[Title] The War That Time Forgot
[Description] During the Great @@REGION@@ War, @@NATION@@ and the small yet formidable city-state of Didopolis were on opposing sides. The cold attitude between both nations has mostly thawed since then, with most unaware it was ever any different, however it has recently come back into the spotlight after a small flotilla of Didopolitan fishing vessels deliberately collided with @@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ fishermen out at sea. The justification? They claim that both states are still technically at war, which an unsuccessful search in the nation's archives for any form of peace treaty has proven to be true. Before you have time to even process this information, a gaggle of your closest advisers have rushed you off to the War Room.
[Validity] All
[Option] "Oh deary me, what a peculiar kerfuffle we've gotten ourselves into..." Remarks your bewildered Minister for Foreign Affairs, "but there's no need to panic! In fact, this presents us the perfect opportunity to demonstrate our peace-loving nature. Let me reach out to my counterpart in Didopolis and set things straight: we can sign an actual peace treaty, one that expresses a desire for friendship and mutual cooperation. I'm sure we can also throw in some fish to placate their fishermen. Everybody wins!"
[Effect] recent proclamations of peace, love and friendship smell rather fishy
[Option] "Are you serious? We shouldn't be humouring such a blatantly unprovoked attack on our people!" Shouts the enraged Rear Admiral @@RANDOMNAME@@, mouth frothing as @@HE@@ grabs you tightly by your shoulders, aggressively pushing your Minister of Foreign Affairs aside. "If they want to treat this conflict as still ongoing, then let them have it! Just say the word, and I'll dispatch the fleet to deal with these agitators! We'll see who comes running for a peace treaty then."
[Effect] age-old conflicts are still ongoing despite nobody being quite sure what they were fighting for to begin with
[Option] "Now now, there isn't any need to be so extreme. I believe this presents us with an even grander opportunity to stir up patriotic sentiment." Calmly remarks your eccentric Propaganda Minister, using a spotted handkerchief to clean the Rear Admiral's spittle off your shirt. "We can turn this quite frankly minor incident into a gold mine of pride for one's nation and people. Imagine it, @@LEADER@@: patriotic songs and epic dramas commemorating the bravery of our brave fishermen and women in the face of the barbaric Didopolitan aggressors...I can already feel the lump in my throat. Just let me and my subordinates get to work, and this reinvigorated rivalry will become the talk of @@REGION@@!"
[Effect] even the most mundane diplomatic incident is turned into a piece of epic poetry
[Option] "Now hang on just a blubber-loving minute - what does any of that do to help our brave seamen and women who have just been attacked?" Complains Captain-turned-Undersecretary for Fisheries and Sea Shanties, Arnold Trout. "It seems to me that you city-folk once again are missing the real issues effecting the people who, need I remind you, are the lifeblood of this economy. This wouldn't have happened if our sailors were able to adequately defend themselves; lets kit out all our fishing vessels with some of that fancy hardware the Navy has lying around. That way, any foreign fishermen will think twice before trying to pinch our catch! Aharrr!"
[Validity] Must have a large fishing industry
[Effect] the nation's maritime borders are marked on nautical charts with the warning "here there be trigger-happy fools"
So based on the feedback I was given I've decided to go with a complete re-write of the issue, starting this one as a brand-new first draft, though I'll keep the original in the OP for posterity. I've decided to give Candlewhisper's suggestion of fishing boats as a framing device a try: I'm unsure as to whether I've done a good job with this, as I wanted to keep the original premise as the focus while also striking a balance with the fact that fishing was involved. I also decided to keep Didopolis, as a nod to the original draft and as a new NPC nation which could explain why it was easily forgotten and therefore why a war is still technically ongoing in the first place. I'm also worried the draft is a bit wordy.
The title is not an intentional reference to The Land That Time Forgot, I just liked the ring to it.
"Great @@REGION@@ War" is established already in Issue #378, and I took it as part of the framing device based on the examples given by Bears Armed and Trotterdam of warring states being forgotten / left out of peace agreements.
"Arnold Trout" in the last option is meant to be a reference to Archibald Haddock. Speaking of the last option, I'm not sure about the effect line: my other idea was "foreign fishermen find themselves trapped in a very real game of Minesweeper" but I didn't know whether that would work either.
As always, any and all feedback is appreciated. :)