#ask sca nerd

[sca-nerd]

In the SCA—how strictly do people tend to stick with one particular period within the range? To make that question clearer I am now the closest to joining I have been over the years and the major thing now making me hesitate is I like styles from so many different times, and from different genders, and I’m thinking myself into a tizzy about having to pick One. Is that the usual mode of approaching garb? Or do people mix it up and I’m worrying about nothing?

This is an awesome question! And I have an exciting answer for you: I don't know anyone who does strictly one time or location, and I have seen countless people wear garb they like regardless of gender.

There are people whose closet will be predominantly one style, but because most of the time Scadians are dressing for weather and location, that style is rarely absolute. Loads of people are suddenly Roman when the summer hits. You might see more Viking in the winter because of the warm layers. Loads of ladies will rock the Landsknecht booty shorts when they wanna.

There is no rule when approaching garb, except that it needs to be some attempt at pre-16th century clothes. T-tunics are beginner friendly (and veteran owned and approved) as well as a good foundation for garb goals. The persona is a helpful tool for people who might feel overwhelmed, and so it lets you focus on a single time and location until you're ready to try new things or build on what you know you like. But there is nothing that says you can't do what you like, wear what you want, and be whoever you want to be!

In Atlantia, some of our events (or even reigns) will be themed. We've had Persian, German, Viking - it's awesome. I wouldn't have discovered how much I love a good Ghawazi coat without our Persian Reign.

And remember, you don't have to roll up with a fully complete kit to start playing. A T-tunic and some sweat pants, or a long T-tunic and a belt is more than enough. You will have plenty of time to build your closet as you go - which will be easier and more fun with the help from all of the amazing people you're going to meet!

I'm so excited for you to start playing, and let me know if you have any other questions. Welcome to the dream!

[sca-nerd]

hi i live in the northern virginia area and im interested in getting into sca things, but i’m not really sure where to start. do you perhaps know anything about other… regions?? in atlantia? or possibly people i should talk to directly? thank you!!!

HELLO FRIEND!

And I absolutely do know about that area!! I used to live up there, actually. I was in the Vienna-Fairfax area which put me in the Barony of Ponte Alto. Depending on where you live, you could be in any number of lovely Baronies! To find out which, you can check the Local Groups page of our Kingdom Website and use the Zip Code database. If you let me know which group you're in, then I can tell you if I know anyone to put you in contact with.

Each of the groups has a Seneschal and a Chatelaine listed. The Seneschal is the chapter President, the Chatelaine is the New Person Representative so that's who you want to reach out to! Let them know you're interested in learning more. They will probably invite you to a practice or a meeting and you go from there! A lot of times people prefer to attend one of those before they jump right into an event, but you do you!

I'm so excited you're interested! And if you have any other questions or need assistance, let me know and I will do whatever I can. Welcome to the dream!

[sca-nerd]

Im also in Wilmington NC how do I get into sca here??? I hadn't been able to find anything??? (Please help)

GASP!! HELLO!!

I'm not sure how much you know about the SCA, so I will include some explanations with my response.

You are in the Shire of Seareach (our local chapter made up of New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, and other parts of surrounding counties) in the Kingdom of Atlantia (regional group made up on MD, VA, NC, SC, and a tiny part of GA)!

The easiest way to find out about our activities like practices or A&S nights (craft and project nights) is to be on Facebook, because that is where our official page and unofficial social group is located. The social group is called Seareach Social.

Otherwise, you would want to reach out to our Seneschal (branch President), as our Chatelaine (new comer representative) is still going through the warranting process (they're still new to the job). We just recently had a change in officers so things are a little wonky at the moment as transitions happen. I can give you their contact information in a message if you prefer - I'd rather not post someone else's personal info here.

Because of all the rain, we have postponed our fighter practices for a little while, but I know that there have been some A&S meetings going on, though right now everyone is preparing to go to a week long war (camping event with battles) called War of the Wings in a couple of weeks, so there's not a lot of group stuff happening at the moment. But we would love to welcome you and answer any questions you have!

Let me know if you need anything else, I am happy to help! And welcome to the dream!

[sca-nerd]

Sounds like you don't like rennfaires. What about medieval times?

They're both fine, just not something I'm interested in. I'm glad that other people get so much joy out of them, but I have other things that bring me more joy.

I love to see people nerd out or get excited about things even when I don't share that interest, because we need more joy and happiness and excitement in the world; less judgement and criticizing.

[sca-nerd]

Hello! A friend of mine is getting a Laurel (finally) and I've been asked to speak at the ceremony on behalf of the populace, but I am not sure what to say. Is there any guidance you could offer on what is usually said?

First, vivat to your friend! That's wonderful! And congrats to you on such an honor. I've never spoken at an elevation, but I have been present to see friends and family receive that honor so I've heard a number of speeches. My advice to you would be this:

Now is your opportunity to tell anyone who might not know your friend just WHY they deserve this. Be honest. Be sincere. One of my absolute favorite things in the world is to tell others just how amazing my friends are. You will have a captive audience to do just that. Go nuts. Brag. Boast. Rave.

If you still aren't sure what to say, then please tell me about your friend. Tell me about the work they've done. Tell me about the contributions they've made. Tell me about what makes them awesome. Tell me why the populace should be happy to have this new Laurel in their midst.

[sca-nerd]

did you see the #drama with the prince of Ansteorra? he apparently attended an SMA event and posted some tonedeaf justification for it

IMO, dude should not have gone in his SCA regalia. If he wants to support friends in their group and hobby, that is something he can chose to do as himself. Wearing the regalia and attending as the Crown Prince of an SCA Kingdom adds complexities, offenses, and concerns to the situation that he very clearly did not anticipate or consider.

Being invited to attend an event as an honored dignitary in another Kingdom is different from representing the SCA at another organizations event. It was not his place or his responsibility to represent anyone but himself, and he should have kept it that way. His intentions may have been good, but they were still HIS. By wearing the symbols of State he implied that he speaks for and represents the interests of either his Kingdom or the Society, and that is clearly not the case.

(On a personal note: folks who win Crown need to have a scribe or bard on hand to help them handle PR and write better posts/announcements/apologies.)

[sca-nerd]

Hi! Do you know of people who have handled sca stuff and college? Like, the "i spend part of my time here and the other part there" aspect? I keep looking longingly but I also know I move back and forth very often because of being in school still.

Oh, hello!

So, colleges are able to form their own local chapters, actually. They may only be active during the school year, but they do exist and can be started if they don't. You can also look to see if there is an established local group in your college town already, which saves you the trouble.

When it comes to ANY group, there is no required activity level (except for officers). You don't even have to be a member to show up and participate (unless you want to be an officer, vote on matters, and/or get a discount on event registrations). We have some folks who come to one event a year, others come to a meeting once every couple months... It's however you want to play it.

And you can play in multiple groups, there's no boundary to where you HAVE to belong (except for voting and in some Kingdoms, office holding). So play with the college group when you're there, play with the home group when you're there. At any given time, I am playing with three or four different groups!

Here is where you find your Kingdom and groups:

Kingdoms - SCA.org

The SCA’s “Known World” is divided into twenty regions called kingdoms, and within the kingdoms there are hundreds of local SCA groups – Can

[sca-nerd]

Forgive me if this is a bit of an unwieldy task, keeping the rather high follow count bloggers tend to have in mind, but do you have any blogs you'd recommend following for old timey crafts and activities? It's the sort of thing I've always loved, but up until recently I had very little time to do anything! Help a fellow out with some inspiration?

That depends entirely on what you mean by "old timey" if I'm honest. My old timey tends to be medieval period, though I do enjoy history all together.

There aren't a lot of blogs I follow that are dedicated strictly to the subject of historical crafts and activities, but some of the ones I would direct you to include:

@burningknucklecraftworks

@dbkcustomscabbards

@vincentbriggs

@margisnailia

@the-world-that-was

@itty-bitty-blacksmith

@thecostumerscookery

@its-spelled-maille

@heraldrydiculous

This is not an exhaustive list, but it is some of the ones that I was able to quickly pull for you from my follow list. I hope this helps! And I'm sure some of my mutuals have others that they can recommend to you, as well.

I hope you find what you're looking for!