The lights light up as the host walks on stage.
Punchwood- Addressing audience - Our guest tonight is the current Minister of Regional Affairs, Seraph! Please welcome him out with some warm applause!
Seraph- Comes out waving and beaming to audience. - Thank you! It's a pleasure to be here.
Punchwood- Offers tea or coffee to his guest and then takes a sip from his own cup of coffee. - So then let's start from the beginning, how did you find TSP and what made you stay?
Seraph- Gratefully takes a sip of coffee - Well, I was introduced to NationStates by a friend who said he had been enjoying answering issues on his lunch-break in work and so I took a look to see what it was like. My nation, Erinor, was founded in the South Pacific and I instantly took a liking to the community on the Regional Message Board, so, I suppose, in many ways that was what made me stay, but over the course of a few weeks I got more and more intrigued by the talk of regional government and the mysterious forums and so, very cautiously, I decided to explore and find out more and I've been hooked ever since.
Punchwood- Obviously being the Minister of Regional Affairs you must enjoy the Ministry. Is regional affairs what you identified most with in the region, or is it something else like our role-play, politics or gameplay?
Seraph- Well, firstly, I've always considered roleplaying to be part of the umbrella of Regional Affairs and, in that regard, and with a love of writing which naturally lent itself to some journalism, I've been drawn to RA from the very beginning. Of course, to be involved in RA is to dabble in politics and to become a member of the cabinet is to dabble in gameplay, but the latter has never interested me very much and the politics mostly interests me to the extent that it can improve the region for those who wish to enjoy it in any number of ways, which very much ties it back to RA. I'd be lying if I didn't add that I enjoyed tinkering with legislation, though, but that's really another writing thing.
Punchwood- Leans back in chair, looking interested - You very much enjoy writing then! You have set up a writers’ group for the region and, as you have just said, you enjoy writing. What is it about writing that you enjoy so much and what do you hope to accomplish with writing be it in TSP or anywhere else.
Seraph- Looks thoughtful - I love language and I love words and I have always enjoyed the power that words can have to create something which does not exist - to solidify the imagination in such a way that someone else can enjoy it too. That's why my favourite form of writing is fiction and particularly speculative fiction like fantasy, science-fiction and horror. The power of writing goes beyond the merely imagined, however, and I enjoy wielding words to produce an effect in any context, whether it be a well-written e-mail, a clear piece of legislation or, as I have had cause to write in my church, a thoughtful prayer.
I'd love to get some of my writing published one day, but for now I'm happy to be using it for anything at all. I hope that my writing style enriches TSP in some way, but only the readers can judge that.
Punchwood - Sits back nodding and asks - Can you tell us more about the writing club you set up? Why did you set it up, how successful has it been do you think and what do you hope will happen with it next?
Seraph- I knew that there were a lot of people in the South Pacific who enjoy writing, but who don't, perhaps, get as much practice and experience in it as they would like - myself included to some extent. I thought that the Silicon Pens would be a great excuse to gather players together under some umbrella other than a political party to encourage each other to produce new content. Like any number of other new initiatives from myself and other players in this region, it has had mixed success and that is at least in part my fault as I haven't been able to focus on producing new prompts and content for the group to rally around. I hope to reverse this once my term as MoRA ends and my real life situation settles down, at which point I'd like to see the current members inspired to be more active and new members join to improve their writing too.
Punchwood- You aren't seeking re-election this term. Why is that and what do you plan to do outside of office? As you have suggested, will this give you more time to concentrate on “The Silicon Pens”, perhaps?
Seraph- I said from the start of my second term that I did not intend to run for a third. There are lots of reasons for that. Being in a Cabinet role like MoRA can be time-consuming and emotionally draining to do well and eight months of that is more than enough for any person. Secondly, I considered it a goal of my time in office to produce a pool of people who could confidently take up the role after my time was up. That was, in fact, a spectacular failure in many ways, and yet, for a while at least, there was an actual contested election happening with some great campaigns. It's sad that Evan C/AwesomeSaucer felt he had to bow out, but I have a lot of faith in Spenty and look forward to seeing what he does with the Ministry (assuming RON doesn't win). I'm already convinced that he'll put me to shame.
As for what I plan to do as a private citizen once more? Well, I do hope to put more effort into the writing group and, aside from that I have a few plans, none of which are very concrete just yet, but let's just say that I don't plan to slip quietly into dark. ;P
Punchwood- Grins - I'm sure everyone is glad to hear that! Are you proud of the work you have done so far, not just in RA but in TSP in general?
Seraph- I'm very proud of my work in my first term of RA, less so in my second term, where I dropped the ball more than a few times, mainly owing to the fact that my real life situation was completely up in the air and more than a bit stressful, but perhaps also because, once I'd passed the four month point and was also back at work after my operation on my arm, it just seemed to be a lot more work than I had time or energy for. Even so, I'm proud of parts of the last term and I don't feel as if I'm handing a broken ministry over to my successor, which is a lot more than nothing.
As for TSP in general - I haven't made much of a mark outside of my time as MoRA and in the roleplaying community, but I am pleased with what I've managed in the latter. I hope to be able to contribute more to other areas, but how very much remains to be seen.
Punchwood- Outside of NS, who are you? Obviously we don’t want anything too personal but how do you spend your time and what do you enjoy doing?
Seraph- I like to think that I'm the same person in NS as in RL, but I guess we all have shades of persona when we present ourselves through different media. I'm more shy in RL (although I can put on the same face in certain circumstances) and less confident, and of course I'm a husband and father, which are aspects of my persona which don't get much airing in TSP (for obvious reasons), but otherwise I'm much the same: a Christian, a geek, a writer. I love reading and video games and watching TV shows. I'm increasingly obsessed with Star Wars (something which is only amplified by sharing it with my daughter). I've just moved from the North East of Scotland to the South West of England and my whole future is up for grabs, so I'm still trying to work out which area of interest should take the helm and lead me to some possible future career. It's all very exciting and scary, really.
Punchwood - Obviously your new home is nowhere near as good as the one in the greatest city that ever was or will be. As you all already know, I’m talking about Aberdeen.
Seraph- Yes, but it's warmer here.
Punchwood- Nods - Yeah that's probably true. If you had to describe TSP to someone who had never heard of it, how would you?
Seraph - I actually have had to describe TSP to a fair few people who have nothing to do with NS over the last year, either as part of sharing things that interest me, or, in a number of versions of my CV or in job applications, to highlight examples of times when I have exercised certain skills. It's never easy to find the right words, however, because TSP is so complex, even when the number of people involved in all its aspects might be rather small. In the end, though, it's a real community of real people and we interact in very real ways. And that's what I love about it - that, and the fact that we're absolutely nuts!
Punchwood - Where do you think the region is going?
Seraph- I'm honestly unsure. I'm pretty certain that there are changes ahead, but whether they are for good or ill, I'm not in a position to say. I'll watch with interest and do my best to help make the right decisions as we go.
Punchwood- Could there be a Delegate Seraph in that future? Maybe a PM Seraph or any other Cabinet role?
Seraph- I'm certainly not looking to return to the Cabinet for some time.
Punchwood- Leans forward and says in a dead serious tone – The hard questions now, which will affect your future in TSP forever more. What kind of lampshade do you like?
Seraph- I've just left a job selling lampshades every day. It's fair to say that the only lampshades I'm looking for now are the digital ones here in TSP.
Punchwood- Chuckles - Now then the most serious and important question of them all. Cake or Pie!?
Seraph- I'll take either so long as they are served with ice-cream. Independesserts for the win!
Punchwood- Thank you. Finally, maybe the centre ground can take hold of the Cake/Pie debate.
Seraph- (This is the only area where I might ever be considered a centrist...)
Punchwood- Glances at watch – Oh dear that appears to be all the time we have tonight. My thanks to Seraph for appearing tonight.
Seraph- And thank you for inviting me here!
Punchwood- No problem at all. I hope we have all learned something about our guest tonight. Goodnight!
The lights gradually dim as they say goodbye to the audience.
Interviewee: Seraph
Interviewer: Punchwood
Date of Interview: 11th of June
Venue of Interview: Discord
Europeian Ambassador to The South Pacific
Former Local Council Member
Former Minister of Regional Affairs
Former High Court Justice
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