The Libertarian – March 2020

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Introduction

by samjustme

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Game Recap

by Libertarian Command Team

Winners of Guess the Date:

Please collect your prize from Zathios, DPA!

Answers: 1. E4 Training Room 2. January Job Fair Room 3. OJFD Meeting Room 4. Titans Main Field 5. Navy Meeting Room 6. AMT Training Room 7. USDF Headquarters 8. Lecture Theatre 9. Parade Grounds 10. Military Diving

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Event Recap: Coffee Dates

by Libertarian Command

Our Coffee Dates event was a massive success, with over 55 sign ups across all of our timezones and offices, with people from JNCOs to Flag Grade Officers signing up. Personnel were asked to meet in our specially designed External R&R:

We received some great feedback from the participants too, with everyone we spoke to stating how much they enjoyed the event. Some of the great feedback we received included:

• The Coffee dates were a great idea and a great experience! The idea to put two strangers in one room for the purpose of getting to know each other and forming a friendship, is exactly what we need in USDF. It was interesting to know what they liked, disliked, what they liked to do in their free time. I am grateful indeed and wish to see more of something like this.
• They all had something unique happen and I think they were an amazing opportunity to meet other USDF personnel who I didn’t know too well before that time.
• Was a fantastic coffee date me and my boy AwesomeJayce had, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Not only did I meet Jayce but also a lovely group of people who were also on their coffee dates and came over to say hey. We all had a great time and I got to know some USDF personnel a little bit better. Was a great idea and I hope to see it done again in the future!
• It for what I had done it was a wonderful experience and a great idea from OPA so that we can get to know others better. I just want to let everyone know who was involved that it was great. Thanks!

It’s great to see how much the Coffee Dates touched people in USDF and the connections that were built throughout the event. However, we don’t need a forum letter every few days to get us acquinted with each other some more. Take a seat at the front row and chat with that new member sitting besides you. Meet up with members from your office or branch and create a shared moment of joy. USDF truly is a place for friendship and we are our greatest success factor ourselves.

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Best Article of the Year

by Libertarian Command

The Libertarian has been back in operation for some time now, and recently in OPA we tasked our team to do something even the most experienced reviewer would find difficult. Pick their favourite article. Our members rose to the challenge, and chose a favourite article which spoke to them the most from our past editions.

The article chosen really speaks for itself, it promotes something which is so important to the very fabric of USDF, and is able to be used both to help others, and help yourself. The author of this article is none other than the Libertarian’s own samjustme, who should be incredibly proud of her article “Beating Bad Mental Health”, which you can read here:

Details

Beating Bad Mental Health
by samjustme

I’ve been looking forward to the articles that are published in this November issue of the Libertarian ever since we settled on the general theme: Being grateful by celebrating our achievements and what we’re thankful for. Reading articles on achieved positions and how these changed the experience of our members, made me think of something else, an achievement that can’t be touched. With Stress Awareness Day coming up on the 6th of November, I’d like to share a story about my biggest achievement so far: Beating bad mental health.

During my main education, I was required to complete an internship at an organization in my future field of work. However, instead of working side by side with an experienced member, 5 interns were assigned to a single worker. This meant we had to do all the work by ourselves, with very little guidance or feedback in a working field we weren’t that familiar with. Still wanting to complete everything in a close-to-perfect manner, you can imagine the stress building up over time. Throughout the year, I was mentally drained but somehow managed to make it through (kinda) and graduated my education.

With a blank agenda after summer break, I thought it would be a great idea to “take it easy for a bit”. Instead of immediately working 5 days a week, I would stick with 2 days in a new side job and have all the time in the world to relax again. At least, that was the plan if I hadn’t underestimated my new side job, big time. While the last bits of my mental energy were drained, I went through the weeks as a ghost. I didn’t know the date, day of the week or what was going on around me.

After a few weeks, I resembled a zombie so much, so that I forgot about a very special day to me. It went by and I felt nothing, I didn’t even notice the day passing. When I found out 2 days later, I was crushed. My friends had been saying I wasn’t doing well for over a year now, but this moment made me realize how bad it had gotten. I had no mental health left.

After speaking with the doctors, I was diagnosed with a burnout. They called this minor, well, I don’t want to envision what a big burnout would look like! For several months I had no energy whatsoever, no emotions, no drive, barely aware of my surroundings. With some professional help, I was finally able to understand WHY I was in this big empty zone of “nothing”. I started to recognize the dispositional patterns that have always been a part of my life and figured out the most effective way for me to cope with these challenges. When I slowly started to feel like myself again, my eye caught an advertisement for an informal side job. This wasn’t just any job, it was THE job that had been on my mind for years!

In the end, I was able to slowly increase my work load until I was able to work 5 full days again at the side job I had been dreaming about. At this moment, it feels like my burnout is already in the background again, but I will always be conscious of it. This period has changed the way I look at myself and the world around me, the things I learned during this period will continue to influence my every decision. By being aware of my mental health and recognizing what causes me stress, I was able to beat bad mental health.

And so can you.

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Time Flies in the 05s!

by :MariaMint:

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HQ Games – Trivia

by Homasa

Introduction
The Office of Public Affairs (OPA) is in charge of hosting games and events within USDF. There are mainly three games that OPA hosts within HQ: Trivia, Fastest Typer, and STAB! Winners of these games can receive 2 SoW points, or coins are sponsored by willing members! Our USDF trivia masters that we interviewed said they’ve won over 100 coins! Read the interviews below!

Interview
We interviewed some of USDF’s well known trivia masters. Here’s what they had to say.

Introducing… CWO5 Richous! USDF’s speedy typer and trivia master!

What’s your favourite trivia topic, and why?
“General knowledge and generate many countries. General knowledge because it is such an open topic that any and every question can be asked, which allows you to not only showcase your knowledge but to also learn something new if you don’t know the answer. I also like generate many countries as a topic as it has allowed me to learn a variety of countries that I otherwise wouldn’t care to learn or know about – plus I’m pretty fast at it.”

What is the most you’ve won from a single HQ game?
“The most I ever won was 100c, and I’ve won that on two occasions. However, both of those times were from STAB rather than trivia.”

Who is one person you still can’t manage to beat?
“Hmm… I’m not really sure, there are plenty of people who are perfectly capable of beating me, but I’ve never got to the point where I’ve found a genuine rival, although SaltPetre is getting there haha!”

Introducing… LtCol Fotoshop! He’s a Colonel of the Air Force, and also a trivia master!

What’s your favorite trivia topic?
“General ED.”

What is the most you’ve won from a single HQ game?
“150c.”

Who is one person you still can’t manage to beat?
“Montix!”

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Attention, Please!

by Maxite

There isn’t a day that goes by where there hasn’t been an Attention or Attention on Deck called. By now the procedure is something that most of us can recall in our sleep. It is becoming more of a habit than something we have to consciously think about. It shares this trait with the often-related salute, which is also now relegated to the mundane. However, it never used to be this way, and looking back, we see that the modern form of attentions and saluting has evolved quite a bit to what we are used to today. To understand how attentions and saluting came to be, we need to look at how Habbo and the dynamics of groups have changed.

In the earliest years of Habbo (2001-2004), there were a vast number of groups that existed, groups such as the Dark Fox Mafia, Blade Army, and other groups with fantastical names and styles. Easily you could track down at least fifty new and unique groups each day, with a huge variation in room design, rank layout, and even policy. It is impossible to know when or where the first attention came to be, but by 2002 there existed some pockets throughout these groups where an early practice was used. One variant was when an officer entered the room, people would stand up and type “salutes” into the chat. It wasn’t until late 2002 that Habbo implemented the ability to wave your arm. Only a trick scripter could utilize this move by accessing a code that hadn’t yet made it to public knowledge.

With the opening of Habbo US in 2004, the development of attention procedures and saluting become much more focused. While Habbo UK and Habbo CA allowed mafias to exist, the earliest years of Habbo US saw usage of the word Mafia filtered in room names. This created an imbalance, as lots of new groups started focusing on Armies, and the now-developing military theme came into prominence. With this new military theme came the creation of “standfast,” which was one of the earliest incarnations of the modern attention. Before you were able to stand anywhere, now with standfast, you were expected to stand directly behind your seat. Saluting also started utilizing the wave function around this same time.

The time period around the late 2004 to early 2005 was also an explosion in standardization across groups. Whereas before, you’d see a huge variety in how tasks were performed with the odd lineage here and there, now we started to see the rise in standardization and incremental developments. A lot of militaries around this time shared similar rules, policies, etiquette, and even room design aesthetics (remember the small L-shaped HQs that were everywhere?). So when one military became large, any changes it made to policies were often adopted by not only their contemporaries, but also by future groups. Attentions flourished under this change in dynamics, going from niche to becoming a dominant policy you’d find in most groups before the end of 2005.

Future developments would see the creation of extra detail and nuance to the attention policy. The reporting procedure, where an attention is called and a specific person is called forward to salute, first appeared in the late 2000s/early 2010s. This rose especially in prominence as a result of two major factors; the rise of large HQs and the death of small HQs, and how Habbo kept re-organizing the navigator floors. With Habbo changing how the navigator worked, it created new floors that most heavily favored rooms with larger population, which the large rooms could more easily support. As all groups started moving towards larger HQs and thus rooms with a higher room capacity and higher visibility, this spelled the death knell for the smaller and more intimate Headquarters. With the change in the ecosystem, the reporting procedure was a useful way to help draw attention in headquarters to important updates, personnel promotions, and appointments.

The standard attention procedure, saluting, and reporting procedure by now are largely the same across pretty much every military that has existed for the past five years. There do exist some interesting variations, such as our own “hand, SALUTE!” procedure which isn’t seen anywhere else at the present. With changes on the horizon for Habbo with their new Habbo 2020 client, it will be interesting to see where the future of attentions does end up.

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Top Articles – Mental Health

by infinicorn

2019 was a great year for the Libertarian, especially when it came to addressing serious issues such as mental health. Mental health is such an integral part of how we function–just like physical health–but unfortunately, mental health is often treated as unimportant and harder to identify. In honor of the struggle so many face with their mental health, here is a look back on the most impactful articles on mental health for last year. 

4. Special Message! by Aneha – September

Although it’s just a short little quote, this piece has a lot to say about forming meaningful connections with the world around you. Relationships are such an important part of life, and they’re the key to maintaining a healthy mental state. Many mental health issues can cause or be caused by isolation, so it’s important to value the connections in your life and create new, healthy relationships wherever you can—and thankfully, USDF is a great place to do that.

Read the full article here:

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Special Message!
The greatest thing you can achieve here isn’t success or progression, it’s creating meaningful relationships. We’re all here to escape from the reality of our lives and find meaning through other people, non-materialistic things. We get satisfaction and pleasure out of influencing others and the easiest way to do that is through interaction. How you choose to interact is up to you, but be kind, be generous and be forgiving, everyone needs a friend. There is no formula to relationships but don’t assume that it’s too late to get involved.

– CW5 Aneha

3. Handling Stress and Anxiety by WahankeTheGreat – December

A wonderful and timely addition to the December issue of the Libertarian. This article is a magnificent exploration of the strain we often feel in our lives and what to do about it. One of the tips that resonated most with me was breaking down your big goals and tasks into smaller, more easily completed bits. It’s a really effective way of making progress and overcoming big obstacles with one of the oldest methods in the book—baby steps. That being said, this article is really informative and genuinely a great way to learn about ways to overcome your stress and anxiety. 

Read the full article here:

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Handling Stress and Anxiety
by WahankeTheGreat

It’s the most stressful and anxiety inducing time of the year! With those mid-terms and finals, work and relatives and all those EOI’s, I think it can go without saying that we could use some good cheer (or maybe a vacation!).

One of the most prevalent problems of everyday life, if you’d ask just about anybody in USDF or on Habbo in general, is going to be stress and anxiety. It is the most human thing in the world to feel some kind of stress or anxiety to some degree. If you haven’t felt stressed out or anxious about anything recently, I guarantee that you have some time in the past and you will in the future.

To help combat stress and anxiety, I think it is helpful to identify exactly what constitutes each of these situations. Stress is the emotional strain we feel when we are under immense pressure in our everyday life. This can come from a variety of things, although the most common in my opinion would be things like having a lot of work to do, being on a time crunch, taking a rigorous test or examination, and having a close friend or relative in the hospital. To be stressed is to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders and to feel physically burdened even though you are not. This is why you often hear people who have relieved their stress, as having “a weight lifted off their shoulders.” The key thing to remember about stress is that it is in the moment. You feel stress as you realize that at that exact moment, you are dealing with that stressful situation or something similar. While things in the future can add onto your burden, it is because you know you have to do that thing by the certain date and not the thing-in-itself causing you stress. “Stress” about something-in-itself is in fact, anxiety.

Anxiety is the nervousness and worrying that we experience about events or other things that are happening in the future, which we are unsure about. The types of situations that can cause anxiety are things like going to a first date, waiting right before taking a test or turning in a big paper or project, receiving an email or letter that might contain an acceptance/denial of a job prospect or university admission, and that slight pause you take before sending an important message or calling someone. Anxiety manifests itself in many ways, but mostly originates from something akin to a lighter feeling of the body, “butterflies” in the stomach, or a feeling of unease or nausea. This feeling is based on over-anticipation and worry, uncertainty in human form. The main factual key to anxiety relates to something that has yet to happen, a future event or action that we personally don’t know how it’s going to end.

I feel that anxiety and stress go hand-in-hand in many situations. From my own experiences, you feel stress in the moment with something specifically happening and anxiety leading up to generally being in that moment. Given that we have a detailed explanation of both stress and anxiety, here are a few ways that might help you to manage your own:

CHUNK YOUR WORK INTO PIECES

I can tell you from years of having to do work, applications, essays and a 35 page thesis, that you really have to chunk your work into smaller pieces for yourself and your own sanity, even if it’s a small paper or project. For my thesis, I didn’t just wake up one morning to say “I’m going to write it all today.” If I would have done that, I would be a nervous wreck and stressed out to a point I’d rather not imagine. Every week I wrote around 3-5 pages over the course of my writing stage, which allowed me to focus on whatever ideas were the most assembled in my brain. If you want to be a BHNCO/SEAC or get into OCS, for example, you don’t just write your EOI in one session about 25 minutes before the deadline. Even if all you do is write a concise sentence or a single idea in one sitting, that is ok. Eventually, it will all click in your head and you’ll be able to put it all together. Get the ball rolling.

SET MINOR GOALS

I can’t stress this point enough. If you have some major goal like “Get into Harvard” or “Get into OCS”, and all you do is have that goal in mind, you’re going to be stressed as hell and extremely anxious. Instead, there should be minor goals or accomplishments along the way. For OCS, this might look like “Get a recommendation”, “Write the EOI” and “Prepare for the entrance exam”. These goals can further be subdivided into things like “Meet with potential recommender”, “Write an outline for my EOI” and “Skim regulations”, which can be further subdivided and so on. Completing these small goals can help reduce that stressful feeling of having to seemingly move a mountain to get somewhere big and gives you that sense of accomplishing something.

MEDITATE/REFLECT ON YOUR STRESS AND ANXIETY

Sometimes self-reflection is the best way to go when you are under a lot of stress and feeling anxious. You really have to ask yourself if your stress and anxiety are beneficial to your success or whether it’s a sign you should change your behavior. I once went to a job interview where I was a nervous wreck and totally bombed the whole thing. I later realized that I felt that way because I didn’t even want the job! I was required to get a job in order to graduate, and my stress and anxiety was my mind’s way of telling me “you really don’t want to work there, try to find another position!” How are you going to have your stress or anxiety work for you?

2. Mental Health Awareness by fdcake1 – June

Mental health is important for everyone, regardless of how serious it may feel or seem, but it’s especially important to recognize those who are impacted by mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. This article by fdcake1 is a clear, concise, and impactful tribute to anyone and everyone currently struggling with their mental health, and it discusses the important elements of connection and communication in managing mental health.

Read the full article here:

Details

Mental Health Awareness
by SMSgt fdcake1

In honor of May being recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month, this article talks about how joining a community like USDF can benefit those that are affected by mental health disorders.

We know that humans are social creatures. Biologically, we crave that feeling of human connection.

Friends are important. They keep us sane. They support us through those tough times in our lives when all you need is a shoulder to cry on. Unfortunately for some of us, our mental health can get in the way. According to the World Health Organization, one in four people will develop a mental disorder in their life. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, paranoia, and countless other disorders can lead to feelings of isolation.

“Depression is the most inclusive club in the world. The biggest trick is (depression) convincing everyone that they are the only member.”

~ Jake Tyler in a TEDx Talk (2018)

If you, the reader, are struggling with your mental health, I sincerely hope that you’re getting the professional health that you need. I’m also really glad that you’re reaching out for human interaction and are making the effort to participate in a community like USDF.

Online communities can:

Introduce a sense of purpose into your day. When you don’t want to leave the house, you can still feel productive and useful.

Put people on the same playing field as everyone else. Nobody’s able to judge you based on your voice, your height, your skin color.

Require minimal effort. You don’t need to dress up, do your hair or even shower.

In short, communities like USDF can help those of us that are vulnerable. All of us need to do our best to be inclusive, kind and considerate to those that we interact with on Discord and in HQ. Let’s continue to make USDF the greatest Habbo military by being the safe and welcoming community that we are!

Here is a link to the Ted Talk that I quoted. Please be warned that Jake Tyler does touch on triggering subjects such as suicidal thoughts.

1. Beating Bad Mental Health by samjustme – November

Many of the articles featured here made the list because they were informative or gave helpful tips for managing mental health, but this article got the number one spot for so much more than that. The author’s story is personal, showcases vulnerability, and dares to address burnout candidly. To put it simply, this story touches on mental health in a manner so powerful it blew me away the first time I read it—and made me feel less alone in my struggle with mental health. Hopefully this story will do the same for you.

Read the full article earlier in this issue, cause it’s been chosen as best article of the year!

Mental health is one of the most important parts of our lives. It dictates how we feel, how we think, and how we act. That’s why it’s so crucial to be aware of and work to improve our mental health. Hopefully these articles gave you some inspiration, tips, and information to assist you on your journey to a strong, healthy mind.

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Libertarian Game: Rebus

by Libertarian Command

Do you identify as a decipher wizard? Can you figure out what popular USDF words these might be? Use the graphics and any other provided information to figure out what the following word/s are.  
If you think you know the answers, submit your response via the Libertarian Mailbox, option 1 (Libertarian Game) and list your answers from 1 to 10. If you can’t guess something, go ahead and leave it empty. 

Deadline:  28th March 2020 – 11:59PM EST 
Winner Reveal:  1st April 2020 
Prize:  Coins! 
For any questions, please reach out to Aneha, DDCOMM.

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Flashback

by WahankeTheGreat

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Special: An Impossible Kind of Love

by pikasyu

The reflection in the mirror spoke to me, “Those luscious yellow locks on your head, your wise deep-set eyes and that little smile of yours – what could these beautiful features do? People look up to you for being skilful in both fine arts and sports. You have everything you need. Yet, you feel incomplete.”

I disregarded my thoughts and threw the white shawl prepared by my parents over my body. The outside was sunny and bright, for rain clouds and thunder never visited Delphi and Delos. I smiled at the sun, thanking it for the perfect weather that it had bestowed upon me. I ran outside barefooted across the fresh grass patch while whistling a soft tune, diving straight into the wheat fields. I closed my eyes and told myself, “It’s a perfect day, a perfect time, a perfect life. There is nothing else that I would ever ask for!”

The calm did not last long. A pink sparkly arrow embedded itself into my left chest, allowing streams of blood to run out from my body. Surprisingly, I did not feel any pain. I stood up and scanned the entire area. It was as quiet as night – although it was only midday – the birds’ chirps slowly disappearing into silence. For I have never experienced these sounds or the lack of it, I trembled in fear.

“Who are you? What did you do to me?” I tried to voice my concerns but even my own voice was muted.

The silence was deadly.

And I felt like death.

For a man who prides himself in the sun that gives people life, in fine arts that bring people smiles and in sports that bring people health, I didn’t care for any of that after the shot of a pink, sparkly arrow. I was terrified and tried to pull the arrow out of my body, but it rooted itself into my heart. I cried, now in pain and in loneliness. I was alone, in this vast area for there was no animals, no sounds and most importantly no one. I sat back down, only to be surrounded by my own thoughts, “You have everything you need. Yet, you feel incomplete.”

All of a sudden, bells could be heard. Faint but familiar. I crawled towards the sounds of the bells, that seemed to come from quite a distance, using the wheat around me as a camouflage. The nearer I got to the sounds, the happier I became. I have never felt this way. What felt like forever finally came to a close, as the bells came from Daphne’s anklet. I spied on her from amongst the plants and noticed she had the same arrow deeply rooted in her chest as well. It was at that point I was able to clear up the curiosity in my head. It was Cupid’s cheeky game – to make me fall in love with Daphne as she would be the one to complete me.

“Daphne!” I sprung from the flora, bringing shock to the beautiful lady.

She looked amazing. Her dark long hair hugged her hourglass figure perfectly, and the flower wreath around her head complimented her natural beauty. I had never seen Daphne this way, she had always been a kind friend to me but today, she felt like the missing piece that I have been searching for. However, as her eyes locked with mine, she gave me a sad smile and started to sprint in the opposite direction.

“Daphne, don’t go, come back!” I professed my feelings for her.

“I can’t love you! I can’t let Cupid sway my heart, Apollo!” She screamed in a mellow voice, for she knew that as much as she would love for Apollo to be her companion, the arrow Cupid shot her with was a lead arrow that would make any kind of love between two individuals impossible.

And that was exactly what happened. Daphne started to slow her sprint as her legs became thicker and heavier. Her dark hair started to coil around her body and her hands started to rise up above her head. The flowers in her wreath travelled along her hands and planted themselves nicely apart. In seconds, Daphne was no longer the beautiful maiden she was. I slowed down and walked towards her, wrapped my hands around her body.

“Daphne, even though you are a tree now, I’ll water your roots and ask for the Sun’s rays to let your flowers bloom and a forest of your kind to grow. I love you for you are no different as a human or a tree. And if you could bring life and happiness to other people, I could do the same for you.”

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Written in the Scars

by infinicorn

Kaysa felt the hardwood floor press into her tailbone as she angled herself in front of her mirror, her eyes darting away from the marks that marred her reflection. But even her timid gaze couldn’t avoid the angry red slash underneath her ribcage, still somewhat fresh. Gazing at her own vulnerable flesh, she couldn’t help but recall the moment she got it, her memories replaying the seconds over and over without her consent.

A tug on her wrist—a bramble bush—the sharp, intense sting—dark, narrowed eyes. Someone she no longer trusted. Blood underneath her palm. “Where have you been?” Her pulse ramming into the soles of her shoes. A tone she was too afraid to decipher.

Again and again. Tug, bush, sting, eyes. Fear, blood, pulse, pressure.

She tore her eyes away from the mirror, forcing herself to think of something else. She pressed the image of clear blue water into her mind, convinced herself of the rocking of her sailboat underneath her. She felt the breeze pressing into her skin, pushing her thoughts away like clouds. She reached up to rub the mark under her ear—

And suddenly, she was in a different sailboat. Hands clutching the sail line. Wind whipping her face. “Watch out!” Ducking to avoid the swinging boom. Her sail line shooting forward. The wooden bench meeting her jaw. The sharp ache of blood. Clutch, duck, tug, ache.

The pain came in waves, like the sea beneath her. Her vision ebbed and flowed, and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her as she curled up onto the deck. Her hand came away red.

But there was no blood, no pain. She was just a girl in front of a mirror, too weak to fight off her own memories. Feeble. Pitiful. Unworthy. Her head fell, unable to even look at herself any longer. But she knew she had to. She had to understand why this had happened to her.

She opened her eyes and found the line of crescent moons on her forearm, still tender to the touch. She could still feel the greasy hand that gripped her arm, pressing its fingernails into her skin. And the moment she envisioned it, she was there again.

Pressing darkness. A grimy hand on her arm. Her father’s boots thunking on the floor. The hot and heavy breath of strangers. “She’s yours.” Arms around her waist. A strange scent. Sweat, musk, heat, weight. Grime, grease, force, pain.

And then nothing. Sitting there on her bedroom floor, shaking, she couldn’t remember a single detail of what happened next. She had no idea if it was just too terrible, or if something had happened to impair her memory, but she knew she could never forgive herself for letting things go so far.

What a worthless, pitiful excuse for a human she was. This thought tugged at her veins, pulled her tendons from her bones, pressed her nerves into her skin. It was as true as the sun in the sky, she knew. She hugged her knees into her chest, her chin pressed into her knees and her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Under her chin, another set of scars bloomed, a faint constellation on each knee.

Cold, sticky ice cream dripped onto her hand, a line of chocolate tracing its way toward her wrist. Her knees burned like fire, and the cold treat didn’t soothe them, though it soothed her heart. The curb pressed into her thighs. Next to her, her dad watched the cars as they passed. They didn’t speak.

Or did they? No, that wasn’t right. Her dad had said something while they were there, something she couldn’t quite catch.

She tasted her rocky road ice cream, taking a chunk of chocolate into her mouth. The crisp summer air blew gently at her hair. Her bloody knees screamed with pain. Sweet, burn, silence, pain. Cold, heart, scream, something.

“I’m sorry I can’t be a good dad.”

That was it. She was sure of it, in her bones. And suddenly, all the other memories clicked into place. She could see his fear, his insecurities, his pain, all laid bare before her.

And although she couldn’t forgive him for what he had done, she realized that maybe it wasn’t her fault after all. She wasn’t the mistake, the burden, the weight. She was none of the terrible things she had known herself to be. It was him, not her, who had messed up time and time again.

They were her scars, and she would live with them forever. But as she left her note on the mirror and left that house for good, she knew she could put those memories to rest.

After all, she didn’t need them anymore.

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Top Articles – Best Written

by WahankeTheGreat

This past year has given us 11 solid issues of USDF’s own Libertarian and over a hundred different articles to read and enjoy. Looking back on all the issues, I have picked out what I consider to be the five best pieces that we’ve published this past year. I decided to pick out the most compelling and powerful pieces that I thought everyone should read, if they hadn’t already. All of these pieces represent my own opinion of what the upper echelon of journalism looks like.[/div][/div]

#4: MOTIVATION TO EXCEL – by SgtJohnsonHalo – November Edition, 2019
Motivation and that drive we feel towards doing the best that we can and going as far as we can, is one of the things everybody in the world can simultaneously be good and bad at. We are often motivated only to do some things, and not all of the things that we want to do. SgtJohnsonHalo talks about his experience of the people who have motivated him in USDF and his personal experience with motivation. I thought the author’s genuine feelings and thoughts on motivation were very candid, and it was something that I found enjoyable to read first and reflect upon a little bit regarding my own motivations. I encourage you all to do the same.

Read the full article here:

Details

MOTIVATION TO EXCEL
by SgtJohnsonHalo

What is the race to motivation and how does one achieve it? Is it simple? Motivation is key here at USDF and in real life. I see a whole lot of people leave, because of demotivation and I am one who has left before, because of it. Each day we have people in our lives and on habbo, who push us to become better and be more open and motivated. Below are people who help be become better.

There have been people in my life who have been there for me and will continue to be there in my mind. I have two people in mind who push me to become better. First would be SMA Oaui! She is someone I have been able to be open with and become better acquainted with. She does many great things now for the Army council and branch. Her work makes me want to strive each day to become as hardworking as her.

My second motivator would be 2d Lt samjustme. She is currently my CO in journalism for OPA. She has been able to get me to talk more openly about my ideas. As I watch her work, I realize I too can become a great member of the OPA Journalism Roster. I have so much potential in me and sometimes it takes others to see it. She has seen it through my work and writings, which strive me to do more and more each month. Being a part of OPA has been a huge blessing this time around, because people are more friendly with each other.

All in all, more people motivate me each day, but these two heroes would be top out of them all. I encourage you to never give up and find that person/friend who will help you no matter what. They can see what you are capable of and will help you on your journey in USDF. I have been in your shoes as well and have felt demotivated at times, but for some reason, certain good energy comes from USDF and always pulls me to come back. I’ll invite you this day, if you ever need anyone to talk to or need a friend, you can come to me. I’ll be there for you!

#3: A DAY TO REMEMBER – By ChanelNo.9 – November Edition, 2019
This story by ChanelNo.9 was my favorite piece of fiction published in the Libertarian this year. The short story takes place from the viewpoint of a soon-to-hopefully-be Chief Warrant Officer and describes her feelings as she reflects back on what she has done, as well as her feelings as she finally achieves her goal. I personally find the prose very appealing and I like the descriptions given of USDFgirl19’s experiences, as they reflect what I think is a lot of the author’s own personal experiences and feelings. This only makes it that much more of a great story to captures the reader in the author’s world.

Read the full article here:

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A DAY TO REMEMBER
by ChanelNo.9

There are no words left to describe her happiness. It had taken her twelve weeks to even understand what her potential really was. This kind of success didn’t just happen to anyone, and it was a difficult feat to obtain. Re-collecting back to her time as a recruit, she couldn’t help, but dance gleefully at Club NX. There was no way she wouldn’t become a Chief Warrant Officer.

Her final exam was no more than a week ago, and she felt good about the results. Not because she knew that passing this exam was a sure-fire way she’d be promoted, but because it was one of the most difficult things she had taken in her entire career thus far. The exam wasn’t the only challenging thing along the way. Although the training she attended was all rather easy in comparison, there seemed as though there was no shortage of them. To this day FEATs {H}, {M}, and {S} continue to haunt her with their longevity and tediousness.

USDFgirl19 was nothing more than your ordinary girl. She wasn’t miss popular, and she wasn’t infamous either. People were rather indifferent about her. So a majority of her time climbing ranks were spent focused on how she could build up her knowledge and her portfolio in order to relate more to those who vaguely knew her name. Opening her inbox of letters, she crossed her fingers, wondering if this was the letter that would welcome her warmly into the ranks of CWO-hood.

Of course, her promotion was something she looked forward to. However, in the blink of an eye, she was promoted at the awards show. Her name somewhere buried under congratulations and good job. it was more monumental to receive a more personal letter with her name on it to congratulate her. For some odd reason it felt like it was more real now. More concrete.

As she looked at the letter, her eyes lit up and her cheeks grew raw from smiling. Finally. She felt like she was apart of some exclusive club. Giving herself a monumental pat on the back, she made sure that the first thing she did was read all of the linked pages for further information on how she would progress now that she was a CWO.

#2: Preparation… what would we do with out it? – By MrReeceM – April Edition, 2019

We always need to prepare for things, and it seems like preparation is something that I have had to work on myself. I’d say that until I wrote my thesis in college, I had never been truly or fully prepared for anything in a timely fashion. This article by MrReeceM covers the essentials of preparation and condenses it into a quick read that I think anyone could benefit from and it has a lot of utility. If you’re in need of a quick overview of the positives of good preparation and want to get into that sort of mindset, be sure to take a look!

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#1: All Experiences Are Relevant – By Aneha – June Edition, 2019

I’d have to say that this is hands down the best piece written for the Libertarian in the past year. This article brings together not only the USDF life but also real life and talks about how our experiences, even if they are online, can still apply to real life. I’d have never thought that USDF could ever translate to getting a job in real life, but the author makes solid points from start to finish that this is the case. A truly well rounded piece of journalism that covers all the angles!

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All Experiences Are Relevant
by SMA Aneha

No matter the situation, experience, or witnessing, everything you go through has a crucial lesson to it. Take advantage of that lesson.

Did you know that your dreams are real?

Although dreams are a crazy mix of physiological and psychological constructs of one’s subconscious mind that are completely irrelevant to time and space, they are 100% positively real. What happens in your dream, although may not be reality, it is in a way, your reality as what you feel, what you see and what you experience are all real.

This in a sense is like Habbo. It’s not reality but what you experience, what you learn and what you accomplish is real. USDF offers great life skills and recently I had some sort of epiphany that edged me to write about it. In real life I’m a Nurse. I’m at the end of my graduation and currently going through an interview and application process. It was only the other day that I was thinking of what I’d say at the interviews and how I could demonstrate my skills and abilities. As always happens in situations like that, my mind wandered off to USDF. I started thinking about the numerous people here who do this same process through their Expression of Interests.

Now you may not be able to answer USDF or Habbo as answers in an interview but give it a good hard think… These are only a few of the questions that are asked at the interviews.

– When have you demonstrated teamwork?
– How have you displayed professionalism?
– When have you had to deal with conflict?
– How would you delegate tasks?
– Are you able to ask for help?

Now think back to a time when you have done just that in USDF. When you’ve worked in a team creating event, working on a council or training in groups. Think about those times you were respectful towards others, used PAP, wore your uniform – these are all actions of teamwork and professionalism. Think about all the skills you have gained; communication, writing, reading, time management, cultural sensitivity and so much more. Think about the morals and ethics you’ve developed or have had shaped by being here, meeting new people and experiencing new things. All the things you’ve learnt, the things you’ve done, the things you’ve achieved. These are all experiences that have made you into who you are today.

When you go to write that Expression of Interest, you’re essentially writing a CV and resume. Applying for leadership roles here, taking on responsibility in USDF, all these will contribute to you becoming a better person in your real life. They will gain you the knowledge and skills to apply for job positions in the real world. Leadership roles, teamwork positions, customer service… You name it and I bet there is something you’ve learnt here that you can apply to real life. What you experience here, in a game, can all contribute to your reality, it can all become relevant.

The best thing about USDF is that you have the opportunity grow and to express yourself, develop yourself and find yourself. You can explore who you are or the person you want to be. USDF offers help and guidance for writing Expression of Interests. Someone skilled who has the ability to help you develop your resume skills. All of this can be used in real life, and the best thing about all this help and support, it’s free!

Our leaders who encourage us to write these Expression of Interests and challenge us to become better people, to become leaders, are essentially setting us up for the real world. Your dedication and time are commendable, and I thank each and everyone of you who goes to such lengths in helping make the next generation of leaders. Who knows, the next Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. or Einstein may be sitting in the front row. So dream big my friend, become something more and don’t be afraid to try. These in game experiences are relevant to your reality.

We have opened a Mailbox for all your comments, notes, suggestions and ideas. Make sure to keep an eye out for the Libertarian (announcements) for any changes or additions to the submissions we take!

Here are the things that you can submit:

Libertarian Game Submission

Do you have the million-dollar-answer to the current game hosted in the Libertarian? Watch the deadline in the publication closely!

General Feedback

What do you think about the Libertarian and it’s issues, what could be improved?

Theme and Topic Ideas

What do you want to see in future issues, what content are we missing? For either the Libertarian as a whole or to be used for Journalism/Graphics assignments.

Community Submissions

Submit an announcement, poster, graphic, article or shout out, as long as it is made by you and not part of any OPA assignments. Who knows, maybe your submission will be featured in a future Libertarian.

Please be wary that the preparations for each issue start way before the actual Libertarian is published. Therefore, it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months for your idea to be implemented, if suitable. Use the form linked below to let us know your thoughts and ideas.

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Credits

EDITORS	samjustme Connor78127 Aneha
WRITERS	WahankeTheGreat infinicorn Homasa :MariaMint: Maxite pikasyu samjustme Connor78127
DESIGNERS	:alyss (Cover) Zathios (Layout)
ARTISTS	_StarLord_ pikasyu abbeyx123 TraidKelly upheaval1 :alyss ChanelNo.9
EVENTS	Aneha :alyss