Who's Who: Sanctaria
NS Issues' Editor
Written by Punchwood
Today, we sit down with Sanctaria, long time NationStater, issues editor, and someone ran for Senate in Europeia. We wanted to ask the important questions and find out just who Sanctaria is.
Punchwood: Well no time like the present! Shall we start?
Sanctaria: Absolutely! Go for it
Punchwood: So when did you start NS?
Sanctaria: I started back in 2008, I think. Sanctaria wasn't the first of my nations. I had one or two before that earlier in the year, but Sanctaria (founded in September) is the one I stuck with, so I'm entering my 8th year!
Punchwood: A long time then! What region did you start in and what made you move to Europeia and stay?
Sanctaria: Yeah, I'm becoming an NS elder, I guess. I remember finding my first home in a place called Corporate. I don't remember that much about my time there, other than A Mean Old Man was the founder and a region-mate, and that we got on rather well! I was elected Delegate at some point too. This could have been before his foray into GamePlay politics, though I'm not sure. After that I went to the International Democratic Union or IDU for short. Sanctaria hasn't always been my main nation there, but I've always been involved. I got pretty heavily involved in The North Pacific too, but really what brought me to Euro was that I like UCRs, and active UCRs are hard to find, and Euro seemed to fit all the criteria!
Punchwood: I had the same problem, and then I found Euro and that was problem solved. What part of Europiea did you enjoy the most and why?
Sanctaria: I really enjoy the fact that there seems to be something for everyone, whether you're interested in regional politics, roleplay, the WA, or legislative affairs. I think no matter what you want to do, you can do it in Euro, and that's something very rare in a UCR.
Punchwood: Yeah, I guess that's a fair point. Now then, you are running for Senate, why do you want to be a Senator?
Sanctaria: Good question. The reason I'm running for Senate is because I feel my strength lies in legislative affairs, and I'd like to participate fully in the Europeian community. I would hope that being a Senator means I can put myself to good use for Euro and really make a difference to the region.
Punchwood: Well, I wish you the best of luck.
Sanctaria: Thanks very much! I need all the luck I can get. There are fine and able candidates in the race. Euro is lucky.
Punchwood: Indeed it is. We'll move onto more personal questions now, such as, what sort of activities do you do outside of NS?
Sanctaria: I live a pretty normal life. Work, relationships, and Fallout 4 is pretty much my life outside NS! --and the gym. My New Year's Resolution is to get a little bit more toned before the summer!
Punchwood: Yeah, I could do with working out a bit more and eating better. Favorite colour?
Sanctaria: Heh, purple, definitely. How I wish my NS forum username could be purple instead of vomit-gold. Alas, however, the admins stole purple first!
Punchwood: "Vomit-gold" I'll never look at sick or gold medals the same way again. What's your favourite animal?
Sanctaria: My favourite animal are deer. Anyone who knows my flag, or recent flag-changing attempts, may have guessed as much. They seem like such noble creatures, and they taste good, which helps.
Punchwood: So, you're an Issues Editor in NS? How did that begin?
Sanctaria: Well in 2011, I think it was, there was an Issues Contest to find some volunteers to assist in the editing of issues. It really came about because Sirocco, who previous to this dealt solely with issues, kinda disappeared for a while. Some Moderators decided to take on the Issues tasks themselves but found themselves a little overwhelmed. And so the contest!
Sirocco had previously done a contest maybe two years before this, but, after they had each edited one or two issues, Sirocco disappeared, and they were given no more issues to edit. So that sucked.
But anyway, I wrote an issue about clowns that I thought was awful, sent it in, and, to my surprise, I was selected! It's kind of been a rollercoaster since.
Punchwood: What's the hardest part about creating issues?
Sanctaria: It's different for everyone, but for me the hardest part about creating an issue is coming up with a topic that's different than those that have been done already. Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty of topics out there we've never done, but for me I have difficulty trying get that idea.
Punchwood: What's the craziest issue-related instance you've had to help work on?
Sanctaria: That's a good question. The editing process is quite collaborative, so even though an issue only has one editor's name on it (the primary editor), most of us chip in during the process with our own thoughts and advice. I suppose it's a toss-up between The Chain, which I spent a good deal of time on and was something new for NationStates, or the World Assembly Woes issue I authored, which has a result of kicking you out of the World Assembly. It was something which caused a minor to-do across Gameplay, and I found deeply hilarious.
Punchwood: Any advice for those trying to write their own issues?
Sanctaria: Sure. Don't get discouraged. Your first issue will very rarely be a masterpiece, or anywhere even close to it. It could be a pile of crap honestly, but that doesn't mean you should give up. All you need is that unique idea and a halfway decent stab at the issue, and usually the editors can take it from there. Take advice from the Got Issues? forum regulars too. Most of them know what they're saying, even if we don't like to inflate their egos by telling them!
Punchwood: So you're a long-time NS player but new to Europeia. What's that been like for you?
Sanctaria: It's been ... interesting, I suppose. I guess it's been difficult sometimes, as I don't know if some people are aware that I am a long-time NS player (not that they necessarily should!) and they can sometimes lecture or pontificate on things which I am very well aware of. That can try my patience sometimes, but it's only a little thing.
Generally though, the community has been great, and I'm really enjoying this region. I definitely think I could have a permanent, long-term home here.
Punchwood: What keeps you playing NationStates?
Sanctaria: A sick sense of self-punishment! No, seriously, I love doing what I do here. Editing issues is great, writing legislation is great, and having genuine and decent conversations with a lot of people from around the world is great too. NationStates can give someone a sense of purpose if they let it, and I think in a world full of self-shaming and low self-confidence, that's a great thing.
Punchwood: Well, I've enjoyed this interview!
Sanctaria: I'm glad you did. Thanks for the interview.
Punchwood: No problem!
A Nation States "Elder", Sanctaria has been around for almost a decade, though he is new to Europeia. He has been an issues editor, authoring and aiding in many of the Nation States issues we deal with every day. We welcome him to Europeia and are excited by his time in Nation States. Such experience is always needed in this region, and we hope to see more of his activity here no matter the outcome of the elections.
