R P G: Stríð Karla

[Kothra]

OOC: Right, I never got around to clarifying and establishing exactly how we were going to set that up....

[Lara White]

OOC: You can pretty much consider me withdrawn from that. I have more pressing issues.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

OOC: I, meanwhile, do not. Varangia's all trade agreements and "silent treatment" diplomacy (apart from my own occasional personal paranoia).

[Lara White]

OOC: Hey, not my fault someone decided to plonk a colony where I already had stuff.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

OOC: Hey, I'm all for a war that doesn't involve me at the start. What worries me is that both sides are either officially allied with Varangia or neutral-friendly with them.

[Lara White]

OOC: Hey, could you perhaps update your tech profile? I'm baffled as to what the "VO" is and what your zeppelin is capable of.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

OOC: Err, yes, thank you for the reminder. Everything from the Lynkrage to the Skemmdarvargur is now in my blog.

Edited April 28, 2012 by Beardy Spoon

[Xomeron]

IC: Forum"If you will note, a while past, Astaria proposed Forum legislature on territorial claims. It was ignored entirely. If Waalruss(the Ambassador, as usual for Astarians, used an improper version of the name that matched Astarian language patterns) wanted there to be official channels, perhaps that treaty would have been a good starting point. Despite this, Waalruss has claimed the territory. Astaria will take no official position on this." In truth, the Ambassador did not know who to support; Aquilonia had repeatedly worked against Astaria, but Waalruss had refused Astarian attempts to integrate with their satellite network. It was best to remain neutral, but it would be preferable if Aquilonia had the colony; they showed little taste for expansion.IC: Lunar Meeting"The technology is theoretical but possible. To power it, well, preliminary plans placed it on Calderon, where the Volcano allowed a massive Geothermal power source, collected in banks of batteries until use; we consider this cleaner and more sustainable than the alternative, a coal plant.IC: Varangia"Our P-11 Firebolt, then, should be more to your liking; it is a capable interceptor, able to defend against what your Zeppelins can't; fast movers. Interested?"

IR:O-8: Super Province(80)N-7: Capitol State(60)[24/28]O-9: Super Province(80)O-7: Large State(40)[24/21]P-8: Large State (40)[10/21]O-11: Small State(20)[19/21]N-12: Large Territory(10)[2/21]N-6: Military Base, space launch facilityQ-10: Military BaseF-2: Military BaseTotal IP: 310Projects:2 P-19 Shadowbolts(25)(1/12)Merinka(80)[20/21]PSI(25)16/60]CDN(50)16/30]Re-Armament(11)[11/14]Re-Armament(10)[8/14]Research: Magnetic Anomaly Detectors(50)[9/14]IP Use: 176Standing Military:5 Crusader Helicopters(5)2 Helbrecht-Class Destroyers(20)60 Python MBTs(12)3 P-11 Interceptors(5)150 squads worth of Red Dragoon forces(15)2 B-9 Shadows(10)80 Boa Transports(10)100 Ruin Riders(1)IP Use: 78Total IP Use: 279/310

Edited May 4, 2012 by cardworkMagician

[Xomeron]

[This post was accidental]

Edited May 4, 2012 by cardworkMagician

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

OOC: Hey, not my fault someone decided to plonk a colony where I already had stuff.

OOC: Well, in a way it is. If you'd put it in your industry report like you're supposed to do with outposts like that I would have gone elsewhere. Instead I'm pushing the situation because I want to see what happens. So if you're going to blame anyone, blame you're own poor information sharing skills :Pbtw, speaking of industry reports, were ours put on hold with the forums, or was everything matured during the downtime?IC: The satellite glaring ar R13 might as well have looked elsewhere. There were a few battalions at R13, enough to keep a garrison but not enough to mount an attacking force. And they'd be blown to bits by tanks if they tries with no armour support. It was as the Waalrusaan as said, they'd intended the place to be a staging point between the nations and the central continent, somewhere for trade and refuelling and income.And the Aquileonese probably should have been looking closer to home. They had kettled the Waalrusaan settlers along the coast, but apparently hadn't considered that things in kettles tend to boil. The settlers had crude shelter but what they wanted was a home. Nobody would know what started the incident, maybe a guard was a bit too brusque, maybe a Waalrusaan just woke up angry, but start it did. Waalrusaan settlers started assaulting the escort that was keeping them at the coast, sheer numbers and the element of surprise allowing them to overwhelm their guards. Now free of restraint they started advancing from the coast to the facilityOOC: A first strike would paint me as the aggressor and lose me any possibility of support, so Lloyd can enjoy opening fire on civilians for a bit. Lets see if you guys have anything to say after that

[Kothra]

OOC: I went And kept going even though the foruns were down. I don't know what Alex did, so we should probably wait for him to pop up.

[Alex Humva]

OOCAlright, here's the deal guys. In Strith, the last few IRL days/ingame months have just been an oddly quiet period with little political happens. Your build times/upgrades/whatever still took place in that time.In other news...IC [P-11/Whatever the Aquileon-Waalrusaan conflict is taking place]With the recent construction of the Zeppelin Communication Network (ZCN for sort), the NEA had plenty of their modified craft to go around. While their spying capabilities had been cut down in favor of more comm dishes, a few were quickly jerryrigged and sent on their way, arriving via boat near P-11 a while later. They had, however, been able to record the civilian assault, the Stans quietly watching the film while the zeppelins continued to float high above, watching the ground below as the scene unfolded.On a similar note, Stan military progress was skyrocketing forward. Their Project Reaper had completed it's first stage, yielding what they called the Hunter; an remote surveillance and fighting UAV. It would piggy back off of ground installations and the ZCN until more proper NEA and allied satellites could be put into space. As well, Project Beachhead was done, and it's money was directed to Project Reaper's next stage. The Stan beaches were now ever the more protected, now with interlocking walls of simple dirt or sand bags at least fifteen feet in height, plenty of explosives, and all the more tank traps and nastiness to prevent soldiers from taking the Stan beaches.Meanwhile the Luminous rockets were having a good time; two had been launched in the last month, using the satellite imagery to find appropriate landing sites and scout out the locations for extensive uranium mining, an expensive but worthwhile task. A diplomatic flyer was sent to the Kiserre, suggesting that they continue to fund Luminous, but rather than contribute to the rocket systems itself, they produce their satellites and piggyback them onto the Luminous rocket. It would benefit all, assuming the Kiserre allowed the NEA access to its satellite network.Also with the Kiserre, the schematics and production notes of the Hunter drone, as well as a prototype, were sent over on a secure vessel, in keeping with the deal for Kiserre electronics to control the drone.OOCAnd I think that's everything. I also established a colony on J-13 during the downtime, since it was time for that.

Edited May 4, 2012 by Programmer Alex Humva

[Xomeron]

IC:An Astarian news crew, prominently unarmed, was sent in, covering the event mostly by helicopter.

[Kothra]

OOC:

OOC: I have a feeling no-one even noticed L-21. It's kind of out-of-the-way down there.IC:Astaria is laying claim to, and establishing bases on, F-2 and G-20

On looking back and paying more attention, G-20 is under Anitalian control according to the map.IC(Kiserre/General): The plans for the Hunter drone were accepted and sent to the Kissere National Naval and Aviation Research Centre in Beruji.---The design for a new Legion combat aircraft had been finalised, after years of prototype testing and the plane had already been put into production. The plane, a swing-wing design, came with three variants: a multi-role strike fighter with two nose-mounted 27mm revolver cannons and a 9000kg payload labeled AVC-2, a naval combat version with a single cannon designated AVC-2M, and an electronic warfare variant with no cannon and to be armed with an new version of the Kiserran anti-radiation missile and other equipment designed for the role designated AVC-2E.OOC: I'll be getting my industry report up sometime soon. Edited May 4, 2012 by Kothra: Sweetroll Thief

[Lara White]

AQUILEON MPS KILLED IN ATTACK BY WALRUUSAAN COLONISTSAquileon Military Police units engaged a large crowd of Walruusaan colonists in the contested zone in southern Europa today. According to official reports, the riots began around 10:00 AM local time, when a crowd of Walruusaan colonists began to attack a nearby Aquileon unit. Theatre Command refused to authorize the use of lethal force, and the unit was overwhelmed. According to survivors, the majority of the soldiers stationed there were beaten to death by the angry colonists.The rioters then marched north toward the Aquileonese facility where the soldiers had been based, but were intercepted by more appropriately-armed Military Police units in full riot gear. Officials report that the MPs' equipment included stun guns, tear gas, batons, and riot shields. The MP units attempted to halt the rioters and disabled many, placing them under arrest when possible. However, the MP units suffered many casualties from the angry Walrrusaan colonists and were forced to withdraw along with those they had arrested. The crisis is still ongoing."We are very displeased with the Walruusaan government." Said the Secretary of State when questioned about these events. "Their refusal to stay out of land that has been Aquileonese for a while now is responsible for precipitating this crisis. They refused to return their colonists to their homeland when we notified them that the area they claimed was already under Aquileonese control, and their diplomatic maneuvering has simply bought enough time for tempers on the continent to boil over. Aquileon has done nothing but assert our sovereignty, and Walruusaan has refused to acknowledge that. Their refusal has ended with the deaths of Aquileonese citizens, while the Walruusaan colonists are still alive."The President assured families of slain MPs that the fallen will be given full military honors once their bodies are recovered.

[Alex Humva]

IC [standast]The reaction in Standast was less than favorable.Someone high up finally realized that there was Stan citizens there, but there was little that could be done. Stan-Aquileonese integration was well under way, with both nations friendly and open to each other. As such, there had been Stan MPs, Stans who had become Aquileon citizens and joined their military. There was a couple injuries, but three Stan MPs had been killed in the mob.The citizens of Standast had for centuries, for millenniums, settled their revenge with blood. The familes of the three Stan MPs demanded revenge; it was only with quick effort that they didn't leave the country to hunt down those responsible. The shift in the Stan justice system had been going smoothly, but this had thrown a wrench in the workings. People wanted blood; denying the families their vengeance was stirring dissent towards the government. If something was not done soon, there'd be a revolt on the Stan's hands, something unheard of for centuries.So while Stan newspapers furiously pumped out stories, the United Republic of Standast officially denounced the Waalrusaan actions. The First President, head of military actions, made a formal appearance, speaking words that would be broadcasted all over the civilian lines of the ZCN, and indeed, the world."The Waalrusaans have done a great injustice to the world. Aquileon and Stans alike shed their blood and refused to kill even as they were killed themselves. I praise the Aquileons; I am not sure I could of done as they did in the face of danger. Through the actions of Walruusaan citizens, many lay dead in the fields of Europa, well on their way to the afterlife. It is for this that Standast hereby denounces the Waalrusaan actions, and the Stan military will be put on the highest level of alert. If any Waalrusaans settled in Standast attempt to riot, immediate and forceful de-embarkation from Standast will follow. Finally, my fellow citizens, my comrades, do not fear what is to come in these following days. We will stand strong in face of anything that enemies of peace will have against us."

Edited May 4, 2012 by Programmer Alex Humva

[Xomeron]

IC:The Astarian government made no official denouncements; there was no official statement of any sort. Betting pools were opened on the result of a war, however.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

IC: The Varangian government continued its silence on the matter of the Waalrusaan/Aquilonian disturbance. A riot on the supercontinent did not affect them, and as they were, to some degree, allied with both involved nations, they could not pick sides at the present time.

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

OOC: So if the colonists are currently going largely unopposed, what with the Aquileonese withdrawing and everything, does that mean I get P11? Sweet :PIC: Unfortunately for the Stan and Aquileonese, the media was not as entirely under their control as they would have liked. Some media moguls had turned to the Hallowed Obodenus, and a few more simply saw the harsh truths behind armed men trying to bottle up desperate and homesick colonists. For every two pieces decrying the Waalrusaan actions there was one pointing out the inactivity of the Stan government, claiming that if they'd arbitrated either way the situation would have been saved, or if Aquileon had been less jingoistic and just let the Waalrusaan settle or even shared then the deaths would not have been on their hands

[Lara White]

IC: A media war ensued, with the more patriotic media outlets decrying that the Obodenian stations were downplaying the tragic deaths of loyal soldiers.Meanwhile, the Aquileonese demanded that the Walruusaan government publicly apologize for their colonists' actions and return them to their homeland, or else Aquileon would protect its sovereignty by force. And, they were clear to point out, no nation in the world would hold them accountable for protecting territory they had already owned that someone else had A: infringed upon, B: refused to apologize for infringing upon and C: killed Aquileonese citizens in the process of infringing upon. And that was after the Aquileonese military had provided them with food and shelter from Aquileon stocks--without Aquileonese generosity, they'd have been out in the cold. The military hadn't been oppressing anyone.OOC: I never said "withdrawing" I said that your guys are marching toward my base.

Edited May 4, 2012 by Lloyd: the White Wolf

[Alex Humva]

IC [standast]The ****storm that was kicked up from those comments could not be understated.In an instant every opinionated Stan with a microphone was on the airwaves, the televisions, every manner of media and communication. There hadn't been a good feud in decades; this was their chance to stir things up with good reasons. Three Stans dead, and the Waalrusaans decried the Stans for not acting? The Stans had no legal or moral obligation in the matter; it was an affair between Waalrusaans and Aquileonese. They had never been called upon, they had never been asked. Opinionated Stans everywhere made their opinions clear to the world, and they could all be summed up in one word; revenge. The Waalrusaans had killed three Stans, and they had the gall, the audacity, to dare to demand that Standast had not done its part? Those three Stans had not killed one Waalrusaan; they had laid down their lives to save the lives of their enemies.And so, with the air filled with bloodlust and rage, it was a remarkable feat of self control that the Waalrusaans residing in Standast weren't thrown into the ocean. The Stan military had been called in to act as a temporary police force, with orders that the Waalrusaans were to be protected... and trusted as far as the soldiers could throw them. The first excuse they got, the Waalrusaan population would be loaded onto boats and shipped off. Until then, it was vital that the Stans not make the opening move; if the Waalrusaans wanted to smear the name of Standast, then they'd have to make the first attempt.

Edited May 4, 2012 by Programmer Alex Humva

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

OOC: Alex, its not the Waalrusaan calling you out. Its your own papers.IC: In response to the patriots it was pointed out that the soldiers wouldn't have died if the government hadn't been so eager to throw them into the line of fire, especially when they were woefully under-equipped. The whole thing reeked of jingoism and empire-lust (the editor who came up with that phrase was especially proud of himself) especially since those patriotic papers were clearly quite happy to tar everyone who opposed the riots as Waalrusaan despite none of them being of Arctungaad descent and only a small number of them following the religion of the Waalrusaan. They also noted the papers failed to mention the many more Waalrusaan deaths that had occurred in the rioting. These sweeping generalisations from the patriotic papers were starting to lose them supporters.The Waalrusaan state responded demanded that the Aquileonese government apologise for denying the colonists any place to settle, for keeping them in what were essentially well-furnished concentration camps and for killing numerous Waalrusaan instead of laying their arms down and trying to solve things peacefully. Also that they concede the land the Waalrusaan had claimed and that they were continuing to trespass onMeanwhile in Stan, the fury was continued with a response to the claim that the Stan had never been asked for help, pointing to the meeting of the Forum that, as a major dispute, had been widely reported. Nobody liked being lied to or misled, the Stan were no different.OOC: Lets see, current riots in Syria, people sided with the rioters over the government forces. Every event in the 'Arab Spring' had people siding with the rioters over the government forces. In the Falklands War the papers stayed neutral and those who were patriotic (The Sun's infamous 'Gotcha!' tagline leaps to mind) were decried as warmongers. And then there's the "Peterloo Massacre" which had everyone up in arms over the use of government forces against a demonstration. So how long until simple human nature has won everyone over to the Waalrusaan do you think?IC: Research on new technology based on the Varangian helicopters had been completed. The new machine had the fuselage and wings of a plane, but instead of engines it had two large proprotors, one on each wing. These could be shifting from a vertical to horizontal position. This gave the machine, dubbed a 'tiltrotor' for its shifting propellers, the same vertical lifting and hovering capabilities of a helicopter but greatly increased, almost doubled, its speed. Plus it could apparently journey to higher altitudes then a regular helicopter but the Waalrusaan weren't sure what uses that gave. As per the agreement they'd share these designs with the Varangians, but they had a contract that needed signing first. They had a few terms and conditions for both parties

[Kothra]

Le Pays du Soleil/Kiserre Territory, Military, and Production Report133年Terr. - IP - #batt. - TSM - 0 IP - 0 - 1 weekST - 1 IP - 0 - 2 weeksMT - 5 IP - 1 - 2 weeksLT - 10 IP - 2 - 2 weeksSS - 20 IP - 4 - 3 weeksMS - 30 IP - 5 - 3 weeksLS - 40 IP - 10 - 3 weeksCS - 60 IP - 50 - 4 weeksSP - 80 IP - 100Provinces (Kiserre - キセッル):M-22 (Ettare): CS - 60 - Jun1M-23 (Kiserre): SP C - 80M-24 (Shimaki): CS - 60 - Jun1N-22 (Arugerre): LS - 40 - May9N-23 (Beruji): LS - 40 - May9N-24 (Akitane): CS - 60 - Jun1Provinces (Euroupa - ユローパ):N-14 (Murelle): SS - 20 - May10N-13 (Kinochiiki): ST - 1 - May10Bases:L-21 (Harushima)Construction: "unitname" (IP-#)M-22: Hashibami (2-20) May15M-23: Hashibami (2-20) May15M-24: Tora MBT (5-5) May10N-13: Kitsune (8-1) May10N-14: Kitsune (8-1) May10N-22:N-23:N-24:Units:Le Légion de Kiserre (28 bat.)—one Legion is twenty battalions (unless stated otherwise) and any other attached units—er Legion - M23- 5 Tora MBT - 1 IP- 6 Kuma MBT - 1 IP- 3 Suzume TransHeli - 2 IP2e Legion - M22- 4 Hyou IFV - 1 IP3e Legion - M24- 6 Kuma MBT - 1 IP- 2 Kakesu LiftHeli - 2 IP4e Legion - N225e Legion - N246e Legion - L21- 1 Fusiliers Aéroportèe - 1 IP- 3 Chuuhi AAS - 5 IP7e Legion - N14- 1 Fusiliers Aéroportée - 1 IP8e Legion - N149e Legion - N1310e Legion - M2211e Legion - M2312e Legion - M2313e Legion - M2414e Legion - N23- 14 battalionsTransport:- 1 AVT-24 Hiryuu - 5 IP - N14- 1 AVT-24 Hiryuu - 5 IP - M23Navy:er Task Force - L21- Yoshikiri. Alphonse - 10 IP   - 2 Ajisashi ASWheli - 3 IP- Yoshikiri. Pierre - 10 IP   - 2 Ajisashi ASWheli - 3 IP- Aozame Maurice - 5 IP- Aozame Guillame - 5 IP2e Task Force - N14- Yoshikiri. Makoto - 10 IP   - 2 Ajisashi ASWheli - 3 IP- Yoshikiri. - 10 IP   - 2 Ajisashi ASWheli - 3 IPOn Hold for Purchase:- 4 Hyou IFV - 1 IP- 6 Kuma MBT - 1 IPProjects:Digital Communication/Computer R&D - 25 IP - Jun10NEA Moon Project - 75 IPIP Total:P: 80+60+60+60+40+40+20+1=361C: 361-10-10-5-1-1=314M: 361-4(10)-5(5)-4(3)-2(2)-8(1)=225R: 225-75-25=125F: 125misakaimouto

[Alex Humva]

OOC...Ok, let me chill for a moment.Please explain to me how you suddenly have control and knowledge of the Stan political and social scene.Basic human nature remains. Except that this isn't human nature, this is reaching out and controlling my people.If you want to control Stan reporters, then they're fringe reporters, nothing more. As well, saying my people responded in fury to the lies is a load of ****; Standast had no special request, the entire Forum was asked. If you're going call me out, call out Xom, Rover, Silvan, everyone else present who did nada.

Edited May 5, 2012 by Programmer Alex Humva

[Lara White]

OOC: Except that the political climate of Strith is entirely different from that of Earth. And your colonists aren't "demonstrators," they're foreigners outright attacking and beating to death people who refused to shoot at them.IC: A few of the media centers who were owned by Walruusaan-sympathetic owners were quietly bought out. Meanwhile, the patriotic papers pointed out that the Aquileon military had given Aquileon supplies to keep the colonists fed and safe until their government had picked them up--which said government had failed to do. Aquileon had done everything within its power to keep the colonists comfortable while still maintaining its own sovereignty.On the whole, however, the Walruusaan-controlled media was considered to be on the fringe of society: most Aquileonese were sane and knew which side was the aggressor in this conflict. It was, of course, the one who'd made the first move, and in this case, that was the Walruusaan colonists.Aquileon, meanwhile, said that their soldiers had, in effect, laid their arms down by refusing to fire on unarmed civilians, and had paid with that for their lives. The lack of respect for the dead soldiers on the part of the Walruusaan government was appalling.~+~ On the continent, meanwhile, the colonists had reached the base. Furious, they rushed the complex (dutifully surrounded by barbed wire et al). As they began to attempt to tear down the sturdy fences, the soldiers inside opened fire with tear gas shells. This had little effect, as there were still many colonists left unaffected, and they had water to wash the gas off of their brethren with. The soldiers attempted to hold them off with tear gas for as long as possible, but as the fences began to threaten to break, the theatre commander had no choice. He authorized the use of live munitions to repel the invaders.The soldiers opened fire, mowing down the disorganized rabble. It didn't take long for the colonists, who had thus far been confident in their effective diplomatic immunity, to realize that they were being shot at by real bullets now. As they were not soldiers, they broke and fled. The forces organized at the facility quickly rounded them up and established a POW camp for them, heavily guarded.News of the altercation reached Aquileon quickly and was published in the papers. The government dispatched both Sabres on classified missions and put their military on high alert.

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

Ok, let me chill for a moment.Please explain to me how you suddenly have control and knowledge of the Stan political and social scene.

OOC: As far as I'm aware you have free media in Standast. So what makes you think that everyone there is going to side with the goverment? If anything most of them would either stay neutral (see my Falklands example) or side against the government because that sells more papers.

Basic human nature remains. Except that this isn't human nature, this is reaching out and controlling my people.

No, I am influencing them. Waalrusaan papers publish their side of the story, it starts spreading as a means to sell papers or for editors as a soapbox.You know I can't help but notice you ignore this sort of thing when its done to other people, but lash out when its done to you. Might want to think on that

Standast had no special request, the entire Forum was asked

Ah, so you accept that you were asked and still did nothing. Therefore the papers are right :rolleyes:And hey, if the other nations were starting a media storm, I would show elements of their society closer to the Waalrusaan defending them. They've stayed out if it though

Except that the political climate of Strith is entirely different from that of Earth. And your colonists aren't "demonstrators," they're foreigners outright attacking and beating to death people who refused to shoot at them.

OOC: Which is why I said 'human nature' We side with the underdog, we can't help it. Its part of intrinsic human arrogance that we think our government is deliberately ignoring us, deliberately mistreating us, that everything that goes wrong in our lives is the universe deliberately mocking us. I don't see why humans in Strid are going to be any different, so its inevitable that they'll start to feel sympathy for the colonists. Why do you think there is no mention of the American and British concentration camps in the history books? Why do you think there are certain images from Vietnam (despite the fact that its the Vietnamese who are the foreigners there) which have such resonance? As a species we just don't like seeing the little guy get kicked. And turning on unarmed protesters with stun guns, batons etc? Thats kicking the little guyIC: The Waalrusaan pointed out that the Aquileonese claims were baseless. They had pressured and escorted the colonists into camps through use of force and then kept them there through armed guard so they had clearly not laid down their weapons. And if they were going to demand respect be shown for the Aquileonese dead, then they should show similar respect to the far more numerous Waalrusaan dead. The Waalrusaan heads of state were still trying to come to a compromise despite the recent fiasco.* * * * * * *Some Waalrusaan paper got hold of images taken from the incident at the mining camp and published them. Images of colonists wreathed in tear gas, being forced limping into a camp, a child cradling a head so riddled by bullets you couldn't tell whether it was mother or father...Something that sensational spread like wildfire through the media of the worldOOC: I'm assuming there are shots from the scene, be they from soldiers themselves, some mining personnel bystander or a photographer on the scene, since that generally seems to be the case ever since photographs were invented, but if you say otherwise Lloyd, I'll happily remove that last bit Edited May 5, 2012 by Armageddon Out Of Here

[Alex Humva]

OOCI assumed when you said 'Stan papers', you meant, Stan peeps. If the Waalrusaans are doing it, very well.As for the implication of hypocrisy... when Lloyd and Xom got into their stuff, I had private messages with them both. Please don't assume I did nothing simply because it wasn't in the topic; I did take action, simply not public action. I told Lloyd to stop assuming and Xom to stop pitching a fit. In the end, it worked out.But since apparently I'm sorely misunderstanding the situation, it'd be epic if you could give me a paragraph or two describing just what is going on.

Edited May 5, 2012 by Programmer Alex Humva

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

OOC: Stan favouring media in Standast start publishing their stories about war dead, valiant heroes, patriotism, etc. Waalrusaan favouring media (either because they've converted to the Hallowed Obodenus themselves, are friendly with those who have, just like those crazy moustaches...anyone that I would logically have some measure of control over) in Standast respond with stories about lazy/corrupt/useless government, senseless conflict, Aquileonese etc.Other media who would have been neutral, or indifferent start picking up the Waalrusaan side of things. Maybe they think it'll sell more than another story about how great Stan soldiers are, maybe they want to further their own agenda, maybe they just agree. Whichever. They start running with it as well.At no point was this the entire Stan media turning against you. I think I said, what, it was barely a third supporting the Waalrusaan?

[Alex Humva]

OOCThen I misunderstood. My apologies. I would like to point out however that bloody feuds are ingrained deep into my society; it's a tradition that is dying very hard and probably won't be gone for another decade or so. What are the Waalrusaan supporting newspapers saying to counter the idea that vengeance must be taken for the fallen? In other societies it could simply be the underdog; in Stan society though, families are well within their rights to hunt down and kill murderers of their kin. The government did itself no favors by preventing that from happening. I'd just like to see how the Waalrusaan supporters are dealing with that. Or why they don't believe that in the first place.

Edited May 5, 2012 by Programmer Alex Humva

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

OOC: By redirecting the sense of vengeance. Thats why their claiming its the governments fault. A "You shouldn't be seeking vengeance on the Waalrusaan, they were scared, lost and alone. Blame the government for not helping them when they were asked, for putting the Stan in the line of fire. It was their inaction that caused it" sort of thing

[Silvan Haven]

IC:For some reason or other, Fillion did not have an official representative at the Forum. That was soon rectified as the situation went from bad to worse on the continent. The overall opinion of the average citizen had been, "You have 500+ square miles in that area alone, why not share?" But as everything had gone from bad to worse, they had started to look at the Waalrusaans in general as a bit power hungry. Fairly few of the missionaries sent to them had found anyone willing to convert, and the few that had were starting to rethink their choices. From their point of view, the colonists were acting in complete opposition of what the other papers were painting of them.Some months before, settlers from all over the world joined together and moved to map point K13. Now, Fillion sent three battalions to the colony as a protective measure, suggesting that the other participating nations do the same. If everybody sent an equal number of troops, then nobody would get any funny ideas about taking the whole thing for themselves. The Fillion government suggested that the photonics research take place at the new colony to provide an equal footing for both sides.Another Fillion company decided to get a jump on the global market. Private security was still mostly empty of competition. It was made up of former military men and possessed state of the art weapons,including small Griun weapons, although use of those were only to be used with approval of the government due to the sensitive nature of the technology.They were also willing to accept members from other countries in an attempt to better operate in all corners of the globe

[Alex Humva]

IC [standast]A war of opinion. The Stans were not masters of politics, but **** if they didn't know how to start an argument.The rival newspapers were soon churning out their heated responses, the Stan citizenry eating it up. A feud over a feud; it was an idea that hadn't happened for eons. The Stans set aside their bloodlust for a moment to engage in debate with their neighbors and friends. The debates began to ever slowly escalate, the government trying to keep a lid on it, the military keeping the peace. But the Stan military still had it's opinions, even if the first thing a Stan did was swear off participation in feuds when he or she signed up. Political rivalries used this debate as canon fodder, bashing one another in hopes that it'd turn well for them next election year.So the war of opinions continued, and the Stan First Minister, tasked with keeping the peace, issued the proclamation that there would be celebrations were to take place after the recent moon shots, with the astronauts involved being given a full parade, a federal holiday being instituted... in general, a week of much partying, drinking, and possible foe yay. It'd break the ice for some time, long enough for the situation to hopefully blow over. If not... well, partying hard is always best before killing each other.

[Lara White]

OOC: You're making a mistake in assuming other people's thought processes here: most people don't view this as gov't vs. people. They view this as Aquileon v. Walruusaan, with the soldiers representing Aquileon and the colonists representing Walruusaan. Usually people will back their government against another government. And so far, Walruusaan's representatives have not acquitted themselves well.IC: In general, the Aquileon populace backed their government in the face of what they viewed as foreign infringement on Aquileon territory. It didn't take long for them to realize that the pro-Walruusaan papers were operated by people who had converted to that foreign religion, and the obvious chain of logic followed in their minds: Since the colonists (representatives of Walruusaan and everything it valued) had killed Aquileonese soldiers and assaulted their base (a declaration of war if ever there was one), that must be the kind of thing Walruusaan valued. Since these people followed the values system of Walruusaan, they must value the same things. At any rate, they're not backing the people who are protecting them, so shame on them. Sales and stocks of companies running pro-Walruusaan stories dropped like boulders tossed over a cliff, and it took less than a month for the owners to realize this wasn't profitable for them, whatever the personal agenda of the owner. The majority of them changed their tune, while the ones who refused quickly went bankrupt.Aquileon's Senate quickly passed a declaration of war against Walruusaan "for refusing to acknowledge sovereign Aquileonese territory and for permitting their citizens to kill Aquileonese soldiers and attack an Aquileonese military base."~+~The pictures weren't leaked--they had been part of a large release of photos by the Aquileon government, along with images of Aquileonese soldiers whose heads had been bashed in and their brains splattered over the ground. Colonists doing obscene things to dead bodies or mutilating those they'd killed, glorying in the deaths of their "oppressors" who'd given them food and shelter, these all made their way into the papers as much as the other negative images that had been in the Walruusaan-supporting papers.~+~The Aquileon military units holding P-11, meanwhile, began to fortify the beachheads that might come under assault for a landing.

Edited May 5, 2012 by Lloyd: the White Wolf

[Alex Humva]

IC [standast]War?Well, that was a new one.The Stans immediately honored their alliance to the Aquileonese, the Congress and Senate pausing their partying in an emergency session. Their decision was passed, 24-13 in the Congress and 21-12 in the Senate. They announced their decision as the partying was dying down; Standast was now at war with a foreign nation. The concept was almost alien to the Stans, but population understood it as a sort of large feud. The war of opinion abruptly halted for a moment, as the people of Standast watched quietly as the First President announced what this meant. Despite being in a state of war, Waalrusaan's would not be mistreated in Standast, so long as they followed by the laws of the nation.Even as this was said, Standast's beaches were armed, the explosives readied. Thanks to their defenses, the only way to make landfall was now via the ports, which were naturally secure. Anything else, be it a landing or escape, would result in something known as 'human salsa.'OOCFirst Battle Group (sixty thousand men) stationed in Europa.Second Battle Group (two hundred thousand men) stationed in Standast.Third Battle group (sixty thousand men) stationed in Europa, moving southward to P-11.

Edited May 5, 2012 by Programmer Alex Humva

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

IC: Varangia, meanwhile, announced its official neutrality in the war, and a general proclamation was issued, opening the borders of Varangia to citizens of either Aquileon or Arctungaad who wanted to seek shelter from the coming war.Meanwhile, police patrols in towns with high immigrant populations were stepped up, in hopes of ensuring the safety of all Varangian citizens.Security was especially tight near foreign embassies, bringing all traffic near the embassies to a halt - including traffic out of the embassies.---The Varangian government expressed interest regarding the terms the Waalrusaans had lined up for the tiltrotors.OOC: Great. If I act against the Waalrusaans (take note: 4 a's, 1 u), I lose a valuable ally. If I act against the Aquilonians (and let me know if that's incorrect - it's the spelling I always see), I lose a valuable ally and spies probably start wrecking things.

[Lara White]

OOC: Grammatically it should be Aquileonese, as you may have noticed from reading my posts. Xom calls them Aquilonians because originally his nation was going to be called Aquilonia.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

OOC: Ah. Which spelling do you prefer?

[Lara White]

OOC: The one I use, naturally. :w:

[Xomeron]

OOC: The Astarians refer to other nations with a demonym that follows Astarian language patterns.IC:Astaria made no declarations. The Astarian Mainland Colonies declared they were open to refugees, and the Astarian Blue Crescent(red cross-like orginization) would offer medical help to troops of either side.IC: VarangiaLady Caliak smiled. "I would certainly be willing to sell the blueprints of our interceptor. Better yet, I could sell three built samples to you, depending on your offer."

Edited May 5, 2012 by cardworkMagician

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

IC: "Our offer is a fully-built naval vessel designed to your specifications, with the option to obtain more of that vessel at any later point."OOC: My most recent inquiry was actually to the Waalrusaans, but thank you for getting that particular ball rolling again.