I find my roommate and my floor asking me that quite a lot. "Why do you go play with those weird people on Sundays?" "What's with the sticks?" "Hey Dags (short for dagger dragon...idiot boys are creative...), hit anyone today?"
Ok, so maybe they don't ask in the kindest way, but I have thought "Why Belegarth?" myself. What drew me to combat club? I'll admit, I wanted to beat the hell out of people with foam weapons. I've grown to accept that it's less "beat the hell out of people" and more "get the hell beat out of me," but I still love it.
And why? The people. I was blessed with a group of people that I feel very comfortable around. I am so happy to be back near Wolfpack after a summer isolated from all friends. Pack has kept me afloat this school year. Yes, certain people more than others, but the atmosphere of Wolfpack would not be what it is without every person that I know in Wolfpack.
Thank you, all of Wolfpack, for being my second family. I love all of you, and am excited beyond explanation for the rest of this year and the years to come.
maybe i shouldn't be allowed to blog on low sleep...i get mushy.
We had our first of probably 3 weapons building sessions last night at the Outpost. Faline, her brother Chris and Catlin opened there home to 17 new people and it was a complete success. Thank you's all around to those three for donating their place, which was one of the best organized weapons building sessions I have seen since joining Wolfpack. Everyone who showed up withthe intent of building a sword, did so. I believe one new person walked out with 4 swords that he built.
None of this would have been possible without a few of our expert foamsmiths and additional helpers. Thank you very much Fox, Davit, Keeichi, Digoza, Faline, Sorcia, Catlin, Morpheus, Carissa, Bevin, Lock, Rhys, Lupus, and Puck. Everyone did a something from cutting cores/foam to dap application instructions to maintaining tools to the appropriate people to taking money for the supplies used. I am so damn proud of this realm and its ability to come together and work on a large project such as outfitting new people with weapons. Next on the list....GARB!!!
I also want to give thank you's out to our new people. Your dedication and your work will make you excellent additions into our family in Wolfpack. I am looking forward to getting you all aquainted with our sport and growing this realm. We could not have a better group of new people willing to learn, ask questions and dive into the Belegarth World/Lifestyle.
We still need to make some shields which we are in the process I believe next Thursday hosting another building session. Everyone learned something and hopefully will continue to learn things from our veteran members, everything from weapon construction, to field combat, heralding, to weapons checking and lets not forget how to have fun :-D. If I have forgotton to mention anyone I apologise, let me know and I will make sure that you are commended for your services to this sport and especially to this realm. Thank you Wolfpack, I am so very proud of you!!
3rdish dance class today. We started on the choreography for the recital on the 22nd.
I thought my hips hurt before. Yesh! I'm just glad none of the moves for the piece are 3/4 shimmies. I just don't quite get them yet, and I don't think I'd have it ready for the recital.
Gotta practice snake arms, as mine look too mechanical and too far forward.
I am, however, thinking I might make something new and quick for the recital, since well, my dance stuff is a bit belegarthy and heavy. I'll think about it this weekend. After Danny and Janices wedding.
Yesterday all of my college's classes were canceled due to a blown transformer power thingy. This means none of the buildings had electricity.
When I showed up, the only people around where about six of my friends.
One of which had his Belegarth weapons and his garb.
As did I.
The ensuing almost campus wide battles were fanFUCKINGtastic!
Now if we can do this on a day with other students around, we might get some new recruits. Or a lot of pointing and laughing. (obviously the Belegarth community is not a stranger to that one.)
Anywhos, to clarify my previous blog post, I am not going to quit Belegarth. I love this sport. I am not going to let the dickish actions of a couple of assholes ruin the fun. I should and will not take their actions personally. It is not my fault that they choice to be an asshole. Everyone else I've meet has been really cool. And the people I hang around with the most, those who belong to the realm of Khador and the Clan of the Hyrda, are nothing less than very respectful, nice, and honorable.
And that is something I should concentrate on. Because if I don't, then the assholes win.
My blog is called, The Rookie Veteran, and any of you reading this are probably thinking, "Who the hell is this?" That's kind of my point.
I started in Belegarth a few months short of the conception of Clan of the Hydra. My good friends, Kayle included, started and encouraged me to try it out. I'm a Medieval history student and a fencer so - Wow! This is totally up my alley. I joined and committed myself pretty hard core though school and money usually got in the way of events. My social anxiety got in the way of meeting people any time I got to one. A few bad exchanges with people at events also left a bad taste in my mouth. (I picked the name Scrapper for a reason and when people would sluff off hits without the courtesy of "light" or accuse me of sluffing hits when I would call "hand" or "garb," I got pissed and didn't really open up to people. As much my fault as the dicks I encountered, admittedly.)
Almost two years ago, my quest for knowledge and money finally got in the way, my stress level peaked and it just wasn't fun anymore so I "retired." I missed it, but I didn't miss the frustrations, the politics, the stalled pipe dreams of our group and my own bad attitude.
Last December I went to the Rhun Closer to say hello to friends I rarely got to see and I remembered just how much fun it could be. I wanted sooo badly to just jump in, grab my old red and break some shields. :) I came back, pledging to have a better attitude and not take certain things so seriously. It hasn't been easy - I can get pretty bogged down in this crap and still do every now and again - but it's been fun and I look forward to practice every week. I'm going to as many events as possible (yay for already having off of work for Octoberfest!!!) and trying to get more active on the boards to meet people so events are a little less socially nerve wracking for me.
I know I'll never be the best fighter out there, but I'm looking forward to doing this for the right reasons: having fun, meeting cool like-minded (and unlike-minded!) people, and maybe losing a couple pounds. :)
Okay, I really perfer LJ, but hey, fighting stuff can go here too.
Wolfpack started back up on the Quad at the start of the semester. I'm not sure how it has happened, our recruiting went way up. Part of it was that Lupus brought out his floor, but even that doesn't explain how we are doing so well.
Most of the time, when we start out, we'll start with 20 or so peoplewho want to try. We went way beyond that the first practice, and it is still growing. We have people showing up new to Tuesday practices. So, I consider this year a success already, and we might just need to refine our recruitment strategies, rather than come up with new ones. This is incredible. My predicition at first, was 5 people who stay the whole year, but I might revise this to 8 -10.
Now to get them garbed and weaponed. And beat in. And then introduce into Belegarth at large during Oktoberfest.
We finally got a sewing machine, so now, I just have to get sewing. I have a coat I want to sew up first, and then figure out the different layers of Turkish garb, and how to make them. Without patterns. Arguing with fabric will never be so hard.
Practiced 4-parry and 6-parry, as well as 7 and disengaging. Meet and fenced an old master named Cid. After he gave me tips on building a good airship he told me about how he learned fencing from an old man who fought with pistol and cavalry sabre in the late 1800s. He also told me of how he once had the priveledge of holding a Magyar sabre that was a thousand years old and still sharp. It was as strong as a katana, and lighter, he said --it predates the modern katana by 500 years.
I hear a lot of people complaining about the low attendance numbers for Belegarth practices and events.
I am thinking this is because of the downright dickishness of certain people.
I'm not asking for everyone to pretend to like one another when they don't, all I'm asking is for some courtesy, respect, and some niceness to people you've never met before and for the people who have been doing this for a while.
I love this sport. It is my favorite hobby. But the downright hostility, jerkiness, and selfishness of certain people when I didn't do any wrong doing (that I know of) is the only reason why I have some thoughts of leaving.... or at least not attend certain events.
1. Despite the fact that you provided me with an addressed, stamped envelope with which to rsvp, I just didn't even bother to check the box and mail it. I needed to wait until the last second to decide that I wasn't going.
2. There was an event. Any event. Even a dag event would keep me from a wedding.
3. I don't care about the person you are marrying. I don't like them or I don't know them.
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