Fearless Finnagan on May 15, 2020 wrote:

You guys probably don't remember me, but I played this game avidly for quite a while in the carefree days of yore. And I loved it. I lived and breathed it. It seemed, to my younger self, as if it was designed just for me, with all of it's wonderful references to things I liked and its great writing. I loved reliving my favorite books and movies in ways that were always unique, often silly, and never dull. I loved the wit and charm that KI brought into this game that made it my favorite thing in the world.

I also loved the community. I met some wonderful people, some through these very message boards, that I would never have met in real life. I met one of the best friends I've ever had in the Kraken Skull's Tavern on Skull Island, and stayed up late with him writing scripts for ideas for storyline updates we had. I remember farming Moo Manchu with Esperanza, and going to parties with Valkoor. These are people I would never have come across in real life, and I got to connect with them on a strangely intimate level through this game.

And, after getting 5 max level pirates and farming for every possible item I wanted, I moved on from it about 3 years ago.

Now, at a time when most of us have a lot more time on our hands, I revisited this thing I used to know very well. I had no intention of sticking around, I just wanted to reminisce about this game I used to love. I bought a one month membership, created a new character, and brought him through most of the storyline. It is to be expected that the some of the charm that the game had on my younger self would be shed, and I was actually amazed at how well the game held my attention, especially the second half.

I also expected to find the game just where I left it, because I remembered the years of pleading for book 15 that led to one of the underwhelming and half-baked endings to a story I had ever seen. When you are a Pirate101 fan, you learn just how close the emotions of love and hate are.

I appreciate this game for what it is: a wildly creative and sadly neglected children's game with the ability to transcend it's target demographic, and a time capsule into who I was as a younger kid.

I'm not sure why it is that I'm writing this. I guess this is my love letter/thank you note to perhaps the most important piece of art I have experienced in my life. It gave me a sense of identity, storytelling, imagination, and community at a very important age. I'm also writing to reach out to those of you who used to play with me(Esperanza, Dante, Talon, Misty, etc) if you guys are still here.

In short, Thank you everyone for this game that let me sail the skies and wear plumed hats while making some great memories.