hedwig68

Hey guys, I'm the elusive Hedwig that none of you probably know or remember. It's been years since I was an active member of the Eggcave community, so I've become more of a ghost than anything. But I just realized it's been over ten years since I started on this site, and I just figured I'd put this down here.
I joined Eggcave back when I was an awkward eleven year old who found more comfort in her books than real life. I joined this site because I saw the first stage Ignis on another site, and thought to myself, "Why not collect a couple of little adoptables?"
I never had any intentions of posting on the forums or contacting other players beyond offering on the occasional lot. And then I was introduced to the RP forums, and everything sort of fell into place. I was making friends and joining in on the posts and forums. It was the first time I ever truly joined an adoptable site, and that's probably why I've stuck with this site for so long, why I always keep coming back just to look again. I joined for a creature, and I made a family instead. And while my popularity and fame disappeared as quickly as it came, a mere second in my twenty-one years, it's still one of the brightest points.
I went from being that awkward eleven year old who was too anxious to even speak in class to someone confident and more assured in herself than ever. And now, years after writing this letter originally, things only seem to be going up, and I've found a new home in grad school where I'm studying writing and working on my first ever fantasy series as we speak. Something that never seemed possible before.
Eggcave was a safe haven for me even in my darkest times, and I will never stop being grateful to this site and the people on it that helped me grow and change into a better version of myself. Most of these people are long gone, and my contact with them has diminished into nothing but old memories, but that doesn't matter. They'll always be a part of me because they were everything I needed in a time when I was too scared to chase my dreams. This site and several of its users are the reasons that I've taken risks on my education and on my future. They pushed me down a path I considered impossible before, and they know who they are. I can only hope they know how grateful I am for them, their writing, and their friendship.
Over the last decade, I have experienced love, heartbreak, happiness, sadness, the loss of friends, new friendships, betrayal, and loyalty, and through it all, Eggcave has been there. I don't say it enough, and I'm not as active as I thought I'd be now--back when I was sure I'd be typing away on this site until I was old and wrinkled--but thank you Eggcave. I love every single one of you, whether you've been here for longer than I or you just began today.
Eggcave is a place for anyone, even when you feel like there's nobody left to care. There will always be people to support you through every trial you face and help you back up when you fall. And even when I'm long gone and this site is completely different, it'll always be with me. My time here has been a rollercoaster ride of a thousand different emotions, but without those years, I wouldn't be standing here today in what I would like to believe is my greatest form yet. And while I feel my time left on this site is limited and slowly drawing to an end, none of it was in vain.
It was one moment of curiosity that brought me here, and that moment has changed my life forever. A decade has come and gone, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Through the site changes, the events, the friends, and the roleplays, I have stood strong and ready for it all. I have watched this empire rise and fall like the crashing of waves, and yet we have never truly fallen. I have long resigned from my duty as a warrior in favor of the life of an elder, watching this site's new leaders take it along an even greater path. And I am content to watch this empire shape itself under the guidance of its users. A lot of good work is being done, and it's up to every user to help. I hope all of you can find the solace that I did in this site. I hope you guys can all find yourselves and become the best versions of yourself. I hope you all get the one thing this sight gave me: hope. So I guess this is me signing off once again, for now at least.
To ten good years, it's been quite the journey.

-Hedwig