Even though Christmas Day has technically ended here, and I adamantly do not celebrate it anyway, the mass of sentiment which gets expressed on a global scale doesn't leave me unaffected. So I'm feeling a little more sentimental than usual, and I'm already the height of sappy nonsense. This thread is probably cousin to some of the more annoying things seen on Facebook, but here it is, regardless.
I've been around DLP for a while now. Not sure how long, and I'm not inclined to check, though it'd only take a second. I lurked for a while before I signed up, and still mostly lurk, only posting every now and again. Despite that, I feel like I'm part of a community here. A community which I love and respect, despite our many and obvious failings as both a group and individuals.
There are a lot of forums and other groups floating around online, but this one has always stood head and shoulders above the rest in terms of the quality of its members. Some of us are morons at times, and some more often than others, but I genuinely believe that this is a collection of intelligent, interesting, and varied people. I only know a small number of you closely, but I feel a sincere bond with you all, because we have this one thing in common; this one place where we come together.
We are not Dark Lord Potter in my mind any longer. Harry Potter fanfiction is waning, and although most of us are still interested in it, and in other fandoms, I'm not even sure I consider this wholly a fanfiction forum these days. We are no longer Dark Lord Potter. We are DLP. We've grown into something beyond a shared interest, and our forums are an interest in their own right. I don't come here because I have an interest in fanfiction. I come here because I have an interest in DLP.
Perhaps this is just sentimental gibberish, but I truly appreciate this place, and you, the people who make it what it is. I respect the average member of DLP as a peer, as an equal. I've never seen another online community which I feel like I could say the same of. You are all a welcome part of my life.
Even if my posting is sporadic, I hope that this place continues to grow. Continues to thrive. I hope that we move past being a Harry Potter fanfiction forum and into something more - and I firmly believe that we've made strong progress in that direction.
I'm pretty sure I've not donated to the forums before beyond snatches of fanfiction, but I intend to as soon as my next pay comes in. Still, I'd like to contribute more, though I have few ideas as to how. Helping with server costs and attempting to stimulate and engage in quality discussions is a good start, though, so these are things I hope to do.
Not everybody has any interest in posts like these, so perhaps it's only fair that I admit I'm posting this as much for me as for any of you. There is an element of selfishness to my post, like when you give somebody a gift to make yourself feel good as much as for the act of giving. I am better for having DLP in my life, and I hope that my participation has made DLP better in whatever tiny ways that a handful of sporadic posts from a single member among hundreds can do.
Expressing anger and grief are cathartic. It can make us feel good to speak our part and share our feelings. The same is true of joy. I'm glad to be part of what we have here, and it brings me significant happiness to say it.