A few last minute votes roll in, as well as some very familiar shouting from the wings. It seems they could open up a portal just big enough to shove some notes (and their very vocal support) through.
“One vote for Osomatsu! It’s obvious that he’s been working his ass off as leader. Let him have his show and give us the full force of his charisma already! (Besides, we’re the hottest. I mean he is.) Give ‘em hell!”
“My vote would go out to all of my brothers, but alas, I must take something special for myself. I hope that Karamatsu gets the sort of show he’s always dreamt of, and that his fans get precisely what they want. 🌹”
“Choromatsu has the technical know how, the organization, and the variety of musical tastes it’d take to maintain a show on his own. It’s clear that he should get his show– it’s the only practical choice! (I’ll be rooting from the sidelines! Rinrin, Chororin!)”
“Ichimatsu has all of the support from the cats of the Akatsuka Ward pet shelter.” On the paper are several pawprints.
“ONE VOTE FOR 14MATSU! Can you imagine a show with the percussion as the main instrument? Tambourine, cymbals, taiko taiko taiko!! Make it loud!!”
“Todomatsu, for sure. He deserves his solo concert! He’s playing a new instrument onstage, singing, and still managing to rest and take care of himself enough to stay cute for his fans. Let him have this. Please, please, pleeeeease! 💖💖💖💖💖💖”
At the sound of shouting, the brothers all look up and around, but they can’t find their future pop star counterparts. They do, however, find some notes!
“Working my ass off? Hardly. It’s never looked better!” Osomatsu grins and gives a salute to the sky. “Whatever happens, you know I will! You up there, stay groovy!”
“Ah ... thank you, my astro-twin,” Karamatsu says with a dreamy sigh as he feels the universe giving him a hug. “It appears that this may be the way it shall go, after all! I promise to send you only the best pictures!”
Choromatsu sighs and nods. “See? He gets it. He understands.”
Ichimatsu just looks at the paper, cheeks flushing slightly. He folds it up and tucks it in his jacket pocket.
“Oh maaaan! Taiko!” The idea only makes Jyushimatsu light up like a million-watt bulb. “I wanna play taiko on stage! Hey, whoever wins, let me play, okay?”
Todomatsu’s pouting is momentarily relieved by the letter. “He’s right, though. I do deserve it! I’m working harder than ever - and looking cuter than ever!”
"Let's see ... Who's up next?"
The sun's come out - finally! - on the Same Faces' side, but it's still a little windy. So windy, in fact, that the paper flutters out of Totoko's hand once she draws it. She starts to chase it across the stage, but Osomatsu dives for it and picks it up.
"Hey, no peeking!" Totoko yells.
"Too late." Osomatsu's already wearing a big cheesy grin as he hands the paper back to her.
Totoko gives him a scowl, then smiles brightly once again to address the audience. "Is everyone having a good time so far?" There's a cheer from both sides of the barrier. Good. "Yay! This is kind of a new thing for me, but I think I like these guys on the other side better." Shouts of protest from the Same Faces side, the loudest ones coming from the band members themselves. "What? They just seem better trained, that's all. Anyway!" She giggles a bit. "Next up is the oldest brother, Osomatsu! What are these two crazy guys going to get into together? Let's find out, huh?"
The crowds agree on that one, and there's expectant giggles and whoops as Osomatsu struts towards the barrier, still grinning like the cat that got the canary.
The F6 side immediately bursts into jeering shouts before dissolving into their typical It's Totoko reactions: falling to the floor in adoration. "You're so cute, Totoko!" rings out in almost perfect unison, which should only serve to make them seem a little better. (That little bit barely took any training at all. It's almost as natural as breathing, and a bit less natural than spinning without injury.) The first to get up from the crush pile is Osomatsu, who pops to his feet as soon as his name is called. Naturally, he seems just as pleased. "Sorry about stealing your thunder for a sec!" He's only a little sorry.
"Don't encourage her, she knows it." Osomatsu gives Totoko a wink, but she's busy enjoying the F6 attention. She gives them a wave and skips offstage. That was more like it! Osomatsu leans against the barrier a little, giving the impression of leaning on nothing. It feels and looks weird, but that's what he's going for. "Please, you're the ones with all the thunder!"
F6's Osomatsu lays his hands over his heart, his back sliding down the barrier after his other self leans, because both of them could stand to look a bit more like weird mimes. "As cute as she is honest!" He gets back up, and matches where his other self rests. "Staff, get a good shot of this, there is so much concentrated hotness in this little chunk of the multiverse, it's almost dangerous. Get it on camera before it's too late!" He snickers as one of the camerapeople races in front of them. "No worries about angles, we have no bad side; right, handsome?" Osomatsu elbows the barrier with a grin.
"It's like lookin' in a mirror. A really shiny one." Osomatsu puts on one of his brightest signature grins for the camera as it records this event. "Hey, if we're hot enough, we might melt this thing. We might not wanna touch it too much." He finally stands up and gets his hands off the barrier. "Wouldn't want the universe to go haywire on us, would we?"
Osomatsu faces the audience and scratches his nose a little before speaking. He's loving this, all of it. It's just the kind of chaos he can appreciate. Plus, he's always wanted to meet this guy. "All right! So it's our turn to do it, and by do it, I mean duet, and there's only one guy whose magnitude can match that of the both of us combined." He turns to the barrier. "What do you say to some Elvis, my handsome mirror friend?"
Osomatsu jokingly grabs one of the sleeves of the hoodie draped over his shoulders and polishes the invisible surface before stepping back. "Don't wanna overheat everything in it, true!"
Both of them somehow do it in unison, and Osomatsu can't help but laugh at that. "No matter how many worlds apart, we're still us, huh?"
He looks teasingly pensive for a moment. "Hm, yes, I think that he'd do quite nicely, but," he sucks in a breath, "whatever will we choose?"
"Welp ..." Osomatsu stuffs his hands in the pockets of his shorts and kicks his leg. "Knowing you ... with you being me and all ... and knowing me ... I'd say Viva Las Vegas, wouldn't you?" There's a cheer, mostly from the Same Faces side.
Over on the idol side, Osomatsu cheers, the audience piping up once he does, and as soon as he turns to the side of the stage, there's someone with a flag lapel pin looking Displeased. "Oh, darn," he says, snapping a finger in very obvious mock disappointment. "Apparently we have some mature themes in those lyrics, impressionable minds and all. Welp, at least they can't ban us from giving his famous hips a proper tribute. No shooting us only from the waist up, right?" He gives a few teasing gyrations and smiles wider when it's met with excited shouting.
"Awww, well. At least we have a backup plan. And hey! I've got one over on all the others!" Osomatsu waves to the audience on the F6 side. "Hi! Hello! Boy, it feels great to not be stuck behind an instrument. Now you can get a good look! Double the Osomatsu, double the fun, am I right? ... But yeah. I guess we ought to follow this song's advice. What do you say?" He looks over at his double with a cocked head and a twinkle in his eye. "A little less conversation, a little more action?"
"Never let it be said that Osomatsu Matsuno comes unprepared," he says, stepping back to let his side get a good view. "All this worry about the invisible wall heating up, and not a second worrying about the audience. We're getting real risky here!" As soon as his other self waxes lyrical, he follows it up with an almost pleading bow and a "Please!" He finally shoves his arms in the sleeves of his hoodie, tugs off the goggles, and immediately does his best to the audiences cheering in a steady rhythm.
The cheering ends up being right in rhythm with the song, so Osomatsu waits until the excitement really starts building before he calls out, "Hit it!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNUSBi8x4tg
The dummers on either side on the barrier have fun with the intro, soon joined by guitars. When the drums stop for a guitar hook, Osomatsu freezes and does the perfect Elvis hip shake along with the melody before he starts singing.
Of course, his double responds with a holler usually only reserved for drunken nights at Chibita's. Other him is working it! He's content to dance along for a bit, combining the old and new in a way he hopes isn't awkward-- other him has more experience than him in many, many ways. Once idolside Osomatsu picks up the tune, he worries that he doesn't have the grit he needs. That lasts for about two seconds, then he's just as excited as the crowd!
The crowd on both sides is at a point where any Osomatsu will do, so there's lots of love being shown for either one - especially when one side gets to hear the other side's sing for the first time. Osomatsu gives out a couple of encouraging whoops as the idolside version of him takes his part. They trade back and forth, coming up close to the barrier - freedom of movement for the win! - and playing up for any cameras pointed in their direction.
When it gets to the point in the middle where things get quiet, Same Faces Osomatsu feels that his mirror twin is ready for a challenge. He takes his first line and moves his hips around to the guitar melody, then dramatically points Elvis-style to the other side of the barrier.
Idolside Osomatsu can't help but laugh a bit in pleased surprise. So the other him is asking for a challenge? Very well, he aims to please. He takes his line, imitating his counterpart as best he can to start. Then, just to show what the future has in store, he adds a quick body roll that travels from his head to his feet that may or may not have taken him several weeks of practice to finally master.
A loud shout goes up from the Same Faces side once they see what the F6 side can do. Osomatsu takes a few steps back, pretending to be about to faint. How does that even work? He's going to try and figure it out eventually, but right now he'll leave it up to the master and do what he does best. Hips, lanky arms and legs, and vocals with just the right amount of growl behind them.
As they get into the last verse, Osomatsu can't help but sneak a look at his counterpart and grin. He's so proud. So very proud.
Idolside Osomatsu bursts into laughter almost instantly. Was it really that impressive? Honestly, he's a lot dorkier when he dances unplanned, so there's a lot of bouncing in an effort to get the audience to join him, the rest of his singing laced with incredibly obvious amusement. And some staring, because... wow, other him is badass. How is this possible.
There's a little riffing back and forth as the song draws to a close, and on either side, there's improvised dancing. By the end, Same Faces Osomatsu is only the tiniest bit out of breath from having had to keep up. He turns to his counterpart and grins knowingly as both crowds explode into cheering.
"That's my favorite sound, how about yours?"
"Oh, absolutely! Couldn't ask for anything more! Except..." he looks fake-pensive, and nods as if he's made a vital decision. "Maybe just a little louder?"
The audience is more than happy to oblige, managing to up the excitement even more. On the F6 side, Osomatsu can't help but get a bit more cocky. "We're a tough act to follow, huh?" He's shooting his brothers a look. What a loser. The fans somehow adore it.
Osomatsu can't sling an arm around his idolverse counterpart's shoulder like he'd like to, so he just leans against the barrier and tries to give it a hug. "It's been an honor, my man."
The other Oso makes a proud little noise and does the same. "Right back at me, dude. We were awesome." The multiversal hug ends with a double high-five, and it’s ... going to take some time for those audiences to settle down after this one.
The weather on the Same Faces side is just a little better - the wind's calmed down and there's occasional peeks of sun - but it's still gloomy compared to the bright sun on F6's side. The gloom matches Totoko's mood perfectly. That is, until she's called up on stage again. She shakes off every little bit of salt and becomes a bright and perky beach princess once more, skipping up the steps and across the stage.
"Hi everyone!" she calls out once she reaches the mic. "Are you ready to hear another duet? That one between the two Ichimatsus was kinda fun, wasn't it? Let's see who's up next!"
She reaches into the bowl and makes a show of digging around, eventually pulling out another number.
"Oh, look!" She holds out the little paper. "Jyushimatsus, you're up!"
Jyushimatsu jumps up from behind his drum set as if he's spring-loaded. He bounds over to the barrier to wave at his mirror image. "You ready???"
He's matched perfectly on the idol side. "You know it!" He scuttles to the front of the stage, hurriedly waving to catch someone's attention before bowing fast enough to snap a normal person in half. "Thank you, Totoko!"
Only once he's done that (he's rambunctious, but he's polite), he scuttles over to their band to retrieve... some props? "We're gonna tell you guys a story!"
Well, at least the idol side's Jyushimatsu has some manners. Totoko gives him a precious little princess wave before skipping off again (to pout backstage).
"Yeah! It's a story about one of my personal heroes!" Jyushimatsu goes back behind his kit, and the other Same Faces scatter a little so that the crowd has a good view of the drummer. "The prop thing was all their idea!" He waves in the direction of the idols. "I don't know what all they're going to do but it looks like fun, so keep your eyes on their side!"
Once he's sure his band is ready, he looks over at the F6 side of the stage. "You guys ready to go?"
Ichimatsu and Choromatsu seem to be holding an oblong piece of cardboard, with Karamatsu and Todomatsu holding umbrellas. One last touch, a hat that'd seem a bit retro to both sides of the audience for Osomatsu.
"Ready!" Jyuushimatsu yells, the others holding their pieces into place. The cardboard becomes the body of a car, the umbrellas two wheels, and Osomatsu an oddly dressed, crotchety old lady.
"We could have done better if we had time! And if we weren't scared to leave the stage in case this all went away! But it's ok, right?" Some scattered screams followed by laughter confirm they're doing just fine.
"Okay! So I think people on both sides might know this story, if it's as well-known of a song as the other Jyushimatsu told me it was. Here we go!"
Jyushimatsu clicks his drumsticks together to count down, and the Same Faces break out into one of their eerily synchronized walls of harmony to start off the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MdZN5L1WQ8
The drummer sings the verses, with his brothers backing him up, offering the little old lady encouragement with refrains of "go granny go".
Jyuushimatsu marvels at their harmonies for a few seconds, and sucks in a deep breath just in time to join in with his counterpart. When he's on his own, he's more enthusiasm than finesse, but he's charming nonetheless. He hopes.
Karamatsu and Todomatsu are twirling like mad while the whole cluster makes ridiculous engine revving sounds. Save for Osomatsu, of course, who's shouting with mighty road rage at invisible drivers.
The Jyushimatsu who's stuck behind the drum kit is a wee bit jealous of the freedom his counterpart has, able to dance around and have a good time the way he does. And he does it so well, no wonder both audiences can't keep their eyes off of F6 right now! Their setup was a success and he's proud as can be.
He drums and grins and sings his way through verses and choruses, and hopes he can keep time as he glances over at the other side again to see what sort of show they're going to put on during the instrumental break.
The boys aren't taking anything too terribly seriously, as he'll see.
"Get off the damn road!" Osomatsu shouts at Jyuushimatsu, doing his best to sound frail and commanding. It's an odd combo.
"I'm not on the road!"
"What?!"
"I'm on the sidewalk, ma'am!"
Suddenly, the others move closer as Osomatsu yells again, "I'm sorry, what?!"
"Why are you moving?" Jyuushimatsu laughs before realizing his only option is to pretend that he's stuck on the hood.
"We need the windshield wipers on, something's stuck!"
Choromatsu snickers and ineffectually waves an arm back and forth, smooshing Jyuushimatsu's face a little.
"Why isn't he off?!"
"I don't know! Wipers don't think!"
"Ahhh, someone help her! She's so frail and helpless! I would but I'm in another universe right now!" Jyushimatsu calls out, before he has to start singing again. There's a hiccup in the instrumentals as a few of his brothers catch the giggles from him, but the Same Faces are very good at picking up and starting again. Even control-freak Choromatsu doesn't say anything (he was doing the worst part of the giggling, to be honest).
He sings about the granny getting a ticket, wondering if any cops will show up, then goes right into the last chorus before the end.
They forgot about the cop thing. Well, five out of six of them did. Ichimatsu dashes away and comes back with a hat and a notepad, shoving the hasty mock-ticket into Osomatsu's face before getting in an invisible car and driving off.
Osomatsu continues frothing with a paper in his mouth.
The original song has a fade-out, so the Same Faces have to fake their way into an ending. The song doesn't exactly fall apart, but it takes some glancing and sly signaling for everyone to get on the same page and end it.
"Someone quick, help that granny out! She needs her meds!" Osomatsu shouts.
Jyushimatsu jumps down from his drumstool and goes to the front of the stage, standing roughly in the same position where his counterpart stands. "All right! Thank you, everyone! It was kinda fun, wasn't it?" He waits until the other Jyushimatsu is ready, and they both give big bows in tandem.
"I'll meds you, whippersnapper!" And with that, Osomatsu's old lady hat and the other props are returned behind the backing band.
Jyuushimatsu traipses over, drumming his hands on the barrier before making sure he's lined up with his other self. "You did super great!" Two sleeved thumbs up. With a bow to the audience, he waves to everyone, popping up on the balls of his feet for the cheap seats, and returns to his spot back by the drums. More barrier drumming is necessary.
Before the show, when the two sets of Matsunos had gotten over the initial wave of panic and excitement and started thinking about how this kind of show was to go on, they hit upon a great idea: since they were both here, each brother could do a duet with his counterpart on the other side!
Of course, this leaves The Same Faces at a bit of a disadvantage, because F6 has several extra decades' worth of music to go on. All it means is that they're going to have to do songs that both groups would know. Hopefully, F6 fans won't mind the retro slant to the show this time around - it's definitely a once in a lifetime event!
To add a little excitement, the numbers 1 - 6 are on slips of paper in a little bowl. Feeling that she's been left with absolutely nothing to do right now, Totoko (on the Same Faces side) insists that she be the one to pick. She goes up to the mic, grinning a little fiendishly.
"Hi, everybody! ... First of all, I want to say I'm sorry to all my fans who came to see me, but this sort of thing happened and there's no way I could compete with ... well ... extreme distortion of time and space, right?" She giggles. "So let's find out which pair of guys is going to go up first for their duet! Here we go!"
She reaches into the bowl and draws the number, and her grin grows even more wicked. "Oh, look! The first one for the spotlight is the one who I happen to know absolutely hates it! Number 4, Ichimatsu!"
"... Huh ..." Ichimatsu sighs heavily, then readjusts his bass and looks over to the version of him on the other side. He shrugs. "At least we'll get it over with, right?"
On the F6 side, Ichimatsu's nudged forward, and he goes with the good old fashioned ragdoll defense, going as limp and noodly as possible until forced upright. "Sure, ok, sounds great," he says in an oddly calm voice while Jyuushimatsu drags him downstage.
"Believe me." his Same Faces counterpart nods. "I understand." He, too, is nudged forward, even though he'd rather hide out at his usual location (slightly to the left of and behind his sparkly attention sponge of a brother). "Though it's kinda funny how it came up after that last question, huh."
"I'd say it's almost too good, but, well.” F6 Ichimatsu shrugs. “Look at who we are, it should have been expected."
Things are quiet for a moment as everyone gets ready. No one's sure how this is going to turn out - but at least they know Ichimatsu won't do anything too weird or unpredictable, at least on the Same Faces side. He'll do what he's supposed to and nothing more, so he can get it over with. And he wouldn't dare disrespect his favorite group.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQoNU10WhJM
The guitar solo begins, and then the driving drumbeat of "Paint it Black" starts up, with a drummer on either side pounding out the beat. On the F6 side, someone synthesizes a sound as similar to the sitar as they can get.
Over on the wooden stage where the Same Faces stand, It occurs to Ichimatsu just then that no one really decided who would start off the song - but he starts singing anyway.
It's incredibly possible that some on the F6 side hadn't heard the tune, and almost certain that they don't have a clue of what to do when a song doesn't suit a classic wota mix.
This is usually Choromatsu or Jyuushimatsu's job, but. He can take over for one song. A few good fist-pumps and a goading comment on "doing better than that!" and his side is a sea of purple in a flash. He's not taking over unless signalled, he's content to just encourage the audience.
Ichimatsu's seriously impressed by the way his idol counterpart pumps up the audience, because there's no way he could do something like that. Not without serious support, and definitely not with a bass in hand. He takes the first verse, but he can't catch the other Ichimatsu's attention in time to signal him in the short break between the first and second. And anyway, he has his hands full with the bass, so there's no way he can wave him down. The song moves along pretty quickly, but once the third verse ends, and things are about to get quiet, Ichimatsu finds a space to where he can meet the other's eye and call out - "Go for it!"
On the F6 side, the lights dim, and Ichimatsu is inspired to drop to one knee and lower his head as he sings the softer part of the song. He has only two lines in this moment, but it's still a powerful enough image to show up on Twitter within moments. He gets back up on his feet and takes the final chorus and verse. By now, the fans on his side have figured the song out, and there's a little flair in the way they move the purple penlights now.
The lights are nearly hypnotic to Same Faces Ichimatsu, and he nearly gets lost in the sight, but he shakes himself back just long enough to trade off lines of the end with his counterpart on the other side. When the song reaches its end, the Ichimatsu on either side is more than a little overwhelmed by what's just happened (and still getting over the anxiety that comes with going first). The two simply approach the barrier, bow to each other, then to the audience.
Then it's back to their places somewhere closer to the back of the stage, where they'll be a lot more comfortable.
Ichimatsu, you didn't tell me you had a twin! *snickers* But seriously, what am supposed to do with two of you? Double not-date to the nearest cat cafe? Haha, I kid. But wow, this is really something. A whole lot of cute boys. Double the fun. Double the trouble too, I guess. Okay question for two Ichimatsus, hm. Ah, you know, I can't really think of anything good today, uh, I dunno, fave color that's not purple I guess? It's just cool to see this happening. You guys are all cool.
The idolside Ichimatsu is already flustered. Whether it’s from the offer of a date or being called cool is incredibly unclear but “both” is a safe bet.
Over on the Same Faces side, Ichimatsu can’t help but give the smallest bit of a smile. “Don’t worry,” he mumbles over to his mirror image. “Sage is cool." Though he still can’t believe he’s being called cute, he manages to keep his own cool somehow.
F6 Ichimatsu nods, still a bit shocked because, wow, what are compliments? "I guess, um.” He weakly gestures towards Jyuushimatsu, “yellow? Or gray, maybe. It’s calming.” Ichimatsu is even more quiet than usual when he adds on a quick “Thanks.” He’s so pink, someone help the catman.
Ichimatsu nods a bit in agreement with his counterpart. “Gray’s good, yeah.” He stops to think. “Maybe some of the darker fall colors … Or black. Black’s good with everything.” He shrugs. “I’ll wear just about any color as long as it isn’t too bright.” He gives Sage a little wave from the stage. “Thanks … for coming by, for asking. Hope you weren’t too shocked by all this.”
The boys did their best to seem casual when they planned their side of the show, but the whispers sounded more like mild panic. There was some kicking of legs and flipping of hats and goggles off of heads before they dashed over to their band and assess the risks. This song wasn't going to be released to the public for another week or two, but.
The band was simply warned to tone things down for their retro counterparts: some sounds would just mess them up. Record scratches, digital screeches, air horns and the like are all cut out. Less for the band to replicate, which is nice. Kind of.
After all, what would a preview for the fanclub hurt, right? They had alternate selves to impress!
Osomatsu pops up like he was spring-loaded, the others rushing to line up in order, “And now for the other side of the coin! Hello, past and present guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!” He nods over to the Same Faces’ side of the stage, trying to seem casual, and dissolving into bouncing excitement, “How cool was that?” There's a rush of babbling from their side before the monologuing starts up again. “Past, present, future, no matter when we are, we're doing pretty well, right? To keep the introduction brief so we can get to the good stuff…!”
“The miracle sextuplets that Akatsuka Fujio created, we are F6, and we're going to try to match them!” The drums kick in right away, not a moment of hesitation before the song kicks in.
The premise is oddly perfect: everyone here has a schedule to keep, there's no time to dilly-dally, and they need to figure out how to make the best first impression in five minutes or less. So, the debate begins.
Choromatsu takes charge first, stating that they were cultural icons, so the traditional route would suit them. It's striking without being obnoxious, it's comforting, and that's what he believes would make the best first impression! He's the token traditional member, he may as well.
That's fine and all, but Ichimatsu has other plans. Something heavier, something darker, something that feels more grounded. Deep, rumbling synthesizers are traded for guitars, and his statement is barely concluded before someone jumps in with a “better idea!”
Jyuushimatsu's idea is sunny and bright to contrast his brother, sounding somewhere between appropriately beachy and a retro ad for a supermarket. Perky, bubbly, bright. That's the kind of thing that Jyuushimatsu thinks would work best!
A reminder crops up. They're losing time.
Osomatsu… he's trying to rap. And be the lovely guest singer. He thinks that a bit of rap would be impressive. It's a very modern thing, look, they're adjusting to modernity! It's cool stuff, right? Especially when it's reduced down to piano, drums, and bass. He's oldest, he knows best, use his.
“Nope!” Todomatsu butts in with a proposal: combine a light, slick sound with a steady beat and bring in some of the choreography they've been taught. (It sounds odd without the synthesizers, less techno and more sparkly funk, but it works!) Precision and cuteness are key, and he's the cutest! He ought to know, right?
They all realize at about the same time that Karamatsu hasn't proposed a thing. Ears are covered, eyes are rolled, and he decides a ballad rich in seaside imagery and strings would be the best example! The drama, the melodies, it's all perfect! He's promptly shoved into line as they all reach a conclusion.
That was actually a good first impression, and they did it with some time to spare!
It took a lot of coordination, a lot of rewriting set lists, and a lot of rearranging instruments ... but somehow, when the fans begin to arrive, it almost looks as if the Same Faces and F6 have planned it this way all along. The only thing that isn't very coordinated is the weather on either side of the barrier - still clouded over and breezy on the Same Faces side, and sunny and calm where F6 stands.
F6 fans probably wonder who these guys in the Hawaiian shirts on the wooden stage are, and Same Faces fans are definitely curious about these guys who are dressed for the beach but have a slicker-looking stage set up. But the curiosity really takes off when they start noticing each other. The differences in the fashion and technology on both sides cause lots of poking at the barrier and shouted conversations between dimensions, once people start getting bold enough to try. F6 fans are already taking snapshots and sending out tweets describing the unusual situation. Same Faces fans gawk at smartphones and pose for selfies, then ask for pictures with cameras that F6 fans could call adorably vintage.
The Same Faces, having appeared earlier in the timeline and therefore given the title of "senpai" by default, are going to be the ones to start the show off. There's a lot of visible tension between the guys on stage, as they nervously glance over at the F6 side and wonder if what they have is enough to impress this bright and shiny new generation. The song they've picked to start off with is one that they hope is a good show of all the members' talents.
Osomatsu steps up to the microphone. "Hey there, all you beach babes!" His big voice rings out, and he's relieved when he hears cheering from both sides. "Bet you didn't know you were getting two shows for the price of one today, huh?" He briefly waves to the F6 side, grinning the grin they already know all too well.
"Hi, hello, wow, do they have some cuties in the future! I'd better keep in good shape so I can still enjoy myself when it comes along! ... Aaaaand keeping in good shape means not making Choromatsu mad, which I think I've already done, going on as long as I have. Okay! We are The Same Faces!" There's a pause for a cheer from their side of the crowd. "Tokyo's number one party band! Let's get this once-in-a-lifetime show rolling! Hit it!"
Jyushimatsu counts down, clicking his drumsticks together, and the band instantly launches into an intro with all the instruments at full force - Karamatsu's guitar ringing out, Choromatsu's organ blaring, Ichimatsu's bass pounding, and Jyushimatsu and Todomatsu handling the heavy percussion. It may take a moment for a Same Faces show to begin, but when it starts, it starts big and loud.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y76eG7gnNIg
Osomatsu wastes no time getting into his snakelike and lanky dance moves, and he sways up to the mic stand when it’s his turn. At first, his voice is desperate and not the least bit lustful, but by the time the chorus hits, it's more of a desperate growl, backed up by harmony from the rest of his brothers. The growl builds up to the shriek he gives off to announce the guitar solo.
Karamatsu has his hands full, as the original song has two guitar solos playing at once. His moment in the spotlight is brief, but he leaves his mark, sinking to his knees and letting Juliet guide his hands. Anyone watching would wonder how his fingers don't get tangled. By this point in the song, the band's starting to look a little less nervous. Todomatsu has more bounce in his step as he shakes the tambourine, and Choromatsu's finally smiling a little. Ichimatsu's going to need a little more time, but Jyushimatsu is grinning enough for the both of them right now.
The song doesn't last very long - these old songs never really do - but as the Same Faces finish their first number, they're happy to see cheering and glowsticks waving on the F6 side. Good. There's some hope for them here after all!
Let it be known that the good between universes makes for an excellent medium converter. The Same Faces should be receiving a special package soon: a box containing a letter, six six-packs of different flavors of Canta, and… a large reel of film?
“Hey, other us!
We thought that it’d be a trip for you to see what we’ve been doing lately, so we put a little something together for all of you to watch. We had a lot of fun, and there were a few bits you just had to see. Sit back and enjoy the show! (We tried to pick the songs that were the least, well. Future-y.)
Sincerely yours/ours,
The Other Matsuno Sextuplets”
(( The film, and the boys’ reaction to it, under the cut! It’s a bit of a long post, y’all know how wordy I can get. - Mod Daisy ))
Once they get the movie playing, they’ll be able to see their other selves performing in their own special ways.
It starts off with Todomatsu’s introduction and explanation of what they did in each stream, dressed up in swirls of whipped cream and strawberries. A few questions and his answers are spliced together with footage from his commercial, dressed adorably in a giant bowl of strawberries and cream, and a snippet of him licking some cream off of his lip leads right into his adorably enthusiastic performance of Under The Sea. He’s a bubbly performer, and his excitement is infectious. Every little wiggle and grin is sweet enough to make your teeth ache. His segment ends with his hands in a heart shape, smiling for the camera. “This has been the Cutie Fairy, Todomatsu a.k.a. Totty, signing off! Love you!”
Jyuushimatsu is next, “Get ready to hustle all of your muscles! It’s singalong time for Canta! I’m Jyuushimatsu, please be nice to me todaaaaay.” Between questions about bugs and flexing are a bunch of yuzu puns from the TV spot, which explains his citrusy getup. After a bunch of punny motivation, Jyuushimatsu may recognize a certain girl from the last portion of the commercial. As she laughs, Jyuushimatsu’s slightly out of his range rendition of Pink Pants! kicks in, and you can tell that it’s difficult for him to stay in one place while singing. (Hopefully Ichimatsu is at least a little amused by the impersonation of him dropped in near the end.) “This is the Sweet Prince, fifth son, Jyuushimatsu, heading off to sleep! I love you! Thank you, king-sized game-winning home run!” Jyuushimatsu swings an invisible bat, and Ichimatsu takes over.
No introduction, just an immediate segue into his slightly anxious commercial, a few of his asks scattered throughout. And his “shits given” sign. And lychee themed clothes. And denying those who want to see him strip. Ichimatsu also mentions something that may seem familiar: “My favorite smell? I’m starting to take a liking to incense, actually, thanks to a gift I got for my birthday.” No further explanation, because now Ichimatsu has a ukulele out. It all seems sweet until he finishes, well, the first line: “but what do you do when all you’ve ever done is fuck things up?” The song drops several more f-bombs, and Ichimatsu wraps things up. “The charismatic centripetal force, Ichimatsu, needs to go the fuck to bed before he loses the one iota of charisma he actually has.”
Choromatsu is up next, and after thoroughly magical girl-ing his way through a crowd, interspersed with increasing frustration over the filthy minds of some of his fans, and bewilderment over compliments (“Me? Sexy? At all? And sexiest out of a group?! Me, Choromatsu, ‘he’s plain but I swear he’s nice’ Choromatsu? ‘Bland but kind of smart I guess’ Choromatsu? 'I wouldn’t date him but he’s kind of ok or whatever’ Choromatsu?! …But we’re identical, aren’t we?!”) and the prices people would pay to kiss him, he brings out his toned down idol nerdiness with Goose House’s cover of Seishunfu. He’s enthusiastic, smiley, and entirely at peace. “Thank you all for coming! This has been F6’s Beautiful Genius, Matsuno Choromatsu, finally finishing up my day and going the heck to sleep. Good night! And, uh… remember to brush your teeth after all of this soda, ok?”
“Today, I vow to return your affections as best I can, and to bare my soul to you in song!” Karamatsu is gaudy from start to finish in returning the affections given to him via text, and his commercial is as preposterous as the tiny tiny shorts he wears in it. After his button-up is shed to show that delightfully awful tank top, the song Life On Mars glides in. David Bowie’s got a promising future ahead, boys! Something about Karamatsu’s segment is a bit longer, though, and for good reason: there’s a message that’s finally being sent to its proper place. https://askidolmatsus.tumblr.com/post/148820335439/oh-oh-dear-this-isnt-right-i-know-this “Treat my fragile heart with kindness, as it belongs to all of you. This has been the carnivorous piece of meat, the second son, Karamatsu Matsuno. Good night, my Karamatsu fans!”
Osomatsu is last, his apple-filled commercial intercut with declarations of “interest” and Osomatsu being way too easy to strip. He doubles up on his songs because, well, both are as short as his ability to wait. His inappropriate showtune of an opener is immediately followed up by his awful topless imitation of Elvis’ pelvis and his even worse impersonation of his low notes. He’s trying, he really is, he just can’t do it. “The sequence is complete, the planets are in alignment, the prophecy has been fulfilled! It says I’m gonna sleep for, like, a week. Thank you for letting me be an idol again today. This has been the Refreshing Justice, Osomatsu!”
Just when it looks like it should be over, there’s one more clip that wasn’t in the stream: the sextuplets are in their outfits from the stream looking like an ornamental fruit basket, sitting in two rows of three, the eldest at the bottom and the youngest up top.
“Hey, you guys! Happy to see us?” Osomatsu says, waving at the camera.
Karamatsu’s prideful, as always. “While it isn’t a full fledged performance with all of us, we thought that it may be nice for you to see how we perform on our own.“
“We may not play instruments as well as you do, but we do put hard work into what we do!” Defensive Chorofappski.
“We’re a work in progress.” Short and sweet, Ichimatsu.
“We hope the package gets there safe!” Jyuushimatsu looks shocked for a moment. “Oh, and if the drinks were cold, that’d be super cool!”
Todomatsu clasps his hands together, still playing up his cuteness for all it’s worth. “We really, really want to impress you guys! You need to know that you’re being represented well in our universe too!
Osomatsu picks it up one more time. “Enjoy your drinks, and let us know how you think we did, ok, guys? Thank you for letting us be idols again today!”
“With a song!”
“And a dance!”
“With our bodies.”
“And our hearts!”
“We can save the world!
“The miraculous sextuplets that Fujio Akatsuka created, but you already knew that! We are…”
Cue the six-shaped hand gestures. “F6!” They all bid their counterparts farewell before Choromatsu stops the recording.
(( submitted by @askidolmatsus ))
The box arrives in the evening, soon after the boys are coming back from the studio. There's something curious about it, something off ... but Jyushimatsu recognizes that handwriting anywhere. "Hey, I think it's from us! Well, not really us. From the other us."
The box is carefully opened - who knows what the future holds, after all - and first, the guys read the letter. Choromatsu pouts a little bit. "I kinda wanted to hear future music!" But he understands. One step at a time!
Someone is sent off to go borrow a projector while other preparations are made. It's dark by the time everything is set up. The bedroom windows are shut and curtains are drawn. Cans of Canta are put on ice. A big sheet is hung on the wall to take the place of a screen. Everyone's in their pajamas, sprawled out on the futon.
"Everyone ready? ... Let's get this going!"
Osomatsu loads the projector and turns out the light. Everyone stares as the film starts up, hearts in throats, anticipating ...
And everyone but Todomatsu groans when the cute pink one is the first one to show up. He quickly gets the others to hush while he watches his absolutely adorable future self tease the fans and sing. The others might have some snarky things to say, but Todomatsu's squeals of joy at his spacetime twin's antics drown them out. And there are squeals of "Cut it out!" and thrown pillows when Ichimatsu's hands start making shadow monsters, trying to eat the other Todomatsu's head.
Everyone seems happier to see Jyushimatsu. Especially Jyushimatsu, who's very impressed by how much his counterpart can flex. He gets a round of applause for that. The sight of the girl in the commercial makes everyone go "aww" - and then pile upon Jyushimatsu all at once, trying to ruffle his hair. Somehow, over the noise, the singing is still heard, and it gets lots of laughs. The impersonation only gets more, and Ichimatsu's now the target of teasing. Especially now that it's his turn.
Ichimatsu's already thinking of making a sign of his own, that much is true. He can see how uncomfortable his counterpart is with being in the spotlight, but he's proud of whatever integrity he has left. The incense thing surprises him, but he's glad he liked the gift. When he brings out the ukulele, the room falls silent, and everyone's impressed ... until the bombs begin to drop and they're all rolling and laughing again. Even Ichimatsu, bless his heart, is laughing so hard he's tearing up.
They have to pause the film for a bit to get everyone settled down - and someone's already been downing several cans of Canta and needs a break.
Choromatsu's impressed by the effects in the commercial, and it gets a tiny bit of applause. He nods in anguished recognition when the asks come in - he, too, can't believe it when fans say that sort of thing. But he's handling it rather well, even though some of the other guys are saying rude things to the screen right now. Yet another shadow monster has to be dispersed of. But everyone behaves when he starts to sing - they know how much music matters to the green one, after all, and what sort of price they'd have to pay if they messed that part up.
Of course, the respectful silence is broken once Karamatsu appears. Several shadow monsters ensue, and they're persistent ones. But the monsters are dispersed by the sight of the tiny shorts. Several brothers claim to be blinded. Things settle down as he begins to sing - after all, no matter what universe he's in, Karamatsu has a voice to be reckoned with. Thankfully, the song quiets them down enough for the most important part. Karamatsu listens intently, leaning forward. His breath is caught in his throat when he realizes what's happening, and his eyes instantly start to overflow with tears - but they aren't the dramatic ones this time. They're honest to goodness tears.
Quiet crying means that Karamatsu's serious about what he's feeling, so they have to pause the film yet again once he's finished. He doesn't want his own feelings to upstage the oldest brother, after all ... but he does go and find Juliet so he can embrace her like a child would a teddy bear. He won't let go of her tonight.
Back to the film for the final act. Osomatsu is already so proud of himself that he could burst, even giving appreciative whistles and claps when he sheds layers. More shadow monsters. Lots of laughter when he tries to imitate The King, even though Osomatsu yells at them all to shut up because his future self is doing a great job, a better job than anyone else! He toasts the other Osomatsu with a can of Canta when he signs off, cracking open the can and downing it as if it were beer.
Everyone's a little surprised to see more, and they have to actually back up the film a little so they can hear it. Osomatsu, of course, waves back at himself like some kind of nerd. The super coordinated ending leaves everyone impressed, and they're quiet for a moment when the film finally cuts out. Eventually, someone turns on the light.
"Hey, don't you think it's a little weird?" Todomatsu flops over onto the futon. "They sent us a film just as we were sending them one."
"That was a lot better than Night of the Surfing Werewolves." Ichimatsu nods sagely. "They're going to look at us and just laugh."
"And what was with that letter from Juliet? She's a guitar, right?" Osomatsu looks over at Karamatsu, who's curled up with the guitar in his arms.
"I always knew she could feel," he says dreamily, and everyone else is suddenly ... creeped out.
"We have to send them something better now, don't we?" Choromatsu sighs.
Jyushimatsu shakes his head. "Nah, I say the movie's good enough! They'll have fun with it!"
"Yeah. Too much fun." Ichimatsu flops over as well. "We're doomed."
