User blog:Lady Komainu/256 Days Later-A Reflection

Ok, so I know this may be totally selfish and futile, but it is something I feel I need to put down in words and broadcast to the site. May it serves as both a documentation and narrative of what has already transpired; as well as a thank you to everyone for what has been, and what is to come. So if all I have managed to do is grasp your attention for this first paragraph, I will tell you right now what the underlying message of this post is about…thank you for being you.

So, as of today I have been a part of this wiki for a little over 8 months now. I have made 3,757 edits on around 1,060 different files and pages; but these numbers mean nothing to me. These numbers bring me no sense of accomplishment or pride. No, what I am most proud of is what has come out of these numbers. A guild that has become my family, a new web of connections with people from all around the world, and a place where I can create something beautiful that wasn’t there before. To me, that is about as close to magic as you can get.

"Seeing the progression of the guild from start to now has really been amazing. To see that such a thing can bring people together from many different parts of the Earth. It’s really spectacular to see such a diverse group of people congregate because of a common interest such as something like this guild"

- Aiden Cordelia

For those of you that don’t know, the guild I created only a short while ago is called Koma Inu. And I must say that it is probably my pride and joy out of all my creations. Having 72 characters overall, it is the guild with the most members by far. And, as no disrespect to the other guilds on the fanon, I find that it makes me feel a sense of pride and accomplishment being the “Top Dog”* within the guilds. It always gives me a little bit of joy when I see one of my members have a top page for the day, or one of our stories are featured on the site’s “hot spots”. It just makes me smile knowing that, although it may be small, I am somehow connected to the writers of such incredible pages.

"I feel that Koma Inu has made it as far as it has because it gives off a sense of community that is hard to find anywhere else on the Wikia. The people in Koma Inu work together to bring their ideas to life, having a large selection of caring and intelligent people to give their thoughts and opinions, allowing us to flesh out our creations in a much fuller sense as we are given the opportunity to see things from many unique perspectives. Koma Inu is a family full of gifted, talented writers and I know there’s no place I’d rather be."

- Blackdagger01

Although a good handful of these characters in my guild do come from the same users, I find that that doesn’t take away from the fact that Koma Inu has become a large family to me. It started out as a small guild of 10 people that I managed to recruit from my handful of followers on a comedy app, but those people would become something far greater than I had initially imagined. We found ourselves spending hours on Kik brainstorming different story ideas, character creations, and just fun personal anecdotes that drew us closer together. I can tell you all right now that our group chat is active for about 21 hours during the day because we have people from all different time zones sharing their ideas and stories continuously. Some may find this annoying, but to me, I see this as a sense of involvement. A reminder that, no matter what is going on in the day, I am never alone. I have my friends in the Koma Inu group chat to keep me company; whether that be for support during a time when a family member passed away, an awkward date that you want to escape from, or just a way to pass the time when you are bored on a Wednesday afternoon. That is where I find the real joy in what this wiki has given me. A sense of family. A sense of community. And a chance at new friendships that have taken root in my heart, and continue to blossom into something beautiful.

"I would have never gotten into the Fairy Tail Wikia hadn’t it been for Koma Inu, which is all because of a post I saw on iFunny. And, tentatively, I joined, wanting to get immersed in this huge community and share my lover for writing and, of course, Fairy Tail. However, I have the social eloquence of a potato, and was especially afraid of how my writing would be perceived, considering my young age and the many more experienced and better writers on the wikia. But, after slowly gaining my courage, which blossomed first on the Kik chat that Koma Inu has, I began getting more involved, wanting to grow and make articles that were fun and informative, like so many others I had seen. And this is all due to Koma Inu’s encouragement. These people who I barely knew, who knew close to nothing about me, were complimenting me on what I did right and giving me ideas and help whenever I asked it of them. I was so fortunate to start somewhere so welcoming and kind, because there is no doubt in my mind I would have quit after a few weeks because I was too intimidated by the sheer number of people and articles that existed on this wikia. Koma Inu is by far the greatest group of people I have had the pleasure of meeting, each one having different mindsets and writing styles that I have come to recognize without even thinking about it. I love writing stories with everyone there, as it is always interesting and immersive, and I’ve never failed to be impressed by the other’s imagination and writing. I want nothing more than to continue writing with this bunch, as they’ve become like a second family to me, and grow as a writer beside them."

- Aaniimee

Learning to work on the wiki was a bit of a struggle, and still is, but I have learned that the admins and other users on this group are extremely helpful and don’t hesitate to lend a helping hand. A lot of us are barely just starting to find our voice, and for me, this wikia has helped me uncover my own love for writing and creating. Yes I have been told a good handful of times that my pages lack proper structure, horrendously photoshopped pictures, grammatical errors, poor descriptions, and the like. But you could say I see that as a chance for me to improve. I have yet to find a voice strong enough to compete with some of the top writers on this site, and when I get criticism like that it can sometimes get me down. But after a few moments reading over the critiqued section with an open mind, I see that this criticism offers helpful insight into what I can change to make my voice a little more powerful and well rounded. All in all, the help and ideas of the people I have come to know on this site offer a greater expansion to this long running story that has erupted on this site. Unifying us in a common love of the Fairy Tail universe, and challenging us to think of bigger and better things to add to it. It brings me joy and happiness knowing that each day that I can return to this site, to escape my stresses of the real world, and to immerse myself in a world that I have come to love.

"For me the wiki was my writing salvation. I had almost given up when I was spurred by your post on starting a guild. I formed a team and friendships with two others, and now almost twenty others in chat alone. Koma Inu as a guild makes me smile. Even though it’s less than a year old, many of us have been around since the beginning and have seen it grow and become well respected. And the chat is full of friends that feel like a second family. I’ve had very personal conversations with people, had my spirits and sometimes burdens lifted, and spent countless hours smiling at my phone like an idiot. The people of Koma Inu mean the world to me and I will never forget all of [them]. I hope we stay strong and together for a long time."

- CelestialSpiritQueen

There has always been debates on how social media is degrading the meaning of real friendships, and taking out the social aspect of in-person connections. But after spending a good deal of time with the people on here, there is no way you can tell me that these connections aren’t real. The people I call my guildmates, as well as a few other on this site, are one’s with who I’ve gotten to know on a deeper level than some of the ‘friends’ who make up the number on my Facebook page. And to be honest, should I ever get the chance to meet them in real life, I don’t feel our connection would be like that of someone with whom you are meeting for the first time. It would feel like meeting with an old friend; someone with whom you have shared countless laughs and adventures with. I know that there are countless more emotions that rest in my heart, yet I don’t have the words to eloquently speak about the joy I feel. So although I have done my best, with the help of my friends, to share with you the way I think about what has transpired on this site; I don’t know if I will ever have the power to truly speak about the bond I see through my own eyes. All I can really hope for is the power that rests in the words I have put on this page, and hope that the jubilant emotions will be carried through as well. So all in all, I just have one thing to say to those who I have come in to contact with, and who I will continue to share these precious moments with…thank you.

*Yes I know that Koma means “top” as in the spinning top toy, but just let me have this moment for pure pun purposes.