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stylistic_disloyalty) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
interstellar55552015-10-26 11:32 pm
stylistic_disloyalty) wrote in interstellar55552015-10-26 11:32 pm
Entry tags:
001 ┼ AND TURNING ALL AGAINST THE ONE
Who: The Hazed Pride Bands
What: Don't get even, get ahead.
When: October 26th
Where: Pink (inside Pride headquarters)
Warnings: Carnies.
For the rest of the week, Luci was uncharacteristically silent on her social media and in the suite. She smoked a lot, thought a lot, ground her teeth a lot, and eventually decided that thinking about shit like this wouldn't answer any goddamn question. She'd have to go straight to the source.
In the morning, there's a mildly crazy-looking note shoved under the door of each of the bands caught up in Predator's spree. It looks a lot like this:
Nothing to worry about, obviously. She signed it-- that's practically courteous.
Luci is in a back room of Pink well before seven, but refuses to say anything or even stop smoking until seven sharp. At which point she gently pinches her cigarette out and stands up. "Anybody who's late will just have to get filled in later or figure it out as we go-- we start talking about this now.
"The only reason Predator was able to pull the shit they did last week was because one, we weren't ready, and two, they have seniority. I'm sure all of us would gladly stand up and shove their fancy award ceremony trophy right up the arses for all we care about seniority dictating talent. My suggestion is we remind them of that fact.
"But even I'm not arrogant enough to ignore when our numbers don't match theirs. We can talk all we like about surpassing them, growing to be better eventually, but unless we do something significant, something unprecedented, they will always be chuckling smugly behind their stun batons.
"What I'm talking about is a joint EP. Each group produces one song about last Sunday, we compile them, create an album that sells five times as many copies as when we release individually. Everyone's listening base grows instantly, Pride is making money, maybe one of us calls in their favor from Predator and asks them to plug their band's new song. Not a lot to ask, they probably won't even realize the entire damn album is a collective middle finger until it's sold out everywhere.
"If we're going to do this, it depends on two things. First-- we are a collective front. If you're going to be a wuss or whine about being on the same collection of data as someone else in this room, you can put your tail right back between your legs and piss off. This is bigger than band lines, this is three assholes thinking they're safe at the top and we're going to pull them down together or not at all. If anybody needs a reality check on how feasible it is to take down a veteran group when you're the new kid on the block, see me after class. Second-- if any of you motherfuckers breathe a word of this to Predator, or anyone who would pass it up the line before we're ready... Well if I don't find you, at least four other people know where you sleep."
Luci lets that hang for a moment-- that's really the key flaw in all of this. She trusts the Carnies well enough, it's everybody else in the room who's a wildcard to her. "Questions? Lay them on me. Otherwise, discuss with your mates if you're in and let me know. We want this out quick, a week turnaround max so the rumor mill doesn't catch up with us." She leans down onto the table in front of her, arms wide, a smirk that embodied mischief and rebellion on her lips. "Come on you bastards-- you really going to turn down the chance to make them sweat instead of us?"
((OOC: Create individual/band toplevels to discuss! Badger Luci! Or, idk, just have a drink and watch. 8]b S'all good~ If a band decides they're in on the plan, either get Luci's attention on her toplevel or shoot me a PM to get added to the list! Depending on how this goes, more logistical-shakedown later.))
What: Don't get even, get ahead.
When: October 26th
Where: Pink (inside Pride headquarters)
Warnings: Carnies.
For the rest of the week, Luci was uncharacteristically silent on her social media and in the suite. She smoked a lot, thought a lot, ground her teeth a lot, and eventually decided that thinking about shit like this wouldn't answer any goddamn question. She'd have to go straight to the source.
In the morning, there's a mildly crazy-looking note shoved under the door of each of the bands caught up in Predator's spree. It looks a lot like this:
Nothing to worry about, obviously. She signed it-- that's practically courteous.
Luci is in a back room of Pink well before seven, but refuses to say anything or even stop smoking until seven sharp. At which point she gently pinches her cigarette out and stands up. "Anybody who's late will just have to get filled in later or figure it out as we go-- we start talking about this now.
"The only reason Predator was able to pull the shit they did last week was because one, we weren't ready, and two, they have seniority. I'm sure all of us would gladly stand up and shove their fancy award ceremony trophy right up the arses for all we care about seniority dictating talent. My suggestion is we remind them of that fact.
"But even I'm not arrogant enough to ignore when our numbers don't match theirs. We can talk all we like about surpassing them, growing to be better eventually, but unless we do something significant, something unprecedented, they will always be chuckling smugly behind their stun batons.
"What I'm talking about is a joint EP. Each group produces one song about last Sunday, we compile them, create an album that sells five times as many copies as when we release individually. Everyone's listening base grows instantly, Pride is making money, maybe one of us calls in their favor from Predator and asks them to plug their band's new song. Not a lot to ask, they probably won't even realize the entire damn album is a collective middle finger until it's sold out everywhere.
"If we're going to do this, it depends on two things. First-- we are a collective front. If you're going to be a wuss or whine about being on the same collection of data as someone else in this room, you can put your tail right back between your legs and piss off. This is bigger than band lines, this is three assholes thinking they're safe at the top and we're going to pull them down together or not at all. If anybody needs a reality check on how feasible it is to take down a veteran group when you're the new kid on the block, see me after class. Second-- if any of you motherfuckers breathe a word of this to Predator, or anyone who would pass it up the line before we're ready... Well if I don't find you, at least four other people know where you sleep."
Luci lets that hang for a moment-- that's really the key flaw in all of this. She trusts the Carnies well enough, it's everybody else in the room who's a wildcard to her. "Questions? Lay them on me. Otherwise, discuss with your mates if you're in and let me know. We want this out quick, a week turnaround max so the rumor mill doesn't catch up with us." She leans down onto the table in front of her, arms wide, a smirk that embodied mischief and rebellion on her lips. "Come on you bastards-- you really going to turn down the chance to make them sweat instead of us?"
((OOC: Create individual/band toplevels to discuss! Badger Luci! Or, idk, just have a drink and watch. 8]b S'all good~ If a band decides they're in on the plan, either get Luci's attention on her toplevel or shoot me a PM to get added to the list! Depending on how this goes, more logistical-shakedown later.))
no subject
But he's driven by the simple fact that he wants to know what's going on, out of paranoid fear more than anything else. He hasn't been fairing well at all since that weekend, and the dark circles under his eyes are covered with particularly garish makeup.
"I kind of thought you were going to try beating them up," is all he can really think to say afterwards. Whether or not he's disappointed isn't really clear.
no subject
"I don't think anybody here would believe me if I said I didn't wish they'd all walk down a dark alley sometime soon, but that thrill only lasts so long. If we pull this off, it sticks around. Potentially for months.
"Come on Tiger," she grins. "You think I call myself 'Lucifer' because I never use my words?"
no subject
"I thought it was because you wanted to sound tough," he says. He's not exactly attempting to dig at her, but he's defensive and uncertain enough that it sounds that way.
no subject
--and it's not there. There's a very awkward moment where Luci isn't sure what she's trying to say, and the beat drags on in silence. When had she made the decision? What other names had she considered? Why Lucifer?
The thought pattern dissipates quickly, and Luci decides that it's not important right now. Focus on the discussion, it's not about her.
"I don't need to 'sound tough', pretenses are for teenagers in cliques and people who can't deliver," she says, recovering quickly. "The point is, we're not playing games here. They were, we're using their fuckup to push back."
no subject
"...I don't think you're going to hurt their feelings by being successful at them," he says, wrapping his arms around his torso. "They already basically gave you their approval so you're pretty much just proving them right."
no subject
"Alright," Luci nods. "That's a good point. Why do exactly what they egged us on to do? Sounds a lot like we're playing right into their hands, right?" She straightens up. "Because the alternative is we do nothing. Ignore what happened. Pretend like it didn't happen. I don't know about the rest of you, but my opinion on that option is not as long as I'm converting oxygen into carbon dioxide. Maybe they honestly wanted us to be better, maybe they were condescending to us thinking we couldn't, but either way I can tell you one thing-- the odds that they expect us to come at this together are no doubt insanely low."
no subject
Either way, Tiger's attitude here isn't a constructive or helpful one. He doesn't really want to talk about what happened to him, let alone write a song about it.
"Well...I'm out anyway, so sorry, I guess."
He turns to go immediately like he doesn't really want to give enough time for that statement to bear any critique.
no subject
"If you change your mind and your band is square with it, nobody is going to look sideways if you join in later."
She deals with Alec and Wakana's bad attitudes on a regular basis, this is nothing. But she doesn't want anyone thinking there's an iron door policy-- they needed everyone they could get.