Articles for the reboot

[Neenee]

This one is from Overthinkers

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Desert Island Discs

Ever worry about what you would do if you were going to be stranded on a desert island, with a handful of CDs, a book, and a luxury item? After all, it could happen to anyone! Fortunately, the Pacifican has got you covered. I've picked some tunes for you, in no particular order, so you don't have to panic when reaching for the CD drawer when it comes your turn.

Song 1: "Castaway" by Zac Brown Band—For me, there's nothing like a Zac Brown Band song to lift your mood. Pair that with the power of reggae. Then add the coincidental fitting theme of the song. This song will either keep your spirits high or painfully remind you of your condition.

Song 2: "Beer for My Horses" by Toby Keith (feat. Willie Nelson)—It's upbeat, quite a ways off the beaten track, and brings together country greats Toby and Willie. Moreover, it's either fun, ridiculous, or offensive (depending on your perspective). May make you long for the pubs back home, however

Song 3: "Chariots of Fire" by Vangelis—Intrumentals are hereby represented by this timeless piece. It also has something of a calming effect, so you can put this on to sleep better after a scanty dinner.

Song 4: "Living for the Night" by George Strait—Whenever you get to feeling sorry for yourself and moping over your pitiful existence, put this baby on to provide music to match your mood. Putting Song 1 on afterwards is recommended.

Song 5: "Fishin' in the Dark" by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band—Feel an unstoppable urge to rock out to some bluegrass? Yes, those words can exist in the same sentence, because they exist in the same song!

Song 6: "What Makes You Beautiful (Five Guys, One Piano)" by ThePianoGuys—I've never heard the original of this number, but I don't think it could be much better than this bunch of guys melodiously torturing a piano. Of course, half the magic would be lost by having no video, but enough of it remains to keep you tapping.

Song 7: "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen—If I'm going to listen to rock, Queen is usually involved. And if I'm going to listen to Queen, "Radio Ga Ga" is always involved. And hey, where you'll be at, radios will be the future.

Song 8: "O Come O Come Emmanuel" by Phillips, Craig, and Dean—I mean, you have no idea how long you're going to be stranded, right? Might as well have something in stock for the holidays. This haunting rendition of the old hymn isn't exactly inappropriate year-round, either.

Book: Webster's New College Dictionary—Entertain yourself for hours! Expand your mind! This trusty old resource will always have something for the willing seeker. It's not like you'll have anything better to do, and you might as well educate yourself! More practical choices: Robinson Crusoe or Swiss Family Robinson.

Luxury: Wind-up Clock—Being Oklahoman, "gun" was the first thing that came to mind; however, that was quickly dismissed as impractical. A wind-up clock, however, needs no electricity and helps you keep track of time. After all, the diary of your adventures will look much better with dates and times.

And there you have it! Now you're prepared to take on the perils of isolated existence. Or, if you're smart, you could, you know...stay home? Live an average life? Eh, still, you never know when you'll be marooned with your choice of a bunch of music. Right?

And here is what Halo sent to me:

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The soft breezes of The West Pacific carry the news of change. Our beloved Delegarth Elelgarth has elected to end his term as TWP Delegate after 319 days for personal reasons.  He has served this region well. His firm, fun, snarky governance will be missed. Long Live Elegarth! Ascending to the vacated post is Big Bad Badger, the Commander of the TWP Armed Forces. During the transition, the legendary Mediobogdum, held the reigns.
Good friends of TWP, this is not a typhoon, wiping away the region’s familiar names and customs, nor is it a tsunami, resulting from a sharp shift away from TWP’s foundations. Although the timing may be a bit of a surprise, the transition has been well planned and will be smoothly executed. All treaties and relationships will continue unaffected.
Some things never change. TWP is still the place to be for fun and island hospitality! Punday Mondays and Karaoke Fridays still amuse and entertain. Every Thursday, nations line up to submit their best acts to TWP’s Got Talent!
Many of the old guard still actively serve TWP as its Guardians. Elegarth has taken on the role of Security Guardian, Yy4u is the RMB Watchdog, Mediogogdum is the Grumpy Old Sage, Bhang Bhang Duc is the WA Minister/Snark Lord, Darkesia serves as Pollmaker and Wickedly Evil People is Emperor for Life. Some new officeholders (but not new to TWP) are Yuno Owl serving as The TWPAF Commander, Neenee as Internal Affairs Guardian and Davelands as Foreign Affairs Minister.
Finally, TWP Armed Forces are better than ever. Recruitment and training have been BBB’s top priorities as Commander … and it’s really paid off! Our talented soldiers have aided our allies in several important missions. Yuno Owl, the always energetic, plans to expand upon these improvements and has already recruited many new soldiers.
To celebrate TWP, its customs, history and future and to thank our many supporters, the region is hosting a fantastic party. Please refer to the attached invitation.
Below, is an interview with Delegate Badger, sharing with us his thoughts and aspirations.

Interview with Delegate Badger

Why has TWP selected you to succeed Elegarth? What was their reasoning and what special qualities do you bring to the office?

In TWP, each Delegate is allowed to select his/her successor.  Of course my selection was agreed upon by the Guardians and former Delegates that assist in making decisions.  Elegarth selected me because of my enthusiasm for TWP and successes in the various positions that I have held in the game.  My success in rebuilding and organizing TWPAF and making our military relevant played a large part in his decision.  Many of the senior members thought it was important to get a younger, more enthusiastic person in the seat to work with new nations, getting them involved and invigorating TWP.

How long have you been in NS? Were you "born" in TWP? Can you tell us a little about your NS history?
I’ve been playing for about 2.5-3 years.  My first nation was spawned in The Pacific.  I stayed there for about a year answering issues.  I posted occasionally on the RMB, mostly stats per tradition in The Pacific.  I wasn’t really even aware that there were other regions.  I knew they existed but never explored things.  At the time, The Pacific was pretty sleepy.  When the Lazarus incident happened, I became aware of the different regions and started exploring.  As soon as I saw TWP and the witty banter on the RMB, I knew it was the region for me.  I created Big Bad Badger and began life in TWP!  At the time, they were going through the offsite government reorganization.  I started chatting on the RMB and exploring the forum.

 Along those lines, how do you think the roles have you played in NS and TWP have prepared you for the delegacy?

My first position for TWP was in the offsite government as Advocate, which was the head of the forum government.  There wasn’t a lot going on in the forum.  Once the creation of the government was completed, activity quickly dwindled.  Ironically, I followed Elegarth in that position too.   Just before Elegarth became Delegate, I was selected to take over TWPAF.  Westwind and Punk Daddy had been working on revitalizing it, but there just wasn’t much interest from other nations.  After the URAP Delegacy debacle and the ensuing DEN takeover of TWP, I was able to increase membership in TWPAF with people that wanted to help serve and protect the region and her interests.  

With the advent of RO’s during the last Zombie invasion, I was allowed to assist in border control and communications.  About that time, I also led TWPAF in taking Atlantic, an old historic region that had fallen on black days without a founder and was a constant target of tag raiders.  With the help of Mediobogdum, Darkesia, Westwind, Fratellnoir and Brightonburg, I learned about the mechanics of influence and refounding.  Eventually we refounded Atlantic and gave it to a long time native who is still running the region.

After the mission was completed, I was selected by Elegarth to become a Guardian.  It was a great, eye opening experience, as I became involved in more interregional politics, working with a number of different interregional groups.

I had brought my original nation into TWP to assist with zombie curing and wanted to explore more of NS, so I decided to bring the nation to one of our longtime allies, Equilism.  After some time as bartender, I won the first election for the Township government that was created in Equilism.  The Mayor had much of the power in the region internally and in interregionally.  In Equilism, I’ve had a chance to meet and work with so many great people.

Much of the focus for me this past spring and summer was involving TWPAF in interregional operations.  I got the opportunity to lead and work with so many different military groups and see how they operate.  Many of the successful military groups do a great job at creating activity for their members and getting them involved in the game.  

What are your plans and aspirations for TWP?

I want TWP to become more active inside the region and abroad in the NSverse.  As a feeder region we have 7,000, 12,000 nations. Many nations are involved on the RMB and some are involved in government and the military, but we are capable of so much more.  With this many nations, we can have a thriving community in multiple platforms with a common goal of betterment of the region.  While working on activity, I want our rich history and culture to be preserved, cherished and even used as a focal point for our growth in the game.  So many great, innovative, creative, and fun things in the NSverse have originated in TWP and I want our region members to be proud of this and the world to know!

Can you tell us a little about your philosophy regarding relations with other regions?

I believe that TWP will be a better region by standing with our friends and allies in the game!  I want us to actively pursue improved relations with our friends and allies, keeping them updated on our goings-on, inviting them to participate in our celebrations, and joining them in their time of need and in their time of celebration!  Improving our Foreign Affairs department will be a point of emphasis for TWP going forward.

What is TWP's special character, in your opinion? What makes it unique?

I believe that the individual people are what make this region special!  We have a rich history because of the collection of great people involved in the region.  We are smart.  We are snarky.  We are chill.  We are loyal.  We are innovative.  We are engaging.  We are The West Pacific!
 

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The Delegate and Guardians of
The West Pacific
        Request the honor of your presence at a
Weekend-Long Celebration
Given in thanks for the many nations and regions that have supported TWP.
The festivities begin on the RMB, our forum and our Discord server on Friday, October 14th. Join us first thing in the morning for our Friday Karaoke tradition. The official celebration begins at 19:00 (USA EDT) with formal introductions, and will continue throughout Friday into Sunday. There will be games, music, an open chat party, amusing stories about The West Pacific and a panel discussion on the history of TWP. A highlight of the celebration will be a State of the Region address offered by Big Bad Badger at 20:00 (USA EDT) on Saturday. TWP will also hold joint military operations in recognition of the event. All nations or regions that would like to participate should contact our new Commander of TWPAF, yuno owl.

Feel free to join us for any or all of the celebration, as your schedule permits. Whenever you arrive, you may describe your entrance and announce yourself, if you wish.

Residents of TWP and others are encouraged to change their flags to the one at the top of this invitation for this event.

No RSVP requested. 

Should you have any questions about the party, please contact Neenee

 

[Mediobogdum]

I presume that there will be images and color in the final version and links to the songs in Desert Island Discs?  With NS++ we can put this out as the official Regional Newspaper and permit an Editor, and I think a maximum of two other, so that the rest of the NSverse can see and read it. 

[Big Bad Badger]

*looks at BM* Yes, it needs to be bbcoded, with color and images! I've already made BM an editor of the NS++ newspaper page.

Also, we should use Halo's FA update too.

[Neenee]

That could go with the interview. I thought he looked very delegatey.