FNORD 2010 Medals Are Here!

MCS, MICRAS - The FNORD Awards 2010 medals are now here, courtesy of Dr Spangle. Some group, front and back photos are below:

MNN: Still Here After Eight Years

PONTES NOVI, IMPERIUM INCOGNITA - Veteran micronational news site and portal MNN celebrates its 8th anniversary today.

Founded in the legendary Barony of Treesia and Fabon on 28th January 2002, MNN has arguably become a much-valued source of news and information about micronations, and has operated continously (apart from a week's interruption in late 2008) ever since.

While it no longer has its own forum (archived here), it has expanded its listings of micronational resources and its news coverage, which, as well as blogs and journals, now includes tweets and videos. To celebrate its anniversary, MNN now has its own Twitter and mobile sites, plus a new look and logo, and a slightly revised name, the Micronations News Network, which replaces its previous twin names of Micronational News Network (for the news) and Micronations.Net (for the site).

We at the Apollo Fireball V congratulate MNN on its anniversary and wish it many more years of success.

Gralus Vanishes for Real!

(updated below)

NOTHING, GRALUS - The magical kingdom of Gralus mysteriously disappeared earlier today, leaving kings, wizards and warlocks everywhere feeling slightly miffed and tentatively apprehensive. The last time it disappeared was due to an elaborate roleplayed conflict.

However, this time the last known sign of life that we had was receipt of a private message earlier this afternoon. By the time we went to open it, the entire nation had been replaced by a seemingly innocent-looking holding page.

Have Gralus' adventures in magic gone too far this time, or is there a more mundane explanation lurking in the shadows?

Only time will tell...

Update (24th January 2010)

We are pleased to report that Gralus has now safely returned from its temporary oblivion.

Hyperborean Ice-Demon Freezes Ireland

HYPERBOREA, SHIREROTH - It seems that, when you are researching micronational myths and legends, it may not be best to speak aloud the name of any sensitive deities or demons, just in case they see it as open invitation to wreak havoc shortly afterwards.

This unfortunate sequence of events occurred last week, apparently as a consequence of a meeting between two Hyperboreans, Scott of Hyperborea and Eoin Dornan, which took place somewhere is deepest, darkest Ireland.

It has been admitted that, during the meeting, the name of Jogri Temyyyutsion, King of the Ice-Demons, was forgetfully spoken aloud in place of his safer winter pseudonym "Oin Suilar", which was effectively an invitation for him to expand his "icy reign" across the seas to all of Ireland.

Banishment of the Ice-Demon may prove to be troublesome, as the only potential rituals are to be found in the legendary "Cold Rain Book", which itself has proven to be entirely imaginary.

In the meantime, climate experts have warned that the anticipated duration of the supernatural freeze of "three times three times three days" may prove to be rather optimistic.

FNORD! Again

2009 was a year of changes and consolidation. It saw the end of Babkha, a micronation that served as a pillar of our sector since before the MCS even existed. It saw the end of the hated MicroHub, which for all of its flaws served as a continuation of the MNN tradition and one of our last links to the larger micronational world. It saw the organization of large chunks of the world into the Small Commonwealth and its Small Economy, which have escaped the pitfalls of so many other organizations by expecting less.

And thus commenced the 2009 FNORD Awards earlier this evening, hosted by its eponymous and erstwhile founder, Scott of Hyperborea.

The awards, held, as ever, in honour of Emperor Norton Day and inspired by Molossia's original Norton Awards, were judged this year by Bjorn Ironfist of Stormark, Ryan Caruso of Shireroth, Emperor Edgard of Alexandria, and Guido Zambelis of Lovely.

A traditional mix of categories has been continued, with the winners of each as follows:

• Most Promising New Micronation: Victoria
• Award for Graphic Arts: Victoria
• Award for Leadership: Chris Mules (Antica)
• Jeremy Bellamy Award for Literature: Ben Kern ( Rauðbjörn's Saga, Stormark)
• Bill Dusch Award for Cultural Development: Aryeztur Mejorkhor (Wiki of Aryez)
• Joshua Coales Award for Best New Idea: The Small Commonwealth
• Tony Au Award for Economics: The Small Commonwealth
• Iain Jacobson Award for Journalism: Max Edwards (Litovsker Tagblatt, Ashkenatza)
  
• Liam conToketi Award for Most Promising Micronationalist: Andrew Allot (Elwynn, Shireroth)
• Shane Odlum Award for Overall Achievement: Nathan Shepard (Natopia)

The winners, will, for the first time, receive real medals instead of virtual ones, courtesy of Dr. Spangle.

Natopia to Celebrate Cowmas

LINDSTROM, NATOPIA - The Dozan Bovic Church will be officially celebrating Cowmas for the first time this year, on December 22nd.

Last year it was unofficially observed to mark the restoration of the county of Smjorkr in Shireroth, a place where Dozan Bovinism successfully sought refuge during the period known as the Natopian Dark Ages. 

At Cowmas, the faithful are expected to offer a sacrifical dairy product to the Butter Spirit, with a glass of milk generally being  favoured. His Holiness, Nathan, Pentheros of the Dozan Bovic Church, said:

"Cowmas is a time to celebrate our faith through the darkness. We celebrate this by stringing lights upon our houses and candles in our windows, to let our faith shine through the dark as those brave Natopian refuges let their faith shine through the Dark Ages. "

Istvanistan & Verac Accords Finally Take Effect

MODBURY, VERAC - After many diplomatic niceties and cartographical tweaks, the Istvanistan-Verac Accords took effect today.

The slightly mundane title disguises some fundamental changes that affect both nations. Verac relocates completely from Istvanistan Island across the world to a vacant area adjacent Gralus (although one that has been occupied by many different nations in previous years), while donating its former territory to neighbouring Istvanistan.

For the first time ever, Verac's island of Molyneux is shown on the MCS map, while Istvanistan expands for what is probably the first time in its long history, although only back to its previous fullest extent, with the new territory intended to be allocated to its own long unmapped Autonomous Oblast of Polabia..

"I, Nathan" - An Interview with Nathan of Natopia

I, Nathan, am one of the three original founders of the Bovic Empire of Natopia. Introducing Natopia In August 2002, my friends and I were bored during a new student orientation for high school, and we doodled an imaginary city on the back of a hand-out. The city floated on clouds and had advanced aerospace technology. It also had a unique fascist totalitarian eugenics regime that executed "undesirables", and presidential succession was achieved officially through assassination. However the more micronation-like Natopia was set up in September. I did this because I had a lot of time on my hands and I really enjoyed playing SimCity. Natopia was first all off-line. Classmates were given ranks and titles and even formed rival nations. The World Domination Society (WDS) and Emilyland were Natopia's first enemies, but the WDS eventually became an ally in our war against gravity. Natopia was a novelty that was a bit of fun for imaginative freshmen. The first Natopia Day, August 23, 2003, was even celebrated with a real life party with upwards of 15 people attending to celebrate Natopia. The Inspirations The idea for Natopia came from many different places. Mostly from classes in school that I'm taking. Early inspirations included the American government for the original Republic during freshman year civics class. The Holy Roman Empire was a basis for the first incarnation of the Sovereign Natopian Empire during a medieval history class. Athlon was first based on a Crusader State culture, but then evolved into a Greek themed culture after I took a Greek art class in college. The new Bovic religion taking root in Hazelwood is based on voodoo after curating an exhibit on Haitian voodoo. Natopia has had so many constitutions we can hardly be called a stable nation! Each new one changed when I had a new whim to fulfill. It has been rewritten so many times - many different parts came together to form what we have now. A fun, yet important part of Natopia is The Ministry of Silly Walks. It was created when Natopia adopted an economy. Due to the technology, the government held all the money and distributed it out via salaries. Not all citizens held government jobs, so to get the money to the people, I set up the Ministry as a type of welfare system. Basically free money and a little bit of cultural development. Another part of fun part of Natopia is the Natopian Institute for the Promotion of Primate Literature, or NIPPL. It is the "citizens only" discussion forum. Matt Ziff came up with the idea of a Natopian institution to research the "infinite monkey theorem." However, another citizen, Tom Mills, devised the scandalously appropriate acronym. The Butter Cow The Butter Cow religion came about from the Natopia Day tradition to have a party "in real life." After the parties declined in popularity, and due to the nearness of dates, I took some friends to the Springfield Illinois State Fair and they always have a Butter Cow sculpture. Because it was an "official" Natopia Day outing, the Butter Cow was adopted as a mascot for Natopia in the same way Malarbor is the mascot for Shireroth. Butter Cow continued as a news mascot until, because of a constitutional crisis, Natopia collapsed. Athlon seceded from Natopia and adopted the Butter Cow as a divinity to bridge the cultural gap and declare itself the successor to Natopia. When Natopia was reformed and annexed Athlon back, the Butter Cow religion came to the forefront of Natopia and was organized into a Catholic-style hierarchy as the Dozan Bovic Church. With myself as leader of both the church and Natopia, soon I fused the church with the state, which violated the many years of official Natopian secularization. Citizens New citizens of Natopia appeared somewhat sporadically. I never really "got" people to join - perhaps one of the problems with long term activity. People just sort of trickled in - some from other nations, others from out of nowhere (of course those people just could have been using fake names). I've made it a personal policy to not kick anyone out of Natopia, but there have been some I've wanted to. Development Natopia progressed most quickly in the very early days with Tasneem, Ryan and myself. Since Tasneem and Ryan were my friends in real life but lived too far away to hang out with, Natopia became our primary forum of communication and thus an explosion of Natopian culture. The Free Juice and Bagels Party and the legislative Frenzy are legacies of this time. Natopia was never really a success per se. I don't really know, it was just kind of a general plateau of existing. I always remember that every time Natopia slows down to a crawl, within a month activity always picks up. If it didn't we wouldn't have been here for seven years. Dark Ages and the Restoration After Natopia slowed, restoring it was really a no-brainer. It had been a part of my life for so long and I was still involved in micronations, so there was no reason to not restore it. Allowing it to collapse and have Athlon and South Mehlville secede provided a very interesting historical element, however, and Natopian history fully embraces the collapse, calling it the Dark Ages, which I think adds a sense of realism to the nation. Diplomacy and Culture When Natopia was first settling into the Micras sector, I wanted Natopia very diplomatically involved. However as time went on I had less time to keep up with other nations, and the nations that Natopia was closely involved with closed up shop. Our dealings with the MCS have always been favorable. In the past, we have had many comments by other nations, and I need to say that I fully endorse being called not serious but awesome. I allowed Natopian culture to grow naturally, instead of imposing a "cookie cutter culture" on it such as German, Roman, English, etc. When the population was mainly teenagers, the culture developed into that "immature" track. We have one of the most unique cultures out there and I would rather have Natopia's awesome unseriousness over way too serious with a lot of activity. Favorite Things I really enjoyed some special parts of Natopia. My favorite Natopia was Tasneem. She was one of the very first to join in high school and stayed for several years. During some of the slower times when I considered ending Natopia or annexing it to another nation, she always kept me on track and kept Natopia independent. It was a sad day when she left - she brought many good times to Natopia. Tasneem is now happily married and graduating from Michigan State this upcoming spring. My favorite time was the one successful Summer Arts Festival we had. We had participants from several nations and filled the Library with some really nice works of art and literature, something I have always fancied being one of Natopia's strong points. A lot of Natopia’s own citizens have work submitted to the library through this day including Monkey Wrench, a one-act play by a former citizen, Zechariahs Azilin (Z). Abdication and a New Emperor Recently, the throne of Natopia was abdicated and my friend Konrad V Z (kvz) has taken over. He was crowned on October 10th, 2009. Why would I give up my throne of seven years strong? Simple answer: no time any more because of grad school. By abdicating and showing that I am willing to let someone else shape and guide Natopia, perhaps it will encourage immigration. Natopia is, after all, named after me. It might not encourage people to join and think they can implement their own ideas. Konrad was chosen as my successor because he has acted as my Regent for many years and has been an extremely loyal and dependable citizen. He has been active and involved in Natopia long enough that I trust him with something I have spent nearly one third of my life on. And Finally Natopia will go forward, as it always does. With a change in leadership and the return of valued old citizens, I have high expectations for it, and I hope that soon Natopia can blossom into the active and powerful nation it deserves to be. - Nathan of Natopia was interviewed by Sir Matthew, Baron of Hazelwood and Minister of Silly Walks

Istvanistan Wins Controversial MCS Appeal

MCS - The Republic of Istvanistan has won a controversial appeal for the MCS to restore its long-standing claim on the Micras world map, following its equally controversial removal last month.

The removal of Istvanistan from the map was apparently instigated by Dr. Spangle, who "forced" long-absent Istvanistani veteran Ari Rahikkhala to submit a claim for its removal on the grounds that it had been dead for four years.

What had been rather carelessly overlooked, though, was that Dr. Spangle's very own Ultimate Micronational Forumlist clearly showed otherwise, although anyone could presumably have briefly checked Istvanistan's forum instead.

At the beginning of this month, the Republic's recently appointed Minister of Foreign Annoyances and Envoy to the MCS, George W. Seagull, submitted an appeal against the removal, and stood steadfastly in the face of unreasonable offers for Istvanistan to meet additional conditions before its rightful position was restored.

The MCS Council eventually accepted the appeal just over a week ago, and we are now tentatively awaiting the next edition of the map to be published with Istvanistan restored.

Babkha: The Road Ahead

ROYAL SHAHYIAR PALACE, BABKHA - Babkha's new Shah announced his vision for an ongoing Babkha today. Remarkably, his vision looks like many visions that have gone before, when Babkha was officially a micronation, including such time-honoured traditions as a constitutional convention, an updated website, subdivision restructuring, meetups and recruitment.

Of course, Babkha is now officially a micronation-that-isn't-but-is -really, as it is still referred to as a kingdom while also being a Villainous Order. Confusing, no? Perhaps they should have just made their government the Villainous Order instead of the entire Kingdom. After all, that name could probably be applied to a few real-world governments as well.

A New Shah for Babkha

ROYAL SHAHYIAR PALACE, BABKHA - The Kingdom of Babkha has a new Shah, with former incumbent Hesam Jahandar having abdicated in favour of Sfeir Namvari. The act was accomplished by the issuing of a traditionally long-winded farman.

Babkha is still suffering from an indentity crisis, following its transformation into the rather cumbersomely-named Villainous Order of Babkhan Blackfriars, while still retaining the trappings and institutions of an autocratic micronational kingdom, but not enough to convince the Babkhans against withdrawing their membership of the MCS.

However, from now on, Hesam Jahandar will be known as the Emir of Sajin, while Shah Namvari will be known as Cyrus Namvari Shahanshah.

2010 Micronational Olympics to be Hosted by DeWaCo Estates

MCS - It has been announced on the MCS board that the 2010 Micronational Olympics will be held by the Imperium of the DeWaCo Estates, although dates and events have yet to be established.

The Micronational Olympics were founded by the Republic of Molossia in 2000 and have been held every two years since.

For information about past games click here.