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

Marty takes a moment to check out his watch. "...Depends on what you mean by early, I guess." By this point in time, he would probably be dead in his sleep, teenager or not. Especially during the last few days. Shit, he'd probably be out by eight in the evening. Absolutely ungodly, especially for a teenager.

For a second, Marty thinks he's being too judgemental. Easy there, tiger. "I can't wait 'til this is over. I'm drained." He offers Shin a tired kind of smile.

"It's actually nice, being able to get out with people after all that time in the studio and non-stop working. I guess this is working too, but it's a lot more relaxed. It doesn't feel as much like work." Shin smiles at him. He probably should care more about how wired he seems, but in truth, he really couldn't care less. It's hard to worry about things like that with so much flowing through his system.

Marty blinks when this guy says that he doesn't feel like he's working. Again, Marty thinks that maybe he was jumping the gun with assumptions. Maybe instead, he was just working way too hard at this. But then again, could you blame him? Being a rockstar was his lifelong dream, and not working to get what he wanted seemed kind of dumb.

"Right..." He rubs the back of his neck. "Maybe I'm just workin' a bit too hard." Marty offers a small, tired smile. "Guess I'm takin' this a bit too seriously, huh?"

"You probably are. You seem really tense." He smiles, much less tired. "Do you smoke weed? You'll do better with people if you can relax a bit." At least weed is legal here so it's not too strange to go out to smoke that.

Weed. Weed?

Was this guy high?

Marty wrinkles his nose a little at the question, and shakes his head. "Nah. Not into that stuff." Maybe it would wind him down a little bit, but legal or not, it's still enough to make him feel uneasy. He shoves his hands into his pockets, shivering a little at the chill. "Did you...?"

Shin shrugs his shoulders, "Not this time around." He doesn't shout about his coke habit though, so he'll just keep quiet about that, especially if this guy doesn't seem to enjoy even weed.

"So, are you an artist too? I haven't had time to keep up with all the artists lately. I'm Shin, from Nuclear Parliament."

Okay, yeah. Marty's just being a bit judgmental. He offers a smile, shrugging lightly. "'S not like being high's a bad thing. I haven't done it, but it can't be all that bad, I guess." Didn't some people say that the best songs came after you got high off your ass? Either way, he couldn't find himself all that terribly interested. Not now, anyway.

"Marty McFly." He offers a hand to Shin! "Defying Atmosphere. We're kinda close, right?"

"In some ways, I guess." He shakes Marty's hand, "Nice to meet you"

"Right, right." Marty tucks his hand back in his pocket when the shake is over and done with, glancing over to the people bubbling around them. "Do you want a drink, or somethin'? I haven't had anything to eat all day." What with running around like an absolute loon. He shrugs. "I can buy if you want."

Shin isn't going to turn down someone buying him stuff, "sure, but you seem like a bit of a lightweight. You might want to get something in your stomach before drinking." Because drinking always means alcohol, right?

"W-What?" Marty blinks a little, confused, before it settles in. Oh, this guy thought they were going to go drinking drinking. Marty wrinkles his nose, and shakes his head. "No, I mean just getting regular drinks. Stuff that won't make you absolutely shitfaced?" Popular rockstar or not, there was something he hated about the thought of booze. It just didn't sit well with him.

He pauses. "I mean, if you wanna go and get a drink fine, I'll come with you. But I'm not buyin' any."

Shin laughs at that, "Okay, Probably best to lay off it for tonight anyway. Tomorrow's another early start anyway." Which is most definitely true. He's had a few drinks already, but not enough to hit him, so there's at least that.

"It's not good to go without food though."

"Food. Right." Marty nods, offering Shin a smile! Booze he might turn down, but food? "After today, I think I could eat a horse." Marty had to remind himself to eat more than not.

"You got any place in mind? Maybe we should just hit a fast food place instead. 'S quicker that way."

"Some Mac Dunolds sounds good," he chuckles, "My manager has been keeping me on an insanely healthy diet."

"Seriously? Jesus." Marty shakes his head. "What's with managers and tryin' to keep us on diets? 'S not like we're gonna grow five-hundred pounds overnight..."

He shrugs, and smiles. "After tonight though a little bit of stuffing yourself isn't gonna hurt anyone. Right?"

Shin laughs, "Especially if Stella doesn't find out. She's all about being constantly active." He rolls his eyes, "Maybe that's why I've got so much energy still."

Marty smiles, turning the corner of the street. The glorious fast food restaurant stood there, shining in all its glory. He keeps his hands in his pockets, shrugging. "What Stella doesn't know won't hurt her, right? It's not like some french fries and a burger's gonna kill your diet, anyway."

When they approach the doors, he opens it and holds it. "Right?"

"I think it'll just improve it," he smirks as he enters.

"Besides, I think Stella's gotten used to me causing trouble for her." No, really, he's sat through quite a few lectures, but never for something worth her true wrath, thank the stars.

"You gotta have a troublemaker in every band." Marty couldn't exactly name who it would be in Defying Atmosphere. Maybe Greg. "It's kinda boring without one, right? Usually the guys who get into trouble all the time make it interesting though." That could be seen as a good or bad thing, though...especially with the paparazzi being as they were.

He approaches the counter, only taking a second to eye the menu. "I think I'm getting a Big Muck." He looked over. "What 'bout you?"

"I like the Baconadoes," he says, leaning on the counter.

He looks to his new friend, "Someone has to keep her on her toes. Roxas is too mild, and" he rolls his eyes, "the rest of the band is complete shit in comparison. They're passable, but barely."

Marty winced when he heard the state of the band. When it came to drama or bandmates being absolutely terrible, Defying Atmosphere never had that problem. Sure, there was drama once or twice but it was to be expected. Not often.

He gives a sympathetic look. "That sucks." Marty looks down to his feet under the table. "One of our band members went missin' not too long ago. Don't know what happened to her."

Actually, he does. But he's not gonna say.

That's the problem when most of your band has gone missing. They need replacements for Shin's kind of music. "Everyone but Roxas did the same a month or two ago. I don't think Virgo even tried to get people above passable. They're probably desperate to have a full band for the Tour," he says as he shakes his head.

Shin knows. Shin gives him a knowing look and then a glance towards their bodyguards as they hover not too far away. He's playing it smooth for them, all attitude, but when he turns his face away from the guards he looks a little scared. He quickly hides that look and goes back to relaxing.

"Jesus, they're gone from your band, too?" How many musicians from all over were leaving? It was scary; Rarity left because she said people here were brainwashed. Virgo didn't care, the whole city didn't care. A part of him wanted to ignore this, because look where they all were! Every band was living in luxury. There were fans all over. Nobody got the treatment they were getting.

But then again, look what happened when him and the group he joined went after the ghosts. Marty can still remember what they were all put through. And how by simply bending his wrist the wrong way, a broken bone almost ended his career. They told him that if they messed it up just a little more, they would.

The look Shin gives him makes Marty feel a little better; maybe he knows too? He has to.

He leans in, enough so the guards nearby don't hear. "D'you want them gone? It's kind hard to talk with them breathin' down our necks."

Shin rolls his eyes, "Of fucking course. I don't need a babysitter."

He glances to the guards, and smiles. "Mine's been getting better at catching me though."

Marty looked up to the guard and gave an innocent smile. "We gotta run for the hills or somethin'. Sneak our way on a taxi."

He shrugs, tilting his head off to the side. "We might get in trouble but I honestly don't give a shit. I'm tired of bein' followed around like a kid."

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