Relocation? Or gafiation?

[kathleen_dailey]

I was idly looking up a fan writer whom I used to follow a number of years ago on LJ. I was happy when I found that they had a DW account, but when I clicked on the profile I saw that their last update was 350 weeks ago, which somehow sounds even longer than "almost seven years." The writer's DW and AO3 accounts haven't been deleted, so I have to hope and assume that they're still alive and thriving.

I don't know why, but I feel a real sense of loss when I find that someone I remember from years ago has disappeared from this corner of fandom. Maybe the person hasn't really gafiated--maybe they're active on other platforms, and maybe their personal website has just moved elsewhere, without a redirect. (Or, most likely, given the quality of their writing, they've gone pro under another name.) But when a Google search turns up nothing useful, they may as well be in another universe.

Comments

[sixbeforelunch]

Oof, yeah I know this feeling. I prune my circle usually about once a year and it always leaves me melancholy to see people I used to interact with regularly be gone and have no idea where they are or how they're doing.

[kathleen_dailey]

Yes, that feeling of loss is palpable, even though you may never have had RL contact with the people who've disappeared. "Melancholy" is exactly the right word.