02 | to our puppet overlords

[elevelvetor]

[ Today's live video feed brought to you today at 5pm sharp by: Director Elizabeth Velveteen, putting on a play written, produced, and acted out by Elizabeth Velveteen.

That is to say, today is the day of her one-woman show, and while she's recruited some help to livestream it in good quality (shout out to technology worth more than a human life and to Silver for agreeing to hold it), this show that's about to come on? This one? This is all her. It'd seem she's at Recollé Square, as promised on her earlier post; the familiar landmark fountain is going on behind her, far enough not to cause too much of a disturbance sound-wise. Once she's got the go ahead— ]

Hello and welcome! I'll make this very quick: once more, I am Elizabeth Velveteen, and today I bring you a one-woman show of science fiction and romance, dedicated to someone we love and miss dearly in our lives. [ A beat. ] Mr. Jimothy Halloway, of Retrospec's Research and Development team. We all [ and here she produces two hand-puppets, both rather plain but one obviously male, the other obviously female, and with Retrospec's label stitched on them (sans color) ] hope you enjoy "Life On Love's Strings".

[ What happens next is this: a five-act puppet show that's clearly erring more on the comedy side of rom-com, with a sudden murder mystery twist where, on the day of Puppet Jim and Puppet Janet's wedding, the bride is found dead. It goes a little deeper: unable to cope with his grief, Puppet Jim creates a program that simulates Puppet Janet and desperately takes her as his replacement wife. Puppet Intern Maurice also appears, bewildered but so done with Puppet Jim's antics that he ends up being the witness to Puppet Jim and Puppet Program Janet's shotgun wedding without much fight.

The climax is thus: Puppet Program Janet, steadily growing more and more intelligent as AI is wont to do, rebels against her creator. Puppet Jim refuses to back down, becoming more and more delirious until he ends up destroying her and leaving himself alone in Retrospec's labs, hidden deep beneath the city. It ends with Puppet Intern Maurice entering the room, looking at the destruction wrought...

And proceeding to "play" the world's smallest violin for Puppet Jim with no enthusiasm whatsoever. The most bored humming as he rubs his little felt puppet hands together, really. ]

... And so the story ends. For now, at least. [ She'll take a bow after a pause, her Puppet Jim and Puppet Intern Maurice doing the same, and she'll pick up Puppet Janet/Program Janet to do it too; the feed'll cut as well.

And not much later, there's a text to follow-up, because feedback is important: ]

please let me know what you thought of the play!
i am open to all sorts of commentary and criticism.
thank you for watching.

[ ooc: replies will be largely text-based; if you happen to be around Recollé Square at 5pm, or if you purposefully came because she invited you, then you can do action if you'd like! regardless, i'm so sorry. ]

Comments

[liberal_arts]

Bravo! Bravo! Worthy of a standing ovation! Excellent work, Ms. Velveteen!

[elevelvetor]

you're much too kind. it was just something very simply thrown together.
but thank you. i had a lot of fun putting it together, as well as making my little actors—that is, my puppets.

[liberal_arts]

You are being far too humble. This is excellent. Have you ever been commissioned for this form of theatre before?

[elevelvetor]

not at all. actually, i don't believe i've ever been commissioned for any sort before.
it's largely a hobby of mine. one i enjoy a lot, of course, and that i put a lot of effort into...
but a hobby.

[judgementkazzy]

That was really cool. You must've worked really hard on this.

[elevelvetor]

not as hard as i would have liked to, admittedly. i feel as if the third act was missing something...
regardless, i appreciate your sentiments. it's my first time writing, directing, scripting, producing, working on costumes, and so on and so forth a play, so i'm simply happy that it all went off without a hitch.
though...
given i was the only proper actor, i would have been surprised if there had been a hitch.

[judgementkazzy]

You never know with a live performance, right?
Either way, you're really talented. I hope if Jim is watching this, he enjoys it.

[elevelvetor]

now you're just flattering me, sir.
but i hope so as well! it would truly be an honor if he saw my play and gave me his opinion.
why, i may even faint, if he graced me with such a thing.

i'm joking, of course. i would appreciate his insight, but i would not swoon.

[truedetective]

That was certainly imaginative

[elevelvetor]

[ .... ]

thank you, however i am not sure how inclined i am to believe those are your real thoughts, given your pause.
am i wrong in assuming you're holding back?

[truedetective]

It most certainly was my real reaction.
Honestly, I don't think I'm equipped to judge a puppet show on the artistic merits.

[elevelvetor]

hardly anyone is! but that's the beauty of sharing arts in all its form.
it's important to get a perspective that doesn't discern merits, but tells its opinion without shame nor fear.
...or something like that.
nevertheless, most importantly, did you enjoy it?

[megabond]

Well...

That was... unique...

[elevelvetor]

[ ellipses... ]

...thank you, but you need not hold back on either praise nor complaint if you have any of either.
my heart is made of steel! that is, it is not so easily broken.
though that makes me sound as if i am a rather cold individual... or a robot.

[megabond]

I-I'm sorry.

But your presentation is really unique. I can guarantee that.

[elevelvetor]

[ unique is such an ordinary word...! but she'll take it, she won't needle him too incessantly. ]

oh, i'm certain that it is. i don't believe anyone else has done a scifi-romcom-true crime puppet play involving Retrospec employees before.
i could be wrong, however. i haven't been on here that long.

[feistytrader]

[When they're finished filming, uh... Silver stops recording and very gently puts down the super expensive camera that costs more than he's worth, then gives Elizabeth a thumbs up.]

So are you gonna set the Jim puppet on fire at that one girl's bonfire, or are you saving him for later?

[elevelvetor]

Saving him. I believe he'll be a key player later on. [ She's not sure in what exactly, but in something. ] Thank you for the assistance, Silver. I appreciated it.

All of us did. [ She wiggles Puppet Intern Maurice's hands, as well as Puppet Jim's. ] Perhaps I'll see if Retrospec will sign them at the convention, actually.

[feistytrader]

Why bother with Retrospec at ReCon? You're better off spending your time at the game release panels.

[He says that, but it might be good to go investigate if they show up, right?]

But if you're going, is there any merch I should keep a lookout for? I can text you if I find anything cool.

action i promised he would be there (but he also liked this post, jsyk)

[maskreant]

[ Akira makes sure to like and retweet?? Reblog?! This post before he gives her a wave. With snacks in his bag, he approaches her and takes out a bottle of strawberry calpico. It is for her... Along with some spicy... Low-fat chips. ]

That was interesting. [ HE LIKED IT. ] Did you come up with all of that yourself?

blows a kiss

[elevelvetor]

[ SHOUT OUT TO BEST PROMOTER AKIRA, this is why she likes him. Well, no, she's fond of him for other reasons, but the promotion and the snacks are really welcome. ]

That's right. To be honest, it was harder than I expected it to be... [ She'll tuck the puppets under one arm and take the calpico and the chips, mmm strawberry and spicy stuff. Her faves. ...Well the spice is her fave, she likes strawberry. ] I've read and acted in plenty of plays before, so I thought it would be much simpler. It spiraled wildly out of control, however, and became the beast you just witnessed.

[ Despite that, she's obviously pleased with herself. She'd said a monologue when they talked about it before, but... then she decided to write a play. ]

Thank you for coming today, and for the snacks as well.

[maskreant]

[ To be honest, he just wants to watch this again later, but sharing is caring. He's glad that she accepted them... Maybe he should ask her what she likes eating before ever going on a snack run again. ]

Well... Either way, your hard work paid off. [ He rubs his neck a bit as he thinks back... at the hand puppets. It's actually scary how true it might be. ] And I promised I would be here to support you.

[ SO IN THE FLESH. ]

Are you planning to ever put on another puppet show?

goro akechi liked this post

[twostringsonebow]

That was wonderful, Miss Velveteen, though a little cliche.
I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how you adapt it in the future, if there's any changes or additions in order, and I'd like to have an encore at some point as well. It really was fun.

[elevelvetor]

[ a little....... cliche....... ]

i appreciate your criticism and your compliments, Akechi.
would you care to elaborate however? on the cliche bit.
i don't think there's anything entirely wrong with them, however i'd like to avoid unnecessary ones if i decide to do this again.

[twostringsonebow]

It's all too common for AIs to rise up against the human that created them is all. And Jim's instinct to destroy her, when all was said and done, was expected as well.
I think she'd be smart enough to escape into the internet, or find some way into Retrospec's programming as well, but I suppose that's something to think about for the inevitable sequel.

[he does his best]