Join the new world

Day 5283
1.) Losers win!
2.) The Joys of eRepublik
3.) Turn it around. Make it all right.
4.) White House gardener returns to media post
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Losers win!


^{President Kody5 back at the helm.}


Kody5 of the Federalist Party, his candidacy endorsed by the USWP, The 506 and the Rough Riders, has returned to Frankfort White House for a 3rd term in office.

A total of 298 citizens bothered to vote. Kody handily edged out perennial WTP candidate Dominar Rygel XVI by a 56 vote margin. Henry William French of the Black Sheep put in a respectable 3rd-place showing with 47 votes. The SFP neither put forward a candidate nor did they endorse anyone.

One-term President Patanok (née Wild Owl) snuck out the back door of the Executive Mansion before the paparazzi could pepper him with impertinent questions. He will serve as President of Vice for the Kody5 administration.


Kody5's election manifesto, "Where Are All the Losers?" was an exercise in stark honesty. He lambasted the staleness of the "elite ones" and lamented the lack of enthusiasm among the general public for public service. Nodding to the pervasive sense of malaise, Kody5 wrote, "We are all losers when it comes to eRepublik."

He concluded his remarks by appealing for fresh faces to join the cabinet, for players to step forward to be trained how to manage the various tasks involved. He concluded with more than a touch of irony: "My point is that we need losers. My cab is open! I need you, the losers of eRepublik who wish to squander their time working for a fake president who wants to take the load off of himself. We need fresh ideas, fresh faces, and new people."






The Joys of eRepublik


^{It's all in your mind.}

Is there still any joy to be had playing eRepublik? We went and asked avatars-on-the-street to weigh in on this question. Here's what a random sampling of ordinary losers told us when we asked them "Is there a way to find joy in eRepublik?"...


Bafflegab Horbgorble: I still hang out with my friends in the Lazy Tiger Militia. We get together to mess up CODE training wars sometimes. You know, in reponse to attacks on Asterian countries. That can be fun. Takes a little strategizing, planning and coordination.


Smellfungus Poke: Hmmm.. Yeah, well, it is a pretty dreary game. Same old, same old, you know? I don't really care about the war stuff anymore. It never really goes anywhere. It all seems rather pointless anyway, doesn't it? Rah-rah-rah, war fever. And lately... I dunno.

Given the state of the real world. Jeez. It's kind of sickening to be pretending to enjoy these fake "world wars". Know what I mean? At this point it's just a sunken costs kind of thing. I've been playing it for years. I'll never recover that time. If I quit now, it might feel like I've wasted a chunk of my life for nothing. God. Now I'm depressed. Thanks a lot.


Spite of the Schnitzel Eating Disorders: If I were to quit playing, who would be here to expose the dirty stinking elitists and their nefarious plots against freedom? Stinkers! One day they'll be sorry they ever messed with me. Hey, who do you work for anyway? Hey! Come back here!


The Flautist Formerly Known as Chinchilla: Oh dear. Well. I think the problem with eRepublik is like the evolution of cookbooks and cooking shows in America. At first, I mean like back in the late '50s and early '60s, they were mostly about trying to convince USAnians that there is more to life than Velveeta, tuna fish casserole and hamburgers.

The chefs and cooking enthusiasts who'd been to France and so on introduced all sorts of complex dishes, promoted the use of butter and wine and thick, rich sauces and grilling meats with lots of fat on them. Right? It was exciting for regular folks to discover they could put some pizzazz into their lives!

Then came an epidemic of obesity, heart disease, as well as lots of alcoholism. Not so good. The later generations were like "Yuck. We don't want to just be hogs." So things shifted.

Gourmet "smart" cooking started to focus more on fresh, lean and organic ingredients. The development of eRepublik has been like that. Except, sadly, we haven't yet seen a "Nouvelle Cuisine" emerge. Despite scattered efforts to give the game or the community more depth, if you like, it's still mostly about getting stuffed with juicy packs and then dumping it all in an "epic" pew-pew.


Gnomon Moniker Rainmaker: Joy and happiness are different things. A cup of coffee can make you happy. Joy is an ongoing process.

I find joy in eRepublik in several ways. First, I invest the game with meaning. Look, it's ultimately a fantasy world, right? So don't let the banal restrictions of the game mechanics stand in your way. Treat it like a voyage to another world. Sounds wacky, I know. It works for me.

Next, I look for joy in the little things. A hilarious comment. The excitement that a newer player has. Stuff like that. It's a silly little game. I don't try to make it any bigger than it is.

And then, too, I don't let myself spiral out. eRepublik, like other internet-based social communities, can become bizarrely aggravating if we let it. For all the same reasons as other online platforms. Take a break. Step away. Check in for the fun bits, then let it go.

What else? Ummm.. Oh.

I find a corner of the game that I really enjoy and focus on that. For instance, I am one of the oddballs who really likes to come up with articles -- once in a while -- that are not the usual run-of-the-mill.

Also. Seek out positive people. That's important. Make friends with them. Pretty much just ignore the toxic ones.

Related to that... when I make an effort to be more authentic and not so social-media-performative, then I tend to have a better time. Know what I mean?




Turn it around. Make it all right.


^{The following editorial was thrown over the transom here at WHPR's little mountain retreat just outside of Sutffley Knob. We're not entirely sure what it means, but it made us feel like dancing.}




We are burning up each other's love, burning up our lives. The future is full and empty. It's knocking on the door. Miracles no more.

Turn it around. Make it alright. You're beautiful. I'll spin you around in the living room. You're an evening flower all alone. It's puzzling. Turn it around. Make it all right.

I wish I was a sailor a thousand miles from here. I wished I had a future. Anywhere. I love you in the morning sun. I love you in my dreams. I never want to say goodnight. Was it only make believe?






White House gardener returns to media post


^{The wily old gardener known as PQ.}


Hey, y'all! I tried to tell Pres. Kody5 that I am too busy sowing wild oats, preparing the raised beds, hardening the broccoli, peppers, and herbs (have stevia growing this year - sweet!) and of course figuring out how soon I can put out the cucumber seeds, wondering if the celery is going to survive moving outside. And on and on. A gardener's life is a busy one in the Spring, when growth comes.

But he insisted that we need to revive some kick-ass writing shizzle.

So here I stand.

With nothing on my tongue but hallelujah.



xio, PQ