10th Birthday Bash: Leave a Little Love

I have waited so, so long for this day and it's so overwhelming that it's finally here. Happy 10th birthday, THGRPG! You've reached a milestone that 99% of sites cannot say they have reached and that's insane.

Thank you for having me since I was 14 years old. You've seen me go from middle school to high school to college to gap years and now to medical school. But it's not just quantity - 10 years now - that matters. I am forever grateful to this wonderful community that fits right in my pocket. The last ten years have all blurred together (it's like it was just yesterday we were trying to figure out how to run the 54th Hunger Games! There were a lot of attempts before we finally got it right haha) and I can't say I have any outstanding memories, but every day with this site has been a good day. I love seeing members enjoy this website, learn how to write, and become part of this community and continue to improve it. The staff's dedication to running and creating site events is outstanding.

On an advertising note (sorry lol this is what I do), here are the things that really make us stand out:

• We have never closed down this website and moved to a new one.
• We have not had a "maintenance mode" day (let alone a week or a month) since probably 2009?
• Our site has maintained similar levels of activity since 2008.
• We have had the same staffing core since the beginning and no staff mutiny attempts (this is an actual thing, y'all, we should be proud)

Thank you to this site for teaching me how to advertise and write. Thank you to the members for making me who I am today - you all have shaped who I am for the better.

thank you, HGRPG, for being my friend and mentor.

i grew up on the people that were here on this site; i joined this site when i was entering sixth grade, being absolutely uncultured in anything and everything. having no clue what i want to do with my life, what i was doing with it and who I was. i had no clue how to even write when i first joined this site, and i would not be who i am today without the guidance of so many people from this website.

my absolute greatest memory of being on this website was being so excited to come on every single day to talk to my friends here. i remember just feeling happy when opening slack and talking to people or preparing to crank out a post. it was like every single day was its own joy to be here and the happiness in itself was one of the greatest things i experienced. the everlasting support i felt from my friends and allies during the 72nd and 73rd was absolutely amazing. being so excited to plan out what we were doing and joking around, it felt like it was some epic story that i never wanted to end. meeting friends like flyss and mat who are absolutely amazing, i feel like i've grown as a person and a friend because of this place, and i'd give my world to experience it all over again.

I would not be where I am today without this site. I would not have my current job, I would not be at my current school, and I definitely wouldn't be shooting for the same career path. There aren't words to describe how grateful I am for having found this.

I discovered the site, unsurprisingly, through @sapphiralily in a very roundabout way. I'll never be able to thank her enough for that, and for continuing to draw people toward this incredible community that I get to call my home.

Poor Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy] was the first person who had to tolerate my noobishness. She handled it with such grace and I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for her kindness and patience.

I started a lot of open threads, through which I met some really wonderful people like shrimp and Rosetta . Those blooming friendships kept me coming back. Shrimp was one of my biggest graphic design inspirations, and I so admired Rosetta's confidence and was in awe of the fact that she was just generally a total badass. Also Succa ftw just saying.

It was also around this time that I met sadniss everdeen , with whom I enjoyed many wonderful threads, dozens of sets of blurbs, and so, so many late nights talking. We created one of the oldest ships on the site (legit the longest slow burn ever) and through that as well as our other shared passions, developed an incredible bond. That friendship has meant the world to me.

The alliances that I formed in the Games throughout the years were a joy because they allowed me to continue to meet new people and grow. L△LIA , d1b. xylia fray ♕ kaяi , arx , [ retro gm ] angel lí ✨ , Kire and ᴥ are just a few of the many wonderful allies who I got to know better throughout the course of our Games together.

But allies weren't the only way I got to make friends in the Games! The fabulous ✌ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ gave me some of my favorite Games fights/threads. They were such a pleasure, and I love to go back and reread them when I feel the need to tear my heart to shreds.

I remember getting gm bourgeois decadence [aya] for the very first ever site Secret Santa and being absolutely terrified that she was going to hate my gift. But now flash forward and we're co-GMing together and I absolutely adore her (though I can't comprehend how insanely smart she is).

And of course, where would I be without my wonderful site mom garnet beauford d8 [earthling] ? There aren't enough words in the English language to describe how much I appreciate her and her influence on my life. She's a gift to everyone who knows her.

As I grew more confident, I began to reach out to newer members. I somehow managed to convince gamemaker 🍒 maryn hale that I was not completely insane and had the pleasure of plotting with him. I also roped xov thao 12b [Bella] into a ship that I am head over heels for. Tom agreed to make a wonderful sharpshoot bff for my lil knife girl.

Arrows wrote one of my favorite Games relationships with me, and my absolute favorite AU thread.

sbeeg and I wrote a whole thread in like a day and it was fabulous and I love our little film noir couple so much.

lance broke my nose once and it was a glorious moment. He is my favorite.

I have so many wonderful memories on the site that I can't name them all, nor can I name all the people here who have had such a powerful impact on my life. But I love you all, and I hope you all know how grateful I am to have the absolute privilege of being a part of this community with you <3

Loud sobbing. I cannot believe I've been on this site for more than 2 years now, albeit the waves of inactivity near the end of 2017. It's such a wonderful, wholesome community - and it feels like a blessing, to have stumbled upon it accidentally whilst searching for forums. It's a little paradise that somehow crawls into our hearts furtively. When I signed up on May 25 at 10 pm, fresh-faced, the intimidation was real. But, something about the conversations and the writings and the characters and, of course, the games, made me sign up - despite my raging unconfidence. I made my first greetings post, had the Griffin from Harry Potter as display picture, colored my fonts rainbow, but y'all welcomed me with open arms anyways. 

One vivid memory is my first ever thread, with pogue - whose grandiose writing made me recoil, tremendously, but I'm so glad it did because it developed me as a writer, pushed me to write the kind-of-okay sentences and tales and muses I have now. More than 30 characters. Countless threads. A myriad of stories. The site gave me constant A - A* throughout middle-school and continues to assist me, heavily, in high-school. 

When I arrived, the 73rd was full momentum and I remember getting mesmerized by everyone. Achilles. Justice. Minos. I read feverishly, mourned, even donated like $50 site monies for Achilles, I think. The lovely Onyx introduced me to the combat system and tables. I started making (atrocious) tables. One day, don't remember how but calla and I started talking - and she challenged my writing to new territories, extents. Then, I auditioned for Lance's spectacular Lumiere family and got to play siblings with the Great kousei ♚ - who I instantly fell in love with. @fabulousraven made me gayer, along with Gryphon . And, whenever I checked the face-claim thread about a popular face, it would be always claimed by this STRANGE man called gamemaker 💀 hades lochlan , who анзие (Anz) said was pretty adorable himself. (which was a false statement, by the way) ALSO, once gamemaker 🍒 maryn hale sent me a message and i opened it, only to be greeted by the longest compliment ever that i sobbed over. i love you, absolute queen don't SASS me to death. 

However, my activity reached a slight plateau; i wasn't around much, didn't write much, wasn't involved much - although i fanboyed over я𝑜𝓈𝑒 's Jacinta Salazar throughout the 77th. 

Then, the 78th came, I was reaped. It was surreal; I cried – because my first ever character I created on this site was reaped. Throughout the experience, both my tribute and I fell head over heels for tom and his character, who constantly messaged and talked and encouraged a shaking Griffin, scared to roll a dice or deciding whether to filler for the finale or not. Even when our characters were trying to kill each other, ryan swooned over my writing - as i did his. A lot of people supported and cared for Raven and me until the last minute and I thank each and everyone who did. alex 🐺  messaged me, even in early mornings, talking about Samyang noodles to calm my anxiety-stricken ass down, replying with panache and speed every single time in the finale (which we rocked!) 

And, we started talking late but as someone who've admired her writing from the start, it is phenomenal to streak with fox and WRITE WITH HER.

I grew, so SO much as a writer, as an artist, as a poet and as a human, here. It’s the no. 1 roleplay forum, to be honest. Thank you, to everyone who manages this wonderful site, who fills it to the brim with joy and merriment. I love you all so, so much.