Props list:
a silvery grey broadsword
a beribboned feathered tambourine
start at the back left corner of the stage
kneel
get my broadsword
swap - Swapping will put it in my left hand, so that I simply gaze at it (in just a moment) rather than gazing at it in awe. It depends on what hand the weapon is in.
gaze my broadsword
sigh quietly - Nothing's wrong at all with adding this kind of thing for emotional content and drama.
drop my broadsword
stand
get my tambourine
gaze my longsword in my cloak- Gazing at an item in a container produces a message of, "You survey the area". Very useful, even if I don't understand why.
play my tambourine soft
stride
sing Tonight, when I step from my haven,;My weapon and shield stay behind.;Tonight, when I walk through my forest,;I ache with need but half-defined.
act continues to walk slowly forward towards the center of the stage.
play my tambourine fast
sing If my heart were a hill troll attacking,;I would drop it with razor-thorned spell.;If my heart were a stumbling child,;I would leave it to starve where it fell.
act comes to a halt at the center of the stage.
play my tambourine soft
fidget
squint Tanager - this command will narrow my eyes.
act removes the crystal amulet from around her neck with a vicious twist of her wrist. - Often, you may find yourself wanting to convey more emotionally than you can with a simple command, but a game command exists as well. There's nothing at all wrong with using both an act and a normal command. It comes off most smoothly if the act precedes before the action, and the action should follow as quickly as possible.
remove crystal amulet
sing Tonight, every foreign mind whispering;Abrades on hopes shattered and rent.;Tonight, I step out of my forest;Like a nightmare the jackal-lord sent.
snarl
act tosses the crystal amulet away from herself. The amulet hits the floor, skitters across the stage, and comes to rest nearly a yard away. - Make sure you know where every prop is at all times, even if it means that you use objects in your living room to make sure you don't forget that they exist. If, for example, I dropped it in front of me and then took a few steps forward, it would look as if I'd just stepped on it.
drop crystal amulet
play my tambourine fast
sing If my heart were a late-blooming rose,;I would cut it to die on the vine.;If my heart were a last beam of sun;I would shade my brown skin from its shine.
act shades her eyes with one hand as she gazes across the audience.
play my tambourine soft
stride right
sing Tonight, I drift lost through the grasslands;Disturbing no plant’s trailing leaf.;Tonight, I walk into your city;In shadow, like bandit or thief.
act descends the stairs on the right side of the stage.
play my tambourine fast
sing If my heart were a fluttering bird;I would cage it close, no more to fly.;If my heart were a swift-spinning spider,;I would wait: with the frost, it would die.
shudder - Again, just an emotional punch. Shudder, shiver, sigh, stretch, yawn, flinch, wince, grin... there are a lot of social verbs good for lending extra weight to your words.
act takes a few steps to her left, twirls, and continues to pace until she is squarely in front of the audience again.
play my tambourine soft
sing Tonight, as I shadow your doorway,;My wishes twine, tangle, and lace.;The rain starts to fall from above;And hides the lost tears on my face.
stare
cry brave
gaze my feet - this hangs your head. Gaze is also a very useful command.
play my tambourine fast
sing If my heart were a grovelling servant;I’d dismiss her before end of day.;If my heart were a path in the forest;I’d turn to seek some other way.
sigh harshly
act stares at the crowd for a long moment.
play my tambourine soft
sing Tonight, knowledge stalks towards perception,;And I see that you’re not coming home.;I turn like a spirit retreating;And leave streets for leaf mold and loam.
turn Tanager - This will cause you to turn around.
stride right
act approaches the stairs she just descended.
play my tambourine fast
sing And my heart is no troll and no rose-vine,;And my heart is no servant or child.;It grants and steals strength as if dicing;And it manifests passioned and wild.
climb the steps, let tension build, move towards the stage center, look at the audience again
smile bitterly, and the speed of her tambourine playing accelerates even more, till the notes tumble frantically over one another in a mad rush of melody. - And that is what I planned to do with the "play my tambourine frantic" notation.
sing And there’s naught I can do to stop weeping;Or to pick up my shattered control.;Somewhere you dance in your city,;And, knowing, my heart is not whole.
act turns her back on the audience and walks slowly towards the discarded broadsword. Partway there, she notices the amulet tossed off to the side, and she detours to pick it up.
get amulet
put amulet in my pouch
play my tambourine soft
act returns to the place where she left the broadsword.
get broadsword
gaze my broadsword - if the tambourine is in my right hand, the broadsword will already be in my left.
turn Tanager
gaze longsword in my cloak
kneel
act rests the broadsword across her knees, keeping her left hand on the hilt to keep the weapon from sliding. - It's always a good idea to keep your props "solid"-- try always to think about how and where you hold them. Kneeling with a broadsword in your hand is rather awkward and broadswords are heavy, so this was my solution to the matter.
sing Tonight, I sit under wet branches;And whisper an unanswered prayer.;In the morning, unthinking, I reach out--
stop playing soft
put tambourine in [container] - I have no idea offhand whether the costume cloak is pocketed. If so, it will most likely be the cloak, but, if not, probably the herb pouch.
act extends her free hand beseechingly as she stares across the audience. After a moment, the hope in her expression dulls, and she lowers the hand again to rest it on her knees.
gaze my feet
sing ...of course, you’re not there....