I know, boring title right?

Where do I even begin... I have a lot of explaining to do, and a lot of things to say.

I guess the first thing to say to everyone, would be hello. It has been 6 months, and there are very very few of you I have had contact with in those 6 months (mainly people on my friends list). I guess the second thing to say, is that I am sorry.

For those of you who only know the name (the active user base has changed a bit since I left, this is one thing I have noticed in the 24 or so hours since my return), let me introduce myself. I am legacyme3, otherwise known as the zebra, the (formerly) big bad global, the 2012 member of the year, jerk face, and several other varying names that one could use to describe me. I am many things, and today, I add the word repentant fool to that list.

Let me rewind us a bit. It was February 2013, and I had recently quit my job as a global moderator and overall staff member, I was burnt out from all the work I had done the past year as a global, and nearly 2 years as a staff member. I spent so much time here, that I made a crucial mistake just by being here. This mistake was I focused on a site more than I did my own personal development. I am 21 (Happy late birthday to me!) and this is an age where many my age are still searching for themselves, and who they really are. But I got a little bit of a delayed start on that. It is no one's fault but my own. I didn't make time, and so when I finally started, I struggled, and it caused me to ruffle a lot of feathers.

For the next 2 months I was a nuisance. A total pest. And I felt like Vizzed and I had grown apart. And in a way we had. But it wasn't because Vizzed changed, it was because I wanted, and needed to change. In the current state I was, I was bad for Vizzed, and Vizzed was bad for me. It was time to cut ties, and so I did. I decided to burn bridges, and asked my good friend (and current admin) geeogree to permaban me, so I could get the much needed isolation from Vizzed. I won't bring up what was said when I burnt all the bridges, but it was very scathing, and very much something I could have been banned for even if I hadn't asked for it.

So, 6 months have passed, and I am back.

So why am I back? What did I do for 6 months? This is like, the most important part of the story, so listen up.

What did I do for 6 months? Simple. I discovered myself. I spent a long time with this. It's very hard to find yourself when you yourself are getting in your own way. Think of it like this. There's a yin and a yang to everyone. My yin was telling me I was was one person. My yang was telling me I was another person. I always listened to my yin, because he was more outspoken, and much more confident. People listen to outspoken confident people, and I am no exception. Or was.

After many months, I started listening to my yang some more. And my yang told me many things I didn't know about myself, and suddenly, I had a deep sinking in my stomach.

I screwed up.

Yeah, I know, the great infallible Leggy, who could never do wrong (I'm only partly making this up. I've heard this type of stuff enough that this could be word for word exactly what someone said) actually screwed up, and is admitting it. Where can I get this on camera?

I started feeling regret. First, small amounts. Then larger amounts, until regret was on my mind for the longest time. Then I decided to do something about it, so I wouldn't feel regret anymore. At least about that.

So I made a concerted effort to change, to not be swept up by my yin side. (Note my phrasing. My yin side is not gone, nor do I desire it to be gone. There's a reason it exists, and I think it can be used for purposes other than turning me into a jackass.)

And changed I did, I find myself a much happier person. More confident (actually confident, not the faux confidence I had) in myself and more friendly I would say. I will stop it there, you can judge for yourself if I have changed, or if you are new, judge for yourself if I am a good person in general. It's your call to begin with. Not mine.

That brings me to the next question, since it wasn't really touched upon up there...

Why did I come back?

I said 6 months ago, that I didn't see myself coming back here, and I wasn't lying. That's precisely why I burnt so many bridges, so that I could keep myself away, for the greater good. But it turns out, I didn't burn all of them, and I was still allowed back. Anyway, I honestly didn't expect to ever come back, especially after the last post I made.

So why?

It's part of what I said above, and part not. I am a repentant fool, but I'm here for more than just repentance. No, this time, I'm back to make a concerted effort to get to know people I didn't in the past, and meet the members that have popped up in my absence. I'm here to make friends and acquaintances, not more enemies or anything like I did the last time I was around. No, this time, I'm here for totally different reasons than for why I was here in the past.

So if you knew me 6 months ago, I won't be surprised if you see a change. For those who didn't, I hope I've adequately told you about myself. And if I haven't, I'm sure the veterans here will, after all, if there's one thing I have learned about Vizzed at ALL over the past 3 years, it is that everyone has someone's back, and that everyone is backed up by someone. Information spreads quickly, and I'm sure that I won't be getting much sleep this week as people prod more and more.

If there's something I didn't touch on adequately, and you require answers, you may do one of three things.

1. You may ask it in here if it's a basic question.
2. You may ask it to my PM box if it's a more personal question.
3. You may ask one of your friends if it's a story about my backstory you are after.

Use your own judgement. OK, I'm done. For now.

*gets off soapbox*

Welcome back Legacy, yeah, 6 months seem like a long time, I remember, I was a Non-Posting Newbie looking around the boards here and there and you were a really great Global Mod and contribute a lot to the site and when I started out on the boards, you were gone which was really sad, but it is nice to see you once again. 

Well, welcome back to vizzed! And its very nice to meet you! Thats one heck of an epic way to make a returning member thread. I have nothing else to say but hope to see you around.

legacyme3 : Hello, and welcome back! You were gone for 6 months but I was here for about 3, so I never met you before. Nice to meet you! I hope you and I can get along very well.

Well, that was an epic retuning member thread. Nice to see you are coming back...I don't know what else to say. Oh well, I'll see you around

It's nice to see Leggy the Legacy (i'm the most original person ever, just saying) rise from the ashes. All I heard about you was that you were here as a global, then, well, left. I've never met you before, but t'would be cool to get used to a zebra with a back story.

Welcome back, compadre.

Wow going through reading the whole thing caused mixed emotions. This morning I commentated welcoming you back on your profile. It was brief though but then again it is only a comment. When I was reading your post and reading all of the parts about why you left made me kind of regret the comment. I thought you would be still a bit annoyed about getting floods of notifications from being a staff / mod and I felt regret for annoying you. 
As it got to the end I started realize that in some sense this is just what you wanted. But we have had no interaction so I guess I should introduce myself.
I am MechaMento, I have not been here for that long at all though. I managed to get trusted early, well early compared to what it used to be, so I guess I could be classed as a good user but I do not want to sound big headed at all since I know there are many users above me. I know who you are because I have seen many of your posts, though they are hard to miss since you have over 20,000 of them! Also I have obviously seen you high up on the Member list, I think you are 3rd or 4th (I really can not be bothered to check )
I guess it is nice to see a vizzed legend return, though I guess I pretty much mean nothing to you

Well, as (it would seem) the only one who is replying that knew you before this, I welcome you back with open arms and slightly wet paws. I still think you were good at what you did - I noticed you, which is more than can be said for quite a number...

Don't ever leave us again.

Wow, you have changed! I am very impressed! I hope to see you around the Vizzed Board forums frequently. Maybe now that you have changed you will become a more respected member and you might get more friends. I have changed a little bit since I was on vizzed. When I first came here I knew nothing about the site except that it had retro games and hacks and that if you viewed too many pages quickly you would get banned for a while, which happened to me twice. I think Davideo7 removed that rule a few months ago. Now I know lots of stuff about vizzed and I am interacting with more users and being nice to them, I am getting more popular, I am a trusted member, and I post a lot in the forums.

You missed a lot of cool things when you were gone. A few really great users got perma-banned such as thing1, quite a few new features were added to the site, and there was site maintenance that lasted for I think about half of the July Tour de Vizzed! Welcome back, Leggy! Also, would you mind if I added you to my friends list?

Yeah, I didn't really see this coming, since you were pretty happy with having a fresh breath of Vizzed-less internet. Or life, even. Well, here's my post count+ welcome back to the board. Thing's aren't the same, obviously. New face of mods, for the most part, and the Tour De Vizzed is more banned prone than normal.

So, good luck getting the elite back, if you really need it. (guess that's a question I have for ya)

pacman1755 :

Ooh a question.

No, I don't "plan" on getting elite back. If I get it back, fantastic, but it's not something I'm going to work for. I'm fine with just not being banned anymore.

supernerd117 :

No, I am not competing.

PacmanandMariofan :

You can add me if you want, but my own friend's list is pretty exclusive right now, so I probably won't add back until later if ever.

Well I may not have known what you were like before personally, but I can say that I see change in you and it is really good to have you back on vizzed, this site was left with such an empty feeling when you left and now you are back. 

So it is good to see you, my name is Razor-987 and I would like to someday become friends. It is good to see you back on the site, sometimes a break from what we enjoy is the best for us. All in all though I am glad that you are back and as you can see, many new members are around this site as well as many new features and updates.

I already said hi to you on your profile, but I will say it again anyway. Hi! I am tgags123. I am a new staff member (I probably don't deserve it) and the winner of the VCS this past September. For the time that I have been here, you have been banned. I have read a lot of your posts (including all the posts in the camp thread thing) and I always wanted to talk to you. You were a great member, and I have always wondered what happened to you. Even though I never met you, I am glad you are back, and I hope to get to know you better.

Welcome back. (for somereason i expected that you might fome back one day). And you might know...me...(cough* when i accidentoy spammed a bullying thread on the january tdv.(sorry for that) So thats all i have to say. Have a nice day.

It's nice to see you back. I thought I wouldn't be seeing you around Vizzed again, I missed your presence around here.
I'm glad to hear that you feel happier.

Im not altogether shocked. I kind of felt you were venting your frustration on those closest to you. But at the core of it I didnt think it was vizzed thay had you upset.
If the time away helped you 'centre' your self then id say it was a positive turn of events, not a negative one.
Any friends worth a mention forgive each others past mistakes anyway so i doubt they will hold it against you.
Although half of them arent active anymore anyway but thats life.
Anyway, congratulations if you have reached somewhete where youre happy, a mistakes only a bad thing if you dont learn anything from it

It really is good to see you here again. First, I thought it would be great to have the outspoken, sarcastic, leggy back. But I have to say, if I read this post not seeing your name attached to it, I would not have really recognized it was you. I feel I got to know you pretty well as we interacted quite a bit before you left, and I was just so baffled at how it seemed like someone different is typing for you. I was excited to get old leggy back, but I honestly think I am more excited to see exactly who you are now. This is definitely one of the most intriguing things I have read here for a while.

So my question is what have you been doing the past 6 months. I mean, I know you explained that you were finding out another side of you. But what have you literally been doing? 6 months has a lot of possible things going on.