Genevieve
	Waking	Sleeping	Sign	Repose	Wish
	The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam...

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history of Genevieve
2002-02-05 - 3:22 p.m.

Well, since it has been mentioned in a couple of diaries already, households, hmmm... I guess I could relate my past experience as freaking atypical as it is.

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When I had been in the SCA for a year I was the Baronial MoAS, (already?) and living with the Chronicler/Chatelaine. Of course being a college student and being in Black Diamond, it was nice and easy to get involved since the majority of the folks around were also just stating off or had not been around that much longer. Lucky for me I didn't really meet anyone who had been in for 18 years until much later in my SCA career to be instantly awed and put to shame by my meager attempts at starting out. When I look back on it my garb was hideous, sometimes my manners were atrocious, overly flirtatious, etc. Let's just say I was not a model to follow, nor was I that bad, it was just the culture.

After I had been in the SCA almost 2 years, my wonderful roommate became Princess, and with that, I her head lady in waiting. Now you wanna talk about growing up in the SCA fast, baby we had the crash course. Luckily we had many helpful friends aide us, and many friends we made during that reign help us thru it. It was fun and tiresome, it was inspiring and aggravating all at the same time. You see lots of the good of the SCA from behind the thrones, but you also see some ugly that was never meant to be seen. But neither Bera or I would give up that year for the world. Change some things, sure, trade it in for a peaceful life, hell no. As the ancient Chinese Proverb says May you live in interesting times. For the record, I had been in the SCA exactly 2 years when I got my AoA (the same event then Ciarin, now Andrew got his) at Ice Castle from Logan and Arielle.

It was while Bera was Princess and we were both floundering about a bit, and learning a lot, that I met my wonderful friend and mentor, Thjora. She asked me to be her apprentice, and at the time I was so overwhelmed that someone liked me enough to want to enter into that sort of relationship with me, much less this graceful beautiful classy lady. She could teach me so much. We agree to think about it and make a decision after the reign.

During the reign I went thru so many different experiences that I can't even articulate, I probably don't even remember it all, but it left a big impression of me. After the reign was over we both floundered a bit more. Now that that crash course had run, what do we do now? At that time, after being in such an intense relationship (the reign) I told Thjora after much thought that I wanted to take some time to think her offer over and that at this time, I wasn't prepared to enter into another fealty relationship. Thank god that wonderful woman understood and said that the offer would remain on the table should I change my mind. We remained friends, staying at her and Mike's place when in Richmond, visiting often, etc.

From then I just kept on doing what I wanted to, what was fun, what made the game worth staying in instead of picking up bowling or something. I worked some; demos, teaching, helping out at events, all sorts of stuff. I also played a lot; making new clothes, trying new and diverse arts, oh yeah and school. I also held the office of Baronial Exchequer for 4 months in order to fix up the books that were interestingly kept and then graduate and move on. Exchequer is a job I'll never do again, especially during tax season. :)

After graduation I got a job, moved up to the DC area in an apartment with dear Mel, and promptly was given the job of KMoAS. To this day I'm not certain why I was chosen for the job, other than that I was known for a fairly cool head from the reign of a year ago. I seemed to do an okay job, and never tried to define myself by the position, but tried to make it better and more useful that it was. I knowI had some failings in the job, but I also like to think I accomplished some pretty cool things with the office as well. At the time I got the KMoAS office, I had been in the SCA a total of 3.5 years. It was while I was in the KMoAS postion that I thought long and hard and decided that I would like to formally become Thjora's apprentice and asked if the offer was still on the table, and we made plans to formally do this at Ymir (another big anniversary event for me), and I wore my new pink wool elizabethan to Ymir and in front of the King and Queen, and with their permission as I was directly in fealty to them, I formally stepped into House de la Flamme. At this point I had been in the SCA for 4 years.

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I guess I can relate the rest of this story later as a brief overview of Genevieve's timeline in the SCA. Suffice it to say that everyone's journey is completely different. Everyone's pit stops happen at different times too, as do their waterbreaks. But the one thing I have learned is to give credit and respect where it is due. Nevermind that someone has no title or alphabet soup after their name, treat them all with equal respect and see the potential in the new and the accomplishments of those who have been in a while. Never judge folks by the awards they have, but if you truly feel that someone deserves an award, make sure you write to the Crowns so that they may act on it as they choose. Don't make a big deal out of titles, it is just a game anyways, for those who make a big deal out of their titles are often small in real life. Do not define yourself by your position or your job in the SCA, but do whatever is fun. Do not limit yourself by saying that you could never do such and such, try it and find out that you can, or you can't, or you don't want to.

wow, I should listen to my own advice sometime. Balynar has it right, the friends that you make in this game of ours are more valuable than anything else you may reap from the SCA. The SCA is just a game, but the relationships and friends you find here are real and can last a lifetime.

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