Rock Band Party, Tuesday Evening, First Floor Rec Room

[glacial_queen]

Karla and Warren had celebrated their return to their proper forms in the way that many teenagers would find appropriate: they'd headed back to the modern mainland, found a toy store, and bought a gaming system (or three). Along with the games they bought to go along with said system, they also picked up a few guitars, a keyboard, a drum set, and two microphones.

Once back in the rec room, the rest of the afternoon had been spent setting up the systems and buying every single song available for the game. Waiting for them to finish downloading actually took longer than the initial setting up, even taking in Karla's attempts to 'help'.

But now the system was set up, the songs were ready, and the instruments prepared.

Fandom High? Get ready to rock.

[Open for anyone who wants to play. not_a_parakeet modded to an ungodly degree with permission! Just a warning about SP and Karla's threads--I will be AFK all day, but if you're willing to wait until Thursday that's fine by me.]

Comments

[selfhelphero]

"Oh yeah? Do you rock a fake video game keyboard, or a real one?" Billy asked.

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

Marshall grinned. "Real ones, normally. I'm a few years behind -- the whole music video game thing is kinda new to me."

[selfhelphero]

"Ah, well, welcome to the 21st century, where even people who don't have musical talent can pretend that they do," Billy said with a laugh. "The real thing is usually better though. Do you like the piano, or is it something your parents made you do?"

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

"Hey, I'm from the 21st century!" Marshall countered. "Just, y'know, 2005. I have no idea when this came out, but I totally don't remember it, so it's gotta be after that."

He flexed his fingers as he got up from the keyboards to let someone else have a go. "And I mean, my parents got me into it, but I love them -- I was in a band at my old school. We even played some gigs."

[selfhelphero]

"Really?" Billy said, looking intrigued. "Okay, that's awesome. What kind of music did you guys play?"

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

"Rock. I mean, nothing too heavy?" Marshall explained. "Garage rock kinda stuff, I guess. Although we were at a boarding school, so there was no actual garage in sight."

[selfhelphero]

"You had a band at a boarding school? I didn't think they let those kinds of things happen," Billy said, looking around. "Except maybe somewhere like here."

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

Marshall couldn't help but laugh. "Funny you should say that," he said, between totally manly giggles. "I think Blake Holsey is probably the one place as weird as Fandom. Or vice versa. Or something."

[selfhelphero]

"I didn't think any place could be as weird as this," Billy said in amazement. "Did people get turned into random animals there too? Or are we just especially lucky here." Mmmm, sarcasm.

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

Marshall had to stop and think. "No, I don't remember anyone ever turning into an animal," he admitted. "Especially not ponies. That was cool. But I once almost got eaten by a girl named Diana who was actually a venus fly trap? One of my friends started aging super fast after getting bitten by a mayfly, and another friend once had a series of localised storm systems following him around 'cause he was feeling pressured by his father."

[selfhelphero]

"Whoa," Billy said slowly, not sure whether to be impressed that Marshall had survived all of that, or nervous that there was another place as bad as Fandom. Maybe he could do both at the same time. "Wait, back up. You liked being a pony?"

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

"... Dude, I could fly. And, like, nothing was trying to kill me!" Marshall grinned. "I just got to, like, enjoy the random. And did I mention that I could fly?"

[selfhelphero]

"I guess it was better than being attacked. And flying is pretty awesome. Or was," Billy added quickly. "I missed having hands though, a lot."

[I must sleep, woe! SP?]

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

Marshall nodded enthusiastically. "No, I mean, hands are totally awesome! It's not that I want to, like, be a pony forever? But I kinda hope it happens again, y'know? When else am I going to get a chance to fly like that?"

[SP is aaaawesome! I should head to bed myself, anyway. :D ]

[selfhelphero]

"Well, you could find someone who knows how to fly, and ask them to take you with them?" Hypothetically, of course. "There are quite a few people here who can do that, I think."

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

Marshall flushed a little. "I... kinda maybe asked a few too many questions about Warren's wings," he admitted, "so he's probably not the best person to ask. Know anyone else who can fly?"

You know. Other people. Who aren't you, Billy.

[selfhelphero]

If Billy knew anyone besides himself and Warren, he might have said so. But he was trying to get used to not having to keep secrets, and there didn't seem like a good reason to lie, so he waved his hand and smiled shyly. "Um, I don't have wings but...it's one of my things, yeah."

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

"One of your things?" Marshall asked. "So you can do other stuff, too?"

He's trying to not immediately go, 'OMG, take me flying!' But -- FLYING!

[selfhelphero]

"Yeah, I can kind of make lightning?" Billy said, sounding uncertain even though it wasn't really a question. "I'm not used to being able to be open about this stuff. I really have to keep it a secret at home.

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

"At this point I'm kinda just smiling and nodding whenever someone tells me they can do stuff," Marshall admitted. "I mean -- it's not that I don't believe you? Because I do! You have no reason to lie, or anything. I just, this stuff is so far outside the scope of my experience. Back home, like, weird things happen? But the world outside of Blake Holsey is pretty normal. No one has powers or anything.

"So don't be offended if I have a quiet little freakout on my own later? I'll have it, I'll be done, and I'll be good, I promise." He offered a bit of a grin. "And, hey, if you're up for answering any questions some time about how this stuff works for you, I can probably come up with a few." Dozen. Hundred. "Simple one, though: is this kinda stuff fairly common in your world?"

[selfhelphero]

"I don't mind answering questions, especially if they might, like, downgrade your freakout," Billy said, with a smile of his own. "It's not that common to have powers at home, no. If there were more of us, we wouldn't have to hide our identities. And for me, well, my parents are super normal. They'd totally flip if they knew I wasn't normal too."

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

Marshall nodded. "It's kinda the same back home," he explained. "I mean -- there's just a few of us who know what's going on, with the weird stuff? Most people see to just kinda explain it away, or ignore it, even when it's affecting them directly. I can't imagine what would happen if my parents knew the truth -- it's bad enough they pulled me out when-"

He hesitated, but, hey, Billy had admitted the whole powers thing, which he seemed really nervous about, so. "-a friend of mine kinda... disappeared? And it freaked out a bunch of parents, mine included, who pulled their kids out. Which means now I'm here instead of back there helping find Josie."

[selfhelphero]

"She disappeared?" Billy said, frowning at the thought. "Do you have any idea where she is? I mean, do you think she ran away, or do you think something bad happened?"

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

"Josie wouldn't run away," Marshall insisted. "No, there's -- Blake Holsey has a wormhole in the science professor's office? We're pretty sure she's lost in there somewhere. Probably in another time. But we can't figure out when, so we can't go get her back."

He sighed. "At least, if I had to go somewhere, it's here, right? If I'm going to find something to help her anywhere else, it's probably here."

[selfhelphero]

"Oh, absolutely. I've heard there's a locker than sometimes traps people, but everyone's gotten out of it okay," Billy said. "Maybe...I mean, I'm sure your friend is okay, it's just a matter of getting her back."