Ahoy!

Boz4pm by fondued jicama on 2014-09-14 03:59:00 UTC Reply

This is kinda a long shot, but I figured it's worth the try -- there are some older names on this board who'll remember this name (and mine, maybe).

Does anyone know what happened to Boz? Five years ago she stopped posting anywhere -- LJ, ff.net, deviantart. She wasn't active here for a long time before then, but she's well-known in LotR fandom...

In the last thing she posted in her journal, she joked about her husband being worried she had swine flu.

Like I said, a long shot. She kept her personal life separate. I've just been hoping somebody *somewhere* had more of a connection to her and maybe knew what was going on, even if just to confirm that yeah, she died.

(also, to the few names I recognize -- okay, maybe just Huinesoron, hi! *waves*)

Re: Boz4pm by BeautyID on 2014-09-26 01:40:00 UTC Reply

Funny, I check in here every few months or few years to see if this place is still going (obviously it is, I mean who am I kidding, and may the PPC live on forever) - just so happened to see this post tonight.

I also have wondered about Boz over the years. I still think about her and wonder what happened to this day. She disappeared very suddenly. There was no indication, from what I recall, that she was leaving or that anything was wrong. Maybe she just decided to leave the fandom and make a clean break. Whatever the case, I hope she and her family are well. :\

And every time you do, I say hello. Hi! (nm) by Huinesoron on 2014-09-26 09:03:00 UTC Reply

Belated hello! by Neshomeh on 2014-09-15 19:29:00 UTC Reply

I was a-Gathering this weekend, or I would've said something sooner. I'm afraid I can't help, and I don't know if you'd remember my name, but I do remember yours. It's nice to see you back. {= )

I hope Boz is all right. I didn't know her well, but she was a Board celebrity when I joined, and still is.

~Neshomeh
Wow, there are quite a few of you still here! by fondued jicama on 2014-09-14 19:32:00 UTC Reply

Dann, VixenMage, Elcalion! Hi, you guys! You have long memories. :D

-Scratches head- by Desdendelle on 2014-09-14 19:52:00 UTC Reply

I don't think we've met - seems that you've disappeared by the time I joined. So: hi! Have this cup of tea!
Just don't let the leaves eat you.

Fondy! by Huinesoron on 2014-09-14 09:17:00 UTC Reply

Wait, did we call you Fondy? I don't actually remember doing so, but it's such an obvious nickname...

Anyway, hi! Yay, I'm remembered. ^-^ Unfortunately, I can't help with Boz, though VixenMage is right that LJ was all sort of fading at that time. Question: did she stop posting at exactly the same time everywhere, or just fade out over time? Checking the Board archives, it seems she posted surprisingly little (that survives), and her last recorded post is waaay back in May 2006 (on a Fill the Plotholes thread, of all things). LJ is 2009... but her Friends Only banner says the following:

Please be advised that my online time is seriously limited if not all but non-existent these days, though.

That was in March; she stopped posting in July. Anyone remember how old Bozling was?

And yeah, it looks like she just faded out over time. She stopped writing fanfic on ffn and Open Scrolls ca. Sept 08; she last posted on Goodreads in Dec 08; she last posted on Yuki Jan 09; deviantArt in 07; everything indicates someone with just less and less time to be online, not someone who was deeply involved and then suddenly died.

Ehm... she was based in London, apparently, so if she managed to die of swine flu, she'd've been ridiculously unlucky: there were less than 300 deaths in England total. My best guess is that she just... ran out of time to Internet.

Final note: she was already posting irregularly before she stopped. End of May she did a 'last few weeks' update, which suggests she wasn't regularly saying anything much. Her LJ looks like mine - random posts which suddenly stop.

And... hmm. Her second-to-last post was on Jul 9th, but her replies to comments were all on either the 12th or 19th. Nothing in between. That just happens to be two consecutive Sundays - the day when even people with no time at all can find half an hour here and there. No, I'm definitely going to say 'no internet time', followed by 'couldn't be bothered to go back'. Though that doesn't explain no emails...

hS

(Bet there's enough personal information in her LJ that we could track her down. For starters - there was a funfair in a park four blocks from her on June 22nd 2009. Who wants to hunt up the details? :D)

Hi back! by fondued jicama on 2014-09-14 19:26:00 UTC Reply

I may have gone as Fondy on here for a while too (?), but it wouldn't surprise me if you picked it up from LJ -- ten years later Kelduiniel *still* calls me Fondy because she prefers it to my actual name. :P

You, sir, are exactly the sort of person who is useful at this sort of thing! I hope you're right about her simply being busy. For a long time that was my assumption also. I found a comment I'd made to someone on deviantart in 2011 where I said exactly that. They were the first person to suggest that people had begun to worry if she was okay. I never bothered to ask what this person meant by "people-" how many and at what site, or what sort of information they had- because I assumed she was fine.

What gets me are the emails. You're right to think it's odd, I agree. Boz never struck me as a callous or cold person, and people had started to leave comments on her stuff clearly showing concern, and to the best of my knowledge she never replied to any of them. Still, the fact that she was posting replies two weekends after being sick makes me feel better.

Also, about [[DELETED AT SUBJECT'S REQUEST]] -- she sent me several private messages a half a year or so ago politely asking if I could delete any trace of comments she'd left on my deviantart page. Stuff to do with fandom, mostly, but she wanted all of it gone. I ended up deleting my entire profile just to be safe. I think she was worried stuff from her past might somehow make it into her public/career life, or maybe it already had. Sending her an ask is still a good idea, though. I'm just hesitant because I don't want to make her feel anxious about people from her past tracking her down, even if it's just for information on someone else.

It's kind of a mystery. If any of you all manage to find any leads on your England-y side of things, I'd love to know!

Do you want me to do it? by Huinesoron on 2014-09-19 12:31:00 UTC Reply

Ask [[DELETED AT SUBJECT'S REQUEST]], I mean. 'cause unfortunately (for us), Boz was very good about not saying, like, anything personal. All I was able to find was somewhere her family used to live (a massive area of London), the fact that she was within four blocks of a park... and a description of her kitchen window. Not very useful.

hS

No worries. by fondued jicama on 2014-09-19 15:19:00 UTC Reply

I'm working on it. :) I'll let you know if I have something, but it might be a little while.

Ooh, me! by KittyEden on 2014-09-14 09:46:00 UTC Reply

I love a good detective hunt!
So, Watson, where do we start searching first?
One thing you might try. by Huinesoron on 2014-09-14 09:46:00 UTC Reply

Boz's best friend in all the world (apart from Bozling, Hubby, and the hilarious cats) seems to have been [[DELETED AT SUBJECT'S REQUEST]]; she beta'd every chapter of the Don't Panic! stories, and Boz was still talking about her in November '08, at any rate.

Well, [[DELETED AT SUBJECT'S REQUEST]] is on Livejournal, as [[DELETED AT SUBJECT'S REQUEST]]. And, apparently, she's still posting, though entirely flocked (confirmation that they're the same person can be found [[DELETED AT SUBJECT'S REQUEST]]). You could definitely try messaging her to ask if she knows how Boz is doing. The worst she can do is not reply.

And if you do get an answer - please do let us know. You've made me all worried now...

hS

Her journal is blank. (nm) by Ekyl on 2014-09-14 18:58:00 UTC Reply

Great Scott! Ya don't say. by Huinesoron on 2014-09-14 20:19:00 UTC Reply

Her journal is entirely friends-locked, yes. There's a button to send a message at the top of her profile, if you're logged in. Since I happen to know fondued jicama has an LJ, that won't be a problem.

hS

Alas no by Elcalion on 2014-09-14 08:15:00 UTC Reply

I haven't seen her online since round about then either. She's not posted on another board that we both frequented either.

Also, welcome back, however briefly!

Elcalion
Ahoy! by Techno-Dann on 2014-09-14 06:48:00 UTC Reply

Sadly, I have not heard from Boz - the last I crossed paths with her was here.
Would that I did. by VixenMage on 2014-09-14 06:22:00 UTC Reply

I've tried contacting her a few times since she disappeared, all to no avail. I remember her LJ being normal right up until it stopped, but I'd been drifting away from LJ myself at that point.

I do miss her, though; good luck. If you do manage to contact her, please let her know I've been thinking of her.

(Also, hi! I remember you! Welcome back!)