Absence and the Death of the Clans -- Dawnstar's Final Post

Well, I'm going to go ahead and say it. Our community is, for the most part, quite dead (utterly, I suppose). Honestly, if you're even reading this, either you're taking a trip down ole' memory lane or just happened to pass by. Of course, SOMEWHERE out there is a possibility of a thriving Clan, but I doubt it (yes, call me a pessimist). So, I must bid you all, those of the Clans who have spent their precious hours along with us, au revior <3 It was a really grand time, I must say. The life and energy our community once had was inspiring to say the least. As the cliché goes: all good things must come to an end. And though we didn't really go out with a bang (more of a sputtering failure), the childhood daydreams and passionate words chock full of blissful memories are the sweetest things we could have left behind. I'm sure that I am not the only one who believes that this particular part of my life changed me to become someone else entirely. I was given perspective, and when I was younger, I wasn't the most social or outgoing kid. I think that without my blogs, I would've ended up a total recluse. I met such wonderful people who taught me that the world is a glorious, song-screaming place where creativity and acceptance can flourish. I also met incredible n00bs who made me question the security of the future of humanity, and trolls that taught me that our beautiful world is also ugly and that there are people who'd want to spit on your shiny new shoes just for the pure fun of it. The trolls are the saddest of all. I mean, humans are no doubt better off clueless and seemingly uneducated than cruel and without compassion. I pity the troll. What kind of person would purposefully smash others' innocent joy? The empty kind.

But I'd rather focus on our positives, yeah? The good times from when I was younger and life was simpler. I remember the first time I stumbled upon a Warrior Clan Blog, none other than Silverstar's StormClan. And I was a complete internet n00b myself. xD (I presumptuously said that I wanted to be the Deputy, if possible and they needed me. I thought myself clever! Ha! Never had I ever been more embarrassed or writhing with anxiety to apologize. But I couldn't make a big deal of the situation, knowing anything else I said would make it worse...but, I became a member of her countless Warriors nonetheless. Oh, how proud I was that day! There was a spark of inspiration behind that gleeful stage: I wanted to do that too. To write and to have a place of my own. Thus, I made an account and RoseClan was born into existence. Time passed and I learned the ways of the internet. My entire 'career' here is due to Silverstar (Sylvine). So, though she is long gone (as is mostly everyone I know), I want to thank her. So, so much. I owe her a lot of things, and I want to say once more that I am grateful and honored to have served as an Administrator of this blog, the focal point of our widespread, cat-loving network.)

Many people we come to know and love have gone, straying from all communication and disconnected from the online world they left behind. But hey, what else is growing up about? We've had our beautiful moments, packed with action and adventure and a love for literature about cats! Once you're old enough, you gotta spread your wings, and responsibility gets heavier as we grow older. Celebrate the graduation of those who've left here for out there: real life! Fantasy is wondrous and lovely and enchanting, but there's a time when we're called to fully be a part of reality. We can still keep our fantasies and dreams with us, but the most important thing is to live them instead of just writing them down. Balance is key. We'll ALWAYS be those people with wandering minds and content hearts of sparkling dreams, but we can be those people outside of the keyboard better than we can in here. Take your experiences from the good days with you, even if just to recall them.

I can think of a lot of people that I want to chat with just one last time, to sit down and be able to contact once again. Silverstar and Brooke are the most prominent in my brain, but there are so many great people I'd met and will miss greatly. But they're out there somewhere, being themselves and doing what makes them happy. There is one friend, however, that I'm still maintaining regular conversation with on another site: Dreamstar. I know that she and Silverstar weren't on the best of terms, and I don't understand why, but I think that they're both such great people. And, well, people make mistakes. Things happen and go right or wrong. I guess that between them it just went wrong. Dreamstar and I have almost completely left blogger and are still talking, but one day I'm sure our day of parting will occur, sad but true. And I just wanna say that I'll miss her so so much when that day comes. I bid everyone, especially those I knew well, a happy life full of love and joy. Make certain that you live doing what you love no matter what! Walk away knowing that this wasn't for nothing. It wasn't a waste of time, it was valuable.

Lame as it is, I'm just about in tears. I miss this, I really do, but it will never quite be the same as it was. This isn't a solo act, and everyone knows that two or even three isn't enough to make a blog successful. WE ARE THE BLOGGER CLAN LEGACY! Our mark has been left not online but inside each other's hearts. It doesn't matter if you read this or not, because anyone who was a member here knows it inside themselves. Say goodbye, not with heavy hearts but open minds. Cry tears of sweet sorrow, tinged by happy thoughts of the past. But don't linger, you've got your own life to get living. Go for it, and never forget!

As for me, I may drift back from time to time until I leave completely. Keyword 'may'. The time between visits will be increasingly long, I can guarantee that. I'm old enough now that I know I've 'overstayed my welcome', and my ticket is long expired. This formal goodbye should have been taken care of a long while back. I am working my first ever job, drive my own car, and will finish High School in two years. My life is ready to move on to the next chapter now. Dwelling here any longer will cause me to repeat myself over and over and over...it's already happening...

What I've personally taken away from this:

1) An improvement in character

2) A love for writing. Inspiration, if you will. I first developed my skills at crafting stories here.

3) Better understanding of the real world through an indirect medium (the key to my now social personality)

4) Loads of good memories

5) The realization that I'm not alone, and the feeling of meeting people you otherwise never would have met.

6) Discovery of a place that had a little bit of real magic in it, something to treasure.

It doesn't matter if not even a single soul reads these words, it's just enough for me to type them up and put them out there. My grammar is a bit broken and my words a bit cheesy, but it's currently midnight and I worked for 13 hours today. I hope it's still good enough to convey the intentions behind what I'm spewing out.

So, until there are people who are willing to breathe some more life into this blog and to really keep it running (or someone else makes a sentimental reappearance), this is the final post of this blog (at least by me it is). And so, goodbye to you all!

And, as is proper to end with: May StarClan light your path!

Lots of love and best wishes,

Dawnfeather (Dawnstar) of RoseClan