Social Why did you join Smogon?

I used to be really active on another forum that held Pokemon tournaments back in 2013. It seemed like the easiest choice to host them on Smogon. I decided I should maybe try for some of the events and contests hosted here recently, so now I'm finally active.
 
i was on showdown, and my favorite format was national dex ubers. on this format, i used murkrow. i felt, and still feel to this day, that murkrow is somehow viable in national dex ubers. i was in an argument with someone over this, and they said that if i thought it was viable, i should create an acount and submit it to the viability rankings. so i did. i owe it all to murkrow.
 
bdt2002 said:
Wait, I haven't posted here yet? Well then, let's get right to it.

The date I made my account was October 21st, 2018, right in the middle of a time in my life where thing we definitely far from bad per sé, but I still felt some sort of jealousy and sadness upon seeing my friends and family start to grow up and progress in life whereas I felt like I was falling behind. In any case, I can't really remember the exact reason why I joined. Late 2018 would have been around the second half of Pokémon's seventh generation with Let's Go right around the corner. Unfortunately, the time that has followed since then have probably been my worst years as far as being a Pokémon fan is concerned.

I won't lie about this much. I actually really liked a lot of what the Nintendo Switch era of Pokémon has had going for it, and that still remains true to this day. My growing anxiety in the last two years in particular, alongside my tendency to dwell on the negative things in life when I'm upset, was ultimately what led me to be a lot more harsh towards Pokémon's material than I should be. I hesitate to even call Sword & Shield my least favorite Pokémon games due to wishing I could give Pokémon a fair shot again.

What does any of this have to do with me joining Smogon? Excellent question. I started playing Pokémon Showdown a year prior and had just turned sixteen that summer, so maybe those had something to do with it. But really, the reason I've not only joined, but have stayed for three years now is because I absolutely adore this community, and for a while have felt like finding my places within the Pokémon fanbase would be what saves my interest in this franchise as a whole- because I very rarely had those kinds of chances to play with others growing up.

2021 has marked my lowest points of interest in Pokémon to date despite the promises that Pokémon's 25th anniversary year would bring happiness. I love what Pokémon has done for others this year, but it would admittedly be nice to see the games A. not rushed out a year early a la Sword & Shield, and B. have a reason to go back to playing games I've played before.

Add-On: But to be perfectly honest, it's not those things that bother me. Sword & Shield being a 2019 title when I've always said it should have been a 2020 release was inevitable, especially if my "Gen 9 in 2023" theories stick. Mathematically, a rushed 2019 release followed by Gen 8.5 via Legends: Arceus in 2021 (numerous leakers have said COVID delays happened but they still wanted a release before February) makes perfect sense. No... what really bothers me more than anything is how an independent group like Smogon has done more for me than the games have when it comes to addressing more... personal issues. That's a compliment to us, but a huge blow to Pokémon.
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I found it. I found this post that was way too long and definitely a little too sophisticated. If ai could go back in time and make it so I just… didn’t write posts like that I absolutely would.

I’ve been pretty open with how this specific period of my life was a challenging one for me. Late 2021 really was when my tendency to overthink things grew and I started writing these super-long posts, a habit I’m… clearly still working on, I’ll be completely honest. But a lot has happened since this and I figured an update was in order. That last paragraph I wrote really was not necessary, but I’m happy to report that even with my generational crashout when Legends Z-A was announced, not only did I get me up liking that game far more than I thought I would, but I’ve only felt more comfortable with the future of Pokémon since then. Each game after BDSP I do actually think each game has been slightly better than the last, and over the past handful of months I’ve had more fun posting and talking to people on this site than when I was going through a similar mental wellness breakdown in the fall of 2025.

Ultimately, I’m writing this update to explain how the new and, ideally, improved me joined Smogon. I’m not afraid to admit I’ve had my share of rocky moments while posting and communicating. I decided to take a look in the mirror, ask myself some questions, and start trying to appreciate my own self-worth and improvements as a young adult. I still slip up from time to time, as some of you may have seen, but the new bdt2002 is a person I consider to be vastly different from the original late 2010s-early 2020s version. If you told me back in 2024 and again this past fall that I’d end up with as many hours in Legends Z-A as I did given what I was saying and how I was acting back then, lost in my fears of 2025 becoming a 2021 repeat, I would have called you absolutely insane, but I’ve never been happier to be wrong about something like this. I love this community and appreciate all you’ve done for me without even realizing it.
 
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