Farewell.

Posted on November 14, 2020 by CSY

I’ve never considered myself to be sentimental. People leave, people retire, and people move on. After my first stint in CPA, I never really kept in touch with anyone. As Funky put himself – “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” – that was my philosophy. There was no need to cling dearly onto friendships, and let it slowly grow apart from the loss of the common interest of CPA – the fact that you were once friends, and the memories you made, was enough to me.

I think though, for a man like Funky – tears are inevitably shed, not because it’s over, but as a testament to everything that has happened.

I don’t think many leaders have written a farewell post to send off a higher command, much less one that’s probably going to be longer than the his own. I guess there’s always a first, to these things.

To most of ACP, Funky was a 2nd-in-Command – a drunk one, very often, with his iconic “Thor” Irish accent. To staff, he’s a god at recruiting, pushing the limits of what is humanly possible to do. To HCom, he was a friend. To me though, he was, and is, so much more.

Funky was my mentor. I met Funky in 2014, in the Water Vikings. I knew nothing about Club Penguin – and he’d be leading an event on the side, answering my “Dude where the heck is the berg” questions on xat PCs. This is something he still gives me grief over, to this day.

He was a 2ic back then – and he showed me the ropes, not just of Club Penguin rooms, but also of relations and penguin politics. He taught me how the entire army system worked – mentored me in terms of recruiting, of leading, and of winning wars.

Funky reminiscing the WV-DCP war, when I first joined WV.

Funky is motivation. He brings with him a work ethic and enthusiasm that is quite frankly unmatched. Even literally the day he returned to CPA, he was already up my ass to attend events.

He’d have 9 hour shifts, then come back, foot on the pedal, and straight up grind recruits. He’d stay up til 4, 5 am to attend events due to his crazy work schedule, and be able to juggle everything. Most importantly though, in a sort of inexplicable manner, his enthusiasm was contagious – in the initial days of ACP where AUSIA would struggle, he’d always talk to me about what we could do to improve, for next time – he’d also come and congratulate me when we did well, far more than anyone else has. He motivated me to do better, made me want to push myself, to do more with both IRL and ACP.

Funky is innovation. I remember all of us struggling to recruit on CPR, with them coming on us harder with the filter and bans. Brainstorming ideas about how to expand recruiting, Funky became the first wave, in ACP, of what became the largely popularized “discord recruiting”. This man would singlehandedly change the landscape of ACP recruiting, forever.

Funky is my brother. He’s always had my back, from the day he returned to armies and joined ACP, to the day he retired. Many might know that during the first days of my leadership with Kailey310 were tumultuous – throughout all of it, he was always there to support me, even when it wasn’t the dominant, winning narrative to do so. Unknown to much of ACP, much less the community, throughout much of my leadership, he would be one of the people I trusted every time to turn to for advice. Many people in CPAH know him for being one of the most outspoken people ever – but even when he disagreed with my opinions, he’d call me out, yes, but he’d also always support me, no matter what. His loyalty to the Army was never in question – he made so many sacrifices, and did so much in pursuit of what was best for ACP, seeking nothing – not even recognition – in return. (There is so much I would like to say, but I know this isn’t the platform, or perhaps it isn’t even my place, to do so.)

Funky is a legend. Truly the hardest part of any army is taking off – going from maxing single digits, to 50s. That is what Funky was part of – building ACP to stability, re-reaching her former glory. After Koloway retired in late January, the Army of Club Penguin reached her all time low, maxing single digits in multiple UK and US trainings. In just 2 months, we’d see huge sizes of 60+, despite having 3 members of Hcom, and 5-ish mods. Funky is truly an unsung hero for his work during these two months – pulling in 40+ recruits a day, pushing us back to stability.

The most memorable moment to me, in Funky’s tenure, was the hype pre-Premier League Tournament. “Sponsored by #channel” was coined by Funky around this time – I’d watch as one of his new recruits would join, he’d plug the channel, and the reacts would grow.

Funky – you are in so many ways, what ACP is. Innovative, determined, loyal. You have never sought anything in return – you have never asked me for a medal, or a post of recognition. Hell, you’ve told me I’m doing well far more than I’ve told you. You are a legend, in your very own right.

There is so much I need to say, that I cannot express – merely because words will never be able to express the comradery and brotherhood that we have built up. Me and Funky, we were never friends in a sense that I knew his shoe size and hair color. We had each other’s backs though, and that I’ll never be able to thank him enough for.

csymaxunky – gone but not forgotten.

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2funky3 is hereby awarded the:

Bronze Medal Award – for his work recruiting, hyping, and DM-ing, leading to our successes in the Premier League Tournament and World War Rewritten.

Silver Medal Award – for being a large part in innovating and heralding a new generation of recruiting for the Army of Club Penguin, and for the leadership he has shown in his 11 months in the Army.

These medals barely scrape the surface of the man Funky was, and the friendship he offered, during many of the toughest periods for the ACP. But perhaps the point of the medals isn’t to encapsulate who he was – that will remain in the hearts of those involved, forever.

One last time.