Organized by: Dani Lacasse
Written by: Various noted authors
I have been trying for years to go to Tournaments of Artemis and I am thrilled to finally not only attend, but to compete with my team, Team Princess! I received a beautiful letter inviting me to take part and I immediately replied and started building a fierce team. Tournaments of Artemis highlights the many incredible women and gender minorities across the Realms and gives them a stage to show off their fighting, casting, and leadership. These tournaments are about tactics, command, and strategy as well as honor. I know I am excited to meet my fellow competitors on the field and have a great time with the many different tournaments being run by the illustrious Huntress Guild. There are several new tournaments this year including I Choose the Bear Pits, Pigeon Tea Time, and Gridway to the Danger Zone! I absolutely cannot wait to find out what those entail. In addition to small team fighting, the participating huntresses have been asked to bring a banner with either their team or personal heraldry to promote team spirit and help make the tournament field look fabulous! I am looking forward to showing off the Team Princess heraldry and admiring the many stunning banners. Whether you are competing, marshalling, or cheering from the sidelines, I look forward to seeing you this weekend at Tournaments of Artemis XIII! - Crystal “Cressida” Welch
I am looking forward to Tournaments of Artemis this weekend and fighting alongside my team! This is an excellent time of year to get back into the swing of fighting against worthy opponents. At these tournaments, I have come to expect an atmosphere that is simultaneously lighthearted and competitive, in an excellent mix that I have found to propel me throughout the day. ToArtemis was in fact the first tournament event I went to (less difficult to achieve in 1021-1022) and while I’ve had to take a year or two away from this event, I’m excited to see what new games and challenges the Huntress Guild has come up with. Perhaps there will be some returning favorites as well, but we shall have to go to find out! - Kelly "Fern" Perfetto
Firstly, I wanted to say thank you to the entire staff that runs this tournament every year and for creating a space in which each and everyone of us can have the grace and presence to show off our skills. Now as to why I want to go to Artemis. It's an inherently crucial event to me both in and out of character as it's the first tournament I won almost a decade ago, and not only that; it's the event that I became a part of Invictus and earned my black wolf. It defines not only my achievements as a fighter, but has helped me realise that beyond everything else.. Beyond competitiveness, beyond the wins and losses, and beyond every problem we have going on in the outside world…We come together and do this to build and uplift a community and make new (hopefully life-long) friends. - Madi "Lupa" Neal
I’m really excited for Tournaments of Artemis this weekend as it will be my first official Tournament! I hope to have a lot of fun with my team and as the leader of the team, I am looking forward to learning more about strategy and leadership on the battlefield. I’ve also heard much about how this is a fun tournament where learning and sportsmanship is valued and I’m glad that my first tournament will be in such a lovely environment. There are also new fun sounding tournaments with goofy names that I’m looking forward to participating in such as Pidgeon Tea Time which sounds absolutely delightful. Overall, I think this will be an enjoyable event where I can hang out with my friends and learn a lot about how to improve my fighting skills and I’m psyched to participate! - Fin "Second" McMurtrie
Why do I want to go to Artemis. Oof, thats a bit harder to answer than most events. Combat is one of my favorite parts of the community, and the more people involved in that, the better. But because we have so many talented fighters in the community, it’s difficult to get involved and not feel like you’ll never do well. The Huntress Guild providing a place to help women and gender minorities learn and participate is one of the most important missions we have in the community. WGM often require learning a different style of fighting and training, and having a place where they can come together to learn from each other and share tips can be so valuable.
Tanja/Katasha founded the first Huntress Guild the year I started playing, and I had the privilege of spending a lot of time watching and learning from Tanja, and seeing the things she did differently and had to adjust. I don’t think she ever knew how much I looked up to her. Then years later, when Diana helped Alysha restart the Guild, I was lucky enough to be involved and help through her. It let me be on staff as a marshal, train at practices, and contribute in other ways. I always wanted to jump in and help as much as I could, but I was worried about trying to force myself into a place that, at the time, I didn’t belong.
In recent years, I became less involved. It was harder to be around and so desperately want to say I belong, while struggling with the feeling that I never would. So why do I want to go this year? This year I can finally go as a Huntress. I can finally go and say I belong. There’s no way this won’t be one of the most memorable events I’ve ever attended. It’s still surreal to me that it’s happening. I keep fighting the imposter syndrome that makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong. And part of what’s made me excited to go is how supportive the community has been in making me feel welcome and helping me get over that struggle.
I’m excited for a day of fun tournaments with many of the people who’ve helped me the most, including my team, who I wouldn’t be on that field without. I want to go and watch and face all the younger WGM in the community who’ve gotten more involved in fighting in the last few years. I want to go because it feels like starting a new, exhilarating chapter in my realm’s career, one that I finally have a chance to write. - Josh "Shandar" Learned
