All jokes aside, there's a lot of reflection to be had from this video. I'm happy that Dan and Phil have reached a level of peace to share this even if people (including myself) made that difficult.
I started this blog when I was 14 years old and am blessed to have been a part of such a fun and beautiful community for as long as I was. At 25, I look back on these times with equal parts joy and cringe. I hope that the archives of my blog and everyone else's from that time serve as a gentle reminder that even with good intentions, we can unintentionally be adding fuel to a fire. Getting to experience that relationship scrutiny on a muuuuuuch smaller scale opened my eyes quite a bit too. Even in the tiny pond that I was in, having a personal relationship be put under a very public microscope was a strange feeling. The irony of that was not lost on me at the time either, and once it was over, I quietly disappeared for the most part with a lot to consider.
I'm grateful for the forgiveness they extended. I've occasionally grappled with young and very stupid little Avery, feeling guilty about my online presence. This video wasn't vindicating because we Finally Know The Truth, but it was vindicating because it was the final step in making peace with a time I struggled to reconcile with, despite trying to be one of the "good ones."
At the end of the day, the community was and is a precious memory. I got to bond with so many amazing people and enjoy content with these amazing people. I grew up here, with you, with them. I learned so much about myself, about what I enjoyed doing, about all that the Internet can be. I created, I loved, I laughed, and I left changed for good.
Thanks to Dan and Phil for years of laughter and a community like no other I've ever experienced. Thanks to you all, those who are still here anyhow, for living and growing in that crazy time with me. My heart is full knowing that through it all, they get to live the way they want.