week 4

[airlockedmods]

[Just like the previous week the status quo is restored with frighteningly quick efficiency. PAL still makes the morning and night time announcements through the PIP on each Champion's arm, and still the Champion unitards are freshly laundered and re-hung each morning in their closets. Even the glass roses Choromatsu and Takumi broke after the trial in their fit of anger have been replaced with fresh ones. All signs that there was anything amiss this weekend are completely gone.

There's a new floor to explore, their "reward" for a job well done.]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday



[ooc: Don't forget to to turn in your AC for week 3, submit your memory regains and put in your threads for the Benefactors!]

Comments

KARAOKE-OFF

[motherfucking_ghost]

[Sometime early in the evening, Church has somehow managed to leave notes around gathering places in the mansion.

Just because things are looking down doesn't mean we should give up.
We need a fun activity to ignore all the dumb bullshit around us!
Come to the karaoke bar and loosen up those vocal cords!

There isn't even really any set up that needs doing. The booze is already there at the bar, the karaoke machine is already warmed up, and the stripper poles are freshly waxed. Church looks...exhausted, to be honest, but this is him, stepping the fuck up, and he's going to be a grinning fool despite it.

When enough people have gathered/have alcoholic beverages in hand, he picks up one of the mics.]

Hey guys! Glad you could make it. I know we're in the middle of a tough and confusing time here, but we can't let ourselves get worked up this whole time, so, in spite of everything PAL wants to throw at us, we're gonna have a good time or die trying!

...Without the dying part! [good? save?] Everyone's gonna get a turn to come up here and give us a song. And I mean everyone, you hear? Half the fun is everyone singing along or laughing along, no hard feelings involved. Can't sing? Get the fuck up here anyway. I'll start us off with a little ditty I think some of you are going to know very well... Maestro, if you please?

[There is no maestro, there's just him picking the song from the machine. The song is always a welcome sight at karaoke. Please feel free to sing along with him. And try to falsetto That Note. He'll even take a bow when he's done. You're welcome, Fantasy Sweet.]

[scourgingstars]

[Ardyn was in a surprisingly upbeat mood, all things considered. He was certainly less reserved than usual, giving most everyone who approached a genuinely charming and confident smile.]

[The glass in his hand, partially empty nearby bottle marked 'Gralean Firagaball' and suspicious smell of cinnamon may have had a little to do with all of that. Not a lot, but it was very likely a contributing factor.]

[Eventually, he did step up to the microphone himself; inebriated or not, it turned out his voice lent itself startlingly well to singing. yes i know it's a cover but the joke doesn't work otherwise hush]

[motherfucking_ghost]

[Upbeat Feels Things Ardyn has been pleasant! And. Slightly unsettling, what with being used to a much less feelsy version of him. But it's nice once he learns to accept that this is a thing. He even gets to enjoy certain things in life. Like alcohol.

Bugging Ardyn about karaoke before had proven to be interesting, but the singing--well. It's not the singing, although the singing is, wow, that's a thing he can do, apparently--the song has him startled. Good way startled. Obviously he claps when it's done and gives a whistle of approval, but he's laughing with incredulity when that wears off, too.]

I cannot believe. For the life and death of me. Of all the songs to transcend universes, it's motherfucking Stand By Me.

this is the closest i have to a clapping icon

[serrata]

[ Feelings Ardyn is one thing, Feelings Ardyn drinking and getting up on stage is quite another. So you can't blame Yuuri for grinning like a fool while she applauds. ]

You didn't tell us you could sing!

[misanthropicprinciple]

[Unfortunately for Junpei, he's not having as much fun as he normally would at a shindig like this. Fortunately for everyone else, this means he is stone-cold sober and there will be no panties to hand out at this party. He sings along dutifully with Bohemian Rhapsody, because how can you not, but mostly he's sticking to the fringes of the party, a little more of the closed-off, jaded misanthrope he made himself out to be at first.

When it's his turn to sing, though, he chooses a classic that came out just a week after his fourth birthday. And when he sings--at a pitch actually accessible to human beings, god damn, Miku--it's the closest he comes to real feeling all day; and if that feeling is yearning and bitterness, well, who can really blame him?

He leans into each mou ikkai especially, eyes closed so that, for a moment, Junpei's somewhere other than a locked game in the far reaches of space.]

One more time, one more time.
"I'll roll today too."
The girl says, the girl says
While playing on words with a smile!

[He's actually got a pretty nice voice. Yeah, we're surprised, too.]

[brokencode]

[ Junpei is going to bet himself some praise in the form of clapping on Angel's part. When she got a chance, or rather, got Junpei alone, she approached him with a pleasant little grin. ]

That was incredible. Thank you for singing for us.

[serrata]

[ So Yuuri's only ever heard this song blaring out of people's PSPs at school and it takes her a little bit to place it -- but then when she hears the first mou ikkai her face lights up with recognition and she can't help but laugh.

Once he steps down, he gets his deserved applause and she can't help but voice her surprise. ]

I can't believe she's still popular enough that long after for you to know Rolling Girl. [ she looks sort of pleasantly surprised though. who knew Junpei had such a set of pipes on him ]

[tacomeme]

[Takumi is tired. Very tired. He spent most of the night last night hunting 'demons' with his pool skimmer. It's dead now, but thankfully his bow, in a mocking child-like form, has appeared. And thanks to the powers that have put him in this situation to START with, he's been able to make it close enough to real to function.

So after this get together, he will spend the night doing the same thing.

But for now he is here to be with everyone and try to have some fun. One problem:]

I don't know ANY of these songs...

[daughterofthemark]

[Guess who has the same problem? Yeah, apparently not a lot of 21st century music is around in Caledonia.]

I cannot even imagine a melody for some of them.

[goteachother]

[Queenie spends a good long while flipping through the book of songs and lyrics. She doesn't know but a couple and she's eager to see some of the new things that are available. She's got a hurricane glass filled with something that shimmers between pink and orange. Karaoke is a new concept to her but once she sees Church and all of his ridiculousness the purpose is clear enough... and she's not about to turn down an opportunity to sing on a real stage.

So eventually she gets up on the stage, still wearing her ridiculous saloon girl outfit which displays Angel's tattoos vibrantly on her arm. She doesn't have access to her magic but without her real wand she wouldn't be able to do anything fun anyway. What she does have, is Angel's illusions. It's more digital, oddly pixelated, but there's swirls of color and light that accompany the stresses of the song. Gold and glittering freedom.

Magic is not the only thing Queenie believes needs conviction. Clearly she believes the same about music.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

[Who got Angel's powers, well it's sure obvious now. Hellooooo dolly!]

You sure as shit took this to heart, Q. That's...it's--it's nice. A little on the nose, but I dig it. Nice light show.

[brokencode]

[Watching Queenie made Angel's heart lurch. Her eyes could linger on the woman for only a few seconds, before they flicked away once more. She shoved her trembling hands into her lap and willed herself not to tear up. Everything inside her felt wrong. She should have been happy at Queenie's control, relieved that there would be no incidents this week.

Instead? Jealousy clawed through her. Less than a day with her powers, and Queenie was more in control than Angel had been in a decade.

That didn't keep Angel from her manners, though. She clapped quietly when the song came to an end, even forced a half-hearted smile to her lips. Queenie and her song were beautiful, and the illusions only added to it. At least she could admit that much.]

[serrata]

[ Why is everything Queenie does so cool and so extra. You bet Yuuri's applauding particularly enthusiastically once she's done. ]

That was amazing, Queenie-san! How were you doing all that?

[brokencode]

[Angel had no plans for singing, but she'd spent Monday trying to convince Church to put on another even. Out of place or not, she would be remiss if she didn't at least show up. That said, she kept to the back of the room, hoping no one would attempt to hand her a microphone and coerce her into joining them.]

[plugout]

Hey.

[ And there he is, smile and all, with a cup (of soda, thanks) for each of them. He offers one to her. ]

Not your kind of thing?

[desperateprayer]

[ Clarith is going to enjoy the entire show. She'd put her Aceid outfit back on, the one with the vest, so that her clothes aren't terribly boring for all of this, but she seems to be having fun. When it's her turn to sing, she'll even get up on stage, laughing and smiling, and just sing for everyone. ...Except... Something is very weird. As she sings, it's like it's pinging off of something--off of the people with magic, but she'll try not to betray that as she sings. ]

I don't want to die without wounds~ ♪
The solitary snow piles up on the ground~ ♫
Is this fate? Then I'll try~ ♪
To vanish without ever knowing...~ ♫

[motherfucking_ghost]

Wow, Clarith! That--that was really good. [He's also not entirely sure he's ever seen her laugh and smile and look like she's actually having a good time. Which is also amazing.] Man, I'm relieved you're having a good time. That everyone is. MMmmmmmore or less. [Angel honey please have fun.]

[daughterofthemark]

[Arianna stands up and claps. GIRLFRIEND DESERVES A STANDING OVATION.]

[serrata]

[ So, karaoke by yourself: easy, no one around to judge. Karaoke up on a stage with pretty much all your friends? Slightly more nervewracking. So you can't really blame Yuuri for sticking with a safe option and going for a song that she's confident she can actually sing. So, Fantasy Sweet, you get regaled with Tsubasa wo Kudasai again -- and while Yuuri's not a bad singer persay there's a catch in her voice that's very clearly self-consciousness tripping her up. She looks more than a little relieved once she's done and she can sit down but she's got a smile on her face too. ]

There... that wasn't too bad, was it?

[daughterofthemark]

You performed very well.

[...do compliments from arianna even mean anything]

[theundertaker]

[WHAT'S UP, BITCHES, the Fantasy Sweet's favorite intern arrives on the scene a little late but she's making a beeline straight for the bar. She's so excited to be there, in fact, that she just climbs on a stool and vaults her tiny body over the top of the bar instead of taking the actual side entrance and almost immediately starts mixing drinks. She looks like she knows what she's doing and oh god, that drink sure is on fire.

Once she's had a few shots of said flaming alcohol (among other things), she steps up to the mic.]

I've been standing at the edge of the water
'Long as I can remember, never really knowing why
I wish I could be the perfect daughter
But I come back to the water, no matter how hard I try

[She stumbles over a few words, either due to her tipsiness or just not being familiar with the song, and her voice isn't the best among them but at least she looks like she's having a good time.]

[daughterofthemark]

[Arianna is just S T A R I N G. WHY IS YOUR DRINK ON FIRE]

[goteachother]

[Oh it's on fire!? AWESOME!]

Can ya do that with some Ogden's? Not that it needs it but it'd be awful neat.

[She might also be thinking Junpei needs it in his life.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

[chinhands tbh]

You got a real aquatic vibe, you know that? You even drink like a fish.

[theoverseen]

[Kip is still wearing the lion costume, but now he's wearing it over a pair of Cece's galaxy tights. He definitely doesn't need alcohol to have less shame but he'll be taking advantage of it anyway.

And, of course, at some point he's going to get up in front of the mic and treat everyone to a taste of that sweet voice of his.]