i would actually do my schoolwork
Liar, you'd be playing LoL instead.
To be honest, this might sound a little strange... but I know I'd be somewhere else. I've been a member of the online Pokémon fandom since I began using the internet for anything beyond flash games and assignment research; all those communities have had a profound influence on my personality because I was so deeply involved in them as a pre-teen and young teenager. However, I've been a member of nearly all the major Pokémon communities now; I've moved every few years. Smogon is the second-longest I've remained as part of an online community. I think I would've just lost patience with the Pokémon fandom when I lost patience with SPPf and moved to another fandom, though I don't know what, because I've tried in the past and haven't felt as much as a part of them or as happy to discuss the subjects all day every day like I am with Pokémon. Furthermore, when I joined Smogon, I was 14 and my personality was more established and more expressed than when I was 10 and began joining Pokémon forums. The people I've met have definitely played a part in my growing up and anyone who knew me in 2008 can probably see the changes that have occurred as a result of being around them, but I just don't feel like the effects were that huge, since mostly my views have been shaped by irl events since that point in time.
I don't really play much competitive Pokémon anymore because I don't enjoy the fifth generation for various reasons, but I wouldn't've been playing competitive Pokémon without Smogon, that's for sure -- I joined Smogon because I was interested in learning it and the support for it elsewhere (such as on SPPf, where I actually moderated the competitive RMT forum lol), so I definitely would've found another hobby, but I'm glad I played competitive Pokémon so much because I'm still a huge Pokémon fan and I feel like my love for Pokémon is more fully augmented by my understandings of the inner workings of the game. I learned to RNG abuse in HGSS for fun and because I love the games so much that I wanted to understand the underlying intricacies.
More relevant though is the personal aspect; without it, I wouldn't be here, the things I do for the site wouldn't matter enough to keep me around, and it's here Smogon has had a
lot of impact on my life. I just do those site activities for fun and the love of the site, which is motivated by my love of the community, although when I began to contribute it was because I wanted to be part of a community-driven Pokémon resource that wasn't Bulbapedia. I've made so many friends here, some of my closest friends who have given me so much. I don't want to go on any longer because anyone who is a regular member of the community understands the types of attachments you can form here. But I am immensely grateful for everyone I've met and I do feel like my life would be bereft without them, without the fun we've all had together. When I was in hospital last year, a lot of what helped me cope came from Smogon. The outpourings of love and concern from people I didn't even know, from my dearest friends, the ability to keep talking to them and keep myself upbeat and positive, even things like just being on IRC to distract myself from the fact I had needles in my arm or that I was about to have brain surgery or was having trouble breathing. I can't overestimate the effect you guys had on how I coped with that ordeal and, consequently, how I managed to overcome my depression.
So, yeah, I don't think my life would have changed that dramatically
in structure, nor would my personality have. But Smogon has been a very important part of my daily life for years and the friendship and support I've found here have helped me through a lot of personal troubles, so while I can mentally substitute it with other communities, I'm glad Smogon exists. You've all had an effect on me regardless of what I wrote in the first few paragraphs, and I hope I've had an effect (positive!) on some of you too. Thank you, everyone who makes it so great! ^_^
