TEP NEWS: Unibot and Escade on the NS World Fair

[Unibot]

Reposted from here: http://theeastpacific.com/topic/5179815/1/
 

 

Unibot and Escade on the NS World Fair!
 

Escade and Unibot tour a remnant from another famous World Fair….

 
The East Pacific News Service got a chance to sit down with Escade, Delegate of The South Pacific (the hosting region) and Unibot, head of the World Fair Committee, to discuss the much anticipated NS World Fair only days before the Fair begins.
 
First, “Commend Harmoneia” has just come to vote – what are your thoughts on it?
 
Escade: While I don't know Harmoneia personally, everyone who has spoken about her says that she is a wonderful person and I'd recommend people vote for her commendation. It's always good to acknowledge the positive influences in NationStates.
 
Unibot: I agree. I've known Harmoneia for a long time and this commendation was really only a matter of time. She was an amazing lieutenant in the early days of The United Defenders League. A hard-worker. She's like a mother to a lot of players - she's like a wife to me though. Hah. Incidentally, Harmoneia will be speaking at this year's Lecture Hall for the World Fair on a very interesting topic.
 
She's a huge fan of academic pieces and philosophy, so she was excited to contribute.
 
What can we expect from the NS World Fair?
 
Escade: I'm excited about the NS World Fair. It offers a chance for NSers to meet and engage in various activities such as debates, lectures, games, RPs, and make new friends. Personally, I haven't ventured far from TSP and I'm excited to get to know the larger community that makes of NationStates.
 
Unibot: Wow that's a big question. You can expect literally everything we can throw at you!
 
Expect, a great list of fantastic, critical-thinkers in the lecture hall - I've tried to find the best speakers with the most topical and adventurous topics. Plus, a full-house of regional venues sharing their regional cultures abroad.
 
It’s great to see all of the GCRs attending. As Escade says, this is a chance to get to know more of these different corners of NationStates.
 
Escade: I'm super excited about this secret lecturer! There's been a lot of guessing about the identity of this special speaker 
 
Unibot: And yes, you also get to know more about this secret guest lecturer. 
 
There's all a big mass roleplay being organized between four major roleplay communities in NationStates, called 'Final Convergence'. NationStates, International Incidents, Global Economics and Trade and Portal to the Multiverse will be attending that apocalyptic roleplay - it'll be a lot of fun I'm sure with some zany ideas explored.
 
How much work goes into making a Fair? Is it difficult to organize?
 
Unibot: Omigod - tons. It's an organizational nightmare, but it’s always worth it.
 
I mean, myself, I'm trying to organize a mass roleplay and break down some cultural barriers there - while also getting lecturers ready, building a forum and writing a lecture myself, on top of a lot of other stuff to organize.
 
There's a lot of people to coordinate and you've got to be able to come in a bit authoritatively to provide a direction to others and get things to come together eventually.
 
Escade's also been working hard, I know. 
 
Escade: I can only imagine how Unibot is managing it all, it's an intensive process coordinating. Since TSP is hosting the fair, I've been working with Kringalia and the TSP cabinet to make sure our proposal gets executed in the best way possible and we hope that the rest of NS enjoys what we've planned. 
 
Unibot: It really is a beautiful proposal you've presented - Kringalia and you did a great job with it. Very comprehensive.
 
How does the forum look? Is it as good as it sounds like?
 
Escade: It's beautiful. I love it! I think it's even prettier than last year's forum which was also lovely.
 
Unibot: It's better than last year's I think too - and I loved last years when I built it. It's more of an evolution from last year's than an overt change.
 
Last years was very much, earth tones and "NS themed" -- this forum skin is more modern, sleeker but we've done something special to give it a kind of homey twist to balance things out. It’s probably the nicest forum I've seen.
 
You'll have to wait and see what we've got in store for you. 
 
What are you most looking forward to with the NS World Fair?
 
Escade: Well I've never attend a fair like this before so I'm just excited to see all the different things there are and meet new people.
 
Unibot: I swear almost everything is new to this girl. 
 
Personally, I'm looking forward to the speakers the most - there's a lot of real crackers planned for your enjoyment. There's also another event still being worked out which I think is hilariously inventive and will leave the World Fair's mark on NationStates forever (figure it out  ).
 
How does the theme of Friendship and Cooperation apply to NationStates?
 
Escade: Well first and foremost I think NationStates is a game that is meant to be enjoyable and friendship and cooperation are key to enjoying activities as well as building constructive and positive experiences.
 
Then, as delegate of TSP, friendship and cooperation was also the campaign theme I ran upon and penned my running mate Kringalia. When your perspective in any situation, whether delegacy of a GCR or a game or discussion, is cooperative then it's more likely to be a situation in which people build and create rather than destroy. I like being creative and working with people on projects and I think the World Fair particularly will lead to more inter-regional events.
 
Unibot: Agreed, Escade. I've always said create, not destroy. People seem to think in gameplay, the only way to create activity is to destroy things and bring stuff down. It's creating things which is the constructive force in NationStates and its the sustainable source for activity.
 
I think given the current context in NationStates, we need friendship and cooperation more than ever … I don’t think NationStates has ever been more divided. Gameplay and Roleplay were just recently at each other’s throats and that debacle has been going on since The South Pacific’s coup – and the Gameplay and Roleplay worlds are just as divided internally.
 
There’s a lot of conflict residue from the Cold War in Gameplay, plus the fractious coup in Osiris, while in Roleplay, there’s a lot of different communities and not a lot of communication between them which I’ve learnt the hard way with trying to organize mass roleplay for the Fair – I’ve lucked out with some very courageous and open-minded roleplayers willing to give the event a try.
 
Lastly, as New Year’s Eve approaches, what do you think will be the most influential event in NS from this year?
 
Escade: The most influential event for me personally was the TSP coup. It was the launching pad for me and many others in that it propelled us into TSP government and NS in a way that nothing else really could have. It's also a decisive factor in changing the course of TSP into a more open, transparent, and welcoming region.
 
Unibot: I agree with Escadie that TSP coup was very influential. I also think the creation of the new state in Lazarus could been incredibly influential for the future - I remember the days when Lazarus was so inactive, people just forgot about it. Now it’s a world power that everyone has to consider, plus it’s a defender region and bucking the independent trend. That's got to shake things up.
 
Thanks! Is there anything else you two would like to say? You have the floor!
 
Unibot: Thanks for the interview - I just want to say to everyone reading : come on out to the World Fair, Jan 3 - 10. It'll be a blast!
 
Escade: I hope to see you all at the NS World Fair! Let's make it beautiful 

 

[Bhang Bhang Duc]

Oooooh Lalla Ward - she was hot dressing as a schoolgirl in Dr Who.  Nowadays married to Richard Dawkins.