Kasch: Welcome, IndieGirl!
Firstly, I'd like to thank you for taking part in the interview, and I hope we can get a lot of interesting things from this.
IndieGirl: My pleasure! Glad to be here.
Kasch: Let's get this started.
First question, how do you think TNP as a region has changed and developed since your founding as a nation in this community?
IndieGirl: Oh, I think it has changed in a multitude of ways. Of course, off the bat, there are tons of brand new players (to me) that I have yet to be acquainted with. One thing you have to know is that, for a high percentage of my infamous post-count, I was never much of a mover-and-shaker. I think initially, I brought a lot of drama to TNP when I first showed up. I was starting college, 19, with the mindset of a 19-year-old. I had actually heard about NationStates on a poetry forum that I had been writing at for a while. A fellow writer had recommended it and I decided to check it out. Luckily, my nation - Creepugnasia? I think that was the first one - was born in TNP, and I never really left.
I did what most players always do. You address all your issues, make your flag, change your currency, animal, and motto a few times, and then start poking around the RMB. The in-game forums were too overwhelming for me, I felt like I'd get lost in the shuffle, so I saw the link to the off-site forum, Ol' Blue (it wasn't called that at the time) and went to poke around. I was fascinated by the RP opportunities, and hadn't done much previously, but as a creative, quiet type, and a writer, I was drawn to the world-building potential of the game, and the characters.
Magicality, Nastic, Tresville, Blackshear, OPArsenal, Twoslit, Wilkshire, Flemingovia, Nem, Sydia... they were a few of the players I met and interacted with right away, and I enjoyed the interactions immensely. Got a bit carried away with it, actually, and a friend and I created a whole houseful of teenage girl characters to play around as on the forum. Poe was the opportunity to be myself in a way that I think most teenagers avoid being IRL at that age, to try and fit in or whatever. She was my chance to be exuberant, outgoing, ridiculous, flirtatious, etc. And I took it and ran with it.
I was always more involved with the RP and OOC sections of the forum than any of the politics. At the time, really, gameplay-wise, it seemed all you could do was invade or defend, or write resolutions. We had some structure, but things weren't as...delineated...as they are now. As far as TNP government went, there was far less depth and breadth to it than there is now. No extensive history of amendments and court proceedings. It was far less organized, but it was fantastic in spite of the...chaos. I fell in love with the opportunity to meet people from all over, to make friends and get to know them. We had imaginary houses, pool parties, kissing booths, bar fights, discussions about music and philosophy and nothingness.
AIM chats and countless nights up super late just spamming the OOC so fast that by the time you posted in the "Describe the Person Above You" thread, three other people had already posted. There was a whole gang of us who really just "hung out" on the forum and avoided the politics. We had what we really wanted - friends. We were fine with Pope Hope and the ADN and the NPA (I don't even remember if it was called the NPA at the time) running around defending other regions and ousting invader spies... There were the politicians and the militia and the community... and I was buried completely in the community. And it was wonderful.
And then, in real life, I went on vacation with my family, and when I returned, I found my online "home" had been attacked. My nation was in the Rejected Realms. UPS Rail had stolen the delegacy, I felt personally affronted, and outraged on behalf of my friends and the destruction of the sanctuary that our TNP home was. My patriotism kicked in fiercely, out of nowhere. I joined the NPA. Spent nights in the group AIM chats with Thel D'Ran and everyone else trying to figure out how to take our home back.
It was during those chats that Thel and I coined the term "endotarting" for the first time, trying to figure out what to call spamming TGs the long, slow way to all the nations endorsing UPS Rail, shamelessly begging them to un-endorse him and endorse our Delegate-In-Exile. That was really my first run-in with the politics and mechanics of invading and defending. And I was surprised at how passionately I felt about the politics. About the people involved, when we found out that UPS Rail was Sir Paul, the Pacifican. The Pacific had done something unforgivable when they invaded us. I despised them. I'm fiercely competitive by nature, and the values that matter most to me are loyalty, kindness, and justice - and I felt like all three of them had been attacked at the same time.
I wanted revenge, I wanted to restore order, but I didn't feel like I could do much of anything to fix what had happened. I didn't have any "1337 H4XX0RZ" skills like the ADN spies had... so I offered my spamming services, and that was it. Spammed and tried to keep up the morale, keep the OOC alive. At least we had the forum. After the UPS Rail invasion was when things really began to change, and those changes snowballed through Great Bight, and the civil unrest and division that happened in the wake of that. A lot of people - my friends - left. The ones who stayed wanted order and safety, a way to find restitution against those who did us wrong, to stop those things from ever happening again. Naturally, the credit for the organization and expansion of the government goes to the politicians and leaders on the forum, and I don't really count myself among them. I don't think I ever really have.
The last few times I have come back over the years, the biggest change that I noticed, is that post-Great Bight and the forum move, we threw up walls and halls and rules and defenses so fast, and out of so much... paranoia, almost? As complacency settled back over the region and the forum community, we withdrew into our shells a bit. If that makes sense? The tide was back out. And looking through the forum, it feels like we have many marble halls that sit empty, unused now that the zealous, overabundance of caution has ebbed.
We don't need to use them, and so we don't. There are voices you can feel behind closed doors, but mostly the edifices we built are full of echoes and ghosts. Safety and order bring complacency, but they also bring stagnation, boredom. When people get bored, they leave. They abandon things halfway through. Sometimes I am nostalgic for the chaos that we had in those early days. The blissful ignorance that let us create and play because we didn't have to worry about failure. Didn't have to worry about "legal" repercussions. I think sometimes that our lust for invincibility did serious damage to our sense of humour. And I have definitely been guilty of growing bored and wandering away more than a few times.
I hope I don't offend anyone, and I might be completely wrong in that. Honestly, I haven't been active enough in the last few years to really know if the things I sense are the truth, or merely my false perceptions. I'm sad that I've missed the opportunity to observe and interact with this great community continuously as both it, and I, have grown.
But I feel the winds of change have shifted. As I read (slowly but surely!) through the threads and events that I have missed in recent times, I do see community, friendship, imagination, creativity, growth, goodness, humour, and light. The OOC and the RP sections feel active and rich to me in a way that they haven't since those early days. The North Pacific feels like a land of opportunity again. I find myself drawn to participate and give back to a place that gave so much to me in times that I truly needed it. There are ways to progress and feel true kinship. The active community that TNP is, currently, feels more welcoming and hopeful than I have seen in a long, long time. I'm overjoyed to have come back at this time. Moreover, I am optimistic at the prospect of finding many new, dear friends among you.
Kasch: Thank you for the response. I'm sure that will give for good reading!
Now, onto the next question. To settle things down after such a brilliantly detailed answer, can you describe The North Pacific in just one sentence?
IndieGirl: Hrmm... that's a tough one! I think... The North Pacific is, no matter the iterations it has been or may become, a bastion as bright and hopeful as the people who belong to it.
Kasch: Another fantastic answer!
Now, since the appointments to cabinet have recently been made by our WA Delegate, Lord Ravenclaw, it would only be right that I ask a question on that topic.
What plans do you have for the Ministry of Cultural Affairs over the next four months?
IndieGirl: I have so many ideas! But a select few that I want to get started on right away. I don't want to give away any big surprises, but I will say that I am planning on assembling a Culture Council, that I envision will be a round table of representatives from each area of TNP's rich culture, areas that currently exist, and areas that I would like to see created and embraced during the length of my term. Once I have organized and outlined the council positions I'd like to start with, then I will be posting those seats as open executive staff positions for people to apply to.
I am thrilled about The Northern Cup and the new Stadium that we have built - I can't wait to see what we choose to name it. And I am excited to see how my national team fares during The Cup. I think we have a strong roster of players, but the competition seems pretty fierce. I look forward to seeing many sporting events occur now that the Stadium has given us a prominent location for them. I think sporting events, especially, give newer players less familiar with RP a great opportunity to test the waters.
And I think it's high time we had a good party or two around here. I imagine there will be a quite formal celebration once the Stadium's christened with its official name.
I really want to give members the opportunity to serve in and shape a variety of community events, both regional and worldwide. If anyone has ideas for ways to do that, I welcome them with open arms. Your ideas - no matter how small or elaborate - will always have my ear, and I will do everything I can to make the best of them happen, and happen well.
Kasch: It is great to see such a passionate and dedicated Minister! Once again, a fantastic answer.
Now, I know we've already spoken about your history and career in The North Pacific, but I'd like to get a bit more information on it. If you could bring back one nation from your time in this game, who would that be and why? It could be anyone who you have met on NationStates or in TNP.
IndieGirl: Oh, now that's not fair. I don't think I could ever pick just one! Can I choose three? If I could pick three to come back and be full-time active again, I would have to say Blackshear, Sydia, and DD (Democratic Donkeys). Mostly because I think those fellas were fantastic at being involved in multiple areas of the game, both on and off the forum. And their wit, humour, tastes in music, and willingness to indulge my ridiculousness are greatly missed. I interact with them on occasion in other online places (since they all live so far away from me)... but those interactions are merely smoke and bywords, a far cry from the conversations and interactions we would have here in The North Pacific.
Kasch: I hope that one day they do make a full return to the community, it would be great to hear from them!
Now, staying on the topic of history, let's ask: What is your earliest/furthest back memory of TNP?
IndieGirl: When I met Blackshear for the first time in Ozworld's Cafe. Magicality was sitting at a table flirting with OPArsenal while Tresville was passed out under the table. BS made me an off-menu Dr. Pepper float, and offered me a job.
Kasch: Sounds like quite the entrance! We've been focusing heavily on the past here, so let me throw you a curve ball. From the current Nations in TNP, who do you believe could or will succeed Lord Ravenclaw in the next election? You can pick multiple nations if needed.
IndieGirl: Me! Hahaha...soooooo kidding. I am not sure I feel entirely informed enough to make an educated guess, but I think Bootsie, r3n, or Plemby would serve well, and seem popular and active enough. Personally, I've always hoped to be around for another Flemingovia delegacy...
Kasch: Good choices! Now that we have spoken a bit about the Delegacy, let's focus on some of the lesser known people of our past.
Who has had the biggest influence on you/taught you the most in NationStates/TNP?
IndieGirl: I don't really think any of the players who taught me the most about the game have been lesser-known. DD, Sydia, Flemingovia, Blackshear, Thel D'Ran, Ananke, were all great mentors/friends/influences. Any time I have a real question about something game-related that I can't just Google, though, I go ask Eluvatar. In my mind, Elu is the proverbial sage at the top of the mountain who sees and knows everything going on in the valley below.
Kasch: What are you most proud of doing concerning NationStates and TNP?
IndieGirl: Hrmmm...
I mean, achieving 28k forum posts is no mean feat. I was inactive for the last, what, 3 years? And I still average 7 posts per day or something like that? Crazy. The post count isn't the thing I'm the most proud of, no, but it's a big part of what I AM most proud of, which, looking back through the years, is really just all of the little things, you know? The daily posts and interactions that helped to build and contribute to a community that was worth defending, worth fighting for, worth trying to improve and be proud of. People don't work or stay for a bunch of fancy rules and elaborate buildings... the things worth belonging to and keeping are the community and the bonds of friendship that tie us together and help us stand united when troubles do come. I like to think that my personality and my enthusiasm helped to significantly contribute to making The North Pacific a place that people wanted to visit, and ultimately stay and get involved.
Kasch: Nice answer!
I think that's about all I have to ask you, it's been great to have you on here! I hope we can arrange another interview like this at some point in the future. Everyone, I've been Kasch, and this has been our new Minister of Cultural Affairs, IndieGirl!
Thank you all for coming along!
IndieGirl: Thank you so much for having me, it's been lovely!
Kasch: You're welcome, I wish you luck for your next term as Minister and I hope everything goes to plan.
Goodbye!
