From the offices of FrancoismofRussia broadcast on broadband across the planet--I come with more riveting discussion-worthy questions for the world at large.

Back to an assessment of certain alliances,

1. What is your opinion of the New Sith Order, Why do both sides (In favor of and In opposition to) seem to always spout the same rhetoric at each other until they are blue in the face, and does either side eventually get *new* rhetoric?
2. I pose the same questions as above for the League of Small Superpowers
3. I pose the same questions again for BelAir

With all regards, intents, and purposes to further the exploitation of knowledge and antediluvians I seek these answers as well as the Ultimate Question to the Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.
^{FrancoismofRussia, Not panicking since Summer '09}

People always say the same !@#$ about us so the only thing we can do is come back with the same response until they get it and move on. Why they keep saying the same things? Who knows, i think its just that people love to hate us (meaning the 3 alliances mentioned) and the ones that dont actually have a reason are the ones who spew the same rhetoric because they really dont have a case against us so they just say what everyone else says, and it eventually gets super repetitive

New Sith Order
An experienced leader, experienced membership, a solid unifying theme and placement within one of the more notable blocs existent within the Cyberverse. While I don't personally agree with the attitude taken all the time I do have to note that they've earned the respect of many not for simply saying things but for doing things. Say what you will about the Sith but they do get things done when they want them done.

League of Small Superpowers
Can't say I have an opinion one way or another - just haven't had that much contact since about November of last year and that wasn't entirely pleasant, though I consider it to be an isolated incident.

Bel Air
Honestly, it's a new alliance. Despite being made up of national rulers from the old Republic of Allied Defense and Internet Superheroes as well as some others in the mix it has a clean slate as far as I'm concerned. The moves made by Bel Air thus far haven't been eye-raising (though it seems the about of getting bent over them is amusing) but I'm sure that something interesting will come from them in the next few months. We'll see what happens.

Rhetoric
It never changes. Pacifica is evil, pink sphere is only good for the lulz and the meaning of life shall always be forty-two.

New Sith Order
Too much "do something about it", too little used car salesmanship.

League of Small Superpowers
Spirit of '06.

Bel-Air
An alliance whose premise is only funny the first time you hear it is bound to disappoint.

NSO - I honestly like some of their members, (Krunk being a notable one) but too much posturing and no action really drives me up the wall. Same rhetoric because until someone takes action, you have to use the same mindless stuff over and over.

LoSS - Haven't had to deal with these guys much. So, the jury is out.

Bel Air - Well, I'm kind of biased, but I think it's because people need something to hate. We're a lulz light surrounded by what is otherwise serious business.

New Sith Order: Heroes and champions of Digiterra.

LoSS: No opinion really.

Bel-Air: Made up of mostly annoying people who, when they sacrifice the lulz for a minute, are actually intelligent players. Whether you hate them or love them, they bring something to the table at least, and that is never a bad thing.

Rhetoric used by most sides on most issues is mostly static.

NSO: Trouble makers.
LoSS: long gone are the days of Australasia and Neuronia. I know nothing about them.
Bel-Air: Surrogates of a surrogate of a bloc intent on waging war on Frostbite.

NSO: pretty cool guys who do cool things
LoSS: don't really know them
Belair: chill guys, who just happen to get annoying.

Hmm, interesting question. I have two sets of answers, one is the official stance of Zenith and the other is my personal opinion.

Officially:

NSO: We have had no dealings with the NSO and as such are neutral towards them.

LoSS: Due to LoSS's treaty cancellations en masse before the start of the Karma war we are rather put out with them, and it put a definite strain on our relationship. We have no intention of rebuilding relations with those that abandon their treaty obligations to save their own skins. However, we are always open to re-consider our stance if the other party is the first to come forward, and for the most part, we have put the past behind us.

Bel Air: The incarnations of Bel Air's previous membership is well known, however, as a new alliance, Zenith wishes them the best and looks forward to their growth.

Personally?

NSO: Pretty conventional. Their success rests on a cult of personality. Everything they have done that attempts to place them outside the bounds of business-as-usual is met with general scorn, and as such, they have buckled under societal pressure and remain a part of the status quo. I think Moldavi has a formula and could probably crank out any number of generic alliances that would be as equally successful. They have a number of capable officers and some are even pretty likable. The Frostbite bloc is pretty powerful, but I don't see it as any particular feat of creative or dexterous maneuvering as it's pretty much a good ol' boys club. Birds of a feather...

LoSS: To maneuver one's alliance out of harms way is not something I can entirely hold against a group of people. Though I would prefer to spend infra to gain honor, rather than burn political capital to save my skin, in the end it only matters if the pursued strategy ultimately guarantees survival. Also, after they split, I went to their forums to, at the very least, maintain a line of communication, but my PM to their MoFA went unanswered. I don't take kindly to being snubbed and never returned. The only other contact after that, a random encounter on the IRC, was cordial enough.

Bel Air: Same as posted above.

NSO: Too full of themselves.

LoSS: I haven't really thought of them much lately to be honest.

Bel Air: THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

NSO: A great group of guys, who are fun to work with. Very welcoming when we joined the brown sphere, and a lot of cool dudes, besides just Moldavi. While I do see potential for a "hegemony" starting with them and Frostbite, I also know they have smart and capable leaders who will avoid such a thing at all costs. I can't say enough good things about NSO and would join them myself if I wasn't in an alliance.

LoSS: They don't do much. They are just kinda there. Some nice guys have came and gone from LoSS and there are still some nice guys there. For the most part, they don't do a whole ton, and I don't expect a whole ton from them.

Bel Air: Meme alliances were funny about two years ago. Now they are just pathetic. RAD was kinda cool before they merged with IS. Their government has a couple of idiots in it, and they are pretty much one of my least favorite alliances. Lulz is cool and all, but an alliance completed based around lulz that isn't even funny? Yeah, not so cool. However, there is potential there. They just need to change some government, and get rid of a couple of members.

NSO: I like a fair few NSO members who contribute to the discussions on here. Mussolandia and Chron being ones that stand out. I dislike others, far too many posturing posts and the 'warning' from Youwish recently was just completely pathetic from everyone involved. I can get behind some of their policies, the Moldavi Doctrine and the acceptance of ZI listed players, but far too often there's a lot of noise about making change and being innovative when really it's not so much. Not privy to brown team politics since I left, but I hope they can continue the good work they've done towards the growth of brown. Would be great to see the 3 blocs (AA, TCP, Nexus) on there more unified, if they already aren't, like I said I don't know.

LoSS: We got LoSS' back. They got ours.

Bel Air: I liked RAD, I didn't like IS. *shrugs* We'll see I guess, but I think I'll like Bel Air as they've said they're taking a more serious direction with it, rather than exposing the naivity of a new player for lulz all over the OWF with no real benefit for anyone involved.

In seeing such a debate between a former gov member and current members I noticed one thing -- They (Speaking in third person as I was not there personally) still burned their infra for their friends (I assume, Nemesis and IAA?) down to fractions of what they had....

So forgive me if I do not understand your comment. From what I have studied and such, they would have burned on either side?

I cannot offer an answer to your other points, as I don't want to try and make stuff up (Im sure you folks could smell BS from a mile away) and cast myself in a rather ignorant light. I only state what I have observed in trying to figure out the politics of this rather convoluted world we are situated in.

ADDENDUM: Wasn't the treaty cancellation a full month or two before the actual start of the war? How can anyone really forecast that far in advance?

NSO - Disliked because of Ivan, perhaps. Me? I rather like them.

LoSS - No opinion.

Bel Air - Yes, ha ha. Very funny, for about a nanosecond.

We burned. The cancellations did not save our hides, nor did the infra go unspent.

Well, to be honest, I didn't follow them in the war as we were rather preoccupied. LoSS may have fought for their "friends" but they certainly left some other "friends" behind in order to be on the winning side. Like I said, it was strategic decision, with all the good and bad that comes with it. In this case, LoSS dropped any treaties that would tie themselves to the losing side of the war, declared neutrality, and then dropped neutrality to attack the Legion. Make of that what you will.



LoSS canceled en masse on the 17th of April, the official start of the war was 3 days later, on the 20th. LoSS declared war on the 23.

As I said, I have no wish to drag LoSS's name through the mud, historical records show what happened. Any reasonable Interpretation of the events is that LoSS dropped their friends in order to ingratiate themselves with the winning side. And that's that.

That's not completely true. LoSS had friends on both sides of the war, hence why they were able to choose sides so easily. They chose the winning friends over the losing ones. If they didn't cancel the treaties, do you think they would have honored them? No, they wouldn't have been able to, because that could involve fight their other friends.

Coincidently, I said almost the exact thing in the previous post above but, as I couldn't find a time line for LoSS's treaties and not sure if they had any existing after their cancellations, edited the statement out.

NSO: Too full of themselves, certainly. However they do have quite a lineup of big names in there and they've got more balls than most alliances in the world right now. That much I can agree with, though without Frostbite it's quite clear they wouldn't have made it past that poaching from Neutrals scandal. They continue to push the boundaries of what they can or can't get away with, and that's fine for them. I even like that about them, but eventually they will bite off more than they can chew and will pay the price for it.

LoSS: I have no opinion on them, and I can't say I really pay them much mind either.

Bel Air: We've got a decent lineup of more than capable individuals and we certainly have the potential to become a major player if we play our cards right. Even though most people despise IS but liked RAD a bit, we're not the same as our past entities. We have a different set of values and goals that we intend to achieve come hell or high water. While we're still a proponent for "lulz", we're not going to foolishy charge headlong into stupidity just because we think it's fun. We have all come to a consensus that we want to Prosper and grow and even though we'll never stop taking risks, we're going to contemplate more about those risks we take and if they're really worth it. I know we have a difficult reputation to shake, but I am confident we can move past it and change our image for the better without selling out to the acceptable "standards" of Planet Bob. We'll still do things our own way, but with a little more thought and meaning behind it than before. Whether or not people continue to hold us in low regard doesn't matter to us. We're going to have fun in our own way even if it doesn't entertain you because Bel Air isn't about you, it's about our members and what they desire to get out of this experience. And if you don't like that concept you can kindly choke on your own moralist, petty and overinflated ego.

LoSS did not flip to their historical side in order to save infra. All 100+ of us (Speaking now as one of those 100+) burned for our brothers in Nemesis and IAA. Some lost nearly their entire nations, some were able to stay afloat. The one thing you cannot say is that LoSS broke their official ties with you to "save themselves" or anything else. LoSS could have easily had a reversal of their prior war luck, in which they lost their individual war but were on the winning side (as opposed to winning individually but losing on the larger scale in GW1,2,3).

Jaaku, Slade, and PHD knew what they were doing -- fixing the result of the lifting of the GW3 terms. It may have taken them a while to figure out that it needed to be fixed -- but no matter my personal quarrel with former LoSS gov, the one thing I cannot say is that they are cowards by any means.

NSO: A great alliance, always having a great time with Cybernations. Weve got alot of smart and dedicated players who all enjoy a good batch of lulz mixed with nuclear holocaust.

LoSS: Dont really know much about them, it did kind of seem like they bailed on thier allies way back when, but if Krunk says otherwise i will take him at his word because he is a great guy.

Bel-Air: Would be a good alliance if they were as atleast half as funny as they think they are, they got some good people but tend to be overly hypocritical (if Frostbite keeps us alive [which it doesnt] what exactly do you think Poison Clan and PWN does for you?)

NSO: Great group of people, sometimes misunderstood. They aren't afraid to be bold (Although some bold moves may meet with a talking-to in private and are generally acknowledged as a "not again" type of thing)

LoSS: Great people, Have a bit of a philosophical difference with most of their gov but nothing earthshattering.

BelAir: They're nice people -- their color sphere of choice could be better though.

Why do you keep asking about NSO?

NSO-Great People

LOSS- never heard of them

Bel-Air- Are you joking! What a joke!

This is exactly why you are an asset even if I hate you. Mostly

As far as I'm aware LoSS did not declare neutrality, they just committed themselves to not attacking any of their former treaty partners. Correct me if I'm wrong though as my memory is hazy.

Quite true, (being LOSS govt at the time I should know...), and LOSS also committed to upholding the treaties until the cancelation clauses ran out.

Also, best answer the question posed and get back to the topic at hand:

NSO - Definately a group who know what they're doing, sure they may have made moves which seem more like publicity stunts than anything else, but if the whole of Bob actually took some of the ideals they've got then it would be a better place in my eyes.

LOSS - My first home. I'll always have fond memories, and met some great people there. While there are a few hotheads which could get themselves into trouble, most of the guys over there are levelheaded and have their wits about them.

Bel-Air - Seems like a joke, but then I don't know anything about the people over there, so they could easily prove me wrong.

those were the good days werent they

NSO - Arrogant but in a good way sort of
LoSS - There okay
Bel Air- Love them crazy guys

NSO-Coolest Guys in the world, also a bunch of a-holes
LOSS-Dont know to much just kind of there
Bel Air -the evolved form of 2 clown alliances, if theres a little less lulz this time around, i wouldn't be surprised to see them successful.

NSO: Very entertaining, and motivated it seems. A dynamic group, they have earned my respect.

LoSS: Not to familiar with them. We fought them during the Karma War, fun times, 11 alliances on us. Anyways, somewhat indifferent, cool name though.

BelAir: *tries to think of a Fresh Prince pun* god I can't think of anything. Promising, if they can avoid any stupid international incidents perhaps they can work to better the Pink sphere

NSO: Krunks in it. Need I say more?

BTW believe it or not, I love Krunk in a completely almost non gay way. He is awesome, and I have the utmost respect for him.

LoSS: Voted #1 for coolest alliance ever in Randy Magazine. We currently have over 6,294,450 (that is million!) subscriptions, and said magazine does not tell a lie.

Bel Air: Don't know too much about them, but I have dealt with a few members, and they were pretty cool. I wish them good luck