The Rejected Times

[Glacikaldr]

Well, today I learnt what Palessi is.

[The Rejected Times]

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Issue XLVIII | December 28, 2018

Media Officer: Marilyn Manson Freaks
Editor-in-Chief: Marilyn Manson Freaks
Deputy Media Officer: VACANT

Index

"Solorni Resigns Amid Shocking Revelations" | NEWS | WRITTEN BY Senior Reporter Marilyn Manson Freaks and Senior Correspondent Glacikaldr | EDITED BY TRT STAFF
"SC#1 Repealed: Commend Kandarin next?" | NEWS | WRITTEN BY Senior Reporter Marilyn Manson Freaks AND Correspondent Glacikaldr | EDITED BY TRT STAFF
"The NS Galaxy Song" | CREATIVE | WRITTEN BY Intern Malphe | EDITED BY Senior Reporter Marilyn Manson Freaks
"It's a Rejectmas World, You Only Avoid Hurled Candy In It" | COMMENTARY | WRITTEN BY Senior Correspondent The Church of Satan | EDITED BY TRT STAFF
"Fratt's Delegacy" | CREATIVE/SATIRE | MADE BY Intern Nashiomi
"On the Importance of Democracy in TRR and in Real Life" | OPINION | WRITTEN BY Intern Vulturret | EDITED BY TRT STAFF
"NPO Delenda Est" | CREATIVE | MADE BY Senior Reporter Marilyn Manson Freaks

[anchor=#ARTICLEONE]Solorni Resigns Amid Shocking Revelations[/anchor]
NEWS | WRITTEN BY Senior Reporter Marilyn Manson Freaks and Senior Correspondent Glacikaldr | EDITED BY TRT STAFF

"Her Nordic Majesty," Solorni unexpectedly stepped down as Delegate of Balder earlier this week with North East Somerset taking over for Solorni. Solorni was the longest reigning delegate in Balder history, serving for over five years non-consecutively.

The circumstances that led to Solorni stepping down related to their personal conduct, which casts a shadow on their time and contribution to NationStates. This April, Solorni was commended by SC#252 for her "service as WA Delegate and Queen of Balder," her "charismatic leadership style," and her status as "a world-renowned diplomat." However, her commendation might be repealed. A strong draft is already submitted

"As such, I am resigning all my positions and citizenships in NationStates," writes Rachel (Solorni) in the shocking Balder statement, "and would request that my accounts be banned wherever (sic) they are indefinitely."

What will Balder be without Solorni? That's an interesting question, it'll definitely be very different. In this case, let's hope Balder is better off.

SC#1 Repealed: "Commend Kandarin" Next?
NEWS | WRITTEN BY Senior Reporter Marilyn Manson Freaks | EDITED BY TRT STAFF

In other news, SC#1 AKA "Condemn Macedon" has officially been repealed. Despite half of NSGP being against the repeal, it still passed. Co-Author Kuriko claims that SC#1 was lacking and deserved more. Others, including myself, felt that SC#1 didn't need to be repealed and that the passage of the original proposal itself was historical in its own right beyond Macedon's military conquests. Now, that brings us onto topic: could "Commend Kandarin" be next?

While pretty different from SC#1, SC#2 or "Commend Kandarin" as it is officially known, is also lacking and full of what today are R4 violations and mistakes. The same argument used for the repeal of SC#1 could also be used for SC#2. The original proposal references Kandarin's gender and refers to him as a successful roleplayer. Today, roleplay must strictly be mentioned in-character and drafts may not note the gender of the player as they are commending the nation, not the person behind it.

While many players scoff at this Coalition of Boredom and their undermining of our history, their actions have created a precedent that is a genuine threat beyond SC#1. And why do they pursue this rigid interpretation of the World Assembly's function? Some call it badge-seeking, while others such as the reporters from The NewsStand have investigated further and reported back to the NationStates community in disgust. As reported back through telegrams, this Coalition of Boredom has stated that they were, you guessed it, "bored and wanted something to do". They plead negligence to the possible ramifications of their actions on the one hand, and on the other even go so far as to admit that "It's probably a terrible idea [sic]". This inconsistent agenda is undeniably laughable, but we must remain wary of the precedent that has now been set in stone by their flaunting of telegram stamps and widespread influence in major regions.

In the hopes of getting more insight, the Times reached out to Todd McCloud, SC #2's author, for a comment. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach him at this time.

The NS Galaxy Song
INTERVIEW | WRITTEN BY Intern Malphe | EDITED BY Senior Reporter Marilyn Manson Freaks

Whenever life gets you down, Mrs. Brown,
And issues seem hard or tough,
And results are stupid, obnoxious or daft,
And you feel that you've had quite eno-o-o-o-o-ough,

Just remember that you're playing on a website that's evolving
And dissolving at 1600 nations a day,
It's updating 14 times a week, so it's reckoned,
Around [violet] that is the source of all our power.
Now the forum, and you and me, and all the regions that we can see,
Are CTE'ing at 600 nations per minor,
At the later update times, at 40 nations updated a second,
Of the browser game we call Nationstates.

Our multiverse itself contains twenty-thousand regions;
It's 170,000 nations side to side;
It bulges in the winter 190,000 nations thick,
But out by summer it's just 150,000 countries wide.
We're 20,000 regions from server central point,
We go 'round every 16 years,
And our website itself is one of 664 million,
In these amazing and expanding interwebs.

(waltz)

Our playerbase itself keeps on expanding and expanding,
In all of the directions it can whiz;
As fast as it can go, at the speed of tag raiding, you know,
Four founderless regions a minute and that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,
How amazingly unlikely is your founding;
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in real life,
'Cause there's bugger all down here in NS!

It's a Rejectmas World, You Only Avoid Hurled Candy In It
COMMENTARY | WRITTEN BY Senior Correspondent The Church of Satan | EDITED BY TRT STAFF

As NationStates approaches the end of 2018, Rejectmas begins and the question on everyone has just one question on their mind: What fresh hell awaits us next year? Looting has begun and store owners are preparing their insurance claims. Carolers roam the streets with fear in their eyes, determination in their hearts and padding on their backs. Sales of oranges and tangerines are through the roof as harbors struggle to keep up with shipments. Rejects have meticulously searched egg cartons for the smoothest eggs in preparation of their omelette breakfasts. Seafood and coffee sales however have seen the largest spike. Of all smooth foods the Apple has seen an unexpected rise in sales. Yes this Rejectmas seems to be one of preparation and steadfast hoarding. As has been a mostly steady pattern over the last four years the delegate has attempted to avoid their role in Rejectmas tradition. Regional delegate, Frattastan was last reported locked inside a government fallout shelter (or vault even!) performing his duties via CCTV while Rejects crowd his office readily armed with candy. Don’t worry we’ll get’em though!

looted schematic of government shelter prototype

There is one crisis this Rejectmas. A shortage of spammers to flog may cause the rate of hooliganism to increase to dangerous levels. Instances of vandalism in particular are expected to be very widespread across The Rejected Realms. Spammers have always inhabited the region in large numbers. Perhaps the shortage can be attributed to the more strict stances the government have taken on spammers over the last two years? Whether spammers are discouraged to partake in their natural behaviors or are simply less prevalent in the region remains to be seen so calling this a shortage may be premature. Regardless, tourists witnessing Rejectmas in all it’s oddity are undoubtedly puzzled to say the least. Foreigners standing aghast at the behaviors of Rejects during this holiday period see people roaming the streets in embarrassing pajamas with too many coffee stains, carrying flogs, throwing candy, being disturbingly truthful and (from a tourist standpoint) off by three hours in their perception of time. It may seem like a toned down version of The Purge from an outsider’s perspective but it’s all quite silly really. Sure the handcuffs still hanging off recently pardoned criminals give cause for concern but don’t think about that. Seriously, you’re not seeing that. Okay I warned you. You are getting sleeeepy, veeeery sleeeepy, so damn sleeeepy maaaan.

So in other words this Rejectmas is pretty standard and literally nothing bad is happening because that’s just what we’re demanding you believe. Have a hairy Rejectmas!

Fratt's Delegacy
CREATIVE/SATIRE | MADE BY Intern Nashiomi[/nation]

On the Importance of Democracy in TRR and in Real Life
OPINION | WRITTEN BY Intern Vulturret | EDITED BY TRT STAFF

Election time has always been rather sentimental in the Rejected Realms. As a prime GCR democracy, TRR’s elections are of the utmost importance to ensuring that the region is run in the way that the members of the region wish. The Rejected Realms has always had a commitment to well-run and successful elections. Having served as TRR’s Speaker of the Assembly (and indeed in other roles as head of a legislature in other regions) for multiple terms, it has been my distinct pleasure to watch and participate the successful democracy from an interesting viewpoint, even if I didn’t end up agreeing with the officials that were elected or the subsequent decisions they made. Of course, if that were the case, I would not hesitate to voice my dissent, as have so many other Rejects over the years, on the Assembly floor. The nature of democracy is both ridiculously complicated and incredibly simple. Democracy is based on ever-changing demographics and states of regions and entities, both on NationStates and in real-life. On the other hand, however, the simplicity of democracy —again in both real-life and on NationStates— in its fundamental state cannot be overstated: democratic elections, laws, and policies exist to give each member an equal voice and to install officials which will govern the region in the best interests of the populace. When both critical attributes are fully achieved, democracy has been achieved in the best way possible. Insofar as NationStates is concerned, it is the joint responsibility of the election commissioner (in TRR’s case the Speaker of the Assembly), the officials running, and the general citizenry or populace to achieve the full possibilities for a successful democracy.

In any region, apart from a few isolationist ones, achieving foreign influence and having a respectable and commendable presence on the international stage is of the utmost importance to the regional leadership. Although it unfortunately doesn’t always occur, this should also be the case for the populace; being mindful of your region’s agenda is one of the most helpful things you can do as a Citizen. However, all goals, including the all-important success on the international stage, are entirely dependent on having a solid bedrock for your region. In all regions on NationStates, recruitment and integration are critical components of this bedrock. However, in a plethora of regions, including the Rejected Realms and several other prominent game-created regions such as Balder and The North Pacific —an ally of TRR’s via the Unicorn Star Accord—, democracy is also an equally (or even more so) important piece of the region’s “bedrock,” as I stated prior.

In any democracy, whether on real-life or NationStates, the region’s success is somewhat dependent on the level of participation of the region’s institutions. In several regions —and is the case for TRR— democratic practices are central to the region’s longevity and success. These democratic institutions in TRR, specifically the Assembly, select the region’s executive leadership, which in turn sets the path for the region. It is of the utmost importance that these officials preform competently and within the region’s best interests on behalf of the constituents which installed them. It is therefore critical for the citizenry of any region to be engaged with its regions goings-on on all fronts, to ensure that each citizen is equally informed and able to make educated choices on how to function in a democracy. It is imperative to regional function in a democratic state that the populace makes choices in a matter that is correct and directed to make the region better.

This can be easily connected to real-life. Specifically, where I live in the U.S., there are many citizens that are concerned with the way the government is being run; there is alarm at the local, state, and federal level. The political animosity and toxicity in the U.S. is getting worse as time goes on. It is not healthy for function of a government and a state to have this level of adversity. While public dissent and expression of dissatisfaction with governmental policies is obviously appropriate and reasoned in many situations, times when it resorts to violence between two groups (no matter the specific views of those groups, and no matter how absurd those views may be/how absurd you think they are) are incredibly unacceptable and should be universally opposed by all.

The world, in real-life, will not become a better place if we continue to express our political views utilizing the mechanism of violent protests. There is a plethora of far better options at the disposal of U.S. (and indeed those in most other countries) citizens. Instead of resorting to unsavory and dangerous actions, looping back to my original points about NationStates and the Rejected Realms specifically, one could engage in several methods from the democratic process in order to express their political views. As I mentioned, engagement is critical. If you are unhappy with the way things are being run, you should write to your elected representative. While they may be feeding off other interests, they still ultimately have an unneglectable responsibility to their constituency, and therefore, at least to some extent, will be willing to listen to what you have to say. Moreover, although expressing frustration is also necessary, engaging in civilized academic discussions in a variety of different venues allows one to express their political views through a medium that is neither illegal nor violent and distasteful. Engaging in respectable discourse is commendable and reasoned.

I would urge all participating in any form of Democracy, whether in real-life or on NationStates to continue to serve the democratic institutions with the sole goal of bettering them. Engaging in the correct forms of discourse and dissent will be critical for the real world moving forward.

NPO Delenda Est 2: Electric Boogaloo
CREATIVE | MADE BY Senior Reporter Marilyn Manson Freaks

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

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[Cormactopia Prime]

Lots and lots of broken tags.

It's disappointing to see The Rejected Times propagandizing for the NPO against regions that are actually friendly to the Rejected Realms with that cartoon.

[Marilyn Manson Freaks]

Lots and lots of broken tags.

It's disappointing to see The Rejected Times propagandizing for the NPO against regions that are actually friendly to the Rejected Realms with that cartoon.

Lolok.

[The Church of Satan]

Lots and lots of broken tags.

It's disappointing to see The Rejected Times propagandizing for the NPO against regions that are actually friendly to the Rejected Realms with that cartoon.

I wouldn't say it's propaganda. Remember a couple weeks ago when I questioned the resolve of everyone declaring war on the NPO? Well it's blatantly obvious that Manson, the one who created that cartoon also questions the resolve of such persons.

[Yokiria]

It's disappointing to see The Rejected Times propagandizing for the NPO against regions that are actually friendly to the Rejected Realms with that cartoon.

Indeed.

[Marilyn Manson Freaks]

It's disappointing to see The Rejected Times propagandizing for the NPO against regions that are actually friendly to the Rejected Realms with that cartoon.

Indeed.

The Rejected Times has always been a newspaper solely for the citizens of TRR to write whatever they want and demonstrate they have the right to speak freely. TRR has abolished the embassy it had with the NPO and has a troubled history with it already, if you think we're pro-NPO propaganda pushers you're insane. Anyway, this was a meme I made, yadayadayadayada, convict me if you want.

[Yokiria]

Whether you're a proven pro-NPO propaganda pusher or not, Manson, you did create pro-NPO propaganda for TRT as a TRT Senior Reporter. The reaction is reasonable so far.

[The Church of Satan]

Whether you're a proven pro-NPO propaganda pusher or not, Manson, you did create pro-NPO propaganda for TRT as a TRT Senior Reporter. The reaction is reasonable so far.

When I displayed the same attitude towards all the anti-NPO groups nobody (not even Cormac) reacted this way and everyone knows that if Cormac had felt that way when I did it he would have said it. So I'm not even sure his response here is genuine really. I don't recall you reacting that way either. What makes Manson displaying the same attitude now so different?

[Lord Dominator]

Being in a 'Coalition of Boredom' is news to me

[The Tri State Area and Maine]

Looks like the pro-NPO sympathizers in TRR have found their outlet to attack TRR's GCR friends.

[Yokiria]

Whether you're a proven pro-NPO propaganda pusher or not, Manson, you did create pro-NPO propaganda for TRT as a TRT Senior Reporter. The reaction is reasonable so far.

When I displayed the same attitude towards all the anti-NPO groups nobody (not even Cormac) reacted this way and everyone knows that if Cormac had felt that way when I did it he would have said it. So I'm not even sure his response here is genuine really. I don't recall you reacting that way either. What makes Manson displaying the same attitude now so different?

I can only speak for my reaction, as Cormac is their own person. The NPO and APC both have used and continue to use "meme" images and remarks, similar to Manson's image, in their competing propaganda efforts. To put it simply, CoS, your style of commentary on events doesn't fit the style of propaganda we have seen coming out of this conflict. Manson's does.

I hope that clarifies some things.

[The Church of Satan]

I can only speak for my reaction, as Cormac is their own person. The NPO and APC both have used and continue to use "meme" images and remarks, similar to Manson's image, in their competing propaganda efforts. To put it simply, CoS, your style of commentary on events doesn't fit the style of propaganda we have seen coming out of this conflict. Manson's does.

I hope that clarifies some things.

So his method pokes fun at you guys and that makes it propaganda?

[Yokiria]

I can only speak for my reaction, as Cormac is their own person. The NPO and APC both have used and continue to use "meme" images and remarks, similar to Manson's image, in their competing propaganda efforts. To put it simply, CoS, your style of commentary on events doesn't fit the style of propaganda we have seen coming out of this conflict. Manson's does.

I hope that clarifies some things.

So his method pokes fun at you guys and that makes it propaganda?

No.

Please reread what I said. I do not think you understood it properly.

[The Tri State Area and Maine]

I can only speak for my reaction, as Cormac is their own person. The NPO and APC both have used and continue to use "meme" images and remarks, similar to Manson's image, in their competing propaganda efforts. To put it simply, CoS, your style of commentary on events doesn't fit the style of propaganda we have seen coming out of this conflict. Manson's does.

I hope that clarifies some things.

So his method pokes fun at you guys and that makes it propaganda?

Yes. That's the point of propaganda.

[The Church of Satan]

Yes. That's the point of propaganda.

Incorrect. The purpose of propaganda is to persuade people to adopt a certain view or opinion.

No.

Please reread what I said. I do not think you understood it properly.

I was under the assumption that your post explained why you viewed a harmless cartoon as propaganda. It seems as though I did indeed not understand it properly.

[Glacikaldr]

Well I'm in APC for Osiris and Hartfelden so

[Lord Dominator]

I only thought the cartoon was rather odd/in weird taste

[Cormactopia Prime]

Yes. That's the point of propaganda.

Incorrect. The purpose of propaganda is to persuade people to adopt a certain view or opinion.

Yes, and the purpose of the propaganda he was permitted to peddle via The Rejected Times was to mock the war effort, to persuade others who may be considering joining the war effort that it's a hopeless and losing cause, and to demoralize those already participating in the war effort.

As to what makes you different from him, it's simple. Your commentary was thoughtful, not a meme, and you weren't just recently spending your time in Azhukali with Milo and Feux, talking to them about how much you want to coup a GCR and discussing which one you might coup together.

[The Church of Satan]

Yes, and the purpose of the propaganda he was permitted to peddle via The Rejected Times was to mock the war effort, to persuade others who may be considering joining the war effort that it's a hopeless and losing cause, and to demoralize those already participating in the war effort.

I think you are simply reading into it too much.

As to what makes you different from him, it's simple. Your commentary was thoughtful, not a meme, and you weren't just recently spending your time in Azhukali with Milo and Feux, talking to them about how much you want to coup a GCR and discussing which one you might coup together.

I think you have misinterpreted the purpose of his cartoon. Since the drafting phase of this latest issue of TRT I myself have been under the impression that his purpose was to convey the same message I did, with a more humorous and entertaining approach. I can't attest to his experiences in or reasoning for going to Azhukali in the first place but he has joked on and off about couping regions for quite some time. That's all it is though, a joke. He's not the first NSer to joke about couping a region. I'm fairly certain that you've done just that several times in the past.

[Pierconium]

Yes, and the purpose of the propaganda he was permitted to peddle via The Rejected Times was to mock the war effort, to persuade others who may be considering joining the war effort that it's a hopeless and losing cause, and to demoralize those already participating in the war effort.

I think you are simply reading into it too much.

As to what makes you different from him, it's simple. Your commentary was thoughtful, not a meme, and you weren't just recently spending your time in Azhukali with Milo and Feux, talking to them about how much you want to coup a GCR and discussing which one you might coup together.

I think you have misinterpreted the purpose of his cartoon. Since the drafting phase of this latest issue of TRT I myself have been under the impression that his purpose was to convey the same message I did, with a more humorous and entertaining approach. I can't attest to his experiences in or reasoning for going to Azhukali in the first place but he has joked on and off about couping regions for quite some time. That's all it is though, a joke. He's not the first NSer to joke about couping a region. I'm fairly certain that you've done just that several times in the past.

Cormac has done more than just joke about it. One of the reasons I have trouble taking the hypocrisy coalition seriously.

Regardless, good issue overall, as usual. I did like the cartoon for obvious reasons (because Tom & Jerry was part of my childhood) and the article on TRR democracy.

[New Rogernomics]

I only thought the cartoon was rather odd/in weird taste

It is also flawed. In that cartoon, the Mouse is usually the running winner, and the Cat the running loser. Not to mention being muscle-bound reduces mobility, meaning the Mouse can easily outpace or dodge, which is what the character would do in this situation.

So if the goal was to imply that somehow the NPO would be better off, and the opposition small and ineffective, it was a fail on both counts. The moral of this story is to make sure you learn about the cartoon characters you use to make a point.

[Wopruthien]

I only thought the cartoon was rather odd/in weird taste

It is also flawed. In that cartoon, the Mouse is usually the running winner, and the Cat the running loser. Not to mention being muscle-bound reduces mobility, meaning the Mouse can easily outpace or dodge, which is what the character would do in this situation.

So if the goal was to imply that somehow the NPO would be better off, and the opposition small and ineffective, it was a fail on both counts. The moral of this story is to make sure you learn about the cartoon characters you use to make a point.

Maybe that was the point?

[Malphe]

Wow, I didn't expect that kind of reaction to the dumb NPO meme.

[Armaros]

The democracy part was interesting (although, why was Balder named as democratic?). I didn't get what they were trying to say in the Solorni part though. By now most people who will read the article know that Solorni is gone, so I don't know why they included that. I liked the Rejectmas article. And for the rest it's mostly Manson spewing his crap because he disagrees with others. Don't know why he felt he needed to put that in an article of TRT. It's a shame, because it diverts all attention from the actually good parts.