Hmmm...
As you can see by my join date, I'm not an oldfag at all, so I can't say that Smogon's flipped my life upside-down, especially since my best friends haven't been from here, but I'll do my best.
I've been aware of the existence of Smogon since about 2010, a bit before B/W were revealed. When I popped in in 2013, though, I was largely in the X/Y chat. I had the time to blab a lot because this was at the time where my best bro was ignoring me and I had no job, therefore had a great deal of free time outside of school. The fast-paced nature of the X/Y board "taught" me that it was fine/good to talk a lot.
So, as a lot of you people know, I talked.
A lot.
And not just in the X/Y chat.
To the point where 'Shiruba's postcount" became a mini-meme, though not to the extent of contact Birkal or Are Smogon Ruining the Metagame?. RODAN, Crux and Stellar managed to shut me up, though, after my hiatus.
Nowadays, Firebot is easily my favourite part of this site, and the part I check more than anything. Sure, I, like many others, have been "verbally gang-raped" as vader so eloquently put it, but it's been a helluva learning experience. It's a bit stressful, the "sink or swim" thing about learning the customs of the Internet, but it's not as bad as a fast-paced job because you're, well, on the Internet, where you can navigate away at any time and collect yourself if needed. Even now, though, I do try to "fit in," as is the social need of a human, in the sense that I want people to like me, nehehehe. The first part of my "career" here was me trying to do that, but in a more annoying way. Learning how to not be dumb is gut, though I'm obviously still dumb - the board necro was intentional stupidity to gauge the reaction, though.
Competitive battling has also been a cool experience for me, mainly due to the people I've met. There are a lot of interesting people on PS!, and that simulator is the thing that got me to join a Mexican gang for about two days. Also met a Latino guitarist and a German clinic worker, among others. Lots of colourful people, all coming together to play one game. It's cool how all-encompassing Pokemon is - imo, it's one of its best qualities.
I'd like to think that this place has taught me how to "Internet" better, though, and there are a lot of cool people on this website, especially the aforementioned RODAN, faint, vader, jynx, THE_IRON_KENYAN, hipmonlee {despite being too young to have really seen him around in his heyday, though I've seen old threads}, and of course, Ricky Charizard 1998. I haven't actually personally met any of the above, really, but I like reading your posts. You seem to be cool. I've probably forgotten some people, too.
newtonja, it gets easier, I promise. Messing up is embarrassing as hell, particularly if you do it on a rather large forum with a lot of different opinions that you're not used to, but you do start to get over it eventually, or improve your premeditation skills.
Also - I thought that it was Newtoninja before I actually wrote it out. The more you know.
Calm_Mind_Latias, try Scarf Latios. I loved him on my Gen V OU team. Not as good with all of those damn Genesects running around, though.
As you can see by my join date, I'm not an oldfag at all, so I can't say that Smogon's flipped my life upside-down, especially since my best friends haven't been from here, but I'll do my best.
I've been aware of the existence of Smogon since about 2010, a bit before B/W were revealed. When I popped in in 2013, though, I was largely in the X/Y chat. I had the time to blab a lot because this was at the time where my best bro was ignoring me and I had no job, therefore had a great deal of free time outside of school. The fast-paced nature of the X/Y board "taught" me that it was fine/good to talk a lot.
So, as a lot of you people know, I talked.
A lot.
And not just in the X/Y chat.
To the point where 'Shiruba's postcount" became a mini-meme, though not to the extent of contact Birkal or Are Smogon Ruining the Metagame?. RODAN, Crux and Stellar managed to shut me up, though, after my hiatus.
Nowadays, Firebot is easily my favourite part of this site, and the part I check more than anything. Sure, I, like many others, have been "verbally gang-raped" as vader so eloquently put it, but it's been a helluva learning experience. It's a bit stressful, the "sink or swim" thing about learning the customs of the Internet, but it's not as bad as a fast-paced job because you're, well, on the Internet, where you can navigate away at any time and collect yourself if needed. Even now, though, I do try to "fit in," as is the social need of a human, in the sense that I want people to like me, nehehehe. The first part of my "career" here was me trying to do that, but in a more annoying way. Learning how to not be dumb is gut, though I'm obviously still dumb - the board necro was intentional stupidity to gauge the reaction, though.
Competitive battling has also been a cool experience for me, mainly due to the people I've met. There are a lot of interesting people on PS!, and that simulator is the thing that got me to join a Mexican gang for about two days. Also met a Latino guitarist and a German clinic worker, among others. Lots of colourful people, all coming together to play one game. It's cool how all-encompassing Pokemon is - imo, it's one of its best qualities.
I'd like to think that this place has taught me how to "Internet" better, though, and there are a lot of cool people on this website, especially the aforementioned RODAN, faint, vader, jynx, THE_IRON_KENYAN, hipmonlee {despite being too young to have really seen him around in his heyday, though I've seen old threads}, and of course, Ricky Charizard 1998. I haven't actually personally met any of the above, really, but I like reading your posts. You seem to be cool. I've probably forgotten some people, too.
newtonja, it gets easier, I promise. Messing up is embarrassing as hell, particularly if you do it on a rather large forum with a lot of different opinions that you're not used to, but you do start to get over it eventually, or improve your premeditation skills.
Also - I thought that it was Newtoninja before I actually wrote it out. The more you know.
Calm_Mind_Latias, try Scarf Latios. I loved him on my Gen V OU team. Not as good with all of those damn Genesects running around, though.
