apocalypsehowcomm | Event

Event - Lullaby

Lullaby

➥ For You Never Shut Your Eye

Photo of a small grassy area within an urban environment. Two men are passed out across the grass and sidewalk. There is a purple gradient filter over the photo.
(cw: supernaturally-induced sleep/fatigue, supernaturally-induced sleep disorders/somniloquy, needles/injections)

The line between waking and sleep is beginning to blur. People will find themselves sleeping far too much, but it never feels like enough. The music is growing more prevalent and persistent throughout town. The effect is still weaker within the building, but as October wears on, more and more people are affected and ADI staff are more intent than ever to find the source and also figure out how to block the effects. Characters will find themselves conscripted (between Halloween Party preparations) into assisting with building or testing anti-music and sleep devices along or with helping to try to track down the source of the music.

For those helping to build and test devices, there is an R&D lab in the basement levels of ADI that will be available. Devices native staff have been able to devise include:

Headphones that play different frequencies to try to cancel out the sound of the singing.
An armband that periodically stabs a small needle into the arm with a small dosage of adrenaline.
Headbands set to a constant low vibration.

The efficacy of all of these devices is… questionable, but perhaps others may have their own expertise to lend to the efforts, attempting something on a broader scale than just personal protection devices.

For those helping to track the source of the music, finding it seems to be impossible, but there is a definite pattern that characters will note as the days pass. The epicenters of the music are moving, migrating out of the graveyards and converging on ADI Headquarters. As this goes on, the building will become less and less of a safe haven, the music penetrating its walls and affecting the staff there more heavily. You might find yourself having to help a neighbor who's fallen asleep while working. Or you might not even be able to fully tell they've fallen asleep as they sleepwalk and talk almost like they're actually still conscious. Even those who have never been prone to sleepwalking and talking may find themselves affected and… far more open with what they say when in the unguarded state of semi-unconsciousness.

➥ Till the Sun Is In the Sky

A caucasian woman is lying on the floor, eyes closed. The room is dark around her with a spotlight shining on her. A secondary image of the woman, semi-transparent and wrapped in white clothes floats just above the woman on the floor. There is a purple gradient filter over the photo.
(cw: supernaturally-induced sleep/fatigue, thanatophobia, character death, death by poisoning, blood, choking, emetophobia, death by crushing)

By the 25th, some people may find waking up to be a challenge in and of itself. But they do manage to wake up. Seemingly. Perhaps the day is much like any other, heading to ADI or out around the city, grabbing coffee and- something is wrong. Something is very wrong. That cup of coffee you just drank had tasted a little different than usual. A touch of almond to it? It hits you that your throat is burning, bile and blood rising up and choking you as you hack and gasp and vomit. Your legs grow weak, you're losing control of everything, falling, dying.

And then you wake up.

Just a nightmare. Just a bizarre and horrible nightmare. You head out and… is this home? You're home! Or maybe… wait, this doesn't seem right. Have you gone somewhere else? Some things might be familiar, memories intertwined and mixing with fantastical elements, some your own, some not. You notice people you recognize, ones who might be as confused as you are. This isn't where they should be and they remember dying, too. Or seeing you die or someone else. It doesn't make sense, but somehow, they remember they had a dream they shared last night. And then something falls from above and nearly crushes you or your partner. Or maybe it does crush them, and you're suddenly looking at a dead body as the world and this nightmare that feels so very real becomes more and more hostile. Maybe something falls on you.

And then you 'wake up.'

➥ When the Blazing Sun Is Gone

Three sheet ghost halloween decorations stand in a line. There is a purple gradient filter over the photo.
(cw: supernaturally-induced sleep/fatigue, thanatophobia, character death, body horror, detailed description of painful physical transformation, description of the loss and regrowth of teeth, violence, mental status alterations, temporary power-loss, spiders)

Even with people dropping left and right thanks to the odd sleep effect taking hold, ADI staff are hellbent that their Halloween party will not be completely ruined. And on the 28th (a little before the actual holiday), everyone wakes up. Or… seems to. For those trapped in dreams, it will seem very much that they've woken up, the music has stopped, and they can actually carry on. For a few days, it even seems like things are normal. The party on the 31st is a blow-out bash. The entire first floor of ADI HQ has been transformed with decorations. The canteen is serving festive food and has set up a dance floor with holiday-appropriate music playing. Some of the offices feature additional activities, including party games like bobbing for apples in a trough that's been brought in, a guess this gross food booth, and more general party games. For a quieter time, there are also areas set up with board games and card games to play. And for some extra fun spooks a mini-haunted maze has been set up with faux spiders and webs, along with other goofy-looking monster creatures.

It's around 9 PM when the music and lights suddenly cut out. There's nothing for several seconds. Then, a voice begins to sing, filling the halls of ADI. It's a young girl's voice.

"Bye-bye, bye-bye,
Quickly you will die,
On the morning will be frost,
And you’ll go to the graveyard, the graveyard.

Grandfather will come there, too,
And he will bring the coffin.
Grandmother will come along,
Her tears, they will not soften.
Mama sings the prayer song, then,
And falls down on her knees.
Daddy takes you to the grave,
No one can hear his pleas.

Bye-bye, bye-bye,
Quickly you will die,
On the morning will be frost,
And you’ll go to the graveyard, the graveyard.

As the last notes of the song fade away, all hell breaks loose. Those who had been wearing particular sorts of costumes, ones that are more monstrous in nature, may find themselves transforming, growing, twisting, shifting. It's not a clean change, but a violent, agonizing one that cracks bones, tears and reshapes muscles and tendons, pushes out teeth to make room for new ones. Those transformed will find themselves compelled to chase, to hunt, to kill anyone they can get their claws, teeth, or other appendages on.

For those who stay themselves, it's not just their transformed friends who pose a danger, but the decorations they've set up, as well. Those fake giant spiders and webs? They're no longer fake. Neither are any of the other demonic little creatures. The goal of everything in ADI and even outside for those who manage to make it out the doors, is to remind you how very, very mortal you are. Those typically possessed of fantastic abilities will find that they have been sapped away. There's no calling on magic or innate abilities. You are mortal and you are going to die like everything mortal does.

In the chaos, characters will catch glimpses of a young girl flitting amongst the chaos, seeming unperturbed by it all. Trying to catch up to her or speak to her is fruitless, but she's there, and she's humming that song from before.

➥ When He Nothing Shines Upon

A caucasian woman has just woken up and stares grumpily at her phone. There is a purple gradient filter over the photo.
(cw: supernaturally-induced fatigue/malaise, thanatophobia)

Those who are killed at the party will find themselves waking up wherever they actually fell asleep a few hours or even days ago. If your character was one of the lucky few who somehow managed to escape the effect, you'll notice people waking up all over ADI HQ and elsewhere. There are no signs of damage on the bodies, but those who died in the dreams will find themselves feeling incredibly weak and generally ill for several hours to several days after the experience.

The music has actually stopped, and this time, it would seem you've actually woken up. Depending on how long you were passed out for, that may be a more unpleasant experience for some than others. There's a message posted from a random ADI employee's phone a few days later to the network:

Mr. S was right. This was fun! I'll have to come back next year to play with you. - Ava, the Lullaby Girl

P.S. Sorry for stealing your phone, horsegirl67. But I wanted to say, hi. C:

Unfortunately, there are no further messages and attempts to respond to the message will receive no reply for now.

But... fortunately…? All of the Halloween preparations are still up, and there's a festive party to attend if anyone actually feels keen on trying it in real life. Pam Ruan, the main organizer is bloody-minded about it now and will have her God damn Halloween party, but those who work themselves up to attend out of festive spirit or morbid curiosity will find it a distinctly muted affair that breaks early in the evening.

Happy Halloween, Gloucester!

➥ Mod Notes

GENERAL - Players are welcome to play NPCs for themselves when they are needed in a thread. If you need more information on general behavior for these types of NPCs, please feel free to ask! In general, the information provided in the prompt should be sufficient and you're welcome to make up any details beyond that for your specific scene. The Lullaby Girl (Ava) can be seen throughout character dreams, but they will not be able to interact with her during this event. They will either wake up or simply find that the physics of the dream are warped and she cannot be reached or there's a sheet of glass between her and the character or whatnot.
FOR YOU NEVER SHUT YOUR EYE (15-24 October) - Characters are welcome to develop their own devices for attempting to stop the music. Characters will have modern day technology available to them along with a few slightly more advanced electronics and tools. Please do not go too out there. This isn't Tony Stark's array of tools and the like. But characters can create additional devices to test within reason. Some of them may be more or less effective, but with how sporadic the effect is, it might be difficult to tell what's actually working or not. There can also be negative side-effects from devices, if you'd like to play those out. Characters with the appropriate magical charge may also attempt to supernaturally block the music, but this will not be condoned or facilitated by ADI. Characters searching for the source of the music will not be able to find it, just discover that it is moving. For characters who are sleep-talking, they may find themselves unusually honest. They may or may not recall conversations with other characters and all that they told them.
TILL THE SUN IS IN THE SKY (25-27 October) - Characters will experience repeated nightmares of dying in a shared dreamscape. They will remember every time that they die in the dreams. Feel free to get as creative and gruesome with this as you would like. These are dreams and fantastical situations that might not actually happen (e.g., a robot showing up and shooting a laser through your character) may occur. Players are welcome to introduce elements of their memories into the nightmares and mix those memories around between characters who might wind up in a dream together. Please ensure all top-levels are appropriately tagged for any and all content warnings. Add content warnings as you go along, if needed. Dying in the dreams will trigger the sense of waking up. This can be a fake wake-up or characters might actually wake for a short while and find others passed out around them.
WHEN THE BLAZING SUN IS GONE (28-31 October) - Again, this will be a shared dreamscape where characters will be under the illusion (at first) that all has returned to normal. For those who investigate, everything seems to be real, nothing too off, excepting the night of the Halloween party. Once the Lullaby Girl finishes her song, characters who are dressed in costumes that depict animals or other monstrous creatures may find themselves transformed into their costumes. Transformed characters may gain powers for the duration of this prompt/event related to their monstrous forms without mod approval. Go wild, kill your friends and neighbors, and generally trash everything around you. The decorations that come to life will be attempting to murder all characters, transformed or not. If characters escape into the city, they will find all of the festive decorations out there have come to life and want to kill them, as well. Death is unavoidable for this particular prompt, but it can be something swift and painless or something drawn out and horrible at player discretion. It is the only way to actually wake a character fully. Players also have the option of keeping their characters awake. They will not experience the shared dreamscape and will just be stuck with a lot of unconscious people around them for the duration of this portion of the event.
WHEN HE NOTHING SHINES UPON (31 October) - Ava, the Lullaby Girl, cannot be contacted or immediately located, but she will be available in future plots for interactions with characters. There is no immediate information regarding who Mr. S. is. Players may have the general sleep/death malaise last for a minimum of two hours and a maximum of three days. Regular medications for the flu can ameliorate some of the symptoms, but they will ultimately clear up on their own. Characters may wake up in whatever state players would like. Feel free to play out the effects of them having been slumped in a corridor for three days without food or water. It's going to be a bad time all around. Those who attend the real Halloween party will be thanked profusely by Pam and showered with candy. At least they'll get a few HR brownie points?

↬ Main Navigation

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Neal tilts his head in a little motion indicating both acknowledgement and surprise. “Their loss is the NYPD’s gain, clearly.”

He doesn’t offer anything deeper regarding his own FBI ties. Definitely not to this guy. He does give Malcolm’s shoulder a little squeeze. “And now ADI’s. You seem to be recovering… I would say unfortunately well, but I think Malcolm has too much of a heart to really want to kill you. He must have gotten that from his mother.”

Neal’s reassurance is buoying… and also terrifying. It doesn’t take much to set off the Surgeon.

Martin tsks at Malcolm. Malcolm stiffens slightly.

“Son, you haven’t been airing our dirty laundry, have you?” He looks at Neal. “But don’t give his mother too much credit; she’d love to kill me. That being said, my boy was only doing what’s in his nature to do. A scorpion can’t be a frog, no matter how much he wants it.”

"I'm glad someone you know is here, I hope that helps give you a... point of reference. And I'm happy to help if I can."

He's glad Beau is here. He should check in with her soon. She can isolate herself and he doesn't want to see her do that, especially not while he's here. Caduceus cocks his head when Jack puts the emphasis on special and it takes him a few seconds more to catch on.

"Oh! Oh, sure. Yeah, if he's looking for something I can share. The catch is I'm not gonna let him drink it alone, though. I'd warn him."

Hey Jerry, a seven foot tall pink-and-gray cow-man is going to watch you trip balls.

(It's heartbreaking to Ren, too. Knowing this is a nightmare, it wouldn't mean much to go back to try and save the girl, but it wouldn't have stopped Ren. Once he hears it, he halts, turning back when it's too late. They're out of Stephen's nightmare, into Ren's, and in front of them, it's Yaldabaoth in all his terrifying and imposing glory.

Ren cocks his gun, trying to remember exactly the sequence-- but there's no use. It's just two of them, against that, and while Ren isn't one to give up so easy, he knows death awaits. It's how all their nightmares have been as of late.

The stance doesn't change. He's ready to fight it.)

I shoot Yaldabaoth in the face.

(If it goes well, that is. Stephen is smart, so perhaps the name already tells him enough to know what they're dealing with.)

Remember when I said it's not a one-man job? We need more people for this.

Automatic are all Ren's movements once they reach it, the kettle peacefully heating on the stove while Ren mixes some blends together. This should have enough caffeine.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Are you alright? You were sleeptalking.

(Oh, thank God. Ren knees next to her, his hand gently touching her forehead to make sure there is no fever, that it had just been a result of this phase they're going through.)

(Help the boy, he CANNOT stop laughing, it hurts the abs under the red flowy dress and he fans himself a little bit, only because he refuses to cry with fake lashes on, goddamnit!!)

I'll make others, it's fine!!

(He says, whenever he manages to stop laughing even the smallest bit.)

I worked in a cafe before.

“Survival isn’t malicious,” Neal counters, tone mild. “It’s part of human nature in general. Stabbing a man who’s trying to murder you in order to preserve your own life might make you a murderer by technicality, but there’s a reason self-defense is an understood exception when it comes down to right and wrong.”

He gives Malcolm’s shoulder one more little pat before letting his hand fall. As though he isn’t talking to a psychopathic serial killer, Neal adds, “Have you been through the ADI orientation yet? Where do you stand on working with them?”

Priests have made a vow of poverty and humility, Officer Sister~! Perhaps eating off the floor is merely my attempt at maintaining my integrity as a man~! Another man's trash is another man's treasure, so they say. Waste not want not, see? Plenty of sayings support my endeavors, so I wouldn't judge if I were you...!

[ hmph. HMPH!! unperturbed by her judgment regardless, he is taking a sip of his tea sludge, which is DELICIOUS for the record!!!!

--and he almost chokes, sputtering as she DARES call him rude??? SHADY??? NOSY?????? outright?!?!?! oh my Good Lord who art in Heaven??? Abel is suffocating a cough behind his sleeve, before leaning into the table and toward her with a distinct level of Indignation that seems excessive, surely, ]

ExCUSE me?! A-are you seriously-- are you attempting to paint me as some kind of villainous MISCREANT here?! C... Ciel, I'm hurt!! How could you?! Is a man, a priest, a servant of the Lord not allowed to be concerned for his fellows...?! W-why are you making it out to be something dastardly?!

[ h-heh. the sound of that laughter is terribly endearing, and a balm to the spirit after the misery that's engulfed the entirety of ADI, lately. Abel has to say, it sounds...? pretty great.

he's suffocating the urge to smile, though, so fixated on looking enamored as he stares into his little coffee cup. ]

Wow... So you must be the creative sort, hm? You know how some people are born with the bone for this kind of talent in their body? Yes, yes-- you definitely have it~! Amazing! This is wonderful, thank you...!

"Mercy, snap out of it!"

Maybe this is a tone of his that she's never has heard before - almost like an order, because the alternative is not great. Either she maims him, or he stabs her, and none of those choices appeal to Ren particularly. No matter what monstrous being she's become, she's still Mercy, someone kind enough to share her space with him since forever.

There seems to be no other option. His dagger sinks into her shoulder, splatting blood on him and her, and he looks nothing other than devastated. Fuck, no, no.

Only for future heists. The man's stylish.

(What is this sleeping sickness she's talking about? Ren currently doesn't know. All Ren knows is that he has to pull something off soon, to get Akechi off his trail. To trick him, escape death as it is.

It's upsetting it's come to this.)

After we steal the Sae's treasure, I'll have to go lay lower. I'll need help with a few things. I'll be counting on you.

"You shouldn't." Kate briefly glances at Malcolm before focusing on Martin again. Why isn't he saying anything? He knows what his father is. Either way she does not like where this conversation is headed but she has an idea.

"We don't move in the same circles, Doctor Whitly." Kate uses the same form of address that Malcolm does. She does this because she is not about to call him Martin. "But perhaps we could chat on the way back to ADI? That's where you two are headed, right?" Certainly a serial killer wouldn't kill out in the open, she thinks. It would be best to get him to a place where there are people who could do something about him.

"Trust me, that'll be more of a selling point than a deterrent," nary a speck of doubt about that. Jerry's exceptionally social. If he can drag anybody into tripping balls or causing mayhem with him, he 100% will. Probably especially a seven foot tall pink and gray cow man. Just... wait. You'll see what he means.

"Although... Jerry being here doesn't exactly level things out. Life back home was absolutely insane too, so. Still a little up in the air. I actually thought he was dead for a while and his head was talking to me, so I guess this is definitely a step up from that. Anyway, why aren't you doing great?"

Like that first part's just something you gloss over, no big deal.

One of her hands clamps around the wrist of his metal arm, and it's probably fortunate that's the one she found purchase on, because her grip is bone-cracking tight. Two of her nails splinter, shearing away in strips. Two small notes in a symphony of pain. She doesn't notice.

His voice filters sluggishly through the agony. It's something familiar, someone trusted. And she tries to comply, stops scrabbling at any surface to escape, but her nerves are on fire and her muscles are twisting against themselves, continuing to spasm without any direction from her. Her breathing is ragged, and the little choked sounds she makes each time her lungs expand enough to take in a breath would be humiliating if she were aware of them.

“Oh,” he waves it off, “I expect I have a lot to offer any organization that’s smart enough to recruit my son,” he says. “But you’re wrong about human nature. The truth is a lot more nuanced and it isn’t just anyone that can drive a blade into flesh,” he remarks oh so casually, a darker glint to his eye now as he moves just slightly closer to Neal. The move animates Malcolm suddenly.

“No!” he says sharply, stepping between them, looking at his father. “Enough,” he breathes. “Enough is enough.”

“Oh, you do like this one. I could see it. But what makes you think I would hurt him?”

“The facts. That’s all you do. You ruin everything you touch.”

Neal’s fight-or-flight instincts have always been keyed more toward flight, at least as far as his own well-being is concerned. But his well-being isn’t the only concern here. Not by a long shot.

He’s not as young as he used to be, in any sense of the word. His face stays calm and unconcerned, even as his heart rate ratchets up a notch.

“I wouldn’t advise hurting either one of us in front of this many witnesses,” Neal adds lightly. “The local authorities wouldn’t appreciate that you’re new in town, probably—-in terms of cultural leeway, I think ‘unprovoked violence’ still rests outside of the generally acceptable.”

He doesn’t want to let Malcolm stay in front of him. He doesn’t want Malcolm to be the primary target here, not when he knows this man tried to kill him once already. But there’s no natural way to bring them even again, not yet.

[Any distance he gains in his INDIGNANT SPLUTTERING is put back by her as she simply slides herself farther away from where he's seated, and yes she will subtly drag her chair along with her for that cause, causing her to put a foot or two of distance between herself and the sandwich plate (she's still holding onto her mug in both hands so that one's coming with her). Will have to make more effort to stuff her facehole now is the only downside, oh well...]

A vow of humility, yes, not humiliation, though I'm starting to think you're mixing them up on purpose. [Siiip.] You follow me around as far as my apartment building the first day we met, and now you're relentlessly badgering me for details of my personal life even when I've made it clear that I'm not interested in telling you my life story. If that's not harassment, then what is it? Or are you going to tell me that's just how you express interest in other people? I didn't want to trouble HR, but if you insist and leave me no choice...

Caduceus smiles as he listens, and he has the distinct feeling that he will definitely know this Jerry when he meets him. And he finds himself looking forward to it. His eyes flick to Jack's face when he moves on very quickly from a talking head to asking how Caduceus is doing.

"I'm probably not the best person to assure you of reality if severed heads talk to you. I do that all the time."

Well, not all the time, but he's used it often it enough since meeting the Nein. He settles back a little more in his chair, testing to make sure he has the angle right before he relaxes.

"I've seen a lot of monstrous things," he says. "I've never been a monster before. I guess the whole thing left me kind of shaken up."

For a beat he considers fighting it, but she's got a lot of weight behind her, and he doesn't have his usual strength. So instead, he drops, going nearly limp so when she throws, it doesn't break anything. Her teeth skid on metal as the plates shift under them, making her grip less secure, and he hits the nearest wall-- wire and fabric, plywood desks set in cubicles.

Said wall collapses under his weight, folding up, offering him a little protection between her teeth and parts of him she can actually damage as he continues to fire, though not quite as well aimed this time.

She's expecting weight when she jerks the staff to the side, some sort of resistance. It means that she overcompensates for it severely and winds up nearly toppling herself over completely. She catches herself with one hand just as he grabs hold of her neck. Mercy snarls, Death's Door still in her mouth and stopping her from biting as she pushes herself up. Without her teeth to snap at him properly, she tries to rake her claws down his back.

Front or back, it doesn't matter how she gets that burning blood out of him as long as it's out and cooling on the floor.

The strangled breathing, the hitches of pain at each breath, that's-- that's familiar. He knows this. Someone else used to breathe like that. He doesn't know who. He can't think about who.

Without knowing where the knowledge comes from, he puts the flesh hand on her back, held practically in his lap now, and leans her over a little, ear to his chest and spine curled over her spasming lungs. He rubs a slow circle, then another. It probably won't help, not with all the pain and the serum, but it's automatic. "Breathe," he says. "With me. In and out."

"And hairspray," he agrees, and shifts his rifle against his shoulder so it's at the ready as he leads the way down the hall. "As long as you have a flame."

Which he has. He might not smoke (anymore?) but he still bought a lighter early on. Maybe for that exact purpose; he didn't even think about why, he just needed a lighter or he didn't feel comfortable out in the town.

"Did you see how this happened?" he asks. Because he hadn't.

"I am a good teacher," he states, as if he doesn't doubt the truth of that, though he's moving on again and his face is turned away from Stephen. He maybe even sounds vaguely proud when he expands: "Meredith has already defended herself properly here, before I left her in a closet when she couldn't continue on. Monika saved herself from the kelpies." A pause. "Kate is still learning."

Very true! That's a definite bonus.

I'll probably just stay in and watch shitty movies and get drunk and bitter if you fancy coming.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 23 of 53

Event - Lullaby

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject