User talk:Duane

Duane--I did a search in the conculture group and found basically nothing about Ontario save that it is a founding member of the NAL and that there are plans for a highway from there to Savanah, Jacobia. Zahir 20:35, 16 December 2005 (PST)

I don't know if you'll see this, but is there any way that I could get a blank slate to work with? First I thought I could get Ontario, but there are a few QSS things, and then I thought Bahamas, but then there are some QAA things! I don't know what to do!! Duane 20:50, 16 December 2005 (PST)

Well, I'm not sure there is anything that is a TOTAL blank slate. IB has been going on for a decade now. But that isn't a bad thing! I personally rather like the challenge of taking a few details and filling them out. Ontario is a very good example. The few details that exist leave PLENTY of room to build something. And it really is best to recall this is a collective effort, where everyone's contributions are supposed to operate together. Each proposal you make that is accepted (and most are) must then become part of the overall IB upon which everyone builds, including you. Zahir 20:59, 16 December 2005 (PST)

ANother fine example is Louisianne, where I've had to do a great deal of adapting because of the QSS that existed there. Take the details, make them your own. :) BoArthur 22:37, 16 December 2005 (PST)

Welcome, Duane! Glad you like our stuff.

Completely blank places have grown scarce nowadays. You'd end up somewhere deep inside Africa, or the Pacific, probably, and even then you'd have to cope with pre-existing facts. Like others explained, it's always possible to bend them a little if it makes sense to what you want and doesn't interfere too much with the rest. But that's not something we do normally. In fact, I think Ontario is not such a bad idea at all. It is part of the NAL-SLC and we know a lot about the country as a whole; but many of its constituents completely haven't been explored yet. And, like Dan said, almost everybody had to cope with pre-existing facts when he adopted a country (even I had which the RTC).

So, I think you shouldn't be looking to much for a completely blank place. Instead, follow your expertise. Most of those who do own a country or something else have that kind of expertise, either because someone deals with it professionally, lives there, or is highly interested in it. So, what's yours?

And please, tell us something about this Romance language you mentioned. It might give us a clue!

Oh, and may I ask you what your real name is? It's a question I ask to every new member. You are of course under no obligation to tell us - but almost every IB members works under his real name.

I hope we can work out something.

Best regards, IJzeren Jan 01:07, 17 December 2005 (PST)

It's an evolution of Castilian. I named it Felipyés (which would be Felipese in English). I was thinking that maybe Castile and Leon could have had a colony on the coast of Ottowa, and that could be a country today. Tell me what you think... Duane 12:33, 17 December 2005 (PST)

Also note that Castilian *there* is different than *here*. You'ld have to talk with Carlos about the details. Elemtilas 17:54, 17 December 2005 (PST)

A Place for Felipés?

I don't know that Felipés would fit into Ontario, and for that matter, creating a new and independent country anywhere in North America would take a very good proposal and a very strong discussion, and frankly would be difficult to nearly impossible due simply to the volume of work that has been made on other countries.

Not to despair, however. I could see it being a minority language of the NAL-SLC in the Bahamas, quite well. Granted, it wouldn't be an "independent" country, but there is a great deal of latitude that you can work with with the Bahamas. You'll just have to write your story around the existing facts as they effect the region.

That is, of course, if you choose the Bahamas. Remember that to participate in IB doesn't mean charge of a country, but rather a vested interest at some level; Zahir has found his focus over time, gradually adding a great number of media articles and some information to Oltenia and the Romanian Federation.

And if you decide that Felipés wouldn't fit in the Bahamas, or possibly even IB, don't forget that there are a number of other conculture projects on the Yahoo! Conculture Group.

I would encourage you to work up a proposal for Felipés in the Bahamas and in the meantime, see in what other ways you feel to add to IB. BoArthur 16:02, 17 December 2005 (PST)

North America is pretty well closed as far as new countries are concerned. The north is also a place the Iberians didn't get to -- if they did, that would seriously jeopardise the existence of New Iberia / Mueva Sefarad (See? I didn't write "New Spain"!) and we can't have that. I doubt England would like a bunch of loyal Iberians in Bahamas either. If they were there first, they'd be pretty well assimilated by now (perhaps with a Felipès-coloured dialect of English). If they came to Bahamas as refugees, they'd still probably be pretty well assimilated by now.

Perhaps the Felipinos (what are they called?) could have ended up in the swamps of southern Jacobia. If they were independence minded, they could vèry easily have integrated into the whole Jacobia v. Florida border skirmish thing and perhaps serve as one of the bases for the "crypto-Floridians". They'd have a better chance of keeping their language intact there; though of course, almost no American is monolingual! Elemtilas 17:53, 17 December 2005 (PST)

The Felipese

Is there anywhere that isn't closed for new countries? Duane 19:29, 17 December 2005 (PST)

Depends. What I mean is this: they are from Iberia, and so would end up more or less wherever the Iberians (Castilians, Aragonese, etc) settled. That largely means South America, and while it might be possible for the Felipese to have a place, an actual country is less likely unless very recent. Do they have to have an independent country? Independent countries are a lot harder to explain (for example, we're still seeking an explanation for why Xliponia has maintained its independence. From the Turks, for example, who by rights should have ridden tantivy all over them.

But let's hear (on Conculture) what you have in mind! In some detail. We can't really make any kind of decision as to how well the Felipese would fit without learning what their history is and all that. Elemtilas 21:28, 17 December 2005 (PST)

One possibility might be somewhere in the Pacific. Perhaps descendants of some mutinous Castilian ship? Or maybe some religious group fleeing persecution? If they colonized an island or a small group of islands, they might've been able to maintain some form of independence, perhaps nominally under Castile? Nik 21:36, 17 December 2005 (PST)

That's what I was thinking. Maybe a mutinous ship might make most sense. Or maybe just an Iberian nation trying to seek out a colony in the pacific? Duane 21:39, 17 December 2005 (PST)

Could be, although I'm not sure in how far a mutinous ship would really be the beginning of an entirely new nation. We've had a similar discussion before, and the idea stranded. But if you can come up with a plausible story, then I'd say the Pacific would be the best place.

Like Padraic said, North America is pretty much closed for new countries. But there's one thing I'd like to know: why do you so much insist on it being a country that is a) fully independent, and b) blank? There are many other means of contributing to the project then by being in charge of an independent state. Theoretically, one could make an excellent start being in charge of a village with fourteen inhabitants! Mind, IB is not a game, you can't win or lose anything, and your position within the project is not depending on the size of the country you own, if any. People may as well adopt a province, a region, a city, a political party, a writer, a cultural current, etc.etc.etc. Keep also in mind that instead of being the exclusive ruler of some territory, it's probably much more interesting to build it on the dialog with others.

First, I'd like to know more about Felipese. Finding a place for Xliponia became a lot easier after we had seen it. How well is the language developed? Do you have info about it online somewhere?

In case you would content yourself with a non-independent region, things could turn out a lot easier. A huge part of the world is Castilian-speaking, and even in North-America there are Alta California, Tejas, Florida, and Mejico. Placing a fully independent country somewhere in that region now would be difficult, but some separatist region in, say, Tejas (currently a very weakened state anyway) would be imaginable.

So, let's hear your proposal! --IJzeren Jan 00:05, 18 December 2005 (PST)

It was already hard enough to explain Montréi and be convincing and I'd initiated it very early on in the project (when IB began to be discussed on Conculture). It only worked because Alta California was fighting a war with Tejas, and because most of the power base was in the San Diego/Los Angeles area, rather than remote Monterey (the former name of Montréi). Had Tejas been an Ally, it's unlikely Montréi would've worked as a fully independent nation. Even then it still had to work within the framework of Alta California, so it couldn't really be a blank slate even then. There are still large parts of Alta California that aren't settled by anyone except the natives. The Deseret Region is dangerous, but places like Mojave or even the far north might work for you. Mind you you'll need to work with what's established about AC, so it would be more like a Felipés speaking area of one of the northern provinced os Montréi (I'm speaking hypothetically to give you an idea). Doobieous 00:51, 18 December 2005 (PST)

I'm checking in from my sister's place. Real quick--must the Felipes have their own country? Lots of ethnic groups don't really, and that hardly makes them less interesting. There is no Cossack or Gypsy homeland. For a very long time there was no Jewish homeland, not *here* anyway. Another example would be the Amish, who have their own language. It would frankly be alot more interesting to have them as a culture that can be found lots of places than in a whole country that by its very nature must needs be small. Yet an ethnic group could be spread out and have an influence in many nations. JMHO. Zahir 09:22, 18 December 2005 (PST)

Duane, I like your language. From what I've seen it looks nice, similar to concreole projects that I have toyed with in the past. I'm curious to know why you have given a special value to ë? It looks like it could act as an allophone of a as from your webpage it is only used in words that were historically feminine. I would like to see a fuller description of your language.

If you are dead keen on encorporating the Felipese into Ill Bethisad, which I would like to see, then I suggest you tell us where the Felipese creole speaking community first emerges. Are they the descendents of Africans, Indians/Indios, Halfcastes? Are they coastal or inland? I would endorse the suggestions given above by other members. Allow them to travel over a wide area that became incorporated into several modern nations. That would allow them a wider influence as a minority language. There could even be an ex-pat community in New Castreleon. - AndrewSmith 00:47, 19 December 2005 (PST)

Well, the fact that Felipese is inspired by Haïtian Creole pushes one into the assumption that it might be the language of another, Castilian-speaking island in the Caribbean. Pôrto Rico perhaps, or indeed, some of the Southern Bahamas. Or perhaps Trinidad. Which of course does not exclude the possibility of an ex-pat community in Nieuw Amsterdam! --IJzeren Jan 01:22, 19 December 2005 (PST)

I would like to see the Felipese being an ethnic group concentrated in one area. I've been thinking... maybe they could be an independent-minded minority group in a bigger Castilian-speaking country? Which one I don't know.

Could somebody either explain to me the proposing process or direct me to a page that explains it? Much appreciated.

Well, if you want an ethnic group concentrated in one area, then I still think Puerto Rico is the best place for you. It also has the additional advantage that it is pretty much on its own right now. But the region is far outside my jurisdiction, so I'll leave it up to Padraic and Dan to be the judge of whether I'm right here or not.

How to make a proposal? Well, basically that is done by writing an article and adding the {{proposal}} tag to it. See also: How It All Works. But in the case of a new member looking for a place here, Lla Dafern would be okay too. Or this page, you talk page. --IJzeren Jan 14:25, 19 December 2005 (PST)

A proposal generally is a cohesive "article" that explains how you see Felipese or any other idea fitting into the whole of IB. It would describe all the historical reasons that it would fit into IB, like how the Felipese arrived at Porto Rico, how they remained a cohesive minority, etc. etc. Make sense? BoArthur 16:41, 19 December 2005 (PST)

I would not mind seeing the Felipese being "an independent-minded minority group" in Porto Rico or even Cuba. Or both. Florida-Caribbea was a hard place to be anything but Castillian throughout most of the XX century. The early XXJ century would be the time for the Felipese to blossom culturally. Cuba and Porto Rico both have Castilian for official languages, so there would be no way for any monoglot Felipese to get along in life. But if they're at all interested in being active within their homeland(s), there would certainly be room for a Felipese language press and literature. Possibly a local radio or television enterprise as well.

Your proposal should also describe their culture. Their ancestors came from a definite and known place in time and space (XVJ century Iberia) so there's not a whole lot of room for weirndness! It will be interesting to see what they've come up with given their origins!

As for being "concentrated in one area", that's almost impossible without a Steel Curtain-like dictatorship in effect. Florida-Caribbea might have been oppressive, but were nowhere near capable of keeping people in. And sooner or later, èveryone ends up in the Big Orange (New Amsterdam). Not a few Cubans and Porto Ricans have ended up there, so an ex-pat community of Felipese speaking Porto Ricans would not be out of line.

Elemtilas 10:44, 20 December 2005 (PST)

A possible location for the Felipese?

I don't know how to upload images, so here's a link [1] Duane 18:16, 19 December 2005 (PST)

On the left side, below the search box, there's a link which you can also access here: Special:Upload. Hope that helps! With your Felipese picture, I can't wait to see the full proposal; It'll be interesting to see how they remained integrated with themselves and didn't absorb into Mejican/Tejan culture. BoArthur

Ah, so the Felipese would be proponents of Tej-Mej fusion culture, although not the only ones - AndrewSmith 02:16, 20 December 2005 (PST)

Indeed not! Well, if the borders between Tejas and Mejico are to be their place, then most of me earlier comments are moot. Elemtilas 10:47, 20 December 2005 (PST)

A home for the Felipese?

I'm liking the proposal so far! I think this unruly group could fit in to IB. I don't know if independence is something that could happen; I like the idea of them struggling for autonomy of some sort, but also listening to the other minority groups of Tejas. We'll have to see what Padraic says. If you're happy to work under that situation for the time being, I think they've found a home in IB.

I'm working up some proposals myself, and I think I could link the Felipese in with them, possibly. If you wanted to e-mail me off-list so I could converse with you privately about the proposal before I bring it to The Group, that would be ideal. You can e-mail me at my firstname.lastname (from my userpage) at gmail(dot)com. BoArthur 20:10, 21 December 2005 (PST)