Learning The Language

NationStates has evolved an interesting terminology over the years, some terms come and go (I vaguely recall people calling telegrams "grams" at one point) but a lot have stuck. So I've collected a few memorable ones to note here:

DEAT: a distortion of the word 'dead' invented by Neutered Sputniks as a term for a deleting a nation (i.e. I DEAT, you DEAT, he/she/it DEATs and so on) and also a nation that has been deleted (i.e. this nation is DEAT). This is still used frequently nowadays even by people who've never heard of Neut, which is pretty amazing. I reckon it should be put in a dictionary somewhere. Then we can all say "Of course Yugoslavia is DEAT now..."

GORT: same meaning as DEAT. Invented by Scolopendra, taken from a sci-fi film called 'The Day The Earth Stood Still'. It's got a robot in it called Gort, see.

n00k: this one's a real oldie - it's what nuclear weapons are called when they're being operated like Lego toys by amateur roleplayers.

Region crashing/invading: it used to be most commonly known as region crashing, but it's fallen out of favour with invading becoming more popular after people started getting more organised. Invading is when a bunch of nations join a region to usurp the delegate and seize control.

Forum 7: the name given to the mysterious 'missing' forum where it is rumoured that the moderators lurk. It's also the name of an old forum where people could spam until their faces turned red. Thankfully, it was eradicated during the move to Jolt.

IGNORE cannon: invented by Reploid Productions (I think). It's a fictional weapon which is fired as a symbolic declaration that you're pretending someone else doesn't exist. This is a subtle hint to the person that's been cannoned that you don't want to roleplay with them.

Unendorse: to withdraw an endorsement from a nation.I don't think this is a bona fide lexicological term, but you never know, maybe with time it will be. It's certainly a real word in NS!

Invaders and Defenders: there is much contention between these two polar opposites. The way they go on at each other you'd have thought it was some kind of apocalyptic showdown. The invaders are, as mentioned, people who invade regions. Defenders are people who deliberately thwart invaders by attempting to get power first and see them off. This can make things very confusing, not least to the original, bewildered inhabitants who have suddenly found their region becoming a battlefield. It all seems a bit like the Falklands really.