MeMe: 11 things

margrietje tagged me in her post and challenged me to answer her 11 questions.

First some rules:
1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you've tagged them.


This photo was taken by Ork de Rooij (aroka) two years ago. I love the movement of the shawl in the wind, the smooth, corset-created silhouette and the fond memories I have of that shoot (it was so cold and the pictures are so beautiful!).

Eleven random things
1. A year ago our friend Geert died and I am still mourning him. There's a tribute for him this Friday, which we will attend.
2. The thing that makes Wildlings so interesting is that playing one is mostly a physical challenge and not so much a mental one. Their culture is very proud and private, and because the current Wildlings are all very good roleplayers I feel that this is one role that could not be portrayed any better. Playing one isn't about solving puzzles or being a good fighter or archer, it's more of a challenge to become one with nature and be limber, supple and portray the role with your body than anything else.
3. I wish I had a wardrobe that would fit me better, but as it is I'm having a hard time drafting good patterns to my size. How can I convince others I am good at what I do when I can't even fix myself a good pattern?
4. This year is my tenth year in larp land and I've played at a hundred events so far (including picknicks and specials).
5. There are about six back-up characters in my mind right now. One of them is for Omen (Beriadanwen is a high-profile character that is bound to get killed sooner or later), the rest is for Maerquin. I love settings that are so alive that you can just keep making up new and interesting things to do in that world. It's the reason I love Maerquin so dearly -- I just wish more of my friends would take the leap and join us there. (We need NPC's!)
6. I am very much looking forward to Drachenfest, even though most of my larps are all bunched together and I will get so stressed out during the June and July months. I just can't wait to stroll around on the terrain, greet friends and just get the crap kicked out of me in a 3000-person battle.
7. I would love to be a part of the team making Game of Thrones but I haven't the foggiest idea where to start applying for such a position. I'd be great at getting everyone coffee, but what I'm really hoping for is a chance to make costumes and props.
8. Why bother with reading the news? Everything we are now so very worried about will only be a blip on the radar in ten years, it will most likely be forgotten by a hundred years from now and it won't matter at all in a few thousand years anyway.
9. I wonder what the Age of Enlightenment is and what Age we are living in now. Secretly I am hoping that something will happen in December, but I am afraid nothing will. I feel the need to learn things, but I don't know where to start.
10. Eleven is a really weird number.
11. The message Monique signed in my copy of her book brought tears to my eyes, because it was so true.

Eleven questions

1. What item or object you can't live without?
Truthfully, there's very little that I really need to survive. Shelter and food are important, and the next thing that springs to mind is anticonception (yes, I could live without it, but it would be really dull) and I am blessed not to need medication. But this question is not about those things.
During the move I realised I don't form any lasting attachment to things and I threw a lot of things away. Maybe that's a good thing -- since then I've wondered if I really needed something before buying it. I won't throw a tantrum because someone would throw my sewing machine away, for instance. It would be very inconvenient, but I would be able to live without it (although orders might get stalled).

2. What was your favorite holliday?
One of the holidays to Austria we took when I was a kid (stray thought: why are holidays from our childhood the ones we think about and not the ones we undertake as adults?). It is perhaps one of the family holdays that remain untarnished by the divorce. Jos and I build dams in the stream (Dutchmen by birth! It is our right to dam your stupid river, even if it's not our country!) we walked up a mountain and butterflies sat on my t-shirt which was printed with flowers. There's a picture of me (9 y/o?) with a large butterfly on my face.

3. What season do you like best?
I love spring. Summer is too hot for me, winter too dark, and autumn too terminal. Spring is lovely, especially warm spring rain.

4. If you were the only person on earth, what would you do?
I'd probably get stupid songs stuck in my head, shout "I told you so!" and go completely insane because that's what people without social contact do. Secretly I'd be very happy, build myself a cave of comfortable things and scrounge food.

5. What is your favorite piece of clothing?
A sports bra. Because it allows me to jump and run without knocking myself out.

6. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I'd probably made my hair teflon-coated so that it wouldn't tangle no matter how long it was.

7. If you could choose one world leader, who would it be and why?
Nobody. Because no one man can decide what is good for seven billion. You'd need at least two alhpa's.

8. What is your favorite place in the house?
The garden. But if it has to be inside, it's probably our sitting place, with our very comfy couch, because it's so snug.

9. Fish or meat?
Both. I can't live without either. Fish is the fresh breeze when you've had too much meat, and meat is the glass of water to fill you up when you're thirsty. I can fall completely in love with a steak that is still red in the center, and I want to lick my plate after eating carpaccio or salmon. There's nothing quite as lovely as nigirizushi with salmon and nothing as soft on the tongue as tilapia from the oven. Please don't make me choose!

10. What is your favorite smell?
Hmmm...freshly washed NoKey?

11. What is your earliest memory?
Walking in the forest with my aunt and mother in Zeist. Jos always picked up the biggest stick he could walk with. I remember the baby turtles in the water in the summer when I was five, and the downstairs' neighbour's dog pulling the sled I was on when I was four.

11 new questions
1. What is your talent? (something you're naturally very good at or you learned very easily)
2. If you could choose any time period from the past, where and when would your previous life have been?
3. Which movie could you watch over and over and never tire of?
4. Name a celebrity you admire or adore (and why?)
5. What is your view of the Royal Family (for Americans and those who do not have a royal family in their country: prime minister or president)?
6. Pick a workshop to do: belly dancing, hat making, learning to play poker or pole dancing. Tell me why that one?
7. Describe your style of clothing. (formal, office, casual, sexy... etc)
8. Tell me about an animal you'd like to own?
9. Is there a World Wonder you would like to go and see?
10. Favorite kind of food?
11. If you could play anything at a larp, in any setting, where would you play and what kind of character would you play?

I don't want to tag anyone, so feel free to pick this meme up (yes, that goes for you too, Lanzaned! Go update!)

Legendfalls 11: Legends Unveiled

Since Truestrike is not one to describe events, my report of Legendfalls will be written as a memory of important events. Italics can be seen as current time, regular as the memory as it is being recalled.

( Here click, read stoopid hoomani. )

Legendfalls was good, I had a lot of fun. The tension between Moonrage and Truestrike was just right, and even though my character had very little to do with the overall puzzle plot (not a dreamwalker!) I still had enough on my hands. There were more fights this time and I am very blessed with the other Wildling players.

I also bought Mo's book, which she signed especially for me with a personal message. Her blogspot is here and I hope you can buy the book here