Personna views was RE: Magic Moments

[Elyh at aol.com]

I agree almost wholeheartedly with Antoine.  No, this is not a conspiracy of
frenchmen.  I'm a french*woman* and therefore, this is no conspiracy.
 Welcome the the wonderful world of logic according to Ghia.

>>2. Don't talk about yourself in third person. << 
<snip mundane stuff>>> It annoys me when we talk about
our personas as though they were D & D characters.  "My persona is a
third level cadet who is trying to accumulate enough experience
points..."<<

NEVER use third person at an event!!!1  But here on the net...It's difficult
for me to think of myself as 16th century anything as I tip tap on a
PowerBook.  But that's just me sitting here in my jeans using the internet.
 When I am me wearing a bodice and dangling a rapier from my little finger, I
am me. period.  Ghislaine Fontannea.  Never heard of Ely Hoover OR jeans OR
the net.

>>3. Not everything has to fit.  
You don't have to explain why 12th century Norseman are eating at the
next table.  How do you know they are 12th century Norsemen?  Your
persona only knows that those are strangely dressed folk with strange
ways.  We often impose our modern knowledge in situations where our
persona's reactions would be much simpler. <<

I like to think that, as all mundane kingdoms and countrys have their unique
customs and clothing, so does our kingdom.  I live in France
(well....Bretagne) but I'm on an extended stay in Ansteorra.  My they dress
strangely in Ansteorra.

>>4. Play with someone else who does your thing. 
I have found people that are interested in doing the same things that
I do.  We do them together.  The atmosphere is easier to attain and
maintain.  It's amazing how French things become when some of the
business is handled in that language.  <snip><<

Bon Apres-Midi, Antoine!  Souviens-tu moi?  Est-ce tu voyageraa a Gothic
Wars?  Je voudrais visiter avec tu, mon ami, encore!

Oops.  Sometimes I forget which language I'm supposed to be speaking.  It's
so hard, this English.  

<SNIP>
>>6. Share your culture.  
I speak French to others who can.  I use a French accent to those
who don't.  That's a skill that I have and I use it to lend flavor
and atmosphere.  I'm learning about the French point of view on
etiquette and customs.  I do these things as I learn them.  I also
try to accept and respect the customs of other cultures that I
encounter.  I have a friend who is Japanese.  I have finally learned
to stop calling him by his first name.  Do we have cultural
differences?  You betcha!  Do we get along?  Absolutely.  We are
both richer for it.  Use what you learn.  If you are respectful of
others you will not offend.  You will enlighten.<<

Absolutely.  I am one of the people to whom Antoine speaks french.  It's
great fun for me.  I don't do it to exclude others or be snobbish.  It lends
atmosphere, and helps to create *my* magic moments.  I have even recieved
complements from people who have no idea what I just said to them.   For all
they know, I could have insulted them horribly.  But one English Sailor told
me "I feel like I'm in some port city full of Frenchmen.  It's cool.  I don't
expect you all to speak English for my benifit.  For all I know, none of you
*know* English!"

<snip>

>>8. Read a book.
Don't be afraid of the library.  I have had many people of great 
authority tell me things about being a period Frenchman that were 
flatly wrong.  It wasn't their fault.  They were telling me how to be 
a period Englishman.  Only by doing a little checking on my own did I 
find the information I needed to step beyond "generic late-period 
man."  You don't have to read dry historical information.  There are 
period stories, letters, essays.  I've been amazed at the stuff I 
enjoy reading once I took the plunge.  Don't always take someone 
else's word for it.  Look it up.<<

I have oodles of trouble with this one.  In an English speaking country
(America), all the history books are about England.  No high school history
teacher covers the 16th century from any perspective other than Elizabethan.
 I don't have access to a fantastic library.  I don't even have access to a
remotely good library.  And even if I could find French books, I am not
equiped with a literary vocabulary, just a conversational vocabulary.  So I
have to settle for books about French things, written in or translated to
English.  Antoine--Help?!?!?!?

<snip>

>>10.  Have some fun, dammit!
Every once in a while just let it all go and have a good time in 
spite of all the holes and imperfections.  There is a balance that 
must be maintained to be happy.  Sometimes it is time to make a 
stand.  Sometimes it is time to relax and enjoy it.<<

If all else fails, have some wine.

Ghia