| W&S: The Merry Magical Military Minister |
I needed to try
I needed to fall I needed your love I'm burning away I need never get old Fellow South Pacificans, Almost exactly eight years ago, on the first of February, 2013, I founded the nation Witchcraft and Sorcery. I was a freshman in high school, introduced to the game through a class experiment. Like many of my classmates, I made my own nation with the intent of forging my own path when it came to issues, but I quickly abandoned that when I found gameplay. I had no idea how much that one decision would affect the next eight years of my life. I’ve worn a lot of different hats in those eight years, gone inactive for long stretches, and nearly quit entirely on a few different occasions. But something keeps drawing me back - the sheer number of nominations reminds me how much I love the community we’ve got here and makes me want to give back. So today I’m here to ask for your help to do just that: I’d like to ask for your vote to be TSP’s next Minister of Defense. Background For those who might not know me, I’ll give a brief summary of my relevant experience: I was in 10000 Islands from 2013 to 2017, TITO Tactical Officer for a year between early 2016 and early 2017. I resigned in 2017, but I have maintained an excellent relationship with 10ki, even rejoining TITO briefly. Since then I’ve primarily been active in the Grey Wardens and TSP, though I left the former to focus on building the region of Founderless. I’ve held command and officer positions in TITO, TGW, SPSF, and the Founderless Rangers. I was Minister of Military Affairs here in TSP in mid-2019, though I was forced to resign midway through my term, primarily due to an unexpectedly difficult recovery from eye surgery which lasted right until the beginning of an extremely stressful semester in college. Neither of those are on the horizon this time. What I bring to the table My greatest strength as a defender is my ability to put “boots on the ground,” so to speak. Since my return, I’ve gained a reputation for two things: speed and detagging. I’m one of a very small handful of defenders that consistently get zero-second chases (ie. moving to a tag target in the same second as the raiders), and when update is not otherwise active I lead defenders on mountains of detags whenever possible - often between 50 and 70 in any given update. Likewise, I’m very skilled at leading liberations and triggering; I was simultaneously the point and trigger for the sieges of The Spaghetti Land, which while ultimately unsuccessful, showcased both the power of defenders at large, able to gather well north of 100 pilers and dozens of updaters for many days in a row, and my own ability to trigger and manage such large numbers. My day-to-day updating skills are among the strongest and most active in the game today and there is no sign that this will slow down. Certain areas, such as intelligence and foreign affairs, are not really my forte, which is why I’m glad the CRS and MoFA are as robust as they are. These are often partially a military responsibility, at least in terms of coordination, and I will touch more on these later in my campaign. Military stances I am, as many can attest, a true-blue defender. In recent years I have found myself increasingly willing to adopt “controversial” stances and put my neck on the line for the cause. I was one of the leading voices in the campaign to officially turn TSP defender last summer, and more recently I have become a vocal opponent of quorum raiding, or approval raiding as it is also known. I was the one who ordered the defenses of the NPA’s attempts to quorum-raid “Repeal Liberate CCD” that set off pretty much all of the drama related to quorum raiding and fascism in Gameplay right now, and I have not apologized for, nor do I regret those actions. As Minister I would adopt (or continue?) a clear policy of defending against quorum raids, regardless of the proposal, unless the region/s targeted are fascist or known to harbor OOC problematic individuals, and will lobby for changes to the game mechanics to make this abhorrent practice more difficult or impossible. I say this because my guiding principles in military gameplay are those of regional sovereignty and self-determination. To that end, I have become more and more reticent as my career has continued to sanction invasions of raider or raider-sympathizing regions. As Minister I would be crystal clear with SPSF members who participate in such operations with other militaries not to associate with the SPSF while doing so. The only exception is anti-fascist operations. Fascists don’t get rights. Nor should they get safe havens on this game. SPSF internals I have a couple of internal things I want to continue from Phoenix’s term and expand on from my own. The first is training. Phoenix was an amazing trainer and recruiter of new people. The Phoenix Flock Fleet idea was absolutely critical in getting new people and non-standard updaters into military operations, and the inroads she made in these areas are absolutely sources that the SPSF should continue to look for updaters, especially for large liberations. While I certainly don’t have Phoenix’s charisma or skill at hoarding dozens of updaters, we should absolutely continue to train and seek out otherwise-R/D-ambivalent updaters especially for large ops. I have already been running some off-update training ops for updaters who want to get better at some of the more technical aspects, especially chasing, and these are useful, but Phoenix’s approach of going outside the norm when looking for new soldiers is one I like a lot. In the same vein - we need to expand and promote the Tidal Force. There is a lot of possibility here for getting soldiers who aren’t able to update but still are willing to help us out when we need pilers or simply doing regular detags a la what TGW’s Guardians do. When a large mission comes where we need extra pilers, having an off-update force that is still regularly active could prove crucial. One of the first things I intend to do as Minister is begin re-recruiting for the Tidal Force and developing a solid off-update team. During my ill-fated MoMA term I also had some ideas for SPSF record-keeping that I want to work on implementing or developing better: in recent months I’ve been the main person copying down SPSF update reports and I absolutely value this information. At some point during my term, I envision the following happening:
External/foreign affairs While I’m not running for MoFA, coordinating with leaders of other militaries is critical. To that end, I am extremely excited about the Partnership for Sovereignty. I’m fortunate enough to already have good relations with most of the leaders of our allied militaries. As I indicated, FA is not really my priority or my specialty, but I’m very close to the leaders of 10000 Islands and The Rejected Realms in particular, and this alliance of the three largest defender regions in the game should continue to prove useful. Especially now that the Partnership is now in effect and TITO has begun to open up many of their military channels to allies again, there is ample opportunity for cooperation. Right now I am usually active in both TITO’s update channel and Libcord during update and bounce between operations. While I can’t say “here’s a concrete plan of action” as to cooperation between us and our allies, the Partnership and developments in our allied regions do generate new opportunities for military cooperation and I expect we will continue to do so. Conclusion I welcome any and all questions you have about me, my background, my campaign, or anything else. I am very much aware that, should I be elected, Phoenix leaves me with huge shoes to fill. She has become a great friend and I greatly admire her skill and ascension from a new face on the block the last time I was here. I’m different in a lot of aspects from that; tons of experience coming in, lots of different regional perspectives due to being much more cosmopolitan than many of my predecessors. Despite this, I can't do it alone and I'm thankful that the SPSF is full of experienced veterans and up-and-coming talents alike. I really appreciate all the encouragement to run and I look forward to earning your vote and serving as your next Minister of Defence. Viva TSP! W&S ***CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATION - PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY***
Currently I hold citizenship in the regions of Founderless (as Velvet Elvis) and the Rejected Realms (as Misery Business). I also maintain residence in 10000 Islands as Witchcraft and Puppetry, though I do not hold citizenship. I do however have access to military channels in their Discord server as an allied military commander. A full list of my nations can be provided to the CRS on request.Additionally, and most importantly, I hold the positions of forum and Discord administrator, Foreign Affairs Director, and commander of the Rangers in Founderless. Founderless holds elections later this month and I fully intend to seek the position of Executive Director, which is equivalent to TSP’s prime minister. While none of these qualify as an “equivalent office” for the purpose of legal CoIs, I want to be as absolutely transparent as possible about this, because I know it may raise questions. Founderless is a defender region aligned with TSP’s military positions and I cannot for the life of me imagine a situation where the Rangers and SPSF would find themselves on opposite sides of an operation. Founderless’ Defense Director is Karputsk, a commander in the RRA, and many of the Rangers hold cross-membership with our allies and other defender regions. Thus, I see my connections to Founderless and its wealth of experience as a valuable military, intelligence, and diplomacy asset, rather than a potential conflict. The bottom line is that I would not have agreed to run if I had not believed there was a genuine possibility, however small, for a conflict of interest. Questions about any of the above are always welcome. And now i'll leave you with another tune. <3 Witchcraft and Sorcery Former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. Formerly many things in other regions. Defender. Ideologue. he/they. ![[-]](https://tspforums.xyz/images/sidr/blue/collapse.png)
The following 9 users Like Witchcraft and Sorcery's post:• Free Las Pinas, Jay Coop, Langburn, Moon, phoenixofthesun14, Purple Hyacinth, Somyrion, Swifty, USoVietnam
In the extremely unlikely event that Founderless and The South Pacific engage in hostilities, which region has your ultimate loyalty?
What is the role of the SPSF in combating fascist regions and the fascist ideology more broadly? In your opinion, what is the most effective way to completely destroy all fascist elements from NationStates?
These are excellent questions, thank you Langburn.
(02-05-2021, 09:25 AM)Langburn Wrote: In the extremely unlikely event that Founderless and The South Pacific engage in hostilities, which region has your ultimate loyalty? The scenario where this would happen would likely be a breakdown in relations between TSP and TRR, and the disintegration of the Partnership for Sovereignty, neither of which I see as remote possiblities in the short term. This is because the vast majority of those who are involved in Founderless are members of one of those two regions. That said, my loyalty is first and foremost with the South Pacific. This region has been my primary place of residency, it's where I keep my main, and it's where my loyalties ultimately lie. I have said for a very long time now that my loyalty is with the cause of defending, wherever that takes me, but I have realized that the reason I keep coming back to TSP is because I have invested so much time into helping put this region on its current course that I cannot in good conscience abandon it. (02-05-2021, 09:25 AM)Langburn Wrote: What is the role of the SPSF in combating fascist regions and the fascist ideology more broadly? In your opinion, what is the most effective way to completely destroy all fascist elements from NationStates? I have participated in and encourage the SPSF to participate in anti-fascist operations wherever possible. As a military, it's our job to be the "boots on the ground" of the broader anti-fascist project, and that just so happens to be my specialty. I know I use that phrase a lot, but it sums up my skills as a soldier quite well. I often receive invitations from other military leaders to participate in various anti-fascist update operations, whether that be closing fascist embassies, griefing fascist regions, or whatever else we decide to do. I will encourage active and zealous participation in seizing and destroying fascist regions, as well as closing their embassies and reducing their presence on the world stage. Witchcraft and Sorcery Former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. Formerly many things in other regions. Defender. Ideologue. he/they.
Do you consider it a higher priority to defend/liberate regions or engage in anti-fascist operations?
Former Delegate of the South Pacific
Posts outside High Court venues should be taken as those of any other legislator. I do not participate in the regional server, but I am happy to talk through instant messaging or on the forum. Legal Resources: THE MATT-DUCK Law Archive | Mavenu Diplomatic Archive | Rules of the High Court | Case Submission System | Online Rulings Consultation System
(02-05-2021, 10:35 AM)Kris Kringle Wrote: Do you consider it a higher priority to defend/liberate regions or engage in anti-fascist operations?Defending and liberating regions absolutely take priority. If there’s a choice between a big liberation or defending against a large TBH/LWU/etc stage and an anti-fascist op i will always choose the liberation or defense. I would rather work to preserve the sovereignty of innocent regions before engaging in offensive ops. I guess it could be summed up like this, though this is not firm and some things might be decided on a case-by-case basis. 1) big liberation/defense 2) large-scale anti-fascist raid/occupation 3) chasing 4) closing fascist embassies/tagging fascist regions 5) detags Witchcraft and Sorcery Former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. Formerly many things in other regions. Defender. Ideologue. he/they.
Fellow South Pacificans,
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the trust you have placed in me to serve as TSP’s next Minister of Defense. I know this election was not a contested one for this position, but the trust and level of confidence that you have shown continues to inspire me every day. Like I said in my campaign, it’s all of you that make me want to serve and continue finding new ways to grow and promote the region. I want to thank Seraph for a fantastically run election and to all the other candidates, win or lose, who ran and gave TSP a choice. The PM-elect has signaled his intent to hold meetings with the cabinet and other ministers-elect in the coming days, and I intend to be an active participant in those, as well as hold some meetings and discussions of my own with outgoing MoD Phoenix and the entire General Corps to ensure a smooth transition into the next term. Congratulations to Glen, Roavin, Vietnam, Prarie, and Islas on your victories. This is a Cabinet of immense experience, love of region, and a fantastic work ethic, and I have intense respect for all of them. I am so excited for what’s ahead. Let’s get to work. Witchcraft and Sorcery Former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. Formerly many things in other regions. Defender. Ideologue. he/they.
The following 4 users Like Witchcraft and Sorcery's post:• anjo, Free Las Pinas, Purple Hyacinth, |
![[+]](/images/collapse_collapsed.png "[+]")
Nation info
| Users browsing this thread: |
| 1 Guest(s) |