KLONDIKE, CP Army Headquarters- After being crowned the Champions of Challengers Cup 2, the Fire Warriors quickly went down a pathway of uncertainty regarding their future.

CONTENT WARNING: Some topics in this post may be upsetting to individuals who struggle with conversations pertaining to rape.

Notice:

Before I stand on my soapbox, it is important to note the involvement of CPAHQ in this Special Report.  Multiple people who work for this organization were involved.  CPAHQ does not condone leaks of our private staff channels.  We also do not approve of the arguing in our channels that are unrelated to business at CPAHQ.  Staff members can keep their beef outside of our place of work.  Furthermore, we take accusations of rape threats very seriously.  However, we have not been provided with any sort of evidence to conduct an investigation.  If evidence is provided, we will launch an investigation.  Pictured below is a conversation with Sweater and I.

Sweater also brought up a very good point about bringing up evidence, which is pictured below.

Foreword from the author:

The nature of this post brings multiple questions alongside it.  As a news organization, the onus is on us to present information from a neutral standpoint with what is at their disposal.  However, there is equal responsibility for the reader to properly digest what is offered.  When it comes to drama in the army community, no side is without sin.  But, sin is up for interpretation.  So, the reader must distinguish the purpose of the post.

This special report was not created to make one side look better than the other.  The narrative crafted in this report is not one of honor and iniquity, rather, it is a commentary on a wide scope of what transpired.  Our community is full of drama that, when viewed properly, can become an allegory of sorts.  In addition to this, it is an accurate representation of what has transpired, if nothing more.  Examine the post beyond first impressions, rather than pointing fingers and attacking the morals of the author by grasping on to straws.

Instead of that, just enjoy the ride.  I did not spend four hours on this post because of a secret plot to destroy armies, or to improve relations with an army or a leader so I gain their support in return.

I leave that business to army leaders.

Table of Contents

I. Welcome to the New World

II. No, No, and Thrice, No

III. Further Questions of Army Vernacular

IV. Exit, Pursued by a Bruised Ego

V. Hell Hath no Fury

VI. A Fork in the Road

VII. Honor, Amongst Leaders

VIII. A Kind and Benevolent Despot

IX. Enter, Pursued by a Memory

X. The Fine Art of Conversation

XI. The American Inferno, Burnt Out [Thoughts from the Author]

 

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I.

The Fire Warriors embarked on their Challengers Cup 2 run on August 15th, 2021.  They quickly dispatched the Golden Troops in a Round One sweep and followed that up with another sweep over the 1st seeded Smart Penguins in Round Two.  In the finals, FW once again went flawless, beating the People’s Imperial Confederation in a somewhat deceiving sweep.  The win for the army was significant, as they secured the first tournament win in Fire Warriors history and did not lose or draw a single room for the duration of their run.

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II.

Unbeknownst to most of the community, trouble was brewing behind the scenes.  A few hours before the Championship Round, an argument broke out in the private judges’ channel in the CPAHQ Discord.  Sweater, leader of the Fire Warriors- and a judge himself, rejected a swathe of judges. Sweater openly explained his decision to reject to any of the judges that asked.  He also singled out Da Best, stating that he “said inapp[ropriate] things about my leadership”.  He went on to state to Da Best: “If you ever threaten to rape my leader again, I will turn you into the next Ronaldo”.

Da Best denied these claims, and the argument quickly devolved from there.  Eclipse founder Todoro joined the conversation to defend Da Best, as onlooking staff members urged the three to take the discussion to Direct Messages.  Unfortunately, the argument was prolonged by issues with the Judge role nullifying the muted role, which ultimately led to the administration stepping in and muting the chat altogether.

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III.

Public tensions resumed on the morning of August 23rd, after a post released by CPAHQ, which was authored by Todoro, was questioned by multiple users in the staff chat of CPAHQ.  Judge Kyle pointed out two grammatical errors, while judge and Fire Warriors leader Ugly pointed out that there were no congratulations to the Fire Warriors in the post.  Feeling overwhelmed and recalling the argument two days prior, Todoro pinged Da Best, asking for ‘help’.

Although valid criticisms, Todoro was clearly exasperated and logged off to avoid further issues.  Meanwhile, Sweater chimed in and heated up the conversation.  This caught the attention of multiple bystanders, including AustinFraud, another leader of the Fire Warriors.  Austin quickly disapproved of Sweaters comments, and the conversation ended there.

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IV.

Roughly an hour after this encounter, Sweater released a flurry of vague messages in the Fire Warriors announcement channel.  It became apparent that Sweater no longer possessed leadership roles in the FW Discord server, and subsequently requested his leadership role to be removed in both CPAHQ’s and Club Penguin Army Network‘s Discord server.  Whatever transpired was not disclosed, which left even high ranking FW members left wondering what happened.  Discussion in the general chat of FW’s Discord server was rife with rumors and speculations about their leadership, alongside tidbits being released by distressed HCOM members. This resulted in the chat being locked at 1:12 PM EST.

[In reference to Sweaters messages shown above] “It’s not a prank. He’s done, and rightfully so.”

-Haley, Fire Warriors Leader

 

[When asked how long until an update on the situation] “We are arguing still.”

“He [Sweater] is good… the leadership isn’t at all.”

-Real, Fire Warriors Third in Command

 

“Austins been wanting to retire for a while, it’s just happened sooner than we expected.”

-Cassie, Fire Warriors Advisor

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V.

At 3:38 PM EST, Sweater finally released more details regarding the status of his involvement in the Fire Warriors.  The tone of his announcement showed hints of discontent with the rest of the FW leaders.  This was confirmed later on, as Sweater went full frontal in the Fire Warriors general chat, sharing details on the behind the scenes conversations with other FW members.

Some context has since been removed, but it is important to note that at this point, AustinFraud was also active during this ordeal, but it appears that his messages in the server from yesterday were deleted.  His status as leader appeared to be in question, as well.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if they [FW leaders] **** this up and kill my creation, but hey, good luck.”

“The leader chat is in flames currently, but I’m sure it’ll be okay.  Maybe they’ll let me bring in new leaders to my own ******* army.  But who knows.  I literally wanted Rach promoted to leader right now and I got told ‘no LIT’.  Actually, **** it. [Uses the @here ping] Who wants leader?!  I’m handing out leader.”

“Austin, you brought this on the army when you chose someones* hurt ‘fee fees’ over me.”

“Isn’t it funny how one ping [referring to people taking his previously quoted ping seriously] just resolved the issue of no leaders whereas you in the leader chat tried to convince me to rejoin.  After yelling at me for an hour straight about how I feel about Eclipse of CP.”

“Alrighty everybody, if FW doesn’t get its act together in 24 hours, I’m merging it.”

“Austin, you got about an hour to change your mind on this and actually lead the army properly before I pull the plug. You are just as responsible as me. But I’m not saving it.”

-Sweater

*= Quote altered due to inappropriate language.

Shortly following Sweaters announcement, he took to the general chat of CPAHQ to get some things off his chest, citing that he does not represent the Fire Warriors anymore.  Cassie, a former FW leader and current advisor, also stopped by CPAHQ to offer up some advice.  Of course, the peanut gallery was there to watch the squabbling and chime in until Sweater was muted.

Sweater also went to the CPAN Discord server, where he proceeded to transfer all of the servers owned by the Fire Warriors to the Ice Warriors, much to the discontent of the other FW leaders.

During all of this, Sweater was also dual-posting alongside other leaders in the Fire Warriors Discord server, where astonished troops watched what seemed to be a potential schism in the army’s HCOM forming.  Allies and friends of the army stopped by to try to contain the drama, but the HCOM continued to go at each other at a rapid pace, most notably Sweater and AustinFraud.  It culminated in Austin announcing he will just leave the army (which was deleted by FW staff), while Cassie stated she would no longer be an advisor.  At 4:48 PM EST, Sweater locked the chat once again to stop the bleeding.

People’s Imperial Confederation leader LEGOMAN, who was granted the role of advisor amidst the chaos, took advantage of his newfound permissions to post a testimonial to the Fire Warriors.  Haley attempted to assure the distraught troops, but the serenity was short-lived, as Cassie unlocked the chat soon after.

“It is a pity to see a once magnificent army cascade into utter and complete chaos before your eyes. It is a shame to see the rise and fall of the Fire Warriors. I was one of the first members of this server, one of the first members of the council. I witnessed this army, this community grow and prosper before my eyes. The Fire Warriors contended against Silver Empire, brought back Pringle64, won the Challengers Cup in my absence. This army has achieved so much more than other Small Medium armies and truly is dominant. I would prefer for these eternal flames of glory to not be turned to ash. But in ash rises the Phoenix. If there is a way the Fire Warriors can proceed then I suggest to take that route and continue cementing yourselves in history. However, I personally do not know the severity of this very situation. I wish luck to the Fire Warriors, and I hope you find a solution that allows this grand army to be salvaged. If not, you have still created a community that shall not be forgotten.”

-LEGOMAN, People’s Imperial Confederation Leader

 

“Just so y’all know, things are going to be fine, and we’re working on some exciting stuff and bringing in some great leadership. we apologize for the publicity of our internal issues, but i promise that we are working through things accordingly. we appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate through these changes!”

-Haley, Fire Warriors Leader

 

“Full transparency [:weariest:].  Nah **** this lockdown.  So if anyone here has any actual interest in leading then let it be known.  FW is hiring.”

-Cassie, Fire Warriors Advisor

VI.

Following this, Rach was granted leadership roles in the Fire Warriors server, though some troops were still doubtful about the ramifications of the drama on the army, much to the chagrin of Sweater.

Real: “Yo. I’m betting 10$ that the army is shutting down in the next 2 months. Anyone holds the bet?”

Avery: “I do. Make it 20, Real.  With new leaders, no way. It’ll die off. Sorry FW.”

Sweater: “Nice guys. Staff members placing bets on the army dying.”

Avery: “What, I don’t want to get involved but it’s true.”

Real: “Sorry Conor. But it’s just the truth.”

Sweater went on to shock the Fire Warriors troops again when he announced that AustinFraud was banished from the army and that his legend status was revoked.  The chat was flooded with surprised and outraged messages as FW leaders spoke about Austin’s actions.

Cassie: “Real if you want context, he just left us to die.  He legit left.”

Sweater: “He just spent an hour gaslighting the entire leadership chat.”

Real: “It wasn’t only Austin’s fault.  You know that too.”

Cassie: “You can hate Conor, but Austin left.”

Haley: “Austin left on his on free will.”

Cassie: “There’s two sides to every story.”

Sweater: “Austin repeatedly ignored my wishes to leave me alone. Just for a SINGLE night. Just so he could dump the army and blame it’s death on me.  Is that a legend?  [He] Spent 30 minutes trying to convince me to stay with ‘Conor we need u bro’ just to leave himself.  Austinfraud has spent the last 6+ hours repeatedly guilt tripping me, Cassie, Haley and more. He refused any and all changes to this army that I have proposed.”

Cassie: “I honestly wish I could explain the full story but this goes back months. I do believe Austin isn’t just at fault, but instead of figuring this out, he left.”

Sweater: “Goul [FW troop], do you know what he told us?  He said if he leaves so does half the staff team. He thinks he controls you lot.”

Ugly: “Just saying to the troops that you don’t know Austin’s side of the story.  [In response to Sweater] That’s not what he said bro wtf.”

Sweater: “He literally did Ugly.”

Cassie: [In response to Ugly] “Except he [Austin] entered chat and told them [FW troops] all that we made him the bad guy and deserved justice. I’m doing to him what he did to us.”

Haley: “It truly is a very difficult situation to explain and a very long story.”

Ugly: “Bro I don’t want to talk about this here.  What you just did was wrong, man.”

Sweater: “The only way Austin listens is when his reputation or dictatorship is on the line.”

Cassie: “I don’t want to entirely **** on Austin because he did wonders for this army, but leading with him is difficult.  He’s a fantastic leader, but he’s a dictator.  He’s a great person, but I just can’t work with him.”

Ugly: “You guys shouldn’t have said all about this to everyone. You just revoked his legend, exposed him to everyone without his side of the story. This is wrong man.”

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VII.

Ugly continued to be at odds with the rest of the Fire Warriors leaders.

Sweater: “Are you [Ugly] good? Lol, his side of the story was ‘we made him the bad guy’. Do you have selective reading?”

Ugly: “He only told you to stop.”

Haley: “Ugly ily man but you know what we’re saying is the truth.”

Ugly: “This is shameful.  I hope you guys realize what you just did.”

Sweater: “He [Austin] came into this chat when I was at the cinema with my little sister and LIED about what was going on, when I was in no position to set the record straight.”

Cassie: “He brought this into gen chat first, saying that we made him the bad guy.  That’s what really ticked me off.”

Ugly: “I was the only one here to understand Austin’s side.”

Cassie: “I do agree tho, if you weren’t in the group chat when it happened, then you don’t know the full story. But both me and Conor feel extremely disrespected.”

Sweater: “Ugly, how can you defend him after what he did in the leader chat right before he left?”

Haley: “We all understood his side but we didn’t agree with it.  That’s the difference here.”

Ugly: “I don’t, but exposing him in front of everyone… c’mon dude.”

Cassie: “This is armies, in all its ‘hellful’ glory.

Sweater: “He [Austin] literally wouldn’t let me leave the army so he could dump this mess on me.”

Ugly: “You already left, though.  Before he did.”

Sweater: “…and then [he] proceeded to add me to the chat about 20 times to ‘talk about it’.  Talk it out = saying ‘Conor we need you bro we need you dawg’ 20 times in a row and then leaving himself.  With bullshit apologies.  You know what; I’m gonna say it.  I want this army dead.  But I don’t want to ruin your fun.”

Ugly: “This all could’ve been handled professionally and privately. In no way, shape, or form should someone be embarrassed in front of everyone without his appearance to defend himself.”

Real: “Okay, that’s enough, stop it now.”

Cassie: “We tried, but Austin left. At least I tried. But I gave up after he left.  I wanted Austin to advise.”

Sweater: “Ugly, he [Austin] came into the general chat and spammed that we wronged him and made him the bad guy.”

Cassie: “He wants best for FW, but he doesn’t want to be here for it.  I would’ve let him lead.  So would’ve Conor.

Sweater: “I literally told him to lead.”

Ugly: [In response to Sweater] “At least you guys were there.”

Haley: “Ugly, we tried to sort it out civilly for HOURS. Things just didn’t work out in the way he wanted so he left.”

Ugly: “I still didn’t think this was all necessary.  You have to be the bigger man.  We shouldn’t even be talking here.  You just leaked all the private stuff we’ve talked about.”

Cassie: “He wanted us too. Remember he asked me to let all of gen chat know? The only difference now is that he’s done with FW.”

Sweater: “I’m getting real close to deleting this server.  You aren’t listening to me… no post because no single post can be neutral.  If i make a post then he’ll need to write a post.  I’d be surprised if the website wasn’t defaced rn.  Because if he defaces the site, then I get to see how much of a liar he really is.”

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VIII.

Though Ugly logged off after this conversation, troops pitched in with their own two cents.  Some urged others to not take Sweater’s side of the story at full value, while others exclaimed that regardless of what he has to say, Austin is in the wrong.  The discussion went on, while Sweater released a post at 6:35 PM EST, titled “Let’s Talk”, saying it is his side of the events.  The full post can be read HERE.

Sweater first shares the source of Fire Warriors’ internal issues, his conflict with the Eclipse.  He then explains that Austin disapproved of Sweaters comments towards Eclipse, which boiled over into a big argument, ultimately causing Sweater to leave his position as leader.  When other leaders attempted to reach out to Sweater, he told them his issues, resulting in the other leaders agreeing with him.  Around this time is when Austin went to the general chat of FW, voicing his issues with Sweater.

In addition to this, Sweater outlined some instances where Austin was already causing issues in the army, such as leaving him out of an alliance chat and creating a chat with the HCOM members where he was the only present leader.  He ends the post calling Austin out directly, claiming he pressured him into staying with the army so he could leave.  Sweater also included what Fire Warriors leaders quoted multiple times in the general chat drama, where Austin says the staff would leave if it wasn’t for him.

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IX.

Not even 30 minutes passed before Sweater once again messaged in the announcements channel.  He assures the army that the Fire Warriors are not dying, or that he is leaving his post as leader.  The official statement from Rach comes at 7:50 PM EST, announcing a series of changes within the army.  For the leadership, this not only includes Sweaters return, but army veteran Tymatt and herself join the team.

Hello, I am Matt. I join with a lot of experience over a storied amount of time spent in Club Penguin armies. I’m so excited to be apart of the new leadership here at FW and will do proud by all of you and the rest of the army. Some of my prior roles include leading Water Vikings, Army Republic, Shadow Troops, Pretzels, Golds, SWAT, Templars, and even Doritos. I am ecstatic to be here and I hope to get to know everyone over the next few days. Let’s gooooooo FW!!!!

-Tymatt, Fire Warriors Leader

Surely, a new leaf for all.

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X.

As if history repeats itself, a conversation begins in the morning between Sweater and someone who disagrees with what was said to Todoro.

Allthatjazz103: This is ridiculous.  Leave Todo out of this.

Sweater: Todo involved herself bro.

Allthatjazz103: Look dude, what you said to Todo yesterday in CPAHQ was uncalled for.  Not mad, just stating an opinion.

Sweater: What did I say, I lowkey forgot.  Was it about eclipse maxing 3?

Allthatjazz103: It just came off as you bullying her.

Sweater: I disagree with this. I definitely wasn’t bullying her by saying her army sucks.

Allthatjazz103: I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree lol.

Sweater: Todo is clearly anti FW as seen in her post and attitude to criticism.  But if me saying her army sucks is bullying then idk what to tell you.

Sweater: [Five minutes later] I’m definitely not cocky for saying her army sucks. Nothing to do with size. Her leadership is wack. Da Best is a tool and she’s inexperienced.  That’s all.

Of course, Eclipse penned a response post geared towards what Sweater said about Da Best.  The full post can be read HERE.  Da Best swiftly responds to the accusations that he threatened to rape a Fire Warriors leader, saying he does not remember it and that he would not have done that last year.  However, he knows the person that is being referred to.  He did have an issue with this unnamed FW leader, but he claims this issue only existed while she was in the Doritos of Club Penguin.

Next, Da Best points out that he was not going to judge the battle between the People’s Imperial Confederation and the Fire Warriors regardless.  As PIC is allied with his army, the Smart Penguins, he said he could not judge either way.  This is why Da Best argued back with Sweater in the judge chat, alongside denying the claims against him.  He also disagrees with how Sweater paints the tone in Todoro’s messages from CPAHQ staff chat.  Furthermore, he states that the hostility exists in Sweaters messages, where he mocks the sizes of Eclipse.  Included in the post is a message from Todoro.

For the accusing of [bias], the What YOU think part. I put that there not as a bias thing, but because that’s what there thinking. For the Top Ten, I have to put that there for reason, it just to show where each army landed in the in the Top Ten. IT’S NOT BIASED AT ALL. Try to accuse me like that again and see what happens Sweater.

-Todoro, Eclipse of Club Penguin Leader

The post ends with some choice words against Sweater.  Of course, a follow-up post from the Fire Warriors came quickly.

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XI.

Note: This chapter includes opinions of the author.

Rarely does something happen within the community that was handled as such as the Fire Warriors, their tensions with the Eclipse, and their own internal issues.  So much nowadays happens behind closed doors.  The only time drama is fully unveiled to the public is when an individual goes rogue and leaks information.  But this conflict spilt across the community.  From the Fire Warriors server and the chaos that consumed it, to CPAHQ and the stem of this ordeal.  Even to CPAN, where an attempt to bankrupt the Fire Warriors of servers was made.  All of this was easily accessible to the community.  Even what little happened behind closed doors came to light, resulting in one of the most drawn-out dramas I’ve ever seen.

I have spent the past three days analyzing this conflict and doing research on it.  It was a journey in its own right.  What intrigues me the most is how it all began.  It all started with the Fire Warriors winning Challengers Cup 2.  For a Small/Medium army, winning a tournament means more than a lot of people will understand.  S/M armies are consistently an afterthought in this community, so events, where they are centre stage, are extremely important to them.  As a perennial S/M failure, I would know this.  The Fire Warriors hard work was leading exactly to this point; winning a tournament.  And it seems like once that happened, they were left with an unsettling question:

Now what?

Intentional or not, the Fire Warriors embarked on a path towards irreparable dysfunction after they were bathed in glory.  The highest of highs brought upon the lowest of lows.  This is what armies are.  Armies aren’t full of selfish people, they’re full of people working together towards a common goal, which is set by the army leaders.  Locke’s Goal-Setting Theory is on full display in the army community.  At its simplest form, Goal Setting Theory states that setting goals directly affects the performance put out by individuals towards completing tasks.  This theory is often studied in workplaces, but there are a number of parallels to our community.  Mainly, the drawbacks of the theory.

There are three main concerns with Locke’s Goal Setting Theory.  The one that is most prevalent in armies is that challenging goals can negatively affect an individuals behaviour.  More and more these days, the responsibility of a troop is expanded.  These responsibilities continue to expand as promotions are given.  This drawback is evident whenever there is a lull in activity for an army.  Events such as wars and tournaments demand a lot from everyone in the army.  As such, people can become more irritable and self-absorbed.  This is especially prevalent in the leadership position.

When an army has multiple leaders, the leaders do not just give tasks to the troops.  They give tasks to each other.  In turn, assignment without moderation can give an individual an inflated sense of importance.  If one leader must do menial task after menial task, they are going to start believing that they are more important than their fellow leaders.  And that may be true from an effort standpoint, but the linear setup of army ranks means that all army leaders hold the same power regardless of what they each do individually.  This goes in hand with the fact that people in armies are also looking to improve their own career as well as their army.  This, alongside the effects of task imbalance, creates rifts between leaders who are supposed to be equal.  It is human nature to project unto others, and this is what sparked such an unexpected fallout.

So, what happened with the Fire Warriors, and what happens all the time in this community, is a result of archaic principles held within our community in terms of the inner workings of an army.  After etching their name in history by winning a tournament, the leaders of FW were left to turn on each other.  Does it matter who is right and who is wrong in a situation where everyone involved is inherently working against each other?  Who is to say.  Every situation comes with its own differences.  Maybe those who think AustinFraud is a vindictive power broker are right.  Maybe they are wrong. Maybe, the shoe is on the other foot.

Maybe, just maybe, not every argument needs a winner and loser.

DMT

CP Army Headquarters Director in Chief

This post is dedicated to Dan Houser, who is one of a handful of people who’ve inspired me to pursue my interests in writing.

Word count: 4624

Word count without quotes: 2769

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