This is my 2500th post.
I first joined the elements community when I had moved to college, due to better internet access. This was roughly three years ago. In that, time, my life has changed drastically. I proposed to someone. I had that someone leave me. I began transitioning. I left college. I faced a year of unemployment. I worked on my depression problems, with ups and downs. I made and lost friends.
And, in this time, I've done a lot with the elements community. I became the head of one of the three biggest forum events. I witnessed the end of the old forums and the move to the new. I saw several cards enter the game. I became close friends with several people, and grew to hate others. Twice I left in a fit of rage to come back a few months later wanting to be a part of the community again. I've participated in two PvP events, and am looking forward to a third. I completely bombed twice at BL. I've won 2345 games, and lost 1774, with only a few upped decks to my name.
I don't say this to sound like I'm one of the oldest members of the community. I know I'm not, and I still admire a lot of them the way I did when I first joined the forums, when a few of them were still around. But, I wanted to show how much this community means to me. Despite many real life problems and problems right here, I still come back. Even though I hardly touch the game itself, I still come back. Because I believe that this is one of the best communities I've ever had the pleasure to be a part of, and some people here have done a lot to help me through troubled times.
Thank you, all of you, for making this place such a wonderful one.