My memory is incredibly foggy given how long ago this was, but my first instance of joining an HL2RP was either hl2land or TnB in 2007 or 2008. Pretty sure I was banned pretty quickly because I had not an inkling of what the hell I was doing or any idea of what roleplaying actually was.
Over the years I'd ebb and flow in and out of the HL2RP scene, each instance I'd garner a better understanding of what was going on but then either get banned or bored, boogie off for another six months/year and come back to some random server that had high population. I probably joined Lemonpunch and TnB a few times both during this time.
I remember on... I think OpenAura or Cakescript-- hell it might have even been TnB on Tacoscript 1, I saw some rebels running around doing something and I desperately wanted to get in on it. Only thing was my understanding of roleplay at the time was primitive at best so I just spammed a bind in all lower case asking for someone to give me a sniper rifle. (Because, you know, edgy sniper character)
Think the first time I actually really understood how to roleplay-- or I guess more accurately understood how to roleplay and actually enjoy it, was TnB in 2015. First day on the server I walked down the street of City 11 and saw a blood decal sprayed on the floor because some cop joking swung his baton at another unit OOC. I went over and started cleaning it up with a rag and out from the nexus came some dude's Sector Commander (as TnB still used a high command model at the time). I was intimidated as hell so I just blurted that I was looking to join Civil Protection (and hastefully wrote up a faction app for it shortly thereafter in fear that he'd see through my lie) and he gave me a fat stack of like 50,000 credits for no reason.
Don't remember what I wasted those credits on but I know it was definitely something stupid.