interstellar5555 | ☆TRACK X: PLAY ALONG

Who: Everyone!
What: Vista City amps up for Pride and Virgo's WORLD TOUR with HYPE WEEK.
When: May 1st - May 5th 2055
Where: Various places in Vista City
Warnings: Could be anything.

“Try to make it look like it's all somehow getting better,
'Cause I know how to play it pretty good against the measure.
Everyone started out a little insane,
But we learn pretty quick how to fake it for the game.”

☆PLAY ALONG

Hype Week is less an official label event, and more something that the media has created in response to a particularly odd situation. Pride and Virgo appear to be functioning in unison - launching separate world tours on practically the same date, launching vast quantities of new material and media events, and making a point of never mentioning or acknowledging the actions of the other. Could this be some kind of collaborative event? A viral marketing campaign? No one is really sure, but the local economy is happy to capitalize on it in order to make it as big of a city-wide ordeal as possible.

For musicians, this means all kinds of event that they have to attend and cooperate with - everything from photo shoots, to signing, to music video premiers. For rescuers, this means one last opportunity to track down those still trapped before they are whisked away on a world spanning journey. Events that will be happening:

► NEW SINGLES: Hot new singles are getting released by bands all over the place. While actual concerts and performances are not actually happening much during the hype period, each band is probably releasing at least one new single and hyping it all to hell with one song performances here and there on TV and the like. You can have fun defining that single for your band, or leave it ambiguous! Up to you.

► PANELS AND INTERVIEWS: Musicians will get carted all over to various talk shows and public question panel events - a lot of questions will be asked about the World Tour and its specifics, of which the musicians themselves seem to know very little. This goes for the veterans as much as it does the fledglings.

► MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERS: In which a bunch of fancy music people go to fancy theaters and watch all the new music videos for the new singles, and then write articles about this. This is also something you are welcome to create specifics for.

► SIGNINGS AND PUBLIC APPEARANCES: While many of the veterans and doing things like autobiographical books signings and what not, the newer musicians are more likely to just be signing millions of World Tour specific posters and CD releases. Its quite likely that they are going to be totally run down after all these appearances and preparations - try to stay awake at the table!

► WORLD TOUR PREMIER: This will be covered in a second log a few days from now. For now, the musicians are just being prepped for a music festival to end all music festivals, that will start May 5th and cover the entire weekend. They've been practicing rigorously all month - they'll have to hope they have the stamina to make it to the actual performance.

All the while, Gold and Silver have been mysteriously absent. Silver has been here and there, handing out supplies and necessary tech, but guidance for rescuers has been minimal. Gold hasn't been seen at all.

Part way into the week, at least, Shep will return with a new batch of rescuers, just in time for the premier! New musicians and band combinations will slowly be announced over this week as well, with some of them being saved for the premier festival itself. That is, any OOC changes made to bands and last minute new members are going to get announced like they are big exciting unveilings, because spin doctoring is what the labels do!

☆SINGULARITY

Everyone hearing the new singles will be able to tell that they seem especially ear wormy - extra hip, extra catchy, like the best examples of each bands radio popularity. Rescuers in particular, though, will notice something sort of strange about them. It's more than just song being catchy. People who are not musicians themselves will find themselves being unnaturally charmed by them, as if each time they hear these singles they are being slowly brainwashed into becoming more and more fixated on the artists performing.

Of course, this can be stopped by just not listening to them for a few days, but it's hard to avoid when pretty much every public location has been playing these singles non stop. Along with this effect, there are some particulars:

► PREDATOR DREAMS: The Pride band Predator is the same as the others, in that it has a particularly intrusive single that's just been introduced. There is one difference. It may take a while to notice, but it can be noted that one starts to feel somewhat tired and dazed after listening to it repeatedly, like they are somehow drained. The single is called The Spaces In Between and it is somewhat unusual that Cass, the member who usually primarily focuses on instrumentals and back up singing, is now performing lead.

If your character hears this song several times, they may suffer some weird DREAMS - especially if they received a dose of Gold's magic powder in the Better To Pretend event. If you'd like to receive a dream, please write "DREAM PLEASE" in your subject line, along with a written section describing an instance of your character having regular dreams that I can manipulate. Anywhere else and I might miss it.

► ESCAPED MUSICIANS: Musicians that have escaped and are now in hiding will find themselves particularly mentally manipulated by the singles released by their home label. They will find their minds unusually filled with thoughts of returning to their labels, as well as increased paranoia about being caught. Any remaining programming will be particularly triggered and brought to the surface. They'll be able to push it down with self control and assistance from other characters, but the thoughts will become more invasive the more they listen to it.

“'Cause everybody's so scared,
We don't wanna go there. 
We don't wanna make a move,
We got all our lives to lose.
Screaming in the dark while we just play our part out.

I play along, 
Like I don't know what's going on.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Bookstore: Turn the Page

As a scarf wearing girl going by the name "Scarlet Romanoff," Ivan works at the bookstore, Turn the Page. He earns money to go towards the band's living expenses as a cashier. It's a "safe" persona he assumes while being on the run; he's not going to do dangerous things like this.

Over the ceiling speakers play the newest hits and keeping with the Hype Week from around the city. And of course he's listened to the newest System Crash single. He wasn't going to miss out on hearing his favorite band here and Trucy.

It's slow now. His thoughts drift. Wouldn't it be easy to return to Virgo? To say that he's sorry for running? He wouldn't have to be fully sincere. He could go and work on gathering information on the inside. Didn't he think that was a better use of his powers? Ivan shakes his head firmly, sending auburn strands flying. Where did those thoughts come from? Even if he could return to Virgo as a musician, there was no way that Blanche (more like Juno) wouldn't brainwash him again. He has already been compromised.

And then Ivan sees he's no longer alone at the counter. He turns red and stammers, "A-Ah. I'm sorry. You were saying?"

Sneaking Around Pride Events

Trying to fight the feeling that he should return to Virgo, Ivan does the opposite. He tries to go to some of Pride's PR events. Maybe he could spot some people he knows while gaining more ... Ivan is shapeshifted into a random teenage boy, not one he has an ID for, but he's not really trying to do anything that would need one.

Dream

Back in the small apartment he shares with Doctor and Pao-Lin, Ivan collapses into his small bed with the hard mattress. He's exhausted from his work. Both the kind that earns him money and the kind that earns him a little more information. Sleep comes quickly, and he's not surprised the least to see that he's back in Stern Bild. He's wearing a purple and white jacket along with cargo pants. This is how he normally dressed back home.

Ivan walks down familiar yet unfamiliar streets. Where is he going? What is he trying to find? Hero TV? Yes, where does he go to do his job? His real job.

Edited (typos and the like) 2016-05-03 04:18 (UTC)

[In the center of a crowd of teenagers Trucy is signing autographs and offering her own brand of entertainment. People have come to expect a little razzle dazzle from her and she doesn't like to disappoint. Right now she's showing off some fancy card tricks and personalizing it a bit by signing the cards for people.]

Oh, was that not your card? Hmm.... oh, I know! Maybe it's the one in your pocket?

[It is. And the girl she was doing the trick for is thrilled.]

[ Ivan has taken the form of a young teenage boy with black hair and a red hoodie. He's waiting in line for his turn. However, when he speaks, the voice belongs to Ivan. The awkward nervousness (magnified slightly from trying to put on his own "act") is his as well. ]

E-Excuse me... could you do a trick with this? Maybe make it disappear and reappear, um... later?

[ He passes her an origami shuriken folded out of an old newspaper... that just happens to have Flowers Over Bones on it. ]

After... uh... people...

[ He hopes this works. Ivan's already disappointed in himself that it took him this long to get into contact with Trucy again. ]

Hm? Oh!

[It took her a minute, but once she figures out that it's him Trucy's eyes light up.]

I think I can manage that. Presto~!

[She turns the paper over in her fingers, and it vanishes before the eyes of the crowd. She wants to say more, but if she singles him out too much someone might notice.]

[ And in seeing the recognition in her eyes, Ivan's nerves calm in one way and buzz in another way. She knows he's him! Yes! That makes this a lot easier. He claps enthusiastically at the trick. He moves to be more a part of the crowd, "accidentally" brushing against various fans to give himself more choices of other forms if he needs them.

Now, he has to figure out how he can actually talk to Trucy discreetly. This might have to be a two part attempt. ]

[Trucy does her best to lose the crowd after that, skillfully diverting their attention to many of the other artists and shows going on. She wants to try to find Ivan again before he leaves. Or before her manager wonders why she's slacking off.

She had the sense to run back to her trailer and change into street clothes, but she's still pretty easily recognized. Right now she's weaving through the crowds, keeping an eye out for red hoodies.]

[ It shouldn't be too hard to find Ivan again as he keeps the form with the red hoodie. And... he happens to be sipping a smoothie while holding a second and hanging by a shadowed wall. Some things don't change even if he's hiding his identity.

He can resist the urge to smile when he sees Trucy head his way. And he knows that he should switch his voice to the one of the boy he's shapeshifted into, but he doesn't. If he gets the feeling that he's being recognized, he will though.

And of course, he offers the other smoothie to her. ]

Trucy, I-I'm so glad to see you. I'm sorry it took so long. I'm really sorry.

[Trucy is practically beaming when she spots him again. She missed him so much. And... even though she knew he wasn't dead, it was still hard to hear that from all the news shows and magazines. She ducks behind the wall and accepts the smoothie happily.]

It's fine. I knew you'd come.

I'm.... really glad you're okay.

[ He has to keep reminding himself of the risk he's taking, about how much trouble he could cause if he's not careful. Ivan doesn't know where to start. There's so much he wants to tell her about what's going on and ask her the same. ]

Thank you. For believing and remembering me.

[ Well, that's a place to start. ]

I'll always believe in you. You're my hero.

[She's been thinking of him in those terms for a while, but Trucy didn't quite mean to say it out loud. She blushes and swiftly continues.]

But, um, I don't think we can talk for long. They'll be missing me pretty soon.

[Her manager is probably already wondering where she wandered off to.]

[ Ivan blushes, feels a warmth in him, and he loses his composure for a moment. Calm down. Calm down. She's right. They can't talk long like this. He has to be quick. For the reason Trucy brings up and because he's fairly sure he's blowing his cover with how he's acting. ]

Velia Nicomedo. That's... well, she used to be a Pride stagehand behind the scenes, but she got fired... and I retook it. As her.

[ He's basically working for free; the real Velia Nicomedo is getting a paycheck for his hours. However, this lets him get closer to Pride. ]

We can talk more during those times.

☆TRACK X: PLAY ALONG

Ivan Karelin | Rescuer/former Virgo | DREAM PLEASE

Pride events- super late but hi

Trucy is never too late <3

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