It's been a long time since I participated here, but a milestone like this deserves my praise. Congratulations Mahz, and be proud. You're at the head of something wonderful.

I found RPG around 2011-12, and immediately fell in love. With only a bit of RP experience behind me, I jumped in. Expecting a similar experience to when I roleplayed with in-game groups in the past, I instead found an incredibly passionate, friendly group of players that couldn't wait to explore worlds with me. Where I had previously dabbled in writing, the passion ignited - my love for creating worlds, characters and stories that can live and breathe with the people experiencing them, persists to this day.

That passion in writing was one of the only reasons I was able to scrape out of high school. It got me my first serious job, which has led me to the beginnings of a successful career path, today. It taught me to respect my fellow authors - that no matter what someone's experience might be, the most inspiring stories occur from the most radically different backgrounds.

And although most of the people I used to play with seem to have set the site down as well, I truly think I made some real friends here during my time. 

In this day and age, it's difficult for me to find someone who I can bond with. Most of my relationships are professional, and few lead to true friendship. Even in a field of shared interests, my buddies often lack the true depth of character that I wish I could see more of, in the world.

But when you write with someone, you open a doorway to the soul, and by getting to know someone's character, you get to know that person, as well. It's been my privilege to write with everyone who I've known on this site, and I hope, someday, I'll have the privilege of knowing them again.

So, to RPG, I say thanks. This site helped fill a role in my life that I didn't know I needed, at the time. And now, years later, I still think of it fondly, and think of it weekly. This site is a wonderful place, and a place that someday, I hope to be able to come back to again.