Greetings to you your Majesties as well as our most noble seneschal,
I have been having a hard time formulating this letter so if it rambles a bit please forgive me.
First I am against the release of the Queens arms, second, I am OK with the release of the arms for the Prince and Princess.
I am not against change, in fact I am all for change! As long as I believe the change will do more good than harm. This subject is already doing great amounts of harm throughout the Kingdom and it is saddening me. People on both sides of this "argument" have had their feelings hurt and their toes stepped on. Harm is all done some people might say, I am not so optimistic I believe the worst is yet to come. We will see a decline in numbers as those who have already been placed "on the fence" by the harsh drive toward period practices leaving holes in our society, if indeed the precedent is put in place. On the other hand we may just as well lose that number in people who do not see us as period enough, or see us as archaic and static if the change does not take place. We are in a place of damned if if we and dammed if we don't. There is no easy answer.
I believe strongly in "playing period" but it is a standard I hold myself to and not everyone else. We are a Recreation (Rec- reation not re- Creation) society, not a reenactment group for a reason. We are hobbyists who pay to play in a group that so many others within Europe get paid to play in! We already have trouble keeping up numbers in various regions, Central being the hardest hit by the military draw down as well as a bad reputation that is over 20 years old. The saying where I am from is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!", There are so many other aspects of our society that need tending to, so many more places that all this energy could have gone into to get us two steps ahead, instead of one step behind.
First I am against the release of the Queens arms, second, I am OK with the release of the arms for the Prince and Princess.
I am not against change, in fact I am all for change! As long as I believe the change will do more good than harm. This subject is already doing great amounts of harm throughout the Kingdom and it is saddening me. People on both sides of this "argument" have had their feelings hurt and their toes stepped on. Harm is all done some people might say, I am not so optimistic I believe the worst is yet to come. We will see a decline in numbers as those who have already been placed "on the fence" by the harsh drive toward period practices leaving holes in our society, if indeed the precedent is put in place. On the other hand we may just as well lose that number in people who do not see us as period enough, or see us as archaic and static if the change does not take place. We are in a place of damned if if we and dammed if we don't. There is no easy answer.
I believe strongly in "playing period" but it is a standard I hold myself to and not everyone else. We are a Recreation (Rec- reation not re- Creation) society, not a reenactment group for a reason. We are hobbyists who pay to play in a group that so many others within Europe get paid to play in! We already have trouble keeping up numbers in various regions, Central being the hardest hit by the military draw down as well as a bad reputation that is over 20 years old. The saying where I am from is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!", There are so many other aspects of our society that need tending to, so many more places that all this energy could have gone into to get us two steps ahead, instead of one step behind.
I know it is off topic but it will hopefully get some of my point across. I do not believe in inspirational equality, and I do not know how you can reconcile your drive for a step closer to period practice while advocating a step away from period practice. The true fact is at that point it is picking and choosing what period practices you will embrace or not. While there are instances of same sex "co rulers" they were familial and for a period of time, or there was a council that ruled until a regent was of age. Among the Russians there would an "uncle" or someone of blood relation to pull the strings of the "idiot czar" because he was not mentally capable of doing so himself. One monarch was killed by his constituents and people in a horrific manner and no one thought twice because he was in period "an abomination of God". To have period practices is to hold to period values as well. Is this the equality that is sought? This is period practice, but we do not want to see it in our society.
We choose as a society instead to see a consort who can stand strong under their own banner or if they chose, to stand together under the kingdom banner. The truth is the King has no banner, There is the Kingdom banner and the Consort's banner. If anything we should be angry that the fighting consort is denied something that belongs to them other than their victory on the field. Other than the honor of having placed either their loved one or their friend on the throne, having chosen them for whatever their reasons may be to be the one to rule alongside them as equal. Which by the way is a non period practice, The consort was and still is modernly a window dressing, but in our society we accept them as equal. Taking away the Consorts banner does not give them equality in a "period perfect" group, it strips that equality from them.
In 1 week, I will sit on the sidelines of a glorious tournament. In 1 week, I will be sitting pensive wondering who will be the heirs to the Black Dragon throne. In 1 week, it could be me. As many have spoken from a consort point of view and the dreams we have had of proudly being able to display the arms that we hold dear as a symbol of the Consort. I have never thought it wrong, un period or demeaning to want to sit beneath that banner, I still do not find it to be any of those things.
I keep feeling like I have more to add but it will not come, so for now I leave this missive to your hands.
Yours in service,
Magdelena Grace Vane
I keep feeling like I have more to add but it will not come, so for now I leave this missive to your hands.
Yours in service,
Magdelena Grace Vane
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