I've redone the application to be back to the original, with a bit worked in saying that a goal of the Assyrian Free State is to "stabilize" some of the surrounding nations in the Middle East.

I've redone the application to be back to the original, with a bit worked in saying that a goal of the Assyrian Free State is to "stabilize" some of the surrounding nations in the Middle East.

Just gotta think about why a state would be willing to do that. Obviously you can act it out, but stuff has got to flow naturally. Especially considering the fact that a global force for good is a big 180 from "Kurdish genocide."

Also consider internal factors: You're still reeling from a civil war. Just gotta work around and through all that.

<Snipped quote by MetalLover>

Just gotta think about why a state would be willing to do that. Obviously you can act it out, but stuff has got to flow naturally. Especially considering the fact that a global force for good is a big 180 from "Kurdish genocide."

Also consider internal factors: You're still reeling from a civil war. Just gotta work around and through all that.

Now looking at it, I see what you mean and I do think it would be unrealistic for Assyria to have a goal to stabilize any surrounding nations, so I'm just going to scrap that idea out of the application and make it so they focus more on stabilizing internally.

<Snipped quote by TheEvanCat>

Now looking at it, I see what you mean and I do think it would be unrealistic for Assyria to have a goal to stabilize any surrounding nations, so I'm just going to scrap that idea out of the application and make it so they focus more on stabilizing internally.

I think a good direction to go would be reconciling what happened during the civil war and what happened to the Kurds. Keep in mind there's a Kurdistan that's been alluded to and there might be opportunities for stories there. Other than that, I personally have no further concerns.

<Snipped quote by MetalLover>

I think a good direction to go would be reconciling what happened during the civil war and what happened to the Kurds. Keep in mind there's a Kurdistan that's been alluded to and there might be opportunities for stories there. Other than that, I personally have no further concerns.

Genuine question here: Looking at your sheet, I don't see a mention of the Armenian Genocide anywhere, so I assume it just didn't happen in this timeline on the same scale (Your sheet does mention massacres, but I assume that isn't to the scale of the Armenian Genocide OTL)?

If we're all good on Assyria, then MetalBoye can move it to Characters and be ready to go.

If we're all good on Assyria, then MetalBoye can move it to Characters and be ready to go.

Great, I'll wait a bit to see if someone says "Hey, Fix this" until I'll post it but I'm glad to have your approval.

Edit: It's been 16 hours an no one has said anything against it so I assume I now have the go ahead to post my application in the Character section.

So, as we approach IC post 200 (Holy crap the game is moving), we're going to try to do something with the RP I've done in a lot of other games I've been part of. Writing awards. Essentially, people fill out the categories below. They say who their favorites are, and explain why they picked them. It's not a serious thing and we don't count votes or nothing like that. With the way a lot of our characters and nations are spread out all over, it's just a way to spread around positive feedback and encourage a kind of esprit de corps, and just to let folks know that they are part of the game and appreciated. Kiss each other's ass a bit.

Here are the categories.

Most Interesting Character

Best Collaborative Post

Best Solo Story Arc

Best Post

Best Character Development

Best Nation Development

Best Creative Idea

Best Use of Alt. History

PoW MVP (aka The Prime Preciprick)

I'll work on mine and try to have them up tonight.

I omitted best collaborative post and best post overall from mine because I couldn't just pick one. Seriously, I combed through the thread for a few hours and couldn't just pick one. All of y'all are great.

Most Interesting Character:

Priscilla Aglipay-Rizal -- @Letter Bee

"This is a man's world," to quote James Brown. PoW is so much further behind our own in a lot of ways. One of those is in gender equality. So, for a woman to stand out in this RPG and become a leader she has to excel even more so than she has to in today's world. She has to be so much better than her male peers. And Priscilla is that and so much more. She's a badass bitch.

Best Solo Story Arc

Taytu's Route 66 Sojourn -- @vilageidiotx

Like some alternate version of On The Road, Vilage is writing a quiet little masterpiece as Taytu and Noh travel across America. His descriptions of things and characters make me jealous, fucker is describing my country better than I am! But seriously, it's a fascinating storyline, offering glimpses of the alternate America from an outsiders perspective. Taytu is more insightful and thoughtful than Kerouac could ever manage.

Best Character Development:

Hou -- @Dinh AaronMk

I think one of the best things about the reboot is new ways to approach older characters. Hou was always one of the landmarks of the old PoW, and it would have been easy for Aaron to keep it the same. But I really love the Hou essays he adds to his post. They create a new depth to the character, a new weight to consider every time I read about him and a way to get inside his head.

Best Nation Development:

Armenia -- @TheEvanCat

Before I joined PoW, all I really knew about Armenia was the Kardashians, System of a Down, and the Genocide. But that was before I started reading Evan's posts. Keep in mind his Armenia is a bit... heightened, and it's alt. history, but still. It's a nation that is not a lot of people's go to, but Evan has made it his own. Through his excellent writing and unique style, he's carved out his own little piece of the world. Not bad for a Navy man.

Best Creative Idea

Duchy of West Afrika -- @NecroKnight

German Africans? lol, y'all wild. But seriously, loss of colonial power has been a big staple of PoW. So, it's cool to see a country that runs counter to that. West Afrika is a nation that could may have very well existed if WW1 ended differently, and it's one of those ideas that can only exist in PoW.

Best Use of Alt. History

Rhodesia -- @The Wyrm

Although he's moved on, Wyrm did a great job with Rhodesia in his tenure. The history of the nation is a complicated one, one that acts as a snapshot of the evolution of attitudes in the mid-20th century. Wyrm tackled those questions head on and created a country that was just more than a Bush War and tackled issues of colonialism, racism, and the legacy of European exploitation of Africa. Heavy stuff. It's why I'm so looking forward to what he can do with Spain.

PoW MVP (aka The Prime Preciprick):

@vilageidiotx

When it comes to PoW, I look at Aaron and Vilage as two halves. Aaron is the aloof overlord, the CO if you will. But Vilage is the NCO, down in the trenches with his sleeves rolled up making it happen. He posts often and well, and that more than anything else keeps this game afloat. You da real MVP.

@Byrd Man, I am actually surprised by this. To be honest, I thought Priscilla's constant worrying over the corrupting effects of power and her decision to retreat from it diminished her IC.

@Letter Bee
Nah. It just makes her a human character. She's not perfect, which makes her better.

BYRD WHY THE FUCK YOU GOTTA CALL ME A NAVY MAN I'M IN THE ARMY REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

but thanks tho

<Snipped quote by TheEvanCat>

Genuine question here: Looking at your sheet, I don't see a mention of the Armenian Genocide anywhere, so I assume it just didn't happen in this timeline on the same scale (Your sheet does mention massacres, but I assume that isn't to the scale of the Armenian Genocide OTL)?

Just got back from New York:

But yep, established canon is that the Turks were basically too busy fighting in this shittier version of the Great War to dedicate manpower needed to kill the minorities they didn't like (Armenians, Assyrians, etc.) so there was no real genocide for anyone.

BYRD WHY THE FUCK YOU GOTTA CALL ME A NAVY MAN I'M IN THE ARMY REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

but thanks tho

Just for the REEEEEEE

Okay, here's my assessments an' shit.

Most Interesting Character

Hou
@Dinh AaronMk

Hou probably cheats his way into this category by virtue of how long he's been around, but I always liked the psychological image of the character and how he breaks out of conventional dictator norms. He's not power hungry, megalomaniacal, or scheming. Nor is he august or god-like. Hou is a man who's career is driven by something human and sincere, even if it isn't quite in focus. Whereas most of us write our character's value to their society through events and mechanical reaction, Hou seems like the most believable 'Great person', who's greatness lies within himself first and without only second, like a Chinese Marcus Aurelius. He shows the importance on writing personalities over events, and how much can be done when you are subtle with details.

Best Collaborative Post

The Berlin Conference
@Chapatrap, @Shyri, @Wilted Rose, @Mihndar, @Pepperm1nts

Though the technical details of PoW writing has significantly improved since 2012, I feel like the one thing we lost in the transition is the relationship between the nations themselves and how the personalities of each nation can come to life through interaction. The Berlin Conference was a taste of the old PoW, having all the better parts of good ol' international events like the American Wars while leaving out the problems that used to come with those. You can make an interesting post in a conference, but to do it you gotta draw out the personalities involved, and this is a great example of how it can be done. Plus, really, if you wanted to explain to an outsider why PoW Europe seems to be so impotent, this post shows it off.

Best Solo Story Arc

Sara Reicker
@The Wyrm

It's difficult to make comments on arc completion this early on, so quick constructions are going to be the order of things. You introduced this character in, what, three posts? And by the apogee of that introduction you'd already made her out to be the next Gang Gouji. It was a very well done short turn-around.

Best Post

The Most Dangerous Game
@The Wyrm

Spaniards doing evil things in North Africa. This is classic PoW style. I like how you are willing to go a little bit further, not for the sake of your own self gain, but for the sake of hitting that note that is a little too high and creating that dissonant sound that makes PoW what it is. PoW isn't about recreating HOI playthroughs or making realistic facsimiles of world politics, its about taking old genre tropes from so many different genres and sewing them all together. This post is a perfect work-up of that system.

Best Character Development

Aurelia Dizon
@Letter Bee

I feel like Aurelia has been the closest thus far to filling the kind of villain role once held by Sotelo. She is openly aggressive in here style of politics and selfish in her goals, which detaches her from the national-avatar problem so many leaders have in NRPs. I like reading a good hand-ringing villain speech now and then.

Best Nation Development

United States of America
@Byrd Man

The US has probably been the most fleshed out country in the RP since you took it over. The reason is obviously because you focus on civilian and mid-level political leaders over executives and soldiers, allowing for the system and society to shine rather than the decisions and battles. I think everybody should look to your examples when working out how to make their countries into actual countries. I've definitely been trying to.

And I don't say this just because you are the United States. I think what has especially made your US vivid is the fact that you've broke from RP America in some ways and came up to it through a new history. Part of making a faction in PoW is knowing how to verge from the real course of history. Any monkey with a few youtube history videos and a keyboard can mimic the real world history of a country, but it takes true skill to confidently verge from the real-world version without landing in some hollow trope. You've nailed that.

Best Creative Idea

Assyria
@EveryMemeAKing

Okay, so it's probably controversial to chose somebody who hasn't posted yet as the most creative idea... but imma do it. I am a sucker for unique shit, and going with an independent Assyria is right down my alley. I really want to see you thrive in this RP. Post, keep on posting. Don't be shy about making what might feel like silly references to the ancient kingdom of the same name BTW. I really really encourage light anachronism.

Best Use of Alt. History

Armenia
@TheEvanCat

It is easy to fall into certain tropes in 20th century alt-history. I feel like PoW has, even if by accident, avoided a lot of the worst stuff due to the weird distribution of our interests. Armenia as a significant player on the world stage is a great example of this. What alt history digs up a country as random as Armenia and turns it into the military powerhouse? Let the Wehraboo's have their stahlhelms and Prussian drilling, but in PoW, let the taraz and the unibrowed Armenian sergeant be the symbol of potent militarism.

PoW MVP (aka The Prime Preciprick)

Aaron
@Dinh AaronMk

There isn't a PoW without Aaron running the show, even today. None of the rest of us have the stamina to keep track of the newbies and lapsing oldbies. We lose Aaron, PoW dies. Don't think there is anybody else that could be said for.

@Vilageidiotx, Doesn't Aurelia's preference for being top dog in a weak country instead of being a second (or third, or fourth, etc.) in another, richer country affect her ability to move the plot, which in turn is one of the prime traits of a villain? It seems to me that Aurelia's development comes from deliberately wanting to be the big fish in a small pond, and that doesn't move the plot much.

Edit: So being compared to a legendary character like Sotelo is a surprise; a pleasant one, but still a surprise.

Take the compliment, dude!

Take the compliment, dude!

All right, I will.

<Snipped quote by EveryMemeAKing>

Just got back from New York:

But yep, established canon is that the Turks were basically too busy fighting in this shittier version of the Great War to dedicate manpower needed to kill the minorities they didn't like (Armenians, Assyrians, etc.) so there was no real genocide for anyone.

Okay, that's what I thought, but I just needed to make sure.

Best Creative Idea

Assyria
@EveryMemeAKing

Okay, so it's probably controversial to chose somebody who hasn't posted yet as the most creative idea... but imma do it. I am a sucker for unique shit, and going with an independent Assyria is right down my alley. I really want to see you thrive in this RP. Post, keep on posting. Don't be shy about making what might feel like silly references to the ancient kingdom of the same name BTW. I really really encourage light anachronism.

Well shit. Thanks man. Glad you like the idea.

Alright, I'm on board for this. Hold on to your hats!

Most Interesting Character

@Vilageidiotx
Bert

I know this dude is new, and not super fleshed out yet but I like him. In the short time he's been "alive" he's got me more curious about any other character so far. Mainly his motivations and personal outlook on things. I look forward to seeing more of him and what drives him. You've also left some mystery to him that makes me want to know more.

Best Collaborative Post

Honestly can't recall any collabs other than the one I did with ze Germans, sorry.

Best Solo Story Arc

Jefferson Thomas
@Byrd Man

Certainly some bias going on here, but the exploration of being a Black Cop in the USA is not an easy one and I think you've handled this quite well so far! I hope to see more of this guy and judge his detective work harshly!

Best Post

33: Murungaru writes, touches a nekkid lady, sees a Dr Sisi brain surgery
@Vilageidiotx

Genuinely gave me the creeps here and that's saying something, I think. Medical stuff in general tends to get under my skin but you wrote it well and without in graphic flair. It was just downright... Ugh. Well done.

Best Character Development

Hou
@Dinh AaronMk

I am unfamiliar with Hou before this RP so I have enjoyed reading up on him. You write well and blend the whole traditional with "western" bit very well. I am sure Hou is going to be one heck of an awesome bad guy down the road.

Best Nation Development

United States of America
@Byrd Man

I'll also toss a vote in here. I like how've you fleshed out any number of various parts in the US. It is something I want to be able to mimic with Spain to some extent as it seems as confusing in your RP as it is to me in the real world. I like the intrigue and you have done a great job of giving us some idea of what your civil war was like rather than leaving it in your CS only.

Best Creative Idea

@NecroKnight
German Afrika

I was wondering how someone would take a non-white country and try and make it work in Africa in a zone not traditionally known for it's white government (IE South Africa and Rhodesia). I am looking forward to how you take this forward and try to make a balance between your Imperialist whites and majority black population given the huge disparity in population.

Best Use of Alt. History

Armenia
@TheEvanCat

I will also vote in here. A lot of military posts, which I am a sucker for, but you also manage to make the whole damn thing seem interesting despite it being, I'll be honest... Armenia. You've wielded your small nation really well and despite the small presence on the world stage, Armenia doesn't feel like it needs more of a world since it's got so much going on within its borders I would never have expected. Well one.

PoW MVP (aka The Prime Preciprick)

Tie: Aaron and Vilage
@Dinh AaronMk@Vilageidiotx

I know you vote for each other, and you're arrogant pricks for it, but you're both right. Without you this RP would not be what it is. I absolutely love how you allow so much flexibility without letting everything descend into anarchy. Nowhere else on this forum is that sort of leadership to be found. Keep it up.