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«12. . .1,9821,9831,9841,9851,9861,9871,988. . .2,6342,635»

The most serene republicans wrote:Mount Seymour that "Moon through trees" picture was fantastic, I'm still mesmerized at it holy crap

Taken from my bathroom window!

Frieden-und Freudenland, Lord Dominator, Terrabod, Middle Barael, and 3 othersNation of ecologists, Garbelia, and The most serene republicans

Does your nation have a creation myth, even if none of your citizens believe it today?

Terrabod wrote:Does your nation have a creation myth, even if none of your citizens believe it today?

No-one actually believes it, but it is a nice little story that an intergalactic otter (of course) was swimming along in nothingness, when a fish leaped out of nowhere (literally) and she caught it. The otter sliced the fish open, ate the meat, and with the bones, created the universe. The eyes are black holes, and life is thought to the the devoured fish entrails.

Yes, that's right. In Garbelia, the creation myth has life being fish insides. That is where the saying "Life is the fish intestine of the galaxy." comes from.

Frieden-und Freudenland, Lord Dominator, Terrabod, Middle Barael, and 2 othersNation of ecologists, and Nova patris

BEHOLD!!! Love and Nature's Forest season one card deck is complete! page=deck/collection=2126

You can check my Forest full season 2 deck from here: page=deck/collection=16345

I was thinking is it possible to add these to the Forest Cultural Heritage Register? Kawastyselir, I think this question is for you? Cards are not unique in that way and basically anyone can get the same kind of collection in time if they use enought time and effort.

Kawastyselir, Frieden-und Freudenland, Ownzone, Ruinenlust, and 6 othersLord Dominator, Uan aa Boa, Terrabod, Middle Barael, Nation of ecologists, and The most serene republicans

The most serene republicans

Terrabod wrote:Does your nation have a creation myth, even if none of your citizens believe it today?

A national origin myth like Romulus and Remus? No. Religious creation myths? Yes and they're important as hecc because MSR is basically a multi-theocracy.

There are five main religious groups in MSR: Upper Amasarians, Sand Amasarians, Gurás, Christians and the People of the Mountains. Both amasarians share the same creation myth, and I'm not gonna tell it just yet because I'm working on an interesting way to describe it for a factbook. It's coming soon, I promise...

For Gurás, the universe was originally a void inhabited by a single butterfly. The butterfly fell asleep and dreamt of a god. The god then created the oceans, and the butterfly dreamt of islands. The god created humans and the butterfly dreamt of animals. The god created mountains and the butterfly dreamt of lakes and so on. Basically, the whole world is happening inside a butterfly's dream, and will end when it wakes up. Please don't think too much about the lovercraftian implications of that. Also, that's why the flag of Gura and matos has a bunch of butterflies and a little green guy (the god). This is also why, in the autonomous province of Gura and matos, interrupting someone's sleep is seen as a hell of a dick move. Dreams are basically sacred.

For the Mountain People, the universe is basically a continuous cycle, being created, destroyed and re-created throughout millenia. The world didin't quite "begin" at any specific point, but rather has been going since forever and will continue going until forever. This idea of cycles influences basically every aspect of the Mountain People's lives, and, of course, they believe in reincarnation.

For the christians, I think you know how it goes.

I have to say I greatly enjoyed voting for the Forest Photo Contest, the pictures are incredible, fantastic work!

Frieden-und Freudenland, Mount Seymour, Lord Dominator, Uan aa Boa, and 3 othersMiddle Barael, Nation of ecologists, and The most serene republicans

Love and Nature wrote:BEHOLD!!! Love and Nature's Forest season one card deck is complete! page=deck/collection=2126

You can check my Forest full season 2 deck from here: page=deck/collection=16345

I was thinking is it possible to add these to the Forest Cultural Heritage Register? Kawastyselir, I think this question is for you? Cards are not unique in that way and basically anyone can get the same kind of collection in time if they use enought time and effort.

Congratulations!

Terrabod wrote:Does your nation have a creation myth, even if none of your citizens believe it today?

Nice question. I think the closest thing to a creation myth that we have is the Mutinapaskan Nobara ("The Birth of the Land of Whales") left to us in our famous Mutinka inscriptions.

Mutinkas, ("the Whale People", from the word "mutin", meaning "whale") were the original inhabitants of the Frieden-und Freudenlandian archipelago. Their language is known as Mutinosan ("osan" is a suffix used for languages) and they called our archipelago Mutinapas ("Whale Land"), while "-kan" is a genitive suffix. As I am sure you can all guess by now, "Nobara" means "birth."

Interestingly, Mutinkas' language was closely related to their mythical conceptualization of the world. For one thing, they believed that they descended from whales, and also that deceased people would be reincarnated as whales. That should explain why they called themselves "The Whale People."

The abovementioned story is quite crazy and mindblowing. It goes like this:

"In the days of old,
Before humans populated the Earth,
Only whales populated the mighty seas.

Por-Mutin ("Great Whale"), that charming goddess,
Looked upon the world and felt despair,
As the world was all water, no land.

So she collected some dead whales,
Piled them on top of each other,
And they became Mutinapas.

Then she found some pregnant whales,
Made them go into labor,
And became a midwife to their calves.

She wanted the calves to live on whale-land,
But that was impossible.
So she cut off their fins and gave them feet.

She made them smaller, to fit more of them on the whale islands.

She changed their skin, their visage,
and gave them a new name: Whale People.

And so it is that the Whale People came to be,
On this bountiful Whale Land,
Born of whales and nursed by whales,
Eating the fruit of the soil
That was once the body of a whale.

From the sea we came, to the sea we shall return.

Mutinora fola biku. (To the whales, praise be.)

I find this fascinating, because dolphins are our national animals even today. Looks like the inhabitants of our archipelago have always been in love with aquatic mammals, one way or another.

Love and Nature, Lord Dominator, Uan aa Boa, Terrabod, and 4 othersMiddle Barael, Nation of ecologists, Garbelia, and The most serene republicans

Love and Nature wrote:BEHOLD!!! Love and Nature's Forest season one card deck is complete! page=deck/collection=2126

You can check my Forest full season 2 deck from here: page=deck/collection=16345

I was thinking is it possible to add these to the Forest Cultural Heritage Register? Kawastyselir, I think this question is for you? Cards are not unique in that way and basically anyone can get the same kind of collection in time if they use enought time and effort.

Maybe if you make an In-Character Museum or museum network that they are a part of? Since IC cards usually do not exist, but if you make it so that each card is like an exhibit of foreign art in a Museum, then it’d work IC?

That’s what I’ve done anyways, my card collections are actually just museums in MB

Terrabod wrote:Does your nation have a creation myth, even if none of your citizens believe it today?

“The Phoenician Jews have a creation myth that they still believe that combines Judaism with Canaanite religion, and some also have a little bit of Catholicism with the Saints

Essentially, in Phoenician Judaism, deities have a Spirit and a Host. The Spirit is their identity, their personality, their self as an independent person or being. The Host, meanwhile, is the deity’s role or dominion or persona. It’s like the Spirit would be Poseidon or Nereus or Oceanus, while the Host would be “God of the Sea”. The Host is the source of the deity’s power, while the Spirit is their personality, their identity. For every deity they have the name of their Spirit, but also each of their Hosts have a name.

In the beginning, there were many Deities (note that deity is not a God). The most powerful deity was “Yahweh”, whose Host was “El”. He and his wife “Asherah” had 70 sons, who collectively shared the Host of “Elohim”. There was also the deity “Baal”, who was a powerful deity ruling all of the gentile nations of the world.

Overtime, the nations under Baal waged war against the Jews, who were Yahweh’s chosen people. And over time, Baal and Yahweh waged war against each other as well. At first, Yahweh was easily holding his own, as not only did Yahweh have the Host of El, the most powerful host, but he also had Asherah and the Elohim on his side, while Baal merely had a few renegade deities and the gentile nations.

However, somehow mysteriously Baal managed to switch the allegiance of the Elohim, the 70 sons of Yahweh. Thus the war became much harder, as each side was equally matched.

Finally, one day, Yahweh woke up from his sleep, and suddenly all of the Elohim were gone. Vanished. Their Hosts remained, but their Spirits were gone. Their beings, their selves disappeared, as their Hosts remained. Yahweh had simply willed them, in his sleep, to no longer exist, and with the power of the Host of El behind him, they vanished.

However, their godly Hosts remained, and Yahweh took them for himself. Now not only did Yahweh have his own original Host, “El”, but he also had the Hosts of the Elohim: “Shadai”, “Elyon”, “Adon Olam”, “Adonai”, and many more. Now at this point Yahweh became so powerful that he could be called God.

Yahweh/God continued to wage war against Baal, eventually defeating him, and he wiped Baal from existence, both Baal’s Spirit and his Host.

Yahweh was worried that his wife Asherah might rise up to avenge the death of her traitorous sons, so Yahweh set her into a half-sleep, a hypnosis, if you will. Though she is aware of what is going on around her, she cannot act herself, although she can send messengers to do her bidding. She is stuck in a hypnotic Cosmic Dance for eternity, dancing in her temples with the smell of incense and wine keeping her half-dormant.

Over time, Yahweh and Asherah began to grow closer. They shared the Host of “Shechina”, and over time they became somewhat together and merged. They each have their own identity, their own self, their own Spirit and their own Hosts, but they do meet and they do each find themselves in the other.

So now Yahweh has not only the Host of “El”, but also of “Elohim”, “Shadai”, “Elyon”, “Adon Olam”, “Adonai”, “Elohai”, “Ein Sof”, and more. Asherah is in an eternal hypnosis, but also somewhat joined with Yahweh via their shared host of “Shechina”.

One final note. Some Phoenician Jews have also taken on the belief in Saints, and many of their Saints happen to be borrowed from Catholicism. This was very controversial when it began in the 17th-Century, and led to a partial split in Phoenician Judaism. They are both still considered Phoenician Jews, but those who believe in Saints are seen as a specific sect or faction of them, known by some as CPJs, or Christianized Phoenician Jews. They believe that some good, kind, charitable people can receive “micro-hosts”, tiny bits of a Host that they are to then use for good. Saints have a tiny bit of godly energy to back them up, which is why it is so controversial. Most Phoenician Jews, however, do not have Saints, although they still praise their actions as righteous, simply not at all divine.

And there you have it, Phoenician Judaism. This is Rabbi Hiram Ben-Adonizedek, rabbi of the old Phoenician Synagogue of Cothon City. This was my lesson on Phoenician Jewry, and I hope to see all of you at my Synagogue in Cothon City when you come for the EcoCON later this year. Thank you!”

Frieden-und Freudenland, Lord Dominator, Uan aa Boa, Terrabod, and 4 othersNation of ecologists, Garbelia, Nova patris, and Gura and matos

Terrabod wrote:Does your nation have a creation myth, even if none of your citizens believe it today?

In the United States, we believe that in the 1700s a bunch of British colonists on the east coast of North America were being dreadfully and unjustly oppressed by the faraway British government. These colonists were understandably miffed by their slavish conditions and decided to do something about it. They pulled themselves up by the bootstraps and held a big tea party where, after a few beers, they decided to declare independence from the mother country. After purchasing some awfully overpriced stamps, the colonists sent the British king, George Michael, a long letter in which they listed their grievances, complaints, protesations, accusations, criticisms, career aspirations, fantasies, New Year's resolutions, quibbles, dreams, grumbles, moans, and gripes. The British king stuck his fingers in his ears and declared, "La la la! I'm not listening!" This moment went viral, and the colonists got super mad (this is known as the "day that will live in infamy"). So the American Freedom War began, and we Americans beat the British pretty easily with the help of our African and Indian allies and God. Now we have a perfect nation.

According to polling from the Pew Research Center, despite 100% of us agreeing that America is the best and greatest nation on the earth, only 2% of Americans believe all the details of the above narrative. I believe that this demonstrates the immense lack of proper education and understanding of history among the American people. We have to do better, guys.

Nattily dressed anarchists on bicycles

Terrabod wrote:Does your nation have a creation myth, even if none of your citizens believe it today?

https://xkcd.com/1673/

Frieden-und Freudenland, Lord Dominator, Terrabod, Middle Barael, and 3 othersNation of ecologists, Garbelia, and The most serene republicans

Isbjorn Maerenne Bava Paerani wrote:-snip-

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; George and Martha Washington named he them. (Genesis 1:27)

The most serene republicans

Nattily dressed anarchists on bicycles wrote:https://xkcd.com/1673/

things only 1955 kids remember

Nattily dressed anarchists on bicycles

There's a thread on r/bicycling about using a bicycle to cope with life's various transitions, tribulations, and general bullsh*tery. Found it after today's 47 mile hop over to the store for a gallon of milk.

Yeah.

Lord Dominator, Middle Barael, Nation of ecologists, and Gura and matos

Gura and matos

If I post something on the RMB with my main account The most serene republicans, and the immediately post something else on this account, is this against the rules?
I'm not planning on doing that, just curious

Lord Dominator, Middle Barael, Nation of ecologists, and Garbelia

Gura and matos wrote:If I post something on the RMB with my main account The most serene republicans, and the immediately post something else on this account, is this against the rules?
I'm not planning on doing that, just curious

I’m not an expert on RMB rules (especially considering the time I accidentally summoned an evil Elmo), but I’d assume that it would be illegal, unless it were for RP purposes.

Frieden-und Freudenland, Lord Dominator, Nation of ecologists, and Garbelia

Gura and matos wrote:If I post something on the RMB with my main account The most serene republicans, and the immediately post something else on this account, is this against the rules?
I'm not planning on doing that, just curious

I wouldn't say it's 100% flat-out forbidden to do that, but just like any other kind of double-posting, there are only a few circumstances that warrant it. Basically, if you wouldn't double-post it from a single account, don't double-post it from multiple accounts. Our RMB (like our region) is formally "out of character," so generally speaking any post you're making should be thought of as coming from you the player, rather than just from the nation you're logged in as, insofar as RMB rules go. Obviously people (including myself) do sometimes post in-character, which is fine, but that's not the basic assumption for interaction.

Love and Nature wrote:BEHOLD!!! Love and Nature's Forest season one card deck is complete! page=deck/collection=2126

You can check my Forest full season 2 deck from here: page=deck/collection=16345

I was thinking is it possible to add these to the Forest Cultural Heritage Register? Kawastyselir, I think this question is for you? Cards are not unique in that way and basically anyone can get the same kind of collection in time if they use enought time and effort.

I don't think in this particular form it would be added to the Register. But, as Middle Barael suggested, if you created a description of a noteworthy museum or maybe even an historical trading post in your nation that housed such items and you tied that in nicely with your nation's cultural heritage, then we would certainly consider it. Have a look at our criteria dispatch and telegram a draft in to me or Terrabod any time!


Criteria for the Forest Cultural Heritage Register
.

Welcome! This dispatch provides guidance on how to write a submission to the Forest Cultural Heritage Register. The Register is a collection of entries submitted by nations of Forest that contribute significantly to the culture of their respective nations. To be accepted to the Register submissions must meet several criteria; first and foremost, the Register is only open to submissions from nations residing in Forest. The information below takes you step-by-step through the process of choosing an aspect of your nation’s culture for submission to the Register and the submission criteria. All submissions must be sent via telegram to Middle Barael.

Part 1: What Should I Submit?

Good question! The best thing to do is look at the Link UNESCO World Heritage List and think about the kind of sites that have been selected for recognition. You’ll notice that each is either completely unique (not found anywhere else in the world) or is synonymous with a particular nation. Consider locations in your own nation that fit this description; these sites may be good candidates for submission to the Register. The Register isn’t just restricted to locations, though. Things like ceremonial dresses, ancient artwork and even futuristic technology are acceptable as well so long as they fit the unique-or-synonymous condition and they contribute significantly to your nation’s culture.

Of course, the World Heritage List doesn’t cover intangible cultural heritage. The place to look for examples of this type of cultural legacy is the LinkUNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage project. Take a look at the constellation map; if you know of any similar examples that are unique to or synonymous with your nation these might also be good candidates for submission.

It’s ok if you don’t know very much about examples of cultural heritage in your nation. Many nations in Forest have spent a lot of time thinking about what their nation is like and so they have a good idea of which aspects are worthy of regional recognition. If you haven’t spent much time on your nation’s worldbuilding, I would recommend you do so before you think about writing a submission to the Register. Don’t make something up just so you can be on the list – work on your nation’s lore and history then come back and consider writing a submission. Developing your nation’s backstory is a fun and rewarding experience in its own right, and we welcome the submissions of nations that have a well-developed and interesting culture.

Part 2: Naming Your Entry

This section is included for the sake of completeness – it really should be the easiest part of the submission process. For entries in the Material category names usually consist of the name of a location or object. For the Natural category, the name might be more descriptive (e.g. “The Mangrove Forests of ______”) or might be based on a name given by the ancestors of present-day citizens. Entries in the Intangible category might be altogether more difficult to name, but again consider a descriptive title (e.g. “The _________ Language” or “Creation Story of the _____ People”). The rules on naming aren’t strict and the above should be taken merely as suggestions. Use your instincts.

Part 3: Choosing a Category

A key part of your submission will be the category that your entry comes under. The categories you can choose from are Material, Natural or Intangible, and you may choose only one to classify your entry. Read the guidelines below on the definition of each category and be sure to choose the one that your entry best fits into.

The Material category includes physical examples of cultural heritage that are artificial (i.e. do not exist in nature) and have shaped the collective identity of citizens in your nation. This may include sites of historic events, architecture that is representative of a particular style, examples of particularly ambitious engineering/design or artefacts like traditional clothing, historical documents and ceremonial death masks. Remember that history is not limited to those events that portray your nation in a positive light, and that your nation’s darkest days may be worth recognising to prevent similar events from occurring in other nations.

The Natural category includes aspects of cultural heritage that are not artificial which, as all entries in the Register must be, are either unique or are notably representative of your nation. It is important to note, though, that the Natural category is not a dumping ground for sites with high biodiversity or natural beauty alone – entries in all categories including Natural must contribute to your nation’s cultural identity in order to be accepted to the Register.

The Intangible category consists of nonphysical examples of cultural heritage, including folklore, customs, traditions, knowledge and language. A culture cannot be defined as the sum of its tangible parts, and this category is for those pieces of heritage that cannot be seen or touched but are worthy of celebration nonetheless. The collective works of a playwright or singer, for example, might have deeply influenced the psyche of your nation, or pagan dances may still be performed at festivals today to bring about the changing of the seasons.

Please note that the categories may change as submissions are accepted (e.g. if one category goes unused) or upon feedback from the Forest community. Upon revision, submissions that have already been accepted will be reclassified to the best of our ability.

Part 4: The Description

Writing the description is probably the most challenging part of writing a submission to the Register. There is no specific format for this part of the submission, and it’s up to you to decide the facts that you want to present in your entry. There is a strict word limit for this section of 200-350 words. Your description should tell a story and should follow the rules of “show, don’t tell” – so don’t tell the reader that your entry is worthy of recognition, show them why your entry is worthy of recognition.

A description should be:

CONCISE – You don’t have 8,000 words to explain the significance of your entry. If you can’t describe it in 200-350 words then it isn’t a good choice for submission.

ACCESSIBLE – People won't be able to read eight different dispatches summing up your nation's history, language etc before they read your entry. Descriptions relying on jargon that only an expert in your nation's lore would understand are not ready to be shared with other nations and such submissions will be rejected. References to individuals are fine as long as you make sure the reader understands who that individual is, and the same can be said for national jargon if it absolutely must be used. The terms you use must be accessible to readers who know nothing about your nation. Specific dates are a no-go too as they often don't mean anything to other nations; saying '50 years ago' or '5,000 years ago' is more suitable.

DESCRIPTIVE – Sounds obvious, I know, but your description has to give a full picture of the aspect of your nation’s heritage that you are presenting. The details are up to you, but you could consider who built it, who discovered it, how old it is, what it means to your nation etc.

INTERESTING – It should be worth the reader’s time to spend their time reading your entry.

INTELLIGIBLE – This isn't Got Issues, and we don't have time to correct your spelling and grammar for you or run a full drafting process for your submission. Your submission should be in a state where it is ready to be copied and pasted straight to the Register if accepted. If your submission is rejected, you might receive some feedback on where you went wrong to help with your future submissions. However, you will not receive a line-by-line breakdown of your submission's problems because we just don't have time for that.

Part 5: General Rules

There is no limit on the number of submissions to the Register you can write. However, each submission must be sent in a separate telegram, and submissions by nations that already have a lot of entries in the Register may be rejected until the Register is more balanced.

Quick and simple category guide:

    MATERIAL – If it exists in the physical world and it’s man-made.
    NATURAL – If it exists in the physical world and it’s not man-made.
    INTANGIBLE – If it does not exist in the physical world.

To be considered for the Register submissions must be sent to Middle Barael.

You may telegram Middle Barael with edits to any of your accepted entries in the Register if you deem it necessary (such as in the case of a spelling mistake or factual error).

Submissions should use the following format:

[b]Name:[/b] Name of Your Entry
[b]Nation:[/b] [nation]Your Nation[/nation]
[b]Category:[/b] Chosen Category
[b]Description:[/b] Description (200-350 words)

Good luck! If you have any questions that are not answered by this guide, or if you have any suggestions to make this guide more accessible or user-friendly, please feel free to telegram Middle Barael or Kawastyselir with your thoughts.

Acknowledgements

.

.
Read dispatch

We would like to inform our Forestian friends the appointment of Tina Simbolon as Simbolon's new leader. We hope that we can strengthen our international collaboration via this new administration!

Representatives of Simbolon

Frieden-und Freudenland, Mount Seymour, Lord Dominator, Middle Barael, and 2 othersNation of ecologists, and The most serene republicans

The most serene republicans

Verdant Haven wrote:I wouldn't say it's 100% flat-out forbidden to do that, but just like any other kind of double-posting, there are only a few circumstances that warrant it. Basically, if you wouldn't double-post it from a single account, don't double-post it from multiple accounts. Our RMB (like our region) is formally "out of character," so generally speaking any post you're making should be thought of as coming from you the player, rather than just from the nation you're logged in as, insofar as RMB rules go. Obviously people (including myself) do sometimes post in-character, which is fine, but that's not the basic assumption for interaction.

I see, thanks for clearing that up!

Simbolon wrote:We would like to inform our Forestian friends the appointment of Tina Simbolon as Simbolon's new leader. We hope that we can strengthen our international collaboration via this new administration!

Representatives of Simbolon

The government of The Most Serene Republic salutes the new leader and sends it's highest regards.

I have a question of my own; what determines the order in which nations are named when they like a post?

Terrabod wrote:I have a question of my own; what determines the order in which nations are named when they like a post?

I am not sure, but the evidence seems to point towards influence.

Garbelia wrote:I am not sure, but the evidence seems to point towards influence.

I considered that at one point but I noticed that it's possible for Ruinenlust to come after people with less influence.

Terrabod wrote:I considered that at one point but I noticed that it's possible for Ruinenlust to come after people with less influence.

Perhaps being a site supporter/postmaster/postmaster-general influences it, or perhaps issues editor, commended, etc. overrides influence?

That is the only explanation I can find based on a small sample size, and is probably wrong.

Nation of ecologists

Garbelia wrote:Perhaps being a site supporter/postmaster/postmaster-general influences it, or perhaps issues editor, commended, etc. overrides influence?

That is the only explanation I can find based on a small sample size, and is probably wrong.

or maybe its the order people liked the post in? Idk.

Nation of ecologists wrote:or maybe its the order people liked the post in? Idk.

I don't think so, there is plenty of evidence to the contrary there.

«12. . .1,9821,9831,9841,9851,9861,9871,988. . .2,6342,635»

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