FFF 'Then and Now'!

[Dionysos]

Birthweek – FFF 'Then and Now'.


​

‘Everything changes and nothing remains still... You cannot step twice into the same stream’
​

This famous phrase, attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus (approximately 535-475 BC), remains popular as a way of expressing the transience of any moment in our lives. You cannot repeat a moment. Even if you returned to the same river, the river in flowing has moved on without you, and with the passing of time you yourself are likely to have changed as well.

Time flows and all things change. Our surroundings change. Our lives change. We change.

The same applies to FFF. Some members have been with this community since it was first formed 10 years ago. Many more (myself included) joined later.

10 years… An entire decade! This is a very long time, although it sometimes feels as if it has passed in a flash. What has changed in 10 years?

Here are a number of questions which people can pick and choose to answer and discuss. You may add your own questions if you wish too! We want to get a discussion going. You do not have to answer them all if you don't want to.


Questions:

1. When did you first join FFF?
2. How did you stumble upon FFF?
3. How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now?
4. Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now?
5. First impression of site and staff?
6. What does FFF mean to you personally?
7. What have you learned in your time here on FFF?
8. Have you met any members in real life?
9. What has changed on FFF in your time here?
10. What is your most valued memory of this community?
11. Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years?
12. Has the world changed in 10 years?

-

Photographs:
Then:
(insert)

Now:
(insert)

You have the option to post two photographs of yourself. One photograph, the ‘Then’, should be either a photograph of yourself from 10 years ago or a photograph of yourself at roughly the moment when you joined FFF.

The second photograph, the ‘Now’, should be a recent photograph of yourself.

Don’t feel pressured to post photographs if you don’t want to, but the option is there.

-

Discuss! Reminisce!

 

[NeroTrinityX]

Questions:

1. When did you first join FFF? Late 2010, early 2011
2. How did you stumble upon FFF? I googled Final Fantasy Forums...
3. How old were you when you registered here? 25 How old are you now? 30
4. Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now? Cabbage Six Hayabusa and Mitsuki
5. First impression of site and staff? I enjoyed it, but sadly work always beckons and pulls me away.
6. What does FFF mean to you personally? Means a place where I can cut loose and talk my favorite game series.
7. What have you learned in your time here on FFF? Improving my graphical style
8. Have you met any members in real life? Nahh
9. What has changed on FFF in your time here? Not much really, it's why I am able to return easily.
10. What is your most valued memory of this community? I remember being in the shoutbox as I defeated Yunalesca for the very first time, everyone was so happy for me
11. Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years? A lot has changed, I'm a store director now, a preacher, and a better person.
12. Has the world changed in 10 years? Yup!

 

[Shu]

Ok I'll bite

When did you first join FFF? - 2006 - sometime around the forum move. I think Darkblade ran this joint.
How did you stumble upon FFF? - I used metacrawler back then and was searching beside another forum other than IGN for FFX help.
How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now? - 22 - 31
Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now? Hal (no) , for my music thread. Julius for my debates. Koloth for joining playing the rpg. Fusili and Jack's Smirking Revenge, Mitsuki / Dan (rpg) / Gabranth
First impression of site and staff? Super active in the shoutbox. I never really was in the shout box, I was more of a forum-er at that point.
What does FFF mean to you personally? A great deal. I feel like it's my second home when I want to come back. I would encourage the other vets to come around a lot more to interact, but the community is the community people will come and go.
What have you learned in your time here on FFF? Family.
Have you met any members in real life? Nope, would love to, but I'm down here in the Mississippi. I'm thinking about Kupocon though?
What has changed on FFF in your time here? The traffic has gone down a bit, but the forum itself is running smooth now and has the recent upgrades. Thank you @Lord Golbez , @Belazor et Britannia.
What is your most valued memory of this community? I'll be honest there are many. I think the late night in the chat room when all of us are bantering.
Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years? I've become busy in my days and of course traveling. Lots of people have changed for the good and bad around me. My family has been closeness since illness set in, but thankfully I visit a lot.
Has the world changed in 10 years? Trump vs Hilary. Seriously?

Then:



Now:

 

[Linnaete]

When did you first join FFF?
I joined on the 19th of February 2009. Yes, don't ask me how I know the exact date. Crucial information useful for my law course can fly through my head when I have to recite them, but I can remember useless information like this. Typical.


How did you stumble upon FFF?
Google was involved somewhere. I don't recall what I was searching for, but I found this place and signed up for whatever reason. Simpler times back then.


How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now?
I was 16 when I joined. As of typing this I am 23.


Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now?
I signed up in February, but was never actually active per se until towards the end of the year. If I had been welcomed back in February, I have no recollection of who they were. But by October, I definitely recall @Rorolina Frixell (Damon; who sadly hasn't been around at all lately) and @Lebreau (Jess). There was @Gingerbread Lesbian (Ryan) as well. There's no way I can forget his sorry arse.


First impression of site and staff?
I had never seen a shoutbox before. I think like most new members, I was too intimidated to jump right in. It was a time when the box would be extraordinarily active at nearly all hours of the day, filled with all manners of colourful characters as part of a closely-knit community, one I've not really seen before on any website. I wasn't very interested in joining in until much later, so like Tyler, my first days were spent posting in threads. They were typically Final Fantasy threads however; I had no interest in the coveted spam section of the forums and the debate section to me was a gladiatorial fight to the death that I was afraid to set foot in.

First impression of staff? Well, if I'm allowed to say this, it didn't take long for me to ascertain that a certain administrator was just absolutely full of herself and I quickly grew to dislike this person. I don't think it elicited any reaction from me but mild surprise when she was demoted and departed, because she seemed like a beloved and unmovable member of the community. Other than that, my initial impression of staff was very positive! Damon for example was a frequent person in the SB and he was a riot to have around. They helped me ease into the FFF family and I felt at home since!


What does FFF mean to you personally?
Besides a distraction and a time drain? xD

They're both true, yes, but having been here for as long as I have and despite having shed a lot of good people over the years, I can't let this place go. I've joined a few other forums over the course of my time, but have never stuck around like I have here. It's like a World of Warcraft diehard. Oh, he will waltz off and try another MMO challenger on the market, but he'll be back soon enough.

Yes, we're a lot quieter and smaller these days, but also just as tightly-knit as ever! We laugh with (and at) each other, we joke to each other, we whinge about life to each other, we murder each other in the SB...it's a family of nutjobs and I'm the matriarch of the nuttiness.


What have you learned in your time here on FFF?
Oh god, all sorts of things.


Have you met any members in real life?
Not yet!


What has changed on FFF in your time here?
It's a lot quieter and a lot of familiar old faces have either gone or have reappeared randomly recently, only to choose not to stay. The general energy here when it comes to enthusiasm for a new Final Fantasy game has strangely hit the lowest point I have ever seen, except for Final Fantasy XIV of all things! Spam has more or less ceased to be, after being a royal pain in the arse for every admin, G-mod and Gaia mod for years.

But despite all that, the forum has chugged on and we remain, even if we start to look like the last survivors of some apocalyptic culling. What's more important though is that we're pretty much all friends here though, as weird as we are as individuals. Well, we're nearly all friends.


What is your most valued memory of this community?
So many SB moments with people in the past. Where would I even begin? I think my moderator days were very memorable, even if my tenure didn't last that long. My initial first mistakes were funny, because I immediately gave a hefty infraction to a member making one-liner posts instead of a simple warning and a zero-point infraction first! I had a great time filling up the ban log with movie references and other terrible puns with each spambot ban. My pleading for people like @Valvalis and @Rapture to be co-moderators resonates with me too, especially in the former's (Kate) case when she enthusiastically asked me whether mods get paid. xD


Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years?
Oh, immeasurably.

A decade ago? I was somewhat shy, soft-spoken and very indecisive next to my peers. They were more authoritative than I ever was; I played along submissively with the group; and I barely ever challenged or critically assessed the norms I was familiar with until years later. Now, I suppose I'm a bit more of a nutjob, but a louder one, a more confident person and of course, a dear and loyal friend to my old friends and to my boyfriend of now six years.

Sadly I am now also kind of buried in debt. These law courses aren't exactly cheap. I'm still rolling with a PS3. Think about that. >.>


Has the world changed in 10 years?
10 years may have flown by, but let's sit back and list all the achievements/damning reports we as a civilisation have made in 10 years:

• The USA elected its first black President and COULD be in the process of electing its first female President...or Trump.
• Final Fantasy Versus XIII is still not out. And it will never be out, because it's now FFXV (and as of typing, STILL not out!)
• The iPhone has since revolutionised the mobile phone industry, now wiping out previous big names Nokia and Blackberry, while making Apple now one of the most valuable companies ever.
• The Middle East is even more of a mess than it was 10 years ago.
• We now live in a world of Netflix. Blockbuster has since died.
• We have gone through an agonisingly long global recession. Economists and investors fear another one may be coming, only this time potentially more dangerous as the Chinese economic powerhouse has slowed down and is about to stall hard.
• A whole host of scientific achievements have been made in the last decade, from medical ones to the discovery of Higgs Boson. New Horizons finally reached Pluto last year and beamed back to us clear photos of the elusive dwarf planet for the first time ever.
• Every Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed and Uncharted game (including The Last Of Us) has released since.
• Youtube was just a year old then and in its infancy. Facebook was at its toddler stage too. MySpace and Piczo were major at the time and we still had MSN! ;__;
• The world hasn't destroyed itself in the last 10 years!

 

[FinalxxSin]

When did you first join FFF?
2015

How did you stumble upon FFF?
Google search

How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now?
N/A

Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now?
I didn’t bother introducing myself. I just started posting one day.

What does FFF mean to you personally?
It’s a place to learn more about FF through different perspectives.

What have you learned in your time here on FFF?
Most members are civil and have a passion for what they like to talk about. A lot of people are family to each other, and it’s something I can respect being an outside person looking in.

Have you met any members in real life?
No

What has changed on FFF in your time here?
It’s currently less toxic imo.

What is your most valued memory of this community?
Six being more modest than what they should have when we were going back and forth through pms.

Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years?
N/A

Has the world changed in 10 years?
The release date of FFXV ever drawing closer. Fuck yeah! Technology continues to boom and grow as some parts of humanity seem to be taking steps back. Mainstream music isn’t as good as it once was imo. The US is finally in a position where if the wrong person gets elected, the US can tell itself R.I.P. The PS3 went through its entire active cycle as the focal console of Sony. Now there’s the PS4 that just doesn’t hold up technology wise. The time of consoles lasting many years may have come to an end with the PS3. We now live in a time of oversaturation, rushed games, over-hyped games, games delayed to no end, and a lack of change in gaming due to enough vocal people complaining about how things are the same, yet will complain when things change. A person can’t always have the cake and eat it too. It’s a lot easier to become noticed if you end up becoming viral online for various reasons. The entire FFXIII trilogy came out. FFXIV came out AND got a revamp. Also, FFXV's release date draws closer. Fuck yeah!

 

[Bambi]

When did you first join FFF? August 2007

How did you stumble upon FFF? Dunno, think I actually googled final fantasy forums

How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now? 23 then, 33 now

Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now? Can't remember without actually finding my joining thread

First impression of site and staff? I think I was quite excited to find like minded people, considering all my irl friends thought (and still do!) that I was a massive geek

What does FFF mean to you personally? Quite alot tbh, I don't really stop by quite as much as I used to, I barely even lurk these days, but it was here for me during quite a shit time in my life and I guess it's kinda like a security blanket; I don't need it anymore, but it's nice to know it's still here

What have you learned in your time here on FFF? That I make a better sandwich than Lewis

Have you met any members in real life? Yes. Quite a few actually! Lauren, Mark, Vikki, Shaun, Ami, Dave, Pooley, Bowly, Damon, Danny (who I found out lived round the corner from me lol) Freddie (who probably doesn't count considering I went to school with him) and last but not least, Lewis and Jim, who I had the best time with in Glasgow xD

What has changed on FFF in your time here? The members, the moderator teams, the RPG has gone, the layouts changed a few times, and the owner twice I think.

What is your most valued memory of this community? Probably my first ever Survivor. I managed to get a picture of an angry sheep, much to the other teams dismay xD Stupid Bowly deleted all the threads instead of moving them to archive ):

Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years? Lots! I am married with a mortgage with less than 3 years left to pay, and my daughter starts high school this year, when I first joined I was a single working parent with a baby and for a few years was going through quite a shit time, so this place became my escape/ sanctuary and really helped to get me through that time. Over the years I've had different jobs, a few boyfriends came and went (dated someone from here for a while too) learned how to drive, met and eventually married my husband (had a proper geeky wedding, with a final fantasy ix cake!) I started a uni course which I hated (passed the first year) which I then never went back. I still have Velcro, and two other cats and a dog.

Has the world changed in 10 years? Well, yeah. I am so glad facebook wasn't about when I was younger lol.


Im not sure how old this pic is, but its approx 8 years old maybe? dug it out of my photobucket account which I forgot about lol
I am the doofus with green hair lol this was taken about three weeks ago when i was on holiday

 

[Lebreau]

When did you first join FFF?
May 25, 2009, which I remember for some absolutely stupid reason.


How did you stumble upon FFF?
I think I was looking for stuff about FFX? Wakka's celestial or something, iunno.


How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now?
I was 16, almost 17, and now I'm 23 almost 24. Which is crazy. I was such a little baby when I joined.


Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now?
Oh lord uh. I was terrified of Kelly (@Bambi) actually. She was super intimidating until I actually talked to her. And Mark and Vikki and Mitsuki and JESSE. And Tia and. I spent a lot of time on this site then, I have no idea who's active now though. : ( (Except Kira, I see her around!)


First impression of site and staff?
I was absoulutely terrified, but that was how I was at 16. Afraid of my own shadow and really shy. Staff scared me to death until they befriended me for the most part.


What does FFF mean to you personally?
Honestly, it's mostly a memory at this point. I'm only back posting because Olivia mentioned me, but I did meet my best friend here. Which is awesome.


Have you met any members in real life?
Yeah! I went and met Diar (Gaige on here, but I think if I ping him he might actually end me the next time we see each other) in November at Rhode Island Comic Con! .. and neither of us lives anywhere near RI but it made sense at the time I promise. It was really awesome and he made fun of me for being short and walked fast so I had to job to catch up. Jerk.


What is your most valued memory of this community?
Mmmm. I remember getting the flu and posting roughly 900 times with Vikki and Caedus in FFPvP battles for a level boost over like three days. It's still my most posted in forum.


Other than that, I ran survivor one year with a couple of other people, and that was an absolutely fantastic time. The flaming was ridiculous, the challenges and the pictures (I got to see my best friend look SUPER menancing with a brick, 10/10 would do again) were wonderful. I sorta remember one of Kelly with a stuffed.. sheep? and Jesse took a picture of himself for something old. That was awesome.


OH AND SB TRIVIA. I loved SB Trivia so much.


I'm gonna skip the other questions, because I'm boring. Oh well, this was fun!

 

[greenyxi]

1. When did you first join FFF?

December 2009, though I left and returned a good couple of years later.

2. How did you stumble upon FFF?

My good pal Google, who stops people from needing to know anything. Good ol' Google. I returned to spread the news of my first ever LP: FF9.

3. How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now?

I think I was 18 though maybe 19. Where's that Google...
I'm 25 now .

4. Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now?

I remember being bullied and murdered by LJ, Al, Shaces...dear lord I dunno. Does being murdered count as being welcomed? There were millions in the SB at the time. The staff were a big part too though with the whole "let's chuck him in with the other newbies and watch them fight to the death" SB.

5. First impression of site and staff?

I loved how active the site was but uni go in the way so off I trotted. Came back and was hooked right away. My impressions of the staff were quite limited since I only saw their professional side at first, I think.

6. What does FFF mean to you personally?

It means a place to hang out and be murdered. Constantly.

7. What have you learned in your time here on FFF?

I think I've become more social for sure. Here and Youtube both helped me a whole tonne with that. I've noticed a few members answering this question with stuff to do with shyness so I'm really happy that FFF has been around .

8. Have you met any members in real life?

Nope, though I voice chat with a few? Does that count? No? Oh...

9. What has changed on FFF in your time here?

It's much quieter but still a nice place to randomly post and lurk. And be murdered. Gotta fill that death quota.

10. What is your most valued memory of this community?

Strangely, it was when Ariana was bullying me in the SB and I buggered off to beat El Gigante on pro mode on Resi 5. I came back and Kiras thought I had left to cry my tear ducts raw . We lol'd.

Oh! Survivor too. I think it was in 2013...the one with the bin and death by marshmallows.

11. Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years?

Well, I started in uni and now I'm replacing my workmates with fax machines at work. While the technology in my life has blatantly gone backwards, my worklife has gone forwards. Barely. Just a smidgen.

12. Has the world changed in 10 years?

People say it has but not really. 10 years is nothing compared with the amount of the time the world has been spinning (it's still flat, by the way, even when it spins). (It's also still on top of a giant turtle carried by 4 elephants). I'll admit that global warming has started taking more effect lately though, even if I am sick of the sound of that term.

Photos:

I was actually really photogenic when I joined so I'm not sure I have any? Hold on...

This is from roughly when I joined. It's the oldest photo I probably have and it's when I got stuck in my midget bin for Survivor and nearly broke my ankle:



Not exactly a now photo, but it's my most recent lol. T'was for my staff pic:



All done

 

[charliepanayi]

Questions:

1. When did you first join FFF? March 2007
2. How did you stumble upon FFF? Can't remember now, I think at the time I was just looking up forums that were Final Fantasy-related, and this one seemed active
3. How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now? 24 then, 33 now
4. Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now? Mitsuki (still here), Rydia (not here?) - can't remember anyone else, sorry!
5. First impression of site and staff? Seemed cool, active, friendly
6. What does FFF mean to you personally? Being part of these forums has been part of my life for years, it's fun to have that as an aspect of my personality
7. What have you learned in your time here on FFF? That people will argue a lot about FF!
8. Have you met any members in real life? No
9. What has changed on FFF in your time here? Things have got less active at times, there's been new FF games, but not sure if the forum has changed that much
10. What is your most valued memory of this community? Not sure I have one, sorry. But was nice to talk to Mitsuki on Skype last year
11. Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years? A lot, I had only just left university when I joined, and I've now spent almost eight years at my current workplace. Plus I've got older, bought a lot more music and seen a lot of films!
12. Has the world changed in 10 years? Of course, some things good, some things bad. Always the way really

Photos
Then/Now:

 

[Davey Gaga]

Questions:

1. When did you first join FFF?

I first joined in June 2006 - I think I am the oldest (semi-)active member! I joined in the actual week of birth.

2. How did you stumble upon FFF?

I was lurking on Advent Children Forums as a new member following the closure of another forum I used, Square-Enix Forums. I was messaged by the creator of the site, Josh (Darkblade), who was trying to poach some new members for this and his other site at the time, Metal Gear Solid Forums.

Before long, I started an on-again-off-again role as a member of the staff team here - largely cleaning up the plagiarism Josh had left all over the site. He had copied pretty much all of the sub-forum names and rules from ACF.


How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now?


14 - and now I'm 24.

Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now?

I am not sure that they are still active at all, or of what their current usernames are. However, Darkblade (creator), Angelus (also simply "Sephiroth" - one of the original Admins), Lisa (Judge Ghis back in the day) and another guy - I think is name was Tethar something.


First impression of site and staff?


Loved it - it was brand new and I loved having a hand in how it was developed in its early days.

What does FFF mean to you personally?

I used to be on here most free hours of the day, obsessing over whether or not members had posted in the correct area of the site or had met an arbitrary quality for a post, and arguing with other staff about what rules we should or should not have. I know that people say "it's just the internet", but running this place was bloody stressful - but also great fun. It is the internet, but it still has the same challenges and benefits as working in any other team or organisation, and when you felt "responsible" for it, it could overwhelm. Of course, being a teenager may have had an impact on that.

I have met quite a few people from the forums in real life, and we never would have crossed paths otherwise, so I am grateful for those experiences.


What have you learned in your time here on FFF?

Not to give out the creator's password to a bunch of trolls and, subsequently, what Goatse was.


Have you met any members in real life?

Kelly, Lewis and the infamous Jim, as well as Pooley, and a couple of long-inactive members as well. We all still keep in touch!


What has changed on FFF in your time here?

Everything: The staff, beyond recognition; the culture and groups of friends; the content overall (SO glad we finally got a home page). Anything that has changed, I have seen!


What is your most valued memory of this community?

I have always loved Survivor, hard and impossibly difficult as it is to run and manage. As terrible as it was at the time - being group-banned by Darkblade with a few others after a mutiny and taking up refuge in another free forum we created as a sanctuary; on reflection, that entire saga was hilarious.


Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years?

From ages 14-24? I am not sure I have enough philisophical energy in me to begin to answer that, but a few major life changes would be graduating University, getting my dream job, moving country, figuring out I am gay. Those are all pretty high up there.


Has the world changed in 10 years?

I am not writing for the Guardian!

Photographs:
Then:

17, first week at Uni in student halls

Now:


Left - recent, after a wee beard trim. Right, a few months ago, with the best pu$$y in the world.

 

[Shaissa]

1. When did you first join FFF?
   
   Well I "officially" joined January 2007, but wasn't actually active until 2009ish
2. How did you stumble upon FFF?
   Google... trying to find Final Fantasy stuff, and came across the forum somehow...joined...then never came back for 2 years.
3. How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now?
   07...was 18... 26
4. Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now?
   Let see.. Al, Six, Toni, Mel, Hal, Jim... Only 2 are still around
5. First impression of site and staff?
   I really didn't have any impression of the staff until much later, and the site was simple Forum for me back in the day, wasn't overly complicated or anything and felt nice.
6. What does FFF mean to you personally?
   Now it means a good place to talk to the people I have become friends with over the years and enjoy the time on here and distract me from actual work.
7. What have you learned in your time here on FFF?
   That it is ok to be a little nuts in life
8. Have you met any members in real life?
   Nope, don't think anyone wants to really meet me
9. What has changed on FFF in your time here?
   Let see... less active... less spam... less wars in the shoutbox and threads... less drama... overall less a lot of things... but then the "homepage" was added, and the Shop... many different Pronz people wanting to be banned...
10. What is your most valued memory of this community?
    hmm... I have to say it was when I was playing Borderlands 2 with Al and Mel and we were trying to do all those stupid little mission things...like climb that one damn tower... jumping all the way to the top was a pain in the ass!
11. Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years?
    Well let see... moved out of my dads, went back to school, got a lot of different things...
12. Has the world changed in 10 years?

Yes and no... As the old saying goes "the more things change, the more things stay the same."

-

Photographs:
Then: Closest I could find to 2009 when I was really active.... and funny thing we were kinda talking about this for a competition...


Now: I physically just took this off my phone...

 

[Mitsuki]

When did you first join FFF?
Late 2006. At the time I remember there was old drama about the site being hacked or something. I left and didn't come back for a month until I received an automated PM from Darkblade. I've been here since.

How did you stumble upon FFF?
The first time around, I was looking for answers on google regarding FFXII. I was also going through some personal struggles that I needed to get out of, and the site provided some distraction.

I started to feel right at home when I started playing the RPG Inferno and that's actually where I first started and why I even started posting. Koloth (RIP...) and the other RPG Mods required 50 posts in order to play the RPG Inferno, and I kind of spammed (not really) my way through after a week. The RPG Inferno meant a great deal to me at the time. I remember coming home from work at 7 a.m after a full 8-hour shift from work (usually 10 PM - 7 AM) and while I was extremely tired, every morning I turned my laptop on and played the RPG Inferno.

How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now?
I was 19 at the time. I'm 29 now. Yikes.

Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now?
I don't actually remember who posted in my newbie thread, but I kind of remember someone called Dark Tidus? The ones who welcomed me here are not active now. I still remember Ali (Rydia) and Mark. They were my first buddies here, then Mandi, F.F. Fan (Jon), Charlie, etc. Lots of late night MSN convos too.

Edit: I found my newbie thread: http://www.finalfantasyforums.net/threads/3859-Eh-Newbie-here

Haha, so clueless. How did I survive FFF?

First impression of site and staff?
Gosh I don't even remember, it's been so long. Um, the site...all I can think about was the RPG Inferno, haha. I don't think I paid really much attention until a couple months later, when @BustaMo joined and started making some changes in the site and staff. I mean, he came in with a bang, honestly. I thought he was pretty chill though; rowdy but cool.

As for the staff and my first impression...I was probably intimidated, knowing me. It seemed like the staff changed every week or two as well. They were constantly hiring people - it was rather messy and chaotic...and widely accepted at the time. I didn't give much thought on staff matters when I was a member though - never clashed with anyone. I was fairly quiet when I was new.

What does FFF mean to you personally?
It means a lot to me. In retrospect, this site has changed me a great deal. I've met a lot of people in my time in staff and the community - it challenges me constantly, but I love getting to know the members.

FFF is a second home to many, and I can definitely toast to that. However, I think it's more than just a community of Final Fantasy nerds. Over the years throughout all the changes, whether good or bad, we've learned to adapt (with social media, for example), pick up the pieces, and move on. Some things we've left behind in the past; other times we continue to look forward to challenges around the corner.

I just feel right at home, I guess. It's kind of hard not to when you've realized how many people you've lost contact with (whether by choice or unfortunate turn of events), and that pushes you to keep things from crumbling. It's a whole lot of pressure, but to hear that it still remains as a close-knit community...well, that's kind of special for many of us. So those who are still here and choose to be here because of genuine care for the place - it's all worth it despite muddy days.

What have you learned in your time here on FFF?
That everything here is broken.

I don't even know where to begin there. To keep it relatively short, I've learned to work and deal with many different personalities, in my own way. To listen carefully and communicate tactfully, even if it's hard at times. Actually that's my biggest weakness there.

Obviously there's been many mistakes in my time here. I look back and think to myself, "Wow, I could've handled that a lot better." Mainly, I learned a lot just from watching people, really. I know I've clashed with many... but I harbor no hard-feelings to anyone about the past, at least not anymore. I've pretty much made my peace there, and it's sort of liberating.

Have you met any members in real life?
Just Jay @Momoo - It wasn't even planned. I woke up one morning, hopped on, and Jay was in the shoutbox. He said he was around my area, so couple hours later, we met! There was another member whom I met at Distant Worlds and recruited here, if she counts! h34rt1lly - sat next to her at Distant Worlds. Awesome and talented gal!

I'd love to meet more members someday.

What has changed on FFF in your time here?
Quite naturally, a lot has changed. The community culture and its collective orientation, for example. We're basically a family here now.

There's also a lot less drama these past few years. The site has changed tremendously. Each section is a chock-full of history. I used to mod Gaia back in the days and boy that was tough. Some days I dreaded coming here and reading Staff HQ. The current mods now have it so easy...but now we're facing other matters such as keeping this site going, which in itself is tough too. Other than that, the site itself has changed for the better despite inactivity. I can't speak for everyone, of course, but that's just my take on things.

What is your most valued memory of this community?
Probably when I first got to know @Six a bit more. I was in dire need of a friend at the time due to some events that happened, and she helped me through those months, simple as that.

Oh wait, forever teasing @Bambi about her age. Yes, I know, it's the same old chestnut, but still kind of funny to think about. It's endearing in some weird way. It's become a part of our tradition and history here.

Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years?
It may not seem much because I was already going to college, had a job, newly married and had one kid before I joined, so my social clock was already...well, ticking? But despite that, a lot of things changed around me, from family, siblings, the emotionally draining challenges that life constantly toss at us. I've grown a lot weary, not just offline but also online.

What else...well, I still can't bring myself to get drunk and party hard despite attempts from cousins and in-laws, so that hasn't changed. It's been annoying me lately, the constant push to 'drink and live'. Please, lol, I'm too old for this shit.

Has the world changed in 10 years?
...Yeah, but let's not even go there. We can now access FFF on our phones? I mean, that's pretty huge.

Apparently now taking pics of yourself is labeled as 'selfie'...



Then: (Back in 2007 I think - with the hubby. 19 at the time. Webcam quality, so you know.)

Now: (Last week with friends and our families together at Colorado. A lot older!)

---

Found this in my old photobucket account:

Hey look there's Dan as a member! @Dionysos (Argor251) I have to ask...what was up with the 251? xD

@Davey Gaga I remember I was super intimidated by you when I was newbie! You didn't act like a 14 year old at all. We first had our first meeting via usernotes and I remember freaking out over it, haha. I completely forgot about FFHaven too. Simon started the forum; Mark, Ali, and I were his first recruits / staff members. Gotta remember ShinraOnline as well, when they pre-planned an attack here. I think they were here for a few weeks before they spammed the forums with porn. Crazy times.

 

[Kim Taehyung]

(holy Jesus I'm not dead )
I had to do this.

Questions:

When did you first join FFF?
November 30th (?), 2006.

How did you stumble upon FFF?
Google search for a final fantasy ix section I couldn't get past and needed help on.

How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now?
16, and now I'm 26.

Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now?
Moony, whatever his name is now, and Dave. They're the only ones from WAAAAY back then I can remember that would be/are active still.

First impression of site and staff?
so this was my first stab at an online forum so really I didn't have any comparisons to make

What does FFF mean to you personally?
for a long time, it was like home to me. I spent hours every day on here, but as with most of us, I'm moved on for the most part. I came back because, well, I got bored.

What have you learned in your time here on FFF?
Long distance relationships are not my thing, and I have high respect for those who make it work.

Have you met any members in real life?
nope

What has changed on FFF in your time here?
tons. I was here before the shoutbox. I've seen administration change. I've seen members come and go. I've made friends I thought would last a lifetime who I'd not spoken to in probably years. I've seen things. *distant stare into space*

What is your most valued memory of this community?
So, who's gonna kill me for saying I'm still proud of the fucking "I want Damon..." thread? I'm joking. Survior, my sims videos, idk. tons.

Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years?
I went from junior in high school to graduating college AND going back for another degree. I've been through 2 relationships, 3-4 almost, and one current. I've done a lot of growing up in 10 years.

Has the world changed in 10 years?
People want Donald fucking Trump as president. That's pretty much all I have to say about that.

-

Photographs:
Then:

Yeah, it's from 2007; that's about the closest one I could find.

Now:

I don't see a whole lot different tbh.

....:dave:

 

[CassinoChips]

1. When did you first join FFF?
   
   March 24, 2009
2. How did you stumble upon FFF?
   
   The Google Machine. I was looking for a place to do some Final Fantasy RPing, and lo and behold, I came across this illustrious place.
3. How old were you when you registered here? Ancient.
   
   How old are you now? Decrepit.
4. Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now?
   
   LockheartAvenue (Kira), Vikki, Mandi, Damon, Mits, among many many others. Most are less than what you would call active.
5. First impression of site and staff?
   
   The site was a lot to take in. Lots of forums, lots of activity and members, lots... LOTS... of spam. And then the SB in its heyday. Hoo boy.
   
   The staff were a bunch of slack-jawed mouthbreathers. They were good folks for the most part, and worked hard on the site. We (once I was, for reasons no one will ever understand, added to staff) had our share of drama and such, but it was good times overall.
6. What does FFF mean to you personally?
   
   It was the first page I visited and last tab I closed out every day for a long time. It was a place to hang out and chat, a place to be creative, a place to discuss issues, and a whole lot of other things.
7. What have you learned in your time here on FFF?
   
   Aerith is a Christian, leg kicks are important to one's overall health, the site will eventually become a bass fishing forum, and the best way to leave your legacy on the site is to post porn.
8. Have you met any members in real life?
   
   Not to my knowledge.
9. What has changed on FFF in your time here?
   
   A lot. The forum has gone through several iterations, staff changes, competitions, activity levels, even layout changes. It looks and feels similar, yet entirely different.
10. What is your most valued memory of this community?
    
    The MSN group chats. SB Trivia. FFFRPG. Too many to count, honestly.
11. Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years?
    
    Holy crap. Met my wife, graduated from college, got married, got a real job, bought a house, had a kid..... so basically not that much I guess.
12. Has the world changed in 10 years?
    
    South Sudan's a country now. So that's a thing.

 

[blakstang98]

Wow, reading this makes me feel pretty old. Some of the folks I see in this thread were teenagers or young adults when I first joined. Now they're well into adulthood, crazy. Anyways, to the questions.

When did you first join FFF? April 30, 2009

How did you stumble upon FFF? I believe it was a google search for a forum related to Final Fantasy.

How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now? I was 26, now I'm 34.

Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now? Well the screen names are changeable, so I don't think I can remember by screen name. I recall seeing a lot of Kelly, Vikki, Mandy, Jesse, Brittany, Dan I and Kira. I've been on hiatus for 6 or so years, so I couldn't tell you who is active or not these days.

First impression of site and staff? Coming from another forum of a different game that was more strict, the staff was certainly more casual than I expected and interacted with non-staff members with regularity. I definitely enjoyed the site and the different discussions it had to offer.

What does FFF mean to you personally? Right now, nothing. I'll admit it was a big part of my life once upon a time. I practically lived on this site for a time period.

What have you learned in your time here on FFF? I learned some things, I guess, but I won't elaborate much on that.
Have you met any members in real life? Just Tia (not sure what her screen name is these days).

What has changed on FFF in your time here? Well, that's a loaded question. There were plenty of changes while I was an active member. The server change threw things in disarray for a while, working out the bugs an speed issues. Not being here for a while, I'm shocked to see how much it's changed since.

What is your most valued memory of this community? Meeting Tia.

Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years? I mentioned the changes of others which are huge in the sense of transition to real life in a major way. In this way, my life hasn't changed much, I was well into adulthood already. For other things, there have been many changes. I moved from Connecticut to Rhode Island. I'm living in my 2nd purchased house (bought and eventually sold the 1st). And I am married with 3 children. And I work a different job (same field). So my life has been great since, with only a few bad moments.

Has the world changed in 10 years? Sure. It's a loaded question that can go in many directions on many different tangents and can get very controversial, so I'll just keep the answer as simple as that.

I'm too lazy to bother with pictures. I look the same, but full beard instead of goatee and sideburns (same length, no bushy beard) and some more gray hair.

 

[Lirael]

Questions:

1. 
   
   • When did you first join FFF?
     2006, though I wasn't active for a fair few years after that. I think I started to use the site properly around 2010?
   
   
   • How did you stumble upon FFF?
     I google searched for Final Fantasy Forum and joined pretty much all of them! I was more active on FFHybrid for a number of years until the site went down for good. I then had to hunt for a new place to share my love of FF - and FFF was the best, and most active, forum at the time (apart from EyesonFF, but that forum is just an absolute mess of threads!)
   
   
   • How old were you when you registered here? How old are you now?
     I was 16 when I registered and I am now 27... Oh how time flies.
   
   
   • Name a few members who welcomed you in the community. Are they still active now?
     I can't remember who welcomed me, but I do remember the members who spoke to me most! .Mosh (Sean), Luke, C i d (Hendra), Belazor Britannia, Mel, Tyler, Mitsuki, Six - to name just a few!
   
   
   • First impression of site and staff?
     I can't remember my FIRST impression, but when I returned, I thought the place was very friendly and loved the SOTW competitions, as I used to make sigs frequently and enjoyed the challenges. (I really need to get Photoshop on my newer PC... I miss it!)
   
   
   • What does FFF mean to you personally?
     Well, I met Sean on here, and we're in a relationship after 5 1/2 years of friendship, so you could say it means quite a lot and has had a very positive impact on my life. Despite what people say about making friends online, some of the kindest people I've ever spoken to have been from a Final Fantasy forum - this one and FFHybrid. In general, the community is full of lovely people. There are certainly days when I miss the activity; my new job leaves me little time to post - and a lot of the members are equally busy (grown up life) so...
   
   
   • What have you learned in your time here on FFF?
   
   
   • Have you met any members in real life?
     .Mosh!
   
   
   • What has changed on FFF in your time here?
     I don't think the forum itself has changed too much, but quite a number of people have left.
   
   
   • What is your most valued memory of this community?
     I thoroughly enjoyed working with Hendra and Sean on the FF Clans back in the day - and writing a text-based adventure with Hendra too! For a while, it definitely boosted activity, which was rewarding, and it provided me with the opportunity to be creative as we had to come up with a variety of FF themed competitions and events.
   
   
   • Off forum, how much do you think things have changed in your life in 10 years?
     My life has changed a lot... I am much more confident, which is due to a multitude of things. Honestly, Final Fantasy set me off on the journey towards confidence. When I was 16, I was incredibly shy and quiet - but when I joined FF forums, I made a number of friends whom I identified with. Socialising with them, albeit online, enabled me to believe in myself, and as time progressed, my confidence grew. I never thought I would be able to speak publicly, but I now work as an English teacher - which means I present and speak publicly for 5 hours every working day! I absolutely adore it. Without the support of my friends online, I don't think I would be where I am today.
   
   
   • Has the world changed in 10 years?
     Yes! Definitely! But I think we all know how.

Then (the earliest photo I can find is from 2008)


Now:



I really don't think I have changed much physically in ten years.