Entropy
Junior Member
mé·lange
māˈlänj/
noun
noun: melange; plural noun: melanges; noun: mélange; plural noun: mélanges
a mixture; a medley.
In 2016 Gabriel Martel, a twenty-eight year old has-been, ex-boyband member returned to the spotlight with his eclectic idea for a record label. Mélange records was born with the idea that music didn't have to stick to one genre. Everyone enjoys more than one style of music, and talented artists of all types deserve as much chance as anyone else to express their style with the full backing of their label and producers to be themselves. Martel's label represents a variety of genre's and grooves, some unpopular today, but all receiving the same advertisement and public eye as the biggest stars because of his influence and teachings. Whether you're a poor amateur trying to break into the business or a returning starlet trying to redeem yourself, there's a place for all talent at Mélange Records, located in the hectic but life-changing New York City. Gabriel understands that life in the Big Apple is strenuous for beginners so every artist has the choice to stay in the small apartments built above the studio, for fast access to work. The label's goal is to focus on quality instead of quantity so although not many get signed, if you do get a chance to join the family, your skill is not to be underestimated, signing the dotted line means you have what it takes to make it possibly even further than your mentor did.
The story will revolve around 6-8 artists (descriptions of which will be located below to avoid many of us going for the same characters and because I have an idea of what sorts of characters will move the story in the best, longest-lasting direction. Major personalities and fleshing them out is still your job. I don't plan to make this first come first serve, selections will be based on writing skill. Only seven characters will be shown below but I'll add more if someone wants to run a character idea by me before creating a Character Sheet.) I'll be playing Gabriel Martel as well as an artist that I haven't chosen yet, so they're all up for grabs at the moment. Each character will specialize in a different genre/style of music and all will go through struggles, as none of them are particularly famous in the beginning of the roleplay but they will all grow together as artists. Although I will be providing my share of drama as the GM, it will be a character based game and need creative minds to keep things dramatic and fresh.
Characters:
The Starlet:
Eloise Bishop
@Smoaki
Six years ago, at 16 years old, she topped the charts for twelve weeks back to back with hit pop ballads adding to 6 months at number one in all. She graduated high school and attended Harvard all while keeping up with her music and fans. She held rallies and stood up for lgbtq and women's rights publicly, and very quickly became America's sweetheart; a household name that little girls could idolize and grown women could jam to in the shower. Dedicated to work and her future, she had little time for romance but at twenty years old she finally took a small breather in her hometown and fell in love with a local Rockstar. It was a whirlwind romance that became her only reason to wake up, and she thought she'd accidentally found her soulmate until he released a rather dirty video of the two of them in bed together that they made for his birthday. As soon as the video hit the internet, she was ruined. Previously seen as a squeaky clean good girl, there was no place for her in the market or in her record label without the flawless reputation that was attached. Her fifteen minutes were over. She hid in the shadows until Gabriel showed up at her doorstep offering her the chance to be Mélange Records first official signed artist.
The Soul Queen:
The runner-up on the singing competition show 'American Star' three months ago, The Soul Queen took the world by storm with her original, sassy but emotional R&B songs. Judges were sure she was the winner but America voted someone else into the spotlight and she fell to well below the top hundred on iTunes. After using all of her resources and money on trying to stay in the city and find work she was blessed to run into Gabriel Martel in the coffee shop she was working at part time. The two grew a very close flirtationship, and over the weeks it developed into something that she thought was much more. The morning after they slept together for the first time, though, she was signed to his record label immediately and he's treated her purely professionally since. Dealing with the thought that she may have accidentally slept her way to the top has taken a tale on her songwriting abilities and she's fallen into a writer's block at the worst possible time, but there's a fire in her that she's determined the world needs to hear. Easily Possessing the most drive of any of the other artists, The Soul Queen decides to lower her morals a bit and dress down to draw in more crowds. Her dance moves and lyrics become sexier, she accepts songs written by others due to her struggles, a thing she swore she'd never do, and in learning that sex sells, she's slowly losing herself trying to surpass her competition, The Piano Babe.
The Piano Babe:
Madilyn Haywood
@tiedyed unicorn
Born with the most delicate of natural beauties, it's no surprise that The Piano Babe chose fame over being ordinary. Her entire life she was the Prom Queen, the Beauty Pageant Winner, the Instagram model, the "Pretty One' in all situations. Guys dated her because of her looks, her friends hung out with her because she was stunning, and everything was handed to her because of something she has no control over. She gained an interest in music in her pre-teen years and Daddy bought her a piano to practice on and singing lessons, sure his baby would be a star because of her features. Everyone loves a pretty girl. Later she earned a following on YouTube and not long after she was a sensation on 'American Star.' She won the show by 30 votes, the closest win in the history of the show, barely beating The Soul Queen. The internet and media exploded with talk that she only won because she dressed in revealing gowns and posted bikini pictures on Instagram. Labels were falling at her feet for a signature, but her obsession with Martel's boyband swayed her in his direction and when she got news of The Soul Queen signing, she took the deal as well in an attempt to show the world she is better, not just easier.
The Indie Chick:
Lena Vanstone
@Lumos
With a raspy, sultry singing voice and her best friend, The Rapper, at her side, The Indie Chick grew up in music. Her grandfather was a huge name for jazz music and her mother chose Upbeat 80's pop, but The Indie Chick picked up a Ukulele when she was a youngster and never put it down. By the age of fourteen she was selling out local venues with the Rapper in a duo they formed, and people for miles knew their names because of their performances at festivals. In a strange but refreshing mash-up of beautifully sang choruses with her ukulele and always-meaningful and thought provoking lyrics rapped for the verses by her best friend, most don't understand their vision, but the two of them love their music so deeply that in the face of any obstacles, they manage to prevail together and hope to leave a mark on the world no matter how small. When The Rapper announced that they had gotten a record deal, her whole life changed and she was whisked off to the most intimidating city she'd ever visited and thrown into a world she doesn't understand or fit into. Terrified, star-struck, and obviously the least likely to handle fame well in the group, she would already be on a plane back home if it wasn't for her friends dreams making his face light up.
The Rockstar:
Rayland Trent
A James Dean swagger, leather jacket, and a well-played guitar made girls swoon in his presence for as long as he can remember. The Rockstar is a handsome man with big dreams and even bigger talent. The obvious eye candy surprises everyone when he opens his mouth and proves to be more than a charmer. Growing up with all eyes on him did give him a superiority complex, and he enjoys his fair share of women, but everything seems trivial compared to making his dreams happen, so falling in love isn't an option. Then the starlet walked back into town and gave him the best Kardashian-style opportunity he'd ever been given. It was like fate, her strolling into the bar that he played at every Friday during the Gunslinger-styled crowd pleaser he'd written specifically to impress women. One gaze at her in the crowd and she was wrapped around his finger. He played her hard, and probably broke her heart, but the video he released shot him straight into the spotlight with her. All of Hollywood was wondering who the hot guy in her sex tape was. And while she was publicly shamed, he was reveled along with his music. Not much later he received a letter from Gabriel Martel and headed to New York with no idea he was signing onto the label that The Starlet had joined.
The Ex-band Member
Cassidy Alvaro
@Ambela
At just eighteen years old, he was topping the charts and selling out tickets and merchandise with his three high school best friends in a band they started in their garage. They were living every teenage boys dream, staying in fancy hotel rooms and partying with dedicated groupies. Hot Topic featured their faces on the front windows and fans screamed and cried at autograph signings. Everything would have gone smoothly if their lead guitar player was happy. But 'emo' lyrics and staying in the background was never this guys dream, he wanted a career to himself and music he could be proud of. At the two year anniversary party of the bands first album release, he announced to a room full of wasted punk rockers that he was leaving the band, and the whole room turned on him. The band had dreams of going down in history: "like Green Day, dude" and his fans didn't handle the news well either. Although punk rock music fans are a bit more loyal than most, everyone feels hurt by the news of the band losing a key member. Sad and angry fan mail was pouring in, and The ex-band member knew he had to do something quickly before he lost them all, so he went to an open call for a new record label and performed solo for the first time. With his future teetering at the edge of a cliff, he has to prove that he can do well on his own before his fifteen minutes is up.
The Rapper:
Adrian Vitale
The Rapper met The Indie Chick in elementary school and fate or the music Gods kept them together against all odds. His parents divorced and wanted to move away, splitting them up, and he found a way to stay. They broke up over a fight about what to name their duo and inevitably got back together. Recently, they had a go at a romantic relationship together, thinking they were meant to be in more than a musical sense, but when things got awkward and normal couple arguments started affecting their music, they decided a relationship was a bad idea. No matter what happens in their personal lives, their partnership prevails. Gabriel Martel found The Rapper's music online, and reached out to offer him a deal. Only him. His dream was right in front of him, and he almost turned it down because of his attachment to the Indie Chick. Afraid of hurting her but more afraid of missing his only opportunity to do music, he accepted the deal and flew to New York City without saying goodbye. He left her behind. After joining the team and settling in, Gabriel approached The Rapper about a letter he'd been sent by The Indie Chicks mother. It included a video of the duo performing together and The Rapper admitted that they used to be a packaged deal. Gabriel suggested that The Indie Chick join him and she was flown out not much later. Now their dreams are coming true together and everything will be fine as long as she never finds out he was willing to abandon her.
Eloise Bishop
@Smoaki
Six years ago, at 16 years old, she topped the charts for twelve weeks back to back with hit pop ballads adding to 6 months at number one in all. She graduated high school and attended Harvard all while keeping up with her music and fans. She held rallies and stood up for lgbtq and women's rights publicly, and very quickly became America's sweetheart; a household name that little girls could idolize and grown women could jam to in the shower. Dedicated to work and her future, she had little time for romance but at twenty years old she finally took a small breather in her hometown and fell in love with a local Rockstar. It was a whirlwind romance that became her only reason to wake up, and she thought she'd accidentally found her soulmate until he released a rather dirty video of the two of them in bed together that they made for his birthday. As soon as the video hit the internet, she was ruined. Previously seen as a squeaky clean good girl, there was no place for her in the market or in her record label without the flawless reputation that was attached. Her fifteen minutes were over. She hid in the shadows until Gabriel showed up at her doorstep offering her the chance to be Mélange Records first official signed artist.
The Soul Queen:
The runner-up on the singing competition show 'American Star' three months ago, The Soul Queen took the world by storm with her original, sassy but emotional R&B songs. Judges were sure she was the winner but America voted someone else into the spotlight and she fell to well below the top hundred on iTunes. After using all of her resources and money on trying to stay in the city and find work she was blessed to run into Gabriel Martel in the coffee shop she was working at part time. The two grew a very close flirtationship, and over the weeks it developed into something that she thought was much more. The morning after they slept together for the first time, though, she was signed to his record label immediately and he's treated her purely professionally since. Dealing with the thought that she may have accidentally slept her way to the top has taken a tale on her songwriting abilities and she's fallen into a writer's block at the worst possible time, but there's a fire in her that she's determined the world needs to hear. Easily Possessing the most drive of any of the other artists, The Soul Queen decides to lower her morals a bit and dress down to draw in more crowds. Her dance moves and lyrics become sexier, she accepts songs written by others due to her struggles, a thing she swore she'd never do, and in learning that sex sells, she's slowly losing herself trying to surpass her competition, The Piano Babe.
The Piano Babe:
Madilyn Haywood
@tiedyed unicorn
Born with the most delicate of natural beauties, it's no surprise that The Piano Babe chose fame over being ordinary. Her entire life she was the Prom Queen, the Beauty Pageant Winner, the Instagram model, the "Pretty One' in all situations. Guys dated her because of her looks, her friends hung out with her because she was stunning, and everything was handed to her because of something she has no control over. She gained an interest in music in her pre-teen years and Daddy bought her a piano to practice on and singing lessons, sure his baby would be a star because of her features. Everyone loves a pretty girl. Later she earned a following on YouTube and not long after she was a sensation on 'American Star.' She won the show by 30 votes, the closest win in the history of the show, barely beating The Soul Queen. The internet and media exploded with talk that she only won because she dressed in revealing gowns and posted bikini pictures on Instagram. Labels were falling at her feet for a signature, but her obsession with Martel's boyband swayed her in his direction and when she got news of The Soul Queen signing, she took the deal as well in an attempt to show the world she is better, not just easier.
The Indie Chick:
Lena Vanstone
@Lumos
With a raspy, sultry singing voice and her best friend, The Rapper, at her side, The Indie Chick grew up in music. Her grandfather was a huge name for jazz music and her mother chose Upbeat 80's pop, but The Indie Chick picked up a Ukulele when she was a youngster and never put it down. By the age of fourteen she was selling out local venues with the Rapper in a duo they formed, and people for miles knew their names because of their performances at festivals. In a strange but refreshing mash-up of beautifully sang choruses with her ukulele and always-meaningful and thought provoking lyrics rapped for the verses by her best friend, most don't understand their vision, but the two of them love their music so deeply that in the face of any obstacles, they manage to prevail together and hope to leave a mark on the world no matter how small. When The Rapper announced that they had gotten a record deal, her whole life changed and she was whisked off to the most intimidating city she'd ever visited and thrown into a world she doesn't understand or fit into. Terrified, star-struck, and obviously the least likely to handle fame well in the group, she would already be on a plane back home if it wasn't for her friends dreams making his face light up.
The Rockstar:
Rayland Trent
A James Dean swagger, leather jacket, and a well-played guitar made girls swoon in his presence for as long as he can remember. The Rockstar is a handsome man with big dreams and even bigger talent. The obvious eye candy surprises everyone when he opens his mouth and proves to be more than a charmer. Growing up with all eyes on him did give him a superiority complex, and he enjoys his fair share of women, but everything seems trivial compared to making his dreams happen, so falling in love isn't an option. Then the starlet walked back into town and gave him the best Kardashian-style opportunity he'd ever been given. It was like fate, her strolling into the bar that he played at every Friday during the Gunslinger-styled crowd pleaser he'd written specifically to impress women. One gaze at her in the crowd and she was wrapped around his finger. He played her hard, and probably broke her heart, but the video he released shot him straight into the spotlight with her. All of Hollywood was wondering who the hot guy in her sex tape was. And while she was publicly shamed, he was reveled along with his music. Not much later he received a letter from Gabriel Martel and headed to New York with no idea he was signing onto the label that The Starlet had joined.
The Ex-band Member
Cassidy Alvaro
@Ambela
At just eighteen years old, he was topping the charts and selling out tickets and merchandise with his three high school best friends in a band they started in their garage. They were living every teenage boys dream, staying in fancy hotel rooms and partying with dedicated groupies. Hot Topic featured their faces on the front windows and fans screamed and cried at autograph signings. Everything would have gone smoothly if their lead guitar player was happy. But 'emo' lyrics and staying in the background was never this guys dream, he wanted a career to himself and music he could be proud of. At the two year anniversary party of the bands first album release, he announced to a room full of wasted punk rockers that he was leaving the band, and the whole room turned on him. The band had dreams of going down in history: "like Green Day, dude" and his fans didn't handle the news well either. Although punk rock music fans are a bit more loyal than most, everyone feels hurt by the news of the band losing a key member. Sad and angry fan mail was pouring in, and The ex-band member knew he had to do something quickly before he lost them all, so he went to an open call for a new record label and performed solo for the first time. With his future teetering at the edge of a cliff, he has to prove that he can do well on his own before his fifteen minutes is up.
The Rapper:
Adrian Vitale
The Rapper met The Indie Chick in elementary school and fate or the music Gods kept them together against all odds. His parents divorced and wanted to move away, splitting them up, and he found a way to stay. They broke up over a fight about what to name their duo and inevitably got back together. Recently, they had a go at a romantic relationship together, thinking they were meant to be in more than a musical sense, but when things got awkward and normal couple arguments started affecting their music, they decided a relationship was a bad idea. No matter what happens in their personal lives, their partnership prevails. Gabriel Martel found The Rapper's music online, and reached out to offer him a deal. Only him. His dream was right in front of him, and he almost turned it down because of his attachment to the Indie Chick. Afraid of hurting her but more afraid of missing his only opportunity to do music, he accepted the deal and flew to New York City without saying goodbye. He left her behind. After joining the team and settling in, Gabriel approached The Rapper about a letter he'd been sent by The Indie Chicks mother. It included a video of the duo performing together and The Rapper admitted that they used to be a packaged deal. Gabriel suggested that The Indie Chick join him and she was flown out not much later. Now their dreams are coming true together and everything will be fine as long as she never finds out he was willing to abandon her.
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