The Sun Has Set On My Time Here. :(

[KiarasMate]

Someone once said that all good things must come to an end. As much as I don’t like to believe this, it seems, the older I get, the more this statement holds true. As some of you already know, I have decided to take my permanent leave from MyLionKing due to many different factors. While I don’t wish to get into exact detail about my reasoning for leaving, as it would probably get this thread locked in a heartbeat for causing drama or what have you, I would at least like to try and give a general overview of how and why I’ve come to make this hard decision. Before I even say anything about that however, I would like to make it as clear as possible that I am, in no way, looking for sympathy by posting this thread, nor am I trying to cause any unnecessary drama with anything I might say here on out. I also am not pointing fingers at anyone or pitting the blame for my leaving upon anyone’s shoulders, as it’s been stated before, that if anyone chooses to leave the forum, it’s their own choice and no one should be blamed or feel responsible for that fact. For those of you who are just looking for a reason to get one last jab at me before I leave though, I ask that you refrain from doing so. I am trying to bow out with dignity and respect to each and every member here on MLK and I really don’t want to have to leave the forum on a bad note. Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read this post and I will stick around for a day or two after this post is posted until it fades into obscurity, at which point I will too, in order to read your responses, because they do mean that much to me and if you are going to take the time to write something, I surely can take the time to read it and reply if possible. So, on with the explanation of how this came to be.

For those of you who don’t know my history with MLK, I joined this forum back in May of 2009, after leaving The Lion King Pride Forum for similar, yet slightly different reasons than I’m leaving MLK for. I was convinced by KingKivuli that MLK was a better forum and that I should join, and after a little peer pressure and coaxing on MSN, I finally did. Do I regret joining MLK? Not in the least bit! When I joined MLK, my initial intent was just to stick around the Role Play section of the forum, as that was mainly the one aspect of TLKPF that I missed the most. Fortunately for me, my good buddy Lodrill decided to move Little Stranger (an RP we had going for quite a long time back on TLKPF), here on MLK, thus giving me a solid reason to stick around MLK, at least, the RP area anyways.

In my first few months on MLK, I wasn’t extremely active, although I kept up with the Little Stranger RP and met one of my best buddies to date, that being Mike of course, who joined Little Stranger and truly helped me to get situated in MLK’s RP section. From there, I met quite a few awesome RPers, most of which I still try and keep in contact with to this day, although a few of them seemed to have slipped off the face of this earth, but that’s to be expected I suppose. So everything was truly fine and dandy. I had a new home to RP at and made a fair amount of really cool friends. Looking back on these times, I can easily say that those were my fondest moments spent on MLK. I wasn’t nearly as well known as I am to this day on MLK (again, for those who know me, I’m not bragging here. I’m the most humble person you’ll ever meet…wait…is that bragging? Oh well), but it was still when I felt the most welcome on the forum.

Let’s skip ahead a little and we get to the point where I was offered a position on the MLK Staff Team to be an RP Moderator. To me, this was a huge honor and I jumped at the opportunity, something I rarely ever do, since like I stated previously, I’m a very humble person. The reason why I took the job was mostly because my love of RPing really drove me to want to try and help improve the MLK RP section, not to say that there was anything wrong with it the way it was way back then, but the major changes that were going to take place, along with the fact that I’d be able to work alongside one of the best Staff Teams (at the time) here on MLK, I figured I’d be a fool not to take the position. So I did. Do I regret doing that? Not entirely. I did enjoy being an RP Mod and I tried my hardest to help keep the RP section of MLK as active and as organized as I could. Again, not trying to make myself look good here. Just saying is all. During my time as RP Mod, I don’t think I really made anyone too upset with any of the decisions I made. I could be totally wrong here but I think, even as an RP Mod, I was still seen as just the same friendly lion who I was when I joined MLK, which was just how I wanted it to be. I didn’t take the job so that people would see me as some bigger than life entity on MLK. I could care less about that. I only wanted to help MLK and that’s why I became an RP Mod. Do I regret doing that? Only a tiny bit.

Okay, now we skip a few more months and I am presented with an opportunity to become a full on Global Moderator, mostly due to the drastic changes that were going on with the current Staff Members. Again, I felt really honored to be offered this position, or promotion, whichever way you look at it, and again, I felt as though, this would be a great chance to hopefully help MLK even more so than I tried to before as an RP Mod. At the time, I didn’t really have any qualms with taking the job and even though it meant a lot more responsibility and would mean I’d have to be more active on MLk as a whole and couldn’t just lurk around the RP boards anymore, I still thought that the pros outweighed the cons, so I happily accepted the promotion and became a full on Global Moderator, alongside Mike and KK, with Moka of course too. lol. Not leaving you out buddy. So, at first, it took a little while to get adjusted to having to oversee the whole forum, but this also meant that I got to meet so many other members of MLK who usually didn’t frequent the RP section, thus presenting the chance to make even more close friendships here on MLK. Things were pretty good then. Unfortunately, that’s where the fun factor pretty much peaked and started to slowly go downhill from that point on.

My two main hopes of being a GM were to improve MLK and keep it a friendly and enjoyable place for all members, as well as to remain the same exact person that I was when I joined mLK in everyone’s eyes. As much as I would have loved this to be true, it didn’t take long before things started to change and choices I had to make as being a Global Moderator, started to alter the way people viewed me as a member. Some of these changes were good, in the fact that some people looked up to me and thought I did an alright job with keeping the forum clean, safe and a fun place to be at over all, while others, all be it a select few members, grew to dislike me. I won’t use the word hate here, just because I don’t really even know if this truly was how they felt, but it was the vibe I got. I soon realized that you can’t be everyone’s friend and buddy while still keeping all the rules of MLK enforced. Now, while I feel that almost all the decisions I made and the actions that I took as being a GM, were justified, I can’t deny the fact that when I was a simple RP Mod and even before then, when I was just a regular old member, some of the chat sessions I was a part in on the MLK Chat Box, probably did get a bit out of control at times, but I don’t think any of the members who were involved in those chats, really minded, so yes, rules probably did get bent or broken even, yet it was all in good fun and no one seemed to care. So does that make me a hypocrite for turning around and issuing warnings for people who did similar things once I became a GM? Yes, and no.

I tried my hardest to be a very lenient moderator and only issued warnings when they were truly deserved. I looked past a lot of things that could have been considered warn-worthy offenses, just because they would cause too much drama if addressed, yet weren’t really harming anyone indirectly as was the case. Should I have done this? Well, I think that’s more of a momentary decision, as in, you’d have to be in my paws in order to decide and I feel as though that I made the best decisions at the given time. Were they the right ones all the time? Probably not but I did my best. Regardless of this fact however, this is when the forum started to become less of a place of leisure, and more of a place of work for me. Did I know that things were going to turn out this way? Not really. I mean, I knew, like I said, that taking on a GM position was going to be more work, but I didn’t think it would take away from the fun factor of the forum itself. Sadly, this proved to be the case as time went on.

In order to cut this shorter than it probably could be and not to re-open old wounds so to speak, I won’t go into too much detail about why I ended up stepping down as a GM here on MLK (for those of you who were still wondering that, yes, I did step down of my own accord, and I wasn’t fired or demoted by Moka, lol), but I’ll just say that after banning some members, getting into arguments with others, not agreeing with decisions made by Moka that regarded the Staff and forum, and just pretty much feeling as though the work put into being a GM wasn’t worth the effort or the distain that some members started feeling towards me, I knew that stepping down was going to be the best option. It was a way to voice my opinion about what was going on, as well as a way to hopefully make MLK a more enjoyable place for myself to still call home at. So do I regret being a GM? Yes, in a way, I wish I never took the job, but even with that said, I still feel as though I gave it my all and did my utmost to make MLK a better place.

So now, I’m back to being a normal member of the MLK Community, and things should be fine and dandy once again right? Sadly, this didn’t seem to be the case. It’s mostly my fault though, since I just couldn’t leave my days of moderating behind me, as in, I’d still try and be on the look out for issues on the forum and would try to voice my opinion about stuff, something that clearly got me into more trouble than what it was worth. Furthermore, it seemed like after the new staff members were appointed, everything that had been done during the time I was a GM, seemed to be overturned, as if it shouldn’t have been that way in the first place. Again, I’m not going into detail here because I don’t want to start an argument. I just felt like it was sort of a slap to the face and still do to this day, but again, that’s just me and I’m not trying to make any of the new staff or Moka feel bad or upset in any way. I just felt so useless I guess from that point on.

Now then, skip ahead a few weeks (yeah, we’re almost to the present time here) and I was only getting more and more frustrated with the changes that MLK was going under. From banned members coming back, to people who I thought were my friends, because I had been nothing but polite to them the whole time, suddenly turning and lashing out at me, either from something I had done while being a mod that affected them, or something I had done that affected their friend or what have you, I knew I needed to take a break from things. I could already feel my tolerance levels quickly diminishing and my patience along with it. I didn’t want to say or do anything stupid, so I decided to take a week off MLK, which I did. I thought it would help clear my mind and hopefully get me back into the mindset of just being a normal MLK Member. Forget about the mod stuff, forget about trying to be the proverbial glue that holds the forum together. Just have fun and enjoy the forum for what it was and what it used to be when I first joined. When I came back after my weeks hiatus, I did feel a little better and things did improve slightly, but this turned out to only be a temporary fix as soon after, things just seemed to get worse. I couldn’t just look past things on the forum that normally never bothered me and I couldn’t just turn the other cheek to those who seemed to want to pick fights with me for whatever reason. This is when I really started thinking about leaving MLK, as much as I truly never wanted to ever think that.

So yeah, here we are, at the present now and for those of you who actually read all that and are still wondering why I’m leaving, it’s because of this. I don’t like the person I’m turning into on this forum. The person who snaps at people for making stupid comments, or the person who is seen as nothing more than an overrated member. I used to be so patient and tolerant towards everything and everyone on the forum, but I just can’t do that anymore and that scares me. That to me, is a clear sign that I need to distance myself from the forum, because I don’t need or want extra stress in my life. Again, a lot of people are probably thinking, well that’s just your problem, and you’re right, it is. That’s why I need to leave this all behind me. I need to just avoid all the unnecessary drama of MLK and seeing as I can’t seem to do that while just trying to be a regular member here on the forum, the choice seems obvious to me that I need to go. On top of that, the fun factor of the forum is also lacking a bit, but that’s not to say that I still don’t enjoy myself here on MLK from time to time, because I do. There are so many awesome people who I’ve grown so attached to here on the forum and to leave them is like leaving family members, or so it feels like. I don’t want to do it but I think I have to. Like I’ve told some of you though, it’s not goodbye. I’m not going to hide under a rock and avoid everything that has to do with or reminds me of MLK, because that’d be just plain stupid. I would love to keep in touch with all of you, or at least, those who want to keep in touch with me at least, so I will still be around on MSN, or YouTube if you frequent there. I’ll post my MSN and Skype info at the end of this post, for those of you who want to add me, or what have you. Gawd, I’m such a wordy person. lol. I could have just as easily summed this up into a simple paragraph, but I really wanted to try and give my reasoning’s for leaving MLK, for those of you who care or would wonder where I went off to if I would have just disappeared without even a single word, something I’d never do mind you.

For those of you who were just wondering why I am leaving, you can stop reading here, but I’m going to go on and give my thanks to as many members of MLK as I can remember or feel the need to address. I know, there’s a thread for this sort of thing, but yeah, might as well just include this into my last thread ever made here on MLK. If I happen to either forget about you below, or don’t make mention of you in particular, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I don’t consider you a friend, or that I don’t have any respect for you, cause I do hold at least a little bit of respect to each and every member of MLK, regardless of whether or not they have an issue with me or visa-versa, because if it wasn’t for each and everyone of you, MLK would cease to exist and there would be no place for fans of The lion King to come together…well, there would be, but let’s face it, MLK is probably still the best forum out there for TlK, paws down, whether I feel that way still or not. So anyways, here’s where things get a little mushy, so forgive me for getting a little emotional here but as someone once said, Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.

Moka: Yes, I start at the top, not because Moka is my favorite person on MLK, but because he’s the admin and without all the work and dedication he put into MLK, there would be no fond memories for me to look back upon that I’ve had on his forum, nor would I have probably met so many of the friends I’ve had the honor and pleasure of meeting over the past year and some odd months I’ve been a part of this forum, and for that reason alone, I truly thank you Moka. I don’t envy your job as being admin and I probably would have gone crazy by this point if I had to deal with all the things you do on a daily basis in regards to MLK. I can’t say that I’ve agreed with your decisions about MLK recently and while I’d love to think that I’m leaving on good terms here, I still want you to know that I really did try to be the best moderator possible, both RP and GM, and despite my feelings as of now towards MLK, I truly hope that your forum continues to thrive and more members join this awesome community. I do hope you think all your future decisions about the forum, over as thoroughly as possible but at the end of the day, this is your forum and what you choose to do with it is your business. It was an honor and pleasure to be a part of mLK for as long as I was and I hope we’ll still be able to remain friends, or at least, as much of friends as we were, seeing as we don’t really talk much but yeah. lol. Thank you for everything buddy!

KingKivuli: lol, clearly I’m not going in any specific order here, but I owe a lot to you KK. Mostly in the fact that you were, like I mentioned way back in the beginning of this long ass post, the one who convinced me to join MLK, so without you [s]forcing[/s] coaxing me to join, I would have never had all this, nor would I have met all the amazing lions and lionesses I have, so thank you for that buddy. You’re a great friend, a decent RPer and Fan Fiction Writer and a hell of a GM. I could say more, but I know you’re one of the people I’ll still keep in contact with on MSN so no need to spout off things you already know. Thanks for being a great friend and thanks for introducing me to MLK and its unique community.

Lodrill: Yeah, I doubt you’ll read this LD, since you stay in the RP Section of MLK all the time, which is the smartest plan ever! Don’t ever leave! Lol. I still wanted to thank you for giving me a reason to stay on MLK at the very beginning. Bringing Little Stranger over to here was definitely the best decision we made, seeing as it really took off again and became even better than what it was on TLKPF, in my opinion anyways. You’re an amazing RPer and I know you’ll be a very successful author, like I told you in my PM. Also, like I told you in my PM I sent you, I’m very sorry for leaving our RPs. I wish I didn’t have to do that but like I said, it’s for the best I think. I also apologize to everyone else who I am abandoning in any of my active RPs still, Not trying to single you all out or anything, since I know that an RP is dependant on each and every member who takes part in it, and not just the RP creator or a single member. I hope you all will be understanding though and I apologize sincerely.

Mike: Oh boy…where to begin. Lol. Mike…you’re truly one of my best friends and I’m so freakin’ happy I met you, both here on MLk and in real life. I probably can’t even put into words how much you mean to me. You’re definitely one of a kind and one of those special people who have the ability to look past a person’s imperfections on the outside, and truly see who they are on the inside. It’s extremely rare to find people like that and whenever I do, I never want to let them go. You mean the world to me buddy and some of my best times spent here on MLK have been with you, either RPing together in LS, chilling in my den and being stupid in the chat box together, not to mention everything outside of MLK. You actually make me feel good about myself, which is impressive to me and you always are there for me no matter what. You seriously are too nice for your own good and I’m really glad that I’m still going to get to stay in touch with you via MSN, Skype and hopefully another RL meeting if our finances and time permits. I really do love you buddy and thank you, thank you, thank you for everything!
*huggleglomps Mike and sobs*

DarkLiger: Jake! Lol, Okay, a lot of the exact same things I said about Mike, I can easily say the same for you. You know you mean a lot to me buddy and we’ve shared some truly unforgettable times together too. Even though we don’t talk quite as much as we used to, I still hope you know that you’re one of my best friends still and I love you just as much as Mike. Hmm, that could be taken in different context, but I’ll let you choose which one buddy. Lol. Thanks for being an epic friend and thanks for driving Mike down to CA. I know that must have been one hell of a stressful car ride. lol, j/k.

YFWE: Ahh, my spooning buddy. Where would I be without you YWFE? Lost in a sea of dull sporks? O.o Okay, in all seriousness, you’re one of the best writers I’ve ever had the pleasure of both reading their work of, and RPing with. You truly have a god given talent my friend and you know how to use it. I’m so sorry that I’m bailing on our RP. I know it would have been so much fun since we were just getting into the best part of it too. I hope you understand my reasoning’s for needing to leave though and we’ll always have the fond memories to look back on. So thanks for being such a wonderful writer, a spectacular RPer and an even better friend. Again, you’re definitely going to be one of those members I stay in close contact with so this isn’t goodbye. More like, just see you around on MSN babeh. Good luck with your position as GM and I hope you keep on making MLk a better place for everyone buddy.

SimbasMate: JuiceFace! So much to say, yet so much I can’t say. Lol. I know I’ve known you way before I even joined MLK, but I think it was because of MLK, that we grew to be so close to one another. You know how I feel about you and you know that that will never change no matter what. You’re one of the best lioness friends I have, even though I don’t have too many, but still! You always make me smile and I always have such a great time whenever I’m chatting with you. You brighten up my day so much and I know I wouldn’t be the same if you weren’t a part of my life. Thanks for being such a reliable and amazing friend, as well as an epic AMV creator, fan fiction writer, RPer and Graphics Designer. You know you’re special to me and I love you, always!

NightyByeSparrow: Oh my little Honey Tree. I’d beter not forget about you. I know it wasn’t MLK where I met you first, but it was MLK where I really grew to know you and to form such a strong bond with you. I had so much fun fooling around in the chat box with you and everyone else. You always know how to make me laugh and there’s never a dull moment when we’re together. Even though things sort of did change between us, I want you to know that you’re still one of my favorite lionesses ever and Daddy loves you loads…even though I ruin your life. Thanks for being my friend and being an awesome AMV Maker and RPer (at least, for the short time it lasted. Lol). Feel free to pinch me on MSN or YT anytime.

PrincessKiara: I never thought I could feel as if I actually knew someone just from asking them so many questions in a thread, but you my friend, I really do feel like we’ve become good friends in just a short amount of time. Lol. I’m sorry that I made you sad from my decision about needing to leave MLK but I hope we can still keep in touch via MSN since I think you’re an awesome lioness and you totally deserve to win that Most Polite award because I can’t think of anyone who’s more polite than you. You always have nice things to say to everyone, you’re extremely dedicated to TLK and you’re a fantastic Graphics Designer. Thanks for everything PK and keep on smiling my friend.

Kina: I think one of my biggest regrets about leaving MLK, would be that I’m never going to have the chance to RP with you Kina. I really wanted to too, since I truly think you’re an unbelievable writer and it would have been such a blast to RP with you. I consider you a really good friend and I’ll definitely miss you a lot. Hopefully we can still chat every now and then on MSN whenever we both happen to be on that is. Lol. Keep up your flawless writing skills Kina and thanks for being so sweet to me. I wish you only the best in everything you do.

SilverSimba01: You’re an amazingly talented artist my friend and a very lovable person. You’re always so friendly and welcoming towards everyone and you always make me smile. It sucks that I have to leave MLK, because now I won’t have anyone’s head to sit on. Lol. I hope you continue to improve your already marvelous artistic skills though my friend because we’ll need someone to animate TLK4 whenever it actually gets announced, right? Lol. Thanks for being a great friend SS and you take very good care buddy.

AustralianChaos: Ahh Fluffy-kins. lol. You are mine, Mike’s and YFWE’s greatest creation here on MLK, you know that? lol j/k buddy. I’m really happy though that you found a place where you can be yourself and it’s wonderful to see that you’ve opened up to this whole new world, so to speak. You’re definitely going to be a famous author in the near future and I truly can’t wait to read your work. Thank you for being an awesome friend, RPer, Writer and just plain amazing person over all. You always make my den a fun place to hang out at and I’ve had so many fond memories of just doing nothing in there with you. lol. Keep on doing what you do so well buddy and I’ll see you around on MSN and probably YT too, seeing as you’re so active with your AMVs.

Just so I don’t keep repeating myself over and over here, I’ll just list the rest of the people I have in mind and thank them all as a whole. You all are amazing friends and even if I don’t talk with some of you as much as I used to, or if at all, I still thank you for everything, because you all are MLK! There would be nothing without you so for that, I’m truly grateful to each and every one of you. So thank you TS, TIM, SM2.0 nightstar75, NM, Zeke, SnowyCheetah, Amanda, Kopa23 LilTiger, FM, PK091, Azdgari, Amadeus, Sinchei, SDC, SC, Ral, everyone I’ve RPed with, everyone whose read and/or commented on any of my AMVs or Fan Fics, and anyone else I might have forgotten, god knows I probably did…that’s what happens when you’re old though.

Lastly, I would like to formally apologize to anyone who I might have upset, angered or offended here on MLK, either from my actions as a Mod, my sense of humor or just being myself in general. While I’m not looking for anyone’s forgiveness in particular, I would like to try and clear the slate before I take my leave. If I ever said anything hurtful to you, I didn’t mean it. If I ever took actions against your account as a Mod, it was only because it was in the job description. If I ever said something offensive, please know that it was all in jest and I never was serious. To err is human. To forgive, divine.

Well, I think we’ve come to the end here, or at least, I have. Thanks for reading this everyone and I leave you with a little quote, not my own words, but I think it sums up how I feel about MLK over all and all it’s members, so thank you for a wonderful year and I wish you all the best in whatever life brings you from here on out.

[spoiler][youtube]IGEKeELmPuE&autoplay=1[/youtube]

As I look back on all that's happened. growing up, growing together, changing you, changing me -- there were times when we dreamed together, when we laughed and cried together. As I look back on those days, I realize how much I truly miss you and how much I truly love you. The past may be gone forever. and whatever the future holds, our today’s make the memories of tomorrow. So, my lifetime friend, it is with all my heart that I send you my love, hoping that you'll always carry my smile with you, for all we have meant to each other and for whatever the future may hold.[/spoiler]

*huggles and nuzzles everyone*

~KiarasMate (KM)

MSN: TLKPF_KM@hotmail.com
Skype: KiarasMate
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/KiarasMate

[SimbasMate]

*is actually crying right now*

*Sighs*

I hate to see you go.. really I do. I'm going to miss you being on here. I want you to come back someday KM.

[LilTiger]

I agree with SM. I'll miss you KM.
I added you on MSN, and on skype later if you ever have time to chat. We will all miss you!

[Azdgari]

We'll all miss you, KM.

Although it probably doesn't mean terribly much coming from me, you were a delightfully well spoken and goodwilled member and I've always looked up to you a bit as the 'exemplary member' on here. I'm sorry that circumstances conspired to have you leave us in this way, but if it must be, it must be. I hope our paths cross again, and I hope you find luck and fortune wherever your life may lead you. =]

[KiarasMate]

*grouphugs SM, LT and Az*

Thank you! I'll miss you too and same to you all as well. :)

[TheWhistlerify]

Goodbye KM. Too bad you can't even come in every once in a while =[

Wow, exactly 10000 posts. Funny timing =l

[WildSimba]

OMG ILL MISS YOU KM.

I hope you have a good time with your life/future, and hope that maybe someday you'll come back to visit us. It was very kind of you to post such a long topic so everyone would understand what is going on. I still consider you my friend, and would love to chat with you if you ever want to again.

Good luck in the future, KM.

[KiarasMate]

*bows to Whistler and WS*

Thanks you two. ^^ I appreciate it and most definitely! :)

[Muffy]

KM Im going to miss you!!! Dont leave without a huge Good Bye! Wait you just did in that post! Well I'll miss you sooooooooooooooo much!

[NightyByeSparrow]

The forum will miss you, "KairasMtae". It really will.
When I first joined here last year, it was nice reading your RPs and fan fiction feedback here, even though back then we talked more on Youtube and your TLKPF den. You'd come in the chatroom and everyone would be like, "OMG! KM showed up!" In the next couple of months, you turned into a chatroom regular; and so did I. Yes, it did get out of control sometimes, and I do regret that. But I feel like the reason I'm still on this forum now, is because I stayed in the chatroom and got to know you and a few other members of this forum better. 
Looking back on that one inside joke; it's so silly, but I feel that's how we bonded so much. You can't see my face when I'm talking to you on MSN, but I am smiling each time you call me "Honey Tree". I love our chats, when they're really silly or when I'm just venting about my bad day.
I'm sad to see you go not only because I won't get to post in your den or see your posts anymore (and believe me, you have been a great part of this forum) it's because I feel like we're leaving a bit of our past behind. I hope we get to still talk regularly. I don't want this to be another close internet friendship of mine that I'm going to let slip away. You did say that things have changed between us the past couple of months, and that's my fault, because I've been such an arse to you lately. Hopefully with the forum drama out of our way, we can mend that.
Since this would probably get really long and personal and nobody would bother to read the rest of what I write, I'm going to leave this post by saying this; ilu Daddy. 
*slaps KM in the face*