[Open] Who wants to learn about rakugo?

[whirluendo_of_puns]

Who: Uendo, open
When: February 25
Where: Arito
What: It's Otherworlder Culture Day, a local festival where the scholars of Min'To gather to learn about the cultures of past otherworlders! Uendo is there to share his rakugo; anyone is free to come watch, and perhaps you can share something from your own world while you're there?
Warnings/Notes: Whatever people bring with them


Only two weeks left until Bahamut's summoning. Uendo knows he should be out there, doing something to prepare himself for the upcoming battle -- but even after this entire past year in Vaikuntha, he's still not a fighter. He's not the detective type either, no matter how much he likes his crime shows. What could he possibly do to find the summoner that someone hasn't already tried?

So, he's helping in the one way he knows how.



"Thank you for coming! My name is Uendo Toneido. I'd like to introduce everyone here to rakugo, an art of comedic storytelling from my homeworld!"

The scholars have helpfully provided him with a stage and a cushion to sit on. The venue is fairly small, just as he was hoping. Being able to make eye contact with every audience member makes a huge difference in creating a warm atmosphere.

"The easiest way to explain rakugo might be by comparing it to a one-man stage play... though I've heard it called sit-down comedy as well. A rakugo artist acts out a story without leaving his cushion, with only a fan..." He holds up a paper fan, as well as a small linen towel, "...and a towel, called a tenugui, to use as props. I'm going to ask you all to help me out by stretching your imagination to its limits, okay? This way, a simple fan can become anything: a pipe... a pair of chopsticks... a ladle... a sword..."

He rests the fan on his hip like a hilt of a sword, and swings. Some of the audience members in the front row instinctively jerk back.

"Perfect, you got it already! Now, the tales of the rakugo tradition go back hundreds of years, to the Edo period of Japan. We're not talking about myths or legendary heroes here; rakugo is about the everyday lives of ordinary people, the good and the bad. You could call it a window to the past... though, looking through it, you'll find people were just as easily amused by poop jokes and puns then as they are now, so that can take the shine off the nostalgia a bit."

There are a few good-natured chuckles around the room.

"Usually, I don't pick out a story until I'm already on the stage and see what the audience is looking for. Which can be a bit of a pickle when the audience has no expectations! For my demonstration today, I'll go with the easy answer and look to recent events for help, so... How about that Valentine's Day?"

Uendo shrugs his haori off, continuing to chat conversationally.

"It's easy to get caught up in the idea of a whirlwind romance and trying to impress your girl with pricy gifts. Once the honeymoon glow wears off though? Making a relationship last takes a lot of hard work. Today's story is about a fishmonger and his wife who live near a riverbank in Shibahama. The fishmonger, named Kuma, has a good eye for fish, but is sadly something of a lush. He skips out on work and drinks from dawn to dusk, much to his wife's chagrin. One day, she manages to pester him into leaving the house..."

He shifts a bit on the cushion and, with merely a change in body language, begins acting out the story. The scenery is painted by miming each movement, by directing the gaze, as though he's truly on a riverbank and not the stage. The fan becomes a smoking pipe, the towel becomes a purse. The way he switches effortlessly between the fishmonger and the wife... It's like he's a different person.

The story, despite its comedic moments, turns quite emotional. Uendo is in tears by the end, voice cracking with feeling. There are a few moist eyes in the audience, too.

"Actually, though... I'd better not." He places an imaginary sake cup back on the floor and smiles tenderly through his tears. "I wouldn't want this to become just another dream."

He bows, and the audience breaks into an applause. It may not be a standing ovation, but... It looks like everyone had fun.


[OOC: You can respond to Uendo's performance, but you can also use this log to write up something your character wants to share at the festival if you'd like!]

Comments

The Nohrian Pavillion

[bladeofconquest]

While it's true she's mostly here as an adventurer and Hero of Light, there is another role Corrin knows she has to play during her time in Vaikuntha; as the only member of the Nohrian royal family, she is also, in effect, an ambassador to this new world, even if there is little chance Nohr will ever have more permanent contact with other worlds, much less this one.

Still, it's a role she takes seriously, and this cultural festival was too good an opportunity to pass up. So for the last little while one of Corrin's many side-projects has been getting a Nohrian pavillion set up for the festival, with the scholars' help, which had been invaluable.

Inside the black and purple tent, visitors will find Corrin in her Nohr Noble regalia and a small exhibit that's been put together. Most of the "artifacts" are reproductions, though a large map of the country has been provided based on the one Corrin fished out of the Dream Width not too long ago; notable cities, such as the capital of Windmire, important military outposts like Fort Dragonfall, and other notable towns such as Dia, Nohr's primary port, and the town of Macarath, located in the most fertile region of the kingdom, and thus its agricultural center, have been marked out, with accompanying descriptions. Shadow Yato is prominently featured in a display case in the center of the room, along with recreations of Siegfried and Brynhildr, the two other Divine Weapons of Nohr, with descriptions of both. Other recreations include crown of iron laurels worn by her brother King Xander, a horned circlet favoured by the First Princess Camilla, the helmet of a Faceless and the mask of a Stoneborn golem, a pauldron favoured by Nohrian sellswords, as well as the heavy chestplate favoured by rank and file Nohrian knights, amongst others. Some of the display cards mention the two Divine Weapons of Hoshido, Raijinto and Fujin Yumi, but they are not represented physically. Some information about Hoshido is provided, but as Corrin still knows far too little about the culture and people of the kingdom of her birth, she does not feel confident in her ability to accurately represent it, and so mostly refrains from doing so.

There's a lot to read, too. All of it is based on conversations Corrin has had with the scholars of Min'To who have then...cleaned it up and made it more accessible to read. Many displays contain historical information about the country, as while Corrin may have grown up isolated, Xander ensured she was properly educated about the country she was to eventually have a hand in administering, its three main knightly orders (the rank and file infantry Knights of Nohr, the mounted Cavaliers, and the aerial Wyvern Knights), as well as biographies of the Royal Family; that is, King Xander, Princess Camilla, Prince Leo, Princess Elise, and Princess Azura (Corrin does her best to be impartial here, with varying degrees of success). Some information is also provided about King Garon; the real King Garon and not the creature that took his place and masqueraded as him, who was principally responsible for prosecuting the war with Hoshido.

On that note, there's also a lot of information about the Hoshidan War, and Corrin pulls no punches here; her descriptions of the war unambiguously paint Nohr as an unjust aggressor and Hoshido simply trying to defend itself. Corrin's own status as a member of both royal families is also discussed as well as a laying out of the reasons why she made the choice to remain with Nohr rather than her birth family in Hoshido. They do end on a hopeful note however, talking about how King Garon was discovered to be an imposter and his subsequent defeat on the last day of the war, and how Xander's taking of the crown has meant sweeping reforms for the kingdom, renouncing not only the Hoshidan conquests but all other vassal states formerly under Nohrian rule, and a true agreement of peace between Nohr and Hoshido, under its new ruler, Queen Hinoka. The mistakes of the past are acknowledged and that the road to build new relationships of trust and respect will be long, but the future promises to be one of peace and understanding, ending with a transcript of Xander's coronation speech (provided in full here):

Thank you, fellow Nohrians, for joining me in celebration today. The war is finally over, and we have formed a new alliance with Hoshido. Though once enemies, our kingdoms will now strive for peace together. Since the war began, and long before, both Nohr and Hoshido were in agony. Freedoms were oppressed, possessions were plundered, the land was ravaged. Rebellions and uprisings tore our great kingdom apart. Our world was in pain. I never wish to see that happen again…Not to anyone. I won’t allow it. As such, all tribes and other peoples of Nohr shall be granted autonomy. We will not seek to expand our borders by infringing upon Hoshidan land. Instead, we shall strive to build a foundation of trust. Both kingdoms will do all we can to plant a seed of mutual respect. In the years to come, I look forward to watching that seed grow. We have a long road ahead of us. It will not be easy, but it is worth treading. On this day, as I assume my father’s throne, I vow to steady our course. The night sky is dark, but that is what allows the stars to shine so brilliantly. As king, I hope to be the light that guides Nohr out of this long night. I swear I will not rest until our beloved home awakens to a brighter tomorrow. For the great people of Nohr…Here’s to a future of peace and prosperity!

Corrin will spend most of the day in the tent, happily answering any questions either native Vaikunthans or other Offworlders might have for her about her home. There's also, should anyone desire, free sheet music of a certain song Corrin is relatively fond of (and a slinky black dress with accompanying veil is displayed on a mannequin in a position of prominence next to where the sheet music can be collected).

[legalcy]

The Performance

[It's difficult to tell with his constant stern expression and crossed arms, but Minimus is enjoying the performance. From an outsider's perspective, there appears to be an unspoken structure to this "Rakugo". He is concerned about the limited supplies (it puts him on edge, worrying that Uendo will not be able to convey the setting properly), but the story goes through a logical progression, even if the dream element makes it a bit of a non-sequitur.

Uendo's ability to act out the role of two different characters at the drop of a hat is certainly impressive.

When it ends, Minimus does not clap, but he attempts to leave the crowd before they all march out and knock him over.

Afterwards, he stays behind to speak with Uendo. He will also ask anyone who is (or appears to be) human.] I have several questions on this Earth tradition. Do you have time?

The PowerPoint of Despair

[Minimus Ambus is not a reliable resource of Cybertronian culture, for what existed of it. Stand-up comedy has been making a return, but he has been reminded multiple times of the lack of quality in his jokes.

So, he has the next best thing: an introduction to Cybertronian life and history. Now with a projector taller than an Elezen displaying slides behind the diminutive robot.]

One the left are the list of the most common compounds found on organic planets such as Vaikuntha and all versions of Earth, while on the right are the key elements to sustain mechanical life on Cybertron. The formal chemical names are...

[He talks about how Cybertronians are created with the ability to turn into another form, and while the cities are entirely made of metal, the planet scenery does have softer things like sand and rock. There's the moon, Luna-2, and ship-based colonies, the names that he lists before he moves onto the next slide.]

The various regions of the planet have their own names, of course. There is Iacon, Polyhex, Tetrahex, the Pious Pools, Simfur...Now, some of these were population centers before the Great War, but if we were to categorize the environments...

[These all have a connection to the center of the Planet, called Vector Sigma. It's lost in his droning and dull presentation, but it sounds as if it's some sort of life-giving force. It's a bit difficult to pay attention after 100 slides.]

It's time for the second half: legal history on Cybertron and other societies! [At least he sounds excited, even if he's losing people as more stop by to gawk. He hopes someone out there is paying attention...]

[failtsuninari]

[Performance]

The Edo period. That was a time Kenichi hadn't heard in a while. While he did grow up during that time, he didn't develop an appreciation for it until much later. Kenichi may not be one of the Shinto god of the arts, but he knew an excellent performance when he saw one. In fact, he may have been one of the few people who did give a standing ovation. As the audience who stayed behind to speak with the artist thinned away, Kenichi approached Uedo.

"Amazing! I haven't seen a performance like that in ages."

[A Different Sort of Art]

Thankfully with the scholars' help, it didn't take much to pull off what Kenichi had thought in mind. On a raised platform before him was a paper as tall as an average human. In his hand was a brush but the handle was as long as his arm. The bristles as long as his hand, which tapered into a fine point. There was a small shallow metal bowl with black ink. Kenichi stood in front for a second before dipping the brush into the bowl.

The wet splat of brush hitting paper signaled the start. Onlookers watched as stroke by stroke, something was appearing on the paper. "This is the art of calligraphy in my homeworld. It is something that requires skill and concentration. It can portray serenity and grace or flair and vitality but most importantly it can inspire." With the final stroke done, he turns to the audience to display two characters.

"These two characters is how we write 'hope' where I am from. Ink is not only just used for words, but for art." He signaled Cecil the moogle to move the finished piece to the side to dry and prepare a new sheet. Kenichi placed the giant brush to the side for something more subtle. Curves of black ink and then washes of ink first appeared as slowly something quite familiar to locals began to appear. When Kenichi pulled away from his work and moved to side, there were oohs and ahs as the image of a chocobo in the middle of a dynamic leap was revealed.

Watching the Show

[righthandstand]

Okuyasu had never seen this piece - he hadn't seen any rakugo shows as they cost more money than his brother was willing to part with, but he knew some stories. He thought they were funny, but...

He wiped a tear with the palm of his hand.

"I...I hope that wasn't a dream..." He felt so bad for the dude. And his wife. He hoped they'd actually get the money and live the good life, but what if it was all fake?