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So. Three years, huh. I've been here from ninth grade, from age fifteen. And now I'll be graduating soon and I'm eighteen and life is crazy, man. You guys have shaped me in countless ways into the girl I am now, and I really, seriously can't thank you enough for it. The Shard has been everything to me, especially in times of low mental health (so all the time :P). But we'll get sappy at the end. For now, it's statistics recap time! Looking at my previous Shardiversaries, this time last year I had 54 followers. That number...doubled. 112 of you are now following me. That's insane to think about for someone who's never really used social media, and I've gotta say thank you ahead of schedule. I've also won almost 100 days and am the Stormfather at 6,600+ rep - placing me in the top ten Sharders on the reputation leaderboard, above Brandon Sanderson and Peter Ahlstrom themselves. Uhh, what are other dumb number accomplishments that don't really mean anything but monkey brain is stupidly happy about them anyway...? My profile's got over fifty thousand views, that's cool. I've posted 8,000+ times not counting forum games. I'm in nearly four hundred PMs with you awesome people! I started and joined Yet More RPs Oh Gosh Will She Ever Stop and freaked out about Rhythm of War with everyone. Oh, and I got spiked into the mod team. That was a thing that happened. I'm perpetually joyous yet panicking about the fact that I get to help make the Shard, well, the Shard. It's an honor that I hope I've done well with so far. I love you people so much, and getting to help make this a place where others can find friends too? Storms, it's crazy. As always, I'll try to mention as many of you as I possibly can, but please don't feel bad if I don't - to shamelessly reuse my explanation from last year: I can’t list all of you because I will literally run out of original compliments, and it’ll end up as something like “you’re cool! And you can write! I like what you write and how you talk!” for everyone and that’s not very nice of me, so to everyone I didn’t mention - that does not mean I don’t enjoy talking with you, laugh when I read your RP, or overanalyze your member titles. It just means I’m running out of ways to say those things without saying the same thing to all of you and feeling guilty about it. We'll start the lovefest off with Truth, of course. TRUTHIE. You're adorable and cool and you send me funny things and it's actually hard to think of specific moments because there's just a vague blob labeled 'love girlfriend' in the brain. I don't know what to say. I love you. (@theTruthshaper) Let's quickly go over people I gushed about last time next. @Sorana is still fantastic and I love everything you've sent me (that bookmark!!!) and Max is freaking adorable! @MetaTerminal continues to help me out of mental health doom and is just great to talk to, thanks as always for that. @Doomstick hasn't stopped being fun and awesome and having a million inside jokes, and also he makes THE BEST CHOCOLATES THAT HAVE EVER BEEN. @Wyndlerunner is, as always, a presence of light in the world. @The Awakened Salad will literally always be #relatable and amazing. I've chatted a little more with @Jaywalk since last year and he's still a great guy. @xinoehp512 - I actually got to know you better over the course of this year and I'm very glad I did; tired Xino is great and your simple platformer is oddly addicting. Also thanks for being cool in JAM. Star, you're also someone who I've talked with more, and same goes - you're a fun person! Thanks for the incredible Deteca and Marie art and for your song recs hehe I love Au/Ra now. (@Shard of Thought) @Butt Ad Venture, too; you're a really cool fanfiction writer, and very sweet. Another congrats on Clara to @ZincAboutIt. And it's been nice to get to know you more, Lessie!! (@Truthless of Shinovar) Oh boy, now we get into new names. *rubs hands together* Aright, here we go. The Sharder Lair is most definitely a group I treasure, and will probably remember for the rest of my life. You guys are so fun to hang out with and so loving when someone feels down. Watching movies, playing games, just hanging out together, it's all so great. Thanks for that. @Mist! I know everyone jokes about you being the adult of our little group but like...seriously you're so responsible. I'm a little happy that you don't have to practically run the server on your own anymore. You're so kind and smart and thoughtful and A Good Human. Hen, you're fun and funny and nice, and you're also like the first person I ever met who liked the Host without me introducing it to them so that's a point in your favor (@Hentient) Fritz, your perspective is...idk how to word this. I like the way your thoughts interlock; they're tasty. Thank Truth and Salad! You're also a Good Human, making Mittens very adorable. (@FriarFritz) Rev, your art is almost as incredible as your awesomeness. All the praise and hugs. (@revelryintheart) Goatyyyy I have no idea why I latched onto your ie name over your regular one but it happened...anyway, Two Sides of the Same Coin has been fun to GM with you. I'm so glad you're happy. (@Chasmgoat) Many hugs to Dark and Vapor. I love you both, you're wonderful, interesting, sweet, pretty girls who deserve love. You can't argue with me, it's my Shardiversary. Same goes for Emi - also your art and Vapor's is so cool! (@Darkfinder, @Vapor, @Emi) I hope you're okay, Wind, safe and happy. We're here for you. (@Ookla the Hemalurgic Pinto) @Teshhhh! I'm so glad to be talking with you again; you're just as awesome as I remembered from the olden days of 2018. From being TUBA buds to now, I have always enjoyed talking with you. And @DramaQueen ace priiiide Feather and Nymyyrriq, I haven't spoken with you much lately but I don't think I mentioned you in my last Shardiversary update and you're both really nice and cool. (@SingingMosaic) (I hope your screenreader has a fast-forward function if you don't want to read this whole wall of text...sorry, if not...) Oh no I've reached the 'running out of unique words' part @Channelknight Fadran! You are scintillating and one day I want a signed copy of your series! @Matrim's Dice! It was nice modding with you and I hope your life is going well! @Ghanderflaffle! You have cute animals and you're fun on the Shard! @Condensation, ayyy someone else who actually liked Twilight, lol. @Rosharan A.C.! You...have a nice face! And are cool! And okay I think I need to start using broader strokes, focusing on individuals can only take you so far lol. All the frens on the Just Around Messing SMP are way cool! That was an adventure, @AmazingGoob. @Spock is still and will always be Best Shard Dad (I know you're not that old but you give off dad vibes ngl). Thanks for rescuing me multiple times, everyone @Knight of Iron, and for Bean! And thanks for making the server, @Scarletfox. Sorry for rotating your books. Thank you to AAAG for being there. You know who you are. @Kingsdaughter613, @mathiau, @Random Bystander, @Omi the Counselor, @Kings_way, and@The Unknown Order, RPing with you on Scadrial has been a blast. Fish, Kindness, Flying, Twig, Taken, Jester, probably a thousand people I'm forgetting, I don't know you that well yet but you all seem like cool folks. Keep doing you. Being a moderator has carried a lot of anxiety with it - fearing that I'm too young or weird or random to fit into the friend group, just not being as experienced with dealing with things. But you've tried to include me and have reassured me when I'm being dumb. I really appreciate you guys for that and for just being such fantastic people in general; it's not only an honor working with you all but a delight. Extra to Grey, Jess, and Feather for answering my stupid questions and being Cool Peeps. And extra apologies ha I'll never stop apologizing to Chaos for anything I'm forgetting. Pickles are delicious though You guys are all...a lot. I don't have many close friends where I live, so y'all are basically my social circle, and that means you're a sizable chunk of my life. Last time I went all cheesy and said "I don’t love you to death. I love you to life, because that’s what your love did for me." And that's still true! But I don't think it encapsulates what the lot of you mean to me. I've tried to think of fancy ways to say this, and nothing is really better than simply saying it. You're my home. *nods and raises a glass of water with lemon juice in it* To another year, homies. right that sounded terrible I'm never calling you that again ugh

It’s… been a year. Wowza, that shot by fast. It’s probably fate, then, that decided that it’d be fun to make me have a writer’s block right now. I’m not going to tag anybody… but then again, I might tag everybody. I’m not sure; I’m writing this ahead of time. I’m worried that if I tag people, I’ll inevitably forget somebody, and that’d be a sad thing. Heck; the Shard might not let me tag everyone, and we all know how feisty the status-update-editing algorithm is (I.E. it does not exist). There are definitely some things I need to address separately, so by using the POWER OF SPOILER BOXES, I can categorize stuff! The Iconar Collective: The Fellowship of the Thing: Shoutouts to other RPs: The Shard in my Personal Life: So... Happy Shardiversary to me, I guess. Thanks, everyone!

This is mostly going out to @Vapor and @EmiTheNinja, but if you're not one of these two wonderful people, then that doesn't mean you can't take anything in what I expect to be a massive wall of text to heart. You guys all know me as this crazy, charismatic, and all-around happy guy (I think). I do my best to personify that in my posts and whatnot, and to be completely honest, it's not usually that difficult for two reasons: I am, in fact, a crazy, charismatic, and all-around happy guy; at least, I am for most of the time. I can type literally anything from behind a computer screen and portray any emotion I want. I could be bawling my eyes out right now and you guys would never know What most of you probably don't know is that sometimes I am not a crazy, charismatic, and all-around happy guy. After recent events and other disappointments, my parents and I are pretty scudding sure that I have depression. In case you were wondering, having depression isn't fun: it doesn't take very much to trigger me into an angry or depressed streak. I'm more irritable than usual, I get frustrated really easily, and my stress levels are through the roof. There's a weird thing at my school where everyone's always like "Look at me, I have depression." I'm pretty sure this came from the memeverse, because I've never understood it. Basically, every other kid pretends they have depression because they think it's cool to have depression. At this point, it's impossible to determine who actually has depression and who's just pretending. Back before I realized I was depressed a whole scudding lot, I kind of assumed that it didn't even exist: that it was just something kids made up for pity points and likes on reddit. Now that I am depressed a whole scudding lot, I've had plenty of opportunities to think to myself, "nope, nope... it definitely exists." Being an aspiring author, I've had lots of time to study up on character arcs and whatnot. I don't like blowing my own horn, but I think that doing so has made me a bit of a wiser person. I could go on and on about how thinking of myself as wise makes me not wise, and how I'm just trying to tell myself or whatever, but... just... we'll ignore that for now. At the very least, I've put thought into how characters struggle with their own faults and weaknesses, as well as how they overcome them. I must've had a bit of an ego going for awhile, because when I realized that I had the same struggles as those characters, it was a huge blow to my paradigm. If you guys have ever wondered why I tend to turn down compliments, it's because I don't enjoy taking pride in myself; I feel self-centered and narcissistic whenever I do so (it's kinda annoying sometimes, to tell you the truth). So looking back and realizing that I essentially thought that my "character arc" was something different and "better" than those of characters in various media kind of made me think, "was I really that crass?" I think that everyone thinks that they've reached the peak of wisdom and maturity at the point they're currently in. As a seven-year-old, I can distinctly remember thinking that I was finally a big boy now: I could go out and live on my own for all I cared. Same for when I was eight; and nine, and ten, and so on. Perhaps the biggest revelation I've ever had was just realizing "hey... y'know, I'm not done growing yet, and I doubt I ever will." It was that thought that kind of defines what most of us think of a "character arc." Some people mistakenly say that character development has to end in change, which is totally untrue (remember Frodo and the Ring? He literally failed his arc. The only reason the Ring was destroyed was because of the promise Smeagol broke, and evil being the only thing being capable of destroying itself, and... okay, I'm going off on a tangent here, DO NOT PROVOKE ME, CHILDREN, I WILL GO ON FOR AGES ABOUT THE THEME IN LOTR). A character arc is simply defined by choices and growth, whether those choices be good or bad; that growth for the better or for worse. The supposed "character change" is made by a character choosing to change. If you're reading this, then you're probably on the Shard. Furthermore, you're probably relatively active on the Shard, and likely a member of the extended group of buddies that I happen to be a member of. During this stupid pandemic (I bite my thumb at thee, Corona), I've come to rely on the friends I have here for basically all of my social interaction. That's probably not completely healthy, but that isn't the point I'm trying to make here. The point I'm trying to make is that you've all been supportive of me, and I'd like to have a chance to be supportive of you. Well, that's real great, Fadran. Is there a reason why you gave us that massive wall of text for what seems like a relatively superficial point? Shush. I'm not done yet. I still need my super-Dainspeech-style closing argument thingy. The reason I made this status update was because of two friends of mine here on the Shard: Vapor and Emi. Near as I can tell, they're the two sweetest and most loveable people on the face of the entire scudding planet. Only problem is, they strongly disagree. Very strongly disagree. Anyone on the Sharder Lair discord would know of our incessant conversations trying to convince these two to love themselves and be happy. Generally, trying to convince a Sharder to be happy with who they are is like trying to convince a stick to become fire; difficult, but not impossible. Unfortunately, when Sharders be like the one and only Fadran, trying to convince them to be happy is like trying to convince a rock to become fire... or, rather, trying to convince a rock to become a warrior instead of a cook. The reason I made this SU is to try to convince them that it's okay to be unsatisfied with where you are right now. I'm very unsatisfied with where I am currently, and I think that's understandable: I'm depressed all the time, I'm easily irritable, and I get mad at people real easy. None of those things are desireable traits. Maybe you guys have undesireable traits. Maybe you think that you're ugly and worthless and mean. You're not the only person who thinks of themselves that way. I doubt that there's a person in the world who's completely satisfied with how they are. What's important is just trying to show yourself some mercy and love. It isn't lawful that man should run more than he has strength (scud, I love that scripture), so just do your best. Remember that you're loved here, and we're only going to encourage you to try to improve. Unfortunately, we can only take you halfway. We can cheer you up and endlessly hurl compliments in your direction... but you can only take a horse to water. You can't make it drink. In the end, the only thing that matters is the choice you make. We'll walk with you, talk with you; we'll carry you if we have to. We'll drop you on the crossroads of your life, cheering you on to keep going, but there's nothing we can do to make you choose to become better. Rely on us for the journey, not the destination. The choice belongs to you. Hopefully that helped you somewhat. Don't die, ~ Fadran

Something seriously crazy just happened to me I'm off school, so today I've done a couple of different piano improv sessions. It's been feeling really good. A couple of hours ago I sat down at the piano and started playing, but then I just kept going. I closed my eyes to let the music come through me and as I played I started to fall into a trance-like state. But then I literally started dreaming. But I was still playing! I was conscious but not conscious if that makes sense. Like I was aware of my fingers, but pretty much everything else was skimming on the horizon of my imagination. I was interpreting my dream through the playing; the dream and music were working in tandem, weaving in and out of each other. About an hour went by with me dream-playing. I literally had a dream about some weird alien guy being kidnapped on a spaceship and then there was like a telescope that could see through the ocean... anyway (dreams are weird xD)—it was pretty magical. (tho there was this one wacky moment when I started playing really silly music at the birthday party started and things got weird ) Anyway, it was probably one of the coolest things that've ever happened to me. I am the most relaxed I've been in months right now. Music really is therapy, y'all!

Welp… I’m banned from the shard for an indefinite amount of time. Tomorrow’s my last night. It’s something about getting real friends (but the people around me are boring or moral-less) so yeah see y’all when I leave the house. I’ll just go cry now. See you tomorrow.

I've been on this wild roller coaster of a fansite for four years and I ain't about to get off anytime soon. Here until we crash and burn, baby. ...Let's not, though. This time I'm going to save musings for after the Compliments Section. This is so I can put the staff right at the top, as they tend to have limited time, so certain people don't have to ask for a TL;DR anymore. I intentionally won't try to mention everyone, or anywhere close actually, but I love every single one of you. First up: @Chaos, as intimidated as I used to be by you, I now think you're wonderful and kind and I really admire you. I enjoy talking with you even when we're both tired and really should be sleeping. Can't wait to read your book someday. @Argent, your humor and measuredness make the world a better place to be in. I'm very glad I get to know you. @LewsTherinTelescope, you're cool and things. Words are hard but talking with you is always Good. You know what I mean. @Otto Didact, one day I am going to meet and hug you and the world will probably be at peace or something. I need to talk to you more because you're amazing and your Dad Vibes are healing. Also, you have possibly the best hair in staff chat. Don't tell Evgeni. @Kaymyth, speaking of parent vibes, you are really cool like so cool and also so loving and also like can I have your autograph someday?? Literally, I mean, I'm gonna be buying your books eventually @Paleo, your wizardry is fantastic, but your creations aren't the only thing making you awesome. I appreciate you and your help very much. @Voidus, you and your care and thoughtfulness have never ceased to be there, and I hope I get to talk to you, read your RP, and hear about your campaigns and kiddos being cute forever. @firstRainbowRose and @little wilson, meeting you two at the last Dragonsteel Minicon was so fun and you're both so nice! I'm excited to see you both again. Mi'ch, you are incredible and don't forget it. Kendra, sometimes I just think of you and your offers to talk about stuff and it's...steadying. <3 Working with all of you continues to be an honor and a joy, and hanging out with you more so. On to non-staff! IT'S TIME FOR ME TO TALK ABOUT THE BENES. @The Awakened Salad @Tesh ARE YOU GUYS READY TO BE DELUGED IN LOVE? I hope so because you're my best friends and more important to me than all the world. Specific compliments elude me when everything applies, so...reread our platonic wedding vows, kiss your pet, and know that you are the beaniest FAB Squad ever and I will never, ever forget you and our conversations and hangouts. You are skilled, you are loved, you are interesting, and I will always listen to you. May dragons, avi. To the many people I've met in-person at various times over the past year - I absolutely loved it, for the record, and you are as awesome as sour Skittles. To those I've talked with after absences, I'm overjoyed to speak to you again. Special shoutout to @Ashspren - chatting with you on Discord has been great, Ash! @Robin Sedai, I don't know you super well yet but you're really kind and I hope your life is going well. I always look forward to singing Hamilton with you @Wyndlerunner beep. *boops your nose* @#1 Taln Fan, you are awesome and amazing and funny and don't you ever let yourself forget it! All of you reading this deserve individual statements, but I'm too tired to do something more elaborate - totally lost track of the days and wasn't writing this one in advance. No way I could keep up the giant lists forever, anyway. You all take care of yourselves, you do deserve it - and I know it's hard sometimes, or most of the time, but it will get better, I promise. No matter what. Keep hanging on. I haven't been very active on the forums this past year. I mean, I've been on, but only about ~500 posts outside the games is telling. Still, despite that, I've had a grand time both here and on the server. I've graduated, gotten a job, and become a different person in many ways this year. I'm fairly happy with who I am now, which is nice, lol. I won't apologize for this not being more ornate, I'm too tired. Knowing the lot of you is an adventure, and I never want to give that up. *toasts you all with a glass of eggnog* Love ya. May this next year be better than this one, and with less hardships for those we love.

So, my Shardiversery is tomorrow, but tomorrow I'm probably going to be too busy freaking out about my AP world history test that's on Monday to write this, so I'm doing it now. Over the last year, a lot has happened. I have made some really good friends on here through Discord, and a few other things. I discovered there was a really good chance I was on the autism spectrum (I still don't have a diagnosis, but we'll see what the future holds), and I realized the stress of life goes down tenfold if you don't have to worry about friendships you were single-handedly holding up. I started taking AP world history, as well as two other history classes, with the best teacher ever, and my view of the world has completely shifted. It's awesome, and I'd happily discuss anything from the Abbasid Caliphate to tsarist Russia to human rights with anyone who wants to join in that conversation. I also am now a proud Nerdfighter! As I mentioned earlier, I got on Discord a while back, and through that, I got to know a lot of people. To all of you Discord people, you're all incredible. You're some of the most amazing human beings I know. Thank you all for putting up with all my weirdness. And here are some notes to individual people. I apologize to everyone I forgot. There are too many awesome people on here to remember everyone off the top of my head. @The Awakened Salad You are such an awesome person, and such a good friend. I am so grateful for your willingness to talk about anything, and for being there for me. Long live The Awakened Salad Co! Also STAELSAHD! (We need to figure out the overlap between those two things...) @Channelknight Fadran It's been so great getting to know you over the last few months. In all honesty, when I first started seeing you around on Discord and stuff, you really didn't seem like the type of person I would really get along with, but now you get frequent Kaladin pictures and we're writing buddies, and I am so glad that I can call you a friend. @Hentient Hennnnnnnn! Thank you for sending me bird pictures! Toto is such a pretty little bird and she brightens my day like almost nothing else. @FriarFritz Fritz, you are one of the kindest people I know. The world is so much the better for having you in it. @Shard of Thought You are a fantastic human with incredible talent, and your drawing of Kaladin is still one of my favorite things ever. @Knight of Iron Koi, keep on pulling teeth and being awesome. You're fantastic. @Chasmgoat I thoroughly appreciate your weirdness and just... You. Every conversation with you is fun. @Flying Flying, you're also amazing. I'm so glad I've been able to get to know you better over the last few months. @AonEne I remember back when you were a young child just getting involved in TUBA... Hehe. Ene, you're awesome. I don't know how you do it all. I mean... Being a mod and maintaining your sheer levels of awesomeness alone... @Emi Emi, you are such a talented artist, and everything you draw is amazing. Keep being awesome. @Vapor You are an amazing person, and I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to get to know you. @Mist Mist, you are so kind, and it's always a pleasure to talk with you. @Doomstick Thanks for talking about books and Nerdfighter stuff! I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to get to know you. DFTBA! @DramaQueen Thank you for screaming Hunchback lyrics with me! It's always a ton of fun. @Onimur It's so great that you joined the Shard! Thanks for joining this cult of weirdness. @S4S You are such a talented writer, and it's been such a joy to have the opportunity to rp with you for so long. @theTruthshaper Truth, you're awesome. Thank you for always being willing to talk and just be awesome. @JesterLavorre You are such a kind human, and I've thurougly enjoyed every conversation I've been able to have with you. Thanks you. Everyone in Knights of the Cosmere- You guys were my first friends on here, and, for the three-ish years that was going, it was a blast to rp with you all. Thanks for making the Shard awesome. Everyone in Let's Go Find a Dragon- Thanks for making my really random rp a huge complex thingy with stuff I still can't remember! Thanks for keeping it going and keeping it fun. (If anyone wants to join, there's a link in my sig.) And also I want to give a huge thank you to everyone I forgot, as well as everyone else. There are too many people to name, but you all are what makes the Shard the place that it is and I will forever be grateful to all of you for that. Thanks for being so willing to put up with me and my weirdness. Also thanks to the mods for keeping this place going and keeping it great. None of this would have been possible without you guys. Thanks again to everyone for being awesome!

And out of nowhere... I'm a Sentient Awakened Object. On your level now, Clearcut! Thanks, everyone who gave me upvotes. I'm saving a giant mushy you-all-rock-and-the-Shard-has-changed-my-life for my one year anniversary (I haven't even been here a year yet? Wow, feels like so long and yet so little at the same time...), but again, thanks. CELEBRATION TIME COME ON!

Well, today is my Shardiversary. It's hard to believe that it's been a year, but at the same time it's hard to believe it's only been a year. It's been an adventure, for sure! Recently, I've found myself increasingly reflective as I prepare to graduate high school and depart from my home. It's a melancholy time, but it's also filled with hope. And the memories I've made on the Shard, and the friends, connections, stories, jokes, adventures...they've changed me. I'm a different person than I was before. This year has been really tough for me, but having people here to give me advice and guide me through it, and honestly just having an outlet for the pain has really made a difference in my life. This is a special community, one that I'll always remember. I think the people here are what makes this place so unique. @The Wandering Wizard, the wonderful Wiz! You were one of the first people to help me feel like I belonged, and you've been a true friend to me, an amazing source of laughter and fun. Thank you for everything. @Robin Sedai, your sharing of Calvin and Hobbes and other comics when I first joined is one of my favorite memories on the Shard. I admire your voice of reason whenever things get a little unhinged. @CalanoCorvus, you always bring optimism to conversations and give great advice. You and @DoomslugLuna are adorable. @SymphonianBookworm our conversations here will always make me smile. I know you haven't been as active recently (I miss you!), but I know you're going to do great things! #Phantom #Jasnahoid @Telrao, come backkkkkkkk soon! I miss having someone to nerd out about jazz with. Your muffins and cats are iconic here on the shard. And your playlists are fantastic. Thank you for the wonderful art. @The Bookwyrm, your passion for space and astronomy really shines through. You're thoughtful and insightful, and our conversations keep me thinking for a long time after we're done. I'm looking forward to seeing where you'll end up!@Kajsa :), thank you for being a wonderful human being. You care about us, and you're just amazing. Your art is also out of this world! @That1Cellist, you are worth more than you could ever comprehend. You deserve the world. Thank you for sharing your love of cello with the world. @The Halcyon Girl, you are an amazing person. We miss you on the Shard. I'm so glad you commissioned that throne from me. @InfiniteInsanity, you are kind and you have wonderful ideas to cheer people up. Your mission was such a sweet idea. When you're on sugar, now I know to runnnnn @The Aspiring Archivist, I'm glad I know you. Thank you for putting up with me and for being there for anyone who needs it. You have a nice voice, too. @Ranryu, your energy, and sense of humor make the world a better place. Best of luck to you with your piano and compositional career! @TheGreatSnail, aren't filters funny?? In all seriousness, those SU replys were fun. That was where it was at! @Wittles of Shinovar, WITTLESS Skittles, I admire the way you bring a positive attitude towards problems. It's not easy the way that life works out, but you're an amazing helping hand. @The Last Fæ, you often have something very interesting to share. I like the way that you think. @Potato's Wit, you're really funny. The things you share make me laugh a lot @Morningtide, you're always so nice. I still can't believe there's an Idaho Potato Museum! @S. Stormy, diggin' the new branding. I love how you're always up for shenanigans and helping everyone here have a good time. @Cinnamon, you're down-to-earth and friendly, EVEN THOUGH you live life upside-down. That makes it even more special. @Thaidakar the Ghostblood, you're funny! And you always have quality things to share. @Sequence, you're always full of good vibes. It's always so interesting when you share the coolest info on planes and the like. @Cruciatus_heart, Elfffffff! Your interest in a certain type of brooding slightly insane sociopath is very funny to me. You have excellent taste in media. Congrats on everything you've accomplished this year! @TheAlpha929, you're very chill, and just fun to be around. @Eluvianii, you have chill pfps and you have cool answers on the forum games. @Matrim's Dice, thank you for all your help in SE and for putting up with me that one conversion game. No thank you for betraying me, but I know that's how it goes. and :P. for life. @The Known Novel, Thank you for the chaos. It is the way. *fist bump*. Kasimir, Archer, Aman, Stick, Illwei-- you guys are all really cool. I'm happy to have gotten to play with all of you this year. @Channelknight Fadran, you've always been the cool, experienced, cultured guy here. Ever since I joined, I've looked up to you and your RPing and worldbuilding prowess. @dannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnex, I never know what to expect from your SUs! I always know it'll be a fun time when I open that notif up. Man, those nnnnnns really keep growing. @DramaQueen, you really are a queen of drama. I know we haven't talked much but can't we just agree that theatre kids are the coolest! @Trutharchivist, thank you for sharing your culture with the shard. It's been very eye-opening. @Nathrangking, you write beautiful poems, and you have a wonderful perspective on the world. @Cash67 I never can remember if you're young but really wise for your age, or older but still really wise for your age. You are Perry the Platypus incarnate in the best way possible. SPEAKING OF PLATYPI, @Being of Cacophony, you are ALSO a pretty cool platypus. I like checking out TLT and seeing your chaos there. Cacophony is also a really fun word. @Edema Ruh, you'll remain an Aes Sedai in my mind for a very long time. Also, spontaneity is the best! And you're great at that. @Lotus Blossom, I'm so happy Symph got you to join the shard! You're a cool person @The Storming Stormfather, your messages on peoples' profiles are really funny. Thanks for being the storming The Storming Stormfather. @Justice_Magician, your art is incredible! Thank you for sharing it with the shard! @HOID WANTS INSTANT NOODLES, bro we gotta make that board game happen. You had so many great ideas. @Lord Gregorio, you have cool pfps. Also, interesting thoughts to share! @Nameless*, it's truly a shame that Nameless stole your name. Your contributions to TLT are immense, and not to be questioned. @Szeth's Facepalm, your cute froggie dudes make my day. Where they at??? @Shadowed you're always great fun and it's always so cool to find fellow musicians here. Flute rules! @solarcat can we just take a minute to appreciate how awesome your username is?? @2EmLee2, @Enter a username, @PyroPhile, you guys are all super cool. Thanks for being iconic. It's been an amazing year. Here's to many more Thank you everyone <3

Ugh... thirty-four notifs? I'm not going through all those. I'll just click the important ones. (I.E: "Mystic Syn commented on Sketches on the Bus, Because Syn Gets Bored Easily.") ((I can navigate to the RP subform plenty well by myself, thank you very much)) But anyways, I'm back! Hi! Just returned from the bestestestestestest days EVER. I guess I have to tell you guys allllllll about them:

*DND group gets in a longer-than-you'd-think discussion about sticky notes vs pop-up sticky notes and which is normal* "These are normal, those are pop-up" - Po after doing research "Those are cool, yours are lame papers with glue!" (paraphrased) "The average human is like ten HP right" (this is just funny out of context) My character: "Hi can I play cards with you -" Other character: *promptly grabs my character and yeets them at the kobolds* DM: "do you resist this, Ene" Me: "no" *the kobold dies on impact* Okay now the session has devolved into incorrect quotes generator and I'm loving it. Most of these are randomly generated, with me just inputting names: Ene: Stick and I were crossing the street, and this dude drove by and honked at us Truth: *sighing* What did Stick do? Ene: He chased him to the next red light, then reached into his window and - Stick: Who wants a steering wheel? Ene: Come on, I wasn’t that drunk last night. Stick: You were flirting with Truth. Ene: So what? They're my partner. Stick: You asked them if they were single. Ene: Stick: And then you cried when they said they weren't. Ene: If I die, my funeral is going to be the biggest party ever and you’re all invited Star: If? Xino: Great, the only party I’ve ever been invited to and she might not even die. Tesh, in a high voice, holding barbie: hey ken! I was thinking about going back to school and starting a career! Salad, in a deep voice, holding ken: nonsense, barbie. you’re staying home and having my kids Knight: what the frick are you guys doing? Tesh: playing systemic oppression Ene: What if I press the brake and gas at the same time? Salad: The car takes a screenshot. Mist: I think we're missing something. Goat: Teamwork? Vapor: Cohesion? Fadran: A general sense of what we’re doing? Fadran, setting down a card: Ace of spades Queen, pulling out an Uno card: +4 Kindness, pulling out a Pokémon card: Jolteon, I choose you Connie, trembling: What are we playing Safire: You know those things will kill you, right? June, pouring another glass of whiskey: That’s the point. Luna, smoking a cigarette: We’re trying to speed up the process. Beram: *nods while eating raw cookie dough* Ene: Well, aren’t you all a rag-tag group of adventurers with unclear goals and good hearts! Oh, let me guess: you’re out to save the world! Witless: Well, actually, that sounds like a pretty fair assessment. Po: More or less, I guess... Archer: That sounds awesome! Let’s do that! Ink: I’m new here, but I am open to the concept. Tesh: I thought that’s what we were doing, guys, come on! *the squad right before Ene's wedding* Ink: Well I have to go, I have a wedding to attend. Po: Wait... Oh! I have a wedding to attend too! Archer: Oh, I have a wedding to attend as well Tesh: I THINK WE ALL HAVE WEDDINGS TO ATTEND Witless, panicked: I THINK I HAVE A WEDDING TO OFFICIATE Maybe I should have Witless officiate my wedding... Fritz: What does 'take out' mean? Stick: Food Ene: Dating Truth: Murder Hen: IT CAN MEAN ALL THREE IF YOURE NOT A COWARD. Adilie: Good responses for being stabbed with a knife? Eryn: Rude. Drae: That’s fair. Ladashwy: Not again. Marie: Are you going to want this back? Marie: Okay okay stop asking me if I'm straight, gay, bi, whatever. I identify as a RUSTING THREAT. Marie: *Stubs their toe* RUSTS! Adilie: Mind your language! Marie: What else am I supposed to say, “Woe is I”??? Adilie: ... Marie: You have to accept that swear words are necessary sometimes. Marie: Go to Hell Kelsier, tearing up: I wish I could Po: What are your goals? Ene: To pet all the dogs. Po: No, fitness goals. Ene: To be able to run fast enough to pet all the dogs. Cassie, standing with her back turned: I’ve been expecting you, James. James: How did you do that without turning around? Cassie: ...to be perfectly honest, the first couple of people I did that to were not you. Ben: I think I'm having a mid-life crisis. Shana: You're like 15 years old Ben: I MIGHT DIE AT 30! Jace: What time is it? Ax: I don’t know; pass me that saxophone and we’ll find out Ax: *plays sax loudly and extremely out of tune* Doc: WHO THE STORMS IS PLAYING THE SAXOPHONE AT TWO IN THE MORNING Ax: It’s 2 am Mist: WHY. why did you give Emi a KNIFE?! Star: I’m sorry. They said they felt unsafe. Mist: Now I feel unsafe! Star: I’m sorry. Star: ...would you like a knife? @theTruthshaper @AonDii @Shard of Thought @xinoehp512 @Tesh @The Awakened Salad @Knight of Iron @Mist ill tag the rest of you later it about to die

I was just thinking... The number of things that rep can mean. "I find this amusing." "I feel sympathy for you." "This was a beautiful piece of (art, writing, etc.)" "You made me feel [this emotion]" "Thank you!" "You put a lot of effort into this." "I'm bored and decided to give rep to random people." "I feel obligated to upvote this." "This has a lot of upvotes, so I might as well do it too." "You have very few upvotes and so I'm giving you sympathy rep." "Somebody told me to rep you."

Heh, I forgot to give that here earlier, so here you go. A dragon and a Kippy :

Hi everyone. Calano here. With some news. A little while back, I made a post saying I'd be still here, but taking a break. Become something of a lurker. Well, I've decided to just take a break entirely. It's not been so great for me mentally, to have the Shard hanging in the back of my mind. I'll update y'all on big important things in my life, because I like telling people those things, but for the most part I'll be unreachable unless you have my phone number. If you want my phone number, ask someone who has it to PM it to you: I'll gladly accept texts from Sharders, but I'm not comfortable just putting my phone number out there. Y'all are some of the greatest online (and IRL) people I know. This community is safe, and accepting, and warm, and homely, and wonderful. But I have a life to live. So, I'll be going. I don't know if I'll return. I might not, not to a level of activity that I once had. Y'all have been just... an incredible group of people. And I'm honored to call you my family. I've seen so many others leave; Haly, Misting was gone for a while, Fadran left unexpectedly, Kajsa kinda went dark too, but I can text her sometimes lol But people have been slowly leaving. And I think that now it's my turn. Like I said above, I'll come back occasionally for big updates, regarding college, my mission, big life milestones, good and bad news, etc. But for the most part, I'm honorably discharging myself from active duty on this site (so to speak). loverboy Lessons is still coming out January 19th, 2024. I plan to make the entire album the week of December 18th, and get it going through the distribution process starting that weekend (23rd/24th). It's been a pleasure. It really has. I love you all so much. Goodbye.

I have some great news guys! I won the senior level for a composition contest I entered last month! The song I entered is an edited version of one of the songs I posted on here. That means my music will be printed in a book, and I get to perform it later this month. Yay!

Won the "Most likely to win a Nobel Prize" and "Best to bring home to your parents" Senior Superlatives for the yearbook. I'm feeling pretty good

I have been a member of the Shard for 3 years (and 16 days). This place has been so fun, it seems like just yesterday that I joined, but it also feels like I’ve been here forever. Without further ado: appreciations! Mods, though none of you will read this (except Ene, who is listed separately), I would like to thank you for keeping this community one of the most inclusive, friendly, and wholesome ones I’ve seen. @AonEne, you were one of the first (if not *the* first) Shardbuddies I had. I’m soooo glad I got to meet you this summer. I can’t really words about how much your friendship means to me. I have yet to drink from the bottle of dubious soda. @Tesh, you’re too interesting and funny for your own good. No matter how tired I am, I will stay up to talk to you. Meeting you was awesome and it WILL happen again. Sneezing isn’t normal. @Butt Ad Venture, I would also stay up talking to you if it weren’t for the fact that both of us would just be yelling at each other to sleep :P. @xinoehp512, I love tLTing with you, looking at your pixel art, and just talking with you, though I don’t have much of an opportunity to do so. @Zephrun's Imperium, your art is SOO GOOD! I still need to find a place to put the piece you gave me on my wall, and I hope I can see you in person again, you’re just so nice to talk to. @Hen (Nna), [insert comment about our marriage here], but seriously, talking to you is so fun (and watching you freak out about aART, as well). The possibility of my meeting you is fluctuating, but you are one of the people who are at the top of my list to meet. DFTBA! @Mist, you are awesome. You always know the best thing to say. (Unlike me, as I have run out of things to say) Shortie (@Condensation), meeting you was fun, I could finally figure out how short you actually are. @Vapor, I love talking to you, and I can’t wait to see you in person again. @Emi, I haven’t been able to talk to you much, and I really miss it. I hope I can meet you this summer. @DramaQueen, your play was AWESOME!!!!!! (As are you). I want more geck pics. @Channelknight Fadran: your world building is really cool! (even though I still haven’t read anything of yours) @King of The Oreo: Your art is awesome and I wish I could join more of your drawing streams. I have run out of words, so I will give messages to people, then list those left on the list after my brain stoped languaging @Scarletfox: WE WILL PLAY SOON @Flying: YOU ARE SO CLOSE I WILL MEET YOU SOMEDAY @Lecky Twig: Borsalino > Zoro Fritz, Truthie, KoI, Spock, Jessie, BoP, Salad, Frustie, Exp, Dark, Enter, Flaffle, Rev, and anyone I may have forgotten, I wish I had words to express how much your friendship means to me. I love y'all. (sorry for the double ping, formatting was atrocious on that one)

Hi!!! It's my Shardiversary! Guess that means I get to tell a bunch of awesome people how much I love them! (Yes, it's numbered, but they are in no particular order. Except Fadran. He's eleventh, of course.) 1: @Vapor!!!! Happy birthday, you fabulous human!!!!!!!! Ain't it cool that my Shardiversary is on your birthday? Makes it easy for me to draw more attention to your awesomeness. EVERYONE BETTER WISH VAPOR A HAPPY BIRTHDAY CUZ SHE'S THE ABSOLUTE BESTEST AND SO WE GOTTA CELEBRATE THE DAY SHE CAME INTO THE WORLD BECAUSE SHE'S SO SCUDDING EPIC OKAY? OKAY. *HUGE BIRTHDAY HUGSSS* 2: @Mist!! I seriously have so much respect for you, you are SO COOL and amazing and you may or may not intimidate me a lot sometimes because you're SO FREAKING AWESOME 3: @Condensation!! Hi Connie!!!! You were one of my very first friends here and you're still one of my absolute best friends!!!! I love RPing and chatting with you! 4: @theTruthshaper!!! Truthie, I'm sure you know this, but I FREAKING LOVE YOU! Thanks for chatting with me from across the world when I'd stay up all night on the Shard after I first joined! You're seriously one of my favorite humans and bestest frens EVER 5: @Darkfinder!!! My other late-night, across the world fren!! You are so incredible and I seriously love you so scudding much!!!! 6: @Dannex!! Yet another late-night fren, but not quite across the world. Thanks for obsessing over Tuck Everlasting wth me :). Also, you'll always be Danex to me, no matter how many Ns you add to your username. I don't like those extra Ns... 7: @revelryintheart YOU ARE SO SCUDDING TALENTED IN SO MANY WAYS your drawing of Queen is absolutely one of my favorite arts OF ALL TIME and also you have an INCREDIBLE voice. Also thanks for obsessing over Daddy Long Legs with me :). 8: @Hentient why the scud were we not good friends sooner?? You are seriously so amazing and gorgeous and talented and you have a PHENOMENAL voice and I love you :). 9: @Doomstick Hi stick. How ya doin'? Good? Good. That's good. 10: @Emi hiiiiiiiiiiii!!!! I love you so so much! Your doodles are THE CUTEST THINGS EVER and I seriously love every second I spend chatting with you! *hugsssssssssss!* 11: @Channelknight Fadran there is SO MUCH I appreciate about you that I don't think you know. You are seriously my bestest fren EVER and honestly the main reason I didn't let myself not come back to the Shard. Sure, the RPing is great and I definitely wanted to keep doing that, but it was probably you that I missed the most. Is this getting too cheesy? Probably. I don't care. More people that I absolutely love and am SO grateful for include, but are not limited to: @Nathrangking, @Zephrun's Imperium, @xinoehp512, @Scarletfox, @Spren of Kindness, @Flying, @JesterLavorre, @AFtermath (dunno your name on the Shard...or if you're actually on the Shard...), @Shard of Reading, @Mystic Syn, @Matrim's Dice, @LukeWasTaken, @AmazingGoob, @Spock, @MetaTerminal, @Knight of Iron, @The Awakened Salad, @Tesh (Thanks for screaming Hunchback songs with me), @AonEne, @Ed Venture (same as Affie...), @More Cynical Than Funny, @FriarFritz, @Truthless of Shinovar, @Rosharan A.C., @Chasmgoat, @Chinkoln, @Ghanderflaffle, and @Lunamor I probably forgot a lot of people and that makes me feel terrible. If you expected to be mentioned but you weren't, you probably were supposed to be mentioned and I'm a terrible idiot person. I think it's very fitting that I happened to join the Shard on Independence Day cuz this place helped give me freedom. I was not exactly living my best life in quarantine and I was missing human interaction a lot, so it was incredible to find this fansite and find new amazing friends to talk to. So, thanks, guys!! Love you all! (Also I won't see any responses until tomorrow because I gotta disappear immediately after I post this.)

This is kind of stupid. And I doubt many people will see it. But I want, and need, to say this. I've made myself a persona, on and off the Shard, that is built on being kind. On being supportive. On being quiet, and a little bit naive, and a little bit disconnected from the world. And that quietness and naivete and disconnect is real. I am that person. The problem is, being that person can be exhausting. I want to be a kind person, and I try to be. Making someone's day brighter is something I love doing. But it creates a sort of stained-glass window effect. People see what I want them to see, because it's easier. It's easier for me to be the happy, smiling person who puts a smile on someone's face when they need it most, than to say 'hey, I could really use something funny or sweet or silly right now'. It's tiring. It's isolating. And when it comes to a head, I feel stuck behind the pretty colored glass that I made. And that's where I am now. It's rough. But I'm done. I can't keep pretending that everything is perfect in my life. Sometimes I feel that way. My family is great. My situation in life is good. So I feel like I shouldn't say anything, even when I can, because there are other people who need the support more, who don't have what I'm so lucky to have. One of the things I'm lucky to have is the Shard. There have been countless times where I've been down, and tired, and all I want to do is scream into the forest and then sleep for a week, and I run across a goofy comment in Sharder One-liners, or a interesting tidbit in a book discussion board, or a especially beautiful piece of fanart, or a meme that makes me crack up. It's not a bad think to be supportive, and I know that. But what I have to learn is how to be supported. So thank you. You all are amazing, amazing people.

Hey y'all! So... you may have been wondering why I've disappeared for a few days... Yeah the Shard's blocked at home and I have been banned. Wheee Therefore, this is the last post I'm gonna make on here for a while. So I would like to say thank you! Thank you all for your support in my art and my writing - it has really meant a lot, and has helped me grow and improve! Thank you for being such an awesome community! It has been a joy to hang out with y'all and cause cHaOs. I apologize to y'all in the RP's and Sanderson Elim games - @The Wandering Wizard, you have full permission to do whatever you like with Telrao. She is yours now. It has truly been a delight and an honor to be with y'all! Until we next meet: May the sun shine upon your face The wind be at your back The path lead you to whatever place That brings you the joy you lack I LOVE you all, and hope our paths shall meet again! Blessings - Telrao *throws infinite muffins*

So. Today is my Shardiversary. It has been one year since, after quite a while lurking, I decided to join this community. Little did I know that the choice would mark a turning point in my life. As I slowly got involved in the activities on the Shard, I made friends. Connections. One of the first friends I made was The Wandering Wizard, who, though I didn't realize it at the time, lived in the same city as me. After some social deduction (and some off handed mentions of penguin...excrement...) I realized where he lived, and managed to meet up with him. A month or two later I met Cellist and Ranryu, and we got them to join too. During this era a bunch of other Sharders, many that I knew in real life and even more that I didn't, joined, and I somehow became popular. I fit in this community now. I have a place. I have friends that I can confide in, friends that know how to help me when I need help. Joining this site has given me friendships in real life and made them stronger, but it's also let me connect with so many amazing people, people who think like me, people who I'd been looking for for a long time. My time here has helped me realize who I am, I think. I've been able to greater understand my interests and goals and values in the last year, and while there were a great number of factors in that, this site, and the people here, have been a huge part in it. I'm glad all of you became Sanderfans and decided to come here at one point or another. Because you being here has been a huge blessing in my life. Thank you all, and here's to many more years!

I just failed a math test. After turning the paper in, I realized I used the wrong formula for EVERY SINGLE PROBLEM. Failing in the most stupid way possible is definitely my thing. It’s not like I don’t know the material. *facepalm infinity* Well, at least I can retake it.

WAHOOOOOOOOOO

As I'm sure you all know, today is a very important day Happy Fourth of July!! Nah, that's not it. It's my Shardiversary! Two years here, and a *whole bunch* of incredible people who've been added to my life. Seriously, I can't imagine my life without the Shard anymore, y'all have made an imprint in my heart. holy scud that sounds cheesy... I know I'm going to end up forgetting people no matter what, but I still want to try to remember everyone. First and foremost, @Channelknight Fadran Thank you for being my best friend for the past two years. I'm so, so glad that I met you, and I wouldn't change a bit of our friendship. @Tesh You have become one of my very best friends over the past year or so, and I am so grateful for that. Screaming with you about Hunchback and whatever other shows we're currently obsessed with, and just you letting me rant to you about all sorts of things, from my confusing emotions to the randomest stuff in the universe have been some of my favorite things ever @Knight of Iron Koi, you have probably become one of my best friends just in the past, like, week and a half. Thanks for getting me re-obsessed with Imagine Dragons and just being an awesome friend! @Vapor Vapsy!! I seriously love you so much. You are gorgeous and so sweet and wonderful and I wish you realized how very incredible you are. The few times I've been able to hang out with you have been so much fun and I wish I could see you more often @Condensation Connie, the same things I said to Vapor apply to you. You were one of my first friends on the Shard and you're still one of my best friends here. Love ya! @Nathrangking I've loved reading your poetry lately and I am still undescribably happy for you! You've been a constant during my time on the Shard and I'm really glad for that! You're incredible :)) @DoomStick I'm *quite* excited for you to meet Moe irl. Also, I'm quite grateful that I've been able to have you as a friend and meet you in person. also can I have every recipe you've ever made ever? I want food I'd totally go in-depth on every person I've interacted with on here, but....I am lazy so here are some honorable mentions @Hen @AonEne @dannnnnnex @Zephrun's Imperium @Mist @revelryintheart @theTruthshaper @Scarletfox @Emi @FriarFritz @Experience @Frustration @2EmLee2 @Enter a username @Mystic Syn @Tani Love you all, here's to another...year and then I'm probably leaving on my mission :). I'm very proud of my phone dealing with all those tags.

Hey. You got this. I don't know what you might be going through right now, but I wanted to let you know that you can do this. If anyone can, it's you. I believe in you, and I'm here for you. No, this isn't posted in the wrong place. This is for you. If you're reading this, I mean it. Don't give up, there are people who love you. You're amazing.

Ahem. *stirring bagpipe music* Well, here we are. 2,481 posts. Five RP characters. One year ago, when I put a shoe on my head and yodeled poorly, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Now, I'm so glad I signed up. I came for the book discussion, I stayed for the amazing people. Okay, let's get into the shoutouts! @Channelknight Fadran, you're amazing. RPing with you has been awesome. I've smiled, I've cried, I've laughed myself silly. You're incredible. @Condensation, you're the best. I love the conversations we have. @DramaQueen, I know we don't talk a lot, and you aren't on that much, but you're awesome! @Matrim's Dice, you're super cool! I love RPing with you! (Craven and Martin climbing trees needs to come back. *ninja emoji*) @Truthwatcher at the Rim, if you see this, that means you logged in. Excellent! @Chinkoln, @Aspiring Writer, @Dannex, @Nathrangking, @Emi, @xinoehp512, you are all super duper incredible! I know that's not even close to everyone, and I wish my brain had enough space and all the words needed to give everyone a shoutout. It's honestly crazy that I don't, I never expected that so many people would see the nonsense I post and decide that they want to see more of it. That's just... wild. Yeah, I don't really know what else to say. Just that all of you are amazing, and I can't wait to see what the next year brings.

I'm so, so sorry everyone. I'm not leaving, but I'll definitely be less active... which will be a problem. We recently went to 4-day school because of the public school order, so I'll likely only be on every once in a while during the day, a bit in maybe the mornings, and a little at night. I'll probably be on a good bit more on Fridays, and Saturdays and Sundays are wild cards. So I guess I'll try my darndest? Sorry again. Especially to anyone who RPs with me. Remember, this isn't a goodbye. At least not yet. Love, Connie.

This is a public announcement from yours truly. Y'ALL ARE AWESOME thank you

Some art hehe. Yes, I know it all have been posted on Discord already, but shhhh...

Ok, tomorrow is the day! Have an amazing few years everyone!

yes luna and i broke up it was on good terms, and we’re still friends, but we’re not romantically together anymore thanks y’all for asking if i’m okay. i am okay. a little hurt, pretty sad, but.. i’m okay. and i’ll be okay. life’s different now, but i’ll get through it. and.. yeah. just wanted to let y’all know in case you hadn’t seen yet. im not mad at her. she gave incredibly logical reasons that i also agreed with, so it was a mutual parting of ways. please don’t bash on her or on our relationship or anything. thanks.

I don't like YA fantasy anymore (Exceptions: Rick Riordan's stuff, Skyward saga, Hunger Games) And I get that the whole thing about having a bunch of twelve-year-olds save the multiverse is there so a bunch of twelve-year-olds can get into reading. As a kid I sustained myself entirely on Brandon Mull - Five Kingdoms was my first real foray into high fantasy. But now that I'm an adult? It just... hurts to read. There're always these grown adults sending these children into battle and making stupid decisions to make the kids seem smart and epic. And then some god-level monstrosity finally reawakens from his slumber and is defeated by the power of friendship. Why am I thinking about this? Maybe because I'm watching Rebels? I really like the series, but the fact that they keep sending Sabine and Ezra into these tough-nut situations on their own usually breaks the immersion a bit for me. Some episodes less so than others - like the one where Ezra infiltrates a squad of Imperial Cadets, because Kanan is all "this is the dumbest idea I've ever had we need to pull him out of there" - but a lot of the time it's like "our plan is to have the mandalorian child run down a whole platoon of stormtroopers as a distraction" and I'm like ??? Child soldiers??? (I do really like Rebels though; not crapping on it or anything) Maybe I'm thinking about this because I was thinking about some fantasy pet peeves I have - all of which tend to show up in YA fiction at some point or another: "We've got company!" "I'm not leaving here without [][][]" [Two sword fighters glaring at each other while their swords are crossed... like I can't hold eye contact with anyone for the life of me and you're telling me that these people hate each other so much that they can't bear to look away for one second?] "Believe in yourself. BELIEVE" (somehow they passed this off in The Lego Movie. I guess Morgan Freeman just has that effect) [Wisecracks amid the final battle between the protag and antag, including "oh yeah? well -"] Objectively the worst thing to ever come out of any of these stories are when the twelve-year-old children form lifelong romantic bonds with each other. No, Harrison the sword boy and Verdi the tank top girl are not in love. No, they did not find their other half at the ripe old age of thirteen. If it's written by a christian then neither of these kids know how babies are made, and you're telling me that they're going to kiss at the end of the story and get married in time for the Era 2 sequel? If your prepubescent tweens are going to be kissing then you need to get an appointment with a psychologist. Meeting your future spouse at that age is called arranged marriage, not true love. (I have some opinions about the very end of AtLA, in case you cannot tell) And then these children are beating up the bad guy's soldiers left and right? "It's because they use their wits to fight, not just their muscle" man shut up. No tyrant-king of this fantasy world is going to maintain control over his empire with a bunch of brainless monkey guards. No army consists of a billion muscle machines and three characterized elite warriors. It's like in the Kenobi show how the good guys will whack a stormtrooper in the face and they'll just drop their blaster because reasons. You want to show the protagonists being capable and thinking on their feet? Give them fewer guards to worry about. Instead of twelve on two make it four on three with tight individual v individual combat. You'll never establish the least bit of tension if the sword child can take out two dozen bad guys on his own. I know, I know... it's YA. It's written for children. No one's forcing me to read any of it. It just bothers me that there are grown adults who are making the decision to send children into battle because they're their "last hope" or some crap like that. Like maybe if the child has some super powerful magical abilities and is practically incapable of dying (Mob Psycho 100 my beloved), but giving them a slim chance of success on some elite mission? It's not worth endangering these kids over, and it's probably even less worth endangering the mission by leaving it up to a bunch of kids. Basically, I'm being very conscientious about what happens with my younger characters in the Iconar Collective.

Today was Senior Skip Day and oh boy what a day it was! Yes, my car may have broken down and started leaking motor oil when we were six minutes away from the beach but that's how it goes sometimes! Also I got Promposed to right after we got home from the beach!! I'm really happy about it! She did it in Morse code (which we learned together) and it was really cute. I was planning on promposing to her, but she beat me to it. But just you wait until Prom! I'll really step things up for her! Also also yeah I was going to make a status update about London from my trip last week but I never got around to it. Long story short I got to play piano at the top of tallest building there, did a Sherlock Holmes Escape room, toured the Harry Potter studios, saw some beautiful architecture, and just had a blast with my family. Last vacation before I'm outta here :/ Life is good.

IT IS DONE! Please enjoy, Shatter Me! @That1Cellist @Telrao @Being of Cacophony @Thaidakar the Ghostblood @Morningtide @Cinnamon @Spark of Hope @The Bookwyrm @InfiniteInsanity @Kajsa :) @CalanoCorvus @Aes Sedai

My bookshelves have been updated This is why you can't give a Sanderfan a job

So I just found out I'm going to be able to go on a music internship in NYC in a couple of months!! I'll be shadowing a professional jazz pianist/arranger and working in a recording and sound-mixing studio! I should be able to go watch some sessions (and I'm hoping to play too) which I'm really looking forward to My internship mentor just confirmed this morning that it's all set up and I'm just so excited!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IT CAME

Scene: about a month ago Okay so I had a gig for a twin seven-year-olds' birthday party, which was pretty fun. I played John Williams and Hisaishi and Jazz and Broadway and all the cool music. And then a DJ shows up! When I was hired to play for like four hours. Obviously I was very confused, so the mom explained that he was her bro-in-law. But THEN she asked if we could have a music battle! WHAT! So then basically we had a weird playoff that was kinda awesome and weird and he was like adding to my playing with beat tracks and stuff than playing his own stuff. And it was really weird And yesterday he emailed me and asked for lessons. What a weird turn of events (Also the mom asked me to teach her twin sons so my business is booming )

Four years ago today, 13 year old me decided to join the Shard. And boy howdy, if that wasn't the best darn decision I ever made. In years passed, I've written up a post a few days before my Shardiversary, but I decided against that this year. Think of this as an unedited video of sorts. I gotta say, 2022 was probably the hardest year of my entire life. My depression and anxiety have been worse than ever, I've lost some of my closest friends, I've been to the ER twice, I've renounced my previous religion, and I burned myself out on art so badly that I haven't drawn anything in three months. That's not to say it's all been bad - I made huge progress on my writing, I got a new dog, I went on a choir trip to Chicago, I learned how to do calligraphy, and I made all state choir - but it's been hard. And yet... this last week, something changed. I can only describe it as a realization that the way I've been treating myself is not sustainable. This year, I am committed to handling myself kindly. To me, that means starting to do yoga again, listening to more music, journaling, spending time with friends, and paying attention to what I need. It's about time I let myself be happy. I deserve it. I really just want to thank everyone for great memories and support. I cannot overstate how much joy has come from being a member of this site. I may not be nearly as active as I once was, but my younger self owes her happiness to the friends and stories she made here. If you're reading this, go have some chocolate and listen to your favorite song. Happy new year.

This isn't a normal Silhouette/Debonair update. I've been doing a lot of thinking this last week, and I think I need to step away from the shard for a little while. I absolutely love being a part of this wonderful, amazing community, and it's changed my life for the better in more than just a couple ways—don't get me wrong. The issue is I love hanging out with you all too much. I've had an issue with procrastination for much of my life, but this year it's been very difficult to reconcile the multiple daily meanders to the shard with all the pressure I've placed on myself recently. I've found myself slipping behind on some of the most important priorities in my life, which hasn't been especially beneficial to my mental health. If, in an instant, I could immediately rectify my issues and return to the shard, believe me, I would. I know that I'll struggle in restraining myself for the time that I'm away, but that's part of the reason I'm writing this SU—I trust you all enough to hold me accountable. I'll miss you guys a lot. I really will. I'll miss the random adventuring, the IKYK and paranoia of SE, the exciting wordplay and verbal spars, the philosophical discussions, the spontaneous RPing in random threads that shouldn't be there, and the posts that spiral into threads that spiral into crusades that spiral into clubs―all of it. I plan to step away for at least a week. Maybe I've been overly dramatic, but this is important to me, and I wanted to share my feelings as to not leave you all in the dark. This won't be a permanent thing; I know I'll have much more free time after the next few months and be able to rejoin the craziness once more. This is just something I feel I must do for myself, my wellbeing, and my future. Goodbye for now! —Shining Silhouette

It's my Shardiversary! I'm not going to thank everyone, because I've interacted with so many wonderful people on here that I'd inevitably leave someone out. Though, I do want to say a specific thank you to our amazing moderators. This site is awesome, the nicest place I've ever seen on the internet. Thank you mods, for all the work you do to keep it that way! I've had so much fun here. An entire year, in fact! Thanks for being a part of it everyone, and here's to many more!

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS I'VE DONE IT, I HAVE MY HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA Honestly I'm too happy and relieved that it's over to feel bad that it took me so long. No more school unless I choose to go to college, and then I have more control over what I take...and a smartphone now So I'm very happy (though feeling mildly physically unwell, maybe because I didn't eat much today, and very cold, but that's normal. I live to worship the heat vents in our house). How're all of you?

I wrote a thing. Opinions? His hair is white as stainless pages plain, It flows ‘round glorious visage, fettered not By earthly pull nor leather thong profane, And glows, requiring he be ne’er forgot. His eyes, more wondrous blue than sky so high, Or robins’ egg, or ocean deep below Their depths surpassing any mundane sigh And as they gaze, their pull seems but to grow. This wand’rer fair has travelled near and far To bring to pass his visions dear of old In times long past when evil did not mar And good had champions many, brave, and bold. But soon his journey ends, his task complete, And finished then, his happy end to meet.

Today I wrote two very important words on the Iconar Collective doc:

Birthday pfp les goooooooooooooooo

I know I wasn’t very active lately (J got addicted to Discord) but I’ll try to do more. also I have some drawings

One hundred human beings saw my +Follow Member button and thought, "aight". I'm...still somewhat in shock. I have a following. I have a,,,we don't have a term for a group of 100, but I have 100 peoples who could theoretically see this - or more likely, let's say half are active, half of those click the notification, that's still 25 people who are likely to see whatever I say. Wow. Every single one of you is awesome and I feel like I should do something for @TheMothLord as a celebration but what do you do for this stuff...? Here, have 100 smiley faces and a puppy, thanks for thinking I'm interesting or cool or have nice content or whatever, I love you all a ton! :lol::D:lol::D:lol::D:lol::D:lol::D:lol::D:lol::D:lol::D:lol::D:lol::D:lol::D:lol::D:lol:

Found out today I'll be able to go sit in on a NY Phil rehearsal with their organist!! Also 3rd AP Done!

Hey. I figured I should probably let you all know that Fadran and I are no longer together. We're still best friends, we're still on good terms, he's still one of my favorite people ever, so no need to worry about that. Please do not respond to this SU with any questions about it as I would rather not answer them and I don't think Fadran wants to either. It's hard enough for both of us. Thank you all for your support :))

So I came upstairs this morning (context for those who don’t know, today just happens to be my birthday ), and found this (sorry they’re sideways): Which my sister informed me were partyspren. There were 15 around the room, attached to the walls. My sister is 12, and will turn 13 in a bit over a month. She had made these last night, for the morning It was really fun. But wait, it gets better. I go over to one group, and see this: And she says, “That one’s corrupted.” My sister’s the best, guys.