thebackstage | It's Curtains Act 2 Test Drive

1) CURTAINS UP

You’ve just woken up in a small dressing room, which is certainly not where you went to bed last night. Actually, do you even remember going to sleep…? Regardless, this isn't where you last were, and if you leave your room you’re going to find a lot of other people in the same state.

Go out and socialize! Most of these people may be strangers, but you’re gonna all have to get used to one another. And who knows? There may actually be a familiar face in the crowd.

2) THIS PETTY PACE

By now, you're acquainted with everybody here and you're slowly growing bored. Bored enough to kill? Hopefully not. You'd better try to find something else to do. You can always go hang out with your castmates, or maybe try and whip something up in the kitchen! There’s also a music room to keep you busy! I sure hope you like music.

3) BREAK A LEG

Comedies are fun and all, but that’s not quite what we’re about here. You’ve all just been handed this week’s motive. What do you make of it? Is it one that might actually tempt you to kill, or did you get off lightly this time? Either way, maybe you’d better look around the room and see who else is having a rough time.

4) CURTAIN

It was bound to happen eventually. Someone is dead, and now it's time to go off and investigate. Were they close to you? Are you, perhaps, feeling guilty? Either way, it's probably best not to leave anyone alone right now.

5) CUE MUSIC

Feelings in a murder-opera can get pretty gosh darn intense. Sometimes you’ve just got to let it out. And hey, if you sing a song about whatever’s going on in your head, maybe someone will hear and come help you? Either way, this is a musical – there’s not really any reason not to sing.

[Mod Note: The song mechanic is meant to be fluid and simple. You do not have to produce your own song lyrics, nor are you required to use show tunes (although we do encourage it!). If you want to rewrite existing lyrics to fit the situation, go for it! Anything goes - if Mumford and Sons expresses your character’s current emotions, then break out the banjos. We want to keep the musical mechanic as fun and simple as we can to encourage our players to use it as much as they like.]

6) WILDCARD

Make up your own prompt!

--

Questions, comments, concerned? Reach the mods on plurk at

slothbless (Lynny) and

lluosogrwydd (Lu) and at our public mod plurk

stagemanagers. Our official Act 2 FAQ can also be found here!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

1 - Curtains Up

[There's a young lady who's emerged from her own tiny dressing room, clad in a school uniform with the poofiest sleeves you've ever seen. She closes the door gently, humming a soft tune under her breath, looking for all the world just...incredibly not bothered, honestly. Placid, calm, she turns to walk down the hall at an even gait, observing everything with wide, green eyes. There's...the suggestion of curiosity, and of unfamiliarity, but beyond that she's eerily impassive. When you emerge from your room, in whatever state you find yourself in, she stops short of stumbling into your path, hands clasped in front of her, and says,]

Oh, hello there. Is this your home?

[...Girl.]

2 - This Petty Place

[You fools. You utter buffoons. Who let Anthy access the kitchen? Do you not value your lives?! Sure, she seems relatively chipper - or as chipper as she usually emotes - while she slices onions and carrots and potatoes, breaks open a package of curry roux and starts to stew these ingredients in a pot. They look perfectly fine going in, so...why does the mixture bubbling on the stovetop resemble sludge? She seems perfectly attentive to it, and yet...]

I wonder if there's any rice for the curry...

[She says it to herself, but it's loud enough for you to hear if you're passing through or biding your time learning how to cook a Hot Pocket. Maybe you want to stop Anthy before she ruins your supply of rice on this...abomination she's made, or maybe you can convince her to scrap this attempt and try again. Surely she knows how poorly this is going to end up...right?]

3 - Break a Leg

[This is supposed to be a motive? Something embarrassing will be revealed to everyone you know? Anthy stares blankly at the paper in front of her before she smiles, turning it over to reveal...a math test.

A math test with a score of 0 on it, and her name at the top.]

This isn't so bad. I thought they would try harder.

[Anthy are you...not bothered by flunking math? Really?]

4 - Curtain

[If it was a normal person, Anthy could muster up the niceties and usual expected empathy for the dead. At least, in her mind she could - to an outsider, her attempt would seem incredibly phoned-in and potentially suspicious. But when she emerges at the announcement to encounter the scene of the crime...no. No, that cry of shock, those tears, that weakness in her knees that makes her legs give out? That's all honest.

Because it was Skimbleshanks, the Railway Cat.

Skimbleshanks! He had never done anything wrong or hurtful to anyone, and he was a cat, or so he claimed to be, before this Opera House warped his form. Anthy had, of course, believed him, and now he was gone and...]

No...not him...why would someone...

[She's weeping, and she wouldn't shrug off a kind word or supportive shoulder, but on the inside? Oh, there's an urge within her to find the culprit, and show them just how much havoc angry cats can wreak upon a soul.]

5 - Cue Music

[Huh. That sure is some kind of tune you can hear. And...is that Anthy singing along, there in the music room? She's pacing it very slowly, a hand to her chin, deep in thought...]

Dog goes "woof",
Cat goes "meow",
Bird goes "tweet",
And mouse goes "squeek".

Cow goes "moo",
Frog goes "croak",
And the elephant goes "toot"!

Ducks say "quack",
And fish go "blub",
And the seal goes "ow ow ow"...
But there's one sound
That no one knows...

What does the fox say?

[Oh no.]

[Why would Lydia want to stop Anthy? No, no, no. This looks like prime time entertainment just waiting to happen. Grinning mischievously, she sidles up to Anthy, taking a deep whiff of the witch's brew in the pot.]

I think I saw some in the cabinet just above you?

Hm...

[She pretends to contemplate the curry, then snaps her fingers.]

I think it needs more salt.

Ring-a-ding-ding-dingering went the trolley!
Gering-ding-ding goes the bell!
Wa-pa-pow went my heart strings!
From the moment I saw him I fell!

[No, this is beautiful, it's the perfect duet, they can take this on the road.]

[Ariel walks up to Anthy and puts a hand very gently on her shoulder.]

Anthy? I am so sorry. I know that you two were close. Can I do anything?

[Ariel starts to cry, too.]

It's Curtains Act 2 Test Drive

Anthy Himemiya | Revolutionary Girl Utena: Blooming Rose of Deepest Black

2.

Cue Music

4. Curtain