Vargas, this isn't really all that depressing to me, it's a celebration of the past and a nice thing to reflect on. To me, JO's simply been in down time before the big move - a sleeping giant with all the potential in the world to be a thriving community once again.
Grim, it was nice reading your thoughts and experiences, admittedly I wasn't around for that much after mid-2005ish, so it's always great to hear what was going on then.
Fast forwarding, I eventually became a Councillor and assumed the leadership role in the clan, but I could not channel my inner Menelaos and the clan fell and I was left looking for something to belong to.
This got me a bit. I think we all know why this clan is still here after all this time, but sometimes I think we can take him for granted;
Menelaos - There is no one who could replace this man's role in this clan. There would have been nothing left of this place if time after time he didn't prove to be a major driving force in the progress and leadership of this family.
I remember when it all kicked off with JoR/E (I'll go into this another time). PannTher and Shin were both away on holiday, and all the other Councillors had left. Without Menelaos, it would have all ended there, without a doubt in my mind.
He quickly took action after a massive exodus. I believe he promoted Aoshi, Foxen and myself to the Council there and then. I remember Pann coming back a while later, and him being a bit annoyed about promoting without his opinion and vote, but I'll defend it until the end - Menelaos had just made the most important decision in the entire history of JO in my opinion, it kept us going and sparked a massive passion. I remember reading what Humungus and a number of other JoR/E members had written about the idea that Aoshi, Foxen and I were promoted, they laughed. We'd be 'dead within a month' according to Zetamancer. How wrong they were.
His actions inspired a whole new generation of members. I remember not knowing about being promoted until I logged onto MSN, being bombarded with messages congratulating me. It was a really touching moment, and I genuinely appreciate the chance that you gave me to show I could help make this something special. You'd always listen to what I had to say, and you'd never be afraid to give my ideas a go, and for that I thank you my friend.
So many times people would target Menelaos, and they clearly did it because he is such an influential figure. People often thought Mene was running this clan solo, dictating everything and on a crazy power trip - but as a guy who's had access to the Council Chambers for 7 and a half years now, I can't say I remember a time he didn't consult us about decisions. Everything he did was in the best interests of the clan as a whole, and selfish reasoning never once came into it.
He was probably the best Master a Padawan could have had, and this is coming from a guy who didn't even get trained by him.
You're awesome.
