Jorost

Invicta officially supports and applauds this announcement. For a bunch of evil Sith you guys are all right!

OK, first of all, when I originally posted this announcement I did so in the wrong place. Someday I hope to master the complexities of point-and-click. Now, on the topic of this thread: Wow. First of all, it would be disingenuous of me to say that I didn't expect a reaction. But it would be fair to say that I wasn't exactly sure what that reaction would be. I appreciate the supportive comments from our friends -- thank you. But maybe even more I appreciate the observations of those people to whom maybe Invicta is not that close who get what I was trying to say. I forget sometimes that I am really not very well known outside of my alliance and my sphere. So I am surprised when people ascribe all kinds of secret motives and hidden agendas to my words. Really I am a lot less crafty than that assumption credits me for being! Basically, when I make a statement I tend to do two things: 1. Talk a LOT. (Really. Ask my members! Brevity is not my strong suit.) 2. Say what I mean. I guess I am a little surprised by the level of suspicion underlying many of the comments in this thread. So let me be clear: I did not make this announcement as some legalistic, back-door way of signing a treaty without signing a treaty. Really, what would be the point of that? And, moreover, what would be the point of announcing it if we did? It seems to me that would just be asking for trouble. I am also really, truly baffled by all the grudge-holding. At the risk of sounding judgmental (which is honestly not my intention), what good does it do to hold on to all that anger? The World of Bob moves at a much faster pace than that other world (I think it's called the "reel" world?) some of us have heard about. A month is a long time, a year an eternity. So why continue to focus so much time and energy and emotion on past wrongs? It just seems counterproductive to me. As I said in my original post in this thread, for most of my time in Bob I was blissfully ignorant of international doings. So I have no strong emotional memories of any of the things that seems so important to so many people. It just seems like excess baggage to me. I guess I just like to travel light! Finally, wasn't the point of Karma to militarily redress all those past grievances? To teach NPO a lesson? And hasn't that been DONE? They have been beaten. Karma has gotten what it wanted. So why not call it all good? Or, as the Regional Manager of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch might say: "Hug it out, !@#$%*." I have said it before and I will undoubtedly say it again: I believe that there were good people on all sides of the Karma War. Now that the war is over, I think it is time to move forward. Invicta would very much like to make new friends, but not at the price of abandoning an old one. It is important to me that people know that friendship mean something to us. I guess that was all I was trying to say. I told you it would be long!

In light of recent events on Planet Bob, Invicta and the New Pacific Order would like to make a statement reaffirming our friendship, commitment, and mutual appreciation. Please note that in accordance with NPO's terms of surrender, this statement does not constitute an official treaty. I expect that some will view this statement with cynicism. I know there are many who see Invicta as a vassal of NPO. This used to bother me. I did not like the idea that my alliance was thought of as nothing more than a "meatshield." For a time I was bent on changing this image at any cost. I believed there were good alliances out there, people with whom we would like to be friends, who were hesitant to deal with us because of our reputation and our connection to NPO. In fact I came very close to severing that connection in an effort to prove that Invicta was not what the naysayers said we were. You see, I came to the world-of-Bob stage as something of a novice in foreign affairs. I joined Invicta shortly after the birth of my nation, and it is the only home I have ever known. During most of my time here, I was an internal affairs officer. As such, I was not particularly interested in our external doings. Some might even say I was willfully ignorant of them. Be that as it may, when I became Invicta's president early this year, it was with only the vaguest idea of our image in the international community. The negativity was surprising. And more than a little disheartening. It was hard to discover that this alliance that I thought of as a wonderful place full of terrific people was viewed in some circles with such contempt. And I quickly learned that this view was an extension of how one of our oldest allies, NPO, was viewed. We were, it seemed, being judged by the company we kept. Which brings me back to the idea of changing Invicta's image. But I realized something, a little piece of wisdom that many of us probably heard as children: If someone doesn't like you for who you really are, then you probably wouldn't want them as a friend anyway. So let us say it here and now, let us shout it from the rooftops: WE LOVE NPO, AND WE DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT! NPO has been Invicta's friend for a long time. When we were a young alliance, they lent us a guiding hand. When we were threatened by foreign powers, they protected our sovereignty. I doubt whether Invicta would even exist today without NPO's presence in those early days. They made it possible for Invicta to become a stable, prosperous and independent alliance, and by doing so helped pave the way more unified Purple sphere. Friendships can be complicated. At times they can even be strained. Invicta and NPO have had our share of ups and downs. But the bottom line is that NPO has always been there for Invicta when we really needed them. That is the essence of friendship. And that is why, when they needed us, we felt we needed to be there for them. Not for ideology, but for friendship. I know that there were a lot of axes to grind in the Karma War, both personal and political. And I am even willing to concede that perhaps NPO was not on the right side of every argument. But even a friend who is wrong is still a friend. The Karma War is over. The debts have been settled, the grievances redressed. If comeuppance was deserved, it has certainly been delivered. I hope that the alliances of Bob can finally, finally, set aside old grudges and ancient history and move forward. Invicta and NPO look forward to making new friends and forging new paths unfettered by the burdens of the past. Because of our unrelenting love and lust for each other, Invicta and The New Pacific Order do hereby reaffirm our friendship. May it last as long as the sun shines on the face of Bob.

I think your characterization of Invicta's attitude towards NPO is basically fair. We do like them. Sure, we've had our ups and downs. And I know a lot of people think we're their lackeys or what-have-you. But that's really not it. It's just that NPO was there for us at times in our history when we needed them. I can't defend everything they've ever done. But I think a lot of people can say that about friends, right? And, yeah, we probably would help them if we could. And, yeah, because of our size relative to the reps owed our contribution probably wouldn't make a ginormous difference. I'm not sure that it's right to say we were "shocked" by how much damage we took. I, for one, kind of expected to take more TBH. I think we had a pretty good idea of what we were getting into. Of course some nations were more damaged than others, naturally. I myself lost about 25%. But that's the way it goes, I suppose!

As you know, this move became public knowledge under unfortunate circumstances. Moving 200+ nations to new sphere -- especially when you are largely strangers to the alliances already on that sphere -- is no trivial thing. I would have preferred that this situation had been handled differently, with a more measured approach. But what's done is done. It's less important how we got here than where we go now. I can't fault you for wanting to come to Purple. After all, we have more awesomeness per capita than any of the other spheres! B) And let us never forget the words of the great statesman when he said:

It's not easy running an alliance. As Swampy said, Invicta continues to protect any member flying the Fallen Knights AA. best of luck to FK's members and leadership, wherever they decide to go.

UPN are more like family than friends to us. And, as can be the case with families, there have been times when we have taken each other for granted or not been as kind as we should have been. Also, we have sometimes held them down and done "Why do you keep hitting yourself?" to them. Heh. This treaty serves to codify and underscore the bonds between UPN and Invicta – partners, comrades-in-arms, friends, brothers. May it always remain so! o/ UPN! o/ Purple! o/ BFF! NOTE: In light of NPO's treaty terms they have withdrawn from the Watling Street Compact between them, UPN and Invicta. Since that left only UPN and Invicta, and since the treaty we are now announcing supersedes it, the Watling Street Compact is hereby canceled.

Invicta is glad to see this conflict finally come to an end. It is our hope that this also brings to an end the cycle of perceived wrong and retribution that brought us to this point. It is well past time to let the past rest and to move forward. Peace Prevails.

I'm interested in the assertion, in the initial post, that Purple doesn't seem that united. In fact, we are very much so. With one exception, our major alliances fought essentially as a unit in the Karma War. Five of our alliances have an arrangement to share the three senate seats, with a regular rotation (which was, admittedly, disrupted this month by a fluke). Invicta and UPN, specifically, are extremely close, and both of us have strong relationships with M*A*S*H, SNAFU, BAPS, etc, etc. I think the idea that someone could just step in and assume a senate seat is simply not the case. We are pretty interesting, though, I think!

Do they bear the MARK? No, but seriously, that's a little vague.

Would you elaborate?

o/ KIA! Nice to have you "aboard!"

Wait, there's CAKE? ORANGE CAKE??? Dammit...

This doesn't mean we don't still love you guys! We just want to have an... open relationship! Heh. Purple feels the love for Orange!

Welcome to the Big Leagues, kid.

Congratulations to you! I'm always in support of alliances being named after evil fictional organizations!

I don't think rehashing the past is helpful. What's done is done. Right or wrong, Karma WON. NPO has acknowledged as much. No matter how either party has behaved in the past, the best thing now would be to move forward honorably. To do otherwise is to build up an abscess of resentment and bitterness that will fester and throb until it bursts forth in the next big war. Why not just clean and dress the wound properly now to prevent that from happening?

My first reaction is "wow." The face of Bob is going to be forever changed. My second reaction is to agree with Moo that the terms are too harsh. Karma, I believe you took your name from the idea that karma had come to bite NPO in the $@! for their past behavior. I won't argue that point. But I would ask you to consider that the positions have now been reversed. NPO has been defeated, and have acknowledged as much. They are willing to accept the harshest reparations ever levied. They have nullified the Revenge Doctrine. You have your victory, Karma. You have your pound of flesh. What more do you need? When this war began, many on our side saw it as a curbstomp. I refrained from that kind of language. I preferred to believe that honorable people could legitimately disagree, even vigorously oppose one another, without it descending into spitefulness. But these terms... Karma, these terms look like exactly the kind of bullying you accused NPO of. Is that really what you intended? To become the very thing you so decried? I don't think it is. I ask you, Karma, to live up to your namesake. Your enemy is defeated. There is no reason they have to be humiliated as well.

Haf's right. I would also like to add that I have never taken our use of the word "undefeated" as being literal. It means undefeated in spirit. Think of it like the movie "Rocky." At the end of the film, Rocky actually lost the big fight . But he was not "defeated." That's really the essence of what we're trying to capture in that slogan.

It was pointed out to me that I incorrectly referred to Doctor Fresh as "Mister Fresh" in my post. Sorry about that. I hate to overlook all those years he put in at fresh medical school.

Doh! That's OK, Haf made the list but not the animation! Fixing now...

Invicta Honors Members & Allies An alliance leader plays many roles and serves in many capacities. One of the most rewarding for me is Font of Honor (or "Honour" for our Anglo-Canadian friends!), the role in which I hand out awards and recognitions. I realize that such announcements are usually confined to an alliance's own forums. But considering the Bob-shaking nature of recent events, and the tremendous contributions made by many of our members and our foreign allies, I thought I would break with tradition and make a somewhat larger announcement. I hope you will indulge me! Therefore, for extreme valor, honor, and service in the Karma War, I do hereby bestow the Red Star of Invicta upon the persons listed below. For those of you who are interested, we have produced a little .Haflinger (Invicta) Timitz (Invicta) Sir Glen (Invicta) NicktheWW2fanatic (Invicta) Locke (Invicta) Thom98 (Invicta for the war) Altheus (UPN) Magister Agricolarum (UPN) NobodyExpects (BAPS) CyborgBelial (BAPS) Pansy (Valhalla) Cora (USN) Dan2680 (Nebula-X) Turetel (FEAR) Jipps (SSSW18) Doctor Fresh (MCXA) Mhawk (TPF) Large version: Small version: Congratulations to all. It is an honor well earned. Thank you to my redoubtable VP, Synagence of Spoontonia, for both designing the medal and putting together the animation!

Terms have been sent under which Gilly's surrender will be accepted.

Invicta is glad to see a peace agreement reached.

I'm always sad to see things come to an end, but I understand that nothing is forever. No ill will, Argent. We'll see you around.