A History of Ixnay (OOC): Difference between revisions
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==The Beginning== | ==The Beginning== | ||
"Ixnay". The word itself, of course, is pig latin gibberish nonsense. To truly understand Ixnay, one must put themselves in the mindset of the internet in the early 2000s. Things were not as developed as they would become in the 2010s and beyond; memes were often crude, simple, and with limited shelf life. This was internet humor in the 2000s, and it infiltrated everything that was done. Consequently, when the HTML browser game NationStates started in late 2002, it attracted much of this humor which permeated game culture in the early years. With this in mind, it's easy to see how a group of school friends from England arrived upon the name "Ixnay", which they did when they founded the region in early 2003. Pieces of Ixnay's early history have been preserved, particularly in the memory of MacPhoenix Apostasy, an early member. MacPhoenix recounted that he assumed control of map updates in 2004 and maintained Ixnay's early forum and member lists; the latter of which still exist and can be found ''here (he has since removed this page)'' while the forums are lost to history. MacPhoenix was Ixnay's second cartographer; the first, Terra Nievus, is probably responsible for drawing the shape of Sarpedon, the "continent of Ixnay". The maps from that period are included in | [[File:Ixmap 2004.png|thumb|left|300px|Ixnay in 2004. All of these players are long gone, but in some instances their names still name some places in [[Sarpedon]] as of 2023.]] | ||
"Ixnay". The word itself, of course, is pig latin gibberish nonsense. To truly understand Ixnay, one must put themselves in the mindset of the internet in the early 2000s. Things were not as developed as they would become in the 2010s and beyond; memes were often crude, simple, and with limited shelf life. This was internet humor in the 2000s, and it infiltrated everything that was done. Consequently, when the HTML browser game NationStates started in late 2002, it attracted much of this humor which permeated game culture in the early years. With this in mind, it's easy to see how a group of school friends from England arrived upon the name "Ixnay", which they did when they founded the region in early 2003. Pieces of Ixnay's early history have been preserved, particularly in the memory of MacPhoenix Apostasy, an early member. MacPhoenix recounted that he assumed control of map updates in 2004 and maintained Ixnay's early forum and member lists; the latter of which still exist and can be found ''here (he has since removed this page)'' while the forums are lost to history. MacPhoenix was Ixnay's second cartographer; the first, Terra Nievus, is probably responsible for drawing the shape of Sarpedon, the "continent of Ixnay". The maps from that period are included in this section. MacPhoenix recounted that the region was contentious even then, but it was active. They had a ''rudimentary football league (this was originally linked before MacPhoenix removed it'' system, a regional Olympics, and other activities between them. A regional wiki existed on Wikispaces, a service that closed in 2018 to the loss of all of its data. It recounted a Great War between Uzbeckistan (MorningStar) and the other nations in the region culminating with Uzbeckistan's ceasing to exist in late 2006. They also began a major region-wide railway system called IxRail, an on-again off-again staple until the 2015 Reboot. | |||
By 2009-10, most of the first generation of Ixnay had gone. All Peoples had ceased to exist, making the member Solisbury the leading member of the region administratively and culturally. Solisbury began the long tradition of the administrator-cartographer as well, and during their time in office Ixnay saw its first crude vector map courtesy of Microsoft Powerpoint. Solisbury's reign continued until 2012 when they ceased to exist, when the region entered a critical decline in membership and activity coupled with uncertainty at the top. Ixnay would have five separate Delegates from Jan 2012 to December 2013. Most notable of these was Kazomal, originally called Katzistanza, who was one of the region's oldest members. Under Kazomal's administration, the region declined to four members by December and appeared to be on the cusp of one of many NationStates regions of antiquity which would find its end. | [[File:Ixmap 2012.png|thumb|right|300px|2012 decline era IxMap, made by Urcea; his first map style for Ixnay.]] | ||
By 2009-10, most of the first generation of Ixnay had gone. All Peoples had ceased to exist, making the member Solisbury the leading member of the region administratively and culturally. Solisbury began the long tradition of the administrator-cartographer as well, and during their time in office Ixnay saw its first crude vector map courtesy of Microsoft Powerpoint. Solisbury's reign continued until 2012 when they ceased to exist, when the region entered a critical decline in membership and activity coupled with uncertainty at the top. Ixnay would have five separate Delegates from Jan 2012 to December 2013. Most notable of these was Kazomal, originally called Katzistanza, who was one of the region's oldest members. Under Kazomal's administration, the region declined to four members by December and appeared to be on the cusp of one of many NationStates regions of antiquity which would find its end. | |||
==The Spelfiad (Memoir from 2017, incomplete)== | ==The Spelfiad (Memoir from 2017, incomplete)== | ||
===Introduction=== | ===Introduction=== | ||
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If Ixnay had relied on its strong player relations, I knew I needed to build a community of roleplayers that I knew were primarily social, and so I turned to my old connections. First, those of the Conclave roleplay; Lacus Magni had joined through this, and I reached out to Kirav and Kistan next. Both players had been in the region during the 2013 effort (Kirav as a puppet), and I knew both had no real ties to their regional communities. Kirav was an older player – a veteran of the late 2000s “golden age of II” like myself, and I knew he would be a big get. It took some maneuvering and negotiation, but he came over with his primary nation soon enough. I considered this a move that improved the outward legitimacy of the region. It should be said I didn’t know if Kirav’s presence actually brought a single member to the region, but my only model for a region at the time was Tyrrhenia, which thrived on the late 2000s-type player. ''A later recollection of events by Burg confirmed that the presence of Kirav did indeed bring the region a certain pedigree of legitimacy, drawing him in.'' In my mind, getting Kirav to join meant that this effort was real. We had landed a pretty decently-sized fish, not a puppet, but the | If Ixnay had relied on its strong player relations, I knew I needed to build a community of roleplayers that I knew were primarily social, and so I turned to my old connections. First, those of the Conclave roleplay; Lacus Magni had joined through this, and I reached out to Kirav and Kistan next. Both players had been in the region during the 2013 effort (Kirav as a puppet), and I knew both had no real ties to their regional communities. Kirav was an older player – a veteran of the late 2000s “golden age of II” like myself, and I knew he would be a big get. It took some maneuvering and negotiation, but he came over with his primary nation soon enough. I considered this a move that improved the outward legitimacy of the region. It should be said I didn’t know if Kirav’s presence actually brought a single member to the region, but my only model for a region at the time was Tyrrhenia, which thrived on the late 2000s-type player. ''A later recollection of events by Burg confirmed that the presence of Kirav did indeed bring the region a certain pedigree of legitimacy, drawing him in.'' In my mind, getting Kirav to join meant that this effort was real. We had landed a pretty decently-sized fish, not a puppet, but the | ||
real deal. This set the recruiting goals for the next few months that did not truly come to pass – getting disaffected, veteran players. We did acquire a few, but in hindsight it was not where our bread was buttered. My view of NationStates as that late 2000s-style place was out of date but it was the only thing I had to go on. | real deal. This set the recruiting goals for the next few months that did not truly come to pass – getting disaffected, veteran players. We did acquire a few, but in hindsight it was not where our bread was buttered. My view of NationStates as that late 2000s-style place was out of date but it was the only thing I had to go on. | ||
[[File:Ixmap jan 2014.png|Thumb|left|300px|Ixnay immediately after the Spelfian coup, with a new playerbase introduced.]] | |||
Soon, several other players came. Most of the Conclave players had not yet responded, but a player from 2013 I had recruited named Talion Union came back. I got two players named Canete and Blue Cross Island from a random roleplay thread, and by the fourth of the year Ixnay had about eleven players. I had already considered myself a success; after all, I had increased the region’s membership by about two hundred percent. That would pale in comparison, however to what would come next. | Soon, several other players came. Most of the Conclave players had not yet responded, but a player from 2013 I had recruited named Talion Union came back. I got two players named Canete and Blue Cross Island from a random roleplay thread, and by the fourth of the year Ixnay had about eleven players. I had already considered myself a success; after all, I had increased the region’s membership by about two hundred percent. That would pale in comparison, however to what would come next. | ||
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One of the early actors we had was a transgender player named Cyllea. This dude – he identified as a male during his time in Ixnay – was a trip. He must have been around fifteen or sixteen and that was my first experience as the regional executive dealing with that kind of age and the erratic behavior that accompanies it. I first, during this time, understood that I was wrong in 2010 when expelled from the region, and I understood what Solisbury, the then-delegate, went through. At this point I took a stance I more or less hold still – I don’t really believe in bans, I believe in patience and that being patient in newer and younger players will reap huge rewards for the region later on, as I believe the younger players who are a bit, for a lack of a better term, “nubby” will grow up in the region and become committed members. I gave Cyllea the Constantinalia nation and it has also gone to several players since, perhaps most successfully Kronata, who became Vice Delegate in 2016. This abortive | One of the early actors we had was a transgender player named Cyllea. This dude – he identified as a male during his time in Ixnay – was a trip. He must have been around fifteen or sixteen and that was my first experience as the regional executive dealing with that kind of age and the erratic behavior that accompanies it. I first, during this time, understood that I was wrong in 2010 when expelled from the region, and I understood what Solisbury, the then-delegate, went through. At this point I took a stance I more or less hold still – I don’t really believe in bans, I believe in patience and that being patient in newer and younger players will reap huge rewards for the region later on, as I believe the younger players who are a bit, for a lack of a better term, “nubby” will grow up in the region and become committed members. I gave Cyllea the Constantinalia nation and it has also gone to several players since, perhaps most successfully Kronata, who became Vice Delegate in 2016. This abortive | ||
“mentorship” has worked successfully on a few occasions, particularly with two players called Absurrania (who will be discussed in depth later) and The United States of North Amerigo, though there have been others over the years. | “mentorship” has worked successfully on a few occasions, particularly with two players called Absurrania (who will be discussed in depth later) and The United States of North Amerigo, though there have been others over the years. | ||
[[File:Ixmap1-29-14.png|thumb|right|300px|Ixnay as it stood at the end of January 2014, reaching a new high of activity and now including the Darklands.]] | |||
By the end of the month of January 2014, as new members came in daily, we had an astounding 43 members. If you asked me at that point, I would have told you my work was basically complete. In the years 2003-2013, Ixnay’s membership height was 44, which I would soon tie in February. We had formed a core membership. The key additions including Aerolah, Malaysii, and Luxew, three players we absorbed from a region we annexed called Audonia. ''At this time, Ixnay adopted the "subregion" model - annexing existing NationStates regions under the Ixnay umbrella with promises of autonomy and culture retention in addition to separate parts of the forum and self-governance. Audonia was the first such subregion.'' Kistan agreed to return, an older player named Pauldustllah joined, we annexed a region called The Darklands, another subregion, and we even had three veteran players called Yalos, Arcerion, and San Pellegrino Romana (albeit through a puppet) join. The annexation of the Darklands was somewhat controversial both on our side and in their region and would prove to be the first fight of many relating to their relationship with us. Other players that would come to stay, such as Sawra, Pelaxia, and Absurrania, joined during this time as well. | By the end of the month of January 2014, as new members came in daily, we had an astounding 43 members. If you asked me at that point, I would have told you my work was basically complete. In the years 2003-2013, Ixnay’s membership height was 44, which I would soon tie in February. We had formed a core membership. The key additions including Aerolah, Malaysii, and Luxew, three players we absorbed from a region we annexed called Audonia. ''At this time, Ixnay adopted the "subregion" model - annexing existing NationStates regions under the Ixnay umbrella with promises of autonomy and culture retention in addition to separate parts of the forum and self-governance. Audonia was the first such subregion.'' Kistan agreed to return, an older player named Pauldustllah joined, we annexed a region called The Darklands, another subregion, and we even had three veteran players called Yalos, Arcerion, and San Pellegrino Romana (albeit through a puppet) join. The annexation of the Darklands was somewhat controversial both on our side and in their region and would prove to be the first fight of many relating to their relationship with us. Other players that would come to stay, such as Sawra, Pelaxia, and Absurrania, joined during this time as well. | ||
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The Low Golden Age came to an end with the migration off of Chatzy to IRC in late 2014 with the help of Heku. This inaugurated the High Golden Age and also represented Heku's first step in entrenching himself within Ixnay's power structure by gradually taking control of the logistical systems of Ixnay. | The Low Golden Age came to an end with the migration off of Chatzy to IRC in late 2014 with the help of Heku. This inaugurated the High Golden Age and also represented Heku's first step in entrenching himself within Ixnay's power structure by gradually taking control of the logistical systems of Ixnay. | ||
[[File:Currency collapse.png|thumb|right|300px|An ICN entry.]] | |||
During this period, most roleplay took place on Ixnay's Zetaboards. A lot of activity was character RP, but most of it was something called "Ixnay Central News" (ICN), where news-style updates about events within player countries would be posted. These started out as rudimentary text posts but grew ever more elaborate, with each player making or taking a news template. This would remain the primary style of roleplay until the transition to Full Lore in [[2016]]. | |||
===The High Golden Age=== | ===The High Golden Age=== | ||