Our Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Coming of the Horde

[Purple State]

Atlasians near and far,

It is with great joy and uplift in my heart that I announce the end of the Marokai/Purple State bid for higher office.

Marokai will speak shortly, but let me begin by saying that this speech is both my withdrawal from the vice presidential nomination, as well as my retirement from the game and the Atlas forum.

This game has been a learning experience for me that will be difficult to forget. From the early days of nose-to-the-grindstone determination, to the adolescent period of overbearing vitriol, to the eventual return to the grindstone, it is hard to say that I have not seen or experienced most of what Atlasia has to offer. And it is with that experience that I can now fully appreciate the sentiments of the veterans of the game who find it difficult to rejoin a game that truly never changes.

I have always been of the mind that you should have your best fun playing this game, but make sure to give it up when you find it no longer gives you pleasure. While it's been an enjoyable time for me, the cycles of anger, drama, frustration and hurt that we are all forced to witness become tiring and burdensome, and so it is time for me to go.

It is worth stressing that I harbor no personal ill will towards anyone I have come across in this game. Should the occasion ever somehow arise that we encounter one another in the real world, I should hope that nothing said over the years here, as a character in a game, should ever be thought of as truly personal or meaningful.

I urge you all to avoid personal attachments to each other (though I know I will be ignored), and I also hope that Ben will rejoin the race as the UDL candidate.

And with that I bid you all adieu.

~PS

[tpfkaw]

let me begin by saying that this speech is both my withdrawal from the vice presidential nomination, as well as my retirement from the game and the Atlas forum.

I take it we can assume you won't be voting in the upcoming presidential election, then?

[Marokai Backbeat]

This, I feel, has been a long time coming. I joined Atlasia in early December 2008. After 2 years and 2 months of work and accumulation of experience, I've seen most of what there is to see. The cycles as they come and go, new people show up and shine, people retire, unretire, and re-retire. The countless potential secession crises, the economic issues that are dealt with in perpetuity, the legal issues that have been raised, dropped, and raised again.

I have been a legislator, an executive, delegate, party representative (for more than one!), a cabinet official, and a judge. I have seen the same game reform proposals announced, scrapped, and proposed again. I've witnessed people propose failed ideas and I've played the part of the arrogant old-timer who knows what happened in the past trying to educate the newbies.

I have seen Atlasia in all forms imaginable to me, and now has come the point where I recognize what the old timers talk about. Al, Lewis, Verin, Jas, and more. 2 years and 2 months, my mantra has been attempting to change Atlasia for the better, but it will not change, and I no longer have the strength to be persistent. I no longer have the undefeatable determination I once did. Purple State and I no longer have the strength to deal with the endless tsunami of unrelated non-issues or manufactured controversies. We are, to put it simply, tired.

This campaign was always meant to be our last hurrah. The thing we put our remaining strength into in our last ditch effort to implement the last of what we wanted. But the campaign has been a revelation to the both of us. I will not mince words. We did not get into this campaign for endless bickering and never-to-be-resolved personal issues. We both came into this race based on a past promise of support for one another, and a hope we could craft a campaign, one last time, on what we did best: substance and creativity.

But the way the campaign has progressed has opened our eyes, and finally made us decide to hang up our Atlasia work-hats at last, something I nearly did before Purple State asked me to join him on a ticket in June of last year. Purple State and I made our start at roughly the same time, and now we end our careers at the same time. We came in a productive freshman class from 2009, but now we step aside and force the responsibility of continuing our legacy and building a new one, onto others.

[Marokai Backbeat]

The last few months have made us old pessimists. I simply no longer believe that Atlasia can actually be fixed. Each major issue that has a proposed solution is met with crazed ranting over how that solution is unacceptable or wrong. We need to make foreign affairs matter, but efforts to solve that problem have been rejected. The Vice Presidency is a useless accessory that has no political impact, but any effort to strengthen that role to make the game more interesting is considered an evil expansion of executive power.

The Senate is an incredible bore, but no proposal to get new people in the body is ever accepted and people continuously re-elect the same people over and over again. The voting system we have is drab and predictable, but any proposal to shake things up is rejected by reactionaries who will not accept change under any circumstances. The people who clamor that "this is a game!" the loudest, never actually seek to keep the game interesting just for their own political benefit.

People claim they want to solve problems, but in reality, they never do, and I have no hope of it ever changing, anymore. I came in as a wide-eyed optimist, an idealist through and through, and I leave a beaten pessimist. In my retirement, I'll still be watching you all. As Purple State and I take our seats on the tired-old-veteran's bench next to the other old timers that have been here and felt the same way much longer than us, we will still observe Atlasia with that teeny tiny little speck of hope we have left.

And I hope you all prove our pessimism wrong. Someday.

[Purple State]

let me begin by saying that this speech is both my withdrawal from the vice presidential nomination, as well as my retirement from the game and the Atlas forum.

I take it we can assume you won't be voting in the upcoming presidential election, then?

Personally, that is correct.

Right, I should have mentioned that I'll probably answer a few questions before truly disappearing. But yeah, I'll be long gone by the time the elections roll around.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Well that was unexpected. I'd like to wish you the best in your future pursuits, both of you. As Xahar once told me, looneyism is the inevitable outcome of staying in Atlasia long enough. That is, either that or losing interest.

     Looking back, that definitely seems to be the case. If we look at all of the Atlasians from the beginning who still play any meaningful role as citizens here, it seems that they are mostly the principal looneys (Al, Lewis, ilikeverin, &c.). Bgwah is a notable exception to this, though in all fairness he did not become an Atlasian of stature until years after it had started.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I can't say that I am surprised, or better yet, I can actually sympathsize considering how close I have come to doing the same thing. You both made lasting impressions on this game, even if you feel you are leaving with sense of having failed at changing what is basically unchangable. You have much to be proud of during these past two years. It has been  a pleasure working with you, fighting with you, and serving with you. Even if the game wasn't fun itself, it was definately fun having to deal with you characters on a regular basis and this place will be different without you.

Good luck to the both of you in what you next turn your endeavours towards!

[Purple State]

I can't say that I am surprised, or better yet, I can actually sympathsize considering how close I have come to doing the same thing. You both made lasting impressions on this game, even if you feel you are leaving with sense of having failed at changing what is basically unchangable. You have much to be proud of during these past two years. It has been  a pleasure working with you, fighting with you, and serving with you. Even if the game wasn't fun itself, it was definately fun having to deal with you characters on a regular basis and this place will be different without you.

Good luck to the both of you in what you next turn your endeavours towards!

The feelings are mutual Yank. I certainly would have given up on this game much sooner had it not been for the entertainment value involved in jousting with you. Not to mention all the times we got to work together.

[Хahar 🤔]

Peace! The charm's wound up.

When you return, you shall play the game in a different way.

[ilikeverin]

I have seen Atlasia in all forms imaginable to me, and now has come the point where I recognize what the old timers talk about. Al, Lewis, Verin, Jas, and more.

*hughughug*

I hope you and Purple State come back again.  I also hope you leave and never do.  ITS YOUR CHOOSE

[Yelnoc]

I'm sorry to see you guys go.  As a newbie, I cannot relate though I will say you ran quite a good campaign.  We'll see you guys around the rest of the forum.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Well, this is certainly a surprise. Econometrics took away from a lot last night. I hate to see both of you go, but I'll agree things got too heated for it to be worth it. Boy, I'm glad I stayed out of this presidential race, or I may have joined y'all as we walked out the door!

Best of luck to you all. I'll see you around the forum

[RIP Robert H Bork]

It's sad to see you go. Hopefully you come back, someday.

[Sam Spade]

    Well that was unexpected. I'd like to wish you the best in your future pursuits, both of you. As Xahar once told me, looneyism is the inevitable outcome of staying in Atlasia long enough. That is, either that or losing interest.

     Looking back, that definitely seems to be the case. If we look at all of the Atlasians from the beginning who still play any meaningful role as citizens here, it seems that they are mostly the principal looneys (Al, Lewis, ilikeverin, &c.). Bgwah is a notable exception to this, though in all fairness he did not become an Atlasian of stature until years after it had started.

I'm still around, but I haven't really been "active" in years.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Well that was unexpected. I'd like to wish you the best in your future pursuits, both of you. As Xahar once told me, looneyism is the inevitable outcome of staying in Atlasia long enough. That is, either that or losing interest.

     Looking back, that definitely seems to be the case. If we look at all of the Atlasians from the beginning who still play any meaningful role as citizens here, it seems that they are mostly the principal looneys (Al, Lewis, ilikeverin, &c.). Bgwah is a notable exception to this, though in all fairness he did not become an Atlasian of stature until years after it had started.

I'm still around, but I haven't really been "active" in years.

     There are others, like you & Phil, but those folks have tended towards extended periods of inactivity.

[Antonio the Sixth]

It's heartbreaking to hear that, really. Of course, I absolutely can't blame you, as I'm starting to feel the same way you do. Atlasia can really be a depressing place sometimes, especially when you spend your time and your energy in it. I've left Atlasia once and I sometimes consider doing it again, especially when I see all this drama.

I cannot share your pessimism though, and especially I have to say your idea that you failed your intent. This is just not true : thanks to you, Atlasia is far better than what it used to be. Marokai, during your Senatorial term you were one of the motor forces that helped redynamize this institution by proposing controversial bills on important issue (on this domain, I can modestly say that I'm trying to take you as a model). As a Supreme Court judge, you made the Atlasian law respected and helped exploring new ways for the interpretation of our constitution. Purple State, you are considered by the Atlasian people as basically the best President of every time ex aequo, and during your term you engaged critical reforms that significantly changed the game.

Atlasia should remember both of you as two of the best Atlasians that even participated to this game. I don't know if it will, but as far as I'm concerned that's what you are. I hope you will enjoy your retirement, that you will stay in Atlasia as observers. And I can't not wish that maybe, one day, you will have a new, irrational faith in this game and give it a new chance. Good luck in whatever you will do now, and Kudos for all the great things you did.

[California8429]

Poor Ben

[Mr. Taft Republican]

Aside from bickering and personal attacks, this had been a really interesting presidential campaign, and as a newbie it promised to be really insightful. It's a shame to see you leave, I thought all the candidates were good, qualified people. Good luck in your futures, and I hope you guys may decide to come back eventually!

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Aside from bickering and personal attacks, this had been a really interesting presidential campaign, and as a newbie it promised to be really insightful. It's a shame to see you leave, I thought all the candidates were good, qualified people. Good luck in your futures, and I hope you guys may decide to come back eventually!

I don't remember a single campaign without bickering here, pal

[Mr. Taft Republican]

Aside from bickering and personal attacks, this had been a really interesting presidential campaign, and as a newbie it promised to be really insightful. It's a shame to see you leave, I thought all the candidates were good, qualified people. Good luck in your futures, and I hope you guys may decide to come back eventually!

I don't remember a single campaign without bickering here, pal

Yeah well...like I said, new guy Plus I guess it's what made it a lot more interesting. I mean, good god two whole months of policy debate?!?! Rediculous!

[HappyWarrior]

This makes me feel even older and I really ope you two return.  Throughout this game you have served as two of my best friends in this game and I am sad to see you guys go

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

This makes me feel even older and I really ope you two return.  Throughout this game you have served as two of my best friends in this game and I am sad to see you guys go

Dude, I joined in summer 2009, but that was basically another era in Atlasia and forum history and even I feel kind of old

[Kaine for Senate '18]

This makes me feel even older and I really ope you two return.  Throughout this game you have served as two of my best friends in this game and I am sad to see you guys go

Dude, I joined in summer 2009, but that was basically another era in Atlasia and forum history and even I feel kind of old

November of 2007 for me.

[Badger]

It's sad to see you go. Hopefully you come back, someday.

Absolutely!