Does anybody else feel like I do?

[Molden]

I'm glad things have chilled out a bit on this topic. My observation has been that the Texas faires (TRF & Scarby) are the most heavily attended by folks in garb and costume. As a result, many want to come be part of the fun - and choose to wear something beyond their day-to-day clothing (mundanes, "naked", etc.). That does lead to some "blending", true. However the LARGEST CONTINGENT is our own beloved - playtrons in garb. There will be more than enough Rennies to keep the spirit of the Faire as it should be - heck our own King is a member here (VIII).

My experience is, if you go in, railing against the contrast (SP, Alice, etc.), THEN that is ALL you will see. The more attention you give it, the more there will be. In fact, through the Law of Attraction - you'll even bring more of it into your reality. I say, focus on the R/Fers who will be there, the discovery of a wonderful Faire, and enjoy the event.

I for one, can hardly wait to go and see this bonny bunch of R/Fers, my Dear, Dear Texas Friends that I miss more than words are able to describe, the friends I know, and the friends I haven't met yet.

And now, One thing I really want to ask - because it's naggin' at me - - -

Does anybody read the title of this thread - and NOT have Peter Frampton's "Do ya feel like we do?" playing in your noggin?

[Lady Nicolette]

I definitely don't think that Renee was suggesting in the least that the event be boycotted!  So let's put that idea to rest. 

For my own opinion, I do feel that the more of us that keep the tradition of garbing for Faire in the most appropriate garb we can afford is a good thing and will help keep the Faires alive as what they are and have been for the 36 years I've been going. 

Throughout those years, there have always been people who wear out-of-period garb or just what they wear every day (in the 70's at Agoura, there was no shortage of Rod Stewart and David Bowie wannabes) and it didn't stop the Faire or make it a drag (pun!) to attend, nor will the coming and going of all other styles and era that we might see.

I think it's more a point of, if you know how to play in the period, you'll be encouraging more people who don't to join in the next time.  Which is all a part of keeping the Faires alive, which is something that I think most people would agree upon in these forums, which were started as a celebration of the Faires and a way to meet others who also enjoyed attending them. 

[Lady Nicolette]

And yes, Molden...I certainly do!

[BLAKDUKE]

If I may weigh in here just a bit.   If you think SteamPunk is bad(Hell I don't even know who they are or what they look like),  you should have been at TNRF some years back when we had a group of transgender folks in.  This was their outing to complete their transgender re-assignment process, talk about some wild outfits that absolutely did not fit the period,  W O W!!!!!!!!  I think I could have handled Star Trek stormtroopers better, at least I knew what they were, this crew did not have a clue.   

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

I can't believe how my question got skewed.  All I said was that going to RenDezvous, I hoped that there wouldn't be sponsored invasions of anything else besides Renaissance stuff, because it is a Renaissance Forum event, and did anybody else feel that way.

At no time did I suggest anyone boycott this faire, or that people didn't want to go because of "other" styles of clothing, or that anyone would go to this faire and "rail" against those dressed differently.

My gosh, people, there was no "chilling" about this topic at all.  I asked a question.

And maybe I shouldn't do that anymore, if people are going to get all up in arms over things.

*the normally laid-back Renee who is known as a peacekeeper walks away because she is starting to get very frustrated at simple things being turned into drama*

[Zardoz]

To answer Lady Renees' basic question;  Yes, sometimes I do...... BUT

This topic comes up a lot, and I'll admit that several years ago I was among the folks who bridled at any garb or even elements of garb, that I found to non HA or otherwise an anachronism in the faire setting.  Personally I've gotten over that! People are gonna do it, nobody is gonna change it, I do it, and I've come to think its a good thing that folks want to do something to get into the spirit of faire, so I wouldn't want to discourage it. It's better than showing up in the baggy cargo shorts and crocs they might wear otherwise!  

I seem to be in a lot of groups that have this issue!  I recall we had some folks from the TRF cast come to our local Sci-fi convention here in Houston to promote the faire.  I thought it was nice, I see a lot of cross-over of Sci-Fi with the 'fantasy' of faire, and many folks I know really get into both, but there were actually people there who thought it was "inappropriate" to mix ren-faire with Sci-Fi!  Nothing like a 40 year old man in a Harry Potter school uniform saying some faries, princesses and elves are inappropriate at a Sci-Fi con!   It all led to infinitely boring discussions that evening where I found myself hearing and using words like parachronism or prochronism or chronological anomaly, which nobody should have to say unless their gonna be graded on it !

So, is the Steampunk, Wonderland, Ster Trek and Star Wars kids' garb more fantasy than R/F ? sure, but so are barbarians, fairies, chicks in chainmail, elves, rangers, pirates of the Caribbean, belly dances, gypsys, most kilts, turkey legs, bathing,  etc.......But...


Faire would be a less interesting place without them!

[Alphonse]

You know, to me the great thing about faire is the fact that you get to see and meet all kinds of people, patrons and those in garb as well. That such divergent groups can come together and interact,generally peacefully is in part some of the magic that I enjoy about those special weekends.

The ALRF in Oct. was the last faire I attended, I was fortunate in that I was able to bring along a friend of my brother's who had never been to faire.Doing so was enjoyable, for many reasons, not least was the fact that I was able to play guide to someone who had no idea what a ren-fest was all about.He asked many questions, answering them reminded me about many basic reasoning about what I do what I do as well as why there are faires.

We saw people garbed as typical rennies, goths, steam punk, pirates,belly dancers, fantasy and there was even a bag piper in kilt.Explaining each "type" and their possible reasons and motivations reminded me of the diversity and the common eclectic motivation behind why people garbed and role played regardless of the theme.The fact that one in twenty maybe even fifty people was garbed shows that the willingness to "role play" by adults is uncommon and something worthy of note.

You will never be able to compel anyone to not express their interests at faire any more then you can keep bikers or transgenders or even rednecks from participating and I am not sure we should try. For me when I encounter someone who is obviously out of place,like the gent I met garbed as Abraham Lincoln at the TNRF,I generally take the opportunity to talk to them and try and understand what they are up to.Afterwards I thought that it might have made for an interesting photo op, for anyone who observed that, possibly titling such a shot as "Lincoln confers with his chief wizard, before the battle of Gettysburg".

I must confess that when I first encountered someone in steam punk garb, I felt like Lady Renee, "there is someone out of "phase" garbing", until my brother's friend's perspective reminded me that in most people's eyes we both would appear odd regardless of being at faire or not.The forums are enjoyable because, in spite of differences we all share our love of faire,being able to interact, express our opinions and share our view points is why we are all here. Whether I agree with someone here or not, I would hate to think that anyone would feel like they couldn't or shouldn't be able to express their opinions and think that we would all lose something in that case.

[Celtic Lady]

***shaking head and thinking how the subject got off track and somewhat twisted***

[Lady Nicolette]

I think the idea of the discussion was more of whether or not R/F.com as a group should do this, not whether it's right or not for anyone else to.  I can definitely see it as a "day of wrong" event or even an after-hours event, but somehow at Faires, it seems to me that we should try and promote Faire appropriate events.  Hey!  Some people have to make it in mundanes, too, due to whatever circumstances (including many of our members)...I think it was more of a "should R/F.com do this as a part of the RenDevous?"  

[eloquentXI]

Sorry for the late response, I was gone to TRF all weekend and was out of reach of computers and almost all tech for three days.

Renee, when I mentioned that people had voiced their opinion of not coming at all, that was not directed at you. It was of someone who had contacted as the organizers outside of this and had said that so I apologize greatly if you felt like it was directed at you.

Whats most important to me is that people come and have fun and enjoy their time here. That's all I care about really!   

[RSLeask]

While I agree in part that I hope there isn't a sponsored invasion of cross-themensional proportions, I don't really mind it.  I think, in part, it's because of all the different non-reality that comes into faire.  I mean, for one, you have fae (and no, I'm not bashing here), which is obviously on the mystical side.  Granted, this was a time period when the mystical still clung, even as the sciences were taking off.  Believing as we do now as a society, it's out of place in the grand scheme of things, but it's something nice to see at faire.  What's more, it's widely accepted at faire, despite being out of place!  So honestly, in the wider picture, seeing an invasion of roving android ninja facing off against clockwork laser-wielding western pirates, while it might distract from faire, shouldn't detract from it. 

Personally, I'd just look at it as the big-hand-in-the-sky-with-the-dice dropping a random encounter on the group.

[Lairde Guardn]

Well since I can remember a time that Faries, Pirates and even kilts were not accepted or allowed at certain faires, there were just a dozen or so faires at the time. I have seen the "fantasy" part of the "Renaissance" explode as more and more faires have come into being.   Now you can go to almost all faires and see elfs, goblins, faries, many centuries of pirates, samarai, wizards as well as a whole cornucopia of other mythical, fantasy and wrong time frame garb.  

My personal opinion is that if it gets people in the gate......"time travelers", star trek/wars, steampunk, and feel that the name should be changed to "FANTASY" faire and let all go at it as they wish.  Personally, I would find it very hard to find fault with any type of garb at faire when I hang around with so many that do not wear "Historically Correct Renaissance Clothing" and then see some in that same group say, "well mine might be off a few hundred years, but that is just wrong for faire".   Come on people, think about what you just said. 

I myself have figured out a way to wear my kilt with all the different "re-enactors" From medival to victorian, many different war groups and even steampunk....

Just make sure there is a pub...some Irish, Celtic or Faire style music...and a place for me to gather with my "family" and I am fine with it all.   It is all suppose to be FUN....

[Blue66669]

Ok we can end this and do it on a high note.

Me and Meg are planning one hell of a party. Everyone is gonna come and have a great time. Then, on the last day, everyone is gonna cry and crap cause they don't wanna go home. Then we'll come back here and post our pictures and talk about how we wish we could be back at RenDezvous.

I don't believe that either Meg or myself are planning on incorporating any sort of theme day into the RenDezvous schedule, which is already as full as we're gonna get it. We want to be able to get together, and offer options, but give people the opportunity to see our faire, and see why we love it.

I personally don't dig the Sci-Fi scene at faire, but meh, as long as it's got nothin to do with me, I can sit back and have a beer and a giggle at the whole thing.

[Joyce "Delfinia DuSwallow" Howard]

Huzzah. . . very well said! I'm sure Lady Renee did not intend on this subject to take the turn it did. I can't wait for Rendezvous to get here, See Ya All Soon!

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

Huzzah to blue & eloquent for the marvelous celebration they will put on for RenDezvous.   

And Lady Joyce Ann is right.  I never meant should other eras of dress be or not be worn at faire.  Only that I felt I would not like to see that as an official RenDezvous function.

So let's say "goodbye, good riddance" to this, because now all of us know that RenDezvous will be "Ren."