Jesus. There was a time in my life when I couldn't fathom 'leaving' RV. And now I go months and months without checking it. I mean, I may have never checked it again if Defeat hadn't told me via facebook that there was a real legit mafia game going.

It's harrowing to come by and search old topics I posted in. I had forgotten entirely that I had once been the editor of a makeshift Villager revival, that I was on the guide-writing team, that I was the manager of a makeshift RVET revival. God damn.

I just wanted to pop by and say that I love you guys, I always loved you guys, and I always will. Some of the most fun I've ever had in my life was here in mafia games or RPs or even in runescape playing with Tanks, Magicana, Alpr, Jack, Jaron, Muse, Ex Rex, Market Man, Defeat, Top, and all the old crew.

I asked my wife recently if she ever felt like she was spending her current life chasing a feeling or experience she once had. She said no with no hesitation. And that's why I envy that woman, she's the type of person who knows who she is and what she wants. Me, I'm chasing the life and fun I had while I was a Senior in high school and on through college, and that includes RV. But those experiences can never be emulated.

And I think that's the weird 'nostalgia' thing that our generation is so obsessed with. It's not necessarily that Ninja Turtles is the best cartoon ever, it's that we associated wonderful experiences we had with that cartoon. My dad used to wake me up every morning at 5am to watch Transformers, and we'd sit there in out pajamas, eating cereal in the living room, watching Transformers at an ungodly hour. It's wasn't that Transformers is particularly good, it was that special time I was spending with my dad.

So anyway I am now an Asset Protection Manager for Sears and I make pretty decent money for my age. Moreover, I LOVE my job. I mean, getting paid to catch shoplifters? Awesome! I got married last August and couldn't be happier with my relationship. My daughter is healthy and growing up more by the second.

I don't really know what I am getting at, I guess in some capacity this is a check in, and in another, it is an apology. Because I let RV down. At any rate, I would so love to stay in touch with anyone who wants to take two seconds to find me on facebook. My name is Branden Bearup and if you let me know you're from here I'll accept your friend request (MARKET MAN, KIKORI).

So yeah, HELLO! What's everyone up to these days? College, work, life? Anyone in or around the Baltimore/DC metro area? We moved to Baltimore about two years ago and while my wife and I really enjoy our jobs, the area is, uhhh, not for us.

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Awesome Squall sprite courtesy of Goten! Check here if you'd like a runescape or game-themed sprite!

Sweet!!
I'm truly glad to hear you've got a good job, wife and your daughter!
It sounds like things are going well, and that makes me happy.

And you totally have me on facebook already Owen Moore.
If i'm ever traveling through the states, i'll give you a shout.
I'm still working away. I'll be in this stage for a little while, yet

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High school and college were some of the greatest years of my life, I think that's true for most people. Do I miss those times with no real responsibilities getting to do whatever I want? Hmm, of course. But you can't get caught up in chasing that feeling, and I can relate to your wife's sentiment, even if I do think very fondly of that time. It's cliche, but part of "growing up" is finding happiness and contentedness in "real life" which it sounds like you have. Ironically, my biggest regret of those years were how much time I wasted on RS and RV, though of course I am eternally grateful for it leading me to Jenny, and all of the friends I made along the way. I obviously would not change a thing.

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've gotta echo this. High school was actually a really bad time for me so I can't claim it was all that great or my best years or whatever, but all the time I spent on RS and RV throughout with all of my friends made it more bearable as well as a whole lot of fun. I look back on those years and go "holy I spent so much time on those two websites" and it feels a little bit sad at first. But then I think about all the people I met who are still my friends to this day, and all the things we accomplished because we felt like having fun. I don't think I'd have actually been any better off if I hadn't joined RV. I always come to the conclusion that, like Apple said, if I had to do it all over again--I wouldn't change a thing.

Actually that's a lie, I'd probably join Chat earlier than 2006.

Especially now that I'm on my own and half a country away from the rest of my family, sometimes I miss those carefree days where getting my homework done and then getting online to watch Orangequest have trouble with mine carts was the highlight of my day. But at the same time, I like where I'm at now. I'm having fun and I'm truly happy, so I can't dwell on the past too much. (A little! But not too much.)

What I'm trying to say is that it sounds like you've found the same thing, and I'm truly happy for you. I'm glad to hear your wife and daughter are doing well and that you love your job. It sure changes a lot!

And most definitely--you did not let RV down. You said yourself you were on this team, that team...you even led the RVET for a while, Lander. You did all you could with what little free time you had as you got older, same as me, same as all of us.

Good to see you again.

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.Legendary themed months are back! Maybe.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love you too, Lander.

This is a pretty special corner of the world.

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Good to see you, Lander.

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We do not stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.

I'm kind of missing the part where you let anyone down. Everything else there is nice and full of the good warm, fuzzy feelings we all get when someone shows up again. But letting anyone down? Pff. If anything, those of us who didn't work as hard as you did; I've done a few things I genuinely regret here (and this place honestly holds most of my regrets), and one of the tops is that I never put my money where my mouth is about really being a part of the machine that helped keep this place together. There's no way you let anyone down.

I don't think of this place as nostalgia. I think of it as the online equivalent of my parents' house. No matter what else happens online, no matter where I go and what communities I meet and how I ebb and flow with it, this community is there as a place to remember where I came from. I can always return to my parents if I want to and visit, rest, check up, have a little fun with... and I can always return here to see if everyone's still home, who's left, who's returned, wonder if enough people are around for a party. The names and faces who I spent those years with here are a true online family. Even if we're split to the far corners of the 'net and the world, we know each other, remember what we've done, can easily remind each other if one of us doesn't, and enjoy seeing each other succeed and flourish wherever we go. Even if we no longer do so together here, even if we don't keep up with each other every day, I feel I've made many brothers and sisters to enjoy the memory of the past of and hopes for the future for. Nostalgia indeed that it's associated with the former glory of when Mafia was in its prime, when I was involved with the recreation of quest guides to reflect modern mechanics or working on sprite art for others. Skills and duties I practice and fiddle with even today, whether as a way to stay attached to the past or simply from sheer enjoyment of it, I can't say. I'll never complain, though, that I'm going to keep toying with them and getting reminded that people here were in some way involved with them as well.

It's really nice to see you again, Lander. Thanks for checking in. Hopefully you stay long enough after Mafia's over to partake in the time capsule. And maybe I'll finally cave in and sign up for Facebook. I still honestly stick to Skype most of all out of familiarity, myself, and I'm sure the RV group would like having you around.

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Goten is dead!

Ay dude

I'm going to be honest I considered contacting you for the mafia game myself but I was under this preconception that you probably wouldn't be interested given you had a job, wife and child, and my last memory of you in mafia was your crisis of faith after Kikori's fake ragequit.

So I chickened out, so much thanks to Defeat for getting in touch with you in my place

I'm super happy things are going so well for you. I'm getting all nostalgic for theorycrafting mafia strategies and variants with you haha...

chasing the feeling

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Feel free to add me on Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/Topsummoner

Join us at the RV Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/DgtPWPM

That's actually quite deep and i wasn't conscious of that idea before. Kind of like if you play an awful co-op game with someone, you are suffering through it with them.

I mostly come here out of habit. My ability to hold conversations on public boards seems to have evaporated over the years, and of course user activity is as low as it's ever been.

I try not to think about life very much. It's never failed to cause stress. Besides, life ends the same for everyone regardless of how it goes anyway.

That aside, not sure how you've "failed" RV. It's not like this is an insular community where you have to pay dues or some .



Well that's the most depressing thing I've read in a while.

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Imagine a perfect beach
Without a mermaid
Imagine a perfect hideaway
Without a time
Imagine a perfect Eden
Without a friend, without a serpent
"Feeling lonely and content at the same time,
I believe, is a rare kind of happiness"

This got me laughing. Thank you for that. I think for most people high school and college hold fond memories, idk about greatest years of life though!

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GF to my imageshack based sig.

AP classes make me want to shoot myself.

Anyways, it's great to see you drop by again. It's always nice to hear about other villagers and how they're doing from time to time.

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Add me on Steam! Click this thingy!
If you're in the Runevillage group, it makes it easier to identify you!

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Kikori wrote:

Topsummoner wrote:

Riptide wrote:

I used to get you and J@n mixed up. Except your funnier. And nicer. Happy 21st bro!

Oh man Jan, you just got zinged by Riptide. How much does THAT suck?

Well, statistically speaking, slightly more than a giant suckusaur. A dire one.

PenguinGuy wrote:

Lets see if I remember how to play...

EX REX IS MAFIA SCUM FOURTHVOTER UNVILLAGE BLAH BLAH BLAH SCUM BLAH WINE IN FRONT OF ME BLAH BLAH META GAME BLAH BLAH BLAH SMELLS OF ELDERBERRIES BLAH

Right?

You know, bump, necro, whatever. 13 years I've been a part of this community (more or less).

Looks by the lack of activity here people are more or less keeping it real.

The wife is 3 months preggers, I've been promoted again, life is so wonderful.

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Awesome Squall sprite courtesy of Goten! Check here if you'd like a runescape or game-themed sprite!

Congrats!

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I seemed to have missed this topic the first time around ...

I'm happy i'm still apart of this community, even if it's only through one or two posts every now and then. Happy to see a few people still sticking around the forums and such!

-Phat

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PoopbaLL`

Seems like everyone is off doing cool adult things now. Congrats on everything!

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Ooh ooh ah ah!

Nice to hear, Lander!

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Crazy thinking where everyone is in life now.

I really miss the RV community and I guess RS in general. Simpler times before adulthood.

Missed this topic the first time around.

Thanks for the shout out, good luck with children!

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