I wrote six months ago in my supporting recommendation for Marcus’ promotion to EQ2 that I wasn’t sure if it was possible to have a better Praetor than he has been… and that was after a month on the job. Now, after seven months on the job, I’m absolutely certain how right I was.

One of the first tasks I undertook when I became Headmaster was a full and thorough audit of every single course within the Shadow Academy. The idea was to have the course Professors and Docents do the work on their individual courses, my Magistrates doing a lot of full re-writes or stepping in when the PROFs/DOCs couldn’t, and Marcus, Ood, and myself overseeing it all. I felt this was a nice division of labor and we would be able to knock it out quickly and efficiently.

It was a good idea in theory, but with a myriad of issues coming up in RL Ood and I both were forced to step back more than intended. Rather than bend under the pressure, Marcus stepped up: the audit of the entire Shadow Academy - over eighty courses - is completed, and it simply wouldn’t have happened without my incredible Praetor’s leadership. He kept it organized using project management boards (a Godsend, since my organizational skills are often lacking), he kept the SA Staff on task with both the carrot and stick when necessary, and he polished every single edited course before it went live. Does that mean we’ve made the SA perfect and eradicated every mistake? Of course not… it’s hundreds of thousands of words maintained by volunteers. However, I am confident that it is exponentially better than it ever has been before, and that’s a credit to Marcus. It was truly a team effort, but Marcus was largely the one calling the plays.

I consider myself lucky to have served under Bubba, both as a Magistrate and a Praetor, for as long as I did. I feel I learned a lot working under him. Ironically, I feel as if rather than teaching Marcus he’s continuing my education into what a leader in this club should be. He’s dedicated, he’s driven, and he’s capable. Even when his own RL caused issues - he got married and went on a honeymoon in the middle of the audit! - he hasn’t let it slow him down or affect his DB work. I’ve joked with the DC before that I’m worried about one of them stealing him for one of their staffs; now I’m worried that Pravus and Mav will steal him for a DC spot because he’s shown that he’s that capable.

For all that he’s done for me, for the SA, and for the DB as a whole, I’m honored to recommend my friend and Praetor Marcus “Jue Long” Kiriyu for this Amethyst Kukri. Thank you for all you’ve done and continue to do.

Adept Farrin Xies Tarentae, 2016-12-29 19:52:04 UTC