☆MINGLE LOG: SOUTH VISTA MUSIC FEST

[interdimanagers]

Who: Everyone!
What: An open mingle log for everyone from everywhere.
When: November 18th-24th, 2054
Where: South Vista
Warnings: Could be anything!

☆THE FESTIVAL Welcome to the South Vista Music Fest! An enormous, weeklong festival with hundreds of bands performing nearly 24/7, the Music Fest is a quarter annual event that celebrates all manners of local talent, both big time and small time. Every band from Pride Records and Virgo Entertainment will have performances to do, including the freshly recruited – you better have your act together, because now is your time to shine! Player bands will be performing roughly once a day, with bands from the first app round predominantly with evening slots and the newest bands with predominantly afternoon slots. There is definitely a hierarchy to the scheduling - Pride and Virgo claim almost all of the prime performance times, while other labels are forced to deal with the leftovers. You've definitely been chosen by the winners of the music industry in these parts, that's for sure. Shuttles will be available to take people back to their relative HQs in their downtime, but they're also allowed to hang out and enjoy the festivities if that's what they prefer. Stuff is happening all day and night, so it's really just a question of how much you can party while still being conscious for your own show. Your managers will tell you that the company CEOs pay extra close attention to this event, so that you need to be on your best behaviour. The festival takes up a massive amount of floor area with multiple stages of various sizes and a large amount of glowy display screens. It's set up on the ground floor of the cityscape, meaning that the suspension roads and walkways above have been programmed to add to the ambient lighting all day and night. ► TRAILER PARK KIDS: For those that just want to chill, there is a massive VIP area reserved for labels to park various trailers for their musicians to hang out in during downtime - one for each band. They aren't quite as big as the tour buses, but they are comfortable and well stocked. Each is equipped with two beds and a bathroom/shower. Pretty much every local band you know of is here, including the notorious Predator. Nose around their trailer at your own risk. ► IN THE SPOTLIGHT: With at least six performances in a span of six days, there is plenty of time for shenanigans to go down both back and center stage. Time to show your mettle, and to hope that some asshole doesn't take all the best food items from the backstage catering tables before you can get to them. ► ATMOSPHERIC NOISE: If you dare brave the storm, there is a massive quantity of merch, vendor, and food booths available for your perusal. Many fans endeavor to spend as much time at Music Fest as possible, and so the space is very lived in, with large groups of people hanging out in well populated lounge areas. Depending on how popular you are, it may be difficult to get around without getting swarmed by your fans. ► DON'T FORGET TO REMEMBER: And all the while, the strange memories continue. The label's newest members will have started to feel strange as of November 6th, and by the time of the Fest almost all of them will be discovering their first memories regains. The first one should be based on the alignment you chose, but the rest can be whatever you want. New character may regain up to 4 memories between their arrival and the end of November.

Comments

STEVEN "TIGER" UNIVERSE | PRIDE | SYSTEM CRASH | OTA

[tigermillionaire]

☆BACKSTAGE
Even since that two day absence and that weird morning, things have been pretty rough for Tiger. Or at least, it seems like it based on the way he’s acting. He’s not acting very friendly, but he’s not acting the usual kinds of mean either – he comes across as sort of empty and lost in conversation, like he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to be doing when he isn’t playing his instrument or singing.

The only times he really comes alive is on stage, when it almost seems like he’s still the kid that he was at the start of the whole thing. Or, at least the way he looked to his fans. Confident and unapologetic. Controversial without batting an eye at the resulting drama. Except, now...it’s like that all melts away backstage.

He still gets angry and frustrated, and he still lashes out, but there is a certain quiet desperation to the way he does it that wasn’t nearly as obvious before; like he’s expecting to get hit back for every slight. Almost like he wants to be.

And when it comes to Jin bossing them around, he never dares argue.

☆OUT & ABOUT
He’s technically allowed to go peruse the festival like everyone else, but he just doesn’t feel like he wants to. People look at him. They recognize him. They get excited. He doesn’t really get what there is to be excited about.

It almost reminds him of when he tried to run away the month before, but thinking about that too deeply just makes him feel terribly sad. He missed something there, he’s sure of it. But now, he’s screwed up so badly...he’s pretty sure there’s never going to stop watching him.

All except that one time the week before, when that stranger with the mask found him. Even now, he’s not completely sure it wasn’t a dream.

☆WILDCARD
Tiger is mostly just kind of wandering through stuff like a zombie at the moment, so my apologies for him not being very interesting. Feel free to make up any kind of situation to act upon him in, though. He’s generally staying pretty close to the performance areas, though, because the crowds scare him.

out and about

[blindfoldcode]

[Really, Kido doesn't approach him much backstage. There's been a clarity in her mind since her brainwashing, an uncomfortable understanding that this isn't going to stop, a final and full recognition that no matter what, she's in for this. And the bar fight worsened it. The memory of a sick suffocating feeling, the memory of a crunch in her chest, the blood in her mouth, the laugh of a man who wasn't even there....

She knows she's more likely to hurt Tiger than to help him backstage. But when winds up close to him in the crowd, she shoves it down. Her voice is quiet when she nudges him gently in the arm.]

Hey, kid. Surviving your legions of fans?

[tigermillionaire]

[He looks up at her, and for what it's worth, he doesn't falter. She's one of the few people he feels like really gets it, at the moment - one of the only people he's really spoken to about how much things hurt. Part of his wants to hold onto her arm, but he doesn't, the idea paralyzing him with some kind of anxiety.]

I don't really want to talk to them.

[Before he wanted nothing more than to be able to meet those people, all the other kids he thought he was reaching out to. But now he's scared that they'll see what's beneath the whole thing. Not much of anything.]

[blindfoldcode]

[She considers this a moment. Then she drops her hand on his head, even though she knows it makes him grouchy.]

Glad I found you at least. I was thinking I want to get a drink, but it's boring to take a break alone. Want to give me some company? [If she makes it seem selfish, maybe he'll take a break. He looks down and she's worried.]

[tigermillionaire]

[Part of him wants to hold her hand. He refrains.]

Yeah, okay.

[He doesn't really smile, but he...frowns a bit less? He looks up at her, and finds himself able to relax a little. At least he knows she understands.]

I really need to get a hat or something, too. It's going to completely ruin my hair, though.

OUT AND ABOUT

[hanginginthere]

Tiger's a rather striking figure; his age just makes him stand out even more, and Shen's by far not the only one trying to sneak a quick shot. As for whether or not he's the only one to notice there's something wrong?

Who knows. All he knows is that he half-lowers the camera with a frown, brow furrowed in confusion at the rather...off young teen.

What the hell? No, really. Shen only knows so much about him, but he's pretty sure this is not normal. Don't mind the guy staring at you like you've suddenly grown a second pair of arms, Tiger.

[tigermillionaire]

Welp, that's not emotionally helpful. Tiger sees that Shen is staring at him, and honestly, he doesn't yet know who the guy is. He can only assume there is some kind of dubious interest there, that he doesn't want to deal with.

He scowls at Shen, and then starts shying away, trying to get lost in the crowd.

Out and About

[panspermia]

He's going to get in trouble, if he keeps tis up. More importantly, he's going to get Tiger in trouble. Tiger's already in trouble, he riminds himself. Yes, but is he willing to make a bad situation worse?

The internal argument goes back and forth, constantly struggling, up to the very moment he sidles up beside the kid at a merch table, peering over the shirts with a box of cheese fries in hand.

"Hey." Tiger won't want to see him, he'll be angry, or hurt, or "You looked good up on stage."

[tigermillionaire]

Tiger pretty much has to sneak around to avoid getting bothered - at the moment he's hoping he can pull off looking enough like a random kid that's just pretending to be tiger. It works a little bit. He's been staring at some of the merch table for a while, sifting through some of its more craft selections.

The makeup he has on right now is pretty heavy and purposefully different than what he's been wearing on stage. It's still as Tigery as ever, though.

Tiger looks up at him when he speaks, and his expression is strange. Almost immediately, his lips twist as if holding back some kind of pain. He's been thinking about all of that a lot since it happened, but there's been nothing he could do. And now...

"I'm...I'm sorry you got hit," he blurts it out with no foreplay what so ever. Like it's the only thing he could think to say upon seeing Greg again, not even small talk. He keeps his eyes on the ground.

[panspermia]

"It wasn't your fault." He'd tell Tiger not to feel bad, that he'd do it again if he had to, but that obviously wasn't going to help anyone feel any better, least of all Tiger. Greg just doesn't know what to do with this anger he's got inside him. It's a deeply alien sensation, and he wants to fix it.

He stops pretending to look over the wares and gives Tiger a look up and down. He can't see any physical signs of abuse, but that doesn't mean a single thing. It's more than clear the kid's not doing well.

"You think you have any time to talk, a little?"

backstage? lmk if I should change anything!

[consocius]

Remembering the text that Luce had sent him, Sora has been keeping a look-out for Tiger ever since. He's never actually introduced himself to any of the members of System Crash yet, even though he's a fan. Sora's a fan of pretty much all of the bands here, and has been really enjoying all of the performances and getting to see everyone together in one big space like this. But paying closer attention to Tiger has meant he's definitely noticed that Luce was right, he doesn't seem okay.

So it's after System Crash has performed one day and Flashstep is still getting prepared that Sora heads over to him with a calm, friendly smile. "Hey! You were really rocking it up there!"

[tigermillionaire]

It's so easy to forget how he feels when he's out there, to a degree that is addicting. During their last song the stage lights are dazzling, and his fingers against the keyboard feel natural and rhythmic, in a way that his usual life feels less and less.

By the time he's hit the backstage, it's already fading, and fast. An inkling of a satisfied smile is still lingering when Sora approaches, but disappears almost immediately after.

"Oh." He glances away. "...Thanks." He doesn't sound especially grateful. Or maybe he just doesn't sound especially anything.

[consocius]

The concern is only doubled at that response. The shift in mood was wasy to notice, and Sora definitely doesn't feel good about possibly being the cause of his smile disappearing. His own drops, concern and confusion both evident in his expression.

"Sorry... did I say something weird?" This is definitely something he wants to fix if he can.

Out and about

[giglio_madonna]

"If you get a hood, it's easier to hide who you are a little so that people don't bother you as much."

That quiet suggestion comes from a voice Tiger might recognize from a couple months back. Luce is clearly taking her own advice into consideration, wearing a Cosmic Indulgence hoodie of all things with it tugged up over her head and her tattoo hidden by a classy (not) bandaid. Her smile is a little tentative.

"I hope I'm not doing that myself." The last thing that would be helping would be interacting with him if that's what he doesn't want.

[tigermillionaire]

He doesn't seem quite sure. He sees Luce approach and immediately goes stuff, clutching at one of his arms with his hand. He looks away, partly out of frustration but largely out of embarrassment. The last time they talked was not flattering.

"I don't want to look like a hobo," he grumbles, kicking at the ground. Rudeness rises up like a reflexive shield.

[giglio_madonna]

Well. It's not a blunt 'go away'. That's something.

"With a nice enough hoodie, you won't look like one." There's a pause. She doesn't want to make it seem like she's just treating him like some silly child. "Would it be alright if I got you something? To make up for last time?"

Backstage

[trustme]

[ Doctor originally stops by the stage to check on the prop preparation for the night's Flowers Over Bones performance but when he sees Tiger by himself looking rather lost he can't help keeping an eye on him from afar. After his conversation with Greg about the young star he wondered how Tiger was fairing. A music festival was exhausting and a potentially poisonous environment when one had a cruel manager. It's hard to miss Tiger's expression when Jin speaks to him.

When an opportunity presents itself (Jin going far away basically) Doctor dares to approach Tiger, offering him a smile and holding out a soda can. ]

You've been practicing a long while now. Why don't you take a break and have something to drink?

[tigermillionaire]

[Tiger has sort of worked himself into a stupor at this point. Jin talking to him just made him want to crawl into himself and disappear, and so he's been putting his best efforts towards being invisible to her ever since she went to go bother someone else. He's got his headphones over one ear, and has been working through some of his pre-recorded synth tracks to make sure they are ready.

The looks he gives Doctor initially is obviously startled, like he was expecting it to be someone else. He even flinches slightly, and then forces himself to relax. He's still a little defensive.

...He takes the can, like he's not sure that he should.]

What...what do you want?

[trustme]

[ Doctor sits next to Tiger, hoping that he won't seem so intimidating if he's not standing over him. His smile remains in place even when Tiger looks at him with suspicion. ]

Not after anything. Just looking out for a fellow artist.

[ He glances around looking for Jin. Nowhere in sight. Still, he lowers his voice a little just to be safe. ]

My name is Doctor. I'm one of Greg Universe's friends. He mentioned you before. I'm sure he'd be here in my place if he were able.

Backstage

[mildwildchild]

There's a few hours until Flashstep's next set, and Jamie's taking a break from rehearsing to wander around backstage. He pauses when he spots Tiger, one of the other abductees who was tied up in that boiler room with him during the Predator mess. (He's also one of the few people in Pride younger and shorter than Jamie himself. He keeps track of these sorts of things.) Jamie realizes he's never really spoken with Tiger except in passing and hasn't seen much of him since the hazing.

Feeling unusually benevolent, because he actually feels kind of good for the first time in a while, Jamie approaches him. "Hey. Tiger, right? How's it going?"

[tigermillionaire]

Oh...it's that guy. Tiger recognizes him too, both from the hazing and from other things. At least as another Pride person, and one from a band he's familiar with, this is a little easier.

"...Tired, kind of," he says. It's the truth, albeit short a fair number of details. "...You?"

[mildwildchild]

Jamie shrugs nonchalantly. "Doing okay. This - " he gestures to kind of indicate the festival at large - "it's a lot to take in. 'specially after everything else that's been going on the past month or so."

There's a brief pause. "Feels good to be performing again, though, huh?" Obviously it has to. It does to Jamie, so it must to everyone else, right?

and then

[panspermia]

[[Continued from here]]

It's gotten late. It's a little hard to tell, with the streaming lights at all times and limited access to clocks. It's easier to forget about it and throw himself into the party and act as though no other obligations exist. Indeed, for Multiverse, none do. The only stares he gets are from his size and zeal, no nagging or pressure or swarming from fans and reporters. There's nothing but dancing, music, and making sure he has the best time he possibly can.

All good things must come to an end, or at least a pause; any later, and people will be looking for them, and that will undo the whole thing. Multiverse dawdles in finding a private space--it's too open here, and they'd look awfully ridiculous coming out from here, and ugh there's that smell lingering in the air over here, can't put Tiger in that.

"All right," he finally decides, planting his feet. "Here we go." He waits a moment, then wraps his arms around himself, reluctant. If he can just make this night last a little longer--his first night, and the best one either of them have had in a long time. He doesn't want it to end. He doesn't want to end.

"...Don't forget me, all right, boys?" They couldn't possibly, he knows, but... well, now he knows how many amazing things they've already forgotten. But he's the best yet, isn't he? "I'll be here."

There's a warm, glittering flash of pink.

[tigermillionaire]

Tiger's dismount isn't especially graceful, because he isn't really ready for it, despite having technically been a part of the decision to do so. He stops being ready as soon as he's separated from it, because the feeling of suddenly being so cold and alone in comparison is almost enough to completely overwhelm the comforting afterglow.

He lands on his butt, his face falling. It...he doesn't feel the same. It had seemed okay when he was doing it, but now that they're apart the fear and doubt is already closing in on him at a rapid pace, as if trying to make up for lost time. There's so much more he knows now, but hasn't had any chance to process as an individual.

What...what's going on here? Is he - did they? How did he get here, what have they been doing to him? What is wrong with his head, and how is Greg his - no.

This is not okay. It's not okay, it's not...

He crumbles in on himself, staring up at Greg with a desperate helplessness. He wants to run again, like he did before, but he knows he can't get away.

[panspermia]

Greg has to catch himself on the wall to keep from falling--even if he'd known it was coming, the whole experience is so completely alien and bizarre... Everything had somehow made sense, in the midst of it, but now back in his own mind the strangeness is ready to overwhelm him. The perfect clarity that he'd seen with before, confident and understanding, is rapidly blurring away at the edges.

What had they just done? How was it possible? What was it supposed to mean, for them, for everything, it wasn't possible--

Greg looks down to Tiger, and sees the teen's own rampant confusion already drowning him again. Oh, no. They--whatever that was, they could question it later, but first they had to make sure the whole experience wasn't undone. He kneels down, holding out a shaky hand to help him up.

"You--hey. It's all right. It's... it's just us." His voice is wavering with his own suppressed fear at the unknown. "That's all it is. O...okay?"