Posted May 19, 2021, 7:24 a.m. by Lieutenant Robert Mason (Chief Engineer) (Joe P)
Posted by Lieutenant Tija Aizala (Visitor) in Deck 4- Crew Lounge
Posted by Commander Dira Myqian (Executive Officer) in Deck 4- Crew Lounge
Posted by Lieutenant Robert Mason (Chief Engineer) in Deck 4- Crew Lounge
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻(snip)
“Yes, I can’t imagine anything that would inspire greater unit cohesion than making us all listen to your rendition of ‘The Old Gumbie Cat’,” Bob deadpanned. That particular instance of Lt. Lamb’s karaoke night was memorable in part because of the bizarre turn the evening had taken, thanks to then-Counselor Myqian’s rather conspicuous consumption of alcohol. Or at least that was the consensus view on what had fueled that bizarre incident.
Myqian pressed a brown hand to her chest, her face etched with mock-horror. “Ah! You insult me. I’ll have you know if we’re going anywhere near Cats, it’s the song Memory. Always Memory,” she said shaking a finger at him, though her dark eyes were alight with mischief. She sipped on her wine a bit more, almost ready for a refill.
“That’s not a very good defense,” Bob replied simply. “Both the ‘if’ part, but especially the part where you demonstrate that you actually have familiarity with that particular musical.”
“Uh huh,” Dira said with an innocent smile.
“Do you have musical talent, Aizala?” He stumbled slightly on her name; he clearly had remembered what it was but still wasn’t confident in pronouncing it properly…
– Robert Mason, CE
“I don’t think so,” Aizala replied, shaking her head. “No body ever taught me any music,” she continued as sadness clouded her eyes for a brief moment. Pushing those feelings to the back of her mind and looking more at Dira than at Bob, she asked, “But tell me, what is karaoke?”
~Lt. Tija, Doctor
Dira naturally picked up on Tija’s reaction but she simply offered her a grin, though she briefly glanced at Bob. “Karaoke is a social singing event where people sing songs with the lyrics scrolling on a screen and the musical pre-set in the background. It’s intended for amateurs with a whole range of musical talent. Or none at all,” she said with an easy shrug. “We shall have to teach you,” she added with a grin.
Commander Myqian, XO
Bob didn’t quite know what was going on there, but knew from Dira’s glance that it was… something. He wasn’t sure what to make of that.
“Thank you Commander,” Aizala replied with a small smile. “That does sound interesting, but also like it has a lot of potential for humiliation.” While she did hum or sometimes even softly sing along when she had some music playing while alone in her quarters, singing in front of a group of people was something that she had never considered in her life. And right now she wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about it. Even though it sounded fairly harmless all things considered. And maybe in her attempt to get better social skills it was an event she should attend.
~Lt. Tija, Doctor
“That actually is part of the appeal of it for some people. Both to watch the humiliation and even to be humiliated,” Bob observed plainly. He wondered if he should elaborate more, but decided not to, now not really being certain whether or not he should have said anything earlier…
– Robert Mason, CE
Aizala raised one eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. Instead she just mulled this over a little.
Dira chuckled. “There are social psychology branches that look at why people choose to put themselves in the line of fire socially, so-to-speak. A lot of it has to do with the bonding that commiseration brings. But as for karaoke specifically, some people go because they are good at singing and just want to sing, others know they aren’t great and because it’s not assumed you should be in order to participate it gives them permission to, and others do it because it scares them and they are trying to break out of their comfort zone and become more confident. It can be very freeing,” she said with a wide smile. Where she fell in this description depended on how others viewed her singing, but Dira knew she could sing, even if she wasn’t about to go on a tour and win awards doing so.
Commander Myqian, XO
“Ahh, yeah…” Bob said quietly with a smirk. He sipped from his drink again, partly in an effort to hide just how amused he was by how “very freeing” it had plainly been for Dira.
With one eyebrow still raised and her head tilted slightly, Aizala mused, “I think I see what you mean. Does one have to sing if one goes to a karaoke … event?” She wasn’t entirely sure if event was the right word, but it was the best she could think of.
~Lt. Tija, Doctor
“Not necessarily, no,” Bob answered. “Though people who know you may encourage you to do so, it is not necessarily required. I myself prefer to view karaoke as a kind of spectator sport.”
– Robert Mason, CE
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