by Max Barry

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by Auphelia. . 180 reads.

The Gods: A TSP Musical

Plot

Act I

One stormy night TSP, thunder booms, making Aumeltopia cry in fear ("The Storm"). To comfort her, her mother, Land Without Shrimp tells her the story of Si-topia, a citizen who falls in love with a government official, Midand, while they both lean against the trunk of a large tree whose leaves protect them from the storm. In this story, four gods (Auphelia, Mother of the Earth; Erinor, Father of the Ocean; Escade, Goddess of Love; and Tilipria, God of Death) rule the Southern Pacific where poor peasants worship them and rich government officials scoff at their legends ("The Gods and The Men"). The peasants live on one side of the Southern Pacific, and the government officials live on the other side. One day, Erinor unleashes a terrible storm upon the island, which in turn causes a disastrous flood, wiping out many villages and killing many villages. However, Auphelia has mercy and saves the life of a little orphan named Si-topia by placing her in a tree above the flood's waves ("Mother Loves You"). She is found and adopted by the peasants Quiescent and The navian islands ("This Little Girl").

Years afterwards, a grown-up Si-topia prays to the gods to let her know her purpose, and to let her be like the powerful government officials that occasionally pass near her village ("Waiting For The Future"). Hearing her plea, the gods laugh at her, Auphelia explaining to the other gods how much she has already given the girl ("Too Much is Not Enough"). However, Escade says that she will give the girl the power of love, proclaiming it to be the most powerful of the elements. Offended, Erinor and Auphelia leave in anger, grumbling to each other, while Tilipria proposes a bet to Escade to prove which is stronger: love or death. They get Auphelia and Erinor to come back and the gods devise a plan to see who will win, with Auphelia and Erinor as judges and facilitators of the bet. Each god will be allowed to give Si-topia one gift in this competition, to be used however they see fit. Erinor arranges for the ship of Midand, a young government official, to crash during a storm so that Si-topia may meet him and heal him ("It Begins"). Despite the objections of the other peasants including her own parents, Si-topia helps the rich man recover ("Healing"). Si-topia falls in love with the stranger and as she cares for the unconscious man, she imagines he loves her too. When Tilipria comes to take Midand's life, Si-topia cries out and blocks the arm of Tilipria, offering her life in exchange for Midand's so that he will not die ("I Will Be Yours"). Tilipria is angry that Escade has won this first round but, hinting he will return – sooner or later, as her life now belongs to him ("You Will Be Mine"). The gods meet, with Auphelia and Erinor both deciding to award a point to Escade. Tilipria storms off and soon Erinor and Escade leave as well, chatting, as Auphelia begins to sing, wondering why her children have to be so divided ("The Gods and The Men, Reprise").

Tired of his daughter always fawning over the unconscious Government Official man, The navian islands travels to the other side of the Southern Pacific to seek Midand's family. When he returns, he brings with him the story of Midand's people: many generations ago, an Aristocrat from Hell aristocrat named The Stalker colonised the Pacific. Although The Stalker had a wife, he had affairs with several natives, one of which bore him a son, named Tim Stark. When Tim grew up, war broke out between the peasants and the Hell colonisers. The peasants won the war with Tim's help, but before leaving the Pacific, The Stalker curses Tim and his descendants saying their Pacifican blood will always run with the salt of the sea, and as long as it does they will forever be banished from Hell. To this day the curse causes grief to the Pacific Government Officials, who are almost all distantly related to Tim ("The Poor Rich"). The Government takes Midand back to his home, while he is still unconscious. Si-topia is tearfully separated from Midand and tells her parents that she will go after Midand to marry him. Her parents refuse, and after several escape attempts they lock her in a tower, insistent that she will soon come to her senses. Inconsolable, Si-topia refuses to let anything get in her way, and if she cannot be with Midand then she will gladly embrace death, repaying the debt she owes ("Moonlight Promise"). Tilipria arrives at the bottom of the tower and reaches for her as she jumps from a distance that should kill her, but Auphelia, nearby, shoots a palm tree from the earth and catches Si-topia, gently resting herself on the ground. Unaware of the gods, Si-topia realises she is free and quickly leaves before her parents find that she had escaped ("On The Run"). When Tilipria angrily confronts Auphelia and demands to know why she used her gift on this, she explains that if Si-topia were to have died then no one would have won, as she would have died for love. Tilipria grumbles, but reluctantly realises she is right and agrees not to tell the gods what Auphelia did. They disappear into the night as Si-topia leaves to find the capitol, where the Government resides and she will be able to find Midand.

During her travels, she encounters the goddess Auphelia who tells her not to fear as the Earth will give her everything she needs on her journey to Midand, as long as she is prudent and knows where to look ("Land of Plenty"). Si-topia travels across the Pacific ("Journey For Love"). A montage of her trials along the difficult journey to the capital, until she eventually make it through the gates of the city and finds Midand's house ("Journey For Love, Reprise"). Midand, still ill and unable to walk, does not remember her but believes her after she describes the scar on his chest. As they stay together, Escade gives them the gift of love, using her turn ("A Gift of Love"). Over the next few days Midand and Si-topia fall in love. Midand ignores the gossiping of the government officials ("Scandalous") over the unlikely relationship of a government official and a poor peasant. Midand loves how Si-topia is so different from the rich girls in his life, but Si-topia begins to wonder if he only loves her because she is a new and shiny object to him, and if he will cast her aside for the next big thing ("Spark").

Several months later, there is a large government ball held in the capitol building, with all of the government officials attending ("The Ball"). During the ball Midand and Si-topia have a good time, laughing and dancing, but suddenly a new girl comes in, Land Without Shrimp ("New Girl"). Midand and Si-topia continue to dance, but Si-topia notices his gaze begin to waver ("It's Happening"). At the end of the ball, for the final dance, LWS walks up to Midand and asks for his hand. Agreeing, Midand leaves Si-topia behind and goes to be with LWS, leaving Si-topia alone and humiliated ("It Happened"). She flees from the ball, mortified, and looks what she has become: a rich girl who has forgotten where she came from ("Who Am I?"). She weeps bitterly on the steps of the capitol, wishing she could go back and let Midand die back in her village, not having to know this heartbreak. Tilipria reappears and reminds Si-topia of her promise to exchange her life for Midand's – but says she can revoke the bargain if she kills Midand ("You Will Be Mine, Reprise"). The God of Death gives Si-topia a dagger that will harvest Midand's soul with a touch ("A Gift of Death"). Si-topia, crazy with bitterness and hate, enters Midand's room with the dagger, plunging it into his heart and killing him. Even as she does the deed she feels bitter remorse and cries over his dead body, her salty tears falling onto him. Taking pity on her, Erinor uses her tears to heal Midand, bringing him back to life ("A Gift of Water"). Midand, seeing the knife but not remembering he was killed, has Si-topia arrested for attempted murder.

In her prison cell in the centre of the Pacific, Si-topia reflects on what has brought her here, and wonders how her life came to be like this, going down the road it has. Her door opens and standing in the doorway is Midand, who has come to say goodbye. Si-topia has been found guilty and is set to hang for her crimes. He tells her that he is sorry, and he never meant to hurt her ("Apology"). Then he leads her to the execution field. On the field a crowd jeers at her, anticipating her hanging. Four figures stand to the side, silent. One is in robes of green, one in blue, one in red, and one in black. No one seems to notice them but Si-topia, who laments for her lost life ("Lamentation of a Girl"). As the noose is fitted around her throat she realises the figures on the sidelines are the gods, and cries out for them to save her. As the stool is kicked out from under he the figure in green raises her hands, and the rope snaps, letting Si-topia fall onto the ground. It is too late however, and she is quickly dying, confirmed by the figure in black, Tilipria. The figure in green, Auphelia, begins to sing and slowly Si-topia goes still, turning into a tree to end her suffering ("A Gift of Earth"). The other gods watch on in silence as the Earth Goddess works her magic, and Si-topia grows into a large tree, her trunk strong and her branches healthy. The gods stay for a moment and sing to her, blessing her and expressing remorse at how they treated her life like it didn't matter, before leaving the scene with the crowd. The stage goes dark, and a storm begins. The lights go up again and the storm breaks, revealing Land Without Shrimp and Aumeltopia where they were at the beginning of the story. The storm is over, and so is the story. LSW stands up to leave and Aumeltopia stands as well, but LSW tells her daughter to stay. Aumeltopia asks why, and LSW reveals that Aumeltopia is actually the daughter of Si-topia, having been born from the tree several months after it was created. When Aumeltopia asks why it matters, Tilipria appears, and LSW walks off, leaving the girl with the god. The God of Death tells Aumeltopia that her mother never kept her promise, not having killed Midand and not dying herself as she is a tree, and explains that now Aumeltopia will have to pay the price. Aumeltopia tries to run but the God just laughs and throws out his hand, killing the girl instantly as she falls into a tangle of roots by the trunk of the tree. He too leaves, and the stage goes dark, the little girl cradled in the roots of her mother.

Auphelia

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