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Messages - Izhitsa

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1
Map / Re: Claiming Your Spot on the Map
« on: December 21, 2023, 06:00:55 AM »
I know I said I was going to be active again but realistically I don't see that happening until at least June and I was planning to do a hard reset of The Democracy at that point in any case. Anyway, remove The Democracy from the map

2
Factbooks and Maps / Religion in The Democracy
« on: July 26, 2023, 03:21:49 PM »
Religion in the Democracy

The Democracy, like the Feng Kingdom before it, is a heavily Catholic nation, and has been since the Christianization of Ardia. However, what the Feng call Catholicism (or, 天主教) is extremely idiosyncratic, to the point that many Christians outside The Democracy regard it as another religion altogether.

This is the result of extremely loose oversight from outside Catholic authorities. The mission in the Feng Kingdom was organized almost entirely by native Feng, and had to incorporate many native Feng beliefs and practices in order to convert significant numbers of people. For nearly 100 years after the founding of the Diocese of Haizhou, this practice went unnoticed by higher church authorities; however, an audit of the mission by Ecclesiastical State authorities led to a decades-long conflict now known as the Feng Rites Controversy.
At the core of the Feng Rites Controversy was a dispute over whether Feng Catholics should be allowed to continue performing rites for their ancestors after burial. Rites under scrutiny included the installation of spirit tablets, the offering of incense and food, and prayer before ancestral altars.
The difficulty of reliable communication with the Feng Kingdom and the wildly differing opinions of papal envoys significantly prolonged the controversy, which involved the intervention of four popes and three Feng Kings. The final decision of the controversy was to apply the same standard to ancestor worship as to iconodulism, allowing moderate forms of adoration but banning more extreme forms, such as offering sacrifices of food and money.
Native Feng authorities were tasked with enforcing these rules, but often lacked the power or the will. At the same time, the unusual education of native Feng missionaries led to the unwitting recognition of many apocryphal works as fully canonical and the adulation of . By the time these divergences were discovered, it was far too late to correct course. In the end, the Pope formally excommunicated all followers of the Feng Church and urged true believers to join the Ardian Church instead. However, this had little effect on believers in the Feng Kingdom, who refused to believe that the missives announcing the Pope’s decision could be true. To this day, the Feng Catholic Church considers itself to be in communion with the Catholic Church at large despite all evidence to the contrary.

Since the Christianization of Ardia, the Feng Kingdom has also had an Ardian Church. The Feng-Ardian Catholic Church, being much more closely related to the church in Ardia proper, is still in full communion with the Catholic Church at large. This church, having only reinstated communication with the worldwide Catholic Church very recently, retains elements of the pre-Great War Catholic Church, particularly the use of Liturgical Latin rather than vernacular languages.

Canon
Feng Catholics recognize a far more extensive and open canon than other Christians. Not only do they recognize texts written after Revelation as part of their canon, but they also believe that canonical texts continue to be written. The most recently-written book to be recognized as Secondary Canon is The Epistle of Fugui the Wise, first promulgated in 1738.
There are three levels of canon in Feng Catholicism:
  • Proper Canon (正典) - The canonical books recognized by mainstream Catholicism.
  • Secondary Canon (次典) - Books universally recognized by Feng Catholics, but not by mainstream Catholicism. The difference between Proper and Secondary Canon is not seen as important by most Feng Catholics except when it is useful in debate.
  • Disputed Canon (争典) - Books recognized by many Feng Catholics, but not all. Some works from outside the Feng Catholic tradition altogether, such as the Quran and the Book of Mormon, are sometimes considered in this category, especially where they agree with more canonical texts.

Leadership
Though Feng Catholics recognize the current Catholic Pope as the leader of their church, their effective leader is the Archbishop of Haizhou, whose opinions are believed to pertain particularly to the Feng people. The current Archbishop is Sikong Shan (司空山), who took the religious name Paul (保羅) when he was inaugurated in 2013.

Rites
Feng Catholics continue to practice the same rites their ancestors practiced long before Christianization. This includes paying obeisance with incense and leaving sacrifices in the form of burned paper goods or food. These rites are practiced primarily on holidays and special occasions, but they are also observed when a Feng Catholic wants their ancestor to plead for blessings in Heaven on their behalf. Feng Catholics believe that good, heart-felt sacrifices are necessary to move Heaven in their favor because they demonstrate devotion to God and family.
The scriptural justification for this is what Feng Christians recognize as the fourth of the Ten Commandments, the commandment to “honor thy father and thy mother.” Feng Catholics regard this commandment as so important that they believe that the dead continue to pay obeisance to their ancestors in the afterlife. This interpretation, naturally, is rejected by the mainstream Catholic Church.
Special versions of these rites are practiced on holidays. One example is the Hungry Ghost Festival, held the day after All Saints’ Day, which offers sacrifices to relieve the pain of souls who have died and gone to Hell without descendents. Originally a somber pagan ritual for appeasing angry spirits, the Hungry Ghost Festival has become a raucous occasion for celebrating life in juxtaposition with death. Another example is Qingming, in which Feng Catholics clean the tombs of their ancestors. This is regarded as a religious duty for those who have ancestors with tombs or graves. Volunteers, particularly those who otherwise have no ancestors to serve, are also enlisted to clean the tombs and graves of those who lack descendants to perform the task.

Names of God
Feng Catholics refer to God in several different ways. The official term set out during the Rites Controversy was Tiānzhǔ (天主), meaning “Lord of Heaven”. This name remains the most common today. However, other common terms include Tiānfù (天父, “Heavenly Father”), Shàngdì (上帝, “Supreme Emperor”), and Tiān (天, “Heaven”). This last term is the most controversial, as it is a holdback from the old Feng traditional religion, which worshipped the realm of Heaven itself as a deity. This is also associated with Feng nationalist religion, which sought to incorporate more native ideas into religion. This makes the term distasteful to Ardians and other groups that suffered violence during Feng Civil War.

Other religions in The Democracy
Besides traditional rites, non-Catholic traditions have failed to make a deep impact on religion in The Democracy. The country has Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists, but these populations are small and almost all descended from immigrants.
Other Christian traditions, including several forms of Protestantism and the Latter-day Saint movement, managed to establish small communities in the years leading up to the Great War. However, the Great War and subsequent Civil War ended most foreign mission activities as most missionaries were sent home or killed. As a result, many of these fledgling religious communities were re-absorbed into Feng Catholicism. However, some remain separate from Feng Catholicism to this day, particularly those that reject the practice of traditional rites.

3
War and Conflict / Re: A Storm in the Channels (OOC Thread)
« on: July 25, 2023, 01:05:13 PM »
Obviously The Democracy's unique form of government leaves it in no state to get officially involved in a civil war in the Matildas, but I'd like to involve an arms company or a journalist or two if that's alright. (Also yes this means I'm going to finally get around to replying to The Democracy's other loose threads.)

4
Fiction IC / Notes From a Far-West Cottage - The Pirate Immortal
« on: March 15, 2023, 02:36:51 AM »
This excerpt from Notes from a Far-West Cottage is based on Fu Wenhong's work on The Concordance of Feng History. Fu Wenhong was the first writer to record this story after the events were described in Feng court records.

People are not always who they seem to be at a glance. When we take time to truly understand a person, we may find that even our most basic assumptions about them are untrue.
The Records of the Grand Historians tell us that in the fifth year of the reign of King Longqing, the pirate Zhao Er 趙二, a native of Sigang 絲港, began terrorizing the land. His forces amounted to a few hundred beggars and outcast monks of Dongnanhai 東南海. They attacked shipping heading to and from the capital, but always avoided ships flying Ardian flags. The Court soon assigned regional commander Xia Yu 夏宇 to lead the fight against the bandits.
However, Zhao Er and his men were not so easily squashed. Along with his allies Wu Yongge 武詠歌 and Ba Shu 巴叔,[1] he traveled up and down the coast, capturing ships and sacking villages. Whenever Xia Yu’s forces arrived for a counterattack, Zhao Er would flee to hiding places along the Dongnanhai coast.
In the eleventh year of the reign of King Longqing, Xia Yu finally trapped Wu Yongge, Ba Shu, and Zhao Er in the port of Sigang. His ships formed a wooden wall around the harbor while his armies closed in on the city itself. Seeing that victory was impossible. Wu Yongge, Ba Shu, and their forces agreed to be pacified through negotiation. Wu Yongge and Ba Shu were both granted large estates in the Far West, while their crew were given places in the king’s armies. Zhao Er’s crew agreed to a similar deal. However Zhao Er himself was nowhere to be seen.
In the first year of the reign of King Wanli,[2] Zhao Er returned with a fleet just as large as any he had commanded before. Accompanied by men throughout the coast of the Feng Kingdom, Zhao Er was able to strike in any part of the country and hide his crew before anyone could react. In this way he operated for eighteen years, always avoiding capture. However, in the nineteenth year of King Wanli, the combined armies of all of the coastal commanderies finally cornered Zhao Er’s forces in the port of Xiaokou 小口. General Han Zhengyang 韩正陽 offered amnesty to Zhao Er’s troops, but not to Zhao Er himself. With no escape, Zhao Er’s troops had no choice but to accept defeat, and Zhao Er was arrested and taken to prison for sentencing and execution.
Zhao Er’s guards were surprised to see that after 31 years of hard sea life he still showed no sign of age. Word spread that Zhao Er had been a priest before he took to the sea, and it wasn’t long before the entire prison believed that Zhao Er had found the secret to immortality. On the day before his execution, Zhao Er disappeared from prison. His fellow prisoners concluded that this could only have been through the powers he had gained while training to become an immortal.
Word soon spread from the prison to the whole eastern coast, and it was less than two years before Zhao Er appeared at the head of a new fleet. This time, however, was different.
Zhao Er had renamed himself to Zhao Dao’er 趙道二. He claimed to be the harbinger of a new era. The Feng Kings, he said, had supported wickedness in subjugating themselves to an Ardian Emperor. Zhao Dao’er said that the Jade Emperor was coming from Heaven to separate the Feng from Ardian rule and lead the Feng to rule the world. His fleet was to prepare the way by toppling the throne. All this was knowledge he had gained through the so-called wisdom he earned in his studies of immortality.
His fleet was protected by his claimed supernatural powers and he began to act as a false prophet, giving new commandments to his followers. He told his followers to regard him as their father. Even to record his image was forbidden, as the only human image worth recording was that of the Jade Emperor. However, his professed faith did not prevent him from continuing his piratical ways. For another three years, he crippled shipping in and out of the Feng Kingdom.
However, all of his religious posturing was not enough to secure victory against the glorious Ardian Empire. He was eventually overwhelmed near Xiaokou, and forced to flee to the South. Zhao Er’s cult was banned and his remaining troops pacified.
But even that was not the end of it. The Records of the Grand Historians record that Zhao Er returned eight times over the following forty-seven years.
In the eighth attack, his fleet had grown to include many barbarians of the south and of the far northeast. He struck straight for Haijing 海京, destroying fleet after fleet which stood in his way. Finally, he called upon the heavens for a sign of their favor, and a great earthquake shook Haijing, toppling many buildings. Zhao Er and his troops entered the ruined city and took King Chongzhen into prison. However, his crew was not prepared for pitched land battles and the people were not friendly to the barbarian troops. An intervention from Ardia blocked his exit and he was subjected to a heavy siege in a ruined city. After just four months in control of the capital, he was captured by troops led by Prince Hongguang. Prince Hongguang was surprised to see that Zhao Er remained just as youthful as he was when he had first attacked the ships of Sigang ninety-three years before. He demanded that Zhao Er teach him the secret to immortality.
The scoundrel Zhao Er looked at him pensively, and finally said, “The secret to immortality is that there is no secret. The Way to immortality is not the Way to be immortal.”
Prince Hongguang was annoyed by the religious riddling, and ordered his soldiers to beat the secret out of Zhao Er. Finally, Zhao Er relented. He told the prince, “Listen to this parable, you will understand the answer to my riddle. When the King of Feng dies, the King of Feng ceases, yet there is still a King of Feng. When Zhao Dao’er puts aside his ships, Zhao Dao’er ceases, yet there is still Zhao Dao’er.”
Yet Prince Hongguang was still puzzled by this remark. Zhao Er continued, “When I was a lad, I was not yet Zhao Dao’er. But the idea is a pure idea, and it was given to me by my father Zhao Dao’er. My father received this idea from his father Zhao Dao’er. And my father’s father received it from his father’s father Zhao Dao’er. And Zhao Dao’er received the idea from his father Zhao Er. Do you understand? There never was an immortal named Zhao Dao’er, and yet Zhao Dao’er will always be immortal.”
Finally Prince Hongguang understood. He had the story promulgated throughout the land. When the people knew that the so-called immortal was merely a series of many men, there never again was a Zhao Er.
There have been many cases of immortals, but none like that of Zhao Er. For while most immortals stayed alive through their bodies, Zhao Er stayed alive through his idea. The Prince Hongguang called Zhao Er a false immortal because he could not stop his body from dying. Yet of the immortals of old, the pirate Zhao Er was the only one to shake Heaven and Earth.


 1. Ba Shu 巴叔 literally means Uncle Ba. Some commentators suggest that this means his name is likely an honorific rather than a proper name. Longqing-era sources are not explicit on this subject.
 2. That is, seven years later

5
Fiction IC / Excerpts of Feng/Democratic Literature
« on: March 15, 2023, 02:31:55 AM »
This thread collates some examples of literature from the Feng Kingdom and The Democracy. Not all of the examples here are equally representative of Feng culture, but provide a wide swathe of literature from throughout the history of the region.


Table of Contents:
Excerpts from Notes From a Far-West Cottage:


Details:
Spoiler: Notes From a Far-West Cottage • show
Notes From a Far-West Cottage is a commonplace book compiled by the late 18th-century author Fu Wenhong 富文虹. He was a high official in the Feng court and is perhaps most famous for leading the compilation of the Concordance of Feng History. Unfortunately, he was exiled to various posts in the Far West for an accidental insult to the king. Notes from a Far-West Cottage was written during this period based on stories he heard in the Far West and stories he experienced himself. The book is filled with stories of varying lengths, which are often strange and other-worldly. Many are written with a moral in mind, but most are not. The stories were not originally titled, but his associates, who published the books after his death, gave them titles and numbers to make it easier to discuss them. Fu Wenhong always hoped that his loyalty to the court and the Ardian Empire would be recognized and he would be recalled to the capital, but he spent the rest of his life in the Far West.


More to come.

6
Diplomacy and Events / Diplomacy, TV!—Daito
« on: October 01, 2022, 05:33:47 AM »
After filming the first episode of Diplomacy, TV!—ugh, he'd never get used to that name—Guo Tianming was feeling much more confident in himself. Not that he was ever anything less than confident to the point of self-indulgence, but now this self-confidence was beginning to jump into nearly lethal levels. The next episode was to come two weeks later, with none less than the Emperor of Daito himself. Heaven, it felt weird to say that out loud. After all that the Feng Kingdom and Daito had done to each other when the Feng were under the dominion of the Ardian Empire, how could he dare to suggest that friendly terms could be found less than a year after The Democracy's emergence? And, perhaps more to the point, how could he dare suggest that The Democracy's earliest treaties should be with monarchs?

With Clysperis, there was hardly any risk. People will forgive inviting an autocrat to tea if they are far away, benevolent, and (most importantly) beautiful, but the Emperor was close, vaguely menacing, and, well, thought Tianming, also beautiful, if he was honest. Still, one out of three was not good.

Despite these obstacles, Tianming had successfully convinced his bosses that if the show was to succeed, it had to "take Wei through the Devil's Gate",[1] it had to take this risk, both quickly and head-on. It had to show that it was willing to take on everything that diplomacy meant, and that meant doing their best to make old enemies into friends. Of course, this didn't mean he would take any unnecessary risks either. For one thing, the audience had been carefully screened for anyone with anti-Daitojin sentiments. He didn't tolerate heckling on a normal show, how could he allow it when dealing with a real Emperor? He'd also had to take extra precautions for housing the Emperor. The Great Peace Hotel was obviously out after being the site of the Pharaoh, so he made a reservation with the Everlasting Democracy Hotel, which, in addition to being in a more discreet location, served a better breakfast, which made up for the gilt and glitziness left behind at the Great Peace.

Looking over the darkened stage, he took a deep breath and signaled to the translators to ready themselves. And then the lights came on...
"Welcome to Diplomacy, TV!" Tianming waved to the crowd, smiling as he walked toward center stage. He smiled at the table the crew had set for the occasion. In addition to the chrysanthemums placed next to the tea set in the center, they had also left out a bowl of mochi filled with sesame paste. He didn't think the Emperor would eat any, but he hoped the thought wouldn't pass unnoticed. "We have here tonight a wonderful guest, just a short trip away from his home across the waters from Old Ardia, the Go-Tenshi Emperor of Daito!" The crowd was helpfully exuberant. Things were going to be great, he thought.
"Emperor," he said, "or Eijiro, if I may be so bold, before we invite our negotiators onto the stage, we like to get to know your nation a bit first. After all, a lot has happened in both our countries since 1954! How has your country been in the last 70 years? I've heard you have a man on the moon, the real moon, now, is that right?"

 1. This saying refers to an old story from the beginning of the Feng Kingdom. Gongchan Shan, the master general of Liu, took the city of Weifang (潍坊) via the Devil's Gate (魔门), a narrow, dangerous pass, in order to secure the city in time to protect Liu's advance against Feng.

7
Diplomacy and Events / Diplomacy, TV!—Clysperis
« on: October 01, 2022, 04:25:41 AM »
Guo Tianming stared in shock at the letter he had received from the Pharaoh. A small, niggling voice in his head had never expected to hear anything back at all. To receive as his first communication from the faraway land an apology! The part of him that wanted to frame it for his wall churned in opposition to the part of him that wanted to burn the letter to save face for the monarch. In the end, reason held out and, after carefully filing the letter away, he dialed the Great Peace Hotel to make a reservation. A guest of Wenhua Television Group could only have the best. His tongue nearly tripped over itself trying to stop himself from letting slip that an actual monarch, baubles, entourage, and all, would be visiting The Democracy for the first time since the Civil War. But the arrangements were made, and soon, a flight was arranged and he could focus on the important thing: convincing sponsors that he had got an actual, honest-to-goodness, Pharoah.



It was now September. Wenhua TV had blasted the airwaves for months with teasers its newest offering: something almost no one had seen for decades: a real, live, monarch. And a foreign one, no less. The prospect of a foreign treaty, of course, was mentioned here or there. But in their hearts, everyone knew the real reason to watch would be to see a Queen—yes, a Queen!—from the distant, mysterious Orient.
Citizens of the Democracy had an image of their heads of what such a person might look like. Old newsreels depicting headscarfed women,  turbaned men, and gilded kings (and kings were always a category apart from women and men) were displayed in every documentary about Middle Aranye. And of course, no film set in Clysperis would be complete without a montage of great antiquities, pyramids, and steles.

After hours of painful, begging meetings, Tianming had managed to convince his bosses to leave these parts of the Orient to the imaginations of potential viewers ("everyone knows what Clysperis is in their heads, anyway"), and focus on the revolutionary aspects of inviting a foreign head of state to negotiate live with the people. After all, he said, if they expected the show to last more than a season, they couldn't base it entirely on how exotic another nation might be.

The stage was dim as he prepared himself for go. The small army of translators signaled their readiness. Deep breath. Here we go. And the lights switched on...

"Welcome," said Tianming, "to Diplomacy, TV!" He smiled at the whooping, adoring crowd before him as he walked toward center stage. The crew had really done a good job setting up. Armchairs for him and Akasha flanked the sofa where the special guests, the real negotiators, would be sitting. Before them was a low table set with tea and, best of all, some lotus flowers imported for the occasion. "We have here tonight a very special guest, all the way from Middle Aranye, give it up for the Pharaoh, Akasha Di-‘nh-mi-Re!" He waved Akasha onto the stage, unnecessarily, and gestured to an armchair as he sat himself down in the one opposite.
"Pharaoh," he said, "before we invite our negotiators onto the stage, I hope you'll indulge us by telling us a bit about your country. How has Clysperis been in the last, oh, 70 years?"

8
Diplomacy and Events / Re: Diplomacy, TV!
« on: August 05, 2022, 04:48:01 AM »
After so long without a reply from Clysperis, Guo Tianming decided to hedge his bets. After all, he didn't want the management to think him a fool. So, he sent one of several backup letters he'd had written:


The red envelope, sealed with wax, was ornately decorated to evoke the symbols of the old Feng Kingdom. Dragons and pheasants festooned the envelope along with fake golden highlights. Inside it were four copies of the same letter, in Feng, Latin, English, and roughly translated Onishi.

Go-Tenshi Tennō,

Our nation, The Democracy, has once again flung open its doors to the world, and is eager to make contact with all of Mundus’s nations and peoples. However, as you may have heard, in our country no one person has the authority to negotiate on behalf of the entire state. In fact, every citizen has the right to draft treaties with other nations and propose that they be ratified by the majority vote of a large portion of our citizens.
In order to create and publicise a potential treaty of friendship and freedom of movement between our two countries, we would like to formally invite you or your diplomatic representative to negotiate with some of our top luminaries on live television. Such a public negotiation would ensure that every citizen could be satisfied as to the contents and consequences of the treaty and all but guarantee its ratification. It would also provide an excellent first reintroduction between our two nations and allow our two peoples to become acquainted on purely cordial terms.
We are able to provide travel to and accommodation in The Democracy, and there will be no barriers to your stay in our country. Please respond as to your interest in this endeavour.

Guo Tianming

9

Ailing Wushang Cinema’s Next Films Plagiarize Foreign Flicks
Lin Haodang
2022 July 23

It is no secret that Wushang Cinema Group has had serious financial trouble in the last decade. Since 2014, they have produced little but flops, from the critically panned The Scholars, and culminating in an 2021 adaptation of Knights of 1946 that our own critics called “insulting to the source material” and “demeaning to democracy”. However, in a new shareholder meeting held yesterday, they have promised to turn this trend around, announcing five new films in development set to be released in the next couple years.
Wushang has recruited top talent from around the world to write these films, which they say will represent what they are calling the main line of the ‘New Wushang’. But there is only one problem: these foreign top talents were all recruited without their knowledge.
In fact, each of the new films seems to be based heavily on a foreign film, and in some cases blatantly copies their plots. For example, the first of these new films, Vector World, which is set to release in December, is about a hacker, Xinxin, who, spurred by the mysterious Zhou Gong, discovers that humanity was forced by robots to live in a simulation called the Vector. With the help of Sanqing, the movie’s love interest, he fulfills a prophesy to fight against the machines.
This plot is essentially the same as a movie released in Achkaerin called The Matrix, right down to the names: The Matrix’s Neo has the same meaning as Xinxin, The Matrix’s Morpheus is named for a god of dreams, like Zhou Gong, and The Matrix’s Trinity is named for the Christian trinity, just as Sanqing is named for the ‘Three Pure Ones’ of traditional religion.
The other announced films are similarly plagiarized. Romance of the Star War is a copy of East Moreland’s Star Wars, TV World is a copy of Tytor’s The Truman Show, Miss Huo is a copy of Achkaerin’s Trixy Holmes, and Quintelian Vacation is a copy of Mktvartvelo’s Midsommar.


Vector World, a copy of Achkaerin’s The Matrix, is set to release December this year

When pressed for comment on allegations that they have simply plagiarised their latest line of films, an Wushang spokesman simply said, “The themes explored in these films are international and part of the human condition. Why should it be a surprise when two countries produce similar movies?” He added that he was particularly excited for Romance of the Star War, which he hoped would launch a franchise exploring the plotting and archetypes of old in a fresh setting.
Because none of the countries targeted by the plagiarism have treaties with The Democracy, there is little they can do to enforce their copyright in our nation. However, the blatant theft will make it unlikely that these films can be released in the international market. According to a private source near Wushang’s upper management, Wushang is not worried. “Targeting the international market sounds like a good idea, until you realise that you have to translate everything, and even then there’s a chance that you don’t succeed. The board knows exactly what they’re doing.”
Still, this doesn’t seem to have improved the mood of Wushang’s shareholders. Its stock price dropped by 5% shortly after the announcement, and has remained low since. Perhaps copying foreign films has only proven what we thought all along: Wushang Cinema Group has run completely out of talent.

10
Sporting Hub / Re: Mundus Games 2022 - OOC/Sign Up
« on: July 13, 2022, 03:41:59 AM »
The Democracy Sports Commission formally accepts the invitation of the Mundus Games Organizing Committee and will send a team of our nation's best athletes. We are especially pleased to note the inclusion of a chess event in the Games and hope that our 70 years of isolation have not hurt the development of our nation's stellar chessmasters. Our committee notes, with some sadness, the glaring exclusion of a ping pong event. Perhaps this could be included in next years' games; our athletes would be happy to introduce it to you if you are unfamiliar with it.
Please make necessary arrangements to accommodate our team, who are listed in the attached document.

Best regards,
Sports Commission President
Che Lehe


The Democracy's specialist disciplines are as follows:
1) Chess
2) Racket Sports
3) Mixed Martial Arts

11

Editorial: The Democracy Index is not “Anti-Democratic”—and the Reaction To It Displays Our Country’s Flaws
Yu Yuhua
11 July 2022

Dr. Yu Yuhua is the head of the World Studies department at Renmin University. As department head, she championed and led the Democracy Index study.

I suppose my students should thank the Haizhou Evening Star for giving them a day off class. That said, I hope to see them here, bright-eyed and ready to learn, first thing Wednesday morning. Nevertheless, as the protest outside my office dies down, I would just like to take a moment to ask what it’s all about. What drove dozens of people to shout outside a university building on a cold winter day?
Really, I am proud at the political drive of the protestors and the energy which they are able to project at this one small thing. But I wish they could direct their youthful energy toward positive change, rather than fixating on shouting down those who ought to be their ideological allies. Because, in reality, while critics such as Jiu Chenggong and the Haizhou Evening Star are accusing me and my department of creating a study opposing democracy, it is they who are engaged in its destruction.
Our country is based on the principle of Democratization, the hope that with conscious effort, our nation will break down the boundaries that divide us, until we all see each other as human citizens loyal to the cause of democracy. Our nation’s revolution did not end in 1954. While we no longer have to fight for our freedom with guns and steel, our revolution is ongoing, perhaps forever, as we seek to improve our society.
Yet, people like Jiu and the editorial staff of the Evening Star would have you believe that our nation is at the end of its history, that there is no further for it to go except to spread its way of government to every nation on the globe. These people regard the concept that other countries may have something to teach in some areas of democratic government as completely foreign. These people ignore the corruption of money or influence in our society. These people refuse to consider putting in safeguards to protect our most important laws and institutions from the votes of a small, coordinated sector of the population. In essence, they refuse to contemplate helping the revolution move forward from its current state.
And in their opposition, they demonstrate our nation’s greatest flaw: the outsized influence that single people can have on an entire country’s views. For example, Jiu Chenggong, by advocating for the most important piece of legislation in our generation, has singlehandedly managed to capture the proxy votes of nearly 1 out of every 50 citizens. While our country allows people to decide for themselves who they want to have represent them at any given time, it also allows inexperienced pundits to ride on the coattails of one success to undermine democratic progress.
My critics have legitimate concerns that other nations, particularly constitutional monarchies, were rated too highly in this metric, and this is a problem which will have to be dealt with in future versions of the Index. But that is no reason to regard a pilot study examining a single metric as inherently ‘anti-democratic’. On the contrary, rather than being anti-democratic, this Democracy Index propels the cause of Democratization by pointing out where our county can improve.
It goes without saying that I am not advocating we become exactly like Tytor, or Achkaerin, or Jugland. They are their own nations with their own very different governmental philosophies. However, if we can learn from Achkaerin how they stamped out corruption, if we can learn from Jugland how they made political opportunities truly open to everyone, if we can learn from Rokkenjima how they boosted turnout to over 70% (for elections which, as my critics point out, affect nearly nothing compared to ours), then we can truly achieve Democratization.

12

Editorial: Is The Democracy Really Less ‘Democratic’ Than Monarchies?
2022 July 9


In a world filled with bloodthirsty dictators, faux parliaments, and absolute monarchs, it should be easier to answer the question “which nation is most democratic?” This question, according to the newly-developed Renmin University Democracy Index, has a shocking answer: despite our system of direct democracy at all levels of government, our nation does not even rank in the top three.
Researchers at Renmin University, working with The Democracy Daily Newspaper, developed the index as a way to evaluate the political progress of the world’s nations. However, many say that the relatively low rank of The Democracy shows that the metric is clearly flawed and biased against our nation. A look at the top three nations in the list demonstrates this clearly:
None of these nations have anything near the level of direct democratic integration present in The Democracy, and two of these nations are two of the world’s strongest monarchies. Achkaerin and Tytor both have unelected heads of state, leaving their foreign policy at the mercy of the interests of one family, and their heads of government are only indirectly elected. Yet, by placing too much value on political perceptions, the so-called Democracy Index has elevated such countries to the status of ‘Full Democracies”.
A look further down the list reveals even more irregularities. The full list follows:
After The Democracy, the next most “democratic” nation is Rokkenjima, an empire ruled by a royal family constantly troubled by scandal and upheaval, whose legislature has no power and is frequently overridden with no legal recourse. Yet because anonymous political scholars have deemed it to have fair elections and a politically active populace (who we are to believe are rabidly enthusiastic about participating in a political process where they have no power), it is ranked above strongly democratic states like Heyra, Mktvartvelo, and New Derusmia.
Even East Moreland is ranked as a “flawed democracy” despite the fact that, like Rokkenjima, its elected officials can be overruled by what some consider the most powerful unelected dynastic monarchs in the world, with no opportunity to appeal directly to the people.
These flaws, while glaring, are nothing compared to the index’s view of The Democracy itself. Despite the obvious advantages of our method of government, this so-called Democracy Index has no questions that take into account the level of direct democracy in a government. This ignores a founding principle upon which our nation and our conception of democracy was built. As the framers of our country believed, the only way to ensure that the true will of the people is fulfilled is to continually consult the people on every topic upon which they have an interest. The addition of proxy voting is similar to the republican system of many other nations, yet unlike those nations our people are free to withdraw their support from those who no longer represent them at any time. Simply put, any Democracy Index should not judge our nation’s government on the archaic governments of the world; rather, the governments of the world should be judged on the model that we have created.
It’s no wonder that as soon as Renmin University published their findings, citizens across the nation criticized it on platforms of all kinds. On his Douyin account, Jiu Chenggong called for the University administration to repudiate the study and have it rescinded. Additionally, a new law has already been proposed to develop a new, ideologically sound Democracy Index that takes into account factors that measure the real level of democracy in a nation rather than the perceptions of anonymous scholars. Small protests are even reportedly being organized outside the Renmin University World Studies building calling for the department to voluntarily retract their study until its methods have been further reviewed.
We of the Evening Star Editorial Board would like to add our voices to this tide of outrage. By allowing the creation of such an index, Renmin University has shown itself to be politically irresponsible. The results of this index will embolden the autocrats of the world to follow in the footsteps of nations like Rokkenjima, endorsed by the most democratic nation in the world, and create pseudo-democracies where popular power is stifled. Additionally, they have sullied the good name of this country, by allowing the world to believe that we don’t live up to our name, that liberties aren’t protected here, and that our government is somehow ill-functioning. Simply put, this ‘Democracy Index’ is anti-democratic—and there can be no justification for its continued existence.

13

Renmin University Releases Results of 2022 Democracy Index

The results of the 2022 Democracy Index have now been fully tabulated. As a pilot study, this analysis focused largely on ostensibly democratic states—countries ranging from dictatorships to strong democracies that claim to incorporate democratic principles into their government. However, Yu Yuhua, the leader of the study effort, hopes that future versions of the study will encompass more states around Mundus. “We made good progress on this pilot,” she said, “but the goal, of course, is to be able to evaluate every country. As the World Studies department gains more international connections, this should hopefully become possible.”
The results of the study are as follows:


The researchers also created a map to show the classifications of each country in the study:

Of the 18 countries and autonomous regions that were evaluated, five were classified as either “Hybrid Regimes”, governments that combine autocratic and democratic features, or “Authoritarian”. Due to the ongoing civil war, the competing factions of Centralia were evaluated separately, and found in general to all be completely lacking in democratic principles, a fact which may complicate our nation’s relations with Centralia.
The Democracy Index was developed to be applicable to as many nations as possible. Because the principle of direct democracy is so unique to our nation, the Index was created to measure representativeness of traditional democracies, rather than the level of direct democracy. This may be responsible for the surprisingly low rank of our nation compared to some of the parliamentary monarchies represented in the study.
In general, this pilot study was regarded as a success, demonstrating the basic principles of our metric and its applicability to many types of nations. Although some may dispute the exact numbers given in this study, the classifications assigned by the numbers are largely uncontroversial.
Future versions of the study may include questions intended to measure direct democracy more closely in order to better represent all democracies. The researchers also hope to be able to examine the progress of democracy over time and across different regions of the world by encompassing more nations. Code and raw data for the study is available from the Renmin University World Studies Department.


OOC:
Haven't gotten enough of the Democracy Index, or feel sad about missing your chance? Take the survey at the link here or above and let me know through a PM here or on Discord, and I'll send you the score.
Also feel free to contact me if you'd like to look at the original data or the code used to evaluate the Index.

14
Diplomacy and Events / Diplomacy, TV!
« on: July 06, 2022, 05:53:57 AM »
A red envelope, ornately decorated with golden images of dragons, knots, and pheasants, arrived, sealed with wax. Inside it lay three copies of the same letter, in Feng, Latin, and English.


Akasha Di-‘nh-mi-Re, Sovereign of Sovereigns, Divine of Appearance, Beloved of Amun, Chosen of Ra, Lord of the Three Lands, Ruler of Justice like Ra, High Priest of Every Temple, the Eye of Horus, Satisfied is the heart of Ra,

Our nation, The Democracy, has once again flung open its doors to the world, and is eager to make contact with all of Mundus’s nations and peoples. However, as you may have heard, in our country no one person has the authority to negotiate on behalf of the entire state. In fact, every citizen has the right to draft treaties with other nations and propose that they be ratified by the majority vote of a large portion of our citizens.
In order to create and publicise a potential treaty of friendship and freedom of movement between our two countries, we would like to formally invite you or your diplomatic representative to negotiate with some of our top luminaries on live television. Such a public negotiation would ensure that every citizen could be satisfied as to the contents and consequences of the treaty and all but guarantee its ratification.
We are able to provide travel to and accommodation in The Democracy, and there will be no barriers to your stay in our country. Please respond as to your interest in this endeavour.

Guo Tianming


15
International News Networks / Re: Renmin University Democracy Index
« on: July 03, 2022, 06:08:49 AM »
Just a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to submit surveys for the 2022 Democracy Index. If you are interested in participating, please submit a survey for your nation by the end of July 3rd. (Or sneak it in a little later, it'll probably take me a bit to score all of the nations anyway.) Thank you!

16
Vignettes / Re: Welcome to The Democracy
« on: July 03, 2022, 06:05:04 AM »
Of all the things there were to hate about working at Wenhua Television Group, Tianming hated the meetings the most. They were insufferable, interminable, and most of all there were just so many of them to hate. And worst of all were the breakout rooms. As if the only thing a meeting needed was more meetings inside of it.
“Come on, folks, don’t speak all at once!”
That was Jiyue, the manager, heaping more pain upon the torture with her obligatory cliches. Without thinking, Tianming let out a sigh.This Open Country Act had brought The Democracy nothing but confusion and trouble. Confusion at the borders, influences from outside ideologies, and if that wasn’t all, now he was being forced to suggest ideas for new shows to whet the nation’s appetite for anything foreign.
“Just spit out whatever ideas come into your head. It’s brainstorming, anything goes!”
The first thing that came into Tianming’s head was a show about savagely beating up middle managers around the world, but somehow he felt the office wasn’t ready for such revolutionary programming.
The deathly silence refused to release the room. After a painful eternity, a voice piped up. “Well, maybe we need to look at this from another angle.”
That was Zimin, the office suck-up. It wouldn’t be a meeting without Zimin saying his classic catchphrase, “let’s circle back.”
“Let’s circle back,” he said. See? “Maybe we should start by listing things that other countries have, and then we can base our ideas on that. I’ll get everything down on the blackboard. Just say anything that comes to mind.”
At this, the room seemed to become considerably more eager to speak.
“Well, every country has their own cuisine.” “I heard Achkaerin is filled with old castles.” “Mountains! I’m sure people want to see mountains in other countries.” “My great-grandpa went to Rokkenjima once and got food poisoning.” “Ok, folks, hear me out. Organized crime. I was just reading this book the other day…”
Tianming sat at his chair, contorting his head into what he believed looked like a thinking expression. He started recounting his shopping list. Let’s see, he thought, definitely need soy milk, and some mustard greens wouldn’t be a bad idea eith—
“Tianming, do you have any ideas?”
Oh no, it was Jiyue again. Ideas, ideas…
“No need to be shy, I’m sure the entire office would love to hear what you have to say.”
“Uh,” Tianming blurted. “Milk.” Seriously? This was what he was going with? Well, too late now. “We, uh, do a show about milk. Since most people are lactose intolerant it would be an interes—”
“Sorry,” said Jiyue, “but Pengyi already suggested that.”
Tianming looked at the blackboard. Yep, there it was, right between “Hygelacian stations” and “curry rice.” Goodness, these so-called ideas of everyone's really ran the gamut. Although—
“Actually,” said Tianming, “There is one thing I notice about all of these.” He gestured to each of the ideas written on the board. “All of these are things that we have to go to other countries to see. Which seems pretty hard to do with our country’s diplomatic situation.” The others nodded. Everyone knew how hard it was to travel abroad in a world with ridiculous expectations of visitors, such as passports and visas. And the Democratic form of government wasn’t as well equipped to handle the problem as everyone had expected. Tianming pondered for a second. Was this the kernel of an idea? “It seems to me there’s one thing that other countries have, that every citizen would like to see, and that would come directly to us.”
His coworkers looked at him expectantly. Yes, this was his element, this was his life, this was why he joined the TV industry to begin with, this—
“Well, Tianming, get on with it!”
“Ah. Yes,” said Tianming. “What other countries have, that we all want to see, is leaders.”
The scheme he worked out was fairly simple. Invite foreign heads of state to the country to write a treaty with the nation that would then be proposed in the National Legislation System. The only catch? The negotiations would be broadcast, live, to the nation, ensuring that the treaty would be instantly recognizable to the nation, which would hopefully guarantee its adoption into law. Of course, they’d start with the more aesthetically pleasing heads of state first, this was TV after all. But they could work their way even to the likes of the leader of Mktvartvelo before long.
Of all the things to love about working at Wenhua Television Group, Tianming loved the attention the most. It was intoxicating, incomparable, and most of all there was just so much to love. And as the bosses hinted at yet another raise for what was sure to be more unsurpassable work, he looked to the months ahead with great anticipation.

17
Vignettes / Welcome to The Democracy
« on: July 03, 2022, 05:59:47 AM »
Vignettes involving the people of The Democracy. This post is intended to act as an index whenever I get around to it.

18
International News Networks / Renmin University Democracy Index
« on: June 24, 2022, 05:10:42 AM »

2022 Democracy Index

The Democracy Index is a new study created by the World Studies department at Renmin University in cooperation with The Democracy Daily Newspaper. The goal of the index is to measure the state of Democracy across Mundus by analysing five important indicators: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of government, political participation, and political culture. Each category is rated on a 0-10 scale, and the overall index is the average of the five.
The index values are used to place each nation into one of four categories:

1. Full democracies—scores of 8-10.
2. Flawed democracies—scores of 6 to 7.9.
3. Hybrid regimes—scores of 4 to 5.9.
4. Authoritarian regimes—scores below 4

Experts are now being contacted across the nation and across Mundus to rate the world’s nations on this important metric. Song Yuankai, the head of the project, says that the survey results are expected to be collected by July 3rd.

OOC:
Now, you may be wondering, who are these “experts” mentioned above? Those experts, my friends, are you folks!
The index is calculated using the results of a 60-question survey, which I have recreated here. The survey seems to take about 10-15 minutes. Just fill it in with your expert opinion on your own nation(s), and I’ll do the rest. If your nation has multiple recognized governments, feel free to fill in the survey for all of them. Or choose your favorite one. You’re a free person, you can make your own decisions. Just make sure to specify which government you are filling the survey for.
If you are interested in participating, click on the link below. Please fill it in by July 3rd. Let me know on here or on Discord if you have any questions.
2022 Mundus Democracy Index Survey

19
Diplomacy and Events / The Democracy Reaches Out To The North
« on: June 05, 2022, 01:27:49 AM »
Three letters arrived from The Democracy, addressed vaguely to “The Current Praetor of the Ardian Empire.”

The first, written in fine copperplate Latin, read as follows:

Hello. I am Jiu Chenggong, a well-known figure of The Democracy, formerly the Feng Kingdom. In our country I am known as the primary leader in the effort to re-open our country to the outside world. I am contacting you on behalf of our people in order to arrange a meeting with your leaders to establish formal relations and discuss a treaty of free movement and trade between our two countries. I am capable of providing adequate accommodations in Haizhou for the discussions as well as travel from the Ardian border.
Please respond promptly regarding your interest in this arrangement.

Signed,
Jiu Chenggong


The second arrived in three copies, one in Latin, one in fine, calligraphic Feng, and one in English:

Greetings, Praetor.
My name is Dong Xiangyu. I am a respected scientist and political theorist in my country, The Democracy, which your people once knew as the Feng Kingdom. You are no doubt aware by now that our people have chosen to re-open our borders once more. Because our government lacks formal diplomatic contacts, I would like to personally extend a proposal to negotiate a formal treaty of friendship. Among the topics I would like to discuss are movement of peoples between our nations, connection of our National Computer Network to the global Internet through your nation, and trade relations.
Because foreign travel into The Democracy remains complicated, I would like to suggest that these talks take place in your own country. Please advise if you do not think this would be possible.
I am looking forward to our negotiations.

Signed,
Dong Xiangyu


The last letter arrived in merely two copies, one in somewhat suspect Latin and one in Feng:

Many salutations, Praetor. Our country, The Democracy, your country’s old ally, has reopened its borders to you and the world. On behalf of my people, I would like to negotiate a treaty on trade, investment, and freedom of movement with your country, which will then be sent to my people for ratification. I can host the negotiations in Tai’an and can personally vouch for the security of you or your representatives.
It is my hope that this will bring a new era of peace and development for our two nations.

Signed,
Wang Mengbai


20
Character Guides / Re: People of The Democracy
« on: June 05, 2022, 01:23:57 AM »

OVERVIEW
Dong Xiangyu is not your typical internet celebrity. Best known for his short videos explaining scientific concepts, Dong has been the savior of schoolchildren throughout The Democracy. However, his real work is in the lab, for which he has won numerous awards.
Outside of his educational videos, Dong has also become known for his outspoken political views. Dong has spoken in favor of forming legislative houses to replace the National Legislation System, claiming that misinformation has corrupted the voting system. He has also argued for transferring more regulative duties to committees of experts and the formation of a national diplomatic corps. While Dong’s views have been characterised as anti-Democratic, there is no doubt that he remains an influential figure.

FAMILY
金晴照 (Jīn Qíngzhào) - Mother - living
董高邈 (Dǒng Gāomiǎo) - Father - deceased
孙妙芙 (Sūn Miàofú) - Wife - living
董乐丹 (Dǒng Lèdān) - Daughter - living
董绍辉 (Dǒng Shàohuī) - Son - living

NOTES

NOTABLE EVENTS
Recipient of numerous awards, including:
2011 - Fan Yongnian Prize of the Haizhou Chemical Society
2014 - Extraordinary Young Scholar Award of the Association of Democratic Scientists
2016 - Zhou Yuelin Prize in Inorganic Chemistry
2019 - Corvinus Prize in Science Communication

Feng Name:
Dong Xiangyu (董向宇)

Ardian Name:
Ad-Mundus Protinus

Seal:


DOB:
1978/09/23

Positions Held:
 • 2013-2016: Associate Professor of Chemistry, Renmin University
 • 2016-: Full Professor of Chemistry, Renmin University

Political Beliefs:
Centrist, Technocratic

Education:
2000 - BS in Chemistry at Anren University
2007 - Phd Inorganic Chemistry at Renmin University

Current Occupation:
Chemist, Professor, Science communicator

Estimated Liquid Votes:
200,000

21
Character Guides / Re: People of The Democracy
« on: June 05, 2022, 01:23:11 AM »

OVERVIEW
Wang Mengbai, known online as the Fujiang Girl (伏江女孩), is a singer originally born into poverty to a single mother in the Longsheng (陇省) region of The Democracy. At age 16, she moved to Haizhou to look for work. Unfortunately, she was ultimately unable to find sustainable work and by 2015 was forced to busk in the streets for cash.
Her luck turned around the following year when a video of her singing in the Fujiang neighborhood of Haizhou went viral on Weibo and propelled her into fame and eventually a record deal. By 2017, she was touring the country singing both covers and original songs, while also managing a significant online presence.
For many Citizens, Wang’s childhood represents “how the other side lives,” a fact which she has used to propel her own social causes. She has successfully lobbied for laws to improve life in impoverished regions like Longsheng, and funds a charity, the Fujiang Girl Foundation (伏江女孩基金会) that serves migrant workers.

FAMILY
汪雯 (Wāng Wén) - Mother - living
汪浩广 (Wāng Hàoguǎng) - older brother - living
雍唱月 (Yōng Chàngyuè) - sister-in-law - living

NOTES
Uses 蔡佩軒 as RL face.

NOTABLE EVENTS
Wang Mengbai has received many awards for her both her musical and charitable work, including:
2017 - Best New Artist Award from Federation of Democratic Musicians
2019 - Golden Palm of the Center for Combating Poverty
2020 - Song of the Year Award from Federation of Democratic Musicianns

Feng Name:
Wang Mengbai (汪梦柏)

Ardian Name:
none

Seal:


DOB:
1995/12/17

Positions Held:
none

Political Beliefs:
Feng Populist

Education:
2013 - Graduated from Tai’an High School

Current Occupation:
Singer, vlogger

Estimated Liquid Votes:
300,000

22
Character Guides / Re: People of The Democracy
« on: June 05, 2022, 01:22:05 AM »

OVERVIEW
Jiu Chenggong is probably best known as the author of the Open Country Act, which in the space of a couple years has made him a household name in The Democracy and made him one of the most popular proxy voters in the nation. While he is now a major political figure, the bulk of his time is spent working on his Douyin vlog.
Jiu comes from a fairly affluent white-collar family that emphasized the importance of a strong work ethic throughout his childhood. Somewhat to their chagrin, he chose not to pursue a STEM career, instead searching for new adventures throughout the Democracy and more recently abroad. Of course, his nontraditional path to success through politics has upended this dynamic, but somehow has not made family dinner conversations any less awkward.

FAMILY
曾雪柳 (Céng Xuěliǔ) - Mother - deceased
鸠飞光 (Jiū Fēiguāng) - Father - living
鸠妍玲 (Jiū Yánlíng) - Older sister - living
鸠妍巧 (Jiū Yánqiǎo) - Younger sister - living

NOTES
Uses 黃山料 as RL face.

NOTABLE EVENTS
Writer and influential proponent of the Open Country Act.

Feng Name:
Jiu Chenggong (鸠成功)

Ardian Name:
Victor Columbus

Seal:


DOB:
1992/05/03

Positions Held:
 • Chairman of the Open Country Society

Political Beliefs:
Internationalist, left-leaning populist

Education:
2000 - BA in Feng Language at Renmin University

Current Occupation:
Douyin Influencer

Estimated Liquid Votes:
1,700,000

23
Character Guides / People of The Democracy
« on: June 05, 2022, 01:21:41 AM »
Notes
Feng names are provided in Romanized and Feng script. Most Feng characters also have Latin names, which they typically derive by directly translating their Feng names. These translations are not always accurate, especially because Latin has many grammatical elements that are unfamiliar to the typical Feng, such as grammatical gender.
Ardian characters, of course, primarily use their Latin names.

Estimated liquid vote totals are just that: estimates. A central tenet of the National Legislation System is the secrecy of the ballot, and that secrecy extends to how many proxy votes any one voter person cast. However, the number can be estimated for most people from known facts about their political influence and the rise and fall in vote tallies at times when they are known to have voted.

24

Hundreds of Tourists Turned Away at Ardian Border For ‘Improper Documentation’
Zhu Dade
02 May 2022

Hundreds were surprised this weekend as they arrived at the now demilitarized Ardian border for their spring holiday, only to be turned away for lacking necessary papers. Citizens were bewildered at this sudden new requirement for travel. “I have never needed papers to travel anywhere before,” said Zhang Jianguo, a would-be holidaymaker. “It’s ridiculous that Ardia would require this for what is for many of us our ancestral land.” Over 12% of Citizens marked their ethnicity as Ardian on the last census.
Ardian border guards seemed confused at the sudden burst of people at the border. Said one, who asked to remain anonymous, “I’ve never seen anything like this before. This is supposed to be one of the easiest border crossings to work in the country because the Feng don’t let anyone in or out. But one day all their patrols just disappeared, and now we have hundreds of people thinking they can just drive through without any kind of papers at all. Who told them that?” When asked if he had any message to give to the people of The Democracy, the guard said, “Yes. Tell your people that they need to contact their local embassy, or foreign office, before trying to go to another country. This is basic logic here.”
The last time Citizens of the Democracy had been able to travel outside the country was in the 1950s, and the Civil War prevented travel for decades before that. As a result, almost everyone who has had experience visiting other countries legally is now over 100. We spoke to one of these, the 103-year-old Liu Shaolong, who remembers visiting nations as diverse as Ardia, Quintelia, and Daito in his twenties. Liu explained the old process that subjects of the Feng Kingdom were required to follow to visit other countries:

Quote
One advantage of working for an international business was that the External Affairs Office was willing to approve your travel requests. Even though I was just a low-level bureaucrat, I managed to convince them that I needed to visit other countries for my work. They gave me a small booklet called a ‘passport’ which showed the border people who I was and where I was coming from before they allowed me into their country. For going to Ardia, this was enough. Because we were under their rule, they didn’t really consider us to be another country. However, for going to other countries, I also had to go to their embassies to apply for what they called a ‘visa’, a paper that showed that I was approved to visit their country for a short period of time. I don’t know how the system works now, of course, but I think that’s probably why the Ardians are confused about our tourists.

Because our country, by its nature, lacks an office with the power to unilaterally decide our foreign policy, several political celebrities, including Jiu Chenggong, Dong Xiangyu, and Wang Mengbai, have taken it upon themselves to negotiate with the Ardians to create free passage laws. So far, no one has announced any success at contacting the Ardian government, but they believe their letters have at least made it across the Ardian border. If successful, they will attempt to have their proposed treaty with the Ardians passed as a law in the usual manner.
For now, Jiu Chenggong, the famous author of the Open Country Act, advises caution when trying to visit other countries. “Don’t break any laws,” he said on Douyin yesterday. “We want to make the best possible impression for the rest of the world.”

25
OOC Socialisation / Re: Leave of Absence Topic
« on: March 18, 2022, 08:18:46 PM »
This was probably obvious but it became clear almost immediately after I started up my new nation that I needed to retreat into scholarly seclusion for the next month or so (ie I will be writing like four or five papers in the next four weeks) so I'll rejoin the RP after that

26
International News Networks / Re: News From The Democracy
« on: February 20, 2022, 02:15:20 AM »

Open Country Act Formally Passes Into Law
Chu Meitai
19 February 2022

The Protect Democracy Law, which ordered the borders of The Democracy closed to all outsiders and external communication, has been formally repealed with the passage of the Open Country Act. The OCA also creates a ministry to regulate foreign investment and lays the groundwork for physically connecting the National Computer Network to the global Internet.
The OCA has had a long and dramatic journey from bill to law. It owes much of its success to its association with its writer, the Douyin influencer Jiu Chenggong, who promoted the bill through his account and helped it gain national attention. Jiu gained notoriety on Douyin after a series of viral videos in which he eats several items of food incorrectly while his mother looks on, horrified. After its initial introduction to the National Legislation system in 2019, Jiu formed a national political group to campaign for its adoption. By 2021, his movement had been joined by the editing staff of Free Daily Press, the Sun Times, and the Ardian-language newspaper Nuntius Nova.
Despite this support, opposition to the bill was fierce. Such luminaries as the formidable footballer Bai Jiajun and the celebrity twins Fang Guili and Fang Guimin, as well as the editors of The Nation and The Haizhou Evening News, denounced the bill as a reckless endangerment of the freedom and independence of The Democracy. Supporters pointed out that the many advancements reported from the outside world had the benefit to improve the lives of many and boost the economy, but opponents of the bill claimed that engaging with the world this way would come at the cost of The Democracy’s ideological purity.
By the end of 2021, the bill had overcome the 30% voter turnout threshold to become a law, but the majority of votes were against its adoption. The bill stalled until December 2021, when a series of Douyin videos produced by the freelance investigative reporter Dong Xiangyu of a walk through a Daitojin city revealed just how much the world had changed since the closure of The Democracy’s borders in 1954. At the end of the series, Dong argued that The Democracy and the greater world needed each other, that our people could help promote democratization in other countries while benefiting from connections with their economies. The debate sparked by this video led to the eventual approval of the bill by the people on February 5th. Because the bill has retained the approval of the people for two weeks, has now passed fully into law.
The Protect Democracy Law, which the Open Country Act replaces, was originally introduced by Zhang Peng, a general of the Civic Movement, in order to shield the nascent Democracy from outside threats that could threaten the revolution. However, as he himself stated when he announced its introduction, it was never meant to be a permanent measure. The law, in his eyes, was merely a temporary way to prevent the hostile monarchies that surrounded the Feng Kingdom from bringing The Democracy down from the inside.
Despite the law, some new technologies developed by the outside world have managed to trickle into the nation, usually inspired by knowledge gained from interrogations of outsiders who have attempted to enter the country. Most notable among these, is, of course, the personal computer, and later, the internet and mobile phone.
After the Open Country Act passed the two-week approval threshold, we asked Jiu Chenggong how he felt about the fact that he had just authored one of the most important pieces of legislation in our nation’s history. He replied, “I never really thought of it that way. I suppose I feel a little overwhelmed. But most of all, I feel really happy that our country has finally opened its doors to our neighbors. You know, when I was a kid I always dreamed of visiting Ardia. Now it’s finally possible, for everyone. It’s a little hard to believe.”

27
International News Networks / News From The Democracy
« on: February 20, 2022, 02:13:14 AM »
This is a thread of news reports from The Democracy. This post is reserved for an index.

28
Factbooks and Maps / The Democracy
« on: February 13, 2022, 07:03:34 AM »
As this nation has only recently emerged from extreme isolation, this factbook is still a bit under construction. Please excuse any omissions or errors as our fact-finders attempt to learn more about this nation.

The Democracy (民国)

Motto:- For the People, By the People
National Anthem:- Name of Anthem

BACKGROUND

The area now ruled by The Democracy was once a patchwork of small chiefdoms and lordships surrounding the Changjiang River (长江). As the Ardian Empire began its expansion into the area, it faced stiff resistance from the bordering lords, until one, Guo Weitao (郭偉涛), sensing an opportunity, chose to form an alliance with the Ardians. He led the invaders up the Changjiang and, as their puppet, united the area under his rule. He became the first ruler of the Feng Kingdom (奉国), changing his regnal name to Feng Shiwang (奉始王, lit. “first king of the Feng”), and founding a dynasty that would last until the end of the Ardian Empire.
The Feng Kingdom was a staunchly loyal vassal of the Ardian Empire, and as a result, enjoyed a great degree of autonomy. Due to its fertile soil, it was also a popular target for colonization; at its peak, Ardians made up over 30% of the Kingdom’s population.
It was this loyalty to the Empire that sowed the seeds of the Kingdom’s downfall. During the Great War, Feng people fought side-by-side with Ardians on all fronts. The war gradually lost its popularity as more and more Feng soldiers died horrible deaths far from home. Many returning injured soldiers had also absorbed the nationalist ideas of the people they were fighting against, and by 1939 the Feng Kingdom was facing rebellions of its own.
In an attempt to save his throne, the last King of the Feng, Guo Guilong (郭贵龙), declared independence from Ardia in 1941 and crowned himself emperor of the Feng, changing his regnal name from Feng Yongxi (奉雍熙) to Feng Shihuang (奉始皇, lit. “first emperor of the Feng). However, this did not satisfy the rebels, who in 1946 shot and killed him by accident during an assault on the Imperial Palace.
The Feng Civil War (1939-1954) is typically divided into two stages. In the first stage (pre-1946), the various factions were all united against Feng Shihuang, though they disagreed on exactly what they planned to do with him after the war was over. In the second stage (post-1946), in the absence of the emperor, these factions fought with each other for control of the country.
The Civic Movement (公民运动, gōngmín yùndòng), the eventual victors, were the only one of these rebel factions that professed any sort of democratic rule. The others were largely composed of pretenders to the Feng throne and extreme nationalist movements. This is one of the things that led to its eventual success; unlike its rivals, it promised both change and peace.
The current political system in The Democracy has been established through a long period of what is called Democratization (民主化, Mínzhǔhuà). For citizens of The Democracy, Democratization is a slow, ongoing process of converting the nation into a country not bound by ethnic distinctions or loyalties to a monarch, but rather by loyalty to the cause of Democracy. After a rebuilding period, the Civic Movement held its first votes in 1969, in which the country’s name, demonym, and system of government were fully formalized.
After 1954, the Civic Movement fully shut down the Feng borders, fearing that other countries would attempt to shut down their movement before it had had a chance. In the intervening years, only limited information about the outside world has reached The Democracy, primarily in the form of important inventions. As a result, the typical citizen has a cell phone and access to the internet, but, for example, is completely ignorant of the orgy of genocide that characterized 20th- and 21st-century Mundus. These restrictions were only recently lifted by vote, and as a result the population is more vulnerable to misinformation than ever.

Government Type:- Liquid Democracy
Population:-:- 94 million people
Capital City:- While there is no official capital, the former Feng capital, Haizhou (海州), remains the largest and most important city with a population of over 8 million residents.
Demonym:- The official demonym is Citizen (公民, gōngmín); however, this is obviously awkward to use in most situations. The most common demonym in the Feng era was simply Feng (奉, Fèng) and it remains in unofficial use today.


ECONOMY

Currency:- Yuán (symbol: 元/¥)
GDP per Capita:-
Unemployment Rate:-
Main Industries:-


PEOPLE

Ethnicity:-
Feng people (奉人, Fèngrén): 86%
Ardians (迪人, Dírén): 12%
Others: 2%
Languages:-
While Feng (奉语, Fèngyǔ) has always been the most common language for everyday speech, Latin (迪语, Díyǔ) had special status throughout the Ardian period. However, since the establishment of The Democracy, Latin has fallen out of favor with the Feng public, and is seen as a backwards symbol of oppression. As The Democracy has begun opening up to the rest of the world, English (英语, Yīngyǔ) has gained popularity as a symbol of cosmopolitanism and modernity.

Religion:-
Due to Ardian influence, the popular organized religion in The Democracy is Christianity, but it is heavily mixed with folk traditions of ancestor worship and animism. While the church in The Democracy doesn’t condemn these practices, it doesn’t promote them, either.
Average Life Expectancy:-


GOVERNMENT

The Democracy lacks a head of state, head of government, or parliament. Instead, every adult citizen has the right to propose and vote on any law or treaty. Citizens also have the option to delegate their votes to another citizen who then has the ability to vote on their behalf. This citizen, called a proxy voter, may also choose to delegate their vote and any votes that have been delegated to them to another citizen. Votes on any issue can be recalled at any time, and voters can choose to delegate their votes to different people depending on the type of issue at hand.
This is facilitated using the National Legislation System (民国立法系统, Mínguó Lìfǎ Xìtǒng), a computer network that can be accessed on the web, via a mobile app, or even at an in-person voting center. In the early days of The Democracy’s history, this was handled entirely via in-person voting centers and an extensive bureaucracy, and as a result, the vast majority of votes were cast via proxy voters. However, as internet access has spread through the population, the proportion of proxy votes on new laws has decreased considerably.
A bill is passed into law two weeks after at least 30% of eligible votes have been cast on the issue and a majority of those votes are yea votes. If the bill no longer meets these conditions before the end of the two-week time period, the timer resets.
There are two ways a law can be repealed. The first way is through a bill written to specifically repeal the old law. The second, less straightforward way is for the law to no longer meet the requirements to be considered a law. Citizens can withdraw their votes from bills at any time. This also means that as citizens die and their votes are removed from the system, laws can be accidentally repealed if there aren’t enough yea votes remaining on the law. Because of this, there are a number of proxy voter services that allow citizens to automatically cast yea votes on laws that make up important parts of The Democracy’s government.
The first time this happened, laws that lost voter support were repealed instantly, and, as a result, proxy voting became technically illegal for two weeks. Because of this, laws that lose voter support must lose their support for two consecutive weeks before they are fully repealed.
Many people argue that the lack of a formal head of state and the inherent instability of diplomacy by vote is a disadvantage on the world stage, but so far, resistance to the idea of an elected head of state is extremely strong. As a result, other countries wishing to draw up a treaty with The Democracy need to establish a connection with a citizen willing to propose the treaty as a new law, and then somehow convince the nation to vote for it.

29
Map / Re: Claiming Your Spot on the Map
« on: February 13, 2022, 07:03:25 AM »
I would like to remove Izhitsa from the map (may it ever rest in peace) and replace it with the following:

Nation Name: The Democracy

Nation Link: https://www.nationstates.net/nation=izhitsa

Provinces you wish to claim:
1: G41
2: G25
3: G26
4: G28
5: G27
6:

Proposed colour of your nation on the map: Blue

I, Izhitsa, have read the rules set down above, and agree to follow them.

30
Convention Centre / Re: First Annual Aperture World's Fair
« on: December 06, 2021, 03:00:13 AM »
Izhitsan Gypsum had neglected to tell the Aperture event organisers who would be giving their presentation, and that was because they were still working it out right up until Fair began. Initially, Kulam zi Amarmadin, the head of the company, had intended to give the speech himself, but the company’s board, who were already leery of their forays into space, and especially concerned about his conspiracist motivations for doing so, voted unanimously to block him from attending the Fair.
Thus, it fell to Akhsiku Dzhama, the scientific head of the company’s space program to give the presentation. He was dressed in his characteristic suit and bow tie, with his beard neatly trimmed for the occasion. He smiled as he saw the approaching spectators and judges.

“You have seen many wonders here today,” he said in practiced, but uncertain English, “and will see many more, I am sure, but this—” he paused, gesturing to the model Tugdut rocket beside him— “this is what progress looks like. Now of course you are thinking, ‘what do you mean, progress, this looks like 1970s garbage.’ And it is true that we are not inventing wonders like EMAC or building advanced space stations like DNSA. But when I see this rocket, I see something beautiful: the beginning of a brighter future in space exploration. Because this view of progress as the bleeding edge of engineering is a narrow view of progress—it is progress for the rich nations, for the Occident. What I would like to present to you today is a view of progress for the rest of us.

“I won’t deny that these great inventions coming out of the rich countries are helping to create progress. They show us the future of possibility, they show us what we can achieve, and sometimes they even find applications for those at the very top of global society. But progress is only made when everybody has access to these things. And that is what this rocket represents.

“Space has long been the ambition of all but the privilege of the wealthy alone—that is, wealthy nations and wealthy people. It is no coincidence that the first moon landings came from undemocratic nations, places like East Moreland, Achkaerin and Rokkenjima, because these were the nations that had the power to take enough resources from their people to touch the sky. But now we are seeing nations such as Tytor and the newly democratic Daito begin to take their places in the stars as well.

“But even this is not yet progress. Progress is when anyone from Aosta to Abydos can take part in this Great Space Revolution. It is the democratisation of space—a process which has begun because of the slow democratisation of nations across the world. These new fledgling democracies, such as Tytor and Daito, are like us in Yach, in Izhitsa. We are taking the old ideas, the old technologies which existed in the old order, and experimenting with them, and making them real for scientists, for businesses, for inventors, for everyone.

“That is what we wish to achieve in—” he murmured his company’s name, as if embarrassed to say it— “Izhitsan Gypsum. Our goal is not just to reach as far as we can, but instead to bring others along with us. The cost of launching scientific and communications satellites has long been a barrier to progress in Mundus. Our latest designs could bring the cost to launch a single 3000 kg satellite down by more than 20%, and we will be using the lessons of our next tests to improve our designs even further.

“The benefits this venture can have for the future cannot be overstated. Imagine, a world where any scientist can launch satellites to perform experiments in space, or even take probes to farther worlds. A world in which everyone is connected by satellite in any country, in any area. A world where anyone can look up at the stars and say, ‘That is mine, too.’

“This is what I see in this rocket: The first step toward the future in space: not just for the few, but for all of Mundus.”

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