It was January of 2004. My mother had taken me to the Pokemon Center in New York City to do something that I don't remember at all, all I know is that I did whatever I wanted to do and came home with Sonic Adventure: DX. I played it, and beat it within a night. I set it aside for months to come.
That summer, I came home from a random vacation at somewhere that I do not remember; all that I know is that I returned with knowledge of Multimedia Fusion's existence. I suddenly felt the urge to play Sonic Adventure: DX once more, and I proceeded to do so. I cannot recall for the life of me what happened during this playing session, but suddenly and spontaneously, I was transformed into the world's most ultimate Tikal fan.
The effects were ruthless. I was suddenly able to do everything better than before. Sleep, play video games, not cook disastrously, not draw horrendously, speak with actual vocabulary, all in the name of Tikal. I also endeavored to create a grand masterpiece of Tikalic awesomeness, one unrivaled by any other fan offerings and one that would quite simply rival official works, whether it be of Tikal or Sonic, which lead me to begin an epic quest of sprite artistry, music sequencing, and fangaming. I have come to call this symptom Tikal Rage. Quite simply, I had undergone a metamorphosis of anonymous proportions, at a speed relevant to that of a coke-infused maniac climbing Mount Everest within 20 minutes.
With such a newfound element at my disposal, it was only a matter of time before I found out about the actual Tikal, the story behind the creation of Sonic Adventure, the part where Chaos Zero is the flood referencing the end of the Mayan calendar, and the civilization that made the Mayan city happen. (With that, I also found out about the stupid amount of jewelry stores named after Tikal, the record company, and the German board game, but that's beside the point.) Since learning this information, I have come to have great respect for the ancient Mayans, the modern Mayans, Tikal National Park past and present, modern Guatemala, and anything that just has to do with the location in general. The simple fact that you have been to Tikal and the other fact that you seem to have relatives in Guatemala too gives you, in my opinion, a value of awesomeness that money cannot even hope to match. You sir, are more awesome than I.
That is probably what you are missing.
