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“So…how does this game work again?” Blitz asked as he held up the guitar-shaped controller in confusion.
Blitz had gone thrifting with his dad and sister, scouring through the Human Junk shops in Imp City and aside from picking up the usual horse stuff, he found a unique looking game and controllers from the 2000s. They looked like something from a garage band back in the day, a very grungy teenage aesthetic. Him, Fizz, and Barbie saw ads for a Hell version back in the day but could never play it because it was stupid expensive and they didn’t have a big TV to play it on.
Now, after shmoozing the clerk to give him a good discount, Blitz was finally gonna test out this game and maybe get Loona and Octavia to try it out…if he could figure out how to work it.
“Well each person has a different screen to pay attention to,” Charlie explained as Baxter was fiddling with the TV settings so they could play together. “The guitar you have to hit the right keys and the whammy bar so it feels like you’re playing a real guitar. The drums you have to hit the right color and part of the drum. And singing you need to just hit the right notes.”
“These silly games seem like such a distraction…” the diminutive scientist muttered before crawling out from behind the TV. “But this should help your musical fantasy simulator.”
“Thanks Baxter,” the princess smiled brightly. “You wanna play on the drum kit with us?”
“I really should get back to my projects…” he muttered, grunting when Blitz patted his back, startling the fish demon.
“Aw, take a break! Workin’ your ass off’ll drive ya crazy!” the imp assassin encouraged before correcting himself. “Well, more crazy than usual.”
Baxter adjusted his goggles, glancing between the boisterous imp and the eager princess before letting out a sigh. “Very well. But I must warn you I am not an expert at these newfangled video game things,” he warned. “The closest I’ve come to enjoying a recreational game is pinball.”
“Wow you ARE old,” Blitz snorted as the short scientist rolled his eyes.
“I died in the 1910s. Give me a break,” he snarked, picking up the drumsticks. “So I just use these to hit the drums?”
“Yep. Let’s try this song!” Charlie smiled, picking an upbeat song from a Nickelodeon cartoon. Baxter managed to configure the game to have updated song listings for songs from the current decades. “Oh this is gonna be fun!”
“Sing it girl!” Blitz cheered as he started to hit the buttons while Baxter tried to match the colors on the screen.
“Blasted graphics speeding by quickly!” he gasped, rapidly hitting the drumkit like a crazy person.
“Dropping records on a weekly basis~!” Charlie sang, getting in the real rock and roll spirit. “Playing shows in exotic places~!”
Blitz’s hands were practically dancing on his guitar controller as he got into the song. It sounded so hopeful from–at least what the little description box on the song list said–was about a teen girl wanting to be a rockstar and living out her dream. Baxter, meanwhile, was sweating like crazy trying to keep up with the pace of the music. He still couldn’t understand the appeal of these modern contraptions and yet…he was actually invested.
“Rocking out to a cheering crowd!” Charlie went on. “Hear them screaming "Luna Loud!"
“Who’s Luna Loud?” Baxter shouted over the music.
“No fucking clue!” Blitz yelled back.
“My favorite colors are platinum and gold! Being a rock star never gets old! My life is a dream!” Charlie sighed wistfully before headbanging. “A crazy rock 'n' roll dream!”
During a music break in the song, Niffty happened to be walking by and her eye widened seeing her friends acting like a rock band. “Ooh! I know what’ll make this fun!” she grinned, pulling out a bunch of glowsticks and shaking them to the music.
Blitz turned to see Niffty jumping to the music before laughing. “Looks like we got a groupie,” he grinned.
Baxter felt his face warm up from Niffty watching him but now he felt motivated to actually try and win this game. “Let’s rock and roll!” he declared.
“Got the rock and roll bug and I just can’t shake it!” Charlie belted out. “Follow your heart if you really wanna make it! I tried my hands at dental hygiene! But at the end of the day it just wasn’t my scene!”
“Wait what?” the scientist blinked.
“Just roll with it,” Blitz shrugged.
“You can live your life full of doubt~ Or you can do what you love and it will all work out~ My life is a dream~” Charlie went on, turning to the audience and winking. “The greatest rock 'n' roll dream~”
She then put the microphone towards her friends, nodding encouragingly to sing along which they happily agreed to. “You can live your life full of doubt! Or you can do what you love and it will all work out!” They sang, their voices melting together pretty well. “My life is a dream~”
“The greatest rock 'n' roll dream!” Charlie finished as Blitz and Baxter completed their instrumentals. They actually sounded great together and Niffty was jumping up and down, begging for an encore.
Star Rating: 3 stars
“Three?!” Baxter snapped. “We sounded incredible! This thing is rigged!”
“Hey the more we play, the higher our star rating will get,” Blitz told him before turning to his taller friend. “What do ya say, Charlie? Want another go?”
“Again! Again!” Niffty cheered.
Charlie laughed as she started to flip through songs. “Well the night’s still young, let’s give it another go!”
[END]