interstellar5555 | ☆TRACK I: NOTHING LEFT OF YOU

Who: Every single one of you.
What: Interstellar's first log, and an awards ceremony for jerks you don't know!
When: October 2nd.
Where: A fancy ballroom in neutral territory.
Warnings: Could be anything.

“Oh, it's been getting so hard,
Living with the things you do to me;
My dreams are getting so strange,
I'd like to tell you everything I see.

I see a man at the back as a matter of fact,
His eyes are as red as the sun.
And the girl in the corner lets no one ignore her,
‘Cause she thinks she's the passionate one.”

☆NOTHING LEFT OF YOU

It’s the seasonal Vista Music Industry Award Gala, and attendance is mandatory. You and your band have been touring non-stop for the last two months, hitting locations all over Americana, performing and doing press appearances. This event is set less than three days after your return home, but it’s been made clear that further rest will have to wait.

Though Halloween technically isn’t until the end of the month, the gathering has a formal masquerade theme - masquerade that is, not costume. Dressing up as a mummy or a clown isn’t going to cut it. Themed formal wear is expected, and your image consultants have been pestering you about your choices for the last 48 hours. Whether or not you listen to them, how you dress feels incredibly important. At least if you let the consultants fuss over you, you can be sure it’ll be something press friendly.

Various awards are being given out, but none of them are for you. The media in attendance are starting to bubble with enthusiasm for the ‘rising stars’ of the industry, however, so this could be a moment to shine. Labels besides Pride and Virgo are also in attendance, but who cares about those guys? They seem to be a mere footnote in comparison to the buzz around the heavy hitters.

There’s food, alcohol, dancing, stage performances by notable musicians of both Pride and Virgo, and then the formal awards ceremony in the evening. Yes, you are expected to sit through them. Do try to look like you’re interested, the media is watching.

☆PRIDE RECORDS

Lesedi Santiago doesn’t always make a big deal about introductions - or at least, that’s the impression you get when she just kind of shows up in your group limousine unannounced on your way over to the party. Deep into pre-drinking a bottle of gin, she doesn’t talk with you so much as talk at you, regaling your band with weird stories about the industry while completely ignoring the fact that her presence is more intimidating than comforting. You’re not sure if it’s intentional, but at least she’s a good story teller - her speech doesn’t seem to be at all affected by the quantity of booze she’s already consumed, which is kind of bizarre if you think about it too deeply. You’re not inclined to.

You’ve all met her before, here and there, in a series of bombastic encounters. Her interest in pontificating at you and the other new label inductees seems to fade immediately upon entering the ballroom, as she quickly becomes distracted with more high profile guests. Her attention fixates on Edward Blanch from time to time, but she declines to address him specifically. If you want to get some of her one on one attention, now could be your chance - just make sure you go in ready. Handling Miss Santiago can be a bit of an...experience.

Veteran Pride members are in attendance as well, but most of them are not very good company. Their reactions vary from ‘frat members greeting a new pledge’ to ‘disinterested shoulder pats’, and ultimately it will seem your attention is better received by the other newbies. Maybe even the Virgo Entertainment stiffs, at that.

Because, of course, that crew is here as well. Lesedi suggested you “show them who’s boss,” but you’re not necessarily sure what that’s supposed to mean.

☆VIRGO ENTERTAINMENT

Tonight's event is one of considerable speculation: it marks Edward Blanche's first public appearance after a considerable period of isolation. He's a private man, a mystery and an enigma to the public, and that just seems to make him all the more intoxicating. The Managers and security staff are out in full force, and if you know what's good for you, you'll be dressed to the nines. Your image consultant will be almost desperate to do the work for you, like they're afraid of what might happen to their careers if you embarass the label on their watch.

Personal style is important, but everything in your gut tells you that your nose has got to be clean this time, or trouble is sure to follow. For many of you, this will be the first time you'll ever have seen your CEO in person, and as such, the first time he'll encounter you one on one. If you're going to brown nose, now's the time - but make sure you choose your words carefully, and don't waste his time. Blanche has little patience for it.

There are veteran musicians of the Virgo label in attendance, ones with dozens of awards to their names, but they seem to have little interest in speaking with you. Some are politely avoidant while others and just rudely dismissive, but none of them really give an answer for why they just aren't interested. It's not totally surprising - Virgo's interior politics are harsh.

Other notable guests include Lesedi Santiago and the rest of the Pride Records entourage. Though you may have acquaintances, or even friends, who have been snatched up by the other side, it's even more likely that you have enemies. Everything about your Virgo upbringing makes you feel like you should hold a certain contempt for their ilk - people in this label think of them as classless at best and crass maniacs at worst.

Did you hear about that disgusting stunt one of their front runners pulled on stage last week? Revolting.

☆THE TWIST

Some of you may remember strange events from the past few weeks. Misplaced objects, malfunctioning technology, nostalgic phantom music - it feels a lot like the last portion of your tour was haunted. Now that you're back home, all of that seems to be flaring up again. You can practically feel the otherworldly presences passing through the room, even if nobody besides your tour group seems to notice. Even though they aren't knocking glasses off tables and flickering lights like last time, their presence is somehow even more apparent.

Your programming makes one thing clear: don't make a public fuss about this. Ignore it, everything's fine. The second part only goes so far. Especially when, at some point or another, you'll be shaken by the feeling that one of these ghosts has walked straight through you. For that moment, you feel like a totally different person. At this point, one of four memory regain effects will occur:

► REMEMBER LOVE: You remember a scene, image, or concept related to one of the greatest loves of your past life. Can be either romantic, platonic, or familial. It must be about a person and not a place or activity, though.

► REMEMBER DUTY: You remember a scene, image, or concept related to something you held a great sense of duty or loyalty to in your past life. It could be a person, a cause, a country, or anything in between.

► REMEMBER PASSION: You remember a scene, image, or concept related to something you were passionate about to the point of anger or determination in your past life. Not enjoyment of, but something that drove you, or one of the things most likely to make you throw a punch.

► REMEMBER HOPE: You remember a scene, image, or concept related to something you dreamed about making come true, or an important hope you had for the future in your past life. This covers any kind of positive goal or ambition for you or the world around you.

The feeling will quickly fade, leaving you as the person you've been made into once again. Only now you have something new: the first fragment of a life you can't remember having lived. The CEOs and managers will react to this eventually, and you're probably going to get sent home early. This, however, will be covered with a top level further into the log.

“I'm reaching out for something,
Touching nothing's all I ever do.
Oh, I softly call you over;
When you appear there's nothing left of you.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yuffie saw the entire thing, and she's...not a fan. It had been something like a horrifically drunk Xan might do, but Xan even had more standards. Generally. So of course, Yuffie decided to step in. It's what she does.

She's a tiny thing in blue and spiked leather and her hair is gravity defying. She has a neon colored drink in one hand and her cellphone in the other.

"You're one of the Flashstep boys, right?" Yuffie asks, and sort of half salutes him with her drink as she steps up beside him. "Pope's an asshole. Isn't he?He thinks he's winning like seven awards tonight, but I would bet you anything he's going home empty handed. His vocals sound like a dead cat."

She's grinning at him, and isn't for one moment denying that she saw the little mix up by the bathroom.

Jamie eyes her up and down for a moment, suspicious at first that she's trying to get a rise out of him. But she's passingly familiar - he recognizes her as another new Pride recruit - and she's always seemed okay before, so despite his sour mood he decides to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Total asshole," he agrees. "Guy records a couple platinum albums and thinks he can treat everyone else like shit. And the vocals on his last album sucked balls."

He looks at Yuffie a little more openly now, some of his hurt pride assuaged. "You're from that new punk outfit, right? Junkyard Carnival?"

"Got it in one." Yuffie grins over the edge of her glass before taking a drink. "I'm Yuffie. I've met some of your guys before."

"I hear the producer spent four hours trying to get it to sound anything like a human voice before giving up." She looks over in the douchebag's direction and rolls her eyes. "If he doesn't win tonight, the label's going to be getting all kinds of grouchy with him. By next time we're here, he'll be lucky if his coke addicted ass gets to be on waitstaff."

Yuffie turns her attention back to Jamie again.

"So? What's your name?"

Jamie grins vindictively and nods at Yuffie's assessment. "It's like he deliberately tried to sound as shitty as humanly possible," he agrees. "Maybe that's why he drinks and snorts everything he can get his hands on, so he can sound like complete garbage." Jamie's being kind of petty, he knows it, but he's sixteen years old and full of righteous butthurt. A little pettiness might be expected, here.

"I'm Jamie. Nice to meet you." He raises his ginger ale in greeting, since her hands are full and she doesn't seem like the handshake type anyway. "And hey, next time we're here we're gonna be the ones getting nominations and awards, am I right?"

"You got it, kid." Yuffie's grin is sharp but it's the kind where Jamie's included in the joke. "Besides, I'm pretty sure we'll be hearing all about his bankruptcy in the next six months. You can't ride that high for that long without burning the fuck out."

She says it like it's very matter of fact, and not all all like she's worried about that fate herself. Funny for a person who's with probably the most obnoxiously angry band on the label. They've had to bail out their bass player twice recently. It's almost like Yuffie doesn't see the irony.

"I've seen you guys rehearse once or twice." It's hard to miss people practicing among the mess of Pride recruits and Yuffie keeps up to date on things. Besides, Flashstep is Maxxie's band and so she is aware of them more than some. "You guys are going to be a hell of a bigger hit than douchecanoe. If only because of the fangirls getting to pick and choose which of you's their favorite."

That makes Yuffie grin at him again, because let us face it. Boyband. They're have screaming groupies. It'll be cute.

Jamie returns the grin, in a much better mood now that he's had the chance to vent a little to a fellow newb. "Hah, yeah. It'd serve him right for being such a dickbag."

He's aware of the, shall we say, high-spirited nature of Junkyard's bassist - Xanxus seems like one of those people Jamie would prefer to give a wide berth - but he opts not to say anything about it. He's got enough sense to not try to alienate one of the few people who have actually been friendly to him tonight.

Her next comment makes him roll his eyes, but he's grinning as he does so, half embarrassed and half pleased. He looks almost bashful. "The fangirls. They're a little scary sometimes, but the attention's kind of nice."

Oh, that makes Yuffie's grin turn positively evil.

"I've seen Flashstep's tumblr tag." Yuffie's messing with her phone as she talks, so she may mean right at this moment for all he knows. "I hope you think it's more than kind of nice because people have T-shirts with your face on them already and you're barely out of boot camp."

"And with that kind of draw they'll be parading you around at every teenybopper award show that will ever exist." She may've not been in music forever but she's a legacy. So that means....

Well, it doesn't matter what that means. It means Yuffie Kisaragi knows her stuff and is more than happy to share it with everyone and anyone.

"If you want, I can spill on a board or two that he was a drunk ass all night. Speed up his decline a little." The offer sounds sincere, which may be a little worrying. She honestly doesn't seem too bothered with offering to tank someone's reputation even just a little.

Oh, Jamie has seen the t-shirts. And the posters, and the banners, and the twitter tags, and the tumblr posts, and the whole thing. It's all a little surreal and, if he's going to be honest, intimidating - and it's only going to get bigger from here - but that's the price of fame. Who is he to complain?

Jamie shrugs, trying to look nonchalant. "Well, yeah, we're gonna be huge. None of us'd be doing this if we didn't like the attention, right?" He shoots her a grin.

When she makes that offer, it occurs to Jamie that as nice as Yuffie's been to him so far, she's probably capable of being equally vicious to anyone who gets on her bad side. Cultivating her favor and staying in her good graces, therefore, could have benefits beyond just having someone to chat with at these industry get-togethers. Her lack of compunction regarding the whole career-sabotage thing might be of some concern - but as long as it's not aimed at him, should he care?

He does hesitate a little, though, raising an eyebrow. "You won't get in trouble for doing stuff like that?"

Yuffie gives him a look that might be a little patronizing, but really it comes across more good natured than anything else.

"This is what I do, Kiddo." She says with a sharp edge to her smile and a pleased tone. "If he's going to be an asshole to a member of the Pride family, then he deserves what he gets, doesn't he?"

She has a very particular code of ethics. It basically amounts to, they are all a team, and if you don't behave nicely then you need to fuck off. It makes her a very useful friend and a very irritating enemy. Also an irritating friend, but what are you going to do.

"Besides. Any friend of Maxxie's is a friend of mine."

Yuffie might've somewhat adopted Flashstep into her collection of bands to keep an eye on, it means she's going to help. ...Even if Yuffie's idea of help is a little unconventional.

A slow grin makes its way across Jamie's face. "I guess that'd be karma, wouldn't it?" Besides, it's not as though Pope has been particularly discreet about his drunken antics tonight.

He's not unaware of that little tinge of condescension in her smile, and the "Kiddo" nickname doesn't exactly thrill him either, but from Yuffie he'll tolerate them. She's apparently more or less drawn him into her circle of friends, and Jamie certainly isn't going to object to that.

☆TRACK I: NOTHING LEFT OF YOU

#rejection

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