[Local] Half Light: Welcome everyone, and thank you for coming to this memorial service for Aaru.
[Local] Half Light: We're here to celebrate our friend and honor his life, and remember the way he touched us, supported us, and connected with us.
[Local] Half Light: This service is going to be a bit informal. I'll start off with a few words about what I knew of him followed by some personal remembrances of him.
[Local] Half Light: Then I will invite others who knew him to come up and share what's in their hearts. After everyone who wants to speak has had a chance, I have a few closing words.
[Local] Half Light: Let's begin with a minute of silence. Those of you who pray, please do so. Or please turn your thoughts to Aaru, his friends, and his RL family.
[Local] Half Light: Thank you.
[Local] Half Light: For those who don't know me, I'm Masker, and Aaru and I were friends. I met him back at the end of February when our mutual friend, SunSoaked, introduced us--something I'll forever be grateful for, Sunny.
[Local] Half Light: There are several people here who have known him longer and better, and I hope that they'll come up shortly and share their remembrances.
[Local] Half Light: But over the past four months, Aaru and I became close. We talked on Discord every day, played the game together constantly. He became one of my best friends.
[Local] Half Light: Aaru of course was an avid RPer. He was a regular in the RP scene in Pocket D. Most of you know his characters, and as he liked to say of himself, it always comes down to music.
Half Light grins a little.
[Local] Half Light: There was Soul Asylum, Killing in the Name, Unforgettable Fire, Harmoniously, Raspberry Beret, Coldplay, as well as Gilbert the octopus, Scarlet Shaft, and even his fire farmer, Hunka-Hunka.
[Local] Half Light: But I think what made Aaru's roleplaying special was the heart, emotion, and detail that he put into all of his characters.
[Local] Half Light: Troubled mercenary Rose Killingly suffered from bipolar disorder, and Aaru would sometimes roll dice to determine how she would react to events that day--
[Local] Half Light: --like the day when, in a manic phase, she sent my character Volleygirl 10,000 purple roses as a joke.
Half Light smiles.
[Local] Half Light: Aaru liked to fully commit his RP to his friends. When he brought back Unforgettable Fire, he made a point to offer my character Half Light her dream job of being an auto mechanic at his shop.
[Local] Half Light: He even started building a base just to facilitate the kind of RP that could happen there.
[Local] Half Light: And of course, he infused his characters with charisma, such as found in Aminet Mahmoud, Soul Asylum. AKA Min, avatar of Amenet, the goddess who welcomed the souls of the dead to the afterlife.
[Local] Half Light: Min was connected to so many people in various plots and interactions. People would seek her out to chat. Aaru gave her a special voice and a well-defined background that made her compelling and interesting.
[Local] Half Light: More than just hanging out, though, Aaru liked to tell stories and create plots with others. When I first started RPing with him, he was finishing a story where Min had to fake her own death to catch a serial killer.
[Local] Half Light: He orchestrated a fake funeral for Min. Her in-character friends spoke eloquently about her passing. And then when the bad guy showed up, we all got to bring him to justice. He did that for us.
Half Light sighs.
[Local] Half Light: Of course, the similarity isn't lost on me here as we gather to mourn and remember Aaru. However, I don't think we'll be getting the same justice that Min did, much as we wish we could.
[Local] Half Light: But that was Aaru's RP style. As he reminded us over and over, his RP group wasn't just about him. He wanted it to be for all of his friends, to allow others to create and share their stories as much as his.
[Local] Half Light: In that, he was a rare and generous soul.
[Local] Half Light: But Aaru was also a consummate base builder. This base, The Old City, was started by Aaru and Jaded Psyche back at the start of Homecoming and as you can see, there's a lot of beautiful work.
[Local] Half Light: After we're done here I really encourage you all to look around. Parts are unfinished, but I've had some amazing scenes here.
[Local] Half Light: Aaru also taught me a lot about base building. I hope I can be as good as he, one day.
Half Light looks at JP.
[Local] Half Light: JP was kind enough to set up this memorial for him and I hope it will stay. She tells me she's going to finish the base for him, and hopefully share it with the server. Thank you, JP.
Archiviste nods
[Local] Desumo Tariq: It'll always be here 
[Local] Half Light: Aaru also was the primary base builder for the Guardians of Tomorrow Supergroup, where he was a member, "Scarlet Shaft." I'm not a member, but he showed me the base and it was also seriously impressive.
Ishku nods
[Local] Half Light: I have an amusing personal anecdote...
[Local] Half Light: When he said his character Harmoniously needed an upscale apartment to live in, I offered my own modest apartment base for him to use. I said he could even build it if he liked.
[Local] Half Light: I only asked that he do his best to generally match the style of the other rooms, so it felt like it was a part of the same building.
Half Light smirks a little.
[Local] Half Light: Well, remember my skills are pretty basic. So when he showed me what he had, he had build a two-level apartment, with a recording studio, a gourmet kitchen, loft, and grand staircase!
[Local] Half Light: In short, it was magnificent, even if it was far fancier than my meager skills. Of course I plan on keeping that apartment there. One more memorial to Aaru's skill.
Half Light takes a deep breath.
[Local] Half Light: But his RP and building skill aside, I think what I will remember most about Aaru is his friendship. When we first started talking, IC and OOC, I was in a fairly bad place, emotionally.
[Local] Half Light: I had just left a supergroup I had invested a ton of myself into after a hurtful falling out. I was dealing with anxiety and depression. I was about to leave my job of 20 years to take up writing.
[Local] Half Light: I was feeling alone and lost in this hobby that is also most of my social life. And Aaru immediately opened up to me. Invited me into his group and his friendship.
[Local] Half Light: He listened when I vented, was patient when my anxiety would run wild, checked in with me, asked about me, and played the game with me.
[Local] Half Light: And in time, I got better. And I have no doubt that one of the reasons why I got better was because he was kind, generous, friendly, and caring with me. 
[Local] Half Light: My friend is gone. There is a hole in my life where he used to be, and I start to cry every time I think about that.
[Local] Half Light: Whether he was asking if I wanted to run a TinPex or an ITF, offering to farm, coming up with RP ideas, just hanging out, or saying good morning and good night on Discord, I knew he cared.
[Local] Half Light: And while I will weep for that loss for a while yet, I will also remember his overflowing spirit that made us friends to begin with.
[Local] Half Light: Not too long ago, Aaru, SunSoaked, and I were on our characters Min, Doctor Sway, and Half Light, respectively. We were just RPing in Min's apartment. The three women had a very close bond.
[Local] Half Light: Min had come back from Egypt on the weekend. The women were catching up on the events in their lives--events, I might add, that also had to do with some of Aaru's other characters.
[Local] Half Light: It wasn't complicated RP. There weren't masked villains or attacking aliens. Just three women who loved each other, drinking and laughing and supporting one another. 
[Local] Half Light: And it was Doctor Sway who suggested that these three women form a triangle: Mind, Body, and Spirit.
[Local] Half Light: The brilliant Doctor Sway is the mind. My earthy, muscular Half Light is the body. And of course, priestess for the souls of the dead, Aminet, is the spirit.
[Local] Half Light: And you know, Aaru was our spirit, too.
Half Light takes a breath.
[Local] Half Light: I'd now like to open the floor up to anyone who would like to share their memories or sentiments with us. Come on up and say what's in your heart about our friend.
Half Light smiles.
[Local] Desumo Tariq: I'm..not nearly as eloquent right now. Most of you don't know me. Aaru was much more social than I have the bravery to be. I've known Aaru for almost three years. We...met in another game and there I saw all the qualities Half LIfe expressed. He quickly
[Local] Desumo Tariq: became one of my best friends and then... more. We'd planned on building a life together. He was always kind, generous willing to listen and ready with puns. Oh my god the puns. He was also incredibly invested in his family. He had two children, and they 
[Local] Desumo Tariq: were his everything. HIs character, the one everyone knows and loves, was modeled on his daughter. It was impossible not to be drawn in by that man and I.. I'll always love him
Half Light nods and smiles.
[Local] Desumo Tariq: Sorry.. just can't
[Local] Half Light: Thank you JP. That was wonderful. Anyone else?
[Local] Aventine: I also met Aaru years ago, like JP.  I never got as close to him as some of the others here, I suppose.  But...he was a great roleplayer, a great basebuilder, and a great man.
[Local] Aventine: It was an honor and a priviledge to be in groups with him, to have his bases around.  To have him around.
[Local] Aventine: ...and I'm sure as hell going to miss him.
Half Light nods at that.
[Local] Half Light: Thank you. I think we all will.
[Local] Archiviste: I chose to come here as myself, rather than as a character, because I wished to honor Aaru, Pyro, Chris, as the person he was.
[Local] Archiviste: We met in another game, and he became my friend. I hope it was reciprocical.
[Local] Archiviste: We mostly RP'd together, I did not even know he had daughters, so maybe I wasn't as good a friend as I could have been.
[Local] Archiviste: Or maybe he was more guarded.
Half Light shakes head, supportively.
[Local] Archiviste: Some of our characters shared stories together, he even built a base as an apaortment for one of them. I'll treasure that bit of bits and bytes always.
[Local] Archiviste: Not as eloquent as I could be. I just want to say: we will miss you.
[Local] Archiviste: I will miss you.
[Local] Half Light: Thank you.
[Local] Half Light: One sec before the next speaker...
[Local] Half Light: I've just been told that there is another service going on for Aaru at this very moment on another CoH server.
[Local] Half Light: Clearly, he touched a lot of lives.
[Local] Half Light: Okay, who would like to speak next?
[Local] Reconstructed Man: To be frank, I didn't know the man well. He was the first to reply to a last-minute Tinpex that lead into an absolutely *miserable* Keyes Island, and stuck with it through both as Harmoniously - strangely appropriate name, now that I think about it.
Half Light smiles.
[Local] Reconstructed Man: But he was reliable. He was solid, he didn't complain, and didn't drop once - stuck it out, and looking at the people he's touched here and the works he's done, I can safely say even meeting him briefly before his passing was a fine thing.
[Local] Reconstructed Man: To that end, I'd like to say a prayer for him; and hope that what he's done and left stays as strong as the people and game he invested so much into.
[Local] Reconstructed Man: "Then I heard a voice from Heaven say, 'Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.'"
[Local] Reconstructed Man: Revelations 14:13.
[Local] Half Light: Thank you.
[Local] Remarkabelle: I wish to speak next.
[Local] Half Light: Go ahead.
Half Light smiles.
[Local] Chromefire: Amen
[Local] Remarkabelle: Hello everyone, my globalname is HNBC. I've been a part of the game community since from 2007 until its shutdown. I will try not to be too long
[Local] Remarkabelle: I've only known Aaru for a short period of time, something I'll regret since I wanted to know him longer. But I am still glad that I got to know them as well as I did. 
[Local] Remarkabelle: His characters, his basebuilding skills, and RP style were incredible and honestly I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. 
[Local] Remarkabelle: But realizing that he will know longer be with us, in-game or in the living world. I might not know many of the people in this crowd, but I do know that we were all brought together by Aaru, for various reasons.
[Local] Remarkabelle: And I am grateful to be here with all of you.
[Local] Remarkabelle: I have a feeling that he is smiling down on us, not wanting us to be saddened by his passing. In a way, he is still with us...
[Local] Remarkabelle: The memories he helped shape with all of us. The family ties and friendships he helped forge, both in-game and in real life.
[Local] Remarkabelle: If I may share a story with you all...
[Local] Remarkabelle: To express how I feel...
[Local] Remarkabelle: 6 months ago I went to a funeral for one of my coworkers at a local radio station that I loved to be there. She was a bright and fun individual who always worked hard and helped others in need in the community. 
[Local] Remarkabelle: She passed away after leaving the hospital for her kidneys, and died the day after. From a blood disease that she never knew she had. She was 38.
[Local] Remarkabelle: After her sudden passing, the radio show we all worked on at the station wasn't the same and we were off the air
[Local] Remarkabelle: I still feel sad about it to this day, and I can sympathize with her friends and family just as much as I do with Aaru's.
Half Light nods, sadly.
[Local] Remarkabelle: When I loved one passes, it is hard to tell whether knowing about it beforehand, is less painful than without notice at all
[Local] Remarkabelle: We have to cherish the memories and the moments that we spent with him, however long they were.
[Local] Remarkabelle: Just as much as we should with eachother. Sometimes the pain of loss never fully goes away, as I know firsthand
[Local] Remarkabelle: But I believe 100% that Aaru would be proud to know how much we cared for him, and still do.
[Local] Remarkabelle: May his name be remembered in the hearts of all he knew, and in the memories of all he cherished.
Half Light smiles.
[Local] Remarkabelle: Thank you.
[Local] Half Light: Thank you.
Remarkabelle gives a hug
Half Light hugs back.
Remarkabelle both IC and OOC
[Local] Half Light: Go ahead, Henny.
[Local] Moonlight Huntress: I didn't know Aaru for as long as many of you, but in the short time I did he made me feel like I belonged, in RPing with him and being included in RP with others.
[Local] Moonlight Huntress: He made a place for this silly character in his RP, and that meant so much to me.  I regret that I didn't have an opportunity to become better friends with him OOCly like we were ICly.  I cherish all those memories all the same, it's been some of the
[Local] Moonlight Huntress: most rewarding time I've spent here.
[Local] Moonlight Huntress: That's all I really have to say, thanks.
[Local] Half Light: Thank you.
[Local] Half Light: Joanne?
[Local] Joanne Ridges: I'm... probably going to be a bit disjointed.
[Local] Half Light: We're all pretty disjointed, I think.
[Local] Joanne Ridges: I knew Aaru for a while. not as long as some of you, and I can't remember lengths of time. Some things said today I knew. Others I didn't I think, one of his gifts was to make everyone feel close to him and special. No matter the length of time or depth
[Local] Joanne Ridges: of the relationship.
Half Light nods in agreement.
[Local] Joanne Ridges: Our characters were very close in rp. And we were friends outside of it too. I've been taking a break lately, and he would check in on me. Letting me know he was always waiting for me when I was ready to come back.
[Local] Joanne Ridges: I should have come back sooner. But... our rp times are something I'm going to treasure. We'd have "girls nights" where Min and Jo would stay in with popcorn and watch movies. And we'd sync and watch together.
[Local] Joanne Ridges: We'd argue, in good fun, who the nucleus of the friend group was. He just couldn't believe it'd be Min. THat people gathered to her, and him. But looking at this crowd, knowing about the other service... I win, Aaru.
Half Light grins.
[Local] Half Light: Thank you.
[Local] Half Light: Hi, come on up.
[Local] Sheliska The Gidget: thank you. I'd like to speak to you of friendship, and family. Forgive me if my typing takes a moment...
[Local] Sheliska The Gidget: Aaru was there for me when I went through a personal tragedy, and offered his support, as did JP, Sak and Nar, and many others. He was a good man.
[Local] Sheliska The Gidget: I see how he's touched your lives, in many ways
[Local] Sheliska The Gidget: it was his way
[Local] Sheliska The Gidget: I learned bas building tricks, enjoyed his punny jokes, and his wit. He will be missed dearly
Archiviste nods
Half Light nods, too.
[Local] Sheliska The Gidget: to those here, linked by your friendship to Aaru, be there for each other
[Local] Sheliska The Gidget: be kind to each other
[Local] Sheliska The Gidget: Rest well, Aaru
[Local] Sheliska The Gidget: thank you.
[Local] Half Light: Thank you. Anyone else?
[Local] Noctis Lucent: I'm not the most social person ever... I tend to let my characters do the interacting for me. So it was with Aaru, and I never failed to be impressed by the depth and effort that went into each and every one of his characters. He could always answer >>
[Local] Noctis Lucent: >> any question, be it IC or OOC, about not only his character but about everything that informed his characters. He would always have thoroughly researched his concept and was always enthusiastic to share what he had learned with other roleplayers and >>
[Local] Noctis Lucent: >> his friends. Going the extra mile was the standard for Aaru, and it bespeaks his passion for friendship, for roleplaying, for building stories and characters, and of course for bases as well. I will remember his passion whenever I make a new>>
[Local] Noctis Lucent: >> character or build in my own bases, and strive to create work that he would be proud of. For my part, I can think of no better way to honour his memory than by carrying on this passionate spirit of his in the game and community that he lived and >>
Noctis Lucent >> breathed everyday. Aaru - Pyrolicious - Chris - whatever name we call you by, you will be missed. Thank you for everything.
Half Light nods. "Thank you."
[Local] Half Light: Anyone else?
[Local] Half Light: Sunny?
[Local] Half Light: Oh!
[Local] Half Light: Sorry, Chromfire, go ahead.
[Local] Chromefire: I hope I'm not jumping a queue I didn't know about... I just... I've had a lot of deaths around me in the last few years.  And so many of them were... *really* good people.  The sort of people that brought other people together.
[Local] Chromefire: He... I wouldn't have thought of him as a friend.  he was just this guy, you know?  Stubborn, always thought he knew how things were supposed to be.  Which is something I found in common with him.  I ... didn't know how much I saw him as this anchor until
[Local] Chromefire: suddenly he wasn't there anymore.  And it just felt like... that wasn't right.  The world was supposed to have him in it.  It was part of who he was - reliable.  *There*.  There are a lot of people who can be present without being *there*.
Dacy nods
[Local] Chromefire: I wish he was still there.  I ... wish I could think of something better to say.  Something that wraps up how empty it's felt since we found out.  I wish I'd realized this *before* he was gone.
Half Light nods in agreement.
[Local] Chromefire: But ultimately... I'm glad I knew him.  And I'm glad there are so many here who *did* realize this, and let him know.
Archiviste nods
[Local] Half Light: Thank you. And I want to apologize, Chromefire, You didn't jump a queue. I had my camera in a weird place and missed seeing you walk up. My fault.
[Local] Chromefire: No problem.  I completely understand.
[Local] Half Light: Anyone else?
[Local] Doctor Sway: I wrote this down earlier, so that I could be as clear as I can be and wouldn’t forget or miss what I wanted to share. I’ll be brief as I can with it. Here it is:
[Local] Doctor Sway: When I first met Chris – Aaru – he was roleplaying Aminet Mahmoud, an Egyptian character. I know Arabic and so did my own character; she greeted Aminet in it IC, and I expected to start a quick OOC chat about what the heck that just was.
[Local] Doctor Sway: But almost immediately, Aaru had already replied, IC, with exactly the polite response in Arabic.
[Local] Doctor Sway: Right away, it was obvious that he was a roleplayer who was sharp, on the ball, and one of the rare ones who could absolutely walk the talk when it came to his characters. What was immediately evident was that a lot of care had gone into his writing.
[Local] Doctor Sway: And it quickly became clear that same care went into every aspect of his personality. He would message with a little ‘hello’, a little ‘great to see you’. He made me feel included and welcomed. Before I knew it, I was being included in his plots.
[Local] Doctor Sway: And given the timezone differences, it was more than I’d dared hope for from roleplay in this game. He found ways to include me, and very soon I considered him a real friend. He was funny, he was kind, he was considerate and above all caring.
[Local] Doctor Sway: He created a Discord server to bring together the people he cared about and who he wanted to invite into his plots and his stories. He would post snippets of fiction about his characters; illuminating little moments or teasers.
The Ghost Ship has been spotted in Independence Port.
[Local] Doctor Sway: He was an incredibly creative soul. I’ve been blown away by both the scope and the detail of bases and locations he built. There’s nothing I’ve found more impressive than his realistic kitchens! Which tells you all about what he found important:
[Local] Doctor Sway: The little things, the little details of life. I was privileged to be a friend of his, and to have him open up a bit with me in our chats. I can be a bit one-sided on here. I’m not always comfortable or able to open up about my own circumstances.
[Local] Doctor Sway: And that never fazed him. He never once pressured and he never once made me feel guilty. that’s just how generous he was with his time and his company. I’d like to think – and I do believe – that we understood each other.
[Local] Doctor Sway: We’d talk about his family. His work. His worries for the future, and the ways we would reassure ourselves by resolving to just do what he could, because that’s all we can do. He’d share music that he liked; that he thought we’d all like too.
[Local] Doctor Sway: There’s this quote I know. You might, too. “Because we don’t know when we’ll die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well, and yet everything happens only a certain number of times – and a surprisingly small number of times, at that.”
[Local] Doctor Sway: “How many more times will you watch the full moon rise, in your life? Four times? Five? Twenty? And yet it all seems limitless.”
[Local] Doctor Sway: Once – just once – he shared some personal worries about his daughter with me. “Her name is Jasmine,” he told me, “but I always call her Min.” And suddenly it was crystal clear where his incredible, thoughtful, magical character stemmed from.
[Local] Doctor Sway: And it was no mystery, the loving way he fleshed her out and made her just the kind of superhero we’d all want to be: someone who suffers through struggles and bruises and sadness, but who keeps on going. Who never gives in and never gives up.
[Local] Doctor Sway: Who never stops caring about the other people in their life.
[Local] Doctor Sway: He just did what the best writers do, and infused his creativity with a little of his own hopes and observations and spirit. He made her and her story matter. 
[Local] Doctor Sway: And he mattered to us, and I think his memory and legacy and his own heroic example, in these lonely and isolated times, will remain with us.
[Local] Doctor Sway: Because he played superheroes on here the way we all do, but I think doing whatever you can, and being there, and listening, and caring, through everything we go through, is about as really heroic as anyone gets.
Dacy nods
[Local] Doctor Sway: We only get so many moments with each other. I think one of the truest and noblest ways to honour those is to go out and make more just like them. To invite other people in, and keep their company kindly, the way he did with me and I hope you too.
[Local] Doctor Sway: I’d like to think that he’d like to see that. Sometimes ‘once’ is all we get with anyone. And once is all we ever get with everyone. He knew that. It’s obvious in all of us here today.
[Local] Doctor Sway: He’ll be incredibly missed. Like Masker said, I’ll miss him every day. But I know his spirit will in many ways live on in the people whose lives he touched. I can think of no greater testament to a friend – a real friend – than that.
[Local] Half Light: Thank you.
[Local] Half Light: Is there anyone else?
[Local] Loni-chen: "Yes, please.
[Local] Half Light: Loni, come on up.
[Local] Loni-chen: Hello, everyone.
Your friend Violet Volley is now online.
[Local] Loni-chen: In some ways, I feel like a cheater.
[Local] Loni-chen: I didn't know Aaru IRL.
[Local] Loni-chen: I'm a newcomer to this group, all of you, as well.
[Local] Loni-chen: But one thing I do know...
[Local] Loni-chen: Aaru had the strongest characters.
[Local] Loni-chen: Not in strength of body, or even of powers.
[Local] Loni-chen: Truth to tell, you name any of his characters, I couldn't even tell you what powers they had, or even their archetypes.
[Local] Loni-chen: I'm here mostly for the RP.  After all.  It's why most of you are 50+, and I'm 24.
[Local] Loni-chen: And Aaru brought RP in spades.
[Local] Loni-chen: Because his characters were powerful in spirit.  In their minds, the depths of their histories and backstories.  And in their souls.
[Local] Loni-chen: That's what I loved the most.  His thoughtfullness, and especially his openness within that.  He'd -include- you, without hessitation.
[Local] Loni-chen: he loved doing that.
[Local] Loni-chen: But something else occures to me.  Something JP said last night when I bumped into her, and we chatted.
[Local] Loni-chen: Sorry if I got the name wrong.  I'm not as sharp as I imagine Loni to be...
[Local] Loni-chen: She said, "I loved writing stories with him."
[Local] Loni-chen: When I asked if he was an author, she said no, it was RP stories here.  And he'd include as many people as he could.
[Local] Loni-chen: It was always in depth, rich, and smart.
[Local] Loni-chen: "He made you think", she said.  "And wouldn't let you take the easy way out."
[Local] Loni-chen: That strikes me.
[Local] Loni-chen: And that sounds like a call to me.
[Local] Loni-chen: Aaru isn't here anymore.
[Local] Loni-chen: But what of his characters?
[Local] Loni-chen: Maybe it's not my place, being new to all of you.  But I have an idea.
[Local] Loni-chen: I think Aaru would be pleased if we got together, and figured out what happens with his characters.  Where have they gone, and what are they doing?
[Local] Loni-chen: I think it's something we should think about.  realy think.  And decide.  And not take the easy way out.
[Local] Loni-chen: To honor Aaru in yet one more way.  And show him,and each other, the love we continue to have, with the characters and things he touched us all with.
[Local] Loni-chen: Thanks.
[Local] Half Light: Thank you.
[Local] Half Light: If there's no one else...?
[Local] Dacy: I would, if I may...?
[Local] Half Light: Dacy, sure.
[Local] Ishku: Go ahead. 
[Local] Half Light: And Ishku after.
[Local] Dacy: I'm a little different than most here, I believe. I am not deeply into RP, altho, as I've heard from many, Aaru reached out to me this way, too, heh.
[Local] Dacy: I tend to focus a great deal on base building.
[Local] Dacy: Ironically, I met Aaru when Joanne asked me to help build the setting for Aminet's funeral.
Half Light nods.
[Local] Dacy: It turned out that I knew some of Aaru's work, and I was a big fan, so we exchanged globals.
[Local] Dacy: Later, as an inexperienced new moderator of the base building channel, I accidentally invited my entire global list to the channel, trying to figure out how to invite one person.
The Ghost Ship has disappeared from Independence Port.
Half Light grins.
[Local] Dacy: There was a squeal of excitement from Aaru, who then enthusiastically accepted!
[Local] Dacy: It did make me feel much better!
Dacy grins
[Local] Dacy: Apologies to all on my list, by the way, if you couldn't figure out why you got an invitation, heh. Now you know!
[Local] Dacy: Just the other day, Aaru asked me something on that channel. I answered, and he thanked me, and I said, "Anytime!"
[Local] Dacy: So of course, he goes with humorous, and says, "Okay! Tomorrow at 2, then!"
Half Light smiles.
[Local] Dacy: Which spurred some other RP from another on the channel, and it was on.
[Local] Dacy: Left me smiling for the rest of the day. The next day, Joanne told me he'd died.
[Local] Dacy: Life is so short. Or at least, it seems so when things like this happen.
[Local] Dacy: I'm touched, listening to all of you recount all that he was to you.
[Local] Dacy: In the short time I knew him, I knew him to be something wonderful, but, it's illuminating, listening to the heart he put into his interactions. Into his base building. And it sounds like, into his life.
Joanne Ridges nods
[Local] Dacy: We play immortal characters, here. And yes, mortality has hit us here, as we mourn and celebrate someone who mattered to us.
[Local] Dacy: But I'd like to think that he lives on, as we all do, in the lives we touch here. THAT, despite the fact that this is "just a game", that is real.
Archiviste nods
[Local] Dacy: And it matters. To Aaru!
[Local] Half Light: Thank you. Ishku?
[Local] Ishku: I'd say I'm lucky. We all are, to have had time with Aaru. But I got a second chance. We started RP once, elsewhere, and - well, it fizzled. Too many balls in the air in my case. Mixed with... well, kind of a low 'social battery' in my case. 
[Local] Ishku: I can only deal with people for so long, you know?
[Local] Ishku: But we did get a second chance. Another character, one who took one of mine in, became her big brother. Cared. And cared for everyone else, too - something I think we're all hearing repeatedly today. 
[Local] Ishku: I was also fortunate, just recently, to speak to someone who shared part of his life that wasn't digital. And ... well. We often put bits of ourselves in our characters. We let that little bit of ourselves shine through.
[Local] Ishku: It shone greatly in his characters, and I learned that yes, he blazed even more brightly in his caring for others in his life. 
[Local] Ishku: I'm honored to have been touched by that in even the smallest way.
[Local] Ishku: Rest in light, Aaru. Chris. And thank you for everything.  
[Local] Half Light: Thank you. Is there anyone else who would like to speak?
[Local] Half Light: It's time we concluded this service, but those of you who wish to remain after to talk and remember and love one another, please do so. I have just a few final words.
[Local] Half Light: In the spirit of his character Aminet, I have a couple of things from ancient Egypt to share with you, since our Aaru was so clearly taken with that time period.
[Local] Half Light: The first is to remind us that Aaru took his name from the ancient Egyptian afterlife. They believed that the soul resides in the heart and so, upon death, the heart would be weighed.
[Local] Half Light: Those souls which balance the scales are allowed to start a long and perilous journey to Aaru, the Field of Reeds, where they will exist in pleasure for all eternity.
[Local] Half Light: Without a doubt, our Aaru's heart, buoyed by kindness, compassion, and generosity of spirit, would be in balance, and he would be on his way to his namesake now.
[Local] Half Light: And now I'll share from words from the ancient Egyptian text "The Pyramid of Unas," written for the Pharaoh on the inside of his tomb.
[Local] Half Light: "Re and Thoth, take me with you, that I may eat of what you eat, that I may drink of what you drink, that I may live on what you live on, that I may sit on what you sit on,
[Local] Half Light: that I may be strong through that whereby you are strong, that I may sail in that in which you sail."
[Local] Half Light: "Opened are the double doors of the horizon; unlocked are its bolts."
[Local] Half Light: "He has come to thee, Great One; he has come to thee, Great-in-magic. He is pure for thee; he is in awe of thee."
[Local] Half Light: "Mayest thou be satisfied with him; mayest thou be satisfied with his purity; mayest thou be satisfied with his word."
[Local] Half Light: Goodbye, Aaru. We love you and miss you. And may we all one day see each other in the Field of Reeds.
[Local] Half Light: Thank you all for coming.