Because we're awesome meme

medie is hosting the second annual "because we're awesome" drabble-a-thon in her journal, celebrating female characters in fandom. She's also hosting a "because we're awesome" love meme celebrating the real life women in fandom who have helped us find our places within the fan community.

I was planning on commenting there, but a good chunk of the women I wanted to celebrate I don't think are on her flist to be able to see it, and the point of flailing in admiration about someone really is to let them know that you think they're awesome, so I might as well do it here in my journal.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but everyone here is someone whom I've liked and respected for quite a while, and whom I wouldn't have met if it hadn't been for online fandom. Unfortunately that kind of leaves several people out, but I had to come up with some criteria here or I'd be writing a love note for practically everyone on my flist. Which, erm, would be fun to do sometime, but isn't the main point of this meme.

gibbsgirl, I know you're not online that much on lj anymore, so I'm not even sure if you're going to see this, but you're pretty much the first person I thought about when it comes to online mentors and women leaders in fandom. You were practically the first person I met on the NCIS special ops board, and you were a combo big-sister and cool aunt for several of us, I know. You're a fantastic person, and I owe so much to your encouragement and conversations. Heck, you were even the person to give me the nickname I always use online, because my real name was a bit too much to type in chats when it got late.

ljmckay and heylittleriver, you two are pretty much permanently linked in my mind, and while GG was a mentor figure for me, you two were my closest friends on the board. To a large extent, the friendships I had with you two were the main reasons to hang out on the board every day. I still brighten up every time I see you post here on lj.

mamadeb, I think it was reading one of your essays that made me end up signing up for a livejournal of my own, because I knew that I wanted a chance to talk to you. It's been years on lj now, and I still love talking with you and hearing your perspective.

cheshire23, I just admire you so much. You're warm, intelligent and compassionate, actively engaged with your family and your friends on your flist, and you never seem to stop caring about people and working for what's best. I love talking with you, I love how you so clearly think things through, and I love how you can so often cut through the drama that happens and deal with the real issues at the center of matters.

cacophonesque, you're brilliant. Moreover, you manage to combine being intelligent with being willing to think about and question assumptions, and through it all, you're also warm, friendly, and compassionate. You're one of the people I thank fandom for, because I wouldn't have gotten to know you under any other circumstances, and in that case, I would be missing out on something marvelous indeed.

skirmishofwit, you're witty, insightful, and talking with you is a guaranty that I'm going to end up either doing some serious thinking or giggling like there's no tomorrow, or more often than either, both. You are absolutely amazing.

minisinoo, I'm always struck by how wise you are. It's rare to meet someone who truly possesses wisdom, and I'm so grateful to have met you online.