interstellar5555 | ☆TRACK X: PLAY ALONG

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☆TRACK X: PLAY ALONG

Who: Everyone!
What: Vista City amps up for Pride and Virgo's WORLD TOUR with HYPE WEEK.
When: May 1st - May 5th 2055
Where: Various places in Vista City
Warnings: Could be anything.

“Try to make it look like it's all somehow getting better,
'Cause I know how to play it pretty good against the measure.
Everyone started out a little insane,
But we learn pretty quick how to fake it for the game.”

☆PLAY ALONG

Hype Week is less an official label event, and more something that the media has created in response to a particularly odd situation. Pride and Virgo appear to be functioning in unison - launching separate world tours on practically the same date, launching vast quantities of new material and media events, and making a point of never mentioning or acknowledging the actions of the other. Could this be some kind of collaborative event? A viral marketing campaign? No one is really sure, but the local economy is happy to capitalize on it in order to make it as big of a city-wide ordeal as possible.

For musicians, this means all kinds of event that they have to attend and cooperate with - everything from photo shoots, to signing, to music video premiers. For rescuers, this means one last opportunity to track down those still trapped before they are whisked away on a world spanning journey. Events that will be happening:

► NEW SINGLES: Hot new singles are getting released by bands all over the place. While actual concerts and performances are not actually happening much during the hype period, each band is probably releasing at least one new single and hyping it all to hell with one song performances here and there on TV and the like. You can have fun defining that single for your band, or leave it ambiguous! Up to you.

► PANELS AND INTERVIEWS: Musicians will get carted all over to various talk shows and public question panel events - a lot of questions will be asked about the World Tour and its specifics, of which the musicians themselves seem to know very little. This goes for the veterans as much as it does the fledglings.

► MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERS: In which a bunch of fancy music people go to fancy theaters and watch all the new music videos for the new singles, and then write articles about this. This is also something you are welcome to create specifics for.

► SIGNINGS AND PUBLIC APPEARANCES: While many of the veterans and doing things like autobiographical books signings and what not, the newer musicians are more likely to just be signing millions of World Tour specific posters and CD releases. Its quite likely that they are going to be totally run down after all these appearances and preparations - try to stay awake at the table!

► WORLD TOUR PREMIER: This will be covered in a second log a few days from now. For now, the musicians are just being prepped for a music festival to end all music festivals, that will start May 5th and cover the entire weekend. They've been practicing rigorously all month - they'll have to hope they have the stamina to make it to the actual performance.

All the while, Gold and Silver have been mysteriously absent. Silver has been here and there, handing out supplies and necessary tech, but guidance for rescuers has been minimal. Gold hasn't been seen at all.

Part way into the week, at least, Shep will return with a new batch of rescuers, just in time for the premier! New musicians and band combinations will slowly be announced over this week as well, with some of them being saved for the premier festival itself. That is, any OOC changes made to bands and last minute new members are going to get announced like they are big exciting unveilings, because spin doctoring is what the labels do!

☆SINGULARITY

Everyone hearing the new singles will be able to tell that they seem especially ear wormy - extra hip, extra catchy, like the best examples of each bands radio popularity. Rescuers in particular, though, will notice something sort of strange about them. It's more than just song being catchy. People who are not musicians themselves will find themselves being unnaturally charmed by them, as if each time they hear these singles they are being slowly brainwashed into becoming more and more fixated on the artists performing.

Of course, this can be stopped by just not listening to them for a few days, but it's hard to avoid when pretty much every public location has been playing these singles non stop. Along with this effect, there are some particulars:

► PREDATOR DREAMS: The Pride band Predator is the same as the others, in that it has a particularly intrusive single that's just been introduced. There is one difference. It may take a while to notice, but it can be noted that one starts to feel somewhat tired and dazed after listening to it repeatedly, like they are somehow drained. The single is called The Spaces In Between and it is somewhat unusual that Cass, the member who usually primarily focuses on instrumentals and back up singing, is now performing lead.

If your character hears this song several times, they may suffer some weird DREAMS - especially if they received a dose of Gold's magic powder in the Better To Pretend event. If you'd like to receive a dream, please write "DREAM PLEASE" in your subject line, along with a written section describing an instance of your character having regular dreams that I can manipulate. Anywhere else and I might miss it.

► ESCAPED MUSICIANS: Musicians that have escaped and are now in hiding will find themselves particularly mentally manipulated by the singles released by their home label. They will find their minds unusually filled with thoughts of returning to their labels, as well as increased paranoia about being caught. Any remaining programming will be particularly triggered and brought to the surface. They'll be able to push it down with self control and assistance from other characters, but the thoughts will become more invasive the more they listen to it.

“'Cause everybody's so scared,
We don't wanna go there. 
We don't wanna make a move,
We got all our lives to lose.
Screaming in the dark while we just play our part out.

I play along, 
Like I don't know what's going on.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Shin does make a small yelp. He's not exactly trained to not freak out when he thinks someone's kidnapping him, but he relaxes when he sees that it's Squalo. "Nothing that I could figure out about Virgo specifically. I've been trying to get something to happen, but aside from the weird things we've already talked about, nothing. Though it is weird that Cloud, Johanna, and Parker just up and disappeared. They don't answer their phones, and their phones have long since gone dead. There's not a whisper about where they've gone."

At least he's gotten used to the sick and uneasy feeling he gets whenever talking about the label like this, or his past. "Though, not directly related to Virgo.... It sounds crazy, but, do you remember a life different than this one?"

Good thing he made sure that yelp wasn't too loud, then. And it wouldn't be Squalo's first kidnapping, but this time there's no potato sack and he's not making off with him, so hey. Progress.

"Boy do I have news for you, then." Shit, he completely forgot some people were much less informed than him by now. Breaking the news about what might've happened to his bandmates was probably gonna suck at this rate.

"Yeah. I do. Wanna know the funny thing? It's real." He glances around, and does his best to lower his voice to a hiss. "We're hostages. The missing ones are imprisoned or dead. You didn't hear this from me."

Well, it's a damn good thing he didn't get really close to any of them, but Parker? She was a sweet kid. That's not a fate she deserved.

He actually takes the news surprisingly well. There's no screaming or crying or panicking. He just stares for a moment, jaw open. "Poor Parker," is all he has to say at first, as heartless as that seems for his other bandmates.

Shin keeps his voice down now too, "I had a feeling the memories were real, I started remembering them after meeting a ghost. It was either that or I'd gone insane." He sighs and wipes his face. "I wonder if Roxas knows. I won't say I heard from you."

It's not a fate any of them deserved. But Squalo's got to keep being good at the moment. Can't make any more waves. But hey, secretly disseminating scandalous information doesn't count, right?

"Poor Johanna," he adds, scowling. He's sure she would've hated this. "I fucking wish we were going insane. It'd make more sense. But I don't believe in collective madness, and this shit's too big."

"No way everyone's losing it. Not with the people that keep coming up and talking about how 'empty' we feel."

Shin scoffs, "Oh, and I'm pretty sure I was in a band back home. I played bass."

"Cult leaders?" he suggests helpfully, but the smirk on his face is definitely sarcastic. "I think they want to get us out."

"Huh. Isn't that fucking ironic." A rockstar kidnapped to be a rockstar.

"Kidnapped on my birthday, I think." He laughs a little, "I think we were saying I turned 19, and it was my first party. But I can remember the feeling of a broken heart."

He shuffles a foot and puts his hands in his pockets, "I don't want to work for Virgo, but going back sounds like it'll suck too. Gotta wonder, if this is what I wanted anyway, what makes it so bad?" He already knows. It's that he doesn't have a choice, and that is pretty much bullshit.

"You probably don't give a shit though. But, do you think I could get more information by playing loyal lapdog? If I get stuck here, it won't be so bad, and it's let the rest of you get out."

Well, at least the kid won't die a virgin, because it definitely sounds like he got fucked.

"I don't know whether it's bad or not, but people should make their own decisions. I don't belong here." His look turns dark for a moment; while he'd insist he would let everyone decide whether they want to stay or leave, there's at least one person he's willing to forcefully drag out with him. "You probably could, but it's also more risky. They don't like getting played." As he found out the hard way.

"Hey, if it does something, then at least I can say that it would be better if I was never born," he says darkly, but with a smile. He's not looking for sympathy. "You have any suggestions on how to find out more?"

Squalo is going to roll his eyes because wow, cheer up, emo kid. It's a good question, though. Blanche looks harder to trick than Lesedi could be; calm people tended to be more analyzing. Granted, it didn't make much for a difference when both of them wielded the power of gods.

"I doubt he'll tell you things no matter how good a lackey you are," he finally says, more wondering aloud than anything. "You'll need to ask questions, but carefully, without it being too obvious. Something they wouldn't think is of any consequence but you could draw conclusions from."

"Like what's the next big stop after World Tour, for example."

Shin nods at that, "That is a good one. I'm not the smartest kid, but I'll try to think of some more." Hey, at least he's humble, and doesn't sound so down on himself on that one. "I'll give it a shot. If it doesn't work," he sighs. "It's not like I want to die, but if it's doing something worthwhile it doesn't sound too bad."

He's putting his life on the line for Squalo, and not on the line of coke. Is Squalo proud?

"Just, get Roxas out. I'm going to ask some others to make sure of it, since I don't really trust you there." At least he's not a total idiot.

"Or, you know, off-handedly ask if your band will be getting new people soon. Just don't look hostile. Bubbly idiot eager to work full-force again should be innocent enough." Shit, he's almost glad he ruined his chances of doing that.

...maybe a little. He generally expects it out of his subordinates, though. :0

"Wise choice," he says, and his smirk actually almost looks like a smile for a moment. "You're learning." No matter what he says or does, he's not a trustworthy guy, not to anyone but his familia.

Shin grimaces and makes a disgusted noise, "Bubbly. Great." He sighs, "I can work around it without suddenly acting completely different."

"Yeah, no. Whatever's your natural equivalent of that. Just saying that if you get in his face and demand to know where your mates are, the lackey game is as good as blown."

Shin smirks, "I'm sure I can manage that. I've got enough training in being likeable enough."

"Good. Oh, and be careful. They've got like superpowers and shit --" and he abruptly cuts off because that is sure his ~escort~ walking toward them. He's been getting increasingly annoyed with that guy. "Shit, Drone Nancy's onto my ass. You got everything?"

"Yeah." He changes the subject to make it seem like they didn't just stop one conversation as he grew closer. "I'm still surprised the label let us get away with that song."

Not bad. He'll just seamlessly hop onto the new topic as well. "Me too. But hey, it's punk. Gotta do shit that's out of line for normal people, right?"

"I'm guessing that's what's got it through, but they haven't been hyping it like 'Teenagers'." He smiles smugly, "so we've been talking more about it than our other song in interviews. I wish I knew how the Pride execs fell about it," he scoffs as he adds, "if they noticed."

"Makes sense. Hey, they are organizing the world tour at the same time, maybe they've finally made up. Watch them announce fucking engagement on the opening night."

Shin is faux dramatic for a moment, "oh, the star-crossed lovers finally reveal their feelings!" He laughs a bit at that, "I'd give my bike to a hobo if that happened." While not exactly his most prized possession Squalo may have noticed at some point that Shin did get it customized with money he probably shouldn't have at this point in his career.

Happens when you're a high class escort.

"Better remember that promise, 'cause I'd bet that's what's happening," Squalo says with utmost confidence. If they ever ran into each other on the streets, he may have, but otherwise, who knows. Well, gotta finish on a Pride-esque note. "We're still better, though. Later." He'll lift a hand for goodbye and be on his way.

"Better at coming in second. Talk to me when you have more skill!" Shin isn't one to take that without a word, but his tone is chipper and teasing. If Squalo doesn't turn around to attack him for being an ass, he'll wave and be on his own way.

Naaaw not this time. He'll just flip a bird in his general direction and be off as well.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

☆TRACK X: PLAY ALONG

XD I JUST put up the interview too

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that first line had me dying laughing in public

; D

that can should have been can't

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