”She wanted to be alone. Her mind was in a state of flutter and wonder, which made it impossible for her to be collected. She was in dancing, singing, exclaiming spirits; and till she had moved about and talked to herself and laughed and reflected, she could be fit for nothing rational.”
– Emma
Note that the Austen Experience is a larp of two contrasting realities. In one of them, the rules of an Austenesque reality is dominant, broken only by the Heroines when they venture outside the social norms and seduce, joke or push the Heroes around (both figuratively and literally).
The other is the dehumanizing and oppressive nature behind the scenes of the Park. There, the larp takes on a very different set of themes, ones that will sometimes shine through or can be sought out by the players of the Heroines.
Here is a list of potentially sensitive themes that might occur in the interactions between Heroines and the Heroes, or between Company and the different models of Heroes that they condition and train. Note that these are not primary themes of the larp, but things that might arise due to the severe imbalances of power and the inherent cruelty of the system.
- A system of slavery, sexual violence, rape, taking advantage of people, torture, technological systems, reciting speeches, humiliation.
The Austen Experience follows an opt-out principle. You can always opt-out of experiencing these themes, but not always opt out of being made aware of them or noticing them. However, no matter what is portrayed, you will always have full control of your own body and of the story you are telling. You always choose who to touch and control who touches you. You can always leave any situation and step outside of that scene to take a break from the fiction as needed.
Apart from being aware of these things, we also require of you as a participant of the Austen Experience to follow some simple guidelines.
- Be prepared for the larp by reading the character you are assigned and the material we have sent you.
- Get to the location on time and be prepared for the workshop.
- Do not bring any hard liquor or non-prescribed drugs with you to the larp. Wine, beer and cider is allowed, but you are not allowed to get drunk.
- Respect the organizers and follow the rules for the larp, including the meta techniques.
- Fill out the required forms before the larp.
- Follow Swedish law.
- Treat your co-players with respect.
- Take charge of your own emotional safety, making sure to opt out or go off-game when you need it.