Presentation

Presentation or appearance is the way a practitioner or Other acts toward the world and watching spirits 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-”

“You’re telling me the universe encourages being the Bond villain?”

I hesitated.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Ty asked.

“Kind of? Convoluted traps are generally better than just shooting the bastards, apparently.” - Excerpt from Void 7.1</ref>

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.”

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 a time if you lie, in the same way.”

He indicated the bird he’d taken the sword from.

“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?”
[...]
“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…”
[...]
“Colors?” Dom asked, from the front row. “Royal purple, funereal black?”

“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?”

“No offense, Mr. Sunshine, but I don’t think anyone can really get away with wearing polyester,” a girl said.

The class laughed. Mr. Sunshine smiled.

“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?” - Excerpt from Leaving a Mark 4.6</ref> how things like cloths, costumes and accouterments like ceremonial robes or masks were important in rituals 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.

“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.”

“Sounds Faerie.”

“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.” - Excerpt from Fall Out 14.4</ref>

Theodora Knight is well versed in this phenomena.<ref>“A name? We could call it Ducky.”

“Be serious.”

“I’ll point out I’m the one who actually read up on them. But why is it such a big deal?”

“What we say and what we do matters and has a wide impact on how the spirits treat us. Those we surround ourselves with and how we present ourselves affect those who come to us and where we end up.”

“You’re apprentice to a guy who manages a bus line.”

“An extensive magical trap that entraps some of the worst elements of society.” - Excerpt from Gone and Done It 17.2</ref>

The Musser Family do their patriarch ritual 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. - Excerpt from Gone and Done It 17.z</ref>

Guilherme taught a lesson on how to ignore things like the cold so that the user was unaffected.<ref> - Excerpt from Crossed with Silver 19.2</ref>

The Kim Family takes pains to keep the spirits from noticing the secrets of their unique practice vis-a-vis Horrors.<ref>This was another trick, and another catch. 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.
[...]
But she was careful not to let the spirits see her secret.
[...]
“In private alone will you be anything but a young practitioner of the Kim family,” her grandfather said.

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. - Excerpt from Hard Pass 22.a</ref>

References