(Author’s note: since I didn’t have access to some 50 Residents in the proper skin and costumes, I’m asking you to suspend disbelief on my photos, and supplement things with your own imagination. Either road, here’s a short Christmas story from the 48th Century, and my character Ariel Sherman. HG)
Ariel glanced around her at the four dozen-plus gold and silver people surrounding her. As usual, The Land of Fantasy had put on a phenomenal production of its current revue show, and everyone looked satisfied with things, no matter the changes in the script for the evening. Of course, for cyborg memories, “changes in the script” were rather small beer. It was the human pride in their craft that shone here, pride in performing in a once-a-year show to the satisfaction of both themselves and a demanding audience.
There was still a final act to go before they rang down the curtain for the next four weeks, for the show’s annual break. This would not be the usual finale, though, with its famous nudity; not on this night. For this was Day 357 on the Limlight Standard Calendar. There were children in the audience tonight, and the entire performance was much more family-oriented. Especially for tonight’s finale, the one element of this special show which had not changed from year to year. To Ariel’s demanding eye, everyone looked happy, prepared, and confident. She nodded happily back to them, said, “Alright, people; let’s do it,” and got back words and signs of agreement. “Go, Dalton,” she whispered to her organic stage manager, who grinned back, tapped at his tablet, and gave the needed orders. Recorded music began playing; the “small” curtain in front of Ariel opened thirty seconds later, and Lady Ariel Sherman entered at stage center, sweeping through the curtains in a massive ball gown of white satin.
She dropped into a stage-depth curtsey as the audience cheered and applauded and the rest of the cast and company entered behind her. Each of the feature acts took their own bows, then arranged themselves behind their star artiste. The audience quieted at last, and Ariel said into the amplification field, “Thank you all so much for coming tonight to The Land of Fantasy! It’s always our joy and pleasure to perform for you, but doubly so on special nights, such as this.”
The audience applauded again, and Ariel clapped back to them, along with the entire company. At last she continued, “And, of course, there’s a most special reason for this special show tonight. This day on the calendar has significance to many Terran humanoids; and it’s carried that significance for most of 5,000 years now, starting some decades after the birth of a child in a stable on ancient Terra. Not all of us descended from the people who left our old home world follow the faith centered on him. But billions continue to do so today, on most of the worlds settled by humans. My own home world of Jericho is definitely one of those worlds, I promise you.” She grinned at the dry jest, and many of the audience laughed along with her.
“I confess, I don’t do things quite the way they do on Jericho anymore,” she said, still smiling a little. “But I do go along with my husband, Adam, in celebrating Christmas Day, and Christmas Eve as well. This show we stage for the families of Vidran City every year is part of that celebration, and our Christmas gift to you, wrapped up in as bright and shiny a package as we can manage each year.
“But that gift isn’t wrapped up yet! There’s still a few things to do; and, as many of you know, you in the audience get to help us with it. If you’ll all look at your menu padds ….” She paused while many in the audience reached for the tablets that normally carried the specialty offerings from the theatre’s kitchens and bar, then continued, “You’ll find the lyrics for this year’s finale songs, which you can sing along with us here on the stage.
“It’s true that Videra doesn’t see much snow … but the longing for a ‘white Christmas’ has become so ingrained in culture and psyche that it just feels right to sing about it at this time of year. I know that snow in the ‘Christmas season’ on Jericho just … just felt right, and that I don’t really enjoy the holidays unless I’ve seen at least one decent snowfall.
“Here on Videra, this gown is the closest thing you’ll come to a snowfall, I’m afraid.” She collected her laughter as the music began playing over the speakers, and went on, “But we can still sing about it. Most of you will know the song, but I’ll start us off. You can come in on the second chorus, okay?” She nodded as the audience waved or clapped, and then began singing:
The sun is shining, the grass is green
The orange and palm trees sway
There’s never been such a day
In Vidran City today
Ariel grinned at the chuckles she heard from the audience at the “local” change in lyrics, and continued:
But it’s December the twenty-fourth
And I’m longing to be up North
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white
After the audience had sung the song through with her, Ariel bowed to the applause, and said, “Of course, it’s more than just me with a voice in this show. Let’s bring up my featured friends here, and we’ll enjoy more songs together before our traditional finisher of ‘Silent Night.’ And we hope you’ll enjoy all of this as much as you have the other parts of our show.” She clapped her hands to the audience again as she stepped over and back to stage left, and the next singer took her place ….
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The details:
- Skin: Fallen Gods Pure Gold
- Head: LAQ Noelle 3.06 Bento
- Body: Maitreya Lara 4.1
- Eyes: NeurolaB Cyber Eyes EX-5 2.8
- Hair: Truth Caralisa
- Gown: Sascha’s Designs Snow Princess (with added mesh skirt beneath for opacity)
- Shoes: Renegade Nicole
- Accessories: L’Emporio Long Bento Gloves (you can choose different colors for each side with this brand, as well as control the shininess); Lazuri Paris suite (necklace, hairpin, earrings and bracelets)
- Eyeshadow (tattoo, application order:) Zibska Aylah (01); Blacklace Beauty Night Out (6 w/Lashes); BOOM Liquid Glaze liner (lashed, Silver (vintage))
- Lipstick: Pink Fuel Glossy Pout (Dark, Plum)
Total ARC: 1,213,417 (!) (In defense, the classic Lazuri jewelry by itself is 47% of the total, and the extra-large flexi skirt (533,792) is another 44%. That’s 91% of the cost for a one-time appearance.)
“White Christmas,” copyright 1940 by Irving Berlin
Thanks, as always, to The Rose Theatre for a lovely photo venue.
Around the Grid 