at which case this draft would have been due to upload some time mid 2018,
but I heard about this contest about strangest possible issue.
No idea if this is strange enough, but given it actually happened in the U.S. and it's still strange to me,
I figured it'd be a good draft of mine to upload. :3
I should also note that I was going to replace "aliens" with "alien nationstates", which I can still do,
but option 4 makes that seem way less amusing.
I hope you enjoy!
Edit: P.S. I don't know if either of the validities are even necessary, but in case they are, I added them.
Title: War Of The... Wait, False Alarm!
The Issue: A radio station hosted a realistic production called "Combat of the Globes", a war-themed story about aliens invading @@NAME@@. Unfortunately, it was so realistic that when thousands of listeners tuned in late, they believed that @@NAME@@ was actually under attack.
Validity: Nation has radio
Option 1: A police officer by the name of @@RANDOMNAME@@ furiously glares at you. "Do you know how much panic this production caused? I spent all day calming citizens down and showing them that it was just a production. You need to ban things this realistic from being on radio, before something far worse happens because everyone panicked over something fiction. Calming productions like Peace of the Planets, on the other hand, should be fine, as long as they're clearly stated that they're not real - as frequently as possible."
[effect]the only works of fiction allowed on radio are fairy tales which are stated as such every two minutes
Option 2: "This is what we get for having fiction on radio in the first place!" rages @@RANDOMNAME@@, a famous newscaster who is covered in @@HIS@@ groceries. "Why do people even listen to radio, these days? Obviously, if they're too dull and gullible to get with the times, then only non-fiction facts should be displayed on radio. If people want entertainment, they can get a TV or something."
[effect]radios are the most boring thing in @@NATION@@
Option 3: You hear the host of the radio station - which aired the production in question - speaking over the radio. "We apologize that our production caused massive alarm, but we had good intentions! All we wished to do was create a realistic story for people to enjoy and get involved - albeit not this involved. Sure, some people may want us to be more careful, but I say that in the name of freedom and public entertainment, we should be able to host whatever program we want - even if some people get into a little panic!"
[effect]widespread panic is so frequent that most people ignore actual emergencies
Option 4: "You know what? This gives me an idea," schemes someone who's dressed up in an alien costume and has a rather familiar voice. "What if we actually pretend that aliens did invade @@NAME@@? Everyone would think that they've taken over our government, and would bow down to our every command in fear of being destroyed! That'll really boost our economy!" You recognize the voice to be your brother's.
[effect]the government attributes most of the negative consequences of its policies to the aliens that have "invaded" @@NAME@@