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Event number 6 - So You Think You Can Skydance?!

Start: May 22, 6pm EST
End: May 25th, 11:59pm EST

Skydancer - The art of skydancing is known to all Sentinels - it often plays a part in the courtship process, after all. Some Sentinels take this natural display to a higher level, however, and through a combination of physical abilities and a skill for theatric effect these entertainers can capture the attention (and imagination) of their audience. (Specialist Bard)

This contest will involve two parts, described below.

1 - The Character Form

2 - In a RP post of their performance, describe one of your character's skydance routines.
For the second portion, you may use audience NPCs or other performers as needed. Entries that are original while not being completely impossible will be favoured. NO LOOP-DE-LOOPS. A Sentinel is not capable of that sort of fancy/fast flying - the art of the Skydancer would focus on elegance, grace, and beauty. If you are not sure how realistically possible your performance ideas are, feel free to PM the Ranger.



Terms of the Skydancer Prompt Contest:

- if there are no suitable entries within the time-limit, the Sentinel may not be awarded to any of the entrants
- no further customization (aside from common companions) is permitted
- the winner will be announced after the entries have been judged
- we may offer runner-up prizes, so don't let a really good entry stop you from trying!
- although this is not an RP-required shop, this particular Sentinel's task IS RP-required
- Why? The Skydancer task is earned through RP, so if you don't RP her then she will be 'demoted' to Bard

Please post your entries here, in-thread.

Part I – The Sentinel

Player: Angel-of-Bloody-Midnight
Name: Rambha (Means Celestial Dancer in Indian)
Nicknames: Rammi, Baha
Species: Sentinel of Noctua
Age: Adult
Hatch Date: August 16th
Type: Wildtype
Task: Skydancer
Personality: Carefree and prideful, Rammi loves to show off to an audience.
History: Rambha grew up, unsure of what to do when she grew up. But that changed one day, when she saw a SkyDancer fltting beautifully up in the dusky sky. It was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. That had made up her mind. She wanted to be a Skydancer!
Territory: (Any)
Mate: N/A
Companions: N/A


RP Prompt:

Green below, blue above. Rambha watched as these two colors seemed to blend as she spun toward the ground. The acrobatic feat ended abruptly as her wings shot open, yanking her upwards with a gust of cool wind. The bells that were attached to her taloned feet jingled loudly in the silence, for none of the awed spectators below dared to breathe, let alone speak. They were caught up within the complex dance that Rambha was performing. Rambha shot up into the branches, disappearing into the gloom, before she once again plummeted downward. She spun out of control, her eyes closed as she felt herself spin once, twice, three times. Suddenly, she let out a chatter and her wings burst open, the bells once again jingling. Her feet pulled upwards, clutching at empty air as she flipped backwards, her wings wide. She seemed to float upon her back for a moment, the blue sky above seeming never ending. And then her wings flashed upward, pushing her downward toward the ground. It was a fast descent, seeming a dance with death. But Rambha knew when and where to spread her wings. As the brown earthen ground hurtled into view, barely 5 feet off the ground, her wings shot open and she glided to land gracefully near the small crowd that gather on the ground. Her eyes glittered brightly with glee. Oh, how she enjoyed the praise. "You did wonderful, Rammi!" One spoke with an ecstatic squeak. Another spoke up, louder than the rest. "Rammi! I want to be a Skydancer!" It was a little chick barely old enough to fly. Rambha lowered her head to look at the little chick with praise. "It's a hard thing to do, little one." She said . The chick ruffled it's down feathers. "I'll try and try until I do become one!" Rambha laughed. "Looks like I'll have competition in a few years. Goodness!"

As dusk fell, the crowd parted company, returning to roosts and nests. Rambha watched them go from her perch in the branches. This was a wondrous world she hoped would never change. This was her home. She hummed a melody to herself as she spread her wings and leapt from the branch, beginning the sequence of moves in which she had done today. She loved her life, for it gave her praise and honor. She was happy for that.

Part I – The Sentinel

Player: Scaramouche Fandango
Name: Riverdust
Nicknames: River
Species: Sentinel of Noctua
Age: Young Adult
Hatch Date: 16 June
Type: Wildtype
Task: Skydancer
Personality: Riverdust is an outgoing, gregarious female, with a sharp sense of humor and a great self-consciousness. Every movement she makes is calculated to be harmonious with the world around her, from the gently moving trees to the chemistry she has with other Sentinels. Her love of performance, coupled with her keen awareness of the shapes and lines of the natural world around her made skydancing a rewarding, if not easy, choice.
History: Riverdust's parents were both Minders and raised her with the other chicks they cared for. As such, she grew up constantly surrounded by an audience of young, easily impressed Sentinels. Her mother, a one-time Artisan, impressed upon her daughter a clear sense of presence, the presence of the beauty of the world. Every leaf, every branch, even the dirt on the ground: it all fit into the world, and the world was perfect. She was taught that everything she should do should enhance the harmony of her surroundings, and that she should never do anything carelessly.
Territory: A tree and a clearing about halfway between Not Cold and the Deep Woods
Mate: None yet!
Companions: Dusk, a parus


Part II – Companions

Name: Dusk
Species: Parus
Age: Young
Speech Ability: 2
Intelligence: 3
Skill: Dusk can sing and has pretty feathers that when shed can be imped and used as practice feathers.

Part III

It was clearer here, a space where the trees grew farther apart. Riverdust had picked her territory specifically for this spot. While hunting was poor here, the space it gave her to practice was well-worth traveling around for her food. She watched, silent, as the wind wafted slowly through the leaves of the trees. One leaf detached, and she watched it, fascinated, as it floated to the ground. She shut her eyes and breathed deeply, thanking Noctus for the forest and the beauty it contained, and also for granting her the prescience to have left her bells off tonight. Silently, leaned forward and spread one wing, then the other, the amber of her pinions flashing in the moonlight that poured through the sparse canopy. She relinquished the control of the branch, then fell for a pure, golden moment.

There was grace in the fall. It was not a dive, but a drift. The rising air caught her outstretched wings, and she angled them up to give her a bit of lift. She rose just a bit, just enough to show off the curving plumes she wore on the tips of her wings when she performed. As it was, she'd just attached some bits of long grass that one of her Gatherer friends brought her for practice purposes. She fluttered her wingtips to make the blades flutter and twist in the wind, then threw her wings back and arched her body for a brief moment.

She seemed to stand still in the air for a time, then leaned forward again and headed into a dive. She let the dive continue, then smoothly turned it into a banking swoop. Her pale stomach flashing to the outside of the trees, she spiraled slowly up. I am a leaf, I am a leaf, I am the leaf, she thought as she did her best to drift. She banked again, flying almost on her side as she circled a slim birch tree, brushing its leaves and setting them shivering with her pinions. Her toes, tucked tight against her body, clenched as the cold beauty of the rustling sound shot through her body. How wonderful it was to be a part of nature!

As she reached the apex of her spiral, she thrust her wings back, arcing against the moonglow before descending again. The downward helix she made was wide, allowing the blades of grass to fully stream behind her, writhing in the wind. She turned the arcs into a dive, a smooth, slow dive. This was a long dive, and Riverdust shut her eyes. Dives like this frightened her, for she often came quite close to the ground. She knew that she was out of the scope of vision for most small Sentinels, and she pulled out just before hitting the tops of the shrubbery beneath. This was a dangerous dive, she knew, but a leaf’s life ended at the end of its fall, and she wanted to convey this danger. There had to be truth in the dance, after all.

When her belly was almost brushing the tops of the bushes, Riverdust pulled out of the dive, turning it into a wide swoop that sent her banking around the perimeter of the clearing, climbing back up into a comfortable flying zone. The air was crisp and the world was silent- she couldn’t even hear her own wingbeats. She realized that her eyes were still shut from the beginning of the dive, and she chastised herself for having closed them in the first place- that was dangerous and needed corrected immediately. Fortunately, there was no audience to witness her mistakes. She insisted on being alone during practice; not even her Parus accompanied her to her private place.

Her starting branch was in reach, and she realized she was parallel to the branch that had shed the initial leaf. It was time to end the dance. Wheeling back, she spread her tail feathers as wide as she could, her wings wide, displaying all of herself, her glorious Sentinel silhouette, before landing. Shutting her eyes, Riverdust began to breathe slowly and reflect as she did every time she danced. This had been a short dance, but it pleased her greatly. It was a dance of moments, each minute particle of time flowing into the next. It was a slow dance, nothing flashy, but neither was a leaf. There was truth in this dance, truth in each of these moments. The truth she conveyed was the beauty of the dance. Beauty and perfection. That’s what the other Sentinels demanded from a Skydancer, and that was all she had to give. For now, she danced alone, for the moon, the trees, the grass, the leaves the dance was dedicated to. When the dance was truly perfect, she would dance it for others, but for now, this was Riverdust’s dance of solitude.