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"Consulate" of Spiritus

This region had relations with Wintreath before our policy of providing a topic consulate for non-allied regions. This "consulate" consists of threads from this region's former embassy merged together to serve as an archive, so that it can be accessed as part of our current system. -Wintermoot

Spiritus Foreign Update: The "Not Quite Winter but Damn, It’s Cold" Edition

The Government of Spiritus

President:: Wuufu
Vice President: : Tim

Minister of Culture: Wuufu
Deputy Minister of Culture : Vacant

Minister of Defense : Karputsk
Deputy Minister of Defense: Vacant

Minister of Foreign Affairs : Tim
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs : The Saturnian Republic

Minister of Information : Wuufu
Deputy Minister of Information : Vacant

Minister of Integration : Toms
Deputy Minister of Integration : Vacant

Minister of World Assembly Affairs : The Salaxalans
Deputy Minister of World Assembly Affairs : Charax

Minister Without Portfolio : Charax


Regional Assembly

Speaker Pro Tempore / Representative: Toms
Representative: Sovreignry
Representative: Charax
Representative: Horse
Representative: The Saturnian Republic
Representative: Butterspring
Representative: Leutheria


Supreme Court

Chief Justice: The Salaxalans
Associate Justice: Isidor C Anumia
Associate Justice: Ceardia

RA elections finally end; runoff election needed to decide the crazy close election.

After the 4th RA term, serving from September 8th to November 9th, concluded, new elections came running back around. 10 Citizens ran, for only 7 seats. Everyone, for the most part, ran a great campaign. In the end, 6 members were elected immediately; a runoff was needed to determine the seventh member. 2 Citizens, Leutheria and Legonimis, tied with 11 votes each, with Denth Rowan only one vote short of causing a three-way runoff. The 2 faced off rather boringly, and, unfortunately, no blood was spilled. At the end of the special election, Leutheria won, with a 4-3 vote majority. The following members won, and my congrats go out to all winning members; and hope to see you all next term: Toms, Sovreignry, Charax, Horse, Butterspring, The Saturnian Republic, and Leutheria. Congratulations to all those elected, and may this term be amazing. *throws potatoes everywhere*

Salaxalans Out-of-Order

<Salaxalans|Broken>: I AERG EA CANT ABA GERTHE HALT EAR GMEHNOT WALKING AERH EKRNHKLESH
<Ceardia>: .ask Is Salaxalans broken?
<Tammy>: Ceardia: no
<Ceardia>: .ask Can we unfix him?
<Tammy>: Ceardia: no
<Ceardia>: .ask Can we break him?
<Tammy>: Ceardia: no
<Salaxalans|Broken>: ARJMASFXGN
<Salaxalans|Broken>: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
<Ceardia>: .ask Why so many noes?
<Tammy>: Ceardia: yes
<Ceardia>: WWWWHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTT!!!!
<TheSaturnianRepublic>: lol

Long time member Wintermoot resigns over feuds with other members, founds new region; Salaxalans almost quits for good.

After 9 months and 7 days with the region, President Wintermoot resigned from his position and officially left Spiritus. The members that he had issues with will not be named for their protection in other regions. Quoted from his resignation thread: “I've had fun being part of this place, making friends with the people I have, and having a hand in building this place up. But it's just not fun anymore. I've found myself the target of unjust attacks, character assassination, and statements full of exaggerations, lies, and events restated out of context, even from people that previously claimed to be my close friends.” Wintermoot will be missed, and his contributions will not be forgotten. The same almost happened to WA delegate Salaxalans; luckily, he reconsidered, and rejoined the community. Much cake was had, and we all rejoiced. While tensions are still high, things have simmered down, and we are getting back to normal.

The Blind Horse and the prophet

<Toms>: And Salaxalans, in his infinite glory and wisdom, attempted to bequeath this beautiful knowledge unto Horse
<Toms>: But Horse was blind
<Toms>: He could not find the glory
<Toms>: He searched high and low across the land, but it was for naught.
<Toms>: The Lord, seeing his troubles, showed him a place
<Toms>: A magical, secret place.
<Toms>: A place where one could find anything
<Toms>: This place was known as Amazon
<Toms>: And the Lord, in his majesty, said "Go, young Horse, go and get your reward."
Salaxalans pokes Toms
<Toms>: But the stallion said, "No my Lord, for I have a giftcard"
<Salaxalans>: Oh, there we go.
<Salaxalans>:
<Toms>: And the Lord was not pleased
<Toms>: He then cursed Horse to wander forever.
<Toms>: Wander until he completes his quest
<Toms>: And finds the book of knowledge
<Toms>: Then, and only then, will he receive enlightenment.
<Salaxalans>: (He bought it at Barnes and Noble)
<Salaxalans>: (The website, that is)
<Toms>: And be able to bask in the all seeing glory of Salaxalans.
<Horse>: AAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEENNNNN

Wintreath and Spiritus establish diplomatic relations; many feelings mended, much cake will/has been shared.

After the departure of Wintermoot in October, he was unsure about his future. For a time being, he moved to his then puppet storage region of Wintreath with a few members of Spiritus, attempting to console him and possibly coax him back. After a few weeks of deliberating and talking with members such as Nox, Charax, and Denth Rowan, it was decided Wintreath would attempt to become a region. Since it’s conversion, over 200 members have joined with many prominent Spiritusianites beginning to hold dual citizenship in Wintreath and Spiritus. One thing led to another, and it ended up with Wuufu making the application for an embassy on Wintreath's forum. Much cake will be had, and, as the story develops, we will update the situation for you.

Culture continues strongly as new games start up

During the last few months a few new games have begun in Spiritus. First, there is Nomic. Nomic is a game where there are a set list of rules which can be added to, amended and repealed through a process of proposal and voting, just like in normal legislation. In fact, that is what your entire turn consists of! This means that the game rules change as the game progresses, allowing for some rather unusual rules. A recent rule that was repealed included the ability to give a set of salads to different players on certain turns! This is a very fun game to play and is a great asset to the region.

The Resistance is another game that has been recently added. Based off the board game with the same name and similar in style to one of our other forum games, Mafia, The Resistance has people working to complete missions to bring down an Orwellian government. These missions take place by a mission leader specifying who they want on their team. Each player votes on whether to approve the mission or no If approved, each member of the team then votes whether or not to let the mission succeed. Why would they do that? Because within the group of players there are government spies working to undermine the success of these missions! Over five missions, those loyal to the resistance must work to ensure three of them succeed, while the spies work to prevent that.

Minister of Culture Wuufu has also introduced the region to Yucata. Yucata is an online board game site that allows asynchronous board game play, allowing the region to join together to play board games at their own pace. So far, the region has played Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers, Maori, and Mount Drago, with a game of Alchemist just having been started.

Finally, Spiritus now hosts three roleplaying adventures: the World of Golarion, which is based off the Dungeons and Dragons spinoff Pathfinder, Vaposterram, which is a steampunk/NationStates crossover, and Malsagxuloj, which follows a group of leaders who lead sleeper ships to an alien world and must work together to survive. Along with our existing forum game of Mafia, our other board game Diplomacy, and the two IRC related games we have with our IRC bot Tammy, Cards Against Humanity and Uno, Spiritus is quickly becoming a gaming capital.

Spiritus.V.S.Zombies, Spiritus prevails.

This Halloween, and previous days before, all of NS was infected by the Zombie invaders. As many regions fell, Spiritus rose to the challenge and attempted to defeat the zombie menace. Spiritus finished 15th for most survivors(617.37 billion people) and 11th for most survivors with no infected (617.37 billion people). This was all thanks to the brilliant planning of Spiritus members, and many, MANY cure missiles, and the occasional kill squad sent by Horse. Hopefully, all of you survived the onslaught, and hope you eliminated the zombie menace. FORWARD UNTO DAWN o/ *throws potatoes at Zombies*.

Update provided to you by Horse and Wuufu. Edited by Salaxalans and Charax.

Thank you for the update, and the kind words toward me.

You're very welcome ^.^

Spiritus Foreign Update: The “Spiritus can into update?” edition.


The Government of Spiritus

President: Wuufu
Vice President: Tim

Minister of Culture: Wuufu
Deputy Minister of Culture: Vacant

Minister of Defense: Karputsk
Deputy Minister of Defense: Leutheria

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Tim
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs: The Saturnian Republic

Minister of Information: Horse
Deputy Minister of Information: Vacant

Minister of Integration: Toms
Deputy Minister of Integration: Vacant

Minister of World Assembly Affairs: The Salaxalans
Deputy Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Charax

Minister Without Portfolio: Charax


Regional Assembly

Speaker Pro Tempore / Representative: Toms
Representative: Sovreignry
Representative: Charax
Representative: Horse
Representative: The Saturnian Republic
Representative: Butterspring
Representative: Leutheria


Supreme Court

Chief Justice: The Salaxalans
Associate Justice: Isidor C Anumia
Associate Justice: Ceardia

Leutheria and all her evil non hugieness becomes new MoD.

After long time member Karputsk has gone incredibly inactive (at the time of this article, he has not been online for 19 days, and has not posted this month at all), many members of Spiritus were wondering: Who is going to lead the SDF?. This question was a hard one to answer, with so many experienced members in the region (Tim, The Saturnian Republic, etc), the question was hard to answer. Wuufu deliberated on his choice, and he eventually made his decision. Leutheria, the non hugger, was appointed the Deputy Minister of Defense on November 18th. Because of Karp’s inactivity, she now leads the SDF.
Here is the short (and rather funny interview) I had with her.

Leutheria’s “Interview”

<Horse>: So, how does it feel to lead the SDF now?
<Leutheria>: I haven't really lead it much yet... >.>
<Horse>: Ok, rather how does it feel to be the head of the military?
<Leutheria>: I haven't really done it yet >.>
<Horse>: Ok
<Horse>: Next question
<Horse>: What are your plans involving the military?
<Leutheria>: Urrr... >.>
<Leutheria>: SEKRETS
<Horse>: (you can bullshit if you want)
<Horse>: Or that
<Leutheria>:
<Leutheria>: well, it's obviously staying defender
<Horse>: I was expecting that to be much longer, so I guess that's all
<Horse>: I expected it to stay defender
<Leutheria>:
<Leutheria>: sorry
<Horse>: It's cool

Our sincerest congratulations go out to her, and may she lead the SDF to glory!



The ebul tea drinkers invade Spiritus for a State visit, crumpets will be shared.

As of November 16th, our friends from across the big pond decided to come down and visit us Spiritans. The visit lasted all week, and much fun was had. Whether it was the RP we had on the forums, the Grooveshark night where we found that anime and soviet songs go rather good together, or our game night, where it was Man VS Man, Man VS Woman, and Man VS Horse. The party is still going on in chat, and you are welcome to join! Hopefully, relations keep going strong, as Spiritus has been invited to The British Isles winter festival. A basket of potatoes will be sent to the British Isles as a gift, and hopefully be made into some chips for Fish and Chips.


Wow. Many laws. Such new; 4 new proposed laws being debated

This month seems to be the month of the amendment. People born in this month are people who want change, great writers, and people who, for some reason, like the toilet paper facing down (those heathens). These laws were authored by Salaxalans(with the help of many citizens), Charax,Ceardia, and The Saturnian Republic. Ceardia’s bill deals with simply the term citizens of Spiritus and what they will be called, Charax’s bill is dealing with elected delegates, Sal’s bill is trying to add another piece to the government and renames the Regional Assembly to the Senate, and finally The Saturnian Republic's bill, which is defining election fraud and adding it as a crime. The Regional Assembly would become the Senate, while a new board would be elected into the new RA. We will keep you all updated on these bills, and whether these pass, fail, or never make it to a vote. Stay tuned, and watch the madness unfold!
Thoughts on the new laws by Citizens:

Anonymous

<Horse>: What are your thoughts on the new laws being proposed in Spiritus?
<Anonymous>: Will this be anonymous?
<Horse>: If you want it to be, it will be
<Anonymous>: Yes, anonymous
<Horse>: Then it will be
<Horse>: The logs will be posted, just your name will be cut out
<Anonymous>: The code of criminal law act: I admire the reason for its proposal but it's basically useless, as everything it covers is already in the code.
<Anonymous>: The Legislative restructuring act was interesting, but not necessary and it won't pass.
<Anonymous>: And the WA delegate amendment act I personally am not a fan of but it /might/ pass if it has a enough support. Which it currently doesn't have although that may change
<Anonymous>: Anything else?
<Horse>: Other than the name one
<Horse>: No
<Anonymous>: Alright, any other questions?
<Horse>: Nope

Dawsinian

<Horse>: So, in Spiritus, what are your thoughts on the new laws being proposed
<Dawsinian>: Which ones?
<Horse>: Any one/All
<Dawsinian>: There's like seven.
<Dawsinian>: Legislative Restructuring Act is a really err... difficult law.
<Dawsinian>: I feel like it won't work, at all.
<Dawsinian>: I like the WA Delegation Act.... I've supported it for a while.
<Dawsinian>: What's the third one?
<Horse>: There are 4
<Horse>: The other one is the name
<Horse>: *The other two are
<Horse>: The second one is the criminal code
<Dawsinian>: I support the Criminal Code.
<Dawsinian>: And the last one?
<Horse>: The only other one is the name one
<Dawsinian>: Demonym Act?
Horse nods
<Dawsinian>: I support it as well.
<Horse>: Ok, cool
<Horse>: Now, do you want this private, or public (meaning your name is posted)
<Dawsinian>: Ehhh, what the hell... Public.

Anonymous the second

<Horse>: So, what are your thoughts on the new laws?
<Anonymous>: Haven't looked at them yet, gimme a moment.
<Horse>: OK
<Anonymous>: I'm such a good citizen
<Horse>: And this will be posted in the FA update, so do you want these public or private?
<Anonymous>: I'm sorry?
<Horse>: Do you want your name posted in the logs or not?
<Anonymous>: No.
<Horse>: Ok, so they will be left out
<Anonymous>: Mostly because no comment.
<Horse>: Ah
<Anonymous>: I see a single new law that really has no effect on our government.

New Spitius press article to be started by the equestrian minister.

After taking office recently, the new Minister of Information will be doing a weekly article, interviewing citizens weekly, on different questions. Whether it be just a general “What’s going on?”, to “What are you planning to do?”, these will be asked, and hopefully answered in either hilarious or serious answers (because we can’t handle both at the same time). The new article is going to try and have new questions every week, with at least the same general base questions “Why did you come here, where is your name from, etc”. New articles will be added hopefully, and the Spiritus press will be back up and running. Hopefully not literally, because that would be terrifying.

White Trash Theater

<Reon>: Know... You should definitely be pregnant with my baby,,,
<Reon>: But I don't believe you... Causing mass scandal...
<Reon>: And I accuse you of cheating on me very publicly.
<Chrinthanium>: It's not scandal if it is true
<Chrinthanium>: I don't cheat
<Chrinthanium>: You ain't put a ring on my fingeh yet
Chrinthanium cocks his head
<Reon>: Boy! You were mine! We were together!
<Reon>: I gave up things for you!
<Chrinthanium>: What you give up? Flinstone Vitamins?
<Reon>: I gave up my mother! She always hated you!
<Chrinthanium>: Errybody hates me cause I'm so damn perfect
<Chrinthanium>: Imma raise this kid to be a born again Christian just to tick you off
<Reon>: No! You can't raise a born again!
<Reon>: What is this!
<Chrinthanium>: Talk to the hand
*** TSR|Cat is now known as TSR|Away
Chrinthanium flashes the palm of his hand towards Reon
Reon bites the hand.
<Chrinthanium>: Don't be tryin to woo me bak
<Chrinthanium>: *back
<Nox>: What. the. fuck.
<Chrinthanium>: I only hit ya cause I love ya
<Reon>: T.T
<Reon>: I hate you!
<Reon>: That's not my baby!
<Nox>: I feel like I'm being watched
<Reon>: You fuc*in' cheated with fuc*in' Joseph!
<Reon>: What the fuc* does he have that I don't?
<Chrinthanium>: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37OWL7AzvHo
<Tammy>: [ Dr. Evil "Riiiiight" - YouTube ] - https://www.youtube.com
*** Nox is now known as Fucking_Joseph
<Reon>: I could come and watch you, Nox.
<Fucking_Joseph>: I got a big dick, that's what
<Reon>: Fuc* you, Joseph!
<Chrinthanium>: Psh
<Reon>: You ain't got shi*!
<Chrinthanium>: Joseph ain't got nothin I want
<Fucking_Joseph>: That ain't what you said last month, lover
<Reon>: Then why'd you fuc*in' cheat with him?
<Chrinthanium>: I didn't cheat with him
<Reon>: If he ain't got nothing you want?
<Chrinthanium>: He just wants me so bad he made all that up
<Chrinthanium>: I couldn't be with a black man
<Chrinthanium>: You know I iz racist
<Reon>: Then why you carrying his baby?!
<Chrinthanium>: I ain't
<Chrinthanium>: It's yours, you just don't wanna own up to it
Chrinthanium cries
<Reon>: How could you've gotten pregnant then? I was out on a fuc*in' business trip when you got pregnant!
<Chrinthanium>: Remember the night you left? That night... that's when it happened
<Chrinthanium>: You wanted me to "remember what I'd be missin'"
*** Fucking_Joseph is now known as Nox|OOC
<Nox|OOC>: this is freakin hilarious
<Reon>: Apparently it didn't fuc*in' work! I found Joseph's underwear in our house! With the fuzzy cuffs!
*** Nox|OOC is now known as Fucking_Joseph
<Chrinthanium>: Cause Joseph wanted to do that karaoke DJ he was hitting on
<Chrinthanium>: ANd he couldn't go home cause his mom and dad would've flipped
<Chrinthanium>: So I said he could use the basement
<Fucking_Joseph>: That was a fun night
*** Horse is now known as Jerry_Springer
<Jerry_Springer>: JERRY
<Jerry_Springer>: JERRY
<Chrinthanium>: FUc*, Reon
<Jerry_Springer>: JERRY
<Jerry_Springer>: Chrin....
<Jerry_Springer>: You ARE the father
<Chrinthanium>: Remember, we sang our song that night at Karaoke? You were off key? We got a tad drunk
<Chrinthanium>: Our Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZEURntrQOg
<Tammy>: [ Happy Together - Turtles - YouTube ] - https://www.youtube.com
<Reon>: Yeah, I remember that night baby... I remember that night!
*** Jerry_Springer is now known as Horse
<Chrinthanium>: Baby, I love you!
<Chrinthanium>: This is your child
<Chrinthanium>: He even has your glasses
<Reon>: Them ain't my glasses! Those are rounds! You know I only do squares!
<Chrinthanium>: Round glasses run in my family
<Chrinthanium>: BUt that ain't round
<Chrinthanium>: It's oval
<Chrinthanium>: Can't get oval unless you mix square and round
<Reon>: Oh baby...
+++ ChanServ has given op to Wuufu
<Reon>: Fuc* it! I'll take care of the baby! Even if it ain't mine!
<Wuufu>: What?
+++ Wuufu has given voice to Chanku
<Chrinthanium>: YOu don't remember the song we conceived to, either
<Horse>: Wuufu shhh
<Horse>: It's dinner and a show
<Chrinthanium>: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WANNqr-vcx0
<Tammy>: [ Jefferson Airplane -White Rabbit- - YouTube ] - https://www.youtube.com
Wuufu nods
<Reon>: Oh baby... I'm sorry...
<Reon>: It is mine!
<Reon>: I should have known..
Reon starts openly crying.
Chrinthanium runs over and wraps himself around Reon
<Chrinthanium>: [/white trash theater]

Moving out of the stone ages and the use of Quipu: Spiritus to now track WA stats and other things by text.

This month, one of the new citizens, Libertarian Librarians, proposed like another region, Global Right Alliance, that we track how citizens rank in the WA, and track their rise and fall in the rankings. This system will use colors to indicate whether someone rose, fell, or stayed in the same place (if that happens, the end time’s have clearly begun *nods*). This system, will hopefully, get more citizens involved in the region, and keep the juggernaut of activity that is Spiritus up and running. Our sincerest thank you goes out to LibLib (their chat name, which we rather like), and hopes that they will continue be a new force for activity.


Horse’s thingymabob of the week: A new FPS game that I recently found.

A few days ago, Horse was going through youtube, watching my videos as usual, when I(Horse) spotted a Let’s Play for a game I had never seen. It had a simple color scheme, simple graphics, etc. I thought to myself “Let’s watch this and good a good laugh at how horrible this is.” After watching the video, I now know why the term “Never judge a book by it’s cover.” exists. While this game IS rather simplistic in design, it’s twist, better then any M.night shyamalan movie (seriously, allergic to water?) has ever come up with. Time only moves when YOU move. In other words, if you shoot your gun, and never move, your bullet just stays there, suspended in space, giving a big middle finger to gravity. This game will keep you entertained for hours, and is EXTREMELY fun. The link for the game will be provided below, and we hope you have a GREAT time playing it.
Enjoy .

http://superhotgame.com/
Written by Horse.
Issues found by Ceardia, The Saturnian Republic, and Salaxalans.
Comments idea suggested by The Saturnian Republic.

Thank you for the update.

Spiritus Foreign Update: The “Holly Jolly Christmas” Edition.


The Government of Spiritus

President: Wuufu
Vice President: Tim

Minister of Culture: Wuufu
Deputy Minister of Culture: Vacant

Minister of Defense: Karputsk
Deputy Minister of Defense: Leutheria

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Tim
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs: The Saturnian Republic

Minister of Information: Horse
Deputy Minister of Information: Vacant

Minister of Integration: Toms
Deputy Minister of Integration: Vacant

Minister of World Assembly Affairs: The Salaxalans
Deputy Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Libertarian Librarians

Minister Without Portfolio: Charax


Regional Assembly

Speaker Pro Tempore / Representative: Toms
Representative: Sovreignry
Representative: Charax
Representative: Horse
Representative: The Saturnian Republic
Representative: Butterspring
Representative: Leutheria


Supreme Court

Chief Justice: The Salaxalans
Associate Justice: Isidor C Anumia
Associate Justice: Ceardia

Regional Assembly Passes Controversial FRA Membership Act

The Spiritus Regional Assembly recently passed a controversial Act permitting the President to file a membership application with the Founderless Regions Alliance. Sparking heated debate across the various Halls of the RA, this Bill went under quite a bit of fire before passing. Passed 5-4, and supported by a close Majority of the Citizenry (as seen in the Non-Binding Citizen Vote on it), some predict it will usher Spiritus into a new age of R/D prosperity. Others say the exact opposite, some want Spiritus to stop doing R/D altogether, but only time will tell what will actually happen. President Wuufu Valerius Vitus signed the Bill into law, but stated that he will hold off on filing the application itself until we can focus internally, uniting Spiritus as a community again. However, the bill was struck down as unconstitutional by the courts, and yet another battle has begun over the constitutionality of the bill. Libertarian Librarians has made several comments on the ruling in support of the bill. More will be reported as it comes.

Spoiler

Spiritus Joins the World Fair; Plans Booth

Spiritus FINALLY joined the World Fair, beginning on the 3rd of January, lasting until the 10th of January. What Spiritus will do in the fair is still being debated by the region, but expect it to be as wacky and fun as the region itself. Some of the ideas being debated are:
TF2 night
Grooveshark music stream
Haxball night
Yucata games night
Movie Night
Roast of Spiritus
A official thread for the ideas will be held shortly, with ideas having only been murmurs. Hopefully, within this month, ideas will be solidified, giving Spiritus a concrete plan going into the World Fair. Hopefully, in this World Fair, Tim won’t run across the stage naked... *whacks Tim on the head*

Spoiler

President Wuufu Begins “Week Before Christmas” Festival; Fun Was Had; Many Snowballs Thrown; Ceardia Frozen in Snowman

Beginning on the 15th, Spiritus celebrated the season of giving with its “Week before Christmas” festival. The celebration, lasting from the 15th to the 21st, celebrated all things Sprititus: fun, insanity, and friendship. Wuufu, the Minister of Culture, announced the idea rather suddenly, but even then, the celebration was a blast. Whether it was Horse beating everyone in Haxball, Wuufu playing amazing music on Grooveshark, or the RP snowball fight held on the forum, much fun was had, and friendships only grew between the members of the region, much needed after the prior few weeks. The biggest hit of the festival was the Snowy Competition, in which members either submitted poems, songs, or images that most reminded them of the holiday. The winner has not been announced yet, but the contest has been closed, so official results will be posted to you, our embassies, consulates, etc., when they come in.
Here is the winning poem, submitted by Legonimis:

Poem

Untitled, by AJH
A rosy cheeked demon
Of unfettered greed
A festive reminder
To all those in need
Of what little they have
Of what all they lack—
Warm food in their belly
Warm clothes on their back.

To the lonely and forlorn
A wintry token
Of days best forgotten
Of sadness unspoken
No tree, no holly,
No bauble, no present
Just helpings of guilt
For not being pleasant.

The ads, the sales,
The flyers, the gifts
As if money and trimming
Can heal all the rifts
'Tween child, parent,
Husband or wife
Closing old wounds
Erasing past strife.

Cookies and carols
Eggnog and songs
Do nothing to aid
In righting the wrongs
Of beatings, of scoldings
Of apathy, of tears
They sooth not the anger
Allay not the fears.

Christmas should never
An anxiety bring
In place of great joy
Or a desire to sing
Yet bring that it does
For many the soul
Our hearts, like our stockings,
Are darkened like coal.

There is no desire
To muffle or smother
The Yuletide merry
Santa gives to another.
We simply remind you
In this most merry of seasons
That we hang no tinsel
And we have our reasons.

Spoiler

Spiritus Elections Around the Bend; Potential Government Shake-Up in Store

In Spiritus, the Presidential elections, occurring every four months, are set to begin at the opening of the new year. The candidates for this race are Wuufu, with Toms as his Vice President, and Charax, with Butterspring as his Vice President. Wuufu, once VP for Wintermoot and current Minister of Culture, is the incumbent President after Wintermoot resigned from the position and left Spiritus. Charax is the current “Minister Without Portfolio” and a Regional Assembly member. Toms is the current Minister of Integration, Regional Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore, and an author of several Spiritusianite laws. Butterspring is a Regional Assembly member. The Straw Polls say that this race should be a competitive one!

For the Regional Assembly race, as of now we have 8 candidates. Those candidates are, in no particular order: Libertarian Librarians, Sovreignry, Denth Rowan, Dolphin, Legonimis, The Saturnian Republic, ArbiterSlayer, and Horse. With many former RA members choosing not to step up for re-election, this will be an RA full of fresh faces, something that critics have said has been lacking recently.

Spoiler

Horsey’s Thing of the Month: Super Crate Box

So, while scrolling through the bowels of the internet, I stumbled across this game, called Super Crate Box. This game, while low in graphics, is loaded with fun. The objective: collect the crates, and do the THINGS *does the things*. The game’s main character, which alternates between different characters (just models, nothing else), try and stop creatures from going into a fire. Your job is to stop them, lest they become faster and faster, and become able to kill you easier. Each new crate allows you to grab a new weapon, ranging from the katana to a minigun, or even a flamethrower. Enemies range from small little skulls, to giant green...things. I don’t even know what they are . The game, as I will try and keep it, is free to play, but does require a download to play. I strongly recommend you play the game, and the link below will take you to the game.
http://www.supercratebox.com/

And now we leave you with this lovely little webcomic:

Spoiler

Update written by Tim and Horse.
Grammar fixed by the Salaxalans: Professional Grammarian.
Editing done by Tim.

Apologies for the delay on this, my MacBook died ~Wuufu

Thank you for the update.

Spiritus Foreign Update: The “Most Glorious Tim ” Edition.


The Government of Spiritus

President: Wuufu
Vice President: Toms

Minister of Culture: Wuufu
Deputy Minister of Culture: Vacant

Minister of Defense: Karputsk
Deputy Minister of Defense: Vacant

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Tim
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs: The Saturnian Republic

Minister of Information: Horse
Deputy Minister of Information: Vacant

Minister of Integration: Toms
Deputy Minister of Integration: Vacant

Minister of World Assembly Affairs and World Assembly Delegate: The Salaxalans
Deputy Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Vacant
Vice Delegate: Libertarian Librarians

Minister Without Portfolio: Vacant


Regional Assembly

Representative: Libertarian Librarians
Representative: Sovreignry
Representative: ArbiterSlayer
Representative: Horse
Representative: Dolphin
Representative: Legonimis
Representative: The Saturnian Republic


Supreme Court

Chief Justice: The Salaxalans
Associate Justice: Isidor C Anumia
Associate Justice: Ceardia

Election Time in Spiritus; New Members Enter into the Regional Assembly; Wuufu and Toms Take the Reigns of the Executive Branch; Tim Clearly Using Wuufu as a Puppet

This month marks a new beginning for Spiritus, especially in government. With the departure of longtime Citizens Charax and Denth Rowan, a few new members were required to run for elections. As our bi-monthly RA elections began, our Presidential election, which takes place every four months, began as well. The candidates for the Regional Assembly were Legonimis, Horse, Libertarian Librarians, Dolphin, The Saturnian Republic, Sovreignry, Denth Rowan, and ArbiterSlayer. This lineup is rather unique, as most of the members who ran had not been part of the past RA session, which has not occurred in quite some time. All candidates ran a great campaign and put in a lot of effort; clearly they bribed people to get votes, or are secretly Mall, Venicio, and Halacones, trying to take over Spiriuts. Or they’re just really good people, but probably not. The results of the election:

Election Results

Legonimis - 22 Votes
Horse - 20 Votes
Libertarian Librarians - 19 votes
Dolphin - 19 Votes
The Saturnian Republic - 18 Votes
Sovreignry - 18 Votes
Denth Rowan - 11 Votes
ArbiterSlayer - 11 Votes

The tie was broken due to the departure of Denth Rowan, meaning ArbiterSlayer took the final position in the RA.

On the executive side of the election, Wuufu and Toms ran against Charax and Butterspring, while Milograd and Karp ran a joke campaign. Wuufu and Toms, both experienced members in Spiritus, and both already holding important positions in Spiritus, were a great combo. Charax and Butterspring, another good combination, fell apart at the seams after a comment made by Butterspring regarding how he would promote activity in and lead the RA, essentially stating that he didn't care about the RA.

That comment, in the minds of many Spiritans, is what made up their minds regarding who to vote for. And, as I mentioned earlier, Most Glorious Chairman Milograd and ebul FRA plant Karp under a joke banner. The campaign, the love child of Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong, was a enormously funny campaign, and I suggest everyone read it here. Results for the Presidential election:

Winner of the Final Golden Ticket

Wuufu/Toms - 17 Votes
Charax/Butterspring - 5 Votes
Milograd/Karputsk - 2 Votes

My sincerest congratulations to every single candidate, and may this be a great new term!

THORGI

Live Game Nights Begin Again; Collective Groan Heard by Citizens Across Spiritus

This month marked the return of Live Nights in Spiritus after a few months of clear neglect from our lazy President, Wuufu. However, unlike its predecessor, which which consisted only of Grooveshark nights (which usually ended in cats singing), this time we have GAMES. Clearly, this is the intellectual revolution of 2014. The schedule, which only has one permanent piece on it, is constantly changing. From Haxball to TF2, games abound in this environment. While not too many people have shown up int it's youth, there is hope that this will lead to a boom in Spiritain culture and activities, which have been quieter recently.The most successful night for this weekly event was the Grooveshark night, where we went from French Pop to Swedish Power Metal many times, with every variation you can think of throughout the evening. No kittens singing though, sent Spiritus kitten cuteness levels to a dangerously low amount.. The next night was Haxball night. For those unaware what Haxball is, imagine 2D Football. Now imagine that being laggy as hell, and you get Haxball. The night belonged to Horse (me), as I went undefeated that night! We will update you all as these cultural events continue.

For All You Whovians...

Denth Rowan and Charax Renounce Citizenship, Citing Multiple Issues Within the Spiritus Community

This month has been a rather tragic one for Citizens of Spiritus. Denth Rowan, longtime member of Spiritus and author of several Regional Assembly resolutions, renounced his Citizenship on January 9th. Charax renounced his Citizenship that day, citing many problems in the community; not wanting to be part of this, he renounced his Citizenship and resigned from all government positions. Charax was a member of the Executive with the position "Minister Without Portfolio" and had previously been a Regional Assembly Representative and Vice President; both Charax and Denth Rowan will be missed.

My personal condolences to Charax and Denth, and may they prosper wherever they end up.

FIFA: Silent Hill DLC

Controversial FRA Bill Is Still Bringing Controversy; Declared Unconstitutional Twice; Becomes Combo Breaker

As reported in last month’s update, the FRA Membership Act, passed by both the RA and a citizen Referendum, was struck down by the Supreme Court as being unconstitutional, citing the restrictions on declaring war on certain regions in the FRA charter bill as the main reason. This month, the attitude of the Chief Justice, the Salaxalans, changed. His statement shows disagreement with the initial ruling:

The Salaxalans

I've realized that we, the Court, have erred significantly in both our Ruling and Statement. Looking beyond the substance, the Ruling contained many flaws that were only haphazardly patched up with the Statement in such a way that rather bizarre and potentially harmful precedents have been set, including the ridiculous restriction on not declaring war (first we made nonaggression pacts illegal, then we revised it to prevent us from declaring war on regions that we have agreed to help by passing the damn thing?) and the portion that could be used as precedent to make illegal anything not specifically provided for in law. We're striking the law based on half of a section that there isn't a chance we'd ever go against anyway?

As many began to rejoice (with Tim breaking out the good whiskey to celebrate) over the possibility of the court ruling being overturned, Associate Justice Ceardia smashed those hopes and dreams. His statement is as follows:

Ceardia

In light of the recent events due to the lack of precise language and specification in the original majority ruling in relation to whether revoking the Regional Assembly's right to declare war is unconstitutional, the Court shall replace that section of ruling with different version.

It has been asked if the FRA Membership Act is unconstitutional since it refrains our ability to declare war. First off, in Article I Section vi it is stated that we are to renounce our right to declare war upon any region "the FRA is assisting through redevelopment or military assistance". The Treaty revokes our right to declare war upon the regions subject to help from the FRA, despite such regions being referred to are non-signatory regions and therefore are not subject to the same restrictions as the signatory regions. Such regions aided by the FRA appear to be chosen by the internal government of the FRA and are subject to either little or no Spiritan influence.

Secondly, it is found that the RA is capable of refraining itself from declaring war upon specifically stated regions within non-aggression treaties. With the ratification of the FRA Membership Act, the Spiritus RA chooses to refrain itself from declaring war upon the current member regions of the FRA. However based on the procedures laid by the Charter of the FRA, Spiritus would have little influence on the acceptance of new member regions into the FRA, and without the direct approval of the RA.

Thirdly, it is found that the FRA regional assembly is empowered to make amendments to the FRA Charter, and assuming that the Spiritus RA won't re-ratify the Treaty whenever it gets amended, it would also be found that it also transfers the Spiritus RA's power to ratify treaties to be transferred to this external body. As well as that, Section 3 of the FRA Membership Act empowers the President to choose whom to serve a representative in the FRA regional assembly, and due to the procedures laid out in the FRA charter with the FRA's RA having the power to make amendments to the charter, any little influence Spiritus has over any amendments made to the Charter is not officially approved by the Spiritus RA and is instead is approved by representatives chosen by the President, thus partially transferring the RA's power to ratify treaties over to the President.

The Court hereby finds the Founderless Regions Alliance Membership Act as unconstitutional and is hereby declared null and void.

And now we have to put the new whiskey away again. Thanks, Obama.

Rise

Horse’s Thingy of the Month: I Saw Her Standing There

While browsing the internet for fun, new video games, I came across this little game (that, of course, is free). The game, a platformer/adventure game, also has an ACTUAL story (which, for the most part, the games I suggested, have not.) You play as a boyfriend to a recently zombified girlfriend. Fearing for her safety, and the safety of others, you must put her in a cage. Every time she escapes, you place her back in the cage. As the game progress, so does the connection between you and the characters. You actually begin to care about the guy, and the girl zombie. The graphics, as with most games I suggest, aren't that impressive. But, to be honest, I hope that’s not what people care about. I hope you guys play games for the story, or for the fun. As always, here is the link. Enjoy!

http://armorgames.com/play/13213/i-saw-her-standing-there

Thanks for reading!

Written by Horse
Edited by LibLib, Wuufu, and the Salaxalans

This was a rather wordy update...thanks though.

Spiritus Foreign Update: "ALL THE RA PEOPLE" Edition.

The Government of Spiritus

President: Wuufu
Vice President: Toms

Minister of Culture: Wuufu

Minister of Defense: Karputsk

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Tim
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs: The Saturnian Republic

Minister of Information: Horse

Minister of Integration: Toms

Minister of World Assembly Affairs and World Assembly Delegate: The Salaxalans
Deputy Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Ceardia
Vice Delegate: Libertarian Librarians

Regional Assembly

Representative: Libertarian Librarians
Representative: Sovreignry
Representative: ArbiterSlayer
Representative: Horse
Representative: Dolphin
Representative: Legonimis
Representative: The Saturnian Republic

Supreme Court

Chief Justice: Isidor C Somerset
Associate Justice: Ceardia
Associate Justice: Vacant

RA/Citizen's Gallery Activity Shoots Through the Roof; Liblib “the Juggernaut” and Guy “teh Ebul Fra Ranger” Leads Charge

This RA term has seen a pleasant turnaround in terms of resolutions written and discussion on the resolutions. This can be mostly attributed to Libertarian Librarians, one of our newest RA members. LibLib (as he’s known in #spiritus) has authored five resolutions this term, a definite high point in the RA’s existence. The new RA member has also led the charge in both civilized discussions (whether in the Citizen's Gallery or RA forums) and encouraging Citizen participation in the discussion of bills. This can be partially attributed to LibLib’s experience in other regions, along with his ability to compromise with others. Another Citizen, Guy, the evil FRA ranger and TRR Foreign Affairs Officer, has come onto the Spiritus scene as one of the big contributors to discussion in the Citizen's Gallery. Previously only holding an account on the forum, Guy’s activity rate has shot through the roof, aiding the RA in its quest to make Spiritus join the FRA write phenomenal resolutions to better the region. Both members are running in the upcoming RA elections, and should continue to lead the juggernaut of activity in the legislative sector of Spiritus should they win.

The Salaxalans Leaves Supreme Court; Horse Nominated to Replace Him

This month, The Salaxalans, revered member and Delegate of Spiritus, has resigned from his post as Supreme Court Chief Justice. On February 22nd, The Salaxalans announced his resignation. A longtime member of the Court, Salaxalans resigned due to "Long periods of nothing happening interspersed with moments of everyone being very angry". As a member of the Court, The Salaxalans was part of the landmark decision overturning the FRA Membership Act. After agreeing to the ruling, The Salaxalans retracted and made a post with a different opinion, basically saying that the Court should revisit their decision, although no such action was taken. The Salaxalans is now running for a seat in the Regional Assembly. Wuufu, seeing the vacancy in the Court, announced that he would be accepting applications for the now-open position on the Court. Only two members applied for the position (I personally blame Obama and his ebul socialism), with Wuufu announcing on February 28th that Horse, RA member and Minister of Information, would be his nomination to take up the role. In other words, The Salaxalans and Horse have performed a big switcharoo. All planned, clearly! However, Horse since stated that he will be declining the nomination.

Kringalia Reassigned as Ambassador to Spiritus; TSP Live Restarted

This month, Kringalia, Vice Delegate of The South Pacific and former FA minister in TSP, has been reassigned as Ambassador to Spiritus, restarting TSPLive, an update occurring between the formal monthly updates TSP sends out. Kringalia had become a celebrity in Spiritus, with his constant update of ongoings in TSP and his fun, loving attitude. For a time, Kringalia was replaced as Ambassador to Spiritus. Very little activity was had in the embassy, and many members wondered when, if ever, the embassy would come back to life. Then, after Glen-Rhodes appointed a new Deputy Minister (Horse) to manage Ambassadors and their reports on the regions, Horse reassigned Kringalia to Spiritus, causing many members to rejoice as their beloved Santa Claus returned to Spiritus. TSP Live has restarted, and activity in the embassy has returned.

RA Elections Begin Again; 10 People Running for 5 Positions; Thunderdome to Decide 5th Member

This month has seen the beginning of the bi-monthly process of electing Regional Assembly members to the RA. This time around, we have seen a pleasant turn of events! Last time the RA elections occurred, we had to beg and plead to get enough people to run to fill all the seats. This time around, however, that has not been the case! Even though there are only 5 seats up for election this term, 10 people are running in the election. With this many people running, it is unclear whether being in the RA last term will be enough to secure a seat this term or whether members will have to strut their stuff more than ever before. This term, the members up for reelection are as follows: Dolphin, Libertarian Librarians, ArbiterSlayer, and Horse. Out of these members, only one (Horse) has been apart of more than one RA term. This term will see either a return of some veteran members or a term full of members new to the RA. Hopefully, it will a mixture of both so that the RA can have a dash of experience with a pinch of new optimism brought by the new RA members. Take notes; that's how to make good legislative soup!

Current candidates for RA: Libertarian Librarians, The Salaxalans, Drexyl Nox, Horse, ArbiterSlayer, Guy, Dolphin, The Freedom Factory, Majere, and Govindia.

Horsey’s Thing of the Month: War Thunder Beta

Ah yes, the fun part of the FA update, where you get to listen to random stuff I want you guys to play, which maybe 3 people decide to check out! Well, this month I’ve chosen War Thunder (yes, I know I’m late, so sue me!) as my thingy of the month. The game centers around Deathmatch, CTF, and other game types, with a kind of unique-but-more-cool type of twist. Instead of being an immortal bullet doll, you play as airplanes from WWI to the Vietnam War. The planes seem as weak as paper mache with bullets, but trees apparently do nothing to your plane for the most part, the planes handle extremely well, for the most part have realistic bullet drop, and actually have a limit for how far your bullets can go (something almost nonexistent in most shooters). All planes are not available from the beginning, as you have to claw your way up the ranks, researching planes and other items to turn your plane from Paper Mache to slightly armed Paper Mache. And for once, I’m picking a game with GORGEOUS graphics, if your computer can run it. The terrain and planes are incredibly detailed, with every bump or bullet hole mattering. Hell, even in one map, the fog restricts your point of view extremely well, and makes the map extremely fun, but also provides that level of difficulty that everyone needs in a game like this. Another interesting thing they’ve done is only allow you 3 planes, with one backup, in any match you play. In other words, once you're out of planes, no more fun for you. While this may be offsetting to some players, it is actually an extremely good design. I’d rather all players be at least on SOME type of even playing field, and this is quite a good equalizer. You have to actually think of how you can get as much as you can out of each plane, how much better plane X is over plane Y, etc.

I highly recommend this to everyone; download link is below:
http://warthunder.com/

Thanks for reading!

Elections over in Spiritus; Lucky Golden Ticket Winners Announced

Finally, after two weeks (one for nominations, one for voting) of elections, the winners of the Regional Assembly race have finally been announced! Our frontrunner in the election was Libertarian Librarians, who was in the RA last term, with eighteen votes. Next, we have Guy, ebul FRA member and new RA member, with seventeen votes. Tied for third with sixteen votes are Horse, entering his fourth RA term, and The Salaxalans, Delegate and member of the first RA session. In fifth place is Abstain, who won fourteen votes. Of course, that was a joke. Actually in fifth place, with seven votes, is Dolphin, now in his second RA term. Congrats to all who won!

Thanks for both updates! I had already read them in NSGP, but it sounds rather eventful overall.

Yeah, sorry I'm so slow at getting them here