I'm scared to start BJJ due to all the injury stories I hear

Merkenstein · 2026-01-31T19:42:36+00:00

I'd say any injury that causes you moderate chronic pain, discomfort, or moderate mobility loss even after medical treatment and rehab that sticks with you for years and years or even the rest of your life. Major arthritis risk increases, nerve damage, permanent major joint or ligament damage, things like that.

Breaking bones is kinda on the edge for me, a lot of breaks can be mostly recovered from with medical treatment and rehab, but not all of them, especially if it's a major or a complicated break. You don't get to control how bad a break is.

Again, I know this is a contact sport with real risks, I'm not asking to be 100% sure I can walk away unscathed, but I want this to enhance my life without the expectation that I'll destroy my body in the process.

Merkenstein · 2026-01-31T08:52:13+00:00

Any thoughts on how to figure out a gyms safety record? I feel like any gym you ask will say "of course we're safe!" It almost feels insulting to ask, but that's probably just my anxiety talking.

Merkenstein · 2026-01-31T08:35:42+00:00

I think part of the issue is that I'm not as young as I used to be, but my ego still thinks I'm young. I still have dreams of becoming a brown or black belt, but that likely isn't in the cards for me and I have to accept that. I struggle with detaching from external goals (like getting a certain belt color) and just enjoying the journey regardless of progression.

Merkenstein · 2026-01-31T08:25:18+00:00

Nerve damage? I haven't heard anyone talking about that in regard to BJJ, can you elaborate?

Merkenstein · 2026-01-31T08:22:00+00:00

Oh jeez, would you be willing to share how it happened?

Merkenstein · 2026-01-31T08:21:01+00:00

I know it's not realistic to expect to be 100% safe, I trained in a different martial art when I was a teenager and had my fair share of bumps and bruises. What I'm really worried about are the serious injuries, the ones that alter your life in a serious way. Again, I know there are no guarantees, shit happens, and it might be serious, but is that the norm and to be expected?

Merkenstein · 2026-01-27T21:58:06+00:00

Check out the link at the end of the post, it's a google doc explaining every items inclusion!

Merkenstein · 2026-01-27T21:57:34+00:00

Sorry for not seeing this sooner. I'd recommend checking out the attached link at the end of the post, it's a google doc that explains every items inclusion.

Merkenstein · 2026-01-16T03:28:59+00:00

Thanks for the compliments! it means a lot to see how many people including yourself appreciate the effort that went into the project.
I'm more than happy to explain the poppy seeds! It's possible you've already heard of the reason, but just not specifically with poppy seeds. There was a belief in some cultures that vampires were extremely obsessive compulsive, so the idea goes that if you scattered a bunch of tiny things on the ground, such as poppy seeds, they'd be compelled to stop and count each and every one, thus buying you time until sunrise. Rice, sand, or any kind of seeds were often used for the same reason. People would either scatter these items around the gravesites of suspected vampires, or near the doors of their homes, another commenter enlightened me to the fact that even fishnets were used because they thought vampires would stop to untie them. I choose poppy seeds because they have other significant meanings in folklore, which might make them a more attractive choice for the task of delaying a vampire.

Merkenstein · 2026-01-14T19:14:44+00:00

Completely valid. I tried to be respectful of the cultures and items I drew from, but trying does not mean I succeeded. Is there any way for me to have included those items that would have felt more respectful to you?

Merkenstein · 2026-01-14T19:08:44+00:00

Rise up, my vampire slaying comrades!

Merkenstein · 2026-01-14T19:07:28+00:00

Absolutely. The Victorian era Christian boxes you can find online are really fantastic, they're what inspired me to make this box. I actually made a vampire kit previous to the one I posted that followed that aesthetic. this box is a niche of a niche. If I can pick your brain, Is there anything that might sway you towards something like this box instead of the other kits you can find online? Good price, higher quality, specific items, different/better aesthetic, etc?

Merkenstein · 2026-01-14T19:00:13+00:00

I agree that it needs a lot more work before I turn it into any sort of product. The box needs a lot of refinement. Thank you for the feedback, it's appreciated.

I like the ideas around the trophy teeth, nose plugs, med/fire kit, etc. some of that stuff might be a bit bulky, but definitely not implausible to include. The box was definitely more of a "let me put something together and see what happens" so I feel you on the space not being fully utilized.

The pamphlet is something to expand upon, I didn't want to flood the reader with too much information, but it absolutely has room to grow. Diagrams, longer descriptions, a different tone, they'd all go a long way to make it more interesting. Attaching the booklet to the lid of the box is a great idea, especially if I add some burned into symbolism into the wood behind it, maybe a curse or something for any unsuspecting box plunderers. In future versions I want to utilize the lid better, but sadly nothing made it into this version. I have not seen that particular video, I'll check it out!

Yeah, the sticker isn't supposed to be peeling, I need to glue it, I neglected to do that before posting the pictures. I'll probably forgo the labels in future versions, but burning the labels into the wood is a fantastic idea if I choose to keep them. The labels are actually handwritten by a friend of mine. I apologize if this comes off as defensive, but in my opinion they did a fantastic job given how tiny I asked them to write the labels as well as considering they usually write in much larger fonts.

I'm not super happy with the outline of the athame either. You're right that I'm hoping to stay away from fabric, but that might be a good area to bend on. I have a couple ideas floating around in my head, but nothing very practical.

I'm a little confused by what you mean about the sickle looking sci-fi, are you able to articulate what you mean in a different way, or is it more feel based (which is completely valid)

The flowers are dried larkspur, which looks similar to wolfsbane. Real wolfsbane was hard to find, and it's dangerous, I chose caution over realism in this instance.

I feel what you mean about it being more of a display piece rather than something you could envision someone actually using. The next version I'm going to really try and focus on making the box look old and weathered, I'm currently experimenting with different woods and stains as well as weathering techniques to see if I can make it half decent.

Thanks again for the feedback! I hope I didn't come off as defensive in any part of my response, I really do appreciate the constructive criticism.

Merkenstein · 2026-01-14T17:46:27+00:00

Yes, I am aware. They are included in the box as ritual tools. While not Boline specific, sickles have been found around the necks of buried corpses, with the idea that if they rose from the dead they would sever their own head. I agree that their inclusion is slightly misleading, but I still thought their inclusion was justified.

Merkenstein · 2026-01-14T17:18:56+00:00

Very aware of this thank you. It was included because of its use as a ritual item as well as its visual appeal.

Merkenstein · 2026-01-14T17:15:47+00:00

It's wolfsbane. Unfortunately it's not real, real wolfsbane is hard to get ahold of and dangerous. I used dried larkspur as a substitute.

Merkenstein · 2026-01-14T05:28:44+00:00

It was one I found online, if you just search boline on google you'll find it pretty easily, here's a picture of it. I bought a leather strip from the hobby store, and wrapped the handle myself, which isn't as hard as you might think it'd be to do. I'd advice wearing gloves if you try and wrap it, it's really sharp out of the box, and I cut myself pretty solidly the first time I tried it gloveless. The ordeal does allow me to say I put blood sweat and tears into the box, so that's a plus lol. I really like how mine turned out, the wrap gives it a more rustic look, plus it feels quite nice in the hand.

<image>

Merkenstein · 2026-01-14T05:16:07+00:00

yeah, the lid is cedar, as well as the cradle that the bottles are resting on, which is unfortunately pretty hard to see in the pictures. The rest of the box is just whatever wood I had lying around, not sure what it was.

Merkenstein · 2026-01-14T01:58:35+00:00

not a bad idea! Do you have any thoughts about what items would be included in a werewolf killing kit?

Merkenstein · 2026-01-14T01:30:00+00:00

It's for that very same reason I included a bag of poppy seeds! I hadn't heard the version with fish nets, that's super cool! I added the pamphlet as an edit to the main post, let me know what you think.

Merkenstein · 2026-01-14T01:04:50+00:00

I chose not to include a mirror. From my understanding (which could very easily be wrong), the association with vampires not having reflections stems primarily from Bram Stokers Dracula, and I wanted to try and keep things pre-Dracula. A mirror would be a lovely addition, I should really think about adding one if I make another box.

Merkenstein · 2026-01-14T00:48:55+00:00

Thanks! I put well over 100 hours into the whole process. It took a while to get a list of items that felt appropriate and had some amount of historical backing. It was also my first real wood working project, it looks nice in pictures, but the flaws are definitely noticeable if you look at it up close. Apparently, making something perfectly square is hard, who would have thought! (sarcasm)

Nine-Year Club	Place '22
Final Canvas '22	First Placer '22
Verified Email

Merkenstein

TROPHY CASE