Unofficial US Regiments are shaping up quickly

[Art Andrews]

We are down to the last two regiments for the US and I am guessing this map will be pretty close to the final divisions. Need someone to step up for the Southwest. TX? You are huge? Where are you?

 

[Twisting Neather]

Is there anything we can do to help make this transition to official groups easier?
What kind of things will be required for the applications for regiments as well as members?
Will there be votes for CO and other officers once the regiments are official or will those be assigned by the powers that be?

 

[Zaff]

Is there anything we can do to help make this transition to official groups easier?
What kind of things will be required for the applications for regiments as well as members?
Will there be votes for CO and other officers once the regiments are official or will those be assigned by the powers that be?

I do believe all of that will be addressed in the official Mantle/Charter Art has mentioned is in the works. By my understanding the Mantle will basically lay down the ground rules for what constitutes a regiment (which may include but may not be limited to geographic coverage, number of participating members, number and type of "Staff" members, etc.) as well as the proper procedure for gathering this information, selecting a spokesman (and the responsibilities of said spokesman) and how to submit the request for Regimental recognition. And I'd imagine there will also be subsections on expected behavior at conventions and other events (you're not just representing your Regiment but the 405th community as a whole), regiment-specific flag/logo guidelines, proper use and/or incorporation of the official 405th logo and/or its individual elements, and so forth. Art may be relatively new to the 405th but he's not new to running the administrative behind-the-scenes stuff and coming up with the, shall we say, "legal fine print" that we may not all read (tsk, tsk), but are still expected to adhere to, and Regiments were rather rushed towards the front of the line by the explosion of interest, so needless to say, the 405th staff has been busy.

 

[Art Andrews]

Nailed it.

What are we are going to do is put in place a temporary Mantle to begin with that will be absolutely bare bones. It will be HIGHLY susceptible to change for the first 6 months as we feel our way through the process and things become established. As things form up, we will solidify and expand sections to include more details and information as needed. Just keep in mind that this will be a process and we will all be in it together.

I do believe all of that will be addressed in the official Mantle/Charter Art has mentioned is in the works. By my understanding the Mantle will basically lay down the ground rules for what constitutes a regiment (which may include but may not be limited to geographic coverage, number of participating members, number and type of "Staff" members, etc.) as well as the proper procedure for gathering this information, selecting a spokesman (and the responsibilities of said spokesman) and how to submit the request for Regimental recognition. And I'd imagine there will also be subsections on expected behavior at conventions and other events (you're not just representing your Regiment but the 405th community as a whole), regiment-specific flag/logo guidelines, proper use and/or incorporation of the official 405th logo and/or its individual elements, and so forth. Art may be relatively new to the 405th but he's not new to running the administrative behind-the-scenes stuff and coming up with the, shall we say, "legal fine print" that we may not all read (tsk, tsk), but are still expected to adhere to, and Regiments were rather rushed towards the front of the line by the explosion of interest, so needless to say, the 405th staff has been busy.

 

[Chernobyl]

What are we are going to do is put in place a temporary Mantle to begin with that will be absolutely bare bones. It will be HIGHLY susceptible to change for the first 6 months as we feel our way through the process and things become established. As things form up, we will solidify and expand sections to include more details and information as needed. Just keep in mind that this will be a process and we will all be in it together.

That's great, and all, but my questions still aren't being answered - nor are prominent issues being resolved.

Honestly - I don't want to keep banging on my pots and pans about this. It's frustrating, it's eroding my patience with the community, and it's taking valuable time away from the work I could be doing to help the community - which was the reason I signed up in the first place. I hate having to appear to be a pain in the rear, I really do, but... things aren't being resolved, we're simply getting promises of 'oh, this'll happen' and 'we've spoken with XYZ and we've agreed on ABC'.

You said yourself via PM:

With your imminent move to VA, you will ultimately be a part of the Southern Regiment (unless you choose not to be an official member at all).

Which is fine - I honestly look forward to being able to contribute positively to my prospective Regiment. What annoys me is the fact that I haven't had a clear answer as to why I was removed from a staff member, not as hearsay from other Regimental members. The question is getting honestly frustrating to ask, and I'm sure that everybody around here would like to hear a solution to the matter if only to clear up Regimental transferral procedures. If I get an answer I can stop pestering for one - by this point I'm seriously losing my confidence in this forum.

 

[Art Andrews]

@Arcanine, you were removed from the southern regiment because regiments are geographically based and you are more than 3,500 miles away. The original decision to place you in that regiment at this point in time was a mistake, because you are practically on the other side of the world from this group. Once I realized that was the case, I moved you.

But, that isn't what you want to hear. You want me to say that you were removed because the group doesn't like you. You certainly haven't endeared yourself to them, seem very determined to put yourself at odds with them, and have made some very offensive accusations against them, but despite all of that, the reason I removed you from that group is the one stated above and nothing more.

So the question becomes a matter of what YOU are going to do now? Are you going to continue to band the pots now that a staff member has laid it out to you? I hope not... because as you said, this back and forth is taking away from valuable time BOTH you and I could be using to serve the community.

Let's move forward.

 

[Chernobyl]

@Arcanine, you were removed from the southern regiment because regiments are geographically based and you are more than 3,500 miles away. The original decision to place you in that regiment at this point in time was a mistake, because you are practically on the other side of the world from this group. Once I realized that was the case, I moved you.

See, this is an answer. Not some vague 'oh, well, you'll be able to rejoin the Regiment eventually' or 'we removed you because reasons' - this is an explanation, something that's been sorely lacking over the past few days. I can get behind this because it makes sense.

Regardless, I still think it's a little pale to have outlined my case thoroughly, explained my circumstances, and to be accepted, only to then be ejected because 'OOPS!' (which, I think, was your exact term for it, was it not?).

But, that isn't what you want to hear. You want me to say that you were removed because the group doesn't like you. You certainly haven't endeared yourself to them, seem very determined to put yourself at odds with them, and have made some very offensive accusations against them, but despite all of that, the reason I removed you from that group is the one stated above and nothing more.

Funnily enough, certain members haven't exactly endeared themselves to me, with their Neolithic attitudes towards certain things, or with the staff pretty much doing as they choose and changing their opinions at the rate a model changes her socks - but keeping your staff in line and making sure your members aren't acting like barbarians in the name of the 405th on-site OR off, is your problem, not mine. Ensuring your staff know the rules and do things the way they should rather than the way they are is YOUR job, not mine.

Regardless. Whatever happened, happened. I'm going to dare to assume that the people you put in place as Regimental staff know how to do their jobs without letting personal bias interfere, and continue as though the issue was simply a case of a simple mistake, and an annoying reversal on current opinion.

So the question becomes a matter of what YOU are going to do now? Are you going to continue to band the pots now that a staff member has laid it out to you? I hope not... because as you said, this back and forth is taking away from valuable time BOTH you and I could be using to serve the community.

No. You've given me an explanation, and regardless of whether or not I like it, I'm going to abide by it rather than argue further. It's hardly worth the time any more, and besides - if I've the opportunity to re-join the Regiment later, I can be patient in the meantime, regardless of how many sour grapes are rolling around.

 

[WandererTJ]

Woohoo!
Not to intentionally be a dick, but I thought there was only a matter of time before some drama developed.
Kinda sad it happened so soon.

I do think it is important to remember that we still aren't all quite on our feet quite yet. Art is new here and I think he is doing his best. Will he train the moderators? I'm sure he will and if they don't make it up to par I'm sure he is willing to cut them and their privileges if they aren't maintaining their duties properly.

Will mistakes be made during the course of things getting prepared? You bet your arse there will be mistakes! But remember, Art is trying to do a lot of things to get things up and running.



Now for another topic that I feel I should discuss while we are here...
I kinda felt like based on what I've been reading that some self-awareness needed to be called to attention, and I will gladly step forth and mention my own short comings with you all.

This message is meant for everyone who has or might read any of my responses.

This is meant as an apology for both future and past discussions I might be involved in.
I have some personal defects of my own, I'm great at starting things but I'm terrible at finishing them. I'm also horrible about going back after I've typed something and adding a new paragraph in the middle where I interject myself. I'm also obsessive compulsive at times, but all these things don't really need that much of an apology. (Well... I guess I should apologize for the fact that I have some control-freak tendencies in relation to my obsessive compulsiveness which can make me hard to work with at times. #interjection)
What I am apologizing for is the fact that I can be a total condescending a-hole. While I am aware that it is a piece of my personality, I'm not always aware when I make a condescending remark. I feel fortunate that I am at least somewhat self aware of who I am but I regret that changing isn't something that is simple for me to do. I have ADHD and I cannot function without my stimulant. Unfortunately, as a result of it, I suffer from grandiosity; an unrealistic sense of superiority which can cause oneself to view all others as inferior. It's kind've like having a God Complex, but rather than thinking I can fly and actually attempting to do so, I instead realize that if we could in fact fly, I would be the best at it.

I try to remind myself of these things every time I comment on someone's project. Any time I provide criticism, I try to make sure it is constructive, I am attempting to do what I can to be helpful in the spirit of trying to provide an outside opinion in order to help the individual perfect their project and make it as good as they possibly can. Am I saying what they have sucks? Not at all. Am I saying that I only like suits that are perfect? No. I just like to share my thoughts on what could be done to make improvements and I try to do so while someone is still in the process of building their armor, not after it is done.
As far as being an a-hole of a critic, I reserve that for myself. I can't help but expect perfection of myself, I have to be one of the best and nothing less will be acceptable. I just hope I don't get to overzealous about perfecting what I make and cause myself to never truly finish.

Will there be a day when I forget to pause myself and make sure I don't say something that is completely out of line? I'm sure there will be, and I hope I will be forgiven. It's not my goal to hurt the feelings of others.

That's all. Sorry if this is an inappropriate topic to bring up.

 

[Gilmortar]

So I want to weigh in a little, but first, TJ, I'm glad you posted that man. Took alot to self examine... but it helps explain things...I saw a post of yours and thought "man, he's kind of a jerk" but in all honesty, I know you aren't but that helps give more insight to folks around here.

And thats what we need from everyone.

Just recently I began helping a newer member make amends with his area leader. He came in with a mentality of he was "the bomb" and everyone else could learn from him. This person as well had never finished a costume on his own. He treated the members poorly, was somewhat pompous and made a name for himself. But this is the thing I realized through all this of talking with his regiment members and trying to make amends.

Some people are just that way. In every club I've been part of, there are always people who just are terrible at interacting with people. Coupled with people getting WAY to serious about a costume club, it makes for drama.

Seriously guys, i think the biggest thing that needs to be looked at, is there is NO real pull or power as a Regiment Leader/CO or a leader of any real kind. We do this for fun. That is the #1 drama issue that gets in the way. Understanding that you want to help, but its about having fun and wearing/building costumes. It isn't about what you can or cannot contribute, or what it will do to your psyche being in a fake power position. But as well, understand there are people out there too who just don't necessarily know how to communicate well with others and come off harsh. But give them a chance, don't be quick to cause a problem because you were easily offended.

Bury said hatchet, and lets move on and just HAVE FUN....HAVE FUN HAVE FUN HAVE FUN.....end of transmission...

 

[Zaff]

I feel it's a fair point to mention here that regimental leaders are NOT 405th-assigned staff. They are simply members of the regiment's geographical region who took the initiative to step forward and start organizing those who fall within their borders. They are the front-runners who put in the time to gather information about cons and other events in their area, get to know the other members and what they have to offer in terms of how many have completed suits, who's close enough to answer calls for costumes, etc.. But I say again, they are NOT 405th staff members nor are they "trained" or "initiated" or put through the rigors one might expect for staff/moderators.

Just as Arcanine stepped forward to provide and organize files and other resources and thus earned the title of Librarian, Regimental leaders are just "ordinary" members who took initiative and stepped up to the plate. The only real difference is they don't get anything added to their member card to designate their position (hmm, that might actually be a good idea). On the positive end, that means anyone willing o take the initiative can become a Regimental leader (if there isn't one already in their area). The downside is that the level of "professionalism" depends entirely on the individual and a of yet there isn't much in the way of an official code of conduct or list of requirements in place. These, I imagine, will be laid out in the Mantle that Art and the 405th staff have been hurriedly trying to put together to keep pace with how rapidly Regiments are coming together. It was something Art had wanted to put on the back burner until other matters had been taken care of so that more attention and focus could be put towards hammering out the details, but the community really latched onto the idea of Regiments and ran wild with it, which leaves Art and the rest of the staff playing catch-up.

So to put it simply, patience is needed all around while we wait for the Mantle to be laid out, and after that we will still need patience because it will be a trial run, a "beta test" of sorts.

 

[Gilmortar]

And compounding on Zaff... just don't take this stuff too seriously guys. It is were the problems REALLY lie... People take their positions way to serious, in the years I've been around and part of "costuming clubs", it all comes down to egos and the completely useless "flex of muscle" in an imaginary power position.

There are really only 2 people who will benefit from this costume club in any way... Art Andrews, and Adam Grumbo. The owner, and the founder.

You can be part of a club and gain recognition. Heck, we have some members here who have 100K+ followers on their pages. But it is just about building and having fun together. So...

Again, I can't reiterate it enough. Don't take this too seriously, have fun. If it isn't fun anymore... than let it be. Do what makes you happy and keeps it fun, don't hold grudges and build on!

 

[Saeka]

Question on the Mantle, and regiment placement based on geographic location. I live in western South Dakota, about 50 miles away from the Wyoming border. South Dakota falls under the Midwest regiment, and while I'd love to troop with them, most members are over 500, 600 miles. Some are even 1000 miles away.

This area has really always identified with the Mountain states, Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado specifically. I guess what I'm getting at, will the be something in place to deal with situations like this? Members near one area, but located in another? Would there be the possibility of dual-enrollment, with your geographical location being your home "regiment" and the other a secondary (ie, no official leadership roles).

Just a unique situation that I'd like a little insight on.