Jack Kieser
Smash Champion
Link to original post: [drupal=3719]An Apology to Smash World Forums[/drupal]
Hey, Smashboards. Long time, no see. I know that I used to be very active (which, I guess, is really an understatement) a few months ago, then I just randomly dropped off the grid for 3 months. At the time, I was really active in a few things around the site (I still played lots of BBrawl, was helping Ran with an essay, was starting to discuss a lot of social issues with BPC, and was even gearing up to host bi-weeklies/monthlies in Dallas to be more active in the TO scene)... but then, I just kind of abandoned everything I was doing. I feel guilty for leaving the community at what I consider to be such a crucial time, and I feel like I owe Smashboards an apology and an explanation for my behavior.
This isn't by any means an excuse... but I hope it helps everyone understand where I went.
In June and July, I was posting from Athens, Greece while in vacation with my family; despite the 8 hour time difference, I still was trying my hardest to be an active member of the community. Then... in late July, some deeply personal problems surfaced between my family and myself, problems that had been bubbling away for years. I tried to fix them, but... well, my family wouldn't have any of that. The short version of a very long story was that I was, essentially, kicked out of my home, and almost disowned from my family.
My family left me financially destitute, and told me to go on my way. I was lucky enough to have a girlfriend who cared about me and loved me, and so I wasn't totally on my own. The problems caused by my family's decision to kick me out allowed me the freedom to move in with my girlfriend (which was what our fighting had been about all along), something I had been planning on doing for a while now. It did cause me, however, to move from Dallas, TX, all the way to Seattle, WA.
Needless to say, between being literally broke, moving 3000 miles, getting a job and apartment, and trying to figure out how to pay for college on my own, I haven't been left much time to pursue the things I used to pursue on SWF. I haven't been hosting events, haven't been posting or keeping up with community news or activity, and haven't even had time to play Brawl.
I want to apologize to the Smash community, now that I'm a little more stable and have the chance to; this community has been full of people I consider to be good friends, and has given me a wealth of experiences I wouldn't give up for the world. I want to make it up to you all, of course. I hear that Seattle doesn't have a good Brawl community, something I want to take steps to fix soon. I want to start hosting events again, I want to meet new players, I want to join the discussions again, but most importantly, I want to rejoin the amazing community that I had to leave against my will. You never really appreciate what you have until its gone, and after spending time with other online communities, on less well-moderated forums with far inferior user bases, I've come to appreciate just how great a community we have here at SWF.
I've been gone for about 3 months now, which, in Brawl terms, can be a long time, so if you all would mind, I would really appreciate a refresher course on what I've missed between July and now; I'm sure many debates have started and ended since then (especially over the new ruleset), and I'd like to rejoin them as soon as I can.
Your fellow Smasher,
--Jack Kieser
Hey, Smashboards. Long time, no see. I know that I used to be very active (which, I guess, is really an understatement) a few months ago, then I just randomly dropped off the grid for 3 months. At the time, I was really active in a few things around the site (I still played lots of BBrawl, was helping Ran with an essay, was starting to discuss a lot of social issues with BPC, and was even gearing up to host bi-weeklies/monthlies in Dallas to be more active in the TO scene)... but then, I just kind of abandoned everything I was doing. I feel guilty for leaving the community at what I consider to be such a crucial time, and I feel like I owe Smashboards an apology and an explanation for my behavior.
This isn't by any means an excuse... but I hope it helps everyone understand where I went.
In June and July, I was posting from Athens, Greece while in vacation with my family; despite the 8 hour time difference, I still was trying my hardest to be an active member of the community. Then... in late July, some deeply personal problems surfaced between my family and myself, problems that had been bubbling away for years. I tried to fix them, but... well, my family wouldn't have any of that. The short version of a very long story was that I was, essentially, kicked out of my home, and almost disowned from my family.
My family left me financially destitute, and told me to go on my way. I was lucky enough to have a girlfriend who cared about me and loved me, and so I wasn't totally on my own. The problems caused by my family's decision to kick me out allowed me the freedom to move in with my girlfriend (which was what our fighting had been about all along), something I had been planning on doing for a while now. It did cause me, however, to move from Dallas, TX, all the way to Seattle, WA.
Needless to say, between being literally broke, moving 3000 miles, getting a job and apartment, and trying to figure out how to pay for college on my own, I haven't been left much time to pursue the things I used to pursue on SWF. I haven't been hosting events, haven't been posting or keeping up with community news or activity, and haven't even had time to play Brawl.
I want to apologize to the Smash community, now that I'm a little more stable and have the chance to; this community has been full of people I consider to be good friends, and has given me a wealth of experiences I wouldn't give up for the world. I want to make it up to you all, of course. I hear that Seattle doesn't have a good Brawl community, something I want to take steps to fix soon. I want to start hosting events again, I want to meet new players, I want to join the discussions again, but most importantly, I want to rejoin the amazing community that I had to leave against my will. You never really appreciate what you have until its gone, and after spending time with other online communities, on less well-moderated forums with far inferior user bases, I've come to appreciate just how great a community we have here at SWF.
I've been gone for about 3 months now, which, in Brawl terms, can be a long time, so if you all would mind, I would really appreciate a refresher course on what I've missed between July and now; I'm sure many debates have started and ended since then (especially over the new ruleset), and I'd like to rejoin them as soon as I can.
Your fellow Smasher,
--Jack Kieser