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 Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:47 pm
Welcome to my quest thread for the Broken Muse, Melpomene! Sit back, relax, and have a cookie, they're freshly baked. Oh, and don't forget to critique; I want Mel to be spotless before I ask for approval.
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:50 pm
The World of Muses
Type: B? I'd suppose it was B. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Description: The World is a small, simplistic place, and to all forms of knowledge it consists of only a small continent (about the size of Australia) and the oceans surrounding, with tiny islands occasionally lifting their craggy peaks from the sea. The climate depends on where you are, for the World functions almost as a condensed form of Earth: the shores are like the Mediterrania, the flatlands like plains, the underbrush a rainforest, the overbrush like a pine forest, swiftly ascending to the cold peaks of the Mount, and the cliffs into the sea. the continent seems rather like an inclined plane, from West, to east, starting with warm, humid sand, and ending in icy rocky crags.
But the geography itself bears little importance to our purposes: what matters is the culture, the Muses themselves. Some believe they were fashioned by the will of the Greco-Roman mind, for that is where they are first referenced, though others believe they have existed on their own separate plane in conjuctions with humanity for all of existance. Either way, the true essence of a muse is not quite what was scripted on the tabulae many years ago.
A muse, as the title explains, is the epitome of inspiration. They are each born with innate abilities for an art, and as they grow, so does their art in the human world. They work to perfect their passion, and often can only express themselves in their arts because of their strange features: a Dancer might be lithe and graceful, but lack any facial features, and an Artist, while gifted with skilled eyes and sensitive hands, may lack toes on which to walk. The more talented they are in their skill, the further constrained their body's are, but even the human-like muses often only express themselves by their art (a Musician would not use words, but rather, a chord progression, to explain to others how they felt). Because of this diversity, many muses know most of the "dialects" of other specialties and can basically express in each of them, specializing only in one or (at the most) two themselves.
The concept of specialization is important to the musaic culture, and those who further interact with their specialty are seen with higher regard. This stems partly from the fact that one who specializes often becomes unable to interact with muses outside of their specialty, and rely on others to communicate (think the Indian caste system -- the Brahman are the highest caste, but require the lower castes to do tasks for them so that they remain pure). No, it's not racism, and no, those more specialized are not lazy: they simply cannot function outside of their art, and literally live, breathe, and die by it. This rule applies to all muses, in varying degrees: they must practice and perform their skill, or actually suffer physically from a sort of withdrawl from connecting to their core.
Muse homes vary from place to place on the main continent, but as a race they are nomadic, and often arrange some sort of tent-like system, crafted by Artistic Weavers. Muses of the same kind do not live in groups exclusively of their own, and the art a muse has is not genetic: any child they bear will just as likely as not be of a different art. Children stay under the guides of their parents until maturity, then seek out on their own, usually breaking familial ties by adulthood (they would recognize their mother, but not as a mother-figure: rather, as a peer). Oftentimes, family members never even interact after the child has reached adulthood, and it is only a rare few muses that take comfort in another muse as opposed to their art (if you couldn't tell, they're not the model social creatures). However, when muses bond, it's rather deeply: to work together at an art in a duet or something similar is seen as an intimate act of sorts, and almost always leads to mating, children, and other such enjoyments. ;D Do not confuse this with teaching someone else an art or imposing your art another: it is EXTREMELY taboo to do so in musaic culture, and highly frowned upon, regardless of the situation. After all, most muses wouldn't need nor want to be taught, anyways; the idea is absurd.
Feel free to ask any questions: I'm still fleshing out the world. =3
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:51 pm
Melpomene: The Muse Who Couldn't Specialize
Name: Melpomene
Nickname: Mel
Gender: Female
Age: 19-21 (Only a Historian would know, and Mel never bothered to find out)
Hair Color: White, with orange dyed on the top of her head and the front of her bangs (she has orange cream soda hair!)
Skin Color: Medium-dark grey
Eye Color: Light grey
Appearance: Mel
Personality in Three Words: Altruistic, Content, Patient
History: To other muses, the shortened name Mel would be an insult: muses deliberately name their children flowery words that are pleasing to the tongue and ear, and Mel herself is special to be named after one of the Nine who actually came to Earth. The shortened version is not only disrespectful of the name itself, but it suggests that Mel is stunted, short-witted, and just downright stupid.
Of course, Mel wouldn't know that. She never specialized.
To specialize is the most important facet in musaic culture, so much a part of their lifestyles that it's not even thought of (the equivalent of asking if one specialized would be to find someone on any given street and asked if they had the ability to breathe). Likewise, when Mel never developed any particular talent, and rather showed basic abilities in all of them, her family and the entire community were rather taken aback. How did one thrive without their art?
To that extent, Mel is considered by her peers to this very day to be autistic, something more for the Historians and Storytellers to learn about than an actual sentient being. It was always obvious who she was: her skin was unpainted, her clothing was plain, her dwelling was bare...in such a society where one's creativity was their status, Mel had nothing, and such a concept was blasphemous to think about. She was almost human. As her mother was a Musician, she spent her childhood attempting to mimic her mother's skills, and in that time picked up singing, lyre playing, and trumpet playing, but only after years of practice, and never to the expected extent.
The only muse to ever interact with her was Orion, an Artistic Storyteller: he specialized in two things, and as such, made light shows to tell his stories. He wanted to know Melpomene's condition to tell it to the next generation, but upon meeting her, realized that what he'd heard about her was wrong: she had potential to be a muse of any type, and just needed a mentor. Determined to "rehabilitate" Mel as an Artist, he taught her the basics of his skill in secret (as it was taboo to share skills with someone other than your mate, and Orion, as much as he cared for Mel, certainly didn't want to be seen with her until she was accepted). He gave her the Boreals, a series of colored lights that she learned to use with basic ease. and even decided to paint her, but when she hesitated to choose colors for herself, he started on her hair, painting it a citrus orange...
...It was then that they were caught.
Orion was openly chastized for the spectacle, but refused to step down, openly revealing his plan. Mel, however, was ashamed that she had caused him trouble. She realized that, no matter the training, the time put in, she would only be what she was, and that no amount of paint or training would fix that. So, she took the Boreals and her instruments and attempted something none but nine had even thought of--
She went to the human world.
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:55 pm
Talents/Potential Performances
Inspiration - The whole reason for a muse's existance is to provide inspiration to humans, and even though Mel isn't spectacular at any one thing, she can sure make other people good at it! Probably as a crowd warm-up before the show starts, she could walk through the audience, pick someone at random, and then, with a touch, allow them to temporarily sing opera, or dance the merengue, or play an instrument they've never touched before.
A Muse's Visage - Another trait universal to muses is their skin/eyes/hair, etc: it literally absorbs paint and makes it that color! Otherwise, a muse would be some shade of grey the whole time, and especially to artists, that's no fun. (Mel herself is entirely grey except for streaks of orange in her hair, which she got in a lot of trouble for back home, as one has to paint themselves.) Not really an act, per se, but it makes for a nice addition to the sideshow, and interesting possibilities when it comes to costumes and/or set-making accidents.
Aerial Hoops - As part of Orion's attempt to instruct her in the ways of other muses, he took Mel to a center of dancers, where she practiced on balance and graceful movements, hoping to perhaps find a talent there. However, though she learned basic maneuverings on hoops in the World, it would take serious practice to work up a routine. As far as main-stage work goes, it's likely her best option.
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:56 pm
Potential Stages
Carnie: Bewildered and confused to the ways of humans, Mel would spend most of this stage adjusting to their strange behavior, and perhaps helping with make-up or set-building (though she has no qualms with cleaning or any other sort of menial labor, even if she somewhat lacks in physical strength).
Castmember: Getting the hang of things, Mel finds comfort in performing, and now that she's had a taste of it, wants more. She may come to believe that her "specialty" might have been the fact that she didn't specialize at all.
Headliner: What's this? I see two potential possibilities for here: she actually specializes in the way that a Muse would, or she becomes mostly human, with only a few traits separating her from blending in entirely.
???: Just as the title suggests: who knows?
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:58 pm
One more...and good. You're free to post, now.
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 7:21 pm
The concept feels a little incomplete. I mean, it's clear that you haven't really changed it since it was quick change, so that's a little discouraging for stamping because it feels like you're not serious.
Anyway, it's a solid character and backstory, but she's missing what makes her part of the cirque - information on her act! What does she wear? What are her favorite tricks? What's her skill progression? Get that stuff up and she'll be much more complete.
And post art! rofl
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:06 pm
Sorry for the delay! <3  APPROVED
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:24 pm
And, all redone! I'm going to need new confirmation from the shop and all, so please, critique away!
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