Since November 28, 2017, I’ve been asking my social media friends list (which, yes, comprises mostly of SCA folks) questions about SCA philosophy, SCA personae, and the like. Sometimes, the questions may have been a bit pointed, and sometimes, well, it’s curiosity. I know I’ve repeated some in my questions (as I’m going through the list), so I’m removing those duplicates, but there are some rather closely linked questions that are just different enough that they’re staying. I’ve finally decided to compile these questions here for others to take and use for their own use. Please enjoy.

“In addition to knowledge transfer, what are traits that you find important or valuable in other SCAdians? What are values that you think need to be part of the knowledge transfer that we hold so dear? Please be respectful – this is a philosophy question, so answers can and will vary.”

“In what ways has the SCA affected your mundane life for the better? for the worse? Please be respectful – this is a philosophy question, so answers can and will vary. IKA is a thing. Any attacks or snark will be handled appropriately.”

“If you could go back in time to your earlier self (limit this to the first two years in the SCA), what advice would you give you?”

“What is the one thing that everyone in the SCA can do to improve the Society?”

“What is something you’d like to see more of in the SCA? Why?”

“Pick a knightly virtue. Explain why it is the most important to the growth of the SCA. What steps will you take to ensure it happening?”

“We talk about prowess a lot in both arts/sciences and in martial activities, but not in service activities. What does prowess in service look like to you?”

“What activity do you wish you could hear more people talking about or doing at events? Why?”

“What medieval concept do you find the most compelling in your modern life? Why?”

“Let’s talk PLQs for a second. What peer-like quality do you think is vital in the SCA? How do you know what a PLQ is?”

“What small items do you think your persona would have carried on their person? Do you want to add them to your kit?”

“What gets you excited about a particular event?”

“What is your persona’s favourite holy, feast, or celebration day? How do you think they would have marked it?”

“Heraldry. Why did you pick the items on your heraldic device? Why did you pick the name that you picked?”

“What is the most important award given in your kingdom? Why? (Please flesh out your answers, and please give your kingdom, for context.)”

“If money were no object (or the materials were just dropped into your lap), what sort of activity/art or science would you most like to do?”

“Tokens are often given as thanks or an atta-person. Tell (or show, really) me the about the one that really hit you in the feels. Why does that particular token hit you in the feels?”

“Many kingdoms have arts and sciences competitions and displays. Tell me about your favourite entries that you’ve seen. (no, it cannot be your own entry.) Why those entries? What inspired you about that particular entry?”

“What do you most want to research, but due to reasons out of your control, are you not able to?”

“What is your funniest or most humorous memory in your SCA life? (Make ’em good! I wanna laugh!)”

“Do you consider your heraldic charges to be like a patronus/totemic animal/etc? If not (or so, really), what made you choose your heraldry?”

“What’s your favourite SCA or SCA adjacent song? Why?”

“Who is your favorite historical Mediaeval/Renaissance woman and why?”

“What’s something that you think your kingdom is amazing at?”

“Our hobby can be incredibly expensive. What’s something that someone can do that doesn’t cost a lot of money to do to either get started or to continue doing?”

“What’s the most surprising thing you learned about something that happened within SCA period? Why did it surprise you?”

“Let’s talk food. Talk to me about your favourite feast or dish at an event. Who made the food? What was amazing about it? Why?”

“What classes in the SCA do you get the most out of? What classes would you like to see more of in the SCA? Do you have a favourite teacher?”

“Pick a knightly/chivalric virtue, by any authour. (Lull, etc.) How does this virtue apply to what you do in the SCA? Which of these virtues do you struggle with the most?”

“Hey, SCAdians. Do you blog/dress diary/etc. online? Do you find it helpful? Do you have a link for your blog?”

“The SCA has some legends and apocryphal stories. Tell me about your favourite legendary SCA stories!”

“What grabbed you to join the SCA . . . and how did you make it stick as a hobby?”

“Happy (SCA) New Year! Do you have any resolutions or plans of things to work on?”

“Where does your persona live? What sort of building do they live in? Do they want to live elsewhere?”

“What do you tell people (who are not involved) when they ask about your SCA hobby? Do you describe it to them? Details, please!”

“If there were an SCA Lootcrate made just for your persona, what would go in it?”

“What gets you in the mind frame of your persona the fastest? Is it music? Books? Television? Leave details.”

“So, let’s talk favours and tokens. We get that these are things that people give and wear, but we don’t really get into the reasoning behind them. What’s your reasoning behind wearing/giving them? Do you want to see more of this in the game?”

“What events do you put on your calendar year after year as ones to not miss? Why?”

“If you were to have a reliquary made for your experiences in the SCA, what would you put in it?”

“Do you have a motto? If you do, what is it (with translation, if needed)? Why did you choose it?”

“Let’s talk chivalry. Tell me about a time when you saw a truly chivalrous act. Who inspires you to act more chivalrous?”

“What’s something on your SCA bucket list? Why?”

“What is a physical item you’d like to see more people have in the SCA? Why?”

“Let’s go back to virtues for about half a minute. This is long, but I really want to get into some meat here. One of those lists of virtues I have seen is as follows: prowess, courage, defense, justice, honesty, faith, franchise, loyalty, generosity, courtesy, nobility, humility, and compassion. There are other lists, but this is a decent core list. Discuss: How does your *working* knowledge of these chivalric virtues affect what you do in the SCA? (for those with prechivalric personae, I’d especially love to hear your voices.) Who are exemplars to you of individual virtues? (also, it’s a sneaky way to think of #WordfameWednesday, so ha!)”

“Pretend you are at an event. What would make this thought experiment event a perfect one for you? What activities would you want to see? How long would it last for? Fill in the details.”

“Pick a specific time and place important to your persona, and tell me about the sociopolitical landscape in one pithy sentence. You have ONE sentence. Make it count.”

“What clothing do you wear to beat the heat? Do you stay with your time period/location, or do you change it out to stay cooler?”

“What’s your favourite event photo OR favourite photo of you in garb at an event?”“Tell me about something at an event that you found particularly moving or emotional (funny also counts, because we need levity). Fill in details. Tell us a story!”

“Tokens! We’ve talked about them before – but what do you do with them after an event?”

“Sumptuary laws in your kingdom – from sumptuary anarchy to heavily regimented, all kingdoms handle things differently. Do you wish it were different? If so, what would you change it to?”

“Tell me about your favourite feast or inn food. What made it memorable? What made it enjoyable? Who made it?”

“Bling! How would your persona bling it up? (and keep in mind that not everyone’s bling looks like my bling – and that’s okay.) How do you want to step up your bling game?”

“Do you listen to music while you craft or work on projects? What do you normally listen to?”

“Do you have an overarching quotation or concept that keeps your avocation in the Society going? If so, what is it? Is it from a writer in SCA period?”

“Tell me about a time (or event, I’m not picky) where you forgot about modernity and let the environment of the SCA wash over you.”

“How do you display your heraldry? Do you have a favourite way to display it? How about favourite heraldic artists?”

“Share with me the art/sciences of someone in the SCA. What do you like about their work? Why do you think people in the SCA need to know who they are?”

“The Society becomes family for many of us. Tell me about the time where that happened for you.”

“We are not always Serious People. And that’s a good thing. Tell me (or show me) a time where you did a project based on a period exemplar for the SCA (or SCAdian) just to for levity’s sake or to troll someone. Yes, you can definitely post photos, and yes, you get bonus points if you can document elements of said project.”

“When you think of knightly or chivalric virtues (and you get to make the determination on what set of virtues here), who in your circle of people do you think of? You can break this down to individuals or can go with one person. Up to you.”

“It’s autumn (or soon will be – don’t take away my joy)! What do you most look forward to in the latter half of the year? Is it the ability to wear your woollens or your cloaks? The cooler camping? What particularly do you love being able to do in the autumn? Why?”

“Do you have a persona story? What is it? If you don’t have a persona story, why not?”

“High persona events: what do you like about them? What do you not like about them? Do you want there to be more of them? Why?”

“What classes do you wish were taught more in the SCA? These can be classes on service, A&S, or fighting – but what do you wish you could see more of? (Who knows, you may inspire someone to teach one of these classes!)”

“I want you to sell an event in your kingdom to someone out of kingdom. The catch: it cannot be a war event. (so, no Lilies, Pennsic, GWW, etc.) So, why should we come to your kingdom for your event?”

“What’s something your kingdom, principality, barony, shire, canton, etc. do well? Brag on them here! If you have photos, post ‘em.”

“Music: post a piece of music from your time period/location, or something close! Would your persona have listened to something like this, or would it be for another class of person? (additionally, do you listen to something like this when you’re doing something for the SCA?)”

“Who was the first positive person you met in the SCA who either inspired you, made you want to be like them, or helped you out when you first started? And what did they do to help you out? Remember, if you tag them, they may not be able to see this post, so tell them how awesome they are, too.”

“This is inspired by The Physician (seriously, it’s a good movie and last I checked, it’s still on Netflix). How would your persona stay healthy? Who would your persona go to if they got sick? What would treatment look like?”

“Let’s talk books! Is your persona literate? Do they have access to books or a library? How many languages can they read in? What do you think your persona would say about your own personal libraries?”

“Scent memory is a thing. What scents instantly transport you to your SCA happy place?”

“It’s starting to get colder. How do you prefer to keep warm? Do you have a big heavy cloak? How about a Norse coat? How do you stay warm?”

“What’s your favourite SCA movie? (SCA movie, of course, is one that either takes place within SCA period oooor covers the general themes of a pre-1600s themed educational group.) Bonus: a gif from said favourite SCA movie.”

“What’s something you wish people knew more about your chosen time period or persona?”

“Let’s talk A&S projects. More importantly, let’s talk project fails (because sometimes, it’s more the journey than a “successfully finished project”). What project fail did you learn the most from? Which one do you wish you’d never see again? Let’s talk it out!”

“What area of study do you think the SCA could benefit more from? Is there a weird little art/science that few people haven’t gone down the rabbit hole on and you wish you saw more people do it?”

“What makes you or your art, skills, etc. beautiful or unique? Rules for answering the question above: Any variation of ‘I’m not’ will be dismissed. This is an exercise of introspection and elevation, there should be no diminishing of oneself. You should be able to come up with at least one thing. (Stolen, but hey, seriously, put some thought into it.)”

“You have the ability to create a saint from currently living SCAdians. Who are you beatifing, and why are they being sainted? (bonus: what are their miracles? What about their portfolio for reasons of invocation?)”

“Interkingdom Anthropology is a thing. What is your favourite bit of IKA that you’ve learned about in your time in the SCA?”

“What are you most passionate about promoting as part of our modern medieval lives? Why?”

“What’s your favourite part about SCA courts? Is it the chance to work on hand projects? The ceremonies? Do you have a favourite court story?”

“Our lives as modern people are far more transient than our medieval counterparts. When you travel to a new kingdom, do you justify it in your persona’s world, or is it an extension of your modern life?”

“What sort of catchphrase do you think your persona would have said, or how do you simply explain something that your persona would have done? (Examples: “I put the bling in enabling,” “it’s a colour. It matches,” or “who do you think I am? The help?”)”

“What do you do when the SCA no longer sparks joy in your life? Do you go do something else? Do you do another SCA activity?”

“What is something that you do in the SCA that brings you unspeakable joy?”

“What’s your favourite SCA story? Retell it here if you can.”

“When you do a demo, what sort of thing do you bring to show off what we do?”

“How can we better teach others in how to be better leaders and administrators? Please keep all comments civil.”

“How can more experienced members of the SCA better help out the less experienced? What skills, ideals, etc. would you be willing to put forward to help others? Please keep all comments civil.”