☯ Orientalism Rising! [OOC][MT/PMT][CLOSED]

[Pan-Asiatic States]

Orientalism Rising!
Theme ☯ IC Thread

RULES

1. ABSOLUTELY NO DECLARATIONS OF WAR. This is a character-based and political-focused RP. Proxy wars may be permitted, but you should consult me via TG before initiating one.
2. Please keep responses civil and realistic.
3. I reserve the right to refuse to recognize something as canon in PAS lore if particular actions are not realistic.
4. No non-human nations may participate in this RP.
5. If there is enough interest in this thread, an OOC post may be put-up in the near future. Until then, ABSOLUTELY NO OOC TALK IN POSTS.

This is the OOC discussion thread for the Orientalism Rising! roleplay, hosted by myself, Pan-Asiatic States.

The RP remains open to everyone and anyone at this time and no sign-ups are required.

To all participants: please direct all non-IC chatter here and refrain from using the thread itself in the near future. Thank you.

[Allanea]

I apologize in advance for the bevy of questions that will follow.

1. PAS, can you explain a bit more about your society? I've read the factbook, of course, but I think I've missed some things.
a) You say your society is 'very conservative'. Does this mean there is censorship? Is the censorship pre-emptive (like in the USSR, where only approved publications could be published and possessed) or merely post=publication, where a given printing can be banned if it is found in breach of the law?
b) How does the PAS prison system work?

2. PAS/Turtleshroom, I see PAS is supplying Pan-Asiatic rebels in Turtleshroom with weapons. How are those weapons getting there? Turtleshroom is famously landlocked. Are they smuggled in airplanes (perhaps disassembled), or perhaps by overland shipping (though one of the countries bordering TS)?

3) Avon, do you have a detailed map of Insulindia, and some more detailed information about the island? Yes, I've read your factbook.

[United Avon]

3) Avon, do you have a detailed map of Insulindia, and some more detailed information about the island? Yes, I've read your factbook.

Yikes, sorry for the state that that's in right now. It's still very WIP.

I do not have a map on Insulindia yet, but I will work one up soon. As for detailed information, I also don't have a lot: RL Java was my main inspiration, so it's a volcanic island with rich agricultural potential. Queenstown, formerly known as Pariaman, is the largest city. The next two largest cities are Victoria Bay (formerly Sungai) and Wemberly (formerly Sibolga). All three of those cities existed prior to Avonian colonization but were renamed when the Royal Trading Company took them over. The bulk of the island is either used for cultivation of agricultural products or cash crops, or remains rainforest jungle. That jungle is either preserved as a tourist destination or being chopped down t provide lumber and other resources. The interior is sparsely populated and mountainous, and that is where the Red Band is going to be setting up some major bases of operation. Insulindians are split roughly 60-40 between Sunni Islam and Zoroastrianism. A lot of elites and others who are tied into the colonial administration have converted to Christianity, specifically the Anglicanism of the Church of Avon. The cities are hubs for electronics manufacturing, but the conditions of those manufacturing facilities are pretty poor and there aren't many regulations to protect workers. Avonians serve in a large number of roles, such as leading the police and serving as officers in the locally raised military units, but many high-ranking civil servants are Insulindians.

Let me know if there's any specific details you need. I will continue to work them up as I develop Insulindia further.

[Pan-Asiatic States]

me after reading everyone's posts

Damn, y'all. I'm really happy with the turnout of posts thus far. Lots of credit to Allanea and Oslea in particular (even though IC PAS is about to go ape lmao) for really biding their time in reading Factbooks.

Now to answer some inquiries...

I apologize in advance for the bevy of questions that will follow.

Please never hesitate to ask questions. Even ones outside this RP can go here any time you feel like asking them.

a) You say your society is 'very conservative'. Does this mean there is censorship? Is the censorship pre-emptive (like in the USSR, where only approved publications could be published and possessed) or merely post=publication, where a given printing can be banned if it is found in breach of the law?

No. But also sort of yes.

The restrictive aspects of PAS censorship is less political and more cultural. The Party actively encourages its citizens to have their own opinions, and thus, censorship when it comes to books/movies/shows is rare, especially when the mass medium used is from a local source or a local citizen. But;
Foreign-made films, games, and occasionally, books, are restricted on an almost daily basis. Usually for culturally "conservative" reasons such as excessive bad language, nudity, gore, and the promotion of acts generally deemed immoral by the major religions of the Pan-Asiatic States (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism). Foreign-made media can also be censored for promoting values contradictory to popular opinions in the Pan-Asiatic States, such as displaying Asian races as inferior or portraying chapters in Asian history in a manner considered "distorted" or "unrealistic" by the Party censors. When it comes to cultural conservatism, I'm not talking lighthearted ESRB, I'm talking about a rampant scarcity in foreign-made media. So in essence it really depends on who made it, who's funding it, and occasionally, why is it being made. Which brings me to the fact that;
The Pan-Asiatic States has its own "Pan-Asiatic internet", that operates much like that of China's. But not really. Because of Asia's sheer population density, there isn't really much of a political side-effect to this other than Pan-Asiatic ideologies being only slightly more popular than others, and Pan-Asiatic citizens being censored from foreign-made media. But again, the censorship is less political and more cultural. Various news-sites holding either Right-wing views, resembling the likes of Fox News or CNN, or news-sites that actively criticize the ACP, are not usually targeted by the Ministry of State and Public Security (MSPS). Essentially, the sample set of opinions on the world projected by the Pan-Asiatic internet, parallels the actual worldwide internet;
VPNs are commonplace to bypass the Party's firewall and arrests on local VPN users are quite uncommon. Just like in real life.
Technically, the process of censorship (when it comes to mass media) takes place only after something is published. However, any for-profit locally-produced book, game, or movie, which is in their nature of being for-profit, produced by state-companies, usually undergoes an unofficial and independent screencheck by a faction within their own company. This is usually only to ensure that they don't waste money in making something only for it to be censored later on. Foreign-produced media are a completely different paradigm: there is a government agency that greenlights foreign media pouring into the Pan-Asiatic States for each medium that exists.

b) How does the PAS prison system work?

Well, if you're asking how the judiciary system works, it's in the 1992 Constitution, though I should warn you that there are aspects of that Factbook that are sort of no longer canon. The judiciary section is still completely canon though. You get accused of a crime, you get tried by a court, and if you lose, you go to jail for a specific amount of time as specified by the court.

Prisons work insofar as it does in most countries, though PAS prisons are less about exploiting free labor and more focused on ideological indoctrination, simply because the Party deems citizens more useful when they actually believe in the work they're doing; which is why they're more akin to re-education camps. Conditions aren't as comfy as in the Netherlands, but most prisoners are endowed the same basic necessities they would have been given even if they weren't prisoners (i.e decent food, shelter, clothing, etc.).

Prison life usually consists of working in state-produced drug farms or mines, spending an hour or so each day being indoctrinated by a Party representative with texts from Mao Zedong and other influential Communists, being fed, then hitting the sack.

Of course, that's still an idealistic view of how prisons work in the Pan-Asiatic States. It's still very likely for foreigners to be singled-out, tortured unlawfully, and become the subject of abuse by fellow inmates. While there does exist a check-and-balance government agency, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), it can only do so much.

2. PAS/Turtleshroom, I see PAS is supplying Pan-Asiatic rebels in Turtleshroom with weapons. How are those weapons getting there? Turtleshroom is famously landlocked. Are they smuggled in airplanes (perhaps disassembled), or perhaps by overland shipping (though one of the countries bordering TS)?

Wait I didn't know they were landlocked. Oof. Overland shipping it is then.

[Pan-Asiatic States]

Also, for everyone, sorry if I can't respond to posts ASAP. I'm working on them though.

[Oslea]

How hard is it for some random guy to fly into the PAS for "tourism"?

I recall reading about a free travel ban, but wasn't sure if that extended to outsiders.

[TURTLESHROOM II]

OP, I just wanted to toss a few questions out as the Sum Ting Wongs begin to write their replies.

First, I noticed that you sent Kalishnikov weapons. Aside from them obviously being the go-to weapon for every extremist of every political alignment ever, I am curious as to whether or not you were aware that TurtleShroom, being a nation of Russian (and Dixie) heritage, already issues Kalishnikov guns as standard-issue firearms to its soldiers.

Though you may not have been aware, this will actually make the importation of that part of the shipment effortless, because your average TurtleShroomian railroad inspector isn't going to be able to tell your AK-24 from the AK-74, which is the TS standard firearm.

Second, I was curious about the revolvers. Revolvers are manual firearms that must have their chambers loaded with bullets by hand, followed by (please excuse my ignorance if applicable) the manipulation, by hand, of the mechanisms needed to align the chamber to the barrel of the gun and allow the trigger to fire.

Now mind you, TurtleShroomers will have no difficulty using these revolvers, because pretty much every TurtleShroomer has either a gun or a taser, and the fundamental axioms of gun safety (e.g. treat every gun as loaded) is taught in most schools. They already know how to use them.

What I'm curious about is why, in a world of semi-automatic weaponry and coupled with the automated Kalishnikov arms, why would the Pan-Asian States send manual weaponry to the Sum Ting Wong Tong?

I'm curious as to whether or not there's a reason beyond "these suckers are cheap and we can't spare any more really good weapons". If there is some reason or tactical advantage behind the revolvers, I hope to incorporate it into my story based on the information given.


Thank you.

(Also, I noticed that "Kung Fu Panda" meme. I see that you are a man of taste; the makers of that movie really did their research, IMO.)

[Allanea]

I'm not not PAS so I don't know what his nation is motivated by, but two historic points:

1. For many years revolvers were more reliable and popular than pistols (because, as you noted, they're essentially manually operated, and so a failure of a cartridge still allows you to fire the next one - furthmore, revolvers are an older technology and had more time to be refined). This is no longer true in 2019 since semi-auto pistols have caught up quite a bit, but revolvers are still perceived as more reliable by many.

2. At least in the real world, some nations still have a large supply of revolvers that are stored away since they were once used by police and the military, and are no longer in used. It's feasible PAS might have some of those.

3. The exact manipulation of revolvers differs slightly, but modern double-action revolvers essentially just require the user to pull the trigger each time while the gun is loaded, which both rotates the chamber and fires the gun (this is why the trigger pull of the DA revolver is somewhat heavier than a SA). I am not sure from the picture what kind of revolvers these are.

I am of course not PAS and I don't know what the IC motives of his nation are based on my general gun knowledge.

[South Reinkalistan]

Hey, so I was thinking about joining in - this looks fun!

Anything I should know before I write my first post, if you're okay with me joining, that is?

[Pan-Asiatic States]

How hard is it for some random guy to fly into the PAS for "tourism"?

I recall reading about a free travel ban, but wasn't sure if that extended to outsiders.

It's not that hard. It's still like travelling to any other country: you apply for a VISA (unless we have an Open Borders agreement) and fly.

[Pan-Asiatic States]

Hey, so I was thinking about joining in - this looks fun!

Anything I should know before I write my first post, if you're okay with me joining, that is?

Bah, nothing much really. Just browse my glorious factbooks so you know what you're getting into and you're set.

No need to sign-up or anything just post whenever.

[Pan-Asiatic States]

What I'm curious about is why, in a world of semi-automatic weaponry and coupled with the automated Kalishnikov arms, why would the Pan-Asian States send manual weaponry to the Sum Ting Wong Tong?

I'm curious as to whether or not there's a reason beyond "these suckers are cheap and we can't spare any more really good weapons". If there is some reason or tactical advantage behind the revolvers, I hope to incorporate it into my story based on the information given.

oh my god stop overthinking it

"these suckers are cheap and we can't spare any more really good weapons"

Basically, this, yes.

I mean, if you're looking for a reason, there's a war in Skyhooked right now, and the Ministry of Defense isn't too keen on handing-out the HAP57 Indigenous Automatic Pistol because it's reserved for the People's Peacekeeping Army itself, specifically for the Special Forces corp.

Meanwhile there's a surplus of Type 8s leftover from the Pacific Wars which we hand out to anyone willing to use it on enemies of the Pan-Asiatic States.

[Pan-Asiatic States]

I'm gonna try to respond to everyone, but I'm going to prioritize solid actions regarding the government of the Pan-Asiatic States and its people first. Though I find them extremely entertaining, I don't really want to bother myself by responding to all the condemnations you guys are sending. (Though I have been reading them and damn are they well-written.)

Since I'm getting a lot of requests of people wanting to send IC people over, there are basically no rules to this and you can just send them whenever and I'll try to respond to them. Probably except if your country is listed under either Cautious or Hostile here. In which case you'll have to get your guy to one country which isn't on that list then travel from there to the PAS.

[South Reinkalistan]

Just posted! I'm new to RP, so please let me know if there are any problems with my post, and how I could improve!

[Danceria]

A lurk

[Socrecia]

/tag. (Maybe i will join when i finish my factbooks)

[Pan-Asiatic States]

Just posted! I'm new to RP, so please let me know if there are any problems with my post, and how I could improve!

Looks good so far. I'll take direct action so long as you permit me to stir some of the discontent into a flurry of open revolt―I'm thinking of dispatching waves of Asian immigrants to act as provocateurs and organizers. If you'd be open to that idea.

[South Reinkalistan]

Just posted! I'm new to RP, so please let me know if there are any problems with my post, and how I could improve!

Looks good so far. I'll take direct action so long as you permit me to stir some of the discontent into a flurry of open revolt―I'm thinking of dispatching waves of Asian immigrants to act as provocateurs and organizers. If you'd be open to that idea.

Oh, yes. That's a good idea. Looking forward to it!

[Pan-Asiatic States]

Looks good so far. I'll take direct action so long as you permit me to stir some of the discontent into a flurry of open revolt―I'm thinking of dispatching waves of Asian immigrants to act as provocateurs and organizers. If you'd be open to that idea.

Oh, yes. That's a good idea. Looking forward to it!

Posted a while ago.

[Allanea]

I'm waiting on Avon to post because it would be kind of unreasonable IMO for Allanea to become involved in each and every front in which PAS is doing things.

[South Reinkalistan]

Oh, yes. That's a good idea. Looking forward to it!

Posted a while ago.

Niiice. Will respond once I can!

[United Avon]

I'm waiting on Avon to post because it would be kind of unreasonable IMO for Allanea to become involved in each and every front in which PAS is doing things.

I will have a post up later today- apologies for the delay.
Post is up. Let me know if there’s any relevant information that I’ve neglected and I’ll edit it in.

[The Union of British North America]

Is there a place for a still-British America that is a continental colossus in many areas? Another superpower in the great game of realpolitik? Also, please use my preferred name, "North American Union", when referring to me in RPs. Just a request. I know its an open RP but I wanted to check to see if my participation is warranted (some version of America) yet I am very different from the actual US obviously.

United Avon, how would we interact with one another? As different independent nations despite the obvious inspiration?

Pan-Asiatic States, what would be the opinion of your government of and the opinion of your peoples towards the North American Union? We have some kind of agreement already with one of my banks operating in your nation. Perhaps that could be a point within the subplots?

[United Avon]

United Avon, how would we interact with one another? As different independent nations despite the obvious inspiration?

Sure. My nation isn't any kind of alt-history Britain, it's just very heavily based on/inspired by Georgian Britain, with a healthy dose of Victorian Britain as well.

[Pan-Asiatic States]

tbh extremely surprised that this RP is still alive

Sorry for the inactivity, everyone. Please expect posts from me as well as answers to OOC questions shortly. My posting schedule will return to normal.