Tonight was the second week of Season 2 of the factions.

Earlier this week, I received a proper 3-set of knives. They’re Cold Steel brand, meant for sport throwing, and made out of 1055 Carbon Steel: a slightly higher grade of steel for knives, better able to handle impact without breaking or chipping.

I can’t help always wanting to personalize things, so I decided to paint them. Since the place is called In the Air Guild, I decided to go for a bit of a Fantasy Elements theme: A siren for water, a fire elemental for fire, and Medusa for earth. The Air comes into play when they’re thrown.

I painted it using acrylic and then sealed it with clear nail polish. Realistically, eventually the paint will chip off with use, however, I made a point to make sure as much of it was done in the little used middle part, as opposed to where the point goes into the board, or where I hold it at the very bottom.

When bringing in your own knives, you have to get them approved for use by the owner. This is to make sure they conform with laws surrounding knives and allowed sizes, as well as making sure they are high enough quality to not shatter on impact.

I have heard stories from an ex of mine who used to teach sword fighting. Every once in a while someone would come in with a replica sword from some movie, anime, or show. The replica, made to resemble a certain sword, and not for actual use, would shatter at some critical moment. The metal would scatter everywhere creating a big risk of injury. Finally all replicas had to be banned from the class and certain steel standards maintained.

I was really excited to try them out and see how well they would work.

I LOVE these knives.

The point right now is sharp enough, that when I missed the board, it stuck in the back rubber matting. Because they’re new, they’re a little smoother than the knives I had been using previously. Because of this, sometimes they would slide out of my hand before I was completely ready. It also meant, I didn’t have a convenient marker point, making sure I hold the knives in the same place each time. I can fix that though, as soon as I get a drill bit that strong enough to drill through the steel. I may also add a suede or leather wrap to the spot where I hold it, to make it a little easier to hold.

Every knife is a bit different in where and how you hold it. For this one, I finally started doing well once I made a point of holding it with my thumb in the center of the star logo, my index and middle finger on the other side, and finally, my ring finger stabilizing the whole thing by holding the bottom on the same side as my thumb. It looks a little weird, but once I finally got that handle down, I started hitting the board more regularly.

Everyone’s energy levels were a lot higher today, probably thanks to it not snowing anymore. There were friendly rivalries, and waves of energetic cheering. Everyone there is really supportive, and making sure to cheer the underdog. While I didn’t win any matches today, I did manage to win a round, and I’m pretty sure I scored a higher total of points than before. I need to work on maintaining better balance.

After the round robin was done, they open up the targets for more practice. This is when the trick shots come out, but only if everyone in the line agrees to throw the same type of trick shot. Of course practice time is usually where I manage to get out of my head and start actually hitting the board.

Today, I got to learn how to throw when holding the knife by the point, as well as throwing two knives at once. It was lots of fun.

In the Air Guild also features a gallery area. This week, they’re featuring a local fantasy photographer. In a week’s time, my own artwork is going to be displayed. However, the photographer left two walls free, so some of my work will be displayed starting tomorrow! This is exciting, and with any luck, people will decide to go ahead and buy some of it.

I can’t wait for next week.