dizzojay]

Thank you :)

[fairyniamh]

A lovely memory to cherish forever.

[dizzojay]

They certainly are :)

[seal_girl]

What a wonderful friendship and a lovely memory.

[dizzojay]

Absolutely, on both counts x

[svgurl]

I'm so sorry about the loss of your friend. That is a wonderful tribute. The two of you clearly had a special bond and the pictures look great. :D

[dizzojay]

She was an amazing lady. It makes me smile to think that if she hadn't had that awful illness, we would have grown old disgracefully together. There was absolutely no chance of either of us growing old gracefully, that's for cure ;)

[spikedluv]

What a lovely tribute to your friend. It's wonderful that you found each other. And it's amazing that the collated document was 80 pages! She must've been a truly special person.

[dizzojay]

She really was a special person, and she was so, SO loved.

[cuddyclothes]

I'm not at all surprised it was 80 pages! I didn't know her all that well, but I did know that she was part of a cabal of wonderful Supernatural fans. She almost never posted about her illness in public entries.

[dizzojay]

She made no secret of her illness, but neither did she dwell on it or let it define her. She was just one of life's incredible people.