OOC: Thank You

Hey y'all. I don't normally talk OOC like this but I wanted to just share something, an explanation for why I've been quiet lately and a promise to make.

I know I haven't been the most active as of late. For awhile. There's been a lot of stuff going on both in real life and on the site that's been a real stress for me. I recently lost my paternal grandfather and even though we weren't close at all, his death still took an incredible toll on me, especially since I was unable to attend his funeral because I go out of state for college. It has been something we have seen coming for a while now but the shock of it still struck us hard.

Additionally, this is my senior year of college. I graduate in a month. That means things this entire school year has been hectic and chaotic for me. So I know I haven't talked a lot with new people I have added. In addition to school, I have founded and am running my own improv club on campus, which also takes up a lot of my free time. Also, I am in my school's theater production and recently, we've been having full tech rehearsals on top of my normal school workload and extracurriculars that wear me out, but it's worth it. And on top of that, as an English major, I have a lot of reading and writing I must do for classes. To be honest, there are times when I'm so exhausted from doing that that by the time I get a moment to be on the site, I don't feel like doing it some more.

I have gone through a huge self-discovery period that's been going on basically since fall of 2017. I've lost people who, at one point in time, I have considered friends. I realize now that maybe that wasn't the best way to describe things. My mental health has been a roller coaster lately and that also means my activity on the site is not as high. I've made changes to myself, some that I know not everyone is happy about. But it's made /me/ happier. And that's what matters.

For those of you who have stuck by my side through thick and thin, who have helped me realized my place on the site again -- even in an unconscious way -- and have built me up instead of trying to tear me down, thank you. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart. There was a point recently I thought about leaving. Now, that's not even on my mind. And that's in part thanks to you, my friends, no, my family. My writing family here.

As for my promise: I still will be on the site. I still will write. Just at the moment, I am crazy busy with my show opening tomorrow, a research paper due Friday, and getting my club situated so that after I'm gone, they will still have a structure to build upon. I will become a lot more available starting the 15th of this month but my full return will not be until after the 11th of May when I graduate college and start a new part of my life.

If you don't want to wait that long to start to write, I understand. Unfriend me and we can go our separate ways. However, if you wanna write and plot something, I'd love some kind of message. Just to let me know you're interested.

Thank you for reading everyone. I love you all and hope to hear from you soon. ❤