It’s Not The Goodbye That Hurts, But The Flashbacks That Follow

KLONDIKE, SMA Central Headquarters – After four years in SMAC, three in the respected upper rankings and two times as Chief Executive Officer, it is finally time for me to take my leave.

The Law of Attraction

A great mind of SMAC once passed on a great law, which could be argued as a theory, which had proven to assist them in their own journey of achieving their true desires. This is most commonly referred to as the Law of Attraction, or the LOA for short. In short, this term means that if you think and behave with a positive attitude, a positive outcome will be achieved. The same is also said to work with a negative demeanour – influencing a negative outcome.

Wikipedia definition:

The law of attraction is the name given to the maxim “like attracts like” which in New Thought philosophy is used to sum up the idea that by focusing on positive or negative thoughts a person brings positive or negative experiences into their life.

The person who passed on this brilliance applied the law to his own actions when CEOing this site – back during a time when armies were in their prime – rising SMAC to become the top competitor for all news sites (at the time, not one S/M news site was stable and they were always being created). Not only did this person use it in their media career, they also applied it to their day-to-day life, eventually becoming a successful person with a high-qualification job, self-titling as “handsome” and even using it to become “popular”.

Despite there not being a thesis which proves this law to be entirely true, my predecessors didn’t fail to pass it down to me, in the hope that this part of inside, SMAC wisdom could influence both myself and future CEO’s. Being something which has been passed down through SMAC for years, it seems only appropriate to now pass it to you – our viewers – in the hope that it will benefit you as it has people whom have ran this site.

The Past 5 Years

I officially began my Club Penguin Army career on March 17th, 2011 as a Private in the Water Vikings – eventually ranking up to 2ic. This, inevitably, began my career in both armies and, eventually, the media aspect of the community. I went on to join armies such as the Doritos and Water Ninjas, even leading the army notoriously known as Golds up until the day of my retirement – helping them to obtain CPAC Top Ten positions between 1st and 5th. Alongside this, I have lead numerous armies from SMAC to CPAC, such as the Silver Surfers and Hairy Bears. When I first joined the community, I took a great interest in the other professions throughout the community aside from armies; my most favourite was always the news sites. I’ve always had a passion for writing, with nothing else appealing to me more.

As well as being in the position of Chief Executive Officer here at SMAC, I also more recently took on the role of Interim Manager over at CPA Central alongside Kingfunks4. This position came up rather unexpectedly and out of the blue, but CPAC was in a position where it needed help to get back onto its feet – being pushed to its full potential whilst standing in a dying community once more. Going from two posts a week to several per day, CPAC has once again thrived and is serving as the community’s #1 major news outlet. Being able to reach such a high position in both CPAC and SMAC are probably two highlights of my media career which I would not have ever expected to happen back in 2011 – when even my applications were being rejected.

The story behind my unsuspected and highly unanticipated inauguration to SMA Central came on May 19th, 2012, when the Chief Executive Officers at the time couldn’t take it anymore. After months of spamming SMAC’s own “Write Your Own Post!” page with stories of my nooby army which I bought to life on July 27th, 2011, the Fire Invaders, it was decided upon that hiring me would be an easier option than my constant rejection.

My first publication on SMAC was even worse than what you’d expect from a Reporter in Training. I received so many elements to improve on, it’s a wonder why the post is still visible today. This post received a lot of general criticism from Splasher99, which does open questions as to why my employment was continued.

Tips:
-Make your picture LARGE, and put your captions UNDER the pictures
-Don’t bold the whole post
-There’s no need to ask for the opinion of the people when they saw the top ten, polls that would make more sense would be something like “Do you think the CPGA has potential?” etc.
-No need to put quotations around your opinion.
-A few grammar mistakes here and there, perhaps double check

Other than that, great start!

With this post being published before it was a requirement to have your posts moderated before publication, it’s safe to say that SMA Central has changed between then and now in terms of format, expectation and general professionalism, but Splasher99’s decision to continue training me, eventually leading me to become the Chief Executive Officer here at SMAC and to serve in the position for over a year, ended up shaping the future of this magnificent news website.

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However, the greatness which I strive for SMAC to achieve today was not always the case. In April 2014, when Stephanie/Pikachu disappeared entirely from the face of the Earth, she chose 13 year old me as her successor. Needless to say, this was a terrible decision. Despite only being in the position for a month, abdicating due to personal reasons, I had managed to irritate too many people in this short period of time. Some of you may see the CPA Central-SMA Central partnership as a somewhat new concept, but it’s not. When first created, SMAC quickly paired up with CPAC – and that’s how it remained until I first became CEO. Being the ignorant child that I seemingly was, the partnership came to an end and SMAC was, for the first time in history, independent. As well as this, I somehow managed to annoy Blaze and Lucario, I believe due to a coup and wanting to be the soul CEO, leading to the revival and renaming of what is currently known as Small and Medium Army Press – our fighting rivals for over a year and a half.

Now, some of you may be thinking that SMAC managed just fine as an independent news site, which is only correct in some respects. Between the time periods of May 2015 – March 2016, our beloved self-sufficient source of news had fallen into what most will refer to as a depression. Not only was our newly created competition striving and removing our name from existence, they had also taken our old partnership position with CPAC. Seeing this downfall, I returned to SMAC in February under Bepboy9’s CEOship, for the rank of Editor in Chief. After a while, it was evident that SMAC needed the help I was providing, and after months of training, I took over most CEO duties in April 2015 – being made CEO after Bep’s retirement on July 27th, 2015.

During the 5 months that were to follow before the unforeseen SMAP/SMAC merger, I would single-handedly take charge of this news site, battling SMAP to claim back our title of the best small and medium army news site. These months were, I must say, some of the most competitive I’ve seen throughout my CPA career. It’s uncommon for a news site to be able to be created and make as much of an impression on the community as the already existing ones do. SM Army Press put up a good fight against SMAC during the Summer and Autumn of 2015, and I’m proud to say that I’m the CEO who held the reigns of this news site before the feud between the two sites, which could be called a media war, came to an end. On January 18th, 2016, a merger between SMAP and SMAC was finalised, as SMAC once again became the sole S/M news site of the community, partnering with our brother site CPAC once again.

And that brings us to now. Already just under 8 months since SMAP joined us and we joined CPAWM, it’s hard to believe there was ever a possibility of us working against each other once more. When being a major news organisation, it’s certainly more appealing to work with one another than against. During my time in this community, I’ve learnt that it’s better to make friends than enemies. Whilst there will always be someone who doesn’t exactly like you or enjoy your presence, it’s still a lot easier to get on with them than to be enemies.

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I received my first true element of recognition from the CEO’s of SMAC back on October 19th, 2012, when Splasher99 retired from his very own position. At the time, I was somewhat as disliked as Legend Brad Our Saviour is today. However, Splasher persisted that I had the potential to become something bigger, better, than what anyone ever expected. With this coming just months after joining under his CEOship, some kind of progress must have been visible.

Well, well, well…nice to meet you. Why did you de-noobify yourself? (Well, okay, not completely. You’re still a noob, albeit a successful one) Your damned emotion swings and stuff is a bit annoying, but I can look past that. You’re a great friend. By the way, I’d completely forgotten about your anniversary post, sorreeeee. Good luck.

The above quote comes from Splasher’s very own retirement post. It seems as if he was one of the only people who kept his cool, believing in whatever not yet visible future I had ahead of me in the media business. Bepboy9 was, also, forced to retire on December 1st, 2012, during a feud which occurred between both himself and Pungy (another former SMAC CEO). At the time when he left, I had left SMAC for a short period of time for one reason or another. In the below, he states how my reporting skills had truly improved and that he felt I should truly stick to my job here at SMAC.

You’ll be at the top of any of my retirement posts, your reporting skills at the start weren’t the best but you really came through! You should return to SMAC, just don’t be annoying<3 xD

For a few months before Bep’s official retirement on July 27th, 2015, I took on the role of CEO from a Vice President position (current Executive Producer rank). This included taking over Top Tens, tournaments and just generally running the site. This was more so due to Bep’s decreasing activity due to exams, but gave me all of the experience I needed to be able to bring SMAC forward to where it is today.

You have been doing an excellent job at SMAC as of late basically already doing what is expected of a CEO. You are a great replacement and I am sure you won’t fail to impress the community as a CEO.

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The independence which this gave me allowed for the growth of my knowledge and experience in the running of a news site, shaping both myself as a CEO and the changes to the site which have come about as of the past year or so. Not only that, but it shaped the way in which I personally chose to train my successor, whom has the potential to take this site to places higher than I could have ever imagined.

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The Future of SMA Central

Joining SMA Central on March 18th, 2016, Samsungy has been working hard and showing his potential for the past 6 months. Beginning as a little more than a nooby reporter, he has managed to work his way up through the positions here at SMAC and prove to me, the Divisional Managers and other members of SMAC that he is willing to work and take on any challenges that are thrown at him. Over these last few months, I have taken the time to walk Sam through the main duties of being a Chief Executive Officer, even down to letting him do Top Tens and hiring new reporters. With most tasks being taken head on and in independence, quite the same as I was trained by Bepboy9 (except with more guidance), I have no doubt that he is the right person to carry on the legacy and uphold the news site – throughout any dilemmas which may be encountered.

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Acknowledgements

If I wrote a list of acknowledgements for every person I’ve met during my career who has had an influence on me, I’d still be SMAC’s CEO by the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Ken: I’ve known you for the entirety of my media career. If it weren’t for your persistence that I’d become something bigger, something better, than what I was when I started, I wouldn’t of made it here today. It’s been 4 years now, and every day I’m grateful for what you’ve done for me – even down to just being a good friend.

Bep: You’re one of the first people that I met when I joined the community. Despite our occasional feuds, you’ve always stuck by me and I’ll always be grateful for that. Being above me both as the Water Vikings’ leader when I strolled into the community as a noob, even down to the point of training me to become a more successful CEO than you even were yourself, you’ve taught me a lot of things which I’ll never forget.

Emma: I only really started talking to you back in December when the two sites merged, but since then I’ve been working alongside you, and I must say that it’s been a pleasure. Not only have you been my right hand girl during my most recent months of CEOship, you’ve also become one of my best friends – one that I’ll certainly keep in contact with. Anyone who gets the chance to work alongside you are going to have a real treat. I’m sure that you, big ol’ scary Emma, will be the best person to help Sam learn the reigns of being Chief Executive Officer.

Pungy (Pungay): I met you through my media career, and needless to say it has taken our friendship to new heights over the years. Not that I can say you taught me much (you were idle for the majority of the CEOship position I experienced) but you’ve become a great friend.

Blue Brothers: I must say, I was only really acquainted with the pair of you back in 2014 when I broke off the SMAC-CPAC partnership. Nonetheless, I’ve gotten to experience the pleasures of your existence a little more over these last few months, and it’s been a pleasure to somewhat work alongside you.

Funks: After working alongside you for the last month or so over at CPAC, I can easily say that you’re a really cool guy. You’re chill about everything and very hard working. I wish you the best of luck in the future, especially when your retirement goes underway.

Atticus: I CEO’d with you for a few months when the SMAP/SMAC merger took place. Though needing a prompt or two, you’re a great guy with the work ethic of a champion when you really get down to it. Good luck in CPAC, especially when you take on that CEO position.

Alexandrovna: I met you back in 2015 when I joined the Shadow Reacon Army – with you later joining SMAC and being Chief Executive Officer alongside me for a short amount of time. Since then, you and I have become the best of friends and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You’re such an amazing girl and I hope you take care of yourself.

Goblin: A week or two after I started working with you, we had a rather immature fall out over some kind of agreement. Nonetheless, you became a close companion when it came to running my news site alongside yours. When you retired, it came as a shock to me; but I can understand why you did it. Good luck in whatever you do next.

Security: You’ve become a somewhat good friend recently, despite how annoying you may be. I don’t have much to say to you, just don’t kill the Hairy Bears.

Ming: BABEEEEEEE. You’re honestly such a good friend and the best graphics designer I have ever met. You’re a great laugh and I hope to keep in contact with you.

Samsungy: I met you when you joined SMAC around 6 months ago, and the progress you’ve made is amazing. You have a bright future here at SMAC and I have faith that you’re going to make a promising Chief Executive Officer after me. I mean, after all, you were taught by the best.

Scream: You’ve been such an amazing friend to me for so long now. Don’t ever change. I’ll keep in touch with you, don’t worry! You’re a good person no matter what anyone says. Even throughout the arguments that we’ve had, we’ve always made it through. Stay safe.

Gordon: Gordon Edwards, what an awesome person you turned out to be. Your project, also known as Club Penguin Secret Service, turned out to be something great and it helped me during times of need – a shame that it has been forced to enter closure. Nonetheless, I wish you the best of luck in college and all future endeavours.

Christohper1: Chris, you’re a sister to me. Despite being hard to handle and turning on my switch at times, you’re a good person at heart. I wish you the best of luck in the future, keep your head up.

CSY: You’re one of the most amazing men I’ve ever met. With such potential in every industry, it was a shame to see you leave. I hope you’re doing well, you’re a great person.

Peep: What an inspiration you’ve been! From showing me Jensen Ackles to sharing my love of band members, you’ve become a great friend of mine. Don’t ever let EIHOP die – that’s my lifeline.

Brad: I’ve been close with you for a while now, and you’re honestly a great person. Most person know you for smoking your stuff, but I know you for more than that. Stay safe and keep in touch, you’re a brilliant friend.

Super Edwin: After recent speculation, many people have been approaching you asking if you’re a homosexual. Despite you denying it, you know I’ll support you when you finally come out of the closet. You’re a chill person and I hope you do well in life. P.S. No, I won’t help ACP.

Luke: I met you just a few weeks ago when I recruited you into the Golds. Shortly after, you found yourself as a reporter here at SMAC. You’re an amazing person and you have such a great potential. You’re going to achieve great things both in armies and here at SMAC. Keep up the hard work, Luke. I believe in you!

Kyle: You’ve done a few things you shouldn’t be proud of, but we still used to be close friends. Have a good life, blah blah.

Golds Crew: Golds have, over this past year or however long, become basically a second home army to me. I’ve met so many amazing people and lead alongside some truly experienced leaders. Not to mention them all, but my hat goes off to Antonio960, Coqui and Tilgen. They make the Golds army feel like home for literally every troop – no matter the rank. I was sceptical about rejoining armies when I knew my retirement would be on the horizon, but thanks to the people I’ve met and worked with, I’m glad I did.

The above people are more those whom have influenced me in recent months, with a few old timers. Even if you weren’t included, you know if you’re important to me. I’ve made some life long friends in this community, and leaving – especially SMAC, a site which I pulled out from its grave single-handedly just two years ago – is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do yet