middaeg | (OPEN) through your playing, even wild animals feel joy.

Who: a band of artistic criminals and you.
When: septeril 30th — octeuril 12th.
Where: æfenglōm
What: rehearsals and an opera.
Warnings: n/a

I. rehearsals. septeril 30th — octeuril 5th. day & night.
Following the announcement, meetings and the first beginnings of stagecalls are set. Whether your character is made aware of the ambitious event via their watches, or by the smattering of posters and fliers posted about the Entertainment District (the music halls especially are feeling the love), all interested parties are pointed in one direction. A hole in the wall location, enchanted and normally used to evade the eyes of Aefenglom law enforcement is where a member of the troupe will pick you up and transport you to what you may or may not recognize as the "rundown" Grand Melodia Theater. As it turns out, the theater is well-used and also well-kept. Fancy that.

From there, participants will be given a rundown of procedure, what's to be expected, and the plot:
The setting in which this story is placed is not inhabited by humans. The city in which our story takes place in has never seen the footprint of a human, nor the wand of a Witch nor the claws of a Monster. Instead this city is inhabited by only two occupants: both of which have feathers and wings.

This city is inhabited by birds. Two types to be exact: Canaries and Hawks.

To the unbeknownst eye one may only see a peaceful colorful place, full of lush land and tall trees to fly to. But those who look carefully may observe something particular about this population, and that is the fact that none of the birds ever soar high enough to reach the sky.

You see, there are strict rules which keep this city and its occupants in check.

In our story, the canaries which inhabit this place glide just a little higher than the height of a mere house and float only as high as the length of a street pole. They are prim and proper little birds who never flourish or spread their wings too hastily, for it is said that those who too soar too high or brandish their wings too brazenly can cause trouble for themselves as well as everyone else. Such acts are seen as too radical and too emotional. Best keep to the ground and maintain your composure.

Hawks on the other hand must adhere to a more severe regiment.

One might notice that the hawks in this city never open their wings and for good cause, some might say. It's exclusively prohibited for any hawk to open their massive wings– be it from excitement, fear or surprise. Their sharp talons are gloved at all times, and no hawk is allowed to lift their bodies from up the ground, even just to glide from one place to the other. After all, hawks are much larger than their canary counterparts and far more dangerous to boot. They're inherently aggressive and predatory- who knows what kind of accidents could happen should one get too excited?

"It is for the safety of canaries and hawks alike," The old wise birds insist, "That hawks never open their wings and never take to the skies."

It seems as though all kinds of outbursts that might result in a flurry of wings is frowned upon here. There's no need to fly, some birds may say.

Why act so recklessly when there is perfectly good ground beneath our feet?
Determined to keep to the ever-present theme of creative liberation, the troupe encourages actors to adapt the plot with characters of their creation. If they would like a straight-forward, scripted role, they can do that, too, from the characters outlined below.
THE PROTAGONIST — A hawk from other places unknown who's come to travel through the city. They are completely oblivious to the strict laws in this place and seem to care very little about doing what's right and proper. Whimsical and carefree, our protagonist doesn't seem to realize the "dangers" they invite each time they make a scene or become overemotional, much to the discomfort of the other birds.

THE HEROINE — A canary who lives here within the city. Our heroine spends most of the story attempting to help and advise our protagonist, although most of their efforts are in vain. Considerate and wise, the heroine firmly believes the rules are for the good of everyone in the city... that is until the protagonist's endless questions and criticisms begin to take root in their mind.
Members of the troupe are encouraging and helpful to all newcomers, and will fill the roles required but untaken. Similarly, they'll step aside should any Mirrorbound want to try their hand at a main role, and will happily guide them along the way, giving them pointers. It's clear they've been doing this for a long time, and under circumstances just as harrowing. This is, first and foremost, a project of intense passion, undying love, thinly veiled frustration, and a dash of vindictiveness!

Anything goes for rehearsals as they are the prime time for proposing new ideas, offering help, collaborating with your fellow artists, etc! Actors, singers, musicians for the band, writers, prop makers, costume designers, artists for backdrops, technical support, stage hands, folks to lift heavy things, etc — all have a role to play! Here's some ideas to get you started:

• Rehearsals are the best time to get your stage fright jitters out of the way. Acting or singing in front of someone will do wonders when it comes to remembering your lines– and hearing out your fellow actor/singer is just as essential!

• Costume designing can be fun, but it also comes with its own caveats. This is especially true in an opera where everyone is birds… where are earth are we going to get all these feathers??

• Stagehands keep everything running smoothly in place. Even something as simple as reminding actors to take a break or keeping the stage tidy helps the progress of the production.

*Feel free to use these as a loose guideline rather than a format. Go wild!
II. the opera. octeuril 6th — 12th. nightly.
On premiere night, those not already dressed in concealing costumes are encouraged to wear a mask. Members of the band, especially, take extra care to hide away their identity, being that the music they're to perform is charged—not just thematically, but also magically. Even if ever so slightly.

The stage is finally set. Music and theater lovers alike have finally come out of the woodwork to enjoy some well deserved entertainment, briefly free from the shackles of parliamentary restrictions. It is a fleeting moment of unrestrained art. Like a smoking volcano, the lit and festive front of the theater garners glances of both caution and awe after the doors of all theaters remained dormant for so long. Please—come see what all the fuss is about.

The ticket tiers mentioned in the flier are described in more detail at the booths. General admission, which includes the gallery and balcony seating as well as the boxes, are all free of charge. For a small fee, one can purchase the reserved seats. These are the more coveted seats, having the best position for both visuals and acoustics and include center mezzanine and orchestra seating.

Once seated, the lights begin to dim and the curtain slowly unfurls to unveil the stage and all its glory. The band begins to harmonize, lead by a raised baton with a white pristine glove at the end of it.

It's time! For some daring theater! Any number of things might happen, such as:

• Background characters enhance the stage setting and bring the entire scene to life. Get creative with your background character’s quirks and habits, or even hold a conversation with another character! Be as creative as you’d like.

• The music has an imperative role of carrying the mood of every scene straight into the audience’s hearts. That being said- don’t worry if you happen to get a little too carried away, just make sure not to bump into your fellow band members while you’re playing your heart out.

• Lighting makes all the difference when determining the significance of a character’s actions or role. You may suddenly find yourself in the spotlight with all eyes upon you. Now’s the time to improvise! Sing, dance! Or… crack a poorly timed joke and hope someone comes to your aid?!
III. reception & afterparties. nightly.
Every successful performance without the interference of Aefenglom law enforcement is a miracle in and of itself, worthy each time of lively celebration, and they waste no time indulging in the opportunity.

Each night, crew and stagehands alike will be greeted with smattering of bouquets of various shapes and colors, lined up on a table in the middle of the backstage set. All of those who participated in the opera are free to take one– for they've accomplished something truly remarkable. In the very face of Parliament themselves they've managed to not only put together a riveting and challenging opera, but they've also taken a chance to express their passion and love for the arts without doing it alone.

Wine, champagne and other drinks are set out for everyone to enjoy, as well as some finger foods that include assortments of sliced meats, cheeses and pastries. Of course, if one manages to get too drunk then that's just fine. As far as the troupe is concerned everyone here is officially part of the "resistance" so to speak, and one's secrets will be safe with them.

Good patrons of the audience can receive the hard-working members of the performances here to give their compliments, questions, complaints, what have you!

It's on! This post is for those participating as well as for those stopping by to watch! Feel free to direct any questions to the information post. It's never to late to sign-up or plot on it, either. Questions can also be asked under the header below.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i. rehearsal

[For the most part, Giorno stays on the periphery, so to speak. He's only an actor in the metaphorical sense — in other words, a fucking liar — so he knows he's not qualified to spend much time practicing on stage, either as a background character or a main. So he fetches and carries (food, water, snacks, bits and bobs); becomes intimately acquainted with time cues and how the lights work. Runs places that need to be run to, grabs costumes that need to be grabbed, greases wheels that need greasing.]

[Sometimes, though, there are moments of lull where no one is on stage, or most everyone is on break. It's during these moments that he considers the part of the Heroine, and reads her lines, mostly to himself. His interpretation isn't technically wrong, but is perhaps unusual; while he reads the lines as written on the page, there's an almost palpable stubbornness to the heroine's adherence to the rules. The struggle to leave the status quo behind is what his reading hinges on, the naivete of her position evident in everything down to his tense, closed-off body language.]

[He's clearly enjoying himself, though. Despite not thinking anyone's really paying attention.]

iii. afterparty

[There are literally zero nights he doesn't come out of this sweaty, dissheveled, and flushed. There are also zero nights he doesn't come out of it smiling and tired in a good way, which is nice.]

[The whole experience is nice. This is a little band of outlaws, regardless of how ridiculous it is that theater is outlawed in the first place. He smiles through his second glass of champagne, too pleased to be irritated even in the face of it all, but . . . contemplative, certainly.]

We'll have to make sure this happens again. And soon. [Onwards and upwards.]

[Whether thrown in the middle of yet another boisterous rehearsal or concentrating in the dead silence of the empty theater, one can surely find Salieri prowling about even at the oddest times. As the Maestro's makeshift production assistant he's watched and commended the seasoned actors who have taken up their roles so easily. For the newly hatched actors, Salieri instructs and helps when he can. He was never a stage man himself— preferring to compose the band or sing backdrop whenever able.

But watching these strangers act has been... illuminating, in several ways.

Which is what he's doing now as he watches Giorno from a lone corner. Nothing weird about that at all.

He waits for the blond man to near the end of a line when he speaks up:] Your diction is very good.

Those lines— it's the Heroine, isn't it? [Surprise!! Someone was watching you all along.]

[The funny thing about Salieri’s ubiquitous presence is that it renders him almost invisible. Even if Giorno had noticed him creeping, he might easily have assumed him to be creeping on his way to somewhere else. Being surveilled wasn’t really on his personal list of things to worry about today, but it sure is going to be added now.]

[Hearing a voice out of nowhere doesn’t quite make him jump, but it definitely makes him flinch and turn with narrowed eyes to the source of — oh. God. Okay, it’s that guy.]

Thank you. Your manners are very bad.

[Huffing out a sharp breath and trying to pretend like he wasn’t just caught off-guard, he gives a one-shouldered shrug.]

It is. I hate protagonists. [Mm.] So?

(OPEN) through your playing, even wild animals feel joy.

shows up an hour late with a tray of starbucks

i. did u make sure my matcha frap was soy

oh ya def. soy w whip :^)