AF.Net
Haven't been here for a few days. Thought that maybe that way I would bypass the comments about the ongoing march of time that we refer to as Birthdays. Well obviously, like that march I cannot avoid visiting this corner of the web I consider my interweb home. When I first came on line back in 1997, the first search I did was for 'Alpha Flight'. Some strange thing came up called 'Coollist'. Some kind offf mailing list forAlpha fans. It was there I found people like Mik Bennet, Birdy Girl, Seng, Dwayne MacKinnon, a gent called Kirk and some geezer from Canada called Ben. Ben seemed more interested in chucking pies across the ocean instead of discusssing AF, or so it seemed.
Cool list was not without it's faults, messages sent twice, half the list didn't know the rest of the list existed, Kirk struggled through, but was also running the precursor to the present Alphanex. There were false starts, migration to list co-ordinators that didn't quite work, Java chat on Bens web page that took me so long to get into, that Ben and Seng had given up the ghost and buggered off to bed by the time my antiquated PC had got there. Somehow however, I felt at home. Web pages, both old and new were there. Bens Alpha Flight .Net. Sengs page, which I must apologise for not remembering the name off considering it housed my first fanfic. I know it housed 'BOnD', which I came into late, but was fun, until that fateful chapter. Heather, Puck and the almost 'Slashfic'. From those initial daliances I created my own page 'Alpha Enemy Mine', bits of which are still visible in the present Alphanex. Ben and Seng helped so much with that and showed me how it should be done. Around 2003/4 the mailing list seemed to be dying, new people came onto it and if I'm honest I felt jealous that these people intruded into what I considered a private club. One of these new people however, became a bloody good friend, who I shared many a bizarre evening with. Step forward Phil and take a bow. I left the list and immediately signed up to Bens forum. Been here ever since.
Since joining the forum, I've met many a fine person and probably pee'd them of at some point or another. I've mellowed over the years and hope that that shows. I admire anyone who in the face of 'Marvel' disinterest and total disregard for the team I love, visit and post here on a frequent basis.
So we come full circle, I visited here tonight, because I knew I could not temper my love for AF.Net with concerns about wry comments about my age and I find something totally new. I'm finding it difficult to navigate, but somehow I know that the good people of AF.Net will overcome any misgivings and embrace the changes and make the the new, improved AF.Net, the home I know it will be.
One contant, in all my dealings with the online Alpha Flight community is a gentleman from 'Prince Edward Island' called Ben Wells. Many causes have champions, Alpha Flights is Ben Wells. Thank you sir, you are a gent.
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