[Bards] College Hash

[Michael Silverhands]

On Nov 5, 2006, at 8:51 AM, Gerald Norris wrote:

> So.  This brings up the questions: Will we, as a college, as a  
> community, be
> able to understand that some people for whatever reason, choose not  
> to wear
> a bard-target?  If we see someone we know is active in support of the
> community not wearing their target, will the assumption be that  
> something
> must be wrong?  Or can we be casual in our useage of the target?   
> Can we be
> casual in the non-usage of the target?
>

*grin* Although it *was* a rough draft, the words were carefully chosen:

> * The Ansteorran College of Bards is an informal guild whose  
> members practice and promote the bardic arts in the Kingdom of  
> Ansteorra.
...
> * Anyone can be a member of the Ansteorran College of Bards. To be  
> one, say you are one, or display the insignia of the College in  
> whatever form (belt favor, banner, etc.). The insignia is "Or, a  
> mullet of five greater and five lesser points within the frame of  
> an Irish harp sable".

Note the emphasis on informality and expressing yourself in whatever  
way you wish. No, you don't have to wear the insignia. Nor do you  
have to display it in any particular form. Not displaying the  
insignia doesn't indicate that you are not a bard, or not a member of  
the college. But the college *does* have an insignia, and if you  
choose to display it, it *does* mean that you support us. If someone  
wants to display some other insignia to signify the same thing,  
that's great. But if you wear *that* insignia, it means something  
that we (the college) all agree to.

Displaying the insignia indicates that you support the bardic arts,  
ergo you are a member of the college (the community) (one of us). It  
doesn't indicate that you have any particular skill in any particular  
area. It just indicates that you actively, personally support the  
bardic arts. Maybe you aren't a bard at all, but you welcome bardic  
in your camp -- hence the big banner next to your fire pit.

Everyone still happy with the word choice, and what those words were  
intended to mean?

Michael