special_rabbit: (you got it kid)
Amaya Blackstone ([personal profile] special_rabbit) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2020-05-22 05:16 am

How to Make a Radchaai Entertainment; Friday, First Period [05/22].

"Morning, everyone!" said Amaya, greeting the class eagerly because, let's face it, she was just sort of used to pulling most of the conversational weight when she co-taught a class, so it was just habit for her to take charge right out the gate. "I hope you're feeling inspired today, because we're going to get started on developing our Radchaai entertainment. Now, there are two ways we could approach this story, and that's character-driven or plot-driven," maybe? She didn't actually know, but she'd read something like that!, "and we thought it would be more interesting to start with character-driven, so that's why today, you'll be working on what kind of character you'd like to play in our entertainment, and then next week, we'll figure out how to put all your unique characters together in the plot."

That was how it worked, right? Maybe? It made sense to her, and so why not?

"In general," Amaya added, "there are certain character archetypes that typically make up a good entertainment, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to have those characters, but, in general, that's what'll fit in nicely with a good plot."

Seivarden, finally managing to get a word in, added: "Not all archetypes work well in a Radchaai entertainment, and since that is what we're making, we might have to adjust your first ideas."

"So today's about workshopping!" One of Amaya's favorite words, even if the context was just slightly different. "Think about what character you want to play, make a proposal, decide how they might fit in with the characters your fellow actors might want to play, and we'll see if they're a good fit or what direction we might want to take them."

And that was...it! Time to grab some tea and start brainstorming some ideas that one teacher would likely put down while the other actively encouraged them!
lilac_eyed_lieutenant: (sweet smirk)

Re: Talk to the TA - Entertainment, 05/22.

[personal profile] lilac_eyed_lieutenant 2020-05-22 10:30 am (UTC)(link)
How convenient that Tisarwat's other creative workshop for this session earlier in the week also talked about characters, so that by the time this class came around, she actually had a few sheets of paper with an incredibly detailed and thoughtout character to propose for her own part, but the thing was that it hinged pretty heavily on the possibility of adding another part, and so she was going to sit on her proposal for just a few minutes, to wait and see what the others might have to bring to the table, so she could know how to best work her idea in with theirs in a convincing way that would make it difficult for Amaya to back out of joining the cast.

For the sake of the entertainment, of course! Tisarwat wanted to just tell a good story and do her culture proud! There were absolutely no ulterior motives in this whatsoever. Really!
lilac_eyed_lieutenant: (chin lift intrigue)

Re: Talk to the TA - Entertainment, 05/22.

[personal profile] lilac_eyed_lieutenant 2020-05-22 10:40 am (UTC)(link)
Tisarwat's brows shot up.

"You had an idea for me?"

On the one hand, that seemed to make all the work and effort she'd put into her own character seem like a giant waste of time, but, on the other hand, Amaya had thought about her!

A smile brightened on her face, and she wondered if her current character sheets would make good fuel for the forge.

"I'm flattered!" she said. "I mean, it does make sense, though, doesn't it, as the only other person besides you and Seivarden with experience in the subject matter, to give me a part that might help carry the entertainment where it might...falter a little." And she knew for a fact that she was an incredible actor; it had actually saved her life to be so. "Now I'm excited to hear what it is! What did you have in mind?"
lilac_eyed_lieutenant: (jaw drop)

Re: Talk to the TA - Entertainment, 05/22.

[personal profile] lilac_eyed_lieutenant 2020-05-22 11:04 am (UTC)(link)
There was...a pause.

A significant pause.

Well. She wasn't wrong; there was definitely no one in this entire universe who understood the Lord of the Radch quite like Tisarwat did.

Her first, knee-jerk reaction was to refuse. To absolutely refuse, because the Lord of the Radch was in her brain enough without going ahead and inviting her back in like that, and she could easy make up some nonsense about it being offensive or uncivilized to even try, to suggest that you had to be specially approved to depict the Lord of the Radch in an entertainment. Amaya wouldn't know it was a lie, if Seivarden said something about it, she could just explain that a lot had changed between her time and Tisarwat's, she just wouldn't understand...

...but Amaya had asked her. And she looked so proud of the idea, and, even though it was miniscule on the scale compared to that moment, Tisarwat felt that odd tug in her chest like when she'd finally been released from the Sword of Gurat and the only important thing was Breq's approval...

"I..." Tisarwat started, trying to find the words to say 'no,' but unable to find them, blinking her lilac eyes, and finding a warm smile instead. "Sure," she said, with a casualness that betrayed the dread that now settled in her stomach. "That actually makes a lot of sense. I'd love to. Was that...your idea, or did you and Seivarden come up with it together?"
1000yearstoolate: (pic#)

Re: Talk to the TA - Entertainment, 05/22.

[personal profile] 1000yearstoolate 2020-05-22 04:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"So, any ideas?"

Seivarden approached Tisarwat after Amaya hed left her. She grinned, curious to hear, and maybe to make fun of the space farmer.
lilac_eyed_lieutenant: (uncertain amused)

Re: Talk to the TA - Entertainment, 05/22.

[personal profile] lilac_eyed_lieutenant 2020-05-22 05:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey, now, space farmer was a friend and made very excellent breakfasts that Tisarwat missed a lot now that she was out of the dorms, even if she would agree that some of his habits were abominably disgusting.

But when Seivarden asked her that question, her smile was a bit more rueful than she'd originally intended, though she hoped it passed off as a sort of shell-shock. It wasn't like Seivarden didn't know how Tisarwat felt about Amaya, and, in this case, that could work to her advantage, even if the twist in her stomach had nothing to do with infatuation or butterflues.

"I guess I'm playing the Lord of the Radch," she said.

Wasn't she just thrilled. But she could hardly let Seivarden know anything about it...
1000yearstoolate: (looking up)

Re: Talk to the TA - Entertainment, 05/22.

[personal profile] 1000yearstoolate 2020-05-22 05:34 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh, that's perfect!"

Seivarden grinned.
lilac_eyed_lieutenant: (uncertain amused)

Re: Talk to the TA - Entertainment, 05/22.

[personal profile] lilac_eyed_lieutenant 2020-05-23 11:43 am (UTC)(link)
Tisarwat really wished she could share your enthusiasm for it, Seivarden, but at least she could pretend she did, her own grin taking on a slightly wry bent.

"It was nice of Amaya to think of me," she said, and that was genuine enough; in fact, saying it made her feel a small swell of pride counter to all the negative feelings associated with the specifics of the request. "And she's right, of course, anyone else in the class wouldn't be able to do it right at all." Just imagine Wayne as the Lord of the Radch, Seivarden, just imagine it. "And that the Lord of the Radch always has the best weapons that lead to the best ship battles in these kinds of entertainments."

It actually helped, that the driving force behind the suggestion had seemed to just be an excuse for Amaya to go all-out on the explosions more than anything else.