In this Fresh Faces article, meet Kanik Hollan (they/he), who plays Corvus (it/they).
I learned about it through SMAS at WPI.
2. How many events have you been to?
3. Have you ever LARP’ed before? If so, tell us about it?Currently 6!
Not really! I did a bit of boffer fighting among friends but have never been in a LARP before.
4. What is your character like? Where are they from? What is their species? What is important to them?
Corvus is very curious and tries their best to be friendly, is fairly new at seeking adventure but is more than ready to step up to a task that may be asked of them. They're from somewhere in the woods, it's not entirely sure where, just that after walking in one direction long enough they met other adventures and followed along. They're pretty sure they're human, but do remember a time where they were a magpie. Friends and shiny things are important to them. Shiny things can be anything from a gold piece, a trinket gifted to them by others or gifted by finders keepers, but shiny things are also anything new or exciting that may catch their eye. They hope to stick out for and by their friends and to make new ones along the way!
It's hard to say just one thing, other than the overwhelming sense of community that's here in The Realms. There is always someone with the answer you need or willing to help you find it, and even when the day is done and you're out of character, everyone is still kind and happy to help clean site and converse. I suppose I actually remember most helping pack up Black and White with Bogen as we talked about various things including the puzzle box that I had not yet solved.
6. What things have helped to make you feel welcome in game?
As I said before, the sense of community is so welcoming. I initially was very overwhelmed by spells but knew I wanted to take them up and even though I was overwhelmed, the people I reached out to were more than happy to help me out, talking about their experiences or guiding me in the directions of those I needed signatures from. I will also say joining through SMAS is a *tremendous* help, I was able to meet so many people that I can call friends out of game that when I see them in game, even if our characters may not know each other, it's far less stressful to talk to a face you already know!
I struggle with chronic pain so even though I would love to go out and be a full fighter, I can't so it can certainly be challenging for me to find my niche on a quest but I've been doing what I can. I also want to mention that it's sometimes hard to be a new face and have my voice heard, and I thank everyone who has given me the space to speak and be listened to!
I hope to become a recognizable face of someone who can help! I want people to think the name Corvus when they need a helping hand or a puzzle solved or a message relayed or anything else! I also hope to expand my crafting, out of character I sew and design costumes and I hope to bring those skills into the game!
I would say to say hi! A lot of us are friendly faces and more than happy to meet another. Also don't be scared if you don't immediately have it all planned out, or if something you thought would work out didn't, larping is improv, and if you can go with the flow you'll find your spot that you can call home!
Honestly, I've really enjoyed the sidequests or the more personal aspects of the game where we might go off and do a ritual or a stealth mission, the bigger plots are great, but the personal ones feel more real and tangible!
