The Writ

Organizational activity and funding permission Form 17-C

No chains or ropes or whips or brands
will ever match the Writ's demands.

— Unknown

The most common document in the Trade Union, 'Organizational Activities and Funding Permission Form 17-C', otherwise known as the Writ, is also probably the most reviled. Each citizen of the Free Worlds must fill out one of these lengthy forms each and every year, and it only grows more and more complicated. The penalty for not completing this arduous task can range from a minor wrist slap to revoking the ability to join a clan, depending largely on the clan status of the offender. Major clans and their members are usually safe from the consequences. Minor clans, and especially clanless face severe punishments, which is only exacerbated by the dense jargon used.

Purpose

The stated purpose of the Writ is to document each citizen's participation during the previous year. It also gives permission to those who complete it to participate in clan activities, as well as recieve clan funds, in the coming year. However, as the Trade Union has grown, so too has this form, and nowadays it serves a secondary purpose: ensuring minor clans struggle to grow. Without the comprehensive legal help and extensive knowledge of the loopholes in the form, the members of minor clans are forced to attempt to fill out the form themselves, which often results in errors that can easily be penalized by the Trade Union. Major clans also have much more control over what is added to each new version of the Writ, allowing them to forbid tactics that might threaten their control.

Public Opinion

As stated above, the Writ is very likely to be the most hated document in the Blue. Many works of music or comedy reference it in some way, almost exclusively negative. In an attempt to combat this, the day the Writ is due to be returned is the only national holiday the Trade Union has. Several popular figures among the minor clans have disparaged this as well, claiming that it takes far longer than a single day to complete the form. Officials have denied these claims. In some cases, Trade Union officials have even encouraged ire directed at the Writ, albeit by backing a comedic satire mocking them and their bureaucratic ineptitude.

General Information

Length: 9,331 words, 17 pages
Date sent out: 235 Nadir
Date due: 245 Nadir
Percentage Returned: 37%
Signed by: Trade Union Chairperson

Related Documents

The Writ has two closely related documents, Organizational Activities and Funding Permission Form 17-A and 17-B. 17-A deals with the Trade Union's activities, and 17-B is for clans as a whole. Neither is as widely distributed, or as widely hated.

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