Hello! Well... I guess you read the title, so I should explain myself, really.
I've been active in this community for last 5 or 6 years, primarily in Russian segment. It was a mostly good time. A lot happened in these years, but I feel its time to say goodbye to beloved community. I'll try to answer a few questions, so I can summarize my post in interesting parts.
A (question): Who are you? And why we should care about you?
B (my answer): You shouldn't care at all, that's for sure, but I know that some of ppl would care, so...
My nickname is CatswellMeow (or Catswell). I'm a graphical designer by profession and I have multiple hobbies, including game development, pixel spriting, art, video montage and etc. I created a few exe game demos - Sonic.exe Dark Times (Don't confuse it with "Mobius' Dark Times: Tails' Story") and Whiskas.exe Reimagining - which lead me to somewhat popularity, since those games are fine. Also I helped with some amount of another exe games - Whisper Of Soul (helped with some parts in source code and beta testing); Finished Nightmare (did a few sprites and beta tested too); The Stone Of Darkness; PC Port Remake (concept arts) and etc. I can't list everything. But you also need to know that I'm one of the main creators of The Disaster 2D Remake, being a lead UI artist; level designer; sprite artist and so on. And finally I created a exe documentary video with Merfy - The Other Side of EXE, which received a fair amount of attention even beyond exe community and was promoted by LS Mark at some point. Though I did a lot, I wasn't exposed in bigger part of community enough, so that's why you maybe couldn't even hear about me, but that's fine.
A: Why are you leaving?
B: I started thinking about leaving ever since the creation of exe documentary. And there's quite some reasons to leave. Firstly, I have no more interest in Sonic.exe for a few years now. I'm sick of this type of content, since wave of those repetitive games has started again. I have no wish to be involved in discussion where people would say "This game's suck!" or "This game's awesome, I want a baby from author!!1!!111". The only thing in years that had me fully hooked is The Disaster 2D Remake, which isn't really fair, since I helped to develop it. And this game is helped me to fulfill my goal in this community - create a popular and good exe game. Technically it isn't my game, but I feel like I won't create something better and more popular than this, so let's say that I'm mostly happy with my work on it. And finally - dramas. A lot of it. Tbh for so niche community, there's too much of it. But I guess, it's an outcome from this community being mostly so close to each other and some authors of this community being... provocative. Last dramas being about NU and TD2DR server left me no concern about leaving public exe servers.... Yeah, important note: I'm not leaving private exe servers, since those are where my friends are and I can't left them. It also means that I'll work on TD2DR and TSoD, maybe PC Port Remake (at least, for now).
A: Is there a possibility that you'll return?
B: Only time will tell. I cherished this community the most by people who stayed here, but most of them are my friends now or left those servers where I could message, so... I don't see a point in staying on servers where I'm dead now.
A: When are you leaving?
B: After March 3rd, I won't be active in this community anymore.
It's thanks section now! There's quite a few "thanks" that I want to say before leaving:
Hamster, Uncle - thank you for being an amazing friends who would always support me in every situation in my life, you have my loyalty untill you ruin it somehow (which is far from happening, I believe).
Philnex - I want to thank you for the same as above, but also I want to say thanks for being an amazing community manager on TD2DR, that's a hard work and you're doing an unbelievable job to maintain whole mayhem on this server.
Merfy, Hander - I can't express gratitude enough towards you and your work. Though we could have some opposite opinions on different topics, we can always find a compromise and work towards it. Merfy, thanks for being a great co-host of exe documentary and director of TD2DR, you can create something perfect if you wasn't so busy and lazy at times. Handers, thanks for being a TD2DR programmer that nobody can replace, even AI. I want to help in your future projects too.
Dan The Patient Bear, JaizKoys - there's no way I can express enough how I'm grateful to you for creating your universes and inspiring me to create one on my own. Without your plots, I wouldn't create my magnus opus - Broken Fates - which will be released in some way someday. You showed me that an unique universe doesn't need to be perfect. Your support was one of the most important to me.
SergCat02 - thank you, my dear friend. Though we don't talk now too much, I believe you can get out of the place you're now in and I know that someday you'll be a happy man.
JoeDoughBoi - maaaaaan, we need to talk more. I know that being an exe host now is exhausting, so I respect at least for that. Not that, but also you're an amazing person to talk to, you create something unique everytime and that's something worth to mention and remember. I'm honored that I know you. And you're basically the only person from big part of exe community, so WOW, that's an accomplishment. Thanks.
AnnRei, Dana - girls, thank you for being somewhat kind to me, sometimes on verge of flirting with me, but that's a joke, I get it. Ann, I know you're sad, but you can always talk to me in PMs and private servers.
Treeze, ShonnikRus, Natufox - y'all such an amazing pals, though sometimes I can't understand you and yet I thank you for a good time that we spended earlier.
Stormdev - sometimes I wish to know you more, but I guess we're on different sides, yet I thank you for being amazing bro and supporting me every time. I hope you'll get your exe done.
Sty - thank you for making Phil's job easier and being passionate about both servers, I can't see someone more responsible than you are.
Jason, Tanjiro - thank you for pissing me off sometimes in our TD2DR playsessions and you two are great to be around with.
Mastered UI John - thank you for such cool Minecraft playsessions, I cherish these.
Also, there's special thanks to all these people:
MintOL
MoonyExclipsy
Cage
DJ Dinglebottom
whispy
Plagueis
YuuzuDev
Holeg
Examp
Domovoi
Sapter
Artfulz
Artem The Developer
Nanight
Everyone who I forgot to mention (There's too many of you, I'm sorry :skull:)
...And thank you for reading all this!
And, at last, there's a few gifts that I want present to you:
Whiskas.exe Reimagining - Design Document
[CYBORG.exe] - an EXE concept that I had in my mind for a few years, but I have no interest in making it come true, so you can take it (credit me ofc)
A mockup of TD2DR original level that will probably be done... eventually
Well, that's all, I guess.
Thank you, EXE community for being my home. But it's time for me to grow up. Don't forget about me.
Goodbye.
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