13, 16, 18, Now - what were you like as a teenager?

80sboy

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May 23, 2013
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Hmm...13, 16, 18, now?

Honestly, nothing really definitive during those years as really much change going on. So let me add a few years to show a difference by going by 10, 13, 16, 18, 21, and now.

10: Got into fights every day with other kids. I was extremely aggressive and it was starting to get to me. Also I started to wear plastic braces on my legs...which made other kids want to pick on me...got even more aggressive.

13: Got sick of fighting all the time, gained weight, became a loner.

16: Began expanding my mind reading a lot of books, was a B average student, had some friends, but still felt inadequate and mostly alone.

18: Discovered how to be social, lost weight, developed a personality, gained more friends, continued expanding my mind.

21: Joined the Navy, and felt like I had lost everything I had gained, worked to much, got yelled at all the time...worse than high school, drank a lot, got into fights again, felt like I was in arrested development.

Now(32): Want to go back in the Navy because I miss the sense of structure I got from that life, realized my time in the Navy wasn't that bad as I made it out to be. Now trying to write a book about my experiences.

So there!
 

AnthrSolidSnake

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Well, I turn 20 in 3 months...doubt I'll change much until then.

13- Really standoffish. Mainly to impress girls, but really I was too shy and nice to really hurt anyone. It helped that over half the school was apparantly terrified of me since I wore all black and listened to heavy metal. I was awkward at "dating" and didn't really bother with it until about 2 years later.

16- Thought I was desperately in love. While I'm sure I was in love for some time, we grew bored, virginity lost and all. I was still kind of standoffish, but really I was just standing my ground as my own person at that point, not really in the mood for peoples crap and usually brooding. I was obsessed with writing in school, so I failed my first year of high school since I would rather write stories than waste time with stuff I already knew. It was also around this time that I realized how smart I was, and tried to become more social because of it. I learned that people really, REALLY don't like to be told their wrong, even if they are.

18- Still in high school, bad grades, but stopped writing. I was always told that just writing wouldn't get me anywhere in life, so I stopped that too. Lost a lot of "friends" either through responsibilities, stupid immature reasons, or they had no interest in me. Began playing A LOT of video games at one time. I decided to get 100% into PC gaming since I was learning about it over the last 5 years.

Present- Fully graduated thanks to an alternative school where I could work at my own pace. Finished 1 1/2 years of school in 3 months. Now searching for a job, about to move into a new house (still living with parent), and I have a new girlfriend that's younger, but the most mature teenager I've met. I plan on writing for about a year while saving cash, publishing a book, and trying for college or a technical school. Still gaming a lot, mainly with PC, and I have a small ring of very close friends. I'm a little overweight, so I'll be exercising soon, and that's really all about it.

Honestly, aside from getting more intelligent and learning a few life lessons, I don't think I've changed much. I'm still kind of brooding, a bit antisocial, and rather lazy. (working on that last one)
 

Greni

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Jun 19, 2011
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Oh goody, I will have fun reading through this thread. Music played a big part.

13-15: Oh what fun. The weird kid. Always kinda "out of it" never paying real attention. Grades started slipping as attention wandered through space and time. Classmates listened to Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Korn and a native Rap Group that I thought were all kind of silly. I listened to Red Hot Chili Peppers, I played a bunch of Carmageddon 2 (the first video game that I really got into) and with it followed Iron Maiden which have stayed with me ever since. Also found a band called Goldfinger (I know) which is kinda Ska Rock punk mix.
Not many friends, a close group of weirdos that hung out together because 'strength in unity' more than anything else, but all cool dudes. (Pardon the 'totally radicalic')

16-20: How much changes. Changed location, from a small town to a small village (150 inhabitants). This age is high school age here in Iceland. Lots of weirdos here in this small place so I fitted in well, made some close friends, amongst them the seriously nerdy guy that destroyed every test and was a math genius, (went to the math Olympics twice! The latter time had to choose between the math and physics teams.) I did poorly in school myself, but we had mutual humour and we had fun dealing with math problems and logic puzzles, I just figured (and to this day still do) that the educational school system is not my cup of tea, we just don't click. I do a good job of reading stuff up online and educating myself in the fields that interest me.
Also discovered a lot about the things in life that people wonder about. Found my questioning nature. Started smoking the herb a bit at seventeen (way too young, I know now) and with it all the questions about the nature of existence that has not left me since. Discovered the beauty and simplicity of science, Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman being the most impressionable. Listened to Beethoven's fifth once high at a party and never left the Classical genre. Expanded my experience with Iron Maiden more into the Folk Metal genre. Korpiklaani, Finntroll, Elvenking, Falconer, Skyclad and such.
Also found weird combinations of those with soft rock jam/hippie bands like Rusted Root and Blues Traveler.

20-22: Tried my hand at Uni, because "that's what you're supposed to do, right?" Biology and Philosophy, failed, boring, owe money because failed. Started working shitty jobs, worked hard, stayed positive, "it could be way worse", not much going on, smoked a bit more pot than before because shitty job. Working with fun people and that's okay.
Expanded both directions of music interest: (The Lord Weird) Slough Feg, and by extension Hammers of Misfortune, Tuatha De Danann, Alamaailman Vasarat on one hand; on the other: String Cheese Incident. Got interested in bluegrass and Jazz so, Yonder Mountain String Band, John Coltrane and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones Also found love in traditional Irish folk with Gaelic Storm and Silly Wizard.
Payed off a bit of debt, tried university again, this time Computer Science. Loved the subject but failed again because suck at school and have no way of getting myself to study. More debt.

23-now (24), still working low-pay job paying debt because school. Rediscovered Ska via Streetlight Manifesto. Staying positive, self conscience is a wonderful thing so you better enjoy it, won't get another chance at it. Plan on finishing Computer Science, get into a study group, work towards it. Make it happen.

 

launchpadmcqwak

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Dec 6, 2011
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AnthrSolidSnake said:
Well, I turn 20 in 3 months...doubt I'll change much until then.

13- Really standoffish. Mainly to impress girls, but really I was too shy and nice to really hurt anyone. It helped that over half the school was apparantly terrified of me since I wore all black and listened to heavy metal. I was awkward at "dating" and didn't really bother with it until about 2 years later.

16- Thought I was desperately in love. While I'm sure I was in love for some time, we grew bored, virginity lost and all. I was still kind of standoffish, but really I was just standing my ground as my own person at that point, not really in the mood for peoples crap and usually brooding. I was obsessed with writing in school, so I failed my first year of high school since I would rather write stories than waste time with stuff I already knew. It was also around this time that I realized how smart I was, and tried to become more social because of it. I learned that people really, REALLY don't like to be told their wrong, even if they are.

18- Still in high school, bad grades, but stopped writing. I was always told that just writing wouldn't get me anywhere in life, so I stopped that too. Lost a lot of "friends" either through responsibilities, stupid immature reasons, or they had no interest in me. Began playing A LOT of video games at one time. I decided to get 100% into PC gaming since I was learning about it over the last 5 years.

Present- Fully graduated thanks to an alternative school where I could work at my own pace. Finished 1 1/2 years of school in 3 months. Now searching for a job, about to move into a new house (still living with parent), and I have a new girlfriend that's younger, but the most mature teenager I've met. I plan on writing for about a year while saving cash, publishing a book, and trying for college or a technical school. Still gaming a lot, mainly with PC, and I have a small ring of very close friends. I'm a little overweight, so I'll be exercising soon, and that's really all about it.

Honestly, aside from getting more intelligent and learning a few life lessons, I don't think I've changed much. I'm still kind of brooding, a bit antisocial, and rather lazy. (working on that last one)
Please for the love of all that is good in the world, Keep writing...
 

A_Parked_Car

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Oct 30, 2009
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13
I was quite overweight and my hair started to thin out. I would have been in grade 8 around this time if I remember right and at that time I still did fairly well in school overall. I was very socially awkward and had a small group of friends. I was occasionally bullied, but not as badly as I had been in elementary school. This was when gaming began to take over TV as one of most important hobbies. I also picked up drumming around this time if I remember correctly.

16
At this point I 'grew' into my weight and slimmed out to the point of being scrawny. I was in grade 11 and all my grades took a violent nosedive. Partly due to my complete hopelessness in any subject concerning math or science, but mostly due to me having a complete emotional breakdown. To this day I don't know exactly how it happened, but I guess all the years of loneliness, bullying, low self esteem and so forth finally got to me all at once. I slipped into an extremely deep depression and, being an immature teenager, I didn't handle it well. I alienated the few friends I had, but managed to meet a small handful of people. I became even more socially awkward than I had been before and began to have suicidal thoughts. Being 16, I suppose I should mention that I never found a girlfriend.

18
By 18 I was still quite scrawny and my hair had thinned out even more. Despite my unremarkable grades, I managed to get into the history program at the University of Calgary. I did far better grade-wise in a university environment than I ever did in high school. I still suffered from severe depression and the small handful of new people I met quickly distanced themselves from me. I continued to be socially awkward and girls still paid no attention to me.

19
I will slip this time of my life in here, since this was when my little world blew up in my face. A couple of friends that I had met when I was 16 had finally had enough of my constant downbeat, depressing drivel and broke ties with me. They basically let out three years of pent-up frustration all at once and really laid into me with various insults. They were the closest friends I had and they meant everything to me. I attempted suicide, but it didn't work out.

Present (21, almost 22)
I have currently bulked up to a point where I'm of an average, healthy build. Nothing crazy toned or sexy, but not fat or scrawny. I have finally given up on trying to keep what little of my hair remains, and just shaved it all off. I finished my military history degree and was admitted to graduate school, which I will begin this Fall. In addition to studying military history further, I will also have to fulfill a language requirement. The language I have selected is Japanese, since my main research interest is the Pacific War.

After spending a year and a half still broken up over what happened when I was 19, I have started to try and make my life better. My social skills have improved considerably, though I still have very few friends. The two friends who left when I was 19 actually came back a few months ago and, all of us being far more mature, we are now closer than we ever were before. I wouldn't say that I am happy, since I still suffer from an intense feeling of loneliness, along with low confidence and self esteem. I just handle it with far more maturity and grace than I did before. My largest insecurity is that girls still completely ignore me. People around me are starting to get married, or are in long-term relationships and I haven't even gotten to hold hands or flirt with a girl.
 

joshuaayt

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Nov 15, 2009
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13: Loved Pokemon. Played it pretty much all the time- I mean, I am quite fond of the series now, but back then, it was pretty much all I played. Also 13 was when I became acutely aware of my own mortality, because someone in my year died- so I spent the next two or so years contemplating whatever nothingness awaits after death.

16: Like that, but three years of being all serious all the time had finally worn me down, so I started to take other things less seriously, like achieving decent marks and meeting new people. Interestingly, I gain a reputation as someone to tell your problems to, so I also become the year's psychologist. I am OK with this.

18: Woah shit I'm an adult now, and I'm finishing high-school, and I wish I could go back and live forever and ever and ever and ever an-
I spent this year wishing I could redo high-school and get better marks, more or less. I was at least a bit pro-active, though, enrolling in a shitty I.T. course where I learnt extraordinary things, like how to switch computers on, or install operating systems.
That course got me into a much better game design course, though, which leads me to...

19 (Now): I live games now. That's pretty much it. I rarely speak with my friends, because I'm too busy doing college work, and my free time is game research (Playing games).

21-? I'm a handsome, clever and brilliant game developer, showcasing my genre-defying games at PAX, E3 and JoshExpo, which is the most popular of all the yearly game events because I run it. Also I'm really handsome.
 

GonzoGamer

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Apr 9, 2008
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Being a teenager in America is pretty shitty. You got everybody telling you to live up to the worst aspects of adulthood and trying to get you to stay away from the fun parts. At least it only lasts several years.
I guess I did okay. I was a bit of a class clown. Offended a lot of people, smoked a lot of pot, and went to a lot of parties. I was a bit moody at times but as I stated before, most teens have a right to be.
I had a few groups of solid friends but (unless they were friends of a girlfriend) I didn't hang out with the kids my age too much. When I was younger, I hung out with older kids and when I was a Senior, I was hanging out with younger kids. Overall, I got along pretty well with the general population of my HS. My friends and I got harassed by a couple of bullies but we would always harass them back...sometimes going a little too far.
I was pretty shallow so I didn't get laid as much as I would've liked to (what teen does) but the ones I did hook up with were hotties. I wish I hadn't been so shallow, looking back I could've hooked up with some chicks that (while not quite as "hot") were kinky and lots of fun.
 

Stasisesque

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Nov 25, 2008
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13 - I was in my second year of secondary school, and the pressure of it was beginning to get to me. I'd been one of the smartest students at my primary school and managed to get in to the best grant school in the area, I probably expected it to be easy as primary school had been, but I soon realised that when you're surrounded by people of the same intelligence as you it's hard not to feel average. At the same time, boys outside of school, were starting to become important. They'd started to notice me as a girl, rather than just one of the lads, and it all went to my head. My priorities shifted negatively and I began to lose my self confidence.

16 - I'd already dropped out of school. I was being bullied both by my peers and, more importantly, my teachers. I felt worthless and persecuted and completely alone. The boys who, at 13, seemed so vital to my existence got cruel and it felt like everywhere I went I was treated badly. I still had the same friends I'd had since I was a child, and they were my security net, but they hadn't attended the same secondary school as me. Life was hard.

18 - After years of trying, and failing, to battle it, I succumbed to depression. I was on medication and sporadically attending counselling. I had a few nervous breakdowns, and developed agoraphobia.

27 (now) - Life is good! It took years for me to recover from depression, I didn't leave the house for nearly a year at one point but I did eventually start to get better. By 23 I was almost fully recovered and had moved in with my (now ex-) boyfriend. It didn't last, but I can't deny the positive effect it had on my life. I'm an Open Uni student now. I'm hoping to eventually transfer to a brick University and pick up on all the years I missed. I'm starting to feel clever again. I still have prescriptions for things like panic attacks and I'm always concerned I'll end up on rock bottom again, but it doesn't control my life, I control it.
 

Shoggoth2588

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Aug 31, 2009
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13 - Optimistic, helpful and, mostly chipper. I was a social butterfly for the most part and the kind of person who wanted to help other people but since I couldn't actually do shit, I helped out with active listening and whatnot...apparently I was really good at that. Also awkward: I was very awkward.

16 - Same as before only I had grown more introverted and got kind of resentful of my step-dad: I saw him as a barrier meanwhile my biological Dad could do no wrong. The optimism had dissipated somewhat during high school, when I realized that I legitimately couldn't comprehend math anymore and realized that shit cost money...like SATs...and Practice SATs...fuck that.

18 - Optimism returns because I graduated high school...but only momentarily because it was quickly and, powerfully followed up by cold, numb, gnawing depression. Also I lost my virginity which was probably the biggest let-down of my life considering the years-upon-years of build up.

21 (since I'm old) - Further depressions and, shattered expectations for at this point I've tried sex on more than one person and more than enough times to know that...no...no, I don't like it. It's not the asexuality thing that depressed me then, it's how I've realized that I have a terrible memory and, my biological Dad is a manipulative asshole and, how I have no idea what I was going to do with myself...

now (25) - ...there's seriously something wrong with me..."I Hate Myself" shouldn't be something I say to myself at all and yet it became a mantra at some point between 21 and 24. I thought this kind of thing was supposed to be attributed to wildly fluctuating hormones and whatnot: I thought this was the kind of thing that was supposed to go away once I was free of my teenage years...seriously, What the Fuck is wrong with me?! I wasn't the one who was dropped on his head at a young age! I blame work...ever since I started working I've been getting more and, more bitter and, angry...

...


[sub]Please excuse dear, sweet Shoggoth: He's in one of his moods and apologizes[/sub]​
 

BabuNu

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Nov 19, 2009
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11-14 (Lower School)
This was a really fun time in my life. My class in primary school only had about 15 people in it and we were all really good friends. It was right next door to the local secondary school so pretty much everyone went there and we were all in a massive ever-expanding friend group. I was closest with about 4-5 guys and we had sleepovers pretty much every weekend and just played 4 player multiplayer games like Smackdown and Crash Team Racing all night. We were definitely considered the 'mosher/emo' group, but some of my friends were in the 'chav/sporty' group so I sometimes hung out with them when I fancied a game of football (or soccer to the yanks!). I was actually really confident and friendly. One of my most proud memories is when one of the really nerdy guys from our year bought me a box of celebrations because I saved him from a bunch of bullies from the year below and brought him over to hang out with us.

15-16 (Upper School)
Again, pretty fun. I was much more interested in trying to impress the girls than my school work at this point. The effort that I put into my lessons was very dependent on the subject. I tried hard in subjects that I enjoyed like Maths and Science but I pretty much got a detention from every single Religious Studies lesson.

17-18 (College)
College was probably the best time of my life. The majority of people that I didn't really get on with had left and I was friends with almost everyone who remained. I was only studying subjects that I was interested in and we had a free foosball table in the common room, which I spent pretty much all of my free time on. Weekends were great, there was a house party almost every weekend and it was just really fun! Also, me and about 5 of my friends all got jobs as cleaners at the college for 2 hours every evening, which was pretty low effort, decent pay and a great laugh! Left college with top grades and move on to University...

18-21 (Uni)
This was actually one of the least fun parts for me. First year was fine but I didn't really click with my flatmates and spent the majority of time over at my friend's flat. For second and thirds year I ended up living at home and commuting to Uni because I had a girlfriend from back home and the Uni had a free shuttle-bus service that ran from near my parents' house to my Uni. I worked as a private maths tutor and did some part-time work as a teaching assistant in a local school. I had loads of cash but in hindsight, I wish I got a flat with people from Uni.

22-24 - (Now. It's my birthday today!!!)
After Uni I moved down to London and to work for an IT consultancy firm. It's kind of half techy and half dealing with clients (presentations, meetings and all that BS). The first year was pretty lonely and I went home to see my girlfriend almost every weekend. After about a year of long term relationshipping she broke it off and I was pretty down. Luckily my friend from primary school (who I've known since I was about 4!) moved to London too and we got a flat together. To keep myself occupied (and now I see that it was a subconscious form of escapism) I started making an RPG and lately I've decided that I want to work in the games industry. I've almost finished this RPG (~14 months in the making!) and I'm hoping to distribute it later this year. If anyone's interested, let me know and I can send you the most recent version. Oh and for my third year in London, another friend from school moved down and now the 3 of us are living in a flat together and having a cracking time! Alienware laptops, PS3's, Xbox's and plenty of beer. Life's good!
 

Robby Foxfur

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Shoggoth2588 said:
now (25) - ...there's seriously something wrong with me..."I Hate Myself" shouldn't be something I say to myself at all and yet it became a mantra at some point between 21 and 24. I thought this kind of thing was supposed to be attributed to wildly fluctuating hormones and whatnot: I thought this was the kind of thing that was supposed to go away once I was free of my teenage years...seriously, What the Fuck is wrong with me?! I wasn't the one who was dropped on his head at a young age! I blame work...ever since I started working I've been getting more and, more bitter and, angry...
You're not broken you just don't like what your seeing out of yourself, i'm also currently in that area where i see what happening and just desperately want it to stop for a second. Now onto my "story"

(13) very much the out cast was kinda of a geek and had to much going on in my head to really look at life, i was very good at school and tired to to the best i could all the time often a bit more that i really should have. I had a group of friends but the more i look at it the more I see just how much they weren't, probably part of the issue where i grew up. Even at this age i had vastly different views on the world but thanks to previous years of getting picked on i had stopped talking first and started listening, a valuable tactic.

(16)I had a better group of friends now and started to nail down who i was, very very loosely and that saying the least. I was still very much quiet and reserved. This was the first year i had managed to burn myself out with all that I did between school, karate, friends, rifle, and then trying to think it all came crashing down in the from of me losing it in my 6th period class and my 7th period teacher realizing something was massively wrong. say the guidance counselor had a chat that was more awkward than any in my life. It was right around this time that I confirmed what i had know since i was about 11, I was gay. That hit a little harder that the rest as my current fears where everyone would hate me and i would be thrown out of my house, none of that happened but i never told anyone while I was in high school, till ...

(18) so i was a senior with a massive grade point average not perfect but ever since my freak out i decided school wasn't worth killing myself over. I had a good group of friends a Huge dark secret and was trying to decide what i wanted to do for the rest of my life in terms of school. and we wonder why kids are depressed. It was near the end of the year that i decided i was done hiding who was and very bravely told 1 other person. was a freaking relief when they didn't freak out on me. I was a wonderful relief and also one where I had realized i made it such a big deal, the end of the year i told my parents, mom was ok dad was enhh. sister didn't care. didn't tell my younger brother at the time. went to Germany for 3 weeks with my schools exchange program and then went off to college.

(21)In college was a massive shock at first and then i started loving being able to do what ever i wanted. around this time i hit my 21st and sad had a presentation the next day so skipped the massive party in favor for sleep, then promptly followed that up the next weekend. around this time i found someone i fell in love with been with him for almost 4 years now. My attitude had changed a lot i was much more relaxed i laughed a lot more my roommate was an awesome artist and he really kinda helped change my out look on life.

(23/now) Currently a grad with honors, still got good grades. i'm employed but have started having a complex had the path not taken, at least in my life. I'm not a huge fan of my own looks and really want to change that along with a few other things. but currently i'm good with myself and where I am I still laugh just as much and i think that's a good thing. My job is tech related which is what i changed my major to be after my first year in college. I'm currently working on me right now and then i'll probably start to try from more things in my work life.

All in all i haven't changed much slowly became more relaxed and less scared but even still i have my moments. I'll probably always think about the things I never did but that just tells me I need to do those things now. And to think i did all of this while being a furry lol.

I don't know if anyone will read this book length post at this point but there you have it. me in a nut shell
whats your story? (stolen from Guild Wars 2)
 

w9496

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Jun 28, 2011
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13- I was extremely quiet, and rarely spoke to anybody at school until later in the year where I met my best friend. I used to go entire school days without speaking a word to anybody, which led to a ton of anxiety that would follow me through my later years. I did have very good grades in school though, which about the only good thing when I was 13.

16- My junior year in high school. I wasn't the kind of introvert I was when I was 13, but I was still shy and didn't talk a lot unless I was around my group of 10-15 friends. I discovered my love for music at this age and started doing much better in my band class, and even got bumped up to the advanced class which felt great.

18- I was out of High school on my 18th birthday and barely graduated. My lackluster grades didn't really have an effect on me, since I scored way higher than the average score on my state testing. I got a job at a coffee shop which I don't really care for, but I do it because it means money of my own.

Now- I'm 19, looking at joining the Army, and generally happy. I'm not much of an introvert anymore and I still have my passion for music. I have a pretty optimistic attitude and what most people would consider good morals.
 

Troublesome Lagomorph

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May 26, 2009
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13: Didn't want to make friends (had two friends who were like brothers), avoided people, was often a jerk (especially online), and was very business like when dealing with people irl.
16: Trying to strengthen relationships with the group I spent time with despite not quite fitting in, avoided people outside of said group, and was very business like when dealing with people outside of said group.
18: Same.
Now (19): Spend nearly all of my time alone, but make sure to talk to friends in one way or another.