interstellar5555 | ☆TRACK VII: IN REACHING OUT PT. 1

Who: Everyone in Pride and Virgo HQ.
What: Ghosts need your help.
When: The evening of January 30th, 2055
Where: Pride and Virgo HQ.
Warnings: Phantasmal violence, possibly some real violence.

“Hold your colours against the wall,
When they take everything away,
Hold your colours against the wall,
With me (soaking through)”

☆IN REACHING OUT

Starting around the 20th of January, the heavy lockdown and supervision of the musicians of both labels will begin to fade. While they still require escorts to be out and about, the guards that have been routinely stalking them around their own homes and HQs will be gradually phased out, until it is just the regular managers and security remaining. Sweet deal, right? Over a month after the hysteria of the ill-fated solstice party, things seem to be finally letting up a little. Whether because you've played nice for long enough, or whether their attentions are being directed elsewhere, it isn't clear.

Either way, this is the also the start of some increasingly familiar paranormal activity. All the way back to the first tour of this generation of musicians, members of both Pride and Virgo have found themselves haunted by strange and inexplicable happenings. Starting on the 23rd, these happenings begin to flare up again - lights switching on and off, TVs starting on their own, and even things falling off of shelves unprovoked. (These minor happenings can be made up by you and don't need to be mod designated - however, they should not be anything that would be threatening or dangerous to the characters.) For some people this will be completely new, and for others it may even be faintly nostalgic.

This will continue until the night of the 30th, when things finally seem to come into swing. The hauntings will become more pointed and explicit. The details are specific to each HQ, and there and you can make yourself open to an NPC haunting down below.

☆PRIDE RECORDS

About halfway through the evening on the 30th, Predator will begin prowling the halls of Pride HQ. At first it won't be clear for what, but after catching a few snippets of conversation (this can be handwaved) characters will have a change to realize that they are looking for the ghosts that have been causing a fuss recently. How crazy this will sound to you will probably depend on how new you are. They will actively shake down random musicians they meet for information about what they've seen the last couple days. As usual, Jenny is leading the pack, with Cass and Donny (nsfw) providing back up muscle.

Provided you lie well or tell them the truth, they will move along fairly quickly. If you start shit with them, they will probably rough you up a little. Any major confrontations with them will be handled on the companion OOC post, and a few top levels may appear over here that can be tagged into in limited amounts.

Beyond those activities, Pride members will feel various effects based on their EMOTIONAL ALIGNMENTS:

► ALL: Their connection and desire to create music will be especially heightened. They will find themselves subconsciously beginning to tap out rhythms, hum, peck at instruments, or straight up sing things even when it would otherwise be totally inappropriate. Strong emotions will cause them to want to sing and play to each other. They may also feel very strongly that they want to dance, to a particularly addictive beat that seems to emanate from the air. It may shift and change as the night goes on, but at any given moment everyone will hear the same rhythm. It sounds like particularly great percussion.

► LOVE & DUTY: They will have no extra special effects, but they will feel this urge to create music even more strongly than the rest, as it seems to be focused on them as they are not being directly targeted by any other sensations. When Hope and Passion musicians hear music made by these characters, they will feel stronger, like energy is being gifted to them.

► HOPE: Characters of this alignment will feel increasingly like they are being drawn somewhere, or like someone is calling for them, but they can't quite make out the direction it's coming from. The aspect of hope will be empowered within them, and they will find themselves unusually trusting towards the other characters, as if they only have the most optimistic outcomes in mind. Beyond this, they may feel dazed or confused by the sensations they are feeling. They may also experience strange visions, or the sensation of being another person they are not (and not just their true self this time, someone else completely).

► PASSION: Characters of passion will be targeted by the 'hauntings' much more directly than the others. More than random acts, the hauntings around them seem like someone is actively trying to communicate with them. Sometimes it will even feel like someone is trying to speak in their heads, though they won't quite be able to make it out. Passion characters who request haunting instances will get the most major effects.

☆VIRGO ENTERTAINMENT

Soon after things start to get extra weird on the 30th, Juno and a couple Virgo veterans (Anansi and a man you recognize as a popular folk artist named Brett Hogan) will start wandering the halls. They will pull individuals aside for questioning in private rooms, asking about the strange occurrences. They will not attempt to rough anyone up, but excessively resistance or attempts at violence towards them may result in characters being locked in their rooms for the rest of the night.

All three of them seem particularly hard to lie to for some reason, tonight. It's possible, but while you make the effort to do so, the words seem to be on the verge of falling out of your mouth. Juno seems to have something very particular in mind as she searches the HQ, like she can see something you can't. There will also be top levels for these guys appearing.

Beyond those activities, Pride members will feel various effects based on their EMOTIONAL ALIGNMENTS:

► ALL: Their connection and desire to create music will be especially heightened. They will find themselves subconsciously beginning to tap out rhythms, hum, peck at instruments, or straight up sing things even when it would otherwise be totally inappropriate. Strong emotions will cause them to want to sing and play to each other. They may also feel very strongly that they want to dance, to a particularly addictive tune that seems to emanate from the air. It may shift and change as the night goes on, but at any given moment everyone will hear the same song. It sounds like someone riffing expertly on a guitar.

► HOPE & PASSION: They will have no extra special effects, but they will feel this urge to create music even more strongly than the rest, as it seems to be focused on them as they are not being directly targeted by any other sensations. When Love and Duty musicians hear music made by these characters, they will feel stronger, like energy is being gifted to them.

► LOVE: Characters of this alignment will feel increasingly like they are being drawn somewhere, or like someone is calling for them, but they can't quite make out the direction it's coming from. The aspect of love will be empowered within them, and they will find themselves unusually loving, connected, and emotionally open to others, even if this would usually be out of character. (This can also mean they are more inclined to get physically intimate, if you want to.) Beyond this, they may feel dazed or confused by the sensations they are feeling. They may also experience strange visions, or the sensation of being another person they are not (and not just their true self this time, someone else completely).

► DUTY: Characters of duty will be targeted by the 'hauntings' much more directly than the others. More than random acts, the hauntings around them seem like someone is actively trying to communicate with them. Sometimes it will even feel like someone is trying to speak in their heads, though they won't quite be able to make it out. Duty characters who request haunting instances will get the most major effects.

☆PLOT NOTE

This will be a two part event, and the second part will be posted in a few days and will only include those that choose to help the spirits. This can be discussed OOC. Any alignment can assist, though the Passions from Pride and the Duties from Virgo will be the most directly pursued because they will be the easiest for the spirits to communicate with. Realize that participating is serious business, though: there are good odds the characters will be caught eventually, and there will be consequences. Do not volunteer your characters for this plot if you don't want them to suffer potential physical or mental trauma.

“Fading gently, soaking through,
And starting not to show at all.
In reaching out and into you, 
nothing else could touch me.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[A gruff kindred spirit is what most can hope for from the teenager. She's definitely not touchy feely nice anyhow.]

They'll definitely do it if you ask. They're pretty good around here about catering to people's desires anyhow.

[Another sip from his glass, and a slow, pleased nod.]

I'll have to make a note of that and put in an order. I'll be sure to share it with you when it turns up.

Thanks. I'll try not to tell the others I'm on such good terms with you. Might make them think I'm soft now.

[A chuckle in his throat.] In that case, I'll keep up the illusion by acting politely aloof and formal around you as well, or duly offended if you should act gruffly toward me. [Playfully cool now, pretending to be aloof.]

Perfect.

[With that she has another drink before she leans back a little on her seat.]

It's not that I don't like any of them. Aramat's a little man hungry and Artolo's a little cat crazy. Tooru just believes in aliens. Otherwise they're all okay.

Mmmm, I can relate to being a bit man-hungry, since my tastes tend to run in more than one direction. [Taking another sip from his glass.]

Sounds as though you're a team player and you're devoted to it, you just keep your heart under your ribs where it belongs. There's something to be said for that: we can't all be the mad lover, or the band would be too all of a kind.

[She pauses a moment, giving him a searching look. Then she makes an amused sound.]

What, so you bat for both teams? Well more power to you there then. You're going to have all kinds of fans crawling all over you so try not to leave too many broken hearts. Or do and then tell me about them later.

[She sips at her drink again, enjoying the tinge of flavors as he speaks about team players.]

To make good music you have to be a team player. I mean I can play alone and it sounds alright but against Aramat's piano, Artolo's drums and Tooru's cello? The music really comes alive. And that's why I'm here in the end.

[A beat, then:]

I guess the endless stream of male admiration doesn't hurt though.

Mmmmmm, I do try and be discreet, one of the things my grandfather taught me to do: he might have been of an older generation, but he accepted who I was even more than my father did.

[Another sip, a bit more methodical this time.]

And that's why we're all here: we might have talent on our own, as our separate selves, but like separate melodies, something beautiful and better comes into existence when we come together to create together.

[A beat of his own and a smirk.]

They do say that the Watcher Angels came to earth, attracted by the children of mankind, and so it works for me, to have any number of human admirers myself.

... So do you really believe that Fallen Angel schtick?

[He's not bad looking but...]

Only enough to bring the creature to life and assume the identity, but... I lost my faith in a concerned and personal God and with it, a belief in angels when I was quite young.

Well that's a relief. I swear if you turned out to be some psycho who fully believed they were a fallen angel, I'd be really disappointed.

[Because he makes a decent drink and she'd like to continue having those.]

Not likely to happen: I might be fond of the story of the Watcher Angels, but there's little chance I'd think that I'm one. I'm as plain vanilla a mortal as the next one.

I think I'm more at ease now, though I'm leery of going back to my rooms... [Glancing back toward the door.]

Yeah forget that. I'm not touching mine again for a while.

Mmmf, yes. I think I'm sleeping on the couch tonight. [A dry, humourless chuckle.] Couch-surfing again, and this time, I have a steady income and a reliable place of residence.

At least the couches here are nice.

That should balance out the ghostly denizens evicting us from our rooms. And on that note, I'm bunking down for the night on one of said couches.

☆TRACK VII: IN REACHING OUT PT. 1

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