I honestly don't know how many people are going to end up reading this given that the foyer is barely alive anymore and isn't the most visible section, but I figured it's the only place I can really post this now.
I told myself I wouldn't ever make a big fuss if I decided to leave, because everyone who did that was usually full of shit. Even if I end up eventually being full of shit though I'm feeling pretty sentimental right now and felt the need to make this anyway. I apologize if it's overly sappy/sentimental but I assure you that everything I say from this point onwards is 100% genuine.
I remember when I was 14 and just joined this site. If you are a new member or just haven't been around as long it may scare you to know that some people have accounts here that go almost 10 years back. Back then, I was just a dipshit kid who wanted to talk about Kingdom Hearts. For a period of like 5 years, KHI was basically my life, as sad it is to admit that. I remember I was around 15 when I was promoted to staff and it was one of the greatest feelings I'd had up until that point, and I was basically committed to being here for as long as possible then. Throughout the 7 years I've been here a lot of things have changed, almost all the friends I made have left, the activity has gradually dwindled, etc, but the one thing that never changed was that it was always a place where people respected me and gave me the encouragement that I never really got from most people in real life. No matter what things were like for me living here in Brazil, it was always a place where I could go when I didn't want to be part of the real world, a place I could be safe and happy without worrying about people judging me or making me feel bad...for the longest time, this place was basically a second home to me.
For the longest time, it was one of the only things that eased the loneliness I always felt and gave me that sense of companionship I always wanted but that seemed so elusive. If I hadn't joined KHI (and just spent so much time on the internet in general I suppose), I can safely say I would not be the person I am now. Whether that's for better or worse isn't really up to me to say, I know neglecting IRL all these years has done its fair share of harm to me, but I know for a fact that it's not all bad. I learned a lot about the culture and attitudes of different countries and that even with all these of things separating us, there is still something that we usually have in common that ends up being more important.
Unfortunately not everything good lasts forever. The site just isn't what it used to be to me anymore. Most of my friends have left, the site just isn't as active as it used to be, and I just find myself coming here less and less. It's not necessarily that I don't have the time (though I certainly have less time than I did when I was younger), but that I'm just a different person now and at this point in my life I find myself devoting less and less of my time to KHI and even the few friends I made here that I still talk to (the latter of which is still something I need to manage better). Old members used to joke that once you joined you were stuck here forever, but I know now that this isn't true, at least not anymore. Eventually, almost all the people I knew and cherished moved on with their lives. I remember realizing this like 2 years ago and thinking that I would pretty much be the last person to leave...and it turns out not exactly, just one of the last. The place where I went to go and escape from all the things that I was scared of and resented doesn't exist as I once knew it, so now I have no choice but to go out there and just face the real world as it is because as much as it scares me it is the one thing I will never really be able to escape from.
I just want to thank everyone who's still here like Tony, Katie, Victor, Tyrone, Stooge, quiteMAD, Nyangoro, OmniChaos (though we haven't spoken properly in years), Solar/Sunny, etc as well as all the old friends/members who have basically left for always being here, driving me onward, giving me advice, spending their time talking to me, and just generally being great people. I'll always cherish the times I spent in #junes chatting it up with everyone and laughing at all the stupid shit we all did over the years, as well as my time spent on the forums being part of the community and helping administrate the site. In spite of all the drama and stupid things that happened over the years, logging onto KHI after going through school and whatnot was still pretty much the best part of my day for years on end.
As much shit as I used to talk about the memberbase, it was truly an honor to be a part of this community for so long. If you have even read this far (especially if you are some new member who doesn't even know me that well) I want to thank you for your time. I hope you all go on to do great things and be truly happy. Thanks for everything guys, from the bottom of my heart. If any of you still want to talk to me, feel free to message me on facebook or tumblr or whatever, I think anyone who really cares will know how to find me or already has me added. I'll probably be checking this thread in the next few days because I like to think i'm important enough that people will care to respond (hahaha yeah right) but even if they don't, I don't regret making this thread and letting everyone know exactly how much this place meant to me.
peace.
I told myself I wouldn't ever make a big fuss if I decided to leave, because everyone who did that was usually full of shit. Even if I end up eventually being full of shit though I'm feeling pretty sentimental right now and felt the need to make this anyway. I apologize if it's overly sappy/sentimental but I assure you that everything I say from this point onwards is 100% genuine.
I remember when I was 14 and just joined this site. If you are a new member or just haven't been around as long it may scare you to know that some people have accounts here that go almost 10 years back. Back then, I was just a dipshit kid who wanted to talk about Kingdom Hearts. For a period of like 5 years, KHI was basically my life, as sad it is to admit that. I remember I was around 15 when I was promoted to staff and it was one of the greatest feelings I'd had up until that point, and I was basically committed to being here for as long as possible then. Throughout the 7 years I've been here a lot of things have changed, almost all the friends I made have left, the activity has gradually dwindled, etc, but the one thing that never changed was that it was always a place where people respected me and gave me the encouragement that I never really got from most people in real life. No matter what things were like for me living here in Brazil, it was always a place where I could go when I didn't want to be part of the real world, a place I could be safe and happy without worrying about people judging me or making me feel bad...for the longest time, this place was basically a second home to me.
For the longest time, it was one of the only things that eased the loneliness I always felt and gave me that sense of companionship I always wanted but that seemed so elusive. If I hadn't joined KHI (and just spent so much time on the internet in general I suppose), I can safely say I would not be the person I am now. Whether that's for better or worse isn't really up to me to say, I know neglecting IRL all these years has done its fair share of harm to me, but I know for a fact that it's not all bad. I learned a lot about the culture and attitudes of different countries and that even with all these of things separating us, there is still something that we usually have in common that ends up being more important.
Unfortunately not everything good lasts forever. The site just isn't what it used to be to me anymore. Most of my friends have left, the site just isn't as active as it used to be, and I just find myself coming here less and less. It's not necessarily that I don't have the time (though I certainly have less time than I did when I was younger), but that I'm just a different person now and at this point in my life I find myself devoting less and less of my time to KHI and even the few friends I made here that I still talk to (the latter of which is still something I need to manage better). Old members used to joke that once you joined you were stuck here forever, but I know now that this isn't true, at least not anymore. Eventually, almost all the people I knew and cherished moved on with their lives. I remember realizing this like 2 years ago and thinking that I would pretty much be the last person to leave...and it turns out not exactly, just one of the last. The place where I went to go and escape from all the things that I was scared of and resented doesn't exist as I once knew it, so now I have no choice but to go out there and just face the real world as it is because as much as it scares me it is the one thing I will never really be able to escape from.
I just want to thank everyone who's still here like Tony, Katie, Victor, Tyrone, Stooge, quiteMAD, Nyangoro, OmniChaos (though we haven't spoken properly in years), Solar/Sunny, etc as well as all the old friends/members who have basically left for always being here, driving me onward, giving me advice, spending their time talking to me, and just generally being great people. I'll always cherish the times I spent in #junes chatting it up with everyone and laughing at all the stupid shit we all did over the years, as well as my time spent on the forums being part of the community and helping administrate the site. In spite of all the drama and stupid things that happened over the years, logging onto KHI after going through school and whatnot was still pretty much the best part of my day for years on end.
As much shit as I used to talk about the memberbase, it was truly an honor to be a part of this community for so long. If you have even read this far (especially if you are some new member who doesn't even know me that well) I want to thank you for your time. I hope you all go on to do great things and be truly happy. Thanks for everything guys, from the bottom of my heart. If any of you still want to talk to me, feel free to message me on facebook or tumblr or whatever, I think anyone who really cares will know how to find me or already has me added. I'll probably be checking this thread in the next few days because I like to think i'm important enough that people will care to respond (hahaha yeah right) but even if they don't, I don't regret making this thread and letting everyone know exactly how much this place meant to me.
peace.
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