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**[size=100]The East Pacific News Service**[/size]
January 31, 2020
**CCD Attempts to Infiltrate TNP, Fails Miserably**
By Tretrid
On January 19, the delegate of the North Pacific, McMasterdonia, released a https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=209015&start=450#p36643947 stating that the Confederation of Corrupt Dictators attempted and failed to infiltrate TNP.
The report goes on to specify that Jocospor, the founder of CCD, had two nations enter TNP “as part of a long term operation to become Delegate of The North Pacific.” The report also states that United Massachusetts, who was TEP’s WA Minister at the time, was also involved.
However, things did not go to CCD’s plan. One of the infiltrators spent time getting involved in TNP’s RP, the other only applied to the Executive Staff, and United Massachusetts slowly drifted away from the operation. An entire year into the infiltration, and the agents hadn’t even gotten into any senior position, much less become Delegate.
By January 9, McMasterdonia was alerted that one of the agents was a spy for CCD. On January 15, The Chuck, a former administrator on CCD’s Discord server, confirmed to TNP’s government that those nations were spies.
In response to the report, CCD released https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1308714 stating that Jocospor was busy with RL and started attempting damage control. The response on the NS forums slammed the statement as “underwhelming” and noted that the CCD still refused to admit their mistakes.
Meanwhile, on CCD’s RMB, Jocospor claimed that Chuck was a traitor out to destroy CCD, and later suggested that there was “some sort of invisible script” on the Discord server “which bypasses various security protocols.” People on the NSGP forum noticed, and noted how ridiculous such a prospect would be.
On January 21, the CCD posted https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1309420 and had Jocospor resign from the WA and have someone else be Delegate. However, it was pointed out that this was a symbolic gesture only, since Jocospor was still the founder and therefore still had absolute authority over the region. Jocospor then https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1311093 that they would cut their sabbatical short, due to the fallout of CCD’s infiltration.
On January 22, the nation 2nd Imperial German Reich stepped forward and admitted that they were the one who sent screenshots and info to The Chuck. They subsequently left CCD and plead guilty to the charges against them.
The response to TNP’s report was quick. TNP’s allies quickly condemned CCD’s actions, https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=475813&p=36644857#p36644857. The NPA also quickly mobilized and raided regions that were aligned with CCD.
CCD’s failed damage control also lead to internal upheaval. On January 31, Riakou https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=480440 about half of the nations in CCD, despite being banjected by another RO about halfway through.
**An Interview with Todd McCloud**
By Tretrid
*Todd McCloud has been one of the mainstays of TEP’s government for around 10 years now. Todd has served 3 terms as Delegate, and is a longtime vizier. Todd has also been heavily involved in forum RP, roleplaying the nations Vekaiyu, Listonia, and Isklevyu. Under the name “D. L. Nighly,” Todd has written the books *https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1092470 *https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1164213* https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1256542*, based off of his RPs on the forums. Todd is currently serving as a Magister and Vizier, and is working on his third book.*
**Tretrid:** What first brought you to NationStates?
**Todd:** Well, I actually wanted to connect with people from Poland. So I probably typed something of that nature into a search engine, and the game came up. I founded my first nation (Cavask) in what I believe was TNP, then moved said nation to the region Poland, where I started to understand the game and its appeal.
**Tretrid:** What lead you to discover R/D?
**Todd:** I discovered R/D because it came into my backyard. Poland's founder ceased to exist, and we were raided by the Blades of Conquest (BoC). I had no idea who they were, I just wanted them out. So they left, and then a defender region, Zurich, came in and asked to speak to the native delegates, of which I was one. They determined that they would refound the region. I didn't want that, cause they weren't a part of the region. So, another region, Catlandatopia, said they wanted me to be the founder and they'd help me refound it. I of course chose that option. After that, I let Cavask be my founding nation and I used my other nation, Todd McCloud, to cruise around NS
**Tretrid:** What brought you to join TEP?
**Todd:** In 2008, I really wanted to go into the feeders, which was actually spurred by a big conference held by Gatesville, which was one of the top 3 UCR's of the day. I wanted to see if I could be one of those few former raider delegates, but I didn't realize how much work would go into that and how much of a hill I'd have to climb. I joined TEP and TSP, but spent most of my time in TSP. I then moved over to TRR for a bit. When The Empire thing came about, I was curious and, after looking around, decided to join to see what's what. I sort of followed whatever Kandarin did, cause I knew them from TRR, knew they were respected, and knew they liked TEP. There were purges towards the end of Phedre's reign, which caused him to leave, so I left too and started learning about the region before all this began (granted, I tried and failed at joining the RP's in early 2008 / late 2007). ASBS gained the delegacy, and I stuck around to try and help build a functioning concordat. I learned from a lot of folks, like Elu, TAO, Kandarin, FPS, and several others who stuck by.
**Tretrid:** What did you do in your early days in TEP?
**Todd:** I roleplayed, I learned, and a few months later I ran for delegate, relying a lot on Kandarin and TAO for advice.
**Tretrid:** What led you to decide to use Vulpines for your RPs?
**Todd:** When I was 14-16, I wanted to write. I was in a lot of the math classes, and, well, I was more or less pushed to be an engineer or a scientist, cause that's how I'd afford college. But I loved the allure of writing and reading. I wrote vulpine characters because I joined a starfox RP forum, because I wrote down what my likes were and figured that would be something neat to try out (it wasn't my first one to look into - I tried baseball forums but sports can be disappointing). So, I'd RP, write, RP, draw even, and write some more. I gravitated towards vulpines since they seemed unique, I figured I could write about them, and I figured they had a bad stigma about them in stories that could use someone to buck the trend. Ah, I just thought I could make fox people and give them mostly human but some animal traits.
**Tretrid:** What was it like to start RPing?
**Todd:** Oh. TEP at that time was tough when it came to RPing. They didn't put up with a lot, and you had to learn as you went. There was no retconning, so if you messed up, and your character died, well, that was that. Folks like Kandarin, FPS, DFD, Allegheny, EM, Lazlow, Dannistaan, and several others forged this era of RPing. Vekaiyu ended up getting sucked into a civil war brought on by poor leadership and heavy influence from other nations, which wanted to see it torn apart! I had a lot of characters die off. The first character that showed promise was Ikrisia, then Stapen came along. Those two helped forge Vekaiyu into what it was by couping the Vekaiyun dictator and starting a revolution, respectively.
**Tretrid:** Why did you decide to run for Delegate?
**Todd:** I wanted to try it. At that time, the concept of having a raider delegate, even a former one, was still taboo. Folks like Blue Wolf in TNP and Kandarin helped ease that concept a bit. I also think that the addition of Osiris and Balder interjected a lot of R&D politics into feeders and helped normalize those a bit. Either way, I wanted to prove that a former raider, or even a current raider, could do a bang-up job as a delegate. To be fair, there were those who wanted me to coup, and others who egged it on, and others still who met me over MSN or IRC to ask what my deal was. I didn't want to, never really wanted to, actually. I grew to love the community.
**Tretrid:** What was it like to be Delegate?
**Todd:** Honestly, it was fun. I had a lot of fun, cause I decided to try and be encouraging and tried to make a game out of how many nations I could bring to the forums. Delegating is a lot of work, true, but I'd say it's 20% making decisions 30% not making a hasty decision and 50% talking to other nations.
**Tretrid:** What did you decide to do after your first two terms as Delegate?
**Todd:** I almost left the region, to be honest. But I decided to stay on, RP, and help where I could. Truthfully, a year of someone being a delegate can bring about stability, but the person doing it can be subjected to burnout. It's kind of like how geese fly south. The lead goose doesn't always fly in front - it does so for a while, then glides in the back to rest a bit while another one blazes the path forward. Not all regions do that, but I think that system works best for TEP.
**Tretrid:** What did you enjoy the most about TEP?
**Todd:** Its welcoming atmosphere, the fact that it would allow anyone a second chance for in-character infractions.
**Tretrid:** What made you decide to write a book?
**Todd:** When I was 16, I tried to write a story. A teacher who taught the accelerated reading class noticed it and asked if she could read it. I handed the draft to them, and two days later they told me it sucked and that I should just stick to math. It devastated me. I threw it away and stopped writing altogether. I stopped going to the RP forum I went to. I was too embarrassed to really try again. Years later, I tried my hand at RPing. I was discouraged at first, but for some reason I kept at it cause I really wanted to have a character live for a change. The longer I stayed in TEP, the more drawn out my responses were, and I realized I was writing pages to respond to a few paragraphs. I wondered if it was being read as consequence - it's easier to read a paragraph than it is to invest time in reading a long response. I also started to write more independent plots, which is not good for RPing. So, I decided to try to write a book. A few chapters cascaded into more chapters, and for some reason, the story just kind of flowed out. It deviated heavily from the RP's I've done, but it stayed within the typical NS-common themes of coups, diplomacy, uprisings, and so on.
**Tretrid:** Do you feel that there’s anything particularly unique about your books?
**Todd:** Not really. If so, perhaps because they deal with fox people? I sorta think all books are unique to a degree!
**Tretrid:** And finally, are there any words of wisdom you’d like to give the readers of EPNS?
**Todd:** Build the community you belong to, and don't limit yourself based on how others define you.
**Tretrid:** Thank you for having the time to be interviewed.
**Todd:** Thanks for the q's, and the time!
**Why Valsora Needs A Villain**
By Zukchiva Yura
Stories are tales of conflicts. Of how characters develop and change over time as they face a variety of issues, big and small. This idea of conflict is what drives storytelling all around the world, and is a fundamental concept of literature. And because roleplaying is a more involved and hands-on way of telling stories compared to traditional formats, it’s no new idea that roleplay is filled to the brim with various conflicts, no matter the type of roleplay it may be.
A conflict is generally a problem the protagonist in a story faces. Conflicts can be anything from the actions of other characters to an internal conflict within the protagonist. However, one prevalent instigator or embodiment of conflict is a villain, or the antagonist. As the villain escapes from or attacks the protagonist, the protagonist develops and changes (as characters do against non-human conflicts as well). In other words, stories with villains often would not work without a villain. Valsora, TEP’s RMB RP, also requires a villain to function.
Valsora is a very political roleplay by nature. Set in a world with similar rules and natural laws as real life, its political nature and dynamics are interwoven and intertwined with the decisions made by its characters on multiple scales. Usually, roleplay consists of the political interactions between nations, and their governments, leaders, and armies.
The roleplaying world of Valsora has always primarily been a roleplay that’s needed a villain to generate a good amount of conflict. Traditionally, the most powerful nation (commonly named the hegemon) within Valsora has always been some sort of nation that frequently engaged in international conquests, taking the land of others for themselves. The antics of the hegemons have always spurred on alliance activity, broken and formed national relations, and in general continuously pushed the continuing story line of the roleplay.
However, recent times have seen to Valsora becoming a stagnated and overall less interesting roleplaying world. Being a community member may make my opinion more biased than it should be; however, I have also seen others who have either expressed the same concerns or just went inactive and CTE’d after a while. Simply because there is nothing to do. And the reason for this is because Valsora has no dominant villain as of right now.
With no hegemony existing in Valsora, there’s no true reason for alliances to form, and no friction to emerge between nations. Peace, as is in real life, is a preferable option, and is surprisingly easy to achieve when a superpower is breathing not down your nation’s back. The issue with peace is that Valsora is a war driven roleplay, due to the history of the roleplay community and its culture. While attempts at other forms of roleplay such as fairs and whatnot have been tried, war has remained as the dominant roleplay type of the planet.
This is not to say that war is gone from Valsora. Sadly, we are still a bunch of warmongering humans who want oil! However, the fact is that Valsora needs a villain because it’s only then that world tensions will rise. Without fear and terror, nations settle into the lull of peace; therefore, they settle into the lull of boring roleplays. Without a villain, Valsora is listless, stagnated, and barely engaging. That, my readers, is why Valsora needs a villain.
In the end, stories do exist that have no villain. Whether Valsora becomes such a story in the future or not, it’s obvious that, at least for right now, a villain is needed to bring back Valsora to the old days of active and inspiring writing and roleplaying.
**An Ode to Aurora**
By Tuva
Aurora is a continent that I doubt most people in Nationstates, heck, even The East Pacific are even aware about, but it holds a special place in my heart, as its formation set the stage for so much about Urth (TEP Forum’s name for their map) as it stands today, and so much about why I love this RP community. I first joined TEP alongside a friend of mine (If you’re reading this, HI FORT!) who had already been in the RP community for a time. Applying for citizenship and drawing up my map claim back then, I hadn’t realized that at least eight other people, many of whom still RP to this day, had also laid claims there around the same time. Many of those claims conflicted and overlapped with mine, not to mention the same was the case throughout every other part of the continent; right off the bat, Aurora as we know it today was pushed into its first conflict before even being on the map. How could one resolve this? Well forum-user and fellow Auroran map claimer Alix (claiming for Caltharus) had the excellent idea of establishing a thread where we all could hash out and rework our claims to better work with our neighbors’ claims, and from there we could submit a map claim encompassing all of us in one fell swoop for the cartographers to use for the update. It took us about two weeks, and after a few claimants CTE’ing and new ones taking their place, and me (reluctantly :P) relinquishing my claim over a certain coveted chili-shaped lake, and after plotting out our capitals and major cities (we even got Dragonia to plot theirs out), we were ready. We submitted the claim, and in that moment Aurora went from being almost entirely made of empty space, save for primarily Xiopothos and Dragonia, to becoming the first continent (at least in recent memory) to be fully and completely claimed. Truly a sight to behold when we finally had finished it up and were added to the map, to finally see our hard work pay off in such a wonderful way.
This exercise in cooperation and debate is a shining example of why I have stayed in TEP for three, coming on four years now. Aurora as a whole has been a wonderful experiment in trying out new ways to roleplay, and has maintained a unique level of activity unlike any other part of Urth; detailed maps have been drawn, history timelines written, and countless stories told, all about this one slice of Urth. Even though we had filled out the map back then, we still made room for newcomers to join in, from Xagrurg to the Oan Isles to the far-off island of Blueacia, and even with these new additions, we all still share the unique identity of Auroran.
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