A Rambling Love Letter to the Community
Sometimes, I get nostalgic and I look back at some of the shit I got into when my life was generally simpler, if not much better. I joined the Toribash community at a young age, and at a time when my mentality was particularly malleable, and I didn't do much socially outside of my house and school; point is, for better or worse, the time I spent on this website weighed heavily on my decision making and growth.
I had been a part of other message boards, boards about things I cared more about than Toribash, but there was something particular about the community that made me stay, and I think above all else, it was the the people. I have never seen, before or since, a forum with as many intriguing characters as this one has had over the years. And I came after the heyday - I joined in 2010, 9 years ago, and back then I was routinely categorized as a "newfag". A lot of the interesting people had came and went before I was ever around, and I still met some of the coolest people I know during my stay.
From my beginnings, joining some piddleshit clan called [Monster] and getting in trouble on the forums and IRC for doing weird, dumb shit, to when I was an Administrator, at one point "running" (lol) three staff teams at once, I always felt like I was the new guy. I was always in awe of the people I was interacting with. In retrospect, I was just a kid, acting like a kid, but it wasn't as if most of them didn't deserve some of that awe. So here are some shout-outs to some people I remember, and sorry to those I forgot:
First and foremost, suomynona: enigmatic and insightful. Never said much, but almost always said the right thing. The ninja. A person (so he claims) that I have looked at as a peer. From the beginning, I admired his rationality, his cool, collected ability to analyse a problem and make me look dumb doing it. A person I would never expect to be friends with, to this day.
Voxus: he seemed to turn into a somewhat controversial figure, but I was never really sure why. My relationship with him was hand-in-hand with my relationship to suo, and I still talk to him almost every day. Taught me how to play Dota 2, the poor sod.
Chozo: somehow turned into my personal therapist. Seriously, one of the most humble people I've ever known in my life. He might disagree with me, but from what I can see, a great fucking person.
SkulFuk: cranky old fucker. Always thought he was a son of a bitch, but get him behind a curtain and he's actually a super nice person. Don't tell him I told you that. A cornerstone of the community.
ishi: The main man. If you don't know who he is, fuck you. I'm better than him in Street Fighter, this is a fact and anyone who says otherwise can eat shit.
Erth: Did all my work for me when I was an admin. And he seemed to like it, fucking weirdo. Anyway, a real mate. I fondly remember all of our discussions on what events would be cool, and who we would bribe to make them happen.
Oyster: My man. Got me into [vibe], later got me into my first staff position. He probably had no idea what he started. Great taste in music, always kicked my ass in Toribash.
pika: If Wibbles was a person. Actually, fuck this guy.
rittu: Speaking of which, the self-proclaimed Lord of Wibbles. Real ornery fucker. Known alias: Uttir, God of Cows. Mean, but funny.
Monobi: great artist, terrible at Apex Legends.
Fish: I spent way too much time being mad at this guy. Actually, I still am.
Dargon: The love of my life.
Man, there are a lot of names I can think of. I love this community, and the memories, even if I do cringe at the amount of teenage time I spent staring at this shit. I remember getting banned from #spiritclan when I first joined because I was a little shit. The fools let me back in, and I've been around ever since. When I first became a Tori-Agent, and took it way too seriously. When Ego "trained" me on being a Market Squad member, by letting me use his account secretly. When I was a Clan Squad and killed lsl's clan just for fun. Literally, just because it was funny. Speaking of lsl, when he hacked a fuckton of accounts and I snitched on him to become a super moderator. Look, it's either eat or be eaten. The birth of #outside, and then #hi. I remember being there for the birth and death of Gamemasters. When Toribash Mini was released. Undercutting Fish's username change shop with lower prices. Using my bold colored name to get better deals in the Market.
A bunch of shit that I've forgotten. A bunch of memories that embarrass, but none of them I regret. Seriously, I can't say it enough:
I love this community. Thanks for all the fish. Except for that one time.
<3