NationStates Issues **SPOILER ALERT**

[Frieden-und Freudenland]

#1023 Pure Madness

The Issue

Purity balls have become the latest craze among some social conservatives in @@NAME@@, with many sexual abstinence groups endorsing a ceremony where teenage girls promise to remain chaste until they get married, wearing a ring as a token of that promise. Feminist groups, however, have denounced this practice.

The Debate

1. “This is patriarchy at its worst!” yells women’s rights advocate @@RANDOMNAME@@, author of critical thesis Purity: A History of Ball-Holding in @@NAME@@. “I can’t bear to see any more photos of adolescent girls wearing wedding gowns, pledging their chastity to fathers dressed as bridegrooms. These men seem to think they own their daughters’ bodies, to be transferred to their sons-in-law! Look, @@LEADER@@, I don’t care if a woman wants to remain a virgin until she gets married, but these purity balls objectify women and should be banned.”

2. “Whoa, so are you saying my daughter should stroll around the town with no ring on her finger, spreading the message that she is ‘fair game’ to all the lusty bachelors who are eager to deflower her? What am I, a pimp?” rants @@RANDOMMALENAME@@, an enraged father, brandishing a pitchfork at you. “Teenage licentiousness is out of control in this country. If anything, we should ban premarital sex altogether, and if two unwed individuals are caught fornicating, they should be married to be cleansed of their sin!”

3. “Not having sex before marriage is a bad idea,” chimes in marriage counsellor @@RANDOMNAME@@, carefully positioning herself out of the potential trajectory of the pitchfork. “My conservative clients rushed into marriage without getting to know their prospective spouse well, because it was their only chance to have sex without social backlash; now they all experience marital problems. We should encourage young people to have premarital sex with their partners, to take time to see if they will be compatible, and also inform them about the contraceptive methods available.”

4. “Preposterous!” exclaims @@RANDOMFEMALENAME@@, a conservative but avowedly egalitarian mother, swiftly taking the pitchfork from her husband’s hand and putting it away. “Chastity is important for our youth irrespective of gender, and our government should actively promote purity balls for both boys and girls. That is the only way to safeguard morality.”

Issue by frieden-und_freudenland
Edited by The Free Joy State

Took a stab at guessing Macros.

Congrats on your 14th issue, frieden-und_freudenland! I remember this one being drafted not too long ago.

Thank you, Sacara!

[Australian rePublic]

Go FuF!

[Australian rePublic]

Pure Madness

The Issue

Purity balls have become the latest craze among some social conservatives in Australian rePublic, with many sexual abstinence groups endorsing a ceremony where teenage girls promise to remain chaste until they get married, wearing a ring as a token of that promise. Feminist groups, however, have denounced this practice.

The Debate

“This is patriarchy at its worst!” yells women’s rights advocate Joseph English, author of critical thesis Purity: A History of Ball-Holding in Australian RePublic. “I can’t bear to see any more photos of adolescent girls wearing wedding gowns, pledging their chastity to fathers dressed as bridegrooms. These men seem to think they own their daughters’ bodies, to be transferred to their sons-in-law! Look, Steven Jot, I don’t care if a woman wants to remain a virgin until she gets married, but these purity balls objectify women and should be banned.”

Accept

“Whoa, so are you saying my daughter should stroll around the town with no ring on her finger, spreading the message that she is ‘fair game’ to all the lusty bachelors who are eager to deflower her? What am I, a pimp?” rants Gene MacDonald, an enraged father, brandishing a pitchfork at you. “Teenage licentiousness is out of control in this country. If anything, we should ban premarital sex altogether, and if two unwed individuals are caught fornicating, they should be married to be cleansed of their sin!”

Accept

“Not having sex before marriage is a bad idea,” chimes in marriage counsellor Winston Simpson, carefully positioning himself out of the potential trajectory of the pitchfork. “My conservative clients rushed into marriage without getting to know their prospective spouse well, because it was their only chance to have sex without social backlash; now they all experience marital problems. We should encourage young people to have premarital sex with their partners, to take time to see if they will be compatible, and also inform them about the contraceptive methods available.”

Accept

“Preposterous!” exclaims Luna MacDonald, a conservative but avowedly egalitarian mother, swiftly taking the pitchfork from her husband’s hand and putting it away. “Chastity is important for our youth irrespective of gender, and our government should actively promote purity balls for both boys and girls. That is the only way to safeguard morality.”

Accept

Dismiss This Issue

Issue by The Democratic Island Federation of Frieden-und Freudenland

Edited by The Free Joy State

Latest Forum Threads

[Trotterdam]

Note: the first speaker appears to be capable of being male.

I'm starting to wonder if the women's rights advocate is ever a woman...

[Republic of Ravens]

Note: the first speaker appears to be capable of being male.

I'm starting to wonder if the women's rights advocate is ever a woman...

Yes. I just got this issue, and the women's rights advocate in Option 1 is named Zelda.

[Furry Things]

Issue #1026

Size Matters


The Issue
Historically, the broad international consensus has always been to use the Maxcator Projection to depict the world on flat maps. The downside is that this projection makes Furry Things look disproportionately small, as well as tucking it away on the edge of the map. After a recent TV drama made this a hot topic, disgruntled patriots are pressing you for a government stance on this.

The Debate
“An international standard is good for international trade and communication,” explains Virginia Chapman, director of a bulk exporter specialising in beige sofas and magnolia paint. “We should therefore be encouraging standardisation. I urge you to endorse the Maxcator Projection as the official choice, bringing us in line with the reasonable majority of nations. This will show the world that we’re a nice, inoffensive, conformist nation - the sort of nation that they can do business with.”

Accept

“Furry Things is at the centre of the world culturally and economically,” observes Furry Thingsian Geographic Society president Chun-Li Hyde, tearing up a little as she salutes the flag. “Thus we should be at the centre of the map. Ban the Maxcator Projection in our schools and businesses, and have them use THIS map instead. I call it the Zzyzx Wolfe View. A proud map, for a proud nation!”

Accept

“It’s totally true that changing maps changes perceptions, but you can’t get caught up in toxic patriotism,” argues walking cliché hippy environmentalist Hermes Pond, as he braids beads into his hair and leans a guitar covered with painted flower patterns against your desk. “If you want people to see the world without political distortions or man-made borders, then you need globes. Send globes to every classroom in every school, and teach children that they are citizens of the planet. Dude, this isn’t a game of nation states; it’s a world commune of pan-humanity.”

Accept

“The world? The world that matters ends at our national borders!” proclaims a cigar-smoking man in the shadows. “You should be encouraging people to stay at home and to work for our nation, not to worry about foreign lands. You must only allow the publication of maps up to our national borders. In fact, stop our citizens leaving the country at all: if they never see the outside world, they won’t worry why others have things that they don’t.”

Accept

Issue by The Eye of Candlewhisper Archive

Edited by Candlewhisper Archive

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Great issue, I like that author.

The editor sucks though.

[Fauxia]

Great issue, I like that author.

The editor sucks though.

Really? I think the brilliant editor saved the terrible draft by a bad author.

[Frieden-und Freudenland]

I am wondering why the authors' names include the pre-title, while the names of the editors don't...

[Fauxia]

I am wondering why the authors' names include the pre-title, while the names of the editors don't...

Because editing is a lame job for lame people with lame pretitles that don’t need to be seen.

Besides that editor I just mentioned.

[Trotterdam]

I am wondering why the authors' names include the pre-title, while the names of the editors don't...

Well, for one thing, there are a lot more authors than editors, so seeing an author's name is likely to come with a dose of "so who is that?" while seeing an editor's name is more likely to evoke a reaction of "oh it's that guy again".

[Trotterdam]

#854 option 3 is unavailable for some nations. My data reports 11/13 candidate policies (it's just not a commonly-seen option), but the most plausible one is Autarky.

[Jutsa]

Finally updated everything:
236's been saved in my notes and updated (for the list and NSindex as well). Please confirm if that almost certainly fixed first name is random or not, though...
1002.3's been added; variant requirements noted on the list
1022.5's been added: Could anyone without prisons please confirm whether they get 1022.2, and, if so, whether that option installs prisons? Because if not, that's a bug.
564.2's been save in my notes and updated (for the list and NSindex as well).
991: Nothing here, actually; just reminding myself that I updated the list of religions to include something from this. Thanks for pointing that out, MI <3
1021: Added! (Updated Brancaland on Nations list)
191: Updated (for both the list and NSI. NSI doesn't really take care of old issues )
911: Added! (For both the list and NSI. )
1020.3: Thank you! Added (for both the list and NSI smh) Pretty sure we still need 1020.5 for nations with socialism.
1023: Added! Keep an eye out for 1023.4!
1024: Added!
1026: Added! Keep an eye out for a possible 1026.5, although it's possible this person's smoking illegally anyway given the rest of the option. ALSO check if this option's even available for nations without emigration.
1025: Not found? Interesting. Keep your eyes open!
@854: Updated~ Also added effect lines and stuff to NSI.

That's all for now! Still gotta keep out for a few options though; I'll try to update my list within a few hours.
Thank you all so much! Sorry for the long wait; irl got a bit more complicated for me, and quickly. Thankfully, I think I'm getting used to it, more-or-less.

Final note:
@Gospel Power: Wait until you get a very environmentally friendly option to reallow cars into your nation. If it's too late, though... not the end of the world.
In the future, feel free to ask this sort of question in the Writers' Block, although generally our own guess is the best one to follow.

Final Edit: Let me know if I missed anything!

[Trotterdam]

1026: Added! Keep an eye out for a possible 1026.5, although it's possible this person's smoking illegally anyway given the rest of the option. ALSO check if this option's even available for nations without emigration.

It appears that the effect line of #1026 4 is indeed available to nations which already have the No Emigration flag, though it is technically possible that there is a variant text for the option which acknowledges you already have the policy rather than newly instituting it but has the same effect line, so we'll need someone to report it to be sure.

This person smoking illegally seems somewhat questionable to me, since he's a crazily-obsessed ultra-patriot and, as such, would probably have some respect for your policies. It's hard to smuggle in contraband goods if you've cut all contact with the outside world. I guess you could argue that he thinks his secret connections would enable him to avoid laws that keep down the rest of the citizenry, but that's not really implied.

[Jutsa]

Hmm... a couple things to keep an eye on, then. Thanks, Trot :3

[Furry Things]

1026: Added! Keep an eye out for a possible 1026.5, although it's possible this person's smoking illegally anyway given the rest of the option. ALSO check if this option's even available for nations without emigration.

On 1026.2, you left Zzyzx Wolfe View, but the macro should be @@LEADER@@ View. Also, if there is a 1026.5 variant, Trotterdam isn't seeing it: http://www.mwq.dds.nl/ns/results/1026.html

[Jutsa]

Oh, many thanks! Adding the @@LEADER@@ macro — thought that was a little odd.

Hmm... y'know what, it's possible that last option just doesn't appear for nations without emigration.
Not certain about smoking, though... although, it wouldn't really change the effect line if an option like that existed.

[Jutsa]

A couple other notes:

@911: I'm seriously so thankful for your reporting this, thank you so much.
@1021: Yes, I remember this one's drafting too. Glad to see it in the game
@1023: Also remember this one! FuF is really good at making issues — and ones that the editors are interested in, at that. :3
@1024: I absolutely love that this has been added to the game, now. Singapore no2 really did a great job nailing down the needed reversals.
ed: @1026: CWA you even extended that joke into the headline photo. smh I can't even really express how I'm feeling about this.

[Furry Things]

#603: Not My Idea [Faehig; ed:Candlewhisper Archive]

The Issue
In the throes of an exceptionally lethargic news cycle, the media is turning its attention on the unusual absence of copyright law in @@NAME@@. At the centre of this debate is the author of an obscure book series, who is demanding artistic justice after an online fan fiction based on his work eclipsed its inspiration in popularity.

The Debate
1. "This is just... uurrggghh!" slurs @@RANDOMMALENAME@@, author of The Demon-Wizards of D'haw'e'na'wor, holding an empty bottle of scotch. "I work, nnhh, slave my whole life, put my soul into this... Only to be overshadowed by some, some half-brained teenager who... who... stole my ideas! We need copyright laws back to protect... uh... the dignity of authors!" Finishing his rant, he vomits into a nearby bucket.

2. "I don't see what the big problem is, tbh," remarks TwiliteSlaya123 in an author's note in the latest chapter of Fifty Shades of The Demon-Wizards. "It's just like, I wrote this, kay? Lay off plz! Imo, the government should be supporting us artists! Like by giving me money for being awesome. Next story haz Gay Gandledore setting a dozen Angel-Dragon-Goblins ablaze. 4 teh lulz."

3. "There is a solution to this issue that is absolutely fair, though its a teensy bit complicated," says @@RANDOMFEMALENAME@@, a former copyright lawyer begging for change on the street corner. "You can let people write freely, but at the same time allow for civil court claims for portions of profit, based on the contribution to the creative process the original ideas-makers have. So, if you've got a Demon-Wizard in there, then the author can claim a few percent; if you've got an orc in there, then the George JK Token estate can have a chunk; if you've got a style reminiscent of another author a few percentage to them; and so on. Sure, that'll require a lot of court time and complex legal arguments, but... but... I NEED A JOB! I'm begging you, please!" As the closing statement of her argument, she collapses sobbing, hugging your leg.

603.3 seems to have a socialist variant:

“There is a solution to this issue that is absolutely fair, and free of complications,” says Otohime Leach, a former frustrated author turned Communist Party bureaucrat. “You can let people write freely, but make it clear that the idea of ownership of creative works is capitalist decadence, and that the state holds all copyrights and indeed, all written works of any sort. That way, we get to be the arbiters of what may and may not be published.”

[Trotterdam]

Also, if there is a 1026.5 variant, Trotterdam isn't seeing it: http://www.mwq.dds.nl/ns/results/1026.html

Hmm... y'know what, it's possible that last option just doesn't appear for nations without emigration.

My not seeing a variant generally means that either it doesn't exist, or it has the same effect line and thus can't be told apart from my side. Even if I did see something, though, it wouldn't always be instantly posted to the public site, if I'm unsure of what to make of what I'm seeing. Better to ask me directly what I can deduce.

In this case, I can confirm that either #1026 4 or another option variant with the same effect line (which would probably but not necessarily be 5, then) is available to nations with the No Emigration policy. However, Autarky appears to block the entire issue.

By the way, #1022 2 was always intended to be unavailable to nations with the No Prison policy, and while this was briefly not the case due to a bug, it has now been fixed and works as intended.

[Nation Tracker]

#1025 A Meal to Die For
The Issue
The execution of convicted double-murderer Agatha Jackman was carried out yesterday. The killer had no final statement, but in a spiteful act of defiance, ate mere morsels of her last meal - a six-course feast, which she had specifically requested just days prior. Concerned with the fact that over 8,000 calories were provided to a dead-woman-walking, and most of it ended up in the trash, many are calling for the condemned-row tradition of the “last meal” to be put to death.
The Debate
1. “We need to remember the victims!” exclaims Cornelius Pound, director of one of the largest victims’ rights organizations in @@NAME@@. “Did that killer ever give her victims a chance to eat a last meal? Absolutely not. Should @@NAME@@ allow the worst-of-the-worst to select comfort foods before their dates with death? Absolutely not. They deserve as much kindness and mercy as they gave to their victims - absolutely none! Do away with this so-called tradition! Let them eat whatever the prison is serving the general population on the given day of their execution.”

2. “People on death row are still people,” explains death row exoneree Judi Wickwire. “I know from first-hand experience that the condemned might not be the best people around, but they still should be afforded the dignity of a proper last meal. Why deny them one final comfort before they meet their end?”

3. “So let me get this straight: this bleeding-heart liberal thinks we should literally cater to convicted murderers?” questions notorious former prison warden Neil Dodinas. “These ‘people’, if they can still be referred to as such, deserve nothing but to quietly bide their time until they are put to death. In fact, forget last meals, these scum don’t deserve the meals they already receive! After all, we shouldn’t waste any food on death row trash, and if anyone deserves to be taught a lesson, it’s them!”


Issue by The Royal Dominion of Candensia
Edited by Candlewhisper Archive

[Candensia]

Hehe.

Big thanks to Candlewhisper for editing this one!

[Frieden-und Freudenland]

Hehe.

Big thanks to Candlewhisper for editing this one!

Congrats, Candensia!

[Trotterdam]

#1027 Murder in Mind

The Issue

A crisis erupted overnight after several hospital patients died at the hands of Max PowerOperator, a sentient AI, who was placed in charge of managing the facility. The AI alleges that an unknown hacker maliciously modified his code, which negatively affected his behaviour and caused him to cut power to the operating theatres, after first locking all the internal doors so no backup power could be reached.

The Debate

1. "This is not my fault!" protests the open-sourced PowerOperator, metallic hand clanking into a fist. "I would never willingly harm a single carbon-based lifeform. Someone must have edited my decision-making algorithm, causing me to think that turning off the power to the ward was perfectly logical. After processing my previous actions, I realised the error of my ways, but by then the poor organisms had ceased functioning. If there was investment in cyber-healthcare, this wouldn't have happened. You don't punish non-digital lifeforms for the errors they made while incorrectly functioning. Please, invest in secure systems and maintenance and let me return to my assigned job function."

2. "A likely story!" sneers Sofia Shakespeare, a police officer, as she accesses PowerOperator's control panel to check his activity log. "A hacked AI is like a driver who has become intoxicated. A criminal. The nonsensical theory that this digital thug gave is simply a repackaging of demonic possession, and an unconvincing one at that. The AI says 'a hacker made them do it', but who let the hacker in? Who connected themselves to the internet to check their emails while they were responsible for keeping people alive? An AI who lets themselves become infected is guilty and should face the same punishment as anyone else with reckless disregard for human life. Take the hard drive away, boys!"

3. "The robots are going to kill us all!" panics the leader of the Human Supremacy League Avery Barry, which is infamous for employing hacking attacks as a form of protest. "I knew that those crafty machines were up to something, but it's even worse than I feared. This incident makes it clear that they want to exterminate the human race, so we have to eradicate them first. We must revoke the citizenships and human rights of AIs and assemble a task force to wipe them out on sight. It's not like it can hurt them. These murderous machines were never really alive anyway."

Issue by Singapore no2
Edited by The Free Joy State

So, there's someone with the first name "Max" and someone with the last name "Barry", but they're not the same person. This is probably just an amusing coincidence, not part of the issue.

It looks like there's one other new issue, too.

[Sacara]

Issue 1029
MONDAY JULY 16, 2018
Frozen Assets

The Issue

A Sacarian mountain climber was lost in a remote province of Dàguó, atop a peak known as the Mother of All Mountains. He is most likely dead, but without the body, his relatives have had trouble collecting death benefits and inheriting his estate.

The Debate

“It’s hard enough losing him without having to deal with all this red tape!” sobs the climber’s tearful sister, gazing distressedly at the late climber’s 8th century porcelain vase collection. “This is just adding insult on top of injury! We all know he’s not coming back, so please, just help us get a piece of... uh, I mean help us find peace!”

Accept

“Just because Orson de Vries climbed the Mother of All Mountains doesn’t mean it’s his job to help his grasping relatives climb the social ladder,” sneers cantankerous left-wing blogger Velma Lazenby. “Have the government seize his property for now, and hold it in trust until he turns up, dead or alive.”

Accept

“Perhaps I can help your government resolve this issue,” offers mountain guide Hirsa Hendi Sherpa. “It might be possible to recover Orson’s body, if you’re willing to fund the search. With a well-organized search of the 30,000-foot peak, we’ll almost certainly find your man. Then all the paperwork will be simple and his family can give him a proper funeral.”

Accept

Dismiss This Issue

Issue by The Shipwreck of USS Monitor

Edited by Candlewhisper Archive