[Submitted] Sextual Healing

[Chan Island]

Your long-running text message correspondence with a high profile public supporter has taken a drastic sudden turn as they have started to send you flirty, romantic advances. As your phone now triumphantly displays a very *suggestive* picture of them, your mind races and races.

validity: not valid for classroom nations
not valid for nations without mobile phones or internet

[option] Your first thought is straightforward enough. This is sexual harassment, right?! No matter what this person has done for you in the past, this crosses a line that shouldn't be accepted. Your finger hovers over to the screen capture button, and you try to recall who you'll get to punish them. Maybe this could even set a precedent for all the victims of this kind of gross behaviour.
[effect] texting a lover about a hook up is illegal.

[option] But you hesitate. You have to admit, there is an exciting call of the void here. This person is definitely your type, and they did you a huge favour that time they spoke out in favour of one of your less popular policies. Curiosity blossoms. It's been too long since you had a new lover, you reckon, full of intimacy and exploding passion. What are they like in bed? What do they pillow talk about? Damn what the outrage moralists will say, what harm can a few sext messages really do? Is encouraging free love such a bad thing?
[effect] @@LEADER@@ has more affairs than fingers

[option] Yet, you haven't even started to sext back when you reconsider. No, the risk of doing this is too great. What would the family think if it came out? How would the public react? Would the people in your life ever look at you the same again? But what if they pitied you, and thought you were a victim? There'd be more uncomfortable questions than you'd ever want to deal with. Maybe just a simple rebuttal could keep this under wraps, remind them of who they are talking to, and to knock it off. Just like all those other unpopular decisions that could be hidden away. You can just be friends, right?
[effect] a prominent public personality is slandering @@LEADER@@ like a spurned lover

[option] The door flies open without even as much as a tap, and civil servant @@RANDOMNAME@@ barges in holding a mountain of papers. @@HE@@ glances at your phone and frowns: "On the phone again, boss? I know it's not my place, but I've just brought you all of the new laws and petitions you need to deal with, and frankly things'll be much better if you just put the phone away and get to signing, please. There's a lot of work to do. We spend too much time on those things."
[effect] a record number of new laws have been passed without comment

[Daarwyrth]

Oh my dear, you really went and made it

Your long-running text message correspondence with a high profile public supporter has taken a drastic sudden turn as they have started to send you flirty, romantic advances. As your phone now triumphantly displays a very *suggestive* picture of them, your mind races and races.

I know I said in the Discord server that I thought there should also be a national element, but now that I read this, I think it works better as a personal premise, well done!

this crosses a line that cannot be accepted

Perhaps consider changing this to "this crosses a line of decency that shouldn't be accepted", albeit it's fine as it is now as well.

you try to recall who call to punish them

This sounds a little borked. Add a "to" after "who", or consider rephrasing this bit.

and they did do

Perhaps this could be rephrased as well? Not sure, though.

Overall, I really like the tone of the issue, and I think its refreshing to see a highly personal issue for once. There's two concerns I have, the first one being player autonomy. In quite a few places you say things like "you hesitate" or "Your finger hovers over to the screen capture button". I am not sure whether these would be acceptable in terms of player autonomy, or whether they infringe upon it. The second concern I have, is that there is a lack of national policies that could come from it. Only the first option has one, so maybe you could try to think of a creative way to sneak a national policy into every option? In the sense that every option will also have an effect on the nation? Could be that I am wrong in this concern, of course.

[Chan Island]

Oh my dear, you really went and made it

Your long-running text message correspondence with a high profile public supporter has taken a drastic sudden turn as they have started to send you flirty, romantic advances. As your phone now triumphantly displays a very *suggestive* picture of them, your mind races and races.

I know I said in the Discord server that I thought there should also be a national element, but now that I read this, I think it works better as a personal premise, well done!

this crosses a line that cannot be accepted

Perhaps consider changing this to "this crosses a line of decency that shouldn't be accepted", albeit it's fine as it is now as well.

you try to recall who call to punish them

This sounds a little borked. Add a "to" after "who", or consider rephrasing this bit.

and they did do

Perhaps this could be rephrased as well? Not sure, though.

Overall, I really like the tone of the issue, and I think its refreshing to see a highly personal issue for once. There's two concerns I have, the first one being player autonomy. In quite a few places you say things like "you hesitate" or "Your finger hovers over to the screen capture button". I am not sure whether these would be acceptable in terms of player autonomy, or whether they infringe upon it. The second concern I have, is that there is a lack of national policies that could come from it. Only the first option has one, so maybe you could try to think of a creative way to sneak a national policy into every option? In the sense that every option will also have an effect on the nation? Could be that I am wrong in this concern, of course.

Glad you like it!

All suggestions implemented, they are good ideas. Hopefully the national implications are not too ham-fistedly thrown in.

As for player autonomy, I don't think they are super huge violations, just what the person spends less than a second doing on their phone. That is hardly a giant assumption, and can easily be chalked up to the character getting into the moment. Will happily reduce it further though if others object.

[Electrum]

Great stuff.

The second concern I have, is that there is a lack of national policies that could come from it. Only the first option has one, so maybe you could try to think of a creative way to sneak a national policy into every option? In the sense that every option will also have an effect on the nation? Could be that I am wrong in this concern, of course.

I think the editors can work out which stats can go with which issue, like in "Who Comes Up With This Ship?"

Option 2 doesn't talk about sexting at all, but it is then introduced in option 3. Could you somehow weave it in option 2?

Option 3 talks about "what will x think" but they will only think that if news of the relationship/affair/whatever comes out. So maybe insert a line about "What would the family think if it came out?".

[Chan Island]

Great stuff.

The second concern I have, is that there is a lack of national policies that could come from it. Only the first option has one, so maybe you could try to think of a creative way to sneak a national policy into every option? In the sense that every option will also have an effect on the nation? Could be that I am wrong in this concern, of course.

I think the editors can work out which stats can go with which issue, like in "Who Comes Up With This Ship?"

Option 2 doesn't talk about sexting at all, but it is then introduced in option 3. Could you somehow weave it in option 2?

Option 3 talks about "what will x think" but they will only think that if news of the relationship/affair/whatever comes out. So maybe insert a line about "What would the family think if it came out?".

All great suggestions, edited to comply.

Anything else?

[Candlewhisper Archive]

I appreciate the attempt to present a narrative in a new way, but there's too much here telling me how I am thinking and feeling. Those things are up to the player to decide -- what the player thinks and feels is what LEADER thinks and feels.

Instead, try to frame the information in terms of what you see or hear. Or just have a load of people peering over your shoulder and offering opinions.

[Daarwyrth]

Or just have a load of people peering over your shoulder and offering opinions.

Ooh, I really like this approach. It could be really funny to have all kinds of people commenting on the situation, so the red thread of the issue would essentially be @@LEADER@@ having zero privacy.

[Chan Island]

I appreciate the attempt to present a narrative in a new way, but there's too much here telling me how I am thinking and feeling. Those things are up to the player to decide -- what the player thinks and feels is what LEADER thinks and feels.

Instead, try to frame the information in terms of what you see or hear. Or just have a load of people peering over your shoulder and offering opinions.

Or just have a load of people peering over your shoulder and offering opinions.

Ooh, I really like this approach. It could be really funny to have all kinds of people commenting on the situation, so the red thread of the issue would essentially be @@LEADER@@ having zero privacy.

While I must admit I am fond of the idea, at the moment I am unwilling to change it. I don't think this is a huge violation- the entire thing is just the thoughts that spam in the leader's head in a couple of seconds, while on their phone. People have random thoughts all the time, especially in the wake of something as inherently "special", as getting unpredicted sexts. Followed immediately after by a rude speaker who barges in on their privacy already.

It's the only real attempt at a more psychological story-telling issue I know of, and the issue + situation is about as good as it gets for such a thing. And that's something worth doing, just for the inherent interest that generates. Virtually every single other issue in the game already has people coming up the leader and offering their opinions.

[Trotterdam]

It's the only real attempt at a more psychological story-telling issue I know of,

There's #568 option 4, and #1422.

I also remember seeing something in the forum, but I'm not sure if it was the original draft for #1422 or some other issue that didn't make it.

[Chan Island]

It's the only real attempt at a more psychological story-telling issue I know of,

There's #568 option 4, and #1422.

I also remember seeing something in the forum, but I'm not sure if it was the original draft for #1422 or some other issue that didn't make it.

One option at the end of an issue doesn't really count in my books. It's just a "oh yeah, there's a thing here" instead of an issue that is primarily focused on you formulating a response in the moment.

As for the failed draft, yes, I am familiar with one. Because I wrote it.

[Australian rePublic]

Option 3- wait, you haven't told them to stop? How do you plan to implement option 1 if you hadn't even asked them to stop?

[Candlewhisper Archive]

I appreciate the attempt to present a narrative in a new way, but there's too much here telling me how I am thinking and feeling. Those things are up to the player to decide -- what the player thinks and feels is what LEADER thinks and feels.

Instead, try to frame the information in terms of what you see or hear. Or just have a load of people peering over your shoulder and offering opinions.

Ooh, I really like this approach. It could be really funny to have all kinds of people commenting on the situation, so the red thread of the issue would essentially be @@LEADER@@ having zero privacy.

While I must admit I am fond of the idea, at the moment I am unwilling to change it. I don't think this is a huge violation- the entire thing is just the thoughts that spam in the leader's head in a couple of seconds, while on their phone. People have random thoughts all the time, especially in the wake of something as inherently "special", as getting unpredicted sexts. Followed immediately after by a rude speaker who barges in on their privacy already.

It's the only real attempt at a more psychological story-telling issue I know of, and the issue + situation is about as good as it gets for such a thing. And that's something worth doing, just for the inherent interest that generates. Virtually every single other issue in the game already has people coming up the leader and offering their opinions.

Fair enough. Writing from the perspective of Leader's thoughts makes for a fun exercise, even if it won't get published. Carry on!

[Laka Strolistandiler]

Maybe you should add an option for nations with outlawed adultery...