
Luna De Bonte - The Cabaret Owner
Background
Luna De Bonte was a now deceased woman, born on June 23, 2025, in New York. She had a comfortable life and never lacked anything. She pursued her studies at Berklee, focusing on music, especially classical piano.
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After completing her studies, she joined her parents who had settled in Italy. They were prominent investors and businessmen who always knew how to find profitable opportunities. They acquired extensive lands in Italy, particularly along the coasts of Monte Alto, a district in Napoli. In the same city, they purchased an old cabaret as a welcome gift for Luna.
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Around the age of 27, in 2052, she began transforming the cabaret into a performance hall, and later, into an opera house. Unfortunately, for society and the world as a whole, it was time to end this period of hardship. The world was experiencing unprecedented climate disruptions and numerous civil wars. Italy was not spared, although it did not suffer from the same inhuman tragedies as New York, her place of origin.
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Luna isolated herself in one of the De Bonte family's properties on the coasts of Monte Alto. Her entire world was on pause, and it did her a world of good, as teaching anxious and worried students in a severe conflict-ridden climate did not interest her. She remained optimistic about the world's future but was only waiting for it to take a break.
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So, in 2062, she composed an album from her studio on the coasts of Monte Alto to spread the message of the Norwegians from Svalbard and support their film "Siste åndedrag." She expected nothing, but her compositions resonated in Napoli and along the Amalfi coasts. At 37, she felt like she had done nothing, leading an idle and contemplative life.
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But that was her motto; why blame oneself when fortunate enough to live in this way without asking too many questions? During this period of isolation, she took advantage of the nearby club to learn sculpture, develop new skills, and become even more agile with her hands.
Opera Della Città
In 2069, she reopened her cabaret, transforming it into an opera and performance hall with a strong emphasis on Italy's ancient and traditional arts. She aimed to enhance Italy's image on her scale and finally feel useful, engaging in activities that held meaning for her.
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Luna had always been a fan of divas who took the stage, full of audacity and charm! Her efforts eventually paid off, and two years later, in 2071, the building became a renowned opera house. The greatest male and female opera singers could find a suitable stage in this hall with classic balconies and a ceiling that seemed to touch the sky. This opera didn't have a specific name; it simply read "Opera Della Città"
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Luna was very proud, playing multiple roles. She loved planning small shows for emerging troupes, reaching out to renowned Italian singers, and touring the country to showcase Napoli's opera. She truly felt alive and happy to accomplish such things without the help of mom or dad. Although in her forties, Luna often reflected on the opportunities she had received from her parents and hoped to create similar opportunities for future generations.
Having received so much, she wanted to give it back in return!
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Luna bent over backward to ensure everyone was delighted! She made sure everyone was well taken care of to enjoy the shows to the fullest. She improved the acoustics of the room, upgraded the seating comfort, and implemented numerous little touches that turned a simple night out at the cabaret into a genuine timeless experience. Just like when she herself isolated on the peaks of Monte Alto.
This "Opera Della Città" persisted for years, until 2088, then came to an end with the opening of other more modern and daring performance venues. Less nostalgic and more focused on a radiant future. Luna thought it suited her. She was starting to tire, and she had given enough happiness and smiles to people's faces.
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The building still belonged to her, and in memory of those 17 years, she collaborated with an innovator and inventor from Napoli, transforming the performance hall and opera into an exhibition building. They restructured it to create a small World's Fair for innovative creators, showcasing futuristic inventions proposed by the sciences.
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Smiles formed, and eyes sparkled once again; as long as people enjoyed the building, it would not crumble. Luna's entire life, in the end, was dedicated to the role of this building! When she was no more, she hoped to find someone capable of caring for the opera's ceiling height and keeping it alive. Whether for science, the art of performance, or the expression of human emotions.
Le Dive Dimenticate
During these same years, around 2094, Luna came across the telenovela "Il Mio Cuore è All'Opera" and fell under the spell of a certain Charlotte Redeve, the main actress and incarnation of an opera diva.
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Her voice, charm, presence, and assurance. It was her, she thought, she would be the next Diva of my opera, Luna pondered. She devoured every scene of the telenovela and researched the roles the young Charlotte Redeve had played. The more Luna learned about her, the more she doubted her ability to hold anything other than herself in place. Charlotte, in Luna's eyes, had a temperament that was perhaps too explosive, too demonstrative, and too self-centered...
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Too bad, Luna silenced herself. Continuing her sculpture classes and taking up pottery, Luna De Bonte kept a close eye on the telenovela, and a part of herself faded away in 2099 with the end of the series. Luna felt sadness, a melancholy emerged, and she felt as if she were experiencing the end of an opera once again.
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Two years later, and still keeping up, Luna attended Charlotte's birthday live and luckily won the one-on-one evening with the telenovela star. Luna was delighted but also embarrassed; they had a 50-year age difference, what could they possibly talk about?
The evening started timidly, but the two women exchanged common passions, and Luna discovered a hidden side of Charlotte. Maybe this Charlotte wasn't as superficial as she seemed, playing her role perfectly and privately being a young woman in her world but profoundly human and compassionate.
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Luna listened carefully to the younger one's words and thoughts, and they proposed to meet again. Ultimately, throughout the year 2100, they spoke, learned to love each other, and Luna was now sure. Charlotte was like her; she had the shoulders to restore the image of this nostalgic opera! (See here to read more about Charlotta Opera).
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Seeing herself on the other side, Luna took all the necessary steps to pass on the opera to Charlotte.
Bedridden at Gemelli Hospital, she could hum her favorite tune one last time, in the company of Charlotte, her spiritual heiress. Her Le Dive Dimenticate.
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That's what they called each other in private; the explanation will remain unknown until the end, but it was probably a slightly too boozy evening that led these women to describe themselves in this way.
They weren't the Demoiselles d'Avignon; they were just Le Dive Dimenticate