I can't describe the feeling that is seeing someone join the Dark Jedi Brotherhood and helping them along their journey from Initiate to Knight. It's such a mind-blowingly incredible process. You get to meet someone, learn about them, where they're from, what kind of person they are. You invest your time and your friendship in them so that you can help them grow and learn, which is something I can't describe with words. I've watched this wondrous journey from start to finish and it's been a blessing of an experience.
When Yuriko first joined the Brotherhood, it was as a shy new woman who wasn't sure whether to speak up in a channel, didn't know how to play TOR in terms of end-game flashpoints and operations. However, here she stands, ready to take up the mantle of a Knight of the Brotherhood, of someone who has learned our crazy ways and embraced them fully, has forged friendships and bonds and learned so much - she's out-geared me, beaten me at everything that we've competed in or at the very least fought me to a stand-still. She's a better TOR player than I am, that's for sure. To see her participating in the Clan, in the Brotherhood as a whole despite her initial hesitation in doing so, is wonderful. That is the mark of someone you want to make a Knight.
I watched her join House Shar Dakhan when she first joined the Brotherhood formally, and I was there with her - I brought her onto Tenebrae as Battleteam Leader when I first established it. I worked with her a lot early on as I took her on as my student after we became friends through constant use of Teamspeak. She and I beat TOR down. We raided, we did warzones, we did flashpoints, we levelled characters. We pulled together literally over a thousand Clusters of Fire between ourselves just with the work we did together, and it was such an insanely incredible ride. We had to work hard to get there. We competed for gear, both being Marauders. We experienced the ups and the downs that was a gaming guild, as many do - we're just people, after all. People come and go, life happens every now and then. Yet, despite all that, she got interested. She participated in the Dark Crusade, despite being very unconfident as a fiction-writer and managed to earn a Silver Nova for a writing event for the Dark Crusade. She participated in the Independence games and won a Silver Nova for gaming there, too. Heck, she ran an event with me in the Independence Games, which is an amazing feat for someone who didn't normally run with the Brotherhood as a whole. She participated and it made me so incredibly happy to see her come to love this club in the same way I do.
Then we both took breaks, for various reasons. Life gets in the way. When we both came back, to Marka Ragnos, the first thing she did was look at the promotion guidelines and devoted herself to getting to where she wanted to be. She set herself the goal of attaining Dark Jedi Knight, and here she is, not long after. She took to her goal and crushed it, in the finest traditions of our beloved Clan. This is someone who, in her own way, is a real member of this Clan and this Club. She has met and made friends here that have lasted a while - so many of her friends have caught up with her again and it's so amazing to see the bonds that she forged have not been broken. People welcomed her with open arms back into the guild and gave her some serious warm welcomes when they recognised her name. This is what the Brotherhood is, and what it stands for - great people, no matter who, where, or when you are. It makes me so incredibly happy to see her rising up through the ranks and being recognised for her efforts, as well as the fact that people know her name, withstanding the test of time.
What is she doing now? What has she done to earn this promotion? Well. More than seven hundred Clusters of Fire, two competitions run (one of which is hands down my favourite right now), plenty of time in rank, GMRG rank of IV, a small stack of competitions participated and placed in with most of those being Novae, two merit awards given for participation and excellence in doing so. You cannot deny that Yuriko's prowess as a gamer has extended into the Brotherhood. She's performed when asked, stepped up to the plate and absolutely hit it out of the park. Her skills are impeccable... even if her obsession with pink and shiny things does occasionally get in the way.
She might not be a perfect model of a glory-seeking member of the Brotherhood. You won't see her in IRC. What you will see is a member of the Brotherhood who adores what they do, who loves it with every fibre of their heart and soul, and chases what they do with a passion. Yuriko is a gamer, first and foremost. Check her dossier. She's got more Pendants of Blood than most FIST staff. She's got more Clusters of Fire than entire battleteams, even whole Houses, put together. You look at her gaming record and you'll see her up there with the talents of the likes of Cethgus and Valhavoc - and they're both FIST staff. She's the kind of person you want to play TOR with, to get to know. If you want to talk to someone about gaming, about being a good TOR player, then you talk to Yuriko, because it's what she does, what she loves, what she's good at. Where her strength lies is somewhere many of our members have long since forgotten, so I am thankful that someone is still keeping the flame alive in something I love with a passion, with an inherent part of my own personal experience here in this club. It's nice to see someone care about it as deeply as I do.
Rise a Knight of Sadow, Yuriko Mortehana, and rise with my thanks. Thank you for letting me take this journey with you. Thank you for sharing my passion, my insanity, my pushing and prodding and the rollercoaster ride of emotions this brought on for the both of us. Take up your new lightsaber and stand tall amongst us all. You've earned this more than words can express.
Congratulations, Yuriko!
Vaar Mai, Master, Aedile of House Marka Ragnos.
Battlelord Mateus Kelborn, 2014-01-05 14:52:08 UTC