As part of our month-long anniversary celebration, we’re launching a limited edition column that looks back at the currents that shaped the Water Vikings across the years. Each piece will spotlight someone who helped steer the army during a different era, letting us trace how their decisions pushed the tide forward. To begin the series, I’m interviewing Twitchy, who guided the Vikings through the army’s third generation in 2011. His leadership came at a moment when the Water Vikings were finding their footing again, making his perspective a fitting place to open the journey.

Why did you join the Water Vikings?

Twitchy: I was 12 so it didn’t really take much, Zak basically just DMed me asking me if I wanted to lead and I said sure.

How long did you lead the Water Vikings?

Twitchy: I honestly don’t really remember, but the WV site says about a month and a half, so I’ll go with that.

What accomplishment are you the most proud of during your Water Vikings leadership?

Twitchy: It’s been so long it’s hard to remember specifics, but being asked to lead the new (third) generation that was opening by Zak was a notable accomplishment for me in itself, and one of the only things I really remember well from my 2011 leadership. I had tried with little success to create my own armies in the past, which I appointed myself the leader of, but WV was the first army I led that I did not create, on top of being the first army I led that was actually successful.

Throughout your time in armies, what goals did you set for yourself or your teams, and how effectively do you feel you accomplished them?

Twitchy: Mainly my goals were just to bring whatever army I was leading to #1 on the Top Ten and win whatever wars or tournaments we found ourselves in, which was sort of everyone’s goal at the time. I never got #1 on the TT or led through many wars (except for one in 2015 that I won as an RPF leader, which was amusingly against WV, which I did technically win with support from allies), but I did lead RPF to victory in the 2015 Christmas Chaos. I led them into the 2016 CC finals too, but due to a slight mishap between both myself and another leader we ended up getting disqualified.

If you could revisit any part of your leadership journey, is there anything you would approach differently with the perspective you have now?

Twitchy: I’m sure there are plenty of things, but if I had approached them different I probably wouldn’t have ended up with my current perspective. You learn more through failure than success.

If you could bring back one thing from your era of Water Vikings into this one, what would it be?

Twitchy: Bepboy9 💔

What’s one thing that Water Vikings does now that you wish you had thought of back then?

Twitchy: Max 20+

What did it feel like when you retired from armies?

Twitchy: It felt long overdue and like the end of an era. I joined CPA in 2008 & retired at the beginning of 2019, just over a decade later. I had seen, and in some ways contributed to, the landscape changing drastically over the years. I was proud of what I had accomplished, and optimistic about the accomplishments future generations would make.

What advice would you give to the current Water Vikings leaders based on your experiences?

Twitchy: Always remember these words: Work hard, study well, and eat and sleep plenty—that is the Turtle Hermit way.

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Talking with Twitchy offered a glimpse into a time when both he and the wider CPA community were still figuring out their direction. And even with the distance of time, his reflections carry the mix of ambition, pride, and wit that defined so much of early CPA leadership. The way he revisits those years with humor, perspective, and a touch of sentiment sets a fitting tone for this anniversary series. It’s a reminder that every era leaves its mark, and every leader leaves a piece of themselves behind for the next wave to build on.

~ Ulysses Nardo ~

~ Viking Lord ~

Filed under: Ocean Oracle