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Am I wearing enough jewellery in this photo?! Many of our accessories have personal meanings, from cuff-links worn at a wedding, to cheap earrings given by a friend. You probably own at least one thing, however infrequently worn, which you cherish for more than just the material worth. So what if you're pretending to be someone else? Your jewellery may be important to you, or to the person you're pretending to be, or to both of "you". Confused? Let's look at how strangely vital jewellery can become in live role play. Imagine a group of actors taking part in improvised theatre, with no audience, just performing and interacting for their own enjoyment of the process, the delight in escapism, the interest in exploring other mindsets and attitudes. That's the crux of live role play (LRP) I've wanted to talk about this for a while, and recently a photo made me realise it's time to dive in. "It will always be treasured!" Myself, and two ladies whom I'd met through live role play (LRP) took over running a theatre space which operates at the Profound Decisions LRP event. As a way to commemorate the new endeavour, I created a set of brooches, one each for the ladies, and others they could give as gifts in the future. Unawares to us, a photographer caught the exact moment that Lexie and Susan were putting on the gifts I'd just given them. Lexie commented on the image, about her brooch, "It will always be treasured!". It's not just a prop, but an item she treasures. Turning a LRP character from a concept to a physical reality is a process many folk relish; carefully sourcing costume, props, prosthetics and accessories, all to bring the character to life. Some pieces of jewellery merely fill out a 'look'. Others are carefully chosen to reflect an aspect of the character (such as a symbol of faith). Some pieces gain levels of meaning over time (such as an item given by a character who then dies). The pieces of jewellery which often result in surprising levels of meaning though, are frequently those given as gifts. There's almost always a reason in the LRP world for the gift, recognising an achievement, or a connection between characters. The gifted jewellery then stands not only as a reminder of that series of LRP events, but also the personal pride in the skills needed to achieve the thing, or create the connection. You've been so good at being your pretend person, that someone wants to acknowledge it! You've been so good at being your pretend person, that someone wants to acknowledge it! The emotionally charged image below captures Empress Lisabetta, played by Roz. And that pin on her hat with the two masks on it? That is a piece of jewellery which for me, really nails my "Gifts given at LRP can have strange and layered meanings". In short, my character Lorenza was having a personal crisis (which I was enjoying exploring) and was challenged to make a decision, and give something to a certain character to reflect her decision. Decision made, I created the mask brooch, gave it to the character, and after a moment of consideration, he asked "Do you mind if I give this to someone else, who I think needs it?". Sure, intriguing, ok, says I. Next thing, the Empress, who is sort of a big deal, is wearing that brooch. And she continued to do so. Each time I saw it, I thought, as Lorenza, with a little pride "That's my decision" and as Lisa I thought with a lot of pride "That was a fun series of emotions I portrayed leading to that brooch, and also I made it myself!". Even though it was worn by someone else, that gift always reminded me of my different achievements. Before writing this, I messaged Roz (whom I don't know) to ask about using an image of her with the brooch. Unprompted, she asked me "Do you want to know what she said in response to the gift? 'I shall wear it as a token - although I am the Empress, I shall always be of the League'.". I'd never been able to ask the Empress as the character, or Roz as a person, why the brooch was a regular accessory, and now I know that it gained even more layers of meaning, with Roz wholly unaware of the original reason for its creation. I'm about to embark on a new adventure, as a new character, and need to pick the costume and items which will breath life into her. I suspect that it won't be the items I choose for her that I'll treasure in the future, it'll be the ones which other people pick for that character, and me behind her.
Just like my Sarvosian pearls. But that's another story entirely. If you are a LRPer (or LARPer) and have a tale of jewellery you cherish for what may seem like strange reasons, please do share in the comments. I'd love to know that this isn't just my own theory!
2 Comments
Paul
19/10/2019 08:37:42 pm
I've got a piece of antler on a leather thong which I was given by my brother, and I decided it was great for my character, and claimed it was a gift from his brother. When our homeland got invaded as plot last year I told people my brother was killed, so I had a solid reason to role play being really angry. I was surprised to find how often I was holding onto that pendant, it became like a lucky charm, a bit of home, something I touched whenever people talked about the invasion. My brother still doesn't know that I "killed" him! XD
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Lisa
20/10/2019 11:30:56 am
Thanks for sharing Paul! It's strange how some things become important gradually, and you realise that a prop with a bit of a story is actually now integral to being that character! I'm sure your brother will be impressed that he (albeit in an alternative world!) means so much to you (well, and your character!)
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