★ blind the masses with a grin, stir up the media

[liedol]

⭐ Who: Ai and you!
⭐ When: End of May through July
⭐ Where: Various prompts around Yumemigaoka and the Dream Sphere
⭐ What: An Ai catchall for the next month! After a suspiciously well timed vacation out to Hokkaido, Ai's back in Yumemigaoka and ready to catch up on everything she missed. I'm also down for doing closed/private prompts so hit me up on Discord if you'd like to plan something!

Comments

[traceofeffort]

[So many things happen at once that Lisa almost loses herself in the chaos, and it takes a moment to let as much of the situation flow in as she can handle right now. A moment is all she has, of course, but that much is enough for her to... not entirely calm down, but at least center herself enough that she can feel right in her own skin after a deep breath. Or, at least, that she can reconnect to the fight around her without feeling quite so frazzled.

Rhodonite is conscious that the Torment she hit whizzed straight past Hanako (oops) to chain into another one and poof into glitter (yay!), that Decadence is keeping up and has time to crack jokes (huh), and that Ai-Doll is praising her and laughing happily (oh gosh oh man can't process this now). But the thing that occupies the most space in her mind is-!]

Roadie!? Seriously!? That's-

[She makes a show of puffing up about it, but. She's not mad. That much is visible from the expressions on her face, which... flicker through (lessened) frustration, determination, minor annoyance, a little bit of affection, and perhaps most importantly hope. It'll be okay. She can deal. She's not out of the woods entirely, but Rhodonite should manage, as long as nothing goes horribly wrong. To keep it that way, she flips her bass back into her hands, starting to play a low, poppy melody to keep the Torments' attention, humming along quietly enough it'll be hard for anyone but maybe Ai-Doll to hear.]

[hanamane]

[Hanako can't help it either-- he starts laughing more in earnest at the utter chaos of it all, with Ai's whacking the stuffing out of a Torment and Lisa's journey in facial expressions once she picked up on her new nickname. Who says fighting these things couldn't be fun? He spares a glance over to Decadence at his question as he continues to fight, however, putting a finger to his cheek as he pretends to take idea into consideration.]

Oooooh? Whaddya have in mind, old guy? Some enka, maybe? I don't know if it'll mesh that well with their style, though!

[Not that Hanako's ever really been to actual karaoke before (because that requires him having friends), but he's... pretty decent at singing, actually! Blame it on Ai-Doll making him duet with her a lot during their training days (and the Hoshino twins practically throwing their mother's discography at him), but if they needed some back-up vocals in a pinch...]

[liedol]

Sorry, but I'm not about to let you two hijack this show. ★

[ There's only a few Torments left, but that doesn't mean she's going to let the other steal the spotlight from her and Rhodonite. Flipping her wand back around, she re-orients it to her mouth like a proper microphone and, somehow falling perfectly back into beat with Rhodonite's bass, she starts to sing. ]

More than the tough stuff in life that weighs on my mind, let me indulge in the sweetest romance of a lifetime! ♫

[ There's no point in being under the spotlight if she's not going to properly strut her stuff, right? ]

[darknesshotpot]

You're 40 years too early to be singing enka, brat! Come back when you've been dumped by at least three ex-wives. Besides, you heard Ai-Doll - you and me are on backup!

[Ango is a little disappointed at not having a chance to show off his karaoke skills, but everyone else should be grateful that they won't have to hear his singing voice. It's not that Ango's singing improves after a few beers (it absolutely doesn't), but he definitely sounds better after everyone else has had a few rounds too.

By now the meteor shower has thinned out to a light rain, and under the combined musical attack the remaining Torments seem stunned and disoriented - making them easy targets for Ango and Hanako. He's not usually a pop music fan, but this song has a catchy beat... maybe he'll have to try practicing it himself.]

Alright! It looks like we've almost got this place cleared out!

[traceofeffort]

[.....okay, what the hell, Ai-Doll is overpowered if she can get back to full idol mode from that. That anxious feeling is still burning, but there's also a certain other warmth... Ai-Doll isn't just singing. She's singing to her music. It's one thing when Rhodonite needs to start from scratch with everyone looking at her. It's another when she's already started and the others are joining in and supporting her, and it feels good to be - somehow - playing backup, keeping her fingers moving and staying on beat. Hanako and Decadence trading barbs is also somehow reassuring now? She doesn't understand herself but she'll take it.]

Hey, every good show needs security! Don't lose focus until they're all down, and we'll be all right!

[The music is doing its job - the last batch of Torments seem to be on rather more predictable paths as they fall in, and it's easy enough to make sure nothing hits her or Ai-Doll. She's not quite brave enough to open her mouth and try to sing, but she does manage to (a bit more loudly) hum along. That, and when one of the Torments breaks containment and swings back toward them, Rhodonite jumps toward it and gives it a solid boot back out of the way, punctuating her bassline.]

[hanamane]

You think I'll have actually three wives someday?

[HANAKO, THAT'S NOT WHAT HE SAID, OH MY GOD--

But jokes aside, they really were at the final push of things now, and with Ai finally busting out the vocals (a classic, at that!), Hanako felt invigorated enough to mop up the remainder of these Torments. It was easy to tell who the real stars of the show were, and as fun as it was to pretend they were going to contribute along-- he knew was nigh impossible to upstage Ai Hoshino when she wanted to strut her stuff. So he's content to fall into the role of back-up (or security-- maybe that metaphor worked better), though he can't help but add a bit of idol concert flair to things-- it was only appropriate.]

Last stretch! Uu! Haa! ♪

[And in a feat of spectacular timing, Hanako manages to slash the Torment that Rhodonite had launched out of the way, the critter exploding into so much stardust. How's that for teamwork?]

Fuwa! Fuwa! Fuwa! Fuwa! ♪

[Does it count as wotagei if he's directing his Hakujoudai to slam into the monsters in time to the beat of Ai-Doll and Rhodonite's song, or--]

[liedol]

All aboard the STAR☆T☆RAIN! Let’s make some noise now! I know for sure there’s no way that we’re gonna stop! ♫

[ Torments shatter apart into glowing stardust – really, even if it wasn't for the starry sky spinning around them, this would be just about the loveliest stage she could ever dream up for herself. The thought comes with a little pang, knowing that even when she's singing her heart out in such a beautiful place, her two biggest fans aren't going to see it.

It's all the more reason to go even harder in real life, of course. But still. ]

So grab my hand and let's strike up the band – it's only the start so let's go! ♫

[ She punches the air in time with Hanako's strikes, bright and beaming. They've got this! ]

[darknesshotpot]

[In the space of a few moments, he and Hanako have been demoted from enka stars to backup singers to security guards to wotaku stans... but Ango is having way too much fun to care. Sure, Ai-Doll could probably clear this whole pocket dimension of Torments by herself, but what's the point of being an idol without fans?]

Yeah! Fuwa! Fuwa! Fuwa! Fuwa!

[He holds his knives like glowsticks and waves them around in time to the music. There are hardly any Torments left to fight at this point - Ai-Doll and Rhodonite's song is steadily blasting them into a soft, glittering rain - so Ango can relax and enjoy having free front row seats at the most exclusive concert venue around.]

Come on, ladies, take a bow - you've earned it!

[traceofeffort]

[Ai-Doll is dazzling, as always, but... the feeling of this is so overwhelming that she can't help but grin. She's not in the center, no, but she's close enough that she has no regrets whatsoever anymore. She'll be annoyed later, but she feels... a little better about herself, being able to reach this point. She's not deadweight. Indeed, things are going... well? Question mark? She keeps playing, fingers sure, Ai-Doll's song keeping her grounded; then again, with things the way they are, it looks like the show's winding down, and some of the tension leaves Rhodonite's body as the Torments thin to nothing. That frees her mind to wander a little bit, and she comes to a realization: this is the first time she's played music for other people in... a long time.]

What a rush...

[And she'd forgotten how much of a good feeling it was to play and have your effort appreciated. She's not too loud, of course - she's not one to talk over a performance if she doesn't have to! - but still, the words slip out. She directs her warm, happy expression up at Decadence, appreciative. Really she just wants to wrap all of them up in a group hug, but that's. Way outside her capacity right now.]