Hello, memories

No one's posted on this forum in 8 years, and even that was just a string of one drug-selling bot after another. I wonder if I'll attract anymore by reviving the site like this...

I come back here every once in a while to reminisce, and every time I do I'm surprised it's all still here. I remember seeing a post on Tumblr, I believe (and God, there's a word that's probably never been said on this board before) about how certain corners of the internet become graveyards. Frozen instances of past conversations, held in stasis until whatever server is storing them decides it's not worth it to keep the data anymore. How many other places are there like this, remnants of a time when the internet was a smaller place.

There were about 200 registered users on this board, and not even half of them visited regularly. Compared to sites like Tumblr, Reddit, and Spacebattles, that's basically nothing. Even at the time, this board was tiny compared to Narutoforums, a site that is still around, I think. Sites like this are rare, nowadays, and they almost never show up in a google search result. I don't even remember how I found this place the first time.

I do remember being on it, though. Nothing that I just said is meant to belittle this site. It was an amazing little community, and I've never had anything like it since. This site and the friendships I made on it were a formative part of my teenage years and I've never forgotten it. I was too young to know who I was. Barely old enough to be considered a person. Hell, I didn't even figure out I was bi until, like, a year before the last human post here. But even so, I felt welcome here. Like, for all my shortcomings, I belonged here.

I don't clearly remember all of you, but rereading through some of the site brings the memories back. NJ, Menow, Jak, Lee, ninjarific, HellBent, and everyone else. God, I was such a little shit back then. I want to go back in time and yell at myself about all the wrong and stupid things I said. I suppose I could still do that, but I'd just be yelling into the void. The post would be there, but past me would never see it.

I looked at the date I made my account here. I was 13. Who let a 13 year old hang out around y'all? Especially you, Jak! Sure, you were a teenager too, but still!

Do any of you ever come back here? Will you see this, and feel a bit of the solidarity we used to have? I hope so, otherwise I'm just shouting into the void.

It's not like I'm trapped in the past, and I hope I don't come off that way. The last time I checked this place was a couple years ago; I only show up when I'm feeling particularly nostalgic.

Anyway, I miss y'all. If any of y'all are still alive, remember me and want to reach out, I usually go by Korora12 online now. You can find me on Tumblr, FF.net, AO3, Spacebattles, and Reddit under that name. I'm not much of a Naruto fan anymore (I managed to finish the series, but Boruto is completely uninteresting to me), but I'm still a giant nerd who posts about dumb shit. That much hasn't changed. Don't be afraid to message, I'd love to catch up.

*pours one out for the slow, quiet death of a forum board, and also because I'm old enough to drink now*

I also visit various websites/forums after a few years of forgetting they existed. Honestly I'm surprised I logged onto here on my first try just now, though that mostly says something about my childhood password security.

I didn't really have a bond with NarutoJunkies's community since from the start I felt like I was late to the party and there was too much catching up to do for a child to feel like someone who could ever belong. That's still mostly true; I don't know any of you well, and reading the posts I made before informs me that 1) I didn't ever try to, and 2) no one should have or would have allowed it, given the uniform mess I would post wherever and with nothing additive in it. I suppose I did try to be a respectful human on occasions, but those were few and I couldn't read the feedback I was getting (yay, inexperience) so it was always going to be inconsistent.

I won't say I've grown. I saw myself make that claim before and I really cannot agree with it given my current perspective. But it is somewhat interesting, if not purely embarrassing, to see what kind of surprises I left in these time capsules. You are all fantastic for not making me feel like the fool I surely appeared to be at the time. I assure you, hindsight is doing that job plenty well.

I hope anyone reading this is having as enjoyable of a time as they can muster, and more, with lots of supportive people near them that know themselves to be counted on. Because every being deserves that much.

Oh, I guess I'm supposed to end this with how to contact me since forum machine broke. I shall trust that no one here would sincerely want to do that because the apparent merits are abysmally low. I also don't really want this history associated with the me of today, so just consider the me in this post a ghost of times past.