Champions.


Bramphousian

 

Posted

To begin, I wanted to create my own thread so as not to derail anyone else's fairwells.

Some of you know me as @Bramphousian, as Banana McJammyPants, as Death of the Party or as Player One. You've known me as Bramph, as BAMF, as Hydration, as Knuckle 'Em, as Guilty, as Not Guilty, and many more.

My name is Adam.

Eight years ago, I walked into an EB Games and saw the City of Heroes title, and thought to myself, "That game looks AMAZING". But I passed on it. A decision I've come to regret, because as I now know, it means that I lost four years of enjoyment with you wonderful folks. The stigma that MMO's and "geeks" had, and my unwillingness to spend money month over month for a single title dissuaded me.

Four years later, after some urging from my wife, I said "to hell with it", and purchased the Good Vs. Evil box, and I have not regretted the decision.

City of Heroes, and the Champion Server became my refuge. Working a crummy job and being underappreciated, worrying about bills and the daily grind, it really got to me. I would log in and become my alter ego and forget about it. Who cares about a deadline when I can smash people in the face with a war mace?!

The game and its people helped me manage recurring depression. It helped to see me through the loss of friends and family. The people of Champion helped me to realize that though I can't shoot fire or Super Speed through town, that I could feel like a hero in life.

I left work today, looking forward to the long weekend. It's been a week from hell, and I am really looking to unwind. I decided to look through the Champion forums to see if there was more "overflow" for the Master of Kahn runs, and to inform that were I to lead a second team, it'd be on Sunday. And I saw SteelDominator's "farewell", and noticed other similarly titled threads. And I was devastated.

Many in my life would scoff that I am as upset as I am at the loss of "a game", but I am sure each and every one of you can agree, it is and was more than just a game to me. It was a community. It was therapy. It was release. It was fun.

It took me a few years, but I began becoming active in channels, and I began leading more teams. After the Double XP weekend, remembering how much fun it was to run TFs, rather than endless iTrials, I resolved to lead more TFs. It was mostly @Amygdala's encouragement, coaxing me out of my shell.

That said, I would like to take a moment for some individual "thank you's".

First and foremost, thank you @Amygdala. More than any other player, you and your actions inspired me. Seeing you constantly leading various runs made me want to be a better player and a better leader. Your kindness and your patience is amazing. I think I will always remember testing and re-testing (and re-testing) the Magi Bugs with you when it went live. I got to T3 Hybrid because of that! I'll remember the haikus in Pocket D, the proclamation of "MY" Ouroborous, and having so much fun with you. Thank you for letting me tag along. Thank you for making me feel a part of this wonderful community. No one ever plays in Talos. I am outraged that at 2:30pm on a Monday, no one wants to PVP me in Siren's Call! It's been an honour.

@Cobalt Azurean. Early on, when I was just a little Banana McJammyPants, I teamed with you for the first time against Lusca. I had been in game for only a few weeks, and Lusca had handed me my tail, solo, several times. You formed a team, picked me, and we were eventually victorious! I distinctly remember that there were only five of us on the team, but we did it, despite people saying you "HAD" to have multiple 8-man teams to take her down. I became a member of BMT of Champion, per your recommendation that day. A few days later, you advertised another Lusca run, and it made me realize that I love fighting GMs, and more importantly, it's worth replaying content if it helps someone else achieve something. Like Amygdala, you have been incredibly kind, warm and welcoming of me. Thank you.

@Silas. We've never interacted in-game. Though I did send you a PM one time. You are "osm". You gave me my love of Corruptors. Your guides helped me to better understand the role, and how to become a more effective player. I stopped playing melee characters for quite a while, to focus and to perfect my abilities as a Corruptor. And you showed me that it's great to get down and dirty in the middle of a mob, even when you're a "squishy".

@Disciple of Horus. Even though I stink of Canada (to be fair, you reek of Ramen), you were another person who really welcomed me and made me feel at home on Champion. Thank you for the laughs (usually at someone else's expense), and thank you for the teamage.

@Niqodemus. I haven't seen you in-game in some time, and I hope it's not for bad reasons. Thank you for trusting in me and for confiding in me. It's unbelievable how much we had in common! I am glad that while your stay seemed short, you chose Champion.

@Iltat. You taught me how to market! And you let me enjoy one of my favourite mini-games! With your guidance, I hit my first billion. Following your methods, I have not actively marketed in some time, but all of my characters have all of the IOs for all of their dream builds and I have over 50 billion influence left! I think I've spent just as much time marketing as playing the damn game, and it's your fault!

Though those are the names that stand out the most to me, I do want to thank everyone I've played with. Don't think that because I didn't name you above that you did not have a profound impact on me. I have played with so, so many of you, and you all have helped me more than you will ever know. Throughout some very difficult times in my life, you were all there, unknowingly, helping me along the way.

If there is anyone interested in keeping in touch, feel free to contact me. I would love to have more adventures with all of you.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you all. I hope to see you all in-game, and I hope to forge more memories with you, until Champion is silenced.

My name is Adam, and for now, and for always, I am a Champion.




Thank you, Champion.