interdimanagers: (Default)
Interdimensional Managers ([personal profile] interdimanagers) wrote in [community profile] interstellar55552016-05-31 07:11 pm

☆TRACK XII: LOVE AND TRUST

Who: Everyone!
What: The tour hits Europa, and Edward Blanche plans a trap.
When: May 25th - June 17th, 2055
Where: Any of the potential tour stops, but mostly MOSCOW.
Warnings: Probably violence.

“Oh, will you break my fall
When I climb too high?
I always lose my nerve,
It happens every time.”

☆LOVE AND TRUST



After the disaster that was the beginning of the World Tour, things from there have proceeded innocently enough in comparison. Virgo ended up being able to pull its act into some semblance of order before the festival finished, and so the magic on their side was not entirely lost. Things are tense, however, for anybody who has an idea of the stuff going on upstairs. Whatever is going on, Pride is in the lead by a landslide, and the desperation is present in the managers and the execs alike.

Lesedi, however, couldn’t be happier. In fact, she is getting cockier by the day. Her plans with Lapis went wonderfully, and wherever the gem is now is irrelevant. Barring any major disasters, she is increasingly certain of her defeat of Virgo, and is encouraging her elite members of take potshots at them any chance they get. (This includes her beginner music mages.)

The beginning of the month is spent with both labels visiting a lot of very familiar locations across Americana - most of which are places they will have visited in the past. The routes are very similar to the ones the first bands took during their opening tours last summer.

As for the rescuers, now is the time to regroup. It’s not practical to follow the musicians to ever stop they make, but Shep has apparently enabled his spaceship with a cloaking device, and will be taking all the rescuers and free musicians to the major tour centers of each continental tour - the headline festivals, each lasting for days, and each carrying an important role in the ongoing ritual.

That’s what Silver thinks, at least. As some of the rescuers may now know, Gold has apparently gone solo.

☆EUROPA TOUR
As the Americana portion of the tour comes to a close around the 25th of May, both labels will be finishing up in Britain and heading on into the conglomerate of Europa. All of these cities are basically what they are like IRL except about 50 years more future-like, and you have full creative liberty to make up some developments to the local culture and worldbuild because this is the last time these places will ever be mentioned meaningfully!

THE OFFICIAL STOPS: Paris (May 30th - 31st), Berlin (June 1st - 2nd), Madrid (June 3rd - 6th), Istanbul (June 7th - 8th), Rome (June 9th - 10th), Vienna (June 11th - 12th)
THE HEADLINER: Moscow (June 12th - 17th)

The festival in Moscow is much like the festival in Vista City - a musical blowout to end all blow outs. The two labels festival grounds are practically blending together at this point, almost as if fighting for physical territory along with fighting for the attention of the crowds. The thick energy of magic follows the tour like a comet’s tail.

► RESCUER PROMPT: Instead of cutting through all of the earlier stops, Shep loads all the rescuers up into the now-cloaked spaceship and will bring them to Moscow, the last step in the Europa tour path and the place they’ll be stopping the longest. Silver has been saying that the lot of them should start working on freeing captives at all costs, especially now that the labels are on the road and increasingly disorganized. Shep has gotten together a bunch of new material for disguises as well as more holo projectors - a lot of them have been spotted at this point, but if they can get close to the musicians and catch the labels off guard it could be their best hope of bunging up the rituals for both of them.

Meanwhile, Gold is obviously absent from the team, and some may have seen their former leader essentially announce their intent to leave during their fight with Lapis. Silver and Shep seem to have been avoiding talking about it, but occasionally it will be referenced in public places and the conversation will turn rapidly tense.

► MUSICIAN PROMPT: Everything is more or less business as normal, except for the pressure of the tour seems to be causing all the authority figures to lose their minds, especially in Virgo. Beyond that, though, it’s all deceptively the same. Both labels stop in the various cities and put on their best show, only stopping briefly to enjoy the local culture. Everyone is under very careful watch, however, no matter where they are. No one leaves the performance areas without an escort - it’s clear that both labels are desperate to hang on to musicians at this point. The gravity of the situation is increasingly obvious.

Both labels have been booked into the same hotel this time, which is essentially a castle in Moscow. It’s every bit as lavish as you would expect, and it’s easy to get distracted from the stress with the luxuries that are offered at every turn. The consistent sense of desperation that Virgo has running through it at the moment is totally absent in Pride - Lesedi seems like she’s in an absolutely fantastic mood.

► FESTIVAL PROMPT: The festivals crowds are bigger than anything you’ve ever seen. Rescuers will easily be lost in a crowd, and musicians will be followed by a detour of body guards that honestly feel needed for reasons besides imprisonment. The stages are colourful and elaborate in set up. The musical event goes on for three full days, and most of everyone’s time will be spent backstage or in their hotels. Rescuers will have to do their best to keep up.

☆BLANCHE MAKES A MOVE
In the wake of Virgo falling behind, Edward Blanche has come up with a magical scheme of his own. Using the soul crystal of pure love from Greg Universe and pure duty from Meril, he has been devising a ritual - and with any luck, it take out two birds with one stone.

Greg and Meril, having mostly lost their real personalities after having parts of their souls torn out and crystalized, will be set up in a central location in the hotel, after the performances on the last night in Moscow. They’ll be set up to play music, and while that music is playing it will be reaching out to all of the rescuers, whether they can hear it or not. This music is going to trigger the love and duty within their own souls, and direct it to a particular cause - a sudden and desperate need to save their friends, family, or other sympathetic souls from the labels. And the need to do it tonight. This will hit them particularly hard if they are naturally of a love or duty alignment, but it will have an effect regardless. How much it gets them exactly is up to you.

Virgo’s musicians will be protected very heavily during the ritual, as Blanche is expecting the attack. His hope is to lure rescuers in and kill or capture them, having the advantage of foresight. He’s also hoping that the rescuers will go after the less protected musicians of Pride and steal them away from Lesedi, who isn’t aware that this is happening. If things go well for Blanche, both the rescuers and Pride will take a major hit, all in one go. Why not let your enemies destroy each other?

Player participation in this can go two ways: one is that your character can simply go after any of the musicians you choose, and you can work out between the players and the mod how well it goes. Alternatively, you can have your character go to the heart of the matter and try to take on Greg and Meril. The tricky part? Blanche is going to be overseeing the ritual as well. However, without the focuses of Greg and Meril’s soul crystals, the ritual will fail. Also, there will absolutely be a few opportunistic ghosts looking for the opportunity to give everyone a hand.

Communication with the mod is key for this event! Please run by plans to have any musicians successfully escape by me before going through with it, and also do let me know if you’d like the ghosts to help out! This can absolutely be combined with other player plots, such as the Pride break out initiative that’s been floating around.

The night of the ritual is June 17th, so take some time to plan things out, and then get threading. Let me know if you need help setting any scenes!

“Oh will you bring me home
When I'm barely alive?
It's the state of love and trust,
And this is for you,
And this is for us.”
panspermia: (★ You're all so funny)

[personal profile] panspermia 2016-06-22 07:41 am (UTC)(link)
In truth, most of his reaction to the pain came from the pure shock of feeling it on an entirely new metaphysical level. He could recover quickly enough, so long as he didn't get further disoriented. Like, say, flung violently across the stage, or grabbed out of the air with gravity magic.

By the time Sans' magic has turned him blue, confusion has given way to fear. Ideally it would then give way to anger, but instead it's spilling over into panic, faster than he can give it direction. There's too much going on, coming at him and closing in from every side and faster than he can register.

He yells out, desperate. Branches on bushes rattle wildly, leaves scatter and fly around the room, starlight flickers in and out of existence with crackling sparks as he struggles to escape what holds him: the blue magic, the darkness in his soul, the bonds of his label, his wild and disjointed feelings. His magic flails as he does, a flurry of aimless motion desperate to make it all stop.
trustme: The Doctor looking confused (confused or disbelief)

[personal profile] trustme 2016-06-22 09:56 am (UTC)(link)
"I wouldn't say it's nothing if you're crying. Do you need anything? Should I go fetch someone?" he asks. He can think of several dozen reason someone in her position might be upset. It's not easy being in any sort of war even if it's a secret one.
sharktrash: (frown // ugh gross)

[personal profile] sharktrash 2016-06-22 10:10 am (UTC)(link)
Doesn't he? That sure wasn't the case LAST MONTH.
faithfulflame: (Priestess Smiling)

[personal profile] faithfulflame 2016-06-22 01:39 pm (UTC)(link)
No. Why should it? You're still family to me.

[Rei shrugs and leans against the taller woman.]

Does it bother you that I'm some sort of demigod?
sublimelymagnificentblitz: (do I exist?)

[personal profile] sublimelymagnificentblitz 2016-06-22 02:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[He looks at her out of the corner of his eyes.]

Well... maybe I don't wanna talk about it and just enjoy my time with you? You're the good thing in my life right now.
nibelungvalesti: If any of these icons need credit, tell me! (wings of a goddess)

[personal profile] nibelungvalesti 2016-06-22 02:44 pm (UTC)(link)
The Valkyrie leaped backwards and upwards -- not out of fear of Rei, nor out of concern for her own safety. No... she only needed the space to draw out her weapon.

Lenneth's wings burst outwards, shining with a radiance that coalesced in her outstretched hand. A spear, wrought through with the power of the Battle-Maiden. A weapon that, once hurled, would put an end to the threat that Sailor Moon posed to...

...who did she threaten again, anyway?

No, it was her duty, her duty, to defend Blanche. Blanche and the other musicians she cared about and wished to protect, like...

Rei?

Her hand tightened around the spear, but she did not lift it, nor reverse it to throw. The goddess hung in midair motionlessly save for the raw divine energy still streaming off of her, and it was if time itself stood balanced on a knife's edge, waiting for her to move.
faithfulflame: (Mars Angel in Red)

[personal profile] faithfulflame 2016-06-22 04:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Mars noticed the hesitation, how could she not?  It was just that obvious, and she knew then that she’d gotten at least part way through.  So, she did something she thought Usagi would do, something she was sure a fully awakened Mars would do.  She lowered the bow and banished the burning arrow.  Two quick steps and she was leaping into the air, putting her own body between Meril and Usagi, her own power reaching out to intermingle with the valkyrie’s in a divine embrace.  Positioning herself so that the spear would have to pass through her to reach her friends, Mars met the other’s eyes and smiled gently, throwing everything she had into this gamble. 

“Meril,” she said, “This isn’t right.  This is Blanche’s doing.  Please, put a stop to this.  We came here to get you out, so that we can all go home.  To our real lives, our real duty.  You know this isn’t right.  Search your heart, remember who you really are.  You’re kind and serious, you’re my friend, and you have no idea how much the time we’ve shared has meant to me.   But if that meant nothing to you, then just get it over with.  I’d rather not live in a world where my friends want to kill my other friends.”

And, silently, Mars hopes this worked.  If not, then…that’s that.  She’ll die, and take out the entire floor with her final breath.  The ritual can’t go on.  Closing her eyes, she waited with a peaceful smile, ready to accept whatever happened.
lightthedarkness: (Usagi) (Eh?)

[personal profile] lightthedarkness 2016-06-22 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)
She paused in mid-bite and realized she would need to concentrate more on this than she originally had anticipated. She put down her fork.

"Ah yes, I do. Has something happened?"
scalpedsociety: (in thought)

[personal profile] scalpedsociety 2016-06-22 05:16 pm (UTC)(link)
He offered, but I told him I wanted to be with you.

[Although he did ask (rather he demanded) that she come to dinner with him later tonight, she kind of wants to stand him up right now.]
determinate: (❤ save your soul)

[personal profile] determinate 2016-06-22 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
We found them in the lab where they were experimenting on Sans. Which seems to be a general destination for souls, honestly. Frisk hadn't seen them for what they were at the time, but stealing important-looking things had seemed like a good idea. I don't know exactly what they're for, but souls can give you a lot of power. Normally if you absorb them. So they could be keeping them in the crystals until they're ready to do that, or they could be like batteries.

That's all total guesswork. Alphys would know better if she were here, or maybe even Asgore. What colors do they need?
lightthedarkness: (Serenity) (Please let me help)

[personal profile] lightthedarkness 2016-06-22 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
She saw Meril hesitate, which made her relieved, she felt Venus at her side which made her grateful, but when she saw Mars, her precious Mars in all her passionate, warring glory? She felt so proud. She was always in love with how strong her senshi were, how capable and beautiful they were in their own way and how it made others strong too, how it made her stronger because of their own strength.

Sailor Moon was, perhaps amongst all the senshi, able to take the strongest hits. Not because she was the stronger than Makoto or Haruka physically, not even close, but the ginzuishou was already healing her, all the scrapes and cuts slowly disappearing from her body when her senshi body could not provide what she needed. She took a deep breath and used Venus' help to stand, even shaking as she did.

"Meril," she called out, pleading as she watched Mars, arms spread wide in front of her between them. "Meril please, listen to her! Even now... even now we're asking not to fight... If Rei didn't love you... if we didn't want to see you all safely brought home, to your real home, we wouldn't be doing this, we wouldn't be here. But she loves you, Meril," she pleaded, her knees wobbling and she held onto Venus a bit tighter before using sheer willpower alone to stand upright.

"Please, we're not your enemy," she hoped, she prayed that even now Meril could see all their attacks had been to divert, to protect, to be effective with the least amount of damage to her.

She tried to flex her wings, wanting to be by Rei's side, but the pain shot up her spine and she panted, having to hold onto Venus more than before now. Alright, maybe... wait on that action again, at least until her crystal could take care of that area too.
exhumerus: (won't be missed)

[personal profile] exhumerus 2016-06-22 06:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Sans knows that sound. It's one he's heard himself make more than a few times recently. Everything has been so out of their control, it feels like. Even moments like this.

That feeling of solidarity is probably what gives Sans the will to slip Blanche's hold, the blazingly gold stone flaring between his fingers. He can feel all the warmth that Greg had been missing inside of it, and it occurs to him that even if they are all about to die, he'd rather that Greg have these feelings returned first. It's not right for them to be like this - to have something to integral just taken away.

He knows that feeling so strongly now, and it's not one he ever wants to feel again.

As the leaves shiver and tiny supernovas litter the air, Sans feels himself break free. It's only a moment until he's arrived before Greg, reaching out with his magic and his hand to try to steady him. He lets the two of them settle down to the ground, taking Greg's hands in his. He presses the stone into Greg's hand, only able to hope that he will know what to do instinctively.

"Slow down, pal," he says softly. "I got you."
panspermia: (★ Final Frontier)

[personal profile] panspermia 2016-06-22 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
He flinches away from the touch on instinct. With all the fire and noise and battle, he's left himself too open, too busy panicking, an attacker got in, he shouldn't have left his defenses down--

It's Sans. He stares at the skeleton, chest heaving too fast. He told Sans to take him out, if he got like this. The monster has killed before, he could do it again. Maybe he deserves it? He doesn't know, he doesn't know anymore, if it happened right now could he even stop it, would he even want to?

Instead, he feels the golden stone put into his hand. It's warm to his touch, something he'd craved without ever realizing he was cold. His breathing begins to even out, just a little. The gem is so small, but there's so much in it. It's cramped in there--it wants to be let out, to be where it belongs again.

His fingers curl around it. He looks to Sans, then to Blanche. Then to Luce and Doctor. To Meril and the senshi. He's so confused, and afraid. He doesn't understand, doesn't know who to trust, least of all himself. But this gem in his hands, it's not capable of lying to him. He can sense that much.

The memories hit him. Of gemstones and the people they belong to, their inherent power, everything that makes them real, their incredible power. The Crystal Gems. Beings of indescribable grace and magic and strength, and nothing without the rock containing them. He's always felt so separated from them in that way, truly an outsider, but here he is, holding his own gem in his hands. For all his magic and esteem, it's just the same; without this, he's nothing at all.

The warmth in his hands grows, escalating to an immense heat that never burns him. The stone's light grows, light pouring out of it and in through him, casting away the last of the shadows poured into him.
lightthedarkness: (Usagi) (I'll be alright)

[personal profile] lightthedarkness 2016-06-22 09:32 pm (UTC)(link)
"It.... it's just because I miss- well I guess I miss my other space ladies, I miss my loved ones we left home to protect the planet while we were gone," she wiped at her eyes.

"But it's fine, I'm fine. I'm not hurt, don't worry, I can fight," which she could only assume was his concern for her at this point since she was sure he likely didn't like her now that his "son" and youngest "daughter" didn't like her. She was just some weird rescuer who came for Rei and happened to get the rest of them, what did it matter who she missed?

Alright, so she was feeling sorry for herself but she was allowed such a thing in the safety of the ship away from the battle.
lightthedarkness: (Sailor Moon) (A light in the darkness)

[personal profile] lightthedarkness 2016-06-22 10:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Sailor Moon gazed calmly at Sariel and then summoned her Tiare. She tilted her head, but then merely glanced behind him and pressed her lips together. Since he watched her transform, the magic would not protect her identity. So she could only nod. Yes.

She moved towards him, hoping he was alright. She smiled, not mad at him for knowing.
interstellarnpcs: (deux)

[personal profile] interstellarnpcs 2016-06-22 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Normally, he would have been able to intervene. Normally, he would have been paying attention. Yet, someone, in the matter of moments he spent fending off Luce's incessant flame attack, Sans has managed to slip in and make a mess of things yet again. The indignity of it is unimaginable.

Blanche whirls around to face the two of them furiously, approaching rapidly from behind Sans. He doesn't waste a moment on banter. Too much time has been wasted already by this fool.

The claws of his astral hand sink through Sans's rib cage only a moment after Blanche turns, having skipped from his place at the front of the stage to directly behind the skeleton's small form. With no skin or organs to maim, it is simply a matter of applying pressure to the bones his claws have wrenched, lifting his former employee as if considering whether or not to just pulp the monster and have it over with.

He doesn't wait to make a decision, though. He's quick to swipe with his human seeming hand to grab Greg as well.

[personal profile] psyvampexperiment 2016-06-23 05:40 am (UTC)(link)
"You...? Serena...? You were the angel who saved me?" he says, and he might, reverently but almost nervelessly, goes down on one knee to her. His bodyguard might be coming up behind him, but Sariel manages to pull himself together long enough to hold the guard off, one shaking hand raised to them.

"You were the angel all along... Who... what... are you?" he asks, stunned, looking up at Sailor Moon, his pale face transfixed in awe. The girl he had the playfully flirtatious karaoke with, the girl he'd confided to... also has this side to her and it's all he can do to process this.
Edited 2016-06-23 05:41 (UTC)
rainandswallows: (Default)

[personal profile] rainandswallows 2016-06-23 10:27 am (UTC)(link)
He's a Vongola box weapon, he used to live in a box, but now he lives in my necklace.

[Yamamoto kneels down to let Lion take a better look. Koujirou ruffles his feathers and trills at Lion in warning]

My friend Tsuna has a lion named Natsu. He's orange.
hearted: (venus: headed down)

[personal profile] hearted 2016-06-23 06:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Venus held tight to her princess, both out of support and to hold her back. Rei could handle this, that she knew. It was merely her job to lower the sword and reach out with all the love she had to give.

"Rei's always so passionate about her love...you're family to her, there's no way she's letting you go. We could never stand in the way of that."

She still felt a cold fear in the back of her mind, but it was her duty to set that aside.
tigermillionaire: (AWKWARD LAUGH HA HA?)

[personal profile] tigermillionaire 2016-06-23 07:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[He's in the middle of picking out his clothes, and her arrival totally startles him. He turns to stare as the lion arrives with large, uncomprehending eyes - he has a variety of accessories laid out in front of him like he's planning his day for tomorrow.

He wasn't expecting to hit up any of the parties going on downstairs. He felt too out of place there, and too scared of messing up. But that didn't mean he couldn't look nice for himself and have some fun in the hotel room anyway.

But it seems like all of that is going to need a rain check. He takes a step back, like he's afraid that the lion will attack him.]


Oh, uh... hiiii there...

[The words barely come out in a frightened whisper.]

missknight: (maheswaran (Constantly wanting to rebel but)

[personal profile] missknight 2016-06-23 07:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[They actually got into the right room, holy crud.]

[Connie doesn't let herself take in the relief for too long. As Lion perks up at seeing Steven, she leaps off of him.]


Steven! I know this is really sudden and really scary, but- do you trust me?
tigermillionaire: (laughing and crying and farting)

[personal profile] tigermillionaire 2016-06-23 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[Steven almost doesn't react, at first, because he's too busy staring at Lion - especially when he perks up at the mere sight of him. He thinks that he remembers this somehow, and there is a bubble of fondness rising from deep in his chest.

He reaches a hand out to the beast and then pulls it back shyly, and looks over at Connie more uncertainly.]


I... o-oh no.

[He flinches and looks towards the other side of the room, like he's expecting someone to show up at any moment. He's scared.]
missknight: (maheswaran) (current emotion: the "oh no" in)

[personal profile] missknight 2016-06-23 07:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Steven...

[But she knew this might happen after last time. It was always a possibility. She steps closer, curling one hand against her chest.]

I promise... Whatever happens, I can protect you. Lion and I both can, and we will! We know exactly how to get you out of here, and how to make sure Pride can never hurt you again.

So please... Just trust me.

[Lion doesn't seem to be as patient, judging by the flicking of his tail, but he's not moving yet.]
tigermillionaire: (welp time to die)

[personal profile] tigermillionaire 2016-06-23 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[But he can't.

He takes another step back and almost trips on a hair dyer he left on the floor. He yelps softly and backs into the bed, gripping the edge to keep from stumbling. That's when his manager very suddenly appears.

Jin, as even, seems completely out of patience with things getting in her way. She moves for Steven without a second glance at Connie - she knows well enough what this is. More of that rebel scum, and the important thing is to keep her ward away from them.

She grabs him by the arm.]


Stay away from them, Tiger. Don't you even think about it.
giglio_madonna: (Don't be Bob the Dead Guy over)

who you gonna call

[personal profile] giglio_madonna 2016-06-23 08:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Amazing what a pair of annoying little squirrels can distract a man from.

Luce has no idea what's going on. If she's honest, she's just as confused and off-kilter as Greg, and reacting on everything as it comes to her. So when she sees the light glowing, for just a moment, she pauses.

It's a pause that costs them, and she gasps as Sans is captured. She can't try another fire trick, she might hurt Sans or Greg, but what can she do?

There's only one thing to try.

She takes off running towards Blanche, her free hand shoving into her jacket for a familiar guitar pick. If they can't do anything, if they have no idea what to do... Then maybe it's time for some ghostly intervention. And god, if she doesn't hope that's enough.

In the warmth of her hand, she crushes the guitar pick.

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