Splix

I first connected with Splix through her fics. Holmescet shippers are rare, so I read her fics with relish. Wrong With Us was a favorite. Then I read her other Sherlock fics. The Case of the Green Gown I'm convinced is her best. I listened to her holmescest roundtable on Three Patch Podcast, which is a great discussion and I highly recommend for anyone who wants to hear Alex's voice. I don't think I'm up to it yet but I plan on listening again at some point.

I followed Splix on tumblr and she mentioned who her congressperson was and I was like, "that's my congressman! I bet you live near me!" I had just moved to Albuquerque, my husband and I were separated, I didn't have many friends, and I was overwhelmed with excitement by the idea that there was a fandom person in my town. We watched Season 4 of Sherlock messaging each other. We went to see TFP in the theaters together. We hung out on a handful of other occasions, and it meant so much to me, because I was at a time of big transition in my life and I was really lonely.

Alex was already sick when I met her. But she still made an effort to get out and do things, like come to 221b Con in 2018. We were in a fiction workshop together and got to hang out during the con, and these are some of my favorite memories of her. I'm sorry I didn't make it out to Con*strict. It sounds like those who went had a good time.

Alex won me for Fandom Trumps Hate 2017. She wanted a Euriarty fic. My other winner wanted a Jimcroft fic. And I owed a Sheriarty fic to a friend from another auction. I decided to combine the three into a single story, The Three Little Pigs. It remains one of the stories I'm the most proud of.

Alex gave me her copies of Bridget Jones's diary and Pride and Prejudice. She said she was Konmariing, but I had a feeling that she was getting rid of things because she was preparing for death, even though at the time she was still pursuing treatment options. I knew the time we had together was precious.

I last saw Alex in July. She had a few days of work left before she was starting Hospice. It was clear she was exhausted and she was having trouble walking, but she made an effort to meet me for lunch. She talked frankly about her impending death and I was impressed with the grace and dignity with which she was handling the situation. Her attitude was a great comfort to me. I suspected it might be the last time I saw her, but I was really hoping we'd be able to meet at least one more time. I texted Alex last week to ask if I could see her, but I'm guessing she was too sick or too tired to respond. Write_out posted the news that she was gone on Tuesday.

I didn't know Alex as well as I would have liked, but the times we had together were wonderful. It was clear that she was a great person, as well as a great writer. I am glad that I got to spend the time with her that we did, as she came into my life at a time when I really needed a friend. I didn't say goodbye the last time I saw her because I was hoping I'd see her again. So, I'll say it now:

Goodbye, Alex. I'll miss you. I'm sorry I didn't get to know you better.