CHAPTER FINALE ♔ cause it's always raining in my head

[narcosynthesis]

♬ oceano - josh groban

WHO || Keijen Blade, Nadia Reichenov, Rafael Giovanni, Buffy Summers, Alainn O'Rourke, Myrilandel Odair, Finnick Odair, Desmond Descant, Elena Gilbert, Rose Hathaway, Fredrick Jr., Jack Chessing, Kat Samcelot, Jeanne Gar, Spike, Sterling Archer, Violet Reedhym, Burt Becksworth, Isabella Alessandro
WHAT || Failboat does the Grammy's, tries to stop Keijen Blade's performance from reaching the masses, and aspires to save Nadia
WHERE || Staples Center, Los Angeles
WHEN || Feb 8th, 2015
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

The day has finally arrived: the 2015 Grammy's gather together musical talent at the top of the food chain, which means that NOVA Records will be well represented at this year's ceremony. Unfortunately, this includes performances from Keijen Blade's band, Heatless Passion, and Nadia Reichenov's, Derere, both of whom are working for "Chad Becksworth", aka Draken Crombe, head of the Shadowkind-hating cult, the Church of the Lord's Humanity.  Equipped with some sort of ability to hypnotize large crowds with subliminal messages, Wynn fears what lies beneath Keijen's intended performance, and is sending his Knights to shut down the broadcast, to prevent that message from being spread to millions of viewers worldwide.

Meanwhile, the gang finally has a chance to see Rafael Giovanni again - but what he's been up to in the months since they last saw him, and how his reunion with Buffy will go, remains to be seen.

Several of the Knights have decided that this is their last chance as well to try and break Nadia free from Keijen's influence, now that they've learned the truth about him - that Keijen is in fact Kel'in'hrae, sadistic son of the Nightmare God Malaak'a, likely working to free his father from the prison Sehanine had created for him.  The prison sealed by the relic that the team has been chasing for years, believing it to be an immortality-granting talisman of great power.

The truth, it seems, was worse than they could have imagined.  

One step at a time, however, and stopping the signal is first priority on Failboat's to do list for now.  With an actual plan under their belts this time, maybe this is the turning point they've been waiting for...    

Comments

[shootfirst]

[ meanwhile, kat leans over to whisper to gar: ] Didn't he pretty much raise her? [ judging u raf

meanwhile ariana grande takes the stage to sing a moving ballad as the ceremonies press on as if nothing earth shattering has happened.

♬ just a little bit of your heart - ariana grande

I don't ever ask you where you've been
And I don't feel the need to
Know who you're with
I can't even think straight but I can tell
That you were just with her
And I'll still be a fool
I'm a fool for you

Just a little bit of your heart
Just a little bit of your heart is all I want
Just a little bit of your heart
Just a little bit is all I'm asking for

I don't ever tell you how I really feel
Cause I can't find the words to say what I mean
And nothing's ever easy
That's what they say
I know I'm not your only
But I'll still be a fool
Cause I'm a fool for you

I know I'm not you're only
But at least I'm one
I hear a little love is better than none
Oh babe ]

[nothingsodivine]

[Des puts a hand over his eyes as he listens to the lyrics of that song and just... dreary sighs.

what a night already.]

[doubletake]

[tmw you go to the Grammy's and it's fucking awkward and you just want it to be over.

seriously, how did this happen. she'd rather go back to being nervous about the mission than hoping they get to it faster.]

[slay]

[ Buffy's will saves this whole thread have been ces but she just rolled a nat 20 will save so you would never guess that she is literally dying inside while Ariana Grande sings. ]

[rationalizes]

[ gar just makes this face to kat, but doesn't respond, and the show pushes on, with best pop solo performance and best pop vocal album being handed out. they don't get awarded to any of the people we care about so look at me glossing over all this shit. i'm amazing. all the gm awards. ten billion points.

and then madonna starts dancing with horned demon guys onstage in a performance that will keep illuminati conspiracy theorists talking all year. the theme of this year's grammys was 'hail satan', fun fact.

♬ living for love - madonna ]

[nothingsodivine]

[Des squints at the stage at first, expression unreadable as he listens to Madonna's opening speech. About halfway through her demon blood rite of a number, he leans forward a bit, kinda amused by it all. I guess after a point, it just becomes sort of funny that these grammy's are so inherently doom-filled and everyone is like WHOOO EVIL. It's audacious and kinda ridiculous and takes his mind off Rafael for a moment.]

[slay]

[ what the fuck is even happening tho. like. what. just. buffy looks around like is anyone else watching this?? ? why is this happening ?? is she already controlled by keijen? ?? is azrael in the house ?? ? ]

[littledhampir]

[And the more hell references that appear, the more Rose is wondering if maybe this event was sponsored by one of the Nine, shifting uncomfortably as Madonna takes the stage.

Though that could be more to do with Madonna than the demon blood rite.]

[doubletake]

[This is an improvement, and she taps her foot to the song as she watches, amused by the show. Weird theme going on tonight tho.]

[nepotism]

[ the performance is followed up by the best rock album award. nominees are:

the black keys
derere
tom petty and the heartbreakers
heatless passion
and u2 ]

Bono's got this one in the bag, right?

[nothingsodivine]

[the black keys provide a chunk of des's playlist so secretly he's hoping for them i guess and doesn't know why.

Still. he's wary now.]

Brace yourselves.

[because ... it's probably gonna be blade or nadia lbr.]

[littledhampir]

Yeah, I hope Nadia beats him. [Him being Keijen. Rose is Team Bono.

Well okay her mun is.]

[doubletake]

[Elena tilts her head in Fred's direction.]

One would hope...

[narcosynthesis]

[ "And the winner is... Heatless Passion - "The Heat of the Moment!" wild applause breaks out as the screen shows blade rising from his seat. his expression is nothing but smugly victorious - there's not a hint of surprise there.

♬ everything i've known - korn

a snippet of one of the band's songs floods the room as he makes his way to the stage, but there's no indication that it's having the sort of effect his performance in new york had exerted on the audience. ]

[littledhampir]

[Not even going to applaud for the sake of blending, Rose is just going to sit there and embrace resting bitch-face.]

[bigbad]

[Damn, Spike could use Nadia winning something to help with his urge to punch everything in sight. Instead he just sulks back into his seat and glowers at the stage.]

[nothingsodivine]

[the mere sight of blade's smug face on stage makes des's expression twist into a quiet snarl of fury.

hiss hiss blade hiss.]

[doubletake]

[Kill it with fire, basically.]

[narcosynthesis]

[ ♬ getting away with murder - papa roach

keijen ascends to the stage, letting one of his bandmates yank the award from the presenter's hand as blade ignores it entirely, turning to the mic instead. he looks out across the audience with clear disdain riding in the curve of his lip, and then leans forward to deliver his speech. ]

Look at you. All of you. Living amongst you all is a cancer. A social disease: an acceptance of something so insidious that our blindness to it is creating a world full of idiotically complacent fools. Panderers, imbeciles, victims all, and perfectly blissful in their ignorance.

We must not settle for this malignancy. We must fight it. I come before you to lead a revolution - to teach you all to listen and to see that which has been here all along for what it really is.

[ the screens above panning audience shots catch "chad becksworth" in the audience, next to the mind master, with a little smirk curving up his cheek. ]

This award shows that you recognize the power of this message, whether consciously or not. There is no stopping what has begun.

A change is coming, and we are the heralds of it.

[nothingsodivine]

[motherfucker.

des's grimace of distaste only gets worse as blade continues to speak, the truth of everything rolling about in his head like angry waves, putting his words into sharp perspective.

his knuckles go white as he digs them into the armrest.]

[littledhampir]

[Maybe if she just sits here and imagines the look on Keijen's face when he gets taken down by Archer or something equally amusing she'll be able to keep the scowl off her features.

Nope. But that image is still keeping her from spewing out a line of muttered insults.]

[slay]

[ Meanwhile, Buffy is looking around like IS ANYONE DRINKING THIS PSYCHOPATH'S KOOLAID? SERIOUSLY? He just called the entire human race cancer ?? ? ]

[shootfirst]

[ everyone is actually wildly applauding, and as keijen and co leave the stage, ll cool j comes back on the screen to follow it up. "Well, alright, that was Keijen Blade of Heatless Passion, delivering a stirring call to social action." ]

Oh come on.

[doubletake]

Stirring my ass. He sounds like he's taking crazy pills.

[Like, seriously, who would clap for that? He talks like he belongs on a tabloid being accused of abusing every drug under the sun.

If only it were that instead of the truth.]

[nothingsodivine]

It's a social justice thing. I bet you anything a bunch of aggrieved bloggers just took that entirely out of context. God, I hate the internet.

[sigh.]