I wasn't planning on writing anything about Ryan, I didn't have the experiences others did and I'm not as good of a writer as some of the other folks here. However, I remembered that no matter how horrible you think it's going to sound, as long as it's heartfelt and you're not trying to piss people off, whatever you say will be appreciated, and keeping that to yourself will only leave you regretful. That's something I learned the hard way after my grandfather passed away this February.

Back after 1up Yours or whatever they called it at the time was nearing the end (2008 or so), I was desperate to find something that could fill that void. I downloaded almost every somewhat known gaming podcast out there. And let me tell you, that is one fucking desolate wasteland. I don't listen to podcasts for information, I like listening to people say what's on their minds. Seems like a no brainer, but I didn't know that at the time. Every podcast dropped off my ipod except for this stupid-ass podcast where the host would talk about random drinks and spend an unnecessary time talking about the Wii Shop. I thought it was the best. The absolute best. I remember completely breaking down in public a couple times listening to 1up Yours, but the Bombcast did it almost every week. I remember the first time hearing them flesh out Lincoln Force and how it turned me into quivering mess because I was laughing so hard.

Their personalities stood out more than the rest of the podcasts, and that's why it stood above the rest. You could tell that the bombcrew were genuine friends, and more than that, each one seemed like the nicest person in the world. But it takes a special kind of person to take charge of that crazy ship and keep it afloat, and that was Ryan. Except for a few weeks, his booming "HEY EVERYBODY IT'S TUUUUESDAY." (sometimes Monday, never Wednesday outside of special bombcasts.) was usually the first thing you heard after the various iterations of the Bombcast theme. On a side note, here's hoping someone can get Jeff a copy of the current theme, please?

I was down on writing about video games at the time, I figured the only way to do it was to be a completely biased fanboy or be a robot that shows no emotion in what you put out. Giant Bomb showed me that you didn't have to do either of those. And from wearing rainbow suspenders to not giving a fuck at Disneyland, Ryan showed us that you can be yourself and still be happy and successful. Who cares if you MIGHT look dumb, the only way you'll do that is if you show it. Ryan never showed it, he took everything in stride, always being himself, and I envied that so much.

I never did get to meet Ryan, and outside of a couple retweets, the only communication we had was a quick email back and forth about shirts I ordered but never received. It was quite a bit of money, about a $100 or so dollar order (few shirts and a sweatshirt). I knew it was the holiday season so I waited about a month or so after the order. Not only did I eventually get my shirts, Ryan also gave me the money back. The last email he sent was professional to the utmost extent.

Eric,

My apologies for the inconvenience. I've sent you a refund for the full amount of your order ($104.29) via PayPal.

Cheers, Ryan

That was more than I expected, I was just expecting the shirts I ordered, but the best thing about the whole thing was the notes he left on the Paypal Transaction. They were totally him.

"Dude never got his shirts! What the hell!"

"Charged for a shirt he never received! How fucked-up is that!"

Every big tragedy in my life I have been able to see coming before it hit. From crumbling relationships to family members passing away after being ill. This is the first major one that has felt so close yet came out of fucking nowhere. It still doesn't feel completely real, and I'm just some guy through the internet, I can't imagine how it must feel for the rest of the Bombcrew, and his friends and family. Things will never be the same, but I know he would rather have us laugh about how great of a guy he was than be sad over his passing. Thanks for introducing me to Bing Bong, and thanks for clearing up the situation with China. I wear a button up shirt and tie to work every day, but underneath it today I wore my "Fuck Ryan Davis" shirt, because I knew you wouldn't have it any other way. And I KNOW somewhere that asshole Professor Oak is rocking his too.

Thanks for everything Ryan. We'll miss you.