Event - Lullaby

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Lullaby

➥ For You Never Shut Your Eye

(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

(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

(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

(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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Thackery Binx | Hocus Pocus | OTA

[twistedbones]

I. For You Never Shut Your Eye
(cw: supernaturally-induced sleep/fatigue; supernaturally-induced sleep disorders/somniloquy)

It's not exactly unusual to find Thackery asleep on the job at ADI. After all, despite being human mentally, physically he is very much a cat with a cat's need for a healthy sixteen hours of sleep each day. Lately, though, it's become rare to see him doing anything other than sleeping, to the point that he's started missing curfew, spending a lot of his nights sacked out somewhere at headquarters simply by dint of waking up too late in the evening to go 'home.' One might come across him napping on a high shelf in the library, under a desk tucked up next to a nice, warm computer tower, up in the vents, or anywhere else he happens to find comfortable that day.

On the rare occasions when he's not sleeping, he's out looking for the source of the music. Day or night, he goes out roaming regardless of the hour and regardless of whether he has anyone to go with him, his illusory human form an almost ghostly figure in white with bags under his eyes. Here and there he'll pause, head cocked, then go stumbling off in the direction of the music, trying to track it down. And of course, here and there he'll forget himself and curl up to sleep on a park bench or under the eave of a storefront.


II. Till the Sun Is in the Sky
(cw: character death; harm to and death of a cat; harm to and death of children; burning to death; drowning; mutilation via magic; death by vehicular collision; death by falling; death by poison; supernaturally-induced sleep/fatigue; thanatophobia)

Thackery dreams of witches that hypnotize and suck the lives from the children of Gloucester, and he dreams of all the ways in which they kill him when he tries to intervene. He dreams of being roasted over a fire, of being held down in a cauldron of bubbling potion until he drowns, of his body being twisted and mutilated by magic until he can't move, can't breathe, can't survive. He dreams, too, of more mundane deaths, of being hit (again) by a car, misjudging a jump and falling too far from a tree, or eating a poisoned rat and suffering agony in his gut until his body gives out.

It feels as real as any death he's suffered before, but like all those real deaths he knows, as he dies, that he'll only come back again. There's nothing to fear but the pain he feels along the way, though even his ability to remain blasé about dying begins to wear thin as the days go by and his sleep becomes more and more fitful, his attempts to avoid the pain of death more and more frantic.

But worse than dying is to see someone else die, and in those moments when his dreams mix with those of another he sets his own dread aside unquestioningly, hurling himself in the way of harm to try to protect the friend or coworker he sees facing down some dread portent of their own. He'll come back. The same, to his sleeping mind, can't be said for everyone else.


When the Blazing Sun Is Gone
(cw: supernaturally induced sleep/fatigue; character death; cat death; detailed description of painful physical transformation; violence; mental status alterations)

It's a relief when the dreams finally (seem to) end, though Thackery spends the last days leading up to the party still roving throughout Gloucester, troubled by the sudden absence of the music. It's easier to stay awake now, but there's no music at all to guide him as he treads and retreads the graveyards in exploration, trying to catch just a note of the music once again. It can't just be gone so easily.

All the same, he lets himself get talked into attending the party, even into dressing up in the first Halloween costume he's ever worn. He's awkward and on edge in the hubbub of the celebration, unable to let go of the strangeness of actually celebrating All Hallows' Eve rather than spending it skulking around the Sanderson house. Still, as the evening wears on he starts to loosen up and even have a little fun. At the entrance to the spooky maze he glances up at one of the other party-goers. "Race you through?" he suggests, for once in good humor.

At 9:00 Thackery is curled up on a table in the canteen by the refreshments, tail twitching in time to the music as he watches the people out on the dance floor. This is...fun? It's more fun than he's had in what must be centuries, and he's finally feeling glad that he came, glad to be here even under the larger circumstances.

And then things go very, very wrong. Thackery jumps to his feet when the lights go out and the singing begins, dashing about in the dark trying to find the source of the voice. Something is going to happen, he needs to stop this--

Then there's only agony as bones lengthen and muscles stretch and grow to match, as bloodied wings sprout from his shoulders and his teeth are pushed out by fangs. When it ends he's a creature the size of a tiger, snarling and slavering in pain and anger. He catches a scent or a sound nearby and turns, eyes glinting green in what dim light remains, and pounces.


When He Nothing Shines Upon
(cw: supernaturally-induced fatigue/malaise, thanatophobia)

In the wake of the nightmares, Thackery stubbornly avoids sleep. He haunts the halls of ADI headquarters and the apartments, though he's too tired and sick to keep up his pacing for more than a few minutes before he needs a rest. But then whenever he threatens to nod off he's on his feet again, keeping it up as long as he can before he finally simply cannot keep his eyes open.


[OOC: If anyone would like to kill gargoyle!Thackery, I will take one (1) thread for that. I am open to having him kill as many other characters as desired, or to having him attack someone who ultimately gets away from him. My plotting comment is here.]

II

[septieme]

The circumstances are surreal, as realistic as every other sensation feels. There's the bright and warm noon sun shining down on the city, the crisp autumn breeze drifting through the buildings, and the usual hubbub of the city whose rhythm is... sleepier of late, admittedly, but humming on nevertheless.

Then, there was the shrill screech of tires biting into concrete, the sulphuric scent of exhaust being churned out at a unnatural capacity, the heavy shadow of something suddenly there that really wasn't before out of her periphery, and it's with a daydream-like numbness that the girl crossing the street at very green light realizes she's about to get rammed into at full force by a speeding truck. The other dark blur from behind her is registered when she's managed to half-turn towards the looming vehicle moments before impact, far smaller but still shooting towards her with clear purpose. Wh--

There isn't time to think; she moves on pure reflex. She can only attempt to prevent the darting black ball from sharing her fate (--but why was it even in a hurry to come her way?--), and if she can't rebuff its pounce, then she'll try to catch it while shifting her back to the incoming truck. If she can let her own body absorb most of the impact, then maybe, with any luck, this far smaller and agile creature, maybe--

--Tch.

The world churns. The disorientation is admittedly much more severe, without the ability to shut away inconvenient things at will and the terribly fragile limitations of an entirely human body. It's nothing unfamiliar, but somewhat frustrating all the same. Every nerve and muscle is protesting, but she forces her eyes to open and her vision to steady all the same. That lithe black shape... A dog? A cat? Was it spared, or did they both end up getting run over together, despite their respective best efforts?

...The worst case scenario wouldn't be surprising. She never was particularly lucky.

cw animal injury

[twistedbones]

It's an idiotic impulse; he's too small to knock her out of the way. But he dashes into the street all the same, unhesitating despite the lack of anything so coherent as a plan. Warn her, push her, do something--

But he's the one grabbed and protected from the impact. "No!" he wails in that split second when he understands what she's doing, that he's being shielded from the blow when he's the one who needs it least. Then the world is blunt pain like he's felt at least a dozen times, and he finds himself in the street, bones broken but the light still very much in his eyes as he lifts his head to look at his would-be rescuer.

[septieme]

Was it obligation, or instinct? She can't very well tell, wouldn't care to differentiate anyway even if she had enough presence of mind left to do so. She's no stranger to pain either, after all, and frankly, there are far worse things to experience than blunt impact.

She can't feel her lower body. The pain was... frankly, less than expected; strangely dull, how 'fortunate'. No amount of it would distract her anyway, from attempting to move her head so that she may better scope out her immediate surroundings. Side of the pavement is normal, the pool of dark crimson negligible. And there, amidst the mass of black fur laying prone, sharp and intelligent eyes are aglow despite what's just happened--

"--Are... you, o...kay?"

A pointless question, perhaps, but it's what she manages to voice, albeit with some time and exertion. The unsteady dim of blue in her eyes is fixed on the pair gazing right back at her. There's no fear, panic, resentment, or anything on these lines; just quiet acceptance and some effort to focus, she has no energy for anything else. A normal person shouldn't even be conscious right now, but logic and common sense had long vacated the premises, perhaps they were never present to begin with considering how senseless the very 'accident' itself had been. She's clinging on, for better or worse, a resilience that may be as much of a blessing as it could be a curse.

...A black cat, hm. Now what was the common superstition, again...?

When he nothing shines upon

[chrisisofaith]

Chris has felt like shite for days. Dying probably didn't help, nor did the sleeplessness before and after it, but there was so much more in his head and no where to put it. He should go out, he should talk to others, he should do something with himself to try and alleviate the swirl of dread...but instead he was huddled up with a stolen blanket in an alcove in some hall, like a scared child hiding away. Pathetic rings through his head and there's an equal stress to the idea of being found as there is of the thought of no one even noticing he's gone and it makes the little voice louder.

The first time he notices Thackery stalking down the hall outside Chris'...resting spot, he holds his breath until the cat's form passes. The second time, he does the same. The third, he's less wary and more intrigued. The fourth, he can't help himself. "You're making me dizzy all the back and forths you've done. Wear a trail in the tile you keep this up." His voice is low, but carries out in the quiet; tired, resigned, playful in intent but hallow in delivery. If Thackery was This restless, maybe he needed a break from his head too. Hopefully.

[twistedbones]

He notices Chris, of course, the same as he's noticed a few others scattered around ADI, each off in their own little quiet world. He's not the only one, clearly, who's afraid that anything that seems normal will be a trick, that he'll die or watch another die yet again.

Thackery pauses mid-stride when he's actually addressed, ears flat despite his easy tone when he replies. "Going to start charging me a toll?"

II - Till the Sun Is in the Sky (CW FOR... LOTS OF DEATH. Kids/gunshot/poisoning/etc.)

[conning]

Neal has given up on trying to figure out what's going on. He can't tell if he's asleep, awake, if this is part of the surrealism and magic of this place or if he's gone genuinely insane. He's found himself in the federal building more than once, working with the white collar unit as an agent, working for them as a consultant, being brought in as a witness to crimes he can't remember. He's stepped outside and been hit by a car. He's been followed into the street by Matthew Keller and shot. His coffee killed him, once, and after that he started waking up in Gloucester. In a private house, in the ADI facilities, at Bonnies.

Then dying, over and over again, sometimes in ways repetitious enough to be annoying, sometimes in ways horrible and new.

He wobbles out of the coffee shop he woke up in this time, feeling haggard, wanting to sleep inside this dream or whatever it is, not sure what would happen if he does.

This time, when he steps onto the street, he sees Thackery's witches. For a moment he doesn't think anything of them--it's that time of year--but then he sees what they're doing to a group of costumed children, the kids slowly dropping one by one. He starts running toward them before he's made the conscious decision to do it, heart in his throat.

"Hey--hey!" He doesn't know what he's going to do in getting their attention, but as long as it keeps another kid from doing down, he doesn't care.

cw animal injury

[twistedbones]

Two of the three don't seem to even notice him; the dark-haired woman is the first to turn and look at least a little alarmed at the incoming interruption. "Winnie--!" she calls, reaching out to pat her sister on the arm. Winnie, for her part, brushes her off with "In a moment, sister!"

"Get the children out of here!" comes a muffled voice from inside a burlap sack slung over the blonde sister's back. She laughs and swings it hard against the ground; there's a cry of pain and a sickening cracking sound from within.

[conning]

Neal stomach drops at the familiarity of the voice. He falters for a moment, instinct fractionally torn between helping Thackery and helping the kids.

Get the kids out of there. Get them out of reach. There's no way he can just grab them and run, there's too many. The other clear option is--

Neal is not much of a physical tactician. The other clear option is bull-rushing the woman in the lead.

[twistedbones]

It's...actually not the worst plan. The lead, the one called Winnie, is entirely focused on the child whose life force she's currently draining; the worried-looking one flinches back at the sudden movement; and the blonde one seems to not actually be tracking what's going on very well. Winifred only notices him at the last moment, turns to give him a surprised, 'you would dare?!' sort of look that does nothing to stop him from bowling her right over.

"Sisters!" she cries as she goes down in a heap, and then Neal will get a bag full of yowling cat to the back of the head.

[conning]

Neal sees stars, vision darkening for a moment, and he grits his teeth and tries to keep the lead woman's arms pinned down. "Run!"

That's directed at the kids. "Help your friends up, get your friends and run."