#opinions

terruer:

js but if you honestly think that accepting everyones political opinions is the epitome of equality i’d like you to shut the fuck up

You know, as a millennial who rebelled against their parents’ strict black-and-white fundamentalist worldview by finding and fully embracing the grayness of everyday morality, it’s really jarring to watch Gen Z rebel against their parents’ strict black-and-white worldviews by adopting an equally rigid black-and-white worldview that just clings to the polar opposite opinions of their parents’. It’s like watching someone who’s complained about being forced to wear dresses their whole life decide to rebel by wearing only blue dresses instead of pink ones. You’re not getting rid of what your parents forced you into; you’re just changing the look of it. 

And why it’s bullshit for all involved.

I am new to this hobby. I have been doing it about a year. When you put that in comparison to those who have been doing it for longer than I have been alive, perspective really starts to set in. Now, get a bunch of LARPers together, and within seconds stories will start to be exchanged. And why not? This is a hobby that connects people and has a range of experiences mixed up within it. Stories are our bread and butter.

 As people talk, certain names will come up more than others. Some are organisers of big fest events, some are players who have played a lot or played particularly memorable characters. Each may have certain stereotypes attached to them - charisma is usually the biggest one, but fighting prowess or a knack for narrative aren’t usually far behind. These things have made them well known as stories about them are exchanged and laughed about. In my view, this is relatively harmless. People do cool things, and others like to talk about them. Those who have more OC friends are more likely to be spoken about because, well, you talk about your friends more. 

 However, it can become a problem when due to these tales, the reputation of the player may precede them with attached expectations or demands. It can have an effect both on the listeners and the subject.

 Let’s talk about the impact on the listeners first.

Sometimes it can foster a real feeling of inadequacy. It can feel like they are excluded from certain groups. It can cause an amount of hero-worship which stifles social interaction. It can really make them lose sight of the fact everyone is a nerd in costume here and there really isn’t a sliding scale of coolness. 

On the other end of the spectrum, being the subject of this can be intensely awkward. Having people be scared to talk to you, or frightened to roleplay with you is never a good feeling. Additionally, to be reduced down to certain stereotypes can be frustrating and insulting, as can people treating the subject as if they have a level of familiarity they don’t. 

So, what can we do to combat this?

Talking about everyone’s achievements is always a good start. But mainly, I think a key part is remembering these known names are well, people. Just people. Treat them as such. 

Some unordered thoughts on how kit standards effect game and confidence.

So, it’s undoubtable that kit (by which in this specific post I’ll be meaning costume as opposed to set dressing) adds to a game. Whether it’s on a personal level and feeling like you’re finally embodying the character, or on a wider level where the world seems to come to life when you’re on a field surrounded by gorgeous fantasy dresses and doublets. Costume is a real labour of love for many, a show of skill and imagination. 

I love putting together costume, particularly finding all the little unique details that really add to characterisation. I’m a very visual person, and find it deeply satisfying when I feel I match up with the picture of the character I have in my head. And yet, costume is usually the greatest of my anxieties when it comes to playing games, no matter how much I admire it on other people.

I cannot make costume. This isn’t a ‘refusing to learn’ thing. This is a ‘I am a broke student with no time and a disability that affects their hands’ thing. I can’t commission gorgeous pieces. I tend to borrow kit or cobble something together out of a bunch of things purchased on eBay. This leads to a feeling of inadequacy on occasion. This is solely my problem to deal with.

That is, until game runners get involved. Every organiser of course, wants their game to look good. Setting out expected kit standards from the off is par for the course. It’s a frequent occurrence to see terms like ‘aspirational kit’. This is still completely fine. 

I believe when it starts crossing a line is when game runners begin to tell players that their kit is not good enough. Now, a lot of LARP runs on good faith. Faith that players will take their hits, follow their skills and other such mechanical effects that there’s no way to track. Similarly, there is no way of knowing quite how much effort went into a costume. A rather shoddy looking one could have taken weeks for a beginner to make, while a skilled maker could have knocked up a pretty doublet in an afternoon. Therefore, we must assume that the costume somebody shows up in is the best they could manage. Any negative comments are then instantly hurtful.

If somebody asks for constructive criticism, hints or tips, that’s a whole different kettle of fish. Improvement is great, and friends help friend out. Unwarranted comments however? Don’t be that guy. This also goes for make up, augments and physical additions. 

I think this boils down to trusting your players to do the best they can, in all things. 

Thoughts on how we approach real-world religion in LARP. 

 So, I generally believe with the right rules, protections and equality policies in place, there’s very few limits on what can and should be explored in LARP. Religion is something that I very much enjoy playing with within LARP, real or fictional. This ramble is mostly going to focus on the approach to real world religion within the game setting. 

 Religion is both a crucial and sensitive part of many people’s daily lives. As an intensely personal experience, many can be more twitchy about mockery, insults and treating the subject badly than perhaps more obvious topics. I would like to mention this isn’t particularly helped by that certain brand of belligerent atheists, but that’s off topic. 

Furthermore, when it comes to some religions, there are perhaps very clear reasons why they must be handled carefully within game beyond simple respect for people’s beliefs. If your game for instance, treats Islam or Judaism in such a way it reenforces and encourages islamphobia and anti-semitism, you’re doing it wrong and stop it. 

I personally am a pagan. Specifically I often use the label Dionysian to nobody’s surprise. My beliefs and experiences are very dear to me, if not necessarily very private. I was recently chatting to a christian LARPer, who said they would feel deeply uncomfortable ever playing in a game where christianity was a interactable religion (as in, exploring it’s metaphysics and belief system was encourage) or key figures from the bible were NPCs/characters. In another conversation I had with a game designer, he stated how he would be wary of using a religion as a basis for gameplay.

All this seems well and good. Until you realise that both of these examples and many others are perfectly happy playing/writing/using with pagan gods, even perhaps in a way that is not strictly flattering.

Here is my disclaimer btw - I am not saying that I want my gods to be excluded from games, or religion to be struck out as a theme. Quite the opposite. I LOVE god game, and give me half a chance and I will run screaming into the arms of that plot. However, I want to encourage a certain level of critical thought. If you would be uncomfortable using other religions in the place of these gods, perhaps you should reconsider how you are writing them, what your concerns are, and identify why that is. 

I think on a fundamental level, a lot of Nordic/Hellenistic/etc deities are now considered beings of pure mythology. When they are taught, if they are taught at all, they are taught in the past tense. They are things ancient people believed in, and died with their civilisations. Of course, that’s not true, nor has it ever been. However that assumption paired with a general disdain for polytheism has resulted in a situation where a certain belief system is now considered less serious somehow, less reverent. 

Again, I am not saying don’t write real world religions into games. Please do. But afford the same respect, or lack of, to all religions/belief systems equally please.

Ramblings on why I like emotional game play, and when it can become stagnant. 

It’s no secret that I like to get emotional during roleplay. I often go into events with the goal of feeling something wonderful, or feeling something terrible. On an OC level, I don’t particularly care if my character succeeds or fails, what matters to me is the emotion they feel on the journey. As long as my character feels a thing, I count it as a win. 

Emotional investment can make even innocuous situations seem higher stakes. If I didn’t feel emotional certain things would have very little meaning. The desire to be loved influencing small actions, casual conversations with no mechanical benefit, longing gazes and so on and so forth. Then the bigger situations seem make or break, more all or nothing. 

Angst is one of my favourite things. I’ll put small emotional hooks into character backstory to be tugged on, or  I like bad things happening to my characters so I can experience their negative emotions. It’s the same catharsis that has influenced theatre since it’s conception, ranked up to ten. It’s a pretty healthy way of experiencing emotion imo. 

There are certain times though where the emotional angle can become stagnant. For instance if little character development or even character devolution occurs, and the angst/bad situation is the same, over and over again for an extended period with no change, sometimes it can be exhausting to deal with, and indeed, roleplay against. I think it’s simply that repetition can get dull, and repeating yourself isn’t fun after a certain number of times. 

I don’t begrudge those who just like LARP for rocking up and fighting, or to solve plot with character coming as a secondary concern. I just don’t understand it personally but then, I suck at both combat and puzzles. So I would say that.

 Hi! I hope you are all doing well, 

Just came on here to say my inbox is open and you can ask whatever you want! 

Thank you for sticking with me ♡

When leaving the church, oftentimes our parents or family will still be in the church and have very different opinions than us. It’s okay for us to have different opinions. It’s okay for your kids to have different opinions (as long as the opinions aren’t hurting anybody). It’s a good thing to branch out and question what you’re taught, decide for yourself if you believe in it.

Image description: a light purple background with white text outlined with dark purple color saying “it’s okay to have your own opinions”

If I had a dollar for every time a man told me I was “very opinionated” I’d be able to pay off all my student loans.

Simihaze via Instagram

So I am going to get my first tattoo this Saturday!  I’m super excited!! But I’m also really nervous.  I don’t have a very high pain tolerance!  But this is something I have wanted for a really long time and it means a lot to me!  Really, I’m just wondering what are your opinions on tattoos?  Do you have any?  Do you judge people that do? How much do they hurt?  I appreciate any advice you have for me! And I promise I’ll put up a picture as soon as it’s done!

homophobia and racism aren’t opinions

“And something that distinguishes the Mr Windlings of the universe is the term ‘in my humble opinion’, which they think adds weight to their statements rather than indicating, in reality, 'these are the mean little views of someone with the social grace of duckweed’.”

- Terry Pratchett - The Truth