Post by Hockeynutville on Dec 16, 2009 14:26:16 GMT -5
Hockeynutville: Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of "Eyes on the Islands". On today's segment we have with us a relative newcomer to the Islands but who has in a very short time, left a big stamp on the community. Although she has only been a citizen with the Islands for around a year and a half, she has been very involved in Nationstates for far longer. You'll know her best as a Senator and a Tactical Officer in TITO. She is also heavily involved in Immigration and the State Department. It is my pleasure to welcome Ananke to the show. Thank you very much for sitting down with me today.
Ananke: Thanks for having me. Who doesn't like to talk about themselves?
Hockeynutville: So to start, can you tell us when and where you discovered Nationstates?
Ananke: It was some time during August 2003 I first joined Nationstates. Someone posted a link to the game at a literature forum I frequented back then.
Hockeynutville: Do you remember what your first region was?
Ananke: Yep. My first nation Ananke was founded in The North Pacific. I got so annoyed at all the recruitment messages that I decided to stay in TNP. There was a lot more chatter between natives going on at the RMB in those days, probably because no one had made a forum for The North Pacific yet, when I joined. That only happened some months later.
Hockeynutville: What other regions have you been a part of since?
Ananke: I spent a couple of months in Allied States of EuroIslanders in late 2005. That was mostly because I was good friends with EuroSoviets though. Their particular brand of 'militaristic' NS socialism was never really my cup of tea. Before I joined 10000 Islands, The North Pacific was my one and only home region. Actually, I think I'm still a feederite at heart. I've never been able to be involved in more than one region at once. It just feels wrong and I can't stay interested in more than one region for an extended period of time. I don't feel the same way about organizations though, which is kind of weird.
Hockeynutville: So what was your role in the North Pacific?
Ananke: Hmm, that's a bit hard to answer. For most of the time I didn't have any official titles. The TNP delegate who got me involved in the region and the wider NS game play world was The Twoslit Experiment. He asked me and a couple of others to help him set up a defender army in TNP. We'd all been involved in a couple of the Pacific liberation attempts, which was why he approached us. We were all as green as grass though. I personally had no idea what I was getting into when I moved to the Pacific and endorsed Corinthe the first time. Anyway, we got the North Pacific Army going and after a while I'd become The Twoslit Experiment's confidante and 2nd in command, so he made me and another nation administrators at the forum. Through my position as admin, coupled with my activity and interest in defending and diplomacy, I quickly became one of the more powerful figures in TNP. If something needed doing in TNP those days, chances were I'd already be dealing with it. That also meant that to anyone involved in the wider game play world I was the face of TNP and the person people went to if they had any business with the TNP community.
Hockeynutville: It sounds like you were kept busy over there. What made you decide to leave?
Ananke: TNP turned nasty after the Great Bight affair. Certain outside nations joined the region just to gain power. When Cathyy/Pixiedance gained the delegacy and started becoming more and more dictatorial, I was one of the people opposing her. The fact that my 'faction' had control of the forum through my position as admin and her 'faction' controlled the delegacy meant that I had to be careful what I said and did all the time. I'd oppose her, but since she could just move forum if we provoked her too much we had to play a lot of politics. That's draining, especially when the opponents you're dealing with are jerks. I became the focus for all the nastiness, because I controlled the forum and they wanted rid of me. So at one point it just got too much and I left. I returned to TNP a month later though after Cathyy handed her nation over to Moldavi and participated in the fight to get rid of her, Moldavi and Insane Power. We finally won after 6+ months, when Stars of Sky became delegate but a year full of in-game fights had drained all the fun out of Nationstates so, I needed a break, which ended up being 3-4 years, with only sporadic NS activity on my part.
Hockeynutville: So who and what finally brought you to the Islands?
Ananke: Initially, Fleeb. I remember spending countless updates with him exchanging info about invasions we'd spotted and just chatting. I also got to know Anime Daisuki during the couple of months I defended with EuroSoviets and ASE. When I returned to Nationstates and wanted to join a defender organization, 10000 Islands was the obvious choice since I already knew a bunch of people here. I've always admired TITO's activity and discipline as well. Not to mention that I remember sending telegrams about George R. R. Martin back and forth with MinnaCaroline, so she definitely was one the reasons I joined 10ki as well.
Hockeynutville: What do you think about other aspects of the 10000 Islands?
Ananke: Well, I like that it's so stable. You get to long for that aspect of Nationstates when you're used to being involved in the feeders. They're never stable for long and you constantly worry about how to juggle the competing demands of security and democracy. Plus you're all just a great bunch of people.
Hockeynutville: So before we move on to some personal questions, why did you decide to run for Senator considering that you are extremely active in TITO, recruiting, foreign relations and welcoming new nations?
Ananke: Well, I like having a hand in decisions. I'm not a leader by nature, but I want to feel up to date on what's happening around me and I prefer being able to influence whatever decisions get made. Also I think foreign relations start with the image you project to the rest of NS, so bettering our foreign relations won't be possible unless you start from the top and take into consideration how whatever the Co9 decides will be seen by players outside the region.
Hockeynutville: So let's move to some personal questions about you now. Although most of us already know, could you tell us where you live?
Ananke: I live in Denmark. In a suburb to our capital, Copenhagen, so I'm in the middle of the current Climate summit.
Hockeynutville: Were you born and raised there as well?
Ananke: Yep, Danish born and bred. My family is all Viking stock. That's what I figure anyway.
Hockeynutville: What do you do for a living?
Ananke: I am a full-time student but work part-time at a school cooking lunch for children in kindergarten.
Hockeynutville: What courses are you studying?
Ananke: I'm studying Geography and EU-studies. So far I've only had one semester Geography though, while next semester will be my first attending EU-studies.
Hockeynutville: What is your plan once you graduate from school?
Ananke: Hmm, that's a hard one. Why do people always ask about that? At this point I'm thinking that I might get a job with the state or one of the municipalities, but the European Union keeps affecting more areas so I think a lot of organizations will need employees able to negotiate the EU bureaucracy. Other than that there's always urban planning, which in Denmark is often handled by geographers.
Hockeynutville: Nice! Ok, how about some quick Q&A where I'll ask you a short-answer or yes or no question?
Ananke: Ok.
Hockeynutville: What is your favorite food?
Ananke: Moussaka
Hockeynutville: What is your favorite book?
Ananke: Aww, that's a hard one. I've got tons of favourite books. How am I supposed to choose one?
Hockeynutville: What are your hobbies?
Ananke: I'm not much of a sports person, so it's mostly creative things. I like making flower garlands and embroidering though, typical girly stuff.
Hockeynutville: Are you single, dating, married?
Ananke: Single, I'm nowhere mature enough to be married...
Hockeynutville: What would your ideal first date be?
Ananke: Hmm, I've no idea really. Not something I've thought much about.
Hockeynutville: Any brothers or sisters?
Ananke: Yeah, I've got a 4 year younger sister. We used to fight all the time when we were small, but now we're pretty close.
Hockeynutville: If you could pick one place to travel to, where would it be?
Ananke: Australia. I've wanted to visit Australia since I was a little girl and my dad brought back a stuffed animal kangaroo for me when he travelled there.
Hockeynutville: Ok, last personal question before we move back to some more Nationstates stuff. If you could meet any person, living or dead, who would it be?
Ananke: I think it'd be Socrates. Would be interesting to meet him in the flesh and see if he's anything like the modern image of him.
Hockeynutville: Where did you come up with the name "Ananke" for your nation?
Ananke: I've always really liked Greek mythology. In one of the books I read about it, Ananke was mentioned. She was a lesser known goddess of necessity and fate. The thought of a power which compelled even the Olympic gods fascinated me. Not to mention that I just like the name.
Hockeynutville: What is your take on the new World Assembly "Commend and Condemn" resolutions?
Ananke: I kind of like the idea. I just wish they'd added it back in the day when Francos Spain was still around. I think it would've been used a lot more as a political tool then. Just think of the propaganda battle between the NPO/Atlantic Alliance/various invaders and defenders/the Meritocracy/The South Pacific. That would've been nifty. I think there has been some well written C&C resolutions lately. Kandarin and Goobergunchia deserved their commendations, while Macedon was ripe for condemnation. Also, while I know we all lobbied against the Condemn Grub proposal, I still think that one was a nice use of C&C's as a political tool. In my opinion, liberation proposals are the most important ones though.
Hockeynutville: Have you gotten to know many folks outside of Nationstates or regional forums?
Ananke: Well, I like to chat with people from Nationstates on MSN or AIM and make an effort to get to know anyone I like. I've found that having NS contacts on MSN makes it easier for me to influence in-game happenings as well. Some of my closest NS allies through the years I spent a lot of time chatting with about all kinds of stuff. Striking up friendships with people you work with in NS tends to ensure that they'll have your back when needed in-game as well.
Hockeynutville: Have you met anyone face to face from Nationstates?
Ananke: Yes. I once spent an extended weekend in the Stockholm archipelago with four other defenders from Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands and the US. It was great.
Hockeynutville: How did you arrange that?
Ananke: One of the others, a girl, invited the rest of us to come and celebrate her birthday. The in-game names of these people probably wouldn't ring a bell for most people these days. Old time defenders might remember Peaceful Minds and Thorn in Your Flesh though, and Ballotonia/Free4All still has quite a reputation in some quarters of Nationstates.
Hockeynutville: Out of all the people you met and interacted with here in Nationstates, is there one you miss the most that is no longer around?
Ananke: Yeah, Unistrut. I found it very easy to talk with him about anything really. He helped me through some rough spots in NS.
Hockeynutville: Last question; what is your honest opinion in the game of "Invaders" versus "Defenders"?
Ananke: That it's fun and without it I probably wouldn't still be playing. I dislike griefers, but I recognize that invaders have become a fundamental part of NS game play and without the various power struggles going on a lot of us would probably find NS somewhat more boring. It does not mean that I'd ever change sides or stop trashing stupid invaders.
Hockeynutville: Well Ananke that's all the questions I have for you. I very much appreciate your time in taking this interview I hope that you will be a guest again in the future.
Ananke: It's been fun, so you're welcome.
Ananke: Thanks for having me. Who doesn't like to talk about themselves?
Hockeynutville: So to start, can you tell us when and where you discovered Nationstates?
Ananke: It was some time during August 2003 I first joined Nationstates. Someone posted a link to the game at a literature forum I frequented back then.
Hockeynutville: Do you remember what your first region was?
Ananke: Yep. My first nation Ananke was founded in The North Pacific. I got so annoyed at all the recruitment messages that I decided to stay in TNP. There was a lot more chatter between natives going on at the RMB in those days, probably because no one had made a forum for The North Pacific yet, when I joined. That only happened some months later.
Hockeynutville: What other regions have you been a part of since?
Ananke: I spent a couple of months in Allied States of EuroIslanders in late 2005. That was mostly because I was good friends with EuroSoviets though. Their particular brand of 'militaristic' NS socialism was never really my cup of tea. Before I joined 10000 Islands, The North Pacific was my one and only home region. Actually, I think I'm still a feederite at heart. I've never been able to be involved in more than one region at once. It just feels wrong and I can't stay interested in more than one region for an extended period of time. I don't feel the same way about organizations though, which is kind of weird.
Hockeynutville: So what was your role in the North Pacific?
Ananke: Hmm, that's a bit hard to answer. For most of the time I didn't have any official titles. The TNP delegate who got me involved in the region and the wider NS game play world was The Twoslit Experiment. He asked me and a couple of others to help him set up a defender army in TNP. We'd all been involved in a couple of the Pacific liberation attempts, which was why he approached us. We were all as green as grass though. I personally had no idea what I was getting into when I moved to the Pacific and endorsed Corinthe the first time. Anyway, we got the North Pacific Army going and after a while I'd become The Twoslit Experiment's confidante and 2nd in command, so he made me and another nation administrators at the forum. Through my position as admin, coupled with my activity and interest in defending and diplomacy, I quickly became one of the more powerful figures in TNP. If something needed doing in TNP those days, chances were I'd already be dealing with it. That also meant that to anyone involved in the wider game play world I was the face of TNP and the person people went to if they had any business with the TNP community.
Hockeynutville: It sounds like you were kept busy over there. What made you decide to leave?
Ananke: TNP turned nasty after the Great Bight affair. Certain outside nations joined the region just to gain power. When Cathyy/Pixiedance gained the delegacy and started becoming more and more dictatorial, I was one of the people opposing her. The fact that my 'faction' had control of the forum through my position as admin and her 'faction' controlled the delegacy meant that I had to be careful what I said and did all the time. I'd oppose her, but since she could just move forum if we provoked her too much we had to play a lot of politics. That's draining, especially when the opponents you're dealing with are jerks. I became the focus for all the nastiness, because I controlled the forum and they wanted rid of me. So at one point it just got too much and I left. I returned to TNP a month later though after Cathyy handed her nation over to Moldavi and participated in the fight to get rid of her, Moldavi and Insane Power. We finally won after 6+ months, when Stars of Sky became delegate but a year full of in-game fights had drained all the fun out of Nationstates so, I needed a break, which ended up being 3-4 years, with only sporadic NS activity on my part.
Hockeynutville: So who and what finally brought you to the Islands?
Ananke: Initially, Fleeb. I remember spending countless updates with him exchanging info about invasions we'd spotted and just chatting. I also got to know Anime Daisuki during the couple of months I defended with EuroSoviets and ASE. When I returned to Nationstates and wanted to join a defender organization, 10000 Islands was the obvious choice since I already knew a bunch of people here. I've always admired TITO's activity and discipline as well. Not to mention that I remember sending telegrams about George R. R. Martin back and forth with MinnaCaroline, so she definitely was one the reasons I joined 10ki as well.
Hockeynutville: What do you think about other aspects of the 10000 Islands?
Ananke: Well, I like that it's so stable. You get to long for that aspect of Nationstates when you're used to being involved in the feeders. They're never stable for long and you constantly worry about how to juggle the competing demands of security and democracy. Plus you're all just a great bunch of people.
Hockeynutville: So before we move on to some personal questions, why did you decide to run for Senator considering that you are extremely active in TITO, recruiting, foreign relations and welcoming new nations?
Ananke: Well, I like having a hand in decisions. I'm not a leader by nature, but I want to feel up to date on what's happening around me and I prefer being able to influence whatever decisions get made. Also I think foreign relations start with the image you project to the rest of NS, so bettering our foreign relations won't be possible unless you start from the top and take into consideration how whatever the Co9 decides will be seen by players outside the region.
Hockeynutville: So let's move to some personal questions about you now. Although most of us already know, could you tell us where you live?
Ananke: I live in Denmark. In a suburb to our capital, Copenhagen, so I'm in the middle of the current Climate summit.
Hockeynutville: Were you born and raised there as well?
Ananke: Yep, Danish born and bred. My family is all Viking stock. That's what I figure anyway.
Hockeynutville: What do you do for a living?
Ananke: I am a full-time student but work part-time at a school cooking lunch for children in kindergarten.
Hockeynutville: What courses are you studying?
Ananke: I'm studying Geography and EU-studies. So far I've only had one semester Geography though, while next semester will be my first attending EU-studies.
Hockeynutville: What is your plan once you graduate from school?
Ananke: Hmm, that's a hard one. Why do people always ask about that? At this point I'm thinking that I might get a job with the state or one of the municipalities, but the European Union keeps affecting more areas so I think a lot of organizations will need employees able to negotiate the EU bureaucracy. Other than that there's always urban planning, which in Denmark is often handled by geographers.
Hockeynutville: Nice! Ok, how about some quick Q&A where I'll ask you a short-answer or yes or no question?
Ananke: Ok.
Hockeynutville: What is your favorite food?
Ananke: Moussaka
Hockeynutville: What is your favorite book?
Ananke: Aww, that's a hard one. I've got tons of favourite books. How am I supposed to choose one?
Hockeynutville: What are your hobbies?
Ananke: I'm not much of a sports person, so it's mostly creative things. I like making flower garlands and embroidering though, typical girly stuff.
Hockeynutville: Are you single, dating, married?
Ananke: Single, I'm nowhere mature enough to be married...
Hockeynutville: What would your ideal first date be?
Ananke: Hmm, I've no idea really. Not something I've thought much about.
Hockeynutville: Any brothers or sisters?
Ananke: Yeah, I've got a 4 year younger sister. We used to fight all the time when we were small, but now we're pretty close.
Hockeynutville: If you could pick one place to travel to, where would it be?
Ananke: Australia. I've wanted to visit Australia since I was a little girl and my dad brought back a stuffed animal kangaroo for me when he travelled there.
Hockeynutville: Ok, last personal question before we move back to some more Nationstates stuff. If you could meet any person, living or dead, who would it be?
Ananke: I think it'd be Socrates. Would be interesting to meet him in the flesh and see if he's anything like the modern image of him.
Hockeynutville: Where did you come up with the name "Ananke" for your nation?
Ananke: I've always really liked Greek mythology. In one of the books I read about it, Ananke was mentioned. She was a lesser known goddess of necessity and fate. The thought of a power which compelled even the Olympic gods fascinated me. Not to mention that I just like the name.
Hockeynutville: What is your take on the new World Assembly "Commend and Condemn" resolutions?
Ananke: I kind of like the idea. I just wish they'd added it back in the day when Francos Spain was still around. I think it would've been used a lot more as a political tool then. Just think of the propaganda battle between the NPO/Atlantic Alliance/various invaders and defenders/the Meritocracy/The South Pacific. That would've been nifty. I think there has been some well written C&C resolutions lately. Kandarin and Goobergunchia deserved their commendations, while Macedon was ripe for condemnation. Also, while I know we all lobbied against the Condemn Grub proposal, I still think that one was a nice use of C&C's as a political tool. In my opinion, liberation proposals are the most important ones though.
Hockeynutville: Have you gotten to know many folks outside of Nationstates or regional forums?
Ananke: Well, I like to chat with people from Nationstates on MSN or AIM and make an effort to get to know anyone I like. I've found that having NS contacts on MSN makes it easier for me to influence in-game happenings as well. Some of my closest NS allies through the years I spent a lot of time chatting with about all kinds of stuff. Striking up friendships with people you work with in NS tends to ensure that they'll have your back when needed in-game as well.
Hockeynutville: Have you met anyone face to face from Nationstates?
Ananke: Yes. I once spent an extended weekend in the Stockholm archipelago with four other defenders from Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands and the US. It was great.
Hockeynutville: How did you arrange that?
Ananke: One of the others, a girl, invited the rest of us to come and celebrate her birthday. The in-game names of these people probably wouldn't ring a bell for most people these days. Old time defenders might remember Peaceful Minds and Thorn in Your Flesh though, and Ballotonia/Free4All still has quite a reputation in some quarters of Nationstates.
Hockeynutville: Out of all the people you met and interacted with here in Nationstates, is there one you miss the most that is no longer around?
Ananke: Yeah, Unistrut. I found it very easy to talk with him about anything really. He helped me through some rough spots in NS.
Hockeynutville: Last question; what is your honest opinion in the game of "Invaders" versus "Defenders"?
Ananke: That it's fun and without it I probably wouldn't still be playing. I dislike griefers, but I recognize that invaders have become a fundamental part of NS game play and without the various power struggles going on a lot of us would probably find NS somewhat more boring. It does not mean that I'd ever change sides or stop trashing stupid invaders.
Hockeynutville: Well Ananke that's all the questions I have for you. I very much appreciate your time in taking this interview I hope that you will be a guest again in the future.
Ananke: It's been fun, so you're welcome.
