Equiterra

Given the hectic nature of our region in the past month, I thought it’d be appropriate to make an address to the region detailing how things are going.

First off, great strides are being made in Foreign Affairs. With America the Greater as our new MoFA, we’ve been reaching out to our embassy partners and reopening lines of communication. Work has also been done to reaffirm our commitment to our allies and embassy partners. Our WA Delegate Mjau has been coordinating his votes with requests from Aegis and other allies, offering support on that end, and just recently the BLF worked with The League, The Order of the Grey Wardens, Starlight, 10000 Islands, and Europeia in a military operation. We want to show everybody that we are dependable, and I hope that these recent actions have made that more clear.

Events are also fostering stronger relations. We had a nice turnout for the August Games Night, with folks from Forest, The League, The Plains of Perdition, New West Conifer, and others coming in and hanging out with us. Another Game Night for September is in the works, as well as a joint event with Blue Ridge. Of course, we can’t forget to mention the Summer Slowdown, which has given us all an opportunity to step back and focus on real-life priorities across the course of the event.

The other Ministries have also been doing well. Community Affairs is consistently posting fun polls and questions of the day to answer, Domestic Affairs has been planning the latest issue of the Social Reformer, and work is being done to get a new Yodcast episode out. The only one I have yet to mention is Roleplay, and unfortunately that’s the one that has stagnated the most. The referendum we plan on having will determine the fate of the roleplay, and I encourage you all to voice your opinions on it in the Discord and on the RMB.

Now it’s time to talk about our community, and how that’s been faring. I won’t deny that we’ve seen some people leave the region over the past month, many of them being long-standing residents. Many of them still stick around to chat, which is very kind of them, and I’m glad that they still enjoy popping in and checking up on us. Still, it’s sad to see them go, and all of us in the government have been taking what they said in their farewell messages into consideration to make sure that we’re not letting the community decline. That’s why lately everyone’s been trying to promote positivity and kindness. You can see that it was the inspiration behind the Summer Slowdown and quite a few of our questions/polls of the day. As a whole, I think the vibe and our community is healing. It takes a while, but I see that progress is being made in the little daily interactions we have with each other on the Discord and the RMB.

If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I’d say the state of NBB is… improving! We hit a rocky point, but we’re starting to bounce back from it, and I can feel that things are shifting. There are even more plans in the works to keep this momentum up, so I expect to see more good in our future. I’m so proud of all of you and the community we’ve built together. It’s truly incredible that we’ve created something that can withstand hardship without falling apart, and it shows that we truly have something special here. Let’s cherish it, and continue to come together to collectively make our days a little brighter!

Written by Okona for The Social Reformer
⇑ Back to top

It was another pretty quiet month for Domestic Affairs. As we only got 2 new citizens and 1 citizen returning. This is probably due to the Summer Slump which is probably ending soon, so hopefully citizen applications heat up. If you are a resident that’s been here 7 days and want citizenship fill out this form: https://forms.gle/ts8ECqDMtgkbGYsF9. Citizenship gives you voting rights and you can join Parliament.

I have been updating the Welcome TG, WFE, dispatches, and preparing the next government approval poll. I also decided on the Monthly Featured Nation, and earlier this month me and Aya ran the census.

Aya Democratic Republic, my Head of Data has been working on updating dispatches all the time and also helped run the census while I was on LOA. Thank you Aya for all your hard work! National Coraland of Fishery has returned as Head of Communications and is working hard on this TSR and planning our next Yodcast!

The Government Approval Poll will start soon so stay tuned! Let’s have a great last month!

Written by Western Arba Fir for The Social Reformer
⇑ Back to top

Hello! It is me, Comria, your Head of Recruitment under the Ministry of Community Affairs, and I was somehow put in charge of something this past month or so. That’s right, I’m talking about the Summer Recruitment Competition! Over the past weeks, many recruiters did their best to create new NBBers and claim a spot in the Hall of Fame. The numbers show they’ve achieved their goal! You might have seen the weekly leaderboards along the way, but now it’s time for the big one.

In third place is Namojia with 3147 telegrams! Our former leaderboard leader has managed to put in a very considerable number of telegrams, so thank you.
In second place is Southsea with 3166 telegrams! Winning silver on an insanely small margin, I congratulate you, and thank you too.

And in first place, as he was on many weekly leaderboards, is New United Common-lands with 5193 telegrams! Congratulations! I promised bragging rights for the winner, so please enjoy: "Thanks for hosting the summer recruitment competition! My inspiration was Ian Hawke, because he never loses."

Our lovely other contributors include: Western Arba Fir with 742, Socialistic Britain with 524, Prov with 401, Comria with 96, Mjau with 22, and lastly, Okona with 4 telegrams. They bring the total for the entire competition to 13,277! Amazing, amazing work.

So, what's next for Recruitment? The competition may be over, but the effort sure isn't! We'll keep the weekly leaderboards coming, and I personally hope that we'll see the activity of the past weeks continue. From my current circumstances, I predict that I probably won't be here for the next term, but Recruitment isn't exactly a controversial topic, so I hope the next Government will be equally invested in this facet of our activities.

That's all from me for now, please enjoy the rest of this newspaper and your day, and I will see you later!

Written by Comria for The Social Reformer
⇑ Back to top

In August, we held another voting session on a handful of bills. As always, I will link the spreadsheet to the results at the end of this letter. Most of the bills were decided pretty decisively, and as always, a couple were a little controversial but were resolved during the voting session.

Moving forward in Parliament, it has been pretty much smooth sailing and managing control as we are keeping the ship steady and moving to the end of this term. Warba and I have ensured that voting sessions get set and run on time and that all dispatches and other documents have been fully updated. The only notable thing that has happened is that we have made some changes to the Confirmation Committee after some complaints about some members not participating, and we are ensuring that those who are in the committee participate in the capacity that is required to make sure all the bills sent are legal and are eligible to be voted on

Written by Flomonga for The Social Reformer
⇑ Back to top

Hey, this is my first address to you as Deputy Prime Minister. First of all, just to reiterate, thank you all for electing me, and I am super excited to have taken on this role.

So far, the second half of this term has been definitely busy, Okona, and I have quickly worked to fill spots, including placing America The Greater as our Minister of Foreign Affairs and Fishery, and as our Head of Communications. Both have experience in the region and are likely to be very effective at their roles. ATG has already laid out his preferred guidelines for diplomats and has begun to rekindle some relationships with other regions that were hurt since the beginning of this term. Fishery has also done a great job with this paper and has so far done a good job in making sure everyone has their articles done and on time. Next, within Communications we have already invested time into Yodcasts organizing future episodes and ensuring we maximize turnout, whether live or digital plays.

Beyond that, Okona and I have worked on figuring out a plan for RP. You should all expect a chat within the next couple of days detailing some of the first steps we're going to take to decide the future of RP, which I will save for when the time comes.

Next, we are creating more activities to do in the region. New United Common Lands has been organizing the Summer Slowdown, which so far has been fun to be apart of. As part of the Summer Slowdown, we have added two new Discord Channels where everyone can share positive quotes or cool photos they found. NUCL is also running the steps competition, which, among the participants, has so far been very fun and competitive.

In terms of events, we have been throwing around many ideas recently for newer games, collaborations with other regions, and longer-form campaign games, just to name a few, which should keep everyone talking and having fun, especially during slow times in the region.
Lastly, Okona resumed government reports and the happenings within the cabinet. At least one should come out every week moving forward

Written by Flomonga for The Social Reformer
⇑ Back to top

Hello again everyone DDS here back with another Community Affairs update! Well it’s been a very quiet month for Community Affairs as I have been on a Leave of Absence and also many of CA’s duties are currently being used for Summer Slowdown by the Ministry of Events. During my LOA, Comria became Acting Minister of Community Affairs during that time period. Polls and Questions of the Days and Poll Chats are continuing to be done back and forth between us and the Ministry of Events. We also welcomed Namojia and Southsea into the committee!

Speaking of Comria, he has been working very hard doing the Recruitment competition which just ended and continuously doing Recruitment leaderboards. He has also been doing Question of the Days during my leave of absence.

This has been your Community Affairs Update!

Written by The Democratic Disney States for The Social Reformer
⇑ Back to top

The past month has been one of the most transformative and, perhaps in many ways, one of the most trying with the history of The Region That Has No Big Banks. What should have been a moment of celebration, marking the 30th installment of our collective story, has unfortunately been overtaken by a series of unanticipated resignations and departures by a number of our community members. Each of these has left its own mark, changing the region's cultural and societal tapestry.

Perhaps the most profoundly experienced departure was that of Rogue River, a revered individual whose benevolence, creativity, and fervor for roleplay have established an enduring legacy. Rogue River was not merely a source of warmth in daily interactions but also an innovator in the effort to cultivate the roleplay scene within the region. Their relocation to Forest has resulted in a conspicuous absence; however, their contributions persist in influencing and inspiring those who remain.

The region suffered yet another difficult departure with the loss of Joviven, a devoted and energetic roleplayer who made the painful choice of leaving NationStates altogether. Joviven's storytelling and enthusiasm greatly contributed to the roleplaying atmosphere and the regional spirit of the region, and their loss is greatly felt within all regions where creativity and cooperation once abounded.

Hot Catboys, a username common within the roleplay community, also passed on this month. Even if their passing was less unobtrusive, their impact on storytelling and community interactions is still retained within the memories of individuals who formed bonds of friendship and worlds with them.

The resignation of Gine Caruttiva, one of the former Prime Ministers, came about under more complicated circumstances. Following the results of a referendum calling for their removals from office, Gine made the decision to resign. While the political landscape was rife with tension, their resignation nevertheless represented yet another significant change within the region's leadership and governance.

Two other departures substantially impacted the sense of continuity and heritage within the community. Claibornia, a long timer and frequent contributer to regional affairs, made the decision to move on from The Region That Has No Big Banks and move off to Forest. For many, Claibornia was a representation of dependability and dedication, and their passing is genuinely mourned. In a similar context, Chalistine, yet another player that actively participted in roleplaying, moved on as well and left incomplete stories and a void where creativity and contributions once existed.

Altogether, these resignations are a significant pattern of loss and transformation. It is uncommon when so many influential figures all of whom are individually essential to the roleplay society, political institution, or regional values of the area—are simultaneously resigning. The area is sorrowful about their departures, not out of desperation, but simply because their labor was valuable. In any event, however, this month of difficulty is a poignant testament of strength within The Region That Has No Big Banks. Societies are always dynamic; and even as we bid farewell to dear friends and leaders, their memories will continue to impact the stories, values, and culture that remain. It marks a thirty-year anniversary of resilience and yet it is a moment of inflection: a time of taking stock of what has passed and of rededication of the values of collaboration, innovation, and brotherhood and sisterhood that these members departing have helped instill.

Written by National coraland of fishery for The Social Reformer
⇑ Back to top

On August 1st, the Brotherhood of Malice announced its effective surrender. It shocked the world not because it was overly unexpected; indeed, many believed that once defenders started winning on the battlefield again, BoM would throw in the towel. However, it was shocking because BoM merely saw the paradigm shift and gave up without even testing it first.

Ultimately, the Brotherhood will go down as more of a failure than a success. They utterly failed to invest in and promote a successor either for themselves or for the faction as a whole. They sucked all life out of The Black Hawks and have now left it in its current lifeless state. The lack of promotion to anything meaningful led to a handful of splinter organizations, all of which inevitably got sucked back into the sphere and were subservient to BoM, albeit with on-paper equality; in practice, they followed BoM's rotation of raids. Their inflated ego at the battlefield numbers had them flush years' worth of work by raiderdom into Gameplay politics. Ironically, citing that they would be around forever, untouchable behind their Governor in their UCR.

They were important only to themselves. Burned down any meaningful relationships outside of their immediate sphere. Blocked the talent development of anyone who could carry on the fight. Now themselves and the sphere they made dependent on them are paying the price. The Black Hawks are a shadow of their former selves and have experienced significant brain drain in recent years. Osiris is the forgotten GCR colony that occasionally has raiderdom panic pile when they see the number of jumpers Independents and Defenders could muster in just 12 hours. Lair of the Dragon has completely shut down, and Kantrias and Sparkalia do not appear very far behind. Upstart tagging org Purple Pony Club seems to be the only region with a pulse, and the handful of taggers are unlikely to find enough rocks to look under for the pilers required for a hold.

BoM burst on the scene and mortgaged the entire future of raiderdom on the ability to burn back water regions to the ground and cry out about how important that made them. Now their entire legacy will be ruining raiderdom for whatever poor soul tries to come along and pick up the pieces, if not destroy the faction entirely.

Written by Kon Ill for The Social Reformer
⇑ Back to top