Editing Presentation

'''Presentation ''' or appearance is the way a [[practitioner]] or [[Other]] acts toward the world and watching [[spirit]]s which have such an influence on magic, [[karma]] and [[ritual]].
==Particulars==
Announcing your intentions is good karma for example.<ref>“It makes sense in context, the karma gain for fair play-”<br><br>“You’re telling me the universe ''encourages'' being the Bond villain?”<br><br>I hesitated.<br><br>“It does, doesn’t it?” Ty asked.<br><br>“Kind of?  Convoluted traps are generally better than just shooting the bastards, apparently.” - [https://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/void-7-1/ Excerpt] from [[Void 7.1]]</ref><!--universe rewards being a bond villain-->

Fae have been known to win any argument in part due to their excellent acting.<ref name="fp"/>

[[Rad Ray Sunshine]] gave an important class on presentation covering numerous examples and leading a class on the subject,<ref>“There are other ways to make appeals.  The right words.  Do you say ‘I want’ or ‘I need’?  Do you say ‘give me’ or ‘grant me’?  You can spend a lifetime learning the differences between these.  Remember that [...]the spirits, are watching and listening.  They are your audience, and you can imagine yourself on television for a live performance, and they’re watching you to see if you make a mistake, or if you do something ''cool''.  You can get them on your side.  You can make them into enemies, to the point that they’ll take the worst interpretation of whatever you might do.”<br><br>He glanced over the room.  “You might cringe and choose to watch something else if you see someone mess up their line or embarrass themselves during a live show.  The spirits will leave you for [[gainsay|a time if you lie]], in the same way.”<br><br>He indicated the bird he’d taken the sword from.<br><br>“Symbols.  Themes.  Devices.  Objects take on meanings.  Do this well and they’ll come to admire you.  A joke about bytes-with-a-y and bites-with-an-i might get a groan out of you, but a spirit enjoys it if you can make those jokes and connect ideas.  Name things well.  It matters.  Know what a bird might symbolize.  We can guess what a crow represents, can’t we?”<br>[...]<br>“Lastly, presentation.  Not just what you say, but how you say it.  If you present yourself well, they can look past small mistakes.  If you ''dress'' the part, then that helps. ... [Ceremonial robes - ] An easy way for spirits to know they should gather, or stand up and pay attention. [Masks] Not just articles of clothing, but…” <br>[...]<br>“Colors?” Dom asked, from the front row.  “Royal purple, funereal black?”<br><br>“Absolutely.  Also materials.  Are you wearing cotton or polyester?  I could get away with wearing polyester as a technomancer, but a hedge mage?  What would that say?”<br><br>“No offense, Mr. Sunshine, but I don’t think ''anyone'' can really get away with wearing polyester,” a girl said.<br><br>The class laughed.  Mr. Sunshine smiled.<br><br>“Consider also,” Mr. Sunshine addressed them.  “Are the clothes old and familiar to you, or are they new?  If you’re transforming into something or someone else, old and familiar clothes that are very much ''yours'' could hold you back.  One of these things may not make a big difference, but a few of them together could make ''the'' difference.  Miss Ellingson, would you join me up front?” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/09/05 Excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.4]]</ref> how things like cloths, costumes and accouterments like ceremonial robes or masks were important in [[ritual]]s and everyday life for a practitioner.

[[Florin Pesch]] believed in keeping a cool head at all times.<ref name="fp">“You seem pretty at ease about a lot of this,” Avery told Florin.<br><br>“Panic is the worst thing you can do,” Florin replied.  His voice lowered, he confided, “The spirits watch us.  If you think of it as stage magic, make everything look intentional, it can make a big difference in the most vital moments.”<br><br>“Sounds [[Fae]]rie.”<br><br>“It does, doesn’t it?” Florin asked.  “I think it’s less of a Faerie trick and more a really good principle that Faerie picked up a long time ago.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2021/10/17 Excerpt] from [[Fall Out 14.4]]</ref>

The [[Musser Family]] do their patriarch ritual<!--for lack of a better word--> in a space specially constructed to have minimal influence on the spirits.<ref>The ritual space in the central manor was laid out to be unassuming, to have minimal influence on spirits.  There was no decoration, besides the framing of the walls- red wood and dark stone.  The lighting was even and unobtrusive, from hidden origin points. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2022/04/02 Excerpt] from [[Gone and Done It 17.z]]</ref>

The [[Kim family]] takes pains to keep the spirits from noticing the secrets of their unique practice vis-a-vis [[Horror]]s.<ref>This was another trick, and another catch.  [[helen Kim|She]] hadn’t been allowed to practice this, because everything she did here had to be secret from spirits.  It was for the same reason the people in attendance couldn’t entertain the possibility she’d succeed.<br>[...]<br>But she was careful not to let the spirits see her secret.<br>[...]<br>“In private alone will you be anything but a young practitioner of the Kim family,” her grandfather said.<br><br>''Only in private, in prepared rooms like that cell, will I be a horror''.  ''It is this secret fact, kept even from common spirits, that keep me from facing the consequences of practice gone wrong.  I cannot be made into what I already am.  Should a practice of mine or a colleague turn on me, I can retreat to such a place and elude the consequences, though someone will have to pay the price.'' - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2022/12/31 Excerpt] from [[Hard Pass 22.a]]</ref>

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