NationStates Jolt Archive

Since all NS nations are confronted with issues (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=345941), I have often looked at the issues as “canon” - things that are “authorized” by the designer(s) of the game itself and therefore take precedence over anything we players invent.

This is not to say that any or all of these things must exist in your country; rather, I simply maintain that these are things we know exist somewhere in the world of NS, because the issues refer to them.

So what is the value of this list?

In debate, people often make RL references; this often leads other players to say things like, “What is this 'United States' you speak of?” By working from the list below, you can avoid “RL-isms” and instead use “NS-isms”, maintaining more of the flavor of the game.

This is, of course, optional. But I think that it is something all players who engage in debate here (within the N.S.U.N.) would do well to bookmark for future reference.

RL Things That Exist in NS

The TV Show “60 Minutes” - #1
AIDS - #106
The Amish - #41
The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) - #7
BMW's - #62
The Catholic Church - #1, #6, #128¹
Chlamydia - #106
Christians - #3
Frisbeetarianism - #196
Godzilla - #180
Greenpeace - #89
Greens - #167
Gypsies - #198
The “Harry Potter” Series - #3
HIV - #106
The International Red Cross (IRC) - #35
The Internet - #85, #94, #190
“Jennifer Government” - #46, #77
Jews - #128
Mars² - #1
Max Berry - #46, #77, #101 (results)
The Ministry of Silly Walks³ - #177
Nazis - #22
The New Age Movement - #6
The NRA - #20, #129
Pastafarianism - #196
Pepsi - #38 (results)
The PTA - #160
Rastafarians - #147
Slashdot - #77
Space Aliens - #80
The SPCA - #7
“Star Trek” - #129
“Star Wars” - #147
Tasmania - #29, #55

¹There are actually (in RL) a number of churches that call themselves “Catholic”. In the NS version of this church, there are “pastors” and “archbishops”, but there has never been any mention of a “pope” or a “college of cardinals”, so YMMV.

²The planet, not the candy bar.

³Actually, every nation has a Ministry of Silly Walks.

Things That Exist in NS (But Not in RL)

Bigtopians¹ - #29, #190, #194¹
East Lebatuckese - #55
Liliputians² - #29, $55
Marche Norians - #29
Maxtopians - #115, #190
The Order of Violet - #58, #196
Spon Plague² - #107
VODAIS - #168

¹Actually, issue #190 refers to a country called “North Bigtopia”; but presumably these people are just Bigtopians, from an ethnic P.O.V.

²RL literary invention; it is arguable as to whether it “exists” in RL due to its fictional nature.

Pastafarianism doesn't exist? You haven't been touched by FSM's noodly appendage?

Things That Exist in NS (But Not in RL)

Bigtopians - #29, #190, #194¹
East Lebatuckese - #55
Frisbeetarianism - #196
Liliputians - #29, $55
Marche Norians - #29
Maxtopians - #115, #190
The Order of Violet - #58, #196
Pastafarianism - #196
Spon Plague - #107
VODAIS - #168

¹Actually, issue #190 refers to a country called “North Bigtopia”; but presumably these people are just Bigtopians, from an ethnic P.O.V.

Just a quick nitpick. Some of those are RL literary/cultural references, and thus (But Not in RL) wouldn't really be applicable, and they should be moved up to the first list.

Pastafarianism doesn't exist? You haven't been touched by FSM's noodly appendage?Is that Pastafarianism? I thought that was just the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (http://www.venganza.org/)...

I've half a mind to write an issue and have Bob Dobbs (http://www.subgenius.com/pam1/pamphlet_p7.html) and the Church of the Sub-Genius (http://www.subgenius.com/) in it...

BTW, there's an offhand reference to cattle mutilations in issue #80. But then, there's also this (http://www.nationstates.net/Cattle_Mutilators).

(France (http://www.nationstates.net/France) and Turkey (http://www.nationstates.net/Turkey) also exist, but now we're getting into all sorts of mischief.

Just a quick nitpick. Some of those are RL literary/cultural references, and thus (But Not in RL) wouldn't really be applicable, and they should be moved up to the first list.Liliputians? That's a judgement call. Which others are you thinking of?

Liliputians? That's a judgement call. Which others are you thinking of?

Pastafarianism, which Cluich has already mentioned, and the Spon Plague.

Pastafarianism, which Cluich has already mentioned, and the Spon Plague.OK, I found the description of supporters of the FSM as Pastafarians on their site. That one will go to RL.

As for Spon Plague (http://www.hexmaster.com/goonscripts/s08e23.pdf), that's kind of like Liliputians - a judgement call. I will abide by the Will of the Majority.

The important point is that, whatever their RL status, both Liliputians and Spon Plague are real in NS.

Existence is one thing, but the nature of the RL things mentioned in NS could be (at the risk of quoting an issue) something else.

Are those things mentioned in NS the same as their RL counterparts? While it could be debated as to whether the real world or NS world is more twisted on any given day, let's just take the first on the list...

The TV Show “60 Minutes”

Is a NS minute the same length as a RL minute? Probably not, look at rate of RL vs NS population growth. I think most of the NS versions are caricatures of the RL ones.

I guess it all depends on, as an unwise man once said, "what your definition of "is" is"

Are those things mentioned in NS the same as their RL counterparts? While it could be debated as to whether the real world or NS world is more twisted on any given day, let's just take the first on the list...

The TV Show “60 Minutes”...Obviously many of these things will be skewed through the lens of NS. “60 Minutes”, for instance, is referred to as a “tabloid” show; is that really what the RL version is? I don't know. I can only imagine what Slashdot is like...

So, as I said in the footnote on Catholics, YMMV.

(It's good to know that BMW's exist, at least...)

There are actually (in RL) a number of churches that call themselves “Catholic”. In the NS version of this church, there are “pastors” and “archbishops”, but there has never been any mention of a “pope” or a “college of cardinals”, so YMMV.


Actually there have been several mentions of Popes in NS. A couple of them (Leo XIV & Julius IV) are mentioned in the NSwiki article on Catholicism (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Catholicism), but there are others too.

Actually there have been several mentions of Popes in NS. A couple of them (Leo XIV & Julius IV) are mentioned in the NSwiki article on Catholicism (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Catholicism), but there are others too.Does it seem strange to anybody else that we're discussing whether the existence of a pope is canonical? ;)

I consider NSWiki only a semi-canonical source; it's not based on the game engine, but rather player RP.

From Max to the mods to us, throught the filter of tradition (which is where NSWiki comes in).

Does it seem strange to anybody else that we're discussing whether the existence of a pope is canonical? ;)

I consider NSWiki only a semi-canonical source; it's not based on the game engine, but rather player RP.


I generally consider player RP to form the basis of canon, except where the rules stipulate otherwise. In any case, each player remains free to recognise RPs or not. Which is why there are several popes in the first place. ;) The wonders of fractal reality (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Earth).

I can only imagine what Slashdot is like...
/. (http://slashdot.org/)
As for what the NS version of Slashdot is like, who knows?

Frisbeeterianism is real.

And I don't think your forcing your views on IC/OOC onto us all is "good debating". It's just fucking annoying.

Frisbeeterianism is real.

It's true. One of that religion's shaven-headed followers gave me a flower at the airport once.

Frisbeeterianism is real.

And I don't think your forcing your views on IC/OOC onto us all is "good debating". It's just fucking annoying.You're correct; a little research indicates that it was invented by George Carlin in 1975, which I suppose means that George Carlin also exists. I'll move it to RL.

As for your opinion, it is duly noted.It's true. One of that religion's shaven-headed followers gave me a flower at the airport once.Issue #190 says something about people in orange robes who hang around in airports, but lists no name for that religion (in RL, Krishna worshippers, but I suppose that in NS we could call them anything - even Gruenbergers).

BTW, shall we draw the obvious inference from the existence of “Mountain Doobie”?

I think basing UN reality off the issues isn't the best idea. While the same game, they inhabit different realities. If a nation in this forum wants to have 60 Minutes, that's fine, but a reference to 60 Minutes in a Proposal would still get dinged.

I like to keep my created nations seperate from RL. While there are certainly TV shows and websites, I see no reason why they'd be named "60 Minutes" or "Slashdot". Obviously, there is some overlap (Nazis are all too well-known in NS).