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General Elections Conclude by Picairn
The January 2024 General Elections recently came to a close, bringing an end to five days of voting and anticipation. Our incumbent Delegate Kaschovia obtained a landslide re-election victory, Chipoli returned as Vice Delegate, and AraFuttio won the Speaker race unopposed. Unlike its September 2023 predecessor, the January election was relatively uncompetitive and fairly predictable in its results, with the notable exception of the Vice Delegate race.

Delegate

The Delegate is the head of state and head of government of The North Pacific, who is simultaneously the Commander-in-Chief of the North Pacific Army (NPA) and responsible for regional administration. The enormous powers of the Delegacy in charge of the strongest Feeder region in NationStates make it a highly attractive position for any ambitious citizen, but it also carries significant responsibilities and pressure that have been likened to holding a full-time job.

Upon the opening of the candidacy nominations on January 1st, 2024, many qualified candidates with strong government experiences and backgrounds were nominated for Delegate. In the end, only Kaschovia accepted his nominations while two others declared their candidacy: Osk!ebot (Oskland), a lesser-known TNP citizen, and Vapia, an RMB Moderator and former Gameside Advocate. The Delegate election thus came down to a three-way race between them.

The incumbent Delegate Kaschovia is a familiar face to many TNPers. Since joining the region in 2016, he has served in various positions throughout the years and worked under multiple Delegates, accumulating an impressive portfolio as former Vice Delegate, Security Councillor, four-time Minister of Communications, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Culture, Minister of Gameside Affairs, Deputy Minister of several Ministries, and a Captain in the NPA with 51 operations. The breadth of his experience, an incredibly detailed campaign platform, and a vigorous stance against foreign extortion and attacks on TNP’s Independence had helped him win a narrow victory over Chipoli in the September 2023 election to become the Delegate.

Since then, Kaschovia has carefully navigated TNP through the storms of our ongoing war against TCB and BoM, on top of managing numerous domestic and foreign policy challenges. His previous term had been an excellent one of achievements and progress despite having to face a difficult, prolonged four-month Delegacy transition which was exacerbated by BoM’s insidious unendorsement campaigns.

With the lengthy transition period now behind him, Delegate Kaschovia promised to continue his work on reforming the regional government. Taking “Towards Greater Horizons” as the cornerstone slogan of his campaign, Kaschovia proposed a series of new initiatives for all six Ministries of the Government and several new directions in pursuit of the war.

With TNP now at war for the first time since 2008, it is unsurprising that the Ministry of Defense was the first to be addressed on Kaschovia’s campaign platform. He sought to improve the NPA’s capability through organized training schedules for new soldiers, a potential expansion of the NPA’s High Command, and joint military exercises with allied regions. A novel recruitment initiative through gameside storytelling was floated, where the Ministry of Communications’ platforms like TNS, TNN, and the NBS would be used to publish soldiers’ past experiences and appeal to potential recruits. The current structure of rewards for distinguished soldiers in the form of trading cards, profile cards, ribbons, and Hall of Honour nominations would continue to be maintained and operated.

TNP’s allies had been valuable in our war effort against TCB and BoM, and therefore enhancing the capacity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was Kaschovia’s second priority. He intended to encourage diplomats to conduct their own research into ongoing international events or the happenings of the regions they were posted in, through weekly research tasks or directed discussions. Various ideas were proposed to overhaul staff training in preparation for future leadership positions, including an interactive visualization of TNP’s complex diplomatic networks to helpfully inform the staff on the status of our relationships with allies and embassy regions.

Next on the list was Culture. With the success of interregional events like the 2nd TNP & TWP Interregional Chess Arena and the Spirit Halloween Festival last term, Kaschovia was determined to build off those accomplishments by planning and organizing more in advance. In addition, he aimed to diversify weekly events by polling the community, encouraging more engagement from staff, and increasing recruitment for Culture in order to get a broader pool of creative ideas. To assist with scheduling big events, Kaschovia wanted Culture staff to set realistic goals, plan proactively for the entire term, and put together a calendar to avoid being forced to organize a new event on short notice.

Regarding the Ministry of World Assembly (WA) Affairs, Kaschovia was committed to finishing his Commendation drafts for TNPers in the Heroes of Valhalla program, by giving away authorship to any aspiring authors who were interested. He also desired to improve WA staff mentorship by exploring new reforms to the World Assembly Acceleration Program, identifying ambitious first-time authors, and providing them with learning opportunities to help them make their names in the WA, which has long had a reputation of being an intimidating place for newcomers. A proposal to expand the Ministry’s infrastructure by getting voting records, voting trends statistics, and promotion of resolutions published in automated RMB posts was put forward, with an additional goal to encourage gameside interaction surrounding WA resolutions and votes.

Moving onwards to Communications, the Delegate laid down specific plans and directions for each of the Ministry’s publications, as well as the NBS. While publishing another edition of TNL was on his mind for the new term, Kaschovia stated that he did not want it to come at the expense of other publications’ quality or the balance of workload on Communications’ staff writers. For the NBS, aside from regular election coverage and midterm reports, an introduction of shorter and more spontaneous 5 to 10-minute shows could offer a break in terms of planning and produce more content. TNS had been delivering new editions smoothly and consistently, though Kaschovia believed that encouragement for staff to further contribute to topic suggestions might be needed. Finally, he wished to transform TNN, which had been recently revived, into an active publication on the same level as TNS and the NBS if enough interest among writers could be generated.

Last on his priority list but certainly not lesser in importance is the Ministry of Home Affairs. According to Kaschovia, API and manual recruitment tools had made considerable progress in their development, and he hoped to oversee their completion next term. A new reward scheme for HA staffers was also in the works, with points being awarded based on the number of telegrams sent, mentees taken on, or new Discord members welcomed. In response to criticisms of repetitive RMB advertisements in the latest regional census, Kaschovia pledged to create multiple templates for each advertisement and pivot to other forms of advertisement more regularly, such as telegrams sent by HA or the WFE.

Concerning the war itself, Kaschovia outlined some of his new directions for the next term. All six Ministries and their resources would be mobilized to bring TNP’s full strength to the fight against our enemies: Defense would implement the aforementioned policies on recruitment, training, and rewards to increase the NPA’s capabilities and manpower; Foreign Affairs would reaffirm old alliances and consider opportunities for further diplomatic outreach; Home Affairs would include the NPA in telegrams, mentor messages, and RMB advertisements; Communications would continue to report on the war and produce war-related media; WA Affairs would oppose our enemies’ efforts to advance their interests in the GA and SC; and Culture would organize festivals, events, and small activities to remind TNPers of why our community was worth standing up for.

As you can see, the extent of his government experience and campaign platform made Kaschovia a very compelling candidate for re-election. What did our two other candidates have to offer?

Osk!ebot, more commonly known as Oskland, is a new player in the Delegate race. Having been a TNP citizen since June 2023 and a staffer in several Ministries, they possessed less experience in government than Kaschovia, and had not been elected to any position before. Their campaign platform was entailed as follows: a restriction of government activity on Discord; creating a separate forum “wich needs An Account Regesterd to a Nation in The Government [sic]”; giving the right to “all Government nations” to recruit new nations for TNP; pledging to try their best to “immediately Eject nations From TCB and BoM to prevent spys and a possible Coup [sic]”; and a closing speech against our enemies which “have tried to Rape TNP's Democracy and Freedom.” However, the platform did not include their plans for the Ministries or the war.

The last candidate for the Delegacy was Vapia, an active RMB Moderator and former Gameside Advocate. Although better than Oskland, Vapia still lacked recent government experience with their last government position as Gameside Advocate having ended in November 2022. Surprisingly, no campaign platform was posted, though later they explained that they did not have time to do so, having been occupied by real-life matters.

With both opponents unable to compete in terms of experience and campaigning, Delegate Kaschovia easily pulled off a landslide victory with 93.24% of the vote, a great margin last rivaled by Hulldom (91.03%) in the January 2023 election.

After the results had been announced, Kaschovia congratulated the winners of the Vice Delegate and Speaker elections, expressed his commiserations for the candidates who lost, and announced a Cabinet reshuffle for the new term. Robespierre, a General of the NPA and the Militia, was to be elevated to Minister of Defense, replacing Comfed. The latter would become the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, taking over from Pallaith. Halsoni was appointed Minister of Communications, while Simone, NutmegTheSquirrel, and Lionsroar retained their positions as Minister of WA Affairs, Culture, and Home Affairs respectively.

Vice Delegate

The Vice Delegate leads the Security Council, TNP’s foremost body in overseeing regional security and monitoring potential threats, and reports weekly to the public on the region’s endorsement levels. After a round of nominations, Chipoli, Nutmeg, and Hulldom entered the race, before the latter unexpectedly withdrew.

Chipoli, like Kaschovia, is another recognizable member of the community. Since becoming a TNP citizen in March 2022, he has risen rapidly through the ranks of government, having served as a former two-time Minister of World Assembly Affairs, Deputy Speaker, Vice Delegate, and is currently active as a Deputy Minister, Election Commissioner, and Security Councillor. He was also Acting Delegate in the aftermath of Gorundu’s resignation and was subject to TCB and BoM’s infamous Delegate-tip in late August 2023.

In his campaign platform, Chipoli unveiled a number of new initiatives: a Midweek Endorsement Report on TNP’s endorsement levels, a region-wide survey on the Security Council, an improvement to the SC Handbook with short biographies of each SC member, manual updates of all WADP and SC dispatches, declassification of Hulldom’s Vice Delegacy logs, and weekly endorsement events rewarded with cards or the ability to change the regional flag for a limited time.

Competing against Chipoli, Nutmeg was a newcomer to the Vice Delegate race. Prior to entering the election as a candidate, they had been Minister of Culture (and still are), Deputy Speaker, Deputy Minister, and had achieved the rank of Lieutenant of the NPA. Having failed to be elected as Vice Delegate in the September 2023 election, Nutmeg returned this time with a new platform. In particular, they promised to keep a daily record of endorsements for the 30 most endorsed nations in TNP, provide a daily endorsement counter for the Gameside population, collaborate with the Telegram Task Force of the Home Affairs Ministry to speed up the endotarting process, a lottery to choose ten random Keepers of the North every week and feature their names in the regional WFE, and an update to the Government Index dispatch.

Finally, Hulldom was our last candidate for the Vice Delegacy. Having served as an NPA sergeant, Vice Delegate, and Delegate previously (before having to resign in the aftermath of the April 2023 blackmail incident), Hulldom offered his knowledge, experience, and strategic mind to voters. In his platform, he pledged to tackle the SC’s forum and Discord declassification backlogs, conduct twice-a-week mass endorsement-seeking campaigns to facilitate a smooth transition, “keep a bright watch on our enemies” through his institutional knowledge of raiders, and provide closer integration with the gameside community.

The candidacies of Nutmeg and Hulldom were initially a source of controversy among the community because neither were WA members at the time of their runs. To reach the second-most endorsed spot in TNP (which were more than 700 endorsements), it would necessitate a fast and grueling endotarting campaign for both candidates. To assuage voters’ concerns, both had launched their endorsement campaigns early before the voting period opened.

However, as the election was ongoing, on January 7th, 2024 Hulldom suddenly withdrew from the race, stating: “I made a mistake I am very not proud of and whether the apology gets accepted or not, I realized that I can’t do this to the region again. I can’t do this to myself again.” He subsequently departed from TNP entirely and resigned his citizenship.

With Hulldom’s withdrawal, the competition for Vice Delegate came to a showdown between Chipoli and Nutmeg. The former won a great victory with 70.42% of the vote, while the latter gained a respectable 29.58%. Chipoli, therefore, became the new Vice Delegate, returning to his old seat after four months.

Speaker

The election for Speaker featured a single candidate: AraFuttio (Arawi). While many had been nominated for Speaker, including the author of this article, only AraFuttio accepted his nomination and conducted a campaign. With prior experience as Deputy Minister, Gameside Advocate, and Deputy Speaker, AraFuttio announced his plans if elected Speaker: a reintroduction of the old Weekly Regional Assembly Digest, a weekly report on the RA’s business before it was discontinued in 2018; the completion of Speaker's Guides for Deputy Speakers; and a slight reduction in the number of appointed Deputy Speakers, using activity as the metric for reappointment.

Due to the uncompetitive nature of the Speaker race, its final results featured quite a large number of Re-open Nomination votes, reaching 30.86%. But it failed to reach a majority, and AraFuttio was subsequently elected Speaker with 100% of the votes.

Congratulations to the winners and commiserations to those who lost. Participation in elections and making your ideas heard are important to keep the flames of TNP’s democracy alive. Meanwhile, we can expect our elected officials to continue tirelessly working for TNP, as they have always done.

Opinion | Inside TNP’s Ministry of Communications by Picairn
When The North Pacific declared war against the Brotherhood of Malice and the Communist Bloc on October 5th, 2023, I had not kept up with regional affairs for a long time. Despite having stayed in TNP for 3 years up until that point and participating in its affairs as a citizen around 2020-2021, by 2022 I gradually lapsed into inactivity gameside, with my attention focused on debating in NSG and writing articles for my newspaper. Needless to say, I was shocked to discover through an RMB announcement that the region was now at war, for the first time in many years. Swept up in the wave of patriotic sentiments at the time, I quickly volunteered to join the NPA without delay and, after some thought, made the fateful decision to apply for the Ministry of Communications on October 8th.
Admittedly, I was slightly nervous. Although I had confidence in my skills as a writer and graphic designer, having run my own newspaper called The Stormridge Times (TST), I did not know what the Ministry was like or how it operated from outside. I had zero experience of working as a government staffer, nor was I familiar with the Ministerial leadership. Fortunately, Delegate Kaschovia, then-Minister of Communications Robespierre (Francois Isidore), and his Deputies all proved to be empathic listeners and received my creative ideas with an open mind.

Aspirations

My desire to join Communications was born out of a combination of patriotism and personal ambitions. The former is quite obvious: TNP, a region that I had made my home out of love for its vibrant democracy and robust conversations, had been struck by hostile powers, its peaceful transition of power violently interrupted, its dignity insulted by lies and provocations. I wanted to contribute to the Ministry as part of a greater effort to strengthen morale, rally TNPers and allies behind a common cause, and maintain our momentum against enemies in war. I understood the power of the written word, its ability to change minds, galvanize reactions, and shape narratives, and was determined to utilize my talents to their fullest extent. Joining the NPA and directly fighting on the front lines weren’t enough: I wanted to help persuade and sway others into participating as well, since we were all in this together.

The latter are, as you might guess, hopes of fame, recognition, and workload distribution. During my time running TST as a one-man team, it was gratifying to see my articles gaining popularity, accumulating hundreds of views and dozens of upvotes. I hoped that by joining the Ministry, my writings could reach a broader audience and cement my reputation as a skilled writer.

Last but not least, operating a newspaper takes a great amount of effort. Between researching facts, planning outlines, choosing words to write, and editing mistakes, it is not as simple as putting down your thoughts on a subject and publishing them in a dispatch. Those difficulties double when you are delivering updates by the hour, like running a live coverage of an event. Attempting such a strenuous task alone for N-Day 9 has left me deeply tired, and I thought that by joining a dedicated team, my workload would be reduced and I would be able to maintain a consistent pace of one article each month, as opposed to an irregular schedule. My wish was fulfilled, though TST will likely be dead for a time.

I had not expected to be promoted to Deputy Minister of Communications just three months after joining, however.

First Impressions

After I was accepted and welcomed by then-Minister Robespierre himself on the same day as my application, it was time to get to work. The Ministry of Communications is in charge of three publications: The Northern Lights (TNL), The North Star (TNS), and The Northern Notes (TNN), plus the Northern Broadcasting Service (NBS), TNP’s official podcast station. Of these, TNL has yet to be revived and I was never involved in the NBS, but my contributions to TNS and TNN made a positive impact.

Immediately on the first day, I set my sights on The North Star’s dispatch template, which was in need of some aesthetic improvements. Among several ideas of mine that were proposed on Discord, a “Back to Menu” option and a beautifully designed footer banner were warmly accepted, and subsequently became standard features of every issue since the October 2023 edition.

Around this time, the invasion of Solidarity was still fresh on everybody’s minds, and occupation was in its early phase. An infectious atmosphere of excitement had swept across the allied regions, which fueled a strong demand for propaganda posters and other promotional materials to keep the morale of our soldiers high. A Design Team had been assembled by the Ministry in mid-September to centralize and coordinate graphic design efforts in the region, and the war provided a great opportunity for the team to show its talents. Upon Robespierre's invitation, I joined it right away on October 10th and soon established a reputation as a prolific war propagandist.

In total, I made three war posters for the Ministry, and each was quite popular. The most famous one in terms of views and upvotes was Daddy, what did you do in TNP's war against TCB and BoM?, a meme based on a WW1 war poster. My favorite, however, was The Solidarity Coalition Against The Raider Menace – a poster displaying the flags of 22 regions that had participated in the destruction of Solidarity, next to an illuminated Statue of Liberty at night.

“This looks so dope so far”, Quebecshire commented on an unfinished draft that I had posted on the Solidarity Discord server.

For the rest of October, I sat down and wrote two articles for TNS’s October edition: War in the North and Nuclear Armageddon. The first was a report on the events surrounding TNP’s declaration of war against TCB and BoM, and the second was a recount of the significant developments of N-Day 9, centered around The Potato Alliance’s performance. Each article took me several days of planning and another full day to write, but every paragraph is packed with content and polished with care, written in a semi-flowery style inspired by Victorian English literature.

I like the writings of that era for their elegance and sophistication. However, their excessively elaborate descriptions were a challenge to read through, and almost always put me to sleep. While I am no author nor historian, scantily educated in Victorian manners of speech and writing style, I nevertheless attempted to recreate their beauty in a simplified form. I was, and still am, mindful of the dangers of purple prose, and sought to find a delicate balance between substance and finesse.

It seems that I have done it right so far, if the number of glowing reviews from the Ministry staff and readers is any indication. The positive comments which I have received post-publication made the long hours of writing worthwhile, and acted as a source of motivation to keep me going.

Rise

As October passed, I slowly became accustomed to the routine. After the Solidarity operation had ended on November 1st, my attention returned to making new graphic designs for the Ministry on occasion, including a recruitment poster and a new logo for TNL. Taking care not to overwork myself, I imposed a strict limit of writing only one article for each monthly issue of TNS. At the same time, I took on an additional role as editor, fixing grammatical mistakes, cutting out awkward phrases, and sometimes even rewriting whole sentences.

In the midst of all this, I received an extraordinary visit from the top. On the evening of November 23rd, then-Advisor to the Ministry El Fiji Grande approached me privately via Discord. Fiji had been very receptive to my proposals before and consistently expressed that I had potential for the Ministry. He came to convey his appreciation for my work and subtly hinted that he would advocate on my behalf to become “part of the Ministry staff either this or next term”, if I was interested. No further details were mentioned, but I could sense that the leadership had noticed my efforts and a promotion was forthcoming.

My intuition was correct. A month went by before I was approached again on Christmas, December 25th, this time by then-Executive Deputy Minister Ruben (Halsoni). He confirmed that my contributions had not gone unnoticed and invited me to become an active contributor to the Ministry. This was a clear sign that I was about to be elevated to a higher position, and I enthusiastically accepted his offer. I could not have asked for a better Christmas gift.

Shortly after New Year’s Day, on January 2nd, 2024 Ruben contacted me once more. This time, he explicitly revealed that my future role was to be a Deputy Minister of Communications, and asked for which area I would like to focus on. I answered that I would like to direct my attention to where I have contributed the most so far: the Ministry’s three publications of TNL, TNS, and TNN.

After Delegate Kaschovia's re-election victory on January 11th and Ruben’s replacement of Robespierre as Minister of Communications the next day, I was formally appointed as Deputy Minister. Since then, I have been comfortable in my new position, still writing articles (like this one), proposing new ideas, and finding inspiration for new posters. It is a job that I currently enjoy doing and will continue to do, not just because I love writing and graphic design, but because so many have given me the motivation to continue on this path, from the leadership and the staff to dear readers like you.

How Can One Become Successful Here?

The Ministry of Communications, like all other Ministries of TNP’s Government, promotes staffers based on their activity and merit. Whether you are a newcomer or an experienced writer, a TNPer or an immigrant from another region, if you can prove that you have the initiative, energy, and creativity to contribute, you will likely succeed.

First, follow the instructions. Something as simple as filling out an application the correct way and posting it in the right thread is, apparently, not so easy for a few people to follow. It is recommended that any aspiring applicant should read the instructions in the Applications thread carefully, post their application, and refrain from spamming the thread or the forums. The Ministerial leadership does not look fondly upon spammers and you will likely be rejected if you do so.

Second, improve your writing skills. The Ministry is not a society of authors, and it does not require entry-level staffers to possess the same competence as a novelist. Regardless, you should be able to formulate sentences and paragraphs coherently, capable of using punctuation, and avoid too many grammatical mistakes. While the Ministry has professional editors to improve the quality of an article, you can make their job easier by continually practicing and enhancing your writing skills.

Third, maintain an active presence. Too many staffers have joined the Ministry, finished a few tasks and then disappeared, some not even working at all. While I can not fault you for prioritizing real life over NationStates, you will not be considered for promotion if you do not put in your effort. Participate in discussions, take up assignments, and voice your opinions, all of which will impress the leadership and increase your chance of success.

Fourth, take initiative. Do not sit around and wait for orders. Have a brilliant idea for the Ministry? Propose it. See that an article has yet to be taken for writing or editing? Claim it. Spot a mistake in an article? Say it. Want to submit a new poster? Do it. While others are busy with their assignments, you can make a difference simply by stepping up and offering to help. You do not have to do everything by yourself, but sacrificing some of your free time to proactively assist the Ministry will indicate to the leadership that you take your duties seriously and will prove to be a potential leader in the future.

So ends the first chapter of my return to TNP. Despite having been out of touch with the region for over a year before joining, I had made a great impression on everyone inside the Ministry with my active involvement and energetic contribution. The journey to the top was daunting and difficult, but it was also rewarding. I achieved quite a lot last term, and can not wait to see where I will go next.

If you can follow my example and prove your worth, I am sure you can succeed here as well.

Note: This article does not necessarily represent the views of the Government of The North Pacific. The author is accountable for any extrapolation and analysis that extends beyond the fundamental facts presented.
Echoes: The Past Delegates Series (2004), Part One by Kaschovia
Introduction
In our previous installment of the Past Delegate Series, we told the fascinating stories of the individuals who held the delegacy in The North Pacific throughout 2003. We began with how vastly different and chaotic the World Assembly was compared to what we experience today, covered the short-lived delegacies of Mikestonia and Cote de Tombolo, the meteoric rise of Nastic, the drama of ZeroPositive, the unmistakable foundations laid by Treenudity, and ended with the formidable legacy created by The Twoslit Experiment. With such a formative and eventful year already in the books, The North Pacific was about to go through twelve more months which would change the region forever. Join me as we venture into the hallowed halls of our region’s history.

January (Twoslit)

It is important to make the distinction between what is considered an elected delegate by today’s standards and what the region considered a delegate in 2004. Back then, the leader of the region really was whoever had the most endorsements. Anyone could begin campaigning for the position at any time, given they could gather the endorsements required to take the position with the backing of the community. For example, while Wilkshire became the delegate on February 15th, this was seen as more of a happenstance and the result of varying endorsement levels within the region rather than the endpoint of any official democratic process where Wilkshire had been voted for by the citizenry.

To set the scene for the beginning of the year, Wilkshire is poised to take the delegacy from Nastic 2 at the end of 2003. In a thread created on the 24th of December, Nastic retires from the ‘delegates' chair and concedes that he ‘had hoped to pass it on [to] Twoslit’. Despite this, Wilkshire graciously accepts the endorsement, thanking Nastic for his confidence in him. By December 30th, on account of a post made by forum user Tarison, Twoslit was the one actually in the chair and not Wilkshire. To clear up the confusion, both Wilkshire and Twoslit post their version of events. Wilkshire states that he was ‘a little annoyed’ that he was no longer delegate, but that Twoslit ‘intends to give’ him ‘another chance as delegate in the future.’ In rather bold fashion, Twoslit clarifies his position by stating that Wilkshire ‘has earned his trust’, and continues to lay out a series of goals and ambitions for his own time in the delegacy. There is some discussion around this time in the same thread, heralded by none other than Flemingovia, on the nature of delegacy transitions and how it would be best to decide who takes the position, which ends in an agreement to pursue competitive delegacy challenges in terms of endorsement gathering and familiarity within the community. Despite a single day on January 4th where Wilkshire is once again delegate, Twoslit goes on to hold the position until February 15th.

A dilemma begins to develop around the acceptability of banning nations who have gained a lot of endorsements but are not engaging often in the community when two nations named Nootroughsis and Domocolees begin climbing towards Twoslit’s endorsement levels. It needs to be stressed that there was a distinct sense of paranoia and skepticism towards unknown endorsement gatherers, especially during the ongoing coup and subsequent reign of Francos Spain over The Pacific. A pattern is recognized by the active members that unfamiliar nations are gathering endorsements rapidly without contributing to the region. In two threads started by Twoslit on the November 25th and December 30th of the previous year, which began simply with the purpose of discussing how little Nootroughsis or Domocolees had engaged with the community, Twoslit goes on to raise the possible merits of bans, which does polarize people and spurs intense debate, but in the end leads to both nations being banned. They are later unbanned, as Twoslit emphasizes to the region that if “people want him or some other stranger in the delegate's chair fully knowing that he may turn out like Francos Spain, then that shall have to be allowed.” These were the first warning signs to the region that unknown individuals might not be the best candidates for delegate and that they do need to be active within the community first. Nevertheless, there was a genuine desire at the time to see new delegates amidst criticisms that the position had just been swapping between Nastic, Twoslit, and Wilkshire, so it is understandable that newer faces were perhaps given the benefit of the doubt far too often at the expense of regional security.

At the same time, a few crucial things happen. Firstly, Nastic posts what is considered the first proposed draft of a regional constitution in our history on January 6th. It is in this topic that the foundations for government and elections are laid, where many of the more active and dedicated members of the region go about enacting a democratic process. Secondly, Twoslit indicates that he would like to make The North Pacific a ‘formal ally’ of the Alliance Defence Network (ADN). By the 23rd of January, The North Pacific had become a member region and, according to Pope Hope, the Director of the ADN at the time, had its own embassy forum in the ADN's Ambassador Row. This was a keystone political alignment and would shape much of the region’s diplomacy for the year ahead. Along with these developments, Twoslit also encourages efforts to use the World Factbook Entry with more intention, changing it daily and including varying messages.

February (Twoslit → Wilkshire)

While Twoslit, Wilkshire, and Nastic are definitely revered delegates, a feeling of exclusivity towards their time in the position begins to develop, and the community can sense that a greater variety of leadership will be needed in the long run. The seeds of democracy were forming within the regional conscience, waiting for the right time to sprout in the beginnings of the modern democratic era. People had started to question who would be the first to establish themselves as a serious candidate for delegate outside of those three individuals. In a thread created on February 20th, titled “The Nastic and Twoslit and Wilkshire show”, Nastic makes a compelling case against there being an “old boys club” for the delegacy.

Many North Pacificans believed that members of the government, and therefore those who would eventually take the delegacy, were simply those who contributed and posted most frequently, however loosely recognized it was at the time. This position was refuted quite comically by Flemingovia however, when he explained he could not maintain his position in government because he had not posted enough spam messages, while user Hedonist believed that ‘a frequent poster status seems a little ludicrous as a way of initiating government status’ and that ‘it is the content of their posts which should be evaluated.’ At this point there is considerable demand within the community to establish an official government and a democratic way of evaluating leadership, which became a serious discussion when Twoslit posted ‘Democracy or Whatever’ on February 8th, an invitation to the rest of the region to discuss how elections should be established within the region. A consensus was reached to decide on a voting system and on the 20th they began nominating forum moderators for the various subforums. These initial votes were scheduled and overseen by Wilkshire in his newly-attained capacity as Delegate. On the 28th, Twoslit proposed that Wilkshire be given administrative privileges, which was yet another foray into the democratic process to receive positive engagement from the community and saw Wilkshire instated as an administrator.

March (Wilkshire)

It was on the 3rd of March that the votes for these positions were closed, concluding the first organized elections in The North Pacific’s history. Unlike in the TNP of today, in which we elect a delegate and that nation goes on to appoint ministers, the system these nations agreed upon included the direct election of ministers. It can then be said that the first ever democratically elected cabinet of The North Pacific was as follows:
[table][tr][td]Elected[/td][td]Position[/td][td]Modern Comparison[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sydia and Mikitivity[/td][td]UN Proposals Moderator[/td][td]Minister of WAA[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]OPArsenal and Ozworld[/td][td]Entertainment/Games Moderator[/td][td]Minister of Culture[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sydia[/td][td]UN Forum Moderator[/td][td]Minister of WAA[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magicality and OPArsenal[/td][td]Off Topic Forum Moderator[/td][td]Forum Moderator[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magicality and Ozworld[/td][td]RolePlay Forum Moderato
r[/td][td]RolePlay Moderator[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Nem and Tresville[/td][td]Military Forum Moderator[/td][td]Minister of Defense[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Blackshear and Ananke[/td][td]Diplomacy Forum Moderator[/td][td]Minister of Foreign Affairs[/td][/tr][/table]
Just a week or two later, it became apparent that Wilkshire was preparing Blackshear as a buffer between the top three most endorsed nations at the time, and the other high endorsement nations with the aim of readying him for the delegacy. Forum member New Sardonika reports that the WFE contained orders for people to endorse Blackshear, which members like Magicality, Ananke and many others took issue with. As Wilkshire clears up in a later post, one of his core aims with supporting Blackshear was to “get away from this whole ‘Gentlemen's club, Twoslit, Nastic and Wilkshire’ image that some people [had] about the North Pacific.” In response to this backlash, he encouraged the nominations of potential future delegates in a thread created just two days later. This saw multiple important figures, such as Magicality and Sydia throw their hats into the ring for the first time. The attention given to Blackshear’s lack of endorsement progress seemed too much for him to handle, however, and he rather dramatically resigned from all positions on March 25th and wouldn’t seriously go for the delegacy again until mid-April.

April (Wilkshire → Blackshear → Magicality)

As a brief intermission from the more serious analysis of the delegacy in this period, it has to be noted that Wilkshire and Sydia orchestrated a fairly elaborate prank on the region for April Fools Day, staging an entire argument over comments exchanged about a UN proposal. Wilkshire posts a poll, asking the community whether Sydia should be banned, he should resign, or the two "forgive and forget and work for the good of the region." To the bewildered amusement of practically everyone, they reveal the prank on April Fools Day with Wilkshire admitting they'd been planning it for weeks. Funnily enough, interest in a Supreme Court peaked at the beginning of April following the shenanigans of Wilkshire and Sydia, with the community debating various aspects of how a potential judicial system would work. Twoslit is also reappointed as The North Pacific’s ADN Senator after Wilkshire asks whether an election would be necessary; the overall consensus from those who responded was that it would just be a formality and that his experience made him the most suitable. The delegacy of Wilkshire quiets down at the beginning of April, with conversation shifting more towards who would take over next, as Blackshear once again begins making moves to establish himself as the logical successor. In his capacity as a Diplomacy Forum Moderator, which can be argued is the modern equivalent of a Foreign Affairs Minister, Blackshear starts multiple threads announcing that The North Pacific had confirmed alliances and or embassies with England, Equilism, Nasicournia, Juxtaposition X, and Canada. Embassies with Australia, The South Pacific and The West Pacific are also established later, and on the 5th, Twoslit makes him a forum administrator.

On the 12th of April, Blackshear again formally announces his candidacy for the delegacy, outlining his aims to ratify an official constitution, establish an elected regional government, improve the organization and visual appeal of the forums, encourage further debate on UN resolutions up for vote, and keep ‘the lines of communication open between’ himself ‘and the rest of the region.’ He receives support from most of the major names, and Wilkshire himself announces his intention to resign from the delegacy the day after, leaving Blackshear as the obvious replacement. Although Twoslit held a transitory delegacy on the 16th and 17th of April, Blackshear claimed the seat on the 18th, becoming the tenth ever delegate of The North Pacific. However, it was simply not meant to last. On the 22nd of April, personal circumstances meant his account had been hacked, his passwords changed, and his nation ejected. A scramble quickly ensued to get endorsements on Magicality, who at the time was on around 391 endorsements with lesser known individuals also poised to take the seat. By next update and much to her surprise, she was firmly in the delegacy at 433 endorsements.

The first item on the agenda for Magicality was to make a decision regarding the nation The Mighty Spurs, which had been sitting close to the higher ranks in terms of endorsements for a very long time, yet again had not become involved with the wider community. There was intense debate whether the region should let endorsements determine leadership alone or whether community participation was a better measurement. On April 24th, Magicality opted for the latter.

May (Magicality)

Nastic would later reveal - to the shock of the community - that The Mighty Spurs was one of his relatives. Understandably, the question of trust and of openness around nations pursuing the delegacy came to the forefront once again. Just a day later, Magicality started a new constitutional ideas thread, repeatedly emphasizing that not having a formal constitution had caused problems. UPS Rail began campaigning more seriously for the delegacy around this time. By April 23rd, he was already at 330 endorsements. Discussions around the details of the first regional constitution continue for approximately a month before Magicality calls for a vote on May 21st. Unfortunately, Magicality would not post again on the forums after May 25th due to personal real-life circumstances. The final vote tally posted by Blackshear revealed that 29 had voted for the constitution and 3 against. At this time, endorsement tracking records from May 27th showed that UPS Rail had come even closer to the delegacy on 576 endorsements to Magicality’s 618, a gap of just 42.

June (Magicality → UPS Rail/Sir Paul)

On June 9th, Thel D’Ran started a thread asking whether the constitution had been officially ratified through the vote without Magicality’s presence. It was generally agreed by the community that it had, meaning at least in name the first official constitution of The North Pacific had been put in place, though it is a shame Magicality could not be there to witness it under her delegacy. To summarize its content, it established requirements for regional membership, laid down the processes for regular elections, and created the legally recognized positions of Regional Delegate, Minister of Immigration/Internal Affairs, Minister of External Affairs, Minister of Defense, Minister of Justice, Minister of Communications, and Minister of Arts/Entertainment. It also included a rudimentary Legal Code covering the legislative process, requirements for expulsion of nations, trial and judicial procedure, and finally amendment procedure. This would prove quintessentially important timing as the region would soon need to rally behind it.

Activity was reduced over this period as the community grappled with the power vacuum created in the absence of Magicality. It was unclear who the dominant and obvious successor would turn out to be. A relatively unknown figure by the name of UPS Rail came out of the shadows at around 516 endorsements to Magicality’s 543. Following an endorsement drive over the next five days, UPS Rail eventually takes the delegacy on June 17th. In his campaign thread, he elaborates on his plans for the position, including withdrawing TNP from the ADN, building up the military, and pursuing signatories for the League of the Pacifics. His presence dwindles over the next few days and both Thel D’ran and Tresville raise concerns about this, with the former calling for clarification on the cabinet and the latter claiming he was unfit for the position due to his inactivity, with now-elected Military Forum Moderator Nem coming to UPS Rail’s defense. As an act of supposed reconciliation on June 27th, UPS Rail opened election nomination threads for the cabinet positions, stating that the votes would be open from July 1st to July 7th. These votes never happen. On the same day, he also tried to start a vote to withdraw TNP from the ADN, which was widely ignored. A day later, he takes part in an exclusive interview with SeattleNews about potentially joining the League of the Pacifics, which would represent a reversal of the positions of former delegates Nastic and Twoslit not to legitimize the administration of Francos Spain and the New Pacific Order.

To mark the beginning of his coup on June 29th, UPS Rail ejects and bans multiple high standing members of the community including Magicality, Blackshear, Thel D’ran and Twoslit, and posts a thread titled ‘The banner of the NPO’, in which he claims the executive powers of the delegacy to join The North Pacific to the New Pacific Order. He also changes the World Factbook Entry, claiming that “Tyranny has been deposed! The North Pacific is now guided by the ideals of Peace, Strength, and Prosperity. A New Pacific Order has been formed.” The outrage and backlash is immediate, with multiple threads being posted by various members of the community calling for a coordinated effort to retake the region. There are discussions about electing a Delegate-In-Exile, the cabinet elections started by UPS Rail are boycotted, a procedural vote is held to decide what should happen to him, and in just two days, an organized unendorsement campaign pushed by a collection of OOC figures such as Poe and Democratic Donkeys had reduced UPS Rail’s endorsements down from 560 to 371. Blackshear seems to be the first member of the forum to point out that UPS Rail was an anagram of Sir Paul, a high-ranking member of the NPO.

July (UPS Rail → Great Bight)

The efforts against UPS Rail went on for multiple days until on July the 4th, he resigned from the UN touting Costelloism as next in line for the delegacy. However, it is actually Great Bight who took it with 229 endorsements to Costelloism's 153. The community was still in disarray as nobody had any idea who Great Bight was and what his intentions were for the region, though multiple people warned that he could still be from the NPO. There was a push for endorsements on Costelloism to take back the delegacy with someone they knew and trusted, but to no avail. Great Bight remained in the seat, and had not yet joined the forums and introduced himself. Around this time, Great Bight did communicate with some members of the community through telegrams, and put on a friendly pirate persona to ameliorate concerns about him potentially being an NPO puppet.

Great Bight joins the forums on the 5th of July and three days later issues an address to the region in which he sets an endorsement cap of 180, commends Melanalios for “answering the call to protect the region”, and declares Thel D’ran as Vice Delegate. In the same thread, he posts another long address, placing a curse on the ADN for “leavin’ us marooned” and calls for an isolationist foreign policy, saying: “The North Pacific will temporarily remove ourselves of all alliances, treaties, blocs, and intrarregional organizations.” He also bans the nation UglyTool, who was closing in on his endorsement level before the endorsement cap was in place which sounds alarm bells for many who were already skeptical of his intentions even though he unbans the nation later.

On July 10th, in a shocking turn of events, NationStates Moderator Melkor Unchained ejects Great Bight from the UN and clears the regional ban list, citing his ‘gross infractions.’ This leaves the nation Xtraordinary Gentlemen on the most endorsements while the community in general rallies behind Thel D’ran to be the next democratic delegate of the region. Francos Spain moves his own nation into The North Pacific and calls for Pacificans to temporarily move and endorse him, leaving Poskrebyshev behind as delegate of The Pacific. On the same day, the decision to eject Great Bight is reversed, however, as it was made based on outdated rulings and his endorsements are returned. While he was out of the delegacy he still maintained regional controls since the region had not updated yet and used the opportunity to ban multiple nations including Xtraordinary Gentleman and Thel D’ran. Despite attempting to gain endorsements in The North Pacific, Francos Spain’s activity completely ceases a few days later.

To Be Continued...

Unfortunately, that is all for this edition of the Past Delegates Series! We will continue to cover the year 2004 in the next issue of The North Star, where we'll find out how The North Pacific reclaimed their democracy, but also how they dealt with even more threats and attempts to undermine the region's freedoms.

Thank you if you've made it to the end of the article, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you'd like references for any of the information herein please get in touch!

Culture Super Quiz 2 by Arawi
Questions for January

1. Which candidate lost to Chipoli in the Vice Delegate Race?
   
2. Who preceded AraFuttio as Speaker this month?
   
3. Who won the Delegate Race this month?
   
4. What was the first GA resolution to be passed this month?
   
5. What was the first SC resolution to be passed this month?
   
6. How long did it take for the Vice Delegate transition to be completed?
   
7. Who was appointed to their first ever ministerial position in the Delegate’s new cabinet this month?
   
8. Who became Minister of Foreign Affairs this month?
   
9. NutmegTheSquirrel was appointed Minister of Culture for a third time running. In which month were they first appointed?
   
10. Which region did the Minister of Defence issue an official call to arms for its liberation from BoM and Co.?
    

General TNP Trivia

1. Who was elected Delegate in February 2004?
   
2. Who was elected Military Forum Moderator in March 2004?
   
3. What endorsement cap did Great Bight set on the region in July 2004?
   
4. How many votes were there for the Constitution in May 2004?
   
5. When did Magicality post for the final time?
   
6. Who wrote our ‘Daddy, what did you do in TNP's war against TCB and BoM’ war poster?
   
7. What is the name of Picairn’s personal newspaper?
   
8. In which year did AraFuttio start playing NationStates?
   
9. How many Deputy Speakers has the Speaker appointed this month?
   
10. Who has been reappointed Lead Gameside Advocate this term?
    

Interview with Speaker AraFuttio by Comfed
Comfed: AraFuttio (Arawi) is renowned as a rising star in The North Pacific. Since their arrival in the region in June 2023, they have served in a variety of roles, including NPA soldier, deputy speaker and a variety of deputy minister positions. In January, they were elected Speaker of The North Pacific, responsible for administering the naturalization process, auditing the citizenship rolls, and moderating the Regional Assembly. This is their first elected government office in TNP, and they are the subject of this month's spotlight interview! Welcome to the spotlight, Arafuttio.

AraFuttio: Thank you for your kind words Comfed, it’s exciting to be called a rising star! I’m very happy to be talking to you.

Comfed: How did you first come to create a nation on NationStates, and how did you come to join TNP?

AraFuttio: Hi Comfed! Nice to talk to you. In around 2021 or so, I searched [for] a 'make your own country simulator' on the internet, and I stumbled upon NationStates. I spent time setting up my nation, Arawi (which is still my main nation to this day!). My main activity then was solving issues, voting on WA resolutions, collecting cards and challenging nations. I stumbled through different regions, even trying to make my own once, but eventually I settled in TNP. In early June of 2023, I received citizenship, and my governmental career in the region went from there.

Comfed: You seem to imply that your career in TNP's government began more or less right after you gained citizenship. What were your first roles as a citizen, and how did the process of advancing in the government go for you?

AraFuttio: It all started in the Executive really. I first got involved with the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs, and slowly took up Executive Staff positions in all ministries. I really enjoyed these positions and I’d say my initial work in the executive has massively inspired me to stay active in the region. Eventually, I took up Deputy Ministerial positions after having grasped a good knowledge of our executive. I was also a keen voter and legislator in the Regional Assembly, and joined the North Pacific Army.

Comfed: When did you first decide to run for Speaker, and what factors influenced that decision for you?

AraFuttio: I was interested in serving in the Speaker’s Office at the start of the September 2023 term; I asked to be a Deputy Speaker because I saw what it could lead to in a TNPers career. As I served as a Deputy Speaker, I learnt all the details and ins and outs of the Speaker’s Office. I had been wanting to run in an election of some form for a while before the January election (I even considered running for Delegate in September!) and figured that since I had got some experience in the Speaker’s Office that the Speaker should be the position I ran for.

Comfed: And how have you found the job so far? You’ve made some changes to the Speaker’s office, in particular not appointing as many deputy speakers as previous speakers have. What’s your rationale for that change, and are there any other changes you have already implemented or plan to implement?

AraFuttio: I’ve really enjoyed serving as the Speaker so far. It’s nice to see citizenship applications as well as spreadsheet work being done consistently and the general flow of work is happening smoothly.

It’s clear there was an issue with there being too many Deputy Speakers last term. Many of these Deputy Speakers were quite inactive. I have chosen to take a more strict attitude to the appointment of Deps, and are appointing those whom I know will be active and put in hard work. However, I am trying to balance this with the duty of the Speaker to give newer members of our community opportunities; I wouldn’t be in this position if I wasn’t given that opportunity.

One of the changes I wish to implement is to improve engagement from the Regional Assembly to our Gameside community. I hope to introduce new Citizen Stat reports which will report on the number of current citizens, as well as the citizens that have joined and left in that week. I also hope to complete the Speaker’s Guides for Deputy Speakers so that Deps in the future can quickly learn the details of the Speaker’s work.

Comfed: Let’s talk about events beyond the borders a little bit. In December, you were appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lazarus. How did you come to get involved in that region and reach that position?

AraFuttio: I really wanted to get involved in another region’s politics, as well as TNP. Lazarus’s vibe really intrigued me, and I was drawn to it as a secondary region to get involved in. I became a citizen in Lazarus at around late September 2023. Ministerial positions were advertised in December. I saw a fantastic opportunity in these advertisements, and I felt serving as MoFA would help me improve my outlook on foreign affairs in general, which is something that really needs improving! I’ve really enjoyed serving in the position so far, and have already been part of negotiations with the NPO and TSP on treaties.

Comfed: Moving back to TNP, is there anything about the region that you have particularly appreciated, and anything that you think could be improved?

AraFuttio: I really appreciate the hard work that has clearly gone into creating the institutions that we probably take for granted regularly. Despite we are [sic] not the largest region in the game anymore, I believe we hold one of the most detailed and substantial legal system [sic] and executive frameworks in the game.

I don’t think there is any pressing issue under our noses that needs improvement at the moment, I suppose improvement must be done in little bursts when possible. There are some institutions, such as the Court, that may need more organised reform in the future, however.

Comfed: Thank you very much for participating in this interview, Speaker AraFuttio!

AraFuttio: Thank you Comfed! It was great to talk with you.

I, President of the League of IDU Nations, hereby nominate to the Security Council the delegations of:

- Aredoa
- Doatia
- Eiria
- Greater Acadia
- Haesan
- Huenya
- Laeral
- Legionas
- Lehvant
- Libertas Omnium Maximus
- Novella Islands
- Sanctaria 
- Slokais Islands
- Wosteaque

(Lauchenoiria will also automatically have a seat upon the Security Council, as per Article 7 of the Charter)

Voting will last for 72 hours.

I hereby call the admission of Auria into the League of IDU Nations to a vote. As is protocol, initial voting shall last 72 hours.

The delegation from Lauchenoiria would like the Budgetary and Internal Affairs Council to consider the following proposal to amend the LIDUN charter:

In clause 9, remove the following two sentences: "All substantive business introduced to the Council shall first require the approval of a majority of members of the Inner Council of the Security Council. The Inner Council shall comprise the President of the Security Council and four members of the Security Council elected from within its membership by its members on the basis of their great influence."

The effect of this proposal would be to remove the requirement for Security Council business to be approved by the Inner Council, as well as remove said Inner Council from existence.

January 9th
Palace of Flowers

"They have seized our assets. They have insulted one of our highest leaders. And now this?" Empress Calhualyana slapped her tablet down on the table in frustration. Prime Minister Toquihu picked up the tablet and looked over the document on the screen. It was an aggrieved email written jointly by the CEOs of the Zacuetz hospitality conglomerate and the Mizhua Corporation. 

Toquihu read the letter aloud. "After we completed the agreed upon project to restore the former naval vessel SLS Neversink into a floating naval museum, along with adjoining hotel and visitors center, we awaited final payment for the project. Instead, the Marquis of Salad Land and his government sent us a letter 'thanking us for our donation'. Since then, the Saladian government has ignored all further demands for payment and has stopped responding to our attempts to contact them entirely. They have also kicked our corporate representatives out of the country. As a result of this blatant theft, we are jointly out of an estimated 74 million quetzals which we are due as payment for the project. We are requesting the help of the Imperial government in recouping these funds..." The Prime Minister trailed off as he placed the tablet back on the table. "What exactly are they expecting us to do?"

"They want us to pressure the Saladians to pay their bill, using the Imperial Navy as a cudgel." Xiyāōtl sighed grimly, as he picked up the tablet and looked it over. "It's ridiculous. The Navy is not a bunch of bill collectors."

"Yes, but a message needs to be sent here. The Saladians have been pretty blatantly snubbing us over the past year. We can't let the world see such small nations mocking us. They'll think we've grown soft. And we can't have that." Calhualyana looked at her husband. "How hard would it be to send a naval force and accompanying Imperial Marines to Salad Land?"

"Oh, not very," Xiyāōtl replied. "I mean, we wouldn't even need a full fleet. A task force with a thousand or so Marines ought to be more than sufficient to deal with the Saladians. Their military, well, isn't. And their last war was fought against a bunch of cats."

The Empress laughed in response. "Oh, yes, that cat war. Very well, put together a small task force and send them over to Salad Land. That should make them release our assets and cough up payment for their bill readily enough. I imagine the Marquis will wet his fancy pants when he sees them off shore."

---

January 22nd
Prime Minister's Residence
Port Salad, Salad Land 

Prime Minister Leighton Taylor was having a leisurely lunch. It was his favorite kind of lunch. He sipped a glass of port and nibbled at his dessert. As he did so, he looked out the window. It was a beautiful day, as it usually was in Salad Land. His view of the ocean stretched for miles, and he could see ships coming and going from the nearby port. One group of ships, though, stood out. It looked odd. Almost as if it was traveling in a convoy.

Taylor stood up and walked to the window. As the odd convoy of ships grew closer, he began to grow uneasy. Just then, his aide came running into the dining hall. "Prime Minister....Xiomerans..." he gasped.

"What about Xiomerans? Spit it out, man!" Taylor demanded.

"They're.....here." The aide pointed out the window. Taylor looked outside again, at the convoy of ships now parked outside the port. He dropped his fork. It rang lightly in the silent room.

---

At the Palace de Salad, the Marquis was receiving a similar message. He walked over to his own window; the dark gray ships were now blocking the port. A series of helicopters were now flying from the flagship towards the capital. "Xiomerans....here...." the Marquis murmured. He suddenly turned to his steward, Dominic Gardner. "I need to change outfits if I am to receive visitors!" He ordered Gardner to bring him his finest outfit. "Dominic, do you think the Xiomerans will want tea? We should prepare tea."

As his court watched in slight dismay, the Marquis began disrobing to change into his elegant clothes for receiving foreign visitors. "Um....your Grace....not to interrupt, but I think perhaps we should take this all a bit more seriously. The Xiomerans..." Gardner said.

de Salad turned to his steward. "Look, whatever happens, once the Xiomerans get here, just follow my lead," the Marquis replied, an unusually serious look on his face. "All of you, remember that....just follow my lead."

Having finished his change of outfit, the Marquis plastered his usual manic and pleasant expression on his face and walked out with Gardner to greet the unexpected visitors.

1 December 2023, 6:59 AM
Sydney, Aqis, Novella Islands
Apartment 44/G, Garden Park Tower

The serenity of the cool winter dawn was punctuated by the din of the Partridge household's early morning rituals, echoing about the apartment's walls. As the cacophony of a mother corralling her primary school son threatened to wake the rest of Garden Park, John began his final preparations for the day of work ahead. Latching onto his last piece of toast - generously slathered with edopru jam, as was his own morning tradition - he shrugged on his suit jacket, before yet another noise was added to the symphony of chaos.

7 AM alarm. Time to leave.

Swallowing the last bite of his breakfast, John grabbed his backpack on his way towards the front door; a quick detour to give his wife a parting peck on the cheek, and he was out the door. Stepping out of the lobby of the tower block and onto Felix Street, the unmistakable smell of his lunch wafting through the air caught his attention. The Hanafleuran across the footpath from John recognised him immediately, shooting a massive smile, and beckoning him toward the food stall.

"Mr. Partridge, Mr. Partridge! Good morning to you!"

"And to you, Mr. Sato. My, my, whatever you have for me today, it smells positively divine."

As had been the daily tradition since Kenji Sato had immigrated to the Novella Islands with his family seven years ago, opening the food stall on Felix Street, John fished the empty lunch box out of his backpack and placed it on the benchtop. Beginning to fill it with authentic Hanafleuran delicacies, Kenji began to speak once again.

"I am sorry to say, but I have bad news for you, Mr. Partridge... I will have to close my stall, very soon." A pained expression shot across his face, before returning to his typical starry-eyed cheerfulness. "My daughter, she will study in Hathon! And, I will open a real restaurant!"

Sato had routinely gushed about his daughter and her achievements to John - having mentioned on multiple occasions that she had applied to the Hathon Academy of Medicine - so it came as no real surprise to him. "Excellence deserves to be rewarded, Mr. Sato. I have no doubt she will flourish there, and I wish you luck on your own entrepreneurial endeavours."

Somehow, Partridge's comments only exacerbated the Hanafleuran's wide grin, as he finished boxing up the man's lunch. "Here you go, Mr. Partridge. Eat well!" Packing the lunchbox back into his bag, the Novellan tried to hand over a 1,000 Novelle note - only accepting cash as payment, a peculiar habit the Hanafleuran had retained from his home country - but Sato refused. "For you, my loyal customer? No charge."

After insisting, twice, John knew the other man was not going to back down. Putting the money back in his pocket, before bowing his head deeply in thanks, he set off for the metro station a block away.

"Ms. Gold, Ms. Gold! Good morning to you!" Sato's voice - greeting yet another regular customer - faded slowly into the omnipresent sounds of the city.

---

1 December 2023, 8:30 AM
Sydney, Aqis, Novella Islands
Office for the Minister of Social Affairs (Sydney Branch)

Exiting the elevator, John's eyes locked on the only other person on the floor; his junior officer, the diligent office earlybird. "Emilia! Just the person I was hoping to see."

The young policy officer glanced up, giving a slight but polite nod of recognition of her senior, before turning back to her work. "Yes, boss?"

"What's the queue on a Class C tenancy, in the... campus district of Rikal?"

"873," she responded to the non sequitur dryly, not even glancing up from her monitor, nor ceasing in her typing of the report she was presently working on.

"There is precisely zero chance you know that off of the top of your head," Partridge chuckled. Ask a joke question, get a joke answer, it seems.

"Would you like me to look it up for you?"

"No, no." Brushing his junior's all too genuine offer aside, he began walking toward his office, before something sparked his memory. With a heel turn, he continued speaking. "Oh, Em... I do need that agriculture report by the end of the day, though. The Minister is going to be on my back about it, otherwise."

Shaking her head with an apologetic expression and a shrug, Emilia rebutted. "Can't be done. NRO still haven't got back to me, yet." For dramatic effect, and to properly drive her point home, she refreshed her email, before giving him another glance.

John had already begun to walk away once again after her first response, confident she was more than competent enough to deal with it on her own. For good measure, however, he shot back a blow at their bureaucratic cousins. "Prod them again. Let me know by lunch whether it's actually a 'can't be done', or if it's just that the NRO can't be stuffed doing it on a Friday."

"Will do."

Darting between the arriving staff on the now-busying office floor and towards his office, interrupted by the occasional greeting, John finally sat down and booted up his own computer for the day. 31 new emails, 2 meeting reminders, and a call from the Minister in 25 minutes. A little bit of breathing time, before things started to get too hectic for the day; certainly enough to sate his own curiosity. Searching through the government database, in just a few minutes, he found the answer he was looking for...

873.

You can't convince me she's not a Tellarian!

With another chuckle, he opened up the spreadsheet with the list of applicants, and began scrolling.

TNN | Delegate Kaschovia Re-Elected in The North Pacific
For immediate release.

Kaschovia has been re-elected as Delegate of The North Pacific as of 11 January 2024. He received 69 votes coming in at 93.24% of the popular vote, while his opponents Osk!ebot and Vapia received one (1.35%) and four (5.41%) votes respectively. Seven people abstained, and seven voted to re-open nominations, representing 8.64% of voters. He will be the first delegate to serve two consecutive terms since Pallaith, who served from May 2022 to January 2023.

In his opening address to the region, Kaschovia stressed that he "[believes] in all of us to pull together and show the world what it means to be a part of The North Pacific," and emphasized continuity with the growth and advancement of the past term. His cabinet is as follows:

Minister of Defence - Robespierre (Francois Isidore)
Minister of Foreign Affairs - Comfed
Minister of World Assembly Affairs - Simone (Simone Republic)
Minister of Culture - Nutmeg The Squirrel (The Anddoran Commune)
Minister of Home Affairs & Lead Gameside Advocate - Lionsmeow (Lionsroar)
Minister of Communications - Halsoni

He is also joined in government by Speaker Arafuttio and Vice Delegate Chipoli. Arafuttio received 58 votes, with 23 abstained and 25 voted to re-open nominations, representing 30.86% of the voters, likely because they ran unopposed. The Vice Delegate race was certainly the most exciting of the three, with three candidates - Hulldom, Chipoli, and Nutmeg The Squirrel - entering the fray. However, Hulldom dropped out of the race during the voting period, leaving just the last two candidates. Ultimately Chipoli prevailed with 50 votes, 70.42% of the ballots, while Nutmeg The Squirrel received 21 votes, 29.58% of the final count. 10 voters abstained and 13 (16.05%) voted to re-open nominations.

Election Commissioners Gorundu and Simone supervised the election.

Click here for a dispatch version.

I am in awe at the sheer number and quality of entries in this year's Film Festival! This is truly a record-breaking festival, and I am so proud of you all. Since the original entries thread is as crowded as it is, I will hold the voting here separately. To read each entry, please see this thread:

https://idugov.com/forum/showthread.php?...2#pid23452

Due to the number of entries, voting shall be handled a little differently this year. Any IDU member who has submitted at least one entry is eligible to vote in all categories. To vote, please list your top five entries in each category on your ballot (not including your own entries). The votes will then be counted in an instant-runoff system.

2023 IDU Film Festival Ballot:

Best IDU Film:
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Best Lead Actor:
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Best Supporting Actor:
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5.

Best Musical Score:
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Best Costume Design:
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Best Documentary Film:
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Best Foreign Film:
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The entries in each category are:

Best IDU Film: Nouveau Riche (Haesan) - September Run (Laeral) - The Expanse (Novella Islands) - The Perfect Sandwich (Opthelia) - Feline (Zargothrax) - Margrethe and Olufemi (Zongongia) - The Death of a Madman and Rise of a Hero (Mansilla) - Hide the Mask (Eiria), Beyond the Waves (Aredoa) - Harvest Moon (Kolda) - A Leeward Phantom (LOM)

Best Lead Actor: Alex Gray (The Expanse, Novella Islands) - Jeremie Studer-Herth (September Run, Laeral) - Kim Yu-ri (Nouveau Riche, Haesan) - Sophia Shepherd (The Perfect Sandwich, Opthelia) - Farida Karim (Feline, Zargothrax) - Mawuli Abiodun (Margrethe and Olufemi, Zongongia) - Vitale Giordano (The Death of a Madman and Rise of a Hero, Mansilla) - Andrés Molina (Beyond the Waves, Aredoa) - Grant Page (A Leeward Phantom, LOM)

Best Supporting Actor: Lloyd Meyers (A Perfect Sandwich, Opthelia) - Pierre Mörch (September Run, Laeral) - Seo Chae-won (Nouveau Riche, Haesan) - Ismat Ahmadi (Feline, Zargothrax) - Jennifer Keyes (The Factory, Greater Acadia) - Stefen Vandel (Hide the Mask, Eiria) - Gabriela Riviera (Beyond the Waves, Aredoa) - Ally Leslie (Pointed, Glanainn) - Sokhna Bousso (Harvest Moon, Kolda) - Benjamin Wagner (A Leeward Phantom, LOM)

Best Musical Score: Adrift (Misumi) - Saltwater (Thousand Branches) - September Run (Laeral) - Margrethe and Olufemi (Zongongia) - The Death of a Madman and Rise of a Hero (Mansilla) - The Sunny Side of Life (Aredoa) - Hide the Mask (Eiria) - A Leeward Phantom (LOM)

Best Costume Design: Nouveau Riche (Haesan) - Margrethe and Olufemi (Zongongia) - The Factory (Greater Acadia) - Pointed (Glanainn) - Harvest Moon (Kolda)

Best Documentary Film: Adrift (Misumi) - One Thousand Butterflies (Lauchenoiria) - The Power of Words (Eiria) - The Sunny Side of Life (Aredoa) - Pine Gap: Triumph Amidst Adversity (Opthelia) - The Bluest Sea (Nuiqsut Confederation) - Kalapara (Andhrapur)

Best Foreign Film: The Favriskan Sting (Favrisko, TSP) - Too Camp to Camp? (Iceagea, Europe) - Lost Cause: Not Just a High School Story (Ottterland, Europe)


Voting shall begin as soon as this thread is posted, and the period shall initially extend to January 13th at 11:59 PM CST. Please only rank each entry by content found in the entry thread, not other factors. Congratulations to our nominees, and let the voting begin!

January 4th
Tebengri Square, Bor-Öndör

Khadagan Daldurkhan was worried.

He didn't show it, of course. Any outward sign of concern or fear would spread like wildfire among the people he was leading. Daldurkhan kept his strong, almost stoic expression up as he mingled among the crowd gathered in Tebengri Square. But the leader of the Taragaian Democratic Front was worried nonetheless.

The deadline issued by Chaghagan Khoga, the Director of State Security, had come and gone. Morning had passed into afternoon, and was sliding into evening. And yet, there had been no sign of the Army. Even better, there had been no sign of police from ᠤᠯᠤᠰ ᠤᠨ ᠳᠣᠲᠣᠭᠠᠳᠤ ᠶᠢᠨ ᠠᠮᠤᠷ ᠲᠦᠪᠰᠢᠨ ᠦ ᠲᠣᠪᠴᠢᠶ᠎ᠠ ᠃, the Internal Security Directorate. At the front of the protest, a rotating group of people with banners and signs was chanting protest slogans and occasionally interacting with the Internal Troops responsible for guarding the People's Great Khural. In the rear, others were resting and keeping each other company. The smell of cooking food and the shouts of the crowd, along with singing and laughter, wafted through the air. It was an almost idyllic scene, and that made it all the more surreal to Daldurkhan. Many in the crowd were cautiously optimistic that perhaps the government would not crack down on their protest after all. Daldurkhan was not so optimistic. He had dealt with the government too long, and too often.

---

At the Internal Security Directorate headquarters, Chaghagan Khoga was highly displeased. He had wanted to disperse the protesters immediately, but had been forced to wait two days while the presidium of the Central Committee debated on whether or not to use force against the protesters.

What is there to debate? These malcontents are breaking the law and insulting the revolution. They should have been arrested or run off days ago. Khoga was so annoyed, in fact, that he was beginning to wonder if certain members of the presidium should be sharing jail cells with the protesters. His thoughts were finally broken by the almost pleasant jingle of his desk phone. He picked it up. "Khoga," he said flatly.

"The debate is over." Khoga smiled faintly at the sound of the gravelly voice on the other end of the line.

At that end was Jirghogadai Tömörbataar, the Chairman of the Central Committee and leader of Taragai. Tömörbataar took a long drag off his cigarette, allowing the silence to stretch a bit. He knew Khoga would be eager for his next words, like an attack dog waiting for the signal to pounce. The Chairman finally stubbed out his cigarette, sighing slightly. "The presidium has agreed. Remove the protesters from the square at once."

Khoga acknowledged the command and hung up. He had already planned for what to do. It was just a matter of giving the order.

---

On the outskirts of Bor-Öndör, a sizeable force of Internal Security police and soldiers had been gathering quietly for several hours. They had not gone unnoticed, however. Opposition members had been carefully positioned in the area nearby, using their cell phones to advise Daldurkhan and his fellow leaders of the troops' movements. When the troops and police suddenly mounted their vehicles and began moving towards the center of the capital, the opposition members tried to text and call Daldurkhan with warning. Their phones had stopped working; Internal Security had shut down cell service in the area.

One of the protesters was quickly dispatched on a motorcycle to rush to Tebengri Square, while the others in the area tried to stop the advance of the police and soldiers. They were seriously outnumbered, and were either arrested or forced to flee very quickly. But they did manage to buy enough time for their colleague on the motorcycle. Deftly dodging the ranks of soldiers and police, she sped off down the road.

---

Fifteen minutes later, Narmandakh, the motorcycle rider, arrived at Tebengri Square. She quickly rushed to Daldurkhan. "The Internals and the army are on their way. I was only a few minutes ahead of them," she warned. Daldurkhan had a choice at that point. He could call on the protesters to disperse, and try to avoid a clash with the security forces. He could prepare them to fight. Or....he could do something unexpected by the government.

He chose the unexpected.

---

As the Internal Security police and soldiers arrived at the square, they were confronted by the sight of thousands of people sitting on the ground waiting for them. They were mixing protest chants with ancient Taragaian songs. They were still holding their banners and signs, but showed no hostile intent. An Internal Security commander marched to the head of the line of security forces with a megaphone. "This is an illegal assembly. By order of the Chairman and Presidium of the Central Committee, you are to leave the area at once. If you do not do so, you will be arrested."

The singing and chants only grew louder in response. The commander tried again. "This is your final warning. You are ordered to disperse at once - " The volume from the protesters grew even louder, drowning him out. He made a sharp, angry gesture with his other hand. The police and soldiers moved forward, releasing a volley of tear gas before surging into the crowd. No one resisted, even despite the aggressive and very physical use of force by the security personnel. One by one, anyone who didn't leave the area was roughly thrown to the ground and tied up with plastic handcuffs. Khadagan Daldurkhan was among them.

As this was happening, several of the Internal Troops who had been guarding the People's Great Khural building looked at each other. One by one, they laid down their weapons and went to sit with the protesters. They received the roughest treatment of all from the Internal Security police, receiving sound beatings before being arrested.

In all, 753 people were arrested that day, including the leader of Taragai's democratic opposition. Leaders like Tömörbataar and Khoga thought that would be an end to the aspirations of the opposition. They would be wrong.