Raie Week 4: A Dummy’s Guide on the Way of the “Larp”
You. Are. A. Larp.
There is no other way around it. If you are reading this guide, there is only one possible outcome: You! Are! A! Larp! That is the first step in mastering the way of the “larp,” admitting that you are one.
What exactly is a “larp” though? And how do you become one?
The word “larp” originally meant “Live Action Roleplay,” a hobby amongst the gaming community where people would dress up in costumes and act out fictional scenes. In more recent years, this definition has been twisted into an insult, a way to call someone a “poser” of sorts. The word has been used to ostracize someone—to omit them from a piece of media. But with the omission of such a large number of people, the community of larps has grown to become an identity; to larp is to speak of the knowledge that you only know (which is none, that is why you larp.) That is what it means to larp.
Without further ado, let’s larp.
Step number two in larping: Never fully read the material. No matter what. You may read a summary or two— perhaps the Wikipedia for that media if it has one. You must preserve your identity as a larp at all costs. Do not be afraid to be loud and wrong. Feel free to engage in discourse about topics you are unqualified to argue about! (P.S., If you’re losing an argument, just start wasting the other person’s time— if you can’t win them over, then making them lose their sanity to their wits’ end is certainly half as good as a victory!)
The last step in larping is not the most integral part, but definitely a core part of it. You must have horrendous, atrocious, katzenjammer-like opinions that are just outright wrong. It doesn’t matter if your opinions go against the creator’s entire purpose of conceiving that media— be steadfast in your opinions. Accomplish this final step and (in my own words) you will be a master at larping.
Congratulations! You are finally, finally, finally, adept in pursuing the ways of the larp. Have fun, and be steadfast.
Hi Raie, I thought it was so interesting see a blog about larp. I had always seen reels that were titled “How to Be a Larper” and I had always thought these were so interesting, but it’s crazy to see one during AP Lang. I do believe that you got the steps on point though. I think that all of us have larped something very significant in our lives. I remember this one time, my sister and neighbor were talking about F1: The Movie, but my only knowledge of car movies came from Gran Turismo, so they started talking about it, and I just said something about how I was so surprised when the car did a flip. And immediately both of them were like “OH YEAHHHH,” and I thought to myself “LARP successful!”. And I continued the conversation while adding comments of my own on their topics. Unfortunately, I do not have the most controversial opinions known to man, at least I have the other 2 steps down.
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