As I am sure you have all noticed by now, Shadowjess is no longer admin of the EN server. After five years in the role, on the 31st of January 2022 she stepped down to let two of the moderators take over the job. As of today, YSL and CheerGirl have officially been highlighted in red for a week, however in this article you get a glimpse of their thoughts and anticipation before they stepped into the role, as well as Jess’ reasoning for stepping down and plans for the future! 

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First up, I got to speak with Shadowjess about this big change and how it came about, let’s hear what she had to say.

How long have you been the admin of the English server, and how did you end up in the role? 

I have been admin of the EN server for 5 years as of 31st January 2022. This will also mark the date of my retirement. I came to this position through public nominations and voting in 2017. I was honestly shocked the weekend it happened as so many had backed me at the time. I was rather quiet on the server and stayed out of any conflict, so to be nominated was quite a big thing for me.

What has been your favourite part about your years as admin?

I think my favourite part has been seeing the changes in the community. It's been interesting to watch it grow and particular people really come out of their shells. 

Without disclosing any details, could you share some of the challenges you’ve had to face as admin?

I think the hardest part for me personally is that I'm too lax. So when particular things need to happen, I found it hard to be enforcing when needed to. I like people to see both sides of the argument and come to a middle ground of compromise. Obviously that isn't always possible.

When did you decide that it was time to step down, and why?

So the decision was ultimately made in October 2021. As many of you know, I've got a lot going on in my personal life that's taken up my time. Planning a wedding for August this year, trying to set up a future reptile breeding business, it's a lot of eggs in a basket one would say haha. So overall, I decided it was time to move on and see VP progress into a new era.

Now that the decision has been made and you’ve started training the new admins, how do you feel about it?

I'm excited for the future. The guys are picking up things quickly and the rest of the admin team are supportive of them. I won't lie that I was extremely anxious about the changes as I've been here for 5 years, but I'm happy to see what happens next without me. 

Has your time as admin taught you something you will be taking with you to other aspects of your life?

After announcing my leave, it made me realise one thing. That I need to do things for the better of myself. I changed my job to something less stressful and am doing far better for my own health.

What will your role on vp be going forward? 

By now, I should be either badgeless or sticking around in the mod team for support for a 6 month term. As of writing this, I'm not sure what I'll be doing moving forward. I will be/ already have left the Designer Team, so I no longer hold any long term commitments to VP, so I'm now just one of the people. I don't plan to leave full term - not with my wardrobe! If anyone wants to see what I'm up to moving forward or at least regarding the snake business check out @the.snakery.bakery on insta or Facebook!

Do you have any last words you would like to share with the community?

I just want to take the time to really thank everyone over the last 5 years who have stuck around. I know the future is always uncertain, however with the introduction of Etjen, I'm hopeful once more that VP will be moving into the right direction. Please be kind to your new admins as they fully adjust into the role and be patient with them ♡

And now it is time to finally meet our two new admins! In addition to getting to know them both better, I also got the chance to ask them about what the admin application and training process was like as well as their goals and plans for the future of vp.

Could you introduce yourself for those who might not know you? 

YSL: My name is Isabel, I’m a 22 year old girl (or woman?) from Norway. I’m currently working as a substitute teacher in an elementary school, but my plan is to start studying at some point. When I’m not working I’m most likely watching tv shows or being social with friends. I really enjoy traveling and I’m hoping to do more of it when the pandemic is over!

CheerGirl: Hi everyone! My name is Chrissy, I'm 20 years old, and a senior in college studying Political Science. I currently live in California in the U.S., but I'm originally from the Washington, D.C. area. I've been a cheerleader basically my entire life, I love to bake cupcakes, I compete in pageants, and I love Broadway musicals. 

How long have you been on vp, and when did you become a moderator? 

YSL: I joined vp for the first time in May 2016, when gsm shut down, but I quit shortly after.  Three years later I decided to give it a chance again, and I’ve been here ever since. I became a moderator at the same time as my sweet co-admin, in July 2020!

CheerGirl: I've been on VP for almost 8 years now, and I became a moderator in July of 2020! 

What was the process of being chosen as the new admins of vp like? And what made you apply & say yes to the task? 

YSL: Jess opened up for applications within the mod team because the duties are in many ways similar. I decided to apply because it intrigued me - I’ve really enjoyed being a mod and therefore I think I’ll enjoy being an admin as well. 

CheerGirl: The process was opened to the moderator team, as a lot of the duties overlap, and I decided to give it a shot! I've been a part of the VP community for a while now, and I wanted to ensure that the community remains active and welcoming to all. 

How has the training period been like for you, and is there anything about being an admin and the responsibilities that comes with the title that has surprised you so far? 

YSL: The training period has been fun! We have learned a lot about our new functions and duties. Some functions definitely take some time getting used to, but I feel like we’re getting there now. 

CheerGirl: The training period has overall been pretty good, but there's a lot of new information to learn. While there is significant overlap with moderator duties, there are new functions to learn to use as an admin that definitely take a little getting used to. 

What are you most looking forward to when stepping into the role? 

YSL: Being a part of vp’s development, getting to know my co-admin (and the other admins) better and working with vp’s amazing team members!

CheerGirl: I'm looking forward to getting to work more closely with some of the other teams to coordinate, and hopefully brainstorming with Isabel on some ways to get the community more involved! 

Are you nervous for any part of the role as admin? 

YSL: Jess has been an amazing admin and taking over her role is definitely intimidating, but I’m glad I have Chrissy by my side - it makes the whole experience less scary. Jess prepared us well during our training period, and she has even offered to help and support us during our first weeks as admins.

CheerGirl: It's certainly a little intimidating to be learning all these new tasks, but Jess has been incredibly supportive during the training period, and I have the fabulous Isabel at my side as the other new co-admin!

What is your main goal as admin? What would you like to achieve? 

YSL: My main goal is to try to make vp a better place, by improving the site’s functions and also by listening to the community and being their voice. I also want the community to become more active, so I’ll try my best to get people more involved. 

CheerGirl: My main goal is to try to increase community involvement! I would love to think up some new competition ideas to try to increase activity. 

Now that there will be two admins, how will you be splitting the responsibilities between you?

YSL: We will be splitting the responsibilities 50/50, but we will of course cover for each other when needed. Since Chrissy is in the US and I’m in Norway, we’re hoping to be available most of the time.

How do you think having the experience of being a moderator has prepared you for taking over as admin? 

CheerGirl: As a moderator you have to have a good understanding of the site's functions and rules, so it's really not too different from the admin duties in that way, you just have additional functions and responsibilities to learn! 

In what ways will you continue to work with the other moderators? 

YSL: Jess worked closely with us (the moderators) during her time as admin, and Chrissy and I will continue to do so. We will help solve problems and handle reports when needed. We are in the mod team’s discord server, so we will always be there for them. 

Is there anything you would like to work to change about the en server, and vp in general, now that you will be working even closer to the site management / developer? 

YSL: I think we can all agree that vp needs some improvement, so I’ll try my best to get as many updates as possible. We’re currently working on improving vp, and it’s looking bright if you ask me!

CheerGirl: As many updates as we can get! We are already working with site management as well as the other server admins to get some site improvements, but you'll have to wait and see! ;)