"Witnessing a shield bash, you understand the haha yesss that the basher must feel upon bashing, just as you empathetically presume a long oh noooooo on behalf of the bashee. So I was surprised to learn being bashed was, in itself, just as fun. When it's ya bro doin' the bashin' it just feels good, the knight continued, after a muddy melee at Balingup's 2017 medieval fair. Like, mate earned it. We're bonded in mud."
"I am not a Larper (live action role player), nor am I particularly fascinated by the ins-and-outs of historical re-enactments or the low hum of horniness that runs through all renaissance fairs. I am, however, fascinated by stories and characters, especially those we forge to make life and loneliness bearable in this particularly lonely and unbearable epoch we find ourselves living in."
Participants report enjoyment from both bashing and being bashed, describing physical pleasure and camaraderie that cements friendships after muddy melees. Medieval fairs and LARP events attract knights, rogues, wizards, petty lords and bandits who craft characters and rituals to make life and loneliness more bearable. Some identify deeply with imagined selves, such as Dragonkin who describe their inner dragon as their true identity. Roleplay, costumes and shared lore create intimate communities that offer identity exploration, social bonding and emotional escape through personal mythopias and online persona-building. The practice intersects performance, nostalgia and identity politics, blurring lines between fantasy and lived selfhood.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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