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Old 04-22-2008, 07:19 PM   #1
Seoirse
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What does ST mean to you?

I can’t exactly remember how it was that I discovered ST, but I do remember what a relieve it was that I’d discovered a safe haven from the world out there. I was a B/A shipper back in the day, although not a ‘firm’ one. As far as I was concerned, Angel moved to L.A. because it just couldn’t work out with the B-word, so it’s time to move on. Heck, if Buffy could move on, why couldn’t Angel. I started seeing the potential of C/A right around TSILA, and back then, I was still active in a couple of Buffy forums.

But I started seeing, and feeling the discrimination. No one was interested in the characterisation of Cordy; everyone just wanted to see her as a 2-dimensional cheerleader with no potential for character growth. I noticed any attempts by any Cordy-supporters in those Buffy-centric forums would be thwarted and made fun of. So, imagine the hostility when the possibility of a C/A relationship crop up. I remember things got so bad that I was barred out of a number of Buffy-centric forums (none of which are still around today, I believe) just because the character I identified most with is Cordelia.

So when I discovered ST, it was like discovering a hardy rose growing among pebbles and stones. Suddenly, I have a ‘home’ to go to and likeminded creatures to share my enthusiasm for a character and a pairing with without the stress of being judged and discriminated. ST has spared me a lot of pain in a fandom I always felt was more judgemental and discriminatory than any other I’ve ever experienced. Although I drifted away from ST and Angel fandom for a few years, it’s a comfort to know that ST is still around, fic is still being written and people are still discussing Cordelia like they used to.

So, a heartfelt thank you to the moderators for keeping ST open and running for new fans who are discovering the magic and beauty of the C/A relationship, and for old-timers like me who like to re-discover the love all over again.

So, fellow Strangers, care to share what ST means to you?


xoxo,
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Old 04-22-2008, 11:09 PM   #2
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Interesting

Well, I wasn't heavy into internet fandom at all. Not until 2004. I was online, but I just enjoyed BtVS, Angel and C/A from my room and with my friends lol I never ventured into those certain Buffy boards. I tell you, it's a good thing I didn't. I would have gotten kicked out of al of them! My mouth is a total trucker mouth and if I'm getting picked on or put down for different beliefs, I don't tolerate it. So, I was lucky to have missed that. Unfortunately, you run into it from time to time, elsewhere. I've been in some shipper arguments, but I just try to brush them off.

I stumbled upon this lovely place in 2004. I had livejournal for a year, before I found that there were actual lj comms for Cordy/Angel and I was fascinated. I didn't feel alone. So, I did a Yahoo search. Stranger Things was near the top of the list, I clicked it and never turned back.

ST, to me, is my haven. Everyone is awesome, we get into great discussions. We are all here for the same things, which is nice. No Cordy or C/A hate. If I read something that burns me up, in fandom, I just come here, and remember there are a shit load of people that love Cordy and C/A. I stick to this place, and close to another forum and that's pretty much it. I don't venture out much into the unknown forums. I don't have time for that lol
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Old 04-23-2008, 02:14 AM   #3
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I came into fandom late--really late, around 2006 and already years after both shows were over--so I was never persecuted for either my ship or the fact that Cordelia was my favorite character. But there came a time when I really got tired of B/A shippers telling me 'Oh, but B/A was so much more real than C/A!' and then trying to convince me to 'get back into the good ship'. For a while I got out of Buffyverse, and when I came back, I avoided the online fandom vehemently.

Until I stumbled upon the link to ST in an FF.net author's profile page.

Like many people, I found a very special place here. Somewhere I could ship in peace and not have other people tell me I'm in the wrong. Where I could meet other shippers, and make friends. Plus, unlike some other places, people here aren't psychotic about fandom, and actually have fun.

ST is like a fandom home to me now
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Old 04-23-2008, 07:15 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigbird811 View Post
But there came a time when I really got tired of B/A shippers telling me 'Oh, but B/A was so much more real than C/A!' and then trying to convince me to 'get back into the good ship'.
I know what you mean. It was worse when these B/Aers discovered that I used to be a B/Aer; it was like I'd gone over to the dark side or something when it was something as simple as being able to see the characters moving on to healthier relationships. Then there's the portion of B/Aers who assume that anyone who's a C/Aer is a 'new fan' who didn't know better even though a lot of Angel fans came from Buffy fandom.
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Old 04-23-2008, 09:06 AM   #5
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ST was my introduction to fandom. The concept that there was a board out there for people with like interests (such as a favorite TV or couple). I still consider this my home, even though most of the people have moved on to other fandoms.

It is a great place to call home and totally spoiled me, I was not prepared for discussions at other boards that involved "chat speak"
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Old 04-23-2008, 09:12 AM   #6
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Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.
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Old 04-23-2008, 09:19 AM   #7
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Well said, SamIAm.

What's 'chat speak' though, Morrigan? Or anyone....
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Old 04-23-2008, 10:26 AM   #8
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LOL, I don't know anything about chat speak, either. Like Morrigan, ST basically opened me up to fandom online. I think the chat speak might be something tied to buffy chat? Not sure. Maybe, we'll get some more details.
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Old 04-23-2008, 12:05 PM   #9
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Well, I actually watched Buffy from the getgo because all my friends were hardcore into it. They were all B/Aers too. I never liked Angel on Buffy so I always kept my mouth shut. I loved Cordelia from the moment I saw her. I thought I could find some Cordy fans by checking out the old official WB boards. The Bronze was so not what I expected and the level of crazy sent me running. That was like 98-99.

I think it was about 03-04, a friend and I were playing a "Worst fanfic ever written" game. One of us would pick a fandom and try to find the worst story out there. She picked Angel once and I stumbled on some GOOD C/A fanfic. I hit the google and found a board that can only be described as the WORST possible place for a new fan. It was all ships, all shows, etc but really, it was populated by a buttload of crazies. I almost walked away from fandom again but luckily, someone from that board PMed me about AO and ST.

When I came to ST I was like what? SANE people in fandom? What the... It really was this huge surprise to me. I just assumed all pairing boards were just as bad as The Bronze and this other unnamed board of unspeakable evil. I thought it was going to batshit crazy C/Aers like the batshit crazy B/Aers I had encountered (not to say they are ALL batshit crazy, cause they aren't. Just the ones I had the displeasure of coming across)

This place has been a serious salvation for me and kept me from leaving the fandom. Whenever something happens on LJ or IMDB that just pisses me off, I come here and know there are sane and awesome people in the fandom. I love that how while some people have moved on, there still come here. There is still a safe place where they can talk and know they are around friends.

And I have made the most fantastic friends through this board, people that I would have NEVER met otherwise. People that I know if I am having a bad day in my real life, I can give them a call, text, or email and they are right there. I know if someone gives me shit on an LJ community, they are going to spring right up to my defense (unless I deserved it, at which point, they will tell me I was being an ass). I know that even after this fandom dries up like a puddle on a hot AZ day, I am still going to have these people in my online life.

So I guess what I should be saying is thanks. Thanks to those that started ST, keep it running, and those that come here. I don't know what I would do without this place. (And wow, I can ramble a ton, huh?)
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Old 04-23-2008, 06:04 PM   #10
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Excuse me, Morrigan, for assuming to speak for you, but I *think* she's referring to LOL, OMG, TTYL, brb, etc. all the time instead of actually using the English language. Or, maybe, to texting style writing. Ne1 her no what I men? I have no idea if that's correct texting talk, but something like that. It's actually one of the main reasons I love this place - the intelligence level. Plus the fact that most people speak in complete sentences and check their spelling.

I also found ST from a disastrous other board experience (*cough*WB*cough*). Until that moment, I thought the Angel/Buffy fandom possessed the most mean spirited, cruel people in fandom and I was ready to close the door on it. But I was welcomed here and was defended against a crazy woman when they didn't even know me. It was awesome. I couldn't have felt more at home and I still do.

Even if, by some miracle, I move on completely from this fandom and C/A (not likely to happen soon), I would stay right here just to talk about everything else in world.
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Old 04-23-2008, 06:15 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by DamnSkippy View Post
Excuse me, Morrigan, for assuming to speak for you, but I *think* she's referring to LOL, OMG, TTYL, brb, etc. all the time instead of actually using the English language. Or, maybe, to texting style writing. Ne1 her no what I men? I have no idea if that's correct texting talk, but something like that. It's actually one of the main reasons I love this place - the intelligence level. Plus the fact that most people speak in complete sentences and check their spelling.
Yep that's exactly what I meant. ST always seemed more adult and like minded. A bunch of intelligent people having relevant conversations about a show, a couple, politics, religion, etc. I remember after finding ST I would venture out to The Bronze Bata, ASS, The WB board, Fan Forum, the posts would be "OMG u rock1!!!!!" it was just odd.

Even now I have to spell and grammar check everything I write for feeling like an idiot.
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Old 04-23-2008, 06:26 PM   #12
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I just had to chime in that I think it is really awesome that some of us had similar experiences. The whole finding the worst of fandom and then finding the best of it. It makes me appreciate ST and the people here so much more. I really love you guys. And that is genunine. I would buy you all a beer if I could meet you in person.

And Debs, you better never leave C/A. We had a deal, remember? You, me, and Samsom. (And I think Nikki could get thrown in there too by now. LOL)
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Old 04-23-2008, 06:54 PM   #13
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Thanks for clearing up what 'chat speak' is, guys! And you're right, I'm so glad everyone here can spell and write properly. If I'm checking this board at the end of a long day, the last thing I want is try to figure out what those letters strung together mean! LOL

You know, when you think about it, the Buffy/Angel fandom appeared to have produced some of the most mean spirited people we have all ever met. It's pretty...I don't know, incredible?! I mean, it's not like I'm active in a lot of fandom, but I was pretty much caught in the whole anti-Doggett phase the X-Files fandom experienced a while ago, but none could compare to the experience we all seemed to be sharing here.

I'm an academic, and I remember attending a Buffy conference a while back. I was presenting a paper on shippers (my main concern being how C/Aers' - or non B/Aers' - voice seemed to be drowned out most of the time). Anyway, the conference organisers wanted to publish a book out of the papers presented, so we were all asked to submit our papers for a peer review. Next thing I know, I was getting 'hate' emails from B/A supporters who have supposedly heard about my paper saying that I was spreading lies and that I was delusional about the whole C/A thing. Long story short, my peer reviewer rejected my paper for the book on the basis that I wasn't presenting a truthful scenario about the fandom.

I coudn't distance myself from that fandom fast enough! Thank god for ST at that time!
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Old 04-23-2008, 07:55 PM   #14
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It's funny that ya'll are saying this because just the other day I was at this board for another fandom entirely and someone posted that they had poked around various Buffy boards but found everyone entirely too polite.



And I say again



I really wanted to comment and ask which boards *they* were hanging out at, because wow, *so* not what I expected to hear. But I didn't.

Anyway, I can't remember how I found ST. I know it wasn't because I'd had a bad experience at the 'main' boards. I only came online around '00 or '01 but it took about a year to find anything Buffy related. I hung around the fringes, heard the horror stories and stayed silent. Then I sent feedback to some chick named Starlet2367 because of a fic she wrote in which Cordelia was treated reverently by Angel, in the middle of a threesome with Wes. Then it occured to me I might have heard of Starlet from a board I used to lurk at, so I came here to see if I was right and I was! I gushed to her, she responded like I *wasn't* the weirdest little fangirl ever and we struck up an ongoing conversation. I showed her a fic I wrote, she gave me some concrit, and urged me to post it here.

And I did, right after I joined. Or something.

I like it here, it's one of the three main places I hang out at. No one is overly gushy, overly fawning and NO ONE, mostly, is so batshit crazy about C/A that they've lost their grasp on reality. I don't like hysterical people that don't know when to step back. I like the rules here, and I love the members because they are some scary smart chicks (and some guys) posting who love C/A, love Cordelia Chase, don't think Joss is God, and have never tasted purple Kool-Aid.


Intelligent grown ups.

Who'd have thunk it?
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Old 04-23-2008, 08:02 PM   #15
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I came to ST through the WB board. I got hammered by some people who I told "THis is the Angel board, take Buffy back to the Buffy board" or something like that, and then a kind person suggested coming here. I'd never heard of fanfiction before this! I was just on the board mostly for the spoilers.

But this board and the world of C/A literally saved my sanity through a very rough patch in my life. I was able to escape to this world and forget about mine for awhile.

Even though I don't really read much C/A anymore, this is still my home online. I also like that everybody is intelligent. I gotta say, this board is one of the most user friendly and well maintained boards out there (Thanks Penny and everyone!)
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