/late but
Diana, flail all you like, but the fact remains that whether knowingly or not you were part of the influence that made me the person I am today. I know that sounds really silly to you, but it's true.
When I was at the end of my teen years, I was dealing with a lot of issues in my offline life and that continued into my early adulthood. You had worked so hard to make Moonwings and then Iwaku a safe place for weirdos and outcasts like me to step away from our troublesome lives and just be creative and feel accepted. You and the amazing home you'd help create and maintain came into my life when I needed it most.
Through this community, I became a far better person than that shitty teenager that first showed up on Moonwings' doorstep. I learned a lot of life lessons - self acceptance being a major one. Granted, one single person is not a community, but you are a leader in it and a representative. I constantly looked to you and other old-time members for guidance in many aspects of my life.
You deserve appreciation because you are a catalyst for so much good in people's lives and I for one am very thankful for you. <3