seit2seeOG 2002

A tall Albanian kid from New York who played bass in a band called Drawn From Endings (later Step Seven), Ryan Seit arrived on eZabel in March 2002 and immediately made himself known with a take on McDonald's chicken fajitas so rapturous it bordered on the theological: "god must have had a hand in the making of those bad boys cause they are delicioso." That was seit2see in a nutshell -- earnest enthusiasm delivered at a slightly crooked angle, the kind of guy who could make a comment about fast food sound like a prayer and a recommendation letter at the same time. He was lanky enough that thefunkyfresh joked about aircraft crashing into his head, tall enough that medium shirts became involuntary gun shows, and self-aware enough to float the idea of starting his own clothing line for people over six feet. His best friend ilikebirds -- whom he jokingly called his "identical twin brother, but im a littler taller and whiter" -- gave him the inexplicable nickname "Lotion" and never fully explained why, referencing only "that night 4 weeks ago in the lighthouse with the lizard and the polish." Thai Pham and Ryan were inseparable on the site, their back-and-forth a reliable engine of escalating absurdity built on ethnic ribbing, fake insults, and deep mutual affection.

Ryan's 200 comments across three active years painted the picture of someone with strong opinions delivered casually, like a guy leaning back in his chair at a diner. He defended younger kids experimenting with fashion identities when others called them posers -- "kids at that age are still trying to figure out what they like and who they are... for someone to make fun of them would be hypocritical" -- showing a thoughtfulness that undercut his goofball surface. His music taste was impeccable and non-negotiable: Soundgarden, Deftones, Glassjaw, Thrice, Coheed and Cambria, Faith No More, and a Primus deep cut about war that he posted in full when the conversation called for it. He once declared that punk CDs were cheap "because punk sucks," a grenade he lobbed into a music thread purely to watch the shrapnel fly. He attended 21 events -- BBQs, manhunt games, go-karting, band shows -- and used eZabel to hustle gigs for his band, once writing to iwz asking to promote their Skate and Surf set and pitching thefunkyfresh on a four-band JW showcase. His friend hunkpapap was ready to jump in with his band November at a moment's notice, assuring Ryan that their lead singer was "really good looking" as if that clinched it.

His crew told the story of the NJ scene kids and their overlapping circles: skaorsk8, punkprincess, forrestina, ophelia, rocksupastar, and delliott101 all orbited the same world of congregation gatherings, basement shows, and heated debates about what counted as emo. Ophelia once proposed an official holiday commemorating Ryan's "being deprived of quality cinema" -- a day where everyone would quote movies he'd never seen while he sat confused. thatdarngirl reminded him that short people would one day take over the world, and jay79 called him "studly" in his field service clothes while simultaneously apologizing for some unspecified photo prank. He vanished after 2003, resurfaced once in August 2007 to drop a top-ten albums list that included Bjork's Debut alongside Appetite for Destruction, said "What's up buddy? Long time no speak" to an old friend, and then disappeared for good -- the classic seit2see move of showing up just long enough to remind everyone he had excellent taste and then walking back out the door.

eZabel Personality Type: ESTP -- "The Maverick." Quick-witted, physically present, and always more thoughtful than his one-liners suggested, Ryan was the tall kid leaning against the wall at the show who'd roast you for your shirt and then quietly defend your right to wear it. He brought his band, his opinions, and his McDonald's fajita theology to every conversation, and eZabel was livelier for having him in it.