"Gli farò un'offerta che non potrà rifiutare."

[sharktrash]

Who: MANTICORE and Roy Mustang
What: the violence-worshipping band give the warm-up band's guitarist an offer he can't refuse.
When: 17ish?
Where: someplace a gig can take place. Vista City Mini Amphitheatre? idk
Warnings: language? probably?? SQUALO? idk will add as necessary

(( There are four main sections you can post your toplevels or tag in to:
- before Manticore's performance (watching Roy play, generic shenanigans, forcing him to stay onstage after his band's done),
- during (if you wanna play out making music and/or stage shenanigans!),
- after (the final verdict) and then, finally,
- dragging their catch back home and staging THE INITIATION CEREMONY. that's right MANTICORE is lowkey a frat house.
Have fun! Threadjacking encouraged and expected! Basically, go wild. ))

Comments

DURING

[sharktrash]

[sharktrash]

[ It’s strange, performing with a new guy. But he should know their best songs, considering he was in a warm-up band for them. And if not, well, there was always improvisation. A dude who couldn’t improvise onstage had no place with MANTICORE, and so on. ]

[ ...he’s actually doing pretty well so far. ]

[ Squalo is going to send Looks to the rest of his bandmates -- what do you think? -- and grin at Roy as he plays a particularly intense part that used to lead to Orion’s solo. Come on then. Show them what you’ve got. ]

[wounds]

[Genos plays like he always does, though this time the emotion of the song comes through far more strongly than it normally would. It easily riles up the crowd, getting them hyped on the music.

He'll study Roy as he starts in on Orion's part. But so far- he inclines his head in a tiny nod. They could work with this.]

[snapcrackleburn]

[ Roy is fully aware of how big the shoes are he's filling at the moment. Orion had been a talented artist to say the least. Roy wouldn't claim to be as great on the guitar as Orion had been but in this moment he can at least try his best to be.

They reach the guitar solo and he plays with the utmost focus. He blocks out thought of the awkward situation he's been placed in and thinks instead of the music and the audience he wants to entertain.

As the solo reaches its climax, Roy bumps the switch built into the guitar neck and the familiar quick sound of gas and a click reach his ears. A half second later the guitar spouts flames out its neck with a whoosh over all their heads. The audience cheers louder. Roy smiles to himself. ]

[sharktrash]

[ The secret when filling in for talented people is not to try to match them or copy them. The only way to truly fill those shoes is to be yourself, with your own strengths. ]

[ So cudos to him, he seems to be getting that. Squalo's actually going to whistle at the show of pyrotechnics, though the sound is lost in the roaring volume of instruments and amplifiers. It's a surprise they haven't gone deaf yet, to be honest. Maybe they perform with ear plugs, who knows. ]

[ The audience seems to like him, too. The cheers and applause are reasonably loud, and Squalo continues smirking like a shark lurking in shallow waters. This is good. Their band just might be saved. ]

[wounds]

[Good. Roy fits into the sound of their band, and the pyrotechnics are definitely exciting the crowd they've got in front of them.

If there was ever a musician he wanted to keep hold of, it's this one. He can hear the potential and see the showmanship, all that he needs is a little polishing.

Once the guitar solo is finished, he goes right back into the next verse of their song.]

[sharktrash]

[ Of course, Squalo still thinks there should be MORE FIRE! but maybe they should leave that to Roy's judgement. ]

[ He drops into the lower notes that he usually keeps while Genos is singing. It still feels a bit bad to just up and replace a band member, but what the fuck were they supposed to do? Stop the project? Form a new group? Nah. This was his fucking baby, as long as he was around he'd keep it going. Somehow. ]

[ He'll lean into the microphone to harmonize some screams with Genos once the chorus comes. He thinks they sound great together, clearly they should do this more often. ]

[snapcrackleburn]

[ Roy doesn't dare sing yet. He doesn't recall Orion ever joining in even during the chorus.

He bends forwards into his guitar strumming and decorates the chorus with the sound of electric guitar cries. The chorus is thick with passionate energy. And it's even easier, Roy realizes, to lose oneself to the music when playing with MANTICORE than it ever has been in his current band. ]

[wounds]

[They don't have much of a choice. As a rock band they're going to sound empty when they don't have a lead guitarist- especially when such a huge chunk of their songs have at least a small chunk that's dedicated just to their lead guitarist.

They go through the first song in their set just fine, and they move seemlessly to the next.]

I feel so unsure
As I take your hand
And lead you to the dance floor

[sharktrash]

[ Exactly. It all hinges on a good lead guitar, to be honest. Sure, Genos' instrument can cover most of the riffs and Squalo's most of the melodic wiggles and solos, but it's not quite the same. People like this genre for the "axe". It's more than a necessity. ]

[ He "helps" with the main melody, going for a minor chord to make it ring more eerie in contrast with the guitar, then slips back into rhythmic patterns to keep the background sound rich, his playing going more gentle when the singing starts. ]

[ He waits for Genos to finish the verse, providing a nice reverb in just the same pitch as his voice, to make it sound like it lasts well into the next part; he takes a deep breath and then continues in unison with their singer, his voice a more rasp, almost shouting counterpart to the other's more melodic take. ]

I'm never going to play again
These guilty hands have got no rhythm --

I love different genre covers 8D

[snapcrackleburn]

[ This happens to be one of Roy's favorite of MANTICORE's songs, one that he has played countless times on his own. Jecht's clear beat from behind him add spirit to his performance. Genos's vocals ring out clear and captivating over the speakers and Squalo (despite being a knife-wielding bastard) shows off his talent wonderfully the way he compliments Genos's voice.

Song number two with this band, and somehow the experience has turned into something that naturally flows out of him rather than a struggle. Something about it just seems to fit.] ]

They're great!

[wounds]

Though it's easy to pretend
I know your not a fool

[He takes a deep breath as the chorus ends and starts in on the next verse. His voice is as clear and pleasant as ever- the feeling bouncing off of him is regret as he goes through the lyrics.]

Should've known better than to cheat a friend
And waste the chance that I've been given
So I'm never gonna dance again
The way I danced with you

[sharktrash]

[ He's doing it again. Squalo can sense it, that vaguely familiar sensation he thinks he's felt before at the club Genos had invited him to for a joint show with that Kido girl. Is he even aware of it? Who knows. It's not that strong there on the stage, but it definitely reaches the audience. He leans sideways toward Roy, nodding his head at Genos. ]

Vooooi, watch this.

[ He causes reverb again and plays into the next verse, watching the first rows of fans to see if he can confirm his suspicious, and trying to fight off that looming sensation of regret himself. ]

[ And do the listeners enjoy it. The screaming's louder than usual, and he's sure he can see a few girls in the front tear up, holding their arms out as if reaching for Genos. Mass ecstasy is starting to sound like a decent description. ]

[snapcrackleburn]

[ Roy watches in fascination. He had performed for large cheering crowds before but warm up bands and smaller venues rarely ever got such an emotional reaction on this scale. Maybe one sobbing fan max.

He can feel Genos' song tugging at his own emotions. It's amazing to feel this caught up in the music but it almost feels like it isn't a matter of his own focus. It's too consistent, too automatic, it doesn't waver even as he watches the crowd or Squalo. ]

[wounds]

[Squalo's only amplifying the feeling for all of the audience members.

Regret, pain, a feeling of broken friendships that can never be mended.]

Time can never mend
The careless whispers of a good friend
To the heart and mind
Ignorance is kind
There's no comfort in the truth
Pain is all you find

[Every word carries the meaning and feeling through to the audience.]

[sharktrash]

[ You're welcome. ]

[ It's a good thing broken friendships are a sensation Squalo's unfamiliar with (yet). He has an easier time not getting lost in the emotions getting pulsed out right next to him. But it does make it easier to really get into the music. ]

-- IS ALL YOU FIND!!

[ he echoes, so Genos can seamlessly move into the chorus. ]

[snapcrackleburn]

[ Regrets and pain over friendship lost. Roy has never lost a friend like that, yet it feels like somewhere in the back of his mind there's a familiarity with the feeling. Something starts to eat away at his thoughts and he squeezes his eyes shut and focuses on the chords under his fingers. Not now! Now, he plays for this audience.

He waits for the finale and let's another wave of flames erupt from his guitar. Later he'll have to remember to ask Genos about that song. ]