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{ reverein talent show }

REVEREIN TALENT SHOW

Welcome to the Reverein Talent Show! This log serves as a mingle thread where everyone is welcome to create their own top-levels and have their characters show off their talents on a glittering stage. If you desire snarky judges commentary or if your character would like a chance at prizes, applications for the Talent Show can be found here. They will be open until September 10th to allow new players a chance to have their characters join in the fun. If you DO NOT want to be judged and your character is not looking for a gig or to join Emet's theatre company, they are welcome to participate as a walk-on performance - no application necessary! Go forth and perform to your heart's content!

Voting and voting guidelines can likewise be found over here. Each audience member is allowed one (IC!) vote. Voting will close on September 13th and the winners will be announced in a separate subthread below. Deadlines may be extended depending on the number of votes and pacing for the log.

I. COME ONE, COME ALL!

Come one, come all! To not just one, but two entire nights all but guaranteed to be worthy of remembering for years to come. Now that the winds have calmed considerably, event flyers have returned in earnest advertising the Reverein Talent Show to be held on the evenings of the 5th & 6th of the month. If anyone should happen to be passing through the Riverside District, they might be approached by performers in bright, elaborate costumes. While it would be quite easy to mistake these performers as Dream Fair organizers, a few inquiries prove them to be representative from the theatre house and part of the talent show staff. These performers will prove most eager to answer questions about the event and will urge everyone to consider entering and sharing their talents before the rest of the town.

A. Bright Lights, How We Love Bright Lights. Whether ushered along or choosing to follow the crowd, the first thing of notice are the dazzling light displays. Faerie lights gather and disperse before the Grand Theatre House, illuminating its façade and the steps leading into its main reception hall. Should one linger within the light display, the colors will shift and transform depending on the guests' moods. Perhaps they turn blue in response to excitement, red if one happens to be attending with that certain special and significant other, or green to indicate the nervous energy that comes with imminent stage fright. If attendees should feel anything truly negative, however, the lights shining upon all who enter may just so happen to flicker out entirely in response.

B. Making Memories. Inside the reception area are a number of small booths offering snacks and drinks as well as unique memorabilia to celebrate the event. Of special note are small contraptions known as "dream lights", not much larger than a writing pen. By focusing one's emotions upon them, the colors of the dream lights can also be changed. Perhaps they might prove fun within the theatre? And indeed, the audience may choose to create a sea of color from their places in the stalls or focus on an appropriate color to cheer on their friends when they take to the stage.

C. Flower Power. Highlighting the entryway is a stunning floral display created by Isabela Madrigal. Mayhap the fragrance of its blossoms will relax and fill all who gaze upon it with happy anticipation for what is sure to come. Still more flowers can be found within the theatre house, highlighting small alcoves and seating areas and framing the stage itself in their brilliance. When combined with a soft white fog and the flickering of distant "starlight", the stage is transformed into a mystifying garden landscape.

II. REVEREIN TALENT SHOW

A. Opening Ceremonies. Once the audience has settled and the lights have been appropriately dimmed, both Emet-Selch and the theatre's director take to the stage. They welcome everyone, making a point to thank the promising talent who have offered their time, and bid all gathered to enjoy the proceedings. Emet-Selch's speech in particular is rather...grandiose and whimsical coming from a middle-aged man with dark circles under his eyes. A certain someone once suspected the Garlean of "taking the scenic route" whenever he chooses to speak, and indeed the man's opening speech sounds almost like a dramatic performance in and of itself. But he will not prove unduly long-winded. Indeed, the two of them soon return to their seats at the judges' table as the lights on stage shift once again and a positively jubilant young faerie flutters out to introduce each act.

B. So You Think You've Got Talent. Performers seeking the judges' approval and either a place in Emet-Selch's theatre company or a chance at earning themselves and their act a short term run at the Grand Theatre House have been asked to arrive to the venue at least an hour before showtime. Backstage, participants can be found tuning their instruments and poring over scripts one final time before being escorted one at a time onto the stage. Curiously enough, there is a distinct deficit of stagehands, and yet the stage and its settings seem to undergo a transformation each time someone new steps out upon it - as if it is morphing to suit their talent. Perhaps the young man in long white robes might know something about how this is achieved?

C. For Whom the Spotlight Shines. After the final judged act has concluded for the evening, the theatre staff offer a reminder that walk-on performances are still being accepted! All one need do is sign up at the reception desk during intermission and make their way to a designated area outside in the gardens to be lead backstage once everyone else is yet again seated. No numbers are required. Indeed, this shall be your own personal moment to shine! Simply walk out on stage when your name is called and introduce yourself to the crowd. Staff members are available to help should you require any outside assistance. And as for volunteers? Well, you've a whole theatre full and ripe for the pickings! Everyone enjoys a little audience participation, right? ...Right?

III. INTERMISSION

A. Culinary Delights. During intermission the gardens behind the theatre are open and illuminated to guests who may wish to sit and chat while awaiting the second half of the show. Fireflies dance and crickets create their own symphony to mingle betwixt snatches of conversation and delighted merriment. A few grills have been set up and attendees are treated to a delicious display as ingredients are minced at record speed and whole fruits and vegetables transformed into intricately carved baskets and tiny sculptures of flowers and beasts. Who ever said it was poor manners to play with one's food, when the results dazzle the imagination? If anyone is truly feeling adventurous, they can even try "fusion" cuisine which manages to meld wildly different foods together into a single dish, some of which may look and smell a bit... eh, suspect... Do you dare?

For those less daring, there is also a candy artist set up in the corner gazebo, able to spin sugar into the shapes of (mostly) local wildlife. Anyone who comes to the booth is urged to try channeling dreamotion into the creation for a special surprise! And as promised, determining the corresponding emotion will cause the creatures to come to life.

Tea Mouse: reacts most strongly to feelings of curiosity and mischief.
Fairy Cow: reacts most strongly to feelings of serenity and happiness.
Coeurl (Tiger): reacts most strongly to feelings of confidence and friendly competition.
Moon Rabbit: reacts most strongly to feelings of affection and appreciation.
Spice Noodle (Dragon): reacts most strongly to feelings of bravery and loyalty.
Flower Snake: reacts most strongly to feelings of surprise and excitement.

B. Step Through The Mirror. The theatre is beautiful, is it not? There is something about it which - almost - seems too much like a dream, however. (Ironic, that!) The architecture matches none of the surrounding buildings, and the number of flourishes and embellishments within it seem needlessly ornate. Could something be hiding beneath all the glitter? If the talent show is not for you, mayhap a mystery would better suit your tastes. Is the theatre's current appearance the result of dreamotion? And if so, just who is expending so much energy for the sake of aesthetics? Could there be a more sinister plan afoot? Is this all an elaborate trap set up by a yet unannounced villain? Who knows! (But...probably not.) If anyone should happen to lean to long against a marble pillar or take an incorrect turn looking for the washrooms, they may just so happen to find themselves breaking through the illusion and into the theatre as it truly should appear. Still a lovely building, no doubt, but a far cry from the gilded metal fixtures and magical overlays that now adorn it. One might even discover some of the theatre students secretly and determinedly working away on revisions for the next installment of their beloved Sharktopusnado.

C. Stage Flight. Backstage everyone is in a flurry preparing for the next set of performances. The lighting needs to be re-checked, the flowers watered, someone's lost their left sock, and exactly ten minutes remain for an 11th hour dress rehearsal. In the midst of the disorganized chaos, a shrill voice rises above the crowd. It seems that one of the bird actors has escaped from its holding cage and has taken up refuge high in the vaulted ceiling amidst an intricate system of pulleys. No amount of coaxing or pleading will convince it to come down, and its trainer is in hysterics. The bird itself appears quite ordinary, yet according to them, the bird is an empath (of sorts) - anyone who attempts to touch it will be zapped with the bird's prevalent emotion. If the bird becomes frightened, anyone too close may scurry away in fear; if the bird is angered, one might forget their task and throw a tantrum instead (why is this bird so important anyway??). The key is to calm the bird down before approaching it. As the trainer tells it, the bird always responds to bad poetry and loves to have its neck feathers scratched. Oh, and its name is "Professor".

IV. AND THAT'S A WRAP

A. Smoke and Mirrors. Following parting words from Emet-Selch and the theatre house director, the lamplight swells and the doors are thrown wide. Pray leave with wonderful memories of all you have witnessed, or should you choose - linger a moment more. The night may be over for the audience, but it's now that the staff and crew members file out into the emptying theatre to begin tidying up and returning it to proper order. Pie filling is mopped up, the curtains are lowered, and the beautiful glittering ambience slowly fades, reverting the theatre to something still very handsome but far less fanciful than it had been a moment before. Any offers of help are gratefully accepted, as there's much yet to be done to get the venue looking as clean as a whistle. And what of the winners, you ask? They need only head over to the judges' table to claim their prizes where they will find one Emet-Selch looking both more pale and more tired than usual, yet also unmistakably pleased with himself.

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Oh my. I am really sorry that your original home has so much snow and no greenery to balance it out. My original hometown is surrounded by tropical jungles in Colombia so everyone in town has been lucky to see tons of lush greenery for most of the year.

By the way, I also have my capybara friend with me to help in distributing the bouquets to anyone who wants want to toss them to the performers after they perform. And so far, they haven’t eaten a single flower from them.

[Emet-Selch doesn't mention that Garlemald isn't his original home, though it's certainly true that the winters (and springs, and summers) there seemed to stretch into cold, white eternity. In truth, it has only been about 60-70 years - no time at all for someone who is practically immortal.]

Ah, how nice. So in other words, Colombia is like a summer vacation all year round. That would explain your familiarity with so many varieties of flowers.

[As to her pet, Emet-Selch glances down at them briefly. He isn't the biggest fan of animals, but it seems to be behaving itself, and at least it isn't a dog.]

Well how about that? A well-trained, considerate capybara.

Perhaps you should have entered them in the talent competition? I daresay they'd be the first of their kind to set foot on the stage.

Hmm, maybe that could be in the cards someday if we have another talent show in the near future. I have taught them plenty of tricks in my free time if I don’t have anything that would require my full attention.

(True, she has been teaching her capybara plenty of tricks to bemuse people whenever she has free time, in case somebody wants to fawn over them, quite recently. Putting it as the first animal contestant in a talent show could sound like a great idea she can work with.)

If they don’t mind getting to be on stage while doing flips or juggle balls withs their snout, that could be a great sight to behold.

That's quite the ambitious routine you have planned. And it helps that your capybara doesn't seem terribly troubled by the noise or the crowd.

[He folds his arms, musing quietly to himself.]

While I don't personally have any plans on the horizon for a second talent show, I suppose there are a fair number of people here who are quite fond of their animal companions.

Perhaps I will speak to the theatre director about the possibility of a pet talent show during the winter months. In fact, I imagine they would be quite pleased with the idea.

I can’t help agreeing with you on that too. That would be an amazing idea to showcase what animal friends, pets, and companions are capable of doing. And I am pretty sure that the theatre director wouldn’t mind having pets to have their own talent show in here during the winter.

Indeed. The director is an affable sort - I'm certain they will not refuse the idea outright.

...Well, so long as the animals are well-behaved. There's been a parrot backstage squawking its head off all afternoon. I had to perform a muffling spell on its cage to keep it from disturbing the other actors.

Edited 2022-10-17 16:01 (UTC)

Well, that is one talkative bird who doesn’t know when to keep its mouth closed. It must be hard to make sure that they don’t make too much noises that gets into everyone’s nerves in public.

My capybara friend here doesn’t talk too much though, they’re not the kind who can be too chatty for their own good. And they do behave a lot for most of the time. As long as it doesn’t try to eat plants too much so suddenly.

I see little way to stop it from doing so, hence the spell. Had I known the creature would be so noisy, I would have adjusted to schedule so that it and its trainer could have performed before intermission rather than after.

[Another considering glance at the capybara. He can appreciate that it isn't nearly so talkative. He also suspects that Isabela would put her foot down if it decided to gnaw on the flowers she's spent so much time and energy to arrange just right.]

Grani is also a relatively quiet sort - though he's prone to snarl if he smells something enticing, or someone he doesn't much like. He's hardly a pet, however.

Hm I assume that Grani is a well behaved companion for most of the time, correct me if I got it wrong. So unless his nose gets attracted by any interesting smell or someone gets on his nerves, he rarely snarls at anyone or anything at all.

I got to admit that he does have a patience of a saint.

Perhaps the word "obedient" would be more apt, but yes. All-in-all he is quite well-behaved, as one would expect of a familiar.

Although some may prefer creatures who are independent and unpredictable, many others would choose a companion with whom they share an understanding, one which is trainable and possesses a harmonious personality with their keeper.

Speaking of horses in particular, I find that a certain level of trust is required.

(While she doesn’t have the same affinity towards animals the way Antonio does, Isabela has come to see that animals and familiars are a lot more intelligent than most people would willingly admit. The affinities they have with their humans are undeniable to be acknowledged as far as she is aware.)

I would also agree with those thoughts as well. Animals and familiars have a lot of personality to them that it is pretty clear what they are up to and how they react to life. It does take a while to gain their trust at times, especially with differences in personalities between them and humans alike.

One of my cousins would attest to that: he has a strong affinity for animals even before he got his gift to talk to them months ago. Many of them are surprisingly friendly to be with, even his jaguar friend is actually quite gentle although he has a problem of resisting his predator instinct when smaller animals are around.

Communication with animals, you say? Quite a fascinating gift, and one which I understand is something of a rarity these days. Understanding them is one thing, but being able to speak their language and to have a meaningful exchange in place of words is something one scarcely ever hears of - not anymore.

Although I do not claim to be an expert of creatures, I'm not surprised to hear that a large feline's predatory instinct would arise from time to time. One can teach an animal, yes, but it is a difficult thing indeed to change one's nature completely. It's what they are, within the very essence of their being.

Yes it is. In fact, I ended up gaining a dreamotion ability to communicate with them just a month into being in this world while helping Elimei in one of her nightmare. So I get to experience my young cousin’s gift in this place and dreamshifts.

Oh I agree with you on that too. It can be difficult to get them to rein in at times as it has been ingrained in their behavior and DNA for many generations. Much like how it can be difficult for a capybara not to randomly munch on flowers out of boredom.

Well isn't that interesting? And a great source of insight into your young cousin's natural ability.

Although it has been a conscious effort on my part, I too have been learning to use dreamotion abilities inspired by others. Though in my case, such abilities belong to my...co-workers, rather than a member of mine own family.

[And a light shrug follows.]

Nature versus nurture, as they say.

(She undoubtedly nods in agreement while her capybara diligently distributes the flowers to anyone who passes by before the talent show begins.)

That is understandable. I guess that we all have different kinds of relationships with the people around us through the years which can influence how we develop our dreamotion abilities. Sometimes being with your family for a very long time can lead to some interesting dynamics.

(She isn’t sure if now is the right time to talk about her family’s problems and her Abuela Alma’s traumatic past in length.)

[Good capybara.]

So I would imagine. The bonds formed between kin are clearly not to be underestimated. Such is why so many families choose to stay together, through good and through ill.

But that in itself is an interesting case, is it not? That dreamotion is not always influenced by one person's emotions alone, but also by the emotions we hold for others.

[Perhaps, perhaps not. Emet-Selch's family relations are rather unique, all told. And not necessarily in a good way. As for his true family - those who birthed him into this world - they are all long, long gone. So while he may have some unique insight on the dearly departed, he is woefully lacking when it comes to understanding the more loving and supportive aspects of healthy family relationships. What he knows has come from observing others for thousands of years.]

Edited 2022-10-27 18:46 (UTC)

Quite the truth indeed. Most families normally stay by each other’s side and support each other regardless of how tough things will get for everyone. At least with the families I have known of from the town I have lived in.

Yeah, I have been wondering if family connections have played a integral role in developing our dreamotion abilities in here for a good while now. So I guess that my theory on that might have some merit after all.

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