In case I forget, because sometimes I do--
I love fandom.

And one of my favorite things about fandom is threads like this one. (For context: In the entry, lamardeuse recs chibirhm's fic and says, "this is apparently the writer's first foray into fanfic, to which I say WHERE HAS SHE BEEN ALL MY LIFE?")

Setting aside the wank, the one-uppery, the fail of every flavor, the line-crossing, and the unending stupid, at the end of the day, fandom brings together a bunch of people who've always been told they weren't quite right, and encourages them to sit around telling each other (sincerely) how totally awesome they are.

It bears noting that there are easily half a dozen people on my flist of whom I have been, at one time or another, in fannish awe of the "omg she knows my name" variety, and I have met nearly all of them, and found them to be generally fantastic people who are a little off and a lot nerdy and in short, exactly as awesome (and exactly as intimidating) as all my other friends.