#terpischore

Alright there's a lot to unpack with the Muses, haha.

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Apparently they do have parents!

I think that the concept of the goddess of memory mothering the Muses is far too interesting of a concept to be so underutilized.

it depends on the piece that you’re trying to write

for history Clio seems to be right

Urania does astronomy, Polyhymnia does hymns

and Terpischore’s your girl if you’re talking about dance

for comedy you need Thalia, for tragedy Melpomene is best

and for any kind of poetry you can call on the rest

if you’re writing a subject other than this

Land for a Rogue of Time

A Land covered in ribbons in every color of the rainbow. The planet has several large poles, some scraping the top of the Land’s atmosphere, while others are merely the size of skyscrapers or small buildings. Each has dozens of ribbons tied to their tip, connected either to the top of another, shorter pole, or to the ground. All this cover the Land in a massive network of interconnected ribbons.

Beneath the ribbons lie the misty mountain ranges, verdant fields, and sprawling Consort cities. A vibrant world filled with much life.

Or at least, that’s how it’s supposed to be.

As it is the Land feels… empty. The mountains lack life, they are barren and abandoned. The fields have flowers, but no one to enjoy them. And the cities, once bright and holding hundreds of Consorts, are now deserted, filled only by the innumerable Underlings that has taken residence within them.

The Land is empty, for there are no Consorts anywhere.

Anywhere, except for the great golden halls on the outskirts of each settlement. Each the size of a skyscraper, they serve as the bases for the tallest among the ribbon poles. Here the Consorts gather. Here they celebrate. Here they dance till they could dance no more. The Denizen has initiated a planet wide Dance-Off, and you’re the star participant.

Dance of a Thousand Stripes

Within the Halls of Celebration, the Consorts gather. Eagerly awaiting the moment when the great Hero would come, and the Dance-Off would begin. Until then, they are practicing their moves, perfecting their styles in order to challenge the Player in the hopes of winning the Contest, gaining the Shiny Medal, and the title of Ultimate Dancer.

The Consorts love dancing more than anything, and while many say they are only there for the contest, most could get lost in having the time of their lives. But as they dance their worries away, their world is collapsing all around them. The Halls are fine of course, yet the Cities they have left in their wake are not. Many are in dire need of maintenance, of the Consorts. Who are having too much fun to care.

Having fun and enjoying yourself is great, but the fun has to stop sometimes. The music must end and they must return to their ordinary lives. Yet they won’t let it end, not if they have anything to say about it.

And the Winner Is...

The Consorts refuse to listen to reason, the only way to get them to return to their lives is by beating them at their own game. Which is to say, dancing. The Player must defeat the Consorts in their Dances, either by beating them individually, or by winning the Dance-Off and becoming the Ultimate Dancer, thereby gaining the ear of every Consort in the Land.

This will not be easy however, the Consorts are capable of performing hundreds of styles of dancing, from the tango, to the waltz, to the disco, to the hustle, to hip hop, to samba, to any other type of dance imaginable. Each more formidable than the last. It is almost impossible to win.

But so long as the Player is pure of heart and never gives up, they can surmount this obstacle and bring Truth and Justice to the Land. Or something like that.

Once the Player has won and becomes the Ultimate Dancer, the Consorts shall celebrate once last time before returning to the cities once more. It was fun while it lasted, but all good things must come to an end.

Locations

Ribbon Web - The Gates of the Land lead directly to the top of the tallest poles, the ones that stand directly above the Halls of Celebration. Simply jumping down would be suicide, but there is another way. The Ribbons that make up the Great Web are stronger than they seem, easily strong enough to support the Player’s weight, along with that of several others. They could easily be used as a method of transportation, either by using them as ziplines or by sliding on the ribbons themselves. Of course, due to the nature of the transport, going down is easier than getting up, and certain areas are only accessible through certain ribbons connected to specific poles.

Halls of Celebration - The Golden Halls where the Consorts have gathered for the Dance-Off. There are six of them, for the first six Gates above each of them, with the Seventh leading to the pole above the Great Hall instead. The Player must defeat all Competitors within each Hall, before moving on to the next one. Once a Competitor has been defeated however, they may attempt to defeat other Competitors within the next Hall, which would allow them to re-enter the Dance-Off and challenge the Player once more. Be warned, each Competitor shall be greater than the last, with each Hall after the last having fewer yet much greater Competitors. The Player shall have to sharpen their Dance Skills perpetually in order to achieve victory.

Vacated City - The deserted cities of the Consorts. Once they were full of life, but the call of the Denizen, not to mention their own obsession with Dancing, has forced them to leave them unattended. Only Underlings and Minions reside within the Cities now, which make them a great place to harvest Grist, Items, and gather the required Quest Objects to gain the favor of the Ancient Dance Masters.

Ancient Dance Temples - Upon the mountains of the Land, lay the Temples of the Dance Masters. An ancient group of Consorts who are so great at Dancing, they have isolated themselves from the rest of the Land, for fear that their Dance moves would be abused for maniacal purposes. The Player must journey towards the peaks of the mountains and seek out the Ancient Dance Masters i order to learn their Ancient Dance Styles to with the Dance-Off. Some will readily teach the Player, other’s would require them to retrieve Objects from the Cities before they are willing, and some will only teach those who can defeat their Dance moves.

The Great Hall - The Last and Greatest Hall of Celebration in the Land. It is here where the Denizen has taken residence, it is here where the Final Dance shall commence, and it is here where the Ultimate Dancer shall be crowned and the fate of the Land be decided. The moment the Player enters, the Denizen shall confront them, and the Choice must be made before the Final Dance commences.

Denizen