Europeian Success Stories: Istillian
Serving Europeia Through the Navy
Written by Pland Adanna
Whether you know Istillian from the Europeian Republican Navy (ERN), another ministry, or maybe as the new vice president of Europeia, there is no doubt that Istillian deserves a Europeian success story. What is it like to serve Europeia as much as Istillian has? Darkslayer interviewed Istillian on Europeian Broadcasting Corporation Radio to find out.
Things started out slow when Istillian joined Europeia in May 2019. “It took me a few months to even really be invested in the region at all,” Istillian said. “I was probably a little shy about even saying hello. I get that it’s kind of difficult because there is so much going on, there are so many threads and conversations that it’s kind of hard to even figure out what people are talking about. Somewhere like Discord was helpful because I could just say ‘Hi, I’m Istillian’ and a bunch of other people were incredibly friendly and welcoming after that.”
After Istillian got involved in the ERN, he joined the Ministry of Communications. “I found out it was really interesting to write articles through the Ministry of Communications. The feedback and the editing process is amazing. I don’t think there is any other online community where you don’t have to pay people for feedback and advice on writing. So joining Comms was fascinating for me because I had so much help and encouragement from the people there.” Istillian rose in the ministry until eventually becoming minister of communications in late 2019.
Darkslayers’s interview focused primarily on Istillian’s time in the ERN. “I suppose the thing with the Navy is [that] I find it’s really good for learning all the different technical skills, whether that might be just using different spreadsheets or even [...] using Discord itself to just take over different operations as a sailor. I find that kind of technical knowledge, speed, accuracy, and understanding, the process of running and jumping on operations in the Navy [...] is a thrill-seeking thing for me.”
Istillian served as grand admiral of the ERN from early October to mid-December 2020. This entailed “many hours of explaining operations, trying to contact people to do different style operations, getting gauges on their interests and what they want to do, etc.” He observed that the successful grand admirals were “mainly very passionate people” and recommended everyone to “stop being so rigid and kind of just enjoy being around a group of friends on a regular basis.” According to Istillian, the idea of NationStates is to enjoy a game with people who like it just as much as you.
As Grand Admiral and in all his other positions in the ERN, Istillian always made sure to be mindful of his actions and their consequences. “It’s really important to be able to understand, whether you are raiding or defending, what kind of impact that has on other people. Does some other region have an embassy with the region you’re taking over, are they invested in the region? Whether it’s role play or political elements, you need to know what it’ll mean in the greater sphere of things. [...] I think it’s really important to have an awareness of what kind of raider impact our sailors are having. Who is invested in just learning how to run operations, and who is interested in understanding what exactly we want to do with the Navy? So, I think it’s a good tool to encourage people to hang out together, but on the other end of the spectrum there can be problems when you’re not thinking about what region you’re jumping into, or if other regions have a vested interest in what the Navy is doing.”
This ERN success story involved many people helping out. Istillian mentioned many people who helped him and from whom he learned. HEM recruited Istillian to the ERN and showed him "how [a grand admiral was] supposed to treat their sailors." Istillian said Peeps helped him develop skills necessary to be grand admiral. Vor's energy and ideas increased Istillian's interest in the ERN. Dax taught Istillian "how to trigger operations." Bowzin gave him some necessary technical knowledge and taught him "how to point on operations." Istillian watched and learned from all those people and even more, including Common-Sense Politics and Kazaman.
Istillian’s devotion to Europeia comes, in part, from the strong community and the way Europeia celebrates everybody. “I am constantly amazed at the amount of positivity and inviting attitude,” he said. “I think I feel very lucky to be part of this community. Anything me or other people put out there, whether it’s recruiting one nation or doing a few ops with the Navy, I think that’s always celebrated, and I think it always should be.”
In addition to a strong community, having fun was a big part as well. Istillian said that he thought of the ERN as a “fun social group” more than a “ministry” or “organization.” He made the analogy to “walking into a party where you don’t know anyone,” and the Navy made him feel like he could “suddenly connect with people that [he] wouldn’t have gotten to know otherwise.”
To beginners in the ERN and citizens thinking about joining, Istillian said: “whether you're just jumping into the ERN or you’re ready to be Grand Admiral, in some way or form you’re going to have to collaborate with others and people are going to know you when you do. I think that’s really important because it does give you that sense of belonging, and I’ve really loved that.”
