So now it’s January and we’ve all heard enough Christmas carols to last another year. By the time we start enjoying listening to these mostly sappy ‘snow on the xmas trees’ songs again, it’ll be time for another Christmas.

Just like Christmas carols may get you in the mood for Christmas, I have my ways to get in the mood for Live Action Roleplay before I pack up and leave for the other world. Making costumes and dressing up in advance usually helps to think about a character, but I can’t seem to describe the general atmosphere that is involved with a live.

Basically? Well, it’s like living in the movies.

What do I do to prepare myself to become one with the world I’m trying to create? I listen to music. We artists and writers all may find our muses in music and sure, music can interact with whatever you’re trying to create. Certain types of music can help you relax or force your thoughts in a certain direction. For example, if you’re working on a scene where your hero or damsel is involved in a dangerous situation concerning goblins or other foes, you might want to listen to music that scares you or angers you. Or when drawing a peaceful village or romantic scene maybe a nice slow song with piano can be involved. In a way, I guess we all want to feel a bit like the character we’re describing or drawing.

When I try to immerse myself into the world of larp, I put on some good medieval-sounding music, like the Lord of the Rings soundtracks, a bit of celtic jigs or even some violinmusic. I close my eyes and let the music take me to the places I’m going to be at my next adventure Imagining the inn, the people there. How they might react to my character and what they’re drinking. I can clearly see myself as my character there, wearing the clothes I had made for them, with the sword at my belt or the guitar or bow on my back. Where’s the music coming from, who’s playing? What does my character feel and why?

By letting the music take control, we can travel to the most fantastic places, see the insides of our drawings or actully live inside your story. In the end it is still you who decides what music you’re going to play and what you let it do to you. The alloverpowering force of music can overwhelm you and be like a magician’s spell or an airplane, allowing you to travel great distances in a way sometimes even better than dreaming.

Then finally the time is there that I arrive at the inn; I am wearing my red poncho and my guitar is on my back. I walk over to the bar and ask the innkeeper whether he or she has any objection to my playing there. If she shakes her head, I’d sit over in a corner and play songs like “The Wild Rover” and “Molly Malone” The drunk townspeople come over and sit with me, singing along in wild and drunk voices. A heroine might dance with the local blacksmith; a ranger observes us all from his own little corner. No one ever fights if the cheerful music keeps even the strangest folk entertained.