My experience as a newbie in ArtofWar -

Well I was idly browing the basil forums, because I felt shaken by my last guild leader's decision to randomly disband the guild, and not really expecting to find anything that'll interest me in the "looking for a guild" section. And the first couple was just that, I read it and went, "meh".

But then this guild's title caught my eye 'cause I adore the book.

(I own the Denma group's version link which is all sorts of awesome. It's a very faithful translation made from the oldest copy of the original treatise they could get their hands ok and has a section at the end that not only discusses the passages in a beautiful way but makes note of where various interpretations of the treatise could occur <i hearts the attention to detail> )

I can't completely express the absolute astonishment that I felt when I started reading the post and the comments...and the guild just...it seems fantastically thought out. The length and breadth of topics the post hit upon indicated to me a certain love and care given to the selection and recruitment of the members, and thus it indicates a love and care that the leader(s) are willing to give to the guild. It showed me that the leaders were committed to the guild and that the leaders were thoughtful, and, well. Well it's just Sun Tsu all over again isn't it? An army or a group is only as strong as it's head and it's heart, and my past experiences with other guilds proved that in MS his words still rings true.

So er. >< So I wrote all the names down that the post told me to track down and poked a "hi" through whisp feeling very silly about saying hi so randomly.

And I think it was Jeff? He and...hmm...either Glen or Allen interrogated me. I kept on waiting for the interrogation to start, when suddenly they went, "Okay! We're done! ...Er, you're still in a guild?" o.0 I was totally bracing for far more. I honestly don't remember much of what they asked me, although I got the impression that I was babbling.

So I said my regrets and goodbyes to my old guild and then clicked on the invite button and WHOAMYGOD. Got totally bowled over by the welcome wagon.

The next...er...hmm...however long it was that I stayed as Trial went like:
- oh hey, cool people
- oh wow, they're HILARIOUS
- omg, I don't wanna leave
- h0mgwtfbbq, they only kept 2 of the last 10 Trials? o.0
- omg, I don't wanna leeeeeeeeeeeave T__T

...and that went in circles for awhile.

When I became a Soldier I bounced and told my fiancee who went, "duh" at me and then bounced and told my friend who went "o.0" at me, but I was all YAY and I think I just confused them. XD

Hmm...how much of my being promoted to Soldier involved Alia threatening to spork people if I didn't? o.0

XD

<GLOMPS YOOOO ALLLLLL>