First things first... I'm sorry for disappearing. Life got very busy, and Scratch was beginning to stress me out. The role-plays I once loved to participate in were going inactive one by one, my messages were empty nearly every day, and being a Scratcher didn't feel special anymore. Plus, being a teenager in high school, Scratch isn't really a site for my age group. Many of my friends here are younger than me- don't get me wrong, I love chatting with everybody! But it sometimes made things uncomfortable for me. Many Scratchers in the Zelda fandom went inactive due to the outbreak of hacking among Zelda accounts, and many of those people were friends of mine. With friends leaving and less and less motivation to stay involved, I felt like it was time to leave. HOWEVER. The second thing I want to say is that I've met so many amazing people here. I'll admit I was skeptical when I first joined three years ago, but I was pleasantly surprised by the welcoming community in the Zelda fandom. I enjoyed talking about the things I loved with other fans, and I still do! After a three-month hiatus, I checked my account to find many notifications - mainly studio activity, but some new followers as well as messages from friends - and I realized just how much I'd missed Scratch. Plus, I noticed that I've been active on this account for exactly one year, which is cool :) Many of you are familiar with my fanfiction series Beauty and the Beast, telling the story of how King Rauru and Queen Sonia met in Ancient Hyrule. One of my favorite things about Scratch is the fanfiction community and all of the authors here who appreciate Zelda as much as I do. However, Beauty and the Beast was not my best work, and I realize now that the writing is severely outdated. Since I posted Beauty and the Beast, my writing has improved and my content has evolved, and I think Scratch is not the best platform for posting my new fanfictions. The audience is much younger here, and views are fewer since the Zelda community is fairly small after the hacking and resulting exodus. On the other hand, Scratch is where my followers are and where I feel most comfortable, so I was indecisive. To be honest, I still am. One more thing about fanfiction here on Scratch. I know Scratch is a coding platform for kids, but I feel like it's becoming closer to "social media for kids." People are obsessed with getting likes, favorites, and follows, so much so that the amount of content theft has multiplied horribly. Fanfiction writers aren't really the main group affected by this, but the amazing artists here sure are. I respect those people who can create such beautiful masterpieces, whether digital or traditional, and it breaks my heart when art theft occurs. Scratch, in some ways, is no longer a fun, safe place to make friends and share ideas and creative content. On that note, I've noticed that fanfiction writers here on Scratch don't get as much attention as artists. I understand- after all, not many people are willing to sit down and read our impassioned essays about the characters we love lol. Still, authors pour their hearts and souls into their work, just like artists. During my hiatus, I've searched for a platform that's more tailored for the author community, where my fan fictions could a) have the right audience and b) receive more attention and feedback. However, I was unable to find a place where I felt comfortable. So I came back to Scratch :) THANK YOU to everyone who has greeted me and welcomed me back! I appreciate it so very much! I don't know where this account will go from here- I may very well just log in from time to time to stay in touch with friends. If I do find another place where I decide to begin posting my latest fanfic works, I will of course tell y'all so you can check it out :D Thank you for your support, for your kindness, and for making Scratch a special place that keeps me coming back again and again. ~ Stormy
