Video ♔ Enemies and allies are both meaningless

[priforprince]

From: Apollo
Date: September 19

[ Veterans of the Far Shore might remember a day when the BBS's video function was set to autoplay. It's happening again.

With a flashy light show and a flourish of what sounds like a full orchestra (with plenty of trumpets), red curtains pull back, and -

Here's Hibiki. Standing in a spotlight on a stage. Chandeliers hang twinkling from the ceiling. She's dressed to impress in full prince splendor.

She holds her arms out wide. ]



[ Golden confetti bursts from cannons on either side of her. ]

The rules are simple. [ To punctuate this sentence even further than she just did by using two English words in one Japanese phrase, Hibiki holds up a hand. Above it, an illusion of a pop-up window floats. It has a single button on it: "Like!" ]

Upon all performances' conclusion, a voting page shall appear. "Like" the entertainer whose performance most moved your heart. As you all remember, whoever receives the most "likes" will receive an extravagant prize.

[ The words "A DAY WITH SHIKYOIN HIBIKI" appear in golden script above her head. With blinking arrows pointing in case you didn't know who SHIKYOIN HIBIKI was. ]

Now, let's begin. May this backwater Heaven resound with clashes between true divinity!

[ Hibiki herself begins to glow. So brightly, that the screen whites out.

And when it comes back into focus, the first performer is onstage. And Hibiki is giving her an introduction in the comments below. ]

[[ Voting is forthcoming once all performances have been shared. Feel free to respond to each of the performances, or (once all the top-levels are up) comment replying to Hibiki.

All special effects are provided courtesy of Hibiki's illusion god power, either through offstage coordination or Hibiki having an uncannily keen sense of how her idols want her to ad-lib. She will have a headache later. ]]

Comments

NATSURU

[priforprince]

Splendid, wasn't that? Now, hatched from nothing, the fledgling idol whose abilities are woven from threads of my color. Senou Natsuru!

[thirdbeauty]

[The music starts off slow as Natsuru steps out on stage. The shimmering outfit she wears catches the stage lights in just the right way, catching the eye but not undermining the elegance of her entrance. For a brief flash, those who know her well might see the hint of nervousness trace across her face. But when the music picks up in tempo, she gives a graceful flourish of her arms outward, seeming to summon forth two dancing figures whose features can't be clearly seen. Natsuru sways gently with the rhythm at first, letting the figures dance more energetically around her while she waits for her cue.

Soon, the music changes again, and Natsuru takes a step forward and begins to sing.]

The red rose pinned in my hair is the color of passion
As you look at me, you're like a hot matador

[She seems almost like she's going to remain reserved and passive in the center of the stage at first. Yet, the tempo kicks up, and Natsuru's body moves with it. She steps in time with the beat, swaying her hips while the dancers frame her movements with their own.]

When you dance dazzlingly, my heart beats fast
The episode dyes me in the color of a time that will never come again

[All motion on stage slows for just a moment, in the buildup to the chorus.]

You play your burning feelings on a guitar
You'll spin love

[Natsuru and her backup dancers strike a pose at the brief lull in the music, and all three simultaneously launch into a more choreographed routine.]

Oh traveler, if your scars hurt,
then please sleep on my chest

[Natsuru sways and rocks to the music even more now, moving her arms and legs with an elegance that she's learned from at least starting to take an interest in ballet. Perhaps a surprising amount of the action is in her hips; of course, that's all part of the classy-sexy pop idol image Hibiki has fostered in her protégée.]

I'll wrap you up with love,
and only shine on you
Just like tonight's moon

[All three figures on stage move and pose in time with the last line of the chorus, but it's not over yet. The music just keeps going, and Natsuru even keeps the energy of her dance going for the second verse.]

Searching for a dream, you go to the outskirts of the wilderness
Dreaming, I'm now in a sea of loneliness

Let's take steps with these black shoes
And cure our sadness

Oh traveler, on nights when you hesitate about tomorrow,
please return to my chest
You're enriched by knowing sadness.
Today the moon is shining
Fluttering, while swaying

[There's a barely audible catch in Natsuru's voice after she sings the second chorus. She had never quite decided on whether to do this or not before coming on stage, but... if she really wants to do her best in this performance...

Resolve lights up in her eyes as she gazes up towards... something, or someone. Her muse, perhaps.]

Making Drama
Switch -- on!

[A flash of brilliant light takes the entire scenery of the stage away, replaced by Natsuru standing atop a tower, backed by a large moon and holding her hands clutched to her chest. She still gazes skyward, a longing in her eyes. Strangely, the light from the moon seems to be amplified where her hands are clutched over her chest. Lines of the song repeat, muted in the background, while Natsuru's voice speaks over it.]

This feeling... so warm...

I want to share it. I want it to reach...

[The light grows in intensity, the tower seeming to crumble and fade away as Natsuru's body remains silhouetted against the moon behind her. The final chorus of the song repeats in the background:

I'll wrap you up with love,
and only shine on you
Just like tonight's moon]