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?

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[The way it looks at her is intense, like a physical presence weighing her down with its gaze. There is no malice there, nothing to indicate that it recognises her as an individual at all. It is pure sight, something that seeks knowledge of suffering and pain but there's nothing personal about it.

Perhaps that would be preferable, knowing that she at least meant something.

It slowly begins to stand again, gaze never faltering, soaking in the fear, the frustration and hurt.]

[At first, in the panic, he's totally fine letting Stephen call the shots. Then Stephen decides to run directly into skeletons and Martin starts wondering what kind of person he saved. His legs are going despite any protests, though it won't stop him from yelling regardless.]

What! What are-- what am I supposed to do, just punch one??

[He doesn't even have anything to hit it with, dear god. There's far too much chaos here to figure anything out.]

We-- we need to either get to a door, or make a door! Somehow! I don't know!

"Losing control and then hurting her." It's the order of operations, really. Maybe it'd be worst if he'd hurt her first while in his right mind, but... that wouldn't happen. Then a wry smile curves his mouth and he gives Jack a gentle look.

"But I think I'm supposed to be counseling you," he says with mild amusement and warmth.

Well, for starters, running into an active battlefield is inadvisable, so jot that one down. But running into an active battlefield alone is even worse, so here's Martin to do whatever it takes for that to not happen.

He's surprised at the dagger but takes it without thinking, not wanting to refuse. "Okay, it-- is there a magic word or-- you know what, nevermind." Okay, now he sounds like an idiot, but he breathes hard and holds on to the handle. "Just, j-just point me where to go."

Well, this dragon had actually funnelled all his money into a bank as a way to keep it after being forced to help run a school for children. So my sister and her friends took all of it after they killed him and he fell into hell, and was then promptly slit open and turned into a boat.

Hmm, well, most cases I've noticed of the dead coming back to life here, they seem to come back as avatars? That's what the reports say. I'm not sure testing it's a good idea but I guess we'll find out when someone dies.

( Himself, themselves, itself, he has no idea and offers up a shrug. )

He's basically like older than time and sent fragments of himself out across the cosmos because he was bored, so that one day he could hang out and watch eternal glorious suffering. So... yeah, pretty much the groaning thing, minus the dying, because he's going to make everybody immortal to they can suffer for eternity.

( He sounds, like, super cavalier about the whole thing. Just way too chill about it.

Which he's not, it totally sucks, but... getting worked up about it isn't really gonna help. Ship's pretty much sailed. )

It's what's headed for my planet right now unless I can figure out how to stop it. Which isn't really... looking great... at this point.

"Too smart, but not nearly as smart as I thought I was."

Underground, somewhere. Jaeger rouses a bit at the change in air, gripping Mercy's hand as if it's an anchor. Which it is, in more ways than one. Quick eyes take in the new hall, as weirdly foreign as it is to him. Is it the same building? He's not entirely sure, with the dreamy lack of continuity in his exhausted mind.

It's been a while since he's noticed a jolt of adrenaline, which seems important. He'll get to it later, he's sure, but right now he can't quite make the connection. Maybe it's not that important after all?

"But it's what they are. What they do. Smile in one hand and knife in the other." It almost makes sense, but not quite. He's tired and things are blurring again. They're further down the hall than he remembered, the pattern on the walls subtly shifting as his eyes try to focus.

"Can you sense the magic of this place? Usually?" Winter asks, kicking more bones side himself, this time to make a path so they can continue onwards. He leads the way slowly. "It is not like yours."

He doesn't question whether it can be sensed when one doesn't have any at the moment, though it does occur to him. Not yet. This first.

Kate nods her head. She doesn't need him to walk her home, just to the exit. The exit is safety.

She can't bring herself to walk in front of him or even at his side. Like a coward, she follows along behind him. Not too far behind, however. as something could leap at them from behind. Kate keeps him within arm's reach.

When the reach the main entrance, Kate lets out a sigh of relief. Freedom is just beyond the sliding glass doors, she can see it.

"Oh, thank you, Winter. I think I can make it from here." She takes a few steps beyond him before turning to face him. "I'm going to the apartment. If Yelena is there, I'll send you a text. If not..." Her voice trails off a bit. Kate really hopes that Yelena had fallen asleep someplace safe. "I'll wait for you both."

[ He knows a lie when he sees one. He's also not going to push. After all, Ren said it himself: he doesn't know him. Kugrash can, however, pry by means of answering. One brow raises, crooked but curious, and he studies the other carefully. ]

A lotta protesting. Sounds like whatever you did it was unjust. Hey--I get it. Man's trying to get you down.

[ He's well aware of how hypocritical that looks, since his human form is Mr. Wall Street, but he means it at least. ]

Ah. I know now.

(The words bring up the flashes of the dream, and then, he recalls. The harsh night being brought home from the police station. That was brutal.)

I was accused of doing something terrible, but I didn't do it. That's all there is.

[Stephen pauses, but the reason for the request is not lost on him. ADI does not have the trust of many, and even he understands why, regardless of his presence here on an almost daily basis.

He rubs at an eye, as though that might actually wipe away the remnants of death-induced exhaustion.]

All right. Let’s go.

(Ren knows just the place. With a gesture, he asks to be followed. The cafe they enter is empty, something about the decoration being both unwelcoming and the staff is not the greatest at customer care. While Ren does not find joy in giving this place any money - he does know what it takes for a cafe to feel like home, it's a place he knows they won't be overheard over the loud music. Another point as to why this cafe sucks perfectly.

He orders a coffee for himself. When the waiter is out of earshot, with his nose up and without saying 'excuse me', Ren finds it the greatest opportunity to start the conversation.)

... So, what was that big thing?

Taking point is what murder machines are for, Kate, he wouldn't have it any other way when there's potential danger to be fielded for her. His eyes are still maybe a bit too wide, darting around perhaps a bit too much, but it helps keep him alert. Fear is useful, sometimes.

"Yes. I. I will find her if she isn't home, already." If she isn't still dreaming. If they all aren't still dreaming. "Go. Outside." It should be safe out there. He hopes to hell it's safe out there.

[ Kugrash feels a strange stab of guilt, though why, he's not entirely sure. It's a mix, maybe--his gut reaction, his first instinct is 'you shouldn't have gotten caught,' despite the fact that the kid clearly was framed for something.

Mostly, he's painfully aware of how he'd probably frame someone back when he was a lot more human and a little less rat. Hell, he did. ]

Did you find a way out? [ His voice is surprisingly soft. ]

A year later, after the damage had already been done.

(Finally, Ren has two nice cups of tea in his hands, one for himself and one for his new friend. It's a little sad to make an acquaintance when in a moment like this, but Ren can live with it.

With his head, he gestures towards the couch. It'd be nice to sit somewhere comfortable.)

[An eyebrow arches.]

Okay. Try for a little more water, at least until this nightmare business is long behind us. Considering how long some of us were out, unknowing dehydration is something I'd rather avoid.

Otherwise, do you suffer from chronic pain?

[It isn't a symbol he recognizes, though the thick contours of its design are ominous even in the low light.

Stephen looks at her, feels frozen a second by her look, but the answer is easy enough. Perhaps it makes him a fool, but he should like to consider himself a good judge of character after their talks, their shared rounds at medical, the sessions on how to fight, or at least how to flee.

One may be more relevant than the other, now, he tells himself.]

Of course.

[What on earth is that look for?]

I can do that. Try at least.

[No promises. He gets distracted easily.]

I'm not ill, if that's what you mean. Just a bit stiff sometimes.

He wants to leave with Malcolm. Wants to protect him from this, from Martin, from what might happen in the next minute. But he can't leave Martin loose in Gloucester, in this world, and be able to live with himself.

"Call 911," Gil says calmly, his eyes still on the Surgeon, still slowly backing off and forcing Malcolm with him. His instincts say to just shoot, don't let him get too close, don't let himself get stabbed again--

"Malcolm! Are you calling?" It's urgent and firm rather than a reprimand, a way to hopefully make sure that Malcolm isn't shutting down mentally from what's happening.

Gil is in the kitchen, putting together a horrifying-looking concoction that's practically guaranteed to be some kind of familial hangover cure-and-or-prevention. "For what everything? Sit you're skinny butt down, Calhoun. You're not going anywhere tonight."

Jeff looks around helplessly for a moment, as if he can find some escape from the imminent dad-ing, but he can't, so he finally flops his skinny butt on the couch, dropping his bag of dirty clothes at his feet.

Fiiiiiine.

"I'm fine, Gil, I swear." It's a half-hearted protest, though, but he's not really sure what else to say. His own parents were always pretty easy to shake, so this? It's new.

Edited 2021-11-25 18:31 (UTC)

The Malcolm standing behind Gil isn’t thirty-three anymore. He’s ten. He looks at his father and he looks at Gil.

“We should go. We should run away,” that little voice tells him.

“Stay where you are!” Martin snarls at him, then seems to remember himself and smiles sweetly at the little boy past Gil’s shoulder. “Don’t take off, son. You could get lost. Stay with your dad,” he says cheerfully.

Shit. Malcolm's shift doesn't make sense, Gil knows it on some level, but he doesn't give a damn when he hears that young voice.

He swears under his breath and turns, scooping the kid up and bolting as fast as he can. It's not nearly as fast as he'd like to go.

"You know what." He presses his hands against his face, like he's trying to wake up, except he's very much past the point of consciousness. "I don't regret it."

Defensive, firm, very clearly not entirely true.

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Event - Lullaby

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GRIPS U BACK A WEEK LATER

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HOW TF DID I NOT GET THIS NOTIF

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