I don't have the longest tenure either as a user or a member of staff, but wow have things changed. I remember exclusively staying in my competitive battling (at the time called S&M, the CB, then CBC) lane until I was randomly promoted to Art Studio (then called Art Gallery, then A&D - a name I like more tbh). I think this is what Cherrim was talking about because I only ever lurked / gave small critique in AS other than working with ex-smod Luke and contributing art for his project. But my first 200 posts were in the competitive sections. Haha, I remember more or less copying my RMT reviews from Smogon but basically in my own words so I sounded smart enough to belong.
I remember being promoted the same day as Maruno, which I though was great for the health of ROM Hacking. It was some of the heaviest snowfall NJ had seen that year and my poor boyfriend was out there shoveling snow while I was like LOOK IM BLUE NOW and he was all grumpy cause I didn't do my half of the snow removal. But being promoted was important to me at the time and felt like a way bigger deal than some dumb snow on the driveway. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Then the User Note congrats came in which I don't believe were ever a staff exclusive thing but it was like, just something we did. Maybe to justify its functionality idk lol.
I remember asking Went/Ivysaur if my promotion was just a 20 minute trial test cause it felt like a fever dream and like I didn't deserve it. He said it was and congrats so I low key freaked. I also remember him giving me my own ego emblem, something that only staff were allowed to have and able to give out. When my account was accidentally removed (by Steve before I was perma whitelisted), I was given free reign to give myself all my emblems back and you best believe I loaded myself up with the ones I thought I deserved haha. Plus, again, giving myself my own ego emblem to continue his tradition.
I remember Twilightblade being the nicest smod, especially when she traded me a shiny Kyogre and Rayquaza, which I still have and brought to SWSH! I remember mods like Shining Raichu, Nica, my bestie for like Twilight Sky, my mod partner Derozio.. Astinus getting me to read Ender's Game.. and so, so many great times learning how to battle competitively in Pokémon Showdown with wolf, Dark Azelf, Aero, Karp, Vrai, Anti, and so many more. I was so, so intimidated and awful against such good battlers but they humored me and I had fun.
I remember winning best username for MOtY (2014?) with the name Strawberry. Not gonna lie, that's a cute as hell name. And I remember losing to Janna by ONE POINT that year. Then she was immediately promoted to smod and I felt sooooo jealous, haha. Like fueling some righteous indignation that if I had won it would be me getting smod, proving to me staff promotions were just popularity contests. Just really immature stuff that I look back on now fondly. Love you, Cirno. (´,,•ω•,,)♡ And you deserve all the good that came afterwards too!!
There were more.. awkward times. The cliques we're bad. Unnecessary campaigns for who next mod should be when it never worked like that. Staff forums were a pretty opaque wall where we said more than unsavory things behind user's backs. It was fucking gross and I'm glad those days are over. And the further up the chain you got the more opaque those walls became. Staff was unorganized and you could tell from just a few days after joining.
I remember having a whole AMA forum for everyone to post in. I remember Clubs then no Clubs then Clubs but no member Clubs then no Clubs and now Clubs again lol. We tried different tiers of supporters, which was weird, but colorful! And a whole supporter forum - which died RIP. We tried a lot of silly stuff, haha. But that's what I loved! We weren't afraid to fail.
And then just a slew of legends I vaguely remember but are now long gone; Opposite Day, Careful with that axe, Pichu!, Kura, Kenshin5, Mr.CatDog, PlatinumDude, Toujours, Signomi, Livewire, Kaori, Arcanine, digi-kun, Pokéstick, good times, Aurafire, TheSmartOne, Morkula, countryemo, Elite Overlord LeSabre(tm), moments., Capital Fabio, parallelzero… and many others.
I love this place. Faults and all.
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Edit: wtf did this post even become haha. Talk about getting carried away with nostalgia. (」°ロ°)」
I also can't spell forgive me. 。゚(。ノωヽ。)゚。