Issue XLI | January 22, 2017Index
'The 2017 NationStates World Fair,' by Neop
'RaiderVision 2016,' by Neop
'Discord vs. IRC,' by Neop
'The War On Rejectmas,' by The Church of Satan
'Illegal Cheese Trafficking Continues in The South Pacific,' by The Church of Satan
'TRR Secret Police Discovered,' by The Church of Satan
The 2017 NationStates World FairNEWS | NEOP, INTERNOne of NationStates' most well-known event is finally off to a start: The NationStates World Fair. The Fair will showcase regions and organizations all across NationStates, while aiming to be a politically neutral event. After an eventful planning season, the organizers are looking forward to what the event has in store for the community.
Todd McCloud, a NSWF committee member and a well-known organizer of the event, felt confident about the success of this year's fair. He cited the diverse lineup of regions and speakers as some of the many features the World Fair will have to offer this year. We also talked to him about some of the issues the World Fair faced behind the scenes. When asked about criticism, he told us that he doesn't think much of it. "They can think what they'd like. The World Fair is an enormous undertaking... it's a lot of coordination, but we've done this before." We also asked him about issues faced with the survey service the committee used for the bidding process. He told us that it was simply a misunderstanding- and that they "were able to finalize the winner without any issue."
Things seemed relatively calm- until controversy surrounding the hosting region struck. On January 16th, Europeia released a statement accusing the host region, the Allied States, of having its members attack Europeian citizens, naming their Minister of Foreign Affairs in particular, with vicious insults and alt-right memes. The Allied States were quick to respond, saying it was the act of only one of their members- the founder. Many regions began to withdraw their participation from the event, until the committee released a statement saying that this year's world fair was to take place without a host. Todd McCloud had released a statement announcing his disappointment at the situation, having hoped that the event would remain the politically neutral one it had always been.
But regardless of the controversy that surrounds this year's World Fair, the committee is as dedicated as ever to deliver a quality event. As regions gradually re-affirm their participation in the event, enthusiasm for the event slowly rebuilds, and the event seems to be back on track. The World Fair has begun and things are going well.
RaiderVision 2016NEWS | NEOP, INTERNFollowing the dissolution of the Founderless Regions Alliance, many gameplayers were left to wonder what would become of the famous FRAVision, a contest that would prove to unite gameplayers of all alignments and showcase the talents of various players. However, a group of raiders soon took initiative and kick started a new competition, called "RaiderVision,"a name which would receive much controversy. We interviewed two event organizers, Sygian and Ever-Wandering Souls, who are passionate about the competition soon to take place.
Ever-Wandering Souls, who has been called the main organizer behind the project by other event organizers, said they were happy with the preparation that took place before the contest. After two weeks of planning, they are more than confident that the contest will exceed expectations set by FRAVision. When asked about participation, Souls invited players of all stripes, saying that all players considering joining should "push [their] boundaries a bit, and join in."
Another organizer, Sygian, expects much from this year's contests. "I'm sure quite a few regions that glance at the NSGP forum will participate in RaiderVision... I am sure there will be some great submissions!" When asked about possible hesitation that may arise due to the new name of the contest, he reassured us that the contest will remain neutral regardless. "This is a completely Out-of-Character competition just to have fun. Nobody that I know was hesitant to participate in FRAvision (Crushing Our Enemies from TBH won FRAvision one year) and we hope to carry on this legacy and make RaiderVision a fair, fun filled competition!"
Many defenders also came out to express their support for the contest. Tim, a notable defender, told us that "It's keeping FRAvision going, albeit with a new name, with the blessing of the FRA officials involved in FRAvision. Cultural events are always good, and I trust RaiderVision Admins to do it well."
Submissions for the competition were open from December 17th to 31st, on the NationStates Gameplay forum and
the results were posted recently. Congratulations to The Black Hawks (3rd place,) Firehelm (2nd place & Fan Favorite Award) and Albion (1st place!) As the winner Albion will be hosting RaiderVision 2017!
Discord vs. IRC
NEWS | NEOP, INTERNMany regions across NationStates have made a switch from IRC, which was considered a standard of communication, to the newer and more gamer-oriented Discord. However, despite the switch, not everyone is in agreement with it. Many claim that IRC, while not perfect, is still a far better medium. The Rejected Times interviewed several gameplayers of both camps to hear their sides of the argument.
The first person we asked was Neenee, who seemed to be nostalgic for the days of IRC. "I've always been a fan of IRC, I preferred it to Skype, and honestly I still prefer it to Discord, but Discord is better than Skype." they lamented. "I'm just used to Discord now, and it's acceptable, but I wouldn't mind using IRC more again." But while Neenee was recalling their positive experience with IRC, Satya Romefeller gave us a more negative review of the platform, citing security concerns. "I try not to use it. People can gleam your IP if you're not careful. And sure that occurs in a lot of places, but eh, why bother?" he told us. "Especially when the alternative (Discord) is so much better for a multitude of reasons."
Dyr, a citizen of the Rejected Realms, seemed to think Discord is a negative for newcomers. "Discord is slightly acceptable now, but I know I wouldn't have been as involved if it was the norm when I started. No way I was going to jump into voice chats with random people." He said. Another citizen, Tim, seemed to echo Dyr’s concerns. "it doesn't have one of the major detractions of Discord, that being easy-access Voice Chat. While obviously not everyone has to join them, it's something that gets almost a peer pressure mentality at times. I'm guilty of that as well at times, I'll admit. So I'm not overly keen on sort of subliminally pressuring people to join VC, as there's plenty who might not be comfortable with their English or their voice or something else like that." He also seemed to agree with its nostalgia element, saying "I think it's just a really easy client to work with, especially with its forum embedding possibilities, and I'm rather partial to it's sort of old-school feel."
Regardless of the exodus from the once popular platform, many seem to believe that IRC is still a superior platform. Perhaps only time can tell if IRC makes a comeback, and takes the title of NationStates’ communication medium once again.
The War On RejectmasOPINION | THE CHURCH OF SATAN, CORRESPONDENTDuring mid-December The Rejected Realms' Assembly saw the submission of a proposal to erase Rejectmas from The Regional Holidays Act. Introduced two years ago, Rejectmas is the celebration of Rejected Realms residents lives as rejects. Since its inception, Rejectmas has been the hallmark of The Rejected Realms booth at The NationStates World Fair as well as being well-received by residents and foreigners alike. Each year Rejectmas sees participation from residents of multiple regions which displays the success it's seen over the last two years. So why would someone wish to get rid of it?
The proposal's author, Christian Democrats, long time citizen of The Rejected Realms and founder of the region Right to Life had numerous complaints and a heated debate ensued. Initially he cited its creation by Unibot and a supposed meaninglessness of the term "rejecthood" as a made-up term as well as the time of its celebration coinciding with the celebration of Christmas as his reasons. Guy, RRA Commander and citizen of The Rejected Realms for nearly six years responded to this saying "I disagree that 'Rejecthood' is made-up. It represents the reason that a lot of us are here. It might not resonate with all of our forum members, but it certainly does for most of the broader TRR community (RMB community, etc)." Guy couldn't be more right either. Each year countless people are ejected from thousands of regions and log on to discover that they're in The Rejected Realms, much to their dismay (at first.) Many of those people end up finding a new home in The Rejected Realms and become a part of its community. Notable instances of this include NationStates moderator CrazyGirl and prominent raider Yuno.
The suffix "-mas" was then cited by Christian Democrats as sacrilegious due to its use in "Christmas" and instead insisted that the name "Rejectmas" be changed. TRR Media is unaware how Unibot caught wind of the discussion but he did respond to this particular reasoning on the regional message board with, "The mass in Rejectmas is related to mass as in the resistance to acceleration that an object faces when force is applied. This, in reference of course, to the force that's applied to boot rejects out of regions (literally translated as 'A Reject's Mass'), it's also a reference to Rejectmas traditions: we're often tossing inanimate objects of varying masses at other rejects (spoons, candy, eggs). However Christian Democrats maintains that he believes Rejectmas to be a parody of both Christmas and Christianity itself, suggesting that the name be changed to have the same suffix as Hannukah, Kwanzaa or the fictional Seinfeld holiday "Festivus." Christmas however is not just a religious holiday. It is as widely-known to be a civic holiday as it is a nonsecular holiday. This calls into question far more complex matters than the meaning behind a fictional holiday in an online game though. Questions better left to a more appropriate place than a humble media outlet in NationStates.
Both sides of this debate did however agree on one thing; celebrating Rejectmas on just December 25th simply doesn't do it justice. I mean how few people are online during Christmas of all days? An extension of its celebration was necessary. Thankfully Rejectmas, a time-honored cultural celebration of The Rejected Realms, is here to stay.
Illegal Cheese Trafficking Continues In The South Pacific
SATIRE | THE CHURCH OF SATAN, CORRESPONDENTReports of cheese-related violence have resumed in The South Pacific as reports of shootouts with CEA officers increase. Rumor has it that international cheese baron Kringalia has resurfaced after a deadly high speed pursuit earlier this year forced him into hiding. While cheese trafficking continued at a slower rate after Kringalia's disappearance, cheese-related violence in The South Pacific dropped to a record low and persisted for several months.
Recently The Llanboidy Syndicate decided to move in and take over Kringalia's territory. However unconfirmed reports by the Cheese Enforcement Agency tell of a turf war starting between Kringalia's organization and The Llanboidy Syndicate. As you may already be aware of, The Llanboidy Syndicate's leadership has remained unknown for decades. The CEA's director, Gouda McBrie, has refused to comment on the matter. Social media shows increased concern by South Pacifican residents:
"
I don't feel safe frequenting the dairy aisle anymore. I'm terrified!" -
Omega"
You wouldn't believe how long the lines at public restrooms have gotten this month. I've been waiting for 4 hours!!!" -
Belschaft"
The janitorial & plumbing staff in The South Pacific just aren't equipped for this amount of activity. Thankfully the Council on Regional Security has it's own private restrooms. You're...not gonna quote me on that, right?" -
Farangeto, Council on Regional SecurityWith pipes clogged and tensions high, things aren't looking good in the streets
or grocery stores of The South Pacific. The TRR Media Corporation implores all South Pacificans to be careful and take better security measures. It's gonna get cheesy out there.
TRR Secret Police Discovered
SATIRE | THE CHURCH OF SATANRecently TRR Media was surprised to find a folder marked with an intimidatingly large exclamation point on it taped to it's doors. The contents however put that exclamation point to shame as it detailed a previously unknown organization that seems to have been operating within the region since as early as 2009. Previously unsolved disappearances and periods of citizen inactivity have now been explained. The operatives of this mysterious group are highly trained and highly organized. It appears that new members are recruited from the citizenry, those whom have held citizenship at any time in the past and certain powerful members of NationStates. The rules dictating this group's operations seem to be threefold:
1.) Detection is unacceptable.
2.) Leave no trace.
3.) Don't eat food in the break room that doesn't belong to you.
It seems odd that paperwork of this group would exist but according to the evidence left at TRR Media all potential members take a test. The following are just a few that have been filled out.
Clearly these elite soldiers cloaked in shadow are a threat unlike any The Rejected Realms has ever faced. With their discovery, it is uncertain what will happen next. Will they liquidate the region in order to cover their tracks? Disappear never to be seen again? Have their cake
and eat yours too? One thing is for sure, The Rejected Realms will never be the same and the good writers of TRR Media fear for their lives. As they should, that Church of Satan fella broke protocol and wrote this article. He will be...taken care of.
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 8:01 pm
