Welcome! This is our Karaoke AU and it's based on Mog's wonderful ATF Denver AU. Thank you, Mog, for creating the ATF Denver AU, and for allowing us to come along and play in it.My sister (Michelle Fortado) and I (Patricia Grace) have always said that we wished we lived in a musical, because then we'd all know how to dance, and how to sing, and we could use both to express our feelings. You know, breaking into song and dance in the middle of a public space, or whenever the spirit moved you, which just seems oh so perfectly romantic… and silly. But hey, we like romantic, and silly. And, in the end, everyone would (of course) end up living happily ever after with the one they love, whoever that may be. I mean, come on, it's what Disney's been selling us on for years, right?
Well, given our obsession with Magnificent Seven, it didn't take us very long to begin to imagine what it might be like if Team Seven found themselves living in a musical, and, naturally, we shared this idea with the other inmates of the Neon Collective and this, you see, was the result. We hope you enjoy it half as much as we did, because they made us do it! That's our story and we're sticking to it.
But we feel a warning is in order. So, here it is! Warning! Our Karaoke ATF Denver AU is unabashedly and unapologetically romantic. It is also totally unrealistic since everyone has an excellent, professional-quality, singing voice. And, if we could have worked it in this time, you would have seen that they are also excellent dancers as well. Who knows, we might find a way to include that in a future story in the AU. And, yes, we hope to do more stories, which I suppose you might think is good, or bad, depending on how much you like or dislike this one. Why not drop us an e-mail and let us know either way? (ponybrat13@yahoo.com)
Following Mog's example, we welcome anyone who wants to come and play in this sandbox to do so. And feel free to use it as a gen-, het- or slash-flavored AU. We only ask that you use the "facts" as presented in this story as canon for the AU. Also, since this is a "musical," a song (or series of songs) must play a crucial role in the story resolution, either one that is heard or sung live and, please, include some or all of those lyrics, or links to them. And remember the members of the Seven can break into song at any time during the plot where it seems appropriate, and no one will bat an eye (think any Gene Kelly musical ever made, or the TV series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers).
We also decided to pick "sounds like" voices for each of the Seven as a way to indicate the potential depth, range and power of each man's voice. Hopefully none of these singers is too obscure.
Chris = (Gary Morris) Rich, with lots of power and range; introspective. His voice is its most powerful when singing about love and loss. He is the most reluctant to sing or dance in public, but gives in graciously. He tends to pick country or Top 40 tunes.
Vin = (Josh Groban with a touch of Donny Osmond) Usually he has one of those "where the heck does this amazing voice come from in a man this size?" voices. It's rich, powerful and clear. Vin always sings straight from his heart, and from any genre that says what he needs to say at the moment. Needless to say, Chris and Vin (or any pairing you prefer) should duet beautifully, especially in a slash world.
JD = (Fred Small, or Steve Perry, if you prefer) Solid, good range, very emotive; his voice is slightly more mature sounding than he looks. JD can rock and roll the easiest, a la the lead singers for Chicago or Journey, and has a soft spot for the old glam rock tunes. He uses pop or rock, rarely country, so he often teases Buck about Wilmington's song choices, although he sometimes falls back into 90s boy band lyrics himself – and hears about it from Buck!
Buck = (Mel McDaniel, with a dash of Garth Brooks, Jimmy Buffet and Elvis) Rich, smoky, and playful, but with the ability to put a lot of emotion into whatever he sings. He tends to pick self-reflexive songs, love songs, and playful songs; usually country or older Top 40 tunes.
Josiah = (Conway Twitty mixed with Neil Diamond) He has a larger range than might be expected given his size. He sings with lots of power, and has the ability to hit the low notes without being an actual bass. Gospel music and hymns are his favorites, but he also uses folk songs (US and old English) as well as 60s protest music, and "old time" rock and roll (50s and 60s) as favorites.
Nathan = (Luther Vandross with big dash of Phil Collins) His is a silky, deep (but not a bass) voice that is more textured than expected. He will almost always pick an upbeat, hopeful song (he's in love with Raine and happy after all!), but he also favors socially aware music when appropriate. R&B, Top 40, light jazz, and an occasional guilty dabble into disco, for which he gets teased by the others.
Ezra = (Mix of Michael Crawford and Michael Bouble) The key word here is "versatile." Ezra's the most flamboyant performer of the group, but he does a low-key croon wonderfully well – think "makes your toes curl!" Older standards are his favorites (Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, etc.), or something with "class and sophistication," never rock or country if he can possibly avoid it, although he will venture in the occasional Top 40 or light jazz realm – he'd duet really well with Norah Jones or KD Lang. He's also the go-to man for dramatic show tunes (Les Miz, Cats, Phantom, etc.), especially paired with Vin and/or Nathan, who can also pull off those kinds of songs as well.
Naturally, the supporting cast is also able to sing and to dance – Orin Travis, Mary, Inez, Raine, Casey, and Miss Nettie, as well as any bad guys and/or gals. All should have solid voices, but should not able to show up the Seven. However, in a het-flavored world the female significant other would be the vocal equal of her man. Male villains should usually have wonderful bass voices, and female villainesses a cold soprano <grin>.
Oh, yeah, and in a gen-flavored world, our heroes can break into song even while on their deathbeds, but we don't recommend the dancing… Tripping over your IV pole would just be too embarrassing! Okay, that's enough from us! We hope you enjoy the story, and the AU! And our heartfelt thanks to all the members of the collective who offered suggestions, advice and support along the way!
- Patricia Grace and Michelle Fortado, aka Grace Fortado