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by The Impeccably Arranged Snark of The West Pacific Master Dispatch. . 395 reads.

The West Pacifican - April 2020

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/EOMtxNQ.png[/img][/center]
[background-block=#000000][center][color=#000000]All your chocolate belongs to Darkesia[/color][/center][/background-block][hr][hr][float=left][img]https://i.imgur.com/3ZvNm2q.png[/img][/float]
[float=right][img]https://i.imgur.com/fmqM3Se.png[/img][/float]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/WyYX1Ro.png[/img][/center][hr]

[sidebar][center][size=140][b]Contents[/b][/size][/center][hr]
[list][*][url=#CrabKing]Ask Crab King[/url] (sidebar)
[*][url=#puzzle]Word Search[/url] (sidebar)
[*][url=#crabs]Crabrave Addiction Strikes TWP[/url]
[*][url=#videogames]Video Game Nostalgia, Pt. 2[/url] 
[*][url=#nsfaves]What's Your Favorite Part of NS?[/url]
[*][url=#comic]Pacificball[/url]
[*][url=#trivia]Trivia and Crabs[/url]
[*][url=#3perfections]The Three Perfections[/url]
[*][url=#recipes]Recipes for Shrimp[/url]
[*][url=#wa]The WAR on Inactivity[/url]
[*][url=#HoN]Hall of Nations March Update[/url][/list][/sidebar]

[sidebar][center][size=140][b]Announcements![/b][/size][/center][hr]
[list][*][b]We Wear Blue on Thursdays![/b] TWP is dedicating every Thursday in April to Autism Awareness & Education. Watch [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=rmb/postid=38054182]the RMB[/url] for more information.
[/list][hr][/sidebar]

[sidebar][anchor=CrabKing][/anchor][center][size=140][b]Ask Crab King[/b][/size][/center][hr]
[center][b][size=80]By [nation=noflag]Crab King[/nation][/size][/b][/center]
Welcome to your favorite feature:  Ask [strike]Dilber[/strike] Crab King! This month, you shall hear from your favorite leader of the crabs-in-the-government-in-exile, the same as it is every month!

[hr][i]Dear Crab King,

[tab=15][/tab]Why are you so friendly?

Love,

—Everyone in the region (including the so-called “anti-crab” movement)[/i]

Dear Everyone,

[tab=15][/tab]Crabs are always this friendly.  It is a well known fact that crabs are friends, not food.  This is best shown with our friendship with the Sasquatch.  They’ve clearly been sending messages to “Send Over Some more crabs!” Our legs are great for scuttling and giving massages, and our pincers provide the defense that the region needs!  We even give gifts to other regions, that are totally not full of crabs!  With all that in mind, of course I am friendly!  Anyone that says otherwise hasn’t been seen since, and if they were telling the truth obviously they would repeat it.

[hr][i]Dear Crab King,

[tab=15][/tab]I am a member of the revolution, and clearly a trusted one at that.  The revolution is using Old Bay as a weapon, but I once heard it was a weapon of the GA to damage the sovereignty of the West Pacific.  Is this true, and should the revolution change it’s ways, or risk being a tool of the GA forever?

Sincerely,

Not a Crab Spy[/i]

Dear obvious traitor to the crabs and totally not a crab spy,

[tab=15][/tab]If you were in my sight, I would high five you so hard with my pincers that clearly you could not be a crab spy.  You have heard correct!  The revolution is currently committing war crimes against their friends.  Old Bay has long been a tool from the World Assembly to impact sovereignty of the seas!  Everyone knows that crabs are friends, not food.  Old Bay is a threat to everyone, and those that use it are tools of the World Assembly and are not true West Pacificans!  All true West Pacificans should avoid using Old Bay as a way to help fight the General Assembly!  Anyone using Old Bay, and it’s cousin, butter, are clearly enemies of the sasquatch and should be relocated to a fish farm up-region.

[hr][i]Dear Crab King,

[tab=15][/tab]What are your goals?

Sincerely,

NSGP, but as a person[/i]

Dear NSGP,

[tab=15][/tab]We merely wish to dance and have fun with all of our friends.  We will bring together all regions in friendship, with everyone getting their own personal human assigned friend.  Please, accept all gifts—from us.  They aren’t full of crabs!

[hr]We hope you enjoyed this regular edition of Ask Crab King, and look forward to next month!

[/sidebar]

[sidebar][anchor=puzzle][/anchor][center][b][size=140]March Puzzle![/size][/b]
[hr][size=80][b]Created by [nation=noflag]Darkesia[/nation], the one your chocolate belongs to[/b][/size][/center]
How many crabs can you find?

Send your finished answers to [nation]The West Pacific Master Dispatch[/nation] to be featured in next month's paper!

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SALVfex.png[/img][/center]


[floatleft][list][*]CRABS
[*]CRABS
[*]CRABS
[*]CRABS
[*]CRABS
[/list][/floatleft]
[/sidebar]

[anchor=crabs][/anchor][center][size=300][b]Crabrave Addiction Strikes The West Pacific[/size][/b][hr][b][size=80]By [nation=noflag]Mystic Skies[/nation][/size][/b]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/9k8F2qC.jpg[/img][/center]

[Editor's note: This article was written before the Crabs invaded TWP en masse.]

There is an epidemic of dancing crabs flooding the hollowed halls of the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ office ever since Dilber was seen dancing to music only he could see in his head. Since his return, he has only spoken in the music and waves of crabs flooding everywhere. Our dear MoFA has simply lost the plot. From Bran’s office, to the hidden alcohol cabinet, to the cultural affairs office, crabs have been turning up everywhere.

Whenever Dilber speaks, he now mimics only crabs’ movements. He calls it the crab rave, but our diplomats have attempted to speak to him only to be replied to by dancing crabs. We have been lost as our leader mimes his words in only a way he can understand.

An intervention must be staged. Dilber’s addiction has grown from a mere liking of crabs to his entire office is decorated in crabs that bob in ways that ensnare the visitor. Once you visit, you can’t escape and you too start dancing to the mysterious crab mystic magic that has now ensnared TWP.

Given reports of various regions, Dilber’s only response was to dance with a crab. Asked how he was, he responded with a click of his crab claws. Dilber has started to become an actual crab and it is not only Dilber, but our cabinet leaders who have also fallen victim to this terrible affliction.

Over sixty crabs have been counted and growing each day, it is spreading from corner to corner, office to office, nook to nook, soon, the region will be eclipsed in crabs! They dance and no work or booze can be enjoyed, only dancing cruelly to the music and the whims of Dilber.

Dilber has simply lost the ability to this mysterious magic and he needs our help to break free of it.

We call upon the Crabs Anonymous intervention to free Dilber from the cruel intentions of these crabs, we must send them back from where they came from a far island. Dilber clearly has been lost to the allure of the waving crab paws of these dancing crabs.

If we don’t stop him, soon our entire region will fall to this insidious dance and we shall be lost for all time.

Rebel against our crab dancing overlords! Free Dilber!

[hr][anchor=videogames][/anchor][center][b][size=300]Video Game Nostalgia, Part 2: The Plot Thickens[/size][/b][/center][hr][center][b][size=80]By [nation=noflag]Fuentana[/nation], Poet Laureate[/size][/b]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/h7bFaoT.jpg?1[/img][/center]

[Editor's note: this article contains spoilers for Fallout 4 and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Read at your own risk!]

Do you remember the precise moment when a video game plot floored you? Beyond graphics and simulation of reality or alternate reality, some of the most enduring games are plot-driven. The story and the world can have you hooked, and eventually shook. People identify with the protagonist, with the cause, with the cosmic struggle of good and evil. Sometimes it is a matter of salvation, redemption, love, or revenge. Here are some of the memories that our residents have shared.

[nation]Recuecn[/nation] shared about the character’s motivation in Fallout 4. From the get go, the player is hit by a haunting trauma: the protagonist’s wife is killed. “I was really into Skyrim, which is kind of similar. In Skyrim I just abandoned the main quest and went about my life. But having my wife killed and son stolen really gave me the drive to follow the main quest and get him back.” When I asked Recu how long this haunted the game experience for, Recu replied: “The whole game. It really became my character's driving motivation. You spend the main quest tracking down the institute, who are the people that did this to you... and then when you get there, you find out that your son has become their leader and there's no one for you to take revenge on. I didn't know what to do.”

Few games can match the creativity and life-based plot of the Sims series. But sometimes the players can be a bit more like Protoss Archons: the power is overwhelming. [nation]Teralyon[/nation] and [nation]Mystic Skies[/nation] both shared some great memories. For Teralyon, the control aspect of the Sims provided an opportunity to start again with a splash. “In the original sims I hated the avatar my ex made of me so while she was away from the keyboard (AFK) I made it go for a swim and removed the pool ladder and made it drown then quickly put the ladder back.” Did she notice? “Oh she noticed alright. She never accused me but I’m pretty sure she knew I did it since she didn’t reload the save, but she would pause the game from then on when she went AFK.” Teralyon, however, relented with a future Sim version and let that one live. 

There are some players with true ingenuity and creativity who push the boundaries of what is possible in games like the Sims. [nation]Mystic Skies[/nation] had a lot of great anecdotes about Sim 3 gameplay—some of which won’t fit into the space allotted to this article, others of which should not be recounted in the newspaper of record, so here are a few highlights. “I have to admit that some of my most memorable moments come from offing my pixels in devious ways… In Sims 3, along came the cowplant. I used to draw my neighbors into the nefarious house only to feed them for a luscious snack for my cowplant. With enough kills, I would milk my cowplant for the age defying elixir. The holy cowplant could not be more revered than my golden cow of a plant. How I love my cowplant.” Well, it is the circle of life, right?

It is also true that all’s fair in love and war, so this great cowplant was also accessory to what is probably one of the game-defying possibilities for romance. Notes [nation]Mystic Skies[/nation],  “I once wanted a baby with the Grim Reaper, but he often disappears too fast to build romance. I would lure an innocent sim, feed him to the cowplant and romance the Grim Reaper. It took about 5-7 sims before I finally had my glorious wedding and kid. There is nothing better than the spectre of death on a lot as the lovely music of babymaking plays overhead.” That’s essentially the same trade off as in the film Saving Private Ryan, so I have no doubt that Baby Grim Reaper made it worth it all. One thing is for sure: the pixels don’t mess with these two players. 

As for me, there’s one game moment that really had me shook. Many years ago, I returned home from college to find that my brother had picked up the PC version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. As a fan of the world of Tom Clancy and war films and games, I was instantly hooked. I deeply connected with the ethos and the pathos of the plot. I had no idea how explosive the plot would be early in the game. During the level “Shock and Awe” (obvious foreshadowing in retrospect), the player character’s platoon of Marines participates in an assault on Basra, Iraq. After helping to extract an advance team, the team has to rescue a downed Cobra pilot in a small window of time. Caught up in the action, I barely noticed the audio cues that mention that US forces discovered a nuclear threat. After rushing to the Cobra and back, the mission seems to be going fine until the nuclear bomb detonates. I was floored. The aftermath level was just as haunting. 

It might be the case that life in isolation has left us with extra time to get reacquainted with great games. Whether they get you hooked or leave you shook, games open up stories and worlds, worlds that I am ready to dive into now more than ever in the great indoors.

[hr][anchor=nsfaves][/anchor][center][size=300][b]What's your favorite part of NS?[/b][/size][hr][b][size=80]By [nation=noflag]Boda[/nation][/size][/b]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/o52kJGX.jpg?1[/img][/center]

Hello, I am Boda and my favorite thing to do on NS is to build lore and make flags and emblems for my nations. So I went around asking other people what they liked to do, and here are the results!
[center]~~~[/center]
[b]Josh:[/b] I've always found foreign affairs related to things quite interesting. Not so much the grunt work of being a diplomat, but the higher-level strategic planning and discussion of it all, as well as collaborating with other regions on specific projects. I suppose the latter thing expands beyond foreign affairs too, given that one can cooperate with others over cultural events like festivals too, and I've done that before. There's a certain attraction to being at the center of international goings-on, wouldn't you agree?
[b]Boda:[/b] I've never done FA before until twp so like… Maybe.
[b]Josh:[/b] It's also pretty interesting to see all the differences between regional communities on NS. I've done some scouting around for newer UCRs with potential in an FA capacity for Osiris before, and while that was ultimately unsuccessful for me, it did give me a heads up on some backwaters to avoid XD
[b]Boda:[/b] Osiris seems like a big place, huh?
[b]Josh:[/b] I mean, it is the 7th largest region. I definitely miss hanging out in that discord. Oh well.
[b]Boda:[/b] Why is Foreign Affairs so important to smaller regions? Or why do you think so?
[b]Josh:[/b] Why d'you ask? I really don't think particularly small regions will get very far with FA. You probably want 100+ nations before doing anything. I certainly waited for that threshold in the STU (Social Technocratic Union).
[b]Boda:[/b] Well why is it important for bigger regions? There are a lot of big regions that are quite isolationist.
[b]Josh:[/b] A lot of those regions are backwaters with no conception of good conduct, lol.
[center]~~~[/center]
[b]Reçueçn:[/b] I really enjoy sports roleplay: it's the perfect combination of creativity, collaboration, and competition, and it's great to see storylines come together as you work towards a tournament win or a certain ranking or something. That's as far as actual activities go. But my favorite thing about NS is the genuine friendships I've made, and those come from roleplay groups, regional government, trading cards, all sorts of places.
[b]Boda:[/b] Could you explain further on why sports RP is a perfect combination?
[b]Reçueçn:[/b] For sports RP, there's this balance between plot and worldbuilding, and since you're doing it with other people, you also have the freedom to interact with others as much or as little as you like. And then, of course, it's naturally competitive, since your teams are playing against other people's, and you want to win, but it's collaborative as well as you tell stories together. Other kinds of RPs I've done don't intertwine people quite the same way. And sports rp doesn't all have to be writing, either. Coming up with sports teams give lots of opportunity to people who prefer to do graphic art, or nerd out about numbers or stats, etc.
[b]Boda:[/b] How do you feel about the randomness of sports rp? Do you think it's alright to let a machine dictate a whole roleplay?
[b]Reçueçn:[/b] That will always be an ongoing conversation as people debate which formulas they think are best, etc., but sports RPers have had years to develop programs that are very good at walking the lines between realism and randomness, too much information and not enough. I think the fact that scorinators give just the basic result but don't say [i]how[/i] it happened is perfect: people have a broad guideline to follow, but they can decide what actually went down. In other words, I disagree that the machine dictates the whole roleplay—the story is still created by the players. If you tried to do a sports RP where people decided together what the scores were, I don't see how that could almost possibly work, if the sporting event is the main focus of the RP. And having one person decide unilaterally is even worse.
[b]Boda: [/b]So what do you write about most of the time in a sports RP?
[b]Reçueçn:[/b] Lots of people write match reports, that's probably the most common. I prefer character RP with a bit of worldbuilding, so usually, I'll pick a player or athlete of mine who I like, and write about something that happened to them outside of the game, or what they're thinking as the game goes on. Sometimes I do more general worldbuilding pieces about sports in my nation.
[center]~~~[/center]
[b]Overthinkers:[/b] Building bureaucracies, because I have issues.
[center]~~~[/center]
[b]Giovanniland:[/b] Hello! My favorite activity is NS Trading Cards (that should be obvious for those who know me). You can make collections of everything you want, and also know a lot of great people who also trade cards! These people can help you with your collections while you're helping them for their collections, too.
[b]Boda:[/b] What tips do you have for people who want to get big on NS trading Cards? Either having a big bank, a lot of cards or just a mix of both?
[b]Giovanniland: [/b]Depends on what you're aiming for. I personally have both. But one thing is needed - you must create lots of card farming nations, in which you answer issues each to get more cards and bank for you, to sustain your collection.
[b]Boda:[/b] Do you ever feel it may be a little tedious towards new players?
[b]Giovanniland:[/b] Nah. The cards community increased a lot since I joined it - there is now an unofficial guide for cards which pings every new nation interested in cards based on their first sales and buys, so they can have a better look at the game. I didn't have that when I joined, which made me make some pretty bad mistakes at the start, but once I learned advanced tactics it became fun.
[b]Boda:[/b] Where should one learn tactics for NS Trading Cards?
[b]Giovanniland:[/b] I think [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1301085]this[/url] is a great guide for starters (note: while made by TNP, it's not necessarily only for them, but rather for all of NS as said on the disclaimers).
[center]~~~[/center]
[b]Bran Astor:[/b] I have two things I enjoy doing in NS:
[tab=15][/tab]1. drawing flags, maps, logos, and banners
[tab=15][/tab]2. creating festivals, programs, and events
I'm not sure why, but I've always done it during my time in NS. I suppose it's something not many players can (or want) to do, so it's the least-crowded path to making a memorable impact in a region.
[b]Boda:[/b] Could it be that it's a passion of its own? Maybe you've always liked the act of creation.
[b]Bran Astor:[/b] Indeed. However, I joined NS because I was playing a wargame called [url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060315135739/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/06/superpower.html]Superpower[/url] and somebody mentioned a browser-based political simulator in the forum. I didn't come here to create, but to find another nation-building game of conquest.
[center]~~~[/center]
[b]Halo:[/b] My favorite things to do in NS are to play D&D and converse with friends. D&D is a fun break from reality. Keeping up with my NS friends is also my favorite because the people are the only part of all this that are real ... and therefore the only part of NS that really has any value.
[b]Boda:[/b] Is there a D&D setting built into NS?
[b]Halo: [/b]No. We just use a chat on Discord... and actually play it on Roll 20.
[b]Boda: [/b]Then keeping in touch with your friends on NS must be really important to you
[b]Halo:[/b] I have made some good friends here.
[b]Boda: [/b]What advice do you have for new players to make friends in NationStates?
[b]Halo:[/b] To make a friend, be a friend. Try to connect with people with similar interests. Be kind. Listen.

[hr][anchor=comic][/anchor][center][size=300][b]Pacificball[/size][/b][hr][b][size=80]By [nation=noflag]Teralyon[/nation][/size][/b][/center]

[center][img]https://www.westpacific.org/forums/uploads/monthly_2020_04/NSTWPcomic001-8.thumb.png.fbd5018dc3be19147c0eb7eebad0c1ce.png[/img][/center]

[hr][anchor=trivia][/anchor][center][size=300][b]Trivia and Crabs[/size][/b][hr][b][size=80]By [nation=noflag]Recuecn[/nation]
Illustrations by [nation=noflag]Crab King[/nation], who does not have opposable thumbs.[/size][/b]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/8Sf979y.png[/img][/center]

You'll have noticed a new fad sweeping the West Pacific recently—that's right, trivia! On discord, the creation of a dedicated channel for playing Trivia with TWP-chan, our trust bot, launched a wave of trivia enthusiasm as players tried their hands at naming capitals and identifying flags, or showed off their knowledge of Greek mythology or random crap from the year 2016. 

Unfortunately, TWP-Chan met with some mishap: the word is still out on her recovery, as well as what kind of incident she encountered that did her in. Trivia-lovers everywhere mourned her departure. Seeing that the grief wasn't going away and that people were still bringing it up days later, our delegate [nation]Bran Astor[/nation] graciously introduced to the server his own personal bot, Harry Hendertron. Harry was able to do all the same trivia categories as before, and it was also discovered that he could provide a leaderboard of trivia winners, which added even further motivation.

The most enthusiastic player of trivia—or "wheel of jeopardy", as the discord channel is called, is most likely [nation]Giovanniland[/nation], who easily tops the leaderboard through the sheer amount of games he's played, but also thanks to his unbeatable knowledge of world geography. There's almost no point trying to beat him in global categories.

[floatright][box][center][img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/689606596145577990/692465695375491163/unknown.png?width=240&height=300[/img]
[size=75]One of the crabs astride her seahorse, during
the underwater polo game.[/size][/center][/box][/floatright][nation]Nieubasria[/nation] and [nation]Marinas Island[/nation], however, have a higher average score the the games that they [i]have[/i] played. Marinas Island, in fact, has never lost a game, meaning they have a perfect 10 points per game. An impossible to beat record! But if you'd like to give climbing the trivia leaderboard a shot, or if you just want to test your knowledge, join the TWP discord and find us in the trivia channel!

Obviously, trivia hasn't been the only wave—or should I say, [i]rave[/i]—to hit TWP lately. It doesn't take a keen eye to notice the crustacean invasion: TWP is, or was, until very recently, infested with crabs. It all started when our friend [nation]Dilber[/nation] stumbled upon [url=]a magical island full of dancing crabs[/url]. Soon enough he found himself bewitched and transformed into the [nation]Crab King[/nation]. His minions began to follow him everywhere, dancing as they went. Often, they could be seen following him around discord, waving their claws back and forth under the posts of those with whom he spoke. Dilber, naturally, embraced his new following, and they began to come out in greater numbers, soon latching on to others who expressed their admiration of the crabs, such as [nation]Fuentana[/nation].

Of course, TWP did not get crabs without at least some folks expressing their disapproval. "We're overrun with crabs!" they cried. The crabs are taking over!" Soon this controversy drew the attention of the crabs themselves, and they began to flood into TWP, led by the Crab King who appeared in person, the Dr. Jekyll to Dilber's Mr. Hyde. Fortunately for TWP, the crabs came in peace. They claimed the WFE, installed the Crab King as a Regional Officer, and took hostage the guardians and delegates. But they did all this without bloodshed, and for the good of TWP. The crabs were friendly to locals, hostile to marsupials, and didn't double-post on the RMB—some even participated in Friday Karaoke! Yet despite this, a few people refused to be taken in by the allure of the crabs. This group of people—the majority of them pro-marsupial—launched the Anti-Crab Resistance, ceaselessly protesting against our new benevolent crab overlords. The crabs, meanwhile, held a poll to determine who should be king, and it was determined (to no one's surprise) that the Crab King should rule. He handily defeated his opponent, the Crab King (but as a first option).

All this came to a head when the election for Secretary-General began. TWP's candidate, [nation]Giovanniland[/nation], was originally staunchly anti-crab. But pro- and anti-crab sentiment could not keep a community as strong as TWP's divided. The crabs protested Giovanniland's anti-crab platform, saying they'd love to endorse him as [i]their[/i] candidate, too. Couldn't we all get along? After all, marsupials were the perfect scapegoat. And so the crabs and anti-crabbers united on a strong anti-marsupial platform, and there was peace once more.

The crabs decided to celebrate as they always did: with a rave. But this time they added to their festivities with a game of their favorite sport: underwater polo. One might think from the name that the game resembles water polo, but in fact it is played on seahorses and is actually just polo, but underwater. The crabs divided themselves into two teams: "Crabs," and "Crabs, but as a second team." The teams' rosters are reproduced below.

[table][tr][td]Crabs[/td][td]Crabs, but as a second team[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Crab King[/nation][/td][td][nation]Crab King but as a second option[/nation][/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Crabniss Everdeen[/nation][/td][td][nation]escaped farm raised crab[/nation][/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Captain Crab[/nation][/td][td][nation]the spanish incrabsition[/nation][/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]insert crab pun here[/nation][/td][td][nation]Obiwan Crabnobi[/nation][/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]TyrionCrabbister[/nation][/td][td][nation]deep sea crabs are a thing right[/nation][/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Jon Snowcrabryen[/nation][/td][td][nation]CrabKhal Drogo[/nation][/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]red five aka lukecrabwalker[/nation][/td][td][nation]pointcrab[/nation][/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]old bay supports genocide[/nation][/td][td][nation]granny smiths crab apple[/nation][/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Wedge Crabtilles[/nation][/td][td][nation]John Crabmbo[/nation][/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]a crab down by the river[/nation][/td][td][nation]Dany Tarcrabyen[/nation][/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Hail a taxi crab[/nation][/td][td][nation]not a crab spy[/nation][/td][/tr][/table]

[floatleft][box][center][b]1st Annual Crab Underwater Polo Rave[/b]
Crabs 8–12 Crabs, but as a second team[/center][/box][/floatleft]It was a long and hard fought match. Of course, it's hard to describe exactly what happened if you don't know all the rules and intricacies of underwater polo. So you'll just have to trust me that both sides used lots of really great strategies, employed some cunning tactical moves, and displayed some impressive feats of athleticism. In the end, the crabs won the day, defeating their opponents (also crabs, but the first team) by a score of 12 to 8.

Unfortunately, the crabs would soon find themselves in hot water. No sooner had Gio united the crabs and the anti-crabbers with his Secretary-General campaign, than the West Pacific roused itself, as if realizing the spell the crabs had cast over it. Bran Astor freed himself from the crabs that had taken him hostage, and ordered his guardians to begin The Purge. And so, the very same day that TWP had finally made peace with the crabs, they all found themselves being trebucheted into the rejected realms. For twelve hours, the guardians ceaselessly ejected crabs, nazis, card farms, and puppets, and by the time TWP hit major update, tot a single crab would be left in the region.

The reign of the crabs, then was beautiful, but short, leaving behind itself only an anti-marsupialist Sec-Gen campaign, and a dance tune, annoyingly stuck in everybody's heads...
[center][box][img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/644892456202010624/694318173641638019/crabart.png?width=723&height=406[/img]
[size=75]Some crabs, but on the second team, celebrate their victory by jumping up and down. They are blissfully unaware of the coming purge.[/size][/box][/center]

[hr][anchor=3perfections][/anchor][center][size=300][b]Festival of the Three Perfections[/size]
[size=175]An Interview with the Organizer[/size][/b][hr][b][size=80]By [nation=noflag]Mystic Skies[/nation][/size][/b]

[img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Landscape_painting_in_the_Chinese_style_by_Sh%C3%BBgetsu%2C_Honolulu_Academy_of_Arts.jpg[/img][/center]

The Three Perfections was held during February 2020. More than 50 participants submitted unique works, with categories such as best limerick, best haiku, and best free verse poetry. The channels were full of humorous haikus, one fondly recalled, "Kitty's Butthole," dedicated to all those cats out there that show parts that aren't quite so endearing. 

Best graphic designs were submitted by Libertanny, TEP's MoFA, while the prize for handwriting went to a Kinyarwanda study journal, by our Guardian, Resu. An essay dedicated to the transition of life was written by FreshStep, and winning haikus were written by including our very own Giovanniland. There was a wide range of photography and talent exhibited at this festival. It was a pleasure to see how talented people across NationStates are.

From drawings to haikus to original stories, there was a wide berth of talent displayed at this festival. This is the second time The West Pacific has hosted such a festival, and I decided to interview Bran Astor, current Delegate of the West about how he came to TWP and his own history with the Festival. It took many dedicated staffers to organize such a successful event and the festival was heavily engaging for participants and staffers. 

[b]1)  How did you originally come to Nationstates? What is your history with TWP, and how did you become delegate of TWP? What drove you to become so active in the region?[/b]

“Last Christmas marked eleven years in NS. I stumbled upon it while visiting GolemLabs' SuperPower forums. Someone mentioned it and CyberNations. Happy to say I chose wisely… or maybe not. I can never tell for sure.” - [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1232920]July 2019 interview[/url]

I came to TWP on the recommendations of Dalimbar. I was pretty much ready to leave NS after an emotionally draining year and the old Barney Stinson routine of Have you met Ted? From How I Met Your Mother. I believe I joined in March 2017 and spent several months simply hanging out in the Discord not paying much attention, but enjoying the atmosphere. I think it was June when  I made a splash with the Java Roger seal for the TWPAF adoption of piracy. I became a Guardian for the first time that October.

[b]2) With more than 50 participants, the Three Perfections took quite a bit of planning.. What gave you the idea for the festival to begin with? What was the idea behind it?[/b] 

Three Perfections was conceived by Halo (Saint Mark) as part of the then new Imperial Chinese theme and is inspired by the traditional perfections of poetry, painting, and calligraphy. While some describe it as a Chinese-themed festival, it’s actually all about art and highlighting the creative ability of all players.

[b]3) What was your favorite part of the Festival?[/b]

The volume of quality content. While the first festival had great turnout and participation, this year eclipsed it. I’m both excited and terrified by what we poor judges will face next year.

[b]4) What was the hardest part of running the Festival? The best part about running it?[/b]

The hardest part is self doubt. Trusting that I didn’t overlook anything, that I adequately communicated the vision, that people will want to join and participate.

The best part is seeing the turn out and how excited the participants were to share their work.

[b]5) Planning events like Three Perfections within regions is a key part of engagement in Nationstates . What did you view as the top success of the most recent festival? Are there are tips you would give to other regions for their own engagements?[/b]

The top success of any festival is whether or not people were excited to participate. The fact we’re a couple weeks out from Three Perfections and folks are still talking about it on Discord tells me we nailed it.

My advice to others is first, to stay away from activities that don’t allow full engagement (like lectures and panels), that more than often is too much, and second, that simple details make big impacts (i.e. clicking the rocket emoji to enter the OWL-20 Space Festival).

[b]6) What events have you run in the past in TWP and what sort of events do you view as important in the future?[/b]

[list][*]Created Today in the West (previously Coffee of the Day)
[*]Created Haikuesday and Thank You Thursday
[*]Created the original RP map and server
[*]Created the TWP Wine Guide
[*]Yelled at Resu until he finally agreed to host TWP College Football and Rugby tournaments.
[Editor’s note: not how I remember this happening, but go off, I guess.]
[*]Developed Halo’s idea for Festival of the Three Perfections
[*]Developed OWL-20 with Fujai and counterparts from Lazarus and Osiris
[*]Established Burning Marsupial, a TWP-TEP festival
[*]Established West Osi Highschool Prom, a TWP-Osiris festival
[*]Established Festival of the Frozen Dragons, a TWP-Balder festival
[*]Co-created #TWPride and Dalimbar’s Drag Race with Dali
[*]Developed Casserole of Humanity from a dispatch about TWP by Badger[/list]

I believe the interactive events that engage a player’s imagination and creativity will continue to be important. Three Perfections is successful because it’s not about a lecture or silly spam games, but about celebrating creativity. Prom with Osiris was incredible for the same reasons. We skipped panel discussions and sales pitches by creating god-awful playlists, silly prom photos, and a yearbook worthy of print.

Another important part going forward is creating multiple levels of engagement within events.The recent rugby tournament and our wine guide are examples of this. The wine guide doesn’t require more participation than an RMB post describing a vineyard, winery, bed & breakfast, or strawberry ice cream shop. Rugby only required a signup post, but allowed participants to go so far as to create rosters, uniforms, and side stories about PED use and landmine protests.

[b]7) What plans do you have for the future of TWP? TWP is working on commendations right now, what role do you think other people can play in TWP's future?[/b] 

TWP needs doers. We are fantastic dreamers and clever strategists, but we tend to stumble when it comes to seeing a project through to the end.

[i]The West Pacifican[/i] is a good example. This is the first time in its history it has been published on a consistent monthly basis. It’s also the first time it has had such a large staff of writers, artists, and editors.

Our Regional Guides (formerly CommRangers) are another example. These are volunteers who make personal contact with new nations, provide information and guidance on the RMB, and now help produce our daily [i]Today in the West[/i] feature.

You mentioned the commendations. It’s time for the West to become an active steward of its own history. We’re seeing a flux of Security Council authors unattached to our region passing commendations and condemnations with alternative accounts of our history. This needs to stop and the only way to make it stop is to write and pass our own resolutions. This is where the new regional commendation program in the Hall of Nations comes into play. It’s goal is to engage not only one or two authors, but to tap into the thoughts, memories, and experience of all sixty or seventy recognized citizens to lay the groundwork for a whole slough of commendations (or condemns).

[b]8) What is your opinion on crabs?[/b]

Potatoes of the sea! Cook ‘em, mash ‘em, put ‘em in a stew.

[b]9) What advice do you have for people that want to become more involved in TWP?[/b] 

Be creative. Be brave. Be patient. Eat Funyuns. 

We love people who want to roll up their sleeves and get to work, but don’t forget NationStates is a marathon. 

[hr][anchor=recipes][/anchor][center][size=300][b]Recipes for Shrimp, Our Unfortunate Cousins[/size][/b][hr][b][size=80]By Tamatoa the Coconut Crab, with [nation=noflag]Fuentana[/nation][/size][/b]

[img]https://blogmedia.dealerfire.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/394/2019/03/cooking-shrimp-banner.jpg[/img][/center]

“Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That—that's about it.” - Bubba

As Bubba famously said, there’s a million things you can do with shrimp. Our cousins are sorry little ingrates, so we have no qualms enjoying them as snacks. Here are some of our favorite shrimp recipes:

[i]Fuentana’s Shrimp Tacos [/i]
1.5 lbs uncooked shrimp, tail on
2 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
½ tsp paprika
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs butter
1 tsp cilantro
¼ cup lime juice
2 cup shredded green cabbage
¼ onion thinly diced
tortillas 
Chipotle mayonnaise

[list=1][*]Make your ritual ablution to the Crab King for the bountiful harvests of shrimp. Remember Bubba, whose life goal was to run a shrimping boat.
[*]Season the uncooked shrimp with chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
[*]Mince garlic and cook in button over medium high heat. Add shrimp and saute for 2.5 mins, then flip and cook for another [*]2-3 mins, or until shrimp are cooked. Remove from heat to let rest. Remove tails at this point.
[*]Separately chop up cilantro, add to shrimp. Mix thinly diced onion and shredded cabbage with lime juice. 
[*]Serve in tortillas with chipotle mayo and optional cheese and enjoy
[*]Make your post-meal ritual ablution to the Crab King[/list]

[hr][anchor=wa][/anchor][center][size=300][b]The WAR on Inactivity[/size][/b][hr][b][size=80]By [nation=noflag]Sensorland[/nation][/size][/b][/center]

We’ve made great strides in the past months to promote activity in TWP. We’re hitting record participation in regional elections, Bran’s endorsement count is consistently rising, and we recently hit our March to 600 goal, and are moving into the Spring to 650! In the middle of all this is the Ministry of World Assembly Recruitment. Having recently stepped into the role of Minister, I’ll be doing my best to follow in the footsteps of Badger and continue our WA growth and promote activity throughout the region. I plan to work closely with our Regional Guides and WAR staff to engage with new players and continue TWP’s growth spurt.

I want to thank [nation]Big Bad Badger[/nation] for the excellent work he’s done as Minister. He’s been excellent to work with, and I am excited to continue building upon his efforts. He provided some comments as outgoing minister:

“I would like to remind the region to stay vigilant with endorsements. Endorse each other and get as many nations up to the endocap as possible. Regional security always has to be our number one priority!

I would also like to thank everyone who has assisted me and made me look good as WA Minister. Altino, Anna, and Davelands who have, over the years helped to "write the script" on successful endorsement campaigns. 

I would like to thank Bran for having faith in me and having my back when others didn't. I really respect the work that you are doing in the region and the energy you have brought back to TWP. We have a lot yet to do, but our goals are in reach!

Lastly, I would like to say that I am so proud of our region and our Meritocracy! It is a good feeling when I can step away from the responsibility of a ministry and I know that it will continue thrive and surpass what I have built. This is a great time in TWP! Young nations willing to put in the effort, will be rewarded! Our system is the best in the NSverse. And the individual nations that make up TWP is the reason why! Stay strong and crab on!”

I also want to thank Aelitia ([nation]Nieubasria[/nation]) for stepping in as Deputy Minister. While I haven’t had the pleasure of working with Aelitia for long, he’s already done great work in the ministry, and I’m excited to be working with such an experienced player. Here’s what he has to say about his work in our endorsement campaigns:

“My thought process on gaining endorsements and promoting the March to 600 is simple- support the existing WA community in the West Pacific. By supporting, I specifically mean adopting a strategy of regular reminders AND ease-of-access to cross-endorsements with a focus on dispatches. 
   The first efforts were focused on publishing dispatches with lists of WA nations not endorsing the Delegate to make it as convenient as possible to endorse him, and maybe making it somewhat inconvenient to not endorse him. I developed a visually appealing format for this type of ‘Notice’ dispatch which can be seen [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1333407]here [/url].
  The second efforts were to get a list of all WA nations in the region accessible to [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1333539]“The Masses”[/url] so we can promote cross-endorsements and total numbers of endorsements. A vast majority of nations do not have easy access to endo-tarting tools or lists, so I intend to keep the dispatch updated to be our version of an endo-tool for the public as a reference.
   In the near future, I intend to develop some more advanced tools of rewarding or recognizing WA nations in the West for various metrics. The hope is that we can promote WA nation retention and participation via ongoing dispatches in the ‘reference’ and ‘notice’ styles respectively.”

Finally, I want to highlight the great work our Regional Guides have been doing. In addition to contacting and recruiting new nations, they have been taking part in the Today in the West initiative, with [nation]The Unified Missourtama States[/nation] (TUMS), [nation]Giovanniland[/nation], and [nation]Fuentana[/nation] each taking a week to make the daily announcements in February. This month, I turned over my position as Today in the West Coordinator to Fuentana, TWP’s Poet Laureate, who I think is the best voice for that service right now. TUMS has been an especially hardworking regional guide, so I asked him to comment on the program:

“The Regional Guides are the front line of the WA and Recruitment of the region, they welcome new nations into the game, helping them understand the game and support the region. The Guides have many responsibilities and projects, including: reaching out to every new nation to help them endorse the Delegate, providing a helpful presence on the Regional Message Board, writing the New Players Guide, publishing Today in The West, and being an overall helpful presence in the region. The Guide Program is also a great first step to leadership, for more experienced nations who want to join a ministry for the first time.

The Regional Guides Program gave me a chance to rise to leadership and gain a name in the community, I learned many new things about the game, and had a great time working with new players and helping with Today in The West.”

We have a long road ahead of us, and I personally am very excited to continue supporting the region and our delegate by promoting mutual endorsements, building up activity, and letting our meritocracy bring out the best in everyone. #ForTheWest!

[hr][anchor=HoN][/anchor][center][size=300][b]Hall of Nations March Update[/size][/b][hr][b][size=80]By [nation=noflag]Giovanniland[/nation][/size][/b][/center]

Hello all, this is the Speaker of the Hall reporting. You may ask, what has happened within the Hall? I know, we’ve had some inactivity the last months, but this was set to change in March. The Hall, along with voting on elections every 3 months, was after the election a place to discuss Regional Commendations – somewhat similar to the SC ones, but specific to our region. 

The first step was discussing who was to be commended first. After all, we have nearly 17 years of NationStates. So many people who have changed the history of the West Pacific! While many of them sadly do not play the game anymore, it is still great to recognize their contributions. Many citizens contributed on the discussion, naming great examples of former Delegates or long-time members of the region, such as TAO, Westwind, Darkesia, and Winnipeg, for example.

After the discussion, 24 citizens voted on a poll to choose who would be honored with the first regional commendation, with Winnipeg being chosen, for their over a decade long contribution to the regional forums. This is not to be misunderstood though, because other members will be honored eventually.

With the honoree chosen, it was now time to draft the commendation. It is one of the Speaker’s duties to do that, and so I did. The regional commendation of [nation]Winnipeg[/nation] has since the start of the discussion (March 19) received feedback from a lot of Hall members, and is currently on the final phase of drafting, to be brought to vote soon. [Editor's note: at press time, the commendation had been put to vote and passed.]

Thanks for reading this update! Next month I’ll be sure to bring more updates about these Regional Commendations. Last but not least, I make you an invite: if you are reading this and you aren’t a Hall member, be sure to join it [url=https://www.westpacific.org/forums/index.php?/forum/92-citizenship-applications/]here[/url]!

[hr]
[size=80][b]The West Pacifican Staff - [/b] Acting Executive Editor: [nation]Recuecn[/nation], Editor-in-Chief: [nation]Fujai[/nation], Editor-at-Large: [nation]Bran Astor[/nation], Assistant Editor: [nation]Darkesia[/nation], Staff: [nation]Dilber[/nation], [nation]Fuentana[/nation], [nation]Giovanniland[/nation], [nation]Mystic Skies[/nation], [nation]Podium[/nation], [nation]Boda[/nation], [nation]Sensorland[/nation], and [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1256894][i]YOU[/i][/url][/size]

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