The Book of Guohua

[Ninurta]

Guohua was one of a kind. She saw Rogue-Nation3 as welcoming and civil, and that is the way it is going to stay. You don't screw around with a winning formula.

This thread is to memorialize Guohua. It's a place for personal stories of encounters and interactions with her, and a place to gather some of her more insightful posts.

My initial encounter with Guohua was at ATS. Some of you may recall that I was something of a shit-poster there. I didn't even try to stay civil. I would usually go into a thread kicking over barstools, and see who took the bait, Then I'd work the conversation around to a more civil tone as well as I could, often with pretty good results. I made friends out of a lot of enemies there.

Guohua, and Mr. G, have something of a chequered past, and I think she saw somewhat of a kindred spirit in me. We first encountered one another there in thread posts, which led to PM's. We often came to the rescue of one another at ATS, because our backgrounds allowed us to speak with some authority on certain issues that were touched upon there.

When we left ATS, for our varying reasons, we both ended up at Hernando's Hideaway, a site which has since gone quiet. We, along with some others such as @"Senona", @"Sol", and a couple others, were made admins there.

However, that idyllic setting was not to be continued. One dark and stormy, brooding night... while we slept... the site owner went into the back and banned all of his admins out of what I can only presume was paranoia. There seem to have been some issues that we didn't see eye-to-eye with him on, so instead of talking it out, he simply booted us in the dark, a sneak attack. We were all booted at the same time, and he was left holding the bag due to his bushwhacking actions... and that site died.

Enter Rogue Nation. RN was Guohua's baby. She'd had enough of getting the boot, and determined to start her own site, for all of us. A place we could go without fear of getting booted, a welcoming place, a home to sit in. A castle where no one could displace us, a place to simply be ourselves, to simply BE.

And that is how R-N3 got it's start - a twinkling in Guohua's eye.

Those days are a bit hazy to me now. I recall that Guohua, @"Senona", and @"Sol", along with another member who has since moved on named Wrabbit, were the prime movers behind Rogue Nation. They did all the hard work in the back end to make it all happen. I wasn't even an admin, may not have even been a mod - I was just here to rest and relax.

Those 4 shepherded us through a number of incarnations, 3 major ones as the site name indicates, with Guohua leading the way to make it the place she wanted it to be.

It is because of that twinkle in Guohua's eye that we even have Rogue-Nation3, and it is because of that that R-N3 will continue on, as a tribute to my friend Guohua.

I invite others to post their stories of Guohua here, to keep her memory and legacy alive. as I was told long ago, as long as someone still remembers you, you have not truly died.

.

[MisterSpock]

Exodus : https://duckduckgo.com/?va=j&t=hc&q=exod...definition

I'm sure that's how many ended up here, whether that was the 1st, 2nd or 3rd wave from wherever you came from.

If you've been around long enough, you were always pushed out or cast aside from one place, especially on the ever evolving internet. I'm not young, or old, but I've been all over the net, from BBS boards, using fake cc gens on early all in one services, booted from place to place and just diving into any pool since I plugged that phone line into my first computer back in the 80's.

You get used to expecting rejection or reluctant acceptance after dozens of places.

I was booted from the other site, ATS, as many were, another exodus.

I can say that without a doubt, landing here was the most welcome one ever. Sure, I always won over the masses with my unique humor and wacky personality whatever board/forum/chat I landed at, but never have I literally been greeted at the door, with someone so happy to have me and interact with me as I have here, with Guohua. That will always stick with me.

[Sol]

The Guohua I knew


I loved Guohua dearly. As Ninurta mentioned, we met back in Hernando's Hideaway - which had been born off a thread posted on ATS that had been shut down because of internal politics. I had always looked up to Guohua on ATS, she made beautiful posts and had fantastic pictures of her natal country that fascinated me. But I didn't really know anything about her then.

When HH's shit hit the fan, she launched RN mostly with Wrabbit and Senona. Her idea was born but the platform they carried for the site sucked. That is when I offered to help out - Wrabbit had had it with it. Fed up of all the problems. So I tried to fix it but it was an impossible chore. (RN2) The platform was just too complcated and costly. So Guohua and I started to look for an alternative.

When we found the MyBB platform (which is the one you're on now with RN3), Guohua was ecstatic. As we started implementing new features such as bigger avatars, banners - which BIAD took to a next level, announcement bars, Guohua felt like she found her home. When we were able to integrate more smileys (the originals were so so), she went ballistic. We spent days and days putting those in. She LOVED her smileys. And enough was never enough lol

Guohua wasn't always easy to please, she'd push my buttons, Senona's buttons to a point of getting extremely frustrated by it and we let her know. She did not like things not working properly. Not. One. Bit. She had zero tolerance for crappy plugins - many have been tested and removed. Yet, she was always thanking us for everything we did, by texts, by emails, by PMs, day in, day out. She was always grateful. Not only because of what we did but because she had RN members at heart and wanted nothing but the very best for all of you. Always. It had to be the best or it was GTFO. Many plugins are in the vault, for not having met Guohua's goal of getting only the best for you.

And she LOVED her GIFS. Often times, it was easier for her to just leave a GIF in a post instead of using her online translator. And her political opinions. OMG did she ever have political opinions! I sometimes felt like she went too far with it and questioned her about it one day. She ripped my ass. Told me that in China, where she was from, censorship was a wall to wall occurrence and that she always had to keep her mouth shut. And that RN3 would NEVER be a place of censorship, to the contrary, here we could talk of any subject and not be shut down or reprimanded. So she told me to suck it up. I then understood her reasoning and it made us closer from that moment on, I think. The feeling of letting others roam freely without ever being censored sank in. Everything goes except for porn.

There are no way to fully describe how she loved every single one of you. It was almost an obsession. She was a Website Owner and yet she welcomed everyone personally, she'd send emails when someone went missing for a while, just to be reassured that everything was ok. When someone had a question, that question surfaced in the background for discussion. Every. Single. Time.

That was the online Guohua but I also want to get you to know the real life Guohua as we were friends.

She loved her weekend trips, her fifthwheel, her going at the shooting range. And she was a Traditional Chinese Doctor. She did heal me at one time where I was really, really sick.

She loved her husband so much and her family so much. Never thought of herself first. Always the others first. Always.

That is why her passing was such a shock to all of us. She would take care of everyone else, cure others, heal others and yet, she never told any of us about her battling breast cancer for years.

One morning, I wake up and had this weird feeling that something was wrong. Was sitting on the deck, having a smoke and felt something. Looked around me, you know when you get sort of a panic type of feeling, and so I thought that someone in my family passed away. I've had that feeling before and it was always a family member passing.

Go back in, turn on the laptop to find an email from Gordi. Telling me that Guohua had passed away. Absolute shock. Sat there, reading over it a few times as my eyes fill up. I never cry, like, never. But there I was, in total disbelief.

I miss her. I still have a certain disbelief about her not being around any more.

The world will never be the same without her in it.

Rogue Nation will never be the same without her in it.

But we're going to go above and beyond to make damn sure that it remains open, that it grows going forward and that it thrives. Because THAT is what she would have wanted.

For her.

.

[BIAD]

My own tale of meeting Guohua isn't a very interesting one, but that certainly doesn't reflect my affection I have for the
pistol-packing lady of the Arizona desert. I'm unable to relate what I think of her here because it wouldn't do her justice
in my eyes. She is someone who took me into this rare sanctuary of adults and for that, she holds a special place in
my heart.
...........................................

I've mentioned before how -after playing a mild prank in a ridiculous thread at TOS about the possible outcome with an
alien fighting a human, I was banned for supposedly bringing a little humour to a fake website that pretends to discuss
conspiratorial subjects.

Being of a generation that grew-up with a wary eye on these things called 'compooters', the internet never had the same
impact for myself as others around me cleaved to. A computer has an on-off switch and with a simple flick, the imaginary
world of faraway-friends and 'edgy' suggestive comments slips away and the real world is waiting for you to solve problems
that genuinely effect oneself and those we hold dear.

Later through boredom at work, I did what many others do and signed back into that place under a different moniker.
It was there I came across a strange fictional tale in the Creative Writing forum where one of the characters caught my
attention. A sullen fellow who seemed to write in a hard-headed manner and yet, spoke with an intelligence that failed
to support his brusque backwater demeanour.

With the use of a character designed from my Username, I carefully injected myself into the storyline with the hope I'd
be accepted. I like writing imaginative prose and craftily angled the 'Boy In A Dress' role to suit the ongoing narrative.

Ninurta took the bait...! I'd done it! Instead of being a lurking drifter of the threads, I'd been endorsed by this stranger from
faraway and he'd even set up paragraphs in the yarn to allow me to continue! This was great and after warily assuming
this no-nonsense -dare I say, 'acquaintance' would allow me to continue joining in with the long fictional potboiler, I grew
to -not only enjoy the back-and-forth of this odd union, but to also trust someone I believed was a rarity on the ruthless
highway called the internet.

But after a few days of speaking to this grizzled curmudgeon, I discovered there was no 'trick'... no bait taken, he was
a regular guy who held certain rules that many of us adhere to. Civility and respect for each other... behaviour of the
decent and ideals that shouldn't be too lofty a goal for the genuine person.

The clock ticked onwards and Ninurta explained he was also at another website, a place that I eagerly went to and found
it was having problems that I had no idea about. Things going on the back-rooms that told me maybe my initial thoughts
on the internet were true, genuine friendship on this electric conduit needed cultivating and care, words that may not be
conducive with what we usually hear and read in a caustic cyberworld.

I wondered if it was time to put BIAD back in his box and then I received a message from Ninurta that would change
everything.
....................................................

There was this woman, a woman who wanted to build a website for -not only for those who'd been ousted from the place
Ninurta had invited me to, but somewhere where discussions of anyone could prevail without the usual anger that seems to
be a necessary ingredient of current communal gatherings. I knew nothing of the previous problems on the other website
and mused that maybe the usual acrimony of the internet had invaded the place and left it ruined.

Ninurta later explained the whole situation and mentioned that this American woman and her husband weren't quite finished
in their search for a repository of mature discourse, yet since he hadn't (and has never!) steered me wrong, I nodded to myself
as I replied I was up for whatever he advised.

Guohua... what a strange name, someone on the internet who wished to build something where the members meant more
than the running of such a place. How outlandish...! How can a haven from all the toxic and unscrupulous workings of today's
social-interactions endure and offer a standard where such cutthroat behaviour wouldn't wish to infiltrate and destroy?

I was sure that this unknown woman probably held a strong forthright manner and would -just like many others, be a dame
who'd ask me privately if maybe I wasn't 'the right-sort' to go along with her idea. The Boy In A Dress persona hinted at a
perception that many have quietly asked me about over the years and I can tell you, the answer always seems to wrong-foot
anyone who enquires about the character.

Just for the record, BIAD ain't me... I'm an old married guy living a quiet life with a smart wife. This is the internet, the web
and webs are for catching the eye and fooling the brain.
(However, I do have a shed and I'm sure there's someone living in it!)

But Guohua never asked, never bothered with the 'tickle' the name stood for, she wrote to me the way someone who was
honestly interested in what I thought and nicely asked if I had ideas. Again, outlandish! Guohua is the same as many here,
there's no highfalutin hierarchy where discourse is herded by those who help out. Such control is expected by the members
and they/we rarely flounder in this department. It would be only natural that in this type of trusting environment Gouhua
would nurture my enthusiasm to help and being an Administrator here means nothing compared to being with caring friends 

Anyway, she did give a damn and I'm not one for relating the real kindness of a person via wording like this.
Guohua wanted us all to be happy here, all of us. Rogue Nation is a place she built with help from those who looked to her
-not as co-workers, but as friends. In my heart, she wasn't Guohua... she is Guohua and I will always love her.

[727Sky]

When Gouhua left ATS she sent me a message to join her and Mr. G at Hernando's Hideaway which I did. When that place went "stupid" I was again invited to follow them here. She asked me to be a moderator but I told her I am lucky to be able to find the "on" button for a computer so I said thanks but no thanks.

I have always respected her and Mr. G for the lives they had lived and the stuff they have experienced together; which considering I never met either her or Mr. G face to face..... I took her loss as a personal matter. She is missed on many different levels and I do hope Mr. G is doing better than expected. I considered both of them friends.

[hounddoghowlie]

i met  Guosha on ATS posting meme's, i had made a comment about the fox guarding the hen house in one thread and damn if she didn't post one of the funnest ones i ever seen with a fox guarding the hen house.

we talked from time to time and occasionally teamed up on the woketard trolls and supported one another in the threads against them. then one day she was gone. 

i never knew what happened then,i just figured real life kicked in and she had to deal with it or something like that.
then when everybody thought that TOS was going to go belly up, brother Snarl gave me a invite and i signed up.

she was the second one to greet me, i asked her if she remembered me and the hen house meme and damn if she didn't.

won't ever forget that. she was a fine lady. it's still hard to realize she not here anymore.

[GeauxHomeLittleD]

I also met Guohua at ATS during my very first incarnation there (2011-ish) and later found her again at Hernando's after the owner invited me over. Things started getting sketchy there when ATS people wanted to turn it into just another ATS with its stars and flags for the attention whores to feed off of so I drifted away. When RN began Senona and Kdog tried to convince me to come along but I was disheartened- I didn't want to be involved in any more drama fests. Eventually I did begin reading from hub's account later on and finally after having enough of the blanket bans at ATS I decided to give RN3 a try- and Guohua welcomed me home with open arms!

Guohua made a good place here. RN3 is not a place for cliques and attention whores but a place for friendship, caring and respect for me. Not that we don't argue, it would be weird if we didn't, but even the arguments are respectful and if feelings start to get hurt most back off and agree to disagree (except that one asshole who I won't name). Family is what Guohua created in this place, a weird family but a loving one. When she first rushed to my defense years ago at ATS I never would have thought that one day she would be my family and yet here we are. She's probably sitting over there on the loveseat shaking her head and giggling at my antics right now- and I wouldn't have it any other way!

The spirit of Guohua carries on! 

[Ninurta]

 Not that we don't argue, it would be weird if we didn't, but even the arguments are respectful and if feelings start to get hurt most back off and agree to disagree (except that one asshole who I won't name).

That's family for you. There may be knock-down drag-out disagreements, but if they're carried on with a modicum of respect, it's all good, and then we come back together and have a beer over it.

That asshole is no more at R-N3. His incivility made Guohua so damned mad that she could have eaten carpet tacks and shit out railroad ties, so she hung back and allowed me to handle him, because she was too mad to handle it, and didn't want to say or do something she might regret later. I tried, I really did, to give him every chance available to calm his ass down and rejoin the discussions, but he was having none of that, so I eventually had to ban him - the only person EVER banned from R-N3 in it's six years of existence. What y'all didn't know is that he continued trying to bait me and draw me into an argument after his ban, via e-mails. I never replied, because when I'm done, I'm done. There was no further incentive to keep that argument going, as he was permanently gone by that point.

She allowed me to handle it, I think, because I'm one of those people who, as Robert A. Heinlein said, "can shoot his own dog if necessary".

.

[BIAD]

...She allowed me to handle it, I think, because I'm one of those people who, as Robert A. Heinlein said,
"can shoot his own dog if necessary".

And I'll refrain for good manners on mentioning the trespassing Ramblers here.

[EndtheMadnessNow]

I was not around these parts very long before Guohua passed, But ack'ing MisterSpock's comment above I was blown away by her very warm welcome. Lordy, could there really be a green pasture meadow still on the Interwebs??! Nah, it's gotta be a trap. I came across this place when ATS went dark which ironically led me to the light. Apparently, unicorns really do exist. G had vast knowledge on the inner workings of the CCP, the whole commie/marxist plague on mankind that I wish I had found her & this place long ago. RIP, gone, but never forgotten.

I guess I'm the young blood in these parts, don't have much wisdom to offer like some of you old timers, so thanks to ya'll for not booting me out and putting up with my memes.

[FlyingClayDisk]

At the risk of repeating myself, I am going to re-post something I originally posted in the other thread about Guohua's passing.  Seeing as how this is the 'official tribute' thread, I hope it will be appreciated.  I feel it is a truly fitting statement for such a revered person...

You know, it seems to me Guohua was the true essence of courage, something which should serve as an inspiration to all of us.

Many of us know of, but will have never walked in the shoes of someone like her.  Learning of adversity is one thing, but living it every day, overcoming it, escaping and living to tell the story is something altogether different! 

So, when we talk about 'candles burning in the halls of remembrance', perhaps the greatest tribute any of us can give to keep that flame burning is to never forget the courage and commitment it takes to believe, to wake up and do it all over again tomorrow no matter how futile it seems, and to just carry on...despite it all.

...and...

My deepest sympathies.  What terrible news.  I'm speechless.

I am so sorry to hear of this news!  I had no idea.  A true warrior to the very end; the very definition of stoicism.  I am honored to have had the opportunity to interact with such a wonderful person, and equally saddened to learn of her passing.

A ray of light in a world of darkness.  How she will be missed.

My sincerest condolences.

Bob

[BIAD]

I was not around these parts very long before Guohua passed, But ack'ing MisterSpock's comment above I was blown away by her very warm welcome. Lordy, could there really be a green pasture meadow still on the Interwebs??! Nah, it's gotta be a trap. I came across this place when ATS went dark which ironically led me to the light. Apparently, unicorns really do exist. G had vast knowledge on the inner workings of the CCP, the whole commie/marxist plague on mankind that I wish I had found her & this place long ago. RIP, gone, but never forgotten.

I guess I'm the young blood in these parts, don't have much wisdom to offer like some of you old timers, so thanks to ya'll for not booting me out and putting up with my memes.

Oddly enough, the manner of the RN site is maintained by the members and apart from recent Admin changes, the few
private Administrative discussions are usually about how long Gordi is vacationing for! Heck, he even has his own thread
on the matter!

It may sound a bit 'Little House On The Prairie' to say the members are the key to the site's conduct, but it's simply true.

(And keep the memes coming, they're great!)

[gordi]

My memory is a bit fuzzy these days... but I can't specifically remember meeting Guohua at TOS....

I do remember bouncing around from HH and CoJo's / Lucid Awakenings etc when TOS became a sh*tshow, and I think it was at HH when I first met MrsG but I could be wrong!

I wasn't very much aware of the "behind the scenes issues" at HH until it all blew up.

To be fair, I had always been made very welcome there, and at CoJo's too for that matter when the dust was all settling down in the aftermath...
I became torn when I found out more about what had happened, because I had been invited here to RN, AND asked to stay there at HH AND CoJo's too if I recall.

I really didn't want to take sides, but it would have been hypocritical to stay with all of them so I went with my gut feeling... and joined RN.
There was an.... "honesty" about the founders that really struck a chord with me, and that was exemplified by the owner and the boss - Guohua.
I also didn't like what I was hearing about the behaviours of some of the staff at the other sites too, and I felt that my decision was justified when MrsG invited me to become a moderator on the new site.
I felt very appreciated here, and I quickly settled into the role (without actually having to do much in the way of moderating!), making some great friends along the way. My creative side was flourishing in BIADS basement graphics lab, which ended up morphing into The Banner Thread amongst other things, and also in the Short Story threads & contests.

It was MrsG who encouraged me most of all.
Always supportive, always appreciative. And it was she who subsequently wanted me to move up to Supermod... although I suspect that it had more to do with some issues that we were having with the moderator settings at the time!!! LOL
In short order, I was invited to become an Administrator here. WTAF?? ME???
I'd never done ANYTHING like that before, but she believed in me, she trusted me, and made me feel 10 feet tall. So, of course I accepted and the rest is history as they say.

I cannot think of anyone I've met online who has had such a profound effect on so many people.
She was obstinate and stubborn, she had very strong beliefs and a strong will to back them up.
But she was also kind, compassionate and caring, and I will miss her dearly.


G