Special Towel Day Release
Index"Towel Day in TRR" by The Church of Satan
INTERVIEW: "The North Pacific's New Delegate" by The Church of Satan
"It's War?" by Katherine Rybeck
TOWEL DAY IN TRR
EDITORIAL | THE CHURCH OF SATAN, CORRESPONDENT
Thirty-nine years ago Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy was broadcast on BBC radio for the first time. One year later the book was published. Two years later it had a cartoon series. Twenty-four years later the movie adaptation was released. Unfortunately Douglas Adams himself would not live to see it. On May 11, 2001 he died of a heart attack while resting after a workout at his private gym. Three days later a user at System Toolbox named Clyde proposed that May 25th be marked as Towel Day and that all fans of the world famous series carry a towel with them in memory of Douglas Adams. Eleven days later the first Towel Day was observed.
Today The Rejected Realms celebrated the life of Douglas Adams in true Towel Day fashion. Rejects and the NationStates world at large are encouraged to carry with them a towel. A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-bogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you daft as a brush, but very very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.
More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost." What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.
Hence a phrase that has passed into hitchhiking slang, as in "Hey, you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There's a frood who really knows where his towel is." (Sass: know, be aware of, meet, have sex with; hoopy: really together guy; frood: really amazingly together guy.)
In addition, The Rejected Realms has enjoyed a series of activities inspired by Towel Day such as a Vogon poetry contest. Vogon poetry is of course the third worst kind of poetry in the universe. This hoopy frood knows where his towel is. Do you know where yours is? To the immortal Douglas Adams, so long and thanks for all the fish!
THE NORTH PACIFIC'S NEW DELEGATE
INTERVIEW | THE CHURCH OF SATAN, CORRESPONDENT
The North Pacific recently elected a new delegate and I do mean new. A mysterious newcomer in the region worked his way to the top rather quickly. Today we meet Pallaith (aka Ghost,) Delegate-Elect of The North Pacific. Who is he? Where did he come from? What drives him? What direction will The North Pacific go under his leadership? TRR Media sat down with him to find that out and more. Without further delay, we're proud to introduce Delegate-Elect Ghost!
CoS: I'm here with Ghost, the newly elected delegate of The North Pacific. Hello Ghost and congratulations on your election!
Ghost: Thanks! It's a very exciting time for me, thrilling and terrifying all at once.
CoS: No doubt about it, heh. So little is known about you. How long have you played NationStates?
Ghost: I actually started in The North Pacific, my nation at the time was Ghostopolis, but I didn't stay for long.
CoS: So you were drawn towards another region? Was it a recruitment telegram that caused your initial departure?
Ghost: One of the people who introduced me to the game suggested moving out of the starting region, because it was huge and you would be likely to be overlooked and not get very far, probably some GCR bias on his part. I picked the one region whose telegram most appealed to me, seemed fun and seemed to have the best opportunity for a player looking to get somewhere in the game beyond the basics. I chose...rather poorly.
CoS: Oh? How so?
Ghost: It was a roleplaying region run by a close-knit group who had very different politics than myself, and I found it hard to play along with them and to get into their inner circle. My effort was unappreciated and I just kind of got sick of the founder's attitude.
CoS: What made you decide to come back to The North Pacific and get involved?
Ghost: It's a bit of a story, and to get thre I'd have to skip my experience up to summer 2016. In one word, Discord. Once my region (the one I moved to after my first region) got a Discord server (late July, early August 2016), it wasn't long before we started to see people from outside the region show up. The acting founder of the region was actually active in TNP and one of TNP's players stopped by one day, I assume because of him, but to be honest, I'm not sure. I had heard bits and pieces about TNP over the years but especially from our founder, who I didn't really talk to much until we got that Discord. I was curious and followed him and the other player to TNP's Discord. It was election season and our founder and this other guy were running for office. I had actually made a puppet sometime in 2015, that would be Pallaith, so I sent it to TNP and got citizenship. It took like, 8 days I think. I had also been looking to find something new to do in the game, because I had been burning out a bit by that point, and I had just left the delegacy of my region, which was just starting to figure out what direction it was going in (thankfully, it's been doing quite well since then). It took like, 8 days I think. I had also been looking to find something new to do in the game, because I had been burning out a bit by that point, and I had just left the delegacy of my region, which was just starting to figure out what direction it was going in (thankfully, it's been doing quite well since then.)
CoS: And what got you started in The North Pacific? With numerous areas to choose from, what appealed to you the most?
Ghost: It really helped that I knew some people from there, and of all the GCRs it was the only one that had a prior relationship with my region. I found them to be welcoming, really interesting, and the whole setup of the forum was impressive, they really shattered my previous misconceptions about GCRs. I felt like I could actually really become part of the community, and that there would be opportunities for me to get really involved.
CoS: Just arriving is a long way from the delegate's seat. What aspect of the region got your foot in the door?
Ghost: Timing is everything. Shortly after I became a citizen, the General Election ran its course. When it was finished and we had a new Delegate, he opened a few positions up for applications. My TNP friends encouraged me to give it a try so I figured why not. I applied for Minister of Communications and was passed over for a more experienced player. At that point I figured it was done, and it made sense, I was only in the region for less than 2 weeks. But there was another position, Minister of World Assembly Affairs, that was still open, and no one seemed to be interested. I wasn't sure I was up for it, but I had been habitually writing explanations for every vote I cast in the WA, and I had always paid attention to it since my first days in the game. And I had been a Delegate myself, so it mattered to me. I made my case, and he accepted me! It really illustrated to me just how many opportunities exist for even the newest players in TNP. Not to toot my own horn, but I went on to have a very successful term as MoWA (formerly MoWAA but I felt that was a bit silly and championed the other acronym.)
CoS: How long ago was that?
Ghost: I was the final cabinet member appointed following the September 2016 General Election. I held the office for an entire term, until January 2017.
CoS: So you made it into the cabinet in just two weeks and served for four months. What did you pursue after that?
Ghost: When the next election started in January, our long-serving and ready-to-retire Speaker of the Regional Assembly finally decided to retire, and we needed someone to take his place. We had few options and some people nominated me. I decided to accept the challenge because no one else seemed willing to step up. I ended up running against the only remaining Deputy Speaker who had been on the job for a few months by that point.
CoS: You went for the job the region needed you to take?
Ghost: I was new and exploring and I felt it was a challenge that could be good for me, but would also be good for TNP. And if I lost, I would lose to the Deputy Speaker, trained personally by the former Speaker, and if the Delegate still wanted me to serve on his cabinet, he could certainly do that. I felt that I couldn't go wrong offering to serve in whatever capacity people decided they wanted me to serve.
CoS: Your commitment is admirable! So did you end up as speaker?
Ghost: Yes, for most of that race, including initial voting, I honestly didn't expect to win, but I pulled it off and became the first non-deputy to win the office in something like 2 or 3 years.
CoS: That was only a few months ago too. How long did you serve as speaker?
Ghost: A term, just like my cabinet post. I held the job until the end of the next election, the May election, during which I was elected Delegate.
CoS: You ran for delegate after just eight months and won!?
Ghost: Yeah, crazy right?
CoS: But what made you decide to run for delegate so soon? Weren't you a little nervous about going for the big chair?
Ghost: Of course! And whenever I even started to seriously consider a future run for Delegate, I always imagined it would happen far off into the future. I thought there'd be one or even two more delegates before I might be one, but the more I thought about it, and the more I talked to people in the region, started collecting a list of things I wanted to see, and do, and see TNP achieve, well it basically formed a platform for a Delegate run. I had executive and legislative experience, I hadn't done either for too long, I was still fresh in TNP and wasn't jaded into thinking what was and was not possible to get done. I did good work in both jobs and I wasn't pigeonholed. That was a concern I had, that I would be good at them and then be stuck there because no one else would step up. It happened to my predecessor for Speaker. I wanted to always serve where I was needed, but I also wanted to do as many things as I could, and just as I was given a chance, I wanted all the new people who joined along with me to also have a chance. In both positions I built staffs that trained potential successors for the job. I was better at that in MoWA I think, my former deputy is starting his second term as Minister of World Assembly Affairs, but one of my Deputy Speakers is still in the Speaker's Office and doing well. When I look at it, you can say it is too soon, but I think for me it was the perfect time, and with the vision I have for TNP during this exciting time in NS when lots of things are changing and a new generation of players is becoming prominent, I didn't want to wait or to slow it down by competing with others, for influence or the ear of the people who could make things happen. Who knows where the game or the region would be in 4-8 months? You have to move in the present, all the planning in the world doesn't mean squat if the game moves in a direction you didn't anticipate, and then you can't make your dreams a reality, or get a chance to see how they would have done if you had pursued them earlier. I didn't want to look back and regret, especially when so far in my TNP career, I always jumped right into the next thing and kept moving. I've just seen this all as a progression and it seems kind of crazy at first but by the time I get to the end it seems like I was just moving in a logical way, on to the next thing, and it all connects so well.
CoS: What platform did you run on? You obviously made a big impression to have won.
Ghost: If I had to sum it up in a few words, engagement and leadership. I made a point to connect all of our various ministries together through how they would enhance our relationship with our allies and how finding ways to do that would improve our culture and spur innovation. This innovation would in turn make us better leaders in those alliances and as trendsetters. We have the capability to replicate the successes we have had, but in the communities of our friends and neighbors. I think TNP has some of the greatest minds and forward thinkers in the game and regardless of the rivalries or disagreements our players have had with others over the years, there's a lot of cool stuff in TNP that I think other regions would enjoy, and we could all learn a lot from each other. I don't just want TNP to make our own region better or to make the game better, but I would like to see what works outside of TNP, and see if we can't have a little of that in our own community. This is one of the core advantages of cultural events and alliances, and I think I would give everyone more incentive to play the game and would grow the active player bases of everyone. And if that doesn't magically happen that fast, well it gives us all something to aspire to, and maybe something to fight about. Playfully and with good sport, of course.
CoS: Well said! You clearly have the makings of a successful leader. Any advice for other newcomers who might be confused or intimidated by the complexities of GCR government and its various duties?
Ghost: This is a political game and every region has its own unwritten rules on top of the ones that they have written down. Make sure you have the written rules down first before you make any serious run for office, and master the unwritten ones as you go. You learn by doing, but you can't do anything until you've spent a good time listening and paying attention. And even if you don't plan to run for office in your region, or apply for a position working in a ministry, following those guidelines will ensure you are seen as a friendly face and a welcome part of the community. A lot of well meaning people mess up by being too enthusiastic or misreading the room. You can be part of the huge place you're in, as a citizen or as a government official, and you can even be a big part of it. Just don't try to outsmart people or put on a show, be yourself, be the best version of yourself, and do so in a way that works within the constraints of those unwritten rules the region has. You'll know you've found the right one when you find yourself effortlessly playing by those rules just by talking and enjoying the company of the others in your region.
CoS: It's been fun talking with you Ghost. Best of luck during your term!
Ghost: Thanks, and same to you!
IT'S WAR?
NEWS | KATHERINE RYBECK, INTERN
On March 17th a statement was released on the NS Forums directly from Canton Empire (also known as Constie), the President of the Republic of Channel Island, declaring war on the region of Nazi Europa, citing the latter's supposedly "unprovoked" sleeper agent attack on Channel Island. The exact details were not made clear in the original post, and after a short interview, Constie said that "the Regional Assembly [of Channel Island] voted not to go to war." However, Channel Island has yet to make an official statement regarding the vote on the NS forums.
The exact reason that the Assembly of Channel Island decided not to go to war isn't known outside of Channel Island, and attempts at further questions weren't successful. A possible reason might be that Channel Island isn't ready for any sort of war, or that it has some pacifist values that must be upheld (in which case the war declaration itself would be more confusing). Another possible reason is that people in Channel Island might just overall dislike the idea of war, and as such the Assembly vote reflected that.
This war declaration nevertheless strikes critics as odd, since both regions have active founders and as such classical Raiding-Defending wars are not feasible, although perhaps it is still possible considering the whole reason for the war was a sleeper attack. German Dragons, the Head of State of Nazi Europa, said in an interview that the government of Nazi Europa "do not seek war with the RCI. Period" and that Nazi Europa only had sleeper agents in Channel Island to execute "an infiltration training mission to keep our guys sharp" German Dragons also cited that Channel Island was "chosen at random for a training operation" and that Nazi Europa has "no beef with RCI".
What happens from here, nobody can say for sure, but the relationship between the Republic of Channel Island and Nazi Europa is certainly not the same.
