Constructed Adventures

Fralusans ana Marein's adventures in constructed languages, cultures, and worlds.

[constructed-adventures]

"revar", Luc Pietres

je n'hei e nônc avrei quêl que j'ame en la poêsie quêl de far volar las miençs de dar vertige a la gjenç que liegjan mei viers

son rêaliste, je l'acçepte mas cuome zeve lassar d'avêr quêstas pensadas que ne s'expriman nel papier? nônc huotçe de zir-mei, »ne rieve plus!«

[constructed-adventures]

Thought:

Je ne save si hei parlat del viedran iç, ma mei ste venut òze (òste, fine de star-mei venut) l'idêe que von recontar-vois nôn: hêç entendut parlar de Saarland? Jes une dels estats federals d'Allemanje, cèrc la fronçere que jele comparte con France. Depuos la Seguonde Guerre Monzale, fu un protectorat de la France, Saar, e en 1954 fu organisat un vôt ou que les Saareis pozevan quixar l'indepenzenç, l'unjon con France, o l'unjon con Allemanje. Nel muond rêal han quixat l'unjon con Allemanje, ma se puode concevir un muond alçern ou han vôtat pôr l'indepenzenç. Al fait, finje de concevir tal muond, nelcual se parle le viedran en Saar. La regjon hêve èssut une principaltat o un ducat indepenzent èntre France e Allemanje, que fu conquistat van Allemanje en la Guerre Francoprussjane en 1871 e liberat depuos la Grande Guerre, que finiu en 1923. Aluog se parle franceis, viedran, e sarreis, leingue germanique que jes un puoc comprènsivel con letçemburgeis. Le viedran en jest muond se clame broiqueis (del nuomn de la capitale, Sarbroic). Les cuomtes de Nassau-Saarbrücken perzeron lore comtat a l'impêrialisme prussjan en la guerre de 1871 e furon forçat de junger-se a la monarquie hollanzêse. Quand la regjon aviniu indepenzente en 1923, se constituou còm democracie liberale mozerne.

La capitale sarrêse jes Sarbroic (viedran; en sarreis, Saarbrigge, en franceis, Sarrebruc), e la suole universidat nel pais se truove en la mèsme ciutat, l'Universitat de Sarbroic (sarreis Universidäd vun Saarbrigge, franceis Université de Sarrebruc). Le pais jes trileingue: sarreis, franceis, e broiqueis son reconoxut còm leingues officjales. Devut a lei grandes resiervas de carbòn e lei industrie d'acèr, Sarre (nuomn en broiqueis e franceis) aviniu plus poderuose que lei grandor hêrje fait semblar pòssivel. Viniu a èsser une de las ecònomias plus grandes, relativemient, en Europe.

Pensarei plus a jest plus tard. Buone noite!

[constructed-adventures]

A Carunai folk song:

Bo diw thi madyt e khenna, E khenna ca bo vylh Yl bo dhan e diro orna En ys ca twm rymylh E vylh bo, ca fi no molokh E vylh bo, ca adym

Loosely translated:

I went to the house of the woman, The woman that I loved There I saw the treacherous man He who stole the heart Of my lover, who is so beautiful Of my lover, who was true

EDIT: There is an alternate version of the song, which substitutes "diro" ("man") for "khenna" (and vice versa) and "luro" ("mischievous") for "orna" ("treacherous"), e.g. bo diw thi madyt e diro / e diro ca bo vylh / yl bo dhan e khenna luro / en ys ca twm rymylh.

The gender of the thief does not matter overmuch, provided the rhyme is maintained — it could be a diro luro stealing the heart of e diro ca bo vylh. I am not yet sure how Carun culture feels about non-heterosexual orientations.

[constructed-adventures]

Short conversation in several Dak dialects

In Valsadrian

Mario: Ċau, Aubert!

Aubert: Ċau, Mario. Pèċa houzax?

Mario: Raxa, tumaxcar cabor. Gli vix?

Aubert: Raxa houzac. Houja box ri serca?

Mario: Houja boc ri Ġacom. Caza box am serca?

Aubert: Caza box am macca.

Mario: Bèn, raxa söma!

Aubert: Raxa söma! Ċau!

—

In Shfeitz

Billem: Krüskot, Hanse!

Hanse: Szie, Billem. Pfekḫe hózas?

Billem: Rase, túmaskar kabór. Lyi bis?

Hanse: Rase hózaḫ. Hózse bós rí szerke?

Billem: Hózse bóḫ rí Gábor. Kasze bós fon szerke?

Hanse: Kasze bós fon maḫke.

Billem: Zo, rase szőme!

Hanse: Rase szőme! Szie!

[constructed-adventures]

Deities:

Here are two deities.

Isat Muldhan (Isat All-Seeing)

portfolio includes writing, knowledge

calls for the advancement of the clergy's knowledge

opposes ignorance, but also opposes traditional education in favor of autodidacticism

the clergy's libraries are all publicly accessible, but the clergy does not actively share it's knowledge

members of the clergy are permitted to answer questions asked of them, but are supposed to avoid simply giving information away without being asked

Isat also prefers first-hand experience to second-hand reports; as such, his priests tend to travel a lot, and very few of his priests stay in one place for very long

Dman'khu (the Walker)

a wilderness deity of travel and trickery

portfolio includes travelers, tricksters, traveling peoples, and freedom

money is seen as a useful tool, but not an ends unto itself (no end is greater than the world)

Dman'khu also calls on his followers to generally keep a low profile; attracting too much attention is a great way to end up tied down to one place or dead

[constructed-adventures]

Here is the beginning of a conlang

It is called Iäfar, anglicized Giafar, (literally "speech"), or "Iäfar Lahte (Çam)" ("our speech"). Now, it is a little-known fact that the Principality of Elba was one of the first polities to send colonists to the new world, when Saint Romeo of Elba, a pre-reformation heresiarch who was exiled by the Prince in 1494 for stirring up trouble. Saint Romeo (Elbic: San Roméu) led his followers on a long journey across the Atlantic in the footsteps of Columbus. Although he died en route, his followers reached the island known to the locals as "Mahre Forete" (X-SAMPA /"ma?4e "p\o4e4i/). The inhabitants of Mar Foret (the usual anglicized version of the name), the Keltsam (singular "Kel", from Giafar chel çam Mahreri Forete, "people on Mar Foret"), were hospitable to the Romeans, allowing them to build a settlement on the island. San Roméu, as the Romeans called their settlement (and eventually the entire island) was ideally placed for fishing and, it became apparent, ideally placed to serve as a stopping point for vessels en route to the new world.

The Romeans got along on the whole quite well with the Keltsam, and over time the two cultures each began to adopt elements from the other. Romean Elbic, for example, has many borrowed words from Giafar (giafarri, for example, almost universally replaces Portoferraian parlarri), and when Giafar was first written, its orthography was derived from Elbic's. There is still a thriving community of Giafar-speakers on the island, and education on the island is available in both languages under the constitution of the now-independent Island Republic of Saint Romeo (Elbic: República Insularri da Ssan Roméu; Giafar: Tulchel Mahreno he na Sanromeu).

Now, the language itself.

consonants: /t k ? s ts) p\ l 4 w j m n N/

vowels: /a e i o u/

Giafar orthography is based on Elbic orthography. The following letters have a one-to-one correspondence with sounds:

<t> is /t/

<s> is /s/

<ç> is /ts)/

<f> is /p\/

<l> is /l/

<r> is /4/

<v> is /w/

<m> is /m/

<n> is /n/

<g> is /N/

<a> is /a/

<e> is /e/

<o> is /o/

<u> is /u/

The following letters and digraphs require special explanation:

<c> is /k/ before <a o u> and /ts)/ before <e i>

<i> is /i/ or /j/; /j/ can only occur syllable-initially, and the vowel following /j/ will always be marked with a trema (e.g. <ië> /je/)

<ch> is /k/ before <e i>; before another vowel it is interpreted as two separate consonants, i.e. /k.?/

<h> is /?/ except in the digraph <ch> as above

<chh> is /k.?/ before <e i>

Additionally, in unstressed closed syllables, the vowels /a e i o u/ have allophones /@ E I O U/.

The basic order of a sentence is subject-object-verb, although copular expressions use the order subject-copula-complement instead. Additionally, in spoken Giafar, this basic structure is further complicated by expressing it as a compound clause; more on this later.

The unmarked form of a noun is nominative singular; the unmarked form of a verb is present-future realis positive. Thus, a basic sentence:

chel sarhi

person eat

"a person eats"

In spoken Giafar, this would become

na chel he sarhi

COP person REL eat

"it is a person that eats"

This construction allows for different arguments of the main verb to be emphasized; more on this later. The accusative marker is the suffix -a after a consonant and -ha after a vowel. Thus, a more complex sentence:

chel mahre-ha amva

person land-ACC see

"a person sees the land"

Plurality is optionally marked on animate nouns (and pronouns, which function as nouns in Giafar) with the adjective çam, "many".

chel çam mahre-ha amva

person many land-ACC see

"people see the land"

This post to be continued. I need to have food.

[constructed-adventures]

Ekk skal þukk finne, Robine Montgomirir. Ekk likje þukk. Skalt mærtiði haurje af mekk. Ekk ha þin nombru. Væs þine addresse.

Hermes to Robin Montgomery in my flash fiction; I have been translating my fictions into my conlangs of late

[constructed-adventures]

Fuor-Isuolla

Quandu giu iërra muoltu plus giovanni, miu patri xempri stressò l'importança d'autus. Êll iërra nuobbu in êstu paggessi, arrivattu dall'isuolla d'Êlba, cêrcundattu dallas acquas azzurras dallu marri tirrênniu, a Rrixton, Massachusetts, vía Boston, diriëttu gnellu centru dalla Contatti Franklin, cêrcundattu da nna çerra vatçia da ppersuonnas: faittuorrias, fruittettus, foriëstas, xelvaggia. Unnu nulparti a nn'altru. La famillha da mmiu patri « sull'isuolla », cuommu xempri zicíbbamos quandu giu crexêbba, avêbba sittu puobbru. Êlla conservabba duranti da tçempu a cchi êll vinessi iç. Duranti d'annus miu patri nun volebba venirri: avêbba sua famillha i ssua innamoratta i anchi pensabba a andarri all'universitatti. In figni, mi dixò, lu chi lu convenxò iërra autus. Miu patri avêbba sittu faxinattu d'autus dappuòs chi iërra fillhu chi camminabba las straddas da Pportoferraggiu. Quandu avêbba cinqui annus, si coronò lu nuobbu Princêppi, chi montò vía las straddas in n'autu stravaganti importattu — importattu da ccontignenti, iës zirri. « L'isuolla nun iës localli da rricchiëtça, » dixò. « Vêderri qualcunnu in autu, anchi lu Princêppi êllu-prôppiu, iës rarru i mmeravilhuossu. Quandu iërra fillhu mia matri dixessi chi giu avêbba na miënti riemplitta da mmácchinas. »

[constructed-adventures]

One of my favorite things about writing for the Commonwealth:

I love discovering little ways their speech differs from ours. Some examples:

they do time au français, e.g. "seven hours twelve" and "twenty-three hours thirty-six)

what we call the West Coast is for them the "Far Coast"

they vacillate between saying "university" and "college" for institutions of tertiary education

it's "the Broadway", not "Broadway"

[constructed-adventures]

Reblogged for reference:

It's Not Easy Being Green

The Great White Way

True Blue

In the Black

Seeing Red

[constructed-adventures]

Snapshots of Inote Culture: I. Religion, Rambling, and Riddles

The Inote religion centers on three deities: Neni na Rutet (the Earthmother, also called Luck), Nenirik (the Wanderer, also called the Moon), and Neparik (the Thunderer, also called the Sun). The earliest Inote legends speak of the creation of the world, after which the Wanderer left his two comrades and co-creators to wander this universe and the others. The constant dance of sun and moon in the sky is the Thunderer's pursuit of the Wanderer, his best friend. Inoten tend to prefer one of the Three as a personal patron, generally the Thunderer or the Earthmother, although the Wanderer has a few disciples. There are also smaller place-spirits, called rekan, to whom the Inoten pay homage when they make use of nature's bounty (e.g. an Inote drinking from a stream would pay thanks to both the Thunderer, who has dominion over the waters, but also to the rekan of the stream). There are rumors in the oldest Inote legends of a fourth deity, Ekat-Nerun, the Shadowlord, but nothing of her survives in modern Inote religious practice.

The Wanderer's eternal walk among the worlds has given rise to the practice of nenaker-niru, horizon-walking. A horizon-walker will leave home for anywhere between an hour or two and several days. There are rumors of some old sages who walked or are walking the horizons for months or years. For most Inote, horizon-walking is a ritual enactment of the Thunderer's search for the Wanderer. For some, however, it is a going-forth in the Wanderer's footsteps. In all cases it is generally a means to collect one's thoughts, clear one's head, and come back with new perspective. It is little understood by the Inoten's neighbors.

Riddles are a non-physical reflection of the search for the Wanderer, and they are much esteemed in Inote culture. Riddle games are a common pastime, and most Inoten have a wide range of riddles at their command. The exchange posted below is one of the oldest riddles of the Inoten, which at first was no riddle at all. Now, however, it has no answer known to modern Inote scholarship. Its answer, as so many things, is lost with the Library of Itunar, which vanished long ago. The question is, "Whence came the three blessings of the Thrice-Blessed Lord, Sun and Thunderer?".

The answer I will keep for the time being.

[constructed-adventures]

Nik tun kara rinet nukaterar na Rinap-Nukatera Nerunet, An an Neparik?

Nepet nik te Nuket, Nenit na Rutet; et nik te Enet, te Niriket-nitu-te-Ruteten; rinet, noret, an nerur nik t' Et, te Neporet po te ekatet na te nepet nuturero runen.

[constructed-adventures]

Random thought about the Carun language and culture:

I will expand more on this later. I have already established for myself that there are five great houses in Caruntan (or at least in Tarsa, and yes, each of them is like a Magic: The Gathering color; don't judge me), each with its own main patron god.

House Roac (headed by Caun Roac sw Bruc), patron deity Isat (writing, knowledge), noted for its chocolate, which, despite its location in the northern mountains, it grows in massive greenhouses

House Fiyr (headed by Cavnor Fiyr sw Hewc), patron deity Ydvail (light, life)

House Lugraw (Hewc Lugraw sw Norys), patron deity Marud (nature)

House Soekhis (Madhun Soekhis am Mialye), patron deity Catos (destruction)

House Atan (Nust Atan am Catal), patron deity Lwr (death)

I also know some Roac-specific (or Isat-follower-specific) slang:

vadyws (literally "fool") is an unkind but not too strong epithet for followers of Catos and is also used as a general minced oath

sw/am Catos (literally "son/daughter of Catos") is a strong oath

Vadyws sw/am Catos is a very strong oath that can also function as an epithet

dhan fi (literally "I am seeing") is a greeting used by followers of Isat, who prizes sight above the other senses (as befits a god of writing)

en Isat muldhan (Isat the all-seeing) is a minor oath; it can be strengthened by the omission of en

There's also the semi-universal "dhu", which basically means "meh".

[constructed-adventures]

Sa sangur þer dægir bieþ "Kaze ni naru", fra The Cat Returns.

[constructed-adventures]

poH wa'DIchDaq wIl leghpu' bran.

I am now officially a published fanfiction author — in Klingon. The link above is my Dark is Rising sequence fanfiction story, "pImtaH wIl". It's only 100 words, but it's all in Klingon. I worked on it all evening, minus the break to watch Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and if I do say so myself, it's pretty awesome.

pabwIj DalughmoH vIqoy'.

[constructed-adventures]

Comminciu da nnu romançu gnella lhingua élbica

L'histuorria chi vaddu contarri comminciò, cuommu multus eviëntis in mia vidda, in na lhibrería. Particularrimiënti, fuì gnella Lhibrería dall'Avenitta San Andréu, na viëcchia, apiërta gnellu siëclu settidéccimu, si criëddu la signa chi si truova sulla puorta. Cercabba nu lhibru chi nun avêbba possittu trovarri in altra lhibrería. Iërra la tercerra chi visitabba, i ccomminciai da ppiërdri sperança. Credzebba chi fussi necessarriu domandarlu specialli miënti. La Lhibrería dall'Avenitta San Andréu iërra unna da mmias preferittas, ma ggià nun l'avêbba cercatta perchì iërra píccola i llu lhibru chi cercabba, Cuontus Italhiannus, nun iërra lu çippu da llhibru chi expeittabba dall'Avenitta San Andréu, chi cognoxebba plus piër sius romançus chi piër sius cuontus paggisannus. Ma mmi dixì chi fussi cercarlu in na suolla lhibrería plus, puos quellha máttina avêbba decidittu da ccercarlu aì.

Quandu intrai, vidì chi la lhibrería iërra quassi vatçiu. Suollamiënti (ì avêbba?) la fiëmna chi lavorabba gnella lhibrería i llu cattu chi l'abitabba i ssalutò tuottas las persuonnas chi intrarrun. Vêgnò zirmi buongiurnu, mi miaulanti siu «ciau». Surrizò a êllo i alla fiëmna, chi mi risponzò cun sia prôppia surrissa, i ffuì alla seçiunni dallus lhibrus fitçiunnallis. L'autuorri dallu lhibru iërra nu «Roméu Cêsarri», ma llus lhibrus (alfabétticus piër autuorri) saltarrun da nnu lhibru da Rriënçu Cêsarri a nnu lhibru d'Andréa Cuostas. Inspirai — ancuorra nulcunna fortunna. Mi preparabba a ppartirri quandu vidì piër la premiërra vicci lu lhibru chi mutassi mia vidda piër xempri. Iërra nu viëcchiu, cun lu títtulu scrittu sull'aperturra in orru. Si clamabba Lu Riëggi in siu Castillhu. Mi parebba interessanti, puos fuì plus vicinnu piër riguardarlu. Lu Riëggi in siu Castillhu. Da nu Salvatuorri Angellis. Lu nuomni nun mi parebba familharri, puos lu prensì in mannu. La descripçiunni iërra unna da cchi giamàs nun mi dimenticarù...

[constructed-adventures]

CAMA WorldVision 14 Semi-Final, Round One

Marten: Good evening, and welcome to the CAMA WorldVision 14 Semi-Final. I am Marten Jans, and I will be your co-host tonight. Coverage of this event in the other official languages is also available. Le vijdran se truove sou canal CPB-6, le français se trouve sur le canal CPB-4, agus tha Gàidhlig ann, 'sa' chladhain CPB-2.

Anne: I am Anne Roberts, and I will be your co-hostess tonight. To je slovensko na kanal CPB-3, [some Massachusset] CPB-5.

Marten: Welcome to the world of WorldVision!

Anne: We've got a wonderful program of songs for you tonight. You may not know, given the change of format, that there are fifteen songs in this semi-final: two from each language group and three chosen from no particular language group.

Marten: Tonight is round one, and the field will be narrowed from fifteen songs to ten. It's a great group of performers tonight. In no particular order, we have On Se Voit, Iskra, John Grant, Pijtre Samuels, Marie Sainte-Claire, Amélie de la Croix & Andrew Thomson, Mishoon, Clann Dhòmhnaill, Bhàin, Myles Attucks, Vicente Rodríguez, Girls in Evening Gowns, Poljubi Me, Dihaoine, Inçer le Fuog, and the Westbrook Chamber Orchestra!

Anne: We seem to be a little ahead of schedule, so we'll kill time with an interview. Marten, you were at WorldVision 13 last year, correct?

Marten: I certainly was. It was a disappointing finish, but I performed my best.

Anne: The world just wasn't ready for you, Marten. What's it like, being in the contest?

Marten: Well, it's quite stressful, but it's also quite fun. There are a lot of great performances, some mediocre performances, and one or two bad performances, but it's a great chance to meet performers from around the world. Also, at least last year, the host country was amazing — the people were so friendly, the organizers kept everything running mostly smoothly…it was an amazing experience.

Anne: Oh! Time's up for the interview. Please join me now in welcoming our first performance, Myles Attucks with "Aunakeuck"!

[Attucks's performance is Massachusset rap. It's rather issues-y, with background singers acting out the scenes he's describing. It obviously isn't the crowd's favorite, but it receives some applause, though some may simply be charitable "you performed first" applause.]

Anne: Thanks for that, Myles — very well done. We're off to a good start.

Marten: Next up is Pijtre Samuels with "En Mei Vide".

[Samuels's song is vocals-heavy; he accompanies himself on the piano. The song is about love (aren't they all), ostensibly an older singer telling about the things he has loved in his life, starting with his stuffed dog when he was a child. He sings well, but his stage presence is essentially nonexistent — he performs without any spectacle at all and makes horrific faces when he sings.]

Marten: Well, thank you very much for, Pijtre. It's good to know the Vedran performance is in good hands.

Anne: Next we have Vicente Rodríguez with "Nunca Te Dejaré".

[Rodríguez's song is lighthearted Europop, with a catchy tune and catchy lyrics, although few in the audience can understand. There's a block of hispanophones that erupts with shouts and applause at the end, and the rest of the crowd appears pleased, as well.]

Anne: Well-sung, Vicente. That was great — I'll be singing that one for a while.

Marten: Next we have Clann Dhòmhnaill Bhàin with "Leamsa"

["Leamsa" is a ballad in the traditional style, telling a story of the loss of the singer's home which he will carry "leamsa" (with me) in memory, accompanied by bagpipes and harp and a light show. The crowd applauds the technical skill, but isn't thrilled with the song.]

Marten: Thank you, Dòmhnallach. That was very good.

Anne: We're supposed to take this opportunity to tell you that voting will take place online at http://ent.cpb.mb or by phone. At the end of the program, we'll show you again all the numbers in order to vote for specific people, but right now we'll go through the ones we've had already.

Marten: The performers so far. For Myles Attucks, call 41•3469•01 or text 9 to 41•3470•01.

Anne: For Pijtre Samuels, call 41•3469•02 or text 9 to 41•3470•02.

Marten: For Vicente Rodríguez, call 41•3469•03 or text 9 to 41•3470•03.

Anne: And, finally for now, for Clann Dhòmhnaill Bhàin, call 41•3469•04 or text 9 to 41•3470•04.

Marten: That's a lot of numbers.

Anne: It is that, Marten. Next, we have John Grant with "Love Today, Love Tomorrow".

[John Grant was recently named the sexiest man in the Commonwealth, and it shows as he walks on stage — the audience collectively swoons. Even Anne is sighing over him. "Love Today, Love Tomorrow" is somewhere between pop and rock, telling the story of the singer's general inconclusiveness in love, acting along with various background actors and actresses. The audience loves it.]

Anne: Wow. Thanks, John — that was awesome. Wow.

Marten: To vote for John Grant, call 41•3469•05 or text 9 to 41•3470•05.

Anne: And now a break for the news. Stay tuned for Iskra, Girls in Evening Gowns, Amélie & Andrew, and more!

[news interlude]

Marten: And we're back! For those of you just tuning in, this is the second part of the CAMA WorldVision 14 Semi-Final, round one.

Anne: Before the break, we had wonderful performances from Myles Attucks, Pijtre Samuels, Vicente Rodríguez, Clann Dhòmhnaill Bhàin, and John Grant.

Marten: Remember that you can vote online or by calling or texting the numbers we tell you. Our next performance is Iskra with "Lahko Noč".

[Iskra is a Slovene rock band, three men and one woman playing drums, guitar, piano, and bass/vocals. The song is "Lahko Noč", "good night", and in it the singer shares his dying words as visions of his life flash before his eyes, acted out by background actors and actresses. The audience applauds happily — not for nothing did Iskra finish in third at the last CAMA semi-final.]

Marten: That was great, Iskra. It's always wonderful to see you play. To vote for Iskra, go online at http://ent.cpb.mb, call 41•3469•06, or text 9 to 41•3470•06.

Anne: Our next performance is a big change of pace, so bear with us. The Westbrook Chamber Orchestra is going to be performing an arrangement of Ravel's "Boléro" which they're calling "Boléro Revisited". It was arranged by a student at Mariner College, apparently, James Tyler.

Marten: Neo-classical isn't something you hear every day; I think this is one of the most interesting songs we have here — can I call it a song if it's not sung? — anyway, they're very good, and we hope you enjoy them.

Anne: Without further ado, the Westbrook Chamber Orchestra with "Boléro Revisited".

[The WCO is generally agreed to be one of the best orchestras in the Commonwealth, and it is especially noted for its performances of contemporary pieces by new composers. "Boléro Revisited" takes the original "Boléro" theme and then travels far and wide across instruments and keys, overlaying violins with cor anglais, a tuba with a piccolo, and everything in between to create a pretty awesome tapestry of harmonies. The audience seems surprised to have enjoyed it.]

Anne: That was fantastic. I have always been a "Boléro" fan, and I was skeptical of this initially, but you have converted me.

Marten: I one hundred percent agree — that was amazing. Everyone give another round of applause for the Westbrook Chamber Orchestra! [once the applause dies down]

Anne: To vote for the WCO, call 41•3469•07 or text 9 to 41•3470•07. Our next performer will be Marie Sainte-Claire with "Ce Soir".

[Marie Sainte-Claire is a bit of a one-trick pony. She's jazz without the power of Marten Jans, basically, and the performance falls a bit flat.]

Marten: Thank you very much, Marie. To vote for Marie Sainte-Claire, call 41•3469•08 or text 9 to 41•3470•08.

Anne: Next up, we have Girls in Evening Dresses with "Never".

[Girls in Evening Dresses are there for comedic value. It's a cheezy Europop parody in the best possible way, part poking fun at WorldVision, part tribute to musicians past. The crowd explodes.]

Anne: That was awesome, Girls.

Marten: Remember, you can vote for Girls in Evening Dresses by phone call at 41•3469•09 or by texting 9 to 41•3470•09.

Anne: Or vote online at http://ent.cpb.mb.

Marten: Indeed. Next up is Mishoon with "Nooshun Kesukqut (Our Father)".

[Mishoon plays a mix of traditional Massachusset music and rock-electronic. This particular song addresses the arrival of the first colonists in the Commonwealth. After the WV13 semi-final, the crowd seems to have decided it likes néo-trad.]

Marten: Thanks for that, Mishoon.

Anne: To vote for Mishoon, call 41•3469•10 or text 9 to 41•3470•10. Next up we have a news break. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion!

[news interlude]

Anne: Welcome back, everyone. For those of you just tuning in, this is the Commonwealth Association of Musical Artists WorldVision 14 Semi-Final, round one.

Marten: You can vote online at http://ent.cpb.mb or by phone with the numbers we give you.

Anne: Our first post-news performance is going to be last year's host Amélie de la Croix and Andrew Thomson with "Cette Nuit / That Night".

[Amélie and Andrew…there is clearly chemistry between them as they sing this song of love lost. The audience goes wild.]

Anne: That was…incredible. Thank you for that, both of you.

Marten: You can vote for Amélie and Andrew by phone at 41•3469•11, or by texting 9 to 41•3470•11. Next up is Poljubi Me with "Jaz Te Sovražim".

[Poljubi Me is electoronic, and intensely so, complete with flashing lights and a robot. About a third of the crowd seems inclined to get up and start dancing, but the remaining two-thirds just look vaguely uncomfortable.]

Marten: That was very…um…nice, Poljubi Me.

Anne: You can vote for Poljubi Me by phone at 41•3469•12 or by texting 9 to 41•3470•12. Next is On Se Voit with "Pour Quoi Tu Pleures?".

[On Se Voit is French rock, heavy on the guitar and light on tune. It's not terrible, but it's not amazing, either. The performance aspect appears to be the costumes that the band is wearing.]

Anne: Thanks, OSV. That was a great song.

Marten: Very nice, yes. To vote for On Se Voit, call 41•3469•13 or text 9 to 41•3470•13. Next up we have Inçer le Fuog with "Tu M'Amavas".

[Inçer le Fuog is best described as cello pop. The singer is an attractive young woman, and she probably has many fans in that special Mairead Caimbeul kind of teenage-girls-like-the-lyrics-teenage-boys-like-the-singer way. However, compared to the others, she just doesn't stack up. Her dancing is awkwardly sexual in a way that makes some of the audience members cringe.]

Marten: Well. Thanks, Inçer le Fuog.

Anne: I've…never mind. If you want to vote for Inçer le Fuog, call 41•3469•14 or text 9 to 41•3470•14. Or you can vote for any of the performers online at http://ent.cpb.mb.

Marten: The evening is coming to a close now, so before we introduce our last act, we'd like to thank you all for watching. It's been a great show, and we hope you've enjoyed it.

Anne: And now, last but definitely not least, we have Dihaoine with "Tha Dannsa Ann".

[Dihaoine is pop, but excellent pop. "Tha Dannsa Ann", as its name ("there's a dance") implies, is danceable, the lyrics are great, the tune is catchy, the actual performance is tasteful but still fun to watch — low on flashing lights, high on energy and enthusiasm.]

Anne: What a great way to end the night. Thanks so much, Dihaoine.

Marten: Tapadh leibh, indeed, Dihaoine — that was great. Thanks also to all the viewers at home. Remember, you can vote online at…