Hello, best message board on the planet. It makes me happy to be back in your presence, most especially because you're not the reason I'm here. My appearance can be explained by some of those who still belong to this place, but not by the system itself.
It isn't necessary for me to explain exactly what I'm talking about to those who don't understand because I think I said it all well enough in my self-titled "
resignation post." If you read what I wrote there, you'll probably wonder about the second-to-last sentence:
I can say to you now, with almost nary a regret, that the Fungi Forums will not see the likes of me again.
Well, here I am. Kinda going against what I said, aren't I? Perhaps. But I prefer, in this situation, to take the words very literally so that they will not make me out to be a liar—you'll have to decide for yourself whether to adopt a similar interpretation of them. I said that this message board "will not see the likes of me again," and so far it hasn't. The Watoad standing before you now is not the Watoad of the past. I am not addicted to these forums or using more time at them than I can really afford. Although it is too soon to conclusively say that this is true, I'll go ahead and claim that I am now posting reasonably, spending only as much time with you good people as I can—just as I should have done in the first place.
This claim that I believe to be a truthful statement is where some important particulars, which I like to call "Rules," lay in wait of enumeration. All that this post really "does" is allow me, from this point onward, to reply to threads as I will without causing anyone confusion as to where on Earth I came from. What this post doesn't "do" is hint that you can expect me to be posting regularly again. Read now my Rules:
- Most generally, I will post only as time allows. I am usually very busy doing many different things, so my posting here will have a lot to contend with.
- This could be my final post. In other words, I cannot guarantee that I'll reply to any particular topic or at any certain time. If I have time and the desire, then I'll post. If not, then I won't.
- As further explanation of the previous point, I will not necessarily be able to follow up on any responses that you might make to any post of mine (including my own topics). That means I may not even reply to any posts placed in this very thread.
- Whether or not I say anything has no impact on whether I'm reading what others post. It takes me more time to write posts than to read them, but it may often (or always) be the case that I don't have time even for the latter activity. Thus, if you post something for me to read, I cannot guarantee that I'll see it (or even know of your post's existence).
- It is my hope that you don't see me as a complete flake because of what I'm saying. I am simply trying to build a protective fence around myself before I fall back into the deep hole that took me so long to climb out of.
- I give you my apology in advance, should I ever fail to read a post that is written for me or post a response where my input would be appreciated—I do not desire that either should happen. These Rules warn of what could happen, not foretell what will happen.
Hopefully my last two Rules counter the first four well enough to assure you that I my intentions are pure, and that I really do like it here.
It is not simply because I like the Fungi Forums that I decided to post again. The real reasons reside with Lizard Dude and Chupperson, to whom I dedicate this post for what it's worth. Lizard Dude has been encouraging me in a non-pushy way to post here again, and he helped me to agree with him by appropriately leaving a November #TMK chat with this quit message: "I have the feeling Watoad -will- post under his own name once more...someday." After he said that, I wanted to prove him right. Then, the following month, he mailed me a Christmas card, and my determination to post at least one more time solidified. It was then only a matter of when I would get the chance, and that ended up being now.
Chupperson's importance is possibly not as marked as Lizard's, but it has been around for longer. After I disappeared from this place, my only connection with it for much of the time (before the instatement of TMK's chat room) was with Chupperson. He and I continued to communicate, but if we hadn't, I may have become distanced enough from here to never be seen within its pages again.
Well, technically speaking, half of me hasn't actually been seen here at all. I have shown a few people pictures of myself, but I haven't posted even one of them for everyone to see. Now I'm going to change that, more or less; you will have the opportunity to see both sides of me for what they really are. You may think of this as a long-overdue tribute to my "legacy" here, or as a token of my earnestness in not wanting to be rude in spite of my potentially off-putting Rules, or just as a way to spice up this post of mine. I'll leave that up to you. Here is a brief movie that I hope you will enjoy:
Since it is true that I may not be able to post again, I may as well go ahead and list all of the members who, for one reason or another, mean something to me and made sad to be gone. Besides, it feels like a pretty good way to conclude this post. If you aren't included, it probably just means that I left before I had the chance to meet you (though I'm not perfect, so an oversight is possible). Also, this list refers only to what I have experienced in the forums, and not in the chat room.
Chupperson Weird, Sapphira, Luigison, Lizard Dude, Black Mage, Insane Steve, Fifth, Deezer, The Big Boo, CharginChuck, Gooch, jjf8420, Pink King Boo, CashCrazed, Dairy King, Yoshizu, Mario Maniac, DavidDayton, Screech, frostbite, goodie, and Chocobo.
