No Goblins Allowed :: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)

PLANETARIA
EDITION III AVRITVM
An Excerpt
Tristitas s.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

The Hierophant, who bears the Winged Staff
Death, a hunchbacked Titan
Sulfur, a Halitus of Phlogiston
Mercury, an Ooze of Quicksilver
Natron, a Golem of Calx

Air, who bears a Sword
Water, who bears a Vase
Fire, who bears a Stylus
Earth, who bears a Clock

A Chorus Metallis (comprising the Seven)

ACT I

ANCIENT KARDIAPOLIS. An illusory tableau of the heart of the Empire, at its height of glory. The shackled aurorae glimmer star-like in magnificent closed circles. CAIES, the glyph of exaltation, lies ascendant upon the stage.

SCENE I

AIR, WATER, FIRE, EARTH, and the CHORUS METALLIS enter the balcony. The Elements stand united while the Metals frame them. Slowly, the orchestra begins to play, and the frozen tableau begins to move.

Universum I

METALS:
(Hearken...)
(Hearken to us...)
(Hearken...)

ALL CHORUS:
Hearken to our tale...

The HIEROPHANT enters stage left, and the crowd parts for her.

ELEMENTS:
O Reason! Your journey has taken you far!
Across the aeons you stride unseen,
Queen of our domain.

METALS:
(Queen! O queen!)
(Queen of our domain...)

ELEMENTS:
Your thousand wisdoms see all things to come,
And all that has passed, and all things between,
Queen of our domain.

METALS:
(Queen! O queen!)
(Queen of our domain...)

The Hierophant has reached stage center, where she silently regards the audience.

ELEMENTS:
Your blessings on the song of the Primes,
on works, on every deserving Opus,
To stand the test of time.

METALS:
(Of time, of time...)

ELEMENTS:
Lend your sight that pierces lies,
with your staff Azoth, pray shatter
All the mists of time.

METALS:
(Of time, of time...)

ELEMENTS:
Pray tell, pray tell,
The history closed to our eyes.
Pray tell, pray tell,
The time that lies outside of time.

ALL CHORUS:
Show us...

ELEMENTS:
The celestial words, the unseen land.

ALL CHORUS:
Show us...

ELEMENTS:
Within the shadows, the guiding hand.

ALL CHORUS:
Show us...
Show the Opera...
Show the Opera...
O Reason!

The Hierophant raises her staff, and there is silence.

HIEROPHANT:
You call to Reason?
Reason then will speak.
You come with questions?
Know then what you seek.
I recall...

METALS:
(She recalls, she recalls!)

The Hierophant spins the Winged Staff. Earth reverses the clock he bears, and the scene changes to the time of the Dark Age.

HIEROPHANT:
Recall the time.
Of Reason's founding,
And the cosmic hand.
When Death came calling,
At Empire's end.
When I had no voice,
To give your suffering.
When our world belonged
To the interloper king...
See how it comes!

The Hierophant's staff illuminates the ceiling of the opera house, where DEATH is lurking above the audience.

ALL CHORUS:
(The horror! The horror!)

HIEROPHANT
See how Death comes!

ALL CHORUS:
(Destroyer! Destroyer!)

DEATH:
So I have come.

Death raises its hand and all the periocha of Kardiapolis die.

SCENE II

Death rises into the ceiling and descends stage center, up-stage from the Hierophant. The Elements descend from the balcony. Fire and Water enter stage left; Earth and Air enter stage right.

Recitative

HIEROPHANT:
What manner of creature brings death to Kardiapolis?

EARTH:
It is alien of musculature.

FIRE:
It is an affront to creation.

WATER:
It defies understanding.

AIR:
It is not of this world.

HIEROPHANT:
You are not of this world.

DEATH:
Ha!
I have walked many worlds.
I have seen a thousand thousand suns burn into nothing.
The planetes, the wanderers are above such petty things.

HIEROPHANT:
You speak of the dimensions.

DEATH:
Perhaps I do.
Who is to know?

HIEROPHANT:
I must know.

AIR:
Beware, Hierophant.
Reason not with the interloper, for there is not a wisp of reason in its being.

EARTH:
You will be unraveled.

Death laughs.

DEATH:
I will destroy you and your Empire.
You will be ground into dust.

HIEROPHANT:
I will not go gently.

DEATH:
Why resist?
I have laid waste to a myriad worlds.
Your Empire is in tatters.
To end it would be mercy.

HIEROPHANT:
Never.
Let my world go free.

DEATH:
I am Calamity.
You cannot stop me.

HIEROPHANT:
You presume that I stand alone.

SULFUR, MERCURY, and NATRON, avatars of the THREE PRIMES, appear surrounding Death.

Trinitas

CHORUS:
(Gloria... Gloria...)
(Quinta essentia...)

HIEROPHANT:
I call you!

PRIMES:
We heed your call.

CHORUS:
(Gloria... Gloria...)

HIEROPHANT:
I beseech you!

PRIMES:
To safeguard all.

CHORUS:
(Gloria... Gloria...)

HIEROPHANT:
My champions of the Art
In holy function,
Who scribe the world apart
And in conjunction,
Rally to me.

CHORUS:
(Gloria... Gloria...)

PRIMES:
We rally to ye.

ELEMENTS:
They rally to ye.

SULFUR:
You who would destroy this world
Know not the powers you'd unleash,
Nor worldly bindings untether.
Hubris will be your undoing,
Destroyer, your own strength
Rebounded endlessly upon you.

CHORUS:
(Mighty Sulfur, show your power.)

MERCURY:
Folly to besiege this world.
Our sword is deadly Knowledge,
Armed and tempered by Time.
Words unspoken will bind you,
Hold you at mercy of Reason,
And to nothing dissolve you.

CHORUS:
(Swift Mercury, seize the hour.)

NATRON:
Turn back now, Death, back from this world.
We are the firmament that binds,
For the paint, canvas in kind.
You would fight every corpuscle,
Wage war against our ageless spires
Though we'd ever outlast you.

CHORUS:
(Holy Natron, deathless tower.)

PRIMES:
Turn back now, Death, back from this world.
Or face death you shall.

CHORUS:
(Gloria... Gloria...)

HIEROPHANT:
Face death you shall.

CHORUS:
(Quinta essentia...)
(Trinitas...)

Recitative

HIEROPHANT:
You see now the magnitude of your task.

DEATH:
Indeed.
I will relish this contest.

HIEROPHANT:
You still proceed?

DEATH:
I still proceed.

ELEMENTS:
It still proceeds, Hierophant.

HIEROPHANT:
Then come and try.
Reason dictates you will fail.
If you best my challengers, against all odds, then I without regrets face the sword.

ELEMENTS:
Face the sword.

HIEROPHANT:
Face the sword, and consign this world to extinction.
For if the bedrock of Reason is no more, there is no more left to Reason.

Death laughs.

DEATH:
An agreeable game.
Then gird yourself, Hierophant.
Ensure your readiness to face my challenge.

ELEMENTS:
Its challenge.

DEATH:
My challenge comes.

DEATH AND CHORUS:
Soon...

Death rises into the rafters and exits. The Hierophant watches him depart.

HIEROPHANT:
Soon.

All exit. Curtains.

The order in which the elements speak is symbolically relevant, so I'm keeping it.

I don't think "Perhaps I cannot, but they can" reads as weak.

Something like "You presume that I stand alone"?

Now, for me, it's sort of hard to not simply jump on board with anything that involves my stuff. I love my stuff. I put a lot of work into my stuff.

RuwinReborn wrote:

Now, for me, it's sort of hard to not simply jump on board with anything that involves my stuff. I love my stuff. I put a lot of work into my stuff.

this is really weird to me. I mean, I love my stuff too. I put a lot of work into my stuff too. and that's why I get really nervous when anyone else touches it. because there are just so many things going on that are important to me. even when CKY suggested the watermarks my initial reaction was "THIS WILL NEVER WORK". (it worked. like, really well. but only because CKY did a lot of source study to nail the styles.) and don't even get me started on the lighting debate for Foulmouthed Kneecapper. (which is a fun experience that Mystic now gets to go through since they've decided to do Grayland Savant...)

:duel:

I'm open to removing the Clade marker. I see at least two of you who would like the work better without it. Is there any objection to taking the marker away?

Speaking for myself, I love it when people are interested in using my stuff (as you've seen.) Naturally, I want at least a small degree of input about it, because my stuff is important to me, too, but other people invariably see things that I don't. As long as they are in the hands of a competent mind (which we have in spades here in the M:EM) I find it a fascinating experience.

Author:	chinkeeyong [ Sat Oct 03, 2015 10:01 pm ]
Post subject:	[Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
Planetaria (Excerpt) by chinkeeyong Status: Public This is an excerpt from a famous Solphosian opera, Planetaria. It was written by the librettist and composer Tristitas approximately a century prior to the present time, and revolves around the semi-mythical downfall of the Corindian Empire. Today it is considered one of the great classics of the Sophist canon. Scenes I and II of Act I of Planetaria are presented here. Spoiler PLANETARIA EDITION III AVRITVM An Excerpt Tristitas s. DRAMATIS PERSONAE The Hierophant, who bears the Winged Staff Death, a hunchbacked Titan Sulfur, a Halitus of Phlogiston Mercury, an Ooze of Quicksilver Natron, a Golem of Calx Air, who bears a Sword Water, who bears a Vase Fire, who bears a Stylus Earth, who bears a Clock A Chorus Metallis (comprising the Seven) ACT I ANCIENT KARDIAPOLIS. An illusory tableau of the heart of the Empire, at its height of glory. The shackled aurorae glimmer star-like in magnificent closed circles. CAIES, the glyph of exaltation, lies ascendant upon the stage. SCENE I AIR, WATER, FIRE, EARTH, and the CHORUS METALLIS enter the balcony. The Elements stand united while the Metals frame them. Slowly, the orchestra begins to play, and the frozen tableau begins to move. Universum I METALS: (Hearken...) (Hearken to us...) (Hearken...) ALL CHORUS: Hearken to our tale... The HIEROPHANT enters stage left, and the crowd parts for her. ELEMENTS: O Reason! Your journey has taken you far! Across the aeons you stride unseen, Queen of our domain. METALS: (Queen! O queen!) (Queen of our domain...) ELEMENTS: Your thousand wisdoms see all things to come, And all that has passed, and all things between, Queen of our domain. METALS: (Queen! O queen!) (Queen of our domain...) The Hierophant has reached stage center, where she silently regards the audience. ELEMENTS: Your blessings on the song of the Primes, on works, on every deserving Opus, To stand the test of time. METALS: (Of time, of time...) ELEMENTS: Lend your sight that pierces lies, with your staff Azoth, pray shatter All the mists of time. METALS: (Of time, of time...) ELEMENTS: Pray tell, pray tell, The history closed to our eyes. Pray tell, pray tell, The time that lies outside of time. ALL CHORUS: Show us... ELEMENTS: The celestial words, the unseen land. ALL CHORUS: Show us... ELEMENTS: Within the shadows, the guiding hand. ALL CHORUS: Show us... Show the Opera... Show the Opera... O Reason! The Hierophant raises her staff, and there is silence. HIEROPHANT: You call to Reason? Reason then will speak. You come with questions? Know then what you seek. I recall... METALS: (She recalls, she recalls!) The Hierophant spins the Winged Staff. Earth reverses the clock he bears, and the scene changes to the time of the Dark Age. HIEROPHANT: Recall the time. Of Reason's founding, And the cosmic hand. When Death came calling, At Empire's end. When I had no voice, To give your suffering. When our world belonged To the interloper king... See how it comes! The Hierophant's staff illuminates the ceiling of the opera house, where DEATH is lurking above the audience. ALL CHORUS: (The horror! The horror!) HIEROPHANT See how Death comes! ALL CHORUS: (Destroyer! Destroyer!) DEATH: So I have come. Death raises its hand and all the periocha of Kardiapolis die. SCENE II Death rises into the ceiling and descends stage center, up-stage from the Hierophant. The Elements descend from the balcony. Fire and Water enter stage left; Earth and Air enter stage right. Recitative HIEROPHANT: What manner of creature brings death to Kardiapolis? EARTH: It is alien of musculature. FIRE: It is an affront to creation. WATER: It defies understanding. AIR: It is not of this world. HIEROPHANT: You are not of this world. DEATH: Ha! I have walked many worlds. I have seen a thousand thousand suns burn into nothing. The planetes, the wanderers are above such petty things. HIEROPHANT: You speak of the dimensions. DEATH: Perhaps I do. Who is to know? HIEROPHANT: I must know. AIR: Beware, Hierophant. Reason not with the interloper, for there is not a wisp of reason in its being. EARTH: You will be unraveled. Death laughs. DEATH: I will destroy you and your Empire. You will be ground into dust. HIEROPHANT: I will not go gently. DEATH: Why resist? I have laid waste to a myriad worlds. Your Empire is in tatters. To end it would be mercy. HIEROPHANT: Never. Let my world go free. DEATH: I am Calamity. You cannot stop me. HIEROPHANT: You presume that I stand alone. SULFUR, MERCURY, and NATRON, avatars of the THREE PRIMES, appear surrounding Death. Trinitas CHORUS: (Gloria... Gloria...) (Quinta essentia...) HIEROPHANT: I call you! PRIMES: We heed your call. CHORUS: (Gloria... Gloria...) HIEROPHANT: I beseech you! PRIMES: To safeguard all. CHORUS: (Gloria... Gloria...) HIEROPHANT: My champions of the Art In holy function, Who scribe the world apart And in conjunction, Rally to me. CHORUS: (Gloria... Gloria...) PRIMES: We rally to ye. ELEMENTS: They rally to ye. SULFUR: You who would destroy this world Know not the powers you'd unleash, Nor worldly bindings untether. Hubris will be your undoing, Destroyer, your own strength Rebounded endlessly upon you. CHORUS: (Mighty Sulfur, show your power.) MERCURY: Folly to besiege this world. Our sword is deadly Knowledge, Armed and tempered by Time. Words unspoken will bind you, Hold you at mercy of Reason, And to nothing dissolve you. CHORUS: (Swift Mercury, seize the hour.) NATRON: Turn back now, Death, back from this world. We are the firmament that binds, For the paint, canvas in kind. You would fight every corpuscle, Wage war against our ageless spires Though we'd ever outlast you. CHORUS: (Holy Natron, deathless tower.) PRIMES: Turn back now, Death, back from this world. Or face death you shall. CHORUS: (Gloria... Gloria...) HIEROPHANT: Face death you shall. CHORUS: (Quinta essentia...) (Trinitas...) Recitative HIEROPHANT: You see now the magnitude of your task. DEATH: Indeed. I will relish this contest. HIEROPHANT: You still proceed? DEATH: I still proceed. ELEMENTS: It still proceeds, Hierophant. HIEROPHANT: Then come and try. Reason dictates you will fail. If you best my challengers, against all odds, then I without regrets face the sword. ELEMENTS: Face the sword. HIEROPHANT: Face the sword, and consign this world to extinction. For if the bedrock of Reason is no more, there is no more left to Reason. Death laughs. DEATH: An agreeable game. Then gird yourself, Hierophant. Ensure your readiness to face my challenge. ELEMENTS: Its challenge. DEATH: My challenge comes. DEATH AND CHORUS: Soon... Death rises into the rafters and exits. The Hierophant watches him depart. HIEROPHANT: Soon. All exit. Curtains.

Author:	Lord LunaEquie is me [ Mon Oct 05, 2015 1:20 am ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
Yea from I? I got part-way into Scene II, and I realized that I have no basis by which to judge this. I have never seen an opera so I don't know what the usual is, I'm tone deaf so I can't tell what kind of tempo or music it's supposed to have, and as a result I just... don't know what to make of it. I think we should have something like this in our Archive, though. It's something we don't really have, so it pushes our boundaries, and while I'm not entirely sure what's going on inside it, it's probably a good bit of insight into the world and culture of Solphos, as well.

Author:	razorborne [ Thu Oct 08, 2015 3:17 am ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
ugh I have to actually read this? PASS. ...ok fine.

Author:	razorborne [ Thu Oct 08, 2015 3:35 am ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
in the first recitative you have the elements each sing separately, but they're just going from lowest voice to highest, I think it'd be more interesting if it bounced around a bit instead of being a straight elevator progression. maybe Water-Earth-Fire-Air? I also think the "you will be unraveled" line would be better suited to a lower voice, either Earth or Fire, especially coming right after Air's coloratura exultation. "Perhaps I cannot, but they can." feels kind of weak after all the huge dramatic flourishes of the dialogue to that point, which is unfortunate because it's a big point dramatically. the "we heed your call... to safeguard all" bit feels like it'd be a bit too spaced out to really be clear, although that depends if the "Gloria... Gloria..." part is supposed to be between or behind the main lines, I'm not sure what the parentheses denote. in Sulfur's verse all the lines are basically iambic (some with missing syllables) but I can't iambically parse "Nor worldly bindings untether." Mercury seems to add in a few trisyllabic feet in ways that don't really seem right to me. Natron's is fully parseable in iambic meter. those are all fairly minor things. I'd love to see some or all of them fixed but I don't think minor metric whining and subjective voice arrangement concerns are enough to stop me voting yes. also woah I didn't realize this was an opera within an opera Solphos rolls deep.

Author:	chinkeeyong [ Thu Oct 08, 2015 4:14 am ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
The order in which the elements speak is symbolically relevant, so I'm keeping it. I don't think "Perhaps I cannot, but they can" reads as weak. "You will be unraveled" can be sung by Fire. If this is voted in, I'll ask for that change. Parentheses indicate that a line is "out of the spotlight," like faint chanting in the background. The elements are not intended to sing with strict meter. My thoughts were to have each one sing a different flourish of the same basic melody. Thanks for reading and voting!

No Goblins Allowed http://862838.jrbdt8wd.asia/

[Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt) http://862838.jrbdt8wd.asia/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=11950	Page 1 of 2

Author:	razorborne [ Thu Oct 08, 2015 5:05 am ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
chinkeeyong wrote: The order in which the elements speak is symbolically relevant, so I'm keeping it. fair enough. I'm looking at this as a composer/arranger rather than a storyteller, and if the story needs them in that order then they should be in that order. just trying to make my job easier. chinkeeyong wrote: I don't think "Perhaps I cannot, but they can" reads as weak. to be clear, I mean weak in terms of dialogue, not character portrayal. I don't think it makes the Hierophant appear weak, I just think there could be a better line there, something more in line with the general dramatic tone of the piece. if you want to stick with it that's fine, it certainly won't change my vote, but I feel like you could come up with something better.

Author:	chinkeeyong [ Thu Oct 08, 2015 5:07 am ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
Something like "You presume that I stand alone"?

Author:	razorborne [ Thu Oct 08, 2015 5:23 am ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
chinkeeyong wrote: Something like "You presume that I stand alone"? yeah, I like that better. that feels more like how the characters have been talking up to that point.

Author:	chinkeeyong [ Thu Oct 08, 2015 7:10 am ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
Ok, edited the submission accordingly.

Author:	RavenoftheBlack [ Thu Oct 08, 2015 5:31 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
This is a very interesting piece. It is, as Luna mentioned, very different from anything else we have going on, which is a good thing, but it does make judging its merit much more difficult. I will say that this is largely not my personal taste. I've never been fond of heavy-handed symbolism like the personified elements here, but that's really just personal taste, and nothing something on which I would judge the piece as a whole. Basically, my main concern here is the over-arching implications of this piece. First of all, I don't think we can, strictly speaking, read this as a characterization of Clade because of the nature of the Opera and dramatizing any events that might have happened. However, the implication of this piece is that Clade has, at some point in the past, been to Solphos, and presumably destroyed (or forested, anyway) large swaths of it. However, I don't get the sense from the Solphos dossier (at least from my memory, let me specify) that that's actually the case. The other issue I have is that Death seems to only represent Clade insofar as Clade's name is hooked to the thread's title. Nothing in this piece screams "Clade" to me. In fact, had Clade's name not been in brackets in the thread's title. I would have guess Death was Vasilias, or some other equally devastating oldwalker. So, because our understanding of this text is predicated on meta-knowledge that we don't have in the text, I'm going to have to vote NAI on this one, and ask that either Clade's tag be removed, or that something is altered in-text to find a way to make it clear to a reader from textual evidence that this is Clade.

Author:	OrcishLibrarian [ Sat Oct 10, 2015 9:03 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
Speaking just for myself, I really like this piece. The really formal, operatic quality feels right for the setting, and I just have a lot of fun imagining this as a really elaborately-staged production. I think Raven's concern about Clade is a good one, but I guess that it just doesn't bother me, personally. Given that, if memory serves, Ruwin is okay with Clade here, then I'm happy to just chalk up his involvement as a reference to some episode from the history of Solphos that we just aren't familiar with yet. Anyway, I'm happy to give this one my "yea."

Author:	Barinellos [ Sun Oct 11, 2015 3:26 am ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
I think it is in my best interest to abstain. I'm mildly familiar with Opera in terms of enjoying it, but to its actual construction, I couldn't really tell you much, so I feel fairly woefully unqualified to offer much on that end. But secondarily is that I sort of share the opinion Raven holds regarding Clade, but not strongly enough to oppose its entry based on that. Given those factors, I'm just bowing out for safety sake.

Author:	RuwinReborn [ Sun Oct 11, 2015 11:55 am ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
Well, I suppose I should weigh in on this matter instead of just ninja-voting. (Which is all I have time/energy for nowadays, sorry about that friends.) Anyway, I try to do my best to skim through the material that is put up AS it is put up. Sometimes I don't get around to commenting and sometimes I do. I always try to make it a point to comment on things that involve my characters because I want whoever worked on it to know that I appreciate it. It's very flattering, and this is no exception. I commented on the main thread about all that, so right now I'm just giving context. Now, for me, it's sort of hard to not simply jump on board with anything that involves my stuff. I love my stuff. I put a lot of work into my stuff. Clade specifically was really cool because I dreamed him up (literally) over night and wrote about him in the early hours of the next morning before going to work. I think he's got a lot of potential for "ancient threat" that has actually already been capitalized on, most notably by Tevish. I'm rambling, but my point is that I can't really approach this objectively, and I'm not really planning on it. This is clearly a dramatization of events - events that might not even have happened - which actually I find FAR more interesting. I don't think, necessarily, that just because this play was written ON Solphos, about Solphos, that Clade needs to have visited there... I mean, isn't it just as likely that whoever wrote the Opera was a planeswalker as well? Maybe they ran afoul of Clade. Maybe they were inspired by the legends of a hulking, hunchbacked monstrosity that represented death on other planes. Clade - as I believe Keeper pointed out when I first submitted him - is less of a person and more of a force of nature. It would make sense that, when talked about in works of fiction or myths, that he would be mis-characterized. People see different things in the same storm, after all. And, maybe, CKY just wanted Clade to be in the Opera. I think at this point the idea of a large, hulking form that represents death is pretty synonymous with Clade, despite his lack of, uh, screen time. I'm not against it, is what I'm saying. So, yes, while Death could probably be any other powerful and devastating oldwalker, the fact that CKY wanted to make it clear outside of the work that Death was, in fact, Clade, does not bother me. Though maybe he could smash a few more things. That's usually frowned upon in polite theater, though. Anyway, I'm voting Yea, if that wasn't obvious. I think this deserves a place in the archives.

Author:	KeeperofManyNames [ Sun Oct 11, 2015 1:45 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
Hm, I really like this piece a lot but I share the reservations of Raven and Barinellos... It does feel like the introduction of a major figure to the plane's history without actually having that impact show up. But maybe clarification will help. This comes at the end of the Corindian period, correct? This is after the empire falls and during the rise of chymia magna? What exactly is the timeline that we're looking at here? Also, you mention an "Interloper King"... is that meant to refer to Death/Clade or does that refer to another, different Planeswalker figure from this period? This is an extremely exciting project and I do want to emphasize that I'm really into what you're doing here--I can picture it all quite vividly, the music swelling as Clade and the Hierophant trade challenges, the circling of the various elements and symbols... I just want to have a better understanding of what this does to our canon and the timeline and so on, if that makes sense.

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Author:	chinkeeyong [ Sun Oct 11, 2015 9:31 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
Conventional wisdom holds that the Empire's collapse resulted from a combination of factors like banditry and mass slaughters, leading to the breakdown of infrastructure and governmental institutions. The Academiae survived because of their autonomy, political neutrality, and devotion to the rational ideal. This opera is a dramatization of those events. The characters in the play are generally believed to be personifications of different forces and influences of the time period. It's not possible that a hunchbacked bogeyman could just descend from the sky and kill off the citizenry of Kardiapolis. Or is it???

Author:	chinkeeyong [ Sun Oct 11, 2015 11:01 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
This happened over a span of around fifty years, according to the current worldview. Unfortunately, a lot of records have been lost over the years, and the Dark Lands have taken their toll on whatever ruins remain outside the periochs. An estimation is more guesswork than anything else. I'm open to removing the Clade marker. I see at least two of you who would like the work better without it. Is there any objection to taking the marker away?

Author:	razorborne [ Mon Oct 12, 2015 2:45 am ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
RuwinReborn wrote: Now, for me, it's sort of hard to not simply jump on board with anything that involves my stuff. I love my stuff. I put a lot of work into my stuff. this is really weird to me. I mean, I love my stuff too. I put a lot of work into my stuff too. and that's why I get really nervous when anyone else touches it. because there are just so many things going on that are important to me. even when CKY suggested the watermarks my initial reaction was "THIS WILL NEVER WORK". (it worked. like, really well. but only because CKY did a lot of source study to nail the styles.) and don't even get me started on the lighting debate for Foulmouthed Kneecapper. (which is a fun experience that Mystic now gets to go through since they've decided to do Grayland Savant...)

Author:	RavenoftheBlack [ Mon Oct 12, 2015 9:47 am ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
razorborne wrote: RuwinReborn wrote: Now, for me, it's sort of hard to not simply jump on board with anything that involves my stuff. I love my stuff. I put a lot of work into my stuff. this is really weird to me. I mean, I love my stuff too. I put a lot of work into my stuff too. and that's why I get really nervous when anyone else touches it. because there are just so many things going on that are important to me. even when CKY suggested the watermarks my initial reaction was "THIS WILL NEVER WORK". (it worked. like, really well. but only because CKY did a lot of source study to nail the styles.) and don't even get me started on the lighting debate for Foulmouthed Kneecapper. (which is a fun experience that Mystic now gets to go through since they've decided to do Grayland Savant...) Speaking for myself, I love it when people are interested in using my stuff (as you've seen.) Naturally, I want at least a small degree of input about it, because my stuff is important to me, too, but other people invariably see things that I don't. As long as they are in the hands of a competent mind (which we have in spades here in the M:EM) I find it a fascinating experience. chinkeeyong wrote: I'm open to removing the Clade marker. I see at least two of you who would like the work better without it. Is there any objection to taking the marker away? CKY, it looks as though this was accepted as is, so I don't think you need to worry about it.

Author:	OrcishLibrarian [ Mon Oct 12, 2015 10:28 am ]
Post subject:	Re: [Vote][Opera Libretto][Clade] Planetaria (Excerpt)
RavenoftheBlack wrote: Speaking for myself, I love it when people are interested in using my stuff (as you've seen.) Naturally, I want at least a small degree of input about it, because my stuff is important to me, too, but other people invariably see things that I don't. As long as they are in the hands of a competent mind (which we have in spades here in the M:EM) I find it a fascinating experience. That's one of the things which I find so exciting about working with other M:EMbers. I love to see how other people experience and relate to my characters, because, inevitably, they see things that I don't see, and that can be almost revelatory. And I love that they write those characters a little differently, too -- that they bring their own perspective and style to the work. Because that means they're creating something that I couldn't create myself. And that's an amazing kind of opportunity. It feels like getting a gift. I mean, Raven writes Jackie a little differently from the way I do. And Ruwin writes Jackie a little differently from the way I do. But I love those differences. I like getting to see Jackie from those different angles. Because they highlight different aspects of her personality. And I think that she ends up feeling fuller as a result. Similarly, I hope that, when I'm writing for, say, Nasperge, or Aloise, or Alessa, I'm not just creating a carbon copy of what Raven or Ruwin or Barinellos would have done in the same circumstances. I hope that I'm being respectful to those characters, and that I'm representing them honestly, and fairly, and in a way that their creators are happy with. (Because, I mean, I wouldn't do it otherwise! I'm never going to use another author's character unless they are completely okay with how it comes out.) But I also hope that, maybe, I'm also hearing or seeing or discovering something in that character that feels new, and exciting. That's what I aspire to do, anyway. But that's just my two off-topic cents.