What were you doing in 1994?
- Thread starter Jayson1
- Start date
Greetings from one former SCAdian to another!
Well met, m'lord!
I was in the Principality of Avacal, Kingdom of An Tir at the time (nowadays Avacal is its own kingdom).
And you? (if you don't mind my curiosity)
Well met, m'lord!
I was in the Principality of Avacal, Kingdom of An Tir at the time (nowadays Avacal is its own kingdom).
And you? (if you don't mind my curiosity)
In 1994 I was still a year or two off from finding the SCA in any significant capacity, though I think I was touring SUNY Binghamton and saw a fight practice, and being an RPG fan made the logical leap that it might be LARP. They were very nice explaining that they were part of the Society for Creative Anachronism (and I have to say it was a fun diversion from the scheduled tour (grin)). I didn't really think much of it at the time, but when I eventually went to a different school and saw people doing the same sort of thing, I was in a slightly better position than most to guess what was going on.
I started out in Shire of Northern Outpost, East Kingdom. I presently find myself in Shire of Mountain Freehold, also East. I've been on SCAbattical for about four years, after getting disenchanted with the disconnect between SCA friends and actual friends (disclaimer: reflecting my direct experiences, not the Society overall). I also got probably more frustrated than I realized over the ban on same-gender royalty that existed at the time (and started a (un?)surprisingly controversial poll on LiveJournal about that back in the day.
I dabbled in (mostly voice) Heraldry but probably was best known for working as an Exchequer and standing out as the token late period Spaniard amongst a bunch of homogeneous Vikings.
Was the ban a BOD edict? During my time it was forbidden to hold any religious ceremonies, including weddings. Well, we always did keep any Sunday or other services as private or opt-in and very out-of-the-way activities (per the policy at the time), but no weddings? Avacal is in Canada, so we decided on a variation of what Kirk said in Star Trek III: "The word is 'no'; we are therefore doing it anyway" and continued to hold SCA weddings. The last one I attended was in my own Shire; the Seneschale and Master of Arrows got married (common-law; they never did get mundanely married, but have been together for over 30 years). Same-sex marriage is legal everywhere in Canada (has been for over 10 years), so it wouldn't surprise me if some people here would be upset about a ban on same-sex royal couples.
We had some Vikings in our branch, too (I was one of them; 10th century Norwegian), and an assortment of other people, including a female Aztec fighter (as a New World branch, we welcomed any persona from a Native American group that had documented contact with Europeans prior to 1600).
The group was small, so nearly everyone had at least one job; I wore 3 hats at one point: Exchequer, Chronicler, and Chatelaine.
The disconnect between SCA and non-SCA can be frustrating at times. Even some SF/F fans who were my roommates at the convention hotel would look at me funny when I told them, "I'm expecting a call from some SCA people here, so if anyone phones and asks for 'Freydis', don't tell them they have the wrong number - that's the only name they know me by."
It's been awhile, but I'm pretty sure the ban was ensconced in Corpora. There definitely weren't loopholes or I'm sure they would have been exploited.
AFAIK religious ceremonies are still (rightfully, IMO) prohibited, though that doesn't mean they can't be held in unofficial, unsanctioned capacities.
I think people everywhere were upset about the ban on same-gender royalty, but it was only in the past ten years or so that anyone decided to try to do anything about it. Of course, the newest hulabaloo is that they've just enacted a formal "no bullying" policy. Just because I'm on SCAbattical doesn't mean I've decommissioned my intelligence network.
People here were so pro-Viking, pro-early period that I really thought it stifled creativity or diversity. We did have some exceptions, but they were just that.
Northern Output was a large group of largely college kids, with all of the fun and horror you might imagine that would entail. Generally we got way too enmeshed in each others' lives. By the time I left I was ready for a better balance, but instead Freehold swung in the other direction...if I didn't see people at SCA functions I generally didn't see them at all, which for me begged the question of how good our friendship really was.
I was Herald and Deputy Exchequer in Freehold at one point, but obviously couldn't have held both offices simultaneously (nor would I wish to). In Outpost I was both local and Regional Exchequer at one point, which was fun because I got to report to myself.
It's not just SCA though. It's Trek fans, furries, whoever...if I only see you in conjunction with a "special interest", then AFAIC you're not really my friend.
AFAIK religious ceremonies are still (rightfully, IMO) prohibited, though that doesn't mean they can't be held in unofficial, unsanctioned capacities.
I think people everywhere were upset about the ban on same-gender royalty, but it was only in the past ten years or so that anyone decided to try to do anything about it. Of course, the newest hulabaloo is that they've just enacted a formal "no bullying" policy. Just because I'm on SCAbattical doesn't mean I've decommissioned my intelligence network.
People here were so pro-Viking, pro-early period that I really thought it stifled creativity or diversity. We did have some exceptions, but they were just that.
Northern Output was a large group of largely college kids, with all of the fun and horror you might imagine that would entail. Generally we got way too enmeshed in each others' lives. By the time I left I was ready for a better balance, but instead Freehold swung in the other direction...if I didn't see people at SCA functions I generally didn't see them at all, which for me begged the question of how good our friendship really was.
I was Herald and Deputy Exchequer in Freehold at one point, but obviously couldn't have held both offices simultaneously (nor would I wish to). In Outpost I was both local and Regional Exchequer at one point, which was fun because I got to report to myself.
It's not just SCA though. It's Trek fans, furries, whoever...if I only see you in conjunction with a "special interest", then AFAIC you're not really my friend.
Attending grad school to get my MS in Library and Information Science.
Struggling with random bouts of depression.
Encountering my best friend for most of the last 20 years for the first time.
Realizing she was the first person I ever knew my own age who was actually smarter and more well-read than I was.
Falling hopelessly and futilely in love with someone I could never be with. Determining to keep that fact a secret to the grave (I never said whose.)
Drinking way too much.
Deluding myself into believing I was ready for a relationship... with a succession of women... and failing miserably because I could not feel emotional attachment to any of them.
Somehow miraculously not succumbing to any self-destructive habits, tendencies, or impulses.
Struggling with random bouts of depression.
Encountering my best friend for most of the last 20 years for the first time.
Realizing she was the first person I ever knew my own age who was actually smarter and more well-read than I was.
Falling hopelessly and futilely in love with someone I could never be with. Determining to keep that fact a secret to the grave (I never said whose.)
Drinking way too much.
Deluding myself into believing I was ready for a relationship... with a succession of women... and failing miserably because I could not feel emotional attachment to any of them.
Somehow miraculously not succumbing to any self-destructive habits, tendencies, or impulses.
Been there! Except I decided to tell her. What felt like the right decision at the time turned out later on to be a huge kick in the nads. Oh well, c'est la vie.
Lets see, I was in Jr. College (But my mind wasn't, I was in a "sleep with as many women as possible phase".) My Dad was a succesful business owner at the time, and it was assumed I'd carry it on in some way shape or form, honestly, at the time I didn't have the mind for it, I guess I just assumed it would all work out and I'd never have to worry about stuff, so I was just indulging myself (not breaking the law but breaking hearts, running around listening to Nirvana and NIN's pretty hate machine on Repeat basically, I thought I was so edgy then...I was a narcissist who hid his flaws behind his daddy's money basically.) It's wierd because I was a dick to alot of people looking back, but I still have fond memories of when friendships and intimate things seemed real.....I worked a token job at my Dads business for which I was grossly overpaid.....I still lived at home, If I wasn't wooing girls I was at home playing My Sega Genesis or SNES, I also had a Game Gear, Game Boy and Atari Lynx, I remember getting hyped up for Star Trek Voyager, Reading the T.V. Guide article, Obsessing over the way the ship looked....(It's not a saucer!) I ate alot of Chicken Alfredo that year.....
In 1994 I was a year out of college, working a crappy (but easy) job and hanging out with friends: no focus, little drive, but probably one of my more enjoyable years thus far. 
I was 44, recently divorced, teaching GED prep and literacy classes, and watching a lot of TNG.
I was a year away from getting dumped 
Have you considered writing a country song?
Seriously, I hope things have worked out better for you in the years since.
In November, wifey and I will have been together 20 years. It's had its own ups and downs, but things are pretty ok.Have you considered writing a country song?
Seriously, I hope things have worked out better for you in the years since.
same job as now, different town. Not really a special year for me but just an average one
I turned 8 years old in 1994, went on a family vacation to the Crimea, in the south of Ukraine, which is now occupied by the russians (pretty surreal) I was a big Terminator 2 and True Lies fan, basically anything with Arnold Schwarznegger. I haven't yet discovered Star Trek. What else.. I think that was also the year I went to Italy for a vacation. All in all, it was a good year. I was in second grade, had lots of friends, was discovering my interest for space exploration.
Last edited:
Similar threads
