Thomas B.
As already explained back in December, documenting larps in English is work. It’s work because of the expected quality standards, and I am neither a native speaker nor a humanities major. But it’s even more work because of the politics. It took me a few more months of discussions, both online and offline, to accept the fact that I just can’t release any larp video/photo/recap in English based on French standards only. I need to think about the reactions of the non-French-speaking larp audience. Praise is always nice, ignorance happens, accusations of poor design I can take, but political discussions are more serious, and require even more work. Especially when things are lost in translation or across legal systems (e.g. I’m a French citizen, there is no such thing as a First Amendment protecting my speech, even online).
Politics aren’t going away
This is not only related to larps I write: the wrestling larp I played in last month in France featured elements that would be considered problematic by some English-speaking larpers. So sure, I could easily hide these elements and document the rest of the larp. That’s not my idea of documentation. I respect everyone’s right to voice their opinions about anything, but I just do not want to have these discussions online and in English anymore. It’s too much work. Real life requires my attention and I need to focus on it.
I aten’t dead
I will focus on live events and will report on French-speaking larps, when relevant, at conventions, where people are a bit more aware of the context and where more balanced discussions are possible.
In case you are wondering, yes, there will be more blog posts in French. Most likely similar to the previous one, relevant to the local Swiss scene. For more English-language coverage of French larps, I recommend electro-larp.com.
L’Ost Noir’s coat of arms is synonymous with pain and pleasure. Come and get some!
Comment te dire adieu
Bye-bye English speakers, it’s been a fun ride! Maybe I’ll see you at Conquest of Mythodea where, for the third year, I’ll be playing Sornob. This hobgoblin belongs to l’Ost Noir, a group of Slaanesh worshippers of various species and genders based in the Einheit camp. I am coming back because these Swiss larpers have a clear common creative agenda, and have found a nice balance between a hedonistic camping vacation and bringing some edge to a rather vanilla fantasy larp. If you see me in a tavern, ritual or battle, come say hi. And if 7000-person boffer fests aren’t your thing, see you in Knudepunkt 2015 in Denmark!
