The Social Reformer - Twentieth Edition - November 1st, 2024

State of the Region, November 2024
We're weathering the storm!

Hi, I’m ATG, here to talk generally about the current state of TRTHNBB. I think we all know that October has been an incredibly hectic month for our region – both Syrasia and New United Common-lands resigned, a Snap Election for Deputy Prime Minister was held, we’ve hosted a ton of events, recorded multiple Yodcast episodes, and worked on a bunch of treaties. More details will come on many of these events later, but I want to speak more broadly about NBB.

First, I’d like to say that I’m quite impressed with how our region has picked itself up from the chaotic, uncertain period directly following NUCL’s resignation in particular. NUCL was a bulwark of the regional government, and I wasn’t entirely sure how smooth our transition would be, but having Faralried and Venesia Grande by my side led to a quick recovery. As our new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faralried has been doing great work, opening consulates and negotiating treaties left and right while also advising me on critical regional decisions. Venesia Grande has been another massive help, picking up the slack and working on key regional announcements.

Our events have also maintained a relatively high level of activity, and our domestic affairs are encouraging, with the recent Government Approval poll evidence enough that our government isn’t faltering, even after a massive shakeup. Gine Caruttiva has also been performing his duties as DPM excellently, helping me carry out the truly staggering amount of responsibilities of the Prime Minister. Western Arba Fir has even returned, and immediately began pitching in, helping to guide our government in an active direction. Finally, the inclusion of Rogue River on our Culture Committee has been incredible - he’s got great ideas and, like everyone here, he’s such a pleasure to work with. Having new people who are eager to join the government is always so encouraging, and as a result of their efforts, even our long-awaited regional roleplay is finally heading in the right direction.

I’d also like to highlight the NBBC, which is to say, The Social Reformer and the Yodcast. I’ve had a great time being the unofficial head of our region’s media programs, and I’m happy to announce that our recent media expansion has been a big success. The Social Reformer has expanded, including interviews with notable people, and those sections add quite a bit of interesting content to the newspaper. They also help highlight individual contributions, which is crucial to building a region, as people often don’t keep working if they aren’t recognized for their effort. Further, the Yodcast has exceeded my expectations by far. I didn’t think the project would last forever, as it was heavily experimental in the beginning, but I feel as if we’ve truly come into our own during this last month. At time of writing, we’ve published four episodes, and I’m genuinely proud of each of them. Our live viewership is also impressive; generally, we can expect more than 10 people to be present in the audience for the entirety of the podcast’s recording. As a whole, our media efforts are an exciting new direction for the region, and they’ve thoroughly proven their worth.

To conclude, I want to say thank you to everyone who’s contributed to our region during this past month. Whether you pitched in by directly working in our government or simply kept chatting on our RMB and creating a positive, eccentric environment, like (to name just a few) The Holy Cult of Julia, Brocklandia, and Bean territory, you’re all such incredible parts of this region. I’m very proud of how far NBB has come, and I’m excited to keep leading it into the future. With your help, I know we can continue to make our region the friendliest out there!

Written by America the Greater for The Social Reformer
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It’s certainly no secret that running a NationStates government is not an easy task. Active regions have massive responsibilities – government officials have to maintain relations with dozens of regions, produce content like The Social Reformer, plan consistent cultural events, maintain the region’s dispatches, provide a functioning roleplay, and engage in the region’s legislature. That certainly isn’t an exhaustive list of duties, either. As a result, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that burnout is a key issue affecting NationStates leadership.

During this term, that sense of burnout has been one of the key factors impacting our region. We faced three separate resignations, and even prior to that, our former Head of Roleplay, Socialistic Britain, decided to step down from the regional government. Quite simply, none of us live only for NationStates – we’ve all got complex, busy lives outside of this website. New United Common-lands had spearheaded the region’s revival and remained as a steward of the region for years. Syrasia had dedicated countless hours to fully rebuilding our region’s roleplay from the ground up. Western Arba Fir spent so much time crafting new regional initiatives and welcoming new members. It only makes sense that people with so many responsibilities would naturally be forced to step back at a certain point.

However, as is probably evident, losing much of our regional leadership is not a problem with an easy solution. Remaining members of the government had to step in and carry out the duties fulfilled by these individuals, and as a result, burnout is actively setting in among those who remained. So how can we address this burnout?

The key, in the opinion of many regional officials, is to expand the regional government to include newer members. Enthusiasm begins to naturally fade away during lengthy terms in office, and regional officers can’t be expected to have enough time and energy to manage the region forever. New members bring with them new ideas and inject new activity into leadership, as older members of the region are forced to consider these new ideas and possibly reshape their understanding of governance. (For further reading, this topic is investigated in depth in an excellent dispatch written by Emiline of the Augustin Alliance, UCRs and Investing in the Common Nation.)

It is not as simple as waiting for new residents to volunteer for Cabinet positions, though. Nurturing newer talent requires older members of the region to be willing to step aside, and it also necessitates the creation of newer positions with smaller responsibilities in order to avoid overwhelming prospective officials. The ‘Old Guard’ of a region often has a working system and a specific delineation of tasks – each official generally knows what assignments are right for them, and there generally exists an easy shorthand. However, this efficiency comes at the cost of longevity. In order to maintain a region in the long term, the ‘Old Guard’ must be willing to forfeit the roles they enjoy and serve as mentors to newer generations of leadership.

In conclusion, our wave of resignations was certainly stunning, but it was not wholly surprising. In order to adapt, and ensure that our region does not once again slip into a period of inactivity when each current government member succumbs to burnout or takes on too many offsite responsibilities to fully engage on NationStates, we must be proactive. It is the responsibility of the regional government to identify, contact, and encourage new leadership at every turn. In doing so, we can create a cycle of officials through which our region can survive the loss of members of the Old Guard without having to rely on a few individuals to ‘fill in.’ Above all, we must recognize the extent to which NationStates can cause burnout, and recognize that no one can lead a region forever.

Written by America the Greater for The Social Reformer
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Results are "quite surprising", says Minister of Domestic Affairs Ardeyn

Recently, our government approval poll was set up once again, and we had a decent turnout of 24 people in total answering the poll, which gave us a good idea about how people feel about this term.

In this article, I'll overview just a select few percentages that I deem most interesting, but if you'd like to see them all, you can do so here.

First of all, our new government members Faralried and Sidervidaii received respectable first results in this poll with Faralried receiving a score of 7.96 and Sidervidaii coming out with a 7.13.

These are both pretty great first scores and in the coming months, I suspect these scores will gradually climb higher as their faces become more familiar with the community and as they prove themselves deserving of their positions.

Next, I'd like to highlight the results of New United Common-lands and America the Greater, as their results surprised me quite a bit. Both of them have been with the region and in the government for an incredibly long amount of time, with NUCL being largely responsible for setting many of our region's foundations and ATG being a co-founder, here in the region since its very beginning and before. However, both had decreases in their scores for this poll.

Though their scores are still incredibly high, and the amount they decreased in scores isn't too major, I find it quite surprising how they dipped at all, considering the amount of work they have been putting into the region.

First off, New United Common-lands score stands at 8.71, a decrease of -0.03 since the last approval poll. Though an incredibly small decrease, I am surprised nonetheless. This stands as his final score for the foreseeable future as he has retired from the regional government.

And lastly, we have America the Greater, who received the largest decrease, going from 9.30 to 8.83, a decrease of -0.47. My personal theory is a simple one, I suspect the reasoning behind this decrease has something to do with the prominent position ATG is now in, as being the Prime Minister means a much higher degree of expectations, whereas when he was Minister of Domestic Affairs he was seen as going far beyond duty and expectation.

If you have your own ideas about the cause of any changes behind these scores, feel free to let it be known on our RMB! And remember to check out the full results in the dispatch linked.

Written by Ardeyn for The Social Reformer
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I was elected quite some time ago as the new Deputy Prime Minister of The Region That Has No Big Banks, promising to focus on direct democracy and citizen engagement. Well known for pushing reforms, I plan to introduce a new Cabinet Policy to give the Deputy Prime Minister more say in the creation of a government, ensuring that every elected position has a voice in the process.

I also aim to revitalize The Social Reformer, the region’s newspaper, by recruiting new voices and ensuring Ministers give monthly reports. As I said before, "Our region deserves a government that listens to its people, ", thus pledging to make the regional government more democratic, transparent, and welcoming.

Written by Gine Caruttiva for The Social Reformer
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I’m excited to bring you a brief report on the progress of our ongoing roleplay reform. For context, we convened the RP Reform committee months ago, and it saw little progress for a long time. However, with the help of Syrasia, we were able to construct an entirely new scenario, including a new rulebook and some impressive dispatches which will serve as the hub for roleplay information.

Now that Syrasia has resigned, though, we have been left with an incomplete map. This map is the final requirement for us to restart our roleplay - when it is finished, roleplay is ready to commence. Thankfully, Gine Caruttiva has recently volunteered to complete the map, finalizing the plots and adding basic biomes and resources. As a result, I feel confident in announcing that our regional roleplay will be fully ready to commence by the end of the month.

The scenario is public, and we encourage citizens who are interested in our roleplay to begin crafting their lore now. Please submit it to roleplay administrators in order to ensure that your nation’s lore will be a good fit for our scenario and will not break any of our rules. In the meantime, have a lovely November, and I’ll get back to you soon with the official announcement of a new beginning for our roleplay.

Written by America the Greater for The Social Reformer
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This October was a busy month for our regional events, but I think we’ve learned our lesson with regards to event fatigue. We decided to slow our events down and space them much farther apart, and as a result, we’ve seen a serious uptick in attendance. On October 5th, we hosted regional Games Night, including Skribbl.io and King of the Castle. This event had an impressive turnout of roughly 15 people at its peak, which is quite remarkable compared to the lower levels of interest we’d been facing during Summerfest. Concurrently, NUCL decided to begin hosting watch parties for Doctor Who episodes. These watch parties did not see much turnout, but the idea is novel and I expect to see more TV and movie viewing events in the future, as they are quite easy to administer.

As October went on, we hosted a joint movie night with Blue Ridge, viewing Over the Garden Wall. That event saw truly massive turnout, which only serves to reinforce our strong ties of friendship with Blue Ridge!

As October drew to a close, the The Washington Federation and the Ministry of Culture announced TRTHNBB’s Spooky Week, a series of events including a Spooky Story competition, an as-of-yet unsolved Murder Mystery, a Nightmare Before Christmas movie night, a Horde Chess event, and two consecutive Games Nights! October may be over, but the Halloween celebrations certainly aren’t. I hope to see you at our next Games Nights, and in all of our November events!

Written by America the Greater for The Social Reformer
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This October, a proposal to condemn New Ordered was submitted to the Security Council. Collectively, after receiving many identical telegrams asking for support, delegates came together to ask: “Who?”

New Ordered is the founder of the region of Bangladeshi Puppet, but is currently located in The East Pacific. The majority of their posts within Bangladeshi Puppet consist of comments on different YouTube channels, but within recent times, they’ve become more belligerent, suppressing a significant number of seemingly innocuous messages on their RMB. Facing complaints about their behavior, they claimed “I hate when people lick my feet.”

It appears that New Ordered ran afoul of Drakonheimist, a compact of small regions with ties to the region of China. This pact worked together on the proposal to condemn New Ordered for his actions, drafting it openly on many of their associated RMBs. The proposal took many attempts, as the author, Mist Covered Mountains, repeatedly broke the SC rule against mentioning ‘NationStates’ itself within a proposal. I actually sent them a telegram personally and let them know why their proposal was failing, and they made the necessary adjustments, submitting it to the WA. I mistakenly sent this telegram to New Ordered himself at first, leading to this exchange.

So, who is Mist Covered Mountains? Mist Covered Mountains is an alt account of Mystic Shores, with some evidence presented here: Image 1, Image 2. If that name rings a bell, it’s probably because you’ve heard about the Roses Without Thorns drama. Mystic Shores is famously the author of multiple failed proposals to liberate and injunct that region, and also, most notably, coined the term “Gay Furry Pacific Clique.” It would appear, therefore, that Mystic Shores’ draft of this proposal was simply an attempt to badge-hunt, as they’ve since engaged in a great deal of seemingly unrelated WA activity.

However, I feel it is unfair to solely attribute Condemn New Ordered to an unsuccessful attempt at badge-hunting. Drakonheimist, the pact of small regions heavily involved in the drafting process, appears to be somewhat active and certainly was engaged in a great deal of diplomacy when the proposal was submitted. In fact, there was an open ‘war’ between Bangladeshi Puppet and the Drakonheimist regions at the time, leading to the short-lived seizure of Drakonheimist itself by nations supportive of New Ordered, and the raising of this flag over the region. Now that New Ordered has vacated Bangladeshi Puppet, the region has been seized by forces aligned to Drakonheimist.

Why go to all this effort, now that the proposal has been thoroughly rejected by the Security Council, both on- and off-site? It seems that, though the efforts of Mystic Shores may certainly have been intended to badge-hunt, there truly was passion for the idea of condemning New Ordered among a not-insignificant number of nations. Representatives of Drakonheimist consistently fought for the Condemnation, providing ‘evidence’ which generally consisted of screenshots of rude RMB posts by New Ordered.

Further, Mystic Shores themselves appears to follow a somewhat consistent set of ideals - they have frequently posted about engaging in defending, long before the RWOT situation emerged, and it appears that their frustrations with the DND may have come about as a result of a genuine feeling that all regions deserve to be defended. It is difficult to sympathize with Mystic Shores, given their frequent offensive comments on the forums, and I certainly do not recommend viewing Mystic Shores as any kind of noble defender. However, I do feel it is unfair to discount the idea that, perhaps, Condemn New Ordered was the result of a genuine effort to punish someone for treating others poorly.

In many ways, though this proposal has been severely maligned, it seems to have been at least partially legitimate. Even if Mystic Shores was simply taking advantage of a small group of regions in order to publicize their issue in the Security Council, those small regions still matter – they sought to address an interregional issue in the World Assembly. Many of us are quite familiar with the workings of the WA, and understand that proposals must be sufficiently high-stakes in order to merit any kind of approval. However, a proposal like Condemn New Ordered sometimes makes me wonder – is the WA being unfair to the plight of smaller regions? Looking back upon the very first SC proposals, most of them were quite low-stakes and largely based on the personality of the target. The current standard system for submitting a proposal requires a great deal of research and includes weeks of vetting on the forum to ensure top quality and sufficient relevance to the wider world of NationStates. Condemn New Ordered was certainly not an extensive, top-quality proposal, but it mattered to quite a few people. Should we really dismiss proposals like these out-of-hand?

Regardless of the quality of Condemn New Ordered, it certainly draws attention to the issues facing smaller regions. Drakonheimist was, at least at one point, an active community, serving as the hub for many different regions and facilitating dialogue and cooperation. They certainly don’t have the diplomatic weight of a feeder, or even a mid-size UCR, but they do have active members and interests of their own. If the World Assembly doesn’t represent those interests, then who will?

Written by America the Greater for The Social Reformer
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"Treaties, Treaties and more Treaties!" announces Minister of Foreign Affairs Faralried

Recently NBB has signed not 1, not 2 but 3 treaties! And since I’m lazy my statement last week was so good on our discord and RMB, I have copied and pasted it here as well. Enjoy.

So to speak more generally, I am super excited about all 3 treaties and where our relationship goes with each region. All 3 regions have strongly culturally intertwined with ours and cementing a lasting relationship felt like a natural step, and we are truly blessed to have so many friends in other regions. Wanna shout out New United Common-lands who was still MOFA for the TEP and Forest treaty negotiations and helped establish relations with Blue Ridge and whose work helped allow that relationship to blossom. You did such an amazing job to the point I get to look good and ride your coattails a bit :p

Back to the treaties, I wanna touch on each one more generally.

Forest	I actually wasn't around for these negotiations but having been around Forest for a long time now through JEFF. That community is always a blast even if a bit chaotic at times much like I think we are as well. I'm glad to call them friends and I am really happy to be around for this new chapter of our relationship. Full Treaty - The Accord of the Bankless Arboretum by The Peoples Republic of New United Common-lands The Accord of the Bankless Arboretum Pertinent Preamble The Accord of the Bankless Arboretum, a treaty between The Region That Has No Big Banks (NBB) and Forest, hereafter referred to as ‘the Keepers of the Arboretum,’ or simply ‘the Keepers’, is a testament to the mutual respect and admiration that the Keepers have for one another, and recognises the long standing onsite embassy and friendship between the Keepers. Article I: Tranquil Treaty Provisions 1. The Keepers of the Arboretum acknowledge the constitution of each respective region, and any legal successor thereof, as its sole legitimate authority. 2. The Keepers will uphold the outlined provisions to the best of their abilities and within the confines of each region’s individual constitution. 3. Either of the Keepers may propose to amend the Accord, but both Keepers must mutually agree on amendments before implemented. 4. The Accord will come into effect only after being ratified by each of the Keepers. 5. Either of the Keepers may abolish the Accord, but should notify the other Keeper 7 days in advance, in order to seek adjustments and avoid the total abolition of the Accord. Article II: Vehemently Shared Values 1. The Keepers of the Arboretum condemn the fascist ideology and agree not to establish diplomatic relations with fascist regions. 2. The Keepers endeavor to champion the ideals of anti-racism, LGBTQ+ acceptance, equality, and tolerance among their individual regions and within the wider NationStates community. 3. The Keepers acknowledge their shared commitment to environmental conservation. Article III: Cogent Cultural Provisions 1. The Keepers of the Arboretum are encouraged to host joint events, depending upon the wishes of each individual region’s community. These events should be hosted collaboratively and include representation from each region. 2. The Keepers promote mutual participation in each other’s regional cultural events or roleplay, whenever this contributes positively to the cultural event or roleplay experience. 3. The Keepers shall endeavor to jointly participate in NationStates GamePlay events, such as N-Day or the Trade Fair, whenever mutually agreed upon by the Keepers. Article IV: Sensible Security Arrangements 1. The Keepers of the Arboretum are encouraged to come to one another’s defense in the event that either region is threatened by external forces. 2. The Keepers agree to share any intelligence in a timely manner that may impact the security or reputation of each other. Article V: Flourishing Foreign Terms 1. The Keepers of the Arboretum agree to maintain embassies and appoint ambassadors to one another’s regions in order to promote strong relations. 2. The Keepers encourage cross-participation within any applicable regional journalistic outlets, including regional newspapers or media broadcasts of any kind. 3. The Keepers are encouraged to cooperate in the World Assembly, including potentially co-authoring, supporting, or jointly proposing resolutions in accordance with the Shared Values in Article II, or promoting one another’s standing by supporting Commendations in the Security Council. Signatories Signed as at 12th October 2024 The Region That Has No Big Banks, represented by: America the Greater, Prime Minister New United Common-lands, Minister of Foreign Affairs Forest, represented by: Garbelia, Forest Keeper Jutsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs Read dispatch As reported by Faralried, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The East Pacific	Our relationship really started with N day where JEFF and ANAL have worked really closely to until recently a vastly successful relationship with this most recent N day being the first time our relationship failed to produce an outcome that could be categorized as a victory for our team. Since that foundation the cultural cooperation has been great and the members who have moved here because of that relationship have been equally amazing. Future is bright! Full Treaty - EPNS Edition 39, September 2024 by The Publication of Eastern Pacific News Service GET FREE UPVOTES! Want to promote your dispatches? Join TEP Discord Server, look for #upnouncements and post your dispatch there! The channel is open to everyone from all around NationStates! ⤆ ⤇ ↺ ☖ | 🔒 Secure | https://epns.mon.gov.caek/issue/2024/9.html . . . EPNS September 2024 Edition HOME | LATEST | ARCHIVES | STAFF Contents: Edition Summary || A Year of Many, Nukes a Plenty Delegate's Update The Money Heist Accords Signed September Magisterium Update September 2024 Culture Feature The Foreign Newsstand: Delegate Picairn, Commend Yodle, and TBH Repeals One Year of The Foreign Newsstand Discord Nation Roleplay: A Strategy Game in Your Discord Hay Day: How to feed Horses Edition Summary || A Year of Many, Nukes a Plenty By: Rosari/Rosartemis In this monthly edition of EPNS, the Delegate's Update offers a heartfelt farewell as our outgoing Delegate concludes a successful 12-month term and wraps up a landmark agreement with the Money Heist Accords alongside TRTHNBB. The section on legislation summarizes recent activities, including a notable Concordat Amendment and the passing of the treaty with TRTHNBB. In Culture, Minister Tommo elaborates on a fruitful year in service, while introducing a busy autumn schedule and placing renewed emphasis on on-site community engagement. In The Foreign Newsstand, we cover Picairn’s election as Delegate of The North Pacific, the repealing of The Black Hawks’ condemns, the successful Commendation of Yodle, and many more. Celebrating the one-year anniversary of TFN, Aivintis takes us through the past year’s journey and the evolution of the news' series. Sokala gives an article about a intricate Discord-based nation RP system and examining how this model can be further applied, while N-Day 11 describes the chaotic nuclear war between the major factions JEFF, ANAL, KHAN, and HotA, concluding with HotA securing the top leaderboard spot. Back to Top Delegate's Update By: Merlovich Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of the EPNS! This Delegate’s Update will be my last, and I hope to cap off the end of a whirlwind 12 months with a few nice words. While I would have loved to have continued on as TEP’s delegate, maybe broken the record for longest tenure, life, as always, has other plans. With so much going on, I simply didn’t feel I could continue to give the role and the region the time and energy it needed. I am confident my successor, whoever that may be, will give the region the kick it needs to spring back into form. I have thoroughly enjoyed my three terms as delegate, and hope to return to the role someday should life allow. I’m proud of the things we’ve been able to achieve as a region during these 12 months, and this will likely forever remain the highlight of my time on NationStates. Had you told me in 2018, heck, even 14 months ago that I’d be the Delegate someday, I’d probably have believed you… sorry to subvert your expectations like that. I would have been surprised though! I really never saw myself entering that sort of role, and I’m so glad I jumped at the opportunity. I’m thankful for my cabinets, colleagues (if you can call them that) and friends who served with me along the way, and I’m looking forward to working with future governments to continue to make TEP the very best it can be. In terms of regional happenings, as you will read below, we are IMMENSELY happy to announce we’ve signed a treaty with our friends in TRTHNBB. This is something I really wanted to get done before I left office, and I’m super glad we’ve got pen to paper and have made this happen. Massive credit on our end should be given to MoFA Altys, who was instrumental in ensuring this could happen. Altys, my predecessor in the delegacy served as a wonderful FA Minister for this last year. With little else to update you on, I’ll simply leave this as more of a goodbye speech than a boring update. Thank you all very much for your hospitality over the last twelve months, and I hope future delegates updates are way more exciting for both our sakes. Thank you as always for reading the EPNS, whether you’re from TEP or abroad, we’re glad to have your patronage. Enjoy the edition, and farewell for now. By: Altys Back to Top The Money Heist Accords Signed By: Altys UTEP Feature || Politics of Hozier, Part I: Religious Trauma Interested in how music artists tackle modern political issues? Aivintis' Politics of Hozier, Part I: Religious Trauma explores Hozier's powerful critiques of organized religion, homophobia, and violence. Focusing on tracks like Take Me to Church and Foreigner's God, this piece breaks down the deeper messages in his lyrics and visuals. Read the full piece for an exploration of how Hozier's music fights hate. page=dispatch/id=2555456 In a world overrun by faceless corporations and monstrous financial empires, two daring regions--The East Pacific and The Region That Has No Big Banks--have joined forces in a defiant stand against the banking elite. Today, we unveil The Money Heist Accords, a pact forged in shared rebellion and a mutual mission to tear down the institutions of greed. Our regions, bound by a common opposition to the likes of the Royal Potato Bakery, the Horsemen Kitchen Tent, and the Kingly Palace Estates, will now collaborate more closely than ever before. The foundation of this alliance? Defensive Obligations. The East Pacific Sovereign Armada (EPSA) and The Bankless Liberation Force (BLF) pledge to work hand-in-hand, strategising and striking at the heart of the banking system whenever the opportunity arises. Should either region catch wind of an impending bank merger or corporate coup, we will share this intelligence swiftly and take decisive action. But our battle extends beyond the frontlines. Culturally, we will ignite the flames of resistance through coordinated anti-corporate propaganda across our media outlets. In the World Assembly, we invite the anti-bank movement to take up the pen and write articles, draft proposals, and build a global alliance against the oppressors of the financial system. And let it be known—our cause will be fueled by the spoils of our victories. The proceeds from every bank takedown, every class action lawsuit, every heist on the vaults of the elite, will be reinvested into joint cultural projects that strengthen the bond between our regions. Together, we will take down the banks, brick by brick. Treaty in its entirety: Treaty Recognizing the recent growth in friendly relations and cross-cultural collaboration between The East Pacific and The Region That Has No Big Banks, Seeking to formalise relations between the two regions and provide for even greater cooperation, The East Pacific and The Region That Has No Big Banks hereby jointly enact the following: Article I - Mutual Recognition (1) The Confederated East Pacific, as instituted by the Concordat of The East Pacific, and any legal successor to it, is hereby recognized as the legitimate government of The East Pacific by all signatories. (2) The Government of The Region That Has No Big Banks, as established by the Constitution of The Region That Has No Big Banks, and any legal successor to it, is hereby recognized as the legitimate government of The Region That Has No Big Banks by all signatories. (3) No Signatory may cede sovereign control of their territorial holdings to another entity. (a) The territorial holdings of signatories shall include jump points, event regions, affiliate regions, and colonies. (b) Sovereign control does not encompass regions whose founder nation do not belong to any signatory in any capacity. Article II - Diplomatic Relations (1) Each signatory shall establish and maintain in-game embassies with one another. (2) Each signatory shall maintain off-site embassies with each other, consistent with facilities provided to other treatied allies. (3) Each signatory will strive to keep the other updated on their regional happenings. Article III - Defence and Intelligence Obligations (1) The signatories will not invade or assist in a third-party invasion of the other signatory's home region or territories. The signatories also agree never to support, encourage or engage in any attempted subversion against the other. It is agreed upon that participating on the opposite sides of a battlefield in a third-party region will not constitute a violation of the treaty. (2) Should any of the signatories come under military attack against their legitimate government, the other signatories must provide military assistance. (3) The signatories must provide military assistance for one another in delegacy transitions, if requested by the transitioning signatory. (4) Both Parties agree never to engage in any form of espionage against each other. For the purposes of this Treaty, "espionage" means engaging a person to act under false pretences in a signatory region without the authorization of the legitimate government of that region. (5) If a signatory comes into possession of significant information which could threaten the interests or security of the other signatory, they will share it. (6) This treaty encourages the organisation and execution of joint military operations where possible between signatories in order to further their regional interests and their common alignment. Article IV - Cultural Agreements (1) The signatories will agree to encourage and support cultural exchanges and joint cultural events. The signatories agree to fully commit to promoting joint cultural events, particularly video game-related events, and are encouraged to collaborate on the organisation of such events. (2) The signatories agree to encourage cooperation in outlets of regional news. This cooperation may include sharing regional updates with one another, highlighting news from each fellow signatory’s region within each signatory’s own official news outlet, contributing articles to one another’s news outlet, or authoring joint articles. (3) The signatories agree to collaborate on the drafting, editing, and advertising of World Assembly proposals. (4) All signatories hereby declare intent to further cooperate and associate outside of the terms of this treaty. Article V - General Provisions (1) This Treaty shall enter into force on the date of its ratification by both Parties in accordance with their respective procedures. It may be amended when both parties agree to an amendment. (2) This treaty may be amended when all parties agree to an amendment; at any time a signatory may propose amendments to this Treaty. (3) Any signatory may exit this treaty via their own internal processes; they shall endeavour to give a week's notice before withdrawal and will make all reasonable efforts to seek a diplomatic solution before withdrawal. (4) The repeal of this treaty shall not necessarily be seen as an act of hostility by any signatory, and shall not necessarily dictate closure of relations between the repealing party and any signatory, and shall not preclude cooperation between the repealing party and any of the remaining signatories. Back to Top September Magisterium Update By: Pauline Bonaparte/Hlenderia UTEP Feature || Borderlands: A tale of Gods, immortality and family friendly lack of humor Second UTEP piece! Are you curious in the Borderlands movie? Libertanny offers a critique that dives into how the film handles its iconic characters, lore, and humor. If you're curious about how well it captures the spirit of the games, check out the full review for a thoughtful take on what works - and what doesn't. page=dispatch/id=2547741 September was the last month of the 62nd Magisterium, and its slowest. Two bills were passed before elections began at the end of the month. We ended September with 26 total Magisters. 22 are active, 3 are suspended, and 1 is on a leave-of-absence. • [A-2024-36] An Amendment to the Concordat was passed with 15 ayes, 1 nay, and 1 abstain and sent to the Conclave to schedule a referendum. This amendment would add a seat to the Conclave. The referendum passed the region-wide vote. • [T-2024-37] The Money Heist Accords, a proposed treaty with The Region That Has No Big Banks, was introduced in September. Voting began on October 1, and looks likely to pass. • Elections for the Provost of the 63rd Magisterium began in the last week of September. Running are the incumbent Pauline Bonaparte/Hlenderia, American-Cascadia, The Clockwork Multiverse, and Arleat. Back to Top September 2024 Culture Feature By: Tommo UTEP Feature || Hearts of Iron 4, why it succeeded when other strategy games failed And last piece! Want to know why Hearts of Iron 4 succeeds where other strategy games fell short? Arleat examines its complex mechanics, replayability, and thriving modding scene. The article also touches on Paradox Interactive’s reputation and how consistent updates have kept the game popular over time. Read the full article to see what sets HOI4 apart from the rest. page=dispatch/id=2547726 Culture hit a bit of a lull over the last few months, as I’m sure many people are aware - for now, we’ve kept ourselves busy with… 1) the summer flag contest, and 2) ensuring our monthly hunger games run smoothly! I’m pleased to say that as we now head into the autumn months, culture will begin to pick up in activity again - we are planning some events for the halloween period, and with the Delegate elections coming up, we are likely to see some changes out of the ministry as we reach the end of 2024. Hopefully, moving in the right direction, culture will begin to see a shift where we focus more on our members on-site as well as offsite. In short, we’re looking to get the RMB and general on-site NS community more involved in cultural events as much as we can, and our upcoming events for halloween will certainly help us kick this off! I am looking forward to what this month brings :3 As we head into October, this month marks ONE WHOLE YEAR since I was appointed culture minister, and I just wanted to say what an honour it has been and how much fun I’ve had serving this wonderful family we’ve helped build here in The East Pacific. While it will always be down to the discretion of the next delegate, I’d happily serve another one, two, five, however many years in this position. It’s helped me learn and adapt to so much that this community offers, and I hope for that to continue for as long as I can see it through :) So a thank you to everybody who has made the last year so worthwhile! That’s all for now, I look forward to seeing so many of you participate in what we have planned for… SPOOKY SEASON!!! 🎃🎃 Tommo <3 Back to Top The Foreign Newsstand: Delegate Picairn, Commend Yodle, and TBH Repeals By: Aivintis Hello and welcome to The Foreign Newsstand (TFN). We in The East Pacific’s FA Watch are tasked with discussing and debating news of global significance within NationStates Gameplay. With an eye on the forums and the news reports of our allies, we see discussion on a wide range of interregional political topics, and I have used this perspective to create the Newsstand, summarizing the goings-on of NSGP. TFN is fact-checked by TEP’s Foreign Minister, but nevertheless, I am human, and make mistakes. As such, I encourage people to reach out if there are factual errors, and I invite any NSer to reply in this thread adding any events I may have missed. It can help me figure out what my blind spots are, and ensure accountable, factual reporting. Furthermore, readers are encouraged to direct opinion statements to the threads relating to individual events. Without further ado, here are the major events of September 2024: After 585 days as The League & Concord’s Director of Foreign Affairs, New San Antonio has been re-assigned to the Internal Affairs position. Bootyswana has been chosen as the new Director of Foreign Affairs, and promised in their opening statement to expand relations with Independent regions. (Sept 4) Kantrias has celebrated the one year anniversary of its current form of government, the Empire. In its one year anniversary post, the Empire went over its diplomatic, military, and internal victories and evolutions over the past year. (Sept 5) Elections have concluded in The Region That Has No Big Banks, with America the Greater re-elected as Prime Minister. ATG’s cabinet was appointed shortly after. (Sept 10) The New Pacific Order and Lone Wolves United have signed “The Infiltrators Make the Best Workers Wolfpact,” a closer treaty replacing the previously held Non-Aggression Pact. (Sept 10) The United Royal Islands of Euramathania has been elected Delegate of 10000 Islands, after Tactical Officer and sole opposing candidate Elite dropped out to endorse them. Euramathania replaces Astrobolt, who has held the Delegacy for a year. (Sept 18) Picairn has been elected Delegate of The North Pacific. Their opponents were Dreadton, Evil Wolf, and former Delegate Pallaith. (Sept 20) Elections in Forest have concluded, with Garbelia elected as Forest Keeper. Jutsa will continue as Minister of Foreign Affairs. (Sept 21) The newly founded region Eruditio has released its government overview. (Sept 21) Commend Yodle has passed the Security Council with 93.8% of the vote in favor. (Sept 22) Avaldonia has broken into the NSGP sphere with the creation of a forum embassy thread. Avaldonia was founded one year ago and its members include multiple East Pacifican cosmopolitans. (Sept 23) The New Pacific Order has appointed Callisto has their new Senator of Diplomatic Affairs. She replaces Syberis, who will continue to serve as Regent. (Sept 26) Delegate Merlovich has proposed the Money Heist Accords, a treaty alliance between The East Pacific and The Region That Has No Big Banks. (Sept 26) The Wellspring has successfully transitioned into a Stronghold, citing the need for inward development and a structure suiting the governmental model it has chosen. (Sept 28) Without forum drafting, both condemnations of The Black Hawks have been repealed. (Sept 28) References: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=444783&p=41923564#p41923564 viewtopic.php?f=12&t=402376&p=41924130#p41924130 viewtopic.php?f=12&t=524887&start=100#p41938011 page=dispatch/id=2553694 page=dispatch/id=2555585 https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9198700/ viewtopic.php?f=12&t=453437&p=41968426#p41968426 viewtopic.php?f=12&t=553935&p=41967063#p41967063 page=WA_past_resolution/id=516/council=2 viewtopic.php?f=12&t=555705#p41973536 viewtopic.php?f=12&t=457061&p=41981493#p41981493 https://forum.theeastpacific.com/t/treaty-proposal-the-money-heist-accords/18367 viewtopic.php?f=12&t=535996&p=41951743#p41951743 page=WA_past_resolution/id=517/council=2 Back to Top One Year of The Foreign Newsstand By: Aivintis In this edition of EPNS, you can see the 13th edition of The Foreign Newsstand to be published. The first edition was posted a year ago, in September 2023. In the past year, EPNS and TFN have both seen various changes. To celebrate a full year of the most successful news series I have created, I will discuss the changes that have come to pass, as well as the process for creating TFN and the reactions I have received. The most obvious change I have made to The Foreign Newsstand is the title shift. Before July 2024, the monthly editions of The Foreign Newsstands were distinguished in title solely by an indicator of what month they were released. This, I felt, lacked character and identity. In July, I changed the naming scheme to highlight three major events of the month, which made each edition more unique and identified at the top of the article major highlights of breaking news for skimmers to see. Another major change was the addition of references. Before March 2024, the bulleted list of events had no citations to support those claims. I knew I was telling the truth, because I was doing the work of finding those events, but there could be no fact checking. Furthermore, if a particular event interested a reader, they’d have to do their own digging to find out more about it. In the March 2024 edition, I introduced references, linking dispatches or forum posts on the major events. Notably, a reference was not applied to every event. It stayed that way for April and May, but in June 2024, I ensured that every single event that was listed in The Foreign Newsstand had a proper reference citation corresponding to a dispatch, forum post, or, rarely, an RMB post. This ensured the integrity of the news reporting, and wasn’t actually that difficult to do – I did not have to hunt for these sources because for the most part those links were exactly how I learned about the events. Once I had a citation for every entry, I decided to make another major change, which was implemented in July. This was with regards to BBCode. It was primarily experimental, and I’m still not entirely sure it is better than before, but instead of a bullet point list and a references section marked by numbers in brackets, I put both the events and references in a numbered list. Event number one corresponds to reference number one, etc. This seemed like a logical simplification, but I still hold aesthetic reservations. Throughout the physical evolution of The Foreign Newsstand, the behind-the-scenes work has largely remained the same. At the end of the month – or, periodically throughout the month, to lower the workload in each individual session – I read through the recent posts on every major region’s NSGP embassy, consult the reports from ambassadors to TEP and to other regions to which I have access, and I add things I personally know from being around. This gives me a strong base of news. Recently, however, I’ve found it difficult to maintain. For one, news and statements are not always posted to the forums, at least not immediately. In July, the North Pacific Army raided the Confederation of Corrupt Dictators. As a general rule, I avoided reporting on CCD’s events, so I ignored their thread, but I did check TNP’s embassy thread and found nothing. There was, however, a dispatch. This highlights a weakness in my methods – sometimes regions do not advertise important news to the world. Starting in August, I started checking the dispatch leaderboard as well. I can always expand my sphere of research, but each new task is more work for comparatively little benefit, so a balance must be maintained. I could look at the WFEs and forums of every major region, or at least every region with an East Pacifican embassy, but at what point does it become too much? I think I’ve struck a good balance with the construction of The Foreign Newsstand, and I am very proud of what I have built. Even with university starting up again, I’m working on my own corner of EPNS and it brings me great joy to see a passion project of mine find such popularity with so many people. So here’s to a year of TFN! I’m looking forward to the next one. Back to Top Discord Nation Roleplay: A Strategy Game in Your Discord By: Sokala Discord Nation Roleplay (DNRP), like many forms of nation roleplay, is one of the most common ways to play Hearts of Iron 4 without actually needing a PC. There hundreds of Discord servers which host a myriad of scenarios from classic historical scenarios such as WW1, WW2, Cold War and even Modern Day roleplay, to alternate history scenarios such as Kaiserreich. As someone from the The East Pacific’s own Urth RP, I was looking for a break in writing and planning for my long form roleplay. I wanted roleplaty that was a bit more persistent. I used to play in a 2100 alternative Earth roleplay that was held in a Discord server so I wanted to search for a DNRP like that but set in the Modern day. One common difference between DNRP and the roleplay you see here in NationStates is that DNRP has a bit more reach. DNRP isn’t just advertised in Discord’s own Discover hub. DNRP is advertised on sites such as Disboard, Reddit and even alternate history forums. As I looked for a modern day DNRP, I stumbled upon one and joined it. There was a clear difference in how both operated. DNRP had persistent time, meaning that time always moves. Events happen at the time that it happens. Some employ manual posting of time, others employ Discord bots to notify players of the time. Another thing is that, at least for this particular server, the economy and military are very important and are tracked. Here, I was roleplaying in the Philippines. As a player, you get to micro-manage your budget and it affects not just your GDP growth but also your nation’s quality of life and even population growth. I went and negotiated treaties for the Philippines, racking me investment and GDP growth. The growth is not automatic, it’s determined by Economy game masters which determine feasibility and realism. Sometimes, you even get affected for things you had no place in because it would’ve made sense for you to be affected. In one instance, I had negative GDP growth after Oman had blockaded Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia had supplied the Philippines with a lot of its oil so I took negative GDP growth. As for the military, you have to coordinate with allies and produce or procure better or more gear with the money you get from your economy. While you can just put 60% of your economy in the military, it would lessen your funding for healthcare and other things. It would mean less GDP growth or even quality of life. For the roleplay proper, it is common for DNRP servers to have two types of events. Self events and international events. Self events are events that happen exclusively and only affect your nation. Elections, national happenings, law passing, and even more. In this server, any self event are allowed without the intervention of a game master except for a coup or a civil war. For international events, these are events that can encompass war, blockades, and other events that affect and can be affected by other nations. Direct, or even indirect participation, by you or other nations, is needed in these kinds of events. These events, in this server’s case, are written by a GM who decides what and how things happen depending on your actions. We had to submit our events on a form and then the game masters decide if the event is realistic and what was going to happen. For example, in this case Italy wanted to launch missiles to strike Iraq. The event was submitted for approval then posted in the international news for all to see and be able to react to. So what are the pros and cons of this type of roleplay? I like the persistence method of running the game. It instills a somewhat sense of agency in the players. The world continues moving with or without their input which is something I like. I also like the economic and military sheets as planning your economy and military rewards a military nerd like me who keeps a sheet just so I can plan modernization and such. One downside I’ve seen so far is that some people may not like that you have to trust the judgment of game masters for a lot of things. You have to trust that they will fairly write your event, judge your economic plans, and even write war casualties. It’s certainly not for everyone. It plays more like a strategy game than a roleplaying method but I feel like it is for the some that likes a more active role in the roleplay. Back to Top Hay Day: How to feed Horses By: Altys The eleventh N-Day began with a bug preventing nations from accumulating production, an all-too-familiar event the players of NationStates. Another glitch also temporarily blocked nations from launching nuclear strikes. This took 40 minutes to be resolved, after which the production race began in earnest. Twenty minutes later, the war between major factions began. The factions Anime Nations Against Liberals (ANAL) and the Jellyfish Elite Fighting Force (JEFF) coordinated their efforts, focusing their initial barrage on The Horsemen of the Apocalypse (HotA). The early exchanges between factions yielded limited success for the attackers. At the two-and-a-half-hour mark, JEFF and ANAL shifted targets to HotA's ally, Kingly Heathens Asserting Neighborliness (KHAN), whose defenses and counteroffensives were critical in shielding HotA, at the time burdened by captchas (disabled site-wide around a hour later), and retaliating against their adversaries. For the next two and a half hours, volleys of nuclear strikes and retaliations ensued, with both sides accumulating similar levels of radiation from repeated exchanges. Five hours into the conflict, with KHAN absorbing over 50% radiation, JEFF and ANAL resumed their assault on HotA. HotA retaliated, targeting JEFF, which had managed to avoid any significant radiation exposure until now. HotA would then alternate its attacks between JEFF and ANAL, trying to keep them both on the defensive. As the conflict wore on, it became evident that HotA had gained the upper hand. ANAL’s radiation levels climbed perilously close to 50%, while JEFF appeared to struggle with making use its massive stockpile of nukes, reportedly “failing to utilize [its] production,” according to one of their commanders. At the ten-hour mark, the JEFF-ANAL alliance was dissolved following a last ditch attempt to target KHAN for additional score. Both factions abandoned their cooperative efforts and shifted focus to preserving their score in the positives. This would later on go on to spark further controversy as multiple JEFF commanders ejected over 3,000 of their own faction's nations, deliberately avoiding the score loss a massive impending HotA-KHAN would’ve inflicted on them. HotA engaged in similar tactics, reportedly sending puppet nations to ANAL to attack them and drive their faction off the leaderboard. While this was going on, KHAN would slowly make a comeback, exploiting the remaining survivors in JEFF and ANAL, as well as smaller factions, to secure points. The final leaderboard recorded HotA in first place with a total score of 1 074 435, followed by KHAN at 138 821, and JEFF at 105 592; with ANAL in 14th place at 16 177. title credit goes to Evil Mother Back to Top Read dispatch As reported by Faralried, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Blue Ridge	Finally the treaty I was MOFA for start to finish for, a truly grueling *checks notes* 4 total days from Adkissa DMing me with a full polished treaty to its announcement. The like 8-10 total messages I sent were truly hard work and I don't know if I'll fully recover. Lowkey tho if any other MOFAs are lurking, come to me with a full treaty like Adkissa did and I'll love you forever lmao. I can't write to save my life. As for the treaty itself the joint event every 6 months or so should be a blast. Already looking forward to our next one! Full Treaty - [BR/NBB] Hometown Banking Compact by The Serene Flower Field of Adkissa Hometown Banking Compact Preamble Blue Ridge (BR) and The Region That Has No Big Banks (TRTHNBB, NBB), herein also referred to as “the signatories”, seeking to expand upon existing relations, define the position of hometown banking, and establish formal grounds for the future, have agreed as follows: Article I: Recognitions The signatories pledge recognition for the respective governments of the other, and agree to refrain from recognizing or cooperating with any illegitimate administration. Blue Ridge as represented under the authority of the Basic Law and all other legally designated successor bodies. TRTHNBB as represented under the authority of the Constitution and all other legally designated successor bodies. The signatories recognize the following categories of territories self-governed; Core Region: The region which the a signatory government designates as its cultural and legal center. Colony: A region which is under the protection of a core region. The signatories recognize an additional category of region, “protected region(s)”, which are other governments who have treaties of defense or mutual aid with one of the signatories. The signatories pledge to maintain embassies with the core region of the other. The signatories pledge to maintain a continuous ambassadorial representation in the core region of the other signatory. Blue Ridge promises legal recognition of the governing ideal of ‘No Big Banks’ held by TRTHNBB, and promises to pursue a policy of local, hometown banking in all its territories. The Region That Has No Big Banks promises legal recognition of BR-style hometown banking as a local form of monetary storage and transaction, and as such not qualifying under ‘big bank’ status. Article II: On Hometown Banking Blue Ridge and The Region That Has No Big Banks, united in struggle against the corporate monopoly over the banking sector, and standing firm against the immoral policy of all ‘big banks’, hereby affirm that hometown banking is a superior form of banking. Article III: Defending Hometown Banks Recognizing the violent nature of Big Banks, and the strength held by corporate monopolies, the signatories agree that a policy of mutual aide is necessary to preserve hometown banks. The signatories pledge to communicate threats made against itself or the other, and pledge to notify the other of any vulnerabilities discovered within its own entity or that of the other signatory. The signatories pledge to refrain from sharing any intelligence granted by the other without explicit affirmation. The signatories pledge to expressly notify each other of any intelligence found relating to the other. The signatories pledge to refrain from engaging in activities of malicious intent against each other, and pledge that no direct or indirect military action shall be taken against the other as long as this treaty stands. The signatories pledge to defend each other when requested, and will automatically assume the defense of a core region or colony were an invasion to occur. Additionally, the signatories pledge to defend one another if World Assembly activity of malicious intent were to be taken against the other. Article IV: The Cultural Importance of Hometown Banks Acknowledging the shared history of cultural cooperation and the opportunity presented by hometown banking for extended opportunity, the signatories agree that Hometown Banks are important to the cultural functions of any community, and pledge further cooperation thereunto. The signatories pledge to co-host a minimum of one cultural events per six calendar months. The signatories pledge to communicate with the other advice regarding cultural events, organization, and roleplay activity. Article V: Addenda The signatories recognize the position of credit unions as a medium between the consumer and the bank, and subsequently affirm that they are an acceptable form of hometown banking. This treaty may enter only into effect when each region has completed the proper procedures for implementation respectively. This treaty, once entered into effect, will have all its pledges legally ordered as promises between the signatories. This treaty may be amended by a vote required to pass a treaty in each signatory according to the respective laws of each. This treaty may be terminated, and its provisions declared null, if justified complaint regarding the violation of its clause(s) by a signatory, or if participant status is retracted by one of the signatories. Signatures Click to show... Blue Ridge Hulldom Pioneer and Chair of the Executive Council Adkissa First Minister Duckstate Convener of the Town Meeting The Region That Has No Big Banks America the Greater Prime Minister Faralried Minister of Foreign Affairs Read dispatch As reported by Faralried, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Recently we here in TRTHNBB have adopted the consulate system for our foreign affairs! We’ve grown a lot recently and believe establishing consulates prior to an embassy to be the best move forward to help us determine the best fits for our long term partners. While we did have some consulates before hand since the adoption of having consulates as an official policy, we have opened many consulates especially over the last month or so with the following regions-

• New Pacific Order

• The Leftist Assembly

• Conch Kingdom

• Avaldonia

• Commonwealth of Sovereign States

• The Wellspring

Recently our friends in The East Pacific have had a Delegate election. Our congrats go out to American-Cascadia for winning the delegacy with 21 out of 25 votes! Additionally congrats to Merlovich for their successful term as delegate!

The North Pacific Happenings Report, contributed by America the Greater

We've recently established a consulate with The North Pacific, and I'm pleased to be our representative to their region. The North Pacific quite recently conducted its Delegate elections, with Picairn defeating the assumed front-runner candidate. Picairn pledged to "address the activity and manpower issues plaguing our government and army, and implement necessary reforms to make TNP a stronger and better region."

The North Pacific has also recently released its newest round of WADP awards for active WA members in the region, increased the frequency of its raiding operations, and announced the beginning of its Judicial Election period.
Written by Faralried and America the Greater for The Social Reformer
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New United Common-lands

Rogue River

Arstotskiano Helix-Caelorum

Interviews conducted by America the Greater for The Social Reformer
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Issue Number XX

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Issue Number XX

WRITERS ON THIS ISSUE: America the Greater (Chief Editor), Ardeyn, Gine Caruttiva, Faralried
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE: New United Common-lands, Rogue River, Arstotskiano Helix-Caelorum
SPECIAL THANKS TO Syrasia FOR FORMATTING