002 ┼ THEY LEFT US ALONE / KIDS IN THE DARK / TO BURN OUT FOREVER / OR LIGHT UP A SPARK

[stylistic_disloyalty]

Who: Cosmic Indulgence, Flashstep, Junkyard Carnival, & System Shock + Any Virgo Onlookers
What: The Revenge EP is debuting in a flashmob-style performance. Four bands, four never before heard songs, one massive social media frenzy.
When: November 7th
Where: Sinammon
Warnings: ......sigh. Carnies.

The second the lockdown is lifted, Luci springs into action. She's mass texting everyone involved:

It's time. Tomorrow night, we ride at 7PM for an 8PM start. Get your best shit dry cleaned.

There's already an exodus happening out of Pride HQ given they weren't the only ones on lockdown either, so slipping out is easy enough. They converge on the location, Luci makes good on her suggestion and hands the techbooth a wad of money to stop playing recorded dance mixes and let them take over the stage. She can already see one guy frantically texting into his lap as she explains what's about to happen. Perfect.

"You should tell your manager to call in more bouncers and remove some of the tables, this place is about to be packed."


((OOC: Welcome to the culmination of the EP plot! Not much else to say but here's a description of the stage setup courtesy of Garnet for anyone curious, and LET'S ROCK!))

Comments

PRESHOW

[stylistic_disloyalty]

[Is your manager miffed? Pre-show jitters? Group huddle? Text your Virgo friends that something badass is going down?]

[twoscompany]

A (closed to Cosmic Indulgence)

[Thank goodness those strange things were gone. At least for the most part. She still had...lingering thoughts and feelings. However, for tonight, there was something important to be done, and she put those aside.

Predator was going to get what was coming to them, and it starts at Sinammon. Of course, Page was protesting a bit about going out so quickly after the lockdown.]

Don't worry. It'll be worth it.

Are you really sure?

It'll be pure art. Pure Pride.

[Well. His eyes lit up at that.]

Art...

Call some security in, then, please. Trust me, it'll be worth it.

[She turns to her group. What are they doing to prepare? Maybe...Maybe she should talk to them.]


B (OPEN)

[Otherwise, Garnet's getting her keytar in tune, drinking some water. The calm before the storm. Let's talk, everyone.]

[traumatizing]

[Terry mostly seems to be drinking all the water in the world at the moment. The past week has left him drained, and he needs to be sure he's not gonna just pass out once he gets up there. It's not much of a risk - he looks fine and feels better than he has recently - but it's still a worry.]

[Still. He looks pretty pumped about all this.]

How're we looking?

B

[sailorlaughter]

[Pinkie seems to have been acting a bit more like a mother hen than usual, keeping an anxious eye out for her younger bandmates. At some point, though, she finds time to slip over to Garnet.]

Hey, Garnet! This is gonna be pretty cool, right?

Luci - OTA

[stylistic_disloyalty]

[1]

Outwardly, there's no sign of Luci feeling the least bit anxious or concerned. She's hyper-focused, her eyes fixed seemingly on nothing, but she's boring holes in 'nothing' with her stare. She paces backstage like a caged animal, waiting for 8PM, waiting for Junkyard Carnival's turn, waiting to finally perform again.

[2]

In reality, every time she thinks she sees someone who looks like Camila or Lesedi, she almost loses her lunch. She's already decided that if somebody comes down on them for this, she has to be the one at the front of the line to get her balls cut off-- figuratively speaking. No guts no glory, but she wasn't about to let anybody else take credit for their flagrant disobedience. They'd all been through enough with Predator already.

Eventually, she decides her nerves are shot and she needs a cigarette. She steps out to have one, quickly.

[3]

"Alright--" Luci shouts over the announcing of the next band to play, the screaming that ensues after. "You ready to tear this place down?!"

Yeah, she's giving pep talks at the stage entrance. Especially if it looks like someone needs one.

[4]

L U C ┼ F E R @lightbringer You miss us? #priderecords #sinammon #junkyardcarnival #cosmicindulgence #flashstep #systemcrash #happeningrightnow

3

[mildwildchild]

"...yes."

It comes out tight and distracted at first, but then something seems to catch fire inside him, as though from a stray spark of manic energy spiralling off of Luci. His eyes come sharply into focus, boring into hers, for once, without a hint of hesitation; through flared nostrils he draws in a breath that he releases almost in a growl, lips peeling back from his teeth in an animal grin. When he speaks again, it's in a sort of controlled roar.

"YES!"

1

[punchesyu]

"Dude, you look like you're gunna eat someone."

He says before he even thinks about it. It probably wasn't the greatest thing to say. It also should't surprise him, because this show was about revenge. He was ready for it too, but at the same time, Luci is straight up scaring him a little bit.

Jamie | Flashstep

[mildwildchild]

A (OTA)
You'd think that Jamie would be used to public performances by now, but he's still new enough to this to have a healthy amount of nervous energy to burn off. His pre-show warmup includes a lot of fidgeting - fist-clenching, shoulder-rolling, bouncing from foot to foot like a boxer preparing for a bout - that looks completely aimless and random but conceals a mind that's feverishly reciting lyrics and going through choreography step-by-step before they set foot onstage.

He takes a swig from a water bottle, swishes it around in his mouth before swallowing, runs his tongue along his teeth as he stretches his arms high over his head; lowers them in front of him so his spine forms a tight arch, muttering under his breath in a rapid-fire patter:

"...left slide ankle cross right spin knee pop left point right point fist pump pause, for three, beats..."

B (for Flashstep)
Jamie's pre-show routine also involves micromanaging his bandmates. He watches each of them out of the corner of his eye during his own warmup and periodically paces around before their set, ostensibly to keep his muscles limbered up but also to offer unsolicited advice to the other guys.

"Watch your timing on the new piece, it's a one-and-a-half beat pause between the bridge and the chorus. You've been having trouble with that all week."

"Remember it's two steps to the left, one to the right, pelvic thrust, cross, stomp. Don't hesitate, you've been trying to do two to the right the entire time we've been practicing."

"Enunciate. Everyone can hear you slushing when you get distracted."

B

[notahobby]

Maxxie's the polar opposite of Jamie before a show. He's amped on the adrenaline, but the nervous energy manifests as excitement rather than whatever this is. He rolls his eyes so hard they almost fall out of his head, but he lets Jamie finish his rant.

"Jamie, this isn't a sell out stadium crowd. Have a beer. Relax."

Terry - OTA

[traumatizing]

A

[Terry takes a photo of the sign out front before he goes in, throwing the picture up on twitter without any context before he goes in. After that? He's taking a picture of the stage mid-setup and this one does get a bit of context. His phone starts blowing up immediately with replies and retweets, and that certainly puts a bounce in his step.]

T R A U M A @52spades 8PM. Told you we'd make it up to you. #cosmicindulgence #junyardcarnival #flashstep #systemcrash [Attached: A surprisingly (read: accidentally) beautiful photo of the stage with a techie looking somewhat stressed by what's just happened.]

B

[There's not really enough time for a soundcheck, but as much as he enjoys the lo-fi aesthetic? This has gotta be right. Which means what starts as Terry being an annoying backseat sound tech eventually ends up with him filling in as a second pair of hands. He knows his own band's requirements like the back of his hand, and he knows enough about the others to make judgement calls when the person in charge looks stumped.]

[It also means he's kind of acting as a go-between, so. Got any questions or fancy tech needs? He's your guy.]

C

[A far cry from the guy who's spent the last week mostly drunk and looking like hell; Terry's dressed up, made up, and ready to go. Obsessively checking the settings on all his stuff backstage to make sure nothing's gonna fuck up once they're out there. There's a calmness to him here, now he's back in his element. He loves this. Probably more than he could ever love anything. Sticking it to Predator is almost an afterthought as he gears up - throwing on his jewellery and changing shirts for something more stage worthy - right now he's all about the crowd. About giving the fans everything they deserve and more.]

[Catch his eye and there's an intensity to his expression that speaks volumes about how much he's looking forward to getting out there.]

C

[blindfoldcode]

[Kido's sure she knows this guy. She keeps squinting at him from behind her flashy makeup (thanks band) but it takes her a good portion of the night to realize she's seen him before. And how many times she probably has. Man she's so shitty with people but she feels the need to comment on it.

So instead of being a normal human being she approaches with a book of matches held out. She asked for a light, before, maybe he'll realize it. Or maybe she's just stupid.]

Didn't realize you worked for Pride.

B

[cleartranquil]

[Yuffie's everyone's least favorite person when it comes to techs because her sound checks are legend. Mostly because she has to check and make sure everyone set everything right so when she flips off the amps with a live instrument no one gets their ear drums blasted.

She's been talking to the tech for the past ten minutes, and finally she sees Terry and practically drags him in the direction of the tech.]

Ter, they're not listening. Tell them why they have to mute me when I go back to the amp. I don't wanna feedback on the entire audience!

[She's trying to get the tech to understand that they have to mute her and unmute her as quickly as possible and it's driving her nuts.]

C

[mildwildchild]

[Terry looks so different that Jamie almost doesn't recognize him at first glance. Once he does, though, he saunters over to say hi. If one can indeed saunter while almost visibly thrumming with excited energy.]

How's your hand?

DURING THE SHOW

[stylistic_disloyalty]

[Plug in, it's time to get back to what they all do best and send a loud and clear message to Predator.]

Re: DURING THE SHOW

[variaboss]

The Bass tunes and he's reaching forward to adjust the mic. He had promised Luci. He had promised her. She was family. Famiglia. They all were. As much as he acted like he didn't care, when he was on stage with them, this was close to anyone Xanxus has allowed himself to be.

He looks at the rest of the Carnies and gives a nod. He's ready to kick this into high gear. He just waits for the drummers count off and there's Junkyard Carnivals blazing vigorous bassline.

CW: Dysfunctional BDSM Relationship

[stylistic_disloyalty]

Luci looks out at the crowd-- soon the lights will come up and she won't be able to see them at all. But they were there. So many faces looking at her, focused on the stage, waiting to hear what the band had done in their absence. She looks back at Xanxus, grinning as he adjusts the mic. This was about to be epic, if only because Xanxus was backing up her vocals with a little male baritone she couldn't really achieve. She looks back at Wakana, nods as the beat gets counted off, and then the lights go up as the band starts vamping the opening.

"GOOD EVENING, VISTA CITY!" Luci screams into the mic, pacing the stage and working the crowd. "Or is it 'good morning'? We can't tell-- We've been locked in a closet for the past week--!


"They're gonna wait 'till you blink,
And the next thing you think
Will be 'Why did I wake up here?'
Because they're dressed up for fun,
They've got some toys that'll stun,
But they're new at this, that much is clear--

Because the bruises they hurt,
They think that they're just a flirt,
That we all love a real scary trap.
But if you abduct us first,
When we could just be coerced--
Well can you handle a sub that just snaps?

I said these amateur doms, they scare the shit out of me
They could care less as long as someone'll bleed
Just give them their way, they call this 'dues to pay',
You want a safeword? Just pray."

In the crowd

[yellowcopycat]

[Ryouta's there in the crowd, watching and cheering for Pride and their vengeance]

AFTER THE SHOW

[stylistic_disloyalty]

[The social media call has drawn so many thrilled fans to the club, there's literally no room for anyone to move. Speculation is flying online as to where the new songs come from, why all four bands played together-- some fans who came for one band are interested in the others now. All in all, the reception is positive.]

[Do you pack up your stuff and run? Do you bask in the fandom and walk amongst the adoring/find your Pride friends and fellows? Either way, the energy is high in the club and it's sure to be a night that goes on for a while.]

Luci

[stylistic_disloyalty]

When first discussing the idea, Luci had suggested they all pack up and get the hell out after the set-- but that idea has proven too tame for her now that performing has amped her up. She actually enters the crowd, heading for the bar, signing things when they're handed to her, leaving nude lipstick on one CD case when it was held out with no sharpie attached. Yes, yes, this was what she lived for. This was the point.

She gets a drink and holds court at the bar, talking with fans but only barely teasing where 'Bumpercar Bondage' came from. A new single? A new Junkyard Carnival album? She just grins and says they'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Fortunately, the Carnies fanbase isn't the squealing/clingy type, they like to get their fix standing close, then spin off onto the dance floor to bask in the feeling. She's occupied, but makes herself available to people approaching her.

[giglio_madonna]

"Well, I think we've found the rockstar royalty for the rest of the year."

It's when the crowd has eased up a bit that Luce speaks up. She'd really just wanted to get a drink, but, well, who can resist talking to one of the stars of the evening?

Besides, they may have communicated mostly by gesturing during the Gala a few months back, but Luce had liked just that bit of interaction.

Maxxie

[notahobby]

[High on the rush of performing, Maxxie went straight to the bar after Flashstep's set. This - the wildness of a club after a great live show - this is his element. It's where he belongs. He flits from the bar to the dance floor and back again, barely having enough time to get a good buzz on let alone get drunk. He stops to talk to fans (which he never seems to get tired of) and signs everything handed to him.]

[He has his moments of quiet, like when he's slipped to the bar (behind some taller people, no doubt) and is waiting for his drink, but otherwise it's go go go from the moment he steps out into the public area of the bar.]

[If he goes long enough, you may find him backstage again, privately enjoying his drink in solitude for a moment. He can't go out and smoke with this much going on and so many people milling around outside, so he'll settle for a beer backstage.]

Closed to Jamie

[faithfulflame]

[As things start to clear out after the performance, and after a little nudging from Yosuke, Rei finally works up the nerve to reach out to another member of his band and introduce herself. She's not a terribly social person, music aside...but she did really enjoy Yosuke, and he'd had nothing but positive things to say about Jamie, so that's naturally the first pick. Disengaging from her not-quite-boyfriend so he could talk to other people and not draw attention to them was hard, but Rei managed to spot Jamie off to one side.

Before he can slip too far away, he'll find himself approached by a short girl with her hair done up in a long braid, a baseball cap on, a red jacket, and slacks. She'd thought to disguise herself, at least, since a Virgo musician at a Pride concert might raise some eyebrows. Still, she's obviously walking towards him and she is obviously very, very attractive. And intent.]

Jamie? [Waving weakly, smiling a little awkwardly.] This...is a little awkward but...[she jerks her head towards Yosuke, who's off dealing with some other people.] Yosuke said I should introduce myself.

[And she may have forgotten that she's in a disguise.]

[blindfoldcode]

[She gets through the show calmly. She plays like everything's normal. She packs up like normal. But the show ends. The crowds are distracted.

And she has something to do. Her fists are clenched at her sides when she spots him. Fuck the audience, fuck deniability. She's calling him out.]

Hey! Xanxus!

OTA | I need more Pride CR get over here

[trustme]

[ Doctor hadn't ever cared much for intense rivalries between labels, and that competition was all about the companies and their money any way. He was in the business for the art, which was why he made sure to set aside time to sneak out to the performance. -That and he had a handful of friends in Pride that he wanted to support. He sticks around the performance area after the show to see if he can get a friendly word in with any of the performers before the media shows up. He's wearing a hat and sunglasses to hide his identity. ]

Wonderful performance! I regret not doing something similar with Virgo just to celebrate our regained freedom.

OTA, especially Pride people

[sponsorigami]

[ Ivan was... dragged along by other band members as a way to distract him from recent, stressful events. He doesn't know too many from Pride, so he's not exactly here to cheer anyone on. However, he does pay more attention on the performances of the few he does know.

He's dressed casually, trying not to scream his actual identity as a member of Virgo Entertainment's Flowers Over Bones. (Though, the sakura tinted glasses are still on his face.) It's not a complete disguise, but really, Ivan can be easily overlooked on a normal day, much more so in a crowd. He doesn't need to put a lot into it.

Staying the whole night after the flashmob performance isn't something he plans on doing, but he doesn't leave right away either. If anyone wants to approach him before he goes, he'll be found by the walls. (Where else?) ]