A community, a home.

[Raz *]

So, I know I'm not usually the person to write up these kinds of announcements, or long form posts. There's a reason for that, I'm not terribly confident in them, so believe me when I say I'm passionate about writing this to be able to put it out for you all to read. ^-^

So first things is first, I'm aware that there have been some issues over the last few months of varying kinds, concerns shared by more than one member, which is perfectly natural on a site as active as this in my opinion. I'm not going to comment about any of these here in detail, if anybody wants my individual opinion on an issue, they are more than welcome to come and ask me in private. But this isn't a post about that, this is a post about Bellefonte in general, my feelings towards it, and how I hope that some of you do or will come to feel about it.

I came to Bellefonte, like many others from another site, actually migrating from said other site where I wasn't honestly all that happy. I'm not going to go into a complaining rant about the issues on that board, but I will say at least from my perception, they were plentiful and made me extremely uncomfortable.

Needless to say, as I'm sure many other members who are now active will agree with, my first impression of the site was being overwhelmed. It wasn't just a bunch of in jokes and people sticking to social groups entirely, or lurking like other sites I've been at. One of my first thoughts was "Who the fuck is that crazy Mel chick" Along with "She's totally into girls." Only to find out after what I admit was actually a day or so, staying up all night writing two apps at the same time that she was both the admin, and actually straight, which amused me.

This came as a surprise, because a lot of admins are distant, or kind of passive to new members, it's usually the community, and the admins separate as entities.

But that's not how I felt. I chatted to Mel more and more, along with Raku, Kam (when she turned up) Gas, Fem, and several others. But it quickly became apparent that there was always excitement, interesting characters, and genuine affection for each other between members. Coupled with the fact that most if not all of the community were open and accepting, caring who you were, and not WHAT you were. One of the most gender and sexuality friendly sites I've genuinely ever seen, and I say this from the point of view of being LGBTQ.

One thing I do understand, is that the last year has been a huge milestone for the site, and it's members. People have been through so much here, the site is 2 years old. 2 freaking years, and it's still this active. And personally, it's been a rough year for me, in terms of muse and writing I've had my ups and downs, awkwardness around ships, dropped plots, and plots that made me giggle and smile for days at a time. I've been a member of staff several times, whenever it was needed. And now I'm a permanent member.

And even after all that, I can say every time there has been a rough patch, people have made it through. Because of you guys, the community. And that includes the moderators. Even when they've been going through their own hells, they still care and love about the site and it's members, even when we've had staff members leave, cherished members become to busy with the site, or too caught in RL stress to be here, we've still pulled together and come through.

One thing we can always do, is communicate. I want people to know that the staff will never fault you for talking to them. If you need to, that's what they are here for, and personally it actually makes me smile if someone feels comfortable enough to talk to me about help with an issue for help. I can assure you, it goes both ways, I've been so stressed at times I've felt like I can't breath, and wonderful members, or just you lovelies in the cbox have made me smile and feel better.

We're a community, and I love each and every one of you. I want you guys to feel the same way I do about BA, nothing would make me happier. I want us all to communicate, and consider each other. Let's remember, if something seems silly, or upsetting from another member or member of staff, there is almost ALWAYS something deep going on underneath the surface, especially if it's out of character. And if you have concerns, even about another staff member, please feel free to speak to us.

Even better, if you feel happy, and you want to let us know you're enjoying the site or a plot, that's great! BA is the best, warmest community I've ever been a part of. Lets keep it that way, and keep improving together. Lastly, I'd like to thank anybody who took the time to read this. <3