*blinks* I hope this doesn't seem irreverent or intrusive (and I will back right off if it is), but I'm very curious as to what did happen there. Do you have the sense that something happened, or that it just came out of nowhere? And if the former--well, missing memories are a thing that I have some experience with. *looks at you* Did anything in particular change in your life?
I honestly don't remember much of my childhood anyway, but I don't think I did anything different between 8th and 9th grade. I probably just sat inside playing video games, like I always did. If anything, I think there's something connected to it from a couple years before, but that's where I think I should stop.
Did anything change? I had a desire to learn for the first time in my life, for one, and I started thinking about more than just me.
Friends like that are the absolute best. I'm glad things changed, even though it must have been incredibly hard - the Eich we know is a really cool person.
Okay. Depressing things aside, I've just come back from a taekwondo grading. Newly graded yellow 2 belt here! (Yes, that is a low grade, but I've only been doing it for 6 months, haha.) I feel very happy that I'm not stuck doing basic pattern and wearing a colourless belt anymore 
Aw, thanks

Congrats on your belt!