[003] video | un: lyreplayer

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ It's early November when Orpheus posts to the network again, this time sitting cross-legged on the floor of his bedroom with his guitar in his lap and the Omni propped up in front of him. The camera catches him leaning back after having set it to broadcast, and he waves as the recording starts. ]

Hi, everyone! I'm Orpheus, and, I thought of something that might be nice for us to do together? I know we're all busy building new lives here, but I don't think that means we have to forget the places we came from completely, or leave those memories behind. Unless you want to? That's fair too.

[ He pauses briefly, looking thoughtful and a little solemn as he considers that, before shaking his head and getting himself back on track.]

But! In my experience a big part of any place a person calls home is the stories that people tell there and the songs they sing, and it seems like it might be nice to share those with each other, as a way of giving each other a glimpse into where we came from, and of preserving them for the future. It can be anything you want to tell us about, whether it's a piece of history or a legend or a song or even a nursery rhyme you like. You don't have to share anything if you don't want to, of course, but I'd really love to hear anything and everything people are willing to add.

[ OOC: This is a mingle post! Please feel free to comment on other peoples' additions and otherwise tag around. ]

Comments

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus nods, enthusiastically. ] Yes! Like - the purpose of a tragedy in the storytelling sense, depending on who you ask? Is to teach by counterexample, in a way. In a lot of them, the tragic event only happens after the lead character or characters are provided opportunities to stop it, but don't manage to, because of some flawed conviction or weakness of character that prevents them from taking those opportunities.

[ He rattles all of this off with the confidence of someone who's had this conversation before, not quite rehearsed, but practiced and known well to him. ]

And in ones where that's not the case, where the tragedy isn't preventable, it's often a statement about the indifference or cruelty of either the Fates or society by the author, which can also have a lot of value and give us something to think about, even if we disagree. Also, on top of all that, sometimes there's just a kind of sad satisfaction, in reading or hearing a story and having it end badly, especially if there's at least a glimmer of hope for someone, even if we don't see them get to take advantage of it.

[ He pauses, realizing he's just talked a lot, and gives a sheepish look. ]

Sorry. I just, um, think about storytelling and why we do it a lot.

[danserai]

[ a kind of sad satisfaction. is that what her story was? drosselmeyer had said so, "you are here to add a little polish to my story."

mytho, fakir, rue . . . they all had sad stories. was their purpose simply to be used like this? and discarded when they're done? all for some grand, noble ending?

it just seems . . . wrong. she wished . . . fakir had let her read his story. why did he have to burn it? she had wanted so badly to know how she existed within those pages. ]

I guess . . . I never thought about it.

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Oh - oh no. Orpheus notices that drop in mood and frowns, looking a little stricken. Did he say something wrong? It would be kind of like him, to go on like that and not notice he's done something upsetting. He knows sometimes he misses things. ]

Oh, um. There are a lot of other reasons that people write and listen to sad stories. Those are just the ones I think about? And I'm not any kind of scholar, or anything like that.

[ He pauses, then adds, ]

Um. Are you okay? I'm sorry, if I said something bad.

[danserai]

Oh! No, you didn't say anything bad.

I guess it's . . . For those characters who are trapped, it's hard to think that there's no way out.

[themuseabandonsyou]

It is. But there's - I think there's an art to telling a sad story, specifically. Like I said, the ones I like, at least, are the ones with a glimmer of hope at the end. The ones that say, maybe the story ends here for the teller with the characters in a bad way, but for the listener or the reader, maybe they can walk away and imagine that the people left at the end of the story can go on to something better. To heal, and rebuild, and grow stronger after what they've been through, lessons learned.

Does that make sense? Usually I like it better when a story ends after it tells us how the healing at least starts, but there's something a bit different, in making the audience imagine it for themselves. In making them ask themselves what they think healing looks like.

[danserai]

[ her voice comes off as soft. fragile. but with a very clear inkling that stories are not just stories to her. they're intimate and real. ]

Maybe.

Maybe I'm just afraid for the story to end.

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus's brows furrow slightly, considering her words carefully as he tries to puzzle out just what she means. There's something more to this that he's missing, that much is clear - but what? He guesses there's no better way to find out than to ask directly. ]

I'm not sure I understand. It sounds like this is something really important to you, though. Do you want to talk about it?

1/2

[danserai]

Oh. Uhm. I probably shouldn't. I'll get into trouble and it's all really weird, even weird for this place and Fakir will get mad at me even though he's not here but he will find out. . .

[danserai]

A-Anyway it's okay! I just need to figure it out myself.

[themuseabandonsyou]

Oh, well, okay. If you're sure.

[ Certainly he knows how it is, not wanting to talk about something because it hurts or is strange or someone else's business too or some combination of the three or something else entirely. ]

If you ever change your mind, I'm here, though. And I'm sorry, again, if I said anything that was upsetting.

[danserai]

It's fine and I enjoyed your stories! If you have any more I'd still love to hear them!

I could probably . . use the knowledge, ehehe . . .

[themuseabandonsyou]

Of course! I'm always happy to tell more, just let me think of a good one. Maybe something a little happier.

[ He pauses, thinking hard. A lot of the stories he knows are a little grim, but... ]

Maybe Galatea and Pygmalion? It's the story of an artist who fell in love with his own work.

[danserai]

Oh, that sounds a bit like Coppelia.

What happens in it?

[themuseabandonsyou]

Well, it's another one with a lot of versions, [ says Orpheus, repositioning his fingers on the frets of his guitar again. ] But this is the one I usually tell.

[ And he takes a deep breath, and begins to play, singing; ]

Muse, let me sing
Of the love set blossoming
By Aphrodite's sympathies
For a man and his dreams

I sing of Pygmalion
A sculptor with eyes so keen
Hands skilled and mind pristine
Held in the highest esteem

But lonely was his life
In the midst of artistic strife
No time for husband or wife
His work, his art sufficed

Until one fateful day
A woman, he shaped from clay
Perfect to him in every way
And so stricken he prayed

"Slender Aphrodite,
Take pity upon me
No one shall I ever see
That I will love as much as she"

The goddess heard in it truth
And needing no further proof
Gave the statue the blush of youth
And Galatea drew breath anew

Shocked, the artist cried
"Love, will you be my bride?
Nothing would take me as high
As your perfection by my side"

She smiled and said to he
"Rise from your bended knee
Know that I can never be
The girl your mind's eye clearly sees

"But ask this again of me, lover
In a year and a day you'll see another
Side of me and you'll discover
Whether love keeps its luster"

So they courted for a year
The artist learning her hopes and fears
Her flaws and faults, laughter and tears
And felt himself still drawn near

The next day, again he tried,
"Love, will you be my bride?
Nothing would take me as high
As living with you, side by side"

Delighted, she said to him
"I see now this is no whim
Truly you see past the skin
And I've come to love you too, since"

Now the tales are told
Of the lovers, manifold
Inseparable, skilled and bold
Together they grew old

[danserai]

[ her head bobs, a bird-like motion. ]

Oh, that's so lovely . . . I miss music and dancing.

[themuseabandonsyou]

Thanks! [ Orpheus beams, glad for the compliment. ] There's a lot of places in Cellar Door that play music for dancing - though I guess most of them are for people a little older than you. Hm. Do you do a lot of dancing, though?

[danserai]

I'm a ballet student! So we practice dance almost every day.

[themuseabandonsyou]

Oh, that makes sense! No wonder you know all those ballets. That's wonderful! I've never seen a real ballet before, just heard the music from some of them.

[ Courtesy of the occasional musicians passing through town that he could beg to play for him, or what records he could scrounge together enough money for. ]

I'd love to see you dance sometime - if you ever want to, that is!

[danserai]

[ she gets a little flustered. ]

O-Oh, I don't know if you want that. I'm not very good at it.

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus can't help but laugh a little bit at that - though sympathetically, as he's been there himself when he was younger and more anxious about performing in front of people. ]

You don't have to if you don't want to! But I'm sure you're better than you think. Almost every artist I know is a lot more critical of themselves than they need to be.

[danserai]

That's nice of you to say but even my teacher tells me I'm not very good . . .

[themuseabandonsyou]

Oh. Well, that's rude? I guess it's a teacher's job, to let their students know where they're going wrong and be honest about it, but everyone has to start somewhere.

How long have you been dancing for?

[danserai]

Uhmm . . . only a few months.

[ which is probably why. plus she's not a real girl. ]

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus nods, thoughtfully. ]

Then I'm sure you'll get it, in time. I'm not a dancer myself, but ballet's supposed to be a really difficult art form, from what I understand. Most people have to study it for years before they get really good.

Have you found someone to learn with here? If it's still something you want to do, I mean.

[danserai]

No . . . I don't think anyone knows it here.

I think I'm on my own.