«12. . .8,1648,1658,1668,1678,1688,1698,170. . .8,2698,270»
Senior Undersecretary for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Resigns, Announces Political Ambitions
LIUDAN — This morning, the Senior Undersecretary for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Lambert Faulkner, offered his resignation to Deputy Prime Minister Arne Grenville. This marks the highest-level permanent bureaucrat resignation in the fallout surrounding the Prime Minister's recent Cabinet reshuffle, and it is noted that many of Mr Faulkner's close associates within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office resigned along with him.
Senior Undersecretaries are the highest non-elected positions in Artarumen government, being responsible to the Imperial Parliament, with their responsible ministers usually unable to dismiss them except in the cases of criminal convictions or other crimes unbecoming of the Imperial Civil Service. They are largely responsible for co-ordinating ministries and their sub-departments, reporting directly to the responsible elected minister of state.
Mr Faulkner, 56, has announced that he is entering politics, something which he could not do prior to resignation due to his status as a bureaucrat of the Imperial Civil Service. He has stated that he will not be entering a pre-existing party, stating his belief that "no current party offers the sort of level-headed, rational, and necessary reforms required in Artarum", and that he intends to establish a party of his own to contest the next elections. He emphasised the need for an outlook "beyond the narrow-headed categorisations of 'left' and 'right', and one that avoids getting mired in inconsequential arguments". When asked about his team, Mr Faulkner was vague, stating only that he was working with a close group of "very talented and skilled individuals".
Deputy Prime Minister Arne Grenville stated that he regretted Mr Faulkner's resignation, but also stressed the importance of the Imperial Civil Service remaining free of politics, and commented that "even if the former Senior Undersecretary did the right thing from a legal point of view, the announcement of an entry into politics immediate after resigning is ethically dubious at best", on behalf of the Government. Arthur Welleston has been appointed as the acting Senior Undersecretary until a replacement can be found from the Imperial Civil Service.
Island Zero, Zhongwangguo, and Sela Seebers
The Navy continued, they had passed Island Zero unabated. What laid ahead, some would consider more dangerous...
A few lonely islands stood in the distance, the map had them marked as The Ecclesiastical Meritocracy of Spiritual Republic of Caryton's territory. The Fleet's fear was unique. They could level the Islands should an engagement be met. No, they feared the Religion associated with them. The unsaintly, Gospel Church of Caryton.
"The Saints shall protect us!" Admiral Bern shouted to his crew.
"Strike up the Hymns and pray!" The Crew dropped to their knees, hands clasped before their foreheads praying to the hymns that were playing loudly on The Requiem's speakers.
Heavenly but Jingoistic, Glorious yet condemnatory, the Hymns blared as they passed the Islands and returned home, not ceasing until the ships were in port.
OOC:Hi I am new
Mlg gaming and Island Zero
OOC: Welcome to the region!
If you want, you can join our Discord.
OOC:is there a map?
I like to join RP
OOC: Yes, there is a map. Contact The Greater Antipodes if you would like a spot on it
OK where is a map?
OOC: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/656618648298979348/736210577046765628/map24.07.2020_v3.png
[OOC: Late reply but w/e]
The Unified Republic of Saeloun Hanguk would love to accept the invitation but with the recent events of monster subjugation in one of the nation's major city, the government is forced to reject it.
Anyone got advice in raising authoritarianism for people while making corporations free to do more things to make money
Let corportations do what they want in economic issues but be big brother in social and political issues, authoritarian capitalist states are pretty common and not hard to pull off.
The City
Xia Jing woke to her alarm clock. It was loud and frantic, not unlike the city. She got up, light on her feet, she bolted to the bathroom. It was a lesson everyone learnt in Chengdu: be fast and light on your feet because time is precious.
In just under six minutes she had emptied her bladder, washed her face, brushed her teeth, put on her makeup and put on a cheap generic deodorant. It took her three minutes to change out of her pyjamas and put on a shirt and a pair of jeans. Add half a minute for her to find her phone and purse lying around in her messy room, and another half a minute to put on her trainers and slam the door behind her.
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, was humid. At 93% humidity, its residents were walking sweat factories. Coincidentally, Sichuan was infamous for its sweatshops, although that was something that was changing. Or it appeared to be changing. Big cities always to be the epicentre of great change, only for the old to be pushed temporarily out of sight, resurfacing much later more prominent than ever before.
Jing barely made it to the bus stop in time. The bus had been a full minute-and-half early today. While another bus would have been here in three minutes, Jing, like many other big-city dwellers, always endeavoured to be just on time.
Time is precious, so why waste valuable time being early when one can be productive?
The bus ride lasted five minutes. A forty-seven-minute ride on the metro made for a great time for Jing to revise her macroeconomics midterm. She had been studying for the last four weeks, but these next forty-seven minutes might help her uncover some hithertho arcane knowledge. Anxious, she knew she could not afford to perform poorly. Her family, simple farmers living in the poverty-stricken mountainous county of Tongjiang in Southwest Middle Kingdom’s Sichuan Province, all counted on her. If she wanted to continue to live in the city, she needed to succeed in completing her degree. Many students faced a similar dilemma.
While the Middle Kingdom had become wealthier in recent years, most of its citizens were still poor. Even in this big city, an example of the type of economic miracle taking the Middle Kingdom by storm, many lived in poverty. Had Jing been distracted from her revision notes and looked out of the train window, she would have seen the shanty town-style neighbourhood under her. As a university student, she had been fortunate to be living in comparative luxury in her dorm with access to clean water, electricity, even air-conditioning.
The train itself, as well as the metro stations loittered around the city and the railways connecting them were modern. They sped were fast, safe, and even came with free public WiFi hotspots. Government investments into developing the economy had benefited the public transport system. State-of-the-art infrastructure was being built all around the country all the time. It was one of the national government’s preferred ways of injecting some much-needed money into the economy.
Another favourite method of injecting money into the economy was in the form of employment in places where Jing was hoping to one day find work at if she graduated: state-owned enterprises. These were for-profit businesses operated by the government much like any other. To kick-start the economy, state-owned enterprises were set up. These not only meant more jobs but also did most of their business with private businesses. Some even did all their business exclusively with small, local businesses. This often meant that these businesses made less money than their competitors in the private sector, but they were still an integral part of starting to develop a well-functioning economy. State-owned enterprises were not seen as a permenant driving force behind the economy; merely a temporary helping hand.
Walking out of the metro station, Jinh realised she was very hungry. Many homes in Chengdu did not have a kitchen. Even her dorm room lacked one. As such, street food vendors were popular. And only a block away from Chengdu University, street food vendors were easy to spot. But they all had long queues. With only three minutes to spare from her walk to the lecture hall, she decided to forgo breakfast today. But that was okay, Jing and many other Chinese were used to eating only two meals most days anyway.
“Jing, wait up! Let me walk with you!”
It was Huo Shi, one of Jing’s closest university friends. Shi came from a wealthy middle-class background. Unsurprisingly, she had eaten breakfast.
“Have you eaten today? Here: have an apple! You never get up early enough to eat!”
Shi was right. Jing did not have enough time in the day to eat breakfasts. Unlike Shi, Jing had to work a part-time job. She was a hairdresser. A new barber booking app had helped her become more financially secure but left her with little time. She now spent most of her dispensable time travelling to clients and cutting their hair.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it last night, Shi—“
“I know, I know. You had to work. But I miss you! You can’t keep bailing on us!”
“You’re right. Don’t worry though, I’m going to the night club with you and the girls after the exam.”
The discotheque was just three blocks from campus. It was where university students liked to socialise. While Chengdu was safe thanks to its exemplary police force, female students preferred going to social hangouts together. Drugging and sexual assaults were still common enough for some to still practice caution.
“You better! Text me after your exam. I’ll be on campus all day and in dire need of some good company,” said Shi, her eyes gave her away. Jing laughed. “Why are you laughing?”
“Kun is cute, but not that cute. Go to the library and study for your midterms!”
Shi blushed. “Kun is dreamy, isn’t he? He’s got one more semester before he starts his residency as resident doctor!”
Jing laughed, “Yes, a day doesn’t go by without you mentioning it!”
Shi shrugged. The two friends hugged and Jing entered the lecture hall, ready to sit for her examination.
What would have been, in any other case, a quiet meeting between a few faces turned into something quite unordinary and alien altogether. For after the ship had finished pulling into port and preparations made to disembark, what emerged from the lower deck was not an envoy but foot soldiers. Arrayed in the finest black plating with grey reflective visors, bullpup Konig-K rifles clasped in a parade carry, they marched three at a time from the deck onto the dock. Following them in a single line were the mechanised infantrymen clad in heavy powered armor, thick shields in one hand and a rifle in the other; filtering out either side of the footsoldiers, they stood on the outside to act as human shields against any small arms fire that could rain down upon them. The presence in itself was a show of force to be sure, a smirk towards the reception they received on their arrival and a declaration of their willingness to die -- they had faced such odds before this after all. But it also had its pragmatic purposes. The Lord-Cardinal reasoned that all of those artillery pieces would be far less willing to fire within range of their own entourage than at their ship, and consequently it was in their best interest to remain in close proximity to the high-value individuals as possible in case discussions soured for whatever reason. But if there was one thing he was beginning to learn from all of this, it was that Kriegizstan had a little bit more in common with the Reisch than he initially believed. Perhaps dialogue would proceed without a hitch.
He himself proceeded from the deck shortly afterwards with two Battle Chaplains either side, both of them wearing black rosaries around both the grip of their rifles and their hand so that they might never drop it in surrender. To the front was a Doctrine Bishop clutching the Cathedra banner of the 'Onyx Martyrs' before them, the wire-crowned skull on it displaying an open reminder of their mortality for both themselves and the enemy. It was a sobering choice, but one certainly earned. Parting the sea of black helmets, they marched through the assembled legion and reached the front, whereupon the Doctrine Bishop remained ahead of the men and the hooded Lord-Cardinal approached, his steely gaze unseen but quite capable of being 'felt' through the mirror-like helmet visor as he examined each of those assembled before him. The monastic robe that concealed his battle gear gently fluttered in the breeze, betraying small glimpses of the tally notches on his vest. What they represented was anybody's guess.
A small silence passed before he finally introduced himself unceremoniously.
"I am Lord-Cardinal Sindila Thalmann of the 'Onyx Martyrs.'"
Mlg gaming, Immortal kriegizstan, and Sela Seebers
Lambert Faulkner announces new political party
LIUDAN — The former Senior Undersecretary for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Lambert Faulkner, who resigned four days ago, has officially launched his new political party, named the "National Party". Under a simple banner of white and Artarumen blue, Mr Faulkner declared that the new party did not fit into neat ideological categorisations and could, at best, be considered a centrist party. Once again, Mr Faulkner underlined the need for "real, meaningful, realistic, and consequential reforms to Artarumen society, economic structure, political outlook, and international approach, to be undertaken through consensus and informed policy-making", and revealed a first in Artarumen political history: The Deputy Leader and the Treasurer of the party are women, and the party has openly declared that it intends to field female MP candidates in the next general elections to come, as well as female councillor and mayoral candidates in the parallel local elections.
Mr Faulkner has described the economy and foreign affairs as Artarum's most crucial issues, and stated that he would gradually introduce his team and inner circle to the Artarumen public in the coming days as he tours the country, establishing more connections for the National Party. At the moment, the party fields no MP's, but a number of MP's have been suspected of considering joining the National Party while within the House of Commons. Such a move has been legal and permitted since the changes to the Imperial Parliament's regulations in 2018.
Questioned about his approach to Artarum's connections with other countries, Mr Faulkner placed particular emphasis on Zhongwangguo, stating that he considered the Middle Kingdom to be a potentially strong partner in every aspect of Artarumen foreign policy, and stated that the relationships Artarum had with the other members of the Artarumen Commonwealth, specifically with Bergsehuis and Ereva, should also be highlighted. He has also mentioned the state of civil war in Beyt, stating that "even though it is highly undesirable to entangle Artarum in a foreign adventure, it is a necessity that we intervene and establish security in Beyt as soon as possible, for the security of our Commonwealth". Whether this will attract criticism or praise is to be seen, though the war in Beyt was largely unpopular with the public, though Mr Faulkner also emphasised the need for a "comprehensive and careful plan in regards to Beyt, as opposed to barging into the problem with a supercarrier or two".
Mlg gaming, Island Zero, and Zhongwangguo
None of the three responded at first. They, too, were silent for a moment. The clergyman looked as if he wished to speak yet appeared to be waiting for one of the others to begin first. The long silence came to an end when the woman spoke, her smile brightening.
"You were unexpected." she said in a rather loving and motherly voice that could calm even the most violent of brutes. "Welcome to Kriegizstan. I am the Voice of the Autocrat; when my lips part, His Will is spoken. But you may call me Nasira."
The albino man was the next to speak.
"I am the Right Hand of the Autocrat; I serve His Will in all things." His voice was raspy and filled with both anger and hatred, though neither were directed toward the Lord-Cardinal nor his entourage. "I no longer possess a name. It was obliterated long before you were born. You will not address me unless I have spoken to you." he said matter-of-factly. It was clear he was neither a pleasant nor hospitable man. He did not seem to look at the Lord-Cardinal when addressing him, but rather looked straight ahead. Considering his albinism he was likely blind.
The pudgy, sickly man in priestly robes was the last to speak; bellowing with joy as he did so. "Welcome! Welcome! I am Archbishop Peter Teague of the Autocratic Church of Kriegizstan! God bless you, sir, God bless you!" he said with jolly eagerness as he attempted to shake the Lord-Cardinal's hand. The man's smile seemed more and more forced as time went on.
"What brings you and your countrymen here, Germanian?" Nasira asked inquisitively - her smile never fading.
The Village
Hao Ning swept the floor, her three young children busy playing in the other room. The children’s laughter, the spicy aroma of gan la Hunan cooking, and the low cackling coming from the warm fireplace made for a tranquil and homely atmosphere. This warm and mellow ambience was common out in the countryside, where farmers and simple countryfolk lived.
Wenwu is a small village, home to only 126 households. Its history goes back to three hundred years when a wise hermit, a Daoist searching for solitude, left civilisation to live alone in the woods. He enjoyed peace for several years before a Buddhist monk, also looking for a simple solitary life arrived in the forest.
The pair lived in peace initially, but their differences gradually became apparent. The Daoist wished to let nature rule supreme; the Buddhist monk, however, was compassionate and was quick to help the deer when facing wolves and leopards. Legend has it that the Buddhist monk spent months hiding most of the deer, while herding some older deer to a river bordering both the wolves’ and the leopards’ territories. This led the two predators too busy fighting each other to hunt for deer.
This, the legends continue to say, enraged the Daoist wise man, who left the forest for three years seeking other fellow Daoists to come help him restore the balance. Returning to the forest, the Daoists found the Buddhist monk had established a monastery and had taken on a number of students. This small settlement of Doaists and Buddhists grew gradually over the centuries and became Wenwu.
Though there is little evidence of the legends being true, what is evident is that there has been a significant Doaist and Buddhist influence in Wenwu for most of its history. Unlike in other countries, in the Middle Kingdom, the three major religions coexist in harmony. While lacking in Confucianism traditions, the villagers in Wenwu honour tradition and village ceremonies.
This harmonious coexistence of beliefs is evident in Hao Ning’s household. Ning’s paternal family are Daoists; her husband’s family—both paternal and maternal—are Buddhists. There was no scandal when the two wed. These weddings have been common in Wenwu and in much of China for centuries. Both Ning and her husband, Huan, continue to celebrate their Daoist and Buddhist roots.
Hao Huan is a carpenter. He also builds houses, straw huts and farm silos. Today he helped build a shed for a neighbouring farmer. He was tired and hungry when he arrived home, but in cheery mode. He was a happy man—everyone was in the countryside. Huan understood that life is too short to ever hurry, to focus on the present. This was the fundamental difference between living in the countryside and city living.
Ning greeted her husband with a kiss; the children ran up to their father for a firm, comforting embrace. With a family as loving as this, Huan wondered how he could ever be unhappy, even when as tired as he was today. All five laughed together and sat down to eat together.
Huan has two brothers. His two younger brothers, Gui and Fan, visited Huan every evening for tea, and sometimes alcohol. As Mahayana Buddhists, drinking alcohol does not interfere with their following the Noble Eightfold Path. Tonight, they will be visiting. Both Gui and Fan were tea crafters—they would take plucked tea leaves and heat them in woks. Huan also used to be a tea crafter till recently: he would compress tea into “cakes”, which would later become processed. He enjoyed working in the tea industry but had decided to temporarily focus on his carpentry: it had been a hobby he had shared with his late uncle.
Tea has historically been used by both the Daoist and Buddhist traditions to help meditate. Hunan has a long history as a tea producing province. Huan’s sister-in-laws are tea farmers. Ning, too, is a tea farmer. Traditionally, women pluck tea leaves in the Middle Kingdom. In the tea industry, men often craft those teas, sell them and manage tea farms. However, this is changing. Most of urban China has embraced gender equality; this yearning for equality is slowly spreading into the countryside. Finally, the patriarchal traditions in the tea industry are gradually dying out, even in conservative communities like Wenwu.
Tonight, Gui and Fan will not be visiting. A tea scout is visiting the family farm, looking to source some excellent Xinyang Maojian—one of the Middle Kingdom’s most popular green teas.
After lunch, Ning cleaned up the dining table and began doing the dishes. Huan sat down on the floor and began watching the news on the television. “This tea merchant, he can bring a lot of money to the farm”, he said. “Foreign money is helping build the economy—it’s about time some of it came to Wenwu!”
Ning put up a washed plate on the drying rack and asked, “The merchant is from Artarum?”
“Yes, that’s where all the foreign investment is coming from these days. And it’s a good thing too! Artarum is the wealthiest country there is! They have all that colonial money lying around, after all.”
“Haven’t they got tea coming in from Chajameen?”, asked Ning. “Why invest in our humble tea farm?”
“Because even to foreigners our tea is leagues better,” said Huan. Perhaps it was pride that he felt. Deep down, he knew his village alone produced better tea than anything Chajameen could produce.
“Maybe. Huan, have you ever had Chajameen tea?”
“Come to think of it, I haven’t, no”, he said after a while. “Honestly, I didn’t know they produced tea until recently.”
“Neither did I. Only since they started mentioning in the news that the Chajameen aren’t too keen on us joining the International Assembly because it’d put their tea industry in danger did I realise they had tea”, said Ning. “Come to think of it—know any other countries that produce tea?”
Huan had to think hard. “Not any I know of”, in truth he had scarcely known about teas coming outside Hunan province, leave alone other countries producing tea. “I hear foreigners like red tea the most. Odd, don’t you think? We think green tea, and the nobility prefer pu’erh and yellow teas, and these foreigners prefer red tea.”
“Hmm”, was all Ning could muster. “Tea?”
“I could never refuse some good tea!”
Ning pot the kettle on and grabbed the gaiwan and the cha zhong. The tea tray welcomed them like old friends, ready to comfort them and help them forget all their worries, even for just a little while.
Mlg gaming, Artarum, and Island Zero
Pearlescent, happy to get something to read, started browsing the book (with utmost care and reverence) as she and Shield followed the Major. She already knew a thing or two about the Novumequine religion, but most of what she knew concerned the fear and hatred the interdimensional Ponies for all things "Chaos". This was the first time she had gotten her hooves on a text describing the more positive aspects of their religion.
"We've reached New Elysium airspace, ma'am. I've informed their air traffic control of our arrival," said Captain Summer Breeze.
"Acknowledged," General Rainbow Dash said with a nod and left the bridge.
The Glorious Sunrise was a next generation magitechnological airship and the brand new flagship of the Third Airfleet. Rainbow would much rather have travelled to New Elysium alone and under her own wingpower but Twilight had told her to make an impression by arriving aboard one of the Imperial Airfleet's new toys. As a compromise, Rainbow had decided to do as the Imperatrix demanded but make the last leg of the journey alone. The Glorious Sunrise would never dock with New Elysium itself, it would approach just inside the flying city's perimeter and then stay here while the General herself visited the city.
With two Pegasus Warriors following her, Rainbow left through the starboard personnel airlock and approached New Elysium. It felt good to fly through the open sky. Rainbow still tried to practice her flying skills whenever she had free time, but nowadays her duties kept her in office way too much to her liking. She wondered if she could still perform a Sonic Rainboom like she had all those years ago... She wasn't as young and energetic as she had been back then but after taking part in certain... rituals under Twilight's guidance, she felt revitalized in ways she couldn't quite explain.
Despite the joy flying brough her, she started to feel increasingly uncomfortable with this whole mission as New Elysium filled more and more of the sky ahead. Diplomacy was definitely not her strong suit and she hoped she wouldn't buck this up. She also hoped that whoever was watching her approach, wasn't one of those who had been taught to hate her alternate self with passion.
That, she realized, was probably a vain hope.
Imperial Ventnor Shipyards, Ventnor, Artarumen Empire
31 August 2020
"So, what I mean, good man, is that we don't want a minimum wage law. We know that those folks in Liudan would twist and turn that to make it as miserable as possible."
The gray-bearded, old-looking man scratched his beard, splashing a healthy dose of lager onto his blue overalls. After swiping his moustache clean of the drink, he continued. "I hear we're getting real cozy with those Chinese folks, odd fellows," he started, "you going to outsource our jobs to them?"
That was a funny thought. Of all the thoughts to be outsourced, building ships for the Imperial Navy was probably the last. Lambert Faulkner laughed, shaking his head. His manner of speech and accent were certainly a far, far cry from the more common, rugged language of these blue-collar workers, but that didn't matter too much. He was the first politician to visit the average person, as opposed to delivering speeches to high society and businessmen. Not Faulkner. Faulkner had bypassed the higher management of the Imperial Ventnor Shipyards, giving them nothing more than the usual greetings that were custom, instead heading right to the foremen of the labour force itself. Now, after work hours, they were sitting in a rundown pub in one of the poorer wards of Ventnor. His tie was gone, and the highest button on his slick shirt had been undone. Instead of the usual cognac or wine preferred by the Artarumen elite, he held a poor quality pint-sized tankard of Artarumen lager in his hand. Faulkner did not consider himself a populist, but he still recognised the need to connect with the average person.
"No," he began, "I don't intend to outsource your jobs to the Chinese." That merited a loud breath of relief from the tired labourers around him and his immediate circle. "But, that's simple. What do you mean, the folks in Liudan are going to twist a minimum wage around? Tell me. I'm here today to listen, as opposed to talk." He couldn't change his upper class accent and mannerisms, but he could certainly change his approach.
"What I mean, mate, is that they'll make it some funny number, say, a pound an hour," the man explained, "and then the managers up there will be able to lower our wages while being in line with the national rules, yeah?" The other workers around him nodded, with a murmur of agreement. "Nah, that's not going to cut it, nah." Staying silent, Faulkner simply drank some of the lager, nodding at the nominal leader of these workers to continue. "What we want is collective bargaining, yeah? Let us unionise, and let us negotiate with the managers, or whoever gets this place running."
Faulkner nodded slowly. "You realise I also come from Liudan?" The tired man laughed. "Yes, but I hadn't seen your face on any television or newspaper up until a week ago. You're a new type, and you've bothered to come down here to this pissy ward and talk to us, mate. So far, I've liked what I've heard. I could vote for you, and so could these boys."
She enjoyed hearing the affirmations from her consort, always giving her a fresh smile. "Yes, we shall investigate the accused. The LeBeaup family, however, informed us in their report that they were lacking in details aside from suspected noble families. So questioning them may be unfruitful."
While thinking she rested her head against Neijing's shoulder, before it quickly sprung up again, "We do not wish to use my father's Censorate unless necessitated. This would instead be a great test for the Inspectors of our design. To find the nobles under Germanic influences and bring them back to the light of Vespergale. If there is no objections, we would like for suggestions of what Inspector to lead this operation."
welp, i finally put one of those nuclear warheads to use. lets see what happens.
Caryton: A Paradoxical Existence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CeBoSQsBR0
The Ecclesiastical Meritocracy, following a bout of eventlessness and a lack of much needed trade, decided to have its church represent the forefront of Carytonic diplomatic interests. The quiet and moralistic nation hadn't been on the eyes of many political scientists. Many regarded Caryton as a boring and joyless nation of zealous christian fundamentalists. Some regarded it as a simple and virtuous utopia-- a haven from the hectic world and increasingly flawed morality of mankind. Whatever their stance on the Spiritual Republic, they would not be the ones to make first contact. A short notice was mailed to several nations, prompting interaction with the country often forgot about in passing. This long period of international peace was beneficial for diplomatic interests, and Caryton was going to take advantage of it.
Carytonic's exports were namely comprised of oats among all other agricultural goods, exotic tropical goods (from Carynesia), lumber, oil, hard metals/ores (like silver, gold, brass, copper, tin and so forth), among quartz and marble. Items which were in demand were automobiles, consumer goods (for the small urban population), rare earth materials, items and machines pertaining to heavy industry, marine goods, among others. The economy of Caryton was largely autarkic because the majority of people were told that they did not /need/ much and the pride of local manufacturers frequently compete to produce everything locally even despite the stagnation it caused and the church perpetuates. However, economists believe some slight foreign intervention would boost the economy for many months to come.
The simple and zealous people of Caryton were namely rural and agricultural, living a substinent life without much surplus at the addition to hard work ethic and religious devotion. The prohibition act banned anything remotely taboo, from immodest clothing and pornography all the way up with alcohol, cigarettes, to hard drugs. Mana and magic were seen as witchcraft, and the Gospel Church of Caryton directly ruled over state affairs.
It was a stark contrast to most other governments-- people did not flock to large cities but instead escaped them following the destruction of a radical far-right regime that had forced urbanization at the expense of a starving peasantry. This prompted a defiant but overbearing return to agrarian fundamentalism, every man woman and child staying within their small towns for what would look to be generations on end. The population lead simple and worry-less lives but were ultimately ignorant of the world around them and sometimes their own country in their own obsession with matters and overbearing pride as local as a tiny hamlet of only 20.
Crime was close to non-existent but critics believe it's due to said religious indoctrination perpetuated by the peer pressure of a 99% god-fearing population as well as the church-state fusion. Divorce, abortion, and marital issues were also zero or near zero, but the alternative that Caryton pushed was complete abstinence for teenagers until marriage, couples sealed together for the rest of their lives except in instances of abuse, eradication of birth control, and criminalization of abortion unless in instances that the mother would die or the child would be malformed, and an omnipresence of marital counselors and preacher involvement in love lives. It worked for Carytonic people and they were happy with it, but there was a reason that Carytonic diplomats did not discuss issues of progressivism in international conferences.
If Caryton did not have to compete with other nations to provide a way of life alternative to foreign chaos-- and if it did not have to support a population of almost 82 million-- its technological level of choice would be much lower than that of the 80s. Mayhaps it would have been the 1880s if the church's first leading reverend had been more extreme. Thankfully, Dorothy Shirleyton was competent enough and nurtured her people in her grandmotherly way.
Thusly, the fact that Caryton looked towards the foreign world for diplomacy was a shock. The following nations were extended an offer for the construction of embassies and free trade with promise of further cooperation later down the line provided things go well.
Artarum
Lenspheria
Island Zero
Zhongwangguo
The book started off, of course, with the creation of Holy Equis. It described in detail the process the Sisters took in helping to spur the terraforming of what had been a barren rock into fertile planet over the course of a million years before going into the evolution of ponies from lesser creatures, guided by the Sisters. It extolled the virtues of the ponies as they expanded over ancient Equis and took to the stars.
The Major’s guards smiled a bit as they saw how enthusiastic Pearlescent was in the Diarchal Book. Black glanced back at her as well as they entered the command centre and he set about finding his colonel, hopefully without her entourage of bureaucrats.
Even for a magically saturated species like the Equestrians and their spaceborne cousins, flying metal walls was a novel sight to Rainbow Dash and her guards, their keen Pegasi sight helping them to spot a series of heads poking up over the crenellations as a set of turrets which had previously been pointed at the sky spun around to aim at them. A siren sounded off in the distance as the Equestrian envoys hovered a distance from the gate in the clouds. A blue and yellow thunderbolt streak arced over the top of the wall, zooming towards Rainbow and ending a dozen meters away in a turquoise mare who glared angrily at her.
“You’ll go no further into New Elysium, Oathbreaker.” The Elysian snarled at Rainbow, her forehooves capped with bladed gauntlets as she got into the starting form for Gryphon style. “Far too much blood is on your hooves, Monster. I will not let you bring about another massacre like on Mare IV.”
OOC: hello I'm going to try out for RP
but I'm not sure which one to choose confederacy (Star Wars) or dalek (Doctor Who)
Lionsmarchk and Mlg gaming
OOC: Daleks join the Separatist Council
Mlg gaming and Sela Seebers
OOC: Consider trying something more original instead of just ripping off your favorite sci-fi series?
Zhongwangguo and Sela Seebers
«12. . .8,1648,1658,1668,1678,1688,1698,170. . .8,2698,270»
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