I didn't even try to give this post a title until I got to the end. Only because I didn't really know where my post would go until I got there. I knew what I wanted to get across to you all, but how I would get there....Well, that was something else.
So, take my hand, gentle reader, and let's see what transpires.....
Before I do anything else, let me give a big shout out to the PPT Crew. To Yukio and the team, let me congratulate you on a site that continues to help and support Neopets users around the globe. You've been doing this for years. I, for one, was grateful when I started playing the game. As a user, you should be grateful you have a team like this in your corner.
One of the things I realised I never did as an Administrator of these forums was to openly thank the staff. They do a thankless job of ensuring you play safe. I know from personal experience the trouble this place has been through, the lawsuits that nearly happened, the trouble Yukio endured, keeping this place alive, when those that would ultimately benefit from it's existence, tried to shut him down.
I remember the emails even I got from Adam at the time. When the sway PPT held in the Neopets universe was so large and forbidding, that it threatened to dwarf the Neopets Message Board themselves. "We were here first", I told him.
And we were.
There was a time when anything that mattered, happened here. There was a time when the Neopets staff logged onto this very forum to gauge the reaction to their ideas. PPT was the stick that either praised or condemned any ideas that Neopets envisaged. You were the ones that made it work, simply by passing your opinion.
The reason the Neopets Message Boards were created was because of Yukio and his team. This is the influence you should be grateful for. To be part of a community so vast and all encompassing is comforting, I'm sure you all know exactly what I mean.
I have recently read my Wife's post to this forum about checking out old friends and seeing just what PPT is about these days. It's nice to see she is not forgotten, by the responses she received. I remember many nights when we both Administrated the forum, sitting up until the early hours, deciding what direction to take us all. There were many firsts.
I still recognise my own hand in the forums that now exist. Some of the titles remain, some of the subheadings do too. There is longevity here. It is something you should take comfort in. As I always said, this is the place to be. We know our stuff and if you want to be well informed, you should be here. Now I haven't been near Neopets, PPT or Illusens Glade for a long time, but I know the people that inhabit those places are the best kind of people in the world.
If they weren't, I wouldn't have hired and/or promoted them.
So, a quick shout out for those that sometimes get forgotten in the grand scheme of things.
These are the people I know you should remember. There will be more of them, but I come from a different time than you.
Yukio/Shoyru Lover/Kym - I once branded Yukio a sloth. I think it upset him. For that I would like to apologise. There isn't a harder working Neopian than him. End of. The man is a marvel. Technological ability, diplomatic excellence and community spirit in spades like I've never seen before or since. If I was in a position to recommend him for some kind of honour for his contribution to the benefit of children, then I would offer it, without a second thought. In my opinion, being British, I think he deserves at least a Knighthood and would actively chase it, if he wasn't a dirty Aussie. (*wink*)
I love you mate, regardless of all the water that may have passed under the bridge since we were working together. I miss those days.
Jim/Wataguy - I can best describe him as my Padawan Learner. If I was Obi-Wan, he was my Anakin. He became ultimately more powerful and comprehensive than myself. Ok, he didn't turn to the dark side, but you get the general drift. I think of all the decisions I took whilst I was here, the plan to make him Admin was my last good idea.
James, you are a shining star. I miss our Aim chats. I look for you from time to time online but never see you, if only to try and make you understand my feelings.
Cyanna - In my opinion, the backbone of all things PPT/Illusens Glade related. She was the one that held the IGG Guild together when Janie and Bob left. I think she is one of the better human beings on the planet. I salute her and wish her the best of everything. She deserves it.
For everyone else, Chromefox, Hunter, Nik etc... Thanks for making my PPT experience both challenging and fun, I miss you all and wish we could return to those days again. I know that's not possible, but I had so much fun, I can only dream...
To return to the start of this really, really long post. I think this place is wonderful. I hope all of you take at least as much as I have from PPT. That is, good memories, lasting friendships and a better understanding of what the whole point of it all is.
Finally, know your online friends, be grateful you have them and remember them when either you need them or they need you....
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