GryffindorTower.net: NO ONE CAN FEEL WANK LIKE WE CAN! *slitz wrists*
The fledgling, mostly-behind-closed-doors Harry Potter/GryffindorTower.net wank is now gloriously in the open. Well, some of it, at least. And I owe it all to a helpful anon in the original heads-up post.

To reiterate, GryffindorTower.net is was the premiere Harry/Ginny fansite. A few days ago, the "queens" (admins/mods) announced it was closing (for reals this time!) in a long, melodramatic goodbye post that fingered at least one admin/mod as the culprit and repeated part of a private email from her. Sadly that has been erased now, but it is preserved here. Thank you, F_W.

The Yahoo!group, Queens of H and G explodes in wank.

Since who the hell wants to sub just to read it, I have reproduced some of it here for your wanking reading pleasure.

Highlights:

From: "Adam" <thewatchingdragon@y...>
Date: Sat Sep 20, 2003 2:32 am
Subject: NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO
I just saw a message on the site saying that GryffindorTower is coming down, please say it isn't so! It can't be taken down, it's the reason I got hooked on Harry Potter. Please say it's going to stay! I need more Harry Potter(even through I haven't finished any of the books). Please don't let it be taken down.

Adam

From: "carissabradley" <carissabradley@y...>
Date: Sat Sep 20, 2003 2:44 pm
Subject: Message from Paula
I recieved the following message from Paula and she asked me to share
it:
I just wanted to say that the email mentioned in Marian's post was intended for a few certain people
ONLY and was NOT intended for public viewing, nor would I have ever dreamed that it would be made
public. I cannot express my feelings of betrayal and general disappointment in whomever decided to make my
words public and in doing so, hurting a lot of people who should have never been hurt.

I do wish each and everyone of you the best, and for my part, I'm sorry things came to this.

Paula

From: "rocl12" <rjocl12@s...>
Date: Sat Sep 20, 2003 3:24 pm
Subject: Re: Message from Paula
This message is intended for Paula,
Sometimes we say and do things which upon sober reflection we wish we had not done. Your mesage may have meant to be private but by e-mailing it into a situation where tempers were hot pretty much guaranteed this public posting would happen. Now is not the time to be upset about how it got out, now is the time to decide if you realy meant it and are prepared to live with the consequences or did you act with haste and now realize upon reflection that you may have been in error. It is the mark of an honest man when he can admit he's wrong or that he has wronged someone else.

Robert Owen

From: Marian La <maidmarian62@y...>
Date: Sat Sep 20, 2003 4:12 pm
Subject: Re: [QoHG] Re: Message from Paula
Everyone,

I take full blame for including Paula's message in with the Official Statement of GT.

(snip for crow-eating)

From: "Adam" <thewatchingdragon@y...>
Date: Sat Sep 20, 2003 4:33 pm
Subject: [QoHG] Re: Message from Paula
So can the site be saved? Can you keep the site up? Can we still find our Favorite Pairing of Harry and Ginny or will we have to find another site?

Adam

From: Marian La <maidmarian62@y...>
Date: Sat Sep 20, 2003 4:46 pm
Subject: Re: [QoHG] Re: Message from Paula
I don't mean to be snippy, I really don't, but you know what, I don't give a crap anymore.

Can the site be saved??? MAYBE, but you know what, I don't give a fuck!

You don't seem to understand what was lost last night. It wasn't just a fan fiction site, it was a home, it was friends, it was family. I lost good friends last night, and it makes me sick to think of why I lost them.

I've also most likely lost a good friend, a sister, do to my own stupidity and right now I'm in mourning.

So you know what, go find another place to read fic, go find another place to chat, go find another place to post silly jokes in a forum. And I'm sure someone, maybe even a Queen will pick up where we died.

But no matter what anyone ever does, it will never mean as much to me as the people I've met, the friends I've made and the family I've lost in at GT.

I'm sorry if I offended anyone, but it's hard to think of fulfilling the enjoyment of 1600 people when I've just lost one of the best things I've ever had in my life.

Marian

From: "lesley_john" <lesley_john@y...>
Date: Sat Sep 20, 2003 8:24 pm
Subject: [QoHG] Re: Message from Paula
Well for not wanting to be snippy, you sure did a pretty good job. And while I feel for all of those in the Admin Group, I'd have to say that stating you are grieving and mourning is a bit over the top. I'd be happy to discuss these two feelings in great detail as I recount how my father died suddenly of a heart attack not six weeks ago. How his two youngest grandchildren will never have a true memory of him. How my mother has no idea of what to do with herself know that the man she spent the last 47 years with is not here. This is grief. This is mourning.

I'd also like to share that reading from the GT site has been a great comfort to me, allowing me to escape from attempting to cope with this loss. Please understand, I don't mean to offend, I realize that you all have lost something very special. But to be party to the disintergration of something as popular as this site and to be upset that the concerns of those, 1600 did you say, are trivial and unimportant compared to your feelings at this time, is irresponsible. You created something wonderful, it touched the hearts of many and all of us has a right to be upset.

Be that as it may, all of you would be foolish to let whatever was said or done erradicate friendships that were something special. Believe me life goes by way too fast and is gone when you least expect it. Time will pass and hurts will fade. My advice to you is when the time comes be a Gryffindor, be brave and ask for
forgiveness and offer it in return.

Blessing to you all,

Lesley

From: Marian La <maidmarian62@y...>
Date: Sat Sep 20, 2003 9:06 pm
Subject: Re: [QoHG] Re: Message from Paula
You know what Lesley,

I'm sorry that your father died, and I KNOW what your mother is going through. BUT DO NOT TELL ME WHAT GRIEF AND MOURNING ARE!

HOW DARE YOU!

You know what grief and mourning are, they are having no parents by the time you are 39, they are watching your father suffer in pain, while his body shuts down slowly and painfully. It's helping him sit up, it's washing him and it's helping him take care of daily needs that would mortify any grown man to have his daughter help him with. And after he's gone it's sending your children to spend some holiday time with their Grandmother only two have her stroke-out in front of them and die. To know that your 9 and 12 year old had to call the ambulance and know that you couldn't get there for fours hours. It's talking to you mom at 3pm (who just got a clean bill of health mind you) and have her dead at 6pm.

Do not preach to me, I know what mourning and grief are! I lost friends yesterday. They might as well be dead, because I doubt I well ever see or talk to them again.

I know it was only a site to you, to me it was my friends.

And I'm sorry if you can't understand what I'm going through.

And I apologize to anyone I offended.

Marian

From: "seriously_sirius_2003" <bretboonebabe23@h...>
Date: Sat Sep 20, 2003 10:12 pm
Subject: This has gone far enough
Most of you will not know me, but I have been reading stories at the Hearth Rug, and when I herd about it losing I came here to find out why. The sight that met my eyes leaves me appalled. You are all grown adults, yet you are all acting like little children, fighting back with nasty words and guilt. Shame on you! Put personal loss aside, and think of your members. Marion--you are not the only one who has made friends and those people may or may not have another way to communicate. If you will get your head out of the sand you will see that you are not the only one that is being hurt.People want to help, and yet others are turning to them and lashing out. The reason that friendships break is because one or all persons involved are so stubborn they will not admit to either being wrong or doing something wrong. So what I am trying to say, and this is directed to Marion and the others that have caused GT to close,is that you all have brought this on yourselves. That does not give you the right to be rude and offesive to members who only are offering their remorse that the site is closing or who are asking questions. The nasty messanges have got to stop before everyone leaves in tears, for those who are writing these hurtful messanges, you are making the wounds deeper, and ruining chances of ever getting back what once was a fantastic place to go and read excellent fan fiction and meet a wide variety of people.

And on it goes. Classic, classic stuff, guys.

Meanwhile, on LJ...

runechilduk, a former mod/admin, waxes poetic about his time there:

To paraphrase C. S. Lewis, I saw Gryffindor Tower born; I never thought I would be here to see its death. In the moments that I speculated on GT's final moments, I always envisaged an incredible party about six months after the book seven release, where we would all celebrate the fulfillment of H/G and the end of a glorious era, before leaving with lifetime friendships and incredible memories. I guess this was never meant to be.

*sniff*

In related news, there is a brand-new troll journal, fandomquibbler, who dares to pry into everyone's business ask the tough questions. Fun in the comments to be had by all! (ETA: Wow, we're really getting somewhere now!)

The Perspective Fairy does not deliver her gifts to all households, it seems.