If Your Master Is So Great Why’d He Die At 33?

A mostly HEMA focused blog with interludes of ASoIaF and FAM posting

[vadipilled]

Hello people!

Thought I may as well make some sort of introduction for this blog since I intend to be a bit more active from now on (we will see how that actually manifests but it is the intent). This post will change over time to reflect the current state of the blog.

First things first, my pronouns are they/them. Oh, and fuck off all you Terfs and Facists. Now onto the intro proper:

I am a UK based HEMA/Historical Fencing practitioner and a undergrad student studying history. I have been studying various fencing traditions for about 5 years mainly focusing on Armizare (formerly mostly Fiore but I am now in my Vadi era) but I have also explored systems focused on rapier, sabre, and sidesword.

I would not consider myself any sort of expert or authority on anything (I’m no Mr Vadi) but I am a somewhat knowledgeable fencer and I have spent many hours training, research, and sparring. Another important thing to note is I am disabled - I suffer from Left-sided Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy - while generally quite a minor condition it does impact my fencing (and I may have some things to say on this blog about this soon).

So what about the blog? And why Vadi?

On this blog I seek to entertain, have interesting discussions, and possibly even educate people. It’s pretty simple and not all too serious and I very much welcome questions regarding Vadi and Fiore as well as HEMA more generally.

As to my love for Vadi:

Well, I am an twinkish contrarian and Vadi is the much maligned hipster choice for longsword.

To be more serious, I started off doing Fiore but I just wanted something a little different, I started to feel that Fiore didn’t perfectly fit my style and my physical ability, so I began to find stuff to augment Fiore and that led me to Vadi since he was a later master in the same tradition with a few key differences. I started adding more and more different stuff into my style while still being a “Fiorist” but I eventually found myself even more unsatisfied with my new mishmash style, so I decided to just switch entirely to Vadi since I was enjoying his stuff a lot more. Also Vadi is definitely quite niche and unfairly overlooked and I love to champion the underdog.

All this does not mean I hate Fiore or anything, l love his system, it’s a great system, I just prefer Vadi longsword for me.

So that’s most of why I do Vadi, the other part is that joke at the start - I am a twink (and more than a little pathetic) - and I have this idea of Vadi (which is not really particularly realistic) as a pathetic loser twink.

“So why do you characterise him like that?” You may ask.

Um… have you seen the guy? He’s the closest to a twink you are going to get for a fencing master, and he was a bit of a failure

My personal choice to characterise Vadi as a twink stems from my personal identity and a want to “vibe” with the master I study, Vadi was probably not gay but the descriptor twink has become far more than just gay slang.

Other than that I have a few people to recommend:

@we-are-knight - an excellent fencer and an instructor of mine who is infinitely more knowledgeable and experienced when it comes to this whole fencing thing.

Jamie Maclver aka “Mr Vadi”, and Connor Kemp Cowell aka Sinestrahema - these two fantastic people create lots of great content on Vadi and I would not be able to be a Vadi fender without their channels (to clarify, I know neither of them personally).

The final thing is Marshal Boucicaut is my washed goat :)

Bye!

[dangarou]

Primarchs 40K

🎨 by John Blanche

[sirens-of-cass]

John Blanche, 1948-2026

[jerreeeeeee]

not every mutual fits neatly into an archetypal medievalism but there are some mutuals that im like yeah addressing you as “my liege” would come strangely naturally

[jerreeeeeee]

what mutual is prev

my liege lord

my loyal knight

my wise wizard

my evil advisor

my brother in arms

my lady muse

my wild mermaid friend

my fellow alchemist

my dashing rapscallion

my monstrous foe

Remaining time: 1 day 1 hour

[vadipilled]

Calling all the people!

Do my little form, please

Vadi interpretation form

This is a short form regarding the 15th century fencing master Philippo di Vadi, no knowledge of Vadi is necessary to complete this form.

[vadipilled]

Now hit over 100 responses, thank you to anyone who filled this out through here

[vadipilled]

Calling all the people!

Do my little form, please

Vadi interpretation form

This is a short form regarding the 15th century fencing master Philippo di Vadi, no knowledge of Vadi is necessary to complete this form.

[64mpg]

i post bad on purpose to hurt you

[tibby]

people love to complain about sex scenes in tv shows and violence in movies when the real danger is scenes that make you feel second hand embarrassment.

[vadipilled]

So I painted my new sallet in familiar way

And did some other stuff

[vadipilled]

Whhyyyy do they need to keep making perfect swords for me!!!

The sigi prince is like my ideal Vadi longsword, it’s the perfect dimensions and weight and looks amazing but I can’t justify the price point

[swordcrossdzine]

Quiz: Which type of questing knight are you?

Our brave knights are now all gathered and have set off on their noble quests, and we're excited to show you who they are very soon ⚔️

In the meantime, take our quiz to find out which type of knight you are - and share your results with us!

Take the Sword Cross'd: The Lives and Loves of Knights Zine quiz to find out which type of questing knight you are!

[we-are-knight]

@wearebeguiler saw me get this and sleepily said "yes, correct".

Hell yeah. ⚔️

[vadipilled]

Ummmm….

[we-are-knight]

Training the Squire.

She took a certain swordtok channel talking about dual daggers as a bad weapon choice as a challenge.

This was a clip from her first time fencing using two daggers against me with my greatsword.

Somehow, after multiple attempts, she got the angle of the parry just right, and parried my sword, while stabbing me in the armpit.

Later, she managed this...

And a few other plays in which she hooked my sword with her off-hand dagger, before stabbing me.

She's got a lot more to work on, but she's determined to make "dual dagger combat" viable for the girlies.

[vadipilled]

I love how this not only reinforces that you can actually use daggers against longer weapons but also simultaneously refutes the claim that you can’t parry a greatsword with a one handed weapon.

[we-are-knight]

Training the Squire.

She took a certain swordtok channel talking about dual daggers as a bad weapon choice as a challenge.

This was a clip from her first time fencing using two daggers against me with my greatsword.

Somehow, after multiple attempts, she got the angle of the parry just right, and parried my sword, while stabbing me in the armpit.

Later, she managed this...

And a few other plays in which she hooked my sword with her off-hand dagger, before stabbing me.

She's got a lot more to work on, but she's determined to make "dual dagger combat" viable for the girlies.

[yuukisjourney]

I hope she succeeds, rooting for her

[we-are-knight]

She's only just started with this, so she's really carving her own path on it. So far, she has a few moments of brilliance amidst failures, but that's what we both expected for her 1st/2nd time ever trying it.

Give her a year or two, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was able to do this the way Booktok girlies imagine their heroines.

[we-are-knight]

I'm gonna be honest, there's a reason I don't talk about Sellsword Arts, and it's mainly because I just don't like them as I find them obnoxious. That's not a condemnation of people watching them, I just don't enjoy them.

The other reason is that they know just enough to give an opinion that is entrenched in absolutist HEMA ideology with no room for experimentation or nuance, or in stage combat. I can't fault the latter, I don't do stage combat, so it's not something I can comment upon. But the rigidity of HEMA can bother me increasingly as it stifles development and informed speculation where we lack information, or takes the written word as gospel in a way that is somewhat difficult to reconcile with the reality of practise.

This means that I try to avoid their content, as it often starts with a position which is fairly well researched by people in HEMA, and devolves into David making blanket statements without any nuance. And that's when he's talking about well researched content. His video on axes being generally bad weapons was outright incorrect in almost all aspects, to the point a member of the group I'm in (who is something of an expert on axes, having recognised the lack of info and put years of study into actually learning how to make them work) addressed the topic.

Similarly, my squire is a dagger enthusiast, and she knows she's going to be at a disadvantage for it. She still manages to win more often than most people in the same position, and actually fighting her with a dagger against dagger especially is a losing battle. So of course, she heard "dual daggers doesn't work", and we decided we'd test it.

Right off the bat, we have some issues with how David approached the topic. First, in his video, he mostly spends time running blindly in, not parrying or binding, then claims it won't work. Compare with the clips of Squire Jess entering with a parry, and using the second dagger to attack into the opening underneath...

We've concluded that dual daggers (so far) is certainly not an ideal selection for combat, but also that (1) it is possible and can definitely be used to fight other lightly armoured opponents. And that (2) given practise, dual daggers can make an effective response to other larger weapons. It's also worth pointing out that from my perspective, dual daggers is up there with giant sword: not always the most practical choice, but it is a power fantasy for the target audience, and certainly feasible within a proper context. That's not even mentioning the use of dual short blades in, say, Kali.

So I hope Squire Jess and I can help support the Booktok and fantasy girlies that want to imagine their fighting style working, because Squire Jess is a 5ft-nuthin' girl half my weight and size, who regularly stabs me and throws me to the floor. Which I take as a point of pride—after all, I taught her!

[phyrexian-mama]

I've done a lot of stage combat, and especially in writing and performances I'll admit that while I think a healthy dose of realism is good to ground things, power fantasies are fun to explore for a reason.

I also wholeheartedly agree with the stance that being too rigid in foundational points kills the ability to explore and grow. Foundations should always be a starting point to build on - and yeah, maybe not everything you explore ends up being good, but you never know what discoveries there are to make along the way. And that's part of the joy and art of things like this.

Obviously it makes sense that dual daggers is going to be at a disadvantage in a lot of situations. But the power fantasy of it is exactly - being at a disadvantage, and being able to find ways to use it anyway. To find the advantages others might overlook. I think the comparison to great weapons is perfect in that regard.

All of that is to say - I love seeing people approach something that is cool and fantastical from the stance of 'Is it possible, how can we make it more reliable, what can make this work, what can we learn from it?' as opposed to a stance of condemnation.

[we-are-knight]

An absolutely valid and based take, thank you for adding your input to this! :)

[astra-the-dragon]

also I'm certain that specialized daggers like sword catchers or sai etc can be used to great advantage. no need to stick to straight-bladed stiletto style daggers.

[we-are-knight]

Depending on the dagger and what it is up against, yes.

Squire Jess mainly uses rondels however, as she just loves them. But occasionally she dabbles with parrying daggers, and crosshilt daggers, and would agree they can catch blades well. The reason she doesn't use them as often however comes down to her preference in just grabbing the other person's weapon after blocking, and stabbing before they can recover.

[vadipilled]

It’s here

[we-are-knight]

Do you know, were frostbite and cold conditions really grim for people in plate mail?

I don't, but this is for a few reasons.

First is the obvious that you can get frostbite without wearing armour, and plate armour may get cold to the touch, but it is layered with fabric beneath, meaning you aren't exposed to the cold metal, and the biggest issue of full plate is overheating.

Next is that most war was done during the summer months. While this is a pain in full plate with heat, logistical aspects made it practical. You need to feed an army. Guess when food is plentiful? Winter is a time of scarcity, and you struggle to feed armies in that period.

Finally, much armour worn in colder climates (such as the Nordic regions and Russia) are no less protective than others, but also utilise a lot of textiles with plate armour, so it certainly does not seem that armour was itself a cause to frostbite.

Wearing a lot of armour myself, I can say that I prefer fencing in full harness kit in the winter, as it means my warm kit is now insulating me. In summer, all that kit is more likely to give me heatstroke, and my squire has to spend a good amount of time ensuring I am watered and rested in the heat, which she doesn't have to do in the cold.

[vadipilled]

If I may add, there definitely can be issues with plate armour in extreme cold, especially when it snows or rains.

Obviously context is very important, but when referring to “plate mail” I immediately assume 14-15th century Western European full harness.

In that context, extreme cold could be a problem. You aren’t wearing much in the way of padding or insulation under a full harness (as apposed to modern HEMA or Buhurt kit) and by the nature of steel as a good conductor of heat you will start to lose body heat.

If you keep moving and fighting this seems to not be the biggest issue but this does become an issue if you get wet (via snow or rain) since you lose much of the benefit of your under layer or if you stop moving and fighting since you are producing less body heat.

You can combat the cold by insulating the armour with some sort of covering.

I was also told that cold shock could be a problem after fighting as you rapidly lose heat as you disarm or stop fighting if you don’t take the proper precautions. (This is anecdotal from a reenactor who’s name I’ve forgotten)

Battles in the snow did happen in Western Europe (Towton) but they are rare (mainly for the general issues with campaigning in the winter but also because of poor conditions for battles and the actual temperature).

Sources:

Dequitem, How painful is extrem heat and cold in full armor!, 2025

Dequitem says it’s not bad unless it’s snowy or rainy

Modern History TV, What’s it like to wear armour in the freezing cold and snow?, 2018

Jason Kingsley seem to really feel the heat lost at first but once he gets riding and with a cloak he heats up a bit more.

Robinswords, plate armour in the cold, 2026

Strong emphasis on the heat transfer part

See also the myarmoury discussion on this for various opinions.

[we-are-knight]

Isn't this just reiterating what I said though?

"It's not actually a big deal, in most cases"?

Dequitem adds the part I missed though: dry or wet weather will impact how cold is experienced especially.

[vadipilled]

Kinda but also not really? I was mainly adding the wet bit but also emphasising the general lack of warm kit worn under armour since what fighting we do now is definitely impacted by our soft kit.

Sorry if it felt like I was trying to refute you, I was just trying to add on and be helpful.

[threefates]

and for the lady, perhaps a devout knight?

[we-are-knight]

Do you know, were frostbite and cold conditions really grim for people in plate mail?

I don't, but this is for a few reasons.

First is the obvious that you can get frostbite without wearing armour, and plate armour may get cold to the touch, but it is layered with fabric beneath, meaning you aren't exposed to the cold metal, and the biggest issue of full plate is overheating.

Next is that most war was done during the summer months. While this is a pain in full plate with heat, logistical aspects made it practical. You need to feed an army. Guess when food is plentiful? Winter is a time of scarcity, and you struggle to feed armies in that period.

Finally, much armour worn in colder climates (such as the Nordic regions and Russia) are no less protective than others, but also utilise a lot of textiles with plate armour, so it certainly does not seem that armour was itself a cause to frostbite.

Wearing a lot of armour myself, I can say that I prefer fencing in full harness kit in the winter, as it means my warm kit is now insulating me. In summer, all that kit is more likely to give me heatstroke, and my squire has to spend a good amount of time ensuring I am watered and rested in the heat, which she doesn't have to do in the cold.

[vadipilled]

If I may add, there definitely can be issues with plate armour in extreme cold, especially when it snows or rains.

Obviously context is very important, but when referring to “plate mail” I immediately assume 14-15th century Western European full harness.

In that context, extreme cold could be a problem. You aren’t wearing much in the way of padding or insulation under a full harness (as apposed to modern HEMA or Buhurt kit) and by the nature of steel as a good conductor of heat you will start to lose body heat.

If you keep moving and fighting this seems to not be the biggest issue but this does become an issue if you get wet (via snow or rain) since you lose much of the benefit of your under layer or if you stop moving and fighting since you are producing less body heat.

You can combat the cold by insulating the armour with some sort of covering.

I was also told that cold shock could be a problem after fighting as you rapidly lose heat as you disarm or stop fighting if you don’t take the proper precautions. (This is anecdotal from a reenactor who’s name I’ve forgotten)

Battles in the snow did happen in Western Europe (Towton) but they are rare (mainly for the general issues with campaigning in the winter but also because of poor conditions for battles and the actual temperature).

Sources:

Dequitem, How painful is extrem heat and cold in full armor!, 2025

Dequitem says it’s not bad unless it’s snowy or rainy

Modern History TV, What’s it like to wear armour in the freezing cold and snow?, 2018

Jason Kingsley seem to really feel the heat lost at first but once he gets riding and with a cloak he heats up a bit more.

Robinswords, plate armour in the cold, 2026

Strong emphasis on the heat transfer part

See also the myarmoury discussion on this for various opinions.

[we-are-knight]

One of the surprising things in reading Machiavelli's "The Prince" and breaking it down to people is that while the work is famous for promoting the pop cultural term "Machiavellian" as a byword for scheming and devious, Machiavelli himself largely gives very good advice to people in political power and bluntly tells you from the get go that trying to be a good person individually will result in you being a bad leader on a macro level as you will generally end up either weakening yourself financially to buy friends who will forget you swiftly, or you will become unable to make decisive rulings to aid the people you are trying to placate. At the same time, there's a level of truth to the Prince being a stealth insult to the Medici's as following the advice to the letter will make you a paranoid, cold, efficient but inhuman ruler.

Following this, reading a lot of his advice and justifications to doing certain things includes how to do bad things morally in a way that is beneficial long term politically, such as how to purge your political opponents, and even under what conditions (and not to do it again, because once can be forgotten easily, but twice makes your allies keen to depose you).

Anyway, I bring this up because sometimes, I read these historical works and realise that we haven't moved on all that much in the modern world, and it is the bane of historians to look at the distant past and realise many of the foibles of humanity remain constant throughout our time on earth.