Before I start this long topic, I am going to just open up by saying the following.
"Yay. 2000 posts."
Good. Now that that's over with....
Backstory (If you don't want to read about me, don't read this part.)
I remember when I first entered Newgrounds. The games were cool, something new. Then, I discovered the BBS, and was almost instantly hooked. See, Newgrounds was my first BBS, and probably is still my favorite ones. For my first 100 posts or so, I would always try to contribute, being almost robotish in nature. Then, I learned how to loosen up and have a little fun.
And that's when the real entertainment started. Participating in fads, watching them start, watching them die, getting cyber friends, and opening my mind to fresh, new ideas. When I first entered the BBS, I was a timid, conservative, homophobic, racist 12 year old. Now, about a year and a half later, I can really see how Newgrounds has been a mentor to me. I really learned tolerance, acceptance, and other such traits.
But, then, it just went downhill. I lost all interest in Newgrounds. I took maybe a monthlong break, becoming almost stonelike in nature. But here's the kicker. I loved it. I had lost all grip on myself. I had lost my mind. I had really almost become emoish in nature. Really becoming dark, and disgustingly depressing.
Then, I came back to Newgrounds, because I had just gotten over the phase, as it seemed to pass quite rapidly. I was almost sickeningly cheerful. But, that soon changed, for the better. Newgrounds mellowed me. Pointless debate after pointless debate had soon changed me, expanding my mind once more, making me become less cynical by the day.
And this brings us to today. My two-thousandth post, my two thousandth contribution. Which, brings me to my point.
Start Reading here if you skipped the backstory
Newgrounds.. the familiar topics, the familiar identities. It may seem dull to some, pathetic to others, but to me, it's my online home. People who aren't all nessecarily popular, who actually seem different from the rest of the swill, combining and making a true online paradise.
Through my 2000 posts here, I've seen it all. Experienced it with many different people. The alts, the fads, the debates. Annoying, but when you look back, was it? Or was it just a lesson in tolerance once more, opening your mind to characters, and people who wanted to be different in a different way, if you get my meaning.
Now, I know most of you come on Newgrounds, to get away. To take a trip to a place where your kind is optimum. But, whether you realise it or not, you may just be learning something from Newgrounds.
Look at any poster from around 2002. Look at their very earliest posts. For the most part, they may be chicken scratch, picture spam, stupidity defined. Now look at them today. What are they? That's right. Model posters. People you want to trust online.
Which brings me to my question: How has Newgrounds changed you, or how have you changed while on Newgrounds?
