While the period of the last month or so was largely characterized by foundational legislation and expectations, the recent General Assembly has shifted toward basic international law and infrastructure. Recent resolutions such as the World Assembly Research and Innovation Organization (WARIO), Against Torture, WA Headquarters, and Protecting Places of Cultural Significance center around principles of inherent rights, shared resources, and proportionate national sovereignty.

The post-reset period has continued to inspire an influx of proposals from budding authors, both from across the multiverse and our own Starborn - all but two passed proposals (in the GA) included at least one Starborn! These include "Protecting Places of Cultural Significance", by our outgoing Aetherion Alainian Federation, and "Against Torture", by our very own Deputy Minister Untecna and former Aetherion and WAA Minister Cessarea. WA Secretariat member Merethin has also been involved in the drafting of the first post-reset repeal, targeting "International Agricultural Biodiversity Safeguard".

The Security Council saw healthy activity levels, though notably less so than the previous month. This quiet period could largely be a reflection of the recent stability within the R/D sphere. In all, three repeals were passed, alongside the World Cup recognition. The Ministry did not issue recommendations for these.

Overall, both chambers showed healthy activity and legislation, and a trend toward new legislation and reform. We are very pleased that the Ministry successfully continued its work at the forefront of this.

Despite this, we had more Armada promotions! RKD was promoted to Vanguard, gaining the all-important pink role color in the Armada server. Fleetmaster Merethin was promoted to Update Command in Libcord, making them the first member of GAS to join this elite group, while Marshal Kadaizee became the latest GAS officer to be promoted to Junior Command. Kadaizee was also awarded the Order of the Fenda Moth at Star-Medallion rank, for his continued diligence in update attendance and leadership skill. Congratulations to all three for these achievements!

And finally, if you're interested in getting into military gameplay, join the Galactic Armada by filling out the application form on our Discord! You must hold Stargazer status to join the Galactic Armada.

I'm back with my final Halls report of the term, and while the influx of new legislation has calmed down somewhat since last month, we've still seen plenty of legislative activity.

We began with another Honorary Titles Act nomination, this time nominating Alainian Federation (aka Celia) for Roleplayer Extraordinaire. The proposal, authored by Oseao, Centennium, and Foixla, especially praised her contributions to the modernisation of Celestara, particularly in her redesigns of the roleplay's map, as well as her assistance in Dawnbreak's RP Moderation team, while also giving examples of some of her excellent storytelling and worldbuilding. Turnout was high, with 28 voters unanimously approving the awarding of the title.

The Halls were then presented with a new piece of landmark legislation, written by Alainian Federation (aka Celia) and Oseao: The Skyweaver Amendment, adding a new elected position, the Skyweaver, who would perform an advisory role similar to that of the existing Aethereal Council, with additional powers of oversight at the Triune Circle's discretion. The bill also sought to clear up some constitutional inconsistencies, continuing this term's trend of legislative renewal and improvement. Despite the relative importance of the bill, we only saw usual turnout, with 23 voters giving the amendment a 100% majority. The passage of this amendment adds some extra excitement to the upcoming electoral season: many are watching intently to see how the first Skyweaver will utilise the new position.

Finally, Stevist Guam (aka Kitteh), in conjunction with RKD (aka Katie) and Nova Angleterre, submitted the Human Creativity Act, designed to prevent the Government from utilising generative AI in regional releases, and serve as a statement of the regions' commitment to sponsoring human ideas. The bill was passed with a 100% majority, from the 28 voters present.

The Flamewarden Staff also managed to complete both of this term's ongoing projects recently, despite various setbacks causing them to be delayed. Firstly, the Halls Proposal Drafting Scheme, based in our regional Discord server, opened. As of yet, no prospective authors have taken up the offer of support with bill drafting, although we encourage any Starborn seeking to get more into the Halls to give it a go!

And secondly, the updated Legislative Guide was finally released, providing an in-depth guide to the Halls, especially from an authorship perspective. This was truly a monumental effort, and I am very proud of the end result - I hope that it assists many future Starborn in their legislative journeys! My deepest thanks to the inaugural Flamewarden Staff for their hard work in bringing this to fruition, especially Untecna and Ubertas, who both contributed sections to the Guide and were instrumental in allowing it to be completed before the term ended.

To round off the term, we also released a minor amendment to the formatting of the Halls Archives, which now more clearly separate the Constitution from normal law, and provide an easy-to-understand overview of how our laws have been amended over time. This change will hopefully make our existing body of legislation easier to navigate and work with and help in this term's goal of improving transparency and accessibility in the Halls.
I'd like to round off this report by emphasising how proud I am of what our regions have managed to achieve this term. No fewer than 11 new bills passed through the Halls over the last three months - an impressive feat on its own, made no less impressive when you consider that only 62 bills have been passed ever. This means that almost 20% of our regions' laws and titles have been created over this term. We've also managed to create many new resources for aspiring authors, and I'm confident that the Halls are now a much better place for it. It has been my greatest pleasure to serve as your Flamewarden over the last term, but I could not have done it without the support of the Triune Circle, Vice-Flamewarden Dogeland, Flamelighter Aoife, and the rest of the Flamewarden Staff. Thank you to everyone who's contributed to the Halls, and I look forward to seeing what is achieved in the next term!

As the flow of time continues to stream past Starlight and Horizon, our culture ebbs and flourishes right alongside it. Indeed, this month has been major for the Ministry of Culture! Here’s what happened.

On August 14th, we hosted a game night with The Leftist Assembly, planned by Celia ( Alainian Federation ) and Greatkitteh ( Starlit Guam ) and hosted by Greatkitteh and Untecna Untecna, alongside the generous leaders and ambassadors of the Leftist Assembly ( Fuchsheim, Marxist Land of Peoples, and Farbelia ). The first half of this game night consisted of Wikipedia Races, where they started in a Leftist Assembly-themed Wikipedia page and tried their best to make it to a Starlight-themed one through the links in the article as quickly as possible. Some of these races included trying to get from Marxism to Moth, Antonio Gramsci to NAMCO, or even a Hawk to a Star! The game night then concluded with two riveting rounds of Gartic Phone, a drawing-based telephone game that involved hilarious displays of artistry and guesswork alike. Overall, the event was very successful, and we sincerely thank the Leftist Assembly for being thoughtful co-hosts. We hope to see more joint game nights into the future!

The Ministry of Culture held a second game night on August 23rd, as Merethin ( Merethin ) hosted games for the popular classic Among Us. This was the first Among Us game held in our sister regions since the introduction of the judge, a new role that could overrule the crewmate vote during emergency meetings, and much was learned about the new mechanic for more game nights to come in the future.

Finally, Dawnbreak and Dragons -- an immersive TTRPG event set in the world of Horizon’s fantasy roleplay, Dawnbreak -- was launched in August, with sessions taking place every Saturday and Sunday for two cohorts. The plot of ‘Dawnbreak and Dragons’ covers a rebellion that occurred 200 years ago from the modern Dawnbreak timeline in Imantica. An enterprising aristocrat named Urenenya Narilmor has rallied her banners against the monarchy, and it’s up to the parties in each cohort to aid or stop her!

The Saturday Cohort, called the ‘Alpine Skymints,’ have chosen to stay loyal to the crown, vowing to protect Imantican sovereignty and trust in the ability of the monarch. In the process, they’ve gotten King Elendir of Elarithil ( Oseao ) to attack the pro-rebel Stevist Guam, defeated a disgraced alchemist from Beimin and convinced a wandering mercenary from the recently united realm of Luminara ( Luminous Valentine ) to stray away from engaging in further conflict. Now, only the inner castle of Urenenya Narilmor remains for the Alpine Skymints to confront...

The Sunday Cohort, called the ‘Malatu Orchids,’ have had an equally adventurous story, but they chose to do the opposite from the ‘Alpine Skymints’ -- help Urenenya Narilmor overthrow the increasingly obsolete Imantican Royal House. Their adventures involved defeating a dragon to return stolen Wine Glasses for the Otterkin of Alainia ( Alainian Federation ) and grappling with a serious moral dilemma posed by an ambitious warlord from Stevist Guam: is it okay to pursue victory in war by any ways necessary?

Creativity has taken the long form as well! On August 14th, Minister of Culture Cuchimilco has announced a Starlight and Horizon Writing Competition, based around the theme ‘Unlikely Friendships.” The contest will run until August 31st, and we await the intriguing narratives that will emerge!

Phew! That’s about it for some of our cultural celebrations in August! We’d like to thank everyone that hosted or participated in an event for their joy, effort, and presence.

Now, it’s time for us to ask you a question -- how do you want to have fun in our community? The Ministry of Culture is dedicated to turning your ideas into a reality, so please pitch your event wishlist in the culture-central channel of our Discord, or otherwise speak to our Minister of Culture, Cuchimilco! The Ministry can mobilize graphic designers, writers, organizers, and advisors to help you. We’re only looking for your passion and courage.

Revue Starlight presents:
Witch Hat Atelier (Tongari Bōshi no Atorie) from studio Bug Films.
(Disclaimer: in this article, Japanese names are rendered surname first, given name last)

Overview:
One Piece. Naruto. Dragon Ball. Everyone knows the “Big Three”. Wait, sorry, I have just been informed that Dragon Ball is not one of the Big Three, that goes to Bleach, apparently. I have never thought that Bleach had the same cultural impact in the US as Dragon Ball, but my experience is based on American anime culture and from my understanding, the Big Three are associated with their original manga and their publication in Weekly Shōnen Jump during the late 90s and early 2000s.

But there is a new Big Three being whispered about these days. Not of battle shounen, but a trio of works that have revived the modern japanese fantasy genre and liberated it from the endless piles of isekai slop. Delicious in Dungeon (Dungeon Meshi) is highly regarded (although I have unfortunately not yet watched it), and everyone should know about Frieren, which is widely considered one of the greatest anime of all time. Now at last the third member of these bar-raising stories has joined its sisters on the screen, and we are here to review Witch Hat Atelier, a heartwarming tale about the joys of magic and the ongoing struggle to determine who should have access to it.

Problematic Elements:
I cannot recall any problematic elements in this anime.

Plot
Coco is the daughter of a seamstress and a young girl who loves magic. The world is filled with magic and magical items, but unfortunately for Coco, only witches can practice magic, and you must be born a witch. One day, while the witch Qifrey is visiting her mother’s dress shop, he is called upon to repair a flying carriage which was damaged, and requests the usage of their workshop for privacy while he fixes the magical device. A curious Coco sneaks in and discovers an astonishing secret: anyone can practice magic if they have special Magic Ink and know how to draw the correct casting seals.

Thus, Coco is thrust into the world of magic and witches, unwittingly becoming a pawn in a centuries-long battle between the witches of the Great Hall, whose rules concerning the practice and knowledge of magic were put in place on the Day of the Pact, and the Brimmed Caps, rogue witches who use forbidden magic in opposition to the Great Hall.

Characters
The cast of characters here is thoroughly fleshed out. Though Coco is the main character, and we spent the most time with her, the supporting cast is given their own time in the spotlight and we learn more of the various motivations. Much like the world of magic, much is initially hidden in secrecy, and with Coco we learn more about the world of Witch Hat Atelier in a sublime blend of worldbuilding, storytelling, and character exploration.
Indeed, one thing I was most impressed by is that unlike many fantasy works, Witch Hat Atelier neither dully paints its characters’ external conflict as a simple battle of good versus evil, nor goes too far in trying to make its villains sympathetic. The Great Hall is neither fully to be trusted, nor are the Brimmed Caps righteous in their defiance of the powers that be. Instead, we get a nuanced picture, where individuals can engage in wrongdoing for noble reasons. This story has yet to be concluded, and I personally am quite excited to see more of the cast’s many-faceted characters.

Soundtrack
The opening is “Wind’s Anthem” by Eve. This is an absolute banger of an opening that perfectly sets the tone of a fantastical adventure.

The ending is “Tada Utsukushii Noroi” by Nakamura Hak. Personally I was not a fan of this one, and after the first listen I skipped this every time. It seems to be just acoustic guitar over vocals, which is just not really my thing.

The soundtrack for the show itself is by Kitamura Yuka. This soundtrack is exactly what I expect from a fantasy anime, and fits the show perfectly. I remember it most vividly in the masterful third episode, where “So Long As I Walk” contributes to the stunning climactic scene. This is far from the only good track in the OST, however. I especially love “The Fall and the Roar of Water”. All of it is incredible work.

Animation
This is a gorgeous anime. I already mentioned the climax of the third episode, where in addition to the amazing soundtrack, we get some truly breathtaking visuals, but truly the whole show is well animated.

However, the opening sequence really takes the cake. Stunning storybook-esque visuals help sell the fantasy theme and weave together with the animated sequences like the witches weave together spells from casting seal symbols.

The backstory narration is also rendered in the same picture book style, making you feel as if you are being read the world’s lore from the immaculately illustrated pages of a children’s book of folk tales.

Final review
Witch Hat Atelier is the best anime of the year. We are halfway through the year now, and I am confident in saying that. I have not seen anything close to being a contender for that title so far. Seriously, cease your NationStatesing and go watch it.

Overall: 9.5 / 10

So, I play video games. Unfortunately, I don't finish many of them. But I sorta did this month! We're running back to arcade titles this month.

Super Monkey Ball originally came out in arcades before releasing on that "game cube" device. Team Lizardbrain came in clutch once more by bringing back the dolphin to play the game on. For some reason, a monkey is locked tightly inside a plastic ball and made to roll around stages until they reach a goal. It is definitely strange.

The main game allows you to select your preferred monkey and one of three difficulty levels. Beginner gives you ten stages, Advanced gives you 30, and Expert gives you 50. There are bonus floors on occasion, and plenty of bananas to collect as you move through the stages. Players can also unlock minigames as they play, and there are also party and multiplayer options for playing with friends.

The game's visuals are pretty simple, but they hold up incredibly well today. Especially with the graphical enhancements that Team Lizardbrain provided, the stages feel bright and joyful! The sounds of the game are punchy and loud, as to be expected from an arcade port.

There is something funny about the graphics, though; all the bananas are branded! That's right, when you collect those potassium-rich fruits, you are getting advertised to by the Dole Food Company!

The gameplay is otherwise really easy to learn but hard to master. Rolling around in your ball feels smooth and the controls are just right! But, as the stages get harder, you'll have to be even more careful traversing them. Luckily, you have a few continues so you can keep playing on!

Super Monkey Ball is a classic, hands down. It is easy to pick up and play at any time, and definitely a fun one to try out with friends!

Overall rating: 8.3/10 worms

It is time for another song review!
“Pittsburgh” is one of The Amity Affliction's most devastating songs because it operates on two levels simultaneously: it is about a literal near-death experience, but, at the same time, about the psychological state that made such an experience possible.

The song starts off with a remarkable line already: "I've been searching for an exit, but I'm lost inside my head." It's arguably the key to the entire song. While an "exit" can mean many different things, in the point of lead singer Joel Birch's view, alcohol was not merely recreational excess. It had become a method of self-destruction.

He describes the psychological mechanism that can lead there: when existing inside your own mind becomes so unbearable that escape begins to matter more than what the escape might cost. It is far from the trope-typical, romanticized image of someone dramatically reaching for death, but instead, chronic psychological fatigue.

Perhaps the strongest part of "Pittsburgh" is the imagery of the chorus. His feelings are described very painfully, with lines such as "it's like there's cancer in my blood / water in my lungs / fire in my skin". It appears as a contradiction, to both burn and drown at the same; however, anxiety, depression, and, ultimately, substance withdrawl can feel profoundly physical.

In the second verse, Joel describes himself as "lost right now as the ocean deep". Again, water is used for imagery here; once again, the chance of drowning is suggested, as he is surrounded by something enormous and seemingly endless - his inner demons.

Everything seems over when Joel stats "I cannot live inside my mind". The singer reveals that he simply cannot stand being alone with his own consciousness, once again describing the need to retort to drinking, which only increases the gravity the original problem.

Later on, however, it becomes clearer what it is that kept our narrator alive, as he sings "I'll take another step for you". While he cannot find enough motivation internally, another person becomes a reason to survive. He then even agrees to "take another step" and "take another breath", which seem like small steps are on his own but are incredibly essential to his survival.

“Pittsburgh” is ultimately a song about the terrifying moment when self-destruction stops being theoretical. The song asks what happens after you survive something you were not entirely sure you were trying to survive. The central statement is "please tell me I am not undone”, as he is afraid that the damage is already irreversible. He is physically exhausted, psychologically trapped and surrounded by images of drowning and suffocation.

Yet the song contains one fragile counterargument to death: someone else.

And sometimes, another person is all you need to hang on.

Contributor

Role

Contribution

Aav

Minister of Media

Formatting, editing

Imantica

Deputy Minister of Media

Song review

Alainian Federation

Aetherion

Design and review

Idinist

Flamewarden

Halls update, Armada update

Stevist Guam

Writer

Culture update

Untecna

Writer

Game review

Ubertas

Writer

World Assembly update