You Say Goodbye, And I Say Hello

Day 1,234, 17:15 • Published in USA USA • by Silas Soule

I promised Vincent bagpipes. Here you go.




I propose we do away with the concept of "dying" in eRepublik. Enough with death. Down with that! Players don't "die". They vanish. Or disappear for a while and then reappear again. They come and go between worlds, that's all.

They are spending more time with children, grandchildren, or other family. Or they've taken up reading or sports or politics or some other more healthy or more dangerous hobby in place of this inane little browser game.

So, to be honest, it's seldom really a sad occasion.




I wanted to say a few words about a fine friend who is now walking down that road to the Western Lands, donning his cloak of invisibility, riding off into the sunset and entering the wormhole, and, ummm, is now en route to getting onboard a ship to the Misty Isles.

Oh, whatever. I'm talking about Vincent Nolan.


The thing I like most about Vincent is that he doesn't lose his cool. He laughs with you about everything, even my corny and obtuse jokes and comments.

Vincent is socialist from Texas. Now, it's hard enough being a socialist pretty much anywhere in the USA, but being a Leftie from Texas takes a special kind of chutzpah. Anyway. I expect being a Texan leftie is where Vincent gets his sense of humor.

Back when I was editing l'Internationale, Vincent wrote a great piece that touched on how humor is more effective than getting into flame wars with people you disagree with. I don't know if I completely learned that lesson. I still get kind of passive-agressive sometimes. But it had a big impact on me. It helped me learn how to relax, have more fun, and not take things too seriously.




Vincent kept my spirits up when my favorite gang of misfit toys -- the Socialist Freedom Party -- hit a particularly rough patch. The SFP was in a lull. I went off hitch-hiking around eastern Europe and the Pacific, making a nuisance of myself here and there. Meanwhile Vincent was busy organizing the Indian Workers Movement.

When we both returned to the USA, I set about reviving the SFP. Well. At my typical leisurely pace, that is. Writing an article once in a while. Cajoling other people to do stuff. But mostly just farting around and foisting my less-than-perfected moral character upon the reading public in the form of a long drawn-out scam known as the "Free University".

Vincent, meanwhile, did actual work. He messaged people. He haunted the IRC. He chatted to new players. He got the forum working again. He wrote articles about the Party and participated in those little comment-box tug-of-wars. And he did it in a friendly, yet challenging way.

Eventually, Vincent and cival unrest from the Revolution Party agreed to merge the two organizations, which kind of opened the floodgates for a revival of the SFP spirit. \o/




In short, the guy is a mensch. Our loss is the world's gain.



Hey, I promised Vincent a Viking funeral, so here goes...


Unknown stranger

said,
Vincent Nolan's dead.
No he's not, said Mark,
What a strange remark;

He's gone over there
With typical flair
To check out a deal
In a world of Real.

The outlander cried,
I thought he had died!
A bonfire was lit
And lickety-split

We all raised a cup
Then Zhao Ji perked up
And snapped a salute
For our dear old coot.



Happy trails, Vincent.

Until we meet again.











Oh, and here's the bagpipe player. Guess this answers that age-old question...















LOL!