After hearing the hosts go on and on about what a great community this is, and after meeting many of you at FtC2, and after talking/debating/yelling at pretty much all of you here on the forums - I thought it might be nice to get specific.

This is a place to give a shout outs to your fellow Booters, and to let others know specific things about them that you love and respect. Including stories as testaments to their virtue is a definite plus.

Dan -

I guess a lot of us will start with Dan, seeing as he's perceived as the one and the prime (thought obviously the other hosts are every bit as important), but I wanted to say this specifically:

When I went up to FtC, I accidentally left my cell phone charger. Just as I was sitting down to join a game (I forget which), my then-fiance called and told me that her grandfather has passed away. It was not unexpected. It was even sort of a relief, given his health. He lived half-way across the country, and I hadn't met him - so I wasn't emotional about it outside of knowing that my fiance had lost someone and I wasn't there for her.

We talked for a few minutes, and she seemed to be alright but depressed. After I got off the phone with her, I approached a few folks who weren't involved in a game to see whether anyone had the same kind of phone that I had so that I could use their charger. It wasn't a huge emergency (I still had a sliver of juice, so I was at least reachable), but I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the weekend knowing that she couldn't reach me if necessary.

Finally, I approached Dan who was running his transformers game (I think), and asked if he could help me. He put things on hold before even hearing what was up, and interrupted the whole con by getting on the bull horn to help me find a charger.

It was a small gesture, sure. But I doubt you could get it done at the Wizards booth at GenCon. Here was this big event that he and the other guys had worked so hard to get together - only the second one in two years. He was in the middle of running a game that he was really excited about for a bunch of folks to whom he was an actual, real-life celebrity. There where other people, not as busy as he was, who could've helped me; but without knowing my name (or probably even my forum handle) he turned my minor problem into his priority issue.

It really meant a lot to me, and it really made me feel appreciative of what we have here. Dan's gesture was really just a microcosm of this entire community. I'm sure that if my house burned down and I posted about it, I would get a hundred offers of a place to crash for a few days - even from guys like Necronomitron and SandPunk with whom I've had some hot debates (but who are both great, warm and friendly guys who know how to take a step back and cut the tension with a well-crafted joke). And not just because we're too trusting or generous (rare traits in our subculture, I might add), but because we all believe that being well-liked and accepted by the community as a whole is a meaningful badge, and that those of us who wear it are worthwhile people, and part of the family.

I never finished college (as may be evident by my cavalier use of parentheses), and only passed High School by getting a GED - but when I talk about serious concepts here, my opinion and knowledge is treated with unearned respect and weighty consideration. I come from a rural, working-class background in a Southern state, but nobody makes broad assumptions about my beliefs or behaviour or culture. I toe the Cos-worthy line with regularity, but the moderators and fellow Booters seem to trust that my curiosity and prodding on borderline political and religious subjects is rooted in a sincere interest in people for whom I have tremendous respect and love. Even though I have lots of very close friends, they live pretty far away - and while I've made friends with folks here in Memphis, it's mostly through music and we rarely have much more than that in common. This community is, therefore, immeasurably vital for me. When I have to pull an all-nighter, or when my wife is out-of-town, or when I'm just feeling a little lonely or bored or opinionated, I've got friendship on call right here, and I'm greatful.

Thanks for reading this long and sentimental tirade. I hope others of you will add your own posts here. As a sub-culture, we often exhibit a lot of self-loathing and depression - and, like everyone, we have difficult lives. I'd like for this to be a place where we can speak directly and unabashedly about our feelings for one another and the community.

I'm going to go on the record and say that I've really enjoyed the camaraderie, discussion, insight, and just friendship that goatunit has offered me during his time here.

There are a lot of people I enjoy talking with (and arguing with) here, but more than any of them I feel like I've gotten to know goatunit on a personal level. He's quick to be open (a trait I really admire in people), played in my game, and I've played in his (errm, I feel a bit guilty that I'm sitting out of the PS game right now).

Though there are a lot of people I like on this forum, goatunit is the one I would most like to just chill with, talk, have a beer, share a cigarette.

Thanks for taking me seriously, and being real.

(plus I like parentheses)

This one goes out to Grungydan--

We've been arguing a bit hotly lately over some things, but I just want to say that I think you're really smart, have well-informed opinions, and I would sit down at your gaming table any day, or run something for you at the drop of a hat.

Thanks Hansel - the feeling is totally mutual. Don't sweat the Planescape game. I missed some sessions of yours too, and felt guilty myself.

And I agree that GrungyDan rules, and it's awesome how we are able to really like one another even while arguing - that's really difficult to pull off on an internet forum.

Part of the reason I wanted to make this thread and to slather praise on dudes with whom I've debated. Because if you just agree with me all the time, what the hell good are you? I already have a mirror and a tape recorder.

I still miss Mister Plug.

I miss that I never got to find out why everyone loved Mister Plug so much.

To BottledViolence and Dr. Mikey

You guys are bad ass, nuff said.



To Goatunit

You ran an awesome Planescape game and has turned me onto a whole new aspect of D&D. Thank you.



To Dan

Thank you for making such a wonderful show. Its had some ups and downs, but along with DLI, you guys are the Gygax and Arneson of RPG Podcasts. Sure there were others around before, but everything after stems from your guy's work in atleast some small way.

I seriously doubt I can match Goatunit's beautiful soliloquy on the glories of Dan and this whole community, but I'll do what I can.

I could start by saying just how proud I am to be a member of the Fear the Boot community as a whole. While, unfortunately, I haven't been able to donate any significant amount to any of the charities that the community has worked with, I still feel a great pride in how this community pulls together and absolutely obliterates all goals set before it.

I could then go on about the tremendously selfless act of hosting a convention, not once but twice (and planning on at least a third), at little to no financial benefit to themselves. Fear the Con I and II were expertly crafted conventions that, in my humble opinion, proved not only to ourselves but to others the resoundingly magnanimous kinship, generosity, and selflessness of not only the hosts, but of the entire community as a whole. For a large group of people that had, more or less, never met each other before, the atmosphere felt in nearly all ways of that of a reunion of old friends. People were buying each other drinks, when drinks were needed to be bought. Messes were cleaned up before anyone said anything or the staff had a chance to take care of it. The tips left behind were beyond generous.

This sense of kinship is not just limited to gatherings though. It is constantly present here on the message boards. In the roughly nine months these boards have been in use, and in the life of our previous boards, moderation is and was rarely necessary. Most of the time, we self-moderate, knowing what is and what is not appropriate for these boards. Sure, arguments can break out, and often do, but we stop and agree to disagree when things start getting heated. Even more amazing though, is that I have seen absolutely no evidence of any lasting grudges between members here. Through these forums, I have made more friends than I could ever before imagine having at any one time, many of whom I have never actually met face to face, and yet I would never once deny that they are true friends.

This community has done so much for me personally, mostly without being aware of doing so. I have never been very emotionally stable and can often fall into a deep depression. This has been accentuated by my perceived lack of shoulders to lean on in times of need. My parents are both deceased, I have never been close with my extended family, and have only a small few friends that I would feel comfortable leaning on, but I somehow feel that if worse came to worst, this community would step in and do everything in its power to help. That is a terrible burden taken off my shoulders. For that, I could never fully repay, thus my seemingly endless desire to help the community as a whole, and all its members.

I said a while ago that I had really wanted to write a book about the cultural phenomenon that is this community, a closely knit community of good friends of this size, that is none too common among people that are geographically close, let alone people that are scattered all over the globe. I cannot claim to have made any significant progress, or any for that matter, but I nevertheless continue to have the strong desire to make this project a reality. Maybe some time this summer, I will be able to venture out and visit some of you all, at least those that are relatively close.

I'll go ahead and end this by saying something very close to my heart.

Thank you all! Seriously, I love you all!

I think of Noble Bear to be a pale imitation of him. With no offense meant, being a pale shadow of that much glory is still glorious.