Commercialized
Requirements
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Requirements
You and Payton are waiting to order at the Crave Cupcakery, a new bakery that just opened near you school. On either side of the register, dozens of cupcakes are displayed like fine art in tall glass cases!
Danny: Wow! I didn’t realize cupcakes could get so fancy!
Payton: Danny, you have to try the Cherry Chocolate Dream! It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted!
Danny: Who could say no to an endorsement like that?
Payton: Hi! Can we get two Cherry Chocolate Dreams, please?
You and Payton take your goodies to a corner table next to a bulletin board and several framed photographs of cupcakes!
Danny: Mmmm! You were right, Payton! This is amazing!
Payton: Right? Cupcakes fix everything. This is exactly the break I needed.
Danny: What do you mean?
Payton: Oh, waiting to hear back from Jim Fox about that gig is making me all fidgety. Plus, Ezra’s been, well...
Danny: Kind of intense lately?
Payton: Yeah. I mean, I still love being in the band, but I wish it didn’t feel like work all the time! I miss the days when we were just having fun. I wish... OMG!
Payton springs to her feet, pointing at a poster pinned to the bulletin board.
Payton: Look! ‘Local bands wanted! Crave Cupcakery is seeking musical talent to appear in a commercial’!
Danny: Hey! We’re musical and talented! We should try out!
Payton: OMG, we totally have to! Hurry up and finish your cupcake, I’ll text the rest of the band to meet us ASAP!
Time - 15 hours
The band gathers at the Musician Hangout to hear your news.
Payton: You guys! Crave Cupcakery is looking for local bands to appear in their commercial!
Julian: Oh man, I’ve never been on TV! That sounds awesome!
Nishan: We get to be on TV and endorse delicious baked goods! Double plus awesome!
Ezra: Whoa whoa! We’ve got this little thing coming up, remember? Our first gig as a signed group!
Mia: Well, we theoretically have a big gig coming up. Jim Fox’s people aren’t exactly being prompt with the details. I’m not sure this is the best use of our time though. Ezra’s right... we have a lot of preparation to do for this gig.
Payton: I think it’s a great use of our time! Danny, back me up here!
Danny: It’d be great publicity! Getting this commercial would be great exposure for our band! With a big gig coming up, now’s the best time to really get our faces out there!
Payton: Plus, doesn’t it sound like so much fun?!
Mia: Hmm, I guess it could be some good publicity for you guys. You’ve gained a respectable fan following, but outside this school you’re still pretty unknown.
Julian: A ton of celebrities got their start in commercials! This could be out ‘before they were famous’ moment!
Payton: Awesome with awesome icing and an awesome cherry on top! So is everyone in?
Ezra: I guess. As long as we don’t have to do anything humiliating.
Danny: Here, the flier said to go to this URL for more info on how to enter.
Nishan: Roger, roger! Entering the URL now!
Requirements
Everyone crowds around Nishan’s computer as he goes to Crave Cupcakery’s site.
Nishan: Hey! Nice website.
Payton: Oooh, pretty!
Danny: Wow! That’s a lot of pink!
Nishan: Check out the parallax scrolling!
Ezra: Let’s just find the info, okay?
Time - 10 hours
Nishan: Okay here we go. Crave Cupcakery is excited to announce blah blah blah...
Payton: There! ‘If your band wishes to enter, send us a song inspired by our delicious cupcakes!’
Danny: ‘We’ll choose the song that we think best captures the fun and elegance of our brand.’
Julian: Hmm... ‘fun’ and ‘elegance’ don’t really go together in my head.
Mia: That tells me so much about you.
Payton: So we need to be elegant, but not stuffy...
Nishan: Fun, but not goofy!
Ezra: And it all needs to relate to cupcakes somehow.
Danny: I don’t know about you guys, but I personally have a deep and meaningful relationship with cupcakes.
Danny: Okay, so... cupcakes.
Ezra: Cupcakes...
Danny: Cupcakes are... sweet?
Julian: Sweet like... uh, you? I’m drawing a blank.
Payton: That’s because we need inspiration! Nishan, pull up Crave’s phone number.
Payton pulls out her phone and dials the number on the screen.
Payton: Hello? I’d like to place a to-go order for a ‘Sweet Craving Sampler’!
Requirements
Danny: Mmmmm, I love red velvet! Who knew a little food coloring could make a cake taste so fancy?
Nishan: Fun fact: originally, the red color was caused by a chemical reaction, not food coloring!
Danny: Wait, what?
Nishan: Yeah! Anthocyanins in the cocoa power would react with the acidic buttermilk and turn red! Most cocoa powder these days has an alkalizing agent that neutralizes this effect, so now we just use food coloring.
Ezra: As riveting as that is, it’s not exactly song material.
Nishan: ‘Baby your acidic pH makes me blush bright red!’
Ezra: Yeah, no.
You all try bites of the red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing!
Julian: Hmmm... soft and red like...
Payton: Like a perfect kiss!
Danny: Your soft red lips, your velvety kiss...
Payton: I’m already swooning!
You try a bite of the ‘Dark and Stormy Chocolate’ cupcake!
Payton: This one’s kind of ew. It’s so bitter!
Julian: It’s not all bitter... it’s kind of sweet right at the end too.
Ezra: Like love, bitter and sweet in turn.
Payton: Hmm... being in love is both bitter and sweet... every day hoping the two of us meet?
Ezra: Deep, I like it.
Mia: Creme Brulee in a cupcake... it’s a bite-sized decadence!
Danny: Now that’s catchy. They should put that on the box!
Julian: I like the crunchy caramel!
Payton: They melt the sugar with a torch to caramelize it!
Nishan: Wait, pastry chefs get to use torches?
Danny: Hey! That’s something. Like, on the surface you’re sweet...
Ezra: ...but I’ve been burned before.
One box of cupcakes later...
Mia: All right, let’s see what you’ve got!
Julian: 1-2-3-4!
You and Ezra play a soulful melody as Payton sings the first verse.
Payton: Yearning for you soft red lips, your velvety kiss... Our love, deliciously bittersweet, every day hoping the two of us meet...
After the second chorus, Ezra flies into a dizzying guitar solo, his hands a blue on the strings! Everyone comes back together as Payton sings the final chorus.
Payton: It may be foolish, may be a mistake... But babe, choosing you is a piece of cake!
Mia: Got it! Great job, everyone. Wanna come listen?
Mia plays back your song.
Danny: I think we did good! It’s got drama, but it still makes me want to dance!
Payton: You’re right, Danny! It’s got fun and elegance. It’s perfect!
Julian: Wow, Ezra, that solo is unreal!
Ezra: Thanks, man. I’ve been trying to get it right for a couple weeks. Today it just kinda clicked! Can’t believe I wasted it on a dumb cupcake song. Ha ha, oh well.
Danny: Well, I think this is good enough to submit! You guys ready to hit ‘send’?
Payton: Yeah! Let’s do it!
Nishan: Making it so!
Requirements
A few days after you send your song to the cupcake shop, Mia calls a bad meeting!
Mia: Guys! I have awesome news!
Ezra: You finally got more gig details from Jim Fox?
Mia: Unfortunately, no. But, the Crave Cupcakery loved your song! They want to do the commercial shoot this weekend!
Julian: Dude!
Danny: Wow, this weekend? That was fast!
Payton: We must have seriously blown them out of the water!
Mia: So clear your schedules, people! Filming starts at 9:00 A.M. sharp!
Time - 14 hours
That Saturday at the Crave Cupcakery, your band gets decked out in themed costumes for the commercial shoot! You perform your new song for the cameras and then take a break while Mia talks to the director.
Julian: Man, this red velvet suit is nice! I like the sprinkles on your jacket, Danny!
Danny: Me too! I think we’re all looking pretty snappy!
Ezra: Yeah, gotta admit I was kind of dreading the costumes. I was worried they’d put me in a cupcake hat or something.
Payton: You guys! Look at my cupcake hat! It has a cherry on top!
Nishan: I still say I could have made us clothes out of real chocolate in time for the shoot. Choco-denim 2.0 was much less melty.
Mia walks over, holding a tray of cupcakes.
Mia: Hey guys! Great job shooting the music scenes. Now they just need some B-roll.
Julian: B-roll?
Mia: Yeah, you know, footage of you guys eating cupcakes and stuff to intersperse with the band shots. Here, Ezra, you’re the Creme Brulee guy. Go eat this in front of camera one.
Ezra: Uh, okay.
Ezra takes a Creme Brulee cupcake over to the camera and takes a bite.
Mia: Come on, sell it! This needs to look hot! Make me wish I was that cupcake! And look into the camera!
Ezra stares seductively into the camera as he slowly eats the rest of the cupcake.
Ezra: There, I did it. Can I go change now?
Mia: That was fine. Danny, you’re up next!
Later, everyone meets at the Musician Hangout to watch the premiere of your commercial on TV!
Mia: It’s supposed to be on during the break at 7:05, so any minute now.
Julian: Wow... it just kinda sunk in that I’m about to be on TV. Like, for real TV!
Danny: Oh man, is this it? Are we next? We’re next! There we are!
Payton: We look great!
Nishan: Hey, look! The cupcakery posted the video online and we already have over 200 views!
Ezra: Great... that’s just great.
Danny: Are you okay, Ezra? All this publicity is gonna be good for the band, right?
Ezra: I know publicity is good. It’s just...
Ezra’s face appears on screen, taking a big bite out of a cupcake in slow-motion. Ezra shakes his head and looks away.
Ezra: Ugh, I shouldn’t have let them make a cool out of me like that. Now everyone at school is gonna think we’re a joke.
Danny: I’m sure that’s not true. Just wait, tomorrow people are gonna be lining up to tell you how awesome the song was!
Requirements
You, Ezra, and Payton are eating lunch the next day when Priya and Uma approach your table.
Priya: We’ve been looking for you guys! We saw your commercial!
Danny: Oh yeah? What’d you think?
Uma: OMG, Payton, you looked so cute in that cupcake dress!
Payton: Thank you!
Ezra: Hey, Priya, you’re a music person, what’d you think of the song?
Priya: Huh? Oh, it was cool. I’m really more into EDM though. But the part where you ate the cupcake was hilarious!
Priya takes a sultry bite from a pretend cupcake and chews in slow-mo.
Ezra: Oh. Yeah, pretty funny.
Time - 12 hours
Uma: I linked, like, all of my friends to your video!
Priya: Me too!
Danny: That’s awesome! Thanks so much!
Ezra: Yeah. Great. Thanks.
Priya: You’re welcome!
Priya and Uma go sit down at another table.
Payton: Ezra, there’s no need to be all sarcastic! They said they liked the video!
Ezra: Come on, Payton, they don’t care about our music! They were laughing at us!
Danny: I think Priya was just saying that the video was fun to watch!
Ezra: Yeah, I bet it was a lot of fun watching me look like a total tool on TV.
Your phone buzzes on the table. It’s a text from Mia! ‘Meet me in the Musician Hangout after class! I have great news about the commercial!’
Danny: What’s up, Mia?
Mia: I have good news and better news! The good news is Crave is naming a new cupcake after us!
Nishan: What news could be better than that?
Mia: The new commercial is so popular, they want us to come perform at a party they’re hosting tomorrow night!
Julian: Cool! Do we get to wear the outfits again? Because according to several sources, I looked real good in that suit.
Payton: This is everything I ever dreamed of! I can’t wait!
Requirements
The next evening, your band heads to the back room of Crave Cupcakery to get dressed in your costumes!
Danny: Watch where you’re swinging that skirt, Payton! You could hurt someone with all those ruffles!
Payton: Hee hee! The Cupcake Queen watches out for no one! Make way for the queen!
Mia: Are you guys ready? The place is filling up and you’re on in five!
Julian: Aaaaah, almost ready! This tie is slippery!
Nishan: Holy crumbs! Look at all the new fans!
Ezra: Calm down, bro, it’s not like they’re real fans. They’re just here for the cupcakes.
Danny: You don’t know that!
Ezra: Come on, let’s just do this thing.
Payton: I think you mean... Let’s do this thing! Woo!
Time - 16 hours
You and the rest of the band file out of the back room and are met with enthusiastic applause!
Danny: Hey everyone! How are you doing tonight? Enjoying some cupcakes? We’re ‘The’, and we want to play you a song about sweet things!
Payton: Love, kisses, and cupcakes!
Julian: Everyone ready? 1-2-3-4!
You play to the packed bakery as tuxedo-clad waiters circulate with trays of cupcakes.
Payton: You’ve got so much style, and that smile I adore! On the surface you’re sweet, but I’ve been burned before!
Julian: Whoaaaa-oh!
Everyone, including the crowd, comes in for the chorus!
Ezra: It may be foolish, may be a mistake...
Danny: But babe, choosing you in a piece of cake!
Payton: Thank you! Thank you!
Danny: Make sure you try the brand new ‘The’ cupcake!
You start to pack up your instruments so you can join the party!
Payton: I don’t know about you, but I’m about to go eat like, twenty cupcakes!
Nishan: I’m gonna eat thirty!
Julian: You guys wanna come with?
Ezra: Nah, I’m actually kinda tired.
Danny: You go ahead, I think I see some friends headed over to say hi!
Requirements
Alexandra: Hey guys! Sweet set!
Ezra: I guess.
Danny: Thank you! Ooh, is that our cupcake? I haven’t tried it yet!
Alexandra: It is! I’ve gotta say, this is the fanciest cupcake I’ve ever eaten!
Kat: I’ve chosen the Matcha Mint, which I highly recommend!
Danny: I should grab a cupcake too... oh! I see a waiter. Excuse me! Apparently ‘The’ is... beet flavored? It’s kinda strange, but I think I like it! Ezra, you’ve gotta try this!
Ezra: I don’t want any stupid cupcakes! If I never see another cupcake, it’ll be too soon!
Kat: ...
Danny: Ezra, I know this is a little silly, but look at all the people who came out to see us! Doesn’t that make you happy?
Ezra: I’d be happy if I thought anyone actually cared about our music!
Ezra tugs on the front of his caramel-colored suit.
Ezra: But this... ugh. Who could take us seriously like this? We’re not musicians, we’re mascots!
Alexandra: Ezra... do you want to know what we really think?
Time - 18 hours
Alexandra: The truth is... I really liked your song!
Ezra: Really?
Kat: Indeed! The melody was beautifully complex!
Alexandra: Oh man, and that solo! Your guitar solo was so sick!
Ezra: Oh! I’m glad you liked it! I wasn’t sure if I should put it in...
Alexandra: I’ve tried to play it like a million times, but it’s way out of my league!
Kat: Truly, your talent shines through regardless of the subject matter! I count myself fortunate to have heard you play.
Danny: We’re happy you guys came! It means a lot!
Ezra: Yeah... I guess as long as people can still recognize the talent behind the music, that’s what really matters.
Danny: So, are you feeling better about this?
Ezra: I am. I guess I always thought that you had to be serious if you wanted people to take you seriously. Looks like I was wrong.
Danny: Sooooo...
You wave a cupcake under Ezra’s nose. He grins, and take a slow, seductive bite.
Ezra: So I guess it’s okay to be silly now and then. Come on, we don’t wanna keep the fans waiting!
As you and Ezra join the rest of the band, you see Mia running out of the bakery while talking intently into her phone!
Danny: Whoa! Where’s she going in such a hurry?
Payton: It’s Jim Fox! He finally returned her call!
Your next big gig is on the horizon! Will your band manage to outshine Zero Hour on stage? Keep playing to find out!
- Payton
You and Payton are waiting to order at the Crave Cupcakery, a new bakery that just opened near you school. On either side of the register, dozens of cupcakes are displayed like fine art in tall glass cases!
Danny: Wow! I didn’t realize cupcakes could get so fancy!
Payton: Danny, you have to try the Cherry Chocolate Dream! It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted!
Danny: Who could say no to an endorsement like that?
Payton: Hi! Can we get two Cherry Chocolate Dreams, please?
You and Payton take your goodies to a corner table next to a bulletin board and several framed photographs of cupcakes!
Danny: Mmmm! You were right, Payton! This is amazing!
Payton: Right? Cupcakes fix everything. This is exactly the break I needed.
Danny: What do you mean?
Payton: Oh, waiting to hear back from Jim Fox about that gig is making me all fidgety. Plus, Ezra’s been, well...
Danny: Kind of intense lately?
Payton: Yeah. I mean, I still love being in the band, but I wish it didn’t feel like work all the time! I miss the days when we were just having fun. I wish... OMG!
Payton springs to her feet, pointing at a poster pinned to the bulletin board.
Payton: Look! ‘Local bands wanted! Crave Cupcakery is seeking musical talent to appear in a commercial’!
Danny: Hey! We’re musical and talented! We should try out!
Payton: OMG, we totally have to! Hurry up and finish your cupcake, I’ll text the rest of the band to meet us ASAP!
Time - 15 hours
The band gathers at the Musician Hangout to hear your news.
Payton: You guys! Crave Cupcakery is looking for local bands to appear in their commercial!
Julian: Oh man, I’ve never been on TV! That sounds awesome!
Nishan: We get to be on TV and endorse delicious baked goods! Double plus awesome!
Ezra: Whoa whoa! We’ve got this little thing coming up, remember? Our first gig as a signed group!
Mia: Well, we theoretically have a big gig coming up. Jim Fox’s people aren’t exactly being prompt with the details. I’m not sure this is the best use of our time though. Ezra’s right... we have a lot of preparation to do for this gig.
Payton: I think it’s a great use of our time! Danny, back me up here!
Danny: It’d be great publicity! Getting this commercial would be great exposure for our band! With a big gig coming up, now’s the best time to really get our faces out there!
Payton: Plus, doesn’t it sound like so much fun?!
Mia: Hmm, I guess it could be some good publicity for you guys. You’ve gained a respectable fan following, but outside this school you’re still pretty unknown.
Julian: A ton of celebrities got their start in commercials! This could be out ‘before they were famous’ moment!
Payton: Awesome with awesome icing and an awesome cherry on top! So is everyone in?
Ezra: I guess. As long as we don’t have to do anything humiliating.
Danny: Here, the flier said to go to this URL for more info on how to enter.
Nishan: Roger, roger! Entering the URL now!
Requirements
- Nishan
Everyone crowds around Nishan’s computer as he goes to Crave Cupcakery’s site.
Nishan: Hey! Nice website.
Payton: Oooh, pretty!
Danny: Wow! That’s a lot of pink!
Nishan: Check out the parallax scrolling!
Ezra: Let’s just find the info, okay?
Time - 10 hours
Nishan: Okay here we go. Crave Cupcakery is excited to announce blah blah blah...
Payton: There! ‘If your band wishes to enter, send us a song inspired by our delicious cupcakes!’
Danny: ‘We’ll choose the song that we think best captures the fun and elegance of our brand.’
Julian: Hmm... ‘fun’ and ‘elegance’ don’t really go together in my head.
Mia: That tells me so much about you.
Payton: So we need to be elegant, but not stuffy...
Nishan: Fun, but not goofy!
Ezra: And it all needs to relate to cupcakes somehow.
Danny: I don’t know about you guys, but I personally have a deep and meaningful relationship with cupcakes.
Danny: Okay, so... cupcakes.
Ezra: Cupcakes...
Danny: Cupcakes are... sweet?
Julian: Sweet like... uh, you? I’m drawing a blank.
Payton: That’s because we need inspiration! Nishan, pull up Crave’s phone number.
Payton pulls out her phone and dials the number on the screen.
Payton: Hello? I’d like to place a to-go order for a ‘Sweet Craving Sampler’!
Requirements
- Red Velvet!
- Chocolate!
- Creme Brulee!
Danny: Mmmmm, I love red velvet! Who knew a little food coloring could make a cake taste so fancy?
Nishan: Fun fact: originally, the red color was caused by a chemical reaction, not food coloring!
Danny: Wait, what?
Nishan: Yeah! Anthocyanins in the cocoa power would react with the acidic buttermilk and turn red! Most cocoa powder these days has an alkalizing agent that neutralizes this effect, so now we just use food coloring.
Ezra: As riveting as that is, it’s not exactly song material.
Nishan: ‘Baby your acidic pH makes me blush bright red!’
Ezra: Yeah, no.
You all try bites of the red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing!
Julian: Hmmm... soft and red like...
Payton: Like a perfect kiss!
Danny: Your soft red lips, your velvety kiss...
Payton: I’m already swooning!
You try a bite of the ‘Dark and Stormy Chocolate’ cupcake!
Payton: This one’s kind of ew. It’s so bitter!
Julian: It’s not all bitter... it’s kind of sweet right at the end too.
Ezra: Like love, bitter and sweet in turn.
Payton: Hmm... being in love is both bitter and sweet... every day hoping the two of us meet?
Ezra: Deep, I like it.
Mia: Creme Brulee in a cupcake... it’s a bite-sized decadence!
Danny: Now that’s catchy. They should put that on the box!
Julian: I like the crunchy caramel!
Payton: They melt the sugar with a torch to caramelize it!
Nishan: Wait, pastry chefs get to use torches?
Danny: Hey! That’s something. Like, on the surface you’re sweet...
Ezra: ...but I’ve been burned before.
One box of cupcakes later...
Mia: All right, let’s see what you’ve got!
Julian: 1-2-3-4!
You and Ezra play a soulful melody as Payton sings the first verse.
Payton: Yearning for you soft red lips, your velvety kiss... Our love, deliciously bittersweet, every day hoping the two of us meet...
After the second chorus, Ezra flies into a dizzying guitar solo, his hands a blue on the strings! Everyone comes back together as Payton sings the final chorus.
Payton: It may be foolish, may be a mistake... But babe, choosing you is a piece of cake!
Mia: Got it! Great job, everyone. Wanna come listen?
Mia plays back your song.
Danny: I think we did good! It’s got drama, but it still makes me want to dance!
Payton: You’re right, Danny! It’s got fun and elegance. It’s perfect!
Julian: Wow, Ezra, that solo is unreal!
Ezra: Thanks, man. I’ve been trying to get it right for a couple weeks. Today it just kinda clicked! Can’t believe I wasted it on a dumb cupcake song. Ha ha, oh well.
Danny: Well, I think this is good enough to submit! You guys ready to hit ‘send’?
Payton: Yeah! Let’s do it!
Nishan: Making it so!
Requirements
- Ezra
- Mia
A few days after you send your song to the cupcake shop, Mia calls a bad meeting!
Mia: Guys! I have awesome news!
Ezra: You finally got more gig details from Jim Fox?
Mia: Unfortunately, no. But, the Crave Cupcakery loved your song! They want to do the commercial shoot this weekend!
Julian: Dude!
Danny: Wow, this weekend? That was fast!
Payton: We must have seriously blown them out of the water!
Mia: So clear your schedules, people! Filming starts at 9:00 A.M. sharp!
Time - 14 hours
That Saturday at the Crave Cupcakery, your band gets decked out in themed costumes for the commercial shoot! You perform your new song for the cameras and then take a break while Mia talks to the director.
Julian: Man, this red velvet suit is nice! I like the sprinkles on your jacket, Danny!
Danny: Me too! I think we’re all looking pretty snappy!
Ezra: Yeah, gotta admit I was kind of dreading the costumes. I was worried they’d put me in a cupcake hat or something.
Payton: You guys! Look at my cupcake hat! It has a cherry on top!
Nishan: I still say I could have made us clothes out of real chocolate in time for the shoot. Choco-denim 2.0 was much less melty.
Mia walks over, holding a tray of cupcakes.
Mia: Hey guys! Great job shooting the music scenes. Now they just need some B-roll.
Julian: B-roll?
Mia: Yeah, you know, footage of you guys eating cupcakes and stuff to intersperse with the band shots. Here, Ezra, you’re the Creme Brulee guy. Go eat this in front of camera one.
Ezra: Uh, okay.
Ezra takes a Creme Brulee cupcake over to the camera and takes a bite.
Mia: Come on, sell it! This needs to look hot! Make me wish I was that cupcake! And look into the camera!
Ezra stares seductively into the camera as he slowly eats the rest of the cupcake.
Ezra: There, I did it. Can I go change now?
Mia: That was fine. Danny, you’re up next!
Later, everyone meets at the Musician Hangout to watch the premiere of your commercial on TV!
Mia: It’s supposed to be on during the break at 7:05, so any minute now.
Julian: Wow... it just kinda sunk in that I’m about to be on TV. Like, for real TV!
Danny: Oh man, is this it? Are we next? We’re next! There we are!
Payton: We look great!
Nishan: Hey, look! The cupcakery posted the video online and we already have over 200 views!
Ezra: Great... that’s just great.
Danny: Are you okay, Ezra? All this publicity is gonna be good for the band, right?
Ezra: I know publicity is good. It’s just...
Ezra’s face appears on screen, taking a big bite out of a cupcake in slow-motion. Ezra shakes his head and looks away.
Ezra: Ugh, I shouldn’t have let them make a cool out of me like that. Now everyone at school is gonna think we’re a joke.
Danny: I’m sure that’s not true. Just wait, tomorrow people are gonna be lining up to tell you how awesome the song was!
Requirements
- A DJ (Priya)
- A Cheerleader Except Mia (Uma)
You, Ezra, and Payton are eating lunch the next day when Priya and Uma approach your table.
Priya: We’ve been looking for you guys! We saw your commercial!
Danny: Oh yeah? What’d you think?
Uma: OMG, Payton, you looked so cute in that cupcake dress!
Payton: Thank you!
Ezra: Hey, Priya, you’re a music person, what’d you think of the song?
Priya: Huh? Oh, it was cool. I’m really more into EDM though. But the part where you ate the cupcake was hilarious!
Priya takes a sultry bite from a pretend cupcake and chews in slow-mo.
Ezra: Oh. Yeah, pretty funny.
Time - 12 hours
Uma: I linked, like, all of my friends to your video!
Priya: Me too!
Danny: That’s awesome! Thanks so much!
Ezra: Yeah. Great. Thanks.
Priya: You’re welcome!
Priya and Uma go sit down at another table.
Payton: Ezra, there’s no need to be all sarcastic! They said they liked the video!
Ezra: Come on, Payton, they don’t care about our music! They were laughing at us!
Danny: I think Priya was just saying that the video was fun to watch!
Ezra: Yeah, I bet it was a lot of fun watching me look like a total tool on TV.
Your phone buzzes on the table. It’s a text from Mia! ‘Meet me in the Musician Hangout after class! I have great news about the commercial!’
Danny: What’s up, Mia?
Mia: I have good news and better news! The good news is Crave is naming a new cupcake after us!
Nishan: What news could be better than that?
Mia: The new commercial is so popular, they want us to come perform at a party they’re hosting tomorrow night!
Julian: Cool! Do we get to wear the outfits again? Because according to several sources, I looked real good in that suit.
Payton: This is everything I ever dreamed of! I can’t wait!
Requirements
- Mia
- Payton
The next evening, your band heads to the back room of Crave Cupcakery to get dressed in your costumes!
Danny: Watch where you’re swinging that skirt, Payton! You could hurt someone with all those ruffles!
Payton: Hee hee! The Cupcake Queen watches out for no one! Make way for the queen!
Mia: Are you guys ready? The place is filling up and you’re on in five!
Julian: Aaaaah, almost ready! This tie is slippery!
Nishan: Holy crumbs! Look at all the new fans!
Ezra: Calm down, bro, it’s not like they’re real fans. They’re just here for the cupcakes.
Danny: You don’t know that!
Ezra: Come on, let’s just do this thing.
Payton: I think you mean... Let’s do this thing! Woo!
Time - 16 hours
You and the rest of the band file out of the back room and are met with enthusiastic applause!
Danny: Hey everyone! How are you doing tonight? Enjoying some cupcakes? We’re ‘The’, and we want to play you a song about sweet things!
Payton: Love, kisses, and cupcakes!
Julian: Everyone ready? 1-2-3-4!
You play to the packed bakery as tuxedo-clad waiters circulate with trays of cupcakes.
Payton: You’ve got so much style, and that smile I adore! On the surface you’re sweet, but I’ve been burned before!
Julian: Whoaaaa-oh!
Everyone, including the crowd, comes in for the chorus!
Ezra: It may be foolish, may be a mistake...
Danny: But babe, choosing you in a piece of cake!
Payton: Thank you! Thank you!
Danny: Make sure you try the brand new ‘The’ cupcake!
You start to pack up your instruments so you can join the party!
Payton: I don’t know about you, but I’m about to go eat like, twenty cupcakes!
Nishan: I’m gonna eat thirty!
Julian: You guys wanna come with?
Ezra: Nah, I’m actually kinda tired.
Danny: You go ahead, I think I see some friends headed over to say hi!
Requirements
- A Musician Except Ezra (Alexandra)
- A Virtuoso (Kat)
Alexandra: Hey guys! Sweet set!
Ezra: I guess.
Danny: Thank you! Ooh, is that our cupcake? I haven’t tried it yet!
Alexandra: It is! I’ve gotta say, this is the fanciest cupcake I’ve ever eaten!
Kat: I’ve chosen the Matcha Mint, which I highly recommend!
Danny: I should grab a cupcake too... oh! I see a waiter. Excuse me! Apparently ‘The’ is... beet flavored? It’s kinda strange, but I think I like it! Ezra, you’ve gotta try this!
Ezra: I don’t want any stupid cupcakes! If I never see another cupcake, it’ll be too soon!
Kat: ...
Danny: Ezra, I know this is a little silly, but look at all the people who came out to see us! Doesn’t that make you happy?
Ezra: I’d be happy if I thought anyone actually cared about our music!
Ezra tugs on the front of his caramel-colored suit.
Ezra: But this... ugh. Who could take us seriously like this? We’re not musicians, we’re mascots!
Alexandra: Ezra... do you want to know what we really think?
Time - 18 hours
Alexandra: The truth is... I really liked your song!
Ezra: Really?
Kat: Indeed! The melody was beautifully complex!
Alexandra: Oh man, and that solo! Your guitar solo was so sick!
Ezra: Oh! I’m glad you liked it! I wasn’t sure if I should put it in...
Alexandra: I’ve tried to play it like a million times, but it’s way out of my league!
Kat: Truly, your talent shines through regardless of the subject matter! I count myself fortunate to have heard you play.
Danny: We’re happy you guys came! It means a lot!
Ezra: Yeah... I guess as long as people can still recognize the talent behind the music, that’s what really matters.
Danny: So, are you feeling better about this?
Ezra: I am. I guess I always thought that you had to be serious if you wanted people to take you seriously. Looks like I was wrong.
Danny: Sooooo...
You wave a cupcake under Ezra’s nose. He grins, and take a slow, seductive bite.
Ezra: So I guess it’s okay to be silly now and then. Come on, we don’t wanna keep the fans waiting!
As you and Ezra join the rest of the band, you see Mia running out of the bakery while talking intently into her phone!
Danny: Whoa! Where’s she going in such a hurry?
Payton: It’s Jim Fox! He finally returned her call!
Your next big gig is on the horizon! Will your band manage to outshine Zero Hour on stage? Keep playing to find out!