Norcheek Blogs

29/1/26: An Introduction: Hallo!

Hallo, TNP! You would be absolutely forgiven for not noticing me tucked away in here. I wanted to take a moment to actually introduce myself to the TNP community and explain a bit about who I am and how I tend to engage in spaces like this.

First and foremost, I genuinely appreciate the welcome I have received. I’m a considerably new NationStates player, having founded my first nation back on September 2nd, 2025. I’m not sure this warrants much explanation, but I was quickly sucked into the whirling maw of its terrible entrapments, like a fly to succulent ointment. I’m a bit of an old head (easily unc territory) with a lifelong love of fictional history, fantasy, fringe art, world-building, and character development. I’ve been a nerd my entire life, and I tend to pour all of that collective interest into my nation, Northern Cheek.

I genuinely adore making digital art and writing related to world building. ...or I do it compulsively for some other reason. Either way, I spend an unpragmatic amount of time producing fictional information and articles of interest for my fake nation. And I love it. Born in the game. I will sort out the wasted hours closer to the expiration date. Lol.

Now, please bear with me. I want to explain a bit about the goblin behind the machine.

To be very upfront and transparent, it’s extremely likely that I’ve lived with undiagnosed autism my entire life. I’ve always struggled with social interactions, particularly when it comes to figuring out how relationships form and sustain themselves. That’s not to say I’m not eager to make friends. I’m deeply interested in others and in being part of a community, but I tend to approach interactions cautiously and analytically. I understand this can sometimes make forming friendships more difficult.

Usually, this is me just taking time to understand the space I’m in and figure out how to contribute meaningfully, in a way that doesn’t feel like a waste of anyone else’s energy or effort. If I seem hesitant, disinterested, or as if I am falling behind, I'm probably just spinning my tires while conceptualizing how to engage. It’s not a lack of interest. Social interaction has just never come intuitively to me.

That said, I’m genuinely excited to get involved however I can. My nation, Northern Cheek, has become a passion project, and I'm so proud of the work I've put into it. My hope is to bring the spotlight to the nation rather than the player behind it, and to let it grow and exist within this shared space.

I would like to think I bring a fair amount of art to the scene, as I can’t seem to break my habit of trying to emulate everything I see through digital art programs. I also obsessively write about whatever trivial topic my mind has been soaking in, filtering it into Northern Cheek. I have written about subjects ranging from archaeology to zoology, often inspired by real world news, academic topics, or passing curiosities. I also tend to take Issues and turn them into more fleshed-out news articles, using the game’s mechanics to further develop the story and character of my nation.

In short, I use pretty much everything available to build Northern Cheek.

To wrap this up, I am very happy to be here and grateful for the space. I’m interested in getting involved and helping wherever I can, and I welcome any interactions anyone wants to throw my way. I’m always around to offer a quick pep talk or just to say hallo. I would also love to help with any projects that might need an extra set of hands. If there’s any way I can be useful, please feel free to reach out.

I’m really looking forward to getting to know this space and the people in it over time. Thank you for taking the time to read, and I hope you are all having a wonderful week!