Jewel Carter
Titles	None
Education	Officer Graduate Imperial Naval Academy High School Qualifications from Artaxia Central High School
Positions Held	Captain (Achkaerin Navy) Posting: CO INS Riviere
Family	Mother - Maria Carter † Father - Stan Carter †
Links to Important events?	Recaptured the Estvua Eugenics War
Biography	Competitive, hates losing so much so that when she does lose she conducts 'post mortems' as to why, meaning she learns from her mistakes. She also hates the idea of giving up. Emperor's Commendation Medal awarded for "exemplary acts of bravery."

	Cassandra "Cassie" Asquith
Titles	None
Education	Officer Graduate Imperial Naval Academy High School Qualifications from Hillside Academy
Positions Held	Captain (Achkaerin Navy) Posting: CO INS Pegasus
Family	Husband - Paul Asquith Daughter - Vivien Asquith Father - Michael Grant † Mother - Jessica Grant † Father in Law - Samuel Asquith † Mother in Law - Kelly Asquith †
Links to Important events?	None
Biography	Caring, smart, willing to go the extra mile. She's friendly and welcoming.

	William Norman
Titles	None
Education	Officer Graduate Imperial Naval Academy High School Qualifications from Azureton High School
Positions Held	Captain (Achkaerin Navy) Posting: CO INS Chidori
Family	Mother - Elizabeth Norman † Father - Francis Norman †
Links to Important events?	None
Biography	A success story within the Navy, he'd been bullied as younger kid because he has the condition of Albinism, however not so in the navy. He's got the respect of his subordinates now and he's seen as a role model for a great many junior officers.

	Phillip Ramsay
Titles	None
Education	First Class Honors Degree in Engineering from University of Freshwater Officer Graduate Imperial Naval Academy High School Qualifications from Djana-Ville High School
Positions Held	Captain (Achkaerin Navy) Posting: CO INS Rasengan
Family	Mother - Geraldine Ramsay † Father - Luke Ramsay †
Links to Important events?	Reunification of Safraen CTOMM
Biography	A naval officer with a background in engineering, he's used to being given a job to do and getting right on with it, he's also an excellent problem solver.

	Gary Newton
Titles	None
Education	First Class Honors Degree in Law & Criminology from the University of Gowu Officer Graduate Imperial Naval Academy High School Qualifications from Gowu Academy
Positions Held	Lieuteant (Achkaerin Navy) Posting: JAG HQ, Avalon
Family	Father - Lionel Newton Mother - Clarissa Newton
Links to Important events?	Andean Genocide Trials
Biography	He's that rare brand of lawyer, he want's the truth - whether or not he can handle it is another matter but it doesn't stop him doing his job. He's friendly, incisive and fair.

	Anja Frost
Titles	One of 'Peter's Angels'
Education	Officer Graduate Imperial Naval Academy (SCT Cadet) High School Qualifications from Central High School, Avalon
Positions Held	Captain (Achkaerin Navy) Posting: CO INS Amaterasu
Family	Father - Oliver Frost Mother - Aurora Frost Brother - Tommy Frost
Links to Important events?	None
Biography	Fun loving, enjoys shopping and she holds the high score on the command theory exam at the naval academy. She's always up for a good time.

Nation Name: Pardclinnia

Nation Link: https://www.nationstates.net/nation=pardclinnia

Provinces you wish to claim:
1:Y76
2:Y77
3:Y78
4:Y79
5:Y80
6:Y81

Proposed colour of your nation on the map: Blue

I, Jordan Fenose, have read the rules set down above, and agree to follow them.

You're going to need to resubmit this as the territories Y77, Y78 and Y81 are already occupied by Mountjoy.

Group C

Achkaerin 2-0 Ui Cenneslaig (at Ise-Kokoda Hub)
Rodina 2-4 Herrunbucht (at Marumaru)

Achkaerin qualify for the last sixteen

Group D

Zimalia 1-1 Foxtrove (at Isemura Club)
Germanic  Kingdoms 1-3 Nya Aland (at Yuzukemyouji Lightbox)

Nya Aland win Group D and qualify for the last sixteen

Group E

Hygelac 0-0 Iwi (at Yuzukemyouji Lightbox)
Solonia 2-0 Cantabria (at Ise-Kokoda Hub)

Group F

Borland 2-1 Vaguzia (at Marumaru)
Phuebra 0-5 Arda Tuluva (at Isemura Club)

Borland and Arda Tuluva qualify for the last sixteen

Current Standings

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***Reply to this post by personal message to Achkaerin and not on the forum to keep your choices private***
It's getting to the business end of the group stage and now is the time to either play it safe and solidify your spot or consider a make-it-or-break-it risk to push through to the finals. So, the question is: how much will you risk? Pick 1, 2 or 3 boost points and on the 12th January (Approx 16:00 UK time) each participating nation will have a coin toss (service provided by Random.com). If the outcome is heads you will gain the number of boost points you risked; however, if it lands on tails you will lose those boost points. All nations will be automatically entered in this boost round at one (1) point unless you PM Achkaerin to specify otherwise.

OOC- Just so there's no confusion I'm operating on the assumption that this meeting occurs before the death of Vafleon's King.

Catrain sighed this wasn't going well, if she was honest herself she hated the entrance exam aspect of Vafleon universities but it was what it was and at present the Royal Court, the law making body in Vafleon weren't minded to change it - which in short meant that her father wasn't minded to change it. How humorous that was - the King who was dying and wanted to leave his children with a strong foundation for the future was actually in this instance, through his insistence on tradition, working against that. It also wasn't lost on her that she was having to defend something she didn't like."

"In that case." Catrain said "Given the incompatibility of the Vafleon educational system with others of nations represented here, I would propose that for now we remove that section from the treaty, this removes the issue and allows us to revisit it at a later date if we are so inclined."

Group A

Vafleon 2-2 Saheristan (at Marumaru)
Lodja 4-0 Victoria (at Yuzukemyouji Lightbox)

Lodja qualify for the last sixteen

Group B

Rokkenjima 3-0 Weremark (at Ise-Kokoda Hub)
Ecclesiastical State 1-2 Kerajaan Agung (at Isemura Club)

Group G

East Moreland 0-3 Kaitaine (at Ise-Kokoda Hub)
Nemerie 1-1 Rhand (at Marumaru)

Kaitaine qualify for the last sixteen

Group H

Himeyama 3-2 Akhabnil (at Isemura Club)
Mountjoy 1-2 Quintelia (at Yuzukemyouji Lightbox)

Himeyama win Group H and qualify for the last sixteen

Current Standings

Vignettes

Useful Contacts Achkaerin, Libby, DaveIronside

"What is a Vignette?" I hear you ask. Well in simple terms a Vignette, which we post in this forum, is a short story or series of short stories that add to the RP, usually this is by portraying events behind the scenes as it were, I generally think of them as opportunities for character development and laying the foundations of future story lines, in this way they allow you to RP an event that would if put in Diplomacy and Events otherwise be a one hander (i.e. you're the only person posting). So this would be for example the death of a King or Queen, the assassination of a President etc, in short anything that would not normally require another nation or player. Also if I may refer back to the concept of a Villian a Vignette is a useful tool to introduce and develop such a character.

There are many ways of writing Vignettes, you could have a specific story line in mind and use the thread simply for that story line, alternatively you could focus a thread around a specific group of your characters. My approach to Vignettes is the latter because it suits the way my mind works I compartmentalize so I have a thread for stories about the Achkaerin Royal Family, another for the politicians, one for the space agency etc. Importantly this is my personal preference there is nothing wrong with either approach, what matters is that however you write a vignette works for you.

So what should I write about?

Ah yes the million pound question. The answer is actually quite simple - whatever you like, provided it falls within the RP rules so for example writing a story about a detective in your nation would be fine, something out of the Famous Five would be fine but obviously something out of the Chronicles of Narnia in terms of the wardrobe effect is a big no no.

Are there rules as to content?

Yes there are - some of these may not be as hard and fast since the switch of forums but these should still be decent guidelines.

1) Be fair and respectful to the audience - this is more a guideline than an actual rule. It's common sense that not everyone is going to have the same stomach for violence, torture etc as others. So I encourage people to get into the practice of putting "SPOILER ALERT - POTENTIAL UPSETTING CONTENT" at the top of posts (put in a different color and bold it if necessary) if you're writing something that is quite graphic, this allows the reader to know that there may be something in the post that may upset them, now before you think 'Nanny state' let me explain why I encourage this - many years ago I did character based RP in a different genre, part of the story line we were running at the time involved plenty of 'darker' elements, I 'd been having my evening meal, I came back to the computer and played catch up ten minutes later I read a specific post and felt quite ill because of some of the details contained within. Don't get me wrong it was a quality post but the content was such that it would not agree with everyone hence why I have since advised such things as Spoiler Alerts, this is no way means you can't write such things (provided they fall within the terms of service) it just gives the reader the awareness that the content may be a bit too much for them personally.

2) Sex Scenes - Ok let's get one thing straight right from the start, romances between characters have no issues, there's nothing wrong with characters going on dates, no problem with them kissing, no problem with them touching (within reason), this point is not about the romance element it's about how far you can take things when they get intimate. Now in this regard I want to make something clear this is not I repeat NOT Fifty Shades of Grey, from a story point of view there's nothing wrong with that sort of dynamic existing however as with all sexual elements when you put characters in the bedroom I advise people to be very general about it and avoid being overly graphic.

So what is overly graphic? That's a matter of judgement, what I will say is that I've written erotica style stuff for ten years and I've written in my time a lot of detailed posts is this sort of setting and I have never put anything like that in any vignette here, firstly because it was when we were on Zetaboards a breach of their terms of service, secondly if I could do that here would I? In all honesty I probably would, but I wouldn't do it every story because that degrades the characters involved. Ultimately with this kind of scene focus on the characters thoughts and not necessarily their actions too much. And remember use a Spoiler Alert if you're worried about things.

3) Language - Do characters swear? Yes of course they do. But not to Malcolm Tucker levels, general advice would be one maybe two major swear words per post but swearing rants? No, please don't while it's not against the rules it's a major readers turn off.

Now a point for readers of Vignettes

This is quite important to bear in mind - don't take things personally. It's entirely possible that in another players vignette you may see your characters or nation referenced in some way, now depending on how that persons characters view your nation or characters which means it's possible for such views to be negative, so please remember that. I cannot count the amount of times I've had people messaging me to flag up something they've viewed as unfair when it is simply understandable from an IC context. All characters will have IC opinions of various things and they won't all be positive, so to be blunt this is not a harmonious utopia of a world.

Commonwealth Treaty Organisation
General Assembly Resolution

Resolution #0021
Adopted by the General Assembly on 4th January 2018

General Assembly,

Aware of the ongoing crisis in Lakhzovia follow the recent elections,

Recognizing that the perception of democratic mandate is vital to the stability of the political system,

Appreciating the importance of restoring public and international confidence in the Lakhzov government,

1. Endorses the new elections in Lakhzovia

2. Accepts the East Moreland offer to send an Election Monitoring Team

3. Agrees that this mission should be led by Alex Redfern

4. Resolves to accept and endorse the outcome of the elections upon receipt of a satisfactory report from the Election Monitoring Team

Mind boggling Serenity thought, typical wasn't it? There was no need for an assurance in truth because the assurances already existed as far as Achkaerin was concerned Somerset was the successor to Seaforth and Seaforth had been an Achkaerinese ally, Serenity knew if she went off for a drive towards the Lakhzovian border she'd come to cities where during the Eugenics War there had been fighting, where Achkaerinese soldiers had died, if she went north she'd come to Halstead Village where the Seaforth Catholic Church had strung up and hung civilians for no apparent reason, with Achkaerinese soldiers having already fought and died on this soil there was no way that memory was going to be disgraced. But if it was assurances McKenna wanted it was assurances he'd get.

"I doubt Kadassa is stupid enough to let this escalate to an extent where threats would extend beyond borders nor do I think that any militia involved are going to instigate things beyond the Lakhzovian borders to do so in the manner you are concerned about would be for them to lose their position in this, if they take things out on the international community they seal their own fate, likewise so would pro Lakhzovia factions. You know as well as I do that this country of yours is the remains of Seaforth a lot of Achkaerinese soldiers fought and died here not that long ago." Serenity said slowly "We don't forget that sort of thing so the assurances you want already exist and even if it didn't one would presume an action against Somerset would at the moment concern Pyrena which in turn through treaties and organisations could involve plenty of other nations that is surely assurance enough."

"Now then Mr McKenna" Kakashi said "While I appreciate you trying to accommodate my requests your suggestion of the Joint Forces Base is I'm afraid  impractical for our purposes, we need airfields and facilities around the Lakhzovian border area, we cannot afford to have jets having to burn a third to half of their tanks just to get into position, no we need them closer to the area we need them to be able to be in position with as little flight time as possible."

Group C

Achkaerin 4-0 Rodina (at Isemura Club)
Ui Cenneslaig 3-1 Herrunbucht (at Ise-Kokoda Hub)

Group D

Zimalia 0-2 Nya Aland (at Yuzukemyouji Lightbox)
Germanic Kingdoms 2-2 Foxtrove (at Ise-Kokoda Hub)

Group E

Hygelac 2-1 Cantabria (at Isemura Club)
Iwi 2-0 Solonia (at Marumaru)

Group F

Borland 3-3 Arda Tuluva (at Yuzukemyouji Lightbox)
Vaguzia 2-0 Phuebra (at Marumaru)

Current Standings

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***Reply to this post by personal message to Achkaerin and not on the forum to keep your choices private***
Middlesborough will play Sunderland in the FA Cup third round on the 6th of January (13:00 KO)
Pick the winner for 2 points and pick the first team to score for 1 point. If you pick the total goals scored between both teams you'll get a 2 point bonus as well. There is potential for up to 5 points on this one.

Qualifying

1. Ryo Yokazura (Chiyoko Motorsports Division)
2. Sam Halliday (Rytol-EMAC Racing)
3. Quintus Varusi (Tifosi)
4. Enric Tomàs (Magpie Racing)
5. Mark Lindley (Rytol-EMAC Racing)
6. Megan Harrison (Riviere Corporation Racing)
7. Z Kennedy (Riviere Corporation Racing)
8. Marcus Apollonius (Tifosi)
9. Takeshi Nakanishi (Chiyoko Motorsports Division)
10. Téo Arrivacca (Scuddor Ornati)
11. Àlex Andreu (Magpie Racing)
12. John Gever (Furious Honeybadger)
13. Mathis Oleksow (Furious Honeybadger)
14. Quentin Yanone (Scuddor Ornati)
15. Branislav Pietrov (Natalka)
16. Madeleine Kromer (Umbrella Corporation Racing)
17. Monim Sabbagh (Bassanid Airways Racing)
18. Ivanoe Parco (Umbrella Corporation Racing)
19. Louai Nazari (Bassanid Airways Racing)
20. Alexi Smenko (Natalka)
21. Jorgaah Vasaaq (Molo T Racing)
22. Willow Buurlap (Molo T Racing)
23. Marcus Pilskin (Argus Corporation Racing)
24. Andre Nolte (Argus Corporation Racing)