Infatuation in short LARPs

[alexxkay]

Question for discussion among my LARPing friends:

How do you play infatuation, especially in younger characters, in a 4 hour LARP?

In Celebration, I was a high school junior who had a crush on half the female cast. I remember vividly how I handled that in real life, but it was almost entirely internal, or approaching the objects of affection in very oblique ways. Not the sort of thing that gets easily noticed in 4 *weeks*, much less hours.

I can do the visbly-blush-and-stammer thing when a "target" player walks by, but, just as in real life, the girls don't ever seem to actually notice. Is there some method I'm just not seeing to convey the emotion, short of extreme self-parody? Or is the right answer to just embrace extreme self-parody?

Comments? Suggestions?

Comments

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

I've found, the shorter the LARP, the more I have to play things as a caricature, because the less time you have to get your point across. Still, a single glance, or an offhand mention thrown into a conversation -- or even a Freudian slip with the person present -- can be enough to give insight into the relation, and then you never have to mention it again.

I guess I also try stick indications of my character's relations with someone into interactions with *other* people, because in a small LARP it *will* get back to them, or they'll overhear you...e.g., I "accidentally" talked about A___ a number of times as if I knew her to people, even off-handedly calling her "mom" once to someone who had no clue what that could mean; but someone nearby heard, and took the hint well.

Also, the point of infatuation with a person is not necessarily just to about *them*; it's about everyone you both interact with. E.g. Kevin's infatuation with Sarah affected my character, despite me not being involved with either of you in a romantic way. Your reactions there were definitely useful to help me roleplay...

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

One of my biggest problems with shorter games is the fact that it becomes extremely difficult to play romantic plots. I've found that the best plot-help is making sure you're cast romantically opposite decent roleplayers - not the best advice or the easiest to follow, but it's true.

Other than that... let it permeate your character. Even if noone else notices, *you'll* know, and it'll affect your own roleplaying, which is the most important part. Gaze longingly. Sigh. Let yourself be distracted from conversations with other people when the object of your interest is within sight. Ask *everyone* about the person in question - do they think X might like you, have they seen X today, isn't the new shirt X is wearing just lovely....

Play the eye-contact game - when you're talking to X, look everywhere but at them, then when you do make eye contact, let your eyes jump away as if the touch of their gaze burns you. Invade their personal space slowly. Stammer and blush, like you mentioned. Enlist your friends' help - set things up so they can push you into the person in question, to make an excuse for physical contact and a conversation opening.

It's a lot easier to play something like this out in a longer game, but it can be done in shorter ones - it just means focusing more of your attention on this one plot. You can also finesse it more based on the setting. (Can you tell that romance plots are my absolute favoritest to play?) If nothing else, though, even if the plot never gets any actual development, you can play it up inside your head and work yourself into a marvelously deep angsty fervor....

[antoniseb.livejournal.com]

I've never knowingly played in a LARP, but judging by what you and everyone else need to accomplish, and by the authors of this particular game, I'd have let my Commedia instincts do what I had to do.

Would I have been shunned for playing a charicature? I don't know. To this end, it would have been inflated versions of the above suggestions [wistful sigh, goofy smile, fond staring, flapping my hand over my heart as I look, walking on air after she talks to me, stammering should I ever need to talk to her].

Anything worth doing

[cristovau.livejournal.com]

Anything worth doing is worth overdoing. I'm not sure if this holds for Larps, but in a short plays, it has to get obvious. Shuffle those feet. Laugh at inappropriate moments. Run to get the door for someone. Make bad attempts to impress people. Step aside when someone walks past you. Get clumsy or hyperactive around someone. Say stupid and inappropriate things. "I'm not in love with you or anything, really, not me, no sir."

There are lots of geek heroes in 80's movies. Take their most hopeless moments and make them yours.

Don't go it alone

[hungrytiger]

One trick I've used to handle that is to get your friends involved.

I was in a remarkably similar game situation not that long ago (I was a teenage science geek with no skills around women but still wanted to go to the prom) and I forced the situation by leaning on my character's friends for help. I let them know that I was interested in female character X and they took it as their quest to help me get a date with her. They helped maneuver events so that she and I were forced together (partially with the help of her character's friends) and then then goaded me into actually speaking to her. Of course, since my character was the classic nerd stereotype, I intentionally fumbled the conversation, stammered like an idiot, and then ran away in shame. I'm pretty sure she got the point that I liked her. :-)

Remember, your fellow LARPers are there to help create the overall story as well as their own characters' stories. If you let them know you need help, other players can often find ways to come through for you.