The shout comes from the entire audience of cheering trolls, packed into the ring of seats that surround the Imperious Coliseum. The camera pans around at the cheering, waving masses, then spins in a wide arc to show the centre of the coliseum. In the arena, a huge stage has been erected, covered in the flashy and arguably tacky branding of Superstar Authority. Three out of the four sides of the stage have huge flat screens, which broadcast a view of the front of the stage, the unblocked fourth side. Standing in the middle of the stage and waving along with the audience, Razzle Dazzle bounces up and down on her heels as the camera draws in to frame her in it's view.
"Hello sweet things! This is it!!" Flapping her hands back and forth in excitement, Razzle jogs on the spot for a moment, looking like she's so excited that she's going to burst. "Aaaah!! Can you believe it?! Time's shot by so fast!" Stopping her dance of excitement, she wipes her brow in mock exhaustion. "And all the contestants have been running themselves ragged, singing and dancing and kicking up a storm for all you lovely viewers. But the party's not over yet, tonight we're reaching the pinnacle of the performance! So stick around! We'll be enjoying performances from all our Superstars, right here, live for you!" Winking, she puts a finger to her cheek. "But first, a quick word from our sponsors...!"
Competitors
Tonight you aren't at the studio in NHC - instead you were shipped out to Four Fronds along with the rest of the contestants. The Imperious Coliseum has been given a full-face makeover, much like yourself. Instead of a dirt fighting arena, the center has now been transformed into an enormous stage, covered in high powered lights. Enormous screens cover three of the four sides, allowing trolls watching from all angles to see a front view of whoever's on the stage at the moment, and the only way to get up onto the massive structure is via a stage elevator built into the floor.
For your performance, you were given the opportunity to write down what you want to happen when you're on stage. What lights you want, if you want a backdrop, any smoke or special effects, backup dancers, etc were all prepared for you in advance by the Superstar Authority crew. Now, primped and fluffed, smelling like perfumes and the controlled chaos of backstage, you stand on the elevator, waiting to be raised up and onto the stage. In your mind's eye, you can see your goals.
Start with a bang! Make an exciting entrance, show off your outfit! The announcer will give your name, so you don't need to let people know who you are. First you must perform and lip synch along with a song of your choice. It doesn't have to be written by you, and your vocals can be processed all you want - the focus is the performance and your stage presence rather than the lyrics and your actual vocal talent. Finish your performance standing on top of the elevator (marked with an x made of tape on the floor) and you will be lowered back down for a quick costume change, if you want, and time for you to gather any props necessary. Then, you will be raised back up for the second half of your performance, the talent part.
Here you have free reign to show off however you want. You can dance, sing (again), juggle, mime, read poetry, or whatever you want. Remember though, this is a performance for the ages, and you need to leave people with something they will remember.
As always, you should work in your catchphrase, display your charm points, shout out to your home city, and give full credit to your sponsors with their names and catchphrases. Work these in to your performance wherever you'd like, from background decorations to putting them in your lyrics. There will be no time for a last speech at the end, so wherever you can put any of that stuff, jam it in there.
Finish your second half on the x again, say goodbye to the audience one last time, and you'll be lowered back down for some sweet respite! As you finish reviewing this, there's a shudder and the elevated floor begins to rise, carrying you up into the bright stage lights and screams of the audience ...
OOC This should be all written as a solo, with no prompts. It's all up to you! Groups will follow the same guidelines as before, just attempt to write it out as 50/50 as possible. Remember to follow the underlined guides as close as possible, as they reinforce the key points that will be considered for how well you do. Must be 200 words or more, again, unrealistically small goal.
Sponsors Sponsors, you can sit back, relax, and sue people. There's no time to be petty like the final night!
[quote="Hivestuck"][color=red][b]I AM SUING ALL OF YOU! YOU, AND YOU, AND YOU![/b][/color] [b]Business/Purpleblood name:[/b] the one from registration [b]Sponsee dropped:[/b] real name for solo, group name for group [b]Reason:[/b] what did they do to misrepresent you, or mislead you? this can be an action taken in the competition, or in meta-themed rps. [/quote]
Civilians Enjoy the show! You can be watching from home, or if you have the resources to procure highly sought after tickets - from the Coliseum itself.
Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2017 1:54 am
Performance - Part One
Lyrics:
Flygirl, listen to me The civilian world is a mess Life in the army is better than anything they've got out there
The army is always looking For talented prodigies Trolls with a knack for conquest There should be a lot of these Just look at the world around you Right here on Alternia So much out here to astound you If you leave suburbia
JROTC JROTC Do what you're destined Become a legend Make your story No matter if you're rich or poor You can become a figure of lore Life can be thrilling If you are willing! JROTC
Our queen keeps us strong and happy As we lead our little lives We give ourselves to her gladly The hemospectrum provides But what is our civic duty? What does the world ask of us? Protecting our planet's beauty Now, that is the task for us!
Under the sea Under the sea Gl'bgolyb is swimming Oceans are brimming With royalty Prepare for your army career Pull off a excellent premier Guarding our assets Terminate all threats!
JROTC (Under the sea) JROTC (Under the sea) All of our heroes Strike up your best pose Valiantly (Valiantly) Training our hardest all the time So we'll be ready to stop crime No matter your hue You'll be a new you! JROTC
The reds are our base They're always polite The orange know their place And find it alright The yellow are swell And sometimes raise hell The greens never let you down! (YEAH)
The teal are quick Their brains full of smarts The blue super slick They capture our hearts The purple they lead They know what we need An' last we have the CROWN!
Yeah, I want to be (Military) I want to be (Military) Someday I wager I'll be a major! Just wait and see! Stand up and take place in those ranks Protect our people and earn their thanks
Each little troll here Know how to cull here JROTC Each of our sign ups Could kill a line up JROTC We've got great tutors To make ace shooters Come for instruction To learn destruction When you get older You'll be a soldier JROTC
"Everyone, put your hands together! It's SHEshell's Discorrrrrrrp and Flyyyyyyygirl!" The announcer's voice carried out from the speakers. Two circular spotlights whirled around the stage in an exaggerated show of looking for the stars of this performance, finally settling in on the two sirens. They were dolled up with expensive makeup with seashells fastened fabulously throughout their long flowing hair. Their clothes were two of a kind bodysuits (no headpiece) accented with their blood colors and glittering pearls. The pair wore decorated high heels in their according blood colors as well. They flashed their showbiz smiles to the crowd and camera as they waited for the cheers to die down and for the instrumental track to start before launching into their first performance.
Flygirl, listen to me The civilian world is a mess Life in the army is better than anything they've got out there
A bouncy vibrant set of notes kicked off the song and Scorpa jumped straight in, hollering her spoken lines and interjecting a quick, "Am I right, CIVISECT?" in before the next line came up. They had to give their home city a shout-out despite being in Four Fronds! As the song got going, the pair began to dance around an aquatically decorated stage with seaweed, pearls, fake wave puppets, and dancers dressed up as sea creatures behind them. As they performed, the girls made their way around the stage to places where various sets had been arranged specifically for the camera to capture the act. The beach vibe from their first appearance was carrying over to this performance as well, though there were a few parts more oriented to their sponsors.
Training our hardest all the time So we'll be ready to stop crime
At this, the pair pranced up some steps to climb onto one of the Tincan motorbikes that they had attached a flashing siren to. They leaped on the bike and leaned forward as they sang with a wind machine blowing their hair back towards a painted city back-drop banner to make it appear as though they were in pursuit of a criminal! Quickly they turned to the next camera as they continued on to the next line and began sliding off the bike.
No matter your hue You'll be a new you!
As Flydra sang about any blood hues welcome, Scorpa sidled up beside her and uncapped one of Sundar Ghayak's color-changing lipsticks to apply on camera. The color changed and she smacked her lips in a kiss to the camera before diving into the next lyric of the song. Between the two girls, it was clear Flydra was the better singer with the autotune far less obvious for her voice. However, while Scorpa's voice required a lot more digital altering, she had a more powerful command of her body for dancing. The pair shimmied and sashayed around the stage, making quick turns and dramatic stops whenever the music required. They knew how to put on a show and loved the attention. At one point they both dipped into mirroring splits and were lifted up by their background dancers. Placed at the top of some rainbow colored stairs, they began the short rap-like part of the song and stepped down to the next color of stair as it aligned with the lyrics of their song. Various props popped out for cheesy moments pandered to the audience and camera. Eventually they reached the blue step.
The blue super slick They capture our hearts
The camera changed frame to a close up of one of the Death Dancing Duckies wriggling around and started to pan back to reveal Scorpa and Flydra ooh-ing and ahh-ing over how adorable as they traded off lines of the song.
The purple they lead They know what we need
Scorpa whipped on a pair of Lorata Gorgos's sunglasses while Flydra pulled one of Eridia Tsifer's perfumes into frame to spritz on herself as they sang about purplebloods, each visibly wearing one of Underworld's blinking bracelets.
An' last we have the CROWN!
Then at the mention of the crown, they threw out their arms towards a glittery golden cut-out of Regina's symbol that had been brought out on stage. The lights all went straight to it as pyrotechnics went off and the instrumental part of the song led itself to full festivities. The SHEshells followed a choreographed dance around and mimed various campy poses mixed with military martial attack poses before returning to the center of the stage. It was here on the taped x for the elevator that they would complete the finals bits of the song with confetti shot around them. Scorpa and Flydra finished in a dramatic pose before they were lowered out of sight and ushered quickly to change their costumes and catch their breath while the poor janitor tried to frantically sweep all the confetti off the stage.
Performance - Part Two
Credit goes to Penn and Teller for the idea and inspiration of the act. We tweaked parts of it to suit our characters but highly recommend watching the original performance because it is super fun!
Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer:
The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville Nine that day; the score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play. And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same, a sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast; they thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that – they'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.
But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake, and the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake, so upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat, for there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all, and Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball; and when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred, there was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.
Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell; it rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; it knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat, for Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place; there was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face. And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat, no stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt. Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air, and Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there. Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-- "That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar, like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore. "Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand; and it's likely they'd have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone; he stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on; he signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew; but Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said: "Strike two."
"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud; but one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed. They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain, and they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate; he pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate. And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, and now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; the band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, and somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; but there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out.
As the duo propelled back up to the audience, their outfits had clearly been changed, this time into sleeker fitted costumes. They were stylized baseball costumes, covered in colored rhinestones for the lines with shiny glittery sleeves in their respective blood colors. Both wore seashell sunglasses and addressed the crowd with a wave. It was amazing to look out and see everyone looking back at them excitedly. Scorpa began to talk as Flydra bent down to pick up another item that had been brought up with them. It was a straight-jacket.
"Are you all having fun?!" The yellowblood raised her arms up to the crowd to pump them up. It was exhilarating to hear them answer back even if she couldn't make out what they said.
"It's going to get even wilder now." Flydra put her arms through the jacket, letting her partner get to work latching everything tightly and securely. A couple of poles and pulleys were lowered down from the ceiling with a rope strung across everything. A stage hand had brought out a comfortable throne from the wings earlier and beside it was a cute side table with a sparkling jeweled plate filled with hotdogs. The only thing out of place among the glittering gaudy equipment was a bed of spikes positioned underneath one of the poles.
"This is all real, folks, bona fide straight jacket and spikes." To demonstrate her point, Scorpa scooped up one of the hotdogs and pierced it on a few of the spikes. "What you're about to see here tonight is incredibly dangerous, incredibly risky and incredibly exciting" Flydra appeared to roll her eyes as her partner talked, struggling against the sleeves to prove how trapped she was inside the jacket.
"We're going to perform the exciting act of POETRY." At this, Scorpa gleefully lifted up a thick leather book. "We're going to close our show with a delightful poetry reading. I know you were expecting something more sensational but I think you will be in the edge of your seat by the end of tonight. Don't blink! Or you'll miss it!" Flydra tucked her feet into some thick metallic boots as the yellowblood chattered on about the poem she'd chosen tonight and the author who'd written it. The boots were heavy and complicated looking which meant the tealblood had to awkwardly hobble over towards a lowered pole.
"I'm ready, Discorp." At this, the taller yellowblood grinned and picked her moirail up, hoisting her upside down in the air in an impressive feat of strength. She hooked the boots onto a perpendicular part of the pool to leave Flydra suspended in the air, her pigtails trailing down into the sea of spikes. If the rope looped through the pulley got any looser, she would be sent downwards to be impaled.
"Oh, almost forgot!" Scorpa tugged on the rope to raise her up before then looping it through a chair. Taking a seat, the yellowblood reached towards the book she'd set down, only to comically snag another hotdog from the plate instead. Laughing as the crowd groaned good natured-ly, she took a bite and threw the rest back at the spikes to once again show they were real as a reminder.
"Much better! Sorry for all the hang ups, everyone!" Ever a ham, Scorpa basked in each and every second of the spotlight. Clearing her throat, she straightened up her posture and began to read at a meandering pace.
"Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer. The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville Nine that day; the score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play. And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same, a sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game."
As soon as the other girl began to recite the words, the tealblood dangling over certain injury began to squirm and wiggle in her restraints, trying to pull her arms to her sides and wrestle with which laid over the other. The rope supporting her swayed in the air, creating a subtle pendulum effect and her hair drifted after her as she swung back and forth, emphasizing the spikes below as it trailed through them. Eventually she made a breakthrough, pulling one arm over her head to uncross them. Flydra's sunglasses toppled to the ground from the motion, hitting a spike which scratched at the plastic. Her arms were still trapped inside the sleeves, her hands unable to undo anything else just yet.
"A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest clung to that hope which springs eternal in the trollkind breast; they thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that – they'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat."
Scorpa continued to read at a reasonable pace, pausing for dramatic effect in places. Glancing up a the camera with a smug look on her face, she seemed pleased. Posing with the book, it was clear that while she didn't often handle them, she knew that they made a person look smarter. As she continued through the verses, she shifted and allowed the chair to slide a little to get the audience tense. Oh how she relished that tension...
"Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell; it rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;"
Suddenly Scorpa picked up the pace, reading faster now. Her tone was more aggressive and she barely paused to breathe, getting riled up over the words she spewed. Without even sparing a glance over to check on her partner's progress she plowed straight ahead, getting faster and faster now!
Flydra stared at Scorpa in disbelief for a moment, clearly shocked and then angry at her partner's cruel teasing. She lifted her arm close to her mouth and used her teeth to bite at one of the buckles, gnawing at it until it finally unclasped and she had two unconnected arms finally. There was no time to shimmy the fabric up to uncover her hands from within the long sleeves and so she set to work going the other direction, tugging the sleeves until her arms were securely inside the core of the jacket. The rest of the clasps were on the backside which meant she would have to contort her arms behind herself to reach them and undo them. A few of them popped open after some prodding. A single arm slipped out from the back!
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand; and it's likely they'd have killed him had not Casey raised his hand."
Scorpa's words were so fast they were gibberish now. A fast talker and total chatterbox, this was easy for the yellowblood truthfully. Hollering and gesturing wildly, she flipped through the pages for comic effect and slurred some of the sounds. Stomping her feet to add to the chaos and frantic energy in the air, she neared the end of the poem.
The manic energy radiating off of the yellowblood was clearly affecting the normally cool and collected tealblood and she raced to tug her other arm free from the jacket and shed the cloth to the ground. It was a close race and her body was feeling the strain from wrestling inside of that coat. Flydra scrambled to use her core muscles to pull her upper body high enough to reach for the glider positioned just barely within reach. It wobbled in its position, accidentally pushed just barely out of reach. Taking in a deep breath, she swung herself backwards and then forwards in a last ditch desperate attempt to grab at it!
Her fingers caught it just in time, sparkly teal nail polish glinting in the light for the cameras to catch. She tugged her feet from the boots and sped down the cable to freedom.
"-and somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; but there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out!"
Scorpa shouted as Flydra swung over the spikes and dropped perfectly right onto the taped x beside her! Slamming the book down in victory, the two girls cheered and took a bow.
"Wow Flygirl! How did you do that?!"
"It's simple... soldiers never die."
"That's our act, everybody, see you again sometime!"
"Goodbye! Come see us again, join the JROTC!" The elevator lowered them out of sight as they continued to wave and blow kisses the entire ride down.
Doutei
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leon_a_darkangel
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Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 12:24 am
At last they were in the final home stretch. The Super Star Authority performances were well underway. There was something to be said being near the familiarity of the Four Fronds. Yet tonight was not about a nature walk or exploring for a hunting trip. Tonight was about making one final lasting impression. It was performance night. His bloodpusher felt like it would explode out his protein chute! Leaning into Eilidh he quietly whispered to her. “It’s almost time...” His fingers reached for the familiar weight of his tin flute as he brushed a kiss to her temple.
Pulling back he exhaled before swallowing nervously. Xavier rocked back and forth trying to muster the courage for what was to come. The jadeblood knew he could do this, but that didn’t stop the restless feeling from swarming his thinkpan. Closing his eyes he reminded himself of why he was doing this. He had friends counting on them! It was his responsibility not to let anyone down. Not to mention he wanted to make Nucleo proud. If Amonee had been right there he would have offered words of inspiration he was sure. Xavier swallowed the lump down in his throat.
Eilidh was ready. She had prepared for this moment and was nervous that their chance on stage had arrived. Glancing at Xavier she smiled as she touched his hand. “Xavvy, you play beautifully...and I will do my best. We can do this.” She encouraged with a gentle smile and nod of her head. She knew how nervous he was. While she felt it in her own way, Eilidh was determined to make the best out of their performance. The tealblood reached for the hand not holding his tin flute.
They walked together towards the elevator. Standing on the red X, the elevator rose upwards carrying them onto center stage.
Blaring over the speakers the announcer's voice cut in first. “Ladies and Gentletrolls! The Latte Lovers have arrived on stage. Give it up for Honey Rose and Tintroll!” The cheerful voice rang out welcoming the pair. Eilidh gave a curtsy as she purposely showed off her outfit for the crowd to see. Close behind her, Xavier bowed respectfully before presenting his own outfit.
Clearing her throat Eilidh waited for Xavier to set the pace with his playing. Nodding to him, she raised her chin up as she beamed to the crowd. She had practiced for the first and second part of the performance; she knew she could do this.
Performance - Part One
"I Wanna Dance With Somebody" as Performed by Amy Lee
Clock strikes upon the hour And the sun begins to fade Still enough time to figure out How to chase my blues away I've done alright up 'til now It's the light of day that shows me how And when the night falls Loneliness calls
[Chorus 2x:] Oh! I wanna dance with somebody I wanna feel the heat with somebody Yeah! I wanna dance with somebody With somebody who loves me
I've been in love and lost my senses Spinning through the town Sooner or later the fever ends And I wind up feeling down I need a man who'll take a chance On a love that burns hot enough to last So when the night falls My lonely heart calls
[Chorus 2x] Somebody who somebody who.... somebody who loves me, Somebody who somebody who... to hold me in his arms. I need a man who'll take a chance, On a love that burns hot enough to last. So when the night falls, My lonely heart calls.
[Chorus 2x] Uh-Huh (Dance) Common, baby (Dance) Woo, yeah (Dance) Now get with this, hahaha Whoa, oh, oh
Don't you wanna dance (dance) With me baby? Don't you wanna dance (dance) With me boy? Don't you wanna dance (dance) With me baby?
With somebody who loves me
Don't you wanna dance? Say you wanna dance? Don't you wanna dance? (Dance) Don't you wanna dance? Say you wanna dance? Don't you wanna dance? (Dance) Don't you wanna dance? Say you wanna dance...(Dance) Uh-huh With somebody who loves me
Finding the right tune had required them to do a lot of digging through records. Luckily they had found the right ones. In his mind, Xavier felt the songs they had selected would help create a story. Raising his tin flute to his lips when he saw Eilidh's nod, he felt a smile pull at his lips as he began to play. He got the song started to allow Eilidh her chance to join in.
Feeling the rush of the music begin, Eilidh felt alive. She began singing, her voice came out clear and resounded with the speaker system. (Note her voice is similar to Amy Lee's)
To emphasize her words she had begun to move, gently nudging Xavier as he danced with her to the beat. They hadn't really planned to do a lot of dancing, so seeing him jump on the invite added a moment of spontaneous joy to their performance.
"Clock strikes upon the hour And the sun begins to fade Still enough time to figure out How to chase my blues away I've done alright up 'til now It's the light of day that shows me how And when the night falls Loneliness calls"
If Xavier hadn't known any better he felt like they had both managed to pull this off. Together. They had both agreed not to use any editing to either of their performances. Moving with her, Xavier smiled despite his nervousness. Somewhere between being on stage and playing, Xavier found his comfort zone. Not to mention his tone matched her pitch.
"Oh! I wanna dance with somebody I wanna feel the heat with somebody Yeah! I wanna dance with somebody With somebody who loves me!"
Eilidh paused as Xavier reached out to her. While this meant the music paused as he gave her a little twirl. Her freckled cheeks flushed as she looked to the crowd as both resumed playing.
"I've been in love and lost my senses Spinning through the town Sooner or later the fever ends And I wind up feeling down I need a man who'll take a chance On a love that burns hot enough to last So when the night falls My lonely heart calls"
As the song picked up, the pair traded places so Eilidh could move across the stage. Xavier's eyes opened as he gazed across the sea of endless faces. It took a lot of willpower to continue playing. Yet with Eilidh so boldly singing for all Alternia, who was he to stop playing? They had made it this far and the rest of the song would be played to it's fullest. His mind wandered to his lusus; was his Mum watching back at the safety of their hive along with Papa Bear? His attention slipped back to reality as the next verse came up.
"Somebody who somebody who.... somebody who loves me, Somebody who somebody who... to hold me in his arms. I need a man who'll take a chance, On a love that burns hot enough to last. So when the night falls, My lonely heart calls."
Pausing, Eilidh motioned to the crowd as she prepared herself for the last part of the song. A banner of the pair with their companions at the Nightly Grind flashed on the screen. It had been a night of song and dance depicting their friendship. The shop's message of "It's a Brew-tiful World" was plain as night and easy to see. With a pep in her step, her voice carried into the last verse without hesitation.
"Uh-Huh (Dance) Common, baby (Dance) Woo, yeah (Dance) Now get with this, hahaha Whoa, oh, oh
Don't you wanna dance (dance) With me baby? Don't you wanna dance (dance) With me boy? Don't you wanna dance (dance) With me baby?
With somebody who loves me!"
In all reality, Eilidh felt the rush and excitement of the moment. She had never thought she'd be on stage like this performing. As she and Xavier danced, a flash on screen came to life. It showed the pair standing hand in hand as they danced. Her pump biscuit swelled with pride as she continued to sing.
"Don't you wanna dance? Say you wanna dance? Don't you wanna dance? (Dance) Don't you wanna dance? Say you wanna dance? Don't you wanna dance? (Dance) Don't you wanna dance? Say you wanna dance...(Dance) Uh-huh With somebody who loves me!"
As the song ended the pair took their bow. They moved back towards the elevator and the labeled X to be lowered down below. The first performance had been a blast! They had believed in themselves up to this point! It had paid off in being able to complete their routine without any hiccups.
Xavier waved to the crowd in parting before realizing he had done that a little early. Flushing with embarrassment, he was grateful they had been lowered. It could really dwell on anything. A touch of makeup for both trolls and fussing with hair followed suit as they prepared for the second round.
Eilidh took a sip off a water bottle, before handing it over to Xavier. Once both were ready, the pair headed back to their starting position. The elevator carried them skyward, ascending them back onto the stage.
Performance - Part Two
"Love Exists" as Preformed by Amy Lee
[Verse 1] It can be born anywhere In the last place, you'd expect In a way, you'd never dream It can grow from nothing And blossom in a second A single glance is all it takes To get inside you
[Bridge] Invading every thought And every beat of your heart Love can make you scream And it can leave you speechless Love has a thousand stems But only one flower
[Verse 2] It can grow alone 'till it turns to dust It can tear your world apart or bind to you forever It can grow in darkness, make its own light Turn a curse into a kiss, change the meaning of your words
[Chorus] Love makes no sense Love has no name Love drowns you in tears and then sets your heart on fire Love has no fear, love has no reason
[Middle 8] So infinitely vast And we're standing at the edge Take my hand and erase the past forever My love is you, my love, you are
[Chorus] Love makes no sense Love has no name Love is never wrong and never needs a reason I'm drowning in my tears, but my heart's on fire
[Verse 3] It can make you better It can change you slowly Give you everything you want, ask for nothing in return In the blink of an eye, the hint of a smile In the way, you say goodbye, in every time you find me
[Chorus] Love makes no sense Love has no name Love drowns you in tears and then sets your heart on fire Love has no fear, love has no reason
Love makes no sense Love has no name Love drowns you in tears and then sets your heart on fire Love has no fear, love has no reason
[Outro] My love is you, my love, you are My love is you, my love, you are
The duo came back before their audience. They had not costume swapped but with their touch ups looked just as fresh and ready to go as they had initially.
"Good evening everyone! I hope you've been enjoying yourselves. Tintroll are you ready?" Eilidh asked as she stepped forward and flashed a smile for all the world to see.
Xavier inclined his head as the taller jadeblood moved beside her. His eyes scanned the crowd with a curious expression. Smiling suddenly he nodded as the teen nodded. "You bet Honey Rose. Let's do this!" Lifting his instrument to his lips he began playing. This beat was entirely different if not a little faster paced. He only hoped he could do it justice for both their sake. He felt good about the performance for round one. They would have to really nail it to leave a lasting impression.
Eilidh let the combination of Xavier's instrument speak for its self. Her voice combined to bring to life what they had come here to do. Show off their talent. While they had sung for the first part this was what both felt comfortable doing.
Instead of the same song they had picked another altogether to follow up the previous one.
"It can be born anywhere In the last place, you'd expect In a way, you'd never dream It can grow from nothing And blossom in a second A single glance is all it takes To get inside you"
Eilidh took a moment to scan the crowd as she sang. The tealblood opened her arms as if she would embrace the world. Her dress flared as she moved about. Her motion was almost like prancing before she stood at red pity's backside. Eilidh used this opportunity to address another part of the crowd.
"Invading every thought And every beat of your heart Love can make you scream And it can leave you speechless Love has a thousand stems But only one flower."
Xavier moved across the stage after he had gently leaned into her. It was time to really pick up the pace. His fingers moved across the tin flute with practiced ease. With a pep in his own step, he flashed a charming smile as he tapped his boot to the tune of her song.
"It can grow alone 'till it turns to dust It can tear your world apart or bind to you forever It can grow in darkness, make its own light Turn a curse into a kiss, change the meaning of your words.."
On screen, several more scenes flashed. Playing out the story of a band of friends who made the best of every day. To the new found romance between the pair of trolls, it was intended to be inspirational. Love could come in many forms; be it red, pink black or gray. Just as the lyrics noted without love, you could turn to dust or flourish with it. While just teenagers themselves having a positive spin on the subject couldn't hurt.
"Love makes no sense Love has no name Love drowns you in tears and then sets your heart on fire Love has no fear, love has no reason."
"So infinitely vast And we're standing at the edge Take my hand and erase the past forever My love is you, my love, you are."
At this point, Eilidh was winding down into the ending of her song. While not over quiet yet her inflection changed to go with the latter half of the song she had memorized by heart. Pausing she let Xavier's music give her a small break while she readied her lungs to finish strong.
"Love makes no sense Love has no name Love is never wrong and never needs a reason I'm drowning in my tears, but my heart's on fire."
Xavier had never felt so alive. His pump biscuit was more than on fire, it was smoldering for what it was worth. Breathing in as another string of notes followed he couldn't help but feel good about the whole thing. For all the worrying he'd done it seemed like there was no cause for concern.
"It can make you better It can change you slowly Give you everything you want, ask for nothing in return In the blink of an eye, the hint of a smile In the way, you say goodbye, in every time you find me."
"Love makes no sense Love has no name Love drowns you in tears and then sets your heart on fire Love has no fear, love has no reason
Love makes no sense Love has no name Love drowns you in tears and then sets your heart on fire Love has no fear, love has no reason."
Lowering his tin whistle Xavier moved closer to Eilidh. Letting her finish as he had begun seemed to be the right thing to do. His eyes glanced from her to the crowd and back. They really had done it! His final action was a quick spin of his beloved instrument in mid-air. Xavier caught it before returning it to its usual carrying case.
"My love is you, my love you are My love is you, my love you are!"
When last verse was spoken, Eilidh beamed to the crowd as she caught her breathe. The tealblood was not expecting Xavier to lift her off her feet and twirl her. Laughing she wrapped her arms around him as she was moved to the original position with the marked X. Once set down she waved enthusiastically to the crowd. "Thank you all so much! You've been a beautiful audience. I may be as sweet as honey...but remember! I am as fierce as a rose's thorns!" Eilidh waved to the audience remembering to do as they had rehearsed.
"And I played music straight from my pump biscuit to yuh all. Have a great rest of your evening folks!" Xavier waved. Slipping an arm around Eilidh the pair vanished down with the elevator as the screens flickered off one last time.
Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 12:14 pm
Sascha had thought it unreal enough to see the coliseum empty. He now realized exactly how wrong he was. There was one thing more surreal than performing on the coliseum floor, and more striking than a full house. Sascha was about to perform in the Four Fronds Coliseum before a full house and a planet-wide television broadcast. He had never been a shy troll to say the very, very least. He’d conversely prided himself on his open thirst for attention, good or bad. The universe seemed to take that as a challenge, given where Sascha found himself in that moment.
A thunderous whirring kicked up around Sascha. The sound was no doubt silent relative to the applause of the crowd upstairs. Doors pulled open above Sascha. Blinding stage lights poured down the elevator shaft. As though influenced by a tractor beam, the platform lifted Sascha skyward onto the stage.
Fog rolled across the stage to hide the source of Sascha’s ascent. His silhouette appeared tall and looming against the low-lit clouds. They billowed upwards with the breeze from the elevator. Tesla coils generated red lightning along the stage. They gave the impression that Sascha was telekinetically affecting the entire area. Sascha knew well enough he had to conserve his energy for the performance. However, the audience didn’t need to know that.
The guitar riff washed over Sascha. Clouds of smoke and rippling lights accompanied the building instrumentals. Sascha tensed for his cue.
The cymbal snapped. With a flash of colored lights, the fog was swept up into a pillar, revealing the stage beneath. For a second, Sascha was still and posed. His head bowed forward, hair loose and spilling over his shoulders. His hand was up. His red glitter nailpolish caught the light as much as the lenses of the Lorata brand sunglasses Sascha wore perched on his head. Flashing Underworld bracelets and subtler Phoenix Down arm bands decorated his arms. They disappeared under the sleeves of the leather jacket Sascha wore. The jacket was elaborate. It was thigh length and spattered with buttons and buckles and studs alike. The leather was black with a gradation to yellow, like a sunrise. It was layered over a zippered hoodie and clinging leather pants.
The second passed. The sunglasses flicked down over Sascha’s eyes. He kicked off the platform with a height and distance only achievable by psionics. Sascha landed with the crash of drums at the edge of the stage, almost kneeling into the darkened crowds. He pointed and crowed to the audience.
"Who the hell said any of you get a taste!?"
"This is stupid!" Backup singers chimed. They stood on tiers of industrial-styled scaffolding at the back of the stage. They were dressed fully in black with their faces obscured. The red flashes of underlighting only compounded the intimidating aura they produced as they danced in place.
Sascha was the only troll front and center--just how he liked it. He whirled across the very edge of the stage, threatening to fall into the crowd. With the rampant spray of colored lightning, it was impossible to tell if he was actually hovering, or simply playing with fire.
"Do you ever wanna get up all in your faaace?" Sascha drawled, swinging wide over the sharp drop between stage and floor.
"You b-b-b-better t-t-take it!"
"And nothin’ you can do could make me ever go awaaaay."
"F-F-F-F-Fake it!"
"Poor baby, I’m gonna make it all okaaaay."
Sascha’s momentum propelled him into a spin and he twirled back into the middle of the stage. White, hot lights strobed as he sailed through the air, culminating in a single blast at touchdown. The spotlights swung onto Sascha as he sang.
"Punch your lights out, hit the pavement. That’s what I call entertainment! Causin’ problems makes you famous; all this violence makes a statement."
"Punch your lights out! Hit the pavement! That’s what I call entertainment! Causin’ problems makes you famous. ALL THIS VIOLENCE MAKES A STATEMENT."
Sascha struck out with his arms to punctuate his lyrics as he danced forward down the stage. He hit the last beat with a stomp and a punch that he accentuated with a blast of psychic energy. The hanging fog allowed the force of the blow to be seen with a spectacular billowing. Noise and sparkle cleared the area around Sascha.
Sascha slid back towards his standing pose slowly, only to cut the motion with a slash of his arms and a wicked grin. "She better get with the club!" He spun back around into the song proper.
The strobe lights flashed violently. Every time the lights came on, the backup singers appeared in different locations and poses on the scaffolding. Sascha’s own performance seemed to be a testament to the effectivity of his sponsor’s sunglasses. Perhaps he was simply dancing with his eyes closed. He’d rehearsed enough times.
The music hit an instrumental break. String instruments warbled ominously as Sascha drifted across the stage. He filled the gap in lyrics with dancing. Each heavy piano note was struck as though the instruments were played with his footsteps.
The backup singers rose in a chorus of "Ooooh,"’s. Sascha advanced down center stage.
"Punch your lights out."
"That’s what I call-"
"Punch your lights out."
The instruments hesitated, then collided. "Punch your lights out! Hit the pavement. That’s what I call entertainment! Causin’ problems makes you famous! All this violence makes a statement!"
"Doo~ Doo-doo Doo~" Sascha sang as he casually took several steps back. The music mimicked his light tone.
Then, "ALL THIS VIOLENCE MAKES! A! STATEMENT!" Sascha backflipped onto center stage. Smoke, drums, and lightning splashed. The elevator descended.
The stage went black as Sascha disappeared. Deafening thunder foley masked the rearrangement of set pieces. Spotlights flitted across the stage like they were searching for Sascha. Eventually they settled back on the location of the elevator. It rose slower this time, with less fanfare. Sascha stood tall on the platform. He’d since shucked his jacket and hoodie down to a plain tank top with his symbol. He kept the bracelets, but had removed the sunglasses, lest he break them in the coming performance. Sascha flexed his forearms and felt the leather of his fingerless gloves creak. The harsh lights painted his now visible scars in sharp relief.
Despite the intensity of his posture, Sascha approached the stage with a wide grin. "WHAT’S UP ALTERNIAAAAA!?" Sascha’s amplified voice shook the coliseum in all directions. "NOVA here from the Underworld of Chittentown to burn bright! I'm on this stage to sear myself into y’all’s thinkpans. When I'm gone, all you’re gonna see is me."
The thunder groaned through the rafters of the coliseum in punctuation of Sascha’s claim. Sascha smirked knowingly.
"And what better way to do that than with a little bit brutality, a little bit of tenacity, a little bit of drama… AND A WHOLE LOT OF DEATH DANCING?!"
The spotlights flashed like lightning. It was all the warning given before rain machines activated overhead. The stage around Sascha began to fill with a shallow level of water. Sascha himself was doused in the process. He looked thrilled. Not soon after, four Starlight Authority performance drones joined him onstage.
Music roiled beneath the atmospheric sounds of rain and thunder. Sascha and his fellow performers wasted no time. The first rushed Sascha from the front. Sascha blocked their incoming punch with the flat of his arm. He rotated his torso downward to carry his opponent’s motion around. They fell easily when Sascha swiped their legs out from under them.
The next drone was already making their move. Sascha knocked their first punch aside with his fist. He bypassed the second with a kick to the drone’s face. The water from the stage arced beautifully around the motions.
Sascha dodged the third assailant with a handstand. A whirl of legs left Sascha rightside-up, and the drone upside-down.
Sascha turned on the fourth opponent with an expression of wild glee. The drone struck first, but Sascha grabbed their fist and countered with a strike of his own. He gave no opportunity for return fire before sweeping their leg. He released the drone’s arm and allowed them to fall to the floor.
Sascha too, fell to one arm to kick his opponent while they were down. The drone rolled out of the way and guarded against the second, vertical kick Sascha tried to drop on them.
It was unclear if Sascha knew of the second drone’s approach, or if he let his own momentum carry himself around. He spun to kick the legs of the advancing drone, but they also dodged. Sascha was undeterred. He pulled himself upward and back down into a one-handed cartwheel. Sascha struck the drone sideways across the slick platform.
Sascha’s whooping was muffled by the raucous music and the rain machines. The first drone rushed him again. Sascha elbowed their collarbone, grabbed their arm, and headbutted them into the ground.
Sascha, now in a handstand, kicked into his downed opponent. His legs then swung back into the gut of a drone that had tried to approach him from behind. The maneuver carried Sascha onto his feet. With one leg he spun on the wet ground. His raised leg hit another drone dead center across the abdomen. With that, Sascha cartwheeled back into a casual standing position.
Sascha regarded the carnage coolly. He then whipped his attention to the audience proper. "LET’S HEAR IT FOR YOUR NEXT SUPERSTAR AUTHORITY!" Sascha punched upward into the rain, which stopped immediately. His soaked hair sprayed droplets in a wide arc. The spotlight passed through the residual mist in a vibrant rainbow. The stage began to drain, and Sascha was lowered back down below.
This was it. Fellah fidgeted under stage with the microphone in his hands, switching it back and forth. There were four backup dancers standing with him on the platform, all awaiting Razzle to announce his name to kick off the final, and by far most glamorous performance of this competition, and his life so far. Somehow he had managed so far, no, he paused a moment to take in a deep breath. Letting everything slow down around him for a moment, letting him gather his nerves and newfound confidence. He hadn't just managed, he had shone bright. He was finally showing part of what he had inside him. All those little songs sung alone on the farm under starry nights, staring at the light studded horizon out in the plains of NHC, now it was time to see if there was a gem hidden in all those contemplative nights. Now it was time to show that some easily forgotten country redblood could have a purpose outside of farming, he could be someone. Letting the deep breath relax him just in time, Razzle's voice boomed above them, introducing Fellah and the platform began to rise. For a moment he stood there with....some ratty overalls on? Really ratty looking. In fact all of the back up dancers had some ratty looking country farm clothes on as well. He thought he heard some murmurs from the crowd, it was definitely not your usual choice of iconic apparel. But, soon the song started, This Charming Man, covered by Fellah. The song was still upbeat, dancy, but this particular cover had some more twang, less electronic instruments and gave it a 'good 'ol trolls' feel. The dancers rocked back and forth as Fellah started mouthing the words into the microphone. He of course much preferred live performances, however, having the first number set aside as a lip sync let him really concentrate on the pageantry of a lipsync. "~Punctured bicycle, On a hillside desolate, Will nature make a troll of me yet? When in this charming car, This charming man. Why pamper life's complexity When the leather runs smooth On the passenger's seeeeat?~" Fellah started shoo-bopping around with the back up dancers as the song started off, lights going from spotlight to a pan out then rising up into an explosion of red gel filters and confetti falling from above the stage as the next bit of song continued. "I would go out tonight But I haven't got a stitch to wear!~" On the line 'But I haven't got a stitch to wear' as the confetti fell to the ground, Fellah scooted back to center stage in a twirl and ripped the overalls right off of himself to reveal a gorgeous country tailored suit underneath.
The back up dancers tore away their outfits following Fellah's lead as he tucked his boot under a stetson on stage and flipped it up onto his head, all the while keeping up with the lyrics. "~This man said 'it's gruesome That someone so handsome should caaa~aare" Upon the reveal he turned to the audience with a huge smile plastered across his face. The dancers clothes may have been tear aways, but the shreds of overalls sitting at the front of the stage were clearly torn off by force. An old pair of overalls indeed, some who knew the redblood might even recognize them as an old favorite of his. The back up dancers reveals had been just as dramatic, however their outfits boasted the colors, fashion, and logos designed by the sponsors, Tincan Mechanics, Cerise's Bakery, Cartwheeling Deals, and the Nightly Grind. The promotion of these sponsors was clearly showcased on these dancers as they continued to follow the redblood's lead in fancy footwork, in his thinkpan he thanked Chiara silently for helping him with his dancing. "~Ah ! A jumped-up country boy Who never knew his place He said 'return the ring' He knows so much about these things He knows so much about these things~" Fellah really thought the crowd loved the tear-away reveal, even the kicking of the hat was a bit difficult. He was proud of himself, he had followed his plan to a T and now, well now everything was just fun! The redblood's energy was positively radiating off him as he continued with the choreography with gusto, the back up dancers mostly sticking to the performance but following the country trolls lead when he improvised here and there, after all a lip sync performance should be high energy, it should be exciting, it should be unexpected! "~I would go out tonight But I haven't got a stitch to wear This man said 'it's gruesome That someone so handsome should care' La, la-la, la-la, la-la, this charming man Oh, la-la, la-la, la-la, this charming man Ah ! A jumped-up country boy Who never knew his place He said 'return the ring' He knows so much about these things He knows so much about these things He knows so much about these things~" The reveal was fun, but Fellah wanted this spectacle to end on a 'high' note. As the last few lyrics spilled over his lips, the redblood flung his microphone high into the air, while simultaneously two of the backup dancers jumped up at him. Fellah hit his mark, grabbing onto their legs and hoisting them high up into the air, in doing so one of the backup dancers was able to catch the microphone mid-air as the final note rang out of the speakers. With that, standing on the center platform Fellah flashed a final wide smile, and shouting out "thank yous" to the audience as the platform began to lower them all again, all the while Fellah was still holding the dancers up high. Must keep that pageantry up after all!
There was a bit of a pause between the lip sync and his second performance. Under stage, Fellah was getting changed into a less flashy but more iconic looking suit. The dancers were also returning to their rooms, and instead replaced with a few backup singers that were waiting on the platform with the redblood to be hoisted back up. Tugging at his cuffs, Fellah sighed, shaking off nerves and trying to ride the high from his first performance, before signalling to raise the platform. This was going to be a big one. This was gonna be the first time he performed an original composition. As the platform came to rest above stage, There was one large spotlight on Fellah and some secondary lights on the three backup singers, all standing in a diagonal line with their stand up microphones. Just like the dancers, these three were dressed in cocktail dressed, but still all with specific themes and logos. Their hair was especially impressive, done up big and decorated with baubles and personal touches that Fellah got from Death Dancers, Eridia Tsifer, and Lorata Gorgos. The atmosphere was much calmer now, he riled them up with an upbeat number, now it was time to slow things down with a ballad. "Howdy y'all, thanks so much fer comin' out tonight. I'm Opimus Fellah, but you can just call me Fellah." He said with a wink and a chuckle. "I know this is a change'a pace, but I'm gonna sing ya a song I wrote myself. Back at my home on the plains of New Hemisect City I wrote this little diddy after meetin' a certain troll that left a purdy memorable impression on me. I hope ya like it." With that music started overhead, it was bluegrassy, slower and gave off a sort of nostalgia. To the redblood it reminded him of the winds blowing over tall grasses in the plains. Slow, and sweet. It had a lot of strings, and some good rhythm percussion. Fellah stood over his microphone, head lowered and eyes closed as he raised a hand to hold the microphone stand. "~Zipper ties, and bootcut jeeeans, The falling tide and Bloodfest, dreeeams, I know it's a wagon passin' every night, but just gimme, bluuuuue~" Fellah picked the microphone out of the stand and stepped forward on the stage as he finished the slow and lilting intro. His eyes finally opened and he looked out at the crowd, but oddly enough he wasn't looking at the crowd, he was looking through them. His thinkpan, his pumpbiscuit were in very vulnerable places and it showed in his expression. "~Sittin' on a board with you, It's hard ta see all the way through, those scars ya carry line by line, I'd know if fer just one more night ya'd be miiiine, but...just gimme, bluuuUUU~UUUuue~" his range was impressive, his unique vocals were captivating, but the raw emotion was what really made that stage sparkle. The backup singers began to snap their fingers and croon 'oooh's along with the repetition of "just gimme blue." "~Fresh cut an' new, I'd never seen red crushes, blue, but as sure as I see the moons passin' by, I just dunno what ta do, if ya'd only gimme, bluuu~uuuue," The spotlight following Fellah dimmed to blue as the backup singers lights turned red, they began to echo once the chorus stared again. "~Sittin' on a board with you, It's hard ta see all the way through, those scars ya carry line by line, I'd know if fer just one more night ya'd be mine, but, just gimme...bluuue~" The ballad was deep, well rounded. The lyrics were rather simple but it seemed to be purposeful to allow for inflection. Certain lines where he was singing he was addressing blue, and those were subtle note changes that would let a trained ear know, while simultaneously making a general audience feel the turbulence of what might have been a first crush. "~With trolls tuggin' these sleeves this way 'er that, smilin' at me was the first feelin' that really sat, an' all I wanna do, is have one more night, bluuuue~" The final verse wasn't as ranged as the rest, but the backup singers slowed down and sang the chorus underneath the last verse, allowing certain words to sync up or pop. It was surprisingly well composed. Not overly complicated, raw, and indicative of a new artist. It might be the start of Fellah finding a sound to share with Alternia. Only time would tell how his composition would be received. Leaving the crowd emotionally charged, Fellah repeated the chorus one more time as he started stepping backwards and getting softer and softer. A single stream of blue light followed, and as the platform began to descend a final time the spotlight shrank and shrank in size until it was nothing more than a pinpoint, emphasizing the end as the slow and low notes came to an end.
Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 2:56 pm
Wallas sucked in a breath and stretched as he psyched himself up for his big performance. This was it. He had to show off all the confidence he had gained over his journey, all the performance skills and charm. There was no room for hesitation. He had to go up there and act like he knew what he was doing every step of the way. Soon, the elevator cranked to life, and he was raised up onto the gigantic stage.
At first he kept his head down and his hands in the pockets of his blazer. He might have looked a bit more formal than usual wearing it, but he would get back to his “dressy casual” self shortly. Once the lights came up, he lifted his head up, smiling broadly at the audience and spreading his arms to show himself off. He strode up to the front of the stage and began his lip synch routine. He had picked a song that he hoped would show passion and a desire to make an impact, though he was slightly worried that it sounded a bit rebellious. They say we are what we are, But we don’t have to be!
His gestures were passionate, a fist raised in solidarity with the people. Or something. He hoped no one was reading too deeply into his performance. Either way, a Great Part was coming up soon. I’m glad to hate you, but I do it in the best way I’ll be the watcher of the eternal flame I’ll be the guard dog of all your fever dreams
When the main lyrics took a slight break here, he opened his blazer to reveal the nice dress shirt he had underneath: white, plain, still classy. He pranced around the stage with his jacket open, waiting for the line that would cue him to do the Great Thing. I am the sand in the bottom half of the hourglass (Glass, glass) I’ll try to picture me without you but I can’t
'Cause we could be-
In one fluid and carefully rehearsed motion, Wallas took his jacket off and flung it into the crowd! He hoped that would be a strong gesture and someone would be happy about getting to touch his jacket. Immortals, immortals Just not for long, for long If we meet forever now, pull the blackout curtains down Just not for long, for long We could be immor immortals, immor immortals Immor immortals, immor immortals
He kept his body language open, making sweeping gestures to emphasize the grandiosity of the lyrics. When he hit the refrain, he made circular motions to the cadence of the melody. Sometimes the only payoff for having any faith Is when it’s tested again and again everyday I’m still comparing your past to my future It might be over, but they’re not sutures I am the sand in the bottom half of the hourglass (Glass, glass) I’ll try to picture me without you but I can’t
When the focus shifted to the second verse, he reined himself in a bit so that the choruses could pop. Again with the passionate fists and decisive gestures! He wanted to express an urge to keep going, to leave an impression on this world, and he hoped that the audience felt that. He made a quick pass around the crowd with his hand held out, in case anyone wanted a high-five from a “star.” When the music dropped at the end of the verse, he did a brief freeze frame before sliding back into the choreography from the first chorus. 'Cause we could be immortals, immortals Just not for long, for long If we meet forever now, pull the blackout curtains down Just not for long, for long We could be immor immortals, immor immortals (Immortals)
Now, he wasn’t going to just keep doing that for the final chorus. As he had asked for, here the backup dancers came out! An all-girl troupe of three at that. It might have been a bit risky, making himself look “studly,” but he had some plans. He looked the part of a gentleman, and now he was going to act it.
And if we meet forever now, pull the blackout curtains down We could be immortals, immortals Just not for long, for long
One by one, the backup dancers came up to him, and he did a different thing for each one of them. The first got a dainty dip, the second a short tango, and the third he twirled the best he could (she was a good deal taller than him; this was one of the shortcomings of being a child star, he supposed). The three dancers supported him as he did some fancy new footwork for the final verse; he spun between all three of them, a timed twirl. We could be immor immortals, immor immortals Immor immortals, immor immortals Immortals
Once the song concluded, Wallas had spun his way back to the X and struck a pose, his hand raised in the air as though reaching for the stars. As he was told would happen, the elevator lowered in preparation for his next act. He did a quick change, replacing his slacks with shorts and suspenders and tying on a charming red bowtie. A control panel of sorts was wheeled over to him, and then he was raised back up. He waved to the audience from his control panel and began pushing buttons.
As he did, some small troll-shaped robots carrying flags emblazoned with a red W (and some not) scuttled onto the stage, and an unusual song began to play. The robots with flags began to wave them to the song’s cadence; others clapped to the beat and others still swayed as though they were singing. Okay, so he’d gotten a little help with these robots, but the basic construction was all Wallas’s work (and boy, did it take a lot of work). After a bit of showing off the robots, the music lowered slightly, and Wallas began to speak.
“Hi, everybody! How’s everyone doing tonight? Any Chittentown folks out there? Can’t forget my roots. It’s hard-working folks like you that got me here. That and ample determination. It took a lot of work to get these guys you see here working. But when you’re as handy as I am, putting them together just gets easier with time.” He nodded and pushed a button, and a hovering helicopter-like robot that made a patapatapata noise as it floated entered from stage right. It was holding a banner with the sponsors’ names and slogans written on it in various colors.
“And I can’t forget my sponsors. Thanks for reminding me, little guy!” He pushed a button with some stealth to make it look like the robot was “nodding” on its own. “Okay, left to right. First, I’d like to thank the folks at The Nightly Grind. It’s a Brew-tiful world for them every day. Next, there’s Phoenix Down, for whom no meal is too big and no troll is too small. Third, we have The Glass Shack, who are all for the design you don’t yet know. Last but certainly not least is the lovely Eridia Tsifer. It’s fast, it’s furious, it’s luxurious, and that’s how she likes it!” He paused to work the controls a bit more in preparation for the copterbot exiting. “Thanks for the help over there! You can go back to what you were doing.” The robot “nodded” again, then patapatapata’d its way off stage left.
“All right, these guys can do more than just wave flags and clap and sing.” The music muted at this point, and the robots froze. “Guys, get ready to show your stuff!” Synthesized beeps and boops echoed throughout the stadium as a driving techno-like song began to play. The flag-waving robots dropped their flags and began to wiggle and stomp all over the stage. Some robots wiggled to each other and engaged in mock combat, which was mostly swinging their pincer hands at each other and dodging. A few fell down, but that was supposed to happen. In the end, it looked something like a Troll Harlem Shake taking place to a wildly different beat.
Satisfied with the way the robots were going, Wallas finally came out from behind the control panel and began to dance to the beat. He took decisive steps and twirls, periodically doing mock ballet lifts with the various robots. He picked up the ones that had fallen and set them to fight one more time, and he took a pass around the audience for anyone who wanted another high-five.
As expected, the music began to slow and fade into the first song. Wallas slipped back behind the control panel, stopped the robots, and set them all to face the audience and sway. The helicoptering robot from before came back on from stage left, holding a banner with Wallas’s catchphrase: “I don’t guess anymore. I just do.” Wallas leaned over the control panel to give a relaxed and confident vibe to the audience. “They’re pretty active little guys, aren’t they? They can be a handful, but they’re definitely great entertainers.” He looked over to the banner the copterbot was holding. “It takes confidence and a willingness to take a risk to do things like this. That’s why I don’t guess anymore. I just do. Just like that sign says over there. Thanks again, little guy!” There was a beat before he continued. “It’s going to take a bit to get these guys all off stage, so this concludes our performance. Thank you for your support! Stay awesome!”
Wallas directed the robots to march into the wings. He felt the elevator begin to lower beneath him, and he waved with both hands as he was lowered. Soon, he hit the bottom, and he was really, truly done. He exhaled heavily in both relief and exhaustion. Now his fate was in the hands of the audience.
“Please give it up for Astra!” The announcer said through the speakers. As the music started, dancers on stage began to slowly move to the rhythm, awaiting for her to appear. Making sure her space helmet was in place and the light switch was on, she breathed in deeply to calm herself down. Soon the elevator slowly began to pull Polair up. Her aquatic bloodpusher banged against her chest as she went over the performance one last time through her head. She didn’t have nothing to worry about. She knew the choreography and the lyrics but maybe the idea of being watched made her a bit nervous.
As soon as she was brought up, the most of lights on stage when off. They wouldn’t be needing those for the first few minutes. The dancers, the stage, even Polair herself had LED lights or glow-in-the-dark accessories that would provide a visual aid for the audience.
Act I -- Part I
Quote:
We all carry little fragments of stars, planets and galaxies inside us. Could be read from the screens.
“Close your tired eyes, relax and then count from one to ten and open them. All these heavy thoughts will try to weigh you down but not this time.”She began lip-synching and walked down some steps whose edges were covered in LED lights.
“Way up in the air, you're finally free and you can stay up there right next to me. All this gravity will try to pull you down but not this time...” Once down, she motioned to the left and right, the lights flickering once she did so, revealing a series of circular glowing hammocks. The LED illuminated swings acted up as the stars she was referring to. As the trolls swung on the swings, the micro-controller inside them turned the LED light from white to purple. Astra’s hand movements followed the music, as if projecting the meaning of the song through them and slowly through her body. “When the sun goes down and the lights burn out, then it's time for you to shine. Brighter than a shooting star! So shine no matter where you are!”
“Fill the darkest night with a brilliant light. 'Cause it's time for you to shine.” She pointed at her audience with a big smile. “Brighter than a shooting star! So shine no matter where you are tonight!” The seadweller took off her space helmet and tossed it to the audience, revealing her constellation themed makeup on her cheeks and skin, her sponsored lipstick and her current wig with little stars tangled on it. She and the others on stage danced as soon as the instrumental break started, lights glittering around like actual stars.
“Gaze into my eyes when the fire starts. And fan the flames so hot it melts our hearts. Oh, the pouring rain will try to put it out But not this time…”
“Let your colors burn and brightly burst. Into a million sparks that all disperse and illuminate a world that'll try to bring you down but not this time…”The lights lightened up the stage a bit while she lip-synched the pre chrorus, revealing the starship themed decoration and illuminating her. The seadweller wore a cut out purple galaxy bodysuit, lined with black and white stripes, some sheer, as well as some glittery stripes on her abdomen. She also wore the sneakers, she honestly thought she’d never use, and showed them off the the public. On her arms, she wore light up wraps that twisted around her arms and her Underworld bracelets, they surrounded her in fabulous lights ranging from red to purple that turn on and off.
“Brighter than a shooting star, so shine no matter where you are…”Hands up in the air, fingers then rained down and went up the front with a twirl, calculating the speed and distance she should consider. Again she referred to the public, letting them know they could do whatever they chose, and tried to inspire them through this new way of communication. She… kinda felt as she was telling this to herself, reassuring that everything would be alright during hard times.
“Fill the darkest night with a brilliant light 'Cause it's time for you to shine Brighter than a shooting star So shine no matter where you are tonight!”
“Woah-oh, woah-oh, woah-oh!” She “chanted”, encouraging everyone to repeat, waving her glow-in-the-dark accessory to and fro. While the dancers did so, Polair took the opportunity to go back to the x on the stage with the help of some dancers, appearing to be part of the act itself. “Brighter than a shooting star, so shine no matter where you are… tonight.”
“Alternia, We Have Lift-off!”She ended on mountain pose, head slightly bowing as the elevator took her down for the outfit change.
Act I -- Part II
Quote:
“We’re going where no one has gone before..." She said, in a robotic tone not much different than her normal plain voice. The chill, the tension, the way the dancers were anticipating her arrival… Polair was playing with their suspense. Suddenly, a crash was heard followed by an alarm. The screens flashed with an alert sign. Smoke rolled in as the stillness took possession for a second.
“What you are going to see is scientifically authentic…”A robotic generated voice said. “It’s just one step ahead of present day reality and two steps ahead present day sexiness.”
“Prepare yourself to attempt to conceive an unconceivable outer space phenomena.” The dancers dispersed to the sides of the stage-- visible to the public. Some began to turn off their lights, specifically those nearby the elevator. “Black holes hunt our universe… Dark centers of gravity that swallow everything in their path. What would you see if you got close and fell back to the point of no return-- into another world of twisted space and time?”
“Alternia, we have a problem…”
The atmosphere slowly changed as she went up again to reclaim the stage. This was a whole different attitude compared to the first one. It was funkier, edgier… The popular definition of fun perhaps? Astra was going to successfully show them she knew what it meant to have a “blast.” While being educational, of course. All was black, with the exception of the flickering lights, feigning deep space.
Neon lights, covered up the stage now as the elevator pulled up Astra once more. She was in a half spinal twist pose, revealing her new outfit. She had her black hair cut short and covered in glitter. Thankfully the dark lighting managed to hide her eyes. Ombre scaly makeup around her eyes with gems scattered like stars around the sides of her head. Plenty of Stemma’s crystal jewelry were on her. The only thing she ADORED. Astra wore a black wrapper playsuit to cause major distraction in her bodysuit. It featured a stretchy construction, plunging neckline with cut-out front, bands that hugged her thighs, and sheer mesh panels around her legs. Traces of glitter were noticeable on her skin, as if her ones on her hair didn’t manage to stay in place. She hummed as the song began playing. Going down the steps with a confident attitude.
“I am the hunter, I am the great unknown Not even light can conquer I am the, I am the hunter...”
“I am the hunter, into deep space we go Give up your heart, surrender 'Cause I am the, I am the hunter.” Polair was really having fun with the choreography at this point and hoped Cerpin was watching this. Polair wanted to help his industry’s name to be known and hopefully her act was doing it. She pranced around, flirtingly catching her dancer's “attention” as she strode and sang. Whenever she approached her dancers, they would walk around her, pretending to be the stars trapped by a black hole’s gravitational force.
“We've been on this road to a place that one day, we'll know Adventure to the other side Searching high and low for the treasure deep in my soul Science is always right.”
Lights dimmed even more as she moved closer to the front, but at least their outlines as well as the LED lights gave up their position. “See my red eyes in the night--” She sang and tried not to feel anxious while she moved. Hands touching she cheeks, down her face… “I’m a predator, out of sight, gonna sing my battle cry. 'cause I am the, I am the, I am the--”
“I am the hunter, I am the great unknown Not even light can conquer I am the, I am the hunter...”
“I am the hunter, into deep space we go Give up your heart, surrender 'Cause I am the, I am the hunter.” Hips were moving as the instrumental break played, she really seemed like she didn’t have an exoskeleton by the way she moved. Fluid movements, fluid movements… Acknowledge your body… Play with the tailbone, pelvic bone, the sacrum and the coccyx... Don’t be stiff generally, she thought and did so as rehearsed.
“Strangers wild and free Through the flames, you're all that I see A force you, that you can't deny.” Lights were on again, this time she didn’t face the public. She just couldn’t. So she made it work as if it was part of the act and continued to sing and move her body. On the screens, the formulas for force could be seen. Again, she really wanted this to be more academic.
"Heed my calling Lock and load, come running to me Dancing through the midnight.” Shades featuring big square frames, red ombre lenses, and gold side chains that hook behind her fins with crystals hanging down at the bottom, were handed casually to her. They boosted up her confidence more as she now had her eyes hidden. Astra turned around with a confident smirk plastered on her face. She was at the middle of the stage now, moving side to side, up and down… Trying to really get all the attention focused on her.
Lights flickered off once more, red glowing jewels could be seen again outlining her eyes. "See my red eyes in the night. I’m a predator, out of sight, gonna sing my battle cry. 'cause I am the, I am the, I am the--”
“Can see red eyes in the night- I’m a predator, out of sight, gonna sing my battle cry. 'cause I am the, I am the, I am the--”
“I am the hunter, I am the great unknown Not even light can conquer I am the, I am the hunter...” Her movements were now daring, as if she was an territorial wild beast protecting her space. She was moving a bit more mechanically, as instructed, to keep up with the song.
“I am the hunter, into deep space we go Give up your heart, surrender 'Cause I am the, I am the hunter.” She clapped to the beat as tried to spike up the mood while she danced. Some of the dancer began to toss some of the glow in the dark tubes to the public. As they all got in line, hips moving-- everyone having a late party fun attitude. As she moved back to the X on stage, where one of the swings was placed beside the elevator and she sat down, legs crossed and tongue out. Light faded again as she shouted, “Good night Alternia!”With that, Astra blew a kiss to the audience, hopped off the swing and down the elevator she went.
Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 5:59 pm
Frendo felt like he was stuck in time, with everything speeding around him at lightening speed. Drones came and went, dusting glitter here, curling a piece of hair there, always talking and chattering. He knew he was talking back, but the actual conversations eluded him, as he was too sunk into his thinkpan. There would be hundreds, no, thousands of trolls watching him live tonight, and even more at home! And while the idea of getting hurt was always present(though not all that frightening), it was his worry of messing up that had him all twisted up and lost in his thoughts. This was his last chance to make a statement, and everything had to work perfectly for that to happen.
He repeated the steps in his show for perhaps the millionth time before another drone came up to warn him that it was time. Frendo instantly flashed his well-known smile and hopped off the seat he had been occupying, and shed his anxiety like the skin of a hissbeast. He could break down after the show was done, but now it was time to do what he set out to do. He was going to finish this, and he was going to do it just right. The young orangeblood ran his hands down the front of his glitterbombed bodysuit, enjoying the strong prescense of orange in this outfit. Simple, glitter-covered black flames danced across his chest and waist, and around his feet, but besides that he was completely orange from the neck down. Silver chains dangled around his waist and neck as well, giving him a bit of glitz, which he idly straightened as the elevator descended and the doors slid open.
Those two seconds before he stepped inside his metal ascension seemed to drag on for forever as thoughts exploded like fireworks in his mind. Frets, doubts, that constantly belittling voice telling him he would never make it. But rising above the cacophony was the clear voices of the trolls he had met during this adventure, all those positive voices encouraging him and drowning out the chaos of his mind. Frendo stepped into the elevator with ease he would have never mustered before today, a fire burning in his eyes as determination filled his veins, and as the doors slid shut, his grin only seemed to intensify. He was gunna make everyone so proud!
Act I
"GIVE IT UP FOOOOOR FRENZZ!" the announcer's voice echoed around the coliseum as sparklers and firework fountains burst to life, creating such a dazzling array of light and color that it was almost as if Frendo had appeared from the flames instead of from a hatch in the stage. He raised his arms high into the air as the kitschy tune kicked in, and that sparkling grin of his burst into place like the fireworks around him. He had picked the tune for it's ridiculously catchy beat(which already had him bobbing his head in time) and the fact that it said danger like a hundred times! What could be cooler than that? The little orangeblood flicked on a pair of Lorata Gorgos' stylized glasses as he belted out,
"Revvin' up your engine Listen to her howlin' roar Metal under tension Beggin' you to touch and go
Highway to the Danger Zone Ride into the Danger Zone," his voice was heavily auto-tuned, but he sang with all his pumpbiscuit as he scooted around the stage. Singing and dancing were not things that Frendo did well, but he was always eager to do the best he could, even if he did look silly with his eyes closed shut as he sang and flailed about the stage in his best attempt at dancing. As he bounced about to the beat, he moved from side to side of the stage to engage with fans or get up close and personal with a cameradrone, flashing the Underworld bracelets around his wrists as he rocked out,
"They never say hello to you Until you get it on the red line overload You'll never know what you can do Until you get it up as high as you can go," as the song broke into a ridiculously hot guitar solo, fireworks burst to life around the stage in well controlled chaos. Frendo eagerly air-guitared(to the best of his ability) along as he bounced about the stage, coming dangerously close to the fountains of sparks, his orange bodysuit shining like diamonds in the fiery heat, and revving the crowd up as he sang along with all the enthusiasm he could muster. He liked to believe that there was no such thing as too much enthusiasm, but in his moment of guitar playing passion he missed the beat for his next lyrics, and a tinge of orange flushed his cheeks, yet besides that he stayed calm and jumped in on the next beat with just as much pep in his step as before,
"Highway to the Danger Zone I'm gonna take you Right into the Danger Zone Highway to the Danger Zone Right into the Danger Zone," he finished standing center stage and, to his internal dismay, slightly off beat, though as disappointed as he was, his megawatt smile never left his face as the cameras panned around him. As he waved to the crowds, the elevator whirred to life beneath him, slowly taking him down to change outfits, while the lights dropped on the stage, leaving the crowd in almost darkness.
Act II
As he reappeared below stage, drones rushed him like buzzbeasts on honey, quickly helping him to change and this last costume had to be the most fantastic; where his first outfit had showcased his orange blood, this full body suit was completely black, though it shined liked gloss in the lights. Matte black sequins outlined flames on his arms and chest, standing out surprisingly well against the glossy black of the material they were sown to, and wrapped delicately around his legs. He wore no shoes(he needed to be able to feel where he was going to be walking), but had carefully painted his toenails black just so they would be ready for this part of the show. But more special then his pedicure was the black feathers adoring his hair and shoulders. Not only did it make him look dazzling, it also added to the danger of what he had planned. He carefully touched at the feathers in his hair before stepping into the elevator. This was it, no more time for practice. Time to put everything he had worked so hard on to good use!
The already dimmed lighting dropped to pitchblack as Frendo appeared again, the soft sounds of a violin the only warning that something was about to happen. In his all black suit he was close to invisible on the stage without lights, and as the violin gave rise into full song, a burst of flame lit the stage, a momentary flash of light revealing the befeathered Frenzz standing center stage, only to fade again into darkness. As the next beat of the song played, another bout of flames burst forth, this time obviously being blown, seemingly with ease, from Frendo's mouth. Of course, no one knew how terrible tasting the igniter fluid tasted in his mouth, or how hot those flames really felt as they flashed to life before his eyes. (Frendo was just thankful he didn't light his hair on fire) As the second ball of flame died, three smaller flames ignited and a soft light fell on Frendo, revealing the three flames to be juggling sticks with the ends wrapped in cloth and lit on fire. Frendo grinned at the cameras as he carefully juggled the flaming sticks, each time managing to catch them on the unlit side(thank goodness! He had burned himself several times before he got it down). Of course, plain old juggling wasn't very exciting, so after a few passes the orangeblood sped it up and carefully began adding tricks into his movements, starting with simple things like juggling behind his back and doing cross overs. As the beat intensified, he flashed a daringly cool grin to the cameras and crowd, and motioned across the stage, where a troll dressed in black had appeared holding several red hot knives, though all the crowd could see was the glowing metal on the edge of the stage.
With a motion of his hand, Frendo tossed one of the sticks, only for the invisible troll to toss him a knife in return. He repeated the process with casual ease, his shining smile never leaving his face, until all three sticks were replaced with the hot knives. Frendo worked hard to keep his smile going as he began to juggle the hot cutlery. The burning juggling sticks had been dangerous, but one wrong move now and he could lop off fingers or a hand! It took a lot of concentration, and determination flashed in the orangeblood's eyes as he proceeded to do several tricks with his knives, including doing tosses under his legs and behind his back again. As the knives began to cool, he knew it was time to do his final juggling trick.
Another black-decked troll appeared from the shadows of the stage, and as Frendo continued to juggle, they carefully tied a black bandanna over his eyes. Instantly the little orangeblood could feel his bloodpusher pound in his spongeclots, but he focused on his breathing and counting the seconds between his tosses as the world went nearly all black(he could just barely see around him, which would help with the final step of his juggling trick). After a few moments tossing and playing with the cooling knives, he carefully began to walk backwards, the dim spotlight following him along the dark stage.
He came to a stop just as the song reached its peak, and suddenly the stage was alight with fireworks, lighting all the darkened spots and revealing a large set of stairs(24 steps, Frendo reminded himself) that ended in a nearly 25 foot drop into what looked like a tank full of water. Still carefully juggling his knives, the young troll began to ascend the stairs. Each step forced his thinkpan to work on not tripping and also not cutting himself on a knife, and boy was that hard. About halfway up the stairs, he began to wonder if he could just toss the knives. Of course, he couldn't actually do that, giving up wasn't something Frenzz ever did. He would risk the danger to prove to everyone and himself that he could do this! So he bit down on the inside of his cheek, and carefully finished climbing the stairs.
Once reaching the top, Frendo gave the knives one last toss before letting each one drop and sink blade first into the wood of the step around him, and pulled off the bandanna with a flourish. He grinned wildly at the crowd and gave a whoop of joy before looking down at the drop into the tank.
"BOOOOOORIN'!" he called out, before snapping his fingers. As the crack of his snap echoed off the stage, three rings attached to the stairs above the tank burst into flame. Now that was more exciting! Frendo would have to carefully dive through the hoops into the hole at the top of the tank, and then he could do his last bit! The music began to fade as he prepared to dive before becoming completely silent. He counted down silently from five, took as deep a breath as he could, and lept from the edge as the crowd watched in hushed silence. His aim was right on, and he slipped through the fiery hoops with ease, not touching a single feather on his suit or head as he dove into the tank below.
The instant he landed in the water, a blacked out troll appeared again and slammed the lid down on the top of the tank and locked it. Frendo pounded on the lid, then the sides of the tank. For a moment it would seem he was truly panicked, but in reality it was all planned, but making it seem sudden and unplanned seemed more dangerous. The little orangeblood pounded on each glass pane before he quickly sank to the bottom of the tank and yanked on a lock at the bottom uselessly. Then, as if in a moment of clarity, he dug in his hair and released the feathers from his head as he pulled a bobby pin from his locks.
He had practiced lock picking just for this lock, so it should have been easy to unlock. Yet, as Frendo ran out of air, he couldn't get the lock to pop. He tried his best to keep calm as true panic set in, but his face couldn't hide all of his sudden true worry. He pulled out the bobby pin, then put it back in and wiggled it about again, and yet the lock didn't pop. Had they changed locks on him? Had he not practiced enough? Was he going to have to cancel this and be pulled out? A million thoughts crashed into the orangebloods mind as he tried for a third time to unlock the panel, trying to ignore the way his chest was burning and his sight was going blurry.
Click. He could feel the lock snap as he finally popped the lock, and he gave the panel a solid kick as he tossed the lock away, and with a crashing splash into a container placed below, the orangeblood was expelled from the tank. He barely landed on his feet he was so dizzy and overwhelmed, but somehow he managed and raised his hands above his head as he caught his breath. As the crowd cheered and clapped, he cried out in slightly airy tones, "THANK YA FOUR FRONDS! AN A SHOUTOUT TA ALL MY NHS'RS VISITIN' AND WATCHIN FROM HOME! HI LAUGHDADS! AN DON' FORGET, AIN'T NOTHIN TA FEAR 'CEPT FEAR ITSELF!" he cried out as he clambered out of the water and onto the x at the center of the stage. He waved like a made man as the elevator descended, happy to have finished with nearly no issues, but more happy to get into some dry clothing.
artificial bones
Sexy Goat
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purplerosesbeauty
Springtime Spirit
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Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 6:07 pm
Quote:
The stage was dark for just a moment as the lights focused on Eostre. Then, with a flash, they turned on, in a shower of glitter and blue confetti, with pink smoke rising from her feet. It was time to lip-synch to her chosen song, a pop-ish ballad about fighting, with her own elegant twist as she performed. With the lights on, her outfit could be seen clearly. A lacy blue bodice to her top, ending sharply at her waist in a black, flared and tiered skirt, exposing her legs. Over top of that, a thin capelet from her shoulders attached with silver rivets and spikes. She also wore black gloves and leather heeled boots. Over her gloves she wore her brass knuckles, shined to perfection. For her makeup, she wore the blue and black lipstick, thick eyeliner and enough stage makeup to keep her face perfect and lovely even under the sweltering lights and harsh cameras.
With a single stomp, she began to move and sing along to the lyrics. The backdrop currently featured the forest of Four Fronds prominently, with words running along the bottom. Her favorite city, her hometown, the site of her career. Eostre was thankful that the final leg of her performance would also get to be here, in her hometown, in a familiar place. Something to appeal to. “Do you want to fight me? With your one good leg? And do you think you can beat me? Why don’t you wait until you get out of bed?”
The lights strobed gently along to the beat. With every question in the song, she stepped closer to the cameras, giving a sly grin. Power, was the message she was trying to convey in her movements. They were graceful dance moves sure, but strong, deliberate moves, gentle enough in their appearance but certainly not weak ones.
“Well you're throwing frantic punches at the rate of snow,” she demonstrated alongside the lyrics, holding the microphone in one clenched hand as she punched forward, spinning and pivoting on the stage in time to the beats. “If you’d break in half then you could let it go, you’re eighty pounds of wreckage in a mason jar - you’re a bit combustible, don’t break...”
The music swelled for a moment, and the stage flashed brighter. Some stage decorations could be seen more clearly now as banners unfurled dramatically, advertisements for the sponsors who had paid for Eostre to have a flashy entrance and good performance. Banners for one, simply advertising the business - such as Tincan Mechanics, complete with their slogan. For the highblood sponsors, the banners were a bit more ostentatious, a bit of a personal touch of them.
Their symbols and names were emblazoned on the banners with their own personal statement, and Eostre made sure to make them look beautiful in blue and purple. Modadi Balloa, Sundar Ghayak, Almuma Ththil, Chaeng Zumeng, Stemma Morgen, Eridia Tsifer, and Lorata Gorgos. All names seen on the banners, with fancy borders and back up dancers taking smaller versions of the banners and running behind Eostre, displaying them.
“So you want to fight me with your one good eye? And do you think you can beat me? Hm, well come on, come on,” she said, dancing and moving her hands as she began to spin around on stage, crooking her fingers playfully as she said that last line, an open invitation to come and fight her.
“Well you're holding back the candy like a one sweep old, if you'd break in half then you could let it go, you're eighty pounds of wreckage in a mason jar - you're a bit combustible, don't break!”
The music quieted, and the stage darkened. Eostre clasped her hands together serenely, eyes downcast. The music slowly picked up again, and the lights flashed alongside the rhythm. “Something wicked this way comes… Is it mine or is it yours? It's a bit uncomfortable, oh, don't kill the messenger…” She looked up as she sang, flourishing her hands to the lyrics, on the edge of voguing.
“Well you’re throwing frantic punches the rate of snow, if you’d break in half then you could let it go,” Eostre continued, dancing and singing along, the back-up dancers still visible but keeping their distance from her, moving opposite and away whenever she approached them. “You’re eighty pounds of wreckage in a mason jar, you’re a bit combustible…”
“Don’t break… my heart,” Eostre stopped dancing and eyed the judges panel. A pitiful look in her eyes, cute and sorrowful just for the moment, before she spun dramatically, her cape and skirt spinning into a wide arc as she focused on the cameras.
“So you wanna fight me? Well, you said you want to fight me? Come on, come on…” she smiled and gave a short laugh at the end, once again doing a come-hither motion with her hands as if an open invitation for trolls to come and fight her. At that, the music slowed and eventually faded out. She was already standing on the dark x marked for her, so the elevator lowered as soon as her song was over.
A short relief was all she had, and only a bit of time for her costume change.She could fight in this outfit but it was in her best interest to have prepared a secondary outfit for the talent portion of this event, so she did. The blueblood changed into a new outfit, much sleeker, swapping out leather gloves for silk, and shedding some of the unnecessary rivets and shiny things on her outfit. This outfit was less elegance and grace as her other outfits, and instead was focused on mobility and strength. Her back-up performers similarly changed. Putting her knuckle dusters back on and checking that the trench blades would flip out, she was ready.
Second half.
Quote:
There was soft interim music while she lifted back on stage, and Eostre was posing dramatically when she came out, her arms flexed and almost bouncing on one foot. The music began proper, and Eostre stepped off the elevator, grinning. It was time for her carefully choreographed fight scene. They moved to the beat, swaying in time with the music.
Her backup dancers approached. The fighting would not be real, sadly, but the scene would be a good way to show off both her acting and fighting skills in a nice way, she thought. Three dancers circled Eostre and she went for the one to her side, kicking and punching. Taking a leap into the air as she grabbed them and sent them sprawling on the stage floor, turning to the next “attacker.” She jabbed at them, parrying their returning blows. She took a dramatic hit, spinning and taking a few steps back. A pause, then she continued, attacking their face and neck before grabbing their arm and pushing them to the floor.
The third attacker had staggered slightly behind the other two, and Eostre was ready for them. She kicked at their torso, pushing them back. The only thing on her mind now was this fight, choreographed or not, it was important. She rolled on the floor, appearing behind them and tossing them aside. She grinned and watched the downed dancers roll away to stand up elsewhere.
A careful dance between her and the two fighters. Just a few more minutes for the performance.
Two more dancers arrived, and Eostre flicked out the trench knives, letting them glint in the light. They advanced toward her quickly, and she dodged their blows with calculated ease, and lowered down to punch them in their stomachs, gashing their costumes. She bounced away from them, raising her fists again to punch them again, fighting against their parrying blows and finding the openings in their movements.
An attacker landed a blow and she spun around, stomping her feet for a second as she regained her balance. She kicked one dancer in the shins, sending them to their knees, and kicked them in the face. They rolled away, and Eos turned to the other attacker, coming at her again. They punched her in the face, and Eos staggered back, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
They entered the fray together, encircling one another and exchanging blows. Eostre assailed the dancer, letting them parry her kicks and punches, circling and taking her time blocking them in kind. She punched the dancer in the face, and they rolled away, defeated as well.
Victorious in her fictional battle, Eostre took strong definitive steps toward the center X again and called out to her audience. Her chest heaved slightly from the effort, but thanks to the makeup her face wasn’t sweaty or gross looking, and her hair managed to stay in place. “I’ve been Eostre! Life’s tough, but I’m tougher, darling!” she said, waving her hand and blowing a kiss to the audience. Leaving on that, the elevator descended one last time. It was over.
Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 8:08 pm
Finally this act was coming to an end. Tsarzi did not regret taking part of Superstar by no means, but if she was able to go home at the end of the day and put the whole endeavor behind her, she would be fine with that. It wasn’t often opportunities like this came up, and it was interesting to see how her approach went over with trolls, but otherwise, she had no particular feelings towards the event other than it was the last obstacle left in the day before she could go home.
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The lights were dimmed to the point the stage was nearly black as smoke-like fog slowly began to spread across the floor, spilling into the closest rows of seating. The stage screens lit up with a clouded dark sky, discernible constellations blotted out by thick grey clouds, doing little to light up the stage but it was enough for her outline to be clear and the details to catch. aWulf wore black pants and tank top, helping to make her blend into the shadows of the stage, as was obviously the intention. Her arms were decked in various pieces of crystal jewelry that glinted rainbow when the light managed to catch them, and a curious bracelet hung from each wrist made of beads that seemed to be frosted glass but glowed dimly, likely dipped in bioluminescent substance. The same glowing paint edges the tips of her hair, face, lips, and fingers, making the features stand out.
The song start up was short, nearly non existent with an eerie drawn out chord drawing right into the lyrics. A dim spotlight was cast upwards at Tsarzi, enough to make her stand out, but not so much as to lose the mystique that obviously was meant to accompany the presentation.
The ethereal piano chords struck throughout the stadium as Tsarzi began what looked to be a kata, movements fluid and timed with the music. Sweeping and slow motions for the drawn out chords, she purposefully dipped low then high, her motions dragging a trail of fog after each one, sweeping leg motions briefly pushing the ominous cover away from her legs and feet before it filled back in.
“I see a bad moon a-rising I see trouble on the way I see earthquakes and lightnin' I see bad times today”
Lightning flashed through the clouds at the lyric’s mention of it, lighting up with a purplish glow before fading, the rumble of thunder overlaying the last lien and leading into the chorus.
“Don't go 'round tonight It's bound to take your life There's a bad moon on the rise”
The silence hung for a moment before a sibilant crescendo, Tsarzi’s movements slowing, slowing to a crawl, until she was nearly still, head hung low, figure hunched and tense. On the quadruple strikes of the base, the stadium lights strobed, flashing white in time with the booming noise. Tsarzi kicked high, doing a flip, before coming down and sweeping a low, dragging the smokey cover after her movements, as some hulking figure leapt through the smoky fog behind her.
“I see a bad moon a-rising I see trouble on the way”
The lights strobed again with the bass, Tsarzi’s calm movements shifting into a quick sweep out of both arms and an axe kick, her stance drawing back up as the lyrics continued. As the music picked up, so did Tsarzi’s movements, less arching sweeps and more of sharp draws of arms and legs. Her voice was that of a child, not particularly special or noteworthy, but her inflection matched the low draws of the music, a harmony to the deeper tones of bass and piano creating an eerie effect.
“I see earthquakes and lightnin' I see bad times today”
Lighting flickered once again on the cue of the lyrics, the clouds beginning to shift on the screens, slivers of a digital moon peeking through, an overhead light projecting slight rim lighting to mimic moonlight shining down.
As the quadruple bass came, the same mysterious figure lurking in the fog able to be glimpse behind Tsarzi as her stance sifted, she about faced, back flipped, and sunk into the fog. When the bass came again, the lurking figure leapt forwards, toward the front of the stage, over where Tsarzi has been, allowing a brief glimpse of a horrifically gaping mouth and too many teeth before it too disappeared into the fog.
“Don't go 'round tonight It's bound to take your life There's a bad moon on the rise”
Tsarzi was standing once more and moving steadily through the meditative kata on beat to the music, the wider motions trailed by fog as it swirled after her limbs. The strobes accompanied the bass beat again and her tempo slowed once more, dancing between and deflecting invisible enemies as the white creature lurked through the fog circling her just beyond the lights, making it hard to discern details of the threatening figure.
“I hear hurricanes a-blowing I know the end is coming soon I fear rivers over flowing I hear the voice of rage and ruin”
The fog seemed to thicken as the digital clouds parted more and more, the full moon glinting above the performer as her motions took on a purpose as he motions became for forceful, seeming to deflect the ominous wolf-like figure lurking in the fog as it snarled and dove at her, only to divert away back into the fog at her orchestration. Snapping of jaws and low rumbling underlined the music as the beast seemed to grow impatient and increasingly violent, its attacks more frequent and forward.
“Don't go 'round tonight It's bound to take your life There's a bad moon on the rise”
Each heavy strike of base shook the arena and was accompanied by a strobe, the atmosphere nothing if not tense as the sky on the screens grew clear but fog was thickening on stage, billowing and shifting after the leaps and bounds of the white wolf-like creature as it attacked. Tsarzi jumped, managing to vault off the head, steady herself on the tail, and flip on her way down, smoothly ducking and rolling as the beast rounded on her again.
“Don't go 'round tonight It's bound to take your life There's a bad moon on the rise”
The last set of strobes went off as the fog thickened to a ridiculous degree, obscuring Tsarzi and the wolf creature still dancing around each other on stage and the lights dimmed until darkness engulfed the area.
Unseen, Tsarzi and Lupos positioned themselves on the marked ‘x’ and Lupos let out a long low howl to accompany the final trailing notes of the song.
It was graceful and poignant in its simplicity, highlighting the cool and untouchable image aWulf had built during the event, ethereal and intangible but damned dramatic if nothing else.
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Part 2
((in case any of y’all are squeamish, Tsarzi is skinning and slicing up her lusus’s tail (it’s normal not to worry) and beside it being a bit gross i also have no idea how to write this well please forgive me I don’t know a lot about this))
After a brief reprieve, the stage lit up, this time back to regular lighting standards and not dramatic darkness. The screens came back one like digital billboards, starting to cycle through the personal ads for each of the highblood sponsors that had funded Tsarzi. Modadi Balloa, Sundar Ghayak, Almuma Ththil, Stemma Morgen, Eridia Tsifer, and Lorata Gorgos. Each name was accompanied by a picture, name, city, and advertised product for the event. After showing off the sponsors, it switched to a slide of Tsarzi herself, her catchphrase and town she was representing listed next to her before the cycle repeated, switching back to the ads.
The ominous white figure that had stalked in the background of the first half of her performance was seen clearly now to be a rather sizable wolf-gecko lusus. It was perched center stage, back to the audience and Tsarzi nowhere to be seen. Slowly, the thing lurched up onto its six arms, and turned, revealing a rather intimidating sight. The creature’s maw was split wide, wider than most creatures were capable, edges of it’s mouth running into where one would normally assume the neck would start. There, inside the mouth carefully balanced standing upon the bottom jaw, was Tsarzi, as unbothered as always. Her outfit was the same, the only change being her shades were back in place, shielding her eyes from view. She stepped out from the lusus’s mouth and the creature immediately reared up to its full height instead of hunched on the ground, mouth seeming to stretch even wider as it snarled menacingly and loomed over what seemed to be the lusus’s charge. After a little more posturing, the beast dropped back down and paced around Tsarzi as she stepped up to a before unnoticed giant wooden board on the ground. There were a few knives and tools lined up on the surface that the stage hands must have laid out when the stage was dark. Tsarzi picked up one, coolly ignoring the audience as she tested the edge.
“Tonight, you’re going to see this winner skin a lusus.”
The bland statement was a little unsettling, as brutalizing your lusus in front of a worldwide audience was going a bit far. Probably.
Whether it was more disturbing or a relief when the wolf-gecko lusus folded around itself and tore off its own tail and dropped the limb in front of his charge before backing off and curling up behind her. Tsarzi sunk to her knees next to the board, brandishing the carving knife.
As she began working, the big screen shrunk down the ads to a corner of the screen and started up a live feed of one of the close up cameras to show off her handiwork. A chiming meditative tune began playing, soft and relaxing.
“I am going to be doing what is called open skinning. After making a single clean cut , I will peel it off like a jacket.” Tsarzi dug the knife into the base of the tail and pulled it down the center to the tip, working the utensil through some tough spots before she removed it and set it down. She felt around the base of the tail again, working her fingers between the muscle and skin, lightly pulling up the edges to loosen it before she stood, took a handful, and began to peel the pelt clean off. She held it high and wide, the fur obscuring her completely from view until she carefully set down the pelt, fur side down.
“There are different ways of skinning, though open skinning is what is most commonly used on large creatures. Typically, you would have a full body to deal with and not just a portion as I have here. In that case, you would make a cut from the a**s to lower lip, then along the inside of each limb. From there, you can remove the skin, clean the inside, and tan it for use,” Tsarzi lectured as she cleaned the pelt.
Done with the skin, she carefully folds it and sets it to the side of the board. Tsarzi picked up another knife and again, drove a line straight through the center, base to tip.
“Before I can prepare the meat, I prefer to remove the bones,” she said as she she dug her hands into the slice, taking more time to separate the layers of flesh before she flipped the whole tail over. She cut down the center on this side, and repeated the process a few times until the tail split, and from between the two chunks, she pulled the vertebrae of the tail, delicately displaying the bones.
“Ta-dah,” she deadpanned.
“Maybe you were expecting more from a final presentation,” Tsarzi mused aloud, her voice broadcasting over the light atmospheric music that had been playing as she set the bones aside to being carving up the meat and preparing it for curing. “That would be your mistake in that case. I would rather show off a practical skill as my closing note, if it’s all the same.”
After slicing up the tail for a minute or two, the live feed showing her hands at work cutting up the meat, she spoke up again.
“As it is, the rest of the process is not quite so interesting as the removal of skin and bones, so I will finish backstage. If you’d be interested in purchasing the pelt, feel free to contact a stage hand with an offer and contact information. Do not ask after the bones or meat, you will be ignored,” Tsarzi said, setting down the knife and wiping her hands with a towel that sat on the edge of the board.
Carefully, Lupos laid down next to the board, and with Tsarzi’s help, picked it up and balanced it on his back. Using his middle set of arms, he held it in place as he ambled towards the performer stage exit and Tsarzi followed after, giving a casual two fingered wave over her shoulder to the audience. As she stepped onto the platform, Tsarzi and Lupos were lowered out of sight, the blueblood not looking back.
The elevator began to rise, and Api’s pumpbiscuit felt like it might explode. The announcer was already shouting their name as their head rose through the stage floor. ”GET READY FOR API-BOOOOOOOMB!!” The booming voice echoed through the arena. Api had braced themself for it- but it was still hard not to jump! The crowd was clearly in view- oh what a sight! Both terrifying and exciting- they tried not to think about it too hard. They were here to perform, to do their best, and the amount of eyes on them would not deter them.
They’d chosen to stick with a yellow-and-black striped cardigan, accented with opaque sequins to make it glitter in the stagelight. Underneath, a simple fitted black tank-top bearing their symbol, and then skinny pants. For the sake of ease, they’d chosen to just wear flats for their performance. It wasn’t the flashiest of outfits, but it stick in line with the image they’d been projecting the entire time. Simple, stylish, down to earth. Even the little headset-microphone was designed to be as discreet as possible.
They waved enthusiastically as the elevator stopped and the music began. The song choice had been difficult- what song would encompass what they wanted without being ridiculously cheesy? In the end they’d settled on something that would hopefully motivate others.
”If you love somebody Better tell them while they’re here ’cause They just may run away from you
You’ll never know quite when, well Then again it just depends on How long of time is left for you
I’ve had the highest mountains I’ve had the deepest rivers You can have it all but life keeps moving
I take it in but don’t look down”
They began to circle the stage, raising one hand to point out at the audience with a wink as they recited the lyrics. They bounced with each step, matching the cheery beat of the song. This one was hard to sit still to- hopefully the audience would join in with them and clap along!
”‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ay I’m on top of the world, ‘ay Waiting on this for a while now Paying my dues to the dirt I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ay Been holding it in for a while, ‘ay Take you with me if I can Been dreaming of this since a child I’m on top of the world.”
The chorus was definitely where they wanted others to join in. Pausing back at the center of the stage, they bobbed at the knee and motioned for the audience to join along in clapping their hands. Interaction with them would make it all the more fun!
”I’ve tried to cut these corners Try to take the easy way out I kept on falling short of something
I coulda gave up then but Then again I couldn’t have ’cause I’ve traveled all this way for something
I take it in but don’t look down”
They began circling around the stage again, bouncing with each step as they clapped to the beat. As far as songs go this wasn’t the highest energy one out there, but that was planned! They needed to save themself for the second part of the act. As they neared the next bit of chorus, they stayed on the left side of the stage to address that part of the audience. At the little break between choruses, they twirled in place and then began shimmying back toward the center of the stage to make their way over to the right. Once there, they stuck around to perform the second chorus before making their way back to the center.
”And I know it’s hard when you’re falling down And it’s a long way up when you hit the ground Get up now, get up, get up now.
And I know it’s hard when you’re falling down And it’s a long way up when you hit the ground Get up now, get up, get up now.”
As they walked they waved their arms in a ‘get up motion’, grinning wide as they sang along to the song. Eventually they came to a stop on the X where the elevator was, striking a pose with one hand raised in a V near their face, the other planted on a hip. As the last bits of the song played, they began descending below the stage.
Once below, they hurriedly scurried over to the costume section while the stage was set up for the next part of their performance. Quickly, they added a pair of sparkly bee’s wings to their costume, then switched to boots with a low heel- though the toes had little spikes added to them. They then added a couple of bracelets to their wrists before scurrying back to the elevator. This part of the performance was going to be more strenuous…
As the elevator raised up once more, Api settled themself. They’d practiced the routine until they knew it by heart, but it was still a little nervewracking to do it in front of so many people. As the elevator came to a halt, the first part of the beat really kicked in. Api stepped out to the left, clapping their hands together in front of them as they did so. With each note, they continued their path to the left until they reached the edge of the stage where they did a twirl. As the electronics kicked in, they struck a couple of cutesy poses.
From there, they quickly stepped along the edge of the stage back toward the center, occasionally spinning with each step. Once back at the center, they paused to bounce with the beat, flashing a smile at the audience before continuing along the edge of the stage toward the right. At this point, lights began to flash in a variety of colors along with each bass hit - most of which lit up advertisements for Api’s various sponsors.
As the song progressed and the clapping beat of the song kicked in, they quickly made their way back to the center. Once back near the center, as the song began to rise, they performed a series of quick twirls and hops timed to the beat. Eventually this lead them back to the elevator, but before standing on they came to a halt before it as the song began to die down.
”Thank you all for coming here tonight! Shoutout to all my fellow NCH’ers, honey, you’ve been Api-bombed!!” As they called out their catchphrase, two matching confetti cannons on either side of the stage exploded with colored bits of paper. Those close enough to the stage to get any of it would see that they all carried various advertisements for Api-bomb’s sponsors - Death Dancers, Phoenix Down, Cerise’s Bakery, and several others.
Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 10:40 pm
Tzofia struggled to keep her breathing steady as she waited for her cue to step onto the elevator up to the stage. Ahead of her, Peapop stalked back and forth proudly, reminding her in great detail of every move of her act. It was clear she was having some kind of stage fright, so all he had to do now was get it fully into her head and hope the practice they'd done would take her the rest of the way. She was, after all, more or less on her own for this first act (not counting the strangers that would be her backup). Eventually, an assistant motioned to them that it was time, and the lusus nudged his charge onto the platform.
She took a deep breath, fell into her starting pose with head down and arms out, and waited. As she was slowly lifted towards the darkened stage, the screens played pre-selected images and clips from her interview and the introduction event, along with some shots of Civisect to remind everyone exactly where she was coming from. The elevator came to a halt at its final point just as the video above played out her own voice in that cheery shout of 'I'll do my best!' As the echo of her catchphrase faded, the screens went with it.
Almost immediately the stage brightened again, lighting up in swaying colors to go along with the peppy music, revealing both Peachick and the handful of back up dancers scattered at carefully chosen positions around the stage. Peachick lifted her head and began her little dance in place at center stage before doing a spin and moving towards the nearest pair of backup.
"I don't know about you," she mouthed as she came to a stop near them, marveling a little at how her voice had been improved in the recording. Singing wasn't her strong point, but it sounded alright like this. "But I feel better when I'm dancing, yeah yeah!" The dancers all had been bobbing their heads to the beat, swaying a bit, but as she approached they began to mimic her movements instead, as if she was teaching it to them. "And we can do this together, I bet you feel better when you're dancing, yeah, yeah!"
They repeated it all together before moving on together to the next nearest dancer, until Tzofia and all of her backup were back at center stage for one last group routine. Then it was back into an ending pose, and Tzofia found herself trying to catch her breath again, only this time it was on the way down as the elevator hummed back to life.
She didn't need a costume change since the mascot suit was the Peachick trademark, but she took the tiny breather the time offered as her backup dancers moved off the platform to make room for whoever needed to go up next. She wouldn't have as many of them for the second act, and honestly she felt a little awkward that she didn't have another talent to show for this one either. She loved dancing and could do it all day, of course, but wasn't the audience expecting something else to come next? She wasn't sure. There wasn't much time to think about it though, because the elevator began to move again beneath her.
Again the stage lit up for her as she hopped up into a cheerful pose, arms spread out and at a diagonal. Behind her, Peapop lifted his wings in an opposite diagonal and opened his eyes wide, his white feathers striking as ever. Of course he wouldn't miss a chance to get in the competition, even if all attention was supposed to be on Peachick, but she was glad to have him there. As Peachick began to dance, her lusus mimicked her, either exactly or in an opposing direction if it looked more interesting for the cameras that way. She was a little more daring with the moves now, quicker with turns and the occasional jumps.
As she spun, she spared a glance up to make sure her sponsors names were showing around the screen as planned. Cart Wheeling Deals, Modadi Balloa, The Nightly Grind, The Glass Shack, and shown more often than the others, Phoenix Down Bakery. Good. It was as she was finishing the turn that she saw movement at the corners of her eye, and she stumbled, managing at the last second to turn it into another dance move instead of a fall. Peapop made a questioning noise as he tried to go along, and then again as he realized what had startled her.
The two back up dancers who had come running onto stage to take up positions on either side of them had not been in the plans they'd made. And the odd mascot costumes, similar to those dancing birds she'd seen around and heard had been given out at other booths, definitely weren't supposed to be part of her act. She wasn't even involved with that sponsor! Death Dancing sounded terrifying! What was happening!? The duo kept bobbing along to the beat, making up their own moves as best she could tell, and she struggled not to miss a few of her own planned ones as she grew more flustered.
Thankfully, the song ended not long after though, and she stepped back to the x with a big wave to the crowd that Peapop repeated. The two mystery dancers stood silently beside her until the elevator came to a stop below, and then sped off before she could manage to find a word to say to them. Stunned, she stepped off the elevator platform and looked at her lusus. Peapop shrugged, more or less, and then congratulated her on doing her best until the smile came back to her face.
Zindel could feel the pressure deep in his chest when the elevator rose up, but he'd already done his small calm-down ritual before allowing himself to slide onto the elevator podium. He'd shaken himself out, tested his voice a little, adjusted his red bow tie and stepped upon the podium with a firmness and confidence he didn't think he had in him. The moment before he'd been lifted upon the main stage, a cloud of misty, dark grey smoke was spread out across the large stage. He rose up with his back to the front crowd, merely a shadow in the lighter gases around him as the song queued up in the background.
"Do I look lonely?"
Zindel's voice was deep and rich, not professionally trained but practiced in the art of sounding charismatic and adding his own swing on things. "People have told me-- I don't look the same." As he continued to sing, he turned and emerged from the cloud of smoke wearing a short black blazer and tight pants over a red blouse tucked into a vest with a familiar design, similar to the typical roses etched upon his usual bolero except outlined with golden lines. He wore a collared neck along with his familiar black shoes, unchanged, wearing Lorata sponsored shades in his bloodcolor and holding a golden, classic microphone on a stand in his hand. "Maybe I lost weight? I'm playing... hooky," He murmured into it lovingly, lifting the moonglasses as his hips swayed with the song and the smoke dispersed behind him, hand pressed upon his pump biscuit. "With the best of the best, put my heart on my chest, so that you can see it too~" He began to walk upon the stage with a slight swagger, bringing the microphone along as a slight smile played upon his lips.
"I'm walking the long road--" His steps became over dramatic and slow, hand lifting as he bounced from space to space. Behind him, dancers slid into view from behind and began walking along with him, following his dance and moving with the rhythm as they moved with his singing. "Watching the sky fall," Eyes proving his point, his head was lifted as it fell with his hand, mouth curled as he continued to sing-- "The lace in your dress, tangles my neck," His hand fell as if motioning a body in front of him, winking at the crowd as the dancers behind him curled into themselves-- "...how do I liiiiiiiiveeeeee?...."
"The deaath of a bach-elor! Oh o-oh--" The name of the song fell off his tongue in an excited but musical yell, voice reaching that rich high before falling into the low of its exclamations. At the exclamation the dancers popped out of their curling in, bodies twirling before skipping and switching places with eachother. Each of the dancers wore a shirt with the logo of his sponsors, each one representing one of his 12 sponsors as they danced along the stage. One for Lorata Gorgos, another for the Death Dancers, Modadi Balloa, Sundar Ghayak, Fluid Redistribution Station #365794, Gerbtown Breeders, Almuma Ththil, Cerise's Bakery, Cart Wheeling Deals, Underworld, Pheonix Down, and lastly but not least, Eridia Tsifer. He continued with the chorus, body shifting flexibly with each vocal change, hitting its lows and managing just the right tone with its highs. His hands extended outwards, body trained in slight but dramatic movements as well as clicking his heels with the rhythm of the song and falling in line with the dancers, the only one wearing dramatic red colors in his suit-like outfit. "A lifetime of laughter-- At the expense, of the death of a bachelor," Here, a carefully placed smirk with the curl of his hand.
As the chorus ended, the song skipped smoothly to the song intermission, Zindel releasing the mic stand to dance alone on stage as his feet moved playfully with the music. Off the stage were several of the dancing ducks the Death Dancers gave out, moving to the beat as Zindel danced and had his fun. The dancers were twirling and switching places behInd him, hands gesturing outwardly before moving in and moving out from where Zindel was performing, then falling in line with the redblood and managing to do a simpler version of his expert moves. His hips were shimmying as his feet clicked dramatically, body moving expressively and excitedly. His heels clicked rythmically, chest popped out with assurance as he started sliding from side to side during the half way point of the break, devilish grin spread upon his face but eyes seeming extremely focused. It wasn't his most dynamic performance, but said was intentional— It was only to give them a small peek for his next, now was just him having fun, playing around. His dancers moved along with him, shifting and changing their movements to accommodate and make his movements look more dramatic, with more flair.
His arms moved and he twirled several times before the last lyrics of the song came on, voice breathless but on tone— "The death of a bachelor— Oh o-oh, letting the water fall~" His voice exclaimed with passion, charisma jumping off his skin as he twirled and continued tapping his feet, hips swaying and his hand shifting as he moved it along with the beat. "Happily ever af-ter, WHOOO! How could I ASK for MORE!" He belted, cradling the mic and posing— "A life time of laugh-ter, at the expense, at the death of a bachelor!" And with that, the song was finished, and Zindel was standing right on the x. The thrum of the roaring crowd was enough to make him smile and wave, grabbing the mic one last time before getting lowered. "Thank you, Alternia!!" As he was lowered down, the redblood could feel his heart pounding in his chest— When had performing ever given him such a thrill before? Normally it didn't, but then again, normally he wasn't performing this infront of all of Alternia. It was of no matter, now, now he needed to change. Quickly.
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Zindel jumped out of the plume of smoke that once again spread in the background. There was no music, not yet, until a single orangeblood walked on stage and tipped their hat to the crowd. He sat down in his seat, locked eyes with Zindel, and nodded. Soft chords began. Besides the guitarist, Zindel was alone on stage this time-- no sponsors, no dancers. Zindel walked forward, tossing his red cape off in a rush of movement before twirling into a position that showed off his assets. His outfit was carefully picked— Bold red pants, a black vest, the same baggy blouse with golden roses etched into it, arms going from dark to mesh from his shoulders to his wrists. As always, he wore his shoes, hair pulled into the long ponytail he always wore, rugged face stretched into a grin. In his hands he held castanets, brown and smooth, reserved only for his most impressive performances. The position he stood in was typical of his performances, a shout out to his older fans as Zindel slowly lifted his twirling wrists in an arc, eyes slightly opened as he listened to the music and watched the crowd move from his position on the center stage.
He slid his leg from front to back as his hands opened and his neck fell backwards with the music. His body suddenly straightened up as the chords were struck, standing only on the tips of his toes and slamming his heels down in conjunction with the beat of the music. It was slow at first, hands and feet thrumming with the basic movements-- He'd step forward, then back, forward and back before slamming his foot down and opening his arms to propel his body forward, tapping the tip of his toe roughly on the ground and placing a hand on his hip. The music began to speed up, and Zindel's feet movements became more rapid, hurried, sweat streaming down his face as his hands released the castanets to hang around his wrists and clap in time with the music.
His hips moved in tandem with the song, used to such movements before jumping wildly to the front, thrusting his hands in front of him dramatically before moving his upper body with his body movements, expression holding only a reckless smile. He chuckled, twirling and landing firmly twice and falling with one knee on the ground and the other still on the tip of his toe. From here he rose with his hands sliding up, and the steady rhythm returned, but Zindel decided to go another way with it, jumping from side to side and stomping his feet, each time tossing his foot out before lifting his feet and slapping his heels, bending slightly then standing up straight. His legs kicked up with passion, devilish grin on his face as he twirled around the stage in a flurry of movement.
Suddenly, the music became abrupt, stopping with a rhythm Zindel was almost trained to perform. His hips snapped from side to side with each stop, slamming his feet on the ground as the song began to pick up in movement, wrists twirling as they bent into their usual position. His castanets slid back into his hands as his legs began to bend. Zindel jumped lightly and landed with his left leg outstretched and the other crouching, then switched his position to a right leg twirl and his left leg crouching. The song slowed in preparation for the final thrum of notes, and Zindel swayed forward, backward, forward, backward, with the sound of the guitar.
Slowly his movements became more vibrant, excited, mouth spread in excitement as he played the instrument faster and faster, and with a rush of excitement, the redblood slid across the stage into a standing position, stomping his feet on the ground several times as his castanets clicked along with him-- The guitarist began to pluck lightly, quick notes played specifically for this part of the dance as Zindel's heels clicked along with each note, precise and calculated. Hands clapping, Zindel took a moment to kick up his knee and smack it before continuing to lightly tap his heels upon the floor. As the song reached its end, Zindel twirled and turned faster, more dramatically, arms propelling his movements, shoving his body from side to side as he tapped his castanets quickly and released a loud whoop as his body neared its limit, shifting its position from his left leg to his right leg and vice versa.
His legs were tapping so fast now, mouth curled into a smirk only he would wear as his body twirled one last time and he ended on the tips of his toes, hands up in the air, back straight, hip jutted out. Zindel released a gasp of breath, realizing only then how exhausted he was but keeping the urge to complain tucked deeply in him. He grinned widely, watching the crowd go wild for his performance, mouth spread into his signature Zindel smile. His arms fell down to his sides gently, and the redblood bowed deeply to the crowd, smile still wide on his face as he felt himself feel lightheaded and happy. He strode back to the x marker, all the while blowing kisses and waving to his fans excitedly, almost giddy. "Thank you, Alternia!! And remember-- My hips don't lie!"
Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 10:57 pm
The stage is covered in a thick mist, dry ice obviously is heavy demand for this performance. As the music starts up lights start flashing in the mist, illuminating the spooky scene with flashes of red, orange and purple. As the beat gets going a large punkin is illuminated, all spot lights aimed to its top as our star, Trick or Treat, emerges from the vegetable, clouds of billowing mist spilling out of the gourd. A large logo on the pumpkin declares that it is one of the finest "Cartwheeling Deals" has to offer. Each time the song strikes it's loud beat all the lights flash once, for a blind effect that corresponds with the clash of cymbals. "Now it had come, a time when nothing is aligned, and there is movement somewhere, behind." sings the juggalo. A light behind the mist outlines a large, dark shadow of some horrific creature, seen only through the flashes of light. The juggalo moves her body to the music in jerky puppet-like movements as she sings into the mic. "Scattered and lost in doubt, and left to figure out. And when it struck, the mess was disgraceful" Punkie jumped up, suspended in the air by a harness for a second, as a rumbling could be heard. Suddenly, as the music switched to metal, the gourd exploded. Punkin flew everywhere, splattering the audience. A screen popped to life, stating a quick message that the explosion was brought to you by "Underworld", showing a brief "Let's misbehave~" slogan.
As the music switched to metal, Punkie started to scream the lyrics into the mic. With a swoosh she landed back onto the stage, the mist blown away, showing the grisly remains of the once great gourd. "Take the knife, don't let it go for any reason." The juggalo screamed as she threw the mic to the side, now relying on her wireless one. She took out several long, sharp knives, and started to juggle them. "Twist it in, And get me while I'm turned around. That world is full of itself and full of treason. And you can keep it all." On each loud, heavy beat of the music she took a knife out her routine by throwing it at the carnage of the punkin, leaving several knives stuck in the vegetable remains, making the scene look yet more grisly. You're making no mistake. Your treachery could clear the room out, but your charm could bring them right back."
Punkie was down to two knives, and holding one in each hand she slammed them into the stage, leaving them to stand there, stuck in the wood. She then pulled out a few sparklers, and jabbed and thrust them into the air as if attacking some invisible enemy. "You shake it like it's ancient. Swinging every little piece where it's adured and safe, But your trail is a room and a body splattered. How can you live like that?" The girl sang, still in an imaginary battle with some unseen foe. Take the knife, don't let it go for any reason. Twist it in And get me while I'm turned around. That world is full of itself and full of treason And you can keep it all." The juggalo yelled, the lights making monsters out of the shadows behind her, smoke billowing back onto stage for the shadows to illuminate. "Run to the open arms of the weak and empty. Run to where it's easy. Run to the open arms of the weak and empty." She continued, aggressively pulling the knives out of the punkin corpse. When she had a fair amount she threw them all up in the air, and started to juggle again to the chorus. "Take the knife, don't let it go for any reason. Twist it in And get me while I'm turned around. That world is full of itself and full of treason And you can keep it all." As the last word left her mouth the lights went down, pitching everyone in complete darkness. The sounds of the knives clanging to the ground could be heard, and the scene ended. A ruffling could be heard as the protective layer of plastic put under the punkin was removed, with it removing the carnage.
Quote:
The lights came up again, looking as if the explosion had never happened, another punkin set in center stage. Punkie came in on a unicycle, juggling a few colorful gourds. She did a few circles around the large gourd, finally throwing all the gourds into the air, hopping off the unicycle, and catching them all again. "A sculpture, in the name of my ******** Messiahs." The juggalo said, her head bowed as if in offering. From behind the large, 2 thousand pound gourd, the juggalo pulled out a cordless chainsaw. She held it up, above her head, and spoke reverently. "Life is a ******** struggle, and all of us must strive to keep ourselves and our brethren safe from the damnable corruption." She yanked on the clutch, letting the echoes of its engine dominate the audience's attention. She brandished it at the gourd, hacking off large pieces with grace, but seemingly no reason. The juggalo pulled the plug on the chainsaw and moved to center stage. With great force she imdedded it into the stage, so it stood upright. A banner unfurled, like a flag with the chainsaw as its pole. "Lorata Gorgos"' was written on the banner, as it fluttered in the wind.
Punkie returned to the gourd, and reached behind it again, pulling out a long sword, decorated in elegant swirls and exceptionally well cared for. The juggalo knelt down, holding the sword in a traditional manner, looking all very ceremonial. "You must take control of your life and destiny, going where and doing whatever the hell your ******** bloodpusher tells you." With a large yell, the girl got to work, dashing up to the gourd and slashing it with the weapon. As if in a specific dance, the juggalo kept slashing at the pumpkin, moving gracefully, dancing, as she mutilated the gourd. Soon, a rough shape was appearing in the gourd, and the juggalo stood straight up, moving to stab her sword into the wood of the stage, next to the chainsaw. The sword stood still and upright, a long banner trailing from it, with "Eridia Tsifer" written along its length.
The girl returned to the gourd, and pulled out yet a different weapon, this time a large hatchet, with a gold handle and a blade that shined until it glowed. She took the ceremonial stance again, standing with her feet apart, and her back straight, a look of fire in her eyes and the hatchet in hand. "Always remember to stay pure in your intentions and faithful to the Circus, lest you lose your path to goddamned paradise." The juggalo got up again, and in a similar yet more precise dance, she twirled around the gourd, cutting more carefully, but still sending hunks of punkin all around. Satisfied with her work, she moved to stab the hatchet into the wood stage, right next to the sword. Another long banner unrolled itself and was taken in the wind, to flap about, "Holy Gigglebumps Amusement Park" written elegantly on it.
Once again, the juggalo went around to the far side of the gourd and pulled out long bladed knife. It had symbols inscribed in its blade, catching the light and reflecting it back. She stood, feet together, holding the weapon up above her head, determination on her smiling face. "Don't fall victim to temptation - be that to stray from your own goddamned path in life, your ******** faith, or your family, no matter where that s**t comes from." With that the juggalo repeated her ritual, this time going slower, more carefully. Her dance was less sprawling, but more intricate, as she continued to carve the gourd. Details were becoming more defined, and one could almost make out symbols. Once satisfied with her work here, she repeated her process, stabbing the weapon into the stage, another banner unfurling. "Phoenix Down" could be read, the banner fluttering.
Reverently, the juggalo retraced her previous steps, returning to behind the gourd to pull out yet another mysterious artifact. This time, it was a potato peeler, but one far more embellished than what one finds in the kitchen. The elegant potato peeler was held up to Punkie's plumpbiscuit, and she closed her eyes for a second, adding a prayer to the holy tool. "Never let your ******** bad deeds outweigh your good deeds - be sure to leave the world around you better, rather than shittier." The juggalo moved very little this time, moving the potato peeler this way and that, making the design on the gourd better yet. As she finished with this tool, she stood up again, and plunged the peeler into the wood of the stage, right beside the others, its banner reading "Cart Wheeling Deals".
Punkie repeated the pattern, going behind the gourd to pull a new thing out. This time tho, it appeared she came back empty handed. The girl held out a single needle, and held it up to her eye. "Remember that in your quest for paradise is worth whatever the cost, and that if you fail to reach your goal, that failure is eternal" The juggalo said quietly this time. It was the heavy one. As with the other times, she turned to the gourd and added minuite details, ones the audience could hardly see, but they mattered, they were important. And again, she put the needle next to the others, all in a line, this time putting a sign up as the needle could not support anything like a banner. "The Nightly Grind" was written on the sign for all to see.
For the last time, Punkie returned to the gourd, this time pulling out a dynamite plunger, its handle wrapped in bright red. She held it carefully out in front of her, looking at the thing seriously. "Every one of these ******** has helped me get here. Each tenet doing its damned best to guide me here, each troll or organization giving me glubdamned hand, and, most importantly, all of you ******** fans and followers. Each one of these bitching trolls is fallowing their plumpbiscuit, a dream. A fragile ********, this dream we fallow. We spend some much ******** time making things perfect, working hard, and honing our craft. If ya have a goddamned dream out there, fallow it..." Punkie looked out at the audience, her heart going out to them, her eyes urging them to find that dream and pursue it. Her hand moved a bit and one last banner uncurled, this one stating "Underworld".
"Live your goddamned lives to the fullest!"
The juggalo yelled.
With a mischievous smile, she said one last thing. "Cuz you never know what kind of ******** treats, or tricks, might come your way." The juggalo raised her hand into the air and clammed it onto the dynamite plunger. Punkin goop and smoke encompassed the stage, everyone's spongeclots ringing from the noise. The stage goes dark, and the performance is over.
Micillia
Dapper Duck
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melona-pan Crew
Cute Cultist
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Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 11:48 pm
Quote:
"And now, the one, the only- Fross☆!"
The glow of the stage dimmed to nothingness. Figures shuffled around in the shadows- back up dancers getting into position. The silence of anticipation fell over the audience.
A faint, ringing melody began to echo throughout the theater, lights returning as the music grew louder. The stage had been transformed into the scene of a town square via cutesy, cardboard cut outs. Stylized trees with cupcake flowers and quaint buildings were propped up behind a slew of backup performers. The buildings were clearly labelled 'Cerise's Bakery', 'Underworld', 'Pheonix Down', 'Eridia', 'Lorata G' and 'Stemma Morgen', with the latter having a sign in the window that read 'when they go low, we bury them'. Each actor was dressed up in tights and fantasy clothing, highly resembling the mainstream FLARP style so commonly seen. A purpleblood held a spinning sign with the words 'let's misbehave' boldly printed, posing in front of pseudo Underworld. A rainbow of flags flapped above the cardboard buildings, one stitched with 'it's fast, furious, luxurious' above Eridia's purple building. The last piece of text on stage was a speech bubble coming out of a cartoon swampbeast on the side of Cerise's Bakery- 'a sweet treat for every occasion!', it exclaimed. The majority of actors wore costumes in lower hues, although a handful of coolbloods were scattered among them. They milled around quietly, acting out everyday mundane tasks.
Then, a burst of smoke from above.
The actors all stopped, spinning to look above the stage. It was impossible to make out what it was at first; there were too many sparkling lights overhead and the smoke served to diffuse the flashes into a glowing ball of white. After a moment the smoke parted, curling into the sky above. The music crescendoed. A figure slowly descended from the sky, sitting prettily on a throne suspended by countless white balloons. Frossa waved at the audience once she broke into view, kicking her heeled toes. "Beaming pichi pichi beamu~!" Winking with her signature arm-arc-kiss-point, Frossa hopped off her seat once the ballooned contraption was within arm's reach of the extras. While still decked out in sequins, Frossa's outfit was much more elegant than any other she had worn the previous nights. Deep purple in hue, her layered gown was befitting a princess more so than a pop idol. Frossa curtsied, billowing out her skirts. When she popped up, she had the biggest smile on she had ever mustered in her entire life.
"Who's the lucky troll?" Frossa spun towards her back up dancers, giving them an appraising look. She shrugged, smiled, then turned back to the audience.
"Hey, ponny, ponny, is it you?" A finger was jutted towards the right side of the audience.
"Hey, ponny, ponny, is it you?" She gestured toward the other side of the crowd.
"Hey, ponny, ponny, is it you?" Skipping over to a nearby backup dancer in red, she stuck her arms behind her back and leaned towards him quizzically.
"Hey ponny, ponny, ponny no!" He responded, covering his face before running off behind a cardboard tree.
Sticking out her lip in a pout, Frossa turned back to the audience. "Hey, ponny, ponny, is it you," she pointed at a troll in the audience, "or you, or you, or you, or..." with each 'you', Frossa pointed to a different face. She trailed off, placing a hand on her cheek. Frossa heaved with a dramatic sigh.
"Someone's being bashful; that's no way to be! Not with me... can't ya see... that I am just as embarrassed as you?" Hands clasped over her bloodpusher, Frossa broke into song. She gestured towards the back up dancers who skittered behind her nervously, beckoning for them to come closer to her. They hesitated. "So I can understand... your... point..... of... view......" After playfully tapping a yellowblood on the nose, Frossa skipped off to a chair placed off to the side. Gathering her skirts, she daintily sat down, arms crossed over her lap. She seemed to momentarily shy away from the audience. The music quieted.
"I've always been..... ssSSSSHHHHYYYYYY!!!"Frossa ******** belted. She nearly screamed.
"I confess it! I'm SHYYY!!!"She threw her arms out in song. The back up dancers perked up, leaning towards her with newfound intrigue.
"Can't you guess that this confident air is a mask that I wear 'cause I'm shy..." She wrung her hands together, still seated neatly, grinning sheepishly. "And you may be suuuuure, way down deep I'm demuuuuure," Throwing a hand up to the side of her face as if whispering, "though some people I know might deny it- at the bottom I'm quiet and PURE!" Frossa batted her eyelashes.
Without hesitation, she jumped into the arms of a blueblood. "I aware that it's wrong to be meek as I am; my chances may pass me by..." she threw an arm over her forehead, leaning backwards as the larger troll dipped her. "I pretend to be strong, but as weak as I am- all I can do is try. Gog knows I... TRYYYYYYYYYYY!" Frossa hopped out of the blueblood's grasp, dancing towards the edge of the stage with her arms outstretched.
"Though I'm frightened and SHYYYYYY!" Turning back towards her extras, she shook her head. "And despite the impression I give I confess that I'm living a lie!" Two greenbloods approached her, as if concerned. She leaned towards them, hands raised daintily. Her voice dropped. "Because I'm actually, terribly timid..." She drew away, covering her face. Her hands slid down. "...and hhHOOOOORRRIBBLY SHYYYY!"
Suddenly, Frossa hopped out to the middle of the stage. The back up dancers followed suit; lights sparkled as they broke out into a jolly dance.
"Though a lady may be dripping with glamour, as often as not she'll stumble and stammer, when suddenly confronted with romance!" The trolls slowed, circling around Frossa. She clasped her cheeks. "She's likely to fall on her face when she's finally face-to-face with a pair of spades~!"
"And that is why- though I'm painfully shy..." Frossa stepped towards the dancers once, then twice. She bent down at the hips to lean towards them quizzically. "I'm insane to know which sir... you, sir?"
"Not I, sir!" an orangeblood Frossa had turned to chirped back.
"Then who, sir?" She hopped up, weaving through the dancing back up performers towards the audience, pretending to ask them questions. "Where, sir, and when, sir, I couldn't be tenser! So let's get this on a roll- let's get on with the fun, troll! I am one troll..." Frossa had made her way to her mark on the stage. She drew her arms close to herself.
"The misses is one troll...!" The back up dancers sung in unison, flinging their arms up toward Frossa.
"SSSSSHHHYYYYYYY!!!"She bellowed, jumping and throwing out her arms while she did so. Frossa went purple from the effort, holding the note while being lowered underneath the stage.
Everything went dark.
Quote:
Moments later, a lone spotlight focused on the elevator blasted through the darkness. Frossa was raised, posed with one arm over her bloodpusher, and the other outstretched to the sky. Her curls pressed against the huge ruffled collar she wore, complete with leggings and puffy shorts. An iconic look.
"To die! To sleep..." She leaned her head against clasped hands, posing as she enunciated each word with intense passion. "...to sleep, perchance to dream; ay, there's the rub- haha, rub!" Frossa let out a hearty laugh, hands on hips. There was a long pause.
"For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come... muuuuuuust..." She rolled her hand, looking up as if struggling to remember lines. "...give us pause... make us bear those... uuh, I've forgotten." Frossa's arms dropped to her sides. "Huh."
Tapping her foot against the stage, she cupped her chin in thought. "I know I'm depressed about something. Uhhhhhh." While this monologue may have seemed improvised or messily slopped together, it was, word for word, what was written in the famous play by Shakes Speare and performed exactly as intended. Gentle flames began to trickle around her, shooting up from the floor. A wall of lightbulbs behind her lit up with the words 'Alternia needs heroes'. "Auspistice: dead." She threw a hand up in exclamation. "No, wait, moirail dead, auspistice alive, kind of a sexy thing with the queen;" Frossa was counting off on her fingers now, "Kismesis probably killed my lusus, matesprit... crazy as a loonbeast, her lusus is a chatterbox, I killed him..." Almost all her fingers were up by this point. Her arms fell flat to her sides. She was encircled in fire.
"Aah, this is all too complicated." She shrugged. The lights went dark, the flames went out.
Seconds later, bright flashing lights burst through the arena. Frossa stood in the same place, albeit had quick-changed into the very first outfit she had worn for Superstar Authority. Perhaps it was on underneath?
"Thank you everyone for your support!!! I couldn't have done this without you!" Frossa hopped around on one foot, waving her arms around wildly. Her smile sparkled enough to challenge the lights. Flames began to spout agin in time with The Pon Song, accompanied by brilliant rainbow sprinklers. Frossa giggled and bowed. "I'm so happy I got this chance to perform at my hometown of Four Fronds for the final performance of the competition! Thanks to all my sponsors- especially Sundar Ghayak who is also from the Fronds- a little glamour never hurt anyone. I hope I brought a smile to your bloodpusher tonight!!!" Frossa flailed her arms wildly in time with the music. "Good night, everyone! Many smiles to you all!!!" She disappeared in the fire and sparkles.
As she was lowered beneath the stage for the final time, Frossa wondered to herself if Hazzan had been watching her homage, and what she thought. The flames were for Alifax; she was sure he would see, crouched off in some muddy cave watching it later on vhs. She cared for her friends, deeply, and what they had built together; their many nights spent enveloped in wondrous FLARP adventures, the stories and characters, the NFL. Listening to Hazzan prattle on about theater at lunch, Alifax nearly throwing up from the cake she shoveled down his throat, was probably her favorite memory. They were off doing their own things now, having outgrown her long ago, while she chose to remain a child after the elixir fiasco. But because of them, she was equipped with the tools to do this. Because of them, she was rehatched as Fross☆.
Now, it was time for her to shine in the night sky.
