Once More, With Feeling

[Chase]

I don't really have a....proper introduction thread...do I......alright, let's fix that.

Hey Reborn. My name is Hunter. Here at Reborn I also go by Chase, or Chaise on the Pokemon Showdown! server.

For those of you other somewhat new folks, I've been here for a few years now - but since that introduction a few things have changed and most notably, the person has learned a few hard lessons about being oneself and proud of it since then. During that time I was honored to serve as an auth for Reborn and meet a bunch of great friends - several of whom who tolerate me to this day even after having to alter their perception of me to the correct one.

Healthy tip - This community is one of the better pockets of the internet when it wants to be. Grant it the honor of being exactly who you are and honest about it.

---

I guess I'll start with a few things about myself. I'm a 21 year old male who works as a city recreation leader and has been a summer camp counselor in the past. In other words, I suck at adulthood - and I'm proud of it. I love America - the country that I live in, and despite a very often displayed blunt personality and helpings of pure wit, I actually do consider myself to be a people person. I have had aspirations of being a church planter since high school - and without my faith I don't know exactly where I would be today.

Pokemon has been a pretty big part of my life since I was 4 and and was able to play Pokemon Red. I completed the National Pokedex for the first time in Ruby.

My favorite Pokemon previously was Totodile, but it's since moved to Chesnaught with the release of Generation VI. Grass and Fighting types are my favorites, while I generally despise fairy types.

I came to Reborn after watching Shofu play this magnificent fan game that's based here - but I stuck to playing it and being a part of the community because of the love and effort this community all brings to the project.

My favorite video game of all time is Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, and I've recently been addicted to Fire Emblem: Fates (hence the Silas avatar)

My favorite YouTube channel is Game Theory - because learning through video games has always been the best part of the gaming experience for me.

My favorite Let's Player is Shadypenguinn - largely because he's someone that not only provides entertainment, but is someone who I feel embodies me when I play a game. Often, he and I will have the same reaction.

Music-wise, I like everything from jazz to classical to rap - but my favorite genre is rock.

My favorite color is red. Favorite food is something different every day. Favorite non-alcoholic beverage is coffee, and alcohol being Irish Root Beer or Jack and Coke.

I can't think of other things right now, but it was fun saying hello.

Again.

[Honchy]

Hey Chaise! I haven't seen you around the forums, but I think you seem like an interesting person!

[Reignited'Light]

hey man. you're still cool despite everything that has happened.
I already see you on the server, but we don't really talk that much anymore. feel free to shoot me a message there or forums about anything, even if it's not about mons!!

[RudeStyle]

Hi Chase. Don't really know you, but I agree that Reborn is a good community. Hope to see you around :]

[Odybld]

Next stop: wdyll thread

[Fumble]

Hi Hunter o/

[YinYang9705]

Sup?

[Strider]

Hi. Nice to "meet" you!

[Chase]

Hey Chaise! I haven't seen you around the forums, but I think you seem like an interesting person!

You haven't looked enough friend! I hang around the trainer's journal, while visiting the Reborn City and Pokemon Fan Club every once in a while.

hey man. you're still cool despite everything that has happened.

I already see you on the server, but we don't really talk that much anymore. feel free to shoot me a message there or forums about anything, even if it's not about mons!!

a certain songflower needs to put me back in a skype chat of hers. If she's so inclined.....if she's not dead.

Hi Chase. Don't really know you, but I agree that Reborn is a good community. Hope to see you around :]

Let's fix that some time. I'll see ya around.

Next stop: wdyll thread

Now why do you have to ruin a perfectly good moment with that....

Just kidding, I'm long overdue, but give me some time to get to the groomers and stop looking like Conan the Barbarian.

Hi Hunter o/

Hi Chubb! Homework finished?

Sup?

....I see a ceiling fan. (Nothing much.)

Hi. Nice to "meet" you!

Pleasure to be an acquaintance.

[Yours Truly]

Hello Chaise; I have never really met you myself, and since my usual welcome message for newcomers would be quite pointless; so... I hope you will continue to have a nice stay?....

[Sheep]

What exactly is a church planter? I'm gonna go out on a limb and say they don't plant trees for the church. Or do they plant churches? Whatever they do we don't use the term over here.

Music-wise, I like everything from jazz to classical to rap - but my favorite genre is rock.

Yes.

[Dark Desire]

hello friend

i know this isn't an AMA and i understand if this might be too personal to ask, but you leave me curious after seeing how passionate you are regarding your faith, but what led up to you becoming a follower of Christianity?

[Ironbound]

Ours is hardly a new acquaintanceship, I'd venture to say it's even a friendship, though we haven't been able to talk too often on my account. Take care, Hunter, and let's keep more in touch.

[mde2001]

Hi Hunter!

I'm not exactly sure what to say here to be honest, given I can't exactly welcome you to the community. None the less, despite everything that happened, you've shown yourself to still be an outstanding member of this community and while our opinions differ on almost everything, I have a lot of respect for you.

So enjoy staying around the community

[Spineblade]

You're one of the many people around here who I gather are pretty well-respected in this community. I can't say I've seen too much of you, but you're not an unrecognised face either. In any case, I guess I'll see you around.

[DashingStorm]

Sup qt

[TimTim]

Hello Hunter, fellow coffee enthusiast, let's talk about coffee next time when we have the chance, shall we

[Vinny]

I like this. It's a chance for me to say hello to you, again.

Welcome to Reborn Hunter. Maybe my thoughts were badly worded "last time", but hey... things change.

besides it was fun to see you commandeer the staff meetings~

I hope you'll continue to enjoy your stay here. There's no reason not to~

Be seeing you o7

Music-wise, I like everything

I'll hold you to that

what about this tho

Favorite non-alcoholic beverage is coffee

wtf when did this happen. awesome.

#coffeemasterrace

[Red_Chaos]

Your title is a quote from some movie that I can't put my finger on

[Chase]

Yo, if you guys want to turn this into a Q and A, go ahead and shoot. I like questions and I'm not afraid of shutting down ones that may be too personal.

Hello Chaise; I have never really met you myself, and since my usual welcome message for newcomers would be quite pointless; so... I hope you will continue to have a nice stay?....

Me too, man. It's a pleasure meeting you. Hope to see you around.

What exactly is a church planter? I'm gonna go out on a limb and say they don't plant trees for the church. Or do they plant churches? Whatever they do we don't use the term over here.

Yes.

A church planter's main goal is to build a church congregation in an area where there previously wasn't one. They go out to places all over the world, listen to accounts from locals and neighboring pastors, raise money, work with architects, establish church boards, are involved with pastor recruitment, and hopefully open a church at the end of the process. Personally, I have always wanted to start a church in a metropolitan area, because in America big cities are some of the most unchurched populations and I have always preferred urban to rural life.

I know this sounds like another way to "forcibly" bring people to Christ to some - but it's really just establishing a building and a core of people that already are believers into an area where they can start their own congregations and operate regular services. From there, the locals decide if they want to join the congregation or not. The term "church planter" comes from the fact that the person "plants the seed" of the original congregation in the area, and that seed either grows or dies on it's own.

hello friend

i know this isn't an AMA and i understand if this might be too personal to ask, but you leave me curious after seeing how passionate you are regarding your faith, but what led up to you becoming a follower of Christianity?

In my case, I believe because of personal experience. I was technically a "church boy" from the start with my pre-school and Mother's-day-out programs being hosted by local places of worship. This quickly turned into going to Wednesday and Sunday services during my elementary school years, and joining the youth group in middle school.

Middle School of course, was when I started to have my own doubts about Christ. The church-based pre-school made all the God stuff essentially head-knowledge. I knew my Bible stories but I treated the Bible like a mere history textbook instead of - you know - "the Word". At this time I was having a rough time with bullying and my science courses were providing the groundwork for things like "The Big Bang Theory" and evolution. The world around me was becoming much more secular and clashed with the information I was getting on Wednesday and Sunday as well as what was drilled into my head during my early childhood.

Eventually, I made a personal decision to ascribe to "agnosticism" (-one simply doesn't have enough knowledge to determine the existence or lack thereof of a divine being-) whenever I heard the term for the first time. This didn't make my life problems go away, and if anything, caused my youth minister to be a bit aggressive in pursuing me. She signed me up and paid in full for a week to spend as a volunteer at the summer camp she worked at for most of her adult life - without my permission.

The night prior to the trip, I broke down. I was talking to the walls, asking God why he was allowing some of the negative things in my life to happen - from the constant bullying at school to the deaths of family members all the way back to my parents' divorce. ... and suddenly the walls talked back.

"It's not all about you."

...and for whatever reason, the "Lord" was the only answer my brain had to explain such a phenomenon - even when I wanted to say I had truly lost my marbles. I finished packing my bags - and went to camp - and it ended up being such an impact in my life that I would later work as a counselor at the camp myself, re-affirm my faith, go to a faith-based university and major in Christian Studies, and eventually feel called to a career close to God's vest. I've been much happier as a result.

In short - denying the existence of God now would, to me anyway, be lying to myself.

Ours is hardly a new acquaintanceship, I'd venture to say it's even a friendship, though we haven't been able to talk too often on my account. Take care, Hunter, and let's keep more in touch.

It's a friendship. Admit it. I'm a pretty cool guy... Yeah, let's talk more often. Aika certainly doesn't get enough headaches anyway. ^^

Hi Hunter!

I'm not exactly sure what to say here to be honest, given I can't exactly welcome you to the community. None the less, despite everything that happened, you've shown yourself to still be an outstanding member of this community and while our opinions differ on almost everything, I have a lot of respect for you.

So enjoy staying around the community

Thanks for high praise. I owe a lot of my so-called respect to those who have been patient with me, from Ame on downward. Honestly, this place was equal parts accepting and forgiving as well as vindictive and real. The first part is the reason I ended up sticking around - because nobody wants to be in a place where they aren't wanted.

You're one of the many people around here who I gather are pretty well-respected in this community. I can't say I've seen too much of you, but you're not an unrecognised face either. In any case, I guess I'll see you around.

I can't say you're gathering correctly or not - but regardless, I hope I'm a bit more visible. You most certainly will.

Sup qt

.....oh......OH..................U-um..........Hi...........you're cute.....................What was your question again?

Hello Hunter, fellow coffee enthusiast, let's talk about coffee next time when we have the chance, shall we

Sure thing. I'm gonna go get some joe right now.

@ Vinny

What you said last time needed to be said. I was going to be worried if EVERYONE was going to forgive me immediately for that. What I did hurt a ton of people and was very unbecoming of the position I held. I appreciate you coming around eventually though. I've always looked up to you.

...you call that commandeering? That was more throwing stuff at the admins and being a prick at times. I don't regret doing some of it though. One of the things I wanted to be as an auth was a bridge for the community and represent their interests at the meetings as opposed to deciding their fate on my own whim. At the start, I was pretty good at it - and then I became a bit more self-centered than I needed to be. From there my agenda and my behavior fell out of line. Things happened, Mistakes were made, Lessons were learned.

That song was too short....it was GROOVY.

and dude since forever Ame and I had fights about tea and coffee in main all the time....#agreed.

@ Red

I got it from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and my grandfather who would say that all the time whenever he wanted me to do something again.

[Avatar of Grima]

Hullo once more.