What is the Den?
I guess it makes the most sense to start off with what the Den is. It's hard to explain what something means to you if people don't even know what it is. The Den is an online community centered around it's fearless leader Half Metal Fox, who is a content creator, and the Supreme Lord Dingus of the Denizens Stream Team.
He's genuinely one of the most entertaining content creators out there...and he won't admit it, but he's a good guy that likes to put on a tough exterior.
Back to what the Den means to me
I found the Den when I was in one of the lowest and darkest periods of my life. A lot of people say things like that without really thinking about what they're saying. I'm no one to judge the trials and tribulations of other people. I was just at one of the lowest points that I've ever been in my life.
At that point I was about 1 month out from losing my job. I knew I was going to lose my job. I didn't end up losing it for the reason I thought I was going to lose it, but that kind of heralds back to what I said in my previous post about being a flawed person. That's not really related to this post in any way though. Anyway...at that point...I didn't know if I still wanted to be alive. My amazing wife (who I probably wouldn't be able to function in society without) and 2 kiddos are 1 of the reasons I'm still here.
The other reason...is the Den. If you don't already know from my previous post and the fact that it's plastered all over this site like a giant freaking glitter bomb...I am also a streamer. I like kart racing games (similar to Mario Kart). They are my guilty pleasure. I somehow, still to this day can't remember exactly how, found a kart racing game for PC called Oh Baby Kart. I instantly hated the name of the game, but it seemed fun so I decided to buy it and give it a try.
Int. My Room - Morning
Joe, a depressed, middle-aged gamer sits at his chair trying to decide if he's going to stream on Twitch that day.
Just kidding...but it's true, I was trying to decide whether I wanted to stream that day. Actually, I was laying in bed, and doom scrolling on my phone while trying to decide whether or not to go live. I eventually ended up getting out of bed and deciding to stream though. I think my wife gave me a helpful nudge towards that as well. She always seems to know what's best for me, and she knows that streaming makes me happy.
So...I went live on Twitch playing Oh Baby Kart. For the first hour or so it was my typical stream at the time. I was mainly talking to myself while playing this kart racing game with like 1 or 2 people watched.
Then Half Metal Fox entered the chat.
Half Metal Fox raided my stream with 50 something people. I can't remember how many people it was exactly...but it was amazing. It was a raid of viewers that have almost all become friends of mine. It was people from the Den. It was people from the OBK community. It was people that made me feel like I'm important. People that made me feel like maybe life was worth living.
So I joined Half Metal Fox's Discord, and fully became part of...The Den. I started watching every Fox stream I could. He raided me. I raided him. We did co-streams together. I met the members of the Denizens Stream Team like BuckWild, DLRFrankie, Stakky, Shmoony...I know I'm leaving some off, but they are all funny and entertaining streamers. I felt...like I had a family...outside of the family that lives in my house with me I don't really have a family that tries to be part of my life...and they made me feel like I do.
They're cool people. They're welcoming people. They are funny as hell. Seriously. Every single member of the community is pretty hilarious. I'm going to put a link to the Denizens Stream Team at the bottom of this post. I'm not always the best at doing the wording thing. The Den just gave me a sense of belonging at a time in my life that I needed it the most. They will always hold a special place in my heart for that.
So what does the Den mean to me?
It means family.
It means entertainment.
It means fun.
It means belonging.
It means a sense of purpose.
It means life.
A New Player Has Entered Graphic from https://www.spreadshirt.ca/shop/design/a+new+player+has+entered+the+game+gamer+gift+mens+t-shirt-D5d79e4b56bbdbb5b7bae746b?sellable=8ylqRYkAkns4wgrBGxGB-210-7 (Please don't sue me)
The Denizens Stream Team
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