The West PacificBoard

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At major update on March 11, we officially concluded one full year of my delegacy. In my line of work, we like board reports and work plans, so it feels appropriate to deliver some kind of summary of what all has happened this past year, and what is coming next.

As I prepared for and began as delegate, a great deal of attention was focused on one thing: the Frontiers/Strongholds update. While I could not have anticipated exactly how gameplay dynamics would change as a result—I overestimated in some areas and underestimated in others—I had a great cast of advisors at my disposal. By the time F/S finally dropped, I would say we were as ready as we could be. Ourselves and our key allies knew the direction we would be taking and were able to largely stick to it.

Obviously with this update came a major shift in our population, as half of our passive income was redirected to some very respectable communities, some less respectable communities, and Bilibili. We had no idea how steep the decline would be, and frankly, we purge too often to have a good baseline. At time of writing I'm at 357 endos with 42 deployed overseas, which I think is very good. Our endorsement culture is robust enough that we have maintained our high proportion of WAs endorsing the delegate. And I have gotten to bring some of my filthy userite experience to the table to help launch a manual recruitment apparatus, which has made some people very upset, but they can cope.

There's always an expectation in the TWP system that when someone becomes delegate, the ministry they came up through will flourish under their delegacy. The reality is that the delegate usually feels like they let that ministry in particular down. So for me, as the (the the the the the the the) TWPAF guy, seeing it in the weeds for a while especially pained me. I am incredibly grateful for the new life injected into it recently by Teralyon, and the aid provided by Bran Astor and others. I have told them multiple times that today's TWPAF reminds me of the one I was recruited to back in 2017, and I couldn't be happier. And the success in Realm of the Whispering Winds proves it's far from slowing down.

We live in strange times, and I knew I was inheriting a tenuous FA situation. I am not a seeker of conflict. There have been misunderstandings to clear up, tough calls to make, cats to herd, chihuahuas to wrangle. And yet, as I have told myself from the day I first knew I was being considered as successor, my priority has been TWP first, personal egos second. Looking back on the past year, I am satisfied that on the whole, we have stuck to our values as a region, without regressing to purely "how things have always been."

Now, as we close the books on a year of my delegacy, it is time to look ahead. As is customary, having served for a year, I will be stepping down soon. I am wrapping up a last few items of business and will resign on [REDACTED]. Of course, the natural person to take up the role is [REDACTED]. You will see endorsement campaigns for the transition coming out over [REDACTED].

One last thought. My campaign promised parliamentary procedure and I have delivered. According to our meeting minutes, eight points of order have been called and one point of privilege, including seven improper motions, which still makes this the most effective legislature I've chaired. There have been multiple motions to defenestrate. Twice have we had someone legally object to adjourning the meeting. I live for this stuff. With that said, I yield the rest of my column inches to the editor.

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Festivals happen all the time, but few stand the test of time so well as the Festival of the Perfections has done! The event has just seen its its sixth consecutive edition, having been founded during the delegacy of The Holy Principality of Saint Mark (Halo), and passing through the reigns of Bran Astor, Dilber, Giovanniland (me) and now Overthinkers. Although some changes were made this time, the core of this grand event remains unchanged, the goal of celebrating the wonderful artwork made by the community of this game.

This time, planning for the event was spearheaded by Fujai, who designed beautiful branding and also managed other aspects of organization. This year there was a change in the third perfection, formerly Writing but now taking the new name of Craft and expanding to include works such as textiles and carving, and also in the number of hosts, which was extended to include Lone Wolves United, The Wellspring and Carcassonne. The judges OT, Halo, Dalimbar and 9003 also deserve appreciation, a team of four players that decided the awards after carefully looking at all the entries, which I'll be talking about now.

The Entries

The Perfection of Art continues to be the most popular perfection, especially due to the many pictures sent in the Photography channel, though there was also a significant amount of graphic design submissions, and a few but beautiful sketches and paintings. During the early days, a Perfection of Cat was jokingly suggested because several players posted lovely pictures of their own cats. Other common themes were snapshots of nature and cool experiences from traveling. The photo category was also special to me, because it was the first time in several years that I decided not to be a judge and instead submit competing photos! These were mostly from my trip to Chile during the start of this year, including the Torres del Paine national park (first photo) and the Isla Magdalena (second photo). I also posted some cat photos, and my overall collection was declared the winner.

In the Graphic Design channel, the trend of posts related to lore and worldbuilding has persevered, and I liked the opportunity of appreciating the lore that people come up for their own nations through these entries. Such submissions were made by Fujai, Hertfordshire and Jammbo, and Lzecov Islands to name a few—Fujai won the category with entries like logos for the 4th Rugby World Cup, the Arbetarnes Ensyklopedi Norden (Workers' Encyclopedia of the North) and the Statistiske Sentriskbyråt (Central Bureau of Statistics). Meanwhile, Evil Mother won the Sketches & Paintings category twice in a row, with detailed drawings of characters and animals.

We now move on to the Perfection of Poetry, home to several submitted limericks, haiku and free verse poems. For example, Fujai and Teralyon wrote amusing limericks about each other, the former of which won the category, while in the free verse channel there were insightful entries by Ageros and Zhiznovsk, writing about fate and the arts respectively. Zhiznovsk's poem was picked as the winner, and they also won the Haiku category with an entry about the sun in seventeen syllables. It was by far the most popular poetry category, and for that reason several Perfections entries were chosen for this edition's Haiku Highlights of the Month article.

Last but not least, there's the new Perfection of Craft! In this new feature, the former Perfection of Writing was condensed into one channel, where entries pertaining to the former categories of essays, short stories and handwriting could be all shared, as well as other writing styles. In its place, two new categories were created for the more physical aspect of craft. The winners in this Perfection were Fujai in Carving & Sculpture for a spoon that they made for a real life friend, and me in Writing for my handwriting submission! I do also have to mention the submission called Stargazers, a contemporary fantasy and science fiction story written by Red Crest, which though non-competing is a very impressive work, with the first out of two acts already numbering nearly twenty thousand words.

The Winners

Photography: Giovanniland
Graphic Design: Fujai
Sketches & Paintings: Evil Mother
Best in Show for Art: Evil Mother

Limerick: Fujai
Haiku: Zhiznovsk
Freeverse: Zhiznovsk
Best in Show for Poetry: Zhiznovsk

Writing: Giovanniland
Carving & Sculpture: Fujai
Best in Show for Craft: Fujai

Conclusion

The event came to a finish after the four judges decided their picks and the winners were announced on 17th March, together with nice challenge coins made by Fujai—one for all festivalgoers, one for all who submitted an entry, and one for category winners! One day after the awards ceremony, it was time for the traditional server purge by Big Bad Badger that happens in every TWP festival, officially ending the event.

I'm thankful for all the event organizers, judges and participants alike, all of whom were essential for another great edition of The Perfections! If you were here celebrating with us this time, I hope you enjoyed the Festival of the Perfections this year, and if you weren't, then fear not, for the next edition will be held around this time next year.

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The year marches forward and so does TWP's Roleplay Community! As always, TWP's incredible Storytellers have been having a hoot and a holler playing in the sandbox that is our shared world of Esferos since our last Log in January. In every edition of the Lorekeepers' Log, the TWP Roleplay Lorekeepers, who act similarly to moderators, highlight some of our favorite works by community members. Usually we stick to things from the last month or two, but sometimes we dig up something from the graveyard out back. Let's get to it!

Newswire spotlight!

From Nuntikarta Giovanniterrana, Giovanniland's Newswire, come the results of the 1423 Giovannilandian Chess Championship! Giovanniland is known as the home of the best grandmasters in all of Esferos, and Gio does a fabulous job running the country's chess championship every year, in addition to planning TWP's chess tournaments!

Check out the full results here!

This month I want to spotlight Sekiya's newswire thread, which they started this past January. While it doesn't have as many posts yet as some others, it's one that I've really enjoyed! It includes perhaps my favorite part of newswires, all the different IC news sources that can be found there! Sekiya has put together an entire history of news media in the country and an overview of the various news company featured in the thread. Not only that, but each post is linked under that news company's overview! The organization! This gives me a lot of inspiration for resurrecting my own newswire thread.

I'd also love to spotlight their post on a crashed fighter from the Nuran War, which occurred across the continent of Nur in the early-mid 1300s (roughly equivalent to Earth's 20th century). I fall into this myself, but often news posts focus on government, current events, politics and so on, while culture and history are less commonly explored like this. I think it's really well-done, and I love the kind of spotlight it shows.

Check out the whole thread here!

A new constitution for Zoran

After a long and bloody civil war, the new Kingdom of Zoran is rebuilding and beginning the road to a new dawn. The next step is a new constitution! Zoran has been putting in a huge amount of work and research into crafting a constitution that is shaped by the many groups that have emerged from the post-war wreckage. It is an adventure in governing and healing a divided nation.

With seven sections (Titles) and a full 80 articles, not including subarticles, it's quite a tome—in fact, even though it is currently a work-in-progress, it stands at nearly 5,500 words—25% longer than the US Constitution at its original writing. That's truly impressive. We've included the first two Titles here for you to see, but you should also check out the full text here on the TWP Forums!

Zoran wrote:

Title I: Of the Kingdom of Zoran, its Territory, Government, and Dynasty

Article 1 — The Kingdom of Zoran is the political association of all Zoranian citizens. Zoran shall be an indivisible, secular, constitutional, representative, monarchy. Its territory shall be divided into provinces in the form in which they are at present; they may, however, be subdivided as the good of the State may require.

Article 2 — The Crown of the Kingdom of Zoran belongs to the House of Ani'-Wah' starting and descending from Adsila Ani'-Wah' I and executive power shall be inherited by men and women in accordance with the provisions of the Act of Succession to the Throne of May 13, 1422.

Article 3 — The language of the kingdom shall be the Zoranian language.

Article 4 — The political powers recognized by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Zoran are three: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.

Title II: Of the Royal Family

Article 5 — The Monarch shall not reign in other countries except with the consent of the dikahnawadvsdi aninotlvsgi iyunadai.

Article 6 — The Monarch shall be of age when they have reached eighteen years of age. The same provision shall apply to the Heir to the Throne.

Article 7.1 — The Monarch shall, prior to their accession to the throne, take the following oath before the Council of State and the dikahnawadvsdi aninotlvsgi iyunadai:

"(TBD)"

Article 7.2 — When, for any cause, the Monarch has not undertaken the aforementioned oath upon their accession to the throne, the Council of State shall manage the constitutional obligations of the monarch until the oath has been made unless otherwise provided by statute. When the Monarch has already taken the aforesaid oath as Heir to the Throne, they shall accede to the throne when it is vacant.

Article 8 — Provisions relating to the exercising of sovereign power in the event of the minority, illness, or absence of the Monarch shall be laid down by statute. Should the throne become vacant and it is certified by the Chancellor and the Council of Ministers that there is no monarch nor Heir to the Throne, the dikahnawadvsdi aninotlvsgi iyunadai is empowered to elect a new monarch by a special conference to amend Article 2 of the constitution.

Article 9.1 — Sovereign Allocations shall be granted to the Crown by statute. Any statute which provides a Sovereign Allocation may provide for the State property in care of the Monarch, including the personal real property of the Crown at the disposal of the Monarch.

Article 9.2 — The Crown may not be charged with debt or obligation by way of Sovereign Allocation.

Article 10 — Members of the Monarch's House may be granted annuities by statute. Such annuities shall not be enjoyed outside the Kingdom except with the consent of the dikahnawadvsdi aninotlvsgi iyunadai.

Esferos! Economic! Expo! 3E comes to Nouveauterra!

The great industrial and research concerns of Esferos gather this week in Gué, Nouveauterra, for the Esferos Economic Expo, a weeklong showcase of each nation's best and brightest! The Genterriens have been fabulous hosts, and as we've reached the end of the main event, everyone's already looking forward to the next edition. For each of the five days there were certain company categories that roleplayers could post about, with the maximum of one company per category for each nation. Furthermore, each day a speaker series happened, when notable people from both the host country and abroad would talk about a relevant topic. Candelu, Giovanniland, Inner Ryxtylopia, Lzecov Islands, Nalibia, Nouveauterra, Peourouin, Sekiya, and Zanna all were represented by at least one company, and there were also special contributions to the speaker series by Ageros and Giovanniland!

The event started on 1st April with transportation, vehicle manufacturing, infrastructure, construction and logistics companies, finishing with a panel discussion on the relation between automation and logistics. The second and third days were focused on areas related to nature, including chemical, biological, pharmaceutical, alternative resources, extraction and energy companies, as well as speaker series on working with nature on manufacturing and the future of artificial limbs and organs. Meanwhile, the fourth day had the most categories, a total of six—healthcare, financial services, professional services, technology, fintech and security—and a discussion on AI decision-making in smart service networks! Last but not least the fifth day was science-focused, featuring quantum mechanics, physics, robotics, AI and research, and concluding with the panel about how discoveries become everyday items.

Check out some of the corporations and cooperatives that make Esferos tick!

Got legislature?

As a special feature this month, I trolled every newswire that's been posted on our forums and looked at every single image that has been posted on the RP discord server since it was founded in early 2019 (that's 4,571 images, for anyone counting). What was I looking for? Parliament charts. Just as many parliament charts as I could find. Why? Because they're cool! This is a nation simulation game so of course we've got plenty! If I've missed yours, toss a telegram to The West Pacific Master Dispatch!

Ageros 1424 Ageran Election - full post	Arifiyyah 1422 Arifian Election - full post	Arifiyyah Description of 1422 Arifian election	Fujai Fujansk Velktinget current composition - full post
Giovanniland 1423 Giovannilandian Election - full post	Greiya 1423 Greiyan Election - full post	Greiya 1423 Greiyan Coalitions	Kurabis (NPC) Kurabisian Parliament current composition - full post
Nieubasria Basric Hier seating diagram	Nieubasria Basric Hier current composition	Overthinkers Overthinking Congress current composition - full post	Zoran Zoranian Parliament current composition

Extra things you'll like

Liga di Fiutbol "A" - The Ryxtylopian Football League from Inner Ryxtylopia

• We've nearly reached the halfway point of the season! Go Rio Priava!!

The Independence of Zanna from Candelu

• Deep in the pines of Doll Guldur, a new nation stirs?

Anrad - The Ageran Travel Guide from Ageros

• The traveller's friend and your window to the world!

1423 United Adaikes Darts Open from United Adaikes

• The biggest event in darts has finished! Who won? Who lost? Find out!

Want to join in the fun?

If you want to join our regional roleplay, then read the TWP Roleplay Dispatch for more information on our RP and how to join the map. Consider becoming an active member in the community by joining the main discord server and our RP server, we hope to see you there!

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Welcome to the seventh edition of the Western Post's CityGuessr game, a take on the known game GeoGuessr, where players are given a view of a place and have to guess its location in the world! Of course, in our adapted version there is no possibility to move around and try to catch some hints, hence the fact we're restricting the scope of the game to cities and calling it CityGuessr.

I'm happy to announce that the change in submission method has greatly boosted participation! Seven people participated in the February edition, and the record has now been beaten once more, with a total of twelve people attempting to guess which city of the Americas The Holy Principality of Saint Mark took photos in! Each nation's guess is presented below, with information such as how accurate it was and the points received.

1. Con Nihawitan, Corbeil, Fotisdia, Fujai, New Caman, and Ritelssaeney – Austin, Texas, USA – Correct answer! – 3 points

2. Nas Crustium – Atlanta, Georgia, USA – 1316.33 km away – 2 points

3. Foressul – Miami, Florida, USA – 1791.57 km away – 1 point

4. Arkengia, Conania, and Rentoln – Washington D.C., USA – 2119.37 km away

5. Peourouin – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA – 2309.98 km away

The first photo of Austin shared by Halo depicts the famous Congress Avenue, with the Capitol Building, while the second was taken inside the Driskill Hotel. Congratulations to the six people who got it right and thus receive the challenge coin designed by Fujai! We're also providing an updated version of the leaderboard below.

1. Corbeil – 15 points

2. Nas Crustium – 10 points

3. Con Nihawitan – 6 points

4. Pedandria – 4 points

5. Aberketia, Bhang Bhang Duc, Fotisdia, Foressul, Fujai, New Caman, Ritelssaeney and Tinhampton – 3 points each

6. Sekiya – 2 points

7. Montrandec and Peourouin – 1 point each

Now let's get onto this month's challenge—for those new to the game, here are the rules originally written by Tam Dao and adapted since then!

CityGuessr, as the name suggests, will ask you to guess which city of the world the photos are showing, both photos always referring to the same city. We will keep the scope of the game to cities only, as we don't have the luxury of moving around to check for clues. We will also provide a single clue of the continent where the city is located.

Use the submission link here in order to send your guess! Remember that you only have one guess that can't be changed later, and that it's expressly forbidden to use outside resources to figure it out, otherwise it wouldn't be a guess.

Furthermore, to add a bit of competition to the game, we will rank all guesses based on how close they are to the correct answer. The top 3 answers will be given points: 3 points for 1st, 2 points for 2nd, and 1 point for 3rd. The highest scorer will gain the bragging right of being the CityGuessr Champion of the Month, and the top scorer across 12 editions of the game will be crowned CityGuessr Grand Champion.

In this edition we return to Europe—thank you to Conania who kindly provided the images, the first person to submit photos for a future puzzle through a telegram to The West Pacific Master Dispatch! Their help is definitely appreciated and I encourage others to do the same.

I wish you all good luck in solving this edition's challenge, and have fun!

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