#caitees

i’m just gonna talk about me specifically for a moment: i watched area unknown from the start. the literal beginning. i basically helped co-author the smp’s name.

i was 19-20 years old and it was 2022 and i was a college student dealing with a Lot mentally and emotionally. area unknown inspired me creatively, and the positive responses and encouragement from aimsey and guqqie and even michela with my stupid social media au helped me become more confident in myself as a writer, the thing i was studying and hoping to pursue as a career for the rest of my life.

i was cringe and dumb and annoying, but ccs and other fans kept interacting with me and expressing their love of my writing, and it was everything to me. everything. it helped with my imposter syndrome. it helped with my confidence.

area unknown gave me a safe space and an outlet. it gave me friends i made online - some of which i still have now and are some of my favorite people i know.

area unknown was a breath of fresh air. an smp where the creators cared as much as you did. an smp with a focus on sapphic lore and a dedication to that story being told Right.

i’m 22 now, and i’ve graduated, and area unknown is ending soon, and it’s sad. it’s all sad. we grew together. and area unknown was always so criminally underrated, i can’t even begin to imagine how disheartening that must have been as a creator who was a part of it. but it was - is - so special to me. it changed my life. it helped me be more comfortable with myself. it made me happy and comforted when little else would.

and it is so clear that it was a passion project. it is so clear how much love was poured into that server. and it will always deserve more love and recognition. it will always be criminally underrated. i will always be mad that more people didn’t tune in, especially when ccs and fans made it So easy to and people were so desperate for sapphic and diverse mcrp.

but it will always be loved by me. and so many others. and the community we made will always be so special to me, no matter how small.