[Origin Cave]

As activity in the caves once again begins to reignite, gembound would start to find odd papers around the caves, close to tunnel exits into larger caves and places of high foot traffic. They float in the air and are hard to miss, glowing and sparkling as they are. There is writing on each paper, but for those Gembound that can't read, the paper will start giggling and reading its own message aloud in a bright, bubbly voice.

"DEAREST GEMBOUND!!!"

You have all been so BOOOOORING lately!! It is time to have some REAL FUN!! If you are not a LAME LOSER and want to know ART, you better get your big fluffy butts to CEPHEUS in one cycle! Get ready for some singing and dancing and performing for an audience that will LOVE YOU!! Take the center stage and wow everyone with your AMAZING. UNIQUE. And most AWESOMEST talents!

If you're not a SCAREDY CAT and want to go and have SO MUCH FUN, you need to tell me NOW what role you want. There’s the lead and the side-lead and the villain and the second villain and the love interest ooooooo!! And the best friend who probably dies in, like, the first hour and the background character and the ensemble - oh just tell me the role you want already!!

UGH and FINE I'll give you rewards or whatever so you BETTER COME!! And you better DO YOUR BEST!!!

Love, Nemean <3

At the bottom of the paper, is an image of a paw. It seemed to want gembound to place a paw, or hand, or other extremity here to sign up.

Welcome to the prelude of an upcoming event, Origin on Broadway! This will be a fun, lighthearted event in which characters may take on rolls and sing and perform their hearts out on stage! There will be a loose story in place, but the details will be decided as the performance goes on - you will decide the direction it goes! Roles, as well, are up to each character to decide, there's no set cast-list and so each character can sign up for whatever they want. There will be a dedicated protagonist and antagonist, which will be up for a first signup basis, but everything else is whatever your character would like to be.

The details for the musical have not been announced. Signups will close on July 7th and the event will begin on July 10th!

Signups will be done in-character in this thread. Characters can be assumed to be in different parts of the caves and do not have to interact with each other.

Cast List:
Pre-show Entertainment: Honk
Lights and Effects: Worm

Lead: Ruse
Secondary Lead: Archon
Antagonist (and friend): Triage
Love Interest: Karambit :(
Second Love Interest: The Piano
Third Love Interest: Bauxite-T-One
Any Role: Coilean
Any Role: Velveteen

Fracture my spine

Literacy and Karambit had never gone together, the ideal of the written word an entirely foreign concept to a monster whose vocabulary often limited it to the simplest of sentences. Add in the fact that none of the numerous eyes scattered across its form possessed ordinary sight anymore, and it was fortunate the strange paper floating amongst Leo's dense jungle greenery could speak and grab its attention. If not for such an ability, unless the flyer's magical nature granted it unnatural resilience as well, it might've been caught in the lackadaisical swing of the giant Gembound's sickle claws casually deforesting its surroundings while it drifted along. Instead the sound of a cheerful stranger gave the meaty abomination pause, its bony antennae twitching at the sudden announcement.

"Krrrmmm," it murmured, entire body humming alongside its confusion. This bafflement intensified when, no matter which way it twisted around, heat-sensitive sight failed to locate another presence nearby. Glows and sparkles from such an unconventional source lacked high enough temperatures to distinguish the paper from the humid environment it existed in. Instead the crisp noise of it flapping around in the tropical breeze was what finally guided the monster toward the source.

Throughout this period of awkward fumbling around, stick-like legs spearing many directions in an attempt to lay claws on what might be a new friend, a massive bulk of the message was lost in the midst of snapping branches and Karambit's own excited buzzing. Nevertheless, the most important words filtered through the commotion: fun, art, and rewards.

"Ooooh," it remarked after hearing Nemean's farewell. Although forced to less visual means of expressing itself, Karambit once and always would be an artist at heart (or however many more there might be contained inside its moist and stinking flesh). The mention of fun seemed redundant then; after all, what other things could art be but the aforementioned. "Soundzzzz good. What'zzzz rrrrole though, Nemeeean?"

No response, of course, from the piece of paper. A stunning work of magic, even it had limitations, recordings failing to have minds of their own. Therefore, Karambit was left to puzzle out the purpose of this "role" on its own. Without any knowledge of what this performance actually was, unsurprisingly, it simply decided on the nicest thing it could think of becoming.

"Uhhhh. Lead izzzz important, rrrright? Soundzzz like firzzzt." And first meant the best and loveliest Gembound surely. Alas, it didn't fit the bill. A certain misshapen creature known as Draconua Jr. would've been perfect for such a job, that beautiful masterpiece who nowadays lay silent and draped in dark flowers. "Not good enough for firzzzt," it declared, antennae drooping at the memory momentarily before perking up again. "But! I can be lovvve interezzzt. I lovvve lovvve. And can be interezzzting. I'll make surrrre that lovved one lookzzz their bezzzt!"

A seemingly innocuous statement, it sounded anything but when screeched from many slavering maws.

Hungry tentacles embedded with teeth sealed the declaration of participation, crushing the paper within their grip so it could be better nibbled. While not the most sensible way of leaving a signature, this did manage to leave a lopsided imprint of an appendage at the crumpled bottom of the page. Hopefully the less than pristine condition of it wouldn't prevent the answer from being received.

And swear that you're mine

Karambit... as the love interest. I'm so sorry, everyone.

Still recovering from their recent experience, it took a little while for the Triage to discover the missive, but when the did, it immediately pulled their interest. Perhaps it was the allure of taking their mind off of things, or of something fun to bring up their spirits. Although...they both had different ideas of what this fun would entail.

"Oh, this is such a good idea! We should play a good role - like maybe the best friend. Not the one that dies immediately, but like the trusted ally." On his shoulders, Gore snorted loudly. "Bah! You think too small. We should be the GREAT EVIL VILLAIN. The commander of ARMIES who leaves BODIES AND BLOOD AND CARNAGE in his wake!!"

Buckley frowned and looked back at it. "Um. I mean sure but that seems very scary. I don't know if I want to be scary."

One of the goat legs raised and kicked him in the stomach, and he cried out a huffed "Ow!" as Gore snarled. "Oh come ONNNN, you're a LION!! You can be scary! Roar for me! ROAR!!"

He ducked his head, curling his lips back at the unpleasant thought but decided to indulge it. It raised itself up and sucked in a breath, before letting out as intimidating a roar as he could. It was quite loud, and Gore squealed with delight. "There! There you go, see!! SEE!!! We can be scary!!"

Buckley looked quite sheepish at that, snake tail lashing unconsciously. "Yeah i guess...maybe we could do like. A nice guy, bad guy thing? If you wanna be the bad guy. Like two characters! I just work for you maybe? Or the same person two personalities? Hmmm...but I did really want to be the friend..."

Gore huffed. "If you're really that lame we can play different roles. But I want to play the VILLAIN."

The lion hummed, indecisive, until a brilliant idea came to his head. "Oh! I know what to do! I'm the friend and you're like. Hiding under a cloak and then later on in the show something bad happens and you BURST FREE!! And now we're the antagonist!!"

Gore nodded, and if he had hands perhaps he'd be stroking his beard thoughtfully. "A good plan, interesting idea. We'll work on it."

As they chatted more, Buckley lifted his paw to set it on the paper, signing their name to the role list before returning to their den to further speak about the upcoming show, excited for what was coming.

*exit

"Buckley is speaking!" "GORE IS SPEAKING!!!"

Honk's eyes were drawn to the shiny paper, watching it with wide eyes before suddenly it started speaking! She watched, dumbfounded as it spoke. A performance, and anyone could sign up? Honk was made to perfom, they were sure of it! It was going to be lots and lots of fun! With so many new people to meet as well.

But..they didn't really want to be a love interest, or a lead or any other thing. They liked doing tricks and dancing and running around, but acting..that seemed out of their wheelhouse. But, perhaps while everyone else got ready, they could keep the spectators entertained!

Placing their own over the inked paw, Honk realized they weren't even sure where Cepheus was! They'd need to ask someone for directions..

[Honk would like to sign up as pre-show entertainment!]

It would be near-sacrilege to have a Broadway musical with no piano, so here The Piano was, ebony wood and ivory keys gleaming in the dim light. Its shadow loomed over a loose piece of paper it had caught in a dozen-something metallic strings.

"Roles," it clacked excitedly. Love sounded interesting to it--there was always some line or other about love in the lyrics of the songs it browsed in the Library's extensive music section--but the love interest was already taken. Nevertheless, if The Piano knew anything about love, it was that there should always be a secondary love interest to make things more interesting! With competition, juxtaposition of the ideals they represented, a tragically love-addled brain doomed to disappointment in the end, or even a poisonous heart.

The Piano could be any or all of these.

"MAKE ME THE SECONDARY LOVE INTEREST. IN THE TRIANGLE, OR HOWEVER-MANY-SIDED-POLYGON YOU WISH!" came its crashing declaration in a waterfall of sound as, in the absence of hands or paws, it rolled its wheels over the paper.

[The Piano would like to be the secondary love interest. Possibly with a poisonous heart.]

Archon had clothes, which probably put him a step above some Gembounds when it came to theater, but it was hardly a costume. More a wannabe grim reaper look, pretty accidentally, but here we were.

He frowned seriously down at the paper in his hand, studying it. He could read, albeit not very well. Some of this was... complex. But he got the gist of it, and that was before the bubbly voice suddenly started BLASTING the words at him. Archon grimaced. Nemean was a complicated topic: he still wasn't entirely sure if she was enemy or friend or something in the middle. An ene-end? That sounded right. (Frenemy wasn't a word he'd heard, okay?)

Still, this sounded... interesting, and maybe he could report back to the Forge on what happened at this event. Of course, he'd have to learn about acting. He'd have to... practice. Surely the library had books on this? Hmm.

Archon hesitated, then plonked a single clawed finger onto the paper. Nothing happened, so he went over to some dirt, mixed it with water, and did it again. Muddy fingerprint applied, he spoke aloud, hesitating and not sure if this thing was magic, or what.

"Ahh-... the best friend, then? Or secondary lead," he debated aloud, unsure. "...Whatever isn't taken first." If it wasn't already, of course. Maybe someone else really wanted the friend role; that'd be fine. He was just here to... take part. In whatever this was.

costume credit - big-ashb on flickr

The paper flitted downward, glittering pink letters catching the eye of the predator waiting below. He shifted upward to get a better look, startling the Lesser he'd been hunting. It scurried off into the dark, and the Shepherd hissed a complaint. He'd catch it later, of course. It had only delayed its end.

But in the meantime, it batted at the paper as it flew, resting on Orion's gravelly floor, writing side up.

It started speaking, which piqued its interest greatly. Was it animal? Was it edible? It took a few moments for it to start listening properly.

Nemean's voice crept from its mouth. "There’s the lead and the side-lead and the villain and the second villain and the love interest ooooooo!!"

And again. "The love interest."

...

"Ooooooo!!"

Worm had only been alive for a whole.. few days, but he was certain he wanted to know about art. And he was NOT a scardey cat. He was in-fact a very brave cat, that still talked to strangers even though they were scary and could eat him whole. And he loved fun. He was so good at fun; when the impending danger of dying at any moment wasn't constantly looming over him.

Though, he did briefly consider that not having a fluffy butt may disqualify him from.. whatever this was. Truthfully, he wasn't certain.

The lead sounded nice, because he was NOT a scardey cat and he could be brave just like a hero. But, romantic interests? He stuck his tongue out and scrunched up his nose. Ew. He didn't want to kiss anyone, even for art. That was gross. Even if he was determined to prove he wasn't reticent, he wasn't about to do icky things like, hold hands or, worse, kiss someone on the cheek. Gross! Gross! Gross!

So, he sat with the letter for some time. What was something he could do that didn't involve him getting kisses? Something important. Something the stage wouldn't be complete without. Something that would put him front and center so he could prove himself?

"I want to be the lights!" Worm announced, stamping his paw onto the letter. He could see it now; himself being held up above the stage, holding the light-orb-things in place. Above for all to see. Oh! And he could practice his bubble-blowing to add some pizazz to the stage. "And the effects!"

gore

in narrative language

Such an intriguing self-announcement could not be ignored. Ruse was finding immortality to be, as Nemean had so aptly put it, perpetually bOOOOOring, with that many O's. To hear of an alternative; something that required the skills and talents of many Gembound, to produce something designed for entertainment... and it wasn't glorious, bloody combat? Ruse could not wait to see it. Maybe, with just the right amount of sugar and meat, there could be a little glorious bloody combat in it, too.

Now, Ruse had to ponder a moment on what to do. Which role to take? He sat like the gay Thinker; wrist to cheek, one leg over the other, cloven hooves crossed. The pondering was so potent he had to lean back a bit to take it all in. The roles: the lead, the second lead, the villain and their company, and many a potential love interest? He had a somewhat Collector-informed idea of what all those words meant, but what was their true significance?

Rarely had he ever had to think through something this hard, and that was already quite promising.

Ruse was no stranger to signing deals with devils. He understood the responsibility that a large role would likely place on him. A show without a stand-up lead? Well, that must be like... a body with its still-beating heart ripped from its ribs; an ugly pulp pulled through the veiling curtain of the stomach. Or perhaps it was more like a body with the aorta torn out through the back; a gruesome double-spine to frame the irony of what would be a weak internal structure. A potentially slow and agonizing end depending on the nature of the tear and pull. Even with all parts still attached, the show would be loathe to drag itself forth in its hideous state, until the magnanimous mercy of curtain call where it could at long last slit its own throat and let the ravenous hellswans feast.

Yes, that had to be it. The metaphor to lead to perfect understanding. The lead was to carry the blood to all the play's disparate parts, and the villain was its natural inhibition—the platelets, the clotting factors—that which opposed the new state... of death.

Perhaps a mixed metaphor, but you get the meaning. And the audience—oh, the audience! Whoever it was, they likely would not enjoy that gut-wrenching sensation of the deft, knife-like spindles; the cold, relentless hands of the meddler plucking them apart from the inside out.

Ruse appreciated a humble modicum of attention, but was not big on audience approval wherein it failed to personally serve him. That being said, if he had learned anything in the brief cycles spent with his father, it was that most times a favor turned favors, and any opportunity (especially a precarious one) could lead to untold riches. In this case, the riches were even told! So, Ruse would do this play a solid.

"I'll be the lead. Throw as many as you like at me; I'll kiss or slay however many come my way."

A bold declaration befitting of the show's new protagonist.

With a bloody pawprint (don't ask), the missive was signed.

TL;DR: Ruse claims lead!

Coilean couldn't ignore this yelling piece of parchment, even if he'd wanted to - but he didn't, because this Nemean person sounded really cool and nice! Possible normal? Ish? And getting together with a bunch of strangers to sing and dance sounded... Also nice, maybe. A little challenging, but who doesn't love a challenge? Everyone needs to put themselves out there from time to time.

"Ummm! I can be... I don't know, maybe the villain's sidekick? Or maybe the comic relief... Whatever's free. I just want to sing and dance around with people."

A moment later: "Is that... Okay?"