The Rejected Times

[Sedgistan]

Since the previous owner of 'The Rejected Realms Media Corporation' telegrammed me to say "Rest assured, this is just a stunt to bring back TRT. I made sure to copy the posts I edited." I look forward to them sending that content to the new owners of the thread, so it can be restored.

[Unibot III]

Good to see that the Constituting Act of TRRMC has brought all of the accountability and activity promised by the same people who coincidentally hated TRT.

It’s simple. The delegate (someone elected and actually held responsible for their gov’t’s activity), not the Assembly, should appoint an EiC to a fixed term and hold them responsible for producing content. This was a two way street: EiCs were expected to produce content, ensuring the public press is thriving, and the delegate had the EiC’s back when invariably some folks in the Assembly or the Foreign Office complain about individual articles.

My theory though is it’s a difficult environment for NS press to operate in general — everyone is seemingly signing alliances with everyone; and, worse still, not much happens on to report — how do you maintain a critical voice like TRT’s when there is so much pressure on journalists to roll their punches and not disrupt the proverbial apple cart? The revival needs — not stunts like this OP, or more creative involvement from people who don’t really support a free press — no, the revival needs a leader tasked with the job of finding that compelling editorial voice — and if it can be found, it will inspire other writers to join in.

[MANS0N]

Good to see that the Constituting Act of TRRMC has brought all of the accountability and activity promised by the same people who coincidentally hated TRT.

It’s simple. The delegate (someone elected and actually held responsible for their gov’t’s activity), not the Assembly, should appoint an EiC to a fixed term and hold them responsible for producing content. This was a two way street: EiCs were expected to produce content, ensuring the public press is thriving, and the delegate had the EiC’s back when invariably some folks in the Assembly or the Foreign Office complain about individual articles.

My theory though is it’s a difficult environment for NS press to operate in general — everyone is seemingly signing alliances with everyone; and, worse still, not much happens on to report — how do you maintain a critical voice like TRT’s when there is so much pressure on journalists to roll their punches and not disrupt the proverbial apple cart? The revival needs — not stunts like this OP, or more creative involvement from people who don’t really support a free press — no, the revival needs a leader tasked with the job of finding that compelling editorial voice — and if it can be found, it will inspire other writers to join in.

I do agree that the EiC should return to coinciding with the position of Media Officer, however, I don’t think trying to assign blame here is a good idea. I disagree with what CoS did and I don’t think it did anything positive, I guess besides encouraging me to write a few articles.

I think it’s silly to expect instant success from any legislation, this constituting act for TRRMC is just another example. There have been various talks about what to do with TRT and as expected, discussion takes time. While lack of activity sucks, loss of time and stunts like these are wayy worse.

Since the previous owner of 'The Rejected Realms Media Corporation' telegrammed me to say "Rest assured, this is just a stunt to bring back TRT. I made sure to copy the posts I edited." I look forward to them sending that content to the new owners of the thread, so it can be restored.

He already sent the content to me, expect some edits today.

[Unibot III]

Good to see that the Constituting Act of TRRMC has brought all of the accountability and activity promised by the same people who coincidentally hated TRT.

It’s simple. The delegate (someone elected and actually held responsible for their gov’t’s activity), not the Assembly, should appoint an EiC to a fixed term and hold them responsible for producing content. This was a two way street: EiCs were expected to produce content, ensuring the public press is thriving, and the delegate had the EiC’s back when invariably some folks in the Assembly or the Foreign Office complain about individual articles.

My theory though is it’s a difficult environment for NS press to operate in general — everyone is seemingly signing alliances with everyone; and, worse still, not much happens on to report — how do you maintain a critical voice like TRT’s when there is so much pressure on journalists to roll their punches and not disrupt the proverbial apple cart? The revival needs — not stunts like this OP, or more creative involvement from people who don’t really support a free press — no, the revival needs a leader tasked with the job of finding that compelling editorial voice — and if it can be found, it will inspire other writers to join in.

I do agree that the EiC should return to coinciding with the position of Media Officer, however, I don’t think trying to assign blame here is a good idea. I disagree with what CoS did and I don’t think it did anything positive, I guess besides encouraging me to write a few articles.

I think it’s silly to expect instant success from any legislation, this constituting act for TRRMC is just another example. There have been various talks about what to do with TRT and as expected, discussion takes time. While lack of activity sucks, loss of time and stunts like these are wayy worse.

I think we agree that a region cannot legislate production because the production itself is dependent on labour not management.

But this is also why the passage of the constituting act was foolhardy to begin with! It was bad faith effort that soured labour relations between staff and the government, and shifted the ultimate responsibility of managing TRT from the delegate/cabinet to a legislature that historically has been disinterested and neglectful as far as managing TRT brand is concerned.

At its best, The Rejected Times is an unrivalled bully pulpit that allows TRR to punch well above its weight in terms of soft influence and cultural and political impact. The successful revival of TRT, if it takes place, means reconciling with labour, establishing new management with a more hands-on leadership, and a compelling voice and vision.

[Toerana]

"When in doubt, make Guy the bogeyman" is a motto I can live by.

[MANS0N]

Sign up for The Rejected Times' Subscription Service here.

SPECIAL RELEASE | April 9, 2023

Editor-in-Chief: Canton Empire / Yasuke

Index

• An SC of Trouble, or, the Situation in TNP Thus Far

An SC of Trouble: the Situation in TNP Thus Far

NEWS / ANALYSIS | WRITTEN BY MANS0N | EDITED BY TRT Staff

Following a major wtf moment, The Delegate of The North Pacific (TNP), Hulldom, has resigned and exited the region.

This incredibly shocking event is arguably a result of political pressure inflicted upon TNP by certain members of the governments of The South Pacific (TSP), 10000 Islands (XKI), The Order of the Grey Wardens (TGW), and The League and Concord (TL) in relation to the Security Council proposal “Condemn Chef Big Dog” and their opposition towards it.

Chef Big Dog, more commonly known as Tom, is a longtime member and leader (currently occupying the position of Khalif) of Lone Wolves United (LWU), an ancient and influential raider organization condemned by the World Assembly which The North Pacific has held a relationship with for a little over eleven years following the election of Evil Wolf to its delegacy. Well, at least up until recently.

April 7, 2023 marked the release of a public statement from LWU Khan Jo (A Bloodred Moon) detailing the region’s frustration with TNP’s leadership and the events that transpired. So, what happened? In late March then-Delegate Hulldom apparently approached Jo with screenshots from TSP Minister of Foreign Affairs HumanSanity containing messages from the four regions, which have been interpreted by many to be outright threatening attempts to force TNP’s government to vote against and outright not support any proposals hoping to recognize LWU members with an added promise from the defender coalition stating that they would shoot down any attempts TNP would make to pass proposals seeking to recognize its own members. Hulldom voiced his concerns to Jo, stating that he would abstain, a compromise that he would fall back on. Shortly after this, Hulldom would participate in a discussion regarding a proposal hoping to condemn LWU member Dream Killers, of which he was listed as a co-author. Like any WA proposal, they discussed details regarding its submission date and any possible deadlines, but, to the dismay of LWU, Hulldom revealed that he had, after discussion with the defenders, shared the proposal’s submission date with them. Citing that defenders had dangled the currently-at-vote “Commend MadJack” in their face, Hulldom sought understanding from LWU, however, after agreeing to the defender coalition's demands and promising to vote against Condemn Chef Big Dog, stating that they couldn’t risk MadJack’s commendation failing, TNP-LWU relations became irreparable. TRT Staff followed up with Jo who had this to say on the matter: “…the LWU statement and the blatant defender admission of doing exactly that should speak for themselves”.

After being in the public eye following an impending embassy closure, TNP Minister of Foreign Affairs Wymondham (also notably a member of the Undead Dominion and its successor state, the Khanate, two LWU-backed governments of Lazarus) resigned from his post citing “…warnings being constantly ignored”, alluding to Hulldom’s apparent failure to properly address the TSP-LWU situation in his eyes.

April 8 would bring Hulldom’s resignation from the WA and his elected position as Delegate with him voicing his concerns regarding TSP’s Foreign Minister’s conduct, claiming that he acted the way he did because he couldn’t “…in good conscience commit to abstaining..”, believing that the defender bloc would carry through with their threats and soil TNP’s efforts to pass the commendations of MadJack and Former English Colony. This, in turn, elevates Vice-Delegate Gorundu to the position of Acting Delegate who has taken his oath of office along with Security Councillor and now-Acting Vice-Delegate Siwale who additionally currently will hold the in-game delegacy pending Gorundu’s ascension to the seat.

There’s been chatter amongst TNP citizens and random gameplayers alike surrounding the actions of members of this defender bloc, but one can only speculate what may come next.

The Rejected Times reached out to former Delegate Hulldom who denied to comment on the matter. However, TSP Minister of Foreign Affairs HumanSanity spoke with us and simply noted that “A statement will be released shortly”. When asked about their potential plans for the future, they stated “I serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs at the pleasure of the Prime Minister”. Hours later, The South Pacific released the following statement to the world with many deeming it lackluster already. This statement suggests that this all was due to a lack of communication between the two parties and opts to pin the matter on Hulldom and Wymondham. However, the statement affirms that the signatory parties hope for a more open and honest relationship with TNP, likewise rejecting any characterizations of their actions as manipulative or coercive towards TNP's government. Instead, they label LWU's agenda as concerning, doubling down on their stance that they were looking out for TNP.

The Rejected Times additionally reached out to Wymondham for comment but were unable to receive a reply in time for publication.

Correction: It has kindly been pointed out to us that Wymondham, who is listed as a former member of the Khanate, swiftly resigned their Lazarene citizenship while speaker of the Lazarene Assembly when the Khanate was announced, found here.

NOTE: The Rejected Times does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Rejected Realms.

Find The Rejected Times Index here.

Direct any complaints here.

[All Wild Things]

Good write up!
Nice to see a new TRT article (especially as we can't see the old ones )

[Malphe II]

The documentation is appreciated!

[Jar Wattinree]

Good write up!
Nice to see a new TRT article (especially as we can't see the old ones )

The posts will be transcribed shortly from what I hear. There was some OOC shenanigans over the whole thing that’s ridiculous now, but that’s then.

[Wymondham]

After being in the public eye following an impending embassy closure, TNP Minister of Foreign Affairs Wymondham (also notably a member of the Undead Dominion and its successor state, the Khanate, two LWU-backed governments of Lazarus) resigned from his post citing “…warnings being constantly ignored”, alluding to Hulldom’s apparent failure to properly address the TSP-LWU situation in his eyes.

I'm glad someone remembers the moonlighting I did for a few months nearly 6 years ago . Although you do seem to have forgotten the bit where I resigned as speaker of the Assembly and left the region once the Khanate was announced.

[MANS0N]

After being in the public eye following an impending embassy closure, TNP Minister of Foreign Affairs Wymondham (also notably a member of the Undead Dominion and its successor state, the Khanate, two LWU-backed governments of Lazarus) resigned from his post citing “…warnings being constantly ignored”, alluding to Hulldom’s apparent failure to properly address the TSP-LWU situation in his eyes.

I'm glad someone remembers the moonlighting I did for a few months nearly 6 years ago . Although you do seem to have forgotten the bit where I resigned as speaker of the Assembly and left the region once the Khanate was announced.

Noted. Wasn’t intended as a “gotcha” or anything btw, just general background.

[Glacikaldr]

After being in the public eye following an impending embassy closure, TNP Minister of Foreign Affairs Wymondham (also notably a member of the Undead Dominion and its successor state, the Khanate, two LWU-backed governments of Lazarus) resigned from his post citing “…warnings being constantly ignored”, alluding to Hulldom’s apparent failure to properly address the TSP-LWU situation in his eyes.

I'm glad someone remembers the moonlighting I did for a few months nearly 6 years ago . Although you do seem to have forgotten the bit where I resigned as speaker of the Assembly and left the region once the Khanate was announced.

We've now issued a correction for this at the bottom of the article- thanks for bringing it to our attention o7

[Wymondham]

I'm glad someone remembers the moonlighting I did for a few months nearly 6 years ago . Although you do seem to have forgotten the bit where I resigned as speaker of the Assembly and left the region once the Khanate was announced.

We've now issued a correction for this at the bottom of the article- thanks for bringing it to our attention o7

Awesome, ty so much for the prompt correction!

[The Rejected Times]

Note: We are in the process of recovering the articles. Some of the images of the older articles aren't from currently-accepted image sites like imgur, so they may take more time to recover (thus "Image was here"). For the images that are from accepted image sites, this nation is currently too new to have its images display. We will work on this as soon as possible to fully restore the TRT articles. Thank you for your patience

- Minskiev

[IstoWalker]

Image was here

The Rejected Times was founded in January 2013 by Kogvuron. It has since become the centerpiece of quality journalism in NationStates Gameplay. With every issue, you can expect provocative opinion columns, a broad selection of new stories and witty features.

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Issues

Issue I. January 27, 2013.
Issue II. February 12, 2013.
Issue III. March 16, 2013.
Issue IV. March 28, 2013.
Issue V. April 6, 2013.
Issue VI. April 8, 2013.
Issue VII. August 19, 2013.
Issue VIII. August 31, 2013.
Issue IX. December 12, 2013.
Issue X. December 25, 2013.
Issue XI. January 7, 2014.
Issue XII. January 12, 2014.
Issue XIII. January 26, 2014.
Issue XIV. February 11, 2014.
Issue XV. February 26, 2014.
Issue XVI. March 8, 2014.
Issue XVII. March 22, 2014.
Issue XVIII. April 14, 2014.
Issue XIX. May 04, 2014.
Issue XX. May 19, 2014.
Issue XXI. June 01, 2014.
Issue XXII. June 12, 2014.
Issue XXIII. June 26, 2014.
Issue XXIV. July 07, 2014.
Issue XXV. July 25, 2014.
Issue XXVI. August 13, 2014.
Issue XXVII. August 28, 2014.
Issue XXVIII. September 19, 2014.
Issue XXIX. October 08, 2014.
Issue XXX. October 30, 2014.
Issue XXXI. January 04, 2015.
Issue XXXII. January 23, 2015.
Issue XXXIII. February 15, 2015.
Issue XXXIV. March 10, 2015.
Issue XXXV. April 01, 2015.
Issue XXXVI. April 11, 2015.
Issue XXXVII. April 28, 2015.
Issue XXXVIII. May 20, 2015.
Issue XXXIX. October 25, 2015. [Attempted rebranding]
Issue XL. May 26, 2017. [Also considered a Special Release]
Issue XLI. January 23, 2017.
Issue XLII. December 29, 2017 (dispatch).
Issue XLIII. March 01, 2018 (dispatch).
Issue XLIV. May 16, 2018 (dispatch).
Issue XLV. August 07, 2018 (dispatch).
Issue XLVI. October 31, 2018 (dispatch).
Issue XLVII. November 30, 2018 (dispatch).
Issue XLVIII. December 28, 2018 (dispatch).
Issue XLIX. February 14, 2019 (dispatch).
Issue L. March 31, 2019 (dispatch).
Issue LI. May 01, 2019 (dispatch).
Issue LII. June 01, 2019 (dispatch).
Issue LIII. August 01, 2019 (dispatch).
Issue LIV. October 12, 2019 (dispatch).
Issue LV. January 20, 2020 (dispatch).
Issue LVI. March 8, 2020 (dispatch).
Issue LVII. May 26, 2020 (dispatch).
Issue LVIII. July 1, 2020 (dispatch).
Issue LIX. August 5, 2020 (dispatch).
Issue LX. September 7, 2020 (dispatch).
Issue LXI. October 13, 2020 (dispatch).
Issue LXII. November 7, 2020 (dispatch).
Issue LXIII. December 2, 2020 (dispatch).
Issue LXIV. 10th January 2021 (dispatch).
Issue LXV. 2nd February 2021 (dispatch).
Issue LXVI. 2nd March 2021 (dispatch).
Issue LXVII. 11th April 2021 (dispatch).
Issue LXVIII. 2nd May 2021 (dispatch).
Issue LXIX. 15th September 2021 (dispatch).
Issue LXX. 31st October 2021 (dispatch).
Issue LXXI. 24th December 2021 (dispatch).

Special Releases

An Interview with Venico. December 10, 2013.
Biyah banned from Osiris. December 10, 2013.
The Rejected Realms: Worst Forum Skins in NS History! January 6, 2014.
Glen-Rhodes elected as MoFA in tight race! January 12, 2014.
Profiting from the War on Nazis. January 16, 2014.
Slavia Freed! February 21, 2014.
Auralia banned from the WA - multied to self-commend! March 2, 2014.
Milograd Resigns! Lazarus goes to the Polls. March 4, 2014.
Election Fever: Friendship and Cooperation 2.0 - With Hileville! March 18, 2014.
Forum Administration Shake-Up Causes Controversy. March 21, 2014.
Hileville accuses Belschaft of Fraud and Defamation. March 23, 2014.
The Rejected Realms has a New Delegate! April 29, 2014.
“Extra omnes!”: Possible New Conclave for the UDL? May 05, 2014.
Springtime for Wintreath [Interview with Wintermoot]. May 09, 2014.
The Beige Regime takes Command. May 11, 2014.
Liberal Haven: Behind the Scenes. May 14, 2014.
Liberate Hogwarts Passes Narrowly. May 31, 2014.
Election Fever: Lazarus Elections Coverage - With Milograd! June 08, 2014.
Paint it Orange. June 14, 2014.
Lazarus Elects Funkadelia as New Chairman. June 15, 2014.
Unofficial Results Project A Ramaeus Win. June 29, 2014.
Rising Stars and Old Friends: Chanku and 1 Infinite Loop Interviewed. July 01, 2014.
The 25th Edition - Coming soon ... July 14, 2014.
Rising Stars and Old Friends: Applebania and Crazy Girl Interviewed. July 16, 2014.
Austria Freed. July 20, 2014.
Frak destroys LWU Forum. July 28, 2014.
New Motto and New Officers for TRR. August 01, 2014.
Balder Queen Dismisses Government. August 02, 2014.
Weird Laws of NationStates. August 04, 2014.
Rising Stars and Old Friends: District XIV and The Bruce Interviewed! August 16, 2014.
"Back to School" for NS Universities? August 19, 2014.
War between Osiris and Lazarus Motioned. August 24, 2014.
Ranking the GCRs; The Overall Perceptions Index. September 23, 2014.
Radical Leadership Changeover in Lazarus. September 29, 2014.
Lazarus: You’ve Been “Funk’d”! Lazarus-Osiris pursue a Peace Deal. September 29, 2014.
Funkadelia announces his intent to resign. October 13, 2014.
Attempted Liberation of Coalition of Catholic States. October 22, 2014.
A Consensus Reached: Down with Independentism. October 22, 2014.
A Smooth Rejectmas For Everyone! December 26, 2014.
Public Service Announcement: Who Killed Kandarin. December 28, 2014.
Belschaft declared "Security Threat" by TSP Cabinet. Feburary 19, 2015.
Oh, The Places You’ll Go! 3 Possibilities for a Future TWP. March 05, 2015.
Coffee with Darkesia. March 14, 2015.
Five Possibilities for 'Mod March'. March 21, 2015.
Caught in Political Limbo: TSP’s Forum Troubles. April 04, 2015.
Former NPO Senator Elegarth Speaks Out!. April 16, 2015.
Kazmr on the Lazarus Liberation. April 22, 2015.
Tomb Resigns as TNP Delegate. May 13, 2015.
Eluvatar elected as TNP Delegate in a very Special Election. May 27, 2015.
Epilepsy Awareness Month. December 01, 2017.
Liberating Iran: A Long Time in the Making. January 25, 2018 (dispatch).
Winter 2018's NationStates World Arts Fair Coverage. January 29, 2018 (dispatch).
RRA Recruitment Poster Competition. March 10, 2018 (dispatch).
Marilyn Manson's TRR Officer Resignation. March 10, 2018 (dispatch).
The Wolfist Dominion of Lazarus Exposed. March 16, 2018 (dispatch).
Lazarus Reborn: Undead Have Flatlined. April 23, 2018 (dispatch).
Remembering the Dead Mongrels. April 23, 2018 (dispatch).
An Outsider's Perspective on Catalyse's Resignation. May 21, 2018 (dispatch).
TRR's Journey Ahead. June 07, 2018 (dispatch).
21st Century Ghost(fox): An Interview with Lynxi, Soon-to-be Pharaoh of Osiris. March 31, 2019 (dispatch).
Is The South Pacific Ready to Embrace Defending? June 28, 2019 (dispatch).
Tell-All Interview With Bowzin. August 16, 2020 (dispatch).
10 Year Special Edition (Part 2). 22nd May, 2021 (dispatch).
An SC of Trouble: the Situation in TNP Thus Far. 9th April 2023. (dispatch).

Brief News

Brief News I. August 14, 2020 (dispatch).
Brief News II. November 28, 2020 (dispatch.
Brief News III. 24th December 2020 (dispatch).
Brief News IV. 22nd January 2021. (dispatch).
Brief News V. 25th May 2021. (dispatch).

Rejected Radio

Coming Soon to a June Near You. May 31, 2015.
2015 Special June Broadcast: 'To Play Interview A King'. June 02, 2015.
Rejected Reloaded: The Voice of the Voiceless, Whether You Like it or Not! June 04, 2019.
A Conversation with Anabelle, the Newly Ascended Pharaoh of Osiris. June 18, 2019.
Pride Month with Tinfect & Wintermoot. July 08, 2019 (dispatch).

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NOTE: The Rejected Times does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Rejected Realms.

Discuss The Rejected Times over on the NationStates forum here.

Even though it seems it is currently out of service that was some incredible work! Great job!

[MANS0N]

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SPECIAL RELEASE: 20th Anniversary Edition | April 27, 2023

Editor-in-Chief: MANS0N

Index

• Preface - by MANS0N
• “A Rejected Q&A” - by MANS0N
• “In the Age of Frontiers” - by Westinor
• “Musings of a Granny” - by Thepeopl
• “WA Affairs in TRR” - by Westinor
• “Warzone Trinidad Emerges” - by Canton Empire
• ”What I’ve Learned as a Young NSer” - by Minskiev
• “A Rejected Rejected Times: an elite theory analysis” - by Glacikaldr
• “Where are the Defenders?” and more - by TRT Staff
• “From the Desk of the Editor” - by MANS0N

Preface

Commentary | WRITTEN BY MANS0N | EDITED BY TRT Staff

It’s an understatement to say that The Rejected Realms has “just” changed since its establishment in 2003.

Early on, TRR was viewed quite literally as a desolate wasteland (its first WFE even made note of this), so many viewed it as not worth settling. Various invaders of the time attempted to claim TRR for their own, including the proto-imperialist Atlantic Alliance, whose Central Command established a “base” in TRR. Louldamin, an unpopular ACC member, was allowed the delegacy of TRR. We’re not completely sure of the circumstances behind this. Perhaps it was ordered, or maybe Louldamin (later opting to style himself as the “One in Disgrace” due to his reputation within Atlantic) somehow took the delegacy first, instead opting to offer Atlantic free ad space in exchange for their endorsements. However, this wouldn’t last long as Gres, a low-ranking Atlantic Alliance recruit, would endoswap his way into the seat, displacing Louldamin, disavowing Atlantic, establishing the RRA, and making some enemies along the way.

The Rejected Realms Army’s first iteration was incredibly different from what it is today. It’s safe to describe it as “independent” or unaligned as Gres’ initial orders were for Rejects to invade the regions that ejected them. This would change by either late 2003 or 2004, with Gres, Kandarin, and others billing the RRA as something special, one of the world’s earliest defender organizations. This attempted rebranding was, as you can see today, a success, garnering TRR some powerful allies.

After about six years and multiple failed attempts at formally establishing a permanent system of government later, Kandarin would hand over his nation, and effectively the delegacy of TRR to Naivetry of Equilism in 2010. This outraged many longtime residents including RRA High Commander Crazy girl, who, in her eyes, sought to restore order and return the region to its rightful natives. CG and others worked towards this goal by heading the “The Council of Three”, a temporary governing body created with the purpose of running regional affairs, advising Nai, and overseeing delegacy elections. The first three members of this council included residents CG, Biblical Importance, and Thought Transference. However, in December of 2010 Biblical Importance would resign from his position with the vacancy being filled by Sedgistan. Following Nai’s confirmation as more than a placeholder Delegate, The Rejected Realms would continue to face thinly-veiled attempts from former Empire members to manipulate Nai and the citizenry as a whole. These would all be shirked and the constitution would be ratified in 2011 with Sedgistan being elected as the first constitutionally-recognized Delegate of The Rejected Realms, a move that would prove controversial to some thanks to his actions in The South Pacific.

Following a Guy delegacy, Whamabama (as Collector of Souls) would be elected as Delegate. However, following his assumption of the seat, then-New Inquisition General OnderKelkia, using his puppet Oud-Heverlee Leuven would, in an annoyingly bold move, eject himself and his endorsers from Belgium, which TNI had just occupied, to raid TRR. Thankfully, Wham would regain the delegacy after just 12 hours, but this act would soil many Rejects’ opinions of imperialism as an ideology and the regions associated and supporting Onder at the time, including Balder, a region which TRR would have a rocky relationship with for years to come.

In 2017 Catalyse would be elected to the delegacy, marking the dawn of a new era and with it, new expectations. Cat’s term brought regular activity in the form of Werewolf and themed forum avatar contests. Her plan to prioritize internal matters worked to her favor and her diligence led to her being our highest-endorsed Delegate as of right now, nearly reaching 300 endos. While she worked tirelessly, implementing unheard of innovations in order to keep TRR moving with the times, she also dealt with TRR’s diplomatic response to Funkadelia’s coup and dissolution of then-TRR ally Lazarus’ government, not to mention backlash from Queen Solorni of Balder following a controversial TRT publication.

2018 would mark the resignation of Zyonn from her post of Vice-Delegate (a term spanning seven years), the appointment of two new Vice-Delegates, their subsequent removal, and the implementation of a new constitutional amendment intending to formally codify what was once a murky position appointed at the will of the Delegate. Likewise, 2019 would bring the terms of Frattastan (his second term), Kyorgia, and Deadeye Jack. Jack’s term would jumpstart a time of bustling cultural activity, that is, until the pandemic.

It’s safe to say that TRR is constantly evolving. The region no longer is centered around a military and has become a haven for, well, Rejects, even those who disagree with its defender ideology. Who knows what 2024 will bring? We here at TRT are just as clueless as you are but we hope it’s something beneficial. With that being said, thank you for reading my ramblings and taking a glimpse into the region’s past. Keep in mind that this release not only marks the 20th anniversary of The Rejected Realms’ creation (happy Regional Foundation Day!) but also marks 12 years of TRT, a decade of which falls under this current iteration (thanks Kogvuron!) We all at TRT hope that you enjoy this issue.

A Rejected Q&A

Interview | COLLATED BY MANS0N | EDITED BY TRT Staff

Editor-in-Chief Manson sat down with some of our elder Rejects, learning about their RR experiences up until now while gathering insight surrounding potential hopes for the future.

What brought you to TRR?

Goobergunchia: My old regions were dead. TRR still had old friends, a flicker of life, and a philosophy of gameplay I was in alignment with.

Spartan Termopylae: I was invited to join. I know, I rejected myself. Back in 2010, I had been in a region or two with Kaver, I was in a region going nowhere (I'd been in several over the previous 5 years). Kaver invited me over, and I've been here ever since.

Kyorgia: Kyorgia was my second nation in the game. I started the nation be democratic since my first nation was a dictatorship. I was recruited to a democratic region but eventually left that to found my own region. At the time I had no idea how the game worked so I had no recruitment set up for the region or anything like that. Eventually I ended up ejecting myself so I ended up in TRR.

The Grim Reaper: I think I originally came to TRR because Harmoneia convinced me to, but my memory of those early days of TRR are faint and fleeting at best; at one point I was trying to become involved in a lot of different GCRs and that was around the same time.

Thepeopl: I was founded in TWP. I triple posted when I finally gathered enough courage to post. I did not know how to edit nor how to quote multiple posts in 1 post, hence my ejection.

Glacikaldr: What brought me to TRR?

I got to TRR the cool way. I got banjected! Way cooler than being ejected or — heavens forbid — choosing the Rejected Realms willingly!

It was from a passlocked region that one of my partner's classmates put together. My partner gave me the password but everyone eventually caught on that I wasn't from the class, with my nation being a couple years older and much larger than everyone else's.

Why’d you decide to stay?

Goobergunchia: The community. Come for the old NS friends and make new ones. Also, the region's commitment to democracy but not an overly bureaucratic one.

Spartan Termopylae: I already knew one person here, and I received a warm welcome from day one. Whilst I've played more active roles in regions in the past (I was a member of the judiciary of one region), I appreciated the feel of the place, and barring one of two exceptions, I've felt almost a kinship with a lot of the people here.

Kyorgia: What brought you to TRR? I started talking on the RMB and ended up becoming a regular there due to talking to others such as dogeisland. Eventually Unibot, who was delegate at the time, sent out a regional TG since one of his officers had resigned (I think the officer was Feux). I ended up running in the election and was elected to my first office in TRR.

The Grim Reaper: I ended up staying because TRR had a healthy political discourse scene that wasn't so heavily Americanized as the other GCRs are, it was a lot more mature to boot, and at quite a few points had a lot more healthy activity than other GCRs (judging from those old Discord and RMB stats articles that someone used to write).

Thepeopl: Jack, you, Sarah, CoS, Rom, Fratt. And when I joined discord, I could help someone with advice on how to elongate black trousers. And chat about unicorns.
But you made me feel welcome and soon enlisted me as your deputy. And then Karp made me pollster.
Also Rejectmas with Lord of Misrule.
I like our policy of helping newbies and trying to reform trolls/spammers

Glacikaldr: While checking out the World Factbook Entry of the region I now found myself in, I quickly realised the concept of citizenship and regional governments was a whole other side of NationStates that I was yet to tap into.

This quickly inspired me to first join our Discord and then apply for citizenship. Besides from the friendliness I was immediately greeted with, there was also Werewolf, a board game turned bot on our server that gave me plenty of opportunity to meaningfully interact with my new Reject family.

Who were the “old people” in TRR when you joined?

Goobergunchia: Kandarin, CG, Zyonn, Gettersburg.

Spartan Termopylae: Some of the people I remember from back then are the likes of Sedge, CG, Nai, Wop, Codger, I think Unibot was around then, too. Plus people like Wabbitslayah, Fratt, and Guy who are all still around. I know there are plenty more in missing, but my memory isn't quite what it used to be

Kyorgia: There are many different definitions of who qualifies as old but I will just be saying who I remember being in the region at the time. When it comes to the RMB someone like Dogeisland stands out to me as being active and contributing at the time. When it comes to the forum I can remember a few people for various reasons, good and bad. That includes Fratt, Unibot, Campinia and Christian Democrats.

The Grim Reaper: When I joined the old people were Sedge, CG, Fratt, Guy, CoS iirc, and Harm to a lesser extent, I think she had one foot in one foot out.

Thepeopl: Those mentioned above and: Ravania, Altasund, The Place, Margiboof, Codger, Guy, Toerana, Salem, and the Delegate, Kyorgia (then.. not now), Neop, Tupe,
Pharcyde, Ancient Republics, Liberal Republics

Glacikaldr: When first joining our discord server, I was initially met with "old people" like then Delegate TheChurchofSatan, Guy, Fratt, Cat, Manson (thanks for the interview by the way!), and Kyorgia.

In what ways would you say, if any, has TRR changed since your arrival?

Goobergunchia: It's more active than at its nadir but I'd like to see more competitive elections. We used to press our candidates harder than we do now, I think.

Spartan Termopylae: Well, the electoral system has changed, going from a first past the post system to it's current form, which has led to me not voting in elections since, as I disagree with the new format. We've also seen the introduction of the vice-delegate role, the rise of the officer jobs, and the constitution. There was some controversy around some senior members and coups in other regions, and some internal issues around a particular defender organisation and a certain raider group (oddly, not related controversies), but we've been largely stable in that sense for the last several years, now.

Kyorgia: Having been in the region for close to 9 years it has obviously changed a lot. Back when I first arrived in 2014 I was just mostly active on the RMB and eventually as an officer but back then mostly everything was done on the forum. Unlike a lot of the raider regions I was in during late 2014 and 2015 TRR was never active on Skype, so it felt more closed off and in a way elitist on the forum and possvile the IRC but i was never active on IRC so i can't speak to how active that actually was. I think the biggest change both for TRR and in many ways for Nationstates as a game was discord. Stuff became a lot more open and social and in many ways less restrictive. The core values of TRR is something I think has not changed. It is a region for second chances and a region anyone can join and succeed in. For most of my early career on NS I was a raider but even with TRR being one of Nationstates biggest defender regions I never felt unwelcome or like I didn't belong in the region. That in many ways is TRRs biggest strength.

The Grim Reaper: Since I arrived TRR has slowed down a little but ultimately it's really been much the same for a long time - it is much quieter, we do less WW, less codenames and diplomacy etc, but a lot of the same people are still around albeit with less frequency; we've got new faces like Salem and DoomHerald, Kyo has really moved pretty firmly into the TRR Elite and so forth.

Thepeopl: I'd like to think I brought some kindness, politeness and happiness to TRR.
But in reality I think I probably brought more smut, weird book references who no one gets and loads of recipes of "dutch" foods. I'm not a real dutchie so, more fusion than dutch cuisine.
I think the rmb is even less used as "true TRR" than when I started. And the forum is quite dead.

Glacikaldr: Most prominently for me, our journalism has gone through significant ups and downs. When I first became a citizen, John Laurens was working on reviving our media, with me quickly becoming Deputy and then Media Officer for two terms. Media and The Rejected Times has since changed drastically, now in a period of inactivity indisputably linked to the decision to remove Media from our ministries.

The current diminished state of The Rejected Times and what was the Media Officer role's legitimacy within the Rejected Realms has undoubtedly hurt our ability to project our presence as a high-profile Sinker in the NationStates community at large. This lack of presence is something I tried to help address during a term as Foreign Affairs Officer, producing issues very similar to what The Rejected Times was, and unfortunately only the Rejected Realms Army still meaningfully projects our presence as of writing.

My greatest regret is that I have been a part of this period of time where our citizens have lost control over the narrative about our region.

Looking forward, what are some hopes you have for TRR’s future?

Goobergunchia: We've been seeing more newer players get involved recently, which is great. I'm also hoping that recent events present an opportunity for TRR's traditional brand of defender philosophy to make a resurgence.

Spartan Termopylae: I'd like to see the forum activity expand again, but I may be behind the times there, as I have been told that things happen more on discord, but hey ho. I just want the region to grow, really.

Kyorgia: I started my time off in TRR as a raider and I feel like as a region that openness to accept everyone regardless of gameplay associations is very important. My biggest hope is that TRR continues being so open and welcoming. It sounds cliche or like an easy answer but it is something I always thought about as a raider and as a citizen of TRR back then.

The Grim Reaper: Looking forward I hope TRR can develop a strategy to achieve sustainable growth, I do think it's hard for regions to maintain a consistent culture in NS if they recruit actively, and difficult for them to maintain their numbers if they don't; I think it's cool that NS as a community has really become, frankly, a legacy of the old internet (this stupid site is two decades old), and it would be cool if TRR did become the kind of community where people can come and hang out for a little bit, share some nostalgia with people who they've known for ages every now and again, maybe be able to drop in for an event or something every now and again without feeling you're obliged to rock up to help make events more feasible on the numbers.

Thepeopl: I hope Mhaul will be the next delegate. And have more community on the RMB. But that's probably just my old age. I'm not a great fan of discord.
I hope ppl will learn to communicate differently with trolls/spammers. Some of them just need a kind word, honest question and a polite, "could you please stop".
One day our residents will not quote spam/inappropriate messages and just ping the offensive nation.
I have hopes that newbies will read all guides on the wfe (homerian laughter).

Glacikaldr: I do still await the day when there is the right environment for us to redefine how the majority of our citizens value outward communication. In the meantime, I hope we do not continue to lose legitimacy around being a success story for democracy, as a Sinker no less. We need to remain and proudly proclaim ourselves as proof that you can cultivate an online community that cares about shaping its future as a collective.

In the Age of Frontiers

News / Commentary | WRITTEN BY Westinor | EDITED BY TRT Staff


It’s safe to say The Rejected Realms has seen its fair share of history.

Rising as a place for society’s “Rejects” in the formative years of NS, TRR has played an important role not only in a mechanical function, but from a historical, political, and gameplay lens. Its Rejects have played a monumental role to the development of NationStates throughout the years, and have undoubtedly left their mark on the minds of many.

In its early days, many of TRR’s finest were outcasts or exiles. Some found their way there by defection, and later were ostracized; others were victims of political conflict and tyranny. In an age where there was very little information about what was going on elsewhere, the calls to action that often birthed inspired players were rare — and few rivaled the effectiveness of being thrown out from one’s own home.

In time, TRR grew into a community of formidable residents, overcoming their inherent disadvantages and pushing to define the way the game’s been played through the ages. The RRA, headed by Rejects like Crazy girl or Siggi, were pivotal in the growth and development of early defender institutions like the ADN and FRA; TRR itself, in a different way, displayed how native resilience could overcome the wanton destruction of early NS and, in a different way, challenged the definition of what a “native” was. It has, through the ages, defined itself as different and distinguished in standing and identity.

Today, TRR stands as a leading defender region on the precipice of a new age. Uninvolved from scandals in recent weeks, its leadership has discerned itself from more divisive political elements, and accredited itself with a unique sense of reliability within the defendersphere. The region has quietly continued to grow — the delegacy has reached an endo peak not achieved in years and its government is filled with new faces looking to define themselves. However, the region faces activity and interest issues of its own still, burdened by a lack of energy throughout its halls.

If there’s one thing TRR has thrived on, though, it is its distinct nature as a bastion for the ejected. With the Frontier update set to bring a renewed level of conflict over regions and nation foundings back into the game, with the potential for battles akin to the destruction of the early years of NS, TRR is poised as the only region to accept the refugees of these crises. New and bewildered nations may once again find themselves in the Rejected Realms in their first few days, ejected not at the hands of a TWP RO but in the midst of a battle for their old home.

TRR is in a unique place to capitalize on this new age. Once more, it can continue to serve as a haven for the exiled, a safe home for those unable to return — and in time, it can once again nurture, mentor, and grow new players into leaders in their own right. In a time where raiders continue to display incredible strength, the RRA needs new energy to match their invader counterparts on the front lines. In a time where many regions will once again make themselves vulnerable to invasion, TRR needs to stay vigilant and welcoming as it rises once more into its role as the final destination for rebels, refugees, and removed founders alike.

Armed with its long, weathered history and equipped with a charming culture and wonderful residents, TRR has only one way to go — up. It comes down only to whether we are willing to reach for the sky.

Musings of a Granny

Opinion | WRITTEN BY Thepeopl | EDITED BY TRT Staff

As a concerned citizen of TRR, as a former Speaker, and as one of many former Outreach Officers, I think it’s about time I shared my two cents with you.

I rejoice in the election of our new officers Cookie, New Anarchisticstan, and Mhaul. Well, Cookie isn’t quite new.
Their (almost) daily presence on our RMB is a nice boon. Although, I feel that there is a schism between TRR’s RMB and its Discord. Probably because I prefer the RMB and really lack the time to be very active on Discord. Most government activity is offsite and I feel that the RMB is left to its own devices. Of course there are activities that are simply easier to hold on Discord, like Popmaster or movie night.

But… the RMB is our first impression to new TRR members. If we want to have more active and involved TRR members, it’s imperative that we recruit them using the RMB as a tool (unless we find a surefire method to invite them via telegram/directly via Discord).

Nowadays our RMB is squabbling (discussions) or downright trolling. Mhaul, another newly-elected Officer, is one of the most available citizens for new drop-ins, often finding herself with the responsibility of pointing them to our RMB rules. It’s rare though that our officers point these new arrivals to our Discord or to our available legislation/positions. I know being officer is much work, I know I lack the time to be more active. But…you don’t have to do it alone. Appoint deputies. Share the workload.

The forums have been, up until recently, quite dead too. Maybe it’s time to communicate differently, but until we decide to, we need to inform our citizens. I have, like many RMB-centric members, absolutely no idea what our Delegate or the officers of the previous period have been doing. But, that’s probably on me, since I’ve stopped skimming the Discord.

WA nations (until now) haven’t been pinged to endorse the Delegate (well done Cookie! I did notice it) People additionally haven't been asked/pointed to the possibility to become citizens. Despite this, I have hope. I’ve missed TRT and I applaud the forming of the food Discord, maybe because I really love food…but I’d appreciate it more if those posts could be on our RMB.

Yes, I am old, yes I am not digi-savvy, I don’t know most memes. But. If we want to keep TRR alive, we need new blood and new citizens. I would like to see a more RMB active government.

Ivy (Thepeopl)

WA Affairs in TRR

Opinion | WRITTEN BY Westinor | EDITED BY TRT Staff

For the first time in years, TRR has been without a WA Affairs officer.

What is often a crucial linchpin of any external agenda for regions with even moderately-sized endorsement counts was omitted in TRR’s most recent Officer Elections, which saw a total of three candidates running for the four Officer positions. The specific portfolio resultantly dropped was WA Affairs, which usually runs regular voting threads that help determine the Delegate’s vote on at-vote proposals. This responsibility was merged into the portfolio of Officer Salem, whose “External Affairs” portfolio encapsulates the duties carried on by previous Foreign Affairs and WA Affairs Officers. How did we get to this position?

Looking back, WA Affairs has been present as a distinct and near-ubiquitous Officer portfolio in TRR since 2019-2020. Since then, TRR has slowly asserted itself in the WA — though its presence is quiet, being that the region’s WA Affairs ministry has not often revolved around writing up Information for Voters (IFVs) dispatches, it holds a place as a founding member of the Partnership for Sovereignty (PfS), hosted its first “Security Council Convention” in 2021, and has been home to prolific WA authors like Bormiar and current Delegate Minskiev.

TRR is itself no slouch on the WA Affairs stage, bringing hundreds of votes to the table for each proposal. Thus, it should be no surprise that WA Affairs has been a key point for governmental focus for the past few years — and already, at the time of writing, campaigns to fill that last Officer spot are already ongoing, under the portfolio of WA Affairs. More than anything, flagging interest in the WA has driven lower community participation in TRR, particularly as the General Assembly has continued to make up most regular activity while the SC continues to grow increasingly polarized.

Though this temporary vacancy does reflect on the level of interest in WA Affairs at the moment in TRR, as well as general activity levels, it is unlikely it will amount to much more than a blip on the radar. However, this is as good of a time as ever to analyze TRR’s unique environment surrounding WA Affairs, and potential approaches to the department in the future. If TRR wants to revitalize the position and generate new interest in the community, there is no better time to start than now.

TRR already has a strong foundation in the Security Council (SC) — as a member of the PfS and a community with many authors (not to mention nearly a dozen commendees) TRR has the resources it needs to build a budding authorship and interest-based environment. A particularly unique facet of TRR, though, is the nature of its community attitude towards the SC — despite being a defender region, it was voted in contrast to typical defender lines on proposals like “Repeal: ‘Condemn Ever-Wandering Souls’” (SCR#425), “Commend Europeia” (SCR#413), and “Repeal: ‘Condemn Reventus Koth’” (SCR#395), voting against on each. This is a reflection of the uniquely diverse nature of TRR’s voting populace, which consists of a surprising number of conflicting viewpoints in modern gameplay. Far from being detrimental to TRR’s WA community, this can serve as a starting point for active and engaging discussion on SC votes — the cross-cutting nature of identities in TRR should only serve to break down the polarized approaches that have, of late, dissuaded many from participating in the SC in what they feel is good faith. TRR can stand instead as a place for open discussion on this front, leveraging their multivarious community to create a healthier and more constructive approach to the SC.

The General Assembly, on the other hand, has often had a reputation for being somewhat intimidating or difficult to enter, particularly for the unfamiliar. Luckily, TRR’s very own Delegate, Minskiev, already has plenty of experience in that area, and may serve as a good guide for those interested in venturing deeper into the festering snake pit (sorry for putting the spotlight on you Walrus!).

TRR has two options from here. Its next WA Affairs Officer can cement that the position is purely a thread-maintainer, a glorified custodian and nothing more, allowing WA Affairs to slip back and forth between relevance alongside with its namesake. Or they can help elevate TRR into a community of ideas and interests, and a player on the WA stage — one key facet of WA Affairs missing from TRR’s WA Affairs portfolio right now are IFVs. IFVs and their creation are a key activity point for WA Affairs departments and their regions. They are key in disseminating information and provoking discussion, which make up the backbone of any thriving WA community. There is no “one way” TRR WA Affairs can or will go from here — but TRR has distinguished itself in the past as one of the few regions with the potential for vivid WA discussion and has produced some of the WA’s best. It can work towards cementing that legacy, or go the path of so many other regions and fade in the distance.

Warzone Trinidad Emerges

News | WRITTEN BY Canton Empire | EDITED BY TRT Staff

The Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean - In the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean, a new Warzone, Warzone Trinidad, rose from its depths on April 6th to join the international community as the seventh warzone, and the first since 2004. Warzones are unique among the game as the only regions where bans are temporary and additionally where influence has no effect. Originally designed to create spaces where raiders could freely invade regions, the warzones have evolved into a mechanically unique, but mostly ignored community.

Warzone Trinidad represents a new spin on the classic formula, however, with it being the last region in the game to update. This makes Warzone Trinidad incredibly valuable to any force occupying it, as its status makes it a perfect spot for any military to base troops out of. This unique state also makes it one of the hardest regions in the game to raid, as any group attempting to capture Warzone Trinidad would have to “update surf”, a precise maneuver involving jumping from region to region to avoid updating until reaching a target. Thus far, the allure of having a permanent late updating jump point has not drawn in big powers attempting to fight over it, but the novelty of a new warzone has brought in the new Warzone Trinidad Corporation, an assembled group of explorers determined to make a splash in the warzone community.

It is unclear if Warzone Trinidad will blossom into an active and vibrant community or settle into the same pattern as the other warzones, but in a changing world where the very nature of regions has changed, it is very possible that Warzone Trinidad will soon find itself at the crossroads of history.

[MANS0N]

What I’ve Learned as a Young NSer — What Young NSers Can Learn
(And Maybe Old Heads Too), Otherwise known as “Peaking at 15”

Commentary | WRITTEN BY Minskiev | EDITED BY TRT Staff

The age-old complaint on NS, in both meanings, has been that there are too many children. This holds true in real life but maybe especially so on NS: political games where you can run your own country is rather appealing to 11-16 year olds who are interested in politics and maybe debate. What keeps many of these children on the site is usually community and friendship, which 11-16 year olds who are interested in politics often lack. These 11-16 year olds eventually make mistakes, hopefully learn from them, cocoon, develop their identity, and emerge as radiant 21 year olds who elegantly recruit and tastefully allude to Jane Eyre in their forum remarks, which they read in their colleges, in which they exist as they did in high school, a loser, because they are still interested in politics.

Those who don’t cocoon never learn from their mistakes. They are bullied and never stop to think why or fix things. Perhaps, from the way their brain operates, they will never be a good regionbuilder or R/Der, and in fact the World Assembly is much more interesting. Or it could be that those edgy and awkward mannerisms picked up from their favorite HOI4 YouTuber are holding them back socially, which carries over politically. This is because those who are socially good are politically good, or those who are socially bad hide it and focus on being politically good. Those who are politically bad are either not socially present or socially bad. Part of politics is how to speak, as is part of socializing. But regardless, some children are not promising on NS because they are not good politically or socially, either because they do not enjoy the part of NS they are in or because of the way they are. Part of learning from mistakes and cocooning is knowing who is politically or socially good. Many NSers or NS pieces talk about political skills, and briefly touch on general social skills. This will not be that NS piece, but there is also more to social skills than the ability to make friends, albeit that is the most important social skill on NS and the second most important skill overall on NS. This would be the main, underlying reason behind the unsuccess of unsuccessful children. Other children are promising on NS because they are socially good or politically good, and even if they aren’t, they are willing to learn from their social or political mistakes. These children necessarily cocoon and shine on NS in due time because they are ambitious, as all children on NS are.

I am an ambitious child on NS. I was not socially good when I started. Right now I am socially passing and know who is socially good, and at what social skill. I was not fully politically good when I started, as most NS newcomers are, but fundamentally I was politically passing.

Talented NSers, child or not, fall into three, rarely overlapping categories: Fundamentally politically good; fundamentally socially good; and neither, yet excellent at learning from mistakes. Fundamentally politically good means good governance comes naturally to you. Some aspects of leadership come naturally or obviously to you, and while you are not certain about everything, you know how to decide what to do. Fundamentally socially good extends to real life. Some people are better talkers or speakers than others. Some will always be this way, some will never have this come to them naturally. Everyone can be socially passing, but some people have this fundamentally down as a core skill. Fundamental social skills are not only how to make friends, but how you speak, and when also. There is a connection between political and social skills, which allows some of the greatest NS players to be both fundamentally politically and socially good, but again both do not come naturally to everyone. The third category is those who have neither down fundamentally, but could still gain these skills through time, experience, and most importantly, learning from mistakes. This is the most important skill in the game. And in real life, since every mistake you learn from (learn not to repeat) is one step closer to perfection, which is making no mistakes, or having made and learned from every mistake. But on NS too, as learning from mistakes is how people stop being politically or socially bad, and become politically or socially good. This is why mistakes are good. This is also why talented NSers may not have been political geniuses or social butterflies when they first joined but now lead powerful regions and are friends with powerful people. And this is why, thankfully, the fundamentals aren’t required to succeed on NS.

So, to share how I have made up for my lack of fundamentals over the years with my mistakes, and what I’ve learned, and for young NSers who have not learned from many mistakes yet to get a headstart on learning from mistakes (because yes, you can learn from others’ mistakes), I will talk, at lengths, in rambles, half-coherently, long-windedly, about my time on NS. TRR Regum Imperator something.

I: My Time on NS, briefly

Skip this if you don’t fully care. It provides some context for II.

I don’t know where I founded, but I know I founded sometime in the afternoon of April 20th, 2020, and quickly moved to 10000 Islands. I was a Drewite, meaning I had arrived from the Drewpocalypse after seeing a video about NS by Drew Durnil. Most, if not all Drewites, were 11-16 year olds who are interested in politics. I spent two weeks as an XKI RMBer, being a smartass loser to the best of my ability and thoroughly enjoying the newfound prospect of friendship. As can happen to smartass losers, I was kicked for breaking some RMB rule. Maybe it was a little strict, but it certainly hurt me 3 years ago more than now, who is glad it happened. You could call that my first NS mistake.

I complained about it on TRR’s RMB, eventually calmed down, and accepted my being in the Rejected Realms. I can’t definitively tell you why I stayed in the Rejected Realms. It could be that I never realized I had recruitment telegrams off, or after two weeks of the Drewpocalypse I had passed all the “new:XYZ” stamp filters. Something more likely is that I liked the TRR RMB and I liked talking on it, as I did for XKI’s RMB. On XKI’s RMB I had made some brief friends, whose names were Haivon, Onfande, and Dominioan. I had also poorly designed Thedairos’/Thedaria’s flag, who is now Junior Command in Libcord, and been introduced to players Grea Kriopia and HumanSanity. But on TRR’s RMB I had made a longer-lasting friend, Kraljestvo Rata, who is hopefully living her best life now away from NS.

For a few months, Kral and I talked a lot on the RMB as children aged 11-16 years. We were maybe a bit cliquey and ganged up on people we found annoying, but girlbosses while doing so nonetheless. I didn’t have Discord yet, so this was my only form of making friends, and an early way of learning how to do so. Although Kral never became an NS hotshot, she is still awesome and helped me a lot in developing this skill that I still struggle with to this day.

I got Discord in the fall of 2020, although this season was mostly characterized by me being somewhat of a shithead who still enjoyed debating politics. I was encouraged by Sarah to run in the December 2020 officer election, which I did poorly in, as the inexperienced and then-politically bad do. This led me to the realization of my second mistake on NS, however minor: don’t make your campaigns “short and sweet”. Don’t be “short and sweet”. Be sufficiently lengthy for what you are communicating.

In winter 2020, I discovered the Discords of other regions and parts of NS due to interregional events and whatnot. I played Among Us with people like Salem, Dawn, Karp, and Dax. I also played some Among Us in Europeia from an event during I think Pichtonia’s presidency. I met others at the 2020 Harry Potter festival, organized by GK and others. I played Minecraft on TRR’s minecraft server. Come January 2021, I joined the NS Issues discord and met Honeydewistania/Whatermelons, and in February, I joined the NS Cards discord. Here is where I made a lot of friends before I had a semblance of a political career. I befriended UPC, Andusre, and Fhaengshia, who are all accomplished players, in Cards or in other aspects, but most importantly I befriended them early and have been friends with them since then, which is over 2 years ago. I also again encountered GK and HS, who were leaders by then to varying degrees and also involved in cards. We played Cards for the next few months. I also became Speaker in TRR.

Around summer 2021, I began to experiment in the WA, passing a GA resolution and an SC resolution. I can’t say I found many friends in the WA, as most in the WA are not 11-16 year olds who are interested in politics, but it was a decent start to a political career. In August, I was elected Officer of the Rejected Realms for the first time, managing the Outreach office. At this point, I was a citizen in many regions, or a cosmopolitan. This led me to run for Minister of Culture in the South Pacific. I lost, but I was also not a South Pacifican. This thankfully inconsequential mistake reminded me to stick to one region, as region switches are rare.

Many NS newcomers are cosmopolitans and I wholeheartedly support this as someone who will never be a cosmopolitan in the future. Many regionalists dunk on cosmos for not committing to one region, or being unreliable, or for having a core age group of 11-16 year olds, but I am glad to see cosmos. Cosmopolitans are not only experiencing the rest of NS and forming their identities, but also actively exposing themselves to not only as many mistakes as possible, but making mistakes themselves. Most cosmopolitans eventually settle down in one region and become regionalists after learning from mistakes, however tiny or large.

After experimenting with cosmopolitanism and switching to become a WA officer in the Rejected Realms, I worked on more WA resolutions until I was exhausted for fall 2021. One skill I fundamentally had was making short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans, and as an ambitious child, my long-term plan was Speaker -> Officer -> Delegate in a year or so. But part of this plan was being a consistent, reliable, and hardworking Officer, which I was for months during Agalaesia’s delegacy. He resigned a month before his term ended, and I opted to run for election. This would be my biggest “skill-check” yet, which I failed. Here I made the most mistakes in the shortest period in my time on NS.

Around this time, which I want to say was November 2021, was an “NS Day” event, which had various events about NS history and similar stuff. It is for certain the most unique event in recent memory, although maybe not the most enjoyable. There was some segment asking “What Would You Do?” in various positions, and for a question asking about your response to a hypothetical coup of the East Pacific, I gave the incorrect answer of “I would carefully decide what option to take to benefit TRR the most”. Since TEP is an ally of TRR, the correct answer is “We would support our ally’s legitimate government in retaking the region from their illegitimate coupers”, but I had little experience in foreign affairs at the time and was unfit to serve as delegate of the Rejected Realms. I had also, in trying to correct my earlier mistake of making campaigns “short and sweet”, written an overly long and ambitious campaign that promised too much. In some part of the campaign I had also advocated for something that implied that foreign ambassadors should become heavily involved in the affairs of their assigned region, which is generally distasteful and weakened my election chances further. This is why I lost the election, and thankfully allowed me to learn from my mistakes and become a better NS player. I would like to thank Guy for reassuring me about the loss after the election, as well as Salem for dealing with my shit.

Around this point, I had already been friends with Quebecshire for a few months, who at this point was widely friendly and respectable, which has narrowed since then but isn’t fully gone. I had also been friends with Salem for a few months, who joined TRR in summer 2021 under an alt. Apart from them, my Cards friends among others had been talking for a few months in a shadow cabal behind most actions in this game. Quebec, GK, and HS joined this shadow cabal in January 2022, when I was back as a WA officer in TRR, and around this point in late Winter, early Spring 2022 that I can say that GK and HS became friends, even if I had been familiar with them for a little under 2 years at the time. I’m glad these lovely individuals are both my friends and now power players, as being friends with influential players helps your own career.

In March 2022, while Reliant stuff was semi-ongoing, I sought to learn from my mistakes and learn how to conduct foreign affairs, which I asked Frattastan for help with. I believe he was TRR FA officer at this point. I’ll say the lessons he shared with me in Section II, but he helped me gain confidence in myself and accelerated my progress in becoming politically good. Nakari, the delegate at the time who beat me, resigned also in March. She had used the tool Reliant before and, due to the hysteria and uncertainty surrounding moderation’s eventual ruling on the tool, didn’t want to be punished for her use of it and get WA banned while she was TRR delegate. So I ran, as did Dyl, another ambitious TRRer who had served as Officer a few times. This time, I made fewer mistakes. Perhaps none, or at least nothing glaring. What I had gathered, however, was that Dyl was attempting to procure votes by DMing citizens about the elections, which was the first time this had happened in 4 years. I had no idea of what to do, and this stressed me out loads, since I worried he would beat me. It’s a little fuzzy how I managed to come out on top – I believe other Rejects aware of the situation and pitying me were counter-campaigning to get people to vote for me. Some citizens switched their votes and I narrowly came out on top. This was the most stressed I had ever been on NS, but it worked out in the end. I can’t, however, say I learned what to do when an opponent was being desperate and trying to obtain votes through frowned-upon measures. This would bite me in 6 months.

I did end up completing my 1-year goal, however narrowly. I was also maybe the second delegate of a GCR at age 14, alongside Milo, and if I beat Nakari it would have been at age 13. I suppose there’s reasons that nobody in 19 years had become a GCR delegate at age 13 though.

Regardless, I was pretty active in my first few months in office. I worked on Outreach things and eventually approached the League for a treaty, as well as finalized the Aegis Accords, which we had entered as a founding member during Nakari’s administration. These two were eventually ratified, and things were broadly happening, being realized, and/or being discussed thoroughly. In early July or so, besides the whole Operation Ragnarok stuff and the ratification of the treaty with the League, I realized I had to step away from NS for three weeks because I was going to a summer camp without internet access. I was worried here of a foreign attempt of taking the delegacy while I was absent, but I notified relevant people ahead of time and citizens a week in advance. At some point, and I can’t fully remember by who, but I think it might have been GK, I was told to have trust in TRR’s institutions and treaty network. I trusted these already, but knowing to trust them instead of figuring to trust them was helpful. Thankfully, after the 3 weeks, nothing too horrible happened.

Around this time, we were also considering relations with Europeia, who had around this time period befriended the League and TGW, and overall gotten friendlier with defenders. I had just started my obsession with music of all forms, and so we were in the early stages of planning a music-based cultural event. Around this time was also the effort to repeal and replace Commend Europeia. We opposed the new Commend on text-related reasons, not political reasons, however the damage was done and Europeia recognized that the two regions maybe weren’t fit to have relations if one wouldn’t support another’s commend which the subject was happy with. What also didn’t help was how early I voted against the commend, which was maybe 2 minutes after it came up for vote. This would appear as if I was eager to shoot it down, which would look hostile. Overall, this was a mistake.

Another mistake around this period was The Beholder. I had become semi-interested in writing articles but felt too limited by my delegacy to write under the Minskiev name and have to still represent my region. But I also recognized that I knew little about writing under an anonymous account or in general, so I decided to create The Beholder and test the waters with a low-effort, uninspired essay that, if traced back to me, would not hurt my region. I confided this with Honeydewistania, who looked over the essay I wrote in 15-ish minutes about how the SC is a political instrument or something. The essay was purposefully bland and this led to a lot of sharp criticism from people who noticed that it was, indeed, bland and uninspired. I was nervous about it, but eventually realized that I was glad to have done the essay because I learned what to expect from writing anonymously. One critic, Quebec, who agreed with the essay but disliked its blandness, traced it back to me, but understood my circumstances. Quebec is very good at picking up on tone and otherwise knowing how to write for NS things. I have a semi-consistent writing style, which I hoped wouldn’t be picked up on, but consists of either the use of “eminently” or a shit ton of adverbs. Generally, perfectly, awfully, etc. I like modifiers. Regardless, he discovered it was me but to my knowledge hasn’t told anyone. Thanks Q. He offered to pitch in a little and we wrote one essay but never released it, and we probably won’t in the future. Anyway, when you write anonymously, expect harsh criticism and calls to come out publicly. You OOC will have to deal with it, even if you IC are somewhat spared.

After my 3 week absence, my first term slowed down. School started in September and my sophomore year of high school, which started in September, was far busier than my freshman year, which ended in June. Nonetheless, I made up my mind that I wanted to run for re-election in October, which would make me the first Delegate to not resign before the end of their term since Jack, 5 delegacies ago. This election would prove to be even more stressful than the first. Bow, who was my primary opponent, and like Dyl, also tried to procure votes by DM campaigning, and I hadn’t fully grasped how to respond to this. I tried to indirectly cast shade on him for this, which only really led to bickering. The correct course of action against an opponent who is DM campaigning for votes even if it is frowned upon in the region, is to openly and directly say that they are campaigning through DMs and procuring votes that way, including to inactive citizens (if they are sending DMs to inactive citizens; if they are not, don’t say they are). Then foster a discussion around it and don’t be indirect or imply things. Just be civil and let voters decide how they feel about it. Regardless, I didn’t do this, and so the election was stressful and close, and like the last one, down to the wire. Karp “tested” me by seeing if I would ask for his vote in his DMs, and I was desperate, so I cheekily asked for it, which failed the test. At this point, I probably should have lost the re-election, since that felt like enough skill checks I had failed, but I pulled ahead by one vote and some hard lessons learned.

Around this time, Quebec and Andy drifted apart and Quebec left the shadow cabal. I still had school but my main effort for the first few months of my second term was with the Modern Gameplay Compact, which formed around then. Particularly, MGC sanctions prohibited BoM members from joining events involving members of the MGC. One such member is TNP, TRR’s only ally among the MGC member regions. A consequence of the sanctions was that, if TRR and TNP held a cultural event, TRR citizens like Koth, Souls, or Dawn couldn't participate. This held true even if the event was held on TRR soil or in a neutral server under the Ghost administration. Since TRR citizens have a right to attend TRR events, should they not be OOC banned (which they were not), this was a problem that needed to be addressed. The culture clause between TRR and TNP was relatively vague in this instance, and unfortunately after some days of long discussions with Ghost in December, we had come to a stalemate. So we decided to wait Ghost out until he would be replaced by Hulldom in mid-January, which proved to be the winning strategy. Hulldom was much more amenable to allowing TRR citizens who were also BoM members to attend events hosted by TRR and TNP and editing the MGC sanctions to allow for this. This took a few weeks to realize, due to internal MGC struggles, but we were eventually successful. The takeaway is: analyze your options thoroughly, you should have at least 3. I had 6. Unless, of course, TEP is couped and your treaty with them forces you to support them.

After this, most things happened internally, alas, but there was lots of cabinet discussion about events surrounding us. This is good. Be open with your cabinet and let them know what’s happening. Focus on integrating promising citizens, also. It’s a Delegate’s job to help their Officers, however new, with learning the ropes until they become seasoned and reliable helping hands. Discussion and communication is always good. Extend this to your allies – know to discuss and communicate with them where relevant. Extend this to your citizenry, and always be either eager to share government affairs with your citizens or have it as second-nature, not as a chore you forget to do occasionally. Communication always helps.

II: Lessons I’ve Learned

This will be a list. Sorry for making you read all of that.

• Trust your region’s institutions. Trust your region’s long standing members to help you with IC things you are struggling with.
• Know how to write – this includes tone and how to quickly and smoothly switch tones, being conscious of your speaking style, knowing what you’re communicating, and knowing when to communicate.
• Make friends early and hold onto them. Support them in their rise to power if you plan to do so, and support them after they've made mistakes.
• Know what skills are necessary to succeed in your ambitions and who to learn from. For politics, this may mean knowing foreign affairs fundamentals; how to talk with cabinet; how to argue in support of your plans; how to be a good, communicative, and reliable ally; and how to discuss measures internally. For the social side of NS, this may mean how to make friends, how to write, how to talk (not necessarily vocal: this is how to write but not in NSGP contexts), or where to spend time on NS.
• Know foreign affairs fundamentals.
  
  1. Have a solid grasp on where major regions stand. This means alliances, alignment, conflicts, stances on certain IC issues, and past actions. This may be a lot but you only have to know most of it, because others will know the rest. Regularly check on events elsewhere to not be overwhelmed by it suddenly.
  2. Know how to predict. Know how to predict if an election will cause an important change (like Hulldom’s election did for me), know how to predict if two formerly close regions are moving away from each other, if two formerly distant regions are growing closer to each other. Know how to predict if something important will happen if a region is torn by drama or deeply inactive.
  3. Always begin with your region’s identity or values for guidance whenever you are unsure about plans or a decision.
  4. Always know how your decision may affect allied or friendly regions. You don’t always need to agree with allies, and your allies don’t always need to agree with you, but know if an action of yours might annoy them.
  5. Always stick to treaty obligations. Make your region a reliable region, not an unreliable one, as reliability is long-lasting. This is especially pertinent in light of recent events.
  6. Be principled and unafraid to be firm, but don’t posture.
  7. Know when to escalate and when to do damage control. Statements are also for extraordinary situations like announcing a major policy or when everyone wants to publicly know your position, but inflammatory statements can be the right or incredibly wrong choice.
• Don’t make important communications “short and sweet” for the sake of it.
• Don’t make important communications over the top or promise too much.
• Be careful and experiment with things safely.
• Know how to campaign. Big, guiding ideas are nice, but sometimes the status quo is ideal.

III: How To Apply

This mostly applies to either leadership or those with ambitions in leadership, but for young NSers still just trying to find their way, I want to emphasize the point about finding friends. Friends are why we play NS and friends support us. Friends stick together and help each other through hard times. Friends are incredibly valuable on NS, and I would try to make some firm friends as soon as possible, through mutual interest or something similar. Friends don’t necessarily have to be mentors either. While I’d consider someone like Fratt a friend and a mentor, in NS contexts, Fratt is only a mentor. It may help to find friends from the same “rise”. Power on NS generally cycles through a few hands outside of places like Balder, the NPO, or Lazarus, and friends are usually people at the same stage of power at the time. This is why friends support each other to the top.

That being said, if you do have ambitions for leadership, then use the ones needed when already in leadership to heart and save them for later, while practicing your political and social skills and also exploring NS and forming your identity.

IV: Skills in Particular and their Masters

How to Write and Talk: Quebecshire

Quebec’s a writer, from his anti-OFO essays to his forum baiting to his occasional statements of note. He is also one of the best in the game at various aspects of writing and talking. He’s incredibly good at picking up on tones and speaking styles – this is why he knew who was behind the Beholder. Sometimes you may see Quebec calmly chatting to someone about something, and then suddenly the tone of the conversation is much more aggressive and controlled. He can shitpost, then suddenly it’s not a shitpost, then suddenly it’s something diplomatic. But it’s not really jarring, it’s well-executed. Quebec knows how to write and talk to argue his points or say what he wants to say. Look at how he says things. The content doesn’t matter.

How to Make Friends: Grea Kriopia, Salem, Varanius

These NSers are all popular, and for good reason. They can be lovely people and talk to people about all sorts of interests, and I can say that all three are my friends. What’s more, is they all made friends early that have stayed with them throughout their career, and they can make new friends in the meantime outside of their close, initial group.

GK made early friends in XKI which got her through some early trouble, made more defender friends in Libcord and TGW, and became Defender of the Year as a diplomatic stalwart who has brought many regions closer to TGW. She’s also comfortable with making new friends about other interests and is generally reliable. Of the three listed, she is the best at having these friends help her career, and this list is ordered.

Salem made his friends in TBH and Europeia early on and rose to the top of the militaries. He’s incredibly popular and probably better at making friends than GK is due to how often he focuses on social matters and just how many people he talks to and befriends. He’s moved regions and alignments a few times though, and while he’s been very powerful at many points in his career, GK’s been better with getting her friends to support her. Still, seriously, talk to Salem, because he’s great for a long conversation and is a good storyteller as well as a good friend, not to mention being very good at making close friends.

Vara’s been GP’s most popular twice now, so it’s only fair to include him. He makes friends: his interest in Tetris made him friends in NS Tetris, and like me, his interest in Cards made him friends in Cards. He also quickly held to TWP, even after going through a cosmo phase, and made friends with TWPers to support him there. Elsewhere, he’s made friends with other powerful Independents, some defenders, and some raiders. Even with a harsh attitude towards some, he’s perfectly nice and bullyable, or good at teasingly bullying. So he is good at making friends, but I still put him last here. His friends’ support is usually built on a bunch of conditionals, which is why he’s drifted apart from some powerful Independents multiple times. And while his private friend server is active and influential, most happenings there at the higher-level are superficial and not true to normal NS operations or friendships.

How to Conduct FA: MadJack

MJ’s been on this site for a while and has picked up a thing or two on how to do FA. Without a doubt, he is simply excellent at FA. He is great at analyzing options, he knows how to write, he knows how to communicate in cabinet, he knows how to be a reliable ally, and he knows how to discuss internally. Plus, of course, the fundamentals are down. I don’t know if he is fundamentally politically skilled, but he is very good at what he does. While public statements are probably the best shot that everyone has to see how MJ excels, if you ever get the privilege of working with MJ on FA matters, even if you two are opposed, take note of his choices and how he discusses matters.

V: Thank Yous

I want to thank the following especially for making my NS experience more enjoyable:

Fratt, for being trustworthy, reliable, and a large part of why I enjoy TRR culture,

UPC, for being a hardworking and awesome friend for 2 years, not 2 weeks,

Andy, for being a hilarious, mood-lightening presence in any conversation,

Salem, for being someone that I can talk to about many things and anything,

Cat, for being a lighthearted and lovely troll who can always be counted on.

I hope young NSers can understand my failures and succeed in their own prolific careers-to-come. Thank you.

A Rejected Rejected Times: an elite theory analysis

Opinion | WRITTEN BY Glacikaldr | EDITED BY TRT Staff

[Editor’s Note: Like all opinion pieces submitted to the Times, this article does not reflect the opinions of the government of The Rejected Realms or those of TRT itself. Enjoy!]

Congratulations to the Rejected Realms for reaching its twenty-year anniversary.

However, we ought to be honest about the state of our Realms and how this has impacted our now less so beloved publication as of late. To help articulate my thoughts, I will be applying the elite theory to the Rejected Realms’ (TRR) particular flavour of democracy.

A term as Delegate typically solidifies your place within the elite inner circle of TRR. As a popularity contest among our active citizenry that often numbers among the low tens, winning this election puts you in significant standing with all other nations holding citizenship. But to have even reached this throne, there are concessions to be made. The elites are powerbrokers in this game, and their votes can sway the election as many people will follow their reasoning.

Oftentimes, I recall Emperor Palpatine declaring his love for democracy when I try to ponder what makes the Realms' democracy tick. The legitimacy and power the elites have accrued over their terms of power, both in the region as well as their moderation of the Realms' website and adminship of the Realms' Discord, has emerged as a natural byproduct of the Realms' direct democracy across a very small number of the total nations in the Realms. This in-group is kept under tight control through the barrier a citizenship application through a forum poses to nations only prepared to be present gameside. This divide between have and have-not nations exemplifies the in-group and out-group culture in the Realms.

When it comes to gameside, TRR has always had to solely rely on soft power for internal security, unlike other regional governments which can compliment soft power with the hard power of ejections and banjections. As a region fit for Rejects, the soft power exuded through cultivating a strong in-group and out-group culture has been integral to our current approach to internal security. Intraregionally, TRR has dedicated itself to Defenderism through the Rejected Realms Army (RRA) for its intraregional defence, so that a large interregional group of nations dedicated to guaranteeing independence in most of its forms is only a call away every update to come to the Realms’ aid. Turning to raiderdom for the same would be a far more precarious position, unless we were to condemn the Realms to the fate of a dysfunctional warzone fit for gameplay alone. The RRA not only understands this dependence but also has overlapping ties with the elites of TRR as a result.

On the other hand, you have The Rejected Times (TRT). TRT was once relied on for its soft power, however, it has since been led by nations who do not hold as much legitimacy within the Realms, condemning TRT to being a benign force, if not an outright threat to, our interregional security whenever challenging the predominant narratives of the elites. I am one such nation who has never been able to ascend the ranks. For the astute reader, you have noticed how the Media Officer title has given way to the Editor-in-Chief title as of late. Our authors have been reassured by the elites that this change is in TRT’s best interests, as it means we can publish articles independent of a government veto. Nevertheless, the elites of TRT remain involved and influential within the publication, vigilant of how ambitious nations not in the in-group approach the publication.

Unfortunately, in practice, excluding TRT from the regional government has only solidified the power of the elites. The most clear avenue to challenge the importance of TRT and its Editor-in-Chief if ever deemed unruly is the ease in which doubt can now be cast to the importance of the publication among new nations granted citizenship looking for ways to ascend. TRT can be easily explained away as a no longer relevant body existing outside of the regional government's control. The ease in which TRT can be ridiculed by the regional government and the elites with this newfound independence is by design. If TRT ever steps out of line, new nations applying for citizenship can be steered away from the publication, with the elites knowing that new nations applying for citizenship remains our largest recruitment source.

This dynamic at play explains why you have slowly witnessed TRT’s diligent authors step away from the publication, focusing their efforts elsewhere within TRR if anywhere at all. Whether this factor will contribute to TRT’s total demise remains to be seen as the few of us left still choose to keep the publication barely afloat regardless of benefit or detriment to our nations’ standing in the Realms. I will allow myself to be naive for a moment and hope this article inspires the elites of TRR to distance themselves from the illusion of independence being in the interest of TRT. I fear that this honesty from the elites is all that will allow our citizenry to once again, and now more seriously, consider the future of journalism in our region. I would much rather the elites use TRT for its potential soft power than discard TRT entirely as they are currently choosing to do.

”Where are the Defenders?” - by Minskiev


”Untitled” - by Toerana

From the Desk of the Editor: Acknowledgments and More

Let me first of all thank you for taking the time to read this very special issue. As of 2023, I’ve been writing for TRT for nearly six years (on and off). Working on issue after issue has proven to be pretty tedious at times (but never boring) but I’ve always enjoyed collaborating with other people, especially other writers, and the feedback that follows any release.

Shortly after joining TRR I met Glacikaldr (also known as PowerPAOK and Nequedum). I could regale you, our readers, with memories of the past and character profiles but I’ll try to avoid doing that. Neq has been a constant in TRT since joining in 2017 with him serving as Deputy Media Officer and Media Officer multiple times before the formal separation of our humble media conglomerate from the government. Neq is the hardest working player I know and he’s shown that he truly cares about TRR through his service in the region. He’s additionally shown that he isn’t afraid to be loud and speak out, even if his opinion isn’t the most popular. With that being said, I’d like to thank him for his help not just with this issue but with every issue we’ve worked on together for the past 5 and 1/2 years.

Much later on, I met Bowshot/Toerana. Bowshot is one of the most divisive people I’ve ever met on this site (believe it or not, that’s a compliment!) and he’s not afraid to bare his teeth. His service to the region is commendable in itself but since TRT’s rebranding with the passage of the TRRMC Constituting Act, he’s served as Editor-in-Chief and contributed to multiple issues. Definitely the king of critical feedback.

Next, it’s time for a two-in-one: Agalaesia and Minskiev. Both Delegates of TRR, both excellent contributors. Aga has served as Editor-in-Chief of TRT since its rebranding, in fact, he was our first EiC under the new system. His dedication is admirable and his sarcasm is seldom-unmatched. Minskiev in a similar vein has written several excellent articles throughout his time in the region and assisted with editing issues in the past. He displayed a remarkable show of penmanship in this issue that I was frankly impressed with. It was a real f#cking textwall.

Lastly, I’d like to thank TRT Staff (especially our new contributors) and you, our readers. Without your support, especially through these past few difficult years, it’s hard to say if we would’ve continued to survive as a media outlet. But, we’re here to stay. Thanks for that.

NOTE: The Rejected Times does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Rejected Realms.

Discuss this Issue over on the NationStates forum here.

Find The Rejected Times Index here.

Direct any complaints here.

The Times would like to acknowledge the ongoing support of our Subscribers:
[nation=noflag]Glacikaldr[/nation], [nation=noflag]Fauxia[/nation], [nation=noflag]mans0n[/nation], [nation=noflag]NOrTh pAcIfiC spY[/nation], [nation=noflag]Trabardia[/nation], [nation=noflag]Dixadoing[/nation], [nation=noflag]All Wild Things[/nation], [nation=noflag]Eseral[/nation], [nation=noflag]North Prarie[/nation], [nation=noflag]Asdersland[/nation], [nation=noflag]Windchia[/nation], [nation=noflag]Apple-Loosa[/nation], [nation=noflag]Crazybloxian Empire[/nation], [nation=noflag]Hydra dragon[/nation], [nation=noflag]Jar Wattinree[/nation], [nation=noflag]Libetarian Republics[/nation], [nation=noflag]Zip[/nation], [nation=noflag]Imperium of The Huron[/nation], [nation=noflag]Ctesiphonis[/nation], [nation=noflag]Renegalle[/nation], [nation=noflag]Nintendo Switch Parental Controls[/nation], [nation=noflag]Mynation[/nation], [nation=noflag]Morover[/nation], [nation=noflag]Hindu Mahasabha[/nation], [nation=noflag]Bormiar[/nation], [nation=noflag]Zealandiana[/nation], [nation=noflag]The Ivaland[/nation], [nation=noflag]Abbots[/nation], [nation=noflag]Carropia[/nation], [nation=noflag]Yen Eef[/nation], [nation=noflag]Democratic Republic Of Unified States[/nation], [nation=noflag]Lifeeeeee[/nation], [nation=noflag]Sensorland[/nation], [nation=noflag]The Human Core Council[/nation], [nation=noflag]Outboundstagnate[/nation], [nation=noflag]Dogelore007[/nation], [nation=noflag]Information of The Communist Bloc[/nation], [nation=noflag]Lansaka[/nation], [nation=noflag]Eleutherosophia[/nation], [nation=noflag]Caduceo[/nation], [nation=noflag]Pilgrimtown[/nation], [nation=noflag]The Lazytown[/nation], [nation=noflag]The Hope Hills[/nation], [nation=noflag]Mecotla[/nation], [nation=noflag]ColdShadow[/nation], [nation=noflag]La Republique Louisianaise[/nation], [nation=noflag]Ebonhand[/nation], [nation=noflag]Awesomeland012345[/nation], [nation=noflag]Whole India[/nation], [nation=noflag]Croatian empaths[/nation], [nation=noflag]Dyllypoly[/nation], [nation=noflag]FNU[/nation], [nation=noflag]The 3rd Reich Remnants[/nation], [nation=noflag]Tuirsland[/nation], [nation=noflag]Shaggenheim[/nation], [nation=noflag]Joe west[/nation], [nation=noflag]Dolphin Republic[/nation], [nation=noflag]Myehn[/nation], [nation=noflag]SuperSlav[/nation], [nation=noflag]Muscao[/nation], [nation=noflag]Defense For The World Assembly[/nation], [nation=noflag]The Komak Tribe[/nation], [nation=noflag]Luxize[/nation], [nation=noflag]Blueea[/nation], [nation=noflag]So Pep[/nation], [nation=noflag]Sky Point[/nation], [nation=noflag]Sha Omia[/nation], [nation=noflag]Watedinia[/nation], [nation=noflag]Hegvanigson[/nation], [nation=noflag]Sea Shep[/nation], [nation=noflag]Chr Carlavikay[/nation], [nation=noflag]Ikatha[/nation]

[One Small Island]

Some interesting reads here!

[MANS0N]

Some interesting reads here!

thanks

[Malphe II]

A very good read, particularly enjoyed Glacikaldr's and Westinor's articles.

[MANS0N]

A very good read, particularly enjoyed Glacikaldr's and Westinor's articles.

Thank you!

[All Wild Things]

Loved that! And happy 20th!

[Maadi]

Nice breadth of topics covered in this issue's articles. Well done!

[Unibot III]

What a lovely read! Westinor and Neq’s pieces popped out to me too. It’s funny how the game changes, the players change, and yet the texture of a world and its communities can remain so familiar eight years on. I know for sure that my friend Kog would be beaming with pride if he knew his paper was still rolling on and provoking discourse and discussion.

[Galactic Powers]

So glad TRT is back. Good articles all around.