Let's tell Erik how much we love him ...

[Andreas the Wise]

(even if he is on LOA) because ...

It's Glorious Founder Day! 5th of August, time to celebrate Erik!


Erik, I'd like to celebrate you as a wealth of knowledge and as the founder of a really darn nifty nation

[Oroigawa Koreyasu]

If I'm not mistaken, there are other founders...

But yes, a B0O0/\/\! especially for Erik.

[Malliki]

I pay tribute with this bundle of dynamite.

B0O0/\/\!!!

[b3n|<3r|\|]

Erik. What a douche. Err, I mean dude! What a dude!

No seriously, it's a shame about you extending your leave because you feel you're getting excess bother here on Shireroth. I've always said to people who want to take a break - do so! Take the time you were going away and double it. Leave, enjoy yourself, recollect your thoughts, and come back with a hunger for some micronationalismin'.

Erik sort of reminds me of Andy Warhol in that his reputation is quite different from the man himself. I know a little about Erik from what I've heard of him, but his true personality - what little I've seen of it - seems radically different.

Happy Founder's Day everyone. Hooray for Erik! B0O0/\/\!

[Erik Mortis]

Erik sort of reminds me of Andy Warhol in that his reputation is quite different from the man himself. I know a little about Erik from what I've heard of him, but his true personality - what little I've seen of it - seems radically different.

... How so? And I actually have been compared to him a number of times...

And I was the only founder. A few others showed up later though.


And... Thank you.

[hypatias mom]

Erik--You have created a wondrous place for all of us to play in. Thank you for your imagination and your care. And, yes, we love you and wish you well always.

[Jonas]

Erik. You founded a micronation that became something very impressive! Congratulations!

[Krasniy Yastreb]

History generally shows that Shireroth is screwed without Erik. Here's to the founder!

[Kaiser Ayreon]

A toast to Erik! ALL HAIL THE ERIK!

[b3n|<3r|\|]

... How so? And I actually have been compared to him a number of times...

Hey, that's neat. Well, it's sort of interesting... before you came back, when this place was a ghost town, by then I'd heard a little about you, talked to some people, read some of your stuff. You seemed like quite a nut. I think I would have placed you in the shallow end of the "Brilliant but mad, quite mad" pool. When you came back, what piqued my interest about you was that you had the same charisma and commanded the same sort of... Erikaura. But you're so... I dunno... you don't seem like the sort of guy that "Erik" would be. I mean no offence by that of course, I just mean - your prose does not betray the fact that you've done so much for Shireroth and this hobby for example.

There's this guy. He's called Erik Metzler. He kicks serious ass. He founded Shireroth and the MCS and has done a lot of pretty wild stuff in this hobby. He's shaped micronationalism and perhaps micronationalism has shaped him a bit as well. And then there's you - you actually did all that stuff, you're the one who forged the course of micronational history (by accident), but when I read your posts, I don't see that. Which is why I find you so interesting, and also why I compare you to Andy Warhol.

I'd like to hear in what other ways you've been compared to him though.

[Erik Mortis]

The only other time I can recall was I was sitting in a Cafe, drinking a Ginger Beer on a couch, waiting for the Open Mic to start. I was wearing black pants, black shirt, black trench-coat and possibly my black fedora. This guy I had seen around a little sat down near me... and we got to chatting.. like I do... And at one point he said I reminded him of Andy Warhol (I think he said he actually met the guy). I got confused, not knowing who that was, and he reassured me it was a good thing.


I'm a little confused/interested in how my prose don't match to my Erikaura and I guess the reputation I've developed.

Beckford, when I met him in England, said he expected someone more like...Xerxes from 300. Deeper voice, more towering and intimidating. (Which I have been called before)

Many seem to expect something else when they meet me for the first time.

[hypatias mom]

I think very few genius inventors or poets or artists seem as impressive outwardly as they are inside because they hide their greatness in a fairly normal shell. But it is in the eyes and in the intensity and passion with which you speak of the things that are important to you that one gets a small glimmer of this hidden genius. And I don't think I ever hear of artists who were not troubled in some way. I think it comes from caring so much and not wanting the world to suspect, and of the world never being as wonderful as it should be. Perhaps that is why you made your own world: so it can be what a world should be..

[Erik Mortis]

I would not want to live in this world though...

[hypatias mom]

Perhaps not, but it's fun to play in.

[Jacobus Loki]

There are many levels of Erik.

I've encountered two Monarchs that I respect more than the normal respect due to a fellow MNist. The first one was Thomas, King of Lectoria. Lectoria crashed and burned before there was a Shireroth.

The other is Erik. His creation has lived for year upon year, not by just existing, but with an inner "life" that I can't explain.

Erik the Monarch in his many guises is an amazing character. Erik the Man (of whom I know but little) is a true gentleman with much more than average ins the human condition.

Newcomers, read his comic. Gotta go find the link.

There it is:
http://www.epicfailure.shireroth.org/

[Erik Mortis]

I really need to get back to working on that. But I never have the time...

[Oroigawa Koreyasu]

*looks at title of Erik's webcomic*

I really need to get back to working on that. But I never have the time...

...Yep, that pretty much about sums it up...

[Pandora]

*nude acrobacts appear and perform a specatular show*

In honor of Erik, may I present the abundance of my amazingly awesome acrobats of my aluring Alexandretta!

[Jonas]

Finally! I was looking after these comics!
Thank you, Jacobus!

[b3n|<3r|\|]

The only other time I can recall was I was sitting in a Cafe, drinking a Ginger Beer on a couch, waiting for the Open Mic to start. I was wearing black pants, black shirt, black trench-coat and possibly my black fedora. This guy I had seen around a little sat down near me... and we got to chatting.. like I do... And at one point he said I reminded him of Andy Warhol (I think he said he actually met the guy). I got confused, not knowing who that was, and he reassured me it was a good thing.


I'm a little confused/interested in how my prose don't match to my Erikaura and I guess the reputation I've developed.

Beckford, when I met him in England, said he expected someone more like...Xerxes from 300. Deeper voice, more towering and intimidating. (Which I have been called before)

Many seem to expect something else when they meet me for the first time.

Very interesting.

And yes, I wouldn't say I expect you to be like Xerxes, but certainly... *cowers in fear*.

This is what I mean about expecting stuff. Ardashir is the perfect antithesis. Read his posts. His writing just screams "Militaristic psychopath who knows how to use power". I don't know what it is, but his particular peculiar style of writing is forever bound in my head to the image of a crazed-looking Middle Eastern gentleman holding a whip and wiping the blood off his sword.

Now... when I read stuff like this, I'm not thinking omnipotent founder of all what is holy. I'm thinking indistinct. This isn't an attack in any way, don't mistake me for someone who wants to see everyone write a certain way or anything - but, hmm, I suppose your answer might not be particularly objective, but do those posts match this guy? (It was better with the old photo, we need to get that back up.)

[Erik Mortis]

I despise that picture.

[Hesam Jayatar]

That's a shame, it has nothing but nice things to say about you,

[b3n|<3r|\|]

Maybe we can get a new one to replace it from Pandora in due time.

[Erik Mortis]

I'm sure I can find a newer one. The One from James' wedding is a crowd favorite.

[Jacobus Loki]

I think we are all more than a little different than our "public" images.

Except that I really am a psycopathic rabble-rousing power-mad dissembler with serious delusions.

[b3n|<3r|\|]

From Andy Warhol's "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol":

Some company recently was interested in buying my "aura." They didn't want my product. They kept saying, "We want your aura." I never figured out what they wanted. But they were willing to pay a lot for it. So then I thought that if somebody was willing to pay that much for my it, I should try to figure out what it is.

I think "aura" is something that only somebody else can see, and they only see as much of it as they want to. It's all in the other person's eyes. You can only see an aura on people you don't know very well or don't know at all. I was having dinner the other night with everybody from my office. The kids at the office treat me like dirt, because they know me and they see me every day. But then there was this nice friend that somebody had brought along who had never met me, and this kid could hardly believe that he was having dinner with me! Everybody else was seeing me, but he was seeing my "aura."

When you just see somebody on the street, they can really have an aura. But then when they open their mouth, there does the aura. "Aura" must be until you open your mouth.

I read this and thought, "Oh god, someone's been watching me and then writing about it 30 years ago again haven't they?"