When I found out along with other people on Twitter that my site has become an Official Wizard101 US fansite, it was an surprise to me too, believe it or not. I truly did not have a clue. I'll tell you guys the story some other time. But I know one thing, I love surprises and this was the BEST one ever!
You know, there were so many things ran through my mind when I found out, I just couldn't believe it. I remember the first day I played Wizard101 very vividly. I remember standing in Olde Town and going, "hmm, so I gotta pay crowns for Firecat Alley or Cyclops Lane. Should I or not?" I'm very glad to say yes, I went ahead. And that was the beginning of an fantastic adventure that I never thought existed.
You see, I have grown up playing games. I started with Nintendo and Sony. I still remember that grey Nintendo box fondly. I couldn't stop playing Mario Bros. I always picked Mario over Luigi. I still remember bouncing those boxes to release the stars. I miss those days of chasing mini green mushrooms. I never liked Zelda for some reason. But my brother who was a year and half younger than me, loved that game. We would fight over who was gonna play and he won most of the time. He just wouldn't let go of the game and I was way too nice to force him to let me play. That is how it was back in those days.
Then Sonic the Hedgehog and Monkey Kong came along. I admit that my brother is a better gamer than I am. He could beat every game that existed while I was the slow one. I was often upset that I was always stuck at world 2 while playing Sonic, but that never stopped me from trying. But there came a day when I realized that me and brother's gaming interests were on totally different levels. He was going into bigger games like World of Warcraft, Dragons & Dungeons, and so many more I couldn't name. I did play them when they were on CDs, but when they were converted into online games, I lost interest. I always felt that they were way too big, too complex, too advanced for me. It just didn't have the same appeal. Meanwhile my brother kept advancing very far into World of Warcraft. I hadn't found my niche until years and years later. I was looking around for games that I could play, something I could stick to when every game I tried didn't hold my interest. I remember playing Pogo, Faunasphere (so disappointed that closed btw), other games that I have forgotten. I also played much bigger games like POTC, and so many others. Even simple games like Glitch. But feeling disappointed that some of them were just too much or too little. There was no happy medium....
...Until Wizard101. Once I started to play Wizard101, there was NO turning back for me. Something just grabbed ahold of me and made me stay. I admit that the game is amazing and I love following the story and opening up new worlds. After all I do have (10) Level 80 Chars. That's how much I love it. But, in between worlds, what really holds me here is the community. The community has been truly amazing and supportive. You cannot find a community like this in any other games. I cannot believe how many friends I have made over the years. How many moments that I've made, both good and bad. I don't regret a single thing. I learned so much about myself through this entire progress, believe it or not. It has made me wiser and stronger. I have learned what is my limit because after all you can't do everything. That its okay to fail. You can always rebuild. That it's a chance to learn something new that you can improve on. But I also learned that it's okay to ask for help. This community has helped me so much when I needed it. And I thank them all for it. Their advice, kindness and encouragement I hold to my heart very much. Without them, I would not be here today. I cannot say how much I adore this community. They are just amazing. There's no words to say. I always feel incredibly blessed to be a part of it.
And that's why I worked so hard to create and maintain this site... For them. When I started the site, it was because I saw a need for help and guidance. Because of that, I have tried to fill that need. It was all for the community. With every person's encouragment, it just grew. I was driven by the need to see this through for them. Through the bad patches, I would've gave up. But when everyone urged me on, I felt like I couldn't fail them, so I plowed through it all.
And I think I've finally succeeded by being accepted as one of Wizard101's Official Fansites.
I still remember so many of you always saying that you wanted me to achieve this goal.
Well, without all of you, I wouldn't have done it. So thank you all!
This one is really for ALL of you, my wonderful W101/P101 Community!
But my goal now is to KEEP SUCCEEDING. This train ain't stopping because I finally found my station. There's so many more stations to visit and I can't wait to see where I'm going. There are so many more people to help and guide and more friends to make along the way. And I sure hope that you all join me onto the ride!
From this, I hope you realize that with hard work and perseverance, dreams can come true.
I know mine did. :) So whatever is your dream, do not give up.. ever!
And lastly..
Thank you Lydia Greyrose, Wizard101 & Kingisle
for bestowing this amazing honor upon me and my site.
I feel humbled and awed by it. There's just no words to say because there's no right words for how I feel tonight. But I know one thing.. We will continue to make you proud!
-Kelsey Fireheart
StarsoftheSpiral.com
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