A Shark's Abode

Hello tumblr,

 Oh my, how have I appreciated you from afar, the charm of the aulden years of opinion blogs, the innovation upon established mediums of communication across the internet, the conglomeration of it all - artists, fans, creators, communities and so forth - Truly you are quite charming.

It is I, long time lurker - first time registered member, Andrew Wolf (Better known across the web as Sir Gentleshark) - to best describe myself would be to state that, for all intents and purposes, I am a Nerd - what does the word mean, these days, exactly? What it’s always meant I suppose, allow me to elaborate my introduction, if you would care to indulge me.

Wikipedia, the Textbook Titan of the Internet provides, I feel, and apt description of how one might identify such an individual: 

 Nerd is a derogatory stereotype of a person typically described as socially-impaired, obsessive, or overly intellectual. They may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular or obscure activities, pursuits, or interests, which are generally either highly technical, or relating to topics of fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities.  

Socially-Impaired? Obsessive? A hopeless intellectual that frustrates others? A gamer of any kind? One that loves a good fantasy novel? One that will not, could not spend time away from their favored obsession, even be it frowned upon by those who comprehend them not? One that creates and that appreciates that which others would cast aside as childish, as pointless and even, sometimes, as wrong?

I’m sure that for some of you, assuming anyone is reading at all of course, this is fairly familiar. I write, of course, of that time you were playing a trading card game with some friends only to have a family member drop in and call it all a needlessly complicated mess and a scam - Of the time you were playing with friends over the computer and your social life was questioned: Why don’t go out like everyone else? - Of the time you did go to that convention and endured dubious gazes and perhaps even insults for fleeing the norm: Grow up, many clamor…

But I’m not here to tell you that which you already know, I’m not here to remind you that you’re different or even to just assure you that there is nothing wrong with committing your hobby (or even profession of choice), with doing what you find entertaining and pleasureful…
No, dearest reader, I’m here for an introduction and, over my years, I’ve come to realize that fantastic introductions end with… a hug.

Silly, is it not? I’m here to hug you - regardless of whom you are, what your hobby might be or if you happen to share upon my tastes or not - sometimes we all feel a bit fed up, we all feel rather annoyed by it all, the bickering, the poor examples, the unwarranted insults and, even, sometimes by tumblr posts regarding wanting to hug someone to cheer them up - Smile, if you’ve had a great day, a hug reassures it, otherwise , a hug will lift your spirits and, hopefully, make you realize that many others understand and sympathize with how you’re feeling…

Have a lovely night, tumblr

Gentleshark

Audio credit: http://lapfox.bandcamp.com/album/star-road - It’s a pay what you want album, I highly recommend it if you’re a fan of chiptunes.