Wyvern

I, Nrevyw, swear that I have, to the best of my knowledge, been completely truthful in applying for citizenship in The West Pacific and that I have no other NationStates identity that has not been made known in this application. I swear my allegiance to The West Pacific and its citizens, and I swear not to engage in hostilities against The West Pacific or to violate The Manners of Governance, or any laws made pursuant to it.

Here today, we usher in a new reign.  It’s a bittersweet moment for me, as I have supremely enjoyed my time as Delegate. When I entered the chair, I knew that I had big shoes to try to fill.  I came in with detailed plans, but my only goal was this: When I was done, would the region be even better?  I’d like to think we’ve hit that goal.  We’ve accomplished so much over the past 14 months, from FA changes to launching a radio station to public high minds and cyberbullying a man named Jimmy so much we now own a shawarma shack. 
We’ve become a force in the Security Council, with multiple passing resolutions even with attempts to stomp them. Our newspaper is the premier newspaper in NS, putting out quality content on-time for multiple years.  Our FA position is incredibly strong, with new friendships that have sprung up while old friendships remained solid.  Our military is strong and active, and is on an upwards trend.    We’ve come together to do so much:  We’ve raised hundreds of dollars for charity, won N-Day in the most convincing fashion ever, exterminated all the dang zombies, and have continued to be the strongest community in Nationstates. People in the past have referred to us as a retirement home, but when I look out at the newer players all I see is the future.  We have the best young bench of talent in Nationstates, and I don’t see that changing.
The last 14 months have been an interesting time for all of us, but I want to thank all of you for growing alongside me.  In the last 14 months, I’ve changed jobs, dealt with personal issues, and most importantly sold a child to other regions for Pope Hope cards.  While I have not completed my personal goal of owning every single pope hope card, I want to say that I appreciate our community always being there for each other, whether it be voice chats, game streams, or yelling at me about crabs.
And now, my time as delegate is over.  I slip back into the shadows of the mere Prime Minister-in-Exile-in-Residence, once again a poster child for democracy.  Gio is going to do an amazing job, and I hope he does so well people go “who was Dilber?” (but actually not that good because boy would I feel bad about that question).  Most importantly, this community will remain strong.  We’ve all been here for varying amounts of time, but gosh dangit we’re family.  Thank you all for making this a wonderful delegacy for me, and for supporting Gio in whatever the future holds.
There are too many of you for me to thank individually, so I’d just like to say this: You all are what made us great.  I could not have achieved everything we’ve done on my own.  You’ve filled in my weaknesses, and made us brilliant.  Keep it up, because it’s what we all deserve as a region. 
 
Have no fear, I’m not going anywhere. I’m not even sure I can get off my couch right now anyways
Dilber
P.S. The real reason I stepped down is so Vara can message OTHER people at 3 AM.  (He can still message me I guess though, he’s cool)
 
(Edited because ALON and Tera noticed the spelling error I put in to see who was reading it closely and they got the dilber's choice award for it)

Nation name: Nrevyw
3-Letter Code:  WYV                          2-Letter Code: WV
Capital City: Arcos
Government Type: Constitutional Oligarchy
  The population of my nation is: Below Average / Average / Above average
  The GDP per capita of my nation is: Below Average / Average / Above average
  Government Spending - Which statement best describes your nation?
  My nation provides moderate social programs, or a small selection of social programs. 
  My nation has an extensive social safety net, or provides multiple programs like universal healthcare, welfare, and free tuition for its citizens 
 
My nation does not provide social programs beyond bare necessities and/or high school educations. 
X My nation does not prioritize social spending, but engages in some large-scale government or public spending projects. 
  My nation’s government spending is a vast majority of our GDP, such as having to coordinate our import-dependent economy.
(this option is subject to Cartography Board approval)
  Military Indicator - Which statement best describes your nation?
X My nation has made a commitment to security, and maintains a moderately sized modern armed forces within our means. 
 
My nation has little incentive or political drive for military spending, but maintains a small-to-moderate modern armed forces. 
  My nation has prioritized military spending at the expense of other key areas and may have been criticized for lack of freedom or human rights issues. 
  My nation does not prioritize military spending due to other priorities, the belief we are safe, or we don’t have enough money left over to fund it. 
  My nation is heavily embattled and we believe we face an existential threat.
(this option is subject to Cartography Board approval) 
  Any other inspirations or concepts you want to share: Welsh style, Focus on Naval military above other branches

The Mapplication™ Thread
Apply within to join the world of Esferos, home of TWP Roleplay

Current map version 1.18, updated 1 April 2024
Esferos Topographic Map | Biome Map | Tectonic Map | Wind & Sea Map
Joining and staying on the map
In order to join the map, you must follow these steps:
Join and introduce yourself on the main TWP Discord server and the TWP Roleplay Discord server Read the Guide to TWP Roleplay & Esferos Lore Introduction Apply to become a member of the Hall of Nations Submit your Mapplication™ to this thread once you have applied. See below for Mapplication™ instructions. The map is updated on the 15th of every month—to stay on it you must remain active, which requires you to:
Maintain your Hall of Nations membership—this includes making at least one post (new thread or reply) per month anywhere on the forums Engage in the Roleplay Discord at least once every three months Becoming inactive or leaving the region immediately forfeits your place on the map and in the canon unless you first talk with the Cartography Board. Inactive nations with significant contribution to the canon may become NPCs controlled by the Loremasters instead of being removed entirely.
How to submit your Mapplication™
Mapplications™ must be submitted as a reply to this thread. Below, you will find the Mapplication™ form to paste into a reply and fill out.
Submitting your Mapplication™ will begin a process where statistics and realism will be discussed with the Cartography Board. It is important to note that this process is not a negotiation—the community standards for realism will be met, but we encourage you to meet them creatively. If you have questions about specifics, or do not fit in a particular answer category, read the background material and explain where you may land on each of the Indices. Joining the TWP Roleplay Discord server is heavily encouraged for more involved help in this process.
The name that appears on the map for your nation must be reasonably realistic—if the name you choose does not meet the canon standards, you will be notified by a member of the Cartography Board. Your map nation's name does not need to match your resident nation's name.
You may request a premade area (outlined on the map in grey) or draw an area of your own. For continents that have numbered plots thus far, you may not draw your own plot. Pre-made plots are only combined in extreme circumstances. If you draw your own, please take a screenshot of the map and mark the territory you would like to request, like the example image provided in this section. Major cities and other features are also welcome, though we need exact city populations to place them on the map (this may be done later by submitting populations to the #cities channel on our Discord server). Please review the Esferos Topographic Map and Biome Map (linked above) to inform your nation's placement, as geographic features and environments will not be changed to suit your desires after placement. Bear in mind that if you decide to request an unreasonably large area, it will be pared down.
The map is updated on the 15th of every month, and hotfixes are released to include new applicants at the end of each week.
Mapplication™ format
Copy and paste this form into your reply and fill it out. You can find a completed example below the Mapplication™.
 
Resident nation: 
Discord name:
Map nation name:
A couple sentences about your nation: (original content, not NationStates stats)
 
 
Map request as an image or plot number: (forum embed or Imgur link)
 
3-Letter Code:                                  2-Letter Code:
Capital City:
Government Type:
The population of my nation is:  Below average / Average / Above average
The population density of my nation is:  Below average / Average / Above average
The GDP per capita of my nation is:  Below average / Average / Above average
  Government Spending - Which statement best describes your nation?
  My nation provides moderate social programs, or a small selection of social programs. 
  My nation has an extensive social safety net, or provides multiple programs like universal healthcare, welfare, and free tuition for its citizens 
 
My nation does not provide social programs beyond bare necessities and/or high school educations. 
  My nation does not prioritize social spending, but engages in some large-scale government or public spending projects. 
  My nation’s government spending is a vast majority of our GDP, such as having to coordinate our import-dependent economy.
(this option is subject to Cartography Board approval)
  Military Indicator - Which statement best describes your nation?
  My nation has made a commitment to security, and maintains a moderately sized modern armed forces within our means. 
 
My nation has little incentive or political drive for military spending, but maintains a small-to-moderate modern armed forces. 
  My nation has prioritized military spending at the expense of other key areas and may have been criticized for lack of freedom or human rights issues. 
  My nation does not prioritize military spending due to other priorities, the belief we are safe, or we don’t have enough money left over to fund it. 
  My nation is heavily embattled and we believe we face an existential threat.
(this option is subject to Cartography Board approval) 
  Any other inspirations or concepts you want to share: 
 
 
 
 
Mapplication™ example:
 
 Previous map versions:
 
Join the Regional RP Discord server for additional help. Do not debate the merits of claims here.
 

What is it about a redemption story that draws us in? Is it the drama of the fall from grace? Is it the hope of a better tomorrow? Could it be that each of us has a nagging memory of a wrongdoing we hope won't follow us the rest of our IC, OOC, and IRL lives? The author of the White List Campaign telegram is betting on that.
NationStates, for the most part, has a good Admin and Moderation team that does indeed protect its players. We've witnessed them warn, correct, suspend, ban, and delete accounts that commit everything from spam to flamebait to harassment. However, as most of us know, the communities and overall nature of gameplay extends to several off-site locations, such as forums, IRC, Skype, and Discord.
Does the protection of the Admin and Moderation team extend to those locations? No.
Do certain players take advantage of that? Yes.
NationStates should be a safe space for people of all ages. A vast majority of communities have admin teams comprised of good, sensible, caring players who diligently extend the umbrella of protection to all facets of gameplay. They have long drawn a line of decency against bad behavior in the sand and proclaimed "Here we stand."
The West Pacific has a long memory.
We remember the White List author. We remember their actions.
You and your kind will never be welcome here.
Here we stand.
 

As the sun rises in a cloudless sky over The West Pacific, slumber ends for most of its residents. This is the day they celebrate the Enthronement of The Second Dragon-Emperor! Preparations that began as soon as Bran Astor was named Heir Apparent come to fruition today. No school or work! Real life is suspended! Everyone who isn’t part of the ceremony will dress in their finest and hurry to claim a prime vantage point for witnessing this historic event.
 

 
One resident greets the sunrise wide-awake. In a meditation chamber off the throne room, guarded by Sir Fujai, Xia of The Benevolent Order of The Three Perfections, and Dilber, a Guardian and close aide, Bran Astor, Delegate of The West Pacific, has been praying and fasting since the previous dawn, eager to gain The Mandate of Heaven. While The People’s Mandate had, through their endorsements, secured his power as regional Delegate several days prior, and even though he is more comfortable with a casual approach to governing, The Second Dragon-Emperor is happy to play his part in this ritual in order to affirm his allegiance to the principles and traditions of The West Pacific. His most fervent wish is that his Delegacy will serve and honor his people. He has risen to this region’s Delegacy and is now ready to ascend to The Dragon Throne. 
 

 
The Commander of The West Pacific Armed Forces, Kawaii Schoolgirl, Countess of Junshan, reviews her troops stationed in formation outside the palace of Zijin Cheng, The Forbidden City. Soldiers know that emperors blessed with The Mandate of Heaven are assured victory. They sense greatness in the one who will soon be enthroned, and stand a little taller.
 

 
Inside the ornate gold and red Hall of The Dragon-Emperor, the throne room of the immense palace, priests and acolytes have been at work polishing and lighting incense. All must be perfect.
 

 
 
 
The hour is near. Stately melodies on the erhu, pipa, dizi and suona intermingle with the rustle of the silks of the expectant crowd, and the Past Delegates and Peers process to the palace. Many of these dignitaries, such as Mediobogdum and Big Bad Badger, Royal Dukes of The West Pacific, Darkesia, Duchess of Hainan, and Yy4u, Xia of The Benevolent Order of The Three Perfections, have already assisted the new Delegate in his transition. Others, like Neenee, Royal Princess of The West Pacific, Elegarth, Royal Duke of The west Pacific, Davelands, Wickedly Evil People, All Good People, Bhang Bhang Duc and BIteland, have helped to build the region into the powerful cultural and educational center it is. In a region that venerates its elders, the sight of all these luminaries right before them almost causes several in the crowd to swoon.

  
The procession halts at the carved great doors to the throne room. Bran Astor has arrived and waits with facing the rising sun, attended by Dalimbar, Earl of Zhifu, Arkadia Universalis, Earl of Ping, and Overthinkers, Baron of Lantau. As the hymns reach a crescendo, Saint Mark, Emeritus Emperor of The West Pacific, Chancellor of The Hall of Peers, and Celestial Sage, nods and smiles to his new Dragon-Emperor, and opens the doors. 
 

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiXgOQ9_-RI
The angelic voices of The Imperial Choir of The West Pacific wash over the assembled from the balcony above.
 

 
 
Bran Astor is the first to enter, followed by Saint Mark and the others in order of precedence. The ancient hall fills to capacity. When all is ready, The Dragon-Emperor ascends to his rightful place on the throne as the choir’s last triumphant stanzas ring out. In the silence that follows, the Emperor Emeritus unfurls a scroll and calls out the Imperial titles:
His Imperial Majesty,
Bran Astor,
Dragon Emperor of The West Pacific, Delegate, Son of Heaven, Builder of Worlds, Supreme Squatcher, and Duke of Hebao
 
Confident, the newly enthroned Dragon-Emperor then rises to read his ascension edict:
http://www.westpacific.org/forums/index.php?/topic/3402-honors-of-the-west-pacific/
At the conclusion, a joyful cry erupts from those present, the epicenter of a thunderous wave of celebration that spreads across The West Pacific.
 
 

Through the night and into the morning, there are parades and parties, fetes and fireworks.
A new Delegate sits on The Dragon Throne. The West Pacific is assured of continued peace and prosperity.
 

 

Once upon a time in NationStates, failure to clear the citizenship rolls of inactive members became a problem.
Entropy of Activity in NationStates is a problem that arises over and over again.  No matter how dynamic and active a region's community may be, activity eventually wanes, folks are distracted by RL, and Regional Officials get burn-out. Citizen/Players fade away.
Then newer players with their own ideas of activity come along. They find the inactivity of the existing citizenry boring.  So they write and present new Legislation to be voted upon, to shape the region with new activity that interests them.
The ideas come up for a vote, and those old inactive citizens that haven't posted in months come out of the woodwork to vote, and they vote against the new player's legislation. The idea dies.
Inactivity is thus perpetuated, and the frustrated new players go elsewhere.
To combat this phenomena of the 'Old Guard' coming out to vote when they are  otherwise inactive, Regions began to establish Activity Requirements to ensure that voting citizens are actively engaged in the regional community.
Posting requirements can be more important for Regional Officials as well. Once upon a time, there were requirements for Ministers and Deputies to post no less than every other day, and requirements to post a notice and assign a deputy if a Minister will be absent for longer than a couple days.
Activity begets Activity in NS, while the Entropy of Activity is the corrosive rust that destroys regions and communities.

Naming The Heir Apparent
Of The West Pacific

His Imperial Majesty,
Marcarius Halo Rahl, The Holy Principality of Saint Mark,
Dragon Emperor of The West Pacific,
on the eighth day of October, in the year two-thousand and nineteen,
by the prerogative of The Delegacy,
and in accordance with the Peerage Proclamation,
is pleased to confer upon
 
Bran Astor
 
the title and privileges of
Imperial Prince of The West Pacific,
Heir Apparent to The Delegacy.
 

 
Bran has been either the driving force behind or a major contributor to most of the region’s accomplishments during my administration. He supports our traditions and advocates for innovation. He is hard-working, talented, funny and patient. He loves The West Pacific as much as I do and will serve it well.
I intend to abdicate sometime in the second week of November and will try to thank properly the many people who have contributed to the great successes we have enjoyed at that time. Let this moment belong to Bran who is well-deserving. Please support him as you have supported me.

N-Day Recognition
Congratulations to all those that participated in the 2019 N-Day event!
The West Pacific ended up well-irradiated, but you took on the NS-verse single-handed and never backed down. Your skill and teamwork were impressive and led to a great showing. You made us proud!
Those who led the team were:
@Ark
@Dilber
@Wintony
@Podium
 
You are warded the Badge of The Crimson Sea Missile Command of The West Pacific

 
The valiant participants were:
@Varanius
 @Night_stalker
@Sensorland
Gryphonian Alliance
 @Midproth
@Zazumo
@Mediobogdum
@WaRlorder
 @thefieryknight
@Reçueçn
@Fujai
@Westwind
You are awarded The N-Day Task Force Badge

Congratulations!

Honors Of The West Pacific
Granted by His Imperial Majesty,
Marcarius Halo Rahl, The Holy Principality of Saint Mark,
Dragon Emperor of The West Pacific,
on the twenty-fifth day of August in the year two-thousand and nineteen.
 

The recognition of merit is one of the pillars of The West Pacific.
These dedicated residents of our region,
by applying their unique talents with hard work and imagination to the betterment of The West Pacific,
have earned high praise.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
First, in gratitude for her continued assistance as a trusted advisor to The Emperor
and in appreciation of her near omnipresence on the region’s RMB and Discord,
where she is always willing to aid or re-direct the new residents,
I name Darkesia a Guardian of The West Pacific with full powers of The Trebuchet.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Next, in appreciation of his enthusiastic participation in the life of our region
and in recognition of his many contributions in the Ministry of Education,
I name Rizorien to The Peerage,
granting him the title, Baron of Tong.

 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In recognition of his exceptional contributions to the region in TWPAF and the Ministry of Recruitment & Citizenship,
and in acknowledgement of his valuable assistance as one of our Discord Moderators,
I bestow upon Overthinkers the title, Baron of Lantau.
 

 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Orders of Xia
Xia means someone with power who helps others in need.
The Xia (pronounced shya) are the knights of The West Pacific. This is the highest non-peer honor a resident can receive.
~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Martial Order of Ching Shih:
for extraordinary service to TWPAF
Admitted to this Order today is:
Wyvern
For his long leadership as an officer of TWPAF.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Benevolent Order of Confucius:
for extraordinary service in government
Admitted to this Order today are:
Denieria
Craiolia
Reçueçn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Instituting The Youxia
I am establishing a new non-Peer Order of Recognition. It shall be called the Youxia.
The Youxia honor is similar to a Knight Errant and ranks just below the Xia.
Youxia will be entitled to be addressed as Master or Mistress and to use the seal below.
To be considered eligible for Youxia recognition, a nation must hold between 100 and 150 endorsements over a period of two weeks. This is to prevent obvious threats from gaining recognition, especially if they cross the endorsement cap. This is also to promote responsible endorsement swapping in the region by considering only those who hold above 100 endorsements in the two-week period. Being below 100 endorsements in the two-week period can deem a nation ineligible.
Th Speaker of The Hall or their designee will be charged with keeping The Emperor up to date on which nations qualify as Youxia.
Youxia Eligibility List - August 24, 2019
The period of time considered for this list was from August 10th to August 24th.
 Fujai
 Wickedly evil people
 Westwind
 Liberillia
 Cro Magnon
 Gryphonian Alliance
 NoHiceLand
 The Undivided
 Bhang Bhang Duc
 Papercuts and Skittles
 Denieria
 Doggerstan
 Oometz
 Ilmecith

Honors Of The West Pacific
Granted by His Imperial Majesty,
Marcarius Halo Rahl, The Holy Principality of Saint Mark,
Dragon Emperor of The West Pacific,
on the third day of June in the year two-thousand and nineteen.
 
 
 
 
 
The recognition of merit is one of the pillars of The West Pacific.
These dedicated residents of our region,
by applying their unique talents with hard work and imagination to the betterment of The West Pacific,
have earned high praise.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
First, For their continued devoted service to The West Pacific, its People and its Emperor,
I elevate the titles of Bran Astor and Dalimbar.
Bran Astor will now be titled Earl of Hebao And Dalimbar will be titled Earl of Zhifu.
 
 
 
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Orders of Xia
Xia means someone with power who helps others in need. The Xia (pronounced shya) are the knights of The West Pacific.
This is the highest non-peer honor a resident can receive.
~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Martial Order of Ching Shih:
for extraordinary service to TWPAF
Admitted to this Order today is:
Overthinkers
For his long leadership as a dedicated General of TWPAF.
 
 
 
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Benevolent Order of Confucius:
for extraordinary service in government
Admitted to this Order today are:
Bran Astor
Dalimbar
Arkadia Universalis
 Rizorien  

Nrevyw - WV - WYV - .wv

Do you want to visit foreign lands?
Do you want to meet new people?
Do you want to help The West Pacific?
Then do I have a great job for you!
Join The West Pacific Diplomat Corps!
Become an ambassador and be assigned a region where you will represent TWP. You will meet and become friends with the local people, talk to them about The West Pacific, and help us spread the word about how great we are.
If you are an outgoing person who is dedicated to TWP and NationStates then this is a perfect opportunity to get involved.
The requirements are simple:
• Be willing to spend time interacting with another region
• Be a member of the WA
• Be able to post on message boards and outside forums
• Have an ability to type messages clearly and respectfully
• Be able to write brief reports on your region for the Foreign Minister

I agree wholeheartedly about the names. It makes it a bit harder for me to fill out diplomatic reports on Osiris since the Viziers all have silly titles like "Sandwich Enforcer" on the Osiris region page. I can still figure out who's who by looking on their regional forum to find out their real titles (Vizier of Gameside Affairs, Sub-Vizier of Community Affairs, etc.), but it would be a nightmare for me if all of their real titles were, in fact, names like Sandwich Enforcer or Pebble. I can imagine there would be a lot of  confusion amongst members of our region if our gov officials' titles were "Czarveich" or "Kung" or "ChiangChun."

I changed themes two or three times during my Delegacy. We started out sort of Dune based with the Laandstrad for the Assembly. But no one could remember how to spell it. *chuckles* Later went to the Sacred Order of The West Pacific and The West Pacific Imperium.  Policies stayed the same, graphics stayed the same. The theme is just a costume you put on  
In the end, it's delegate's choice IMO. I mearly added to titles for my themes, so a Minister became Holy Minister and a Guardian became a Cardinal Guardian.
In Equilism we went through a period when we changed the theme with each government. By the time they'd gotten to a Game of Thrones theme, they lost me as I didn't know anything about it (still don't) - so was all meaningless to me.  Houses, titles, all irrelevant and confusing to me. 
I like the dragon imagery in the graphics proposal. You can tie that to TWP having had two Delegates associated with Dragons.  You could take the Eagle and Crossbones flag and replace the Eagle with a Dragon.
I gotta admit, I haven't been fond of TWPAF flags for some time.
I think folks are too resistant to making use of the ingame polling. This would still be somewhat restrictive, but it would cast a wider net than the forum and still would be secure:  Set the poll to both Native and Large Nation - it will prevent nations from other regions jumping in to vote, and prevent new founded nations from voting. (A nation would have to be about 6 months old to vote...a nation voting age requirement based on game mechanics).
You could even form a bi-cameral legislature: ingame based on those polling rules (House), and Hall of Peers voting (Senate), Delegate has veto authority.
Although, having a bi-cameral legislature is what got TWP into trouble before. The Senate becomes and exclusionary old boys club that eventually goes inactive and blocks the Delegate (I've seen this movie before)
*chuckles*  Nothing.  I've championed more open citizenship, and removed citizenship oaths when I was delegate. It was never a problem. I haven't been a TWP citizen since oaths were reintroduced. So I'm just being me.     

Hi guys, I'm supposed to be on LOA right now, but with school wrapping up for the year, I think I can squeeze just a tiny bit of time for this pet project. I don't foresee myself doing anything NS-related besides this, although I am excited for it.

This is meant to be somewhat satirical, but I do want it submitted. Constructive criticism is much appreciated.

Without further ado, here it is!
P.S.: Replies in IC or OOC are fine by me.