"Cresti Newton's Story" by Munditenens Tresplet

In his renunciation dated just a day after New Years, Cresti Newton expressed his love for Talossa, and how he felt like an outcast following his now infamous flirtation with a micronation he called the "Grand Duchy of Talossa". When its creation was announced, many citizens of the Kingdom of Talossa felt betrayed and were angered by what they felt was some sort of infringement on Talossa's good name; some, too, found it to be confirmation of concerns they had with the repeal of the long standing ban on dual-micronational citizenship.

As we later learned, and as many suspected at the time, the creation of the Grand Duchy was an expression of his displeasure at the King's decision not to grant the arms he requested. In an exclusive interview obtained by Beric'ht before Newton's renunciation, he confirmed this as being the reason he decided to found the Duchy, writing, "...I was not of voting age when I requested a CoA, and I felt like it was unfair that I did not recieve one on the honours day, so I got really mad at the members of the College of Arms (and mostly the King), and I seceded away from Talossa."

Of course, others saw this reason as just an excuse to simply found a micronation, pointing to prior posts by Newton that seemed to show he had an interest in doing so. In one particular post, which happened to be his first of several "I'd-like-to-renounce-my-citizenship" threads, he wrote that he felt Talossa was enjoyable, but that he "...would like to create my own micronation and I know that I cant do that while I am a Talossan..." Citizens who happened to be on Wittenberg at the time quickly alleviated his concerns, informing him that yes, he was allowed to create his own micronation, as the law that prohibited doing so had been repealed. In yet another post a few days following this one, Newton inquired as to the status of the defunct Republic of Talossa, asking questions such as "Does it still exist?" and "If not, could someone use that name for their micronation?"

such as "Does it still exist?" and "If not, could someone use that name for their micronation?"

In the interview, Newton denied that the Grand Duchy was on his mind at the time, again pointing to the College of Arms snub as the reason for its creation. However, he did note his intention to create a Commonwealth of Talossa, which would have been based off of the Kingdom's legal system, and under the "supreme rule" of the Kingdom, although it would have some form of autonomy. He didn't provide much more background on the Commonwealth, though one might assume that it too would be located in North Carolina, the location of both the Grand Duchy and his previous micronation, Cassonia.

Newton looked back on the Grand Duchy and saw it for what he knew it was, a mistake. In its short history, the Grand Duchy found itself absorbed by another micronation that Newton had found and "fell in love with", the "Austro-Hungarian Empire". Shortly following the annexation of the Duchy, Emperor Oskar of the A-H Empire abdicated the throne, passing it to Newton, who only held it for a short period of time before passing it on to a citizen living in Nigeria. 

When Newton finally returned to the Kingdom of Talossa, he found that many citizens had muted or blocked him, as they were tired of who they considered a childish troll. Newton said that he didn't really know how he felt about these citizens blocking him, many of whom he thought were friends. "I knew that I probably deserved it but," he wrote, "I also didn't want to be shunned by anyone. I guess I had mixed emotions about it." He also stated that he tried to get in contact with a few of those who had blocked him, but was sadden when he was unable to, something he restated in his final renunciation.

After he returned, he also was aware that many legislators and those in Government considered his Grand Duchy to be such a threat to the Kingdom that the Ziu were considering adding its name to the blacklist. Newton said that he agreed with doing so, even though it no longer technically existed. He said that he understood why some had such deeply rooted feelings on the subject, and although it may have meant a loss of his citizenship, he still generally agreed with taking such a drastic measure. "Thankfully though," he said, "I was not excluded from the nation."

Unfortunately for Newton, though, he was. Although his short lived Grand Duchy experiment wasn't blacklisted, and some citizens in the Kingdom welcomed him back and wished for the whole incident to be written off and put behind them, many citizens could never get over the betrayal and thus, never unblocked him. In his renunciation, while noting his love for Talossa and its people, he stated that he just didn't feel like he fit in anymore, he didn't belong, and he felt that he could no longer be a citizen of the Kingdom. 

In a striking statement following his renunciation, he passed along a few words of advice in the interview, stating simply, "Don't attempt anything stupid people, it won't end well. I know from personal experience."