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 This web page is part of a hosted copy of the WoodWorks eZine at Elfwood. (#82)
The eZine is no longer updated, nor does it have it's own domain left... This also means that it's no use to contact the WoodWorks editors, etc, etc... | | |
Woodlarping
By Annet Nijmeijer
As most of you know, coming of age has everything to do with growing up. In Elfwood I did a nice little search on "coming of age" and stumbled upon drawings which resembled youths growing up, some depicting ceremonies even, celebrating the fact that the child is becoming an adult.
Though I've never seen the Coming of Age ceremony at a larp, it would be nice occasion to celebrate. Mostly, the excuses for a feast at a larp are the obvious: the hunter has killed a big animal, the enemy is defeated or somebody (anybody) gets married.
Marriages are fun at a live. At my most recent live, the chieftain tried to get marry off his daughter. She wasn't happy with that plan though, and denied every candidate he introduced to her. So, with some help, the chieftain had his wife spike the food of every male between 18 and 35. She actually was using a love potion…and after dinner, the chieftain announced there would be a tournament. "May the best man, lizard, dwarf, or pointy-eared freak win!"
As fate would have it, the finale of the tournament was between Mentha, a sorceress who accidently had eaten from some man's plate, and Argh, a hideous and simple-minded but very sweet creature. Argh won.
The chieftain's daughter called upon her right to challenge the winner. If she won the fight, she could choose any man she wanted. Else, she would have to marry Argh. Lucky for her, Argh couldn't bear the thought of hurting her, and lost.
The marriage was held that night. In her whitest robe, which looked a bit grey-ish next to the man beside her before the altar, the daughter of the chieftan married the shiniest and whitest paladin, Sir Rion. And that's about the only reason I can think of why anybody would want to play a paladin at a live.
When you look at the diversity of characters played at a live, you'll see that a lot of them are the standard "hero" [m/f]. They wear armor, have a nice cloak, a nifty sword, and can run and fight like Aragorn and Legolas combined. But sometimes the best characters are those who are the most hideous or ugly or irritating. These are fun to play, and (except for your character perhaps) fun to play with. You could even say there's a form of childish humour and innocence behind some of these characters, even when they're played by an adult.
Because, let's face it, when it comes to Live Action Role Play, you can see that it's something not just anybody would enjoy. The people who actually dress up as a medieval fantasy character and walk around like that all weekend; they must be a bit crazy, right?
Right. Crazy, and creative, and in touch with their inner child. I don't think we larpers really grew up, and I'm glad we didn't.
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Annet Nijmeijer is a student in Holland who spends more time on Larp than on studying. She designs Larp costumes for her friends and herself. She has attended four Lives so far, and doesn't intend to stop any time soon.
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