Since this is the first run of Vanitas, characters will be written from scratch and designed specifically for players in the first round of casting. The sign-up form will include a long list of questions pertaining to the type of experience you would like to have and how you would like to engage and experiment with different art forms. In addition to general character and storyline preferences, the Majors, Minors, and Artistic Hyperfixations players opt-in for will heavily inform the design of the characters, friend groups, and dynamics between them.
Reserve or replacement players will receive characters that were designed for the original player, but alterations will be made to the best of our ability to personalize each character for new players.
The Artist
The lives, personalities, and motivations of all characters in this larp will be defined by their artistic passions.
At the start of the larp, nearly all characters will consider themselves completely devoted to their art form. While a small number of characters may not be as passionate about their art form, their initial paths will still be set by the influences of and privileges granted by their affluent and/or influential parents.
But even those who believe themselves to breathe for the singular purpose of creating art may find themselves questioning whether the sacrifices they are forced to make in order to succeed—costing them friendship, intimacy, trust, rest, artistic integrity, perhaps even their sanity at times—is too high a price for their ambitions.
The decision whether to pursue success (traditional or untraditional) in the art world lies solely with each individual player and character, and should form the crux of their game and character arc. A successful outcome in the competition will likely come at some personal expense to the character, but we aim to ensure a positive ending may be attained for any character whose player wishes to choose it. Read more on the types of positive endings that can be achieved, and how, in the Winning, Losing, and Possible Endings page.
The Student
Each character will be assigned two Majors and a Minor, and has the option of choosing an Artistic Hyperfixation. There are three Majors, all falling under the “visual arts” umbrella (Drawing/Painting, Sculpture, and Fiber Arts). For Minors, however, there is a long list of options, primarily (but not exclusively) centered around non-visual art mediums, and the Minor assigned will almost always be the player’s first choice. Artistic Hyperfixations are open-ended and left entirely in the hands of the players.
For the most part, a player’s artistic abilities will not affect casting in the larp. This larp has been designed to create an environment of free artistic creation and experimentation, so no skills or previous training is required to participate. In order to ensure that artistically gifted and/or trained participants do not receive an advantage in this game, the in-game competition will not judge entries based on technical ability or the quality of the work. Read more about this on the Winning, Losing, and Possible Endings page.
Majors
All students have a declared Major within the visual arts. These are the disciplines they have devoted their entire lives, minds, and bodies to mastering.
- Drawing/Painting: Encompassing almost anything that can be created upon paper or canvas, most often using pencil, charcoal, chalk, watercolors, acrylics, oils, pastels, and more
- Sculpture: Materials that have been worked or shaped into three-dimensional objects or designs. Sculptures are commonly found in ceramics, origami, mosaics, woodcarvings, stonecarvings, blacksmithing, among others
- Fiber Arts: Fine art made from materials consisting of natural or synthetic fiber. This art form includes fashion, embroidery, sewing, knitting, crocheting, weaving, dyeing, tufting, macramé, and the general textile arts
Every character will have both a Declared Major and an Assigned Major, the latter allocated to them by the professors at the start of the larp. Experimenting with a new art form is a requirement of the competition, and not sufficiently utilizing their Assigned Major in the creation of their artwork could get a student disqualified. A student may incorporate their Declared Major into the piece, of course, but the Assigned Major should form an equal or greater component of the final work.
We advise prospective players to carefully consider their preferences surrounding Declared and Assigned Majors, as it will likely form the foundation of their character and steer much of their play.
Minors
Minors are an excuse to blend other, non-visual art forms into the creative works and processes of the characters. (Though there are a few visual disciplines mixed in.) It is also an opportunity for a player who is skilled in an art form outside of the three Majors to incorporate their personal talents into the character.
- Creative Writing
- Poetry
- Prose
- Playwriting
- Music
- Musical instruments and equipment will not be provided, so this Minor will only be assigned to participants who request it and can bring their own to the larp
- Theatre
- Dance
- Fashion
- Photography
- Photography equipment will not be provided, so this Minor will only be assigned to participants who request it and can bring their own to the larp
Artistic Hyperfixations
Is there a certain relationship you write into all your stories? A feeling that you are trying to evoke with every painting, every sketch, every penstroke? Something—anything—that inspires you to create at its mere mention?
Artistic Hyperfixations are the personal obsessions of the artist; the concepts, themes, or dynamics that awaken their creativity and inform a great deal of their work, whether consciously or unconsciously.
If desired, we would like to incorporate the Artistic Hyperfixations of the players into the formation of their characters. Whether the player has certain artistic inclinations that they would like to extend to their character, or has an idea of the types of concepts/feelings/themes/dynamics they’d like their character to obsessively try to capture with their art, we’d like to include it all in the construction of their character.
The sign-up form has a write-in section for Artistic Hyperfixations, but the organizers have compiled a list of possible Artistic Hyperfixations, as both suggestions and examples:
General Subjects
- History
- Ethics
- Literature
- Psychology
- Philosophy
- Linguistics
- Math
- Astronomy
- Feminism
- You know, general subjects
Relationship Dynamics
- Mothers and daughters
- Fathers and sons
- Friends-to-lovers
- Siblings
- Power imbalances
- Missed connections
- Estranged friends from childhood
- Right-person-wrong-time
- Literary foils
- Enemies-to-lovers
- Cannibalism as a relationship metaphor (shout-out to Stan!)
- Middle child syndrome
Spiritual/Religious Concepts
- Purity
- Forgiveness
- Fate and/or destiny (which might mean different things, depending on your interpretation)
- Immortality
- Catholic guilt
- The afterlife
- God(s)/Creator
- Karma
- The soul
- Soulmates
- Magic
- Witchcraft
As a reminder, these are suggestions and examples. Virtually anything can serve as an Artistic Hyperfixation; you need only request it.
Professor Facilitators
In addition to player characters, there will also be two professor non-player characters played by facilitators. The presence of the professor facilitators at this larp is to reinforce the themes of commodification.
The professors represent the decision- and taste-makers of the art world. They represent one of two avenues within the industry—commercialization and experimentation, respectively—through which an artist can achieve financial success and notoriety.
This advice may veer between practical, perplexing, and soul-crushing. Students may be asked to abandon the styles or subject matter that they feel define them as an artist. Any criticism or feedback they receive from the professors are to be viewed as “industry standards/expectations,” so if a student does not adhere to the guidance of the professors, it can be assumed that their work would not be received favorably in the art world at large.
The professors determine the outcome of the competition. A student can only win a coveted industry referral by altering their work according to the advice of one—or, if possible, both—of the professors. (More on this in the Winning, Losing, and Possible Endings page.)
Disclaimer: GCAD is a fictional art college and has no affiliation to the Savannah College of Art and Design.