Fujai

I will be leaving tomorrow for a two week orientation for my new position working with an NGO in East Africa, and then moving there at the end of the month to train, learn the language, and begin work. I'm very excited for this, but also probably won't be on NS much until I settle down again. Even then, since I don't really have a concrete picture of what my internet access or my schedule will be like, I might not have quite as much time for the game, but we'll see.

Since the old absence notification thread got archived a while back, here's a brand new one!
If you're going to be gone for a couple days or a couple months, let everyone know here so we don't worry too much 

Come back soon, we'll miss you!

Since the old absence notification thread got archived a while back, here's a brand new one!
If you're going to be gone for a couple days or a couple months, let everyone know here so we don't worry too much 

I'll start it out by being out of the country with sporadic internet June 21-July 28, but I'll try to check in as often as I can.

Since the old absence notification thread got archived a while back, here's a brand new one!
If you're going to be gone for a couple days or a couple months, let everyone know here so we don't worry too much 

The first gameday's results have been posted. From here on out I will be doing my best to move things along at a pretty regular pace: I'm hoping to have results every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday evening. This way the end of the season will coincide with the last day of June and any postseason play will happen in July. For the postseason schedule I'll try to base it off feedback I get from you guys during the season so that it can be tailored to whoever is playing in it. That's also true for the regular season: the schedule is subject to change if anything comes up for me, but if you guys would rather have it paced slower or faster, let me know and I'll see what I can do. Any long term changes will be announced here. If I'm going to miss just a single cutoff, I'll try to put something in the #sports channel on our RP server.
As always, feel free to ask any questions or comments here in the OOC thread.
Good luck!

Bran is right. Not all nations on NS even have human citizens. If Wyvern wanted to have a dragon on one of his football teams, that would be totally acceptable, so there's no reason that gender should matter at all. You're free to have players of any gender in any combination, whether that is a more 'realistic' all male line-up, a co-ed team, or something else.

That wasn't something that came up in our planning sessions, but I'm going to point towards WPBR as precedent. That event, while typically male-only IRL, is co-ed without penalty or modifiers regarding gender in TWP RP.  Each nation participating in the WPCAA Football tournament is free to set team rosters as they see fit.

As we're working on rosters—is the WPCAA co-ed or is there still gender separation in sports?

UPDATE
I'm please to see what looks like a great crew coming together! We'll be getting things rolling soon. I'm here to bring a little bit more information in the meantime.
Sign-ups will probably be closing early next week. Typically, I'm hoping to get two or three game days in each week so that we can have a bit of a regular schedule once the season starts, but we'll have a slightly longer period--one week--between the closing of sign-ups and the first RP cutoff. This will allow people to work on rosters, etc. I've decided also that the RP bonus you will receive for your roster won't decay the same way other RP bonuses will. This means: write a roster! Even if you're not going to RP, it's nice to at least let other people know who they're playing against. I will post a guide to writing your own roster when I post the RP thread, which I will do when sign-ups close. Also, even if you don't get around to it right away, it means that it'll help you out to write a roster at any point. As they say, better late than never. I will also be giving you extra time before the first cutoff so that if you like, you can write a roster as well as your first RP. I will be giving space for a bonus for both.
Another note on scheduling: I'm hoping to have a nice round number of teams so that organizing you guys into conferences can be nice and symmetrical. I have a little control over the numbers, but I may jump in and cut off sign-ups if I see there's nice round number, which is why I'm not publishing an exact date for the close of sign-ups. That said, all of you who are members of the Hall of Nations are eligible to enter two teams. That means that a few of you can still enter one more team. @Podium, @Craiolia, @Arnic, @ghouldovka, @HankTheTank87, and @ete74, you can all still submit one more entry.
My goal is to have 4 conferences named after the continents on the map; Polaris, Doll Guldur, Aura, and Andolia. Since most of the teams are from Polaris, and some people aren't on the map, the conferences won't actually reflect the geographic location of the teams. It depends on the numbers, of course, but I'm hoping that each team will play every other team in their conference at home and away. The conferences will also be put into pairs and teams will play an inter-conference game with each team in their paired conference. I will try to place teams into conferences so that no one who has two teams will have to play against themselves--what's the point of that?
Anyway, that's the plan, so I hope that this is nice and transparent and gets us all on the same page. Sorry for the wall of text.
You'll hear back from me next week!

Fujai — FJ — FJA — .fj

Once upon a time a statement regarding the status of a TWP citizen would have been posted here first rather than in NS Gameplay.
https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=35703941#p35703941
Now not all TWP members go to the GP forum, nor do they bother with Discord. Would be nice if TWP’s government could remember that.
 

CRN Transcript Excerpt- “Saturday Afternoon with Tom Burkley”- May 18th, 2019
Tim: So something really strange that’s been noticed is that food hasn’t been arriving at supermarket warehouses, and we think it has something to do with Craiolian Goods and its legal situation. With me on the phone here I have a trucker who works for Craiolian Goods. He’s requested that his name remain anonymous because CG probably won’t be happy about this information being revealed. So, Mr. Anonymous, what can you tell us?
Trucker: It’s really weird, actually. Almost immediately after Parliament ruled to impose that fine on CG, my route was changed. Now instead of taking food to supermarket warehouses, we’re taking it to these nondescript warehouses on the Northern Shore. I’ve also noticed that no more food is coming in from the farms, which means my new assignment will not last very long.
Tim: So is there anything else you can tell us?
Trucker: Actually, yes. I overheard my boss saying something shady. Like, really shady.
Tim: Go on...
Trucker: Who the h—l are you?
Tim: Mr. Anonymous?
Trucker: Oh s—t. Oh s—t! They’re here!
Tim: Who exactly are they?
Trucker: AAAAAGGHHHHHH*dial tone*
Tim: Oh my. *Dialing of a phone can be heard* Hello? Police? Yes, I’d like to report a possible murder. 
—PROGRAM ENDS—

The Celestial Empire of The West Pacific
 
A couple minutes late, but here's the most of it.
 
Flags:
I didn't separate out flags for TWP/TWPAF because they can be used for either or.
 
 
Emblem:
 
 
 
Wordmarks:
 
 
 
WFE and Dispatch Style:

Here is the Proposed WFE; I've tested it and made sure it fits. The exact wording is hinged on a complete overhaul of our regional dispatches. Most of the ones we use are written by half a dozen different people and can be difficult to find. There's no cohesive look and half of them aren't properly updated. It would fall to the Ministry of Education to create a nation to write TWP dispatches, keep a master dispatch, dispatch index, and all the dispatches a functioning region needs. Please see my earlier post for designs. I didn't have enough time to make new templates, but it would be the same or similar to those ones with the new emblem.
 
 
Newspaper:
I propose renaming "The West Pacifican" to "The Western Dragon," and revamping it with a new theme.
 
 
Government Structure:
Here is the more practical area of changes. The government would be reworked to be similar to the system of Three Departments and Six Ministries used many times in the history of Imperial China. The Delegate would be renamed the Emperor, and would keep executive authority, and the Three Departments would report to them. The Imperial Court would act as the peerage system, with no powers and assorted titles based on merit. The Hall of Nations would be renamed the Secretariat, headed by the Grand Secretary. The Guardians would be renamed the Chancellors, together making up the Chancellery and tentatively headed by a Grand Chancellor. The Ministries would be grouped under the Department of State Affairs, headed by the Grand Minister.
The current ministries would be consolidated into four:
Ministry of Interior - Ministries of Internal Affairs and World Assembly Affairs Ministry of Education - Ministries of Education and Recruitment and Citizenry Ministry of Diplomacy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of War - Ministry of Military Affairs (TWPAF renamed the Imperial Navy or something similar) This consolidation would help streamline the government and make it easier to organize. Each Ministry's activity would continue as usual, just under a different name.

 
PS: There's probably a big image of the emblem at the end of this post. I didn't put it there and I can't get it off no matter how many times I delete it, so here we are.

I really like what you have done Fujai!  I especially love the fonts and flags!

The Celestial Empire of The West Pacific
 
A couple minutes late, but here's the most of it.
 
Flags:
I didn't separate out flags for TWP/TWPAF because they can be used for either or.
 
 
Emblem:
 
 
 
Wordmarks:
 
 
 
WFE and Dispatch Style:

Here is the Proposed WFE; I've tested it and made sure it fits. The exact wording is hinged on a complete overhaul of our regional dispatches. Most of the ones we use are written by half a dozen different people and can be difficult to find. There's no cohesive look and half of them aren't properly updated. It would fall to the Ministry of Education to create a nation to write TWP dispatches, keep a master dispatch, dispatch index, and all the dispatches a functioning region needs. Please see my earlier post for designs. I didn't have enough time to make new templates, but it would be the same or similar to those ones with the new emblem.
 
 
Newspaper:
I propose renaming "The West Pacifican" to "The Western Dragon," and revamping it with a new theme.
 
 
Government Structure:
Here is the more practical area of changes. The government would be reworked to be similar to the system of Three Departments and Six Ministries used many times in the history of Imperial China. The Delegate would be renamed the Emperor, and would keep executive authority, and the Three Departments would report to them. The Imperial Court would act as the peerage system, with no powers and assorted titles based on merit. The Hall of Nations would be renamed the Secretariat, headed by the Grand Secretary. The Guardians would be renamed the Chancellors, together making up the Chancellery and tentatively headed by a Grand Chancellor. The Ministries would be grouped under the Department of State Affairs, headed by the Grand Minister.
The current ministries would be consolidated into four:
Ministry of Interior - Ministries of Internal Affairs and World Assembly Affairs Ministry of Education - Ministries of Education and Recruitment and Citizenry Ministry of Diplomacy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of War - Ministry of Military Affairs (TWPAF renamed the Imperial Navy or something similar) This consolidation would help streamline the government and make it easier to organize. Each Ministry's activity would continue as usual, just under a different name.

 
PS: There's probably a big image of the emblem at the end of this post. I didn't put it there and I can't get it off no matter how many times I delete it, so here we are.

The Celestial Empire of The West Pacific
 
A couple minutes late, but here's the most of it.
 
Flags:
I didn't separate out flags for TWP/TWPAF because they can be used for either or.
 
 
Emblem:
 
 
 
Wordmarks:
 
 
 
WFE and Dispatch Style:

Here is the Proposed WFE; I've tested it and made sure it fits. The exact wording is hinged on a complete overhaul of our regional dispatches. Most of the ones we use are written by half a dozen different people and can be difficult to find. There's no cohesive look and half of them aren't properly updated. It would fall to the Ministry of Education to create a nation to write TWP dispatches, keep a master dispatch, dispatch index, and all the dispatches a functioning region needs. Please see my earlier post for designs. I didn't have enough time to make new templates, but it would be the same or similar to those ones with the new emblem.
 
 
Newspaper:
I propose renaming "The West Pacifican" to "The Western Dragon," and revamping it with a new theme.
 
 
Government Structure:
Here is the more practical area of changes. The government would be reworked to be similar to the system of Three Departments and Six Ministries used many times in the history of Imperial China. The Delegate would be renamed the Emperor, and would keep executive authority, and the Three Departments would report to them. The Imperial Court would act as the peerage system, with no powers and assorted titles based on merit. The Hall of Nations would be renamed the Secretariat, headed by the Grand Secretary. The Guardians would be renamed the Chancellors, together making up the Chancellery and tentatively headed by a Grand Chancellor. The Ministries would be grouped under the Department of State Affairs, headed by the Grand Minister.
The current ministries would be consolidated into four:
Ministry of Interior - Ministries of Internal Affairs and World Assembly Affairs Ministry of Education - Ministries of Education and Recruitment and Citizenry Ministry of Diplomacy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of War - Ministry of Military Affairs (TWPAF renamed the Imperial Navy or something similar) This consolidation would help streamline the government and make it easier to organize. Each Ministry's activity would continue as usual, just under a different name.

 
PS: There's probably a big image of the emblem at the end of this post. I didn't put it there and I can't get it off no matter how many times I delete it, so here we are.

Let's drop the others and create this one?

I've been part of a few "my way or the by-way" situations (including some in THIS region) and this doesn't feel like that to me. This feels more like an honest effort from a delegate eager to try something to encourage activity. "We need more activity" has been a point for a while here, I know I heard it while I was delegate. I just didn't have it in me to enact any sweeping changes. Part of that was likely because of the reaction I was sure that I would get, from both in and out of the region. Halo, apparently, does.
I'm iffy on some aspects of this, there are certain things I'd have preferred to have seen done differently. I didn't participate in the conversation, and that was my choice; I'd seen the TG about it. However, I'm down to see how this goes. It could end up amazing. But if it sucks, I trust that Halo will make an effort to adjust things so they do not suck.
When things don't change, we end up in a place with a good ol' boys club. I've seen it happen here before. 
So, really, the way I see it, the worst thing that happens with this is people are cranky, it doesn't work, and Halo adjusts it. The best is that it's actually fun and new people get active on some level, participating.

That's definitely a step in the right direction, though I have two questions about it.
First, why not just do this in the first place and skip the part where we vote on three options? Kawaii, OT, and Ark could certainly head their own teams and if one of their themes was chosen then more power to them. That seems like a really good compromise between more community involvement and keeping it centralized to me, and could have avoided a lot of this drama.
Second, if you had the beginning of this plan before voting started, why wasn't there more transparency? Again a lot of this drama could've been at least soothed by more fluid communication (not that I claim to be good at communication myself).
Can you tell us what they are and how to get involved, should we desire?
I've noticed it a lot in past and present Delegacies that changes and new programs are very much a "guardians and ministers only" club. Right now those two groups overlap a lot, which doesn't help the situation. We always complain to ourselves that the regional government isn't very active, and yet we have regional governments that aren't inclusive in the activity that's happening.
People keep saying something we as a region need to think more about: if there's no ownership, then what incentive does the community have to interact with it?
The answer is, of course: none. We can try to make incentives like the peerage and point systems, but if the community doesn't feel like something is genuinely theirs—like the're not intrinsically a part of something—then there's no reason to be involved. That's one reason some of us don't like the three themes presented. They don't feel like TWP—they don't feel like something the community can rally behind and say "this is who we are."
There's a discussion to be had on whether a theme should do that. I argue that if a theme doesn't inspire long-term feelings of regional spirit and belonging, then what good is it? A real theme should be a tool to enhance regional identity, not just as a change of clothes to throw off every so often.

That's definitely a step in the right direction, though I have two questions about it.
First, why not just do this in the first place and skip the part where we vote on three options? Kawaii, OT, and Ark could certainly head their own teams and if one of their themes was chosen then more power to them. That seems like a really good compromise between more community involvement and keeping it centralized to me, and could have avoided a lot of this drama.
Second, if you had the beginning of this plan before voting started, why wasn't there more transparency? Again a lot of this drama could've been at least soothed by more fluid communication (not that I claim to be good at communication myself).
Can you tell us what they are and how to get involved, should we desire?
I've noticed it a lot in past and present Delegacies that changes and new programs are very much a "guardians and ministers only" club. Right now those two groups overlap a lot, which doesn't help the situation. We always complain to ourselves that the regional government isn't very active, and yet we have regional governments that aren't inclusive in the activity that's happening.
People keep saying something we as a region need to think more about: if there's no ownership, then what incentive does the community have to interact with it?
The answer is, of course: none. We can try to make incentives like the peerage and point systems, but if the community doesn't feel like something is genuinely theirs—like the're not intrinsically a part of something—then there's no reason to be involved. That's one reason some of us don't like the three themes presented. They don't feel like TWP—they don't feel like something the community can rally behind and say "this is who we are."
There's a discussion to be had on whether a theme should do that. I argue that if a theme doesn't inspire long-term feelings of regional spirit and belonging, then what good is it? A real theme should be a tool to enhance regional identity, not just as a change of clothes to throw off every so often.

That's definitely a step in the right direction, though I have two questions about it.
First, why not just do this in the first place and skip the part where we vote on three options? Kawaii, OT, and Ark could certainly head their own teams and if one of their themes was chosen then more power to them. That seems like a really good compromise between more community involvement and keeping it centralized to me, and could have avoided a lot of this drama.
Second, if you had the beginning of this plan before voting started, why wasn't there more transparency? Again a lot of this drama could've been at least soothed by more fluid communication (not that I claim to be good at communication myself).
Can you tell us what they are and how to get involved, should we desire?
I've noticed it a lot in past and present Delegacies that changes and new programs are very much a "guardians and ministers only" club. Right now those two groups overlap a lot, which doesn't help the situation. We always complain to ourselves that the regional government isn't very active, and yet we have regional governments that aren't inclusive in the activity that's happening.
People keep saying something we as a region need to think more about: if there's no ownership, then what incentive does the community have to interact with it?
The answer is, of course: none. We can try to make incentives like the peerage and point systems, but if the community doesn't feel like something is genuinely theirs—like the're not intrinsically a part of something—then there's no reason to be involved. That's one reason some of us don't like the three themes presented. They don't feel like TWP—they don't feel like something the community can rally behind and say "this is who we are."
There's a discussion to be had on whether a theme should do that. I argue that if a theme doesn't inspire long-term feelings of regional spirit and belonging, then what good is it? A real theme should be a tool to enhance regional identity, not just as a change of clothes to throw off every so often.

We need change, not replacement. While I love me a good ol' fashioned revolution, an honest discussion about present (and past) governments not being very responsive to the people is going to get the region further than suggesting a second government. This topic doesn't need any more discussion; it will only create needless divisiveness.
Bottom line: this is about activity, or rather the lack of it. The new theme is an attempt to inspire some new activity, and it's certainly a good idea, the execution is not as inclusive as it could be. Since the theme itself is trying to create activity, it makes sense to involve the community to actively shape it.
While well-intentioned and functional on paper, the Manners, the Hall, and the Delegacy have not acquitted themselves well in fostering activity. in the past few months there've been a couple threads about change, and that's a good start, but there has to be more discussion how to change the way we do things so we can get out of this cycle of regional stagnation.
 

We need change, not replacement. While I love me a good ol' fashioned revolution, an honest discussion about present (and past) governments not being very responsive to the people is going to get the region further than suggesting a second government. This topic doesn't need any more discussion; it will only create needless divisiveness.
Bottom line: this is about activity, or rather the lack of it. The new theme is an attempt to inspire some new activity, and it's certainly a good idea, the execution is not as inclusive as it could be. Since the theme itself is trying to create activity, it makes sense to involve the community to actively shape it.
While well-intentioned and functional on paper, the Manners, the Hall, and the Delegacy have not acquitted themselves well in fostering activity. in the past few months there've been a couple threads about change, and that's a good start, but there has to be more discussion how to change the way we do things so we can get out of this cycle of regional stagnation.