What would your life be like if smogon was never created?

[comatthew6]

Without smogon, I never would have known about competitive Pokemon. I never would have gotten into little cup, and I never would have met some really awesome people both online and in real life.

On the flip side, I probably would have more of a social life. Oh well, can't change the past!

 

[Fishy]

i honestly have no idea where i would be right now if not for smogon.

the past few years of my life i have been driven to travel around the country and even around the world to meet people that i've met on this website, and the relationships i have cultivated have drawn me places for months at a time. i've been a part of this community (officially) for at least four years now, and even in 2008 i was already making friendships and connections that have lasted to this day, though some have fallen apart and drifted away.

pokemon alone has truly brought me into the lives of people i love very much now, and has borne friendships i never thought i could cherish so much. i doubt i would have made the same types of relationships with other random people from a different pokemon community as well as i have here. i mean, who knows right, assuming all circumstances were entirely different. i was still fairly impressionable when i first joined smogon, even though i was almost 18, i had never really interacted in a serious video game forum before, and ingrained myself into a very active social community as well.

so in present day, i travel around the country with my boyfriend whom i met on smogon, participating in vgc regional, national, and world championships, while also reuniting with cherished friends at each event, all for the love of a goddamn video game. and i wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[locopoke]

Despite numerous bans and being disliked by a majority of the active users on here, I can easily say that Smogon has changed my life for the better. Without Smogon, I would not have met the love of my life (fiancé as of 1 week ago). I'm so thankful for this and I don't know what my life would be like without Smogon. I look forward to a bright future and don't plan on leaving anytime soon.

 

[capefeather]

man all these "inspiration" stories making me look like a jerk

Okay, in my previous post, I glanced past a lot of things, though I did mention them. There's not much that would change my overall negative outlook on the site/forums/community/IRC; as even the people who posted the positive stuff know, people can be very abusive here, intentionally or not. Yes, this is true of a lot of communities, and especially a lot of large communities, but someone had to say it. Yet, I'm still here because I still have found cool people who understand, or at least try to understand, where I'm coming from sometimes. I think that leaving in a huff like a lot of other, more prominent people have done lately would do a lot of damage (as it did with the others) to people who don't deserve it at all. I put the "friends" part lightly before just because of the simple idea that I probably would have established similar relationships elsewhere if not here. So I guess this second post is to apologize if people read my first post like "D:" because I know that having people resent my venting would just be more damaging to people who don't deserve that.

 

[Photo]

I rarely use Smogon, so probably the same.

 

[BigZac]

Without Smogon, I would be a more introverted person than I am now. From Smogon I have picked up new interests, and have made friends here and IRL over these interests. In addition to this, Smogon has been a pretty fun place overall, so I would have probably ended up joining some other, less fun, community if I did not find Smogon.

What this guy/gal said.

 

[Acklow]

Without Smogon I wouldn't have gotten into Anime or LoL or Mafia. I would've stayed introverted and wouldn't have gotten out of my comfort zone as often.

Also agreeing with Yeti about Walrein. He would've never found LoL if it wasn't for Smogon.

 

[faint]

Despite numerous bans and being disliked by a majority of the active users on here, I can easily say that Smogon has changed my life for the better. Without Smogon, I would not have met the love of my life (fiancé as of 1 week ago). I'm so thankful for this and I don't know what my life would be like without Smogon. I look forward to a bright future and don't plan on leaving anytime soon.

Super excited for the wedding my dude. My best wishes go out to you and Brittany. :)

 

[LonelyNess]

Who the fuck is this Brittany girl, Locopoke??

You said we would be together forever... ;_;

 

[Tobes]

So I guess that night in Santa Fe meant nothing to you locopoke? Fine, I see how it is.

 

[v]

yes the same joke twice in a row i love it

 

[JabbaTheGriffin]

vader what is this about loving the same joke twice in a row, i thought you loved ME

 

[Miguel Azevedo]

Congrats locopoke ^_^
i didn't even know smogon could bring people together to that level!

 

[locopoke]

Congrats locopoke ^_^
i didn't even know smogon could bring people together to that level!

Neither did I, but there's a first time for everything, and I'm not complaining. :)

 

[Tobes]

vader I was implying locopoke gets around you philistine pig

 

[TEA_DEMON]

i wouldn't have had all of doomvm's sweet music recs

;_;

 

[LoveDensity]

The Good
-Could have tried harder way earlier and achieved in real life rather than wait till later
-Wouldn't care about anything related to Pokemon, online communities, or social networking
-No 2009-2010 #Stark troll presence

The Bad
-No Koala Corp, US West, and other nigs that are chill and worry-free

 

[franky]

wouldnt have met my niggas

 

[mattj]

I wouldn't have won a free trip to California and met so many great people.

[edit]

Oh, and I wouldn't have 10^27 RNGs and like 3 DSes.

[edit 2]

Holy crap, I'd be like one of those lame dads that just sit around and watch TV and drink beer. ewwwwwww

 

[SpecsX]

Well, I haven't been here long, but I can already tell you that I would have stopped playing Pokemon. Found Smogon a year ago, just as I was startng to accep that Pokemon was a kid's game. Then I saw how much more it is. I'm actually starting to really meet people. Idk about other places, so I can't speak for them, but Smogon is so large and the people so varied, it's like...holy shit it's like going to school. Except the subjects are ones you want to learn. And idiots are generally absent. I can only imagine how the time spent on Smogon would be spent elsewhere. I honestly don't know. Wouldn't have a go-to site, that's for sure.

 

[Nastyjungle]

i have such mixed feelings for smogon i dont even know!!

id probably be saved a lot of heartache and bullshit if i wasnt here
id probably be a better artist because i might have grown a bit out of pokemon enough to stop drawing it all the time
i probably wouldnt have seen the most infuriating inner workings of any governing body that ever existed

but if i wasnt here i wouldnt know all of the really great people i am now friends with, people who i feel have enriched and made my life much more lovely than i could have imagined

most especially zracknel, who pretty much basically changed the entire course of my life

he was the first person i told about my debilitating OCD, which literally was sucking away up to 10 hours of my life a day at times and made it impossible for me to do anything productive, even though i desperately tried to break free of it on my own
it was getting to the point where i felt that suicide was probably the only way i would ever be able to escape it

he helped me find the courage and conviction to stop hiding it and seek help and medication for it, and feel like i have my life and mind back for the first time in 9+ years, and feel like i can actually accomplish things and have a normal, healthy future
and i got a best friend and somebody a pillar i can lean on in the process

so meeting him has been one of the biggest events and turning points of my life, probably

but if you are reading this andrew dont get too sentimental you are still a big lame dummy

so i guess i have to say being a member of a smogon, by proxy, has changed my life dramatically

 

[Stratos]

omg nastyjungle manly tears were almost shed at your post. congratulations on getting over your ocd, and thank God you didn't commit suicide :')

edit: myself i'd probably be the same person but less aware of my own stupidity

 

[Miguel Azevedo]

@nastyjungle, locopoke and similar cases. When i started this thread i didn't expect to find out life stories that we're as inspirational as yours, i guess smogon has been a dramatic life saver/changer, and we owe it all to the Smogon Users that support others in unimaginable ways that can (again) even safe lives.

However there are several spammers, and that kind of douchebags that can't stand seeing happy and improving people.

And in the end of the day we're all grateful (each person in a unique way) that smogon exists.

 

[Ace Emerald]

It definitely shattered a lot of my naivety. Smogon is really the only online community I have ever done anything on, the only place on the Internet that I've stayed for any period of time, so I can legitimately say I'd be different without it. Nothing could take its place. Its hard to tell exactly what changed because I naturally matured and what was Smogon specific though. Oh, and there is no way I'd get more work done. I've been procrastinating long before Smogon.

 

[toshimelonhead]

I'd still be digging into old issues of Nintendo Power looking for somewhat decent RBY teams.