confrontation.

[cancrymods]

It's time.

Esme has been doing her level best to make sure everyone in Invidia knows about their little competition, so it shouldn't be a surprise to see that the mall is absolutely overflowing with devoted fans today, all eager to see the outcome of this "friendly" competition between performers. Thankfully, Esme has been unusually sportsmanlike and deigned to release a schedule of the event beforehand, so you're not just going in blind. Esme and Idol-ON will perform two songs each and then hold a question and answer session with the audience, after which a vote will be held – and whoever has the most votes by the end of the show will be declared Invidia's newest top idols.

Sounds simple, right? Right.

You've all been given a private room out of the way of the crowds, with some time to spare before the event itself starts. Time for some last minute rehearsal, some last minute panicking, some last minute... sabotage? Well, Esme's probably not going to play fair, so why should you?

Comments

Q&A

[cancrymods]

Once the two performances have wrapped up, both sides get a couple of minutes to recuperate before heading back out there – this time, sharing the stage. Esme's all smiles of course, putting on a perfectly nice performance...

At least until Alice steps on stage. She barely spares Esme a glance as she starts her MCing duties like a pro, but it's impossible to miss the look of cold, dead shock and anger that briefly takes over Esme's face. Even when she manages to put her Performance Face back on, she's clearly unsettled.

"... and while we're waiting for the final votes to come in, it's time to get to know our performers!" Alice is saying, studiously ignoring Esme, with a big smile. "So if you have anything you'd like to know, you can approach the stage and ask!

For the Executors in the audience, here's your chance to sow a little discord! Again, if your character will be attempting to interfere with the show in any way, even if it's just to ask a question at the Q&A, be sure to tag in!

[discutio]

[After spreading rumors of foul play to the fanclub, Phoenix—all smiles and convincingly feigned concern—sneaks into the audience long enough to pose a question to Esme:]

It must be so wonderfully exciting for you to have competition again. Especially after that horrible tragedy last time; I have to wonder, what do you say to the rumors that Kotori’s sudden illness was more than it seemed on the surface?

[If a concerned look could say ‘and that’s for telling me to write something down’...]

[cancrymods]

[ You can just feel the waves of I'm Gonna Fucking Double-Kill You radiating off her, even from the stage. ]

I guess I'd say people are a little too imaginative for their own good! And it's a little weird that people are so hung up on spinning it into something it's not. If you guys really loved Kotori, you wouldn't come up with rumors like that that take away from who she was, right?

[discutio]

[too busy mmmmmblockin out the haters. keep it up you fake-ass faker he’ll throw hands with a child if he has to]

Perhaps not. You know how people are with mysterious circumstances—at any rate, thank you for your time.

[he’s out to sneak backstage again, laterrrrr]

[crypddyd]

[Lion has snuck back into the crowd, and while he knows asking questions is just asking for Esme and the guards to see him he's pretty sure the guard likely forgot what he looks like the moment he was out of sight and Esme can't really do anything without interrupting the show.

He has no questions for Esme though, and turns to Idol-on instead. What kind of things did people used to ask Dorothea all the time? Oh, right-]

Ah... hello. May I ask... what kind of person do you like, erm.... romantically?

[LION NO]

[phantasmagorial]

[ REI DROPS HER MICROPHONE ]

[daughterofthemark]

[...Veil just casually picks it up and hands it back to her.]

[mementomoritz]

[Cheerfully, and with no shame whatsoever:]

Girls!

[daughterofthemark]

I like those who show both strength and kindness!

[seasharp]

Eh? E-Eh?

R-R-R-R-Romantically... That is, I... ah... w-well, aha ha... How to answer that... Um...!

[ariel.exe has encountered an error]

[twibeast]

[ meanwhile, from right behind Lion: ]

[emberserker]

[While everyone's busy with the Q&A, Wolfsbane is sneaking around backstage, trying to see any signs of either anyone helping Esme cheat or anything lying in wait to try to kill them. Yes, she's still under the box.]

[cancrymods]

Aside from the odd looks she gets from being in the box and the leftover chaos from her traps, there's nothing amiss backstage!

[schardynfreude]

Oh ho ho! Well then! Fucking around with the vote numbers isn't really going to help much at the moment given Esme's ridiculous inflation tactic, and given he can't seem to do much of anything about it otherwise, he's just going to have to bomb this shit good.

So. Surely people want to ask Esme some things, even if it's just someone fawning over her. Chiron hems and haws just a bit, mostly for drama, entirely for himself, and shoots a quick note to the chat - not that the idol girls are going to be checking their phones, that'd be super rude, but, y'know. Heads up to other people. Technically.

The following program is rated R for Revolting, Retch-inducing, Repugnant, Rude, and Reprehensible.

(He's having fun. It's possible he'll feel bad about it later, but hey, nobody's here to point it out to him.)

If it's the last thing he does (and maybe it is!), he will force the entirety of this recording (emetophobia, body horror, eye trauma in the link) to go through.

There's "sudden illness" and there's "what the absolute fuckshit could possible cause something like that".

And then he's just going to watch the vote numbers! If they start swinging Idol-ON's way, well, who's going to notice if he visually helps that along, hm? If nothing else, the last hail mary is to try and time the vote closing and his number fudging as close as possible to make the girls look like winners.

Two can cheat at this game.

[cancrymods]

Hooooooooooh boy.

So, right off the bat, the recording absolutely stalls Esme's votecount, but that's less because people have suddenly jumped ship to Idol-ON and more because everyone has taken to Caw to go absolutely apeshit bonkers on high-velocity conspiracy theory posting. The votes as a whole have ground to a halt, though there's still the occasional one or two that come trickling in. The votes get shut down pretty quick after that though, probably as some degree of damage control, so if Chiron wants to mess with the vote numbers... well, here's his best chance!

The effect on Esme is also pretty devastating. It's nothing quite as dramatic as you'd expect but it completely shatters her perfect idol facade. The look of barely suppressed rage and embarrassment on her face is one hell of a sight to see and makes for some extremely choice hot takes on Caw.

Any further vote manipulation you want to get up to?

[schardynfreude]

If Esme's are going to be counted twice, well, while he's at it boosting Idol-ON's numbers, he'll shrink Esme's. Maybe not halve it, but I mean. 'Subtle' also feels like it got thrown out the window.

But nah that's it on Chiron's end. Re-rig those numbers as best he can now that he's used his ammo.

[ourtomorrow]

A chance to ask questions. Monarch pushes his way forward in the crowd, hoping to catch Alice's attention.

"I have one for Esme!" he calls. "Why are you doing this? What's your ultimate goal for being the top idol?"

Perhaps it's naive to assume she's going to answer. But it's what he's wanted to know, with increasing urgency, the entire time he's watched this. Ruling over a section of Purgatory....being all right with the way things are....Doing those horrible things to her rivals...

There has to be a reason. And he doesn't understand.

[cancrymods]

A goal?

[ Esme sounds kind of bemused. ]

I guess being the top idol is kind of the goal all by itself? I just love singing and performing, so it's what I want to do my best at, you know?

[ Go, girl, give us nothing! ]

[ourtomorrow]

And that's how you justify what we just saw? Your own satisfaction?!

[ Why is he so uneasy about this? ]

That's not love or doing your best at all!!!

[twibeast]

[ OKAY WELL.... AFTER LION’S SHIT he’s going to ask his own question the intent of giving the girls a chance to endear themselves more to the audience. ]

Ah, yes— what would each of you say is your best quality?

[phantasmagorial]

[ You can almost see the little buffering circle running in Rei's head as she tries to come up with a response. ]

I... I think I'm good at, um– ... memorizing things?

[ ...

She's sorry. ]

1/2

[twibeast]

[ Internally: ]

[mementomoritz]

Well, I guess that's a little subjective... [Medic looks thoughtful, giving it due consideration.] I think that I'd say it's my curiosity! I'm always trying to learn something new.

That's the most important part of science, after all!

[daughterofthemark]

I always look for the best in others, even if it may be difficult.

[You know, as opposed to MURDER??? WHICH SEEMS INEXPLICABLY POPULAR THESE DAYS?!?!?!]

[pride_of_amarcia]

I'm smart and I know how to wear a scarf without risking choking myself!

That's surprisingly common.