I used to be here as a lurker all the way back in 2004, and finally got to posting here in early 2005. While I'm far from being a part of this site's "old guard", I've been around long enough to remember much of what this place was like. Now I'm well into being an adult and not quite the same Halo fan that I used to be for that brief late teenage period in the mid-2000s, but COVID-19 had me coming back here to get a sense of some of that old nostalgia, those old good times in the middle of so much mayhem.

I can't complain. I had the privilege of being around when Rockslider said goodbye and had the chance to say hello to folks I hadn't chatted with in the better part of a decade.

However, I can't help but worry. Even after the launch of Halo Infinite this place has started to feel more and more like a mausoleum, far more so than the older Marathon Story Forums. None of the old-timers seem to pop back in these days, if only to say hi, and I worry that this place might not last much longer. I sincerely hope I'm wrong and being foolish about all this, and that this place will last a long time in one form or the other.

Claude, if you're still around and paying attention to this place, I want to say thank you. This site gave me solace during a particularly miserable time in my late teens, and I'm genuinely grateful for everything you've put into this place.