Man, some of the vitriol in this thread really disappoints me. Is this really what our community is at the heart of it all? I really hope not.
I've spent nearly thirteen years in this place. When I was a kid, when I came back from school, I couldn't wait to log on PC. It was because I finally found a place on the internet where I could talk about my favourite thing: Pokemon. Not only that, I could do what I struggled to do in real life: finally make friends. It's this very thing that has kept me tied to this place ever since I was a kid. I've met so many amazing people, so many friends that are sadly no longer part of this community to pursue better things ... and all of them have changed my life for the better.
Let this be absolutely clear -- I initially left because I was heartbroken and saddened at the news, saddened because I felt the whole world was collapsing around me and I couldn't stand and bear to watch. As someone who has significant attachments to this forum, it was painful. I couldn't bear to open the tab and see all the spammy posts everywhere and see this place going down to the endless abyss. I can't stand it, so I decided not to, for the sake of my own sanity. My internet home was being destroyed and all I could do is watch. I decided I was done with it all and like band-aid on a wound, I decided rather than peeling it off slowly and feeling the excruciating pain, that I just rip it off and get it over with.
It really greatly saddens me to see that people from both sides sling mud at each other for their decisions when in reality that isn't necessary at all, because that isn't how PokeCommunity has survived to this day. Yeah, I get it; this forum will always have its drama and this is really another tally in its books at the end of the day. But at the same time, the people who have stayed strongly believe that there is something worth fighting for, and I admire that in them. The people who have stayed realize that even though PC will likely never be the same again, they're willing to pick up the pieces and try to rebuild anyway and that's something to admire in and of itself.
With all due respect, I don't expect those who have no attachments to this place to really fathom the magnitude of how it affects others, but I do humbly request that if the recent events have not affected you in any way due to your disconnect from PC, then I ask of you not to be absolutely petty in this thread and be horrendously belittling towards those that have put years of time and effort here. Let's not forget that people who have put time and effort to make memories here didn't have to do so -- especially the staff. At any point, all of them could just quit and shut this place down, and then what? The very forum that many people called their internet home for years would be lost to time itself.
That said, I completely understand the decisions from both sides and why hard decisions had to be made (the deletion of accounts, posts, etc). People had to weigh difficult choices in case the worst were to happen, and I think that's completely fair of them to do. Excessive perhaps, but it's not unwarranted by any means. Nor do I think we should shame those who have returned, because all that means is that we still have people who are determined to put the time and energy and effort to help those who have stayed. It means that those who have stayed no longer have to feel guilty for doing so, because all of us have something in common: we love this damn forum and we'll do everything in our power to rebuild as much of it as we absolutely can.
This very passion from the staff, the determination to rebuild despite an increasingly uphill battle to do so, and the fact that even some users are willing to give PC a second chance... is what makes PokeCommunity the amazing forum that it is for 15 years. Let's not ruin that, guys.