interstellar5555 | ☆TRACK IV: COME TOO FAR

Entry tags:

☆TRACK IV: COME TOO FAR

Who: Everyone!
What: Something explodes in the distance. In a figurative sense.
When: November 6th.
Where: Anywhere you are.
Warnings: ???

“Like the legend of the Phoenix,
All ends with beginnings,
What keeps the planets spinning,
The force from the beginning.”

☆COME TOO FAR

On November 6th, the sudden lockdown of Pride Records and Virgo Entertainment finally ends. But not before some unseen actions have their consequences.

Due to the nature of the conflict, none of you can be there to see it, but that doesn't mean it can't be felt. In the morning of the 6th, something cries out to you spiritually - like the voice of a guardian angel, or a haunting ghost. Something, somewhere, is calling on you for aid. Pleading for you to lend it your power.

Whether or not you consciously agree, you'll feel a connection stronger than anything you've felt up till this point, like whatever this creature is is somehow in the room with you, or maybe like you're with it. What happens next depends on your alignment.

► LOVE & HOPE: All at once, characters with these alignments will feel as if they have taken a deep, spiritual blow - much like having someone clasp their hand around your "soul" and attempt to snuff it out. The attack itself will be brutal but brief. It's the after effects that linger, which may be any of the following:

1) Lingering spiritual pain that triggers symptoms akin to a fever in the body. It may also trigger effects such as nosebleeds and other signs of intense stress.

2) Forgetting everything except the memories you've regained.

3) A feeling of being desperately alone. How your character reacts to this feeling can vary, but the most common response will be seeking comfort from anyone nearby, even if you are not usually the sort of person to do that.

These effects will last from anywhere as short at 15 minutes to as long as 5 hours. You can pick more than one of these effects for a character, but try to balance the potency of each if you take more than one, so you aren't completely kicking the shit out of them. Vestiges of these effects can linger throughout the rest of the day, but in a significantly reduced capacity.

► DUTY & PASSION: All at once, characters with these alignments will feel an intense sense of fear and grief, as if they have lost something extremely precious to them. Generally speaking, this will manifest as a sort of panic or desperation to save whatever that thing is - but not being entirely clear on where they have to go or what they have to do to accomplish it. This can very well trigger some brash and irrational actions as they sort out this abrupt feeling of urgency.

1) Soon after the feeling begins, affected characters will feel empathically drawn to the characters suffering from the effects listed for Hope & Love, even if they are not normally the sort to be so concerned for others. This can go as far as having them be aggressively protective to the point that they will conflict with each other over it.

2) Along with that feeling of being drawn to protect them, all characters will feel an intensified kinship with all the other player characters - from both labels. This feeling of kinship won't cause them to know anything more about each other than they did before, but it will cause them to feel like much closer friends than they actually are.

These effects will last from anywhere as short at 15 minutes to as long as 5 hours. After that period has ended, all these empathetic effects will fade off on their own.

Any network posts made in the chaos will be deleted by the execs after the 5 hours period has closed, if not sooner. By the end of the day, Lesedi Santiago and Edward Blanche will announce their return, and bans from leaving HQ will be lifted.

They will not acknowledge the events of the morning unless someone goes to ask them about it.

“We've come too far 
to give up who we are.
So, let's raise the bar 
and our cups to the stars.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[And ordinarily Rei wouldn't be so forward, either.]

I'm fine. Just let me get out onto a balcony. Really, I'm fine.

Okay.

[So ... She waits for the call, entirely unsure of what to expect but so deeply grateful that no amount of words could really get the feeling across. Maybe it's that Rei is a complete stranger but she's still going out of her way to help, that could be the sort of kindness and attention NAriko needs right now.

Or it's an excuse, but at this point the source almost doesn't matter. As long as she feels close to someone, anyone, it'll be enough.]

[The call comes a minute later, and when answered, Rei's voice is thick with concern.]

Nariko? Hello. It's me, Rei.

[Thank god Rei actually did call because thirty seconds into waiting Nariko considers doing it herself but then backs out, and goes about that process for the rest of that little period of time.]

Hi. [To her mild credit she does sound like a person who would be sick, but there's more to it. The usual playfulness was gone.] Don't get yourself into trouble, okay? Are we even allowed to call each other? It's almost like they're asking for a Romeo and Juliet kind of situation.

I'm not going to get into trouble. I think so long as we aren't publicly hanging all over one another making out, the executives won't care. [She chuckles wryly, trying to liven the mood.] And we're not going to end up in a Romeo and Juliet situation. I'm already almost stuck into one, I don't think I can handle another.

So, what's up? I haven't talked to you much outside those random facebook comments.

[She's really about to say that if she was hanging all over someone like Rei and making out with them then the executives could really just go fuck themselves. But even Nariko isn't that ridiculous. Also Rei is so cool that being uncool around her just isn't allowed.]

What's up is that you are clearly going to tell me who your almost-Romeo is.

[She is tired and feels like a carved out bell pepper but there's always energy for relationship talk.]

[...Well...she has to say it to someone...]

Yosuke Hanamura?

[Did she hear that right? Yosuke. She's - It's him.

First of all how the fuck in the world? But also, wow. This kind of sucks. Should she mention it to Rei? There's no reason he can't go out with two people. In any case, she does her absolute best to sound normal, hopefully the slightly too-long pause doesn't raise suspicion.]

Ahhh, he is cute! A little surprising, though.

[Rei probably wouldn't react awfully...but seeing as how she already agreed to a second date...anmd she's actually really happy about this, nothing's noticed.]

What do you mean surprising? He's really sweet.

Well, yeah, but what I mean is that we're all really busy so I'm impressed anyone would try to date.

[Said the girl who'd already gone on one with Yosuke and had, before literally two minutes ago, been looking forward to more than that. Even if she had trouble admitting it.]

I always figured it'd be difficult to maintain a relationship with all the touring and fans and stuff. [She pauses for a half second.] But I bet you two are cute together.

[SorrY Nariko. She really can't help it.]

I wouldn't know how we appear from the outside. But I think it's worth trying. Just...taking the chance and trying to make a connection, you know.

Kind of. [She can't help being honest there:] I'm happy for you, though. I hope it works out.

Same. Thank you for the well wishes. [There's a pause because of how stilted this got.] I hope it doesn't bother you. Me...wanting to date someone from your label. I don't really have much interest in the rivalry, but I probably shouldn't mouth off without knowing how you feel.

Of course not! This rivalry crap is bullshit. [But as far as how she feels. Man, she wants to tell her. Not to be cruel or make things difficult but just because Rei was being so nice. Also because divulging her soul to this girl she hardly knows seems like a completely logical idea.]

Yosuke's really nice, and you're really cool. I know you and I don't exactly know each other super well, but after all the bullshit that's gone on I'm all for any sort of positivity. Especially if it's between a friend and a hopefully-soon-to-be-good-friend.

[It's the kind of thing that would roll off Rei's back, but then...she'd also rather not know as well. She knows Yosuke asked out other girls, she expected that and knows of at least one other and that was her own sister. Nariko, though, is definitely good looking...and Rei wouldn't be shocked if Yosuke did.]

Well, I certainly have no objections to getting to know you better, Nariko. That was part of why I called you. Because I want just...hadn't checked up on you and it felt like as good a time as any. [Nariko can't see it but she's smiling. This was helping ease that sense of loss and unfulfilled duty.]

How're you holding up with the lockdown?

Mostly it just sucks. [She's the most eloquent girl in the world - in part because she doesn't know what to do with such honesty. It's easier to keep pushing ahead than over think it.]

No one is handling it well and I think the confinement is getting to everyone. We're all here to make music and inspire, not lay around and have weird spirit visions. [Or whatever it is they all seem to be going through.] Is it any better for you over there?

You're having spirit visions?
[Managing to avoid including herself is hard, since she wants to avoid sounding mad, but she does. There's still a hint of surprise overriding the question she'd been asked.]

I mean I fine. A little bit worried about everyone who's dealing with this, but.

Of course not. That's impossible. [Nariko doesn't really want to sound insane either! ... But she also can't help her own doubt.] ... I'm sure it's just exhaustion or something. People aren't meant to be locked up this long.

[Pride people especially.]

[Well Rei isn't going to press this. She's not. But she doesn't believe you.]

No they aren't. But...you know? It gives us a chance to get to know one another better at least. Tell me about you, Nariko.

[About her? Huh. Shouldn't she be more excited about the idea of talking about herself?]

We can do that, but how about for every one thing I tell you, you also tell me about yourself.

[Just so it's all fair, and because she wants to know just as much about Rei.]

Oh that's fine. You can start. But anything I share will be equivalent to anything you share.

[Equivalent Exchange!]

[There's a joke about a show to be made, there ...]

Okay, so ... [Something about her:] I have a brother, but I realized that I probably don't talk to him enough. He's younger but he's into his music career, too, so we're both incredibly busy. I feel like I'm supposed to miss him more than I do.

[It's kind of weird.] So, yeah, it's me and mom and my brother, mostly. I think my dad wandered off again.

[She's just sort of rambling at the other girl at this point. Sorry, Rei!]

Ah. Fair enough.

[Equivalent exchange then. Rei takes a breath.]

I have no siblings. I never have. I lived with my grandfather in a small shrine in Japan before I got into music. He wanted me to be a priest but I didn't really...feel it? My mother died when I was seven, and my father is a piece of shit politician who basically gave me money so I'd leave him alone.

[She doesn't like him, and the heat in her words makes that even clearer.]

Want me to punch him?

[Because it really sounds like a father who doesn't appreciate their child, and someone like Rei, needs to be punched. Maybe kicked a little, too.] Because I will find him and punch him and get away with it, believe me.

No, it's alright. He'll get his in the end.

[Bad men always do.]

Anyway, what's next? I...don't want to linger on him too long.

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