How on earth (or Carcaso) am I supposed to write some kind of magical word coagulation to summarize nearly a year of my life? How's it possible to get any kind of message from it? That's like, a measurable portion of my existence. I could go on and on about NS politics and community (love y'all.) I could yell at everybody to treat animals better (please do.) I could do practically anything as my focus for these paragraphs! At least I'm having a fairly good day, typin' won't get boring. Here I go, I guess, I'll start from my founding. I'll keep it short, don't worry.

Originally, I think I stumbled on this region from a recruitment telegram in the early days of planning the frontier. I came back to NS a year or two after first coming from those Drew Durnil vids. I wanted to do more than answer issues. It seemed like such a fun idea, a web of communities built around somethin' nerdy like politics. Since then I've met so many incredible people. I couldn't shout them all out if I tried. Plus, we aren't that big, y'all know who you are :) Some people would call this just another forums. Like reddit or something of that nature. That's absolutely not what we are. The ability to come home from work, school, anything, every day, rain or shine, and have a network of kind friends to talk to (sometimes by VC) is so valuable. The anonymity can allow for even more expression than you could find in person! I can't tell you how many times I've had a terrible day and gotten advice from or just talked to my Carcassonnais friends. Not to mention all the projects! If I don't know what to do, I can always pitch in and have fun.

I love our government, too. Politics was always so interesting to me but seemingly impossible to get involved in. No longer a problem! I can plan against security threats and talk with other governments. How cool is that? This is why I think we've grown so much, so fast. All the opportunities provided in our Crowned Republic. I'm sure that whoever takes over the Presidency will only continue to nourish this beautiful thing we've got. Put their own lil' spin on it, y'know? My sincerest apologies if the reader wanted a more official government address but that just didn't seem right with me. Perfect example of something the next guy in office could change! Maybe their addresses won't be as cringe. They might not have enough guinea pigs in them, though. Enough talking, there are probably far more interesting things you could be reading in this VotP edition so I'll leave you to it.

Take whatever point you wish from this. Whatever it is, I love that for you. For your enjoyment, right? This has been Lad, signing off, for the last time. Thank you so much.
To retirement!1!!!!1!!!

Opinion Piece by Newquay Beach

INJUNCTIONS AS TOOLS OF PROTECTION FOR FRONTIERS

For those who don't know, an injunction is a type of Security Council (SC) resolution that prevents the change to or from a frontier for a region. Many founder-less regions and frontiers such as our own, Carcassonne, have one enacted in order to preserve and guarantee regional security. This prevents a raider force from seizing the delegacy and switching from frontier to stronghold* with the raider delegate as a new governor, now with full reign over the region (which means they are able to cause rampant chaos in the region and community.)

It's safe to say that an injunction is an effective tool to preserve the integrity of a region and the community it contains. However, one might wonder, are injunctions completely effective tools of peacekeeping and regional security on NS? More importantly, is an injunction a sufficient deterrent for raiding forces, thereby preventing any raid at all? Considering the recent events in The Realm of the Whispering Winds, which despite being neither a Frontier nor an injuncted region, may give us doubt before answering these questions. Despite having a liberation, which prevent the passwording of any region and removes any existent password, or perhaps because of it, this region became a playground of sorts for r/d shortly after rebuilding efforts began in spite of the founder's absence.

A once vibrant region was reduced to what is now a permanent void after a back and forth of both SC resolutions and raiding and defending forces seized it. The question stands, can injunctions stop such a thing happening to a frontier? Sure, and injunction can prevent raiders from seizing the governor position, but it cannot prevent an occupation, which can effectively dissolve the community all the same if it is long an occupation enough. It is certainly worrying that raiders may take inspiration from recent occupations, as well as the less recent takeover and refounding of Japan by similar methods.

This concern, however, is only realistic in the case no defender forces flock to support the native delegate, or if raider organizations manage to muster enough endorsements to overwhelm defender efforts. Even if the former is the case, and the native delegate is supported by defenders, it is never healthy for a community to be in the eye of an r/d storm and it can't very well flourish if it is the focus of a back and forth for an extended amount of time. Of course, being a frontier will always be risky by design, but it is in everyone's interest to help keep their region safer.

It seems that, in the end, what is best for a frontier to preserve itself is to have healthy diplomatic relations with other regions and a sufficient safety net to ensure adequate support for the native delegate in case of raids.

*Stronghold: A region made un-raid-able by an all-powerful governor who controls the region.

Opinion Piece by Procyonid Republic

THE DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY AND HOW THEY TRIED TO DETERIORATE TAIWAN (Taiwanese Politics)

It is a sad but true fact to believe that Taiwan is beginning to deteriorate as a result of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) eight-year rule over its government.

With Lai Ching-te, a member of the DPP, winning the recent presidential election, the party is set to continue its leadership for another four years after Tsai Ing-wen’s term ends, meaning that Taiwan will continue to navigate the same political landscape.

The DPP, which supports Taiwan’s independence, ended the long-standing control of the pro-reunification Kuomintang when Tsai Ing-wen was elected president in 2016. Despite their claims of fighting for Taiwanese self-determination and democratic values, I believe the DPP has failed to stabilize Taiwan’s political freedom.
During Tsai’s tenure, Taiwan lost diplomatic relations with several countries. In my view, this is not solely due to China’s influence or a shift in economic cooperation, but also due to the DPP’s alleged engagement in political warfare against China. This confrontational approach has, in my opinion, escalated tensions rather than fostering peace.

Even though the DPP continues to oppose the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) claim to the island of Taiwan, Tsai's transit through the United States, which prompted massive military and diplomatic responses from China, was a provocative act that exacerbated tensions rather than building peace. Furthermore, Taiwan's decision to expand its defense budget to a record of almost USD $19.1 billion in 2024, including an additional $9 billion for additional defense spending over the next five years, seems to be a deliberate move by the DPP to further strain cross-strait relations.

While these funds are expected to be used for domestic weapons projects and parts and technological support from the US, it could be better to utilize them to improve the lives of the Taiwanese people.

The ongoing Cross-Strait tensions between China and Taiwan, exacerbated by the DPP’s actions, are a source of concern for pro-unification supporters.
In the worst-case scenario, the DPP has been steering Taiwan’s foreign policy in a direction that, I believe, is detrimental to Taiwan’s interests. One of the key aspects of this policy is the DPP’s alleged collaboration with Japan.

They, along with Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), have agreed to enhance collaboration in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. While this may seem like a strategic effort to bolster national security, I argue that it has the potential to further complicate Taiwan’s geopolitical position. This collaboration occurs against the backdrop of an intensifying rivalry between the United States and China, with Japan finding itself in an increasingly delicate situation.
What benefits did Taiwan manage to achieve under the DPP rule?

It is clear to say that they have done, particularly, the worst in the span of eight years, compared to the tenure of former president Ma Ying-jeou.
My opinion stands clear that the party under the leadership of Tsai has taken actions that have negatively impacted Taiwan. For instance, the DPP’s handling of relations with China has led to increased tensions and military coercion from Beijing. This has placed Taiwan in a precarious position, potentially threatening its security and stability.

Moreover, the DPP’s governance has been marked by what I perceive as mismanagement and corruption, which have taken a toll on Taiwan’s economy. The expected GDP growth rate in 2023 was a dismal 1.4 percent, a 14-year low. indicating a lack of effective economic policies.
In the 2024 elections, the DPP failed to retain a majority in the Legislative Yuan, and this led to difficulties in governance and policy implementation, further aggravating Taiwan’s challenges. The DPP’s loss of key places like Taipei, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu in local elections also signals public dissatisfaction with their policies.

By the Editor:

This is quite possibly my favorite time on the Carcassonnais calendar. Every three months we get together and debate the future of our great community. Sometimes they are massive campaigns, other times just polite conversation. A bucketload of possibility and excitement. Without wasting any more time, let's get to the candidates:

This is an especially important vote since term limits are ousting both the Citizen-Speaker and MP from office, leaving an entirely new elected government to steer the ship of state for the coming months. For the Minister-Presidency, we have two candidates that could realistically be a first-round majority winner, the other a minority runner. First up, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Reside. Reside is the most experienced this election with years of training in all sorts of powerful positions beyond the Carcassonne wall. They've built up a strong voter base in previous elections, focusing on the votes of higher-ranking Senators, cabinet members, military personnel, and influential nations. Almost like a conservative candidate. Despite losing the race in the mid-2023 election, 'e didn't go out without a fight. Detailed paragraphs flooded the first presidential debate in Carcassonne as Reside locked down his aforementioned base with promises of security and expanded recruitment programs while personalizing every question to try and win moderates who were unsure whether they preferred him or myself (Ladratia) for the highest office in the Crowned Republic.

Who could possibly rival this titan of a candidate? Well, sensing his opportunity thanks to Reside's laxed campaigning, Minister of Education Procyonid Republic launched into campaign-mode. My success 6 months ago wasn't a stroke of luck, a great plan to be elected is to go all out on hard-work and a progressive vision to excite any and all citizens. This is exactly what Rako (Procyonid's nickname) was aiming for, ruining Reside's plan of an unchallenged victory. Only time will tell who wins.

But what about Citizen-Speaker and the last candidate for MP? See, those are far less exciting. The last candidate for MP is Pyronesia. They have no previous experience, goals, or election game-plans but they will surely get 110% of the vote given that they have "beaten dark souls at least once." They are running for both CS and MP. Jokes aside, many minority candidates you may recognize like Dragonia and Mongehai are running for the head of the ecclesia. Realistically, the winner will be Karlsefni (or just Karl for short) who helped Porfloxonne legislate in their term three months ago and have notably detailed campaigns. Who knows though? If joke candidate voters, Dragonia stans, and a billion other aspiring politicians will form a powerful bloc that could destory Karl's historic lead through our democratic system of ranked choice voting. Only time will tell!