Hehehe, I was so excited for your excitement about the HQ S3 announcement!!! 
So currently, anyone can engage in the forums- you can be a “registered” user and interact. But by virtue of being “away from the noise” (not on Twitter/FB) we can still maintain a more private vibe.
The lounge password this is real! We have clearance tiers in place that will “naturally” get you to level 3 with activity over time, but if you’re really eager, you can demonstrate your understanding of our functionality (as well as probably be a paid sub bc you’re accessing the comics) by messaging the password to the “Bouncer”. Spoiler alert, it’s our mods 
As for how the community might change, that’s still simmering. I have a lot of questions about its appearance etc. that will inform the future design. I have been thinking a lot about polishing the clearance level requirements, at least temporarily.
And if we go global, that’s really going to take some redesign.
Oh also! I could indeed tell your avatar was Ivy! did that come into question?