Bangerz. The man has a passion for both life and the game. At his peak, he would absolutely throw EVERYTHING he had at his enemies and take well deserved pride in making them pay. When he (rarely) lost, it would eat him up. Brilliant in tactics, except when he lets his passion blind him (double agent / queen combos are not ideal!). Of all the guys I played for and with, he is probably the one who would do absolutely anything for you as an ally.
And yes, very much my best chum ever in this game. He was the first player to whom I ever told anything about the real me. Talked to him about family, life, and love. Until then I had never EVER opened up to an online acquaintance like that.
Our fight had me trying to tell him that real life had nothing to do with games like this - and yet the more time has gone on since then the more I fall away from that position. Having my break really illustrated that. Why did I leave? It was too close. Why did I care? It took me time to realize that who you are can be both your real life persona and the character you build in your virtual community. Victory, defeat, friendship and betrayal can have an effect just as much in the flesh as in ones and zeroes.
Bangerz made me the player I was when I was top of the charts, and hopefully he took what he could from my diplomatic ways as well.
And, finally, story time is still the fucking best.
Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds...