☆TRACK IIX: BETTER TO PRETEND PT. 1

[interdimanagers]

Who: Famous musicians, hopeful auditioners, and random onlookers.
What: Hit gameshow series “Fairy Trial” is celebrating one of its anniversaries, and it’s invited you onboard. For more deets, check out the OOC post!
When: March 11th.
Where: Sevetop Entertainment’s studio.
Warnings: Mingle log mystery bag.

“It's so much better to pretend There's something waiting for you here. Every letter that you wrote Has found its way to me, my dear.” ☆BETTER TO PRETEND For musicians in either Pride or Virgo, the job offer is delivered by their managers- a suggestion to accept an invitation from Sevetop to participate in a successful gameshow. (A message that is delivered perhaps a bit more pressingly to some, with the unsaid words of “This is a chance to make it up to us”.) For others, strangers just trying to make a living and wait for their chance to save their loved ones, the message is delivered over their communicators by Gold, with promises that infiltrating this event will aid you in liberating the captives from their label's control. Either way, all roads lead to Sevetop Entertainment. Sevetop might not have the weight that musical giants Pride Labels and Virgo Entertainment do, but that’s because it’s not into the musical industry. Sevetop is all about television and the big screen. For these purposes, it has its own little area of the city, a bustling kind of Hollywood filled with the more office-like buildings, auditoriums for additions, and even various sets. Whether you’re driven in style via limo, or brought to a regular line of buses, this is where you end up at. Musicians, of course, end up at the more posh meeting room. A spread of delicate little lunch sandwiches, veggie platters, cupcakes, and assorted beverages are on a table for anyone to snatch up, and regularly refilled. Every celebrity is handed a small folder with papers inside going over both the boring legal things and explaining the purpose of the show. “Royals” are the ones to be “saved”, but they don’t have to make the journey easier on their “Heroes” and are given tools at their disposal to help or hinder. Heroes have one goal to accomplish, ‘rescuing’ their Royal, but it changes depending on the challenge. Much to your surprise, some of those aspiring Heroes might just look familiar. Don't tell! ☆THE HEROES In another building, next door, various people picked off the street (some coincidentally, others not so much, thanks to Gold's glamour witchcraft) are being given very much the same kind of presentation… In a room much more cramped, with not nearly enough chairs, on a slideshow. The only refreshments available are small bags of chips (try not to take more than one) and coolers full of bottled water. After the separate presentations are done with, everyone is allowed to check out the sets for past seasons, which includes what look like giant mushroom tops that are made of very bouncy rubber, climbing walls made of fake vines, pumpkin shaped carriages (horses not included), and other such things. Of course, it’s not all play. While you’re messing about, you’ve all been given numbers. Once you’ve been called, you’re to stand in front of Fairy Trial’s hosts and commentators: siblings Bella and Maurice Hooks. Both of them are equally friendly, although her more outgoing to his easygoing, but they have plenty of questions for this little audition. Tell them about yourself: hobbies, job, your favorite fairy tale, what you think your best skill is - and then, the most important, you get to display a choice "talent" in front of the audience. It can be whatever you like, as long as it's crowd appropriate. Be careful, though, because the rock stars you're hoping to work with are watching, too. At the very least, don't make an ass out of yourself. Gold's enchantments are good, but there are some things that even magic can't charm its way through. After all this, you’ll get a chance to just rest and mingle while your rides come back to take you back to the mall or HQ you were picked up at. Obviously for certain famous names, they’ll probably be the first ones out, but who knows… Maybe there was a traffic delay, and now you have some time to spare waiting around here as well. Just take note that you’re not allowed to wander too far from the Fairy Trial sets. Security is keeping an eye on folks to make sure they don’t steal or wreck anything. And don’t worry, you’ll be told about the results within a week! They promise. “You can make believe that what you say Is what I want to hear. I'll keep dancing through this Beautiful delusional career.”

Comments

Riza Hawkeye | ota

[intohell]

❚❚❚ A: Cinderella's on her bedroom floor

[Riza's dressed to be noticed which is a big difference from normal, but she has every reason to try and stand out from the rest of the crowd. Yes, she recognizes some of the others, but there are plenty of others, civilians just looking to spend some time with their favorite celebrities while making others round the planet jealous.

At least, she's used to standing for long periods of time (this would be easier if it weren't for the heels, but it she wasn't expected to stand at attention like this) unlike some of the others. So, she's quick to offer a chair to anyone who might look like they need it.]

I need to stretch my legs anyway.

❚❚❚ B: Sleeping Beauty's in a foul mood

[One disadvantage of not coming from the same world as most of the others is finding out just how different their worlds are. Fairy tales? Most of the stories passed down in Amestris dealt with war or alchemy and she doubted anything regarding those were going to come up during this.

She was going to need another trip to the library to study up on the local versions of tales that might come into play. But it didn't hurt to ask someone close by for a starting point.]

So, what does a pumpkin have to do with anything?

❚❚❚ C: Snow White is doing dishes again

[And now that that is thankfully all over, Riza should be heading back to get ready for work later. However, she's taking her time, mostly to see if she can meet up with any of the others or get more information while everyone seems to be around.

If she happens upon a fellow rescuer, she'll be sure to ask how they think they did. Any stars? Well, that just depends on several things.]

B

[iitrebel]

I guess it says that the Fairy Godmother is the original McGuyver.

[A reference that will surely go over Riza's head, but that's what happens when a random stranger over hears the question.]

That's, like... the glass slipper thing, right? Or something.

[intohell]

[There is so much in what he says that goes over her head that Riza just stares at him for a moment.]

That would make sense.

[If she knew what that meant. Fake it until you make it girl.]

It still seems a bit strange.

[iitrebel]

[Artolo certainly doesn't seem to realize she's faking it, so good job Riza.]

That's fairy tales for you. They don't make any sense.

Also, they do this weird thing where they clean up the stories these days. Lot less gory.

[intohell]

[There's no technology involved--this is easy. For the most part she just nods along with whatever anyone says. The less gory part sounds curious however.]

Are they?

[iitrebel]

Yeah, like- [He spreads his fingers out.] In this one, at the end, the asshole step-family ends up with birds pecking their eyes out.

It's dark crap.

[intohell]

[She can think of worse things to do to people, but then she's not sure just what this step-family did to deserve that much.]

That sounds terrible. I can see why they would have changed the story to exclude that.

C

[avidita]

[Sitting on the edge of the small stairs for that pumpkin carriage from earlier, Mammon has their legs stretched out. Hearing Riza approach, they glance up at her and the question.

Mmm, fairly well, I think. Then again, when you play at being young, people let you slide through things easier.

[intohell]

[Please don't say such things Mammon, not after she had to deal with a 300 year old homonculus that looked like a seven year old child.]

If only it were that easy for the rest of us.

[avidita]

[Remind them not to tell you about the curse they were under back home.]

Yes, you have to actually put in some effort. Still, if all works as it should... Things should be fine, right?

[intohell]

The worst that happens is they don't pick us.

[At least, that's all she hopes could happen. It would really be bad if they were found out somehow.]

[avidita]

If you say so.

[They won't pretend that worst can't happen.]

Still, I'm sure there's plenty to do even if they don't.

[intohell]

Well, it's not like this will be our only chance to make a move.

[Best chance to be so close to so many of them, but they would have others.]

B

[woomy]

I don't know. There are also glass shoes and seaweed hanging out of windows.

[ She means the Rapunzel hair that's hiding a rope ladder up a tower. ]

[intohell]

Glass shoes? That doesn't sound very practical.

[They'd be terribly painful to walk around in let alone anything else. Riza leans over to whisper to 3 so no one else can overhear.]

Are they torture devices?

[woomy]

Maybe. But... ink doesn't stick to glass, so maybe it'd let me walk through it without any problem.

[ If she doesn't trip in the heels first. ]

[intohell]

Just something else we'll have to look into.

[Forever with catching up on things.]

[woomy]

I wish I had a chance to look up fairy tales before coming here. I hope the library is still open after we leave.

[intohell]

Same, but who would have thought they would be so strange?

[Then again, maybe they should have known--nothing here has been normal as far as Riza's concerned.]

I'll go with you. Maybe between the two of us we can figure all of this out.

B

[eba02]

Usually, they get magically turned into carriages so the princess can go to a ball. [J shrugs.] It's not actually the weirdest thing to happen in fairy tales.

[intohell]

How would you...unless the pumpkin was that size to start with, equivalent exchange wouldn't allow for it.

[Sorry J, there's no such thing as magic as far as she knows. Alchemy and science on the other hand...]

What's the weirdest thing? [Does she really want to know?]

[eba02]

Pretty sure magic plays by different rules. [Some things you just have to roll with.]

Oh, people gettin' turned into swans, talkin' animals, magic beans that grow a beanstalk with a house full of giants at the top...there's all sorts of stuff.

[intohell]

[She listens to the list in silence. She and Agent 3 were going to have a lot of reading to do it seems.]

Why would anyone read about things like that? I mean, those things can't actually happen...can they?

[She is not going to think at all about Tucker and his talking chimera thank you.]

[eba02]

No, not usually, but it's nice to think about, y'know? Somethin' to get your mind off the real world when things are tough to handle.

[intohell]

Like daydreaming then or fantasies.

[Not something she ever had much time for, but it is something she can understand.]