speaking the truth

[ A round marquee tent, taller and narrow than usual, and made from very pale green canvas instead of the standard white. It’s decorated with painted details along all the vertical seams. ]

Check it OUT. Every once in a while you see someone in the SCA who’s painted their tent, & even more rarely you see canvas that isn’t the standard white, but most SCA events are seas of white canvas dotted with bright modern dome tents.

I’d LOVE to see more of this.

[ It’s a closer view of the same tent, from a slightly different angle that shows more of the painted canvas. A line of red, stylized stems runs up each seam; green leaves are stamped in threes at the end of each stem. In between, in the center of each length of canvas, is a vertical design in gold paint. Stylized trees rise from the bottom of the canvas, red trunks with green leaves. ]

DAMN. I WANT one.

I also wondered where it was from, because even when you do see painted tents in the SCA, they’re an entirely different style. Was it from another group like the SCA? A reenactor’s group? A really awesome LARP that I’d really like to start going to?

[ Even closer, it’s visible that the design has seen some wear, but most of the painted details are still very clear. ]

Across the way was another tent, a standard SCA square marquee, with a guy sitting in a comfortable looking chair out front. He looked up from his book long enough for us to have a chat and for Loiosh to get a thorough petting, & he solved the mystery: this tent was one of a WHOLE LOT of tents made for the most recent movie version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Which explains the details, & also the height — something something camera something something, anyway.

[ Even closer, focusing on the foliage up each seam. There’s red berries among the green leaves! ]

I wonder where the rest of the tents wound up, & how I can get hold of one of them …

Of course I went digging through stills from the movie to find it. & after very little searching, there it is!

[ A still from the movie. A broad dirt road crosses through the center, from upper left to lower right; beings of many species walk along it. The grass on either side of the path holds many tents, most round, many of them red, all of them decorated. One tent, towards the front, is circled in red. ]

… I think I’d want one of the red ones. Which one do you want?

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[ My face. I look distressed. Behind me is the back of the van, which has a fair amount of stuff in it. but you can still see out the back. ]

YES Battlemoor was like two months ago, WHAT OF IT.

Anyway I admit I was kinda concerned when we left, on account of I could see out the back & when you’re heading for War that means you forgot stuff. Which was kinda true, I didn’t bring the booth, but I MEANT to not bring the booth, so.

Also I didn’t take many pictures, but more because my phone ran out of battery than anything else, welp.

There was a Storm of Great Ferocity and Note (hail version):

[ Grass, mostly green, some brown. There’s a whole lotta hail in it; the closer stuff looks to be a quarter to a half inch. Further away it drifts into piles a couple inches deep. ]

Sitting in camp, watching everyone attending court stuff themselves into the tent with the royalty, is pretty amusing, especially when you’re in a nice not-crowded tent across the street. Not that we could hear anything, but we couldn’t anyway.

I took three classes! Or possibly four, I am not sure! I learned how to make a Norse bone flute! Check it out, it looks awesome.

[ A bone flute, maybe eight inches long; it has five finger holes, then another hole further up (apparently that’s called the window). There’s an X carved into the bone above the finger holes. ]

I need to explain that I didn’t do ANY of the work that’s visible in that picture; the teacher had already cleaned the bones, cut them to length, & bored all the holes. All we had to do was stuff some beeswax into the end you blow in, to make the right shape for sound to happen.

I spent THREE HOURS messing with the beeswax. I got either no sound at all, or occasional, really breathy high-pitched whistles, which then immediately went away when I poked at the beeswax again, or even looked at it funny.

[ The flute, seen from the end. There’s a wodge of beeswax shoved into the hole; it’s mostly at the bottom of the hole, but there’s a bit up the sides. ]

… you may note that I didn’t say I MADE a beeswax flute. That’s because I didn’t. After messing with it for THREE HOURS, the teacher took pity on me & the other three people who hadn’t either gotten a nice tone or given up, & handed us perfectly functional bone flutes.

Wouldn’t even take money for materials. Bless that guy.

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[ Major Tom, a big grey tabby, is curled up asleep in his stroller, head on his paws. ]

Of course they napped most of the afternoon both days at Crown; they’re cats.

Tom was so out he let me hold paws for a while. He isn’t always in the mood for that, but he’s getting more patient with it.

originally posted on Patreon; support me over there to see posts a week early!

[ Major Tom, a big grey tabby wearing a purple harness, is sitting on a table in a merchant booth. There’s a mug right in front of him, but he’s looking off to the side, and his ears are sticking out to the sides. ]

I gave up on bringing cat water bowls along to events years ago, because Loiosh always just drank out of my water mug. This weekend at Outlands Crown, Tom discovered that this works just fine for him, too.

… after a bit of time to figure things out.

originally posted on Patreon; support me over there to see posts a week early!

[ Major Tom, a big grey tabby wearing a purple harness, is sitting in a wooden box. His back is to the camera and his ears are stuck out to the sides. ]

Major Tom is a big, strong, independent tomcat, who disdains the need for effete things like petting, cuddles, & security blankets.

… except that I’m totally lying. One day last week, he stood at the door & yowled until Jasper stuck a harness on him, then, apparently pleased with that & not needing an actual walk, wandered off & curled up to nap.

I found him a while later, curled up in a box, quite happy. I guess he just wanted to wear his harness for a while?

originally posted on Patreon; support me over there to see posts a week early!

[ Loiosh, an orange tabby wearing a green harness, is meatloafed up on a green picnic table. His ears are stuck out at a variety of angles and he’s giving the camera some pretty epic side-eye. ]

After FAR too long, Loiosh got to go to fighter practice again! & this is how he felt about it.

… okay, look, no, he WAS really happy to be seeing people again, I just maybe didn’t get the best pics of the process.

originally posted on Patreon; support me over there to see posts a week early!

I promise Tyrava didn’t look like that inside all week.

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As with so many things, he started young.

He was just a couple months old when Queen Astrid met him & immediately fell in love. In the meantime I’m pretty sure I was getting gently scolded for not being at Midwinter where my Argent Hart was actually awarded. I explained that I had really wanted to attend, but I’d been working. In Hell. It was Walmart; close enough.

Much later, while living in Dragonsspine, Loiosh got into what would be a bad habit for anyone not as cute as he is.

Just LOOK how pleased he is with himself. Lil shit.

Fortunately everyone thought it was adorable. Both times. As witness:

& then a Battlemoor or so later …

Why yes, that IS one of the thrones of the Outlands.

Fortunately Queen Danielle, like her distant ancestor Queen Astrid, loves him.

I didn’t take these last two pics. I’m pretty sure I was facepalming, & also planning how to survive charges of lèse-majesté. Because it’s not like anyone’s gonna blame the CAT.

This was posted originally to my Patreon, a little over a week ago.

If you want to see these posts sooner, & not incidentally help support me & my cats in our travels & such, the way to do that is to sign up as one of my Patrons for as little as a buck a month.

I’d REALLY like that.

originally posted on Patreon; support me over there to see posts a week early!

…okay, I took more than usual, cope.

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Specifically, the ‘putting spikes into each pole to loop ropes over’ part. Since I’d bragged on Twitter that I’d worked out a process, here it is!

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