This is a confusing recommendation to write, because more often than not, I assume Yacks is already a Dark Prophet. That assumption is based on what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will continue to do for our club. This recommendation does not require statistics, positions held, or any other laundry list of items to explain why Yacks should hold our highest rank. The simple fact is, he is one of a handful of our members who deserves to hold our highest earned rank. Congrats.
GM Pravus
I am beyond pleased that Keirdagh Yacko Cantor is finally receiving a long deserved promotion. I made a mistake years ago in failing to move Yacko beyond DJM; I'm glad to see that mistake rectified.
And it deserves to be corrected. Yacko is one of this club's greatest members. He is one of the few leaders that can single handedly bring a unit back from the brink. His force of personality and sheer tenacity has saved Taldryan. His dedication and caring for his clan is second to none. And he is talented to boot.
After nearly twenty years in this club, my friend Yacko is one of the main reasons I stick around. He keeps me level and is never afraid to talk straight. His favorite phrase is "I told you so" which he has been able to say on many occasions. His counsel is wise and necessary.
He will hate being described this way, but I think beyond anything, Yacks is just a good and caring person. After fourteen years of knowing him, I can say that without question. Yacko is simply an amazing man. I'm glad to call him my friend, and one of my best.
Congratulations to the true Prophet of the DB.
Grand Master Cotelin
Look, I know this is the final promotable rank anyone in this club can get (Grand Master doesn’t count, that’s an appointment with an election and all that jazz), so this is the last promotion recommendation Yacko will ever get to read. It should be filled with demonstrations of Yacko’s gravitas and grandeur - and how his contributions in the past decade (and then some!) have changed the club for the better - and it will. From me and from others. But first? Because I’ve always wanted to do this, and I think it’ll look really cool when it’s all lined up with all these glowing endorsements from the best members of our club (plus me). This:
Since his last promotion a little over eleven years ago, Keirdagh Taldrya Cantor has earned: 115 various Vendetta Seals, four Seals of Loyalty, 13 Legions of the Scholar, one Scroll of the Master, six Scrolls of Foundation, 18 Scrolls of Indoctrination, 3 Dark Side Scrolls, 43 Clusters of Ice, 1572 Clusters of Fire, 13 Pendants of Blood, 95 Crescents, 8 Bronze Novae, 9 Silver Novae, 11 Gold Novae, 13 Dark Crosses, three Anteian Crosses, three Steel Crosses, two Grand Crosses of the Dark Side, an Amethyst Kukri, and an Emerald Dagger. Oh yeah - and the Golden goddamn Lightsaber.
Obviously, as a club, we do not promote our members to Prophet for just a laundry list of medals - so I suppose I shall state what in the hell Yacko has done. In his seventeen years in the Brotherhood - Yacks has been a steadfast and active contributor to anything and everything - and he is a near constant source of affecting positive change in this club. If there is a policy or project that he can give input to (ie: he is asked or is told about it?) - he will offer suggestions. Sometimes these suggestions are minor, pointing out potential aspects of abuse or confusion that would only be noticed by the most fastidious minds - and sometimes these suggestions are wholesale bottom up changes, wherein Yacks will recognize a fatal flaw in a program and rebuild it from the ground up so it works. From the newest version of the Brotherhood website/database, to the way we award and promote members, to our roster maintenance programs - Yacks has had small (and in many cases, substantial) impacts to them all.
I am not qualified to speak on Yacks’ contributions to the Brotherhood’s judicial system. I can mention it in passing, I’ve read the documents and the recommendations, but I was not there. I can speak on Yacks’ contributions to Taldryan. Over the past year and a half or so, Yacks’ leadership as House Aedile, and then Clan Proconsul has been nothing short of amazing. He pulled our unit out of a slump, and I hope set us on a greater long term path. He did not do this by magic, or voodoo, or by inspiration alone. It was hard damn work. Lots of reports, lots of emails, designs and plans for competitions, and lots of personal activity on his own. Leadership in this Brotherhood takes time, and it takes effort - you have to be one of the most active members in your clan, and you also have to spend the time engaging with your members, and inspiring them. A leader in this club always has to outpace his or her members. This seems to be contrary to the popular belief that leaders in this club do not have time to do regular things because they’re busy leading. That’s a load of bullshit. As a regular member, I am not going to follow and I am not going to be inspired by a guy that sits on his duff and makes plans for the future and just manages people. That’s not leadership, that’s management or administration. The leader needs to be so infuriatingly active that his or her members see that standard as the goal. That level of activity combined with running competitions, writing reports, managing people? That’s why leadership in the Brotherhood is hard, or at least is supposed to be hard. That’s what Yacks does. He does both - because you have to. This entire paragraph? That is Yacko in a nutshell.
I was talking about gravitas earlier - and Yacks has it in spades. A lot of people (and hell, I do too sometimes) will conflate that with ego and/or being an asshole. But where those people go off the rails is when they try and conflate that with Yacko’s motivations. He contributes to the DB in his way because that’s who he is - and he sees it as the best method of ensuring the long term viability of this club. He knows that by and large, when he speaks? People listen - and he’s used this to institute positive change throughout the club. Not for his own benefit, or his own edification - but instead, so we can all have a better club. If that’s not worthy of Dark Prophet/Primarch? I don’t know what is.
To me, Yacks earned this promotion a hell of a long time ago - he just ran so fast and so far ahead that it has taken this long for everyone else to catch up. For this decade and then some of service as a Dark Jedi Master, including time as Justicar, for his service as Taldryan’s proconsul and aedile, for his service trying to make this place better, and everything in between? Keirdagh Taldrya Cantor should be promoted to Dark Prophet. Congratulations, dude.
PS: You abandoned me. :P
Howie
When Howie first approached me about writing a rec for this, I had to stop and think for a second when he said "DJP/DP". My first thought was: "Oh, wow, is Sarin bringing back the old Dark Jedi Primarch rank?" It was only after I went and quickly checked Yacko's dossier that I remembered: hey, wait, that Canadian dude- and acclaimed Bollywood dancer- was never made Dark Prophet.
Cue my senior moment and facepalm, followed by: wat? o.O
This is a man who has been here for 17 years. 17 years! Good god. There are people in the Dark Brotherhood who are only 15 years old- in real life! And Yacko has been here since, if you'll forgive the graphic analogy for a second, since before they were even floating in their mother's wombs. That... that is wow, just wow. It goes without saying, then, that after my senior moment I didn't even have to think for a second before agreeing to add my support to this much belated recognition of all that Yacko has done for the Dark Brotherhood for a long, long time. I mean, we're talking about a man here that has not only led his unit to more Vendetta wins than I can count- although I'll always rub him for that one time when House Ludo Kressh pwned House Arcanis back in 2000!- but who has done more than that, way more.
Even if we put aside what Yacko is currently stewarding as the Recruitment Tribune- which, frankly, I personally consider one of, if not THE most important roles in the Dark Brotherhood today, what with how important Facebook, Twitter, et al, are to all those kids who've been born in those 17 years since Yacko first joined this place- but he's been doing this stuff for the Dark Brotherhood for more than a decade, and has been a Dark Jedi Master for just as long. I'm going to repeat that again, because it’s worth dwelling on for a moment: Dark Jedi Master Keirdagh Taldrya Cantor has been volunteering for this club, and giving his own time, for the benefit of other people, in exchange for no real reward for himself other than his satisfaction of helping others, for over a decade. Over a decade.
That is the definition of selfless service right there.
The list of Yacko's personal sacrifices is endless, and far too long to list exhaustively and do him credit when he has been doing this for such a long time. Even for a start, he was Justicar, which is in no sense of the word an enjoyable job, nor one that many ever want to step up to- indeed, back when Jac once asked me if I wanted it, I turned it down, because I simply didn't think I would be able to handle the aggro without having a total meltdown. But Yacko did that, and he did it at a time when "justice" had been made into a dirty word after many years of the club seeing the legal system as corrupt, and the very phrase "High Court of Inquisitors" met with sneers and curled lips. However, Yacko didn't turn into the next Astatine and become self-absorbed and power mad- although maybe he too would squeeze into Tiamat's leather catsuit, that part I admit I cannot be totally sure about- but was instead the complete opposite, and instrumental in shaping the way the Chamber of Justice would work for the Dark Brotherhood in the days after we first walked away from the Emperor's Hammer. That's not a legacy many can put on their CV and call theirs, but Yacko, who back at that point was still "just" a Dark Side Adept, and a far cry from the Grand Masters and High Admirals who had presided over the courts in the years before him, he took that burden on, and made it his own, building trust where previously trust was not to be found. I could go on, and talk of the man who has time and time again aired his views- constructively, I might add, without being confrontational, but helpful, supportive, and beneficial- about many issues that Yacko has been deeply passionate about, whether it has been about the legal framework during his days as Justicar, or about the way the Dark Council is run during any of the many roles he has filled when a need has arisen, whether it has been in his home of Clan Taldryan, or for the Shadow Academy, as a Magistrate, the list is practically endless.
For a man who already has everything- not least a Golden Lightsaber- there may be little left to pin on the old admiral's chest, but in the end, the one thing that hasn't happened- and which I am sure many will agree should have happened long ago- is to finally raise Yacko to the highest honour, and raise him to the last rank to which a member can be raised. No, he might never have been Grand Master, but in so many ways, I feel Yacko has already proven himself to have left a legacy just as significant. I'm going to end by quoting something Jac said to me nine years ago, and which today I feel applies to Yacko, arguable even more than it ever did to myself:
"Many would argue that this is an award more coveted than even the Golden Lightsaber; for all intents and purposes, DP is the rank given to members who could have very well been Grand Master had the pieces fallen into place."
For a long time, this has been true of Yacko -- and today we finally recognise that and make the First Prophet of the Brotherhood finally into what he has been all along.
Thank you for everything you do, Yacks, and which I hope continues in the days ahead.
(PS: I now hate you because you will now be one of the few gits with more prestige :P)
~ Xanos
I’m not sure whose idea it was to let Yacko and I share a rank, but I have to say, it sounds like a bad idea! He’s right enough as it is, what’s going to happen once we make him a Prophet? I’m tired of hearing “I told you so” as it is, and if he starts actually predicting the future, ugh...
Yacks is one of the Brotherhood’s strongest members. An incredible leader, motivator, project manager, Yacks has almost done it all throughout his career in his Brotherhood. Perhaps all that is surprising, then, is that he hasn’t been made a Prophet already.
When Yacks became Aedile of Taldryan, he made it a policy to do weekly reports. Unsurprisingly, the number of reports posted on a weekly basis kicked up in other units and the Dark Council, as well. This is the kind of thing Yacks brings to this club: dedication and inspiration through one method or another. It is these qualities, combined with the sheer perseverance of seventeen years of membership, that makes Yacko deserving of our highest rank.
As Recruitment Tribune, Yacks has set the bar high for what a tribune position can do. The Brotherhood’s news page has become a reliable source of good Star Wars information, something a long time in coming, and his push for the additional of social media buttons was excellent. His service to the Brotherhood was not limited to recruitment, though: Yacks has served as an advisor to the Chamber of Justice since his time as a Justicar, and has himself served as a Hand this year.
As Proconsul of Taldryan, he guided the Clan to a second place finish in the last Great Jedi War, a first place finish in Fading Light, and a strong showing in the Dark Crusades. All of these placements came upon his back, Yacks leading from the front by doing every event he could, and placing in many of them.
I could go on and on about my oldest and best friend in this club, but given that I’m the worst, the words would just be wasted. ;)
It seems like just yesterday that I stumbled into Yacks and transferred to Aquillas, where he taught me the ropes of the club and helped me learn just what it meant to be a leader here. Congratulations, Yacko… You more than deserve this.
~Mav
Yacks doesn’t need an eloquent, long-winded recommendation from me. His work, as always, speaks for itself. Frankly, if the DP rank was used in the past as it is now, he’d already be a Prophet due to all the work he’s done for the Brotherhood. Yacks alone had the presence of mind and gravitas to start the Chamber of Justice after our split from the EH, at a time when people in this organization were extremely sensitive to the idea of overreach by the Dark Council, and when they certainly didn’t want to see a remake of the EH’s High Court of Inquisitors. Yet Yacks managed to pull it off better than I could have imagined possible at the time, and left a great example for future Justicars to follow. If that wasn’t enough, he later returns from a long slumber and completely reinvigorates Taldyran. Not something he was obligated to do in any way, but he took a look at the Clan and realized he could improve it, and immediately went to work with his characteristic zeal and energy. In addition, he’s been an immeasurably valuable advisor to leaders at the Clan level and higher, always ready to improve the club as a whole. Everyone knows Yacks deserves to be in the ranks of the Dark Prophets, and I’m glad I’m here to see him join it. Congratulations Yacks, you finally caught up to me!
-Kir
I have known Yacks for many a year now, first as a member from a rival Clan, then as a subordinate to his time on the DC and then finally as an equal in the same Clan. He was always this scary person you never wanted to piss off, but also wildly talented and hard working. It's pretty safe to say that not a lot has changed over the last decade.
I have now had the pleasure of working alongside Yacks and getting to know him and I can safely call him a friend. I have seen how hard he really works and it is a forgone conclusion that Taldryan would have been in shambles if he wasn't around. We are where we are because of the tireless efforts he puts in.
But on top of that, all he wants is to see this club succeed. I wish he was able to have a bigger role in this club, just so that everyone can benefit from what he can give them. Dark Prophet is a rank given to those who are akin to GMs in terms of what they try to give back. This had been a long time coming and I can't think of anyone else who has deserved it more. Yay Yacks!
Halc
When I first joined the Dark Brotherhood, I was auto-assigned to a Clan that made no contact with me, and leaders who didn't bother to teach me the first thing about being a member. I was very, very lucky, because instead of growing bored and dropping the DB altogether, I met some people who invited me into their own Clan—Taldryan. I started out as hyperactive and annoying as the worst nub anyone has ever seen, but because of these two people, I managed to become a (somewhat) respectable, long-standing member. I have two people to thank for my time in the Brotherhood, and one of those is Yacks.
Yacks was the Proconsul of Taldryan when I joined, but because GM Jac was far too important, Yacks was the one engaging us and hanging out with us on a regular basis. He led then, as he does now, from the front. He didn't just provide us with stuff to do; he pushed us and motivated us to do it—to get better. Taldryan's decade-long legacy of excellence in the DB, of members rising up into Dark Council positions and leading the Brotherhood, all came from following Yacks' example of leadership. Everything I learned about leading in the Brotherhood came from Yacks.
Now, of late, members have given a lot of props to people who have been around and doing stuff for a handful of years… which is great and all, but that just doesn't compare to someone who has been a driving force in the club for a decade and a half. It's been more than thirteen years since I joined, and Yacks is still striving each day to make both Taldryan and the Brotherhood a better place.
The thing is, people don't like the voice of reason. That guy who points out the flaws and asks the hard questions. But that's the guy Yacks is. He's willing to stand up for what he sees is right, despite whatever personal, petty agenda other people are pushing. Most of those active today would say this is because Yacks is such an old member, arguing just for the sake of arguing. Except they weren't there in the earliest days. Yacks has always been that voice, shouting up at the powers that be to ensure things get better, not worse, in this club. He doesn't just demand that he and the members of Taldryan be better, he demands it of everyone else in a position, too.
According to the site, it's been over eleven years since Yacks became a Dark Jedi Master.
Eleven years of commitment to Taldryan and the Dark Brotherhood. It's time that commitment was properly recognized. Yacks, we've joked about getting Dark Prophet a lot the last couple of years, and honestly, it didn't look all that likely the way things were going. But, I'm glad to see you're finally being recognized for all the time and effort you've put into making this a better place.
Congratulations, Yacks. And, since any recommendation from me wouldn't be complete without it: thrust
Grand Master Declan Roark, 2015-02-24 04:26:02 UTC