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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cw: blood, violence, gore, murders, injuries, body horror, character deaths, mauling, cannibalism, ptsd, decapitation

→ For You Never Shut Your Eye:

This isn't exactly how he thought his life would go after graduating from college. He was planning to stay in New York, with Cory and Topanga and Shawn. Finding yourself in an entire different universe that seems to be just this side of malevolent?

Cool, but weird.

Not that he isn't well-aware of the fact that he might be stuck here, it's just so, so much easier not to think about it. Besides, he'll have the best story to tell when he gets home, right? And this place is neat in its own way?

He hopes those are not famous last words.

The weird music isn't helping. It's been getting worse and worse and he's been getting sleepier and sleepier. It's been helping to go out and try to help find the source of the music, having something active to do helps keep him awake, but he settles down on a park bench to just--just take a rest, for a moment. It's fine. He's fine.

He jolts in and out of sleep, and suddenly screams, "Purple crocodile tiles!"

→ Till the Sun Is In the Sky:

He's running.

He's running through the hallways, the lights are flickering on and off, and thunder crashes in the distance. It feels like he's totally seen this in the movies but this isn't the movies? This is actually, really happening and--and someone--no, something is chasing him.

"There's gotta be--somebody help!"

--there's the sound of a chainsaw, and suddenly the door next to him bursts into splinters, and a figure with a hockey mask comes stumbling out of it.

Eric screams, jumping back into another doorway and tripping over an office chair. His ankle twists and he goes down hard--desperately he tries to stand back up again, but his ankle can't support him and he collapses again, the sound of the chainsaw getting closer and closer--

"No--hey--look, I'm sure we can have a perfectly reasonable conversation--like..." he holds his hands up, scooting back into the office, which has no other point of exit. "What is your--your motivation, anyway? And you know what? Has anybody ever asked how you are doing? Because I care, buddy, I care about--"

He doesn't get much out after that because the chainsaw-wielding figure promptly slices his head off.

And then he wakes up, screaming, in the canteen, falling out of his chair.

→ When the Blazing Sun Is Gone Part A:

Look, he's going to have fun, dammit.

Things seemed to have settled down for now, and yeah, he's certainly had a time with those awful nightmares, but he's trying not to deal with that for now. It's been a few days anyway, and every passing day makes it a little easier. Everybody gets horrific realistic nightmares every so often, right?

He's enjoying himself here, wearing the world's cheapest costume--a paper bag on the top of his head with a wolf face drawn on it, mingling and snacking and playing games--he was pretty good at the gross food booth, all things considered, when the lights go out and the song cuts on. Eric just laughs.

"Oh cool, so this is like, part of the whole scary party theme thing, right?"

...right?

...and then everything goes terribly, terribly wrong. Suddenly everything hurts, enough that he drops to his knees, and he can hear the commotions and cries of pain around him. For a second he thinks he's simply sick--one too many apples bobbed for, maybe he should cut back on the cupcakes--but it's not just a stomach ache, it's an everything-ache. There's a cracking sound and he yells, his spine jolting with pain. Something cuts his mouth and drops into his hands--

--were those his teeth!?

He reaches up to his mouth but there's teeth still there--big ones, really big ones that are just there, like, fang-sized ones. And then claws rip out from his fingers and he drops the teeth, a cry of pain escaping him.

It would almost be funny, the absurdity of it all, if it wasn't so horrifying.

"I--somebody help!" He reaches over to grab the nearest person to him--already his eyes are glowing gold, fur starting to creep over his face.

→ When the Blazing Sun Is Gone Part B:

He can't remember why he was so upset.

This is so fun?

He stomps through the ruined party, through the hallways, through rooms, looking in search for prey. He's a massive werewolf, tall enough that he has to duck and squeeze through an ordinary-sized door just to get through, so sometimes he'll walk on all fours. He slams a paw not just into, but through a desk or table to get it out of the way.

He can smell them nearby. This is so easy.

He howls occasionally for the fun of it, but also because it tends to scare people more when they hear him coming.

"Come on, who's afraid of the big bad wolf?"

→ When He Nothing Shines Upon Part A:

Eric wakes up curled up on the floor of a random office and doesn't move for...maybe hours.

He cries.

It's late when he arrives to the party finally, looking worse for the wear, his hair all messy and dark circles under his eyes. He's not sure why he's come back here--maybe to reassure himself that this is reality, but he's not really sure he can stand to be here much longer.

→ When He Nothing Shines Upon Part B/Network Post:

un: goodlookingguy

Uh so does this place usually suck this much or what

ooc: Plotting post here

Edited 2021-10-16 18:35 (UTC)

Thackery hasn't slept again since he woke up to find it Halloween morning again. He's roamed the halls expecting something to kill him the moment he accepts again that he's truly awoken...or worse, to turn into something that kills.

He pauses in the doorway of an office when he hears the soft sounds of someone crying from within, frozen there for a long minute as the desire to provide some measure of comfort wars with the conviction that contact will only cause suffering to one or both of them as the rug is pulled out from under him yet again.

Finally, concern wins out and he creeps inside. Unless stopped, he'll come up to Eric and then settle in to lay on top of him, purring gently.

For a moment he wonders if he's asleep again, or maybe this is going to be a nightmare, but it's not. He jolts just a little, but settles when he realizes that it's just a cat, purring. Comforting.

Oh.

"That's really nice of you, mister cat," Eric says quietly, wiping his face, his voice still raw. He's still crying, just a little, but it's mostly just tears now. He reaches over to try to pet the top of the cat's head.

Thackery doesn't speak, but tilts his head into the touch, purring more loudly. There's something terribly lonely about pretending to be nothing more than an animal in the presence of another person, but he doesn't think he could stand to see comfort shift to fear or to be chased off in this moment. Better this loneliness than the loneliness of the empty halls.

un: black

No. Sometimes it’s worse.
Sometimes the terrible happenings aren’t confined to our heads.

[ LISTEN. nightmares are no biggie. he’s trying to prepare eric; you’re welcome, dude. ]

oh

well

i know you can't hear me but I just screamed really loud right now. it made me feel a little better.

[He'll just cry a bit in the meantime.]

Edited 2021-10-21 02:04 (UTC)

[ wow good job, shiro, scaring the new recruits.
motivational speaker points: 0 ]

You’re going to be fine.
None of us were trained for this but everyone’s adapted and made it through the obstacles and threats.

[ -- wait, that’s not true. a lot of people have mysteriously gone missing. sent home? died? WHO KNOWS.
lie shiro, lie.

dammit: ]

Mostly everyone.

Eric Matthews | Boy Meets World

When He Nothing Shines Upon Part A

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when he nothing shines upon part b.

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when the blazing sun is gone, b

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When the Blazing Sun Is Gone - A

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till the sun is in the sky

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Network

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Blazing Sun Gone Part B

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network post, @mkblackwood

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