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First, I would like to apologise to you for TNS's late delivery. The NationStates server crash threw a wrench into our publishing schedule, which is why you are receiving this issue at almost the end of April as opposed to earlier. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Communications is still proud to present our latest TNS's 35th Edition, adorned with quality reporting and excellent design as always.

Despite many difficulties, TNS's writers, editors, and designers pulled through to give you the news on major events in TNP and NationStates, all the while ensuring that you have a pleasant and enjoyable experience as you read our magazine from start to finish. None of this would have been possible without their dedication and effort, and I'm thrilled at what they have accomplished.

The month of March was named after the Roman God of War, Mars, reportedly because it marked the start of the military campaign season. Coincidentally, war and conflict are our highlights of this month, as we examine the NPA's recent invasion of Warzone Trinidad and the North-East Security Treaty (NEST) repeal as a result of its political fallout. Once you have finished reading them, don't forget to catch up on the results of the March 2024 Judicial Elections, or review what Delegate Kaschovia's administration has accomplished so far in our Midterm Recap. Lastly, you will have the chance to learn more about me, the Executive Editor behind TNS, in an exclusive Spotlight Interview conducted by the Delegate himself.

Thank you for reading and may you enjoy this edition as much as I have.

Yours truly,
Picairn
Deputy Minister of Communications

Warzone Trinidad, ruled by the Warzone Trinidad Corporation, is a close ally of BoM. WZT had previously signed a treaty with Malice - titled "The Murder Inc. Corporate Charter" - in late July 2023, wherein the region had pledged to "endeavor to participate in operations carried out by Malice, sending updaters and/or pilers when requested [...]". The WZT Corporation dutifully followed the treaty's requirement when BoM requested military support for their invasion - and eventual capture - of Alcatraz. Yet still, the Corporation's association with Malice does not stop at a simple alliance: Much of their corporate leadership and the Mafia (WZT's regional military) are composed of cosmopolitan members of both WZT and BoM, or are in other raiding organisations loyal to BoM's interests. The most notable example of this cosmopolitanism is Ambis2 — who currently serves as both WZT's Director of Foreign Acquisitions and an Acolyte in Malice's employ. The Corporation's alliance with BoM, military support for its cause, and extensive cross-membership drew the NPA's attention, and an invasion was planned.

The Invasion

Following extensive discussions and strategic planning, the date for the invasion was approved to be executed at major update on March 5. A combined strength of twenty-two updaters from the North Pacific Army, Europeian Republican Navy, League's Defense Forces, and Balder Jomsvikings assembled at a secret, newly-created jump point, led by TNP's Minister of Defence Robespierre (Francois Isidore). Since WZT updates last, any attack launched from the NPA's official jump point (LunarPunk) would be functionally useless as the puppets would have updated before the raid, making it impossible to seize control of the Delegacy until the region updates again. In contrast, a jump point created during major would not update until minor and vice versa, which was very useful for the invasion of WZT. Despite the lengthy 1 hour and 33 minutes wait, morale was high and the coalition army jumped in good order when the signal to invade was given.

The surprise invasion was entirely unopposed, and WZT's Delegacy was successfully captured without incident. The leaders of the WZT Corporation were expelled en masse and fled into exile in Warzone Tobago, its other branch and vacation home. Upon assuming control of the region, Robespierre published "The Tobago Trading Corporation: Business is Booming!" dispatch, in which the invasion was themed as a corporate buyout of the WZT Corporation by the Tobago Trading Corporation — coincidentally having the same name as the former's aforementioned vacation home.

With the initial invasion having landed smoothly, the stage was set for the NPA-led coalition's occupation of WZT, which lasted for a week before its withdrawal.

The Occupation

The week-long occupation of Warzone Trinidad went relatively well. No relief attempt was made by BoM to dislodge the coalition from its position, which was slowly becoming more fortified each day with additional pilers from allied regions. Minister Robespierre, with his control over the region secure, appointed his Deputy Ministers of Defence — Colonels Picairn and Nutmeg The Squirrel (The Anddoran Commune) — as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Executive Vice-President respectively, while Consul Quebecshire was made Director of Human Resources. The Director of Assets and Risk Management position was created for Vor, Grand Admiral of the ERN.

The focus of the coalition by then was to inflict as much damage against WZT as possible. The regional WFE and flag were replaced, over 200 natives ejected and banned (though a large majority of them were puppets), 55 pages of RMB posts suppressed, and several embassies with raider regions and TEP closed. Minister Robespierre's decision to close these embassies — while keeping the rest intact — was controversial, as it was interpreted by many in TEP as a deliberate insult.

Warzone Trinidad is a Warzone, a game-created region specifically designed to be raiding targets. No passwords can be imposed, nor can a Governor be appointed to hold the region in perpetuity. Therefore, it is mechanically impossible for the coalition to permanently capture WZT, and any long-term occupation would have been a waste of military resources that could have been better invested elsewhere. For that reason, at major update on March 12th, Minister Robespierre gave the order to withdraw from the region.

The Withdrawal

The NPA-led coalition's departure from WZT was, much like the occupation, relatively peaceful and quiet. A day later, the withdrawal was complete, leaving behind a desolate region. Eighteen hours after the withdrawal had ended, the exiled Corporation and its allies returned and regained control of the abandoned WZT. While changes to the flag, WFE, embassies, and two RMB pages were soon reversed, 53 pages of RMB posts remain suppressed.

In his after-action report, Minister Robespierre sent his thanks to the ERN, LDF, and Balder Jomsvikings for their assistance in the operation. For their service, two Corporals - Dantek and Oscarcars (The northern Polish territories) - were promoted to Sergeant shortly thereafter.

The invasion of WZT ended as a success for the NPA. A BoM ally was directly attacked, and they did nothing to assist. Malice's unwillingness to rescue their allies has been exposed, and WZT's alliance with them proven an unequal one. In exchange for WZT's pilers and updaters in destructive raids, BoM refused to conduct liberations of their distressed friend, only promising to abstain from attacking the vulnerable region. They are not a reliable protector, as this invasion has so meaningfully demonstrated.

On March 5th, 2024, The North Pacific Army (NPA), supported by allies Europeia, The League, and Balder, invaded Warzone Trinidad and overthrew its government, and was occupied for a week by the invading forces until their withdrawal, after which the native government was promptly restored. This was not the first time the NPA invaded Warzone Trinidad, which had been targeted due to its treaty with The Brotherhood of Malice, as another operation was led in August 2023 in retaliation for the infamous attack and delegate-tip of TNP. The East Pacific did not take kindly to the invasion, it held an on-site embassy with Warzone Trinidad, which closed during the occupation. They claimed that The North had disrespected them by invading their embassy partner, despite knowing that Warzone Trinidad was a treaty ally of the region TNP was waging a war with. However, in their eyes, that was not enough to justify an invasion.

TEP has grown increasingly sympathetic to BoM and allies over the past few months, as they have participated in cultural events with them, and welcomed a member of Astoria (a regional ally of BoM), Rosartemis into their cabinet. Additionally, while a member of the World Assembly program Heroes of Valhalla, they refused to support resolutions seeking to commend former TNP Delegates Madjack and Hulldom. Needless to say, The North was not pleased with these developments, while The East simultaneously was not satisfied with their response. Over time, disagreements between the two regions grew, as the North Pacific felt that The East Pacific did not value their treaty and relationship seriously enough and was becoming too friendly with their raider enemies, while The East felt that The North was treating them fairly.

Recognizing the eroding relationship, TNP and TEP leadership began diplomatic talks in hopes of salvaging it. However, by that point, TEP’s Magisterium had already started exploring the possibility of repealing the treaty. During these talks, The East indicated that they did not believe they were obligated to respond to any possible attacks faced by the North from its enemies, while they felt that TEP valued its embassy with a warzone more than the alliance it had with them. Ultimately, the talks were unsuccessful as the two parties failed to sort out their disagreements.

The Magisterium of The East Pacific ended up voting in favor of repealing NEST. TEP released a statement on March 13th, confirming that it had done so. In it, TEP expressed their frustration with TNP, stating that it felt “immensely disregarded by [them]”, and that they “failed to meet [their] standards for a healthy diplomatic relationship, and failed to show any interest in preserving the relationship”. As for the diplomatic talks, The North’s responses were considered “far from satisfactory for [TEP’s] people and government”. The statement concludes that maintaining a mutual partnership at the present moment was “impossible”.

However, the treaty required the withdrawing party to give seven days' notice in the other party’s embassy thread which TEP failed to do. As a result, the treaty was still in effect. The North Pacific noticed this and promptly moved to repeal it on their end. The Regional Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of doing so. On March 27th, TNP released their statement on the matter. Once again, they expressed their grievances with the other party, accusing TEP of “confront[ing] [them] on the prosecution of [their] war and reject[ing] all of [their] justifications [for it].” Additionally, the statement mentioned that TEP failed to “demonstr[ate] any understanding towards the position of their long-standing ally”, and further criticized TEP for showing a lack of support for them, instead opting to pursue closer ties with their enemies.

This occurrence is a significant change in the diplomatic landscape, and the repeal of the North-East Security Treaty represented the change the two regions have gone through since it was first ratified. Some say it was due to the fundamental difference in culture, or perhaps it was down to picking sides in a conflict. It is important to note that the two sides have not completely ceased diplomatic embassies - TNP and TEP still hold on-site embassies with one another. It remains to be seen whether they will reconcile with one another or not. Either way, it may take quite a long time.​

During the three-day nomination period starting on March 2, a total of 13 nominations were made while two declared their candidacy. After a round of acceptances and declinations, the roster narrowed down to six candidates: Dreadton, Luconovos, Lord Dominator, Eluvatar, Pallaith, and Vivanco. With the exception of Luconovos, all of the candidates had extensive prior experience serving on the Court and the Bar Commission, including then-incumbent Justices Lord Dominator and Eluvatar who chose to run for re-election. Indeed, with so many qualified candidates for the bench, it was difficult for voters to decisively choose their most preferred ones.

A common theme about this election was the brevity of the candidates' campaign platforms. Except for Vivanco (who prepared a relatively lengthy speech) and Luconovos (who did not post a platform), each candidate wrote only a few brief remarks, relying on the voters' familiarity with their past accomplishments and judicial philosophies reflected in previous campaigns and their actions as Court Justices. That is quite understandable given the fact that almost all of them - excluding Luconovos, who was completely new to the race - had previously run for Justice multiple times, their service dating back years if not more than a decade.

Dreadton - a two-time Associate Justice, Chief Justice, Temporary Hearing Officer, Bar Commissioner, Prosecutor, and self-proclaimed "#1 Lawyer Cosplayer" among other roles - was the first candidate to post a campaign platform. Confidently stating "[...] many of you already are aware of my legal record and my knowledge of our legal process," he presented a long list of legal briefs and court cases he had worked on, including many important requests for review (R4Rs) and criminal trials. "What I bring to the table is knowledge, commitment, and a dedication to the region," he firmly announced. His platform for the next term, if elected Justice, was to "bring the housekeeping task up to date," "formalize the requirements for a plea in the court rule that covers the requirements that have been outlined in past court cases," and "work with the other justices to ensure that R4Rs are actively worked on." While answering questions from voters, he said that he would "endeavor to get R4Rs out in a timely manner [...]," but the Q&A session descended into a public argument when former Justice Attempted Socialism (AS) accused him of lying to the Court in the "[R4R] On the Improper Acceptance of Evidence in Criminal Trials" case and fabricating a quote in AS's "Application for admission to the Bar" thread. The disagreement remained unresolved, and both sides eventually moved on. In response to the final question on his favourite court case, he revealed that his choice was "On the Form of the Oath of a Delegate" because it was "both ridiculous and an [sic] great example of legal philosophy."

Next on our list was Pallaith, former Chief Justice, Associate Justice, and owner of the Court Rulings Index - a comprehensive legal database of all Court rulings dating back to 2012. He touted his numerous campaign platforms and court opinions he had drafted in the past, and emphasised legal education as the centerpiece of his campaign for the election. A proposal to add annotations and footnotes of Court cases to affected clauses in the Legal Code was floated, though he expressed concerns about readability and the need for constant updates. His solution to a question on how to handle inactive Justices was internal communication and policing, with recall being the last resort. Lastly, his favourite court case was "On the Delegate’s Authority to Staff the Executive Branch," with "On Recognizing Outdated Rulings" a close second.

Our third candidate, Lord Dominator, was an incumbent Justice who had run for the position many times before. His campaign platform was the definition of simplicity, featuring only three sentences, one of which was "I don’t have any good way to write more campaign stuff anymore that isn’t just copy-pasting an older one tbh." Replying to voters' questions, LD detailed the cases that he had worked on during his most recent term (a criminal trial and two R4Rs rulings) and in the past, which included "an appreciable number of court rulings, [...] several trials, and [...] the current template of the order of criminal trials." He did not have a favourite court case because he did not "think about them enough comparatively to have a favorite one," but his favourite campaign was "[...] one of the earlier ones when people would pose legal hypotheticals as questions."

Fourth in line was Vivanco, who had served as Chief Justice, Associate Justice, Attorney General, Court Examiner, and Bar Commissioner among other roles. He possessed legal experience not only in TNP but also in real life, publicly stating to have finished Law School and worked in a Town Hall for Administrative Law and his local Bar Association for a year. He has proposed amendments to our Legal Code and was working on an arbitration system for minor offences, which would save everyone involved from going through the ordeal of a criminal trial. His vote for a favourite court case was The North Pacific v. New Francois for the "not guilty - nolo contendere plea discussion." Finally, in answering a voter's question, he said that after his term, he would like to be remembered above all else as having "remained just and independent."

The last to post a campaign platform was the incumbent Justice Eluvatar. Although his platform was posted very late - just a day before voting closed, in fact - his experience spoke for itself. Having served in numerous positions as Justice, Chief Justice, Prosecutor, Defence Counsel, and Temporary Hearing Officer many times since 2008, if there is anybody who deserves to be called the Old Guard of Court Justices, it would be Elu. He linked to his previous July 2023 platform for a "succinct precis" on his judicial philosophy: that all laws in TNP derive from the principles of popular sovereignty and democracy, judicial precedent is considered informative rather than part of the law itself, and it is the Court's duty to perform fair, impartial, and public trials to guard the due process of law - a duty which he intended to fulfill in his role as Justice. He revealed that his favourite court case was "On the Power of the Court to Compel the Disclosure of Information" because, in his view, that decision was "important for justice in our region."

Our final candidate on the ballot, Luconovos, did not post a campaign platform and was unable to answer questions about their judicial priorities.

After five days of voting, the final results were published by the Election Commission on March 12. Following four rounds of runoffs, Dreadton came in as the first Justice with 50.85% of the vote, defeating Pallaith by just one vote. The latter was elected as the second Justice with a respectable 56.67% majority in a separate race. Lastly, Eluvatar narrowly triumphed against Vivanco to become the third Justice, gaining 53.57% of the vote. This election was unusually close as the Election Commissioners said they had to print the voting thread, count the votes by hand, and perform several instant runoff races before being able to determine the ultimate winners.

Congratulations to those who won, and commiserations to those who lost. While each of the newly-elected Justices differed from each other in their priorities, we can expect them to continue their work of upholding the rule of law, protecting the rights and freedoms of TNPers, and ensuring an efficient legal system, as many previous Justices have done.

Communications

The Minstry of Communications, led by Minister Ruben, and assisted by Deputy Ministers Picairn, Robespierre and AraFuttio has continued to provide the TNP and wider NS community with updates from the government, whether that’s through text or broadcast. This term, three issues (including this one) of The North Star have been released, with Executive Editor Picairn leading the monthly project of a five article magazine on a variety of topics. With their leadership, the reporting style of the magazine has shifted from a news-based style to a more analysis-based one.

As well as this, The Northern Notes, with its new system introduced in November, has continued strongly, with three of the short and snappy articles released so far this term. The Frontiers issue of The Northern Light (a magazine with longer, deeper opinion and analysis) is still being worked on, but it is hoped to be released soon. Finally, there have been two NBS Radio broadcasts this term, an Elections Roundtable and Midterm Report, with joint leadership from Ruben and Robespierre.

Culture

This term, the Ministry of Culture, under the leadership of Nutmeg the Squirrel, and the support of Deputies Lionsroar, Neptune and Skaraborg has continued to provide the TNP community with fun and engaging events. Every week, a member of the Ministry hosts Music Monday, which is a mini online concert of that member’s favourite music, hosted on Discord. The Ministry also decides on a theme for Theme Thursday, where anyone can submit a photo on that theme and the winning photo will be decided by the Ministry. These two events have become a recurring event in the region, and it never goes unforgotten.

As well as this, the Ministry of Culture has sponsored a scheme led by Robespierre: the Northern Chess League (NCL). This organisation of TNP’s finest chess players have already held events against The West Pacific and it is hoped that they will continue to represent the region in future chess matches.

Defense (North Pacific Army)

The Ministry of Defense, responsible for the management of the North Pacific Army, the region’s primary fighting force has led at least 14 operations this term so far, including 3 sieges and an astounding amount of (de)tagging runs. These operations are part of our increasing military resilience in the face of the ongoing war with TCB/BoM, as well as the wider NS fight against fascism. This term, the Ministry has been under the leadership of Minister Robespierre and Deputy Ministers Picairn and Nutmeg. This leadership has worked on continuing the fostering of new members, with a structured leaderboard and promotion system still in use.

Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs, led by Minister Comfed, with assistance from Deputies Nutmeg the Squirrel, Attempted Socialism and Halsoni, has continued to provide our foreign allies with updates, via the use of the Diplomatic Corps, TNP’s ambassadorial team. As well as providing our allies with updates, ambassadors have been told this term to provide information from their respective postings by filling out a ‘Visual Embassy Network Form’ which is hoped will give TNP a more detailed perspective of our allies.

As well as this, the senior leadership of the ministry has formed the Committee on Foreign Relations, which is a group of senior diplomats which will discuss and decide on the region’s foreign strategy.

Home Affairs

Minister Lionsmeow has led a productive term in HA so far, with assistance from Deputies Picairn, Nutmeg, Cloud and Caius. In the past, Home Affairs has suffered with productivity issues, as the tasks involved with the ministry can be viewed as arduous. However, this term, a points system has been introduced, with a leaderboard and eventual awards for staffers who have been completing tasks such as recruitment and mentoring. It is hoped that this new system will continue to motivate staffers to carry out important but often underappreciated tasks. This term has also seen the introduction of new technology to assist in manual recruitment to the region, which has made recruiting much easier as it combines manual recruitment with the automatic messages sent to new nations.

WA Affairs

WA Affairs has continued under the leadership of Simone, with help from Deputies AraFuttio, Nutmeg the Squirrel, Comfed and Kenmoria. There have been few developments in terms of new strategy in the Ministry: instead it has continued to provide Information for Voters every WA vote and represent TNP on the WA stage.

If you wish to get involved with TNP’s executive, consider joining the Executive Staff! This can be done here.

Picairn: Thank you Kasch, I'm glad to be here!

Kaschovia: So, before we dive into your story in NationStates, for those who may not be familiar with who you are and what you're currently doing in The North Pacific, could you elaborate on what positions you hold at the moment and how this term has been for you so far?

Picairn: Let's see. Since becoming a TNP citizen (again) in October 2023, I have enlisted in the NPA, joined three Ministries as well as the Speaker's Office, and steadily worked my way up the ranks. At present, I am currently Deputy Minister of Defense, Home Affairs, and Communications in TNP. On top of those I'm also serving as a Deputy Speaker of the Regional Assembly, and TNP's Ambassador to The East Pacific and the United Regions Alliance.

This term so far has been quite busy but fantastic for me personally. Aside from actively participating in NPA operations to help protect TNP from our enemies (in fact, I'm about to reach 50 operations soon), I have written two short blurbs for The Northern Notes (TNN), three articles for The North Star (TNS), helped design and publish its latest XXXIV February 2024 Edition, made some great graphics for the NPA, reworked the RA Digest, and updated several of TNP's old dispatches, particularly the Handbook and the Government Index. All of those achievements took considerable amounts of my time, effort, and creativity, but I'm proud of the incredible results which I have accomplished. Many TNPers, from Ministers and colleagues in the Executive Staff, to NPA soldiers and regular citizens have praised my designs and work ethic, which is really heartwarming and keeps me going. I love doing my job, it's busy and demanding but very rewarding, not only in terms of improving TNP one step at a time but also hearing that a lot of people out there appreciate my work.

Kaschovia: I think a lot of people have noticed and appreciated just how much you have done in your time here so far. It's not very often someone joins the community and so quickly establishes themselves not only as a regular contributor to the executive, but also as someone who is willing to go above and beyond expectations. I've been really impressed with your work ethic in many different areas, especially your graphical design skills and writing. Now, what's your story before this term? How did you find NationStates and then eventually The North Pacific?

Picairn: Oh, that's a long story. It all began in February 2020, the early days when Covid was starting to spread in my country and across the world. My family was starting to take precautions by requiring everyone to avoid going out unless strictly necessary, as instructed by the government. I was sitting at home and bored out of my mind, so with nothing better to do I searched online for games to play, one of which was a "nation-building game" that I typed into Google. That search phrase led me to this curious little website called "NationStates", and that's how I came to join it.

Picairn is my first nation, and to this date I have no clue how I came up with that name. I must have read something about the Pitcairn Islands while creating my nation, but I don't remember. Believe it or not, I actually spawned in The West Pacific first. There are still old RMB posts of mine there around the time when I first joined, if you want to look.

Anyways, during the first two months or so I fiddled with Issues, made a Constitution for my nation (since building lore was all the rage), created some more puppets, and generally just fooled around. By late April 2020, however, I left TWP for TNP and joined both NS and TNP forums. I don't recall all the details but I was very impressed with TNP's activity on the RMB which motivated me to move there.

On April 30th, 2020, I first applied for citizenship in TNP. After that, I became a "casual citizen" i.e. one that mostly only showed up to vote for WA resolutions, RA motions, or regional elections. I also made a Discord account and joined the TNP Discord server, but I was inactive there.

My real obsession back then was building lore. Aside from the Constitution, I drafted laws, made a National Factbook, some miscellanous things like military ranks, and one of my greatest publications to date: The Stormridge Times. A rip-off brand of the RL New York Times, but it took me a week to research and craft the BBCode to turn it into a reality. I used it as a platform to write articles and create the GA Debate series (a now-defunct series of GA proposal analyses). It got me entry into the Ministry of WA Affairs when I applied on August 25th, 2020, though sadly I was inactive there as well because my lore building obsession took precedence. Eventually the GA Debate series was abandoned because I got sick and lost the energy to write them. For the rest of 2020 I was a spectator in Pigeonstan's Delegacy "campaign" and the TNP v. Ihese court case, which caused quite a ruckus.

From 2021 onwards, I continued to be the aforementioned "casual citizen". By this time my appetite for lore building had died out, and I found NSG to be a more "exciting" place, if you could call it that. It was a place to often discuss serious matters or surprise news, but also to engage others in arguments. Looking back now it was probably not the best use of my time, but NSG was quite addictive at the time and I was sucked into it until October 2023.

I remember checking out the RMB, as I occasionally did, and discovered the news that TNP was now at war from one of Robespierre's messages. Apparently, the region where I had stayed for over 3 years at that point had been attacked in a del-tip by BoM and TCB, and the RA had voted to recognise a state of war against them. Stirred by patriotic messaging, I decided to abandon NSG and return to TNP, this time as a more actively involved citizen and NPA soldier. The rest, as they say, is history.

Kaschovia: What an interesting story! I know a lot of other nations will empathize with having lore building origins and it's an area I have explored myself. As well, the Stormridge Times is a publication I remember being fond of too. You've told us quite a bit about the present and the past from your perspective, so it is only natural for me to ask: what do you think is in your future in TNP? Is there a goal or a position you'd like to go for over the next few terms?

Picairn: My current hope is to become a Minister in the next term or two. It's been only 6 months since I rejoined TNP, but I believe I have sufficiently proved my worth through activity, initiative, skills, and hard work. I am confident that upon becoming a Minister, I can bring energy and change to whichever Ministry I am in charge of, lifting it to greater heights. Failing that, I aim to run for the Speakership. I know that I have only been Deputy Speaker since January, but I have performed almost all of the Speaker's functions at this point: opening and closing votes, processing citizenship applications, maintaining the citizen/resident registry, publishing the Digest, etc. Despite a few mistakes, I have competently exercised my duties under the supervision of Speaker AraFuttio, and therefore I believe I have the skills and ability to become a Speaker in the future.

I have thought about running for Vice Delegate in the distant future, when I have accumulated significantly more experience to justify running for it. However, I'm not sure if I would do so - currently I love the NPA and military gameplay, and I don't really want to leave them behind even if it means I will get a bigger seat.

Political ambitions aside, I am content to help improving TNP in any way I can, whether as a staffer, a citizen, a soldier, or a Minister. That fact won't change regardless of what position I'm in.

Kaschovia: Those are some really great ambitions! I think in particular one area you've impressed a lot of people is your impact in the Ministry of Communications. Can you tell us how you found yourself there and what it means to you to be a part of the revived Communications effort? What attracted you to writing and designing for the ministry?

Picairn: Those who have read my op-ed article in the January 2024 edition of The North Star would already know my reasons for joining Communications, but I'll summarise them for those who haven't.

I was drawn to the Ministry through a combination of regional patriotism and personal ambitions. I love TNP for its vibrant democracy and energetic activity, and I wanted to contribute my writing skills to the region that I have called home for the past four years. Beyond fighting our enemies as an NPA soldier in the battlefield, I wanted to help strengthen morale, rally TNPers and allies behind our cause, and maintain our momentum to pursue the war to a victorious conclusion. I can use both the pen and the sword, and I was not going to let my skills go to waste when I could utilise them for the war.

By joining as a writer and designer for the Ministry, I also hoped to achieve fame and recognition for my writings and graphics. I invested a lot of time and thoughts into producing each of them, and it felt good to have my articles or graphics become widely acknowledged, which also keeps me going on.

Another reason is that when I first founded The Stormridge Times, I had grand dreams for it. I wanted it to grow into a great and reputable newspaper of TNP, one that would deliver reports on all interesting developments in the region and NationStates. Sadly, reality taught me that it was an impossible goal to accomplish as a one-man team. It took days to write, edit and publish an article, and the process was incredibly exhausting. Doubly so when I was running updates by the hour, like on N-Day for instance. When it was over, I felt really groggy and tired, and that's when I realised that this wasn't sustainable. I still wanted to write but not burn myself out like this, so joining a dedicated team where everyone would pitch in to publish an article would be better, I thought. I set aside my dreams for TST to preserve my passion for writing.

I am, of course, incredibly proud to be a part of the revived Communications effort. A Ministry devoted to telling stories and reporting on major events just like what I have always wanted to do, it's nice and makes me feel I truly belong here.

I'm not a graphic designer in real life, but I'm a perfectionist and want my (and others') articles to be accompanied by good designs. A cake beautifully decorated is superior to a plain one, and I apply this principle to any publications I write for.

Kaschovia: Well, I can certainly say that you've definitely made quite the impression on the ministry and impressed a lot of people. Now, moving on, I'd like to ask you about the ongoing war between The North Pacific and the Brotherhood of Malice as well as the Communist Bloc. You've been a member of the NPA for some time now and have risen through the ranks, finding yourself as a Deputy Minister of Defence and a member of the High Command, with dozens of missions and ribbons under your belt. What's been your experience of the North Pacific Army since joining and how has our progress/victories in the war effort played into that for you?

Picairn: It's never a boring week in the NPA. There's always something for you to do, whether it was tag/detag operations, invasions or liberations. Every couple days my phone would be bombarded with pings in the NPA server or Comfed/Robes would DM me about an upcoming major operation. Not that I disliked it, of course, I have always found military operations exciting.

When I first enlisted back in October 2023, I had exactly zero experience in military gameplay. The only experience I had under my belt was "How to argue with an NSGer until they quit". Nevertheless, I was eager to learn and Comfed took me in as my instructor back then. He directed me to training ops to get a basic feel on how R/D worked, and I proved a quick study at it. Soon I'd join nearly every type of operations, small tag/detag runs to large invasions/liberations, and I loved it. I joined out of patriotism and stayed for the excitement of military gameplay.

Solidarity was my first operation, and I remember it fondly. Not only did we achieve a great victory there, but there was also this general spirit of energy and enthusiasm among the Solidarity coalition that I fully embraced. The liberation of Far East Oriental Federation is another memorable one. It was chaotic in Libcord with over 100 updaters but when the time came, we all did our job and successfully liberated the region from raider occupation, though I regretted that I wasn't there for the liberation but only the siege. Nevertheless, those were exhilarating days, and I look forward to more operations like them.

Eventually I'd climb up the ranks quickly, and Robes noticed my activity and enthusiasm. He invited me to become Deputy Minister of Defence shortly after he become MoD. Since then I have become a member of the High Command, giving my opinions and suggestions on how to improve the NPA's effectiveness, and serving directly as Robes's backup in several NPA operations. I've come a long way from being a simple soldier, and I'm proud to have contributed to the NPA in many ways.

Kaschovia: One thing that I am sure many people have noticed is that you're involved in a lot of different places, which is usually one of the most reliable signs of an up and coming member of the executive, but is also one of the best things about our region. What are some of the most important lessons you've learned about being a member of The North Pacific that separates our community from the rest of NationStates?

Picairn: One of the things I have noticed about being a member of TNP is how close we are to a direct democracy. Any resident upon becoming a citizen are automatically granted the right to vote, the right to run for elections, and Regional Assembly membership without any additional applications to make. The RA is a unicameral legislature, comprised of all TNP citizens with no upper chamber of elites holding veto powers against the RA's will. We also directly elect the Executive and Judiciary branches, when members of the latter are often nominated by the head of state and appointed by the legislature in other regions. We the citizens of TNP, each has a voice in how our government officials are elected/appointed and how certain affairs of state should be conducted, and I believe that's one of TNP's great features.

Another feature is, as you noted, how there are many ways to get involved and succeed in TNP. One can choose to be a civilian official, a military officer, a Speaker of the RA, a Justice, or all of them on their path to become one of TNP's future leaders. For example, our current Vice Delegate Chipoli and their predecessor Fregerson, both were elected to the Vice Delegate seat without having ever been a member of the NPA or Security Council prior to their elections, by virtue of their experience in other government positions.

Lastly, TNP has a reputation for being a serious, by-the book community with a strict adherence to protocols and regulations, and I believe that reputation is well-deserved. Debating over the exact wording of laws, specific legal theories, or RA procedures isn't my cup of tea, but I can understand that upholding the rule of law is very important to our democracy.

Kaschovia: I agree with you on all of those observations, Picairn. Now, let me ask you something a little less serious. What part of being a TNPer have you enjoyed the most? What keeps you logging on every day?

Picairn: There are so many things I love about being a TNPer, but if I have to choose, it'd probably be working in the Executive Staff. Serving in the NPA to protect our region is highly important (and very exciting), and participating in elections is crucial to our democracy, but what I like most is being a part of a combined effort to make TNP stronger and better. I consider it my most meaningful calling to help improve TNP from the inside, by laying down a solid foundation for our community to grow and develop further.

Almost every time I log on to NS, I would check our RMB. I'm not good at idle conversations so I don't participate much, but I like to observe how people greet each other, talk about their nation or personal lives, or just goof off. TNP is a welcoming community, always open to people old and new, and that warms my heart. The positivity and hospitality of TNPers, they remind me to keep coming back.

Kaschovia: Are there any other ministries you think you're going to get involved with in the near future? I'm sure your energy and work ethic would be highly-valued anywhere else you decide to go.

Picairn: Right now I don't want to overburden myself with additional work, but I would like to join the Ministry of WA Affairs in the near future if possible. Perhaps I can make a place for myself there as an IFV writer and SC author, since GA resolutions has become too complex and niche for me to consider writing one. Alternatively, I can join the Ministry of Culture and assist with event planning. I don't usually partcipate in games and festivals, but maybe I can help with the organisation and setup if needed.

Kaschovia: Those sound like good ideas. Out of all the TNPers you've met so far, who's been your greatest mentor and who do you look up to the most?

Picairn: It's hard to say who my greatest mentor is from all the TNPers I have met, since each of them affected me in a different way. But if I have to choose, it'd be Robespierre. He taught me the ropes on R/D from the beginning when I was just a simple soldier, and together with Bobberino, gave me a lesson on triggering skills which helped me lead my first successful tag raid recently. When he offered me the Deputy Minister of Defence position back in January, I was surprised since I was only a Warrant Officer and not a full-fledged one. Nevertheless, he said that he had confidence that I'd do my best, which really inspired me. Robes believed in me even when I thought myself unqualified, which I believe is the hallmark of a great mentor. The person who I look up to the most is perhaps Ghost (Pallaith). His lengthy record of service for TNP, as cited in his forum signature and the RA commendation proposal, is extremely impressive and awe-inspiring. I also admire his tenacity in defending his beliefs and actions against criticisms. I can only hope to be as accomplished as 1/10th of him.

Kaschovia: Well, it's been wonderful to have you on the Spotlight, Picairn! Thank you for answering all of my questions and of course for designing and contributing so much to The North Star over the last few editions!

Picairn: No problem, it's been an honour! I love contributing to The North Star and will continue to help deliver more issues to our readers, you can be assured of that!