Code: zetaboards version

 

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/2WEObHr.png[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/hdiVlFB.png[/img]
[big][big]The Official Newspaper of Lazarus
Issue # • Month Year • # Page
[/big][/big][/center][hr]
[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/Gib9lqp.png[/img]
[big][b]Citizen of the Month: Aumelodia
By Seraph[/b]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/ox8AOsN.jpg[/img]

[b]AS MY FIRST FORMAL ASSIGNMENT IN LAZARUS[/b][i], I was asked to track down the Lazarene Citizen of the Month, and subject them to the usual ritual tortures. Unfortunately, since I have not yet been initiated into such rituals, I had to make do with a traditional interview.

Whilst things might not have been going to plan with the torture, finding the victim was no trouble at all. Our current Convenor of the Cosmic Council, Aumelodia, can easily be found tinkering with his many verdant hybrid creations in his enormous greenhouse on Uniterra. It is a little more like a forest than the traditional greenhouse and the mixture of so many shades of greens and purples, blues and pinks, can be a bit disorientating to begin with, but, even so, I was soon following the signposted path through the woods towards the place where Aumelodia’s magic really happens.

At the heart of the greenhouse is a sort of plant laboratory, where the delicate acts of pollination occur to create unique hybrids and where, sometimes, the very genetics of a plant are manipulated to introduce new colours and shapes. If the rest of the greenhouse seemed more purple than green, here the effect is multiplied a thousandfold, and yet it is not garish, but soothing.

In the midst of it all I find Aumelodia working on some new project, infusing a leafy shrub with lines of living colour and meaning. I catch his eye and, smiling, he comes to join me.[/i]

[b]Lazarene Gazette:[/b] So, to start off with, can you tell me a little about yourself in general? I know a lot of players in Lazarus will know you well, but some, like me, have only recently joined and might not have had the pleasure of seeing you elsewhere.”

[b]Aumelodia:[/b] Well, I first came to Lazarus from defending. I'd never spent much time in a GCR beyond my first few seconds in the North Pacific when I was founded, so I was looking for a new experience. Being already on the defending side of the R/D game, I was recommended to Lazarus by Neop, the Convenor at that time. He appointed me as his Deputy, and so I started working in the Council; next election I ran for Convenor and that's where I am today. Currently I'm a citizen in Lazarus, Forest, and the South Pacific.

I'm not a very old player, having only been on NS since March 2016 and having been an issue-answerer much of that time. I enjoy designing flags, seals, maps, and anything else my amateur graphics skills can make, as well as working on region-building and regional government.

In Lazarus, I can mostly be found either updating laws and administering the Council's functions or training new recruits in the LCA, of which I'm Grand Commandant. I'm also quite fond of the overuse of emoticons, most notably ':P' and '^-^'.

[b]LG:[/b] You say you are a young player, but you've clearly been very influential, both here, in Forest and in your own defender organisation. To what do you attribute this influence in such a short time?

[b]A:[/b] I'd say it's mostly simply my activity. I've tried to remain always around and available, willing to do things and eager to help. I also try to stay out of conflicts as much as possible, and I think that's been another way that keeps me from becoming isolated. But really, I wouldn't say I'm terribly influential outside of Forest and maybe Lazarus to a degree. Forest I've simply been around a while and I wouldn't say my defender organisation was so influential or effective-- though that's just my personal view, and I'm likely a bit cynical. At least in Lazarus I still feel like a newbie, and some of the politics still goes over my head.

[b]LG:[/b] Let's take a closer look at that organisation, then? Solidarity [a defender organisation designed to help rebuild regions alongside natives after a raid] struck me as an interesting and worthy idea. Why do you think it didn't catch on?

[b]A:[/b] Solidarity was a good idea that didn't pan out mostly because I was so new and unfamiliar with the real R/D scene to be able to successfully insert it into gameplay. I essentially came in, said "I'm starting an org" and published a GP thread without knowing any other raiders or defenders. I founded Solidarity with a native of a recently raided region, a novice defender from The Region that Has No Big Banks, and one from another medium-sized UCR (Lenlyvit, who of course is now in The Grey Wardens). Roavin came onto the discord as soon as the thread was published and he was essentially immediately made a commander because of his skill.

In the end, it wasn't the idea that was the problem with Solidarity-- it was that because we had no R/D connections to start off, all our members were already defending with other organisations and so when the time came, Solidarity couldn't pull forces, and its active members were largely mildly interested natives. When the commander body started moving on to other things (myself to Lazarus, Roavin and Lenlyvit to TGW, as well as others to their individual regions), there was no longer the critical mass to carry out the actual work anymore, so things slowly stopped happening..... It was a good group whilst it lasted, though, mostly for writing liberation proposals for the Security Council and for sending telegrams.

I think if I were to start it afresh now with the connections I have made, it might have more success.

[b]LG:[/b] It sounds like your idea had traction, though, in that organisations like the Grey Wardens (led by Roavin) are taking it forward within their own structure. Similarly, you seem to have made your mark, quite literally, in Forest. How do you find the time?

[b]A:[/b] Barely. For a while now, I've slowly been trying to decrease the number of regions/organisations I'm in. I used to be in over 6 government positions at one time, and I eventually realised that that was way too many. I wasn't able to devote any serious amount to any one without neglecting the other, so I've now narrowed down to just Lazarus and Forest. To be honest, I'm sort of looking forward to the end of my term as Convenor, because it means I can really buckle down on just the LCA.

I can only really manage to stay afloat by checking in everywhere occasionally, and also wasting my real life time. I still have that Forest map I'm in charge of that hasn't been updated in over half a year.

You're much more likely to find me working on a dispatch than joking in a discord server though, so that's another way I make time. Or working on a dispatch and talking in a discord server... now that's the way to go!

[i]With such a wide range of activities, it seems hard to pin Aumelodia down, but I try anyway.[/i]

[b]LG:[/b] You've obviously been heavily involved in the R/D side of gameplay since you started,” I say. “Is that your favourite aspect of the game? How else do you 'relax' in NS?

[b]A:[/b] R/D is definitely one of my favorite pastimes on NS. I've liked from the start that I can have fun with what I find an exhilarating activity while also being able to feel like I've helped the NS world. I've come to like the community and culture that revolves around update, and working with fellow members is always fun. Though, really, vexillography is my way to relax in NS. Drawing flags is somehow soothing for me, and I'll usually retreat to my giant Lazarus flags file if I'm not too busy.

[b]LG:[/b] You were recently very active in the CULT festival. What makes an event like that worth taking part in and do you find you've gained anything from it yourself?

[b]A:[/b] I got pulled into the CULT festival in trying to revive some of Lazarus's internal activity-- after the main coordinators on the Laz side became less active, I tried to keep up our end. And totally not because I wanted to prove that the South Pacific wasn't the best. I find these types of events to be worth taking part in because they can increase the activity of multiple regions, while also teaching and interconnecting others. I myself can say that I was definitely drawn into TSP because of the CULT festival.

[b]LG:[/b] You talked about reviving internal activity in Lazarus - what do you think the region needs for this to happen?”

[i]He takes his time to answer this one, and whilst he speaks I wonder at the flourishing creativity around me and the mind that could make such things whilst still so young.[/i]

[b]A:[/b] I think the region needs a serious revival of some parts that have long lain by the wayside-- primarily the lore and roleplaying and the game-side region,” he says at last. “We have a whole vibrant community out there on the Regional Message Board, people who post every day, and we have almost no resources for them. Not much is published via dispatch, the government rarely posts on the RMB (and I can't say I've been much better about posting than the rest), and no one encourages them to join discord or go further besides the link on the World Factbook Entry.

As you have seen, [Helping with RP is was one of the reasons I came to Lazarus - Seraph] the state of our roleplaying is... well, nonexistent, and I think we could bundle these two together to encourage the development of a roleplaying community gameside. Activity doesn't have to be traditional GCR politics.

[i]Again, I look at the beauty nourished into existence around us and think that, surely, it must be part of the solutions Aumelodia longs for, but I realise that it’s time to wrap things up.[/i]

[i]LG:[/i] It sounds like you have a lot of ideas to share with the region and I think any region would be proud to have someone as active and engaged as you. Do you have anything else you'd like to say to Lazarus?

[b]A:[/b] Ummmm.... Join the LCA!

It could be a brilliant moment of propaganda, but his face cracks before there is time for the effect to sink in.

[b]A:[/b] In all seriousness, I hope to see people in Lazarus work on being constructive with each other, because that's the only way you can build something.

I stand, take one last look around, then, inspired by Aumelodia’s example, attempt to vocalise a pair of silent parentheses as I conclude.

[b]LG:[/b] Thank you for your time, Aumelodia. I'll leave you to your plan(t)s!

[i]But even as I make my way back through the avenues of trees and saplings, I hear his voice calling after me.[/i]

[b]A:[/b] Plants are always good. Here I'm a lotus, elsewhere a raccoon (plant?) and in Forest I'm a mountain north of Vancouver, BC.

[i]Well, whatever he is, I hope he never changes.[/i][/big]

Code: Proboards Version

 


[align=center][img]http://i.imgur.com/2WEObHr.png[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/hdiVlFB.png[/img]
[size=150]The Official Newspaper of Lazarus
Issue # • Month Year • # Page
[/size][/align][hr][/hr]
[align=center][img]http://i.imgur.com/Gib9lqp.png[/img]
[size=150][b]Citizen of the Month: Aumelodia[/b][/size]
[b]By Seraph[/b][/align][align=center]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/ox8AOsN.jpg[/img]

[size=100][b]AS MY FIRST FORMAL ASSIGNMENT IN LAZARUS[/b][i], I was asked to track down the Lazarene Citizen of the Month, and subject them to the usual ritual tortures. Unfortunately, since I have not yet been initiated into such rituals, I had to make do with a traditional interview.

Whilst things might not have been going to plan with the torture, finding the victim was no trouble at all. Our current Convenor of the Cosmic Council, Aumelodia, can easily be found tinkering with his many verdant hybrid creations in his enormous greenhouse on Uniterra. It is a little more like a forest than the traditional greenhouse and the mixture of so many shades of greens and purples, blues and pinks, can be a bit disorientating to begin with, but, even so, I was soon following the signposted path through the woods towards the place where Aumelodia’s magic really happens.

At the heart of the greenhouse is a sort of plant laboratory, where the delicate acts of pollination occur to create unique hybrids and where, sometimes, the very genetics of a plant are manipulated to introduce new colours and shapes. If the rest of the greenhouse seemed more purple than green, here the effect is multiplied a thousandfold, and yet it is not garish, but soothing.

In the midst of it all I find Aumelodia working on some new project, infusing a leafy shrub with lines of living colour and meaning. I catch his eye and, smiling, he comes to join me.[/i]

[b]Lazarene Gazette:[/b] So, to start off with, can you tell me a little about yourself in general? I know a lot of players in Lazarus will know you well, but some, like me, have only recently joined and might not have had the pleasure of seeing you elsewhere.”

[b]Aumelodia:[/b] Well, I first came to Lazarus from defending. I'd never spent much time in a GCR beyond my first few seconds in the North Pacific when I was founded, so I was looking for a new experience. Being already on the defending side of the R/D game, I was recommended to Lazarus by Neop, the Convenor at that time. He appointed me as his Deputy, and so I started working in the Council; next election I ran for Convenor and that's where I am today. Currently I'm a citizen in Lazarus, Forest, and the South Pacific.

I'm not a very old player, having only been on NS since March 2016 and having been an issue-answerer much of that time. I enjoy designing flags, seals, maps, and anything else my amateur graphics skills can make, as well as working on region-building and regional government.

In Lazarus, I can mostly be found either updating laws and administering the Council's functions or training new recruits in the LCA, of which I'm Grand Commandant. I'm also quite fond of the overuse of emoticons, most notably ':P' and '^-^'.

[b]LG:[/b] You say you are a young player, but you've clearly been very influential, both here, in Forest and in your own defender organisation. To what do you attribute this influence in such a short time?

[b]A:[/b] I'd say it's mostly simply my activity. I've tried to remain always around and available, willing to do things and eager to help. I also try to stay out of conflicts as much as possible, and I think that's been another way that keeps me from becoming isolated. But really, I wouldn't say I'm terribly influential outside of Forest and maybe Lazarus to a degree. Forest I've simply been around a while and I wouldn't say my defender organisation was so influential or effective-- though that's just my personal view, and I'm likely a bit cynical. At least in Lazarus I still feel like a newbie, and some of the politics still goes over my head.

[b]LG:[/b] Let's take a closer look at that organisation, then? Solidarity [a defender organisation designed to help rebuild regions alongside natives after a raid] struck me as an interesting and worthy idea. Why do you think it didn't catch on?

[b]A:[/b] Solidarity was a good idea that didn't pan out mostly because I was so new and unfamiliar with the real R/D scene to be able to successfully insert it into gameplay. I essentially came in, said "I'm starting an org" and published a GP thread without knowing any other raiders or defenders. I founded Solidarity with a native of a recently raided region, a novice defender from The Region that Has No Big Banks, and one from another medium-sized UCR (Lenlyvit, who of course is now in The Grey Wardens). Roavin came onto the discord as soon as the thread was published and he was essentially immediately made a commander because of his skill.

In the end, it wasn't the idea that was the problem with Solidarity-- it was that because we had no R/D connections to start off, all our members were already defending with other organisations and so when the time came, Solidarity couldn't pull forces, and its active members were largely mildly interested natives. When the commander body started moving on to other things (myself to Lazarus, Roavin and Lenlyvit to TGW, as well as others to their individual regions), there was no longer the critical mass to carry out the actual work anymore, so things slowly stopped happening..... It was a good group whilst it lasted, though, mostly for writing liberation proposals for the Security Council and for sending telegrams.

I think if I were to start it afresh now with the connections I have made, it might have more success.

[b]LG:[/b] It sounds like your idea had traction, though, in that organisations like the Grey Wardens (led by Roavin) are taking it forward within their own structure. Similarly, you seem to have made your mark, quite literally, in Forest. How do you find the time?

[b]A:[/b] Barely. For a while now, I've slowly been trying to decrease the number of regions/organisations I'm in. I used to be in over 6 government positions at one time, and I eventually realised that that was way too many. I wasn't able to devote any serious amount to any one without neglecting the other, so I've now narrowed down to just Lazarus and Forest. To be honest, I'm sort of looking forward to the end of my term as Convenor, because it means I can really buckle down on just the LCA.

I can only really manage to stay afloat by checking in everywhere occasionally, and also wasting my real life time. I still have that Forest map I'm in charge of that hasn't been updated in over half a year.

You're much more likely to find me working on a dispatch than joking in a discord server though, so that's another way I make time. Or working on a dispatch and talking in a discord server... now that's the way to go!

[i]With such a wide range of activities, it seems hard to pin Aumelodia down, but I try anyway.[/i]

[b]LG:[/b] You've obviously been heavily involved in the R/D side of gameplay since you started,” I say. “Is that your favourite aspect of the game? How else do you 'relax' in NS?

[b]A:[/b] R/D is definitely one of my favorite pastimes on NS. I've liked from the start that I can have fun with what I find an exhilarating activity while also being able to feel like I've helped the NS world. I've come to like the community and culture that revolves around update, and working with fellow members is always fun. Though, really, vexillography is my way to relax in NS. Drawing flags is somehow soothing for me, and I'll usually retreat to my giant Lazarus flags file if I'm not too busy.

[b]LG:[/b] You were recently very active in the CULT festival. What makes an event like that worth taking part in and do you find you've gained anything from it yourself?

[b]A:[/b] I got pulled into the CULT festival in trying to revive some of Lazarus's internal activity-- after the main coordinators on the Laz side became less active, I tried to keep up our end. And totally not because I wanted to prove that the South Pacific wasn't the best. I find these types of events to be worth taking part in because they can increase the activity of multiple regions, while also teaching and interconnecting others. I myself can say that I was definitely drawn into TSP because of the CULT festival.

[b]LG:[/b] You talked about reviving internal activity in Lazarus - what do you think the region needs for this to happen?”

[i]He takes his time to answer this one, and whilst he speaks I wonder at the flourishing creativity around me and the mind that could make such things whilst still so young.[/i]

[b]A:[/b] I think the region needs a serious revival of some parts that have long lain by the wayside-- primarily the lore and roleplaying and the game-side region,” he says at last. “We have a whole vibrant community out there on the Regional Message Board, people who post every day, and we have almost no resources for them. Not much is published via dispatch, the government rarely posts on the RMB (and I can't say I've been much better about posting than the rest), and no one encourages them to join discord or go further besides the link on the World Factbook Entry.

As you have seen, [Helping with RP is was one of the reasons I came to Lazarus - Seraph] the state of our roleplaying is... well, nonexistent, and I think we could bundle these two together to encourage the development of a roleplaying community gameside. Activity doesn't have to be traditional GCR politics.

[i]Again, I look at the beauty nourished into existence around us and think that, surely, it must be part of the solutions Aumelodia longs for, but I realise that it’s time to wrap things up.[/i]

[i]LG:[/i] It sounds like you have a lot of ideas to share with the region and I think any region would be proud to have someone as active and engaged as you. Do you have anything else you'd like to say to Lazarus?

[b]A:[/b] Ummmm.... Join the LCA!

It could be a brilliant moment of propaganda, but his face cracks before there is time for the effect to sink in.

[b]A:[/b] In all seriousness, I hope to see people in Lazarus work on being constructive with each other, because that's the only way you can build something.

I stand, take one last look around, then, inspired by Aumelodia’s example, attempt to vocalise a pair of silent parentheses as I conclude.

[b]LG:[/b] Thank you for your time, Aumelodia. I'll leave you to your plan(t)s!

[i]But even as I make my way back through the avenues of trees and saplings, I hear his voice calling after me.[/i]

[b]A:[/b] Plants are always good. Here I'm a lotus, elsewhere a raccoon (plant?) and in Forest I'm a mountain north of Vancouver, BC.

[i]Well, whatever he is, I hope he never changes.[/i][/size]