ZincAboutIt

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