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For immediate release, addressed to the Water Vikings:
Had to redraft this intro so many times as I wasn’t sure which way would be best. I ultimately concluded just cutting to the chase is best.
Monday, I filed a request for honorable retirement with HCOV. It was greenlit on the condition that I had some successors in mind. The plan with this announcement was to announce that I’d be retiring on August 30th; that would’ve still been the plan had I not done some contemplating on Wednesday. I don’t think WV would be in good hands if I retired earlier than I wanted to. As such, I will not be retiring after all. But just because I am not retiring doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be some change.
First of all, I will be formally going on leave for the next 7 days to focus on regaining my motivation. I was going to this back in late June after AUSIA Arena but the thrill made me hold off (which in hindsight was a bad call). Secondly, I’d like to announce the following new Viking Commanders:
- Jojo Teri: A very great battle tactician and recruitment workhorse, Jojo joined us during the miserable tail-end of last year and has stayed with us through thick and thin.
- Claire: Having been with WV since 2020 and staff/HICOM since 2021, Claire has always proved to be a welcoming workhorse and heavily involved in promoting the community.
Now some will be asking: how will this leadership work? Until the USWV constitution is finished, me and Mabel will stay as the acting First and Second Ministers (respectively)—meaning we are the only ones who can act on WV’s behalf in foreign relations. Jojo and Claire though will be equals to us two in every other factor (including day-to-day affairs).
My role as a leader will be evolving. It is clear the army cannot survive long-term if I still struggle to find the time (along with Mabel juggling work). That’s why these promotions were done and will be permanent. My role in the army now will be more of a councilor figure. I’m going to be making sure all staff gets adjusted to Jojo and Claire (as well as trust them) and make sure they regularly do things I did that helped the army when we first revived.
I will eventually retire. My time, however, is not now. I just do not think it would be right for me to just abandon WV. I need to make sure the army is in secure hands. When I do eventually retire, I want it to be like this I had no importance to the army and thus it continues as is. It sounds masochistic, but I want the army to learn to move on from me properly. I have fought multiple times to ensure that HCOV didn’t micro-manage during my and Mabel’s leadership. Instead of being reactionary like mid-2021 Revan would’ve probably wanted, I see HCOV as a positive. However, I want the army to be self-sufficient.
In a staff meeting last week, the point was raised that this army is carried by me and Mabel. I disagree but I do acknowledge that if we two are not active, the impact outweighs the hard work of the other staff. I believe this will ensure the stability of WV is maintained. We cannot let this Blue Summer die in vain.
I’m not going to wax poetic anymore. We have a tournament (Legends Cup) to win. Let’s win this together as a team.
