[Video] un: gentlebreeze

[bright_moon]

[ A little black nose nudges the screen at first before someone new to the network appears, pulling the black sable away with a wry but gentle smile. Xingchen bows his head politely, hands a little busy with the familiar. ]

Ah, yes. I am Xiao Xingchen. Xiu here reminded me that I have a question for anyone who can hear this - I understand this is how we reach a wider number of people at once than I am used to.

My question, to try and distract from the pain, fear, and uncertainty of the past week, is more a request - for stories. What are your favorite ones?

[ Someone has been begging him for nightly stories and he's running out of those he knows!

His smile grows a little shy and he ducks his head again. ]

Thank you for your time.

[VLOG] Your Pallura, Allura: Ep. 1

[patchricide]

['Your Pallura, Allura'. A very basic title card of pink text on black, which starwipes into the actual video feed. It's an amateur opening, even for an online video.]

[It doesn't even show a clear video at first, as the focus blurs in and out as the lens tries to auto-adjust to the correct distance. But soon, there's the host in view, sitting with a small steaming mug. She's looking at the side, as if she's still thinking over what she wants to say.]

[Instead of the lines she prepared in advance, she starts with a small admission:]

This isn't quite the tone I had hoped for, when I set up this vlog...

[But a soft smile curls on her lips, quietly swallowing the bitterness of the situation. And she looks up to the camera with a warm expression, reassuring in its compassion.]

Still, it's time like these when we need to stand our strongest, and to offer our hands in support to the friends and allies in grave need of it. And with your help, that is what I hope we can all do today.

For those who I have yet to meet: I'm Allura, Paladin of the Blue Lion. And, perhaps more relevant, I am the daughter of a fallen kingdom. To see the homes of others suffer the same fate... [Her smile falters here, though not enough to break her composure] ... it is heartwrenching. I know so many of you know exactly how much, as we mourn together with the survivors and grant them refuge.

Right now, relief efforts are organizing across Camelot. All of them need volunteers and donations. Which is why...

[She takes a small, slow breath in to steady herself, bracing herself before committing to this.]

For the next 48 hours, I will be doing a livestream of... well, I actually don't know what I'll be streaming yet. Setting this up took most of the time, I hardly had time to write a script!

So, instead, I'll be accepting dares from anyone who donates to the relief efforts. My next two days will be decided by all of you: what I eat, what I wear, who I fight... as long as it shouldn't get me arrested, I will give just about anything a try!

And please, if you're organizing relief efforts that need support, get in touch and I'll spread the word any way I can! I'll even let you call in so we can discuss it during the stream.

[She takes a sip of the mug — which is coffee, by the way, for reasons that might now be obvious — and then returns to looking at the camera.] All right. Let's get this started!