Prelude to tea: THE SOUND OF SUNSHINE
WHO: Giselle and a cast of many!
WHERE: Four magical lanes of City street
WHEN: Sunday, June 5
WARNINGS: SINGING AND DANCING (SQUARE) AND MAGICAL MAGICKNESS
SUMMARY: Giselle makes people sing and dance LOOK AT THEM ALL (SING ALONG AS YOU READ)
FORMAT: NO (BUT GET IN HERE AND TAG YOURSELVES IN)
A City-wide dinosaur infestation did quite a number on Shockwave's tea reserves; it would have been, perhaps, more comfortable to have had more confirmation of the absence of giant reptiles, but there was no tea left, and that certainly wouldn't do. And his housemate, Giselle, was practically ready to leap out the window onto the streets, boundless body of energy starved for the company of the crowds as she was. The mere mention of 'out' had her on her feet, dressed and ready to go faster than seemed really at all natural. But that was just her way.
"Oh, today is just...perfect," she declared, lifting her arms to the air as she spun the next few steps down the sidewalk. It had to have been the fifth or sixth time she'd said so, but she seemed to be the only one who hadn't lost the love of its novelty. Aside from the fresh stares of strangers, that was, but there was no harm in that. Shockwave allowed her to frolic ahead as she wished, shrugging off passersby in his own way.
Now, the notion of the radio wasn't overly new, but for a girl who spent her life singing in a hollow tree with forest creatures, even a week was hardly enough to even consider being bored of it. Every car stuck at the nearest red light blaring their speakers for all the world to hear was marveled at as if it were the very first time she'd ever come across it. Metal, horseless carriages that magically sang with hundreds of different voices! Amazing. Sure, the science had been kind of explained to her here and there, but it was all magic to her. To even begin to dream of all the songs in the world she'd never heard before...!
And then there were the speakers blaring from the nearby department store entrance.
'One, two, three - uh-huh'
The sound of the guitar was drowned out by Giselle's gasp; Shockwave thought she had stumbled across a dead body or something for the suddenness.
"Giselle, what--"
"Oh, Shockwave," she squealed, spinning around, eyes wide and smile wider. "I know this song! I heard it on the taxi-man's radio! Oh!"
"Oh. Well. That's nice, but--"
Too late. Giselle spun once more to the sound of the guitars, hopping over and grabbing him by the wrist tugging him as fast as she could closer to the source. She giggled, skipping the last few steps and releasing her poor friend just as the invisible man began to sing...
'I wake up in the morning, it's 6 o'clock;
They say there may be rain but the sun is hot'
As she bounced in time to the beat and Shockwave backed away out of protest (there were people staring), the Doctor shimmied over, hands in the pockets of a bright white suit to match his snazzy hat. Not for long, though; his hands fluttered above his head as he danced a silly little jig to shuffle past a baffled mom-and-stroller. He and Giselle exchanged delighted grins, and as the invisible man continued to sing, the Doctor chimed in above him:
'I wish I had some time just to kill today,
And I wish I had a dime for every bill I got to pay!'
Giselle laughed, fluttering her hands up with him before spinning away and skipping down the sidewalk, crowds already beginning to part at the spectacle. She approached the bus stop bench, grabbing Zoidberg by the claws (poor creature he was!), singing over the invisible man as she pulled him to his feet:
'Some days you lose, you win,
And the water's as high as the times you're in.'
She pulled him along, eventually getting him to skip and spin with her. In a flourish that freed up one arm, she reached out and grabbed an idle stranger and tugged him along, and so the chain of bodies began to grow as she went along. Traffic was beginning to slow.
'So I jump back into where I learned to swim ;
Try to keep my head above it as best I can!
That's why--'
The crowd began to swell and disperse amidst the stopped cars, curious and excited. Like the chorus in the song itself, voices joined Giselle's, even Zoidberg. Jessica Drew, accompanied by a small troupe of Jessica Wakefields hopped out of the crowd first, springing off the curb in a series of agile tumbles to pose around Giselle and sing:
'Here I am, just waiting for this storm to pass me by...
And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!
And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!'
As the cars began to shift out of the way to clear the street starting to clog with spectators and the growing lot compelled to join in, crowds gave Shockwave no choice but to be shuffled along to follow along. As he passed, Tom Bronson took a perch on a stoop with his guitar on his knee, and with his help, the department store tune picked up in volume. Curtis Doyle spun out of the crowd and hopped a few steps to come at rest seated on the step below Tom. Without so much as a wave of his hand, the stoop began to shimmer with the light of a disco ball hanging overhead, giving the nearby area a sparkle that caught Giselle's eye and energized her dance.
From white suits to bright blue, Giselle found herself before Vic Sage, who slid up and offered a hand and took her for a twirl. As he led her down the street, he sang:
'I saw my friend, Bobby, he said "What's up man?
You gotta little work or a twenty to lend?"'
Giselle beamed, replying:
'I opened up my hand, he said, "I'm glad to see--'
They waltzed around the fire hydrant and she gave Vic a wave farewell when the song led her away, spinning right into a hug from Rapnunzel:
'They can take away my job but not my friends, you see!"'
They skipped into the crowd in the street, raising voices with them.
'And here I am ,
Just waiting for this storm to pass me by ...
And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!'
Johnny Storm, aflame on high, swooped in low and spun into a loop-de-loop that sent everyone's eyes skyward with delight as they sang. Absent of fire but no less airborne, Aradia mirrored the entrance from the other side of the street; they both landed (properly extinguished) to join in.
'And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!'
By then, the crowd was quite substantial. The City being as dense as it was, it couldn't have been surprising to see such a number of bodies, but to have them all hot-stepping and spinning in rhythm to the beat of the song...
And then, as the crowd parted for Giselle to pass, the other side of the street did the same to give Eridan chance to step over the lines with his own, not-quite-royal flair:
'Yo, yo, here we go--'
Somehow, with the striking of his pose, everyone and everything - even the song - froze! A pause for effect, if you will. And then the hipster dancing began, Eridan leading the way:
'I want to go where the summer never ends
With my guitar on the beach, there with all my friends--'
Giselle hooked arms with him and they ducked as Dick Grayson and Peter Parker vaulted overhead--
'The sun so hot and the waves in motion ,
And everything smells like suntan lotion--'
Ladd barreled in, knocking Eridan into the crowd and took his place, Lua linked to one arm as he took Giselle by the other and carried on in a delighted (but creepy) tone:
'The ocean!
And the girls so sweet--'
He turned them to spy Kanaya, fashionable as always, handling her lipstick like a champ. Pam stepped up and tossed her another chainsaw and Kanaya received a delighted gasp from the crowd as she juggled the pair with no problem at all.
Giselle joined Ladd:
'So kick off your shoes and relax your feet!
They say that miracles are never ceasing-!'
And Andy zipped in on his roller skates, freeing Giselle from Ladd's hold and carrying her through a parted line in the crowd, spinning and singing with her with a voice that overtook the crowd:
'And every single soul needs a little releasing!
The stereo bumping 'til the sun goes down,
And I only want to hear that sound!'
He set her down with a final twirl, and all arms went up in the air with hers as everyone rang out:
'And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!'
Zevran's knife barely made a sound as it slashed the strings of a balloon vendor's massive supply, and, with a bubbly giggle, Feferi took her fork and poked and spun the balloons to change their course on the way up. They were scattered as Puu, Yusuke's massive spirit bird in bright blue, swooped in low with rider in tow and a flurry of songbirds and pigeons adding voice. Puu dropped Yusuke off into the crowd to sing along with them.
Giselle, arm in arm with a pair of cab drivers, was led and halted to see the finishing touches of a gymnastic spectacle. Dick had soared off from a lamppost with a quadruple somersault, landing into formation along with Jessica Drew, Peter, Rose Tyler, and the set of Jessica Wakefields building up the human pyramid.
'And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!'
It was a magnificent show of skill and prowess that only seemed to energize the crowd. Everyone clapped in time, then formation broke for a new one.
'And now say--'
Suddenly, everyone had a partner as they sang!
'--You're the one I want to be with,'
Ladd and Lua flourished with expert skill in the square dance; the force of Ladd's arm swinging up beamed a pigeon so directly it dropped, immediately forgotten in the musical euphoria.
'When the sun goes down!'
Everyone exchanged partners, and Giselle found her hands in Katurian's. They beamed at each other and carried on in time with the rest.
'You're the one I want to be with,'
Scarves and cape flashed when Terra and Zelgadis spun. Rapunzel's massive braid, nearly a lethal weapon with its weight, flew behind her as she twirled with her partner.
'When the sun goes down!'
Giselle turned and found Shockwave waiting for her and led him along with great skill and delight for the next turn.
'You're the one I want to be with
When the sun goes down!'
The dance formation broke for jazzhands to the sky with the chorus:
'And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!'
Dancers parted to make way for a flailing, drunken Bender, rather alarmingly devoid of clothing but with no shortage of interesting and deft dance moves (that in no way implied a robot, mind). In his glee, he grabbed a lanky intern, spun him, and launched him into the sky...
'And that's the sound of sunshine--'
Aradia's whip cracked and grabbed the flying boy, redirecting his fall to the outstretched hands of a thick patch of people. He crowdsurfed to safety.
'--coming down!'
Johnny and Aradia soared over the crowd and seemed to help the sound swell.
'When the sun goes down!'
Eridan sent a magical burst, like fireworks, out after their passing.
'When the sun goes down!'
Giselle, arm linked with Shockwave's, had begun skipping through a parted line in the crowd to a waiting taxi cab. Everyone else spun in tandem to face it, arms out with the final refrain.
'When the sun goes down!'
There was a big, unified whoop at the end of the song, leading into mad cheering and applause. Giselle waved farewell to all her new friends before sliding into the cab after Shockwave.
The second the cab door slammed and began to drive away, the moment was over. The strange spell of song and joy was lifted, leaving hundreds of civilians, natural-born and imPorted alike, to stand and react in the ways they saw fit...
WHERE: Four magical lanes of City street
WHEN: Sunday, June 5
WARNINGS: SINGING AND DANCING (SQUARE) AND MAGICAL MAGICKNESS
SUMMARY: Giselle makes people sing and dance LOOK AT THEM ALL (SING ALONG AS YOU READ)
FORMAT: NO (BUT GET IN HERE AND TAG YOURSELVES IN)
A City-wide dinosaur infestation did quite a number on Shockwave's tea reserves; it would have been, perhaps, more comfortable to have had more confirmation of the absence of giant reptiles, but there was no tea left, and that certainly wouldn't do. And his housemate, Giselle, was practically ready to leap out the window onto the streets, boundless body of energy starved for the company of the crowds as she was. The mere mention of 'out' had her on her feet, dressed and ready to go faster than seemed really at all natural. But that was just her way.
"Oh, today is just...perfect," she declared, lifting her arms to the air as she spun the next few steps down the sidewalk. It had to have been the fifth or sixth time she'd said so, but she seemed to be the only one who hadn't lost the love of its novelty. Aside from the fresh stares of strangers, that was, but there was no harm in that. Shockwave allowed her to frolic ahead as she wished, shrugging off passersby in his own way.
Now, the notion of the radio wasn't overly new, but for a girl who spent her life singing in a hollow tree with forest creatures, even a week was hardly enough to even consider being bored of it. Every car stuck at the nearest red light blaring their speakers for all the world to hear was marveled at as if it were the very first time she'd ever come across it. Metal, horseless carriages that magically sang with hundreds of different voices! Amazing. Sure, the science had been kind of explained to her here and there, but it was all magic to her. To even begin to dream of all the songs in the world she'd never heard before...!
And then there were the speakers blaring from the nearby department store entrance.
'One, two, three - uh-huh'
The sound of the guitar was drowned out by Giselle's gasp; Shockwave thought she had stumbled across a dead body or something for the suddenness.
"Giselle, what--"
"Oh, Shockwave," she squealed, spinning around, eyes wide and smile wider. "I know this song! I heard it on the taxi-man's radio! Oh!"
"Oh. Well. That's nice, but--"
Too late. Giselle spun once more to the sound of the guitars, hopping over and grabbing him by the wrist tugging him as fast as she could closer to the source. She giggled, skipping the last few steps and releasing her poor friend just as the invisible man began to sing...
'I wake up in the morning, it's 6 o'clock;
They say there may be rain but the sun is hot'
As she bounced in time to the beat and Shockwave backed away out of protest (there were people staring), the Doctor shimmied over, hands in the pockets of a bright white suit to match his snazzy hat. Not for long, though; his hands fluttered above his head as he danced a silly little jig to shuffle past a baffled mom-and-stroller. He and Giselle exchanged delighted grins, and as the invisible man continued to sing, the Doctor chimed in above him:
'I wish I had some time just to kill today,
And I wish I had a dime for every bill I got to pay!'
Giselle laughed, fluttering her hands up with him before spinning away and skipping down the sidewalk, crowds already beginning to part at the spectacle. She approached the bus stop bench, grabbing Zoidberg by the claws (poor creature he was!), singing over the invisible man as she pulled him to his feet:
'Some days you lose, you win,
And the water's as high as the times you're in.'
She pulled him along, eventually getting him to skip and spin with her. In a flourish that freed up one arm, she reached out and grabbed an idle stranger and tugged him along, and so the chain of bodies began to grow as she went along. Traffic was beginning to slow.
'So I jump back into where I learned to swim ;
Try to keep my head above it as best I can!
That's why--'
The crowd began to swell and disperse amidst the stopped cars, curious and excited. Like the chorus in the song itself, voices joined Giselle's, even Zoidberg. Jessica Drew, accompanied by a small troupe of Jessica Wakefields hopped out of the crowd first, springing off the curb in a series of agile tumbles to pose around Giselle and sing:
'Here I am, just waiting for this storm to pass me by...
And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!
And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!'
As the cars began to shift out of the way to clear the street starting to clog with spectators and the growing lot compelled to join in, crowds gave Shockwave no choice but to be shuffled along to follow along. As he passed, Tom Bronson took a perch on a stoop with his guitar on his knee, and with his help, the department store tune picked up in volume. Curtis Doyle spun out of the crowd and hopped a few steps to come at rest seated on the step below Tom. Without so much as a wave of his hand, the stoop began to shimmer with the light of a disco ball hanging overhead, giving the nearby area a sparkle that caught Giselle's eye and energized her dance.
From white suits to bright blue, Giselle found herself before Vic Sage, who slid up and offered a hand and took her for a twirl. As he led her down the street, he sang:
'I saw my friend, Bobby, he said "What's up man?
You gotta little work or a twenty to lend?"'
Giselle beamed, replying:
'I opened up my hand, he said, "I'm glad to see--'
They waltzed around the fire hydrant and she gave Vic a wave farewell when the song led her away, spinning right into a hug from Rapnunzel:
'They can take away my job but not my friends, you see!"'
They skipped into the crowd in the street, raising voices with them.
'And here I am ,
Just waiting for this storm to pass me by ...
And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!'
Johnny Storm, aflame on high, swooped in low and spun into a loop-de-loop that sent everyone's eyes skyward with delight as they sang. Absent of fire but no less airborne, Aradia mirrored the entrance from the other side of the street; they both landed (properly extinguished) to join in.
'And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!'
By then, the crowd was quite substantial. The City being as dense as it was, it couldn't have been surprising to see such a number of bodies, but to have them all hot-stepping and spinning in rhythm to the beat of the song...
And then, as the crowd parted for Giselle to pass, the other side of the street did the same to give Eridan chance to step over the lines with his own, not-quite-royal flair:
'Yo, yo, here we go--'
Somehow, with the striking of his pose, everyone and everything - even the song - froze! A pause for effect, if you will. And then the hipster dancing began, Eridan leading the way:
'I want to go where the summer never ends
With my guitar on the beach, there with all my friends--'
Giselle hooked arms with him and they ducked as Dick Grayson and Peter Parker vaulted overhead--
'The sun so hot and the waves in motion ,
And everything smells like suntan lotion--'
Ladd barreled in, knocking Eridan into the crowd and took his place, Lua linked to one arm as he took Giselle by the other and carried on in a delighted (but creepy) tone:
'The ocean!
And the girls so sweet--'
He turned them to spy Kanaya, fashionable as always, handling her lipstick like a champ. Pam stepped up and tossed her another chainsaw and Kanaya received a delighted gasp from the crowd as she juggled the pair with no problem at all.
Giselle joined Ladd:
'So kick off your shoes and relax your feet!
They say that miracles are never ceasing-!'
And Andy zipped in on his roller skates, freeing Giselle from Ladd's hold and carrying her through a parted line in the crowd, spinning and singing with her with a voice that overtook the crowd:
'And every single soul needs a little releasing!
The stereo bumping 'til the sun goes down,
And I only want to hear that sound!'
He set her down with a final twirl, and all arms went up in the air with hers as everyone rang out:
'And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!'
Zevran's knife barely made a sound as it slashed the strings of a balloon vendor's massive supply, and, with a bubbly giggle, Feferi took her fork and poked and spun the balloons to change their course on the way up. They were scattered as Puu, Yusuke's massive spirit bird in bright blue, swooped in low with rider in tow and a flurry of songbirds and pigeons adding voice. Puu dropped Yusuke off into the crowd to sing along with them.
Giselle, arm in arm with a pair of cab drivers, was led and halted to see the finishing touches of a gymnastic spectacle. Dick had soared off from a lamppost with a quadruple somersault, landing into formation along with Jessica Drew, Peter, Rose Tyler, and the set of Jessica Wakefields building up the human pyramid.
'And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!'
It was a magnificent show of skill and prowess that only seemed to energize the crowd. Everyone clapped in time, then formation broke for a new one.
'And now say--'
Suddenly, everyone had a partner as they sang!
'--You're the one I want to be with,'
Ladd and Lua flourished with expert skill in the square dance; the force of Ladd's arm swinging up beamed a pigeon so directly it dropped, immediately forgotten in the musical euphoria.
'When the sun goes down!'
Everyone exchanged partners, and Giselle found her hands in Katurian's. They beamed at each other and carried on in time with the rest.
'You're the one I want to be with,'
Scarves and cape flashed when Terra and Zelgadis spun. Rapunzel's massive braid, nearly a lethal weapon with its weight, flew behind her as she twirled with her partner.
'When the sun goes down!'
Giselle turned and found Shockwave waiting for her and led him along with great skill and delight for the next turn.
'You're the one I want to be with
When the sun goes down!'
The dance formation broke for jazzhands to the sky with the chorus:
'And that's the sound of sunshine coming down!'
Dancers parted to make way for a flailing, drunken Bender, rather alarmingly devoid of clothing but with no shortage of interesting and deft dance moves (that in no way implied a robot, mind). In his glee, he grabbed a lanky intern, spun him, and launched him into the sky...
'And that's the sound of sunshine--'
Aradia's whip cracked and grabbed the flying boy, redirecting his fall to the outstretched hands of a thick patch of people. He crowdsurfed to safety.
'--coming down!'
Johnny and Aradia soared over the crowd and seemed to help the sound swell.
'When the sun goes down!'
Eridan sent a magical burst, like fireworks, out after their passing.
'When the sun goes down!'
Giselle, arm linked with Shockwave's, had begun skipping through a parted line in the crowd to a waiting taxi cab. Everyone else spun in tandem to face it, arms out with the final refrain.
'When the sun goes down!'
There was a big, unified whoop at the end of the song, leading into mad cheering and applause. Giselle waved farewell to all her new friends before sliding into the cab after Shockwave.
The second the cab door slammed and began to drive away, the moment was over. The strange spell of song and joy was lifted, leaving hundreds of civilians, natural-born and imPorted alike, to stand and react in the ways they saw fit...