Post by bobsnicket on Aug 16, 2009 10:48:53 GMT -5
My mood: www.imeem.com/loveslaborslost/music/s21VjeLx/thomas-newman-the-letter-that-never-came/
It's been a memorable two years, and this is not easy for me to do.
First of all, I want to make it clear that in no way was this decision influenced by anything done by anyone here or any event relating to the site, the staff, or the RP. No, this was very much a premeditated conclusion which I will explain to the best of my ability, though I do not expect everyone to fully understand.
It was over a year ago, way back during the Spring before last, when I first came to the realization that I would eventually need to leave this forum forever. It is actually remarkable that I have stayed this long, for I almost didn't continue on for RP4. And I have chosen now, of all times, to do it, because RP4 is over, and this is the point when I believed I could leave and cause the least amount of trouble, having finished everything that I have started here on Smash Fansite Forums.
Why am I leaving? A couple main reasons. First and foremost, I started thinking way back during that spring of '08 more about who I wanted to become, and who I was becoming. I began caring more and more about the way I used my time, until I reached the point I'm at now. This is really similar to why Dobs is leaving; because of life, basically. I know I will ask myself in 5, 10 years whether I could have done something different back in my youth to reach a higher potential, and I don't want to have any regrets. This site, and the Internet itself, for that matter, is a great way to relax, make indirect friends which you almost never get to meet and can only influence and bond with to a certain degree, pass the time, connect with people that have the same passions as you, and discuss everything from the serious stuff to the utterly nonsensical. Unfortunately, these things are not among the few highest priorities to me which I will actually fill my lilfe with.
The other main reason is rather simple, but will sound really awkward confessing on a site like this. See, I don't play video games much anymore. Nowadays, I'll occasionally play with friends, but never alone, and I don't buy them either. I don't know if it's just that I'm "outgrowing" them, or if my interest has just waned, but I'm sure a large part of the explanation for this is my sudden awareness of time usage. They are still fun, don't get me wrong, but I've found other activities which are more important and worthwhile to me.
I also want to clarify that I am not leaving because I no longer care about the people on it. On the contrary, I still do and always will care. To prove that, anyone who wants my name and e-mail, just ask here and I'll gladly supply it. You'll understand, I hope, that I just don't want that information open to any person on the Internet who happens to stumble upon this place. I'll PM it to you unless for some reason I really don't trust you at all (if you're a new member I've never met, for example).
What I really no longer care for is, I'll be honest, what the site represents in the area of Smash Bros and game characters. I don't mind still having Yoshi as my favorite and stuff, but I feel like I've written about the topic several too many times, and that I'm ready to move on. Rather than constantly drawing from existing sources, I'd like to begin thinking of my own ideas to use in my writing, potentially in books and novels. I think creating my own world and characters will bring me greater satisfaction than fanfiction and rp'ing, although those have brought me satisfaction. Especially when it came to using my own character to interact with others which are actually controlled by real people, I'll concede that there is some joy and excitement to it. But I'm completely burned out on the concept, and am more than ready for other types of writing. I honestly don't think I would physically be able to endure through another RP at this point, the way my mind has been set. And while up until now I have never denied participating in rp5, you may notice that neither have I ever confirmed it, or said anything regarding Snicket actually being a part of it. Sorry if I was misleading; there didn't seem to be another way to keep my intentions under the radar. I'm also sorry if it seemed I was trying to rush things; I wanted to get it done before I lost the inspiration and will to continue.
This does not mean, however, that I don't think you should continue to do so as long as you still find satisfaction and value in it. I'm sure that you'll be able to make an amazing story with RP5 without me. And I'm sure the site will still bring solace to many people.
Which brings me to the tricky part of this. You're probably wondering why, if I knew so long ago, did I wait so long to make my intentions known? Well, I thought long and hard about this, and considered the different ways people could leave. One, they could simply erase their account without any outroduction at all. But that often makes it seem like an act of abandonment, that they didn't care at all, and I didn't want to make that impression. Two, they could say a word of goodbye, and then leave immediately after. But that leaves no chance for anyone else to say last words or ask any final questions or resolve any unresolved issues, and I didn't want to leave you in a lot of confusion. Third, they could tell everyone long before they depart exactly when they are going to do it, sort of like Dobs did. But, this being where my interpretation comes in, to me, when you know someone is going to leave a long time beforehand, it kind of ruins the last moments you have with them, and all you can think about is the fact that they are going to leave. And I didn't want that either; I wanted people to enjoy my presence (assuming you do) just the way it would normally be until the very end. So I went for a compromise: I'm telling you now, but I won't delete my account until tomorrow night. So you have time to tell me anything you need to say, ask for e-mail, etc. before then.
I apologize if this was not the best way to do it; I tried to reason it out, but another method may have been better. I'm also sorry to anyone whose fanfics I won't finish because of this (particularly Bert). If you want, you can e-mail the chapters to me and I'll still read and comment them. I wouldn't at all mind.
I have no preferences regarding staff successors, the future of the Smash Shop, etc. Steele can take charge of it if he wants, or you can get rid of it altogether; doesn't matter to me. The only thing I would ask is perhaps leaving my posts undeleted, especially The Trophies. I never know if I might want to come back someday and reminisce, and this is the only place on the Internet with the complete story, so it would be nice to have that as a backup in case my computer, flash drive, and printed copies all betray me.
I won't deny it; besides the sadness, I am also extremely relieved to have this burden off my chest. This is a good day for me. In my final parting words (this will be my last post besides replies to this thread and PM's), I want to tell you all that although I'm leaving, I find you to be a group of very talented and intelligent and creative young men and women. You have the potential to do great things, and I hope you know how important each of you are to the people around you. Of course, I encourage anyone who has the desire to read The Trophies to still do so if they wish. I'm actually pretty pleased with my writing towards the end, and I'll still respond to comments and questions via e-mail. I'll even respond to friendly messages just discussing stuff and how people are doing. Or, if you get my name, you can add me on Facebook. I'm not trying to cut myself off.
So, thanks for a great 2 years, everyone. I would give good-bye comments to every single person that I know here, but it would be just too sad, and I already kind of did it with my last RP post. Whether life comes at you the way you want, backwards, or with a giant waffle iron, remember that it's all worth it in the end, no matter of what faith you are. Be a good person, don't smoke or do drugs, drink lots of milk, and watch the bookshelves. You never know, you might just see the name of that overly eloquent person who is to you, and always will be,
~Bob Snicket
It's been a memorable two years, and this is not easy for me to do.
First of all, I want to make it clear that in no way was this decision influenced by anything done by anyone here or any event relating to the site, the staff, or the RP. No, this was very much a premeditated conclusion which I will explain to the best of my ability, though I do not expect everyone to fully understand.
It was over a year ago, way back during the Spring before last, when I first came to the realization that I would eventually need to leave this forum forever. It is actually remarkable that I have stayed this long, for I almost didn't continue on for RP4. And I have chosen now, of all times, to do it, because RP4 is over, and this is the point when I believed I could leave and cause the least amount of trouble, having finished everything that I have started here on Smash Fansite Forums.
Why am I leaving? A couple main reasons. First and foremost, I started thinking way back during that spring of '08 more about who I wanted to become, and who I was becoming. I began caring more and more about the way I used my time, until I reached the point I'm at now. This is really similar to why Dobs is leaving; because of life, basically. I know I will ask myself in 5, 10 years whether I could have done something different back in my youth to reach a higher potential, and I don't want to have any regrets. This site, and the Internet itself, for that matter, is a great way to relax, make indirect friends which you almost never get to meet and can only influence and bond with to a certain degree, pass the time, connect with people that have the same passions as you, and discuss everything from the serious stuff to the utterly nonsensical. Unfortunately, these things are not among the few highest priorities to me which I will actually fill my lilfe with.
The other main reason is rather simple, but will sound really awkward confessing on a site like this. See, I don't play video games much anymore. Nowadays, I'll occasionally play with friends, but never alone, and I don't buy them either. I don't know if it's just that I'm "outgrowing" them, or if my interest has just waned, but I'm sure a large part of the explanation for this is my sudden awareness of time usage. They are still fun, don't get me wrong, but I've found other activities which are more important and worthwhile to me.
I also want to clarify that I am not leaving because I no longer care about the people on it. On the contrary, I still do and always will care. To prove that, anyone who wants my name and e-mail, just ask here and I'll gladly supply it. You'll understand, I hope, that I just don't want that information open to any person on the Internet who happens to stumble upon this place. I'll PM it to you unless for some reason I really don't trust you at all (if you're a new member I've never met, for example).
What I really no longer care for is, I'll be honest, what the site represents in the area of Smash Bros and game characters. I don't mind still having Yoshi as my favorite and stuff, but I feel like I've written about the topic several too many times, and that I'm ready to move on. Rather than constantly drawing from existing sources, I'd like to begin thinking of my own ideas to use in my writing, potentially in books and novels. I think creating my own world and characters will bring me greater satisfaction than fanfiction and rp'ing, although those have brought me satisfaction. Especially when it came to using my own character to interact with others which are actually controlled by real people, I'll concede that there is some joy and excitement to it. But I'm completely burned out on the concept, and am more than ready for other types of writing. I honestly don't think I would physically be able to endure through another RP at this point, the way my mind has been set. And while up until now I have never denied participating in rp5, you may notice that neither have I ever confirmed it, or said anything regarding Snicket actually being a part of it. Sorry if I was misleading; there didn't seem to be another way to keep my intentions under the radar. I'm also sorry if it seemed I was trying to rush things; I wanted to get it done before I lost the inspiration and will to continue.
This does not mean, however, that I don't think you should continue to do so as long as you still find satisfaction and value in it. I'm sure that you'll be able to make an amazing story with RP5 without me. And I'm sure the site will still bring solace to many people.
Which brings me to the tricky part of this. You're probably wondering why, if I knew so long ago, did I wait so long to make my intentions known? Well, I thought long and hard about this, and considered the different ways people could leave. One, they could simply erase their account without any outroduction at all. But that often makes it seem like an act of abandonment, that they didn't care at all, and I didn't want to make that impression. Two, they could say a word of goodbye, and then leave immediately after. But that leaves no chance for anyone else to say last words or ask any final questions or resolve any unresolved issues, and I didn't want to leave you in a lot of confusion. Third, they could tell everyone long before they depart exactly when they are going to do it, sort of like Dobs did. But, this being where my interpretation comes in, to me, when you know someone is going to leave a long time beforehand, it kind of ruins the last moments you have with them, and all you can think about is the fact that they are going to leave. And I didn't want that either; I wanted people to enjoy my presence (assuming you do) just the way it would normally be until the very end. So I went for a compromise: I'm telling you now, but I won't delete my account until tomorrow night. So you have time to tell me anything you need to say, ask for e-mail, etc. before then.
I apologize if this was not the best way to do it; I tried to reason it out, but another method may have been better. I'm also sorry to anyone whose fanfics I won't finish because of this (particularly Bert). If you want, you can e-mail the chapters to me and I'll still read and comment them. I wouldn't at all mind.
I have no preferences regarding staff successors, the future of the Smash Shop, etc. Steele can take charge of it if he wants, or you can get rid of it altogether; doesn't matter to me. The only thing I would ask is perhaps leaving my posts undeleted, especially The Trophies. I never know if I might want to come back someday and reminisce, and this is the only place on the Internet with the complete story, so it would be nice to have that as a backup in case my computer, flash drive, and printed copies all betray me.
I won't deny it; besides the sadness, I am also extremely relieved to have this burden off my chest. This is a good day for me. In my final parting words (this will be my last post besides replies to this thread and PM's), I want to tell you all that although I'm leaving, I find you to be a group of very talented and intelligent and creative young men and women. You have the potential to do great things, and I hope you know how important each of you are to the people around you. Of course, I encourage anyone who has the desire to read The Trophies to still do so if they wish. I'm actually pretty pleased with my writing towards the end, and I'll still respond to comments and questions via e-mail. I'll even respond to friendly messages just discussing stuff and how people are doing. Or, if you get my name, you can add me on Facebook. I'm not trying to cut myself off.
So, thanks for a great 2 years, everyone. I would give good-bye comments to every single person that I know here, but it would be just too sad, and I already kind of did it with my last RP post. Whether life comes at you the way you want, backwards, or with a giant waffle iron, remember that it's all worth it in the end, no matter of what faith you are. Be a good person, don't smoke or do drugs, drink lots of milk, and watch the bookshelves. You never know, you might just see the name of that overly eloquent person who is to you, and always will be,
~Bob Snicket
[M:-5]
[M:-1320]
