A Thank You to BlogClan, by Dawnblaze

Dawnblaze goes on a session of soul-searching, and talks about what BlogClan means to them.

Looking at the list of “suggested articles” for this page, I can quickly tell that what I’m about to write is going to be sort of unorthodox, and maybe half the people on this site will scroll past this article (if it’s even posted). Regardless, this is something that’s been nagging me for a while.

You might remember me as Dawnblaze. Or Dawnpaw, or Dawnkit, or whatever name I might’ve used on the Wikia or roleplay forums. I was a member of BlogClan from 2012 to 2013, when I was in 5th and 6th grade. When I first discovered this site, I was ecstatic. Looking back, it was a bit… cringey. I was inexperienced in roleplay, overly enthusiastic, newly into anime (and what I’d definitely call a weeaboo), and very, very good at making Mary Sues with silly, nonsensical backstories and no flaws which would be considered, like, actual flaws, besides the occasional “she’s clumsy, but it just makes her cuter!!! xDD”. I was definitely not experienced in interaction with people older than me.

Do I regret joining BlogClan? Not for a second.

In the time I was an active member, I felt truly at home. When I was excited about something, I could log onto the wikia chat and be greeted by enthusiastic, kind-hearted friends who listened to what I had to say and didn’t judge how silly I could get when happy. When I was having a rough day, I could log on and find empathy in people who would truly listen, and relate with stories of their own. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I can truly appreciate how rare a kind, accepting, welcoming online community like this is. And I definitely needed it.

When I was in sixth grade. my parents fought often. Money was tight, jobs were unavailable, and it was horrible. Being the youngest and most sensitive of my siblings, I had no idea where to put all the stress and fear I felt. Going home to the too-loud or eerily quiet house was the worst part of my day, and at school I couldn’t help but be anxious as I anticipated what awful news might await me when I got home. I lashed out at friends, focused on shows and games I’d play to an unhealthy extent (where my first reaction to hearing yelling would be to slip on my headphones and play Pokemon and ignore it as best as I could), and my grades slipped. Nothing was going right for me.

It sounds cheesy, but BlogClan seriously, seriously helped. Having a constructive website to focus my energy into, improving my writing, talking to online friends and having fun together helped so much. I will never forget that BlogClan kickstarted my love of writing. I will never forget that BlogClan introduced me to just how incredible the Internet can be. I will never forget all the people I don’t talk to anymore, all the friends of the past who loved and supported me regardless of the fact that we never met.

I think I kind of lost track of where I was going with this. But I guess, to finish, I’ll just say a bit more.

Thank you, BlogClan, for giving me friends when I needed them most.

Thank you, BlogClan, for giving me a healthy outlet for how I felt.

Thank you, BlogClan, for always being something I could fall back on.

And most importantly, thank you, BlogClan, for bearing with me during all my embarrassing phases, haha.