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.”

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Sans stays laying down, folding his arms behind his head and looking up at Papyrus with a tired kind of approval. It hasn't been long since the two of them were living together again, nor has it been long since Sans stopped being oblivious to every aspect of his existence...but it's gradually becoming obvious where at least some of the feelings he remembers are coming from. His brother is so cool.

"Not that I can talk," he says, idly tapping at his own ribcage through his shirt as he considers, "but what was the rush to settle down? Didn't think you were big into the napping scene."

"Don't worry! Your fragmented memories are not misleading you... You're essentially correct. I nap, an hour or two, here or there. I don't just... fall asleep in the living room, without even meaning to." Papyrus shifts to rest his elbow on the couch cushion, and his head on his hand. "...Not normally."

It's not terribly worrying, but... a little concern seems warranted. He's not falling asleep at work, or while standing up or anything. But it seems he's been wanting to sit down a little more often, and just... dozing off when he does?

It's hard to know how much to question it. Sans pretty much feels like falling asleep in random places all the time, so he's not sure how to form a frame of reference. Though...Papyrus being in the same sort of mood Sans is in isn't a good thing.

"Well... You've been having a kind of rough time, lately," he says, shrugging his shoulders a little. "I've felt tired like that for about as long as I can remember."

He says it, and then feels like of awkward for doing so. Does he actually need to share that kind of stuff with Papyrus? It feels like such an awkward mixture of knowing someone forever and just getting to know them.

"Hmmm. As long as you can remember, huh?" That sure was a strange thing for Sans to just say outright. Normally he gives away how terribly he's doing in little ways, like the absolutely disgusting state of his room.

Maybe Sans didn't mean to say it, but it's out there now. Which kind of memory did he mean? The fake ones, the real ones, or both...? And if he asked, how would Sans reply? Would he just clam up again?

Papyrus mulls the idea over for a minute, before bouncing an easier question back at him. "Does lying in bed all night even help?"

He wishes he actually knew where his fake memories started and ended. He remembers always being like this as a human, and... he remembers a time when he wasn't like this as a skeleton. It was a long time ago, though. He was pretty much a different person, then.

His face falls a little with the thought of his, his eyes looking more distant even as the rest of his face maintains basically the same expression. It doesn't tend to move a lot in general.

"...Nah," he says, scratching at his ribs distractedly. He rolls his head so that he's facing away from Papyrus a bit more than before. He cuts himself off there.

"Nyeh! As I suspected," Papyrus crows triumphantly. "All this time I've been saying it, but do you listen?? Noooo."

But Sans has turned away, and Papyrus can't quite make out his expression. Not amusement, anyway.

Sometimes it seems like Sans wasn't always like this. It's hard for him to be sure. It's not like Sans would admit to being lazier and lazier, except as a 'sure, whatever you say, bro,' kind of thing. And Papyrus was so much younger, and didn't notice all the things he notices now. Maybe he just didn't notice the signs because he didn't know to look for them. Or maybe Sans hid it better when they were younger.

Maybe it's time to return to the previous topic. "But really! I don't think I've had a hard time. I've just been worrying a lot. All of us, with our detective work, trying to find ways to free people..."

Papyrus didn't really catch his intend with that admission, but Sans doesn't really mind. He's sure as hell not going to correct him - especially now that he's having a harder time looking at him.

"Hey, it's not nothin'," he says, sounding tired again, and just letting himself go to sleep right there on the floor seems really appealing. Topical, too. "Especially with me giving you such a hard time."

His fingers tense in place, still folded over his chest in recline. There's a subtle darkness in the way he says that, but not enough that it seems like it was his desired effect.

"Psssh. You're not doing it on purpose. I can handle it," he brags, with a quick pat on Sans' shoulder. "Don't be hard on yourself for things like that! Save that for things like... actually cleaning your laundry."

It's self-evident to him that none of the things making his life significantly more difficult are his brother's fault. So it doesn't even occur to him to make the analogy about not blaming a drowning person for hitting them in their desperate flailing. If he realized the extent of Sans' self-blame...

He smiles weakly. It's hard to argue with it, from a logical standpoint. Not much of this happened by his own volition.

"That's one thing to miss about Virgo," he sighs wistfully, before the concept can catch up with him. "Twenty four hours maid service, the whole deal. Made it almost seem kinda..."

He trails off. The whole comment was meant as a joke, but he can't even finish suggesting how being at Virgo might have been worth it in order to feed his own lethargic tendencies. He's already let so many people down that way, he feels like. He could have done this sooner, he could have done this better, somehow...

And he can't ignore the feeling that still tugs at his soul, willing him to return. A pull that is feeling stronger the longer he lays here.

"Sometimes..." He doesn't know how to say it without sounding crazy. "I feel like I should go back. Crazy, right?"

Papyrus takes a minute to respond. It does sound crazy, if thought about out of context. Luckily, Sans brought it up in the context of enjoying the room service. It's easy to shake off the unease, assume he meant it innocently, and cheerfully answer, "It sounds very convenient! Like living in a hotel..."

Wait, no, he doesn't want to encourage Sans to live like he's in a hotel. Much less think of reasons to go back. "If you don't mind the frantic pace of the 'biz', or being on display in front of so many people, the way your lives weren't your own!"

...Really, regrettably literally not their own. Maybe that wasn't the best choice of words.

Papyrus's rapid fire backpedaling of his initial suggestion is almost funny to hear, in how similar it sounds to his own thoughts. He doesn't think Papyrus really understands what he was saying, though, and for some reason saying it again feels somehow forbidden.

Like it's a secret for him to keep inside. Like he shouldn't let anyone interfere with his desires to go back, because it will be so much more complicated to leave if they know it's coming-

He shudders, suddenly, as if waking up from having fallen asleep for just a moment. His hand starts clenching his t-shirt. The music keeps playing.

"It would be really easy to go," he says, hedging on the concept uneasily. His voice is increasingly thin. "I wouldn't even have to walk anywhere. I can't... stop thinking about it, you know?"

Something about the change in Sans' voice finally clues Papyrus into the fact that this might not be hypothetical. That it might be...

"Is it because you're unhappy here?!? I can clean up more!" Papyrus pushes off the couch to sit closer to his brother again. He plucks the communicator off the floor, and tosses it back to where it slips between the cushions, its tinny sound muffled by the fabric. "See?"

But... no. That doesn't fit the way Sans is barely holding himself together, clutching at his shirt like that. "Or do you mean, you can't, can't. Like... you couldn't remember me."

God, a silent part of him yells, it isn't Papyrus fault. Of course it isn't! None of this is his fault, but why won't these thoughts go away? Keeps gnawing at his mind at unexpected times, and the longer he lays here the worse it seems to get.

It's as overwhelming as struggling with a real, physical force. Except all it would take is one little push to get him to shortcut, and he knows it.

"I can't get it out of my head," he says, the edges of his tone beginning to sound like he's almost pleading. He shakes his head, closing his eyes and bracing his hands over his ear holes and curling up on his side. It feels like a surging wave of panic is just beginning to ease, like his ability to speak is abruptly returning. "Something's wrong with me, bro. I don't... I don't know what's going on."

That doesn't make sense. That doesn't make any sense. Nothing like this seemed to be bothering him before. And all the rescued people were chip-free! No more mind control stuff!

So why did it seem like there was something new, getting worse? And if it didn't have anything to do with the chips... why was Sans feeling it, but Papyrus wasn't?

"W-well! You know what would be even easier than going? Not going!" Sure, the idea might be pushing and nagging at him, but, well. "Then there's no need to walk, no need to teleport... You could just lay here for a while. Maybe take a nap?"

He's never been sure how Sans' teleportation power works... But maybe he has to be touching somebody to take them with him? Hopefully that's the case. So if Papyrus just... casually sits, so he's in contact with his brother... Maybe Sans won't do anything impulsive, for fear of bringing someone else along.

Heh. Appealing to his sensibilities. Sans almost laughs, but it comes out more like a stuttered, heavy breath, like he got punched in the gut. Taking a nap would be really nice, after all, if he was capable of feeling anything approaching restful.

It takes a while for things to start calming down, and the fact that the strength of the compulsion is fading is hard to notice at first. He can't think about much else beyond keeping him grounded, for fear of doing something unforgivable.

Which is why he finds himself reaching around and wrapping his fingers around Papyrus's arm, without every looking up or opening his eyes. He just stays there, still, and holds on. He doesn't want Papyrus to go there with him. That is the worst thing he can imagine.

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☆TRACK X: PLAY ALONG

for real, though

it really is too good

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somehow this wasn't on my thread tracking page D:

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