I've known Ronovi for years now, and if there's one word I could use to sum up what she brings to the DB, it would be "progress." Everywhere she went, she introduced changes that would better whichever group she happened to be in charge of at the time. When she took over for Arcona Signum, she changed it into a very active Journeymen-training group. Members walked away confident in their writing abilities, and used their talents for the betterment of Tarentum. When she became Aedile, and then Quaestor, of House Cestus, she turned an inactive House that was the joke of Tarentum (commonly known as Cesspool) into the most active, fictionally-developed House we had. After serving with distinction as Quaestor, and later Proconsul under Oberst, she became Consul of Tarentum, and that's when her real work began.
Tarentum has long had a history of being insular and xenophobic. Members hardly ever went to other IRC channels, the other Houses were regularly mocked for no reason other than not being Tarentum, and sometimes members went out of their way to cause problems for the other Houses. When Ronovi took over as Consul, the did what no other Tarentae has done in a very long time, if ever: she extended an olive branch to the other Clans. She worked hard to promote inter-Clan cooperation and built friendships with the other leaders that would last past her own tenure of leadership. After the Clans got downgraded to Houses, she continued her work on both creating a more cohesive Tarentum and forging us into a group that can work well with others.
Toward the end of her tenure as Quaestor of Tarentum, Ronovi took up work as the Praetor to the Headmaster. Despite her heavy workload trying to better Tarentum, Ronovi did what she could the better the entire DB through the Shadow Academy. With her work for the upcoming Grind Path, new members will be even more prepared for the DB, and they won't have the waiting periods many of us have gone through in order to get promoted. This in itself will prove instrumental in membership retention.
Essentially, Ronovi, even after stepping down as Quaestor, is a voice of progression in the DB, and I hope that voice never goes silent.
--
Equite Dralin Fortea
Shadow Warrior, Fourth Class, of House Arcona
Scion of Telona Murrage
--
Ronovi has been a solid contributor to the Brotherhood for a long time now... Not only as consul of Tarentum, where she worked tirelessly to develop a storyline to motivate members to activity and generate a fictional plot for the house to follow, but also in her work with the Headmaster's office, where she had focused her attention on enhancing the Shadow Academy with new courses and working on the vaunted Grind Path as well as helping Taigikori with fictional backing. Her skills are robust and she has soldiered on to work despite great adversity. Most importantly, ROnovi does this work without expecting a reward, which tells me that she is doing it for the love of the Brotherhood, for the love of the Work, and these are terribly rare attributes in the club. She genuinely desires to make things better for the club, not out of self-interest or wish for rank or reward. That distinction ingratiates her into the heart of the Brotherhood. In recognition of that, please accept this as a token of our esteem and appreciation. You've more than deserved it, Ronovi. ~Muz Ashen, Dark Lord of the Sith
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Ronovi Tavisaen. Probably one of Tarentum's greatest leaders over the past few years. Even so much that she's now a member of the Tarentae. Starting off on the summit as an Aedile while it was still a Clan, Ronovi worked her way up the ladder until she reached Consul. Something she had probably envisioned in the entirety of her leadership career. Unlike leaders of old, however, Ronovi took being Tarentum's leader one step further. She constantly focused on inciting activity, pushing the Clan forward fictionally, and even made relationships with other leaders outside of her Clan; to try and get past this ridiculous notion that's plagued this club for a while; 'one for all'. These relationships blossomed into friendships, something that was equally rare between the leaders of different Houses/Clans. So much so, to the point where she was absolutely estatic when I came to her and asked her if she would be willing to write a recommendation for Sid's Obelisk Exarch promotion.
Although I am a leader of a unit outside hers, I have studied her growth as a leader. I'm impressed. It's rare that you see a leader actually try to improve the unit itself, rather then it's fictional aspects or activity levels. Ronovi worked tirelessly to provide the best for her members, pushing the now-House forever forward. During Burden, Distrust, and Loathing Ronovi was booming with activity, ensuring that she had her fictional pieces done on-time, the submissions she was assigned graded, and that everything was flowing wonderfully. She put a lot of work into it, and it really showed. Her work as CON continued when the Clans were downgraded to Houses, leading Tarentum as it's Quaestor. Ronovi Tavisaen continues to inspire new members, which is a rare quality that is long sought after.
While I haven't paid much attention to her work in the Shadow Academy, I'm well aware that she works hard. When she first got the position, I was somewhat skeptical; Leading a House and helping the Headmaster to oversee members of the Brotherhood's training. That's a big thing. I was very concerned that she may burn herself out, and that we'd be sort a Tarentum Quaestor as well as a Praetor to the Headmaster. Fortunately for us, Ronovi was well aware of her limits, and chose to step down as Quaestor when RL got tough; instead choosing to devote her attention to the Brotherhood. When Taigikori steps down from his post, I have no doubt in my mind that Ronovi will be right there ready to swoop in and fill it before the seat goes cold. For all of her hard work and dedication to both Tarentum and the Brotherhood at large, I hereby put forth my recommendation for a Ruby Scepter in the name of Ronovi Tavisaen Tarentae.
His Honor,
Anubis Annedu
Aedile of House Taldryan
Wiki Tribune of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood
Enjoy.
His Honor,
Anubis Annedu
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I first 'formally' met Ronovi during a time when our members, especially leadership, had been encouraged to abandon insular thinking and reach out to the whole of the Brotherhood to ensure our collective survival and success. I can honestly say that I have come away from the experience of working with her a better member and a more effective leader. Ronovi was responsible for the impetus behind the organization of the 'Distrust, Burden and Loathing' Tri-House Feud between Naga Sadow, Tarentum and Taldryan. Her enthusiasm spread to myself and my Taldryan counterpart, and it was through her efforts that the event was such a success. Ronovi's conduct during the Feud, with her encouragement and organizational skills and willingness to host nearly the entirety of the event, was inspirational to be sure. But, it was her conduct AFTER the Feud that proved to have the most impact on me. Her House did not perform as well as it could have, but in no ways did she berate or belittle her charges: she chose to see the situation as an opportunity for improvement, and led her House to do the same. To me, this speaks to a mature attitude that a leader must have in order to make sure their people are not discouraged and are focused on things that bring success. Additionally, although I have no direct dealings with Ronovi regarding her Shadow Academy work, I am sure that her passion for service has led to the positive changes within that institution, just as I'm sure that if anyone can replace our current Headmaster, it is she. Ronovi's example is surely one to follow, and therefore it is without hesitation and with no reservation that I lend my name to the list recommending her for this award. Congratulations, Ro!
Tsaitenomo
I've known Ronovi for nearly four years. We joined within a week of one another and rose through the ranks, and positions of leadership, together. Throughout her entire DB career Ronovi has striven to improve her house, the club, and individual members. I have learned much of what I know about the Brotherhood from her during our tenure as Tar CON / PCON. She's been a stalwart friend and ally even now that we're in different houses. Being the Praetor to the Headmaster she has found a niche where she can apply her interest in elevating individual members and offering continuous opportunities to be active. Nobody in the DB is more deserving of this award. Congratulations Ronovi.
Ji
Here's what I have to say about Ronovi :)
When I joined the DB, I was a bit intimidated. I knew going into this that I'd be one of very few women in the organization. I became a lot more comfortable when I found out that Ronovi, who was in a leadership position, is female and had been doing very well. After seeing Ronovi's example as both a leader and a prolific member of Tarentum's fiction community, I was happy to be entrusted with the responsibility of founding a new battleteam (the Reckoners) and helping found a new house (Kaerner).
Founding the Reckoners was very difficult for me. I've never been someone incredibly comfortable with coming up with new ideas. Ronovi challenged me to create an original team concept and pushed me into creating some of the best fiction I've ever written. "Good enough" is rarely satisfactory for Ronovi, and through her urging I feel the Reckoners became one of the most original and kickass BT's in the DB.
I've had to step back from the DB quite a bit. I'm in the last semester at college and will be getting my Bachelor's in English on May 6. Between my thesis and my internship, I just don't have time for a lot of DB involvement. But I still read all the DB emails and have seen Ronovi continue to lead valiantly even as Tarentum was downgraded to a House and team involvement became small. She's done a great job and I wouldn't still be hanging around if not for her.
It's awesome to see a strong female leader in a male-dominated club like this. :)
JH Teia Coran (Obelisk)/TRP/Tarentum
AC-ToSH / Cr-3S / CI / S:-2B
Well, Ronovi has encouraged my activity within the Brotherhood. She's always willing to talk to me when she's on, whether about DB-stuff or real life stuff. She has given me advice whenever she could, and just listened to me rant when she couldn't. To me, Ronovi is more than a master in a club or a good friend; she has become a real life mentor and more of an older sister to me. I can tell that she not only wants me to be successful in the DJB, but she cares about my overall well-being. I know that she'll probably say that seeing someone's success is enough of a reward for her, but I believe, as do most Tarenti, that she deserves a lot more than that.
GRD Syrna Valkiss (Krath)/TYR/Tarentum
DC-SP/Cr-1A-1S-2E-1T
It's sometimes hard for me to put into words exactly how I feel about specific people, or what I think about their contributions. While some would describe me as "eloquent," or "verbose," or maybe even "too damn yappy," there are times when simplicity counts, and I whittle my thoughts on someone, or their actions, into as few words as possible. With Ronovi, that all gets whittled down into "Tarentae" or "friend."
Ronovi spent a great deal of time in leadership of Tarentum, working as both a leading member, and a positioned veteran in several levels of Clan and then House leadership. While she is often critical of herself, she is also sometimes too criticized for what contributions people actually let her make. Some of the work she put forward was, in hindsight, not actually allowed to blossom fully because it met with stiff resistance. And yet, this happens all the time. The mark of actual leadership is not being able to make things happen without resistance, but yet, to make things happen despite resistance. And, in some cases, the greater the resistance, the greater the reward.
Above all else, as a leader, Ronovi has been completely dedicated to Tarentum, and seeing it remain a successful, living unit, and its membership gain trust and respect for each other, and a bond that will never fail. She also recognized the ties that Tarentum has elsewhere throughout the Brotherhood, and how those bonds that stretch across House and Clan lines really perpetuate the life that Tarentum has within itself. No one House or Clan can stand alone; we exist as a mutual, living entity together, or we die as separate, isolated individuals. Ronovi understood that, and wanted to make it a commitment to ensure that Tarentum was never isolated from the rest of the Brotherhood.
At times, Ronovi was assisted where possible, but there were many instances when, honestly, Ronovi was trying to lead Tarentum alone. The reasons behind that can be debated for days or weeks, but the end result is, Ronovi remained dedicated even when she believed herself completely alone, completely void of friends and allies who might assist her. She was not afraid of tackling challenges as an individual, though she always sought to band together as a Tarentum family and move towards activity and progress as a whole.
Ronovi sought to inspire changes within Tarentum, both fictionally, as well as functionally. She wanted to make Tarentum focus on competition and friendship, activity and rivalry, even, across Clan or House lines. While each individual competition speaks for itself, Ronovi was consistently trying to drum up activity in any way possible. She was generally consistent with reports, consistent with keeping Tarentum updated on Brotherhood happenings, and trying to make things work.
Ronovi has made an impression upon some of the newer, or newest members of Tarentum, and I believe the lasting impression she makes upon them far outweighs the impression that I can pass off about her. The fact is, while Ronovi and I weren't always on the best of speaking terms, we have always been friends. Friends fight, friends go through rough patches, or amazing periods of camaraderie. And yet, they always remain friends, barring exceptional circumstances.
Ronovi has always been someone I see as a Tarentae friend, and a Brotherhood peer. She is one of Tarentum's best, dedicated writers, and even after she has moved on from leadership, to be molded into a role for the Shadow Academy, she continues to try and maintain her presence, and her leadership role, in Tarentum. She is completely dedicated to Tarentum, to what it stands for, and acts as a beacon to those who have moved on.
for their own reasons as to what a dedicated valiant member of this House or Clan (depending on status) is capable of when they seek to rise above struggle and work, and actively focus on building up the good cause, which is the future for the membership of this Club. People can learn from the example Ronovi sets, no matter the opinion they have of her. And yet, I believe there is generally the opinion that Ronovi is a good member, and a good leader when placed in the opportune position. She has a role to fill, both in Tarentum and the Brotherhood, that will rely on her for years to come.
To Ronovi herself, I have only a few words for you. Sincerely, thank you for your effort,
my friend.
-DJM Sith Bloodfyre-Tarentae
Quaestor, House Tarentum
Sith Order
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She's been there for me at a time when I needed a Praetor the most. After a trial and horrible error with my first, she took up the mantle with uncanny ease. I've tasked her with being the Director of Shadow Academy fiction, which has in turn had her pen been used in pre-Vendetta fiction enjoyed by the masses. Her most recent work with the future Jedi, Liu Van Dae, got more than a few heads to turn at the way she writes her characters. I'm not one to fluff up a recc with useless air to make it appear more than it is, but know this: Ronovi is my right hand, and has a say in every Shadow Academy doing. Some are still secret, so I can't disclose her full works until they've gone public. An outstanding educator, she's there to pick up the slack when other Professors fall behind, she's also an amazing friend to most of the staff. On top of it all she writes Shadow Academy exams for featuring within the organization itself. I know I did the right thing when picking her as my Praetor, as we're no doubt looking at the future first female Headmaster. It is for these reasons that I recommend that my Praetor be awarded with the Ruby Scepter. Congratulations.
~Taigikori Aybara Dupar; Headmaster of the Brotherhood
Driftan Balephor, 2011-03-30 19:35:13 UTC