☆TRACK X: PLAY ALONG

[interdimanagers]

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.”

Comments

[spaghettimonster]

Apparently partially recovered memories aren't enough for Sans to be back to his normal, non-combative self. Which leaves him in this strange limbo between the fake Sans and the real one, where he remembers things and acts like himself... some of the time. Only some of the time. Falling back apart at the worst times.

It's enough to make a skeleton really, very concerned for his brother. How much of this anger was from the fake stuff? How much was Sans himself? Maybe there was something to Rarity's doubts. Maybe getting better would take them all a lot longer than they hoped.

Papyrus shakes his head, dismissing the worries. Either way! The important thing right now is making sure nobody gets needlessly hurt. And this erratic display of power Sans is tossing around, moving things around them without even meaning to...

Well, that kind of display has nothing on Papyrus' precise control. His natural stamina, his careful control honed by training with the captain of the Royal Guard herself...! Surely, temper or no temper, Sans won't accidentally hurt any of their friends in the apartment.

And it's up to Sans' brother to look out for him and make sure of it. The blue glow around all the items intensifies as Papyrus puts his own pressure on them, redirecting all the floating objects back down.

[woomy]

3 rolls her eyes at J's "I'm a secret agent." So is she, but she didn't hide what she can do because working as a team doesn't work like that. She'll have to talk some sense into him later. Hiding his personal life is one thing, but they could have worked together whenever he did his thing. In fact, there are a number of people in the rescuers who are acting like straight up noobs with how they're handling things.

And then things are flying in the air, and water is rushing in. 3 jumps further away and put a hand on her new shield Bubbler device, ready to activate it at a moment's notice. The items being pushed back down don't do anything to ease her worry. Those can't really hurt her if she squids.

"Stop!" She says maybe a little too loud. She then quiets to prevent the neighbors from barging in, thinking there's a fight going on. Which there could be, but she hopes she can talk some sense into these people.

"This squad's gonna cave in on itself because of drama if we don't stop being salty and sit down talk about what to do now instead of pointing tentacles at each other. We can't change what happened. We can get better to continue the fight. That flower music boy on the network had the right idea. Let's say what we can do and figure out how to use it to save people. Fighting each other's not gonna help. People are just gonna end up dead."

Mainly her if Lapis starts whipping around the water. No. No, she can't let the water shut her down like it did in the trial. She has to rise up.

"So, everyone sit down, quit being salted squids, and talk. We're all worried about Greg, so let's figure out how to actually save him and everyone else. No one's a lost cause. I didn't leave home to give up on the people I'm supposed to help."

With that, she gives her best glare at everyone like she expects everyone to sit down now. Coming from a squidkid, it might not have the intended results. She's too small and cute to look intimidating.

[sailorgenerous]

She's never seen Sans like this before. She's seen him upset, and nearly at to the end of his rope, but this a hair's breadth away from violence, and-

And something had to tear that gash in the warehouse wall a few weeks ago, Rarity remembers with a stab of dread. She's betting it wasn't Papyrus, and Sans had been exhausted...

"Sans, that's enough!" She's trying for firm; she lands on fear. It's not good, but it's not enough to stop her either. She grabs Sans' shoulder and holds tight. The last thing they need is for this Mexican standoff to explode into all-out war, and Sans is just unsteady enough to be the one to pull the trigger.

[eba02]

This right here is why J doesn't tell anyone anything. Trying to explain his Music Sense has gone well exactly once in his life, and at this point he's pretty sure that was the exception that proved the rule. The situation right now isn't so much a return to form as it is taking form and making it a hell of a lot worse.

Sans' tune sounds like murder again, for a start. He'd be looking for an exit if there weren't half a dozen people - one of them Sans - between him and the door. There's panic in the Music, and fury, and a sharp undertone of fear - partly from Rarity, but mostly from Agent 3, because there's water everywhere-

This has gotten out of hand way too quickly. Someone has to rein it in, and that someone shouldn't have to be the kid surrounded by something that could mean her death.

J puts his hands on the table and, despite every instinct telling him to keep his eyes on the guy who wants to kill him, levels a steady gaze at Lapis. "Lapis. Put it away." His tone is oddly calm amidst the barely controlled violence in the kitchen. It has to be. He has to do this. He can freak out later.

That imparted, and trusting Lapis to do what he says, he looks back at Sans. "3's right. You wanna talk about this, we'll talk, but fightin' each other ain't gonna help anybody, an' I think you know that."

[exhumerus]

The squid kid's got the right idea, and Sans can respect that, and right now some part of him does. Unfortunately, right now Sans feels like he's barely there. Everything around him feels like nothing but threatening - even Papyrus's gentle use of magic to counter his - and he can't slow himself down. It's so easy to die, when you're him. Agent 3 isn't the only one filled with that anxiety right now.

His whole body tenses under Rarity's hand when she grabs him, like the touch is something unfamiliar and unwelcome as opposed to the restraining hand of a friend. He abruptly teleports away from her towards the backside of the room, moving on the defensive, and coming back with one of his blasters at his side and pointed at Lapis.

"Stay out," he demands, looking back at J, and clutching the sides of his skull as if making a stressful physical effort to try to block any attempts. His magical energy surges again, pointedly fighting back against Papyrus's for control of the gravity of the room. He doesn't even know why he's doing it, now - just that he can feel that he's being contained and viscerally disliking it.

[sailorgenerous]

Well. Rarity is fairly certain that answers her questions about what made the gash in the wall. Of course, now that she's looking at a rather large magically powered dog skull that Sans evidently pulled from thin air, she's not certain she wanted that answer.

Her horn glows blue and she presses the blaster firmly to the floor using her magic. If she keeps it where it is, mouth closed, it can't hurt anyone, right?

"Sans, you need to stop! Nopony here is going to hurt you!" She's trying to stay calm, but it just isn't working.

[oceantier]

She is not putting it away. She's not fooled by the anxiety going suddenly to calm, and with a blaster pointed at her . . . no. She's not listening, and she's not going to obey an order from someone who has no right or proper mind to command. There's insanity going on in this room, and there's threat, and she's not going to ignore either. She twists to follow Sans' moment, yanking away from the table.

"3, get out."

The water strands plunge towards Sans, braiding to chains as they go, aiming to snap the skeleton by throat and by wrists to the wall.

[exhumerus]

Historically speaking, Sans's primarily skill in combat has been that he is extremely difficult to catch. One hit is more than capable of putting him down - the main challenge is ever getting it in. But that's when he's thinking, when he's physically and mentally at the ready. Right now, Sans is neither of these things. He's just reacting, out of anger and out of fear.

So, while he's busy reacting to Rarity crying out to him in fearful tones, Lapis's attack effortlessly lands. He goes from being distressed that his blaster is being nullified to realizing that he's already completely lost. He's sure of it, the moment the water chains lock him down.

He snaps back into the wall, pinned by his arms and his neck. The blaster at his side struggles against Rarity's telekinetic smothering, but can't get the mobility it needs to fire back, despite the cyan glow spilling between its teeth and locked jaw. Sans's reaction to being bound is utterly without pride. He squirms against Lapis's hold for only a few moments before his sockets go wide and filled with dread - his terror is wild and unthinking. Context means nothing to the situation, all he can think about is how he's trapped again, how he messed up again, and how he's going to be hurt.

He yells aimlessly, the sound pilled with pain, and another blaster gets summoned through a mixture of will and instinct. It immediately lines up a shot on Lapis.

[woomy]

There is a shrill piercing whistle as 3 blows as hard as she can on the prize whistle she got from the arcade. She got it on a whim, and now she's glad to have it. Besides, the neighbors have probably heard the noise by now. What's a little more to it?

"Time out! Stop with the powers! Everyone to opposite corners of the room!"

Even more, she's not leaving the water infested area. She hops around the steams of water and places herself near Sans. It's crazy. It's suicide. It's also something she knows she has to do, just like back home. She needs to rush in, take the risk of her getting splatted, for the sake of completing the objective.

"Time. Out. We break for 5--no 10 minutes for everyone to cool down. Then we talk."

[sailorgenerous]

So much for nopony here is going to hurt you. Rarity cries out in surprise as the water grabs Sans and pins him to the wall, but her grip on his blaster stays consistent. The situation is bad- it's terrible- but they cannot afford for it to get worse-

Which is when Sans screams and another blaster shows up and honestly, sometimes Discord is easier to handle. She grabs the new blaster and presses it to the floor next to its companion. "That is enough-"

She gets cut off and nearly jumps a mile when the whistle blows. Oddly enough, a time-out sounds like a good idea right now. She crosses the room slowly, laying one tentative hand on Sans' shoulder. "I think that's a lovely idea. Papyrus, dear, can you help me get Sans into one of the rooms, please?"

[exhumerus]

The blasters snarl from their places on the floor, their jaws still clamped shut, emitting an aimless exhaust of magical energy from between their fangs. Even as their aggression is somewhat tied to Sans's mental state, though, they also carry a note of his apparent resignation. Sans isn't fighting anymore. After a few more moments have passed, the blasters disappear.

It had been his last ditch effort and defending himself, and he'd failed. He barely even recognizes Rarity's approach after the fact - he just lets himself hang from his bonds, shaking all over, his sockets empty as if unseeing. He's not even really in the room anymore. In all the ways that matter, his mind is somewhere else, and it's somewhere he feels trapped.

He closes his eyes, flinching as Rarity touches him, leaning his head away from her hand slightly as if he wants to pull himself away from it but knows he doesn't have the freedom of movement to do so. He's gone from trying to fight to the acceptance of total helplessness in a matter of moments. There's a terrible kind of apprehension to his surrender, his mind lost in reliving a series of potential horrors. He's panting in agitation in a way that is strange for a creature that doesn't breathe.

He knows that they've broken him. He was broken before they even started.

[oceantier]

Lapis is looking a little pale on her end -- not from the threat, not from the exertion, but from the scream. The echo of it is still rippling through her, shivering through her frame.

She'd still hold on even so, but . . . for the moment he's slumped, and for the moment the others are taking charge. She doesn't completely trust it -- she never can -- but releases him, eyes still wary, watching.

Her hands come up to brace at her elbows, her shoulders tightening upward.

[eba02]

He can't do anything.

The last thirty seconds have been nothing but a whirlwind of violence and terror, the scream coming out of Sans' mouth echoing in his tune and tearing through the Music, leaving fear and worry seeping into the tunes of just about everyone here-

And there's nothing J can do about it.

He can try to help Sans - he wants to help Sans - but Sans knows about him now, about what he can do, and being aware of it might just set that agony and panic off again and make everything worse.

Because that's what today has been: an exercise in making things worse, starring J. Maybe it's been going on for a while. He doesn't know. He can't think. He's shaking again and his head is ringing with sympathetic horror and he can not think.

Thank God for Agent 3 and her whistle. It rattles just about everyone, but it's what they need - a jumpstart to get back on the right track. "Sounds like a plan," he manages, not quite managing to keep the tremor out of his voice.