Interview: Naivetry
NSNS: Good evening, readers! Sad news reached us when we heard that Naivetry, also known as Kandarin the Younger, is resigning her post as Delegate of the Rejected Realms. Of course, this asks for an interrogation... erm, interview. So tonight, in an NSNS exclusive, we have her: Naivetry!
* Naivetry waves.
Naivetry, welcome to the studio, and thank you for allowing us to interview you.
Thank you for asking me to be here!
You are very welcome. On to our first question! How did it feel to have Kandarin entrust you with his nation and the delegacy of TRR?
Both humbling and terrifying. I'd always admired Kandarin as a player and as a friend; he was a real role model for me when I first discovered NS politics. So while I thought of it as a tremendous honor, it was one that made me more nervous than anything.
How do you look back on your term as Delegate?
I think it was a challenging time - both for me personally and for the region. In the nine months or so between when I accepted Kandarin and when I announced my resignation, we had to deal with the controversy over the delegacy transfer, the first ever election for the delegacy of TRR, writing a constitution, two serious threats to the delegacy (Neenee's endoswapping and JAL's invasion), a citizen caught plotting with outside forces to overthrow the region (Anur-Sanur), and the revelation of a number of other secret identities - from Biyah as Manetheren River to Sedge as Devonitians. There were plenty of times when I wished we could have just a month or two to settle into our new constitution as a community before the next crisis came up. But at the same time, I think dealing with those various crises gave us all a chance to get to know each other better than we would have if it had all been smooth sailing. And for better or worse, the drama has attracted all sorts of new citizens... and that's always a good thing to see.
Is there anything you would have done differently in hindsight?
Heh, where should I begin?
Accepting Kandarin without consulting the region was a mistake in hindsight, of course. I took his word for it that there weren't people in TRR who would care what happened to the delegacy, and it turns out that just wasn't the case. Second, I would have been more forthcoming when I discovered Neenee's identity as Pristine Angel, rather than simply dropping worried hints about her nation and hoping others would take the threat seriously. As the citizens of TRR taught me, keeping confidences may be important, but my responsibility to ensure the safety of the region as TRR's Delegate ought to have come first. Third, I would have paid more attention to tension between my officers - particularly Biyah, Dali, and Sedge - and made an effort to address that tension head-on rather than ignoring it. Biyah and Dali's decision to blow the whistle on Sedge in TSP caused much more damage to the region as a community than it would have if those three Officers had agreed on the means and the timing of the information release. TRR as a whole deserved to find out about it first, and my failure to discuss the issue with Biyah, Dali, and Sedge allowed the situation to turn from 'potentially very bad' to 'seriously catastrophic'.
Oh. While we're discussing things I'd change, I'd make sure to vote earlier on WA resolutions, too, so I wouldn't miss any by mistake. I've done that with alarming frequency... those deadlines sneak up on you.
Any favorite moments you'd like to share with our readers?
I feel like saying 'that time when we caught Anur trying to get Devonitians to invade TRR', but that would be mean, wouldn't it? Let's see... pressing the banject button on my nation to see what would happen was fun. Also the TRR lolcats thread, all the insanity on IRC, and reading pretty much any post by Thought transference. As for serious favorite moments, it's been one of the most amazing experiences of my NS career to watch people getting involved in TRR. New citizenship applications are the best.
What was the hardest decision you've had to make as Delegate?
The decision to leave. Well, I'm not sure that's true. I think I was the most torn over the decision to cut back on the time I spent in Equilism... not because I wanted to, but because I simply did not have enough hours in the day to dedicate myself to two regions.
What do you feel was a defining difference between you and Kandarin the Elder?
To steal a line from Biblical Importance during elections... That's a question you should ask your parents. Though I don't think it made much of a difference for people who were used to him.
Honestly, I'm not sure. In some of the areas people have mentioned to me - like keeping quiet about things I was told in confidence - we were not so different in reality; there's a reason he asked me to take his nation, after all. I think I send telegrams and swap endorsements a little more diligently, while Kandy managed to be active in TEP and on the official forums in addition to his duties as delegate... though TRR was a quieter place, then.
Do you have any tips for your successor?
Oh, geez. Short answer: yes. Long answer: where do you want me to start? There's the day-to-day practicalities (endoswap daily - it's easier to keep up with it a little at a time), there's the 'things you don't realize until you're a delegate' (people send you a LOT of telegrams), and then there's the subtler side: the ethics of politics and the politics of ethics (if anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all).
The practical things are easy enough... things like, 'try to strike up conversations when you telegram people'. But the ethics and the politics... ah. I could talk about that stuff for weeks. Best not get me started!
How do you envision the future of the Rejected Realms?
I want TRR to be the place where we all meet as equals - a region that welcomes players of all different origins, experiences, and ideals, bound together by common ownership of, concern for, and service to the region they have chosen to call home. I want it to be a meeting ground and a crossroads, where people who used to know each other only from opposite sides of a battlefield can come and sit at the same table and work together for the good of the region they share. That may sound silly and idealistic, but as you may have noticed, I'm a silly and idealistic person.
Will you return to the Rejected Realms some day?
As long as I am able to maintain it, Kandarin will never leave. I have to keep the fridge stocked with the RR secret sauce, after all.
What will happen to the Cult of Naivetry?
*shifts uncomfortably* Well, whatever people want to do with it, I guess. That's how it got there. Honestly, I'd prefer it if people would forget all about me and just be decent to each other. That'd be nice.
Anything you'd like to add?
One thing, I guess. There's been a lot of back-and-forth over the nature of TRR lately - why the Rejected Realms Army is defender if the region itself is neutral, etc. I left this on the RMB five weeks ago, but let me share it where it's easier to find:
Like Kandarin the Elder, I have very little problem with raids that tag and brag. Like him, too, I don't even have a problem with having a raider group in TRR, as long as that's what they do, and as long as they're doing it in a way that reflects well on us as a community - with politeness, good humor, and concern for whether or not everyone involved is having fun. It's when you start ejecting natives - griefy raids - that the security of TRR is negatively impacted, and that's why it would be a contradiction of principle for TRR to take part in such activity. Individuals - even TRR citizens - are of course free to behave as they choose as members of other regions... keeping in mind that the people they're kicking out of other regions may very well become the people voting on their Officer application in TRR in the near future.
I'm saying this here because I want people outside of TRR to understand how things look inside of it. When we turn NS into a grand conflict between Raiders and Defenders, we do a disservice to all of the players who are here just to have some fun. Morality may be black and white, but the NS world is in color. People - all people - are what makes this game worthwhile, and rules don't matter as much as relationships. There's a higher principle at work here than the drive for activity or the urge to protect, and that principle is love. Get that part right, and everything else will follow.
Naivetry, thank you for answering our questions, and so thoroughly too!
You're quite welcome!
This concludes our interview with Naivetry. We wish her good luck in her future endeavours. In other news, the Rejected Realms' coffee shops have announced a month of mourning. This was NSNS, reporting live from Naivetry's Temple. Good night, everyone!
* Naivetry waves.
Naivetry, welcome to the studio, and thank you for allowing us to interview you.
Thank you for asking me to be here!
You are very welcome. On to our first question! How did it feel to have Kandarin entrust you with his nation and the delegacy of TRR?
Both humbling and terrifying. I'd always admired Kandarin as a player and as a friend; he was a real role model for me when I first discovered NS politics. So while I thought of it as a tremendous honor, it was one that made me more nervous than anything.
How do you look back on your term as Delegate?
I think it was a challenging time - both for me personally and for the region. In the nine months or so between when I accepted Kandarin and when I announced my resignation, we had to deal with the controversy over the delegacy transfer, the first ever election for the delegacy of TRR, writing a constitution, two serious threats to the delegacy (Neenee's endoswapping and JAL's invasion), a citizen caught plotting with outside forces to overthrow the region (Anur-Sanur), and the revelation of a number of other secret identities - from Biyah as Manetheren River to Sedge as Devonitians. There were plenty of times when I wished we could have just a month or two to settle into our new constitution as a community before the next crisis came up. But at the same time, I think dealing with those various crises gave us all a chance to get to know each other better than we would have if it had all been smooth sailing. And for better or worse, the drama has attracted all sorts of new citizens... and that's always a good thing to see.
Is there anything you would have done differently in hindsight?
Heh, where should I begin?
Accepting Kandarin without consulting the region was a mistake in hindsight, of course. I took his word for it that there weren't people in TRR who would care what happened to the delegacy, and it turns out that just wasn't the case. Second, I would have been more forthcoming when I discovered Neenee's identity as Pristine Angel, rather than simply dropping worried hints about her nation and hoping others would take the threat seriously. As the citizens of TRR taught me, keeping confidences may be important, but my responsibility to ensure the safety of the region as TRR's Delegate ought to have come first. Third, I would have paid more attention to tension between my officers - particularly Biyah, Dali, and Sedge - and made an effort to address that tension head-on rather than ignoring it. Biyah and Dali's decision to blow the whistle on Sedge in TSP caused much more damage to the region as a community than it would have if those three Officers had agreed on the means and the timing of the information release. TRR as a whole deserved to find out about it first, and my failure to discuss the issue with Biyah, Dali, and Sedge allowed the situation to turn from 'potentially very bad' to 'seriously catastrophic'.Oh. While we're discussing things I'd change, I'd make sure to vote earlier on WA resolutions, too, so I wouldn't miss any by mistake. I've done that with alarming frequency... those deadlines sneak up on you.
Any favorite moments you'd like to share with our readers?
I feel like saying 'that time when we caught Anur trying to get Devonitians to invade TRR', but that would be mean, wouldn't it? Let's see... pressing the banject button on my nation to see what would happen was fun. Also the TRR lolcats thread, all the insanity on IRC, and reading pretty much any post by Thought transference. As for serious favorite moments, it's been one of the most amazing experiences of my NS career to watch people getting involved in TRR. New citizenship applications are the best.
What was the hardest decision you've had to make as Delegate?
The decision to leave. Well, I'm not sure that's true. I think I was the most torn over the decision to cut back on the time I spent in Equilism... not because I wanted to, but because I simply did not have enough hours in the day to dedicate myself to two regions.
What do you feel was a defining difference between you and Kandarin the Elder?
To steal a line from Biblical Importance during elections... That's a question you should ask your parents. Though I don't think it made much of a difference for people who were used to him.
Honestly, I'm not sure. In some of the areas people have mentioned to me - like keeping quiet about things I was told in confidence - we were not so different in reality; there's a reason he asked me to take his nation, after all. I think I send telegrams and swap endorsements a little more diligently, while Kandy managed to be active in TEP and on the official forums in addition to his duties as delegate... though TRR was a quieter place, then.Do you have any tips for your successor?
Oh, geez. Short answer: yes. Long answer: where do you want me to start? There's the day-to-day practicalities (endoswap daily - it's easier to keep up with it a little at a time), there's the 'things you don't realize until you're a delegate' (people send you a LOT of telegrams), and then there's the subtler side: the ethics of politics and the politics of ethics (if anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all).
The practical things are easy enough... things like, 'try to strike up conversations when you telegram people'. But the ethics and the politics... ah. I could talk about that stuff for weeks. Best not get me started!
How do you envision the future of the Rejected Realms?
I want TRR to be the place where we all meet as equals - a region that welcomes players of all different origins, experiences, and ideals, bound together by common ownership of, concern for, and service to the region they have chosen to call home. I want it to be a meeting ground and a crossroads, where people who used to know each other only from opposite sides of a battlefield can come and sit at the same table and work together for the good of the region they share. That may sound silly and idealistic, but as you may have noticed, I'm a silly and idealistic person.
Will you return to the Rejected Realms some day?
As long as I am able to maintain it, Kandarin will never leave. I have to keep the fridge stocked with the RR secret sauce, after all.
What will happen to the Cult of Naivetry?
*shifts uncomfortably* Well, whatever people want to do with it, I guess. That's how it got there. Honestly, I'd prefer it if people would forget all about me and just be decent to each other. That'd be nice.
Anything you'd like to add?
One thing, I guess. There's been a lot of back-and-forth over the nature of TRR lately - why the Rejected Realms Army is defender if the region itself is neutral, etc. I left this on the RMB five weeks ago, but let me share it where it's easier to find:
So as I see it, at any rate, we don't have a raider army because we want people who want to be here. We're neutral as a region because we want everyone who wants to be here to have a chance. And we have a defender army because some of us want to be sure that only the people who want to be here end up here - which, when you think about it, is probably the best way we have to ensure our own security.
Like Kandarin the Elder, I have very little problem with raids that tag and brag. Like him, too, I don't even have a problem with having a raider group in TRR, as long as that's what they do, and as long as they're doing it in a way that reflects well on us as a community - with politeness, good humor, and concern for whether or not everyone involved is having fun. It's when you start ejecting natives - griefy raids - that the security of TRR is negatively impacted, and that's why it would be a contradiction of principle for TRR to take part in such activity. Individuals - even TRR citizens - are of course free to behave as they choose as members of other regions... keeping in mind that the people they're kicking out of other regions may very well become the people voting on their Officer application in TRR in the near future.
I'm saying this here because I want people outside of TRR to understand how things look inside of it. When we turn NS into a grand conflict between Raiders and Defenders, we do a disservice to all of the players who are here just to have some fun. Morality may be black and white, but the NS world is in color. People - all people - are what makes this game worthwhile, and rules don't matter as much as relationships. There's a higher principle at work here than the drive for activity or the urge to protect, and that principle is love. Get that part right, and everything else will follow.
Naivetry, thank you for answering our questions, and so thoroughly too!
You're quite welcome!
This concludes our interview with Naivetry. We wish her good luck in her future endeavours. In other news, the Rejected Realms' coffee shops have announced a month of mourning. This was NSNS, reporting live from Naivetry's Temple. Good night, everyone!
