ANST - What it takes/was:Why am I playing this Game? *long*

[Trish McCurdy]

Thorgrim wrote a lengthy letter about the what's and why's of peerage.

I am feeling verbose today and thought I would add my two cents, although I 
will say up front that every person on this list will have a different thing 
to add, or perhaps a totally different view point on the subject.

So, having given a disclaimer, I will give you my viewpoint.

I was lucky enough to be Queen of two very different Kingdoms, and the 
expereiences it gave me taught me the very first and important lesson, which 
was "respect for a Kingdom's tradtitions".

There used to be and still may be a basic list in Corpora of what is 
expected from a Peer.  I stared with that basic list and added a few things 
of my own.  I am using the list I always kept in my heart for the Chivalry.  
It is basically the same for the other Peerages with a few variations.  And 
because the members of the Chivalry I have come to know here in Ansteorra 
have been such wonderful examples of what "My Dream" has always told me one 
of their number should be, I feel comfortible sharing what my expectations 
as a Lady have always been.

  Does the candiate...

1.  Know the laws and traditions of the Kingdom and the Society?
2.  Do they Dance?
3.  Do they play Medieval Chess?
4.  Have they successfully held at least one Office on some level?
5.  Have they successfully been part of an autocratic team for an event, a 
war, a revel or a fundraiser of some sort, and how many times?
5.  Do they teach?  Do they share their knowledge?
6.  Do they travel?
7.  Do they have an art form that they love and teach?
8.  Have I ever seen them carrying a basket or a chair for someone
    who was over burdened, regardless of rank, beauty, or friendship?
9.  Are they curtious?  Do they take the time to talk to a newcomer,
    a curious child, or a mundane?
10. Do they play the game well?  Do they make an good attempt to look
    medieval and enjoy the recreation aspect?
11. Are they a skilled fighter?  They don't have to in my mind be the very 
best on the field, but they should be clean, fun, a good fight, can they use 
multiple weapons, and the most important do they truely love that aspect of 
the game.
12.  Do they, in a way that is unique and special to them, serve their 
Kingdom and the Dream and enrich us all by their contributions?

There are about a thousand other little things.  The one that always was the 
"green light" for me was when the populace assumed that they were a member 
of the Peerage already, when people first meeting them were assuming there 
was a symbol of rank that they just hadnt put on yet that day *L*

The saying goes, we don't make peers, we recognize them.  I have always 
believed that to be true.  It is something that comes from within.  But it 
comes from within a human being, a person who is subject to moods, stress, 
weariness, and events in their lives.

A person can be all these things and even more and still make a mistake now 
and again.

An example:  I am quite night blind, and without my contacts, I can't see 
much more than 15 feet in front of me.  It can be a thing of great amusement 
value.

A Lady once waved to me when I was Queen the first time, and she was about 
40 feet from me.  I had lost one contact earlier at the event, and was doing 
the event by seeing eye Lady-in-Waiting. (laugh, it is funny, except for 
this part)  I did not see the Lady, and she was devistated.  She thought 
that I had ignored her, and when I was told of this and went to find her, 
she was crying, saying I looked right at her, and ignored her, and looked 
displeased.

In true fact, I couldnt see her, was trying to sqeeze my eyes together to 
find my King, and would never had known about her hurt feelings if she hadnt 
made a comment to a passer by.

She was embarassed and I was sad that she had thought that of me.  But it 
just shows human nature.

Which brings me back to my original point of my last post.  If you don't 
approach and speak to someone who has in some way harmed your dream, you 
cannot achieve the peace and understanding, and sometimes even frienship, 
that comes from taking the time to make your feelings known.

If ther person is truely a Peer, they should be equipped to talk to you 
about it, with respect for your feelings and their's.

***end ramble here*** :)  Larissa


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