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Another update from the Islands.


10000 Islands Emissary Update

Date: June 2020
Population: 2113
Delegate Endorsements: 710
Forum: Linkhttp://10000islands.proboards.com/
Discord: Linkhttps://discord.gg/mw27pug

TITO Command

Has your region been invaded, or do you want to get in touch with TITO? If so, contact one of the following nations:
~Chief Executive: Markanite.
~Field Commander: Kanta Hame.
~Tactical Officers: Shy Guyia, Smugglers and Mercs (EF), Mingulay isle, THX1138.
~Executive Officers: Aschente, Hakketomat.

Government

As of this reportís publication, the Government of 10000 Islands consists of:
~Chief Executive: Markanite
~WA Delegate: Kuriko
~Senior Senator for Blue Canaria North (Emissary Report): Grea Kriopia
~Senator for Lyonnesse East (Houses): The United Royal Islands of Euramathania
~Senator for New Republica South (Debates and Discussions): Controlitia
~Senator for Himes West (RP): Marxist germany
~Minister of Labor: HumanSanity
~Minister of Immigration: THX1138
~Minister of Education: The tasmanian islands

Additionally, XKI is proud to announce the signing of the Treaty of the Waxing Moon with The East Pacific to further recognize and appreciate the history of friendship between the two regions.

Information about other government officials of 10000 Islands can be found Linkhere.

New Government Appointments

~ The FA team grew again this month as Thedairos was appointed Emissary to The Coalition of Democratic Nations, Grea Kriopia was appointed Emissary to The North Pacific, Kohnhead was appointed Emissary to Wintreath, Free Las Pinas was appointed Ambassador to Texas, and Wille-Harlia was appointed Emissary to South Pacific.
~ The Cultural Office gained Thedairos, Free Las Pinas, Snakeden, and Al0neforever as Cultural Office Assistants.
~ Woonsocket was hired as Casino Manager in the revitalization of the XKI Casino.
~ With the Casino shuffle, Paffnia was made Regional Reserve Chair with Woonsocket becoming Deputy Regional Reserve Chair.
~ In the Education department, Wille-Harlia was hired as Deputy Minister of Education by Minister The tasmanian islands.

XKI Summer Olympics

June saw the first-ever XKI Summer Olympics hosted by Cultural Officer HumanSanity and Cultural Office Assistant Grea Kriopia, which ran as a month-long event spree where 3 Olympic teams competed for points, trading cards, and bragging rights. Events featured spamming contests, an Issues writing contest, a short story contest, Card collection competition, Factbook writing contest, team debates, and more, each awarding a points reward to the winning team. The event had a staggering 96 participants in total and much friendly competition was had!

In the end, Team ALEN led by THX1138 took home the gold with a total of 525 points. Next followed Team Fleeb in second with 396 points and in 3rd place with bronze came Team Anime Daisuki with 339 points. A hearty congratulations to all teams, though, for their strong participation and team spirit that helped kick the summer off strong, and special thanks also go to all of the guest judges who helped with various events.

Around the Islands

~ The LinkXKI Cards Co-Op snuck in right at the end of the month to establish a community based regional card farming operation separate from the XKI Cultural Office. More info to come in July once the Co-Op is up and running.
~ June's LinkFeatured Nation was Wille-Harlia! Congrats to him on all of his recent accomplishments and promotions, and we can't wait to see what you do next!
~ As mentioned previously, the XKI Casino got a nice revamp in the month of June with the help of Woonsocket. Now, Islanders can fulfill all their gambling addiction needs with regular lotteries, Roulette, and more to come!
~ The first space launches of the XKI Space Program took place in June with Linkdramatic results for all their parties involved.
~ Some XKIers moseyed over to a Texas Saturday morning BBQ for a nice chat and friendly regional visit.
~ The Summer Olympics brought lots of additional spam to Taco Island, but the chaos only grew as a Linkcriminal manhunt was underway for Shy Guyia. Full support to Mayor Louisistan as he seeks justice!

XKI Game-Side

A regional poll in June by Jabberwocky asked Islanders what soda they thought was sodalicious.

This month’s RMB posts show what's really on Islander's minds during quarantine...

Self-confidence is key!
Suspect everyone...even the pigeons
Weird flex, but ok
Grandmas be like...
Cards go vroom
A nice reminder
Darn, copyright!
It's called fashion

WA Affairs

June 03, 2020 SC Commend Crushing Our Enemies: Citing the target's legislative, organizational, and military work across NationStates.
Author: Jakker City
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 0 | Against 14
Delegate vote: Against (weight 809)
Final WA vote: For 15370 (75.0%) | Against 5135 (25.0%)
Result: Passed June 06, becoming SCR#310

June 03, 2020 GA Rights of the Employed: A resolution to further establish and clarify worker's rights unilaterally.
Author: The Greater Soviet North America
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 5 | Against 10 | Abstain 2
Delegate vote: Against (weight: 810)
Final WA vote: For 11828 (53.9%) | Against 10133 (46.1%)
Result: Passed June 7, becoming GAR#491

June 07, 2020 SC Commend 9003: Seeking to commend the target for their extensive work in International Artwork (cards) and military work.
Author: Noahs Second Country
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 17 | Against 0
Delegate vote: For (weight 842)
Final WA vote: For 21925 (90.3%) | Against 2358 (9.7%)
Result: Passed May 8, becoming SCR#304

June 07, 2020 GA Proper Hygiene For Medical Instruments: A resolution to bolster hygiene standards in healthcare to raise universal standards of health.
Author: Morover
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 11 | Against 0
Delegate vote: For (weight 785)
Final WA vote: For 18256 (91%) | Against 1803 (9%)
Result: Passed June 11, becoming GAR#492

June 11, 2020 SC Repeal "Liberate Iran": A movement to repeal Iran's liberation in order for the region to be refounded.
Author: Iramerica
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 20 | Against 0
Delegate vote: For (weight 772)
Final WA vote: For 16861 (87.5%) | Against 2416 (12.5%)
Result: Passed June 14, becoming SCR#312

June 11, 2020 GA Language and Education Rights for Deaf Individuals: A resolution to protect Deaf individuals from discrimination with emphasis on education quality.
Author: Morover
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 10 | Against 0
Delegate vote: For (weight 770)
Final WA vote: For 17814 (93.6%) | Against 1221 (6.4%)
Result: Passed June 15, becoming GAR#493

June 15, 2020 SC Commend Apulita: Citing the target's work in regional government, particularly in Warzone Europe.
Author: Jean Rowe
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 10 | Against 4
Delegate vote: Against (weight 753) - violated ROVA
Final WA vote: For 4150 (26.2%) | Against 11708 (73.8%)
Result: Failed to pass.

June 15, 2020 GA Regulating Desalination: A resolution to protect Deaf individuals from discrimination with emphasis on education quality.
Author: Honeydewstania
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 14 | Against 1
Delegate vote: For (weight 752)
Final WA vote: For 11930 (65.2%) | Against 6378 (34.8%)
Result: Passed June 19, becoming GAR#494

June 19, 2020 SC Repeal "Condemn Vandoosa": A movement to repeal the target's condemnation on the grounds of poor quality and overexaggeration.
Author: Tinhampton
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 0 | Against 13
Delegate vote: Against (weight 755)
Final WA vote: For 4000 (25.2%) | Against 11903 (74.8%)
Result: Failed to pass.

June 19, 2020 GA Supporting and Valuing the Humanities: Establishing extra academic and monetary support for the humanities in academic institutions.
Author: Castle Federation
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 10 | Against 1
Delegate vote: For (weight 753)
Final WA vote: For 15221 (82.6%) | Against 3197 (17.4%)
Result: Passed June 23, becoming GAR#495

June 23, 2020 SC Commend The Salaxalans: Citing the target's work of the highest potato quality in Spiritus.
Author: Morover
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 11 | Against 1
Delegate vote: For (weight 734)
Final WA vote: For 13640 (90.3%) | Against 2763 (9.7%)
Result: Passed June 26, becoming SCR#313

June 23, 2020 GA Standards on Police Accountability: An attempt for higher accountability on police standards.
Author: Isaris
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 4 | Against 11
Delegate vote: Against (weight: 733)
Final WA vote: For 7062 (41.0%) | Against 10146 (59.0%)
Result: Failed to pass.

June 27, 2020 SC Condemn Australian rePublic: Seeking to condemn the target nation for their chaotic contribution towards Issues.
Author: Authoritaria-Imperia
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 13 | Against 2
Delegate vote: Against (weight 719)
Final WA vote: For 9371 (66.2%) | Against 4794 (33.8%)
Result: Passed June 30, becoming SCR#314

June 27, 2020 GA Fair Arbitration Act: A resolution to better protect and support fair arbitration on behalf of individuals.
Author: Cretox State
10000 Islands discussion on this resolution: LinkLink
Regional vote: For 13 | Against 1 | Abstain 2
Delegate vote: For (weight 718)
Final WA vote: For 13157 (83.9%) | Against 2532 (16.1%)
Result: Passed Jul 1, becoming GAR#496

Poet Laureate Competition

June brought around the XKI Poet Laureate Competition where the region's finest poet's faced off on the topic of 'anger', aiming for the best poem on the topic in any form or style. The winner of this competition was Liberdon and their poem, The Storm's Wrath, is featured below:

The Storm’s Wrath

The midnight sea lay still
Until a wind started to blow
And silence fell to a shrill
And once calm waves began to grow

Far above foaming dark
Rested thatched roofs and clay walls
Nestled in straw, a lark
All unaware as the wind calls

Higher! Higher! the waves howl
Leaping, lashing the salty rock
Suddenly the skies growl
Tick, tock, tick says the clock

Crash! A terrible sound
Waves strike and tear, unleashing wrath
Bash! Bang! Roar! the waves bound
Forgetting caution, the waves scathe

Wind grows weary and dies
Waves calm and recede to the sea
Morning dawns on clear skies
But on wreckage and debris

But do not despair, for
The storm has no more spite
Rejoice and leap and soar
And rebuild what was lost last night

For no storm can last long
And clear skies will always return
The trick is staying strong
Until the waves and wrath adjourn

Until next month, your XKI Update Staff is signing off - Grea Kriopia
Read dispatch

Tatarica wrote:So, basically, the humans that wore the rings were corrupted in the first place, or "evil"? One was already on a bloody conquest, one had to rule in a land with a lot of problems and he had to have an iron hand, etcetera. There was no instance that we know of in which Sauron gave one of the rings to a human king that was good and benevolent and kind and fair and in turn that turned him ever so slightly evil until he tipped into darkness?

The Nine rings were those divided amongst evil-hearted men, this effects cause them to acquired great power and wealth. As far as I know Sauron gave the rings to warriors and lords of Men that later become kings, it is no known from where though... They could be from Hildórien, Harad, or the "Hither Lands", places that we do not know much about. The only thing that we know is that amongst this evil-hearted men, three were Númenóreans (presumably one of them The Witch-King, and the other two although technically they were Black Númenóreans: Fruinir and Herumor, again thats my guess) and one Easterling king (Khamûl).

In my opinion, the effects of power rings exaggerated user characteristics. It did not shape them, but it exaggeratedly increased their character traits, turning them completely evil and therefore leading to corruption. And according to Tolkien, the race of Men has the innate inability to resist evil.

Boisterous balrogs

Dwarf wrote:21 hours ago: The Borderlands of Boisterous balrogs arrived from Omo.

*snorts a laugh*

The Balrogs are but a misunderstood people. They only joined forces with Melkor due to their being shunned by the other races.

Boisterous balrogs wrote:The Balrogs are but a misunderstood people. They only joined forces with Melkor due to their being shunned by the other races.

It is well-known that the Balrogs were only shunned because of their refusal to bathe and the resultant stench about them. They brought this shunning on themselves, and their eventual corruption is surely a blame that can be placed upon their own shoulders.

Thorin oakenshield

Visions from a peaceful Middle-earth:
Balrogs and dwarven families hanging out for a relaxing soak in Kheled-zâram, which thanks to the balrogs' innate heat is warm as a bath tub, gently steaming...

Sing hey! for the bath at close of day
that washes the war and strife away!

Tatarica, Dwarven Mines, Dwarf, and Echoriath

Boy, I'll say, that is an attractive vision...

O! Water cold we may pour at need
down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed;
but better is Beer if drink we lack,
and Water Hot poured down the back.

I have to say, of all of Tolkien's poems and songs, I think I can envision this one as being a real modern pop song the easiest.

Tatarica, Lady eowyn, Thorin oakenshield, Dwarven Mines, and 1 otherEchoriath

Welcome back, Luinil!

An upbeat version of the bath song to sing along would be so much fun.

In a peaceful Middle-earth, how would orcs subsist? Similar to the Drúedain as hunter-gatherers and fishers?

Lady eowyn wrote:

In a peaceful Middle-earth, how would orcs subsist?

Lawyers, stockbrokers, door-to-door salespeople.

Tatarica, Lady eowyn, Thorin oakenshield, Dwarven Mines, and 1 otherDwarf

It may not be obvious, but there's definitely a secret Tolkien letter. I am going to say just the following; Orcs are really misunderstood and bullied. All they want is to practice their speech, song, and poetry. You may not have seen in in the texts, but oh how beautiful the voice of some Orcs can be! Definitely, not all have this talent, but .. you'd shred a tear hearing him. Or more tears.

March of Maedhros, Lady eowyn, and Dwarf

Thorin oakenshield

The Dread Overlord wrote:door-to-door salespeople

'Then about a year ago a messenger came to Dáin, but not from Moria - from Mordor: a horseman in the night, who called Dáin to his gate. The Lord Sauron the Great, so he said, wished for our friendship. Rings he would give for it, such as he gave of old...'

Tatarica wrote:It may not be obvious, but there's definitely a secret Tolkien letter. I am going to say just the following; Orcs are really misunderstood and bullied. All they want is to practice their speech, song, and poetry. You may not have seen in in the texts, but oh how beautiful the voice of some Orcs can be! Definitely, not all have this talent, but .. you'd shred a tear hearing him. Or more tears.

https://youtu.be/YdXQJS3Yv0Y

Thorin oakenshield wrote:

https://youtu.be/YdXQJS3Yv0Y

The secret's out!

Tatarica wrote:It may not be obvious, but there's definitely a secret Tolkien letter. I am going to say just the following; Orcs are really misunderstood and bullied. All they want is to practice their speech, song, and poetry. You may not have seen in in the texts, but oh how beautiful the voice of some Orcs can be! Definitely, not all have this talent, but .. you'd shred a tear hearing him. Or more tears.

I can't tell if you're making this up or if there really is a letter of his saying this... Either way, I really like the idea of orcs having more to them than simply being killing machines (and not just because I am playing them as my faction in the RP :P )

Thorin oakenshield wrote:https://youtu.be/YdXQJS3Yv0Y

I've actually never watched this older animated version. I kind of always assumed it was going to be terrible. However, that clip was weird and wonderful and makes me now want to seek it out for a watch!

Tatarica, Lady eowyn, Dispatch, and Dwarven Mines

For the RP I imagine you can make your orcs be whatever you want them to be, Dwarf. I'm sure that no Tolkien estate lawyer will come knocking on your nation's door, asking for you to cease with the storyline :p

As for the letter, I'm sure that if such a letter does actually exist, its hidden from the prying eyes of the world. But then again, for a whole race of orcs, millions upon millions upon millions of them, I'm fairly certain that at least a few in all those millions have some skills in poetry / singing / speech.

Thorin oakenshield wrote:
'Then about a year ago a messenger came to Dáin, but not from Moria - from Mordor: a horseman in the night, who called Dáin to his gate. The Lord Sauron the Great, so he said, wished for our friendship. Rings he would give for it, such as he gave of old...'

https://youtu.be/YdXQJS3Yv0Y

How can the ring possibly tempt and corrupt someone who is a simple gardener, and desires nothing more?

I think this is my favorite scene of the movie - and dearly wish it had made it into the Jackson movies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am-piARxy4U

I was thinking about this ‘noticeability of corruption’ question and I think the lesser rings wouldn’t be noticeably evil. The basic premise for me would be that Sauron is an expert deceiver (ergo the nickname Sauron the Deceiver).
The thing is, is that I don’t think we can compare the deception of the lesser rings with that of the master ring. The lesser rings are designed to deceive, I don’t see any reason to expand that to the master ring because it never was supposed to leave his hand. So even if the one ring is good at deceiving it seems to be merely an extension of Sauron’s talent but not a build in purpose of it. I assume that if Sauron focuses a specific element into a ring he can enhances it.
(This might be a wrong assumption and possibly countered with ‘Everything is in the one ring so it does all his character up to 11. Be that as it may that can be countered by saying: sure, but more malice is more difficult to hide.)
I would work on the assumption that the ring strengthens ambition (like Sam and his garden) and that it can turn good ambition into bad outcomes (a bit like how Tzeench in Warhammer can corrupt people who have the ambition to gain knowledge). As such it might not matter so much whether the ring bearing humans were good or evil. They just needed to have some ambition. We know a little bit too little to know the story-lines of the Ringwraiths but we do know that a couple (I think three) where Numenorians. But even that is neither here nor there because we don’t know in what stage of corruption these were prior to the gifting.
It actually does something similar to the dwarves. Their ambition being more singular creates a more singular outcome. I think it is indeed mentioned that they are more resilient, but seems to matter only somewhat, at least that is how I perceive it.
Also: happy to be back in this wholesome little corner of the Tolkien internet realm.

Tatarica, March of Maedhros, and Lady eowyn

Luinil wrote:I would work on the assumption that the ring strengthens ambition (like Sam and his garden) and that it can turn good ambition into bad outcomes

I agree: ambition or ego is what makes people vulnerable to corruption by the one ring.

There's even a hint of how the ring, hypothetically, might have tempted an Ent:

Treebeard looked at them, and was silent for a while, shaking his head thoughtfully. Then he turned to Gandalf.
'So Saruman would not leave?' he said. 'I did not think he would. His heart is as rotten as a black Huorn's. Still, if I were overcome and all my trees destroyed, I would not come while I had one dark hole left to hide in.'
'No,' said Gandalf. 'But you have not plotted to cover all the world with your trees and choke all other living things.

The Two Towers, The Voice of Saruman

Even trees can be too much of a good thing, if someone's ego pushes them to expand at the expense of everything else.

Poll no. 50 is about books. Which unread book is on your reading list? If several, which book is high on your list?
page=poll/p=161455

Rumours about a future new publication, The Nature of Middle-earth:
http://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=3727
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/The_Nature_of_Middle-earth
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2020/06/23/108207-the-nature-of-middle-earth-new-book-with-tolkiens-unpublished-writings

Vanyar wrote:Hello.

Hello, and welcome to Middle Earth!

It is quite an occasion for the Vanyar to leave Valinor and visit the fair lands of Middle Earth!

Dwarven Mines and Vanyar

Lady Galadriel wrote:I agree: ambition or ego is what makes people vulnerable to corruption by the one ring.

There's even a hint of how the ring, hypothetically, might have tempted an Ent:

Treebeard looked at them, and was silent for a while, shaking his head thoughtfully. Then he turned to Gandalf.
'So Saruman would not leave?' he said. 'I did not think he would. His heart is as rotten as a black Huorn's. Still, if I were overcome and all my trees destroyed, I would not come while I had one dark hole left to hide in.'
'No,' said Gandalf. 'But you have not plotted to cover all the world with your trees and choke all other living things.

The Two Towers, The Voice of Saruman

Even trees can be too much of a good thing, if someone's ego pushes them to expand at the expense of everything else.

Poll no. 50 is about books. Which unread book is on your reading list? If several, which book is high on your list?
page=poll/p=161455

Rumours about a future new publication, The Nature of Middle-earth:
http://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=3727
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/The_Nature_of_Middle-earth
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2020/06/23/108207-the-nature-of-middle-earth-new-book-with-tolkiens-unpublished-writings

Boisterous balrogs

...this looks fun

Boisterous balrogs wrote:...this looks fun

Very! Unless the defenders who shall not pass pass, that'd be a bummer.

Boisterous balrogs wrote:...this looks fun

Oh, would'ja look at that? The balrogs gettin' all boisterous, again... Don't'cha worry, lil ole balrog.

Tatarica, Boisterous balrogs, A Balrog, and Moon sailors

Dwarf wrote:Oh, would'ja look at that? The balrogs gettin' all boisterous, again... Don't'cha worry, lil ole balrog.

That deeply resonates within me

Boisterous balrogs

Dwarf wrote:Oh, would'ja look at that? The balrogs gettin' all boisterous, again... Don't'cha worry, lil ole balrog.

rawr

Welcome to all the new arrivals from the raider sphere. Hope that things remain civil and I certainly do hope that we can entertain you with theme-related topics; maybe some of you are into Tolkien / Middle Earth?

I'm partly asking as we're conducting a Middle Earth RP over at Middle Earth Roleplay and are open to invite new people that are interested in the theme to also participate in the RP. And partly because Middle Earth is always open to new folk that are into the saga, no matter their r&d affiliation.

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