Karaoke night

This is a very old idea that came from the old, old FUDforum site: karaoke night at Whateley. Think of it as a particular kind of microscene.

Pick a character (any character, but it might be a good idea to ask permission before usign a protagonist character with an active writer). Choose a song which is particularly apropos for that character. Write a micro-scene around it.

At the most minimalistic end, it could be just the character's name and an appropriate snippet of ths song. Or you might write an elaborate scene around it. Your choice.

By default, it would be a student party at Whateley. But if you choose an adult character, or one who hasn't gone to Whateley for whatever reason, you may place the scene elsewhere.

No bites? , back then. Probably quite different, since I'm doing this from memory and it has been more than one

Mezzo trotted to "Doctor" Goodvibes, who was DJ'ing the karaoke night. Unable to properly communicate her request due to the loud music and the language/cultural barrier, she wrote it down. Goodvibes looked at it with an intrigued expression and fired a Web search on his secondary laptop. After some fiddling around, he nodded.

She was fiddling with the microphone while the first chords left the speakers. She noticed the smiles from the few Brazilians who recognized the tune. Força started the traditional "Toca Raul!" shouting, in which he was promptly joined by Verdant

She took breath and started

Prefiro ser essa metamorfose ambulante
Eu prefiro ser essa metamorfose ambulante
Do que ter aquela velha opinião formada sobre tudo
Do que ter aquela velha opinião formada sobre tudo

Eu quero dizer agora o oposto do que eu disse antes
Eu prefiro ser essa metamorfose ambulante
Do que ter aquela velha opinião formada sobre tudo
Do que ter aquela velha opinião formada sobre tudo

(This is more microscene than pure karaoke, but the thought rattled to the surface for me)

Roland Williams paused at the plain door, marked only by the white outline of a cracked church bell. His in-patient therapy had been going well (or so his doctors told him), and he had been granted leave to spend a few hours out in New York. When you're given leave from the funny farm, there's no better place to spend time than your favorite bar. And for Roland, there was no bar better than the Spirit of Liberty. Finding the bar was always a bit of an adventure. The Spirit of Liberty was a bar for people like him, and the owners took steps to keep people like the Imp from getting in. Some finger wiggler had set it up so the location moved around that corner of the city. In addition, the location of the door could only be found by members of the establishment.

While Roland wouldn't have hesitated most nights, tonight was not any ordinary night. No, tonight was the most sacred of nights: Karaoke Night! He had frequented the monthly event with some regularity when he was in the city, but he hadn't attended since the start of the school year. He was disappointed that he hadn't heard about the event that had been organized at the Flying Blue Squirrel until after it had happened, but given who had been behind it, he figured it was for the best. Given the distance between NYC and Berlin, he hoped that word of things which had happened at Whateley hadn't made it here.

You can do this, he told himself. There isn't going to be an Imp sneaking up behind you to stab you in the back or otherwise humiliate you. There's no way she can get in.

Bolstered by the comforting thought, he puffed himself up, just a little bit, and pulled the door open. Once inside, the familiar atmosphere and overheard antidotes helped him to relax. On stage a gentleman in a green spandex uniform was rocking out to Sweet Home Alabama. A moment of inspiration struck Roland and he quickly paged through the listing of songs. After a quick search he found the code for God Bless The USA.

After a few minutes in line, it was finally his turn. As the previous performer bowed to a round of applause, the projection screen briefly flickered off then on again. This chance occurrence went unnoticed by the majority of the patrons. Roland keyed in his selected son on the console and positioned himself in the middle of the stage. To his dismay, the first words to come up on screen after the song title were Never gona' give you up!.

Suffice to say, the cry of 'Damn You Imp!' was followed by Roland going T-Rex on the Karaoke console.

(As an aside, the first couple verses of lyrics for the song Roland wanted to sing are as follows.)

If tomorrow all the things were gone
I worked for all my life
And I had to start again
With just my children and my wife
I'd thank my lucky stars
To be livin' here today
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can't take that away

And I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up
Next to you and defend her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God bless the USA

Aegis and Voodude:

Aegis only decided to go with his friend's idea because he appreciated the irony given how he acted at the start of the year, still though, at least John will have most of the lines


"No ooone fights like Gaston"

Jerry Walsh glared at Arwin Hochauser as the pair entered Lab 4. The younger devisor shrugged in response and commented. “You knew the stakes going in. Time to pay up or shut up.”

Jerry nodded as he skimmed the room. “I know. At least Anna isn’t here.” With the end of finals, all the lab tables had pushed off to one side and a small stage had been set up at the far end of the room. Flanking the stage was the Whateley version of a Karaoke machine. After a moment of consideration, Hazmat queried, “So what song will I be singing?”

Goodvibes responded. “You’ll see. I’ve modified the system so it can present alternate lyrics, and I think I’ve found just the song for you.”

This yielded another glare, before Hazmat climbed up onto the stage and took his place at the microphone. A quick countdown, and the opening notes of the song echoed through the lab. The title of the song didn’t mean much to Jerry, but he started singing along to the lyrics as they came up on screen.

Squirrels, all I really want is squirrels
And in the morning it's squirrels
'Cause in the evening it's squirrels

I like the way that they walk
And it's chilly to hear them talk
And I can always make 'em smile
From White Castle to the Nile

Back in the day
There was this squirrel around the way
She liked my home-piece MCA
He said he would not give her play
I asked him, please? He said "You may"
Her pants were tight and that's OK
If she would dance, I would DJ
We took a walk down to the bay

I hope she'll say
"Hey, me and you should hit the hay"
I asked her out, she said "No way"
I should of probably guessed their gay
So I broke north with no delay
I heard she moved real far away
That was two years ago this May
I seen her just the other day
Jockin' Mike D to my dismay

Squirrels, to do the dishes
Squirrels, to clean up my room
Squirrels, to do the laundry
Squirrels, and in the bathroom
Squirrels, that's all I really want is squirrels
Two at a time, I want squirrels
With new wave hairdos, I want squirrels
I ought to whip out my
Squirrels, squirrels, squirrels, squirrels, squirrels
Squirrels, squirrels, squirrels, squirrels, squirrels
Squirrels, squirrels, squirrels, squirrels, yeah

(to the tune of Girls by Beastie Boys)

I would really like to see Buster forced to sing that song!

The members of Wondercute blinked in unison as they found themselves in their school uniforms, sitting in the school shuttle at the bus stop used by Whateley in Berlin. Seated behind the driver's seat was none other than Gunny Bardue. It only took them a moment to realize that the sim crew had pulled a fast one on them.

Gunny broke the uncomfortable silence. "Ok Wondercute. Since you seem utterly incapable of learning the lessons we're trying to teach, we're trying something new. Your team is running an errand in Berlin. Your mission is to find your way to Rodger's Fashion Boutique and pay for a new set of uniforms since you utterly trashed your previous set in the last trip through the simulator. Fail at this task or miss the return shuttle, and you fail the simulation. Pile out, and I'll be back in half an hour. Don't be late."

After the group piled out of the van, Lindsey was the first to speak. "First things first, we need to pick up some funds to pay for the uniforms. It's a good thing that Berlin Savings and Loan is on the way." With that observation, the squad started walking to the storefront in question. There were a couple patrons ahead of them in line for the teller, and they settled in to wait their turn. The intrateam banter was interrupted a minute later when an imposing figure in mock leather armor strolled into the institution. Emblazoned on the front of the armor was a backwards capital K, followed by a forwards capital K. He was followed by half a dozen others in matching tunics. Once the door closed, the figure spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen. I am the Karaoke Knight." He gestured to his companions as he continued speaking. "These are my backup singers, and this is a holdup. If you would please turn your attention to the stock ticker, we can begin."

Although they tried to resist, the gaggle of students found their attention being drawn to the scrolling display on the wall. The normal stock market numbers blinked out, replaced by the words to a song. The Karoke Knight took lead on the singing and was followed a moment later by his backup singers. Everyone else in the bank started to join in, despite their resistance.

And the money kept rolling in from every side
Eva's pretty hands reached out and they reached wide
Now you may feel it should have been a voluntary cause
But that's not the point my friends

When the money keeps rolling in you don't ask how
Think of all the people guaranteed a good time now
Eva's called the hungry to her, open up the doors
Never been a fund like the Foundation Eva Peron

(And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out) by Andrew Lloyd Webber / Tim Rice)

(Not trying to monopolize the thread, but my muse has been overly amused by the premise.)

"Imp, where's my invitation to the party?"

The notorious prankster looked up from her nachos to see a certain nondescript member of the faculty standing next to her table. "Sorry about that Louis, the squirrels must have eaten it. You know how they're nuts about karaoke. I take it you have a song you want to sing."

"Well, it would be a chance to daze my coworkers with my magnificent singing voice."

"This I have to see. Please, be my guest."

Louis' form drifted over to the back of the line for the stage. His turn came up a few minutes later. As he climbed on the stage, his normal form shifted, taking on the flashy garb of a circus ringmaster. A brief pause, then the music began to play.

Welcome back, my friends
To the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend!
Come inside! Come inside!

There behind a glass
Stands a real blade of grass
Be careful as you pass
Move along! Move along!

(Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Pt. 2 by Emerson / Lake)

October 31, 2017

The Chambers family (or at least those who lived in the Village) were gathered in the Blue Moose. Susan had convinced her mom and dad that they should organize a Halloween party for the younger members of the village, as they wouldn't be allowed to join in with the big kids later that evening. Naturally, her mother insisted that Karaoke was a good party activity. For the most part, she agreed with the sentiment (Wyatt talking Connie into performing Love is an open door was hilarious!), some of the songs just had no place at the part. Mr. August and that annoying song about conjunctions being a prime example. Unfortunately, it inspired her mother to drag the whole family onto the stage. As they prepared to sing, she was informed that she'd be singing the lines identified as 'Company' and 'Randolph'. This resulted in a stuck out tongue, a glare from her father and a wink from her mom.

After a few beats of music, Imp and Chicken Hawk started singing.

Kids!
I don't know what's wrong with these kids today!
Kids!
Who can understand anything they say?

Imp tapped Karma on the shoulder, and she sang the next verse, half a beat behind the music.

Kids!
They are so ridiculous and immature!
I don't see why anybody wants 'em!

Chicken Hawk stage-whispered the next line to his daughter "Just you wait and see"

Karma was slightly more on pace with her next solo

Kids!
They are just impossible to control!

Ryan continued with his voiceover line "Soon you'll be old enough to be"

Susan continued her singing with a slightly puzzled look on the face.

Kids! With their awful clothes and their rock an' roll!

Her dad finished his line with "Another teenage delinquent"

She was surprised that the next verse was also her solo

Why can't they be like you were
Perfect in every way?
What's the matter with kids to--

Both her mom and dad joined in singing when prompted with

Kids!
What the devil's wrong with these kids today?
Kids!
Who could guess the they would turn out that way!
Why can't they be like we were
Perfect in every way?

Karma fell silent as her parents sang "What's the matter with kids?", a line she echoed a moment later. The song ended with the line repeated again, this time in unison by the whole family.

(Kids (Reprise) from Bye Bye Birdie by Lee Adams & Charles Strouse)

After extensive amounts of coercion, blackmail, and threats of violence, the members of the Intelligence Cadet Corps appeared on stage alongside the Masterminds.

(Spy Kids)
Spies!
Beware with whom you fraternize.
You may be in for a big surprise.
Realize that spies
May be wearing a disguise.
Pretend to love their moms and apple pies.
It's a pack of lies.
They terrorize. Jeopardize, our way of life.

Spies.
They're everywhere.
They may be watching the car as we speak.
We mustn't loose our grip.
Here's our tip.
Loose lips sink ships.

(Masterminds)
Look behind you, watch your back.
We must conceal our every track.
Steal the secrets, don't get caught.
We have to counter their counter plot.
Because we're spies!

(Spy Kids)
Spies.
They must be cut right down to size.
We mustn't let them organize.
Let's get wise to spies.
And their beady little eyes.
Make sure the citizens are well advised
to recognize, immobilize, neutralize their way of life.
Spies.

(Spies from Kilroy was Here by Bill Francoeur)