by Michelle Thompson (Seahurst)

Part 1

Last August when Jacky held the first fan fiction gathering in New York, I had such a good time, that when they announce there would be another one on the West Coast, there was no hesitation...I knew I would go, no matter where I was in the country. Although, this time I told myself that I wouldn’t go on any tours before the party, because in New York I had spent the afternoon on one of those Gray Line tours, and was enjoying it so much that I was almost an hour late for the party! So, I was determined to be focused in San Francisco and to be on time! Yeah right!!

The weather report said rain... pouring down rain with thunder storms...yet, when I arrived on Friday afternoon, it was absolutely beautiful, the sun shining brightly, and the temperatures mild. Perfect weather for the marathon a group of us ended up on as we went in search for a taxi that would take us back to our hotels, to freshen up before the party.

Starting at Ghirardelli Square, we started walking... UP. Don’t ask me why we couldn’t have walked down, or across ...I just know we started walking UP, while at the same time frantically looking around for a taxi, which by the way, was a great excuse to stop walking (secretly trying to catch my breath.) Up and up we went, and still no taxi in sight. Well, I take that back, there were taxis all around us, but they all had people in them already...drats! I think the reason for us heading up was because that was the general direction of our hotels, not because anyone actually wanted to be walking up those vertical rock faces they call hills in SF! I of course am blaming this all on JWET, who had the audacity to still be smiling while the rest of us had our tongues hanging down, licking the sidewalks, trying to walk backwards without tripping... because, hey, it really does help! Okay, maybe it was just me whose tongue was collecting pebbles, and, whose face was beet red. Either way, I am blaming JWET!!! I mean, how did she do that? No heavy breathing, no red face...just that damn infectious smile of hers! Of course, seeing that she was about to have a mutiny on her hands, she quickly became our savior by suggesting that maybe, just maybe we might have better luck finding a taxi if we walk DOWN this hill!! Thank God!!!!

Besides the obvious fact that I really do need to get into shape, the moral of this particular story is even when we were panting so hard (except JWET) and we could barely talk...even when this side trip once again made me late to the party...you can have a wonderful time, even when totally out of your element...and you can make wonderful connections with those sharing that experience with you. Because, even through all that heavy breathing, when we did speak...we were happily getting to know each other, and of course, talking about fan fiction...the whole reason we were there in the first place!

The party itself was great! Even though the music was loud enough that we had to practically yell at each other, but hey...that just meant we had to stand closer together so we could hear...and that my friends is almost never a bad thing in a women’s bar! The Café is a great space, and the bartender was lots of fun, and very generous to all of us. They even put out food for us, which was a very nice touch on their part. There were about 25 L Worders there, all wearing name tags, and it was fun to watch people’s faces change... their smile brighten, when they read the name tag of someone whose stories they enjoy. Names like Madcapper, Nettababy, Funnyone...and more. I sat back and smiled as I watched that happen over and over throughout the night.

As a fan fiction writer it is always comforting, as well as exciting to meet other writers, as well as the women who read my stories. I read every comment that is left on every chapter I write (quite often more than once), so I am always thrilled to meet the people behind the wonderful, and a lot of times, very touching comments. Plus, just like all of you, as a reader, I have my favorite authors. So, to have an opportunity to not only meet some of them, but to talk endlessly about fan fiction...well, let’s just say it warms the cockles of my heart. Although, if you ask me who my favorites are, the list would be long. It would have both authors who were writing when this site was just starting out, and authors who themselves are just starting out.

While we were having a great time, making new connections, trying to get the inside scoop on favorite stories...or trying to convince others to hurry up and post again (JWET!!)...a woman asked why all the names tags? Were we celebrating a birthday? When someone explained to her who we were, she got excited and told us that not only were she and her partner visiting from Vancouver, but that they both had been involved with The L Word! The vivacious  redhead, explained that she worked on the landscaping around Bette and Tina’s pool for the pilot episode, and her partner, originally from Brazil, is Jennifer Beals stand in! That’s right...you heard me, Jennifer Beals stand in!! It is her job to stand, or sit, or whatever, on the mark so they can adjust the lighting, and framing for filming, and then when they are set, JB steps in. May I make a personal observation here and say...oh my God...ggggorgeous!!!! Both these women were very nice to share some stories with us. Don’t worry Showtime, they didn’t tell us anything to do with future storylines...didn’t reveal any secrets...they just shared some fun stories about what it was like to be involved with the show, and even though it could be hard work, how much they enjoyed being a part of this ground breaking.....and after season three, spirit breaking... show. (That last part is my opinion, not theirs.)

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