Toro a Cuadros (Plaid Bull): Culture Magazine of the Meridian

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The Premier Culture and Lifestyle Magazine of the Western Hemisphere Hemisphere - Natalian Edition
Now published in Sollegan, Engell, German, Carian and Neo-Tiburan - 20 Quris
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Announcing the beginning of a Long, Hot Winter
Composed by Eva Varela

The winter break is now in full swing and students from all over Callao, Santa Fe, San Juan or Heredia are enjoying a a sweet 3 week break to return to their normal shape after being mangled by the exams before returning to the 2nd semester. But today's students coming together in places such as the Rambla in Callao or the Mia Prats Square in Heredia or the golden beaches in Puntarenas, on the shores of the Implarian aren't your typical guys and gals just happy that the exams are over. No, behind the parties with good music, cheap beer and smoking joints, one can find a political consciousness which you haven't really seen in the nation since the late 1960s.

This human be-in that we see today has been described by the hawkish and conservative press as a "national convention of beach hobos" but today's students are taking a stand for they don't want to see their brothers and sisters and friends fighting in Pannonia or Germania. Many or them are disgusted by the continuous state of tension coming the East, in Gallo-Germania and many are even more disgusted that the Ranchero government has pushed Natal to become the most hawkish nation in the western hemisphere.

Between them are members of the NRA, the National Republican Association, militating for the de-colonisation of Himyar and for the replacement of traditional chiefdoms with free and democratic republics and of the SDS, the Students for a Democratic Society, which acts as union of student federations, fighting for cheaper education and for more autonomy for universities. They are all over the place, yet, they are just a radical minority.

The majority of them show that the younger generation doesn't want to follow on the footsteps of their ancestors and keep a vicious circle alive. They are there as a protest for their want a freer society that doesn't impose on them ideals and values that they see as reigning in on their individualism.

"I am just living. That is what I say to people who ask me what I do. I tell them I live. They don't understand. They think I am an idiot who didn't understood the question, but in reality, they didn't understand the answer. They can't imagine life without the aspiration to get money so they can consume. They don't understand that I enjoy my freedom and if I am to work, I will work for subsistence, not to just consume to the sake of consumption and own objects just to own them," stated one of the jolers as a reporter from Plaid Giraffe talked with him about their movement.

Many see those be-ins as a form of protest against Natalian presence in Loago, describing it as an illegal imperialist war, or against the Ahmari rule in Cabaon, condemning the Hippo administration for propping an absolutist regime. Others are revolted by the state of the Rehabilitation through Labour Scheme, condemning it as a way for the corporations to avoid paying upstanding citizens by leasing prisoner labour extremely cheap. Others are condemning the culture of consumption and waste that exists across the world and wish to see greater respect for the environment. Others are condemning the social nepotism that still exists in Natalian society and want to see it disappear. They are all very different, but they are brought together by their youth and their hope for a better world for the next generations.

They are revolutionaries wanting to make their mark felt this winter. But they are not the revolutionaries that have created the Constitutional State of Touzen, or the Kadikistani Union, no, they are revolutionaries of thought. The world is be a better place by changing mentalities. They are ready to fight for love and peace, "they greatest drugs" as they call them and they are happy to do it.

"I see the future communal. That is the only way to go forward in respect to the planet itself. You see, Harton is the 3rd most agglomerated city in the world. It feels that half the time, travelling through the city is just one huge traffic jam. Do we really need all those cars? Most of them have only the driver in them and no passengers? Do we really need that? We need to escape all this rat race, all the stress and living in match boxes so we can really enjoy our humanity and community," state some other joler.

Let it be known that the Long, Hot Winter of love and peace has started and that the next generation has learned from the mistakes of their parents and ancestors and instead of continuing what they see as wrongs, they are ready to put a stop to them all.

OTHER ARTICLES:

• SoNat Sounds: How the acoustic guitar, drums and flutes are revolutionising music;
• The New World that needs to be: an Essay by NRA Chairman Simba Sibanda;
• The Loago War Aesthetic: why the stories of returning soldiers can start an artistic current about dehumanisation and manipulation;
• Organic Gardening: Tips from the woman who started it all, Unathi Khumalo;
• Microhomes: a revolutionary way of living the good life, close to nature;

 

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The Premier Culture and Lifestyle Magazine of the Southern Hemisphere - Natalian Edition
Now published in Pelasgian, Rozvian, Dawamalian, Wala and Kamachina - 20 NAP

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NATFLICK: Killing film culture or popularising it?
Composed by Gugulethu Kachipande

It's been four years since the Natalian streaming service NATFLICK, has started streaming in the Federation of Natal, first in the Republic of Lower Natal in 2015 and then expanding a year later into Upper Natal and the Free State of Langfield and in 2017 into the Northern Chiefdoms. Since then, evolved from 700,000 subscribers to 11 million inside the federation. Now, NATFLICK is turning to the international markets and we will try to see what this means for the streaming service and for the film industry of Himyar, surprisingly one of the most active in Europe.

As per the first goal behind the NATFLICK project, the role of the service was to create an online database of all the flicks and series produced by the Wakerley and Blackmere studios in Natal during the years for a measly price of 30 Nappers (Natalian Pound/NAP) a month. Of course, during the years, the company has started joining together with the FIC to find capital and with the aforementioned studios and independent movie producers and rather than just showing old Natalian movies, to start creating it's own.

Currently the biggest success of NATFLICK is the revival of the old Natalian soap opera, Nobody's Perfect. The series has been first created in 1975 and still continues to this day with thousands of episodes, with two hiatuses (one between 1978-1980 and another between 2009 and 2014, when NATFLICK took it over). It tells the story of the fictional Golden Creek Cattle Station and the people working in it, tackling issues such as adultery, polyamory, droughts and economic problems, teen pregnancy and the attraction of urban centres. It has been revived by NATFLICK offering a whole new generation of tenants at the already famous cattle station and attracting a young audience.

Some of the critics have stated that the big money now existing behind the NATFLICK, especially since it got support from the Ministry of Culture and it accessed FIC funds attract independent film makers and transforms many of their production into soulless commercial ones. The best known example for this is the sequel to Waiting for the Rain, an independent drama about an Mbunda family and how a drought is wreaking havoc in their community. After it was taken over by NATFLICK, Waiting for the Rain transformed into a franchise, with Waiting for the Rain 2 gravitating around the same family, but this time with the son trying to access FIC funds to build an irrigation system, which surprisingly has some comic undertones showing the bureaucratic absurdities of the system. That one was followed by Waiting for the Rain 3, which ends up being a romantic comedy.

"It just shows how a movie that showed how hard farmers from the northern cheifdoms have to work for their livelihood, was transformed into some sort of absurdist rom-com by the corporation," stated Peter Wells, a movie critic and professor in Filmography at the Sunbelt University. On the other side, the producers from NATFLICK responded: "We understand that the original message might have been diluted. But the truth is that the first move was made 30 years ago. Life was very different in 1989 and much harder than today. In reality, the Mbunda state has been described by many as a gem in central Himyar as it had a huge upturn in the last 20 years, being literally the most developed of the Northern states, on par with the Free State of Langfield. Of course droughts are still problematic, but a part of that development naturally comes with an improvement of the life quality in the region. I feel that a much more optimistic vibe, which still shows some of the problems faced by the people there can show like in Wynyard or Port Salima, where the movies are set in, in a much more realistic way. We will do a great disservice to many of those communities in the north, if all that we show them off only like famished and impoverished people. A trip to Mzuz, Chama or Wynyard might dispel many of those impoverished Himyar myths."

NATFLICK is set to go global in three stages, first in the Engell world and the rest of Himyar, then in Gallo-Germania and Scania and finally in Toyou. It will continue to offer the full set of Natalian productions, together with original creations but it will also open up to foreign productions. Directors have stated that the price for the monthly subscription will remain at 30 Nappers, the equivalent of 10 Engell Pound Sterling.

Other Articles:

• Natalian Games open to all: An interview with Mangosuthu kaMpande, the director of the Natalian Sport Commission on the importance of opening the games to foreign athletes at it's centenary.
• The Longer, Hotter Winter: How rash responses from authorities in Propontis and Camp Hill might light up a generational powderkeg.
• Where is Matipa Moyo?: What happened to Coogee Street's best performed and the 5th wife of the Rozvian King?
• Umqhomboti: How to brew your very own organic All-Himyari beer in 5 easy steps.

 

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The Premier Culture and Lifestyle Magazine of the Southern Hemisphere - Natalian Edition
Now published in Pelasgian, Rozvian, Dawamalian, Wala and Aurarian - 20 Imali
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The Carnival is back is back in town
Composed by Karen "Sunshine" Reynolds

"Celebrating Natal doing great things" is the motto of the ministry of culture, working together with the Board of Tourism is pushing to transform the nation into if not a cultural capital of the world, at least in the top five in the world in exporting it's cultural influence around Europe. Through this motto one could have seen the set up of the Jacaranda Cup, the Blackmere International Film Festival, NATFLICK, the Apollonian Games, financial aid for the tourism industry and now the Harton Carnival.

Deeply linked to the nation's catholic cultural element, inherited from the first Gunnish colonists, intertwined with the Tiburan (Larsian, Retalian and Friulian) and Aurarian carnival traditions and then made even greater by the addition of the Himyari elements to it, the Natalian carnival has a two centuries long history in which it turned from a celebration of the end of winter, as it was seen in the Gallo-Germanian nations, more to a celebration of life itself, as the wet season comes to an end in March, thus celebrating the lush lands, but also seen as a one great, final party taking place before we all transform into Piety itself, with Lent starting.

In the early and mid 19th century, while still under strong Gunnish and Marpesian influences, the Natalian carnival was seen by authorities being in bad taste, especially when it was so close to the important and sober Lent, which comes right before Easter, Christianity's most important celebration. On a secular side, the authorities were concerned that such a celebration in the cities of Harton, Parow and Blackmere could be just breeding grounds for anti-social behaviour that would in the end, slowly sap into the morals of the society.

Later, as Aurarians and Tiburans came, a joy of living life was infused into the Gunnish colonies, and a much more relaxed attitude came to be, which became even more so when the Rozvi Empire united with the Union of Central Himyar, creating Natal, mixing in the zest and lust for life one could see in South Gallo-Germania and southern Himyar, while still keeping the respect for the faith and the fasting of the lent coming from the Gunns.

Today, the carnival starts on the afternoon of the 21st of February and ends on the 26th, at midnight. It is celebrated in Harton, Camp Hill, Parow, Blackmere and Mzuzu, with the biggest and most important events taking place in Harton, the capital of the Lower Natal Republic. During this week, the city centres will be closed off in the evenings, as besides the official parades which take place in Harton, Camp Hill and Parow, there are many unofficial ones in which members of the public participate too, and street partying is seen as the norm. Besides those are the official parades in which the dance schools, especially those specialised in traditional Shambo styles from central and southern Natal, but also more northern Semba or Kwela, which has influenced Afro-Westernesse styles too, but also the more modern Sax Jive, Highlife or Himmy-Beat.

The event is seen as an important attraction for many tourists that wish to discover the cultural origins behind many of today's very popular music styles like reggae, blues, raggtime or jazz, now listened all over Europe. The popularity of the carnival has seen sister movements like this spring up in the Dune Sea too, with the one in Sandhavn being worthy of a mention, but also in Loago, in Bulawayo, Kariba and Maseru, with the latter three being extremely important as they are the first taking place after a three year pause because of the war.

Other Articles:

• He is from far away. He is human too: Discussion on the current refugee/immigrant issues that have hit Eastern Himyar and why Natal isn't their destination, but stop on the road to Eiffelland, Lars, Friuli or Auraria.
• Tranditional Caterpillar stew, the future of world cuisine: As climate change become a present day trending subject, hipsters from Gallo-Germania believe veganism and vegetarianism is the answer to factory farming and it's pollution. To them, traditionalist Natalians respond: caterpillar stew offers more protein than chicken and has a smaller carbon footprint.
• Green Driving: Is the new line of electric cars made by Hartnett a step towards the future or a fad that will go away in time?

 

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The Premier Culture and Lifestyle Magazine of the Southern Hemisphere - Natalian Edition
Now published in Gunnish, Rozvian, Dawamalian, Wala and Aurarian - 20 Imali​

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BIFF is the nation's movie scene's chance to shine​

Composed by Karen "Sunshine" Reynolds ​

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The Blackmere International Film Festival has become the world's biggest festival celebrating cinematography, bringing to the capital of the Republic of Upper Natal thousands of tourists and submissions from all over Europe. While historically it was a place where controversial movies were submitted sometimes only for the sake of controversy, never in its history, would BIFF become as politicised and the target of so much talk and threats of boycott as this year's edition, but more of that later. ​

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As traditional cinematography starts to fight a war with NATFLICK, with many film directors attacking the streaming platform for its own movies and TV series, which they describe as being low quality and profits oriented, even if they are already subsidised by the FIC. The famous Waiting for Rain franchise is the main point of contention between the NATFLICK style of franchising and creating series out of classical films and traditional cinematography directors and actors. Elizabeth Porter, one of the veteran directors of the Natalian film industry, with more than 40 years of experience and 35 directed films, with her most recent one, Stanger, being the main feature film submission for Natal, has been very critical of NATFLICK: "It is clear that Natflick is targeting the masses by having a huge portfolio of TV and film productions for as little money as possible. The problem with that is that they are of extremely low quality, yet they turn profits in hundreds of millions of Imali. The problem is that they kill the industry because instead of having that money return back into the industry to create better films or pay actors or directors better, it is the upper managers who take the most money." ​

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BIFF has always been the place in which quality cinematography had its chance to shine. Production houses that were going in their words, for less quantity but more quality, are pushing their influence more into BIFF than in the likes of NATFLICK and have transformed the Blackmere festival into the biggest event in cinematography in the world. Started as a part o the rivalry between the cities of Harton and Blackmere, with the former housing the most out of the movie industry, while the latter, most of the music industry, BIFF managed to take over the smaller Harton Festival, that today isn't even opened to international submissions, even if for Natalian movie makers, producers, actors and directors, the Academy awards, the Golden Horn Awards are more prestigious, BIFF manages to bring together the best of international cinematography too.​

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This year's BIFF will be quite controversial too. Firstly, in the Natalian submission, Director Elizabeth Porter, who also wrote the script for Stanger, proposes the era of the Mbete dictatorship from 50 years ago as the backdrop of her movie. An era to which many Natalians today cringe, and prefer to not speak of it, because of a mix of shame and hope to forget it as fast as possible, the movie shows the trials and tribulations of a journalist that doesn't accept the official narrative and wishes to investigate the disappearance of some people who supposedly left the country for the Dune Sea. He will start to soon regret it when the authorities start to put their eyes on him. While both Tendai Mnangagwa, the protagonist, and Raphael Knight, playing the main villain are doing tremendous jobs, they subject might still be a sore memory for the older generation of Natalians and the official post-dictatorship narrative, which has tried to push it away and minimise the episode as much as possible. ​

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Secondly, the Aurarian subscription, Anna, tells the story of Anna Guttierez, maybe one of the most memorable heroes of recent Auraria, becoming both a strong critic of the Caudillo during his dictatorship, but also one of the main and first voices for trans rights in the country, if not a martyr for trans visibility and advocacy, considering her assassination in a homophobic bashing. The movie is celebrated by the Natalian lgbt associations, who state the fact that up until the Gunnish colonial episode, which brought Christian morals in the southern parts of the country, native Natalians, especially the now lost Lozi, but also the modern day Loda and Mbunda were quite open to same sex relationships and even to transexuals. Of course, religious groups, especially from the Rozvi Kingdom, which is mostly under the influence of the Utatu Orthodox Church have condemned the movie. ​

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Thirdly, is the Pelasgian documentary Southern Star, which promotest itself as giving an objective view over the Far Southern Territories, the Pelasgian term for the Kintu and Keke Lands, and celebrates the local culture and history, but also presents the motivations of the settlers living there. This has attracted extreme criticism from quite a lot of elements from the Natalian and larger Himyari society, many stating that they see in it a way for the Pelasgians to try to whitewash the events taking place in the Far South and to be apologetic over 21st century colonialism. Many associations have started already campaigns to have the movie banned from BIFF, something that the Natalian Federal Film Union has been against, so now many are campaigning for the boycotting of the Pelasgian documentary. ​

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Other Articles:

• SoNat Life: Christine Alexander's new album, SoNat Life has received critical acclaim. Celebrating the beach and surfer culture of the South Natal Riviera, Christine Alexander uses many of the tropes from the older generation surf pop-rock music, but brings them to the 21st century. "Banger after banger after banger," stated one critic.
• Matipa Moyo, back on the stage: The famous Coogee Street actress has stated that after a year long pause, she will be returning to the stages of the South End Theatre and will be the protagonist of a yet unannounced musical. Matipa Moyo married last year the Rozvian King, becoming his 5th wife.
• Piri-Piri love: Tired of the bad piri-piri chillies you find in the supermarkets? Plaid Giraffe teaches you how to grow your own.

 

[Serenierre]

Association of Serenien Cinema
The Association shall be displaying a number of films and documentaries at the Blackmere International Film Festival. It is hoped that the festival organizers will ensure suitable arrangements for some of the lead actors and actresses. Furthermore, we would be interested in establishing connections with Natalian film schools to arrange exchange programs for students in both countries.

 

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The Premier Culture and Lifestyle Magazine of the Western Hemisphere - Natalian Edition
Now published in Sollegan, Engell, German, Carian and Neo-Tiburan - 20 Quris
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Two years later, Aquarian culture is still alive and kicking
Composed by Eva Varela

Two years ago, the youth of Natal rose up, calling for political, social and spiritual reform against the old regime of the Occidental Republic. By now, especially with the election of the Haciendados in power and the Post-Delegationist reforms taking place in Natal, one would imagine that the movement would calm down, but as it turns out, it is alive and kicking and it is probably even more developed than ever.

Known as the Aquarians, named after an astrological age where supposedly the Age of Aquarius, about to come upon Europe will bring harmony, understanding, tolerance, peace and love, the youth of Natal rising up two years ago in the Long, Hot Winter, have completely accepted this as their nickname and they pretty much represent a revival of their 1960s ancestors, with the 2019 movement representing a repeat of 1968.

Politically, things have calmed down a bit, with the NRA, the National Republican Association, banding together with the SDS, the Students for a Democratic Society and the Coyotes, to for the Post-Delegationist Action, an international organisation sponsoring the post-delegationist movement allover the world, now concentrating on the territory of Hajr. Internally, Aquarians have rose up in the past days in San Juan, protesting against the brutality of the Guardia Pública, after the death of a Josefino immigrant has shown up the level of xenophobia within the security forces in Natal. But the San Juan riots were short lived, showing that the political torch of the Aquarians is quite content within Natal, shining the most outside.

On the other hand, culturally, the Aquarian movement is shining stronger than ever. Especially when the Post-Delegationist Constitutional Reform has allowed as much as cultural and political freedom as possible, the Aquarians enjoying a true golden era of culture, where their voices can be heard as they truly are, without any modifications and molding necessary for it to be considered "safe for public spaces". This can be observed on the murals popping out in Callao, designed by Óliver Águila, Maria José Cadaval and Encarnación Montreal, celebrating Sollegan culture, Meso-Occidental people and the "welding of modern and traditional", with many taking some taboo elements such as a slight criticism of the clerical culture of Sollega, the genocide of the indigenous cultures of Occidentia and Westernesse or of same sex relationships.

While many see the Aquarian Revolution as calming down, it is important to observe that the images they built upon, with colorful clothing and laid back attitude, mimicking the 1960s countercultures, is being slowly integrated in the mainstream. This doesn't mean it is done or it has been the end of the chapter, but rather, that we see an inflation of Aquarians, that they have become the norm, rather than the peculiar elements of our society. This doesn't mean that they are disappearing, but that the revolution and the long, hot winter of 2019 has been successful. The social revolution they brought upon has brought great changes in the western hemisphere, with the adoption of the directorial republic in Natal, direct democracy in San Jose and the democratisation of Great Occidentia. Who knows what might come next for probably the most political generation in the last half of a century.​

Other Articles:

• De la A a la Zeta revives old hits: The new commercial campaign of the De la A a la Zeta chain of department stores has revived some old hits in Sollegan that the Natalian radio shows have started broadcasting again, even if they are nearly 50 years old. Los Ecos with their Nectar de Verano have become again a numero uno hit after even Musikk TV have started broadcasting against their song.
• Sara Sanz y Restrepo seducing the Caudillo: The famous Miraflores actress Sara Sanz y Restrepo has been seen meeting with the Caudillo of Gran Occidentia. The two seem to have started a quite secretive relationship.
• Best Pupusas: Tired of the bad pupusas you find in restaurants? Puma a Cuadros teaches you how to cook your own.

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The Premier Culture and Lifestyle Magazine of the Meridian Sea - Ebrian Edition
Now published in Ebrian, Neustrian, German, Engwahlian, and Neo-Tiburan - 20 Reales​

Humanity's political optimum has been in development for years and now it's perfected
Composed by Rafael Artigas, Dean of the Faculty of the Political Sciences, Pontifical University of Valls

Many are looking towards the two extremities of the political axis, not so much as a left-right one, but rather, the domineering one being a conservative-progressive axis. We see the world pushing an exalted youth towards one extremity, the Tarusan style autocracy, and towards the other, Post-Delegationism, to this, it is important to understand, that there is a quiet majority that seeks not extremities, but rather, the stability, order, yet freedom of what is the optimum of human political thought, namely liberal democracies within nation-states.

We have received many angry letters from politicised Post-Delegationists, especially from the Hansa, which bemoaned Ebria's institutional referendum, calling it a return to what they dubbed a limited tyranny. What I find problematic, is how blind so many of them are, unable to see the cultural differences at hand, between them and the Ebrians, blinded by their arrogance stemming from some form of political exceptionalism. I do not write this in any way of attacking Post-Delegationism, but rather, as a defence of our own, and it won't be the only one being touched upon.

What has been deemed a limited tyranny is nothing but the purest form of emancipation, or the popular power and something very important and alien to Post-Delegationism, a stiff upper lip that always stood away from rabid populism. Something that they might call a Dantash Syndrome, where the victim cooperates and even begins to love its tyrants, but rather, it is a very Gallian cultural element, which can be seen in Neustria too, and also further away in the Meridian, such as Remuria, Radilo, Rheinbund and even to the north-west, in Thaumantica. The vote to bring back his majesty to the Alcazar isn't a vote to return a tyrant to power, but rather, a vote in support for the long bonds that the Ebrian people had with their cultural, political and historical patrimony. It is something that the radical progressive cultural element of Post-Delegationism turned against, fully looking forward. It is something that blinds Tarusans too, for they only look backwards. This moderation is no exceptionalism, but rather, the optimum in the political development of humanity, for it brings the perfect balance between the need to be a part of something, be it a family, a nation, a culture, a church, or... god forbid... a state, but also of allowing the individual to be himself, and expand his own horizons through his very own aspirations.

A tour of Ebria will show how Ebrians as much as they are very vocal about their catholicism, do quite like to sin. As much they they love the symbol of the king, many have no idea that his constitutional rights and duties are. As much as they love the white banner with the royal arms, they love talking shit about the country between demselves, but always jump to defend it when foreigners do it. From the white taxis with the red diagonal lines, to the ten carriages long Cercanía trains, to the four story high corrala type housing that stretches for kilometres in cities like Valls or Amerida, or to Hamrun where the muslim calls for prayers are always in a competition with the bells ringing at the nearby church. All of those are a modern image of Ebria that for many, it means as much to be so as the more ancient patrimonium, such as the food, the bull fights, the bull run, and very importantly, the foros, cortes, iglesia and La Corona, the crown.

It must be understood, as much as they love a good vintage institution and its retro looks, to the horrors of many exulting the next step in political development, Ebrians never were backwards looking and have been quite of the most openminded and progressive in many sectors. Long gone are the days of the 1960s where the censorship to protect Catholic morality was in place, as the liberalisation of the 1980s as brought in Ebria a period called la Movida, a cultural revolution, that many say that it brought together all the countercultures of the 1960s, 70s and 80s together, that transformed the movie scene with directors such as Almodovar, Botero and Salazar and with musicians such as GIT, Fabiana Cantilo and many others, show a decade of hedonism, parties, but also social problems such a a drug epidemic, that have transformed the country into its modern day form. That is why, Ebria is looking both forward, with its social liberties being quite high, but also looking back, towards its respect for patrimony.

Of course, in writing this essay, some will say that it is attacking the exaltation of revolution in Post-Delegationism, but rather, in my own view, Post-Delegationism is five steps in front of where Ebria and the other liberal democracies or communalian states are standing, on the other extreme lies Tarusan autocracy, which is at best fifteen steps behind. If Post-Delegationism celebrates individualism and pushes for its full liberation from the shackles of community, the membership in it being seen as inherent delegationistic, it is the Tarusan autocracy that fully smothers and kills individualism, with your average Tarusan at best living decently in Kremlyov and preferring to stay away from literally everything, choosing to be apolitical to save his own life and create a bubble, where he lives probably more individualistically than your average post-delegationists. Problem is, very few Tarusans are like this, while the others have been nurtured in a culture that is as communal as it is militaristic and royalistic. The Tarusan Tsar is as much a populist as any politician in election campaign, but his campaign lasts for his whole reign. His speeches, attacking liberal democracies for being ineffective are for internal consumption and are specifically targeted towards two goals: 1st: to rile up his people, especially the apolitical into re-becoming patriotic; and 2nd: in the wake of their civil war, it is a way to ensure that he is the fatherly figure they need, rather than the liberal democracies, which he calls inefficient, or the Post-Delegationists which are fetishizing anarchy in his eyes.

In such an environment, as much as Ebrias are quite hostile to Tarusan inferiority complexes and the need to show their civilisation by destroying the others, there have been just shrugs towards Csengia, which can be seen as a smaller and calmer Tarusa, and an indifference towards the political systems of the Post-Delegationist polities, it is no shock that the Ebrians voted for the restoration. A pillar of moderation and stability, where one is part of the community, while being a well defined individual. This is the source of liberal democracy and it is a view shared in Ebria, through the lenses of the Cross and the Social Teachings of the Church, with the Christian communalianism of the Thaumantic Order. It is a system that was born more than 150 years ago, since the formation of the modern Ebrian parliament in the aftermath of the first Alfonsist War, and has been perfected since then. There is no need to develop the wheel again through Post-Delegationism, or destroy everything we built for so long with Tarusan style autocracy, when we as a civilisation have reached the optimum of human political development.

OTHER ARTICLES​

• La Segunda Movida Valleña: Between preparations for the war, Ebrian culture has exploded, as if it tries to live a whole life before the gathering storm hits. Nightclubs in Valls, Amerida, Ranero, Chiste and San Lawrenz are continuously packed for the whole week, and the resorts have been packed for the whole summer. ​
• Between Paella and Rice with Things: The Ayuntamiento of Amérida has issued a request for the government to protect the name of Paella to specifically refer only to the locally, traditionally made rice dish. For similar dishes made anywhere else, or with other than the traditional ingredients, they have recommended the name of "Arroz con cosas".​
• Un perro o un gato?: Find out of you are a dog or a cat person by completing the questionnaire in this issue of Toro a Cuadros.​