Lavender
 |
Lavender is a high quality article, which is awesome! Please continue to expand this article as much as you can, with more sections, text, images, trivia and anything else you can think of to make it even better! |
| President Lavender of The Democratic Industrial Island of Shops | |
 His presidential portrait. | |
| | |
|---|---|
| In office February 2, 2013 – Incumbent | |
| Vice President | Chill57181 |
| Preceded by | Mario Rk |
Chancellor of the Moon Island Institute of Education
| |
| In office 2013 – Incumbent Serving with Ms. Moon Dew Professor Penguin | |
| Preceded by | Dps04 |
High Judge of the Shops Island Council
| |
| In office February 2, 2013 – October 2, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Chill57181 |
| Succeeded by | Jackson McArdy |
- Not to be confused with Olivia's pet puffle of the same name, and NEVER to be confused with the color.
Philip "Lavender" Robertson, or more affectionately and popularly known as Lavender, is one of the most powerful penguins in the Asiapelago, who acts as the fifth and current president of Shops Island. As the president of Shops Island, he is also the nominal Governor of Moon Island, and the Chancellor of the Moon Island Institute of Education. Lavender often looks over many of Shops' diplomatic missions as well, also acting as the representative of Shops Island to the UAN, and their representative in the South Antarctic Treaty Organization.
During his tenure, Lavender has gained international fame with his innovative ideas, and is credited for Shops' rapid expansion in 2013. A staunch opponent of communism, the young president has made Shops Island a capitalist-biased state, openly willing to attack any communist nations. He has also clearly stated his hatred of criminal states such as Nexon and Double Sicilia in the past.
Lavender is currently married to his wife, Violet Jennings, who changed her surname to Robertson. In September 2014, they had twins, who were named Red and Blue.
Although Lavender is not affiliated with any political parties or organizations, he identifies as "liberal" and "center-left wing", but often expresses conservative views and is classified as such by the media and political pundits.
Contents
Background[edit]
Lavender was born on October 18, 1991 in South Pole City. He was hatched as a light blue penguin. His childhood was very bleak and casual. He spent it in an apartment in the city. When he got old enough, he moved to Club Penguin Island where he acted as a public service worker. Here is where he would infamously become Lavender. He was working with some other penguins on the color vote in 2009. One day, he stepped on a plank which was over a rock with a paint bucket of lavender paint on the other end. The paint bucket flew up in the air, landing on him. He was covered in Lavender paint, and he's remained this color ever since.
In 2010, he heard of Shops Island and immigrated there. While there, he worked as yet again, a public service worker. However, here he had a goal. He wanted to overcome Ben's dictatorship and fix up the government eventually. So, he started working up his ranks until he got into the government. There he stayed until Mario Rk was voted out. Then, his chance was there. He ran for president, and succeeded. However, the voters weren't satisfied with his running mate, so he acceded to the presidency without a vice-president. Chill57181 was elected as his vice-president in a separate vote.
Presidency[edit]
Lavender was inaugurated as president on February 2, 2013. Immediately after entering office, he was faced with the crisis involving Snowzerland and Shops Island. Lavender responded to the issue by ordering a massive expansion of the military; one of the largest expansions in Antarctic history.
Over the next few months, as Shops' military and economic prowess grew, tensions grew even higher between Shops Island and the Old Yow Kingdom. Lavender was one of the signatories for the April 2013 UAN Resolutions which was the pretext to the Great Yowien War. When Yow launched a nuclear missile at Western Shops, Lavender retaliated by declaring war along with many other leaders; this started the Great Yowien War. Lavender led Shops into the war and came out victorious, and gained Northern Shops as a result. The war began Shops' extreme rise on the Antarctic stage and the beginning of Shops' major imperial ambitions.
Throughout May and June 2013, Lavender and vice president Chill57181 focused on domestic and economic development to improve quality of Shopper life, especially in the Industrial Division, while simultaneously lowering military funds.
In July 2013, guns were firing on the Antarctic mainland, signalling the beginning of the Great Snowzerland War VI. Originally, Lavender tried to keep Shops Island out of the war, only sending food and medical aid to the Allies. However, when Zhou attacked Shops Island, Lavender had no choice but to declare war on Zhou. In response to this, Snowzerland and North Joseon declared war on Shops Island, officially bringing them in as a major combatant force. Lavender oversaw many of Shops' heroic battles throughout the war, and Lavender was in Dellaroma as a signatory of the final peace treaty.
However, Lavender didn't give Shops Island much time to lick its collective wounds. Just days after the GSWVI ended, Lavender went to Bridgeport to have three way talks with Ed Island and Snowiny. During these talks, they outlined a plan to destroy a rising criminal empire, who had gained much leverage amidst the chaos of the GSW: Nexon. Only days after Lavender had been in Dellaroma to signify the end of one war, he was now in Bridgeport, starting a new one: the Fall of Nexon. The war lasted for a whole month, and put great stress and agony on Lavender himself. He was injured quite a few times during the conflict, and had to make morally troubling decisions, such as nuking Goberna, or ordering total destruction on the Nexonan front. During this time, he met his wife-to-be Violet, who was the one who eventually convinced Lavender to end the war in early November of 2013.
Again, though, Shops Island wouldn't have time to heal itself after the Fall of Nexon. And yet again, days after the Nexonan War ended, the Plague War began. Lavender bravely led Shops Island through this battle with a stunning victory, gaining much territory for Shops Island.
After the war, the Shopper population was finally growing weary of military conflict. On Christmas of 2013, Lavender declared that Shops Island would be committed to peace throughout 2014.
This didn't work. In February of that year, Puffalia began attacking Shopper merchant shipping around the east coast of Antarctica. Lavender originally tried to take a peaceful path to ending the crisis: going to the UAN and asking for sanctions against Puffalia. It didn't happen. So, as Puffalian aggression became even more violent, Lavender saw a moral imperative to declare war on Puffalia. He had expected it to be a relatively quick war with quick Shopper victory, but he was wrong. The Puffalians used brutal tactics, which led to defeat after defeat for Shopper forces. This took a huge toll on Shopper morale and on Lavender himself. He did everything in his power to try and win the war for the allies, but he kept failing. Halfway through, it seems obvious that Shops Island would have to surrender. But, Lavender stayed firm. He kept the war going, and eventually it began to turn around. He then went to De Groot with the other allied leaders and outlined a plan to invade mainland Antarctica (almost a third of which had been occupied by Puffalian and Axis forces). Lavender spearheaded the largest military operation in history, and it was a resounding success. Days afterwards, Lavender himself went into battle against Puffalian forces, in the final Battle of Triskale. He parachuted into the (already obliterated) city of Triskale with General Broseph to personally end the war. He was the one that eventually ended up killing the leader of Puffalia, Hans Traugott, and therefore winning the war for the allies.
Lavender was hailed as a hero by the Shopper people, and he was paraded around Shops City as if he were a god. However, the war had had terrible effects on him. After seeing the horror of battle and bloodshed before his own eyes, he pledged Shops Island to peace once again, this time with much more resolve. He put forward the Shopper Outreach Program of 2014, an aid package set to help rebuild war-torn Antarctica, and to help improve Shops Island domestically. It was a resounding success.
In early 2015, an economic collapse seemed almost inevitable for Shops Island after the Military industry had went bust. The Common Legislature cried for war to stimulate the economy, but president Lavender refused. His first-hand experience of war had made him see that it should be used only as a last possible resort. Instead, he put forward an economic stimulus package. The government vilified him for this, but the president held firm. This did little to alleviate the economic issues, but Lavender was saved when the SIA discovered the planet Notron, which was rife with tyranny and would give Shops Island the economic boost it needed if it was pursued. Such an endeavor had never been tried before, and Lavender was initially against it. However, he eventually did authorize the invasion of the planet, which was swift and effective. Lavender established the new Dominion of Notron as a mostly independent state with only superficial Shopper oversight, but with a strong trading relationship.
Personal Life[edit]
When not doing his presidential duties, Lavender happily resides in a mansion near the outskirts of Shops City, where he lives with his wife Violet. However, the two don't spend much time together considering that Lavender is almost always busy with the presidency, and that Violet is often busy at the hospital, or raising awareness about certain domestic issues. Nevertheless, the two are still able to enjoy each others' company when they have alone time.
Personality[edit]
| “ | Lavender was never the kind for words. He'll call a spade "a spade", and sometimes even worse than a spade. | ” |
— General Lorn remarking on Lavender's vocabulary.
|
Viewed from many different perspectives, Lavender was a generally crass penguin, and was quite plain spoken. This trait, and his bluntness made him unpopular with liberals and pacifists. Many older political leaders are prone to tease Lavender because of his young age. Because of this, he has burning determination, which is rooted in deep unsureness and a feeling that he needs to prove himself at all times.
Presidency[edit]
President Lavender was Shops' most historic president. Shortly after he was elected, Chill57181 was elected as his vice-president in a separate vote. He would live to become the longest serving president, serving over 10 consecutive terms until his resignation in 2025. However, it didn't go without being challenged.
Domestic Affairs[edit]
Lavender is responsible greatly expanding Shops' economy, and major immigration occurred during his presidency. The GDP grew 5-fold during his 1st term alone. After the Great Yowien War, he introduced The Shops Industrial Development Policy.
International Affairs[edit]
Lavender is credited with conquering overseas territory during his presidency. Most notably Yow. He brought Shops into The Great Yowien War and almost completely cut imports, while increasing exports. He ordered the construction of Seashells, Uranium Island, and Plutonium Bay. Lavender expanded the military, and made temporary amends with Snowzerland, only for those to be ruined during the sixth Great Snowzerland War. Lavender led the Shoppers to battle against the Zhouese, and emerged victorious. Lavender also guided Shops through the Fall of Nexon and the Plague War. He was responsible for helping to form the Axle Powers, who have shared a strong connection and have fought alongside each other in the Frosian War.
Criticism[edit]
Even with all of Lavender's positive moves, he is often criticized for making amends with Snowzerland, and being the one to declare war on Yow, along with ordering 3 nuclear strikes within his first 3 months as president. However, most of his war-related actions are made out of pure spite or under peer pressure. As of late, Lavender has also been put under pressure from right-wing political pundits for reaching out to Zhou.
Speeches[edit]
- See main article: Lavender's Speeches
Lavender has become well-known in Antarctic politics and the media for some of his landmark speeches, most often given in times of great triumph and crisis. His oratory skills are fiery and are often filled with pro-Shopper rhetoric. Many of his speeches either serve to put important events into perspective, to celebrate achievements or to mourn losses.
Relations[edit]
Lavender, throughout his political career, has developed many connections with penguins within his own government, and from outside of Shops.
Personal Relations[edit]
- Chill57181 - Awesome! - Chill is Lavender's right-hand penguin, and Shops' vice president. They often collaborate and have developed a close bond together.
- King Carlos - Absolutely Fantastic! - Lavender and King Carlos of Castilla have a close and productive friendship; Lavender looked up to Castilla's king as a mentor, and as a guide for expanding Shops into its powerful status. Their alliance during the GSWVI and the Great Yowien War also made them powerful allies to be reckoned with.
- Penquino - Weakening - Penquino's constant whining about Shops' involvement, and the way Lavender handles situations, has really gotten on the president's nerves. Lavender has developed a bias against Penquino, and considers him nothing more than a whiny and boring hippie.
- Bro - Fair - Bro and Lavender barely talk, but their interactions are perceived as friendly.
- LMGT - Great - Lavender and LMGT became friends as the SIA became more and more involved in Shopper defense and rose in national importance.
- Swiss Ninja Hochstadt - Bad - Swiss Ninja, as the leader of Snowzerland, once had an informal relationship with Lavender during the Great Yowien War. However, during the GSWVI, their personal relations completely broke down.
- Slender - Fair - Slender fully supports Lavender's presidency.
- Steven Snowen - Excellent - Lavender and Steven Snowen first met during the early stages of the Great Yowien War. With the formation of the Axle Powers, Lavender and Snowen quickly began to bond on a personal level, and are now very good friends.
- Dps04 - Great - Dps04 has had disagreements with some of Lavender's policies, especially his military and expansionist policy. Nevertheless, they still maintain a good relationship, and Dps04 honors him as the Chancellor of the Moon Island Institute of Education.
Foreign Policy[edit]
Lavender's personal foreign policy consists of befriending powerful capitalist nations, while ignoring less important countries, while butting heads with communist and socialist states. Though it was Bro and the Hochstadt Gang that started Shopper-Castillan connections, Lavender is often credited with making Castilla a key ally of Shops.
Quotes[edit]
- "Shops can do anything! Except tip the iceberg... Nobody can tip the iceberg."
- "Oh, how I wish the Hun would chuck it."
- "THE JERRYS DID WHAT!?!?"
- "Never give up, am I right?"
- "SOCIALISM IS THEFT!"
- "DEATH IS A PREFERABLE ALTERNATIVE TO COMMUNISM."
- "COMMUNISM IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF FAILURE."
- "COMMUNISM IS A TEMPORARY SETBACK ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM."
Gallery[edit]
Lavender delivering a speech.
Lavender and King Carlos at a press conference.
The President fatefully announces the internment of all penguins of Nexonan descent.
Lavender on Christmas.
Lavender at the De Groot Conference.
Lavender looking at pictures of the atrocities committed on Notron.
Lavender and Simon McClark.
Trivia[edit]
- He knows how to drive a tank.
- He says that he's been "blessed" with "the wonderful gift of insomnia".
- He plays poker during his spare time.
- Lavender is the longest serving president in Shops' history.
