Wow, it's been a year already?

On the contrary, it really does feel like a long time since I joined, but I can't believe it's been a year since I first set foot on PokéCommunity's forums. I remember having a really silly name then, novachief37 I think? That name resembled what I had on Marriland at the time. Time for a look back on what i've gone through over the year!

I stumbled across the site during my vacation in Colorado that summer. I may have found it while Google searching random things once, but I didn't seriously join then. I made a couple posts in the Pokémon Gaming forums, but there I didn't feel too knowledgeable on what I really posted.

I actually discovered the site after watching an Ultimate Poison Monotype video that a certain user here had posted. At the time, I was really into challenges, like Nuzlockes and Monotypes, and I had just completed a Nuzlocke on Black with an interesting rule that involved dice rolling, which I didn't document and just did for fun, so I liked what I was seeing. After I got home from vacation, I decided to finally do some challenge action, not really taking too much in the way of other topics. That was when I was obsessed with discussing what would happen in my Monos. My main focus was on that, I hadn't friended too many people for the very time.

Very shortly after I completed my last game for my Ground Ultimate Monotype, Platinum, I was basically lounging before XY's release, and when the games came out I was really having fun with them. I didn't make all that many posts throughout though.

Back at the end of 2013, after a tragic incident that happened with one of my challenges I was documenting on Marriland, I did start to get to know this place quite a bit more. At the beginning of this year, I was brought to the exhibit that is the Trade Corner's IRC chat. That was part of when I really got into breeding more with XY's amazing mechanics, and even did some trading myself. That was what really got me to start liking my time here.

Certain people there getting the Oval Charm and the Shiny Charm had me wanting to get it myself, which originally I didn't feel motivated to do at all considering how big the Pokédex in XY was and how many Pokémon had to be bred to do it. But after many were getting it without Pokémon Bank, and trading with others that did have it, I was compelled, got requests on the GTS and got legendaries here, and eventually that Shiny Charm was mine.

In time though, I found out that the people here don't exactly have it easy for them, and that this forum has kept them together and happy. I've realized that i'm in that very crowd myself. In mid-February, I really decided to make an effort to be more active around the forum, which did get my post count going pretty good. I have found quite a bit to do.

But in the spring, where I played alongside Marriland's Black Wedlocke and did my own on White, I started to lose interest in trading, but I still hang around the Trade Corner chat because it's fun, even if it's dead most of the time. And there was the Egg Swap, which ended badly on my part. In April, I took up White 2 for what i'd arguably consider my most diabolical challenge yet. The Mono-Color has been super-fun too, I had some enjoyable fights in the games I did for my Red Ultimate. One of these days i'll take care of Platinum and HGSS for it…

The Get-Together was a great time, for that matter, I already mentioned it on my previous blog so I don't feel a need to go too much into it again here.

I've also met so many nice females, like Lilith, Sheep, Hikamaru, Autumn Reverie, Marisa, and most recently my new pair, Nasaku - not a single one of which I would trade for anything in the world. :) I don't want to be sexist though, so I will say that there are guys i'd say have done me well here, most notably the Trade Corner inhabitants like Omicron, and Cordelia who will definitely be missed. And Necrum. People here really know what's right. Being on the Battle Server has also got me to gradually know a couple more people too. There are so many people here that i've really liked getting to talk to…and some not quite as much, but I will not mention names there. (I feel like I shouldn't even be mentioning names here as to avoid leaving people out and hurting feelings, but whatever.)

And that's my story of how PC has been for me in the year i've been here. If I hadn't clicked on jd's Poison Monotype video against Iris, I think I would be living quite a different life than I have now. I might have gone crazy a long time ago, in fact. Or maybe i'd just be more devoted to Marriland and the people there than I have been since this year started. Not only that, but I don't think I would have even put much effort into XY and bothered to finish my Pokédex at all. I am very excited for Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire come November, and I wonder how much different this forum will be once the games release. I joined as XY neared, and it has surely been fun playing them.

So that's what I felt of my first year here, it's really been a good one. Here's to another! Thanks again, everybody.

I just wanted to say congratulations. To feel as if you're on the right path, despite all the twists and turns, is a wonderful feeling.

Keep at it, stargazer.