This year was an absolute blur. I might be going through autistic burnout. I really didn't engage with the community for a while, and I've had some major inactivity on scratch (and third-party animation servers). I never really felt connected to anyone online to be honest, because I've been in a weird mindset for interactions. I never took the time to notice just how little of each other we actually see of each other in any online space. Just this past week, I actually noticed, I'm part of a community. There are real people I get to connect with. Real conversations I get to have. The people who make AMVs here are living souls, not just usernames and accounts, sharing their art for the world to see. I'm stating the obvious; but it isn't obvious to anyone caught up in a misty version of the world. These people have really cool experiences and art they get to share, and that I can share with. And I have art and experiences I can share. Communities are built on this stuff, where people get together to share a piece of themselves. I want to thank everyone in the AMV community. This is a really strong community that I once thought would die. It's not big enough for people to be too hungry for attention, and it's not small enough that nobody feels connected. It's a great niche. I'm astounded with all of the people who were able to come together this year. If you're not feeling very connected, then it really isn't too late for you to reach out a little more. A huge thank you to many of the animators that I know have made great contributions this year, whether by leadership, example, or experimentation: @key-frame @-waterball- @Zugshi @Wayurm @Sunfiish @xcenic- @trixieismynickname @-Tormentes_Baggy- @___NATETHEGREAT___ and my deepest gratitude to these and the many other people who all join together to build some really cool projects. Every time I see a new design. Every time I see great scale. Every time I see deep imagination. Every time I see something spectacular shoved into a frankly terrible animation software, I am filled with such great awe. It is overwhelming to delve into all the AMVs on this website, and this year has marked some of the best AMVs this site has to offer. It keeps me going sometimes that I can see this in such a cozy little niche. Happy new year, everybody.
