Onward, Into The Fog!

[welamom]

Latest update on my dad:  He's scheduled for surgery around the middle of September.  I wanted him to have it sooner (like, you know, yesterday) but he wants to drive Mom home to Kentucky for her 55th class reunion.  Now, this might give you an idea of what the family has to work with here...and you'd be right.

My garden has just about gone belly-up

Comments

[gwenlianna]

I honestly do think that it's possible for the fun and the authenticity to coexist. I very much admire the people who can pull of full outfits with the trimming and really *be* their persona, but I don't see people who have made a token effort (peasant blouse and a skirt is fine, jeans and a t-shirt... not so much (I do have issues with steam-punk and elf ears, but that's because it's so obviously playing a different game)) as being a detriment to the group.
My experience has shown that people *gently* pushing towards better garb gets good results, while the "authenticity police" just cause backlash and more blatant displays of "bad garb". I suppose this would be part of the courtesy aspect though (on both sides). I have no issue with the term mundanes, as long as it doesn't have the words "freaking the" in front of it. I find the idea of "freaking the mundanes" to be juvenile attention seeking behavior that tends to reflect badly on the group since it seems to be used as an excuse to be rude to those people who are curious enough to ask questions, thereby chasing away potential new members, and damaging the reputation of the group.
I like Gate clerk, event steward, and cook better than troll, autocrat, and feastocrat... mostly because it's clearer what their role actually is (also, it allows me to reserve troll for the people who behave like one) but I sort of figure that it's one of those things that will change, or not, with time.

[welamom]

I didn't think there was anything wrong with autocrat and feastocrat. I was never much for freaking the mundanes anyway, but I certainly didn't intend to insult them when I called them that. It was more of a "we're the crazy people, you're the mundanes" kind of thing to me. Kept the groups separated and id'd in my head.

And it has taken me awhile, but I honestly do enjoy being more accurate with my clothes and accouterments, I was just reminiscing that there was a time I wasn't sure I'd get there. But, we need some more big and hairy fighter types to thump the old grey hairs! ;-)

But Troll was such a cute name for a task that it inspired me to sign up for it. And I make it a point to sign up for it as often as I can. Gate clerk just doesn't set off my imagination the same way. ;-)

[gwenlianna]

Sadly... I know far too many people who will go shopping in garb, and respond to the (relatively) innocent inquiry about whether they are in a play with, "Yeah, death of a salesman" or something equally rude.

[welamom]

Even sadder -- I was one of those! About the 8th time some tobacco - chewing good old boy wanted to take me away from "them weirdos", I started to tell them I was in a play -- "Death of a Salesman". If that didn't get a response, I'd try "Cats".

If they sincerely wanted to know why I was dressed the way I was, I'd cheerfully tell them about the SCA, especially if they seemed interested. It just depended on the circumstances.