A rant, of a sort,

[Jacobus Loki]

First of all, let me express my honest pleasure in the fact that Shireroth lives. In the late 30th century (ASC) that was not a certainty. Five hundred years have past since that Dark Time when Shireroth was nearly chloroformed by those who loved it best.

Four people stood in the way of that. A Babkhan, a Batavian, a Cyberian, and one who stands above nationality.

Today, benkern is gone, Jonas has lost the Preatorship and surrendered his Dutchy, spangle is under attack in the MCS, and I am fraying at the edges.

Five hundred years is a very long time. North America noted the five hundredth anniversary of Columbus' voyages, gosh, seventeen years ago, CE. So using the ASC calendar, today is to the 2970s as today (RL) is to Columbus, or as Henry VIII is to Elizabeth II.

A lot has changed. Today we are seeing a codification of practices undeamt of in the 30th century. Many are enjoying those, employing their talents and abilities in many different endeavors. They are to be commended for their creativity and ingenuity.

I suppose it is natural as societies mature that they come to resemble one another. People are people, after all.

Shireroth has given me more than any errant micronationalist could expect. Re-founder, (of a sort), Duke, Steward (for a very long time), anti-Kaiser, shadow Kaiser, and finally undoubted Kaiser.

And after an absence, to come within one point of the Stewardship again.

Thank you Shireroth. (bows)

However, more and more I feel like someone out of time, almost as someone from the Santa Maria wandering the streets of modern day Miami.

I will not belabor the reasons for this. They have been debated long enough. It seems that the nation as a whole has moved on, and those of us who are of a more ancient ilk must either adapt or move out of the way.

I am moving out of the way. I'm terribly busy (in RL), and under significant strain. I used to find escape and renewal here, but more and more the center of Shirithian life is being tied to things that do not give me joy, but that leave me cold and uninterested.

It is better to get out of the way than to be obstructionist to no good purpose. I vowed during my time in the wilderness to never raise a hand against Shireroth, and by this course of action i renew that vow.

I do not resign my citizenship. I will pop in now and again, and attempt to comment in such a way as to create a minimum of controversy. ( ?) I'll wander the wikiscape, and resume my newest old project.

Perhaps during the time of Kaiser Mahamantot II I shall walk in the glades of Yardistan again, Tra-la!

May Malarbor shade you all from danger, and death spare you all!

We set out to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me.

-Frodo Baggins

[Andreas the Wise]

I'm sorry to see you go, Jake. Really.

I wish you the best of luck in Real Life and hope you continue to find a chance to drop around and find things worth being involvedmbsup.gif" alt=":thumbsup" title="Approving" />

[Allot]

I lament the loss of such a silver-tongued debater. You could have been of great amusement to me.

Good luck.

[Oroigawa Koreyasu]

Jacobus, it has quite a time. I look forward to your visits. Shireroth will probably not see your equal.

Good luck on your journeys, both real and virtual. May we travel together again someday.

[Rai Avon-El]

Jacobus,

It's been an honour knowing you. The best thing I did as kaiser was to name you my heir.

I am sad to see you go. I hope you will stay around micronationally for some time. You're a good man, and I would love to discuss old history wioth you once more.

[Austi_Scot]

I´m sad that you have made this decision and am regretful for any part I may have played in your decision.

Just as I find it difficult to be somewhere where I believe I´m wanted but wouldn´t be able to make a contribution in the area of micronationalism I enjoy most, Ine you believe you have made your best contribution to Shireroth in all that you did in saving the nation. I believe your contributions continue to grow get better all the time, you are building yet more with each time you spend in Shireroth.

For that I´m sure many are grateful to you as am I. You brought me out of a long time respite only a short few months ago to rejoin Shireroth. I found Shireroth had kept something I had started, Hallucination. Not only kept it but nourished it and developed it. I had thought for sure it would have been killed, especially after the initial resistant reaction to its creation.

Then Shireroth went yet another step and gave me once again my old creation to develop. Granted, there are new directions and aspects for Hallucination as there are things I´m doing now that I wasn´t involved in back before I ate cactus seeds and honey. There is a different and long history that happened while I was gone that needs to be taken into consideration too.

When you return I believe you will find things of your creation that have been nourished and developed.
May Kaiser Mahamantot II rule soon.

[Shyriath]

*Bows and salutes*

[Jonas]

May Kaiser Mahamantot II rule soon.

I'm not sure you want that. Mahamantot is me.

Jake, I know what you think and feel. I, personally, am a bit burned out. My inspiration and activity for Shireroth is on a low level, and I don't think that will change very soon. I'm sure, my activity will return, just like you will.

[Harvey Steffke]

I know how you feel Jacobus. I'm beginning to wonder if I should just exclude myself from the nation rather than being the single person that isn't interested in all this economic talk. I don't want to debate it any longer or try to come to any sort of compromise. I'm just not interested, and everyone else seems to be, so the only reasons to oppose it would be selfish ones. No point in raining on everyone's parade and all that.

I don't believe for a second you're leaving forever though. The number of times you've said you're leaving forever could fill a small book. They always come back.

[Oroigawa Koreyasu]

I'm beginning to wonder if I should just exclude myself from the nation rather than being the single person that isn't interested in all this economic talk.

Um...

Hi...

[Austi_Scot]

I will stop all my economic activity to keep these and others around.

I'm sure I can find other ways to have fun here.

[Andreas the Wise]

[mutters to self in a Straylightian accent]So close, and yet so far. Back to the drawing board, perhaps? I do seem to have more fun designing these than actually running them* ...

Or should I wait to see what others think?

Or observe that all this discussion about the economy has at least stimulated activity? [/muttering to self]

I think I'd be best to wait and see what others think.

*I am of course referring to going away and working out some way to keep the Bounty System (which works very well) and have some simple little sub-thing that you can spend bounties on that interests people and leaves the economy confined to itself and not broadly latching on to whatever areas of Shirithian life it can, as at current. Eg the Kildarian economy (though I would never, ever propose that system unless there were a lot (6+) people interested) is entirely self contained and doesn't mess with the rest of Shireroth.

[Kaiser Agni I]

Continue on course. There is no reason to stop what we are doing here. It doesn't stop people from being active in the nation and fully participating. If people decide they want to leave, that is their own choice. There is nothing that makes have, making, and using erb essential to being in Shireroth. You can easily ignore it. If it doesn't interest them, there are other things to be done...

[Austi_Scot]

As much as I enjoy the economic simulation I am not willing for it be the cause of people leaving.

I am willing to continue in my position as a diplomat without pay.
I am willing to develop the culture of Hallucination and Kildare and Shireroth without pay.
I am willing to do things other than be involved in the economy.

Today I cease my economic activity.

[Harvey Steffke]

No geez, don't do that. Look, there are a lot of things I don't like. Never would I insist that people that do like these things stop doing what they enjoy. I'm not vowing to forsake Shireroth entirely here, merely stop trying to stand in the way of developments that other people seem to be having fun with. Tyranny of the minority is a terrible thing.

I know that sooner or later everything will stabilize naturally and things will be fine. I play these games for the long run. A few weeks, a couple months, a year or two. Things even themselves out over enough time.

[Kaiser Agni I]

Yes.... But you do have a habit of coming in and saying discouraging things often Harvey.

If Jacobus, or anyone, wants to leave, it is on their own hands by their own choice. Austi, get back to work. No one is leaving because of the economy. If they are, that's their problem for choosing to leave over nothing.


*Is rather irate*

[Allot]

No one is leaving because of the economy. If they are, that's their problem for choosing to leave over nothing.

I agree.

[Jacobus Loki]

I didn't say "gone forever". Just "mostly gone for a while".

Nobody should stop doing what they enjoy because of me or Harvey. Austi, I've known of your interest in economies for years. Have fun, enjoy.

Really!

[Jess]

It's been fun, Jake.

When it's midnight on the meadow and the cats are in the shed
And the river tells a story at the window by my bed
If you listen very closely, be as quiet as you can
In the yard you'll hear him, it is the pony man

We're always there to greet him when he tumbles into town
He leads a string of ponies, some are white and some are brown
And they never seem to kick or bite, they only want to play
And they live on candy apples instead of oats and hay

And when we are assembled, he gives a soft command
And we climb aboard our ponies as in a row they stand
Then down the road we gallop and across the fields we fly
And soon we all go sailing off into the midnight sky

And as we gaily rock along beside a rippling sea
There's Tom and Dick and Sally and Mary Jo and me
And the pony man is leading 'cause he's travelled here before
And he gives a whoop and a holler at Mr. Moon's front door

And then we form in single file, inside the moon we go
Into a land of magic that the grownups do not know
Where the streets are paved with chocolate and the trees are hung with toys
And there's chewing gum for every one of the little girls and boys

And then we stop to rest a while where the soda river glides
Up to the slip comes a pirate ship to take us for a ride
And the pony man's the captain and the children are the crew
And we go in search of treasure and laugh the whole night through

But then the clouds surround us and the seas begin to boil
And the wind howls like a dragon as upon the decks we toil
When 'longside floats a bottle which soon on board is hove
With a map inside which leads us to a giant treasure trove

And when the hold is filled with gold and the sails begin to strain
And the deck's piled high with apple pie we head for port again
Then down the whirling starcase so swift our ponies fly
And we're safely in our beds again when the sunbeams kiss the sky

When it's midnight on the meadow and the cats are in the shed
And the river tells a story at the window by my bed
If you listen very closely, be as quiet as you can
In the yard you'll hear him, it is the pony man

Reminds me of Jacobus, considering the MKP

[Oroigawa Koreyasu]

If Jacobus, or anyone, wants to leave, it is on their own hands by their own choice.

How come you can't have this attitude when I want to leave....

[Jacobus Loki]

dammit, I'm only mostly gone.