don't stop believing

[stagemanagers]

[Streetlights, reveals] | [Vision Statements] | [Mass Resolution: CONNECT] | [A little touch of the sun (Revival)] | [They do this bullshit like 8 times a week (Rescue)]


[It's a pleasant afternoon in the garden. Maybe not emotionally, but physically - isn't it nice when you get to have class outside?

As your voices rise, singing defiance in unison out for the Wizard, there's no immediate response; at least, nothing that clearly is a response. But there's something. Amidst the sound of your song, it may be hard to hear at first; Janis will likely be the first to notice, but eventually everyone is able to hear. It sounds as though other voices are rising along with yours.

There's something on the air - no music, or at least no instrumentals, just a disembodied sort of lyrical chant. You don't recognize any of the voices. They aren't singing the same song as you all are. Maybe they can't; they sound long long ago, and far far away now. Still - despite everything - the trees around you move lightly in a sudden soft breeze. It feels as though you have invoked something, old and entirely beyond your knowledge.

But first. Haven't you forgotten something?

It's Wednesday.

Welcome to this week's school club!]

Comments

[fourbutts]

... I can't believe I'm saying this to you, but nobody deserves that.

[ No one deserves to be forgotten. ]

I can't agree with your plan. Not until we try at least... I don't know, Avengers-ing up some narrators or trying to summon Sondheim or making some kind of effort to actually fix this.

It sucks that it's breaking the multiverse, but all of us are better off for having met each other. That's... just the kind of story this is, I think. If you leave a story alone, if you leave everyone in their little boxes, after a certain point it all kind of stagnates. We're all part of each other's stories now, and... I think that's good, so long as we can get the multiverse to, you know. Agree.

[stopbelieving]

...but it doesn't agree. [...] You know Sondheim is a real person, right? You want to summon the real Stephen Sondheim?

[fourbutts]

Why not? If anyone can fix the fucking musical multiverse it would be him, right? That's the thing about writing a story! You get to do whatever the fuck you want! It's technically Tina Fey's fault Regina got hit by that bus!

[tailor_made]

Janis, please don't summon actual 91-year-old American composer Stephen Sondheim or actress and comedian Tina Fey. I think that may actually break things for good.

[fourbutts]

I mean... okay, it might have to be slightly fictionalized, but why not? I mean... the show must go on, right? It's not... "the show must be repeated until William says it's okay."

[tailor_made]

Yeah, I get that just-

I feel like dragging an old, old, old man in here with no context might not be the solution we need right now.

[brokeforgood]

I mean, he brought Salieri in—-

[fourbutts]

... Yeah, okay.

[ ... wait. This probably isn't the issue, but. ]

What if we pulled a younger version of him in, then?

[sugarlumps]

Bring in a hot version!

[She is only half-following all this.]

[fourbutts]

... LSP I don't know how to tell you that you probably don't stand a chance with Stephen Sondheim.

[sugarlumps]

Okay, I know I'm like WAY out of everyone's league now, but it's been two months and as hot as a lot of people here are I need fresh eye-candy.

[fourbutts]

You are gorgeous, and we know this, but I am relatively certain the man is gay.

[sugarlumps]

I can look without touching!

[tailor_made]

Maybe that could be useful- [And then LSP brought up the idea of "Hot Sondheim" and her brain went to hell.]

[fourbutts]

[ once she's emerged from the Hot Sondheim mines- ]

Look, the man won't give me back my narrator powers so I can try anything else, so I'm just trying to think of people who could help fix it because I don't think anyone in this room can.

[mayavericks]

We don't have Nana, either.

[She squeezes her eyes shut.]

What other options are there? What narrators do you know of? Nana listed a few during our meeting. This -- Hermes, could we summon him?

[Maybe not the best idea considering what she did to Orpheus but --]

[fourbutts]

Maybe? I mean, fuck, if he gives me back my powers maybe I can get the Leading Player in here. Point is we have options. Between all of us and the narrators we know and...

[ She paces a little, as she talks, thinking. ]

Just the literal last thing I want is to leave the whole fucking multiverse in the hands of one guy on the hope he'll be able to stop something like this from happening again.

[mcfife]

We could try the gods of our universes. I know one - he didn't create mine, but he could try something.

[Maybe if they pray hard enough??]

[fourbutts]

Could be worth a shot, honestly! That's... basically the same line as me trying to get Stephen Sondheim in here!

[mayavericks]

I wouldn't trust a man as far as I could throw them, but I especially do not trust this man.

You mentioned combining forces sometime back -- training Narrators and working together. I think you have the right idea. If we can get your powers back, and bring the Leading Player back and... create some sort of force that can work together.

Separation is not the answer. It never has been. To succeed, we must be united.

[fourbutts]

[ Janis nods. ]

Exactly. This isn't the part where we run scared, and it sure as hell isn't the part where we make this guy into god. It's time for, I don't know... a big group number.

[mayavericks]

A group number.

[Doesn't this all sound familiar. It wasn't long ago that she had joined together with another group of friends in order to enable someone else to join a fight.

She glances toward Nana, smiling at her just a little. And then Maya closes her eyes, humming to herself. Some of it may sound familiar from earlier.]

Lift our gazes up proudly
As we straighten our backs
The blue sky up above is also boundless today

Be as dazzling as the sun,
Just like the blooming flowers
There's a meaning to every encounter in life

Scatter your dream about, don't forget about your dream
The future holds endless possibilities, so let the curtains rise