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?

[twoscompany]

So far, so good.

[She stretches.]

Ok, ok, just a quick rundown, we'll do a quick jam, Nariko will sing, then we'll do our EP song, right?

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?

[twoscompany]

I hope so.

[Nodding towards Pinkie.]

Hey, which songs are you guys planning on singing?

[sailorlaughter]

Definitely the one we did for the album. Aaaaaaaand maybe Glowstick Party. Tiger's part in that one isn't as big.

[He's totally not here, by the by.]

How about you?

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!"

[stylistic_disloyalty]

"GOOD!" Luci catches on to Jamie's energy, feeding off of it like she's starving. She puts her forehead just inches from his, almost like she's got some kind of animal energy too and it's pushing her to get in his face as a sign of support.

"Get the fuck out there, and don't come back unless you've got some underwear somebody threw on the stage!"

...which arguably could be gross, but she hopes the point is there. Flashstep is a boyband for a reason, they were supposed to ooze sex appeal in a patchwork of different ways that covered most of the bases. Somebody's panties or boxers had to go flying tonight, right?

...that wasn't just a Carnie thing, was it?

[mildwildchild]

This doesn't seem to strike Jamie as remotely odd, and whether it's because he's totally caught up in Luci's hype or because Flashstep is no stranger to underwear offerings is, for now, a mystery. His eyes are insanely bright, almost feverish if not for the clarity and focus in them. He's so full of energy right now he could scream, and that means it's time to get out there and vent it the best way he knows how: sweet-ass dance moves and singing about feelings.

"I am gonna get so many panties!" he yells, and then he's charging past her onto the stage.

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.

[stylistic_disloyalty]

Luci doesn't react for a beat, then she blinks and her eyes settle on Yosuke.

"Maybe it's you." She grins and snaps her teeth at him.

[punchesyu]

He has to take a step back at that. He does not know how to take that. At all.

"Cut it out! That isn't funny, you know!"

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."

[mildwildchild]

"Doesn't matter how big the crowd is, the media's gonna eat us alive if they pick up on any imperfections." Even as he says this, Jamie's critically eying the other members of the band as they do their own thing. "We're here to prove something to Predator and the best way to do that is by being flawless."

He finally looks over at Maxxie, frowning. "I don't drink before shows. Especially beer. You have any idea what all that foam and shit is gonna do to your body while you're trying to perform?"

[notahobby]

"Something awful, I'd imagine," Maxxie says, with all the conviction of someone who definitely cares and definitely hasn't had a beer before a show ever in his life. His expression softens and he's now trying in earnest to get through to Jamie.

"Just calm down. It's supposed to be fun."

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.

[traumatizing]

[It takes a moment, Terry takes the matches slowly and squints at Kido. She looks (and sounds) familiar, but its hard to place. But that and the matches, it triggers his memory soon enough and he laughs in recognition.]

Yeah, Cosmic Indulgence. [He raises an eyebrow.] You look different without the shades and... Everything.

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.]

[traumatizing]

[Ugh. He rubs the bridge of his nose, looking between Yuffie and the tech with a frown. He can already feel the headache coming.]

Listen-- when she gets to that amp, the feedback is going to be brutal and there's nothing they can do about it on stage because they have music to play. [Sigh. He can already feel the "why can't she just not" coming, but he's kinda hoping he can push past it.] You're gonna have to watch her from the booth and time it so you don't end up with a blown PA, and so that she can get back to playing as soon as she lands.

[And he looks between the two of them, hoping that's cleared things up.] Okay?

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?

[traumatizing]

Good and ready to tear it up out there. [He smirks at Jamie, making a fist to demonstrate.]

How's your head?