Urthvision Songfest V

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[font=Arial]WELCOME TO OUR CELEBRATION! [/font]

The Fifth Urthvision Songfestival, hosted by Furnifold, will take place from June 8th through June 10th, and will be an experience you will always remember! The Urthvision Regulations Committee (URC) cordially invites talent from all nations to showcase what makes life worth living. And there is no better place for this celebration than in Accoco, Furnifold. Here is Jackson Woolf, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, with a greeting and more information:

"The Royal Republic of Furnifold extends its greetings to the nations of the world, and has opened up its premier sightseeing destination of Accoco for Urthvision V.

Here, we want you to ‘live, learn, and love,’ with the pristine Lake Amery, untouched by industry for generations. The kAE Mystica Center, where the Songfest will be held, overlooks the beautiful lake, where you can rest and relax near the water, or have some fun in the water! Plenty of boating excursions and water activities abound to help you experience life to the fullest! The hometown of our leader, Magistrate Jacopo d’Arrigo, is famous for not only the lake, but the fast-flying Chonvor that make roost here and in the nearby Vase Mountains. Watching these magnificent birds soar through the sky, with the white-capped mountains in the background, is a sight to behold. However, just like our leader, you can experience life like a Chonvor in the air, with hang gliding and hot air balloon rides aplenty for your experience.

I trust Accoco and the Urthvision Songfest V will truly give you the life-changing experience being in Furnifold provides. I welcome you to Furnifold, and best wishes to all competitors for a successful Urthvision!"

Accoco is a hub of culture and entertainment. The most popular tourist destination in Furnifold, it contains several lovely hotels nearby the Mystica Center for your convenience. There are also lakefront cabin rentals for those wishing to be close to the water and the Chonvor. Before the opening ceremony on June 8th, the main street of Accoco will become a lively week-long hotbed of activity, as vendors and street performers welcome the guests from around the Urth. Then, on the 8th, head into the Mystica Center for the opening ceremony, sponsored by Marsh Entertainment, which we hope will be a life-changing event. Besides welcoming the competitors, Furnifold will showcase its culture and the theme with performances to hype up our viewers and prepare for the competition the next day. A special performance will be featured, with the winner of Urthvision IV, Lorien, and the very first competitor for Furnifold, hermit and guru Khalid Ibuyutima, giving a performance together.

Then, on June 9th, will be the day of competitions, sponsored by Royal Shipwrights Company! The hosts, married performing artists Pauline and Quinn, of the duo P’s and Q’s, will guide you through the showcase of Urth’s best and most talented as they compete for the reward of a lifetime! On June 10th, the closing ceremonies, sponsored by Bayside Guitarsmith Corporation, will commence, and the top winner will be awarded with a platinum trophy of the Chonvor in flight! In addition, a separate award will be given by the URC to the performance that best exemplified the theme of the competition. The winner of the best theme award will receive a trophy of a famous Furnifold starfruit, inlaid with rubies and other gemstones. Closing ceremonies will conclude with a fireworks show and a flyover from the Furnifold Hang Gliding Team, and that will wrap up Urthvision Songfest V!

We welcome you to the celebration, and best wishes for all our competitors!

Prerequisites and Prizes:

All contributing nations should maintain an embassy in Furnifold, nations that do not are encouraged to apply here (http://forum.theeastpacific.com/topic/7007076/1/).

All contributing nations must donate 800,000 SHD to cover their entourage expenses, as well as pay collectively for the trophies and prizes.

First Place: The nation that comes in first will host Songfestival 6, and will be awarded two First Place trophies; one for the nation’s URC representatives or submission committee and one for the performers. The performers will be commemorated as a large statue in the Mystica Center, and will be taken on a guided tour of Furnifold later in the year if they so choose. The winner will be issued a 550,000 SHD cash prize. The winning nation’s URC representatives or submission committee will have their financial contributions to the contest fully refunded. The winner of the Best Theme Award will be be awarded two special First Place trophies; one for the nation’s URC representatives or submission committee and one for the performers, and will be taken on a guided tour of Furnifold if they so choose, as well as a 100,000 SHD cash prize.

Second Place: The nation that comes in second will be awarded two Second Place trophies; one for the nation’s URC representatives or submission committee and one for the performers. The performer will be issued a 350,000 SHD cash prize.

Third Place: The nation that comes in second will be awarded two Third Place trophies; one for the nation’s URC representatives or submission committee and one for the performers. The performer will be issued a 250,000 SHD cash prize.

All subsequent places will receive two Commemoration trophies; one for the nation’s URC representatives or submission committee and one for the performers. All performers will be issued a 40,000 SHD cash prize.

[spoiler]

The Urthvision Regulations Committee to codifies and enforces a set of statutes that all Songfestivals follow. Alterations to these statutes will be allowed to take place twice-annually at pre-scheduled conferences composed of all nations participating in membership within the URC. Participation in the Songfestival does not require membership within the URC, but member nations will be afforded preference when dealing with song order, accommodations, and commercial and broadcast rights.

Membership within the URC is dependent on an annual donation proportionate to the nations GDP but will not recede past 5 million Auroran Standard Kiribs. Those members which donate more than 50 million ASK will be afforded the status of Boardmember, being able to make administrative and organizational decisions in conjunction with other Boardmembers.

Organizational:
The voting system will have participating nations poll their citizens through the use of the television broadcast, using whatever means necessary to collect the votes of the citizens, in the format of a list of all participating nations from first to last. The exact circumstances of the point system will be dependant on the nations participating and will be decided between the URC Board and the host nation.
If a nation that is not a member of the URC wins the contest, they agree on virtue of participation to abide by all rules and regulations the URC enforces and to accommodate the URC Board in planning out the next contest.

All participating nations must donate an amount of Kiribs submitted by the host nation and approved by the URC Board between 500,000 and 2 million in order to pay for construction of any necessary facilities, cover expenses for their nations’ entourage, and to collectively pay for prizes and trophies.

The host nation is responsible for the accomodation, transport, security, and successful performance of all participants. URC officials will be present where necessary to ensure all reasonable means are being undertaken to ensure each participating nation is treated fair and equitably.

All performers are required to possess a visa and residence within the nation they represent. Citizenship is not required.

Political relationships are forbidden to take precedence over the festival, as it is a celebration of culture and art. If a participant broadcaster suspends or alters their localized version of the host broadcast, they will be subject to a fine proportional to the changes made.

The host nation must be able to provide the following when selecting a city:

-The chosen venue must be able to house a minimum of 6,000 persons in an arena-style location designed to be able to host concerts.

-The chosen venue must be able to provide reasonable access to restroom, medical, and concessions facilities for all persons and species, whether able bodied or disabled.

-Venues must also be provided for the opening and closing ceremonies of at least 2,000 attendees.

-The host city must have enough hotel and resort space within 2 kilometers of the venue able to accommodate upwards of 5,000 people which include national delegations and press, but also attendees and fans.

-The host city must be able to guarantee the safety and security of participants, members of delegations and guests.

-The host city must have within the city limits a hospital and police organization numbering at least 1,000 officers, robust public transport, an international airport within 10
kilometers, access to reasonable sized roadways, and be able to provide fast and direct transport from each accomodation area to the venues for performance and official ceremonies.

-The host city must provide a recommended exploration program for visitors and performers in order to showcase, promote, and expand the culture, food, industry, environment, etc. of the host city and nation.

-The host city must have a robust broadcast and satellite up-link capability in order to disseminate the contest broadcast internationally.

Musical Performance-

All entered music and their associated contestants must be unique and married in the sense that the work of music is an original composition by the performer.

A musician or composer cannot represent their nation two songfestivals in a row.

All musical acts must be either created for this competition or be a pre-existing work of music that was not recorded prior to 1985 (Nineteen Eighty-Five.)

The act must not last longer than 6:30 minutes (six and a half) and the music itself may not exceed 6 minutes (six) in length.

Acts must have a vocal component unless they are intended to be performed orchestrally.

All works of music must be of either popular or cultural significance to their nation of origin. The host nation and their broadcast provider will work with cultural and historical experts to determine the eligibility of each song on this parameter. Nations whose first entry are denied will have 1 chance (one) to select a more appropriate musical work.

All vocal components of the musical work must be performed by a live singer. No pre-recorded vocals or lip syncing is permitted unless the vocals are part of an electronically altered component of the piece.

A nation is permitted a non-mandatory one-minute video to preface their performance. The video may only contain content that references the performer and their home nation. Anything promoting tourism, the government, the military, the international or colonial presence of the nation, the current venue, commercial products, etc is forbidden. Any content that is associated with the performers’ prior musical career, or any content that is similar or identical to any music videos or promotional content for the musical work itself is forbidden. All videos will be screened prior to the event. In the case that a nations’ video is found to violate any regulations, there will be no opportunity to submit another.

The chosen musical piece is not permitted to be performed by any artist professionally, from the time it is selected to the time it is broadcast during the contest.

Personnel-

All entrants must be confirmed and endorsed by their national selection committee.

No entrants may have prior issues with law enforcement of any kind whatsoever.

All entrants and their associated entourages will select one of 8 locations to be housed during their stay in the nation. No members of any nations’ staff are to stay in a different location.

A national delegation may not exceed 150 people and may not include more than five security personnel.

All personnel part of the delegation must be critical to the production and presentation of a musical act, including the performers themselves, any stylists, tailors, cooks, chauffeurs, instrument maintenance, dancers, etc.

If a nations’ submission is, for instance, orchestral, and thus the necessary performers exceed the entourage member limit, they will be afforded the total number of performers plus 15 extra spaces (fifteen) in their entourage.

Any personnel associated with a nations’ entourage that commit a criminal offense while visit the city, including but not limited to destruction of property, operating a vehicle without the associated license, consumption of a controlled substance while operating a vehicle, illegal acquisition or possession of a weapon, inhabiting the sovereign area without a proper visa, murder, assault, sexual misconduct, vandalism, public nuisance, poaching, libel, invasion of privacy, theft, burglary, possession of an illicit substance, malicious destruction of environment, animal cruelty, littering, obstruction of justice, verbal assault with intent to disparage race, species, culture, ethnicity, sexuality, financial situation, gender, intelligence, or dress, and all other codified infractions and felonies within host nation law will be arrested, detained, prosecuted, sentenced and served to the fullest extent of sovereign law.

Waivers concerning personnel issues and all other legal documentation can be found below.

Broadcasting-

The host nations selected broadcast provider maintains complete control over the broadcast and all aspects including preproduction, production, postproduction, editing, scripting, commentation, documentation, dissemination, commercial time and advertisers, guest selection, performance order, opening, closing, and intermission presentation, etc.

National broadcasters that receive the feed will be responsible for translation and localization of on-screen text.

Film and news staff are not permitted to cover the presentation of musical acts. They will be permitted to broadcast their own coverage of the red carpet and closing ceremonies only.

All broadcast equipment and dissemination methods must be cleared with the appropriate law enforcement and broadcast provider beforehand. Any unauthorized broadcasts or equipment will result in the ejection of the nations delegation and their forfeiture of the contest.

All news or film staff wishing to cover their nations performance and activities will be included within the 150 person limit.

All news and entertainment broadcasts must be output through state-mandated lines of communication which will be arranged with the broadcast provider beforehand.

No foreign news or entertainment firm is permitted to broadcast any footage shot by a tourist, citizen, participant, staff member, or diplomatic personage until 1 week after the official broadcast of the contest.

All entities wishing to film or otherwise broadcast content covering any person from their nation, or another participating nation, or the host nation, must submit the associated legal documentation that this person or persons gave explicit consent and otherwise understand that their likeness will appear on national and international television, no matter what they may be filmed doing.

Waivers concerning broadcast rights and all other associated legal and corporate paperwork can be found below.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]

Players are allowed to submit a performance from ONE of their nations. If they submit multiple proposals from multiple nations, one will be chosen arbitrarily.

The video you submit must be of a live performance of the musical work, preferably indoors, to allow voting players to understand the dynamic of the music when being performed on a stage, rather than just the merits of the composition alone. CAVEAT: If a nation does not have a suitable human population to allow for a live performance video, they will be allowed to submit a video that is visually complex and has motion and characters in it, with the expectation that this is not going to be a series of still images overlaid with music.

Your submission cannot exceed six minutes. The Shorter the Better. CAVEAT: If your song is part of a larger video, please indicate the timecode of where it stops and where it ends to help determine if it fits the length requirements.

Your submission must have been conceived or otherwise recorded in the last 40 years. This does not mean the version of the music itself, but rather when the original version came into being.

Pick a new artist if the artist has represented your nation in the previous two Urthvision Competitions.

A preface video is not necessary

Submit your content by a forum PM or by a Discord DM (Furnifold#6535)

Your submission must contain a link to a youtube, dailymotion, or vimeo video of your musical act, the name of the song and the performer, and whether or not you are interested in joining the Urthvision Regulations Committee.

If you would like to be considered for the Best Theme Award, please include a short blurb (no more than five sentences) along with your submission detailing how your submission matches the theme (“Take flight and celebrate life!”). The URC will judge the submissions, and will emphasize submissions that combine their nation’s culture with the theme of this competition

Your submission must be in no later than 12 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (0000 UTC/Zulu) on Thursday June 7th.

Voting will begin on Sunday June 10th at 3 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (0300 UTC/Zulu) and will last until Friday, June 15th at 12 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (0000 UTC/Zulu). Winners will be announced on Friday June 15th.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns! We will be using a temporary event channel in the TEP Roleplaying Server (Discord) for discussion about the Urthvision Songfestival

[/spoiler][edit_reason]URC<>UCR[/edit_reason]

2

It is the middle of the week and there is excitement in the air. Your nation’s performers and your entourage landed in Furnifold today, and took a scenic train ride through two different biomes to arrive in the lakeside town of Accoco. Your lodging is in either one of the hotels on the main street of Accoco, overlooking the souk (market), or a cabin right on the beach of Lake Amery. These present polar opposites, as the lake at this time is quiet, relaxing, and peaceful, and, just outside your hotel, the souk is brimming with life.

Let’s look at the souk. This week, in celebration of Urthvision Songfestival V, the main market is open 24 hours. This is day three of the Accoco Soukfest, and it is quite exciting for the people of Furnifold. Visitors have traveled to Accoco, completely booking all available lodging. Some people have even camped just outside the city to enjoy the festivities. Vendors have come all throughout Furnifold to sell their wares and impart on their patrons some of Furnifold’s culture.

You decide to go to the soukfest. It is late in the evening, so there aren’t many children out, but there are still hoards of people around. The main street of Accoco as well as some arterial roads have been converted into the large street market. Even at this late hour, you see vendors selling clothing, food, jewelry, furniture, trinkets and baubles, all sorts of items. The vendors look busy and overworked, but they put on a welcoming face, which gets especially more welcoming when they see you and your entourage. The nearest vendor approaches you, perhaps it’s a younger woman, selling items meant to be gifts for other women or girls, or perhaps it’s an older woman, selling something handmade meant to be worn. Her husband or boyfriend stays in the back of the stand, ready to assist their significant other when necessary. Under the watchful eye of the security, both surrounding your entourage and in the souk itself, she says, “welcome, ‘inshuti,’ (friend) to Accoco! Please take this gift for visiting our market, and please look around at what we are selling. We take South Hills Dollars here, by the way.” The woman gives you a small trinket of some sort, showcasing the flair of Furnifold.

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Farther down in the souk, it gets a little louder, as some of the vendors combined and opened up their spaces to become dance and party floors. You see locals dancing, playing cards and gambling, but the foreigners are standing off to the side, observing the crowd. Then, someone gets up and walks to a pretty foreign lady, smiles and stretches out his hand, careful to cover it with a sleeve of his long robe, and offers it to her to grasp. The foreigner blushes, and is nudged to take the hand by one of her entourage. She follows the local to the dance floor, and he shows her some very simple moves familiar in Furnifold. The ice was successfully broken, and soon enough other travelers enter the souk floor to dance, and the roar of the music and the crowd grows. You continue on through the souk, knowing that you could spend the rest of night in this one spot if you don’t keep moving.

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You keep traveling, stopping every so often when there is a vendor selling something that looks appealing to you. You begin to smell the familiar smells of a beach and water, and can feel a slight breeze making its way through the souk. You made your way closer to Lake Amery, and you can see the top of the kAE Mystica Center when there is a break in the souk covering. It looks like crews are putting up a big screen and sound system nearby the stadium. Accoco is getting tons of visitors, and there were only so many seats in the Mystica Center, so for the rest of the crowds out in the souk, the large screen will broadcast what is going on in there. You imagine the crowds currently out in the souk at least tripled once the actual Songfest begins. It truly is exciting.

Then you remember. The Songfest! You can’t stay out too late, there is much to do before the competition begins. You corral your nation’s entourage together and head back to your lodging. But, don’t worry, if you want to visit the souk again, it’ll be open all this week, 24 hours. The Urthvision Songfestival is probably the biggest Urth-wide event in recent Furnifold memory, and they pulled out all the stops to make it as exciting and memorable as possible.

Urthvision Songfestival V is here. Welcome to Furnifold!

3

The crowds have been pouring in to the kAE Mysitca Center, and now the arena, packed to the brim with anxious spectators, is beyond excited for the opening ceremony. Television and live stream broadcast crews have set up their cameras, trained a multitude of them onto the stage, rafters, behind the curtains, and facing the audience. The opening ceremony for the Urthvision Songfestival V is to begin soon. All that was left was to get the “okay” from the producers, and the cameras would turn on and commence the event.

A announcer on the intercom cuts through the excited murmuring. “Welcome to everyone, get ready to cheer, for our main event is ready to begin!” This prompts the crowd to roar, as loud as they can, and as they are doing this, the red lights of the cameras flicker on, and the opening ceremony of Urthvision Songfestival V begins.

A brightly-clothed man with hair as white as his clothes bright enters the main stage to the cheers and the applause. He greets the audience, “And with this boisterous ‘hello!’ from the wonderful people of Furnifold, I want to welcome you to the Urthvision Songfestival V Opening Ceremony, sponsored by Marsh Entertainment. My name is Chasen Lowita, and I will be the guide for the journey tonight. Our journey is one that celebrates life, and it is my hope that each and every one of you will leave today with the appreciation of its preciousness, and to cherish it, completely and eternally.”

“We will be introducing the nations and the competitors soon, but first, let us begin our journey in the sky, far above the Mystica Center, to where the domain is of the Chonvor.” A video plays on a screen against the backdrop of the Royal Furnifoldian purple curtains. (Breathtaking Eagle POV Flying Over The Alps in 4K - YouTube) The screen shows a view of a camera hooked up to a Chonvor as it flies through the sky, and a light orchestral composition can just be made out as Chasen continues. “It is up here that the Chonvor feels most at home, soaring through the air, flying ever so gracefully. It is a sensation people were not meant to experience, but because of technological advances, we have improved our lives, and our experiences.”

The crowd in the Center watches the screen intently, as the broadcast fades in and out, between the white-haired lanky Chasen and the video. As Chasen finishes his sentence, he begins another one, and the tone shifts. The orchestral arrangement quiets and begins a new overture, this time with more percussion and strings. “But, while our advancements have made Urth a place our ancestors would never have imagined, we must always hold dear what makes our lives magical, the connections we form with our friends, our families, and our communities. Nobody best exemplified this better than our own Khalid Ibuyutima, who tragically could not be here for these opening ceremonies.”

The arrangement shifts completely and a recording of Ibuyutima’s throat singing can be clearly heard, accompanied by the overture. (Kongar-Ol Ondar - Tuva Groove - YouTube)

Chasen pauses, and says with reverence, “We dedicate the Urthvision Songfestival to an inspiring man, Khalid Ibuyiutima. He truly lived his life with kindness and love every day. He will be enshrined here in the kAE Mystica Center, and through his beautiful music.”

The crowd cheers, sobs, or does both at this time, Chasen puts on a smile, and he says, “Now, we will continue with our celebration! Let me introduce the competitors and their respective nations. Because life is bound together by time and experience, our esteemed competitors will be led out by one who recently arrived on Urth, and one who is approaching their twilight years on Urth. The dignity of life must be respected at all ages.”

The curtains are drawn back, and the first group enters the visible stage. It is an older gentleman of Furnifold, carrying the magnificent flag of Xagrurg. A child leads out the band Nervena, to both loud cheers and cute ‘awws’ from the crowd. Chasen says, “Introducing Nervena from Xagrurg!”

Again, an older man brings out the next nation’s flag, this time from Free Syllvin. A child leads the singer Harrison Temmilton, and the crowd again roars as Chasen introduces her. They roar a little louder as this is the nation Furnifold’s winner competed in last Urthvision.

This time, a child brings out the flag of New Leganes, and a woman leads out Porbes. “Introducing Porbes of New Leganes!” Chasen yells over the roaring crowd, as the child struggles slightly to put the flagpole into the stand.

“Next, from Kuthernburg, introducing Selena Cion!” The crowd is on their feet at this time, given the excitement of seeing a famous singer from Kuthernburg. She is led out by an older man, as the child holding the flag of the nation has no trouble putting the pole in.

“From Kyrloth, the group Superjava!” The men have been led out by two twin children of Furnifold, and two elderly twin men bring out the flag of the nation.

An older woman in a wheelchair becomes visible on stage, the flag of Asendavia draped behind her chair. A child brings out the much larger men as Chasen announces, “From Asendavia, the group Aventail!”

A child carrying the flag of the Oan Isles enters the stage, runs around the stands of Kuthernburg and Kyrloth, and quickly puts her pole into its place, before Chasen could announce the competitor. He chuckles, and says, “From The Oan Isles, Aia!” Aia enters, grasping the hand of an older gentleman.

Chasen continues chuckling, and says, “So precocious. Now, let us welcome the competitors from East Cerdani, Dschinghis Khan!” The group enters, led by the hands by five different children, and an older woman carries the flag of the nation.

“Now, from Blueacia, welcome the band The Robyntjes!” The group is led out by a child and the flag is carried by a gentleman.

Chasen pauses and looks around the audience. He says, “I seem to be forgetting someone, I wonder who that could be. Oh, right! I know! It wouldn’t be our Songfestival if we didn’t honor the woman who made this all possible, Lorien!” The crowd thought their voices were spent from cheering for the nation’s introductions, but they are able to muster the loudest cheer of all as Lorien walks onto the stage. She hugs Chasen, takes the mic from him, and says. “Thank you, all of you. It was because of you that I found the strength and the will to work hard and bring this amazing event to Furnifold. I am pleased to introduce Furnifold’s competitor, Dan the Family Man!”

The crowd loses their minds as the competitor from Furnifold walks in, flanked by multiple children and elderly, and carries the flag of Furnifold himself. He gets to his assigned spot, and places the pole into the stand, with a little flourish first. This causes the crowd to cheer even more, most assuredly draining all vocal energy for the next day.

“Thank you to all the wonderful competitors, and their guides. Now, stay tuned, for when we come back, we have more performances!” The camera zooms out, giving a bird’s eye view of the stage as the competitors leave, with Aia of the Oan Isles going in another exit.

The screen plays advertisements of the sponsors of the Urthvision Songfestival, from Marsh Entertainment, from Royal Shipwrights Company, from kAE Systems, and from Bayside Guitarsmiths. Millions of people watching the live opening ceremony would be tuned into this, and those watching the recorded session would also be seeing these commercials.

The camera fades in as the people in the Mystica Center continue to cheer, and it pans through the audience, before cutting to Chasen at the foot of the steps to the stage. “Thank you all, and welcome back! Now, let us continue our journey. Life is finite, we are born, we live, and then we die. Nothing is more certain. What we do with our lives is of vital importance. And that is the message I want to convey to you. We, as a person, as a nation, as a community of people and nations, should always strive to care for the less fortunate, our neighbors, our friends. We must make life worth living for everyone, for the happy, the sad, the rich, the poor, the men, women, children, felines, vulpines, lupines, and all other beautiful species of Urth. We get one life, and we should live it with no regrets and with the fondest of memories. Always keep moving.”

Satisfied with his monologue, Chasen stretches out his hands to the stage, and the curtains draw back to reveal the band The Rememberists, as they play their signature song “100 Years.” (LIVE: 100 Years | Five For Fighting | Christmas Under the Stars on BYUtv - YouTube)

“Fantastic, simply fantastic,” Chasen says, as he claps along with the audience. The Urthvision Songfestival brings together talent from all over Urth to showcase their cultures to all of us. We appreciate all their hard work and dedication, and we will award our competitors with a prize full of meaning to our people and our culture. All competitors will receive a trophy of a Chonvor in flight." The feed turns onto the screen behind Chasen, as it showcases the beautiful trophy for the competitors. Chasen continues as the feed revolves around the award, “This is a symbol of our hope that you continue bestowing your talents onto the Urth, for it helps gives your lives purpose, and helps give our lives meaning.” The camera cuts to the seated competitors in the first row, looking on at the host and smiling.

The camera cuts back to Chasen, and he looks at it with a serious stare. “I want to focus on ‘meaning’ and ‘purpose,’ because sometimes life gets challenging. It’s a struggle, physically, emotionally, and mentally. We don’t talk about the toll this inflicts on us nearly enough, and we should. I, we, everyone, has more power to impact other’s lives than we realize. Not only is it our duty to help our communities, we need to help ourselves. If you are struggling, please, talk to a loved one, a friend, anyone who will listen. And we should listen, all of us. This is too important to deal with later, if we are depressed, anxious, hurting, we must deal with it now.”

The crowd is silent as Chasen pauses again. He waits a few seconds, just enough for it to be awkward, and he continues. "If you are feeling alone, and you don’t trust yourself or those around you to lead you in a life-affirming direction, I want you to pay attention, because I hope these next few minutes can speak to you directly. You. Matter. You are important, you are wanted, and you are loved. Our next performance comes from Logic, Aia, and Mavis, and, if you are in a bad place, please call this number. (- YouTube)

There’s barely a dry eye in the Mystica Center as they conclude their performance. Chasen comes on stage again, hugging the performers before speaking over the cheers of the crowd, addressing the performers. “Thank you, all of you for this amazing piece.” He shifts to the crowd, looking directly into the camera as he pleads, “There is good in all of us, I just know it, even if you at home aren’t feeling like there’s good in you. You are not alone.”

“Tomorrow we will continue with our celebration, when all our competitors will perform their songs and make their nations proud. Now, for the final performance, I want to impart upon you the importance of community. We in Furnifold are a proud people, with a rich history, as well as a history of mistreating the lowest and most vulnerable among us. I hope that today, and for the rest of the Songfestival, we can show you how important it is to treat everyone the way you would wish to be treated. A homeless person has as much dignity as you or I, and is wealthy in wisdom and experience. Celebrate all life, listen to your elders, listen to the children, be there for those who need you. This is how you live your life with affirmative values, and without regret.”

The crowd gives one final applause and cheer as Chasen says, “We’ll be back tomorrow evening, thank you to our sponsors, our competitors, our producers, crew, and performers, everyone who made this possible, and to you, the wonderful people of this beautiful Urth. I cherish each and every one of you. Now, let’s have the group The Ancestors play us out, with their song, ‘Mister Wendell.’ Thank you all, good night, and enjoy the rest of the Urthvision!” (Arrested Development - Mr. Wendal (Live) - YouTube)

4

For hours, people have been camping out, partying, and getting pumped for the Urthvision Competition. Some have not slept since the opening ceremony. Will-call sales of a limited number of tickets were met by a line of thousands of Furnifolds, attempting to get a seat in the most exciting event in its history. It was almost time. Almost time to begin the competition, to give Furnifold an opportunity to see what talent would grace the humble nation. After the opening ceremony, the people were beyond ecstatic, as the entire nation was abuzz. It was expected that close to three-quarters of the population of Furnifold would be tuned into their televisions for the competition. For those without televisions in their households, community centers were opened up, neighbors crowded together in homes, restaurants were packed to the brim, and streets with televisions on them were surrounded by people. It is safe to say that all of Furnifold is ready, ready to see the event, and ready to cheer on and vote for their favorite competitors. The winner, and all competitors, were to become instant sensations in the nation, and become stars.

The orchestra played a riveting opening progression as cameras in the kAE Mystica Center turned on and began their broadcast. The arena announcer was the first voice the packed arena and everyone watching heard as he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, people and species of all kinds, welcome to the Urthvision Songfestival V, sponsored by Royal Shipwrights Company! Introducing your hosts, married singing duo Pauline and Quinn, of P’s and Q’s!”

Pauline and Quinn walk out on either side of the royal Furnifoldian-colored curtains, drawn up, as they reach their assigned places. With the brightest of smiles, they bow and applaud to the cheers from the fans in the arena. “It is absolutely surreal to be here, wouldn’t you agree, Quinn?” Pauline asks her co-host. “Indeed, Pauline, it sure is real!” He replies, to light laughs from his co-host and the spectators of the arena. Pauline gives him a look of disappointment before she continues.

“We’re here to watch and to judge the best that Urth has brought us. Tonight, you’ll be seeing sensational performances from a diverse set of individuals. Let’s see who are performing!”

A screen unravels on the platform and the cameras focus on it. A video feed turns on and professionally shot footage of each of the performances is shown. One by one, the hosts introduce the ten competitors, to varying amounts of cheering from the audience. At the conclusion, the camera turns back to Quinn as he says, “Wonderful. There are your competitors! In a little bit, we will begin with our first competitor, so stay tuned in, we’ll be right back!”

The camera zooms out and pans around the cheering audience, and eventually turns to black. The televisions around the world plays advertisements of the sponsors of the Urthvision Songfestival, from Marsh Entertainment, from Royal Shipwrights Company, from kAE Systems, and from Bayside Guitarsmiths.

After a slight pause, the camera is broadcast inside the Mystica Center, and reverses course to how it had panned out, before arriving at the waiting hosts, standing together. "Welcome back, everyone! Without further ado, we will present our first performance. All the way from Xagrurg, here is the band Nervena, with the song “Nirvana - Tourette's (Live at Reading 1992) - YouTube”

After the performance, the camera pans to Quinn, and he says, "Great work Nervena and to Xagrurg! Our next performance hails from Free Syllvin, and is also a ranking member of government. Here is Harrison Temmilton with the song, “Carly Rae Jepsen - I Really Like You (O2 Arena/London) - YouTube”

“Woohoo, what an exciting performance!” Quinn says with a slight shudder. "Now, let’s listen to Porbes, of New Leganes, as he does his song, “Mr. Probz - Waves - Top of the Pops - BBC One - YouTube”

“Quinn, I will say that was surreal, and don’t tell that horrible joke again. Thanks Porbes!” Pauline bows slightly to the departing performer. "Next, we have our commonwealth friends from Kuthernburg, here is Selena Cion featuring Deadpool, with the song, “Celine Dion, Ashes, live in the Colosseum Caesars Palace, Las Vegas - YouTube”

After a quick break in the action, the hosts are shown together again, as they introduce the next act. "Thanks for coming back everyone, and thank you to Selena Cion and Deadpool for their performance. Now, from Kyrloth, we have the band Superjava, performing “Superjava - Portraits Live @ Magasins généraux - YouTube”!

Pauline again speaks after the performance, and says, "Now, we have our friends from the north in Asendavia, introducing Aventail with their performance, “Sabaton - Winged Hussars (Hellfest 2017) - YouTube”

Now it is Quinn’s turn, and he gestures wildly to the stage again, "So exciting, so intense! Now, let’s give a welcome to Aia from The Oan Isles, as she performs “Alessia Cara - Scars To Your Beautiful (Live At The MTV VMAs / 2017) - YouTube”

The hosts stand together and announce together, “Great work Aia! Now, from East Cerdani in Gondwana, let’s give it up for Dschinighis Khaan and their performance, - YouTube”

Another commercial break occurs after the performers from East Cerdani, as the end was coming up. When the main feed returns, Pauline is standing alone, and she says, "Fantastic! Let’s now give it up for our penultimate act, The Robyntjes of Blueacia, as they perform “The Common Linnets - Calm After The Storm (The Netherlands) 2014 LIVE Eurovision Grand Final - YouTube”!

After the crowd finished cheering, Quinn bows to the spectators and the performers as they leave the stage. He turns around, and yells, "People of Furnifold and of Urth! Let’s give a loud welcome to our nation’s competitor, Dan the Family Man, as he sings, “LunchMoney Lewis takes over TODAY show's Instagram See his pics TODAY com - YouTube”

Finally finished with the performance, the camera returns to the two hosts as the purple curtain draws closed. Quinn says, “Thank you to all the competitors, you gave it your all, and now we turn it over to you, the people of Urth!”

“Yes,” Pauline says, “Here’s how it works next. You’ll be voting online or by phone, until tomorrow, for your favorite act. In our closing ceremonies, representatives from each nation will state how their nation votes, and we will crown our winner!”

Quinn gets the last word to the ecstatic audience as he says, “On behalf from all of us here in Furnifold, I want to thank you all for tuning in, and enjoy the performances by going to the Urthvision website! Thank you to all of our sponsors, thank you to Pauline, and thank you all! Goodnight!”

The camera pans out to the cheering audience, and eventually fades to black after the roll of credits, closing out the competition portion of the Urthvision Songfestival V.

[spoiler]
Post here your nation’s votes, in ascending order of points. The top performance (and first on the list) should be worth 9 points, decreasing in point value until 1 point is reached. Do not vote for your nation. Submit either the nation of the performer, or the name of the artist or band.

Example from Furnifold:
9- Blueacia
8- East Cerdani
7- The Oan Isles
…
1- Xagrurg

This portion should be clearly outlined in the post, separate from any associated RP you wish to write. You have until Friday, June 15th at 12 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (0000 UTC/Zulu) to submit your nation’s votes. Winners will be announced on Friday June 15th.

Good luck to all!

*If you have any questions or concerns, or issues with the video player, send me a PM
[/spoiler]

5

Good evening, nations of Urth! I’m Fandl Theg, from Privetia Taurillien, and I have right here the points from New Leganes. It’s been really tied and it seems it hasn’t been easy for Cukishes to decide, as all songs are wonderful. Now I’m telling you how New Leganes has voted:

9 points go to… Blueacia!!!
8 points go to… Kuthernburg!
7 points go to… Free Syllvin!
6 points go to… East Cerdani!
5 points go to… The Oan Isles!
4 points go to… Furnifold!
3 points go to… Xagrurg!
2 points go to… Asendavia!
1 point goes to… Kyrloth!

Thank you and see you in the next Urthvision!

6

[broadcast 1345-sr-28-23.51.44]

Tesara Nira
Sund! Hello! Tesara Nira here, live from the bustling city of Azmarin Zlovskavaar, Kyrloth! We’ve been extremely busy counting all the votes from the members of the Kyrlot public. Turina Dzhana, Minister of Elections, couldn’t be here tonight, as he’s on sick leave. (the crowd gives out a sympathetic ‘aww’). But his team have been here making sure everything’s in tip top condition!

(the camera pans to a group of bureaucrats, talking amongst each other and occasionally pointing at sheets of paper on the nearby table)

Tesara Nira
So the results are in! They should be appearing on your screen right about now. Congratulations to Porbes of New Leganes for getting over half a million votes with Waves - an Urthvision first here in Kyrloth.

7

(Blueacia’s contender of last edition ‘Maurizio Ferarri’ appears, with the same hat as the male artist of ‘De Robyntjes’)
A roar goes to the stadium as the people see him.
Hello Furnifold, Blueacia calling.
I have here the votes of the Blueacian jury and the televoters, but before I start let me say you put up an fantastic show. I know how it is to be on that stage, and I know it’s hard it is with the scorings. so without further delay lets see the points:

Xagrurg 1 point
Asendavia 2 points
East Cerdani 3 points
Kuthernburg 4 points
Kyrloth 5 points
Free Syllvin 6 points
Oan Isles 7 points
New Leganés 8 points
Furnifold 9 points

these were the votes of the Blueacian jury, good luck. and good night

8

The soft calls of coastal birds flowed over the quiet waves that lapped at the hull of the MAPLE platforms, and irritated Sergeant Marex.

“Couldn’t we have just done this on our own time? Giving the entire complex the day off just so some damned animals can watch the festival is just ridiculous.” Master Sergeant Ciros grunted at his compatriots’ words, the two of them standing on the edge of the central Public Address Plaza to supervise the local workers setting up for the live screening of Urthvision. Rows upon rows of rack after rack of chairs unfolding from beneath the deckplates, the south wall of the administrative tower being converted into a massive LCD screen, and several dozen civilian contractors, of all things, from the Furnifold mainland setting up concession stands.

“Much as the thought of catering to these things is as awful as it is, Marex, this whole thing is for as much our benefit as it is theirs,” deadpanned Ciros, hefting his rifle to block the gleam of the sun off his white perspex armor.
“It’s a perfect day for some time off, I know the platoon has been getting antsy these past couple of weeks. Plus both nations that the humans on this boat are from are in Urthvision. You can’t honestly expect us to work to our fullest with the knowledge we’re missing our performances because of ‘duty’.”

The Sergeant exhaled through his nose, keeping a careful eye on the menial workmen and the few intrepid vulpines who had ventured into the area early.

“Taking the day off is what I’m worried about. All personnel are given the day to enjoy themselves and watch the festival? What is the Major thinking? Essential personnel like traffic control and power regulation are going to be sipping beer in their quarters or out here. If this whole place keeps in one piece through the night it will be a miracle.”

One of their fellow white-suited guards across the huge courtyard waved at the two, breaking Ciros off from whatever response he was going to give. A moment later, Corpsman Haurus’ voice crackles in their helmets.

“Sergeants, one of the food vendors is missing a signature on Permit 37. I think it be better you sort him out before Forton just shoots him.”

Merax growled, shaking his head and falling into step behind the Sergant Major, who had already begun walking down the steps to cross the plaza. “Gods, I hate beauracracy.”

[hr]

Syllvan point tally is as follows:

9 points go to Kutherburg
8 points go to East Cerdani
7 points go to the Oan Isles
6 points go to Asendavia
5 points go to Furnifold
4 points go to Kyrloth
3 points go to New Legends
2 points go to Blueacia
1 point goes to Xagrurg

9

After compiling all of the votes made, Asendavia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs gives the data to Viktor Zharkov, the Asendavian Minister of Foreign Diplomacy, to release the results. They are:

9 - Oan Isles

8 - East Cerdani

7 - Furnifold

6 - Free Syllvin

5 - Kuthernburg

4 - Kyrloth

3 - Blueacia

2 - New Leganes

1 - Xagrurg

10

Here are the results from the Cerdani Democratic Republic/East Cerdani.

9 - Xagrug

8 - New Legannes

7 - Blueacia

6 - Asendavia

5 - Furnifold

4 - Oan Isles

3 - Kyrloth

2 - Free Syllvin

1 - Kuthernburg

11

Here are the results from the Kingdom Of Kuthernburg:

9 - Blueacia

8 - New Legannes

7 - Asendavia

6 - Furnifold

5 - Oan Isles

4 - Kryloth

3 - East Cerdani

2 - Xagrug

1 - Free Syllvin

12

After several delays with software malfunctions in poll booths, the results from polls across Xagrurg come in.

9 - Asendavia
8 - East Cerdani
7 - Free Syllvin
6 - New Lebanese
5 - Kyrolth
4- Oan Isles
3 - Kuthernburg
2 - Furnifold
1 - Blueacia

13

The air was electric in the market outside of the kAE Mystica Center. The huge crowd that had gathered during the opening ceremonies went through the gauntlet of emotions during the moving opening performances. They were beyond excited during the main performances, with many electronics stores reporting a spike in the purchase of music players overnight. The Furnifolds were apparently buying music players and downloading the Urthvision songs to listen to. At the same time, they didn’t need to do that right away, as the loudspeakers outside the arena blasted the live performances of each competitor nonstop. It got to be so uncomfortable that many of the foreigners complained because they couldn’t get any sleep from their hotel rooms. But for the Furnifolds, many who had not slept in days, this was truly living. There was a kind of desperation taking hold, as they were not sure when their country would ever host another competition like this. Therefore, they wanted to live as much as possible for this week. They took the theme of the Urthvision to heart, and were really celebrating life.

“Welcome to the closing ceremony of Urthvision Songfestival V, sponsored by Bayside Guitarsmiths! I am Lorien, winner of Urthvision IV, and will be hosting and presenting awards this evening. Well, friends, fans, everyone on Urth, last night we witnessed truly inspiring and exciting performances by competitors from around the Urth. Let’s take a look back to last night…”

The large screen above the closed royal Furnifoldian purple curtains showed the highlights of each performance last night. People in Furnifold covered their ears when Nervena performed, swayed to the voice of Harrison Temmilton, were engrossed by the deep poetic moving performance of Porbes, cheered during every one of Selena Cion featuring Deadpool’s sustained notes, scratched their heads during Superjava’s performance, felt ready to fight all manner of mythical creatures when Aventail performed, clapped along to the beat of Aia, danced, cheered and absolutely had a great time to Dschinighis Khaan, were reminded of being on the farm up in the Carrington Plains during The Robyntjes, and, of course, lost every sane cell in their body when Dan the Family Man performed. It was pretty evident based on the reaction of the Furnfiolds during each performance how the nation voted:

[spoiler]
9 points go to East Cerdani
8 points go to Asendavia
7 points go to New Leganes
6 points go to Kuthernburg
5 points go to Blueacia
4 points go to Free Syllvin
3 points go to The Oan Isles
2 points go to Kryloth
1 point goes to Xagrurg
[/spoiler]

Lorien stepped back into focus of the camera, and gestured with her arms skyward, saying, “Such fantastic performances. I was thinking about sneaking my own performance in there, but that would be so unfair of me, since I can’t win twice!”

“Anyways, let’s get back to the show. You’ve seen their performances, so let’s give them one more introduction. Ladies and gentlemen, species of Urth, give a loud welcome to the Urthvision performers!”

The curtains draw back to reveal the ten performers, and elicit the cheers of the spectators in the Mystica Center. The performers are all arranged in spots on stage so that when an aerial view of the stage is shown on screen, the outline of the Chonvor can be seen, much to the delight of the audience.

“Great job cheering them, I don’t think I will be able to hear for a week!” Lorien chuckled. “Now, let’s take a quick break, and we will be back with the reveal of how each nation voted. Stay right there!”

The camera zooms out and pans around the cheering audience, and eventually turns to black. The televisions around the world plays advertisements of the sponsors of the Urthvision Songfestival, from Marsh Entertainment, from Royal Shipwrights Company, from kAE Systems, and from Bayside Guitarsmiths.

The camera reverses its movement, panning back through the audience before arriving on Lorien at the foot of the stage. The competitors are nowhere to be seen. “Welcome back to the Urthvision Songfestival V! It’s me, Lorien, and if you are tuning in from the commercial break, you might be wondering where our competitors are. Well, they are backstage, waiting for me to call them up. I will call up three or four at a time, and reveal which one of the three will be moving up to the final round, where we will crown the winner of the competition.”

The lighting in the Mystica Center dims, and only three spotlights are visible. “Let’s call up the first three competitors. Will the performers from Kuthernburg, Furnifold, and Asendavia come on stage.”

Once the three performers were on stage, the spotlights trained down on them. Lorien quieted the crowds, cheering when Furnifold was up there, and said, “Okay, one of you three has placed in the Urthvision. Let’s find out who that is now.”

A long, dramatic pause ensues, making sure the audience is cheering out of frustration, impatience, and annoyance, as the camera trains on each competitor’s face, depicting the visages of worry, anxiety, or tranquility. The camera zooms out to the three performers as Lorien says, “Kuthernburg! You are going on to the final round!” The audience groans because the ‘home team’ will not get to present back-to-back Urthvisions, but cheer because Selena Cion made it to the next round.

“That was intense, wasn’t it? Okay, let’s take a quick break, with a special performance from the Furnifold Fliers!” After the competitors cleared the stage and went backstage, the Furnifold Fliers came on stage and did their performance. Part cheer-leading routine, part acrobatic performance, the Fliers hurdled, jumped and flipped through the air, leaving the audience awed at the incredible feats of gymnastics and contortion. (- YouTube)

Lorien came back on stage and had the camera trained on her. “Aren’t they fantastic! Give one more cheer for the Furnifold Fliers! Okay, let’s move on to the next elimination round. Will the performers from Blueacia, Free Syllvin, Xagrurg, and East Cerdani come on stage. You have all performed incredibly, but only one of you is moving on. Let’s find out who that is now.”

A long, dramatic pause ensues, making sure the audience is cheering out of frustration, impatience, and annoyance, as the camera trains on each competitor’s face, depicting the visages of worry, anxiety, or tranquility. The camera zooms out to the four performers as Lorien says, “East Cerdani! You are going on to the final round!” Dschinighis Khaan gets major cheers from Furnifold as they run off stage again.

The room again dims as Lorien says, "I don’t want to wait anymore. Let’s get the final group on stage. Kyrloth, The Oan Isles, and New Leganes performers, please come out. Let’s find out which one of you are going on to the final round.

A long, dramatic pause ensues, making sure the audience is cheering out of frustration, impatience, and annoyance, as the camera trains on each competitor’s face, depicting the visages of worry, anxiety, or tranquility. The camera zooms out to the three performers as Lorien says, “And the third performer to move on to the final round is… New Leganes!” Porbes bows to the audience as they are all cheering, and stays on stage as Lorien says, “Now, let’s bring out our other two performers.” Selena Cion and Dschinighis Khaan come back on stage and the three competitors stand nearby each other, as Lorien continues. “These three performers have placed first, second, and third in the competition, by votes of the competing nations of Urth. Let’s find out who came in third…”

Again, groans and cheers permeate the arena as Lorien dramatically pauses, making sure the camera has enough time to stop on every competitor’s nervous face. After it has zoomed out to the three performers, Lorien excitedly shouts, “Kuthernburg! Congratulations you have placed third in Urthvision V!”

After the audience cheers have died down and Selena left the stage, Lorien took the mic again. "Now, it is time for me to announce the winner of the Fifth Urthvision competition. This competition was close, with three points separating the top five competitors. But, there is only one winner. Will that winner be Porbes of New Leganes, or Dschinighis Khaan of East Cerdani. Let’s find out.

An especially long, especially tedious dramatic pause ensues. The competitors are unnaturally close to one another, for maximum dramatic effect. The audience, the Furnifolds inside and outside the Mystica Center, the people around the Urth, are glued to whatever they are watching the closing ceremony on. The tension is too thick to cut with a knife; it would take a chainsaw to get through it. The audience cannot keep quiet, and are yelling out the name of their favorite competitor, expletives, or gibberish as they wait for Lorien to finish the pause.

Finally, Lorien does, and she says, “The winner, of the Urthvision Songfestival V, is… EAST CERDANI!!”

The audience goes nuts, and cameras cut back and forth to Dschinighis Khaan looking beyond ecstatic, the audience losing their minds, the cheering outside the Mystica Center and in gathering areas in East Cerdani and Blueacia. Lorien struggles to talk over the abundance of noise in the Mystica Center as she hands the performers from East Cerdani the trophy for winning the Urthvision. “Congratulations to Dschinighis Khaan and to East Cerdani! You have won this remarkable engraved trophy, will have a statue commissioned to your performance in the Mystica Center here, are awarded 350,000 SHD, and are welcome to come back to Furnifold for tours and performances anytime!”

“Thank you to all our wonderful competitors, all our sponsors, all of you in the audience, and all of you watching around the Urth. I’m Lorien, thank you so much, and we’ll see you in East Cerdani for Urthvision VI!”

The camera pans around the various people and groups Lorien mentioned, then cuts to a feed on the beach of Lake Amery, as a wonderful fireworks show commences. Rockets of purple, gold, light blue, white, red, and green light up the sky, as the audience coos with excitement. Such a fitting end to the Urthvision Songfestival V. Without a doubt, the most exciting event Furnifold has ever been able to host. The people in the nation have the itch, and all the performers have become instant sensations in Furnifold. All are welcome back anytime, and all have fans in Furnifold.

[spoiler]
East Cerdani- 39 points
New Leganes- 37 points
Kuthernburg- 36 points (placed third due to highest number of 8 point votes)
The Oan Isles- 36 points (placed fourth due to highest number of 7 point votes)
Furnifold- 36 points
Blueacia- 33 points (placed sixth due to highest number of 9 point votes)
Free Syllvin- 33 points
Asendavia- 28 points
Kyrloth- 19 points
Xagrurg- 18 points
[/spoiler]