Giovanniland

As the young Sultan approached, Ani'-Wah' gave a small bow before shaking his hand,
"It is a pleasure to have you and your lovely companion visit our country Sultan." Ani'-Wah' replied with a smile on his face.
 "It's a pleasure to meet you. I trust Çandarlı Pasha was an acceptable diplomat to sign our pact?" Answers the young Sultan,
"Oh yes he was an extraordinary diplomat, very polite and respectful and holds you in high regard. I can tell you that in my experience he is a very loyal person to you." I reply. I watched as he turned to the lovely young woman who took a step forward.
"This is my..." he paused. "Partner, Sabriye." He said.
Hmm, interesting. I feel as though that there might be a strain in their relationship or he is thinking of an appropriate term. Hopefully I might be able to help them both and let their experience here be one they will never forget, in a good way of course.
He thought to himself as Sabriye walked forward and curtseyed before shaking his hand.
"It is a pleasure to meet the both of you." Said Ani'-Wah'. He watched the Sultan look up at the sky in admiration as he took in a breath of the fresh air. 
"It's wonderful here." Commented the Sultan. Ani'-Wah' smiled and nodded in appreciation for the Sultan's comment.
"Say Mr. President. You should visit Constantinople one day." said the Sultan as he gently pointed southwest in the direction of Lanorth, "We would love it."
"One day I may, I will try my best to do so in my old age. While I may be fit for one of my age, travel has recently has begun to have a impact on me. But I am also a man who is not known to turn down an invitation and so one day soon I shall." Ani'-Wah' answered with a smile. The young Sultan sighed ,
"My God, I'm tired." He said as he looked down at his watch, "We best be off - we were up quite early this morning. I didn't sleep on the plane."
"Why of course, quite a flight can be exhausting. Come, we have your limos waiting for you. The Raven Claws have also been instructed to work with your secret service and that they should follow their lead." Said Ani'-Wah'. He led the two to the limos and said,
"I shall be close behind in my own limousine, inside you shall fine a large variety of drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, along with ice should you need it."
The Sultan then shook hands with Ani'-Wah' again before the door was opened for him and his partner. Ani'-Wah' then entered his limo and poured himself a drink.
Such a lovely couple, I could see the chemistry between them. But I know that tension is to come, hopeful things will end well.
Ani'-Wah' thought to himself as he took a drink from his glass.
Reminds me of my wife, oh how I miss her every day. But I go on living for the both of us, I know she would want that.
As he reminisced about his wife, the Raven Claw driving the limo called back,
"Are you alright Mr. President? You look a bit pale?"
President Ani'-Wah' was brought back to reality and looked down at his hands to check his complexion. Indeed he noticed that he was a bit paler than normal.
"Yes I am quite fine, do not worry about me, just focus on driving for now." He replies. Ani'-Wah' had a feeling that he was a bit under the weather, but nothing he hasn't experienced before.
"Sir, you know that it is part of our oath to ensure your welbeing. I advise we go see a doctor-"
"Silence!" said the old man firmly, "I am well aware of your oath and appreciate your concern, but right now I wish to see that our guests are comfortable in their stay."
When they arrived at the hotel, He got out and saw the admiration on the Sultan's face and was pleased that the building impressed him so. 
"Wow..." murmured the Sultan. Ani'-Wah' smiled as he watched the Sultan turned to Sabriye to ask if she was ready. He then followed behind them inside the hotel, Revalation Towers, where they were crowded by reporters who were held back by the secret service of Lanorth and Zoran. Ani'-Wah' helped guide the Sultan and Sabriye to the elevator where they will be taken to their rooms. He typed in the secret code for the International Suite at the top of the hotel,
"I shall not be able to accompany you, but I shall see you soon. Hope you rest up. The code is 3256 should you ever need to go back up if you come down." He said before the elevator door closed. He then addressed the reporters, answering any questions they had while keeping the privacy of the Sultan and Sabriye as best as he could.
Apparently my assistant forgot to tell the Raven Claws to clear out the hotel entrance of reporters, regardless I should have expected this.
He thought as he carefully answered each and every question that was thrown at him. However, he felt a bit uneasy and a bit faint and one of the Black Hawks noticed this and took initiative to clear out the lobby and back to the limo in order to take him back to Austenaco Presidential Manor so he can be seen by a doctor.
 

THE Sultan walked down the steps, smiling at the President. He stepped onto the red carpet with Sabriye, who let go of his hand as Mehmed approached the President calmly. "Mr President." Said Mehmed, stretching out his hand to shake the hand of the President. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I trust Çandarlı Pasha was an acceptable diplomat to sign our pact?" Asked the Sultan in a calm and collected tone. After receiving an answer, he turned to Sabriye, who stepped forward.
"This is my..." he paused. "Partner, Sabriye." He said. She stepped forward and curtseyed, before shaking his hand. Mehmed turned, admiring the sky above him. He inhaled the fresh air. "It's wonderful here." He turned to the President. "Say, Mr President. You should visit Constantinople one day." He said, pointing gently in the direction of Lanorth. "We would love it 
Mehmed sighed. "My God, I'm tired." He glanced at his watch. "We best be off - we were up quite early this morning." Said Mehmed. "Didn't sleep on the plane." He shook his hand once more, before he walked over to the limousine. After the door was opened for him, Mehmed took Sabriye's hand and helped her into the limousine. After she was inside, Mehmed entered and sat down. The door was shut and Mehmed heard the engine start. He sat back, putting his arm around Sabriye. She smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"First impressions?" Mehmed asked, as the limo began to move.
"Nice man." She said. "I trust we will be seeing him again soon?"
"Yes, we will but I was referring to Zoran as a whole." Mehmed said.
"Ah." She said. "Well, it seems nice. Beautiful landscape, I think. Not as good as the scenes back home, though." Mehmed chuckled. 
"Trust me, you are going to love this." He said. "This is a new adventure for you. It will not last forever. Make every second count."
"Alright." She replied. They sat in silence for the remainder of the journey to the hotel, as Sabriye fell asleep. They arrived soon after. When the door was opened, Mehmed stepped out and helped Sabriye out. He then turned and stared up at the hotel in utter admiration, at jow beautiful it was.
"Wow..." Mehmed murmured. He turned to Sabriye. "Ready?" He asked. Sabriye nodded. "Lets go."

The Raven Claws cleared the runway and the surrounding area in preparation for the young Sultan’s arrival. The middle-aged President Ani’-Wah’ looked upon the preparation for the arrival with a smile on his face. He took out a traditional Zoranian pipe, filled the bowl with sweet locally grown tobacco, and lit it up with his lighter. 
This is an important event for Zoran. The Sultan of Lanorth rarely leaves his country and is a new ally for us. I must make sure he finds his stay enjoyable and show him our country. 
He thought to himself as the red carpet was being rolled out by the Raven Claws. He took a long draw from his pipe as his young intern, Adsila, from Platypus Island University, came running up with her tablet,
"President Ani’-Wah’ sir, everything is in order as you have requested. The people have been made aware of the arrival of the Sultan and the International Suite is reserved and prepared.” she said nervously,
A smile crept upon his tan and leathery face, “Very good Adsila, did you make sure the armored limousines are prepared and the routes for the day have been cleared?” asked Ani’-Wah’
"Yes sir, do not worry. Everything is prepared for-”
"Including the five gift baskets that I requested to be in the Sultan’s suite?” he interrupted.
The young intern’s eyes widened in terror as she realized that she forgot about the baskets,
"I’m so sorry sir, I forgot to check if they were put in place!” She says in an ashamed voice.
Ani’-Wah’ turned to her, “Do not worry, I have made sure of that myself. In my years of experience I knew your attention was preoccupied with messaging that boyfriend of yours.” He watched as a blush slowly appeared on her face, “You are not in trouble, as Adandvo once said, ‘we all have our blunders, we all have our flaws, but we always must be ready to forgive and learn from our faults.’”
The young intern smiled with relief, “Thank you sir, I will try not to make the same mistake again.”
"You know what,” said Ani’-Wah’, “you have worked hard to prepare for this very important event. You have done incredibly well for this all to come up on your third day. Take the rest of the day off and spend time with your boyfriend, you will miss these young years when you get to my age.” He says with a smile.
"Thank you so much sir!” exclaims the young intern before she heads on home.
Ah, I miss those years. I wish I had done more and gone and explored more of Zoran. I hope to give the young Sultan the experiences which I wish I could have experienced in Zoran when I was nineteen.
Ani’-Wah’ thought to himself as he took another draw on his pipe and exhaled a cloud of smoke before turning around in the direction of the red carpet. He emptied the bowl and slipped the pipe in his satchel. He brushes off his silk suit with Zoranian embroideries on it and adjusted his cream and red Zoranian Turban* with golden embroideries on it and a single feather sticking out of the back as the plane was brought to a halt and the steps descended from the plane. 
May the Great Spirit help me in showing the Zoranian culture and traditions to the Sultan in hopes of starting a friendship between our countries.

He thought to himself as Sultan Mehmed of Lanorth and a woman, who Ani'-Wah' assumes to be the Sultan's girlfriend, began to exit the plane.
*Based on Cherokee Turban, not religious in any way

Welcome!

Charter of the Auran League
The Parties to this Treaty confirm their desire in the purposes and principles of the organization founded by this document and their desire to promote discussion and the exchange of ideas and solutions between leaders on global issues with a specific focus on economic issues.
Article 1: Organizational Structure of Organization
The Auran League shall be a council that shall convene once a year. Each year, the council shall convene in a different country and the host country shall be rotational based and the host nation shall be Speaker of the Council. Emergency meetings can be held should a global issue arise.
Article 2: Purpose of the organization
The Auran League is an organization composed of nations on the Auran continent with the aim of addressing challenges affecting the growth of the global economy. Leaders of member organizations have the ability to discuss and exchange ideas on a variety of topics besides the global economy such as global security and energy. No decisions or declarations made by leaders during summits are binding in any means.
Article 3: Admission of New Members
Should any state wish to join the Auran League, they must be on the continent of Aura and they must be recognized by pre-existing members and be approved for entry by a vote held by pre-existing members.
Founding Members:
Saint Mark
Giovanniland
Gryphonian Alliance
Confederacy of Zoran
Fuentana
Sensorland

FOLLOWING the signing of a defensive pact between Lanorth and Zoran, in order to improve relations, Mehmed proposed he visited Zoran in a state visit. Zoran accepted, so Mehmed and his girlfriend, Sabriye, who had hardly ever travelled abroad due to the travel restrictions of the military dictatorship, had left Constantinople for the Adanvdo International Airport in Zoradia.
The plane, a red and white decorated with the Lanorthan flag and the words "The Sultanate of Lanorth" on each side, had left several hours ago now. It was closer to Zoran now than it was to Lanorth. It was travelling at around five-hundred miles-per-hour. Mehmed, inside was wearing his usual black uniform with his black Bork hat. Though, his hat was on the table in-front of him, as he sat down in a chair with a window view. In-front of him, was Sabriye, dressed in a pretty, blue dress with a tiarra in her neat hair. Mehmed sat on a sofa and so did Sabriye, however, they were small versions of sofas and were facing each-other.
"I presume we are nearly there, Sabriye." Said Mehmed, looking at his watch.
"I hope so." She said. "Never have liked the idea of an aircraft. A metal box flying in the air."
"It's perfectly safe here. You are fine." Said Mehmed, smiling at her. Mehmed placed his hand over her own. Mehmed became slightly agitated, as she was not looking at him.
"Look at me, Sabriye." Mehmed said. Sabriye turned her head. "You'll be fine." Said Mehmed reassuringly.
"God, I hope so." Said Sabriye.
"So." Said Mehmed, sitting back. "Looking forward to this?" He asked.
"Yeah." Said Sabriye, looking at Mehmed as he took out a cigarette. Mehmed lit it with his lighter, inhaling and then exhaling.
"Well, I know for sure that I am." Said Mehmed. He then turned his head, gesturing for his servant. His servant approached him and bowed.
"Yes, my Sultan?" Mehmed handed him his personalised cigarette case.
"I would like some more cigarettes in there, please." Said Mehmed.
"Of course, my Sultan." Said the servant. He bowed, once again before walking off with them, going to find Mehmed's other cigarettes.
Mehmed looked out of the window on his left. He realised the clouds were getting nearer and nearer. As his servant came back with his case and handed it to him, Mehmed inquired about the plane.
"Are we coming into land?" Mehmed asked, gesturing to the window.
"I believe so, Sultan. I would say, five to ten minutes, maybe and we should be there."
"Fantastic." Said Mehmed. "Thank you." He gestured to the servant, who bowed once more, before walking away. Sabriye remained unusually quiet, looking out of the window. "What are you staring at?" Asked Mehmed.
"Look out of the window." Said Sabriye. Mehmed turned his head and looked out of the window.
"Oh my God." Said Mehmed, in admiration. He had a clear view over the platypus island and the city upon it, as well as parts of the ocean surrounding it. It was beautiful.
"That is what I was staring at, Mehmed." Said Sabriye.
"Don't blame you." Said Mehmed, clearing his throat, before standing up. Sabriye did the same. Sabriye walked around the table and stood in-front of Mehmed, before hugging him, resting her head on his chest. "We have to be ready." Said Mehmed, hugging her for a few seconds, before stepping back, lifting his hat from the table, before placing it on his head. Mehmed took one last puff from his cigarette, before stubbing it out. He then turned, as he felt the aircraft touch down in the airport.
As the aircraft came to a perfect stop, Mehmed gestured to Sabriye, who stepped forward. Mehmed put out his hand and Sabriye took it. They waited. The aircraft doors opened and a series of steps extended out. A man in military uniform stepped out to complete some final touches to the steps, before he gestured to six men in ceremonial military uniform.
They stepped out, walking in synchronisation. Mehmed watched as they filed out of the aircraft doors and walked formally down the steps, standing on either side of the red carpet in threes. A few men in black formal clothing, members of the secret service, filed out, before Mehmed and Sabriye stepped forward. They stopped as they reached a small landing which led to the steps. Mehmed waved as they paused. Mehmed smiled, taking in the view. Mehmed looked down at the steps as he and Sabriye moved towards them.

PART 8: RELATIONSHIPS, BOTH FOREIGN AND PERSONAL
Mehmed lay in his bed. His hands were on his head. Next to him, lay Sabriye, who was lying there. Sabriye sighed. Mehmed turned over, away from her. Suddenly, there was a knock at his door. "What the hell?" Murmured Mehmed, looking at the door,
"Who is that?" Asked Sabriye.
"I don't know." Mehmed replied, getting out of bed. He put on his robe. "Who's there?" Ask Mehmed.
"I have a message for you, my Sultan." Came the voice of one of his servants.
"What is it?" Asked Mehmed.
"It's your Minister of Defence, Sultan. Çandarlı Pasha." She said. "He has secured a treaty with Zoran, a defensive pact, I believe." She said.
"Okay, thank you for letting me know." Mehmed said.
"No problem, my Sultan." Mehmed heard footsteps leading away from the door. Mehmed turned back to Sabriye, who remained in bed. Mehmed walked over and crouched down next to the bed. She sat up, leaning her forehead against his. Mehmed stood up and walked around the bed, lying back down.
"What to do, what to do." Said Mehmed as he lay down. "I know." Said Mehmed. He reached over to his bedside tabe and grabbed his cigarette case and his lighter. "I'll have a smoke." He flicked open the case, taking out a cigarette. He flicked the case shut, uputting it back on his table. He used the lighter to light the cigarette, before placing it back on the table. He inhaled. As he took the cigarette away from his lips, Sabriye put out her hand, as if she was gesturing for the cigarette.
"May I?" Asked Sabriye. "Not something I tend to do, I'd like to try it though." She said. Mehmed handed her the cigarette.
"Sure, go ahead." Said Mehmed. Mehmed watched her raise the cigarette to her lips and watched her inhale, but she exhaled almost immidiately, letting out a cough. Mehmed took the cigarette back from her.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Yeah." Said Sabriye. "Smoking is not something I frequently do... I love the taste, though."
"Vanilla flavoured. Best cigarettes in all of the country." Said Mehmed, putting it back up to his lips. "Smoking may be bad for you, sure. But it gives you a feeling of... pleasure." Said Mehmed, smoke coming from his mouth as he talked.
"Mehmed." Said Sabriye, turning onto her side to face Mehmed.
"Yes" Said Mehmed, turning onto his side to face her.
"I need to ask, what are we doing here?" Mehmed looked at her, a confused look on his face.
"Pardon?" Said Mehmed.
"With... us." Said Sabriye. "I love you, Mehmed. But I need to know, do you love me too?" She asked. Mehmed ignored her.
"Okay" She said, sighing.
"We best be getting up now." Said Mehmed. "Again."
"Course." Said Sabriye. They then, got out of bed. Ready to start the day. However, steadily, tension grew between them. Mehmed was beginning to feel hatred, somewhat and regret of this new relationship.

Bran Astor will be awarding challenge coins to everyone that posts a screenshot of their completed puzzle and an extra special coin to the first one completed! 
Please do not DM the screenshot to Bran. Instead, please post screenshots of your puzzle here. Only puzzles submitted in this thread will be eligible for a challenge coin.
 

The Zoranian Times

New Flag Created!
Last week, the thirty provincial communes all decided to change the Zoranian flag a bit. The design is still the same but there was some slight color changes and a new Coat of Arms was put onto the flag. This coat of arms has a golden A on it that represents the anarchist society and the broken chains in the A represent the freedom of our people. The red compass road on the left part of the coat of arms represents the naval tradition of the Zoranian people. The Red Spherical Grid on the black background is the flag of the Grand Defense Council and represents being unified under the Defense Council. The assembly on the right part of the coat of arms represents the communes and how all people can participate in their local communes, as long as they are of age of course. Finally, the sun represents hope for the future and the belief in the Great Spirit. The new flag was accepted by Zoranians in all communes and has become the official flag for Zoran.
 
Zoran to Participate in Second Burning Marsupial Festival
The Zoranian government has officially announced that it would participate in the second annual Burning Marsupial Festival and that it would make an effort to share Zoranian culture with other nations of the West and East Pacific regions along with nations from other regions. This is the first time Zoran has participated in the festival and current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wohali Anisaho, has said,
"The Festival has been a marvel so far. I genuinely feel like I am part of the community. I was also pleased to find that many aspects of our culture and tradition are supported there. I have also truly been enjoying myself here while also building relations with other nations."
This engagement will surely promote better relations with other states and many people within Zoran approve of this move as a step towards becoming more active in the international community.
 
Potential Passports?
There has been rumors that the Transportation Council are debating on creating a official Zoranian passport for international travel. Many believe that this is a necessity if the Confederacy of Zoran is to truly interact with other people in the West Pacific. However, there has been some opposition to this as many believe that there was never a need to develop a passport in the past and that just because we are now more known to the world doesn't mean we should have to change how things have been. This opinion is not very popular when compared to the opinion of other Zoranians and it appears that a majority of the population approve of the creation of a passport so they can easily engage in international travel. Many Zoranians have been turned down back due to the fact that they did not have a passport to allow them to enter another country. In fact, some diplomats have been turned away even thought they have had diplomatic business to attend to due the sheer fact that they did not have a diplomatic passport. Whether these rumors of the discussion within the Transportation Council is true or not is not yet revealed but people hope that they will get an answer soon.

PART 7: CONSTANTINOPLE'S SUNRISE
Mehmed awoke. He slowly sat running his right hand over his face. He looked to his right. Sabriye lay there, still asleep. Mehmed smiled to himself, thinking about the previous night. He got out of bed and put on his dressing gown, made from what would be called in our world, Ottoman silk. He sat down, picking up the case of cigarettes he had placed on his desk. He then picked up his lighter, before he walked outside, onto the balcony where they stood several hours prior. The sun was beginning to rise over the city. Mehemd placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it.
He watched the sunrise, letting the smoke once again fill his lungs as the taste of vanilla lingered over his tongue. He exhaled slowly. A cloud of smoke emerged from his lips. As he watched the sunrise, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned, to see Sabriye in one of his dressing gowns. He smiled. She smiled back. "Joining me then?" Mehmed said.
"Yes" She replied walking forwards to stand next to him. One next to him, she leaned her head against his shoulder. Mehmed chuckled.
"What do you like more? The surnise or the sunset?" Mehmed asked, still admiring the sun's glow as it began to rise.
"I prefer the sunset. But the sunrise is just as beautiful." She responded, sighing. Mehmed rested his head against the top of her head, as the sun became visible over the city.
"Should we have breakfast?" Mehmed asked her, raising his head back up.
"Not yet." She responded. "Lets wait until it has risen completely." Mehmed chuckled.
"Very well." He said. Mehmed looked back up at the sunrise. He felt her arm wrap around his waist. Mehmed turned to her. "Okay. Lets go and have breakfast now? I'm getting quite hungry." Sabriye sighed. She then leaned in and kissed Mehmed on the lips. After exchanging this kiss, she stepped back.
"Now we can." Mehmed placed out his two hands and Sabriye took them both. Mehmed then rested his forehead against her own and Mehmed kissed her forehead.
"Then lets go. But first, we best get dressed." He said. Mehmed dropped his cigarette and stepped on it, before kicking it aside. They walked inside and Mehmed walked over to his closet. He put on his standard black robes with the ceremonial armour plate he loved to wear. He turned to Sabriye, who had put on a blue dress. "Ready?" Mehmed asked her. She nodded. Mehmed then approached her and put out his hand, once again and Sabriye took it.
Mehmed and Sabriye then walked to the door of the bedroom, before it was opened by Mehmed's servant. Mehmed and Sabriye then walked down the stairs to the dining hall. Mehmed, when they reached the table they were going to sit at, let go of her hand and gestured to a seat, which he had pulled up for her. She sat down and Mehmed pushed her in gently. Mehmed then walked around and sat in his own chair. A waiter then approached them and asked for their order.
Mehmed gestured to Sabriye, who asked for a healthy breakfast that the waiter could pick for her, whilst Mehmed ordered a full Lanorthan breakfast. It arrived and Mehmed had some fruit juice for a drink, whilst Sabriye had some water. They were finished around half-an-hour later. Mehmed and Sabriye stood up and exited the room, walking back up the stairs.
"Sultan?" Asked Sabriye, after she cleared he throat.
"Yes?" Responded Mehmed, inclining his head to look at her as they reached the landing.
"My father. What will he think of, of this? Or, of us, if you will?" She said, looking up at Mehmed.
"Nothing. Your father and I, we are on good terms." Said Mehmed confidently.
"Are you sure?" She asked, stopping as they stood on the landing.
"Of course." Mehmed replied. They held hands. Sabriye leaned in as she wrapped her hands around Mehmed's neck. They exchanged a long, passionate kiss. Sabriye withdrew her head, but leaned in again, as Mehmed lifted her up. She giggled as he lifted her, as they continued doing their thing. Mehmed walked towards their bedroom, shutting the door with his foot behind him.

On behalf of The Sultanate of Lanorth, her Sultan and her people, I, Çandarlı Pasha, hereby agree to the terms of the agreement.
Signed,

 

In the name of the Confederacy of Zoran, I Ambassador Yenisia agree to the terms of the agreement.
Signed,
ᏗᏐᏴ ᏰᏁᏍᎢᎠ

PART 6: STARS IN THE SKY
It was around eight in the evening in Constantinople. The Sultan, Mehmed, had invited the Lanorthan equivalent of Dukes, Duchesses, Barons, etc from across the country to attend a garden party at his palace. The party had started by eight. Mehmed stood with in his ceremonial outfit, a glass of champagne in his hand, speaking to a Lanorthan equivalent of an Earl.
"Sultan, I am honoured to meet you." Said the Earl, named İlkay.
"Lets face it, my friend." Replied the Sultan. "We were going to meet eventually, with your position and all." They both chuckled at this. Mehmed took a sip of his champagne. The daughter of İlkay then approached her father. She was, in Mehmed's opinion, beautiful. Mehmed glanced at her and smiled. Her eyes widened as she realised who her father was talking to.
"Oh, Sultan. This is my daughter, Sabriye." Sabriye curtsied. Mehmed gestured with his hand for her to rise. Mehmed cleared his throat. He finished his champagne and his servant came over. Mehmed handed the servant the champagne glass and he walked away. Mehmed then took out his golden case and opened it, taking out a cigarette. He put it between his lips and pocketed the case, before he took out his gold lighter and lit the cigarette.
Sabriye was about the Sultan's age, just a little younger. Mehmed and Sabriye were both nineteen, although Mehmed was older than her by a few months.
He smiled, before Sabriye spoke. "Sultan, I am so happy to have finally met you!" She said.
"Likewise." Said Mehmed, removing the cigarette from his lips. Mehmed looked at Sabriye. Sabriye looked back at him. He smiled, putting the cigarette back up to his lips. Mehmed turned to the sky. "Are you enjoying the party?" Mehmed asked the two, admiring the stars in the sky.
"Yes, my Sultan." Said Sabriye. İlkay then said something similar. Mehmed nodded at this. İlkay then excused himself. Mehmed looked back at Sabriye.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" Said Mehmed. Sabriye turned her head swiftly.
"Pardon, Sultan?" Said Sabriye.
"The stars." Mehmed said. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"
"Yes." Said Sabriye, looking up. Mehmed turned.
"What was your name again?" Asked Sabriye.
"My name is Sabriye, Sultan." She responded.
"Of course." Said Mehmed. "Sabriye, just quickly, come with me. I'd like to show you something."
"Certainly, Sultan." She said. Mehmed walked away and she followed. Mehmed climbed the steps connecting the palace to the palace grounds. Mehmed gestured to the two guards, who opened the doors for them. Mehmed continued walking, climbing up some of the marble stairs inside the palace. Mehmed, one he reached the oversized landing, turned and approached a balcony. Mehmed stopped walking when he reached the balcony. Sabriye glanced at Mehmed.
"Look, Sabriye." Said Mehmed. He then stepped aside, gesturing to the view beyond the balcony. They both had a clear overlook over the whole city. The sound of distant cars could be heard. Sabriye looked in admiration.
"Wow." She said. "It's amazing!" She exclaimed.
"Isn't it just?" Said Mehmed, smiling. He then turned, placing his two hands on the balcony railing, leaning forwards. Sabriye stepped forward, standing next to Mehmed. She did not lean against the balcony, but placed her hands quite close together on the railing. "I could stare at this for hours, couldn't you?" Mehmed asked her.
"Yes, my Sultan, without a doubt." She said, still looking.
"Be honest with me, Sabriye. You don't have to lie to me to tell me what I would like to hear." Mehmed said, sounding a little more serious,
"I'm being honest, Sultan." She said, looking at him.
"You sure?" He asked, chuckling.
"Of course." She replied.
"I'm glad." He said. Mehmed began to tap the banister, humming a tune. Mehmed then stopped, turning his head to at Sabriye, who turned her head. "I just wanted to say, you are beautiful, Sabriye." She blushed.
"Thank you, Sultan." She said, sounding a little surprised. "I thought you, being Sultan would get more than enough attention from, you know, people like me." She said, sounding a little confused. Mehmed chuckled.
"Not really." He chuckled. Suddenly, there was an explosion in the distance. Sabriye jumped, however, Mehmed simply looked up. Then, all of a sudden, five-hundred fireworks exploded in the air. Sabriye looked up and relaxed. Mehmed realised she had jumped. He chuckled.
"No need to get in a panic." He said. "It's just fireworks." Mehmed looked up at the sky, as hundreds more exploded. In total, there were 5,000 fireworks and Mehmed had ordered they were all used in the party to put on a display for the guests. Mehmed placed his hand onto Sabriye's. Sabriye looked at him and smiled, as she turned to watch the fireworks. She had no problem with it and found the Sultan to be rather handsome. They watched the fireworks together, which lit up the dim sky.

So I decided that I should broaden my NS horizons and since I have never been the citizen of a GCR before I decided to join one. TWP looked the most fun of all and here I am!
Some of you might know me as Loller from the other regions I am in like Equilism/Caer Sidi/The Universal Allegiance, but anyway, hi everyone! I am looking forward to having fun with you all!

As part of The West Pacific's month-long recognition of Autism Spectrum Disorder, we present three essays from our friends on the spectrum.
Wymondham
          So, I suppose I should start by telling you all about myself. I’m Wymondham, Vizier of CA in Osiris, NSToday PR Director and Court Justice in Lazarus. But, I’m not here to talk about that. I was diagnosed with High Functioning Aspergers at age 13 and that helped explain a lot to me. However, to explain the rest of my story, we need to go back further to when I first started primary school aged 4. I had always found making friends difficult and the same was true at Primary school, I made 2 or 3 friends and was very close to all of them. I quickly found that, although I excelled at the work, I would misinterpret the teachers instructions and was often told off despite not really knowing what I had done wrong. When I got to the older years though I had an excellent teacher who seemed to really understand me and I cannot thank her enough for the ways she helped me. Whether it was from giving me instructions that I could follow and easily understand, to stretching me in terms of work difficulty by moving me up a year, which is an arrangement that I have continued to this day. Moving up to High School was difficult for me. I struggled very much to make friends and was bullied until the summer of last year. Without a diagnosis my teachers refused to make allowances for me. I got into a very heated row with my Head of House when he refused to give me some space to calm down following a fracas with another boy who had been mocking me because of my appearance. I’ve always struggled with expressing my feelings and, as such can often find opening up to people rather difficult. I was diagnosed aged 13 and it helped me understand a lot about myself. Suddenly certain things I didn’t understand why I did suddenly became a lot clearer and it has become a lot easier to develop strategies to control my often explosive anger. Routines are a major part of my day and since getting my diagnosis people have certainly been a lot more accepting off it. For example, when I go on discord, I will always say good morning to servers in a certain order: a friends personal discord server, followed by Osiris, then my two family servers, then Thalassia and finally Karma. Same goes for saying goodnight in PMs, I say goodnight to Rigel first and Altino last. I will have lunch at a certain time every day, go for my walk at precisely 2PM. Therefore, disruptions to my routine such as the Coronavirus can be extremely disorientating, I go to a boarding school which I find extremely useful due to the routine. Going home has required a readjustment to my routine and for the first week I was very very confused until I adjusted to the new normal. The internet and NS have been so useful for me as someone with Aspergers syndrome. It has given me the opportunity to interact with people without having to read facial expressions, which are the bane of my social existence - as a Brit I have grown up around Sarcasm so do not find that as difficult to deal with as other people with Aspergers. It has enabled me to meet people like Altino, Rigel, Halo, Rachael and Sho who have all helped me so much with my other mental health struggles which my tendency to hyperfocus does not exactly aid. So yeah, that’s me and Aspergers. If you’ve got any questions TG me or shoot me a discord PM (Wymondham#3478)
Dilber
          As a kid, I always was a little different.  I skipped speaking individual words and went straight to sentences.  My teachers told my parents I was far behind on reading, and that I had major learning disorders until all of a sudden, I could read paragraphs and was years ahead of my class.  When I was four years old, I was playing with a friend and he teased me mercilessly.  Instead of getting angry at the time, I waited a day, and then bit his finger to the bone.  My favorite book to read for years was volume A of the encyclopedia.  I received my initial diagnosis back when Aspergers was just added to the DSM.  My mom had read up about it, and was pretty sure I had it.  The psych, however, didn’t believe that it was a real disorder.  In the end, I was diagnosed with ADHD, Dysgraphia, and Non-verbal learning disorder.  I started therapy at 4 years old.  I don’t remember much of my early therapy, but one of the things I do remember was my writing therapist giving up on me.  I went to a writing therapist for four years, but by second grade I was using a laptop because the therapist didn’t know how to improve my motor skills.   I didn’t have a good experience with therapy until I was 8 years old, and we’d moved to a different city.  I got a fresh start with a new therapist that I would end up seeing for the next thirteen years.  Through middle school, I went to therapy 2-3 times a week.  I lacked very basic social skills and was unable to read people at all.  I was very young for my grade (made the cutoff for being in that grade by 2 days), and then skipped 4th grade.  My peers were 2-3 years older than me, and I just didn’t know how to interact with them.   Therapy was a very important part of my life and helped me learn how to function.  I was regularly bullied by some of the kids, and therapy helped me learn coping skills, and how to handle people.  I was very lucky to have incredibly supportive parents.  Therapy also taught me how to connect with my father.  We also conflicted when I was young, because he had issues understanding my actions.  I had a tendency to use my “logic” which no one else could understand where I came to the conclusion that something needed to be done.   The most common therapy that I did as a kid was “play” therapy.  The therapist and I would talk and play games, and he’d indulge all the rules changes I would make to the game.  This allowed me to open up more, and really helped me learn how to communicate.  Over time, I learned how to read body language better, while also getting really good at the made up version of connect 4 that we used to play.  I ended up repeating 8th grade, not for academic reasons but because I would have been going into high school as a 12 year old, and that would have made the bullying worse.  When I was 14 or 15, my psych admitted that I most likely had Asperger’s, but it wasn’t worth changing my diagnosis because it would mess with all the educational plans I had at school.  I would have been forced into special education classes, and taken out of my honors classes, and it would have really been detrimental to my social life that I’d finally managed to start developing.  In middle school and ninth grade, I always had a very small circle of friends but I started blossoming in tenth grade when I joined the school jazz band. Music helped me connect with people, and I was able to form close attachments with friends.  I still was the “weird” kid, but all of us were a little bit weird and that taught me it was ok.   Making friends was the next important step in development for me.  Back in middle school, I thought it was “cool” to sit by myself because it would impress the girls.  I wasn’t any smoother in high school, but navigating social groups and bonds helped set me up for the learning how to become a functional adult.  This was also around the time I got into Nationstates.  Nationstates was great because on the internet you could be anyone, and no one had to know your struggles if you didn’t want them to.  Nationstates taught me a lot about online communication at the same time I was really learning how to interact with people in-person.   The next step for me was in college when I got into Improvisational Comedy. One of my long running-struggles was a massive need for “structure”.  Without structure, I was unable to operate and basically shut down.  Improv taught me how to play around with-in the rules, before later learning how to break them.  This was a big improvement over me as a kid, where I once tattled on my cousin for buying me ice cream when my mom told her not to get it for me because I knew I broke the rule and it wasn’t right.   I’m now a “slightly weird” adult.  I had a conversation with a former co-worker that told me that when I was hired, they thought I was going to be incredibly annoying.  I had a tendency to want to talk while they were doing work and wouldn’t understand their body language that they wanted me to back off.  This was a really important learning for me, and I’ve told my co-workers to straight up tell me “hey, I need to do stuff.”  Therapy helped me learn how to read people, but when I get excited I still run into issues.  I hyper-focus on this, and I get really excited about stupid things and then explain it to my poor wife.  I got really into smart home technology, and now I own three smart ceiling fans.   It’s interesting to think of what I would have been like without years of work.  When people think of the spectrum, they think of what they’ve seen in movies.  Not everyone needs to live in a group home, but if they do that’s ok.  We all cope and learn to do things different ways.  My business partner was diagnosed with Autism as an adult, and it made a lot of things in his life “click”.  We have discussions because sometimes it feels like we’re on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of our preferences to do things, but because our brains are different that “normal” people we can understand each other better.  Normal is a relative concept.  Most people have no idea that my friend or I are on the spectrum, and many would be surprised to find out.  There is a stigma attached to the spectrum that needs to be cleared up. People on the spectrum can be just as unique from each other as they are to neurotypical brains.   If you know someone with autism, just talk to them about it.  Ask about their preferences or why they said something.  Be gentle, be kind, and be understanding.  This doesn’t mean be a pushover. Being on the spectrum is not a license to be an asshole, and I thank my parents, friends, and coworkers for giving me boundaries.   Awareness of the spectrum is key for the future.  There’s a whole gap between the public perception of “group home” or “rain man”.   Awareness is really important, and I’m glad that people are starting to learn more.
Ithobbit
          I think a lot has been written by people close to Autism, quite a number of articles, studies, notes and even projects that heralded new insight as to what Autism (and the spectrum) is. Not so much (or at least published in great numbers or popular in nature) has been written by the autistic to tell their part. The new found use for Social media and Social networking has shifted the balance here, everyone can get a platform to shed light on the things close to their hearts and to be able to express themselves somewhat. We know what the DSM says about Autism: "Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fifth Edition of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM 5)*, is a complex developmental disorder associated with symptoms that include "persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts" and "restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities." But, from the point of view of someone in the spectrum, what does that really mean? To me, being on what used to be called Asperger’s and now is just a part of the ASD, it means that certain things are FAR more important or worthy of attention than others. That I’ll settle in and be comfortable with certain tasks and situations, while being absolutely unable to cope with others, and for each one of us, these are different. My son, also on the spectrum will tirelessly research, learn and go on to teach if allowed anything and everything he can about video editing, cinema and movies. He’s dedicated dozens of hours to analyzing the differences in DVD (or BluRay) menu options between different versions of a movie, and will gladly share everything he knows about it if you just sit down “for a minute”. Some of us are very prone to bouts of “self isolation”, alone playtime, going into closets, under beds, or dark places. Others are hyper and love moving about and doing all sorts of physical activity, but one major thing we have in common is that social “awkwardness” that prevails over most of our interactions; be it that we miss social cues, we take things at face value, or simply, miss absolutely anything relating to sarcasm or innuendo because we only really register the words, not the nuances. Overall it makes daily things hard. People may take advantage of it (we trust a lot) or be afraid of our aloofness or possibly even they fear that we may become irate “over nothing”; quick hint here, very rarely it’s over nothing. We on the spectrum obsess easily, that’s a great gift for learning, but we also don’t let things go as fast as others. Someone making fun of you stays, sometimes even for years, which lends itself for some really hard times when forgiving a slight. Eating is another “fun” time. Some of us have issues with textures, some foods that are absolutely enjoyable by most, are actually retch producing and we need to work around that daily. It all is variable, and some people seem very far removed from “neurotypical” while others are far more functional, but sometimes none of us get a chance to show how or why. I’ve taken my son out of more schools than I care to admit, we’ve tried different systems, education patterns, teachers and methods, and only some work, and not all the time. We’ve had parents force our kid out of the classroom because they are afraid that their children may miss classes, have a hard time, or, in the worst cases “catch something”. It’s been 11 years of schooling, Jr has moved to seventh grade now, he’s moved out of the city and into a more rural environment, people are somehow more open there, teachers try to explore different ways, and the fact that there is more space and nature, has brought anxiety levels down on all of us. Not everyone is this lucky, we had a choice, we were able to move him to a place where people were willing to not just shy away, but reach out; in times like this, don’t we need a bit more of reaching out, albeit metaphorically if not actually?

Firstly, I thank @Saint Mark. I joined NS at the time of Halo's reign as Delegate. He showed me that there was a lot more of NS beyond issues, and encouraged me to become a citizen and join the Discord server and forums. Although the delegate change happened not much time after that, I still remember Halo's delegacy, and I thank him for helping me.
I also thank @Ark for introducing me to Foreign Affairs, which was the first ministry I decided to join, and I thank @Bran Astor for being an amazing Delegate and helping me with the Speaker position after I was elected, such as giving me ideas on how to start the Regional Commendations.
Furthermore, I also thank @Reçueçn, @Elegarth, @TUMS and @Mediobogdum for being Trading Cards players that constantly trade cards with me and help keep the TWP Card Channel in Discord active. From all these card farmers, I think I should especially thank @Reçueçn for also encouraging me when I was seeking the last cards for my TWP S1 collection, giving me ideas to contact the players who had these rare cards, and showing me some tools to make card farming faster and less boring.
It is important to say, though, that those are all individual players. I thank the West Pacific as a whole for being a wonderful region! Without you all, TWP wouldn't be the same.

Jayé Ronâld was a Revolutionary known for his assasination of the last leader of Communist Party of Novia Xeneia during The White Rebellion.The assasination  prevented a stalemate between Communists and Democratic Union.
Early Life
Jayé Ronâld was born on March 14,1993 in the Colony of Novia Xeneia.He was born to a  farmer mother and a metal worker father.
Jayé Ronâld studied at the University of Glatin and got a degree in literature.
Independence and Rise of the Communist Party
Jayé Ronâld worked at the Democratic Union for 3 years as a writer for their newspaper.After The dissolution of the Democratic Union,Jayé Ronâld was forced to work in a state owned farm.He was deeply against the tyranny by the Communist Party.
 
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Hewwo from your ambassador from TSP called Rabbitz!
If ya have any questions regarding TSP, contact me!

Oh, thanks, didn't notice that. Their nation activity does seem suspicious, after all they moved immediately to TWP from another feeder right after founding...

He was subject to the banhammer.

There are quite a few thanks I could give in this thread, but I'll do just one right now:
Thanks to @de la Fuentana for sharing your poetry, forming an RP alliance with me, being a generally fun presence in TWP, and most importantly, for relieving me of Today in the West duty.

I'd like to thank @Sensorland for getting me more involved and for also being a friendly and fun presence, and @Bran Astor for liking my haiku and getting me even more involved! Thanks as well to the folks in Karma who have so kindly welcomed me as a new ambassador. 

Although I already knew you before, thanks for the introduction!

The Giovannilandian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent an expedition of 100 archaeologists, scientists and geologists to study the ruins in western Doll Guldur, along with a sum of 5 million Abrios. Giovanniland is eager to find more interesting data about the ancient history of the world! 

While I have only been in TWP for only about 2 weeks now but I am still grateful for a few people. I would like to thank @Arracrania for being one of the first people I can say I made friends on TWP. I would also like to thank @Reçueçn, @Giovanniland, @TUMS, @Mia, and @Dilber for making me feel welcome in the TWP community, you are all wonderful people who have really made this experience enjoyable and really made it clear that TWP is a family and have made it feel that way. I would again like to thank Dilber for helping me get into foreign affairs for TWP and checking in on me here and there and for making my first few weeks in TWP very interesting with the Crabbist coup and allowing me to take some part in it. I am thankful for all of TWP and those that I haven't mentioned who have taught me the ropes and for being amazing people during these times.