See, this is why you shouldn't just drop in and post without reading people's previous posts, people; I feel kind of tone deaf now but in my defense, HECK NO to catching up on every post I've missed in this legendary behemoth.
The news of ToDoGut's passing is not news to me as it's been floating around, but it still sits heavy with me because he was a regular part of the old forum crew, and I don't mean just everyone with a gazillion posts because half of it was from trolling; on the contrary, ToDoGut was good people and while I didn't know him closely, he was one of the familiar and oftentimes helpful "faces" I respected and always appreciated seeing around.
When I heard about his passing I was every bit as saddened as when more well-known community members punched their tickets; people like ToDoGut were the backbone of the community, and in that sense, family. Family seems like a strong word now that I've got time and distance and aren't around the community on a daily basis anymore; but time can't diminish what y'all meant to me for a decent stretch of life. Yesterday's community helped make many of us who we are today. ToDoGut lives on through that in a real big way.