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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Comments

[writetheway]

[Monika catches his hand to the side of her head before she catches it to try and keep it still. She can see the way the wires tighten as she tries to cut--if she can't cut it loose fast, it could choke him or cut right through while she's still messing with it. Akechi isn't stupid; what he's saying can't be right, though she's not sure how that works. Are there wires going down his throat...? She answers anyway, knife hovering indecisively in the hand not hanging on to Akechi's.] What do you think you can do like this?

Since Monika is trying to hold his arm still anyway, maybe she can cut that loose first. The wires on his arm can't choke him to death, though that doesn't give her that much more leeway. She'll try and go fast.]

[simulatio]

I've always been fine on my own!

[It's his own voice, it's things he's thought, it's even things he's said, but it's not what he wants to say right now. He bites his own lips with his teeth in an attempt to silence himself.

Monika manages to slice through the wire around his arm, and it vanishes as if it had never been there. His hand falls limp at his side, blood trickling from a thick wound around his wrist, then he scrabbles frantically at the one around his throat. Nails dig into his flesh as if he could rip the intrusive wires out, though of course that's not going to accomplish shit.]

Just- leave me alone!

[writetheway]

[He's telling her to leave him alone, but his freed hand is clawing at his throat. Alright, maybe with him able to actually help a little she can get his throat free. She shifts, putting one of her knees on the bed to maintain balance, and the static that had been trailing after her has crawled up to just below her knees, unnoticed. It shivers and twitches like a broken monitor.

She ignores what he's saying this time in favor of setting her jaw and trying to get through the wire at his neck as quickly as possible.]

[simulatio]

I don't want your help! I don't need your help!!

[His still-bound hand tries to make a grab for her, but in some kind of idiotic struggle, he manages to use his freed hand to catch his own, harshly yanking it down to his side with enough force that something in his shoulder cracks in protest.

Something's wrong with her. It can't be just his vision, right? He can see that, watch it crawling up her legs in a way that can't be explained by the stifling lack of his own oxygen.

His voice changes its tune, softer, almost wheedling, the wires going slack and lowering him, though they're still squeezing tight enough to cut.]

Listen, this is all a misunderstanding. This is what I wan-

[The knife slices through the wire around his throat, and freed from the sudden tension, his head snaps forward, nearly hitting her with the force of his struggle.]

Get it off my fucking hand-! [is his own voice, at least, even as the still-bound hand twists its fingers into something like claws, bone splintering in an attempt to form into an impossible shape, trying to reach for her.]

[writetheway]

[As soon as the wire snaps what he's saying changes--the wires really were talking for him somehow. Monika climbs up onto the bed in earnest, needing to reach the rest of the wires (the glitching static has swallowed up both her legs below the knees). She has to duck out of the way of Akechi's head to avoid getting headbutted, and it puts her in range of Akechi's twisted arm. The bony claws rake across her face, five points of red that drip pixelated blood. She hisses, but reaches to cut the next wire.]

Okay, just a second!

[simulatio]

Monika!

[Fuck. Fuck. It's his own fucking hand, and he can't even control it. The crunch and crack of bone is agonizing enough to drag a scream from his lips, and it's almost enough for him to miss the odd look to her blood. Almost.]

Something's- something's wrong, get back!

[It's not like how a Shadow dissolves in the wake of a psychotic breakdown, but it's not something he's willing to have risk happening to her, either. Is he doing this to her, somehow?]

[writetheway]

[Monika pulls back automatically just on the vehemence of his voice alone.] What's wrong, is it--oh-- [The static is climbing, and now that she's away from the bed she can see it eating at her thighs. It doesn't hurt. It doesn't feel like anything. It doesn't feel like she has legs.] No, no, this is-- [Okay, not exactly something she's familiar with, but she knows a glitch when she sees one. It doesn't hurt, it can't be deletion. It can't be deletion. It can't be. She looks back at Akechi, still half-tangled in wiring.]

I--I need to get you down-- [But she's frozen in that instant, terrified and unsure.]

[simulatio]

I don't want to hurt you!

[It's true, surprisingly enough, even as wires tug at his fingers and make him reach for her, in spite of the way he tries to hold himself back. Monika is-- a friend. Someone who saw he was in trouble, more than once, and hasn't hesitated to risk herself to help him.]

If this is my fault, you need to run, please!

[writetheway]

[His fault...? With whatever strangeness has gotten him tangled up in the wires to begin with, maybe it's not that strange a thought by comparison, but Monika knows--] No, this is--this is my fault. [And she needs to get Akechi down before it gets worse. Her legs still work, but she's wobblier, as if she was walking on limbs that had fallen asleep. Her body knows the motions but it doesn't know how to deal with not getting any feedback. She reaches for his arm again, trying to hold it still so she can cut it loose.]

[simulatio]

Monika-!

[His throat closes up, not from wires, but from his own fucking inability to speak. She's just like the other stupid Phantom Thieves, self-sacrificing to a fault and completely beyond his own comprehension. Bony fingers scrabble for her again in an attempt to stop her from getting at the wires, but he grips his own wrist with his other hand in an attempt to slow it down. It means he has to bite back a scream at the alien feeling of his own bones twisting and turning to stab into his skin, but, well. A small price to pay, perhaps, as her knife slices through the wire and lets him plummet to the floor in a heap.]

[writetheway]

[He's on the ground now. Okay, good, except that looked like kind of a rough fall, and he ended up stabbing himself. Her voice, when she speaks, comes out rough and electronic.] Can you walk? [He didn't get stabbed in the legs, but the way he'd been tangled up, it can't have been good for any of his body. (Is she going to be deleted before she can finish? She doesn't know. At least she got him down.)]

[simulatio]

Can you?

[His voice comes out harsh and guttural, wheezing with pain sparking through every nerve, fraught with the terror that at any moment, the wires could take him again and rob him of his freedom and his very sense of self.

He tries to shove himself up on his good hand, realizes that somehow (dream logic) his other hand is-- intact, for the moment, enough to support his weight as he forces himself to his knees. Blood still oozes from deep cuts around his neck and wrists where he'd struggled, but he can't stay here.]

We're getting out of here, [he states, reaching for her with the opposite hand as the one that had clawed her only moments before.] Come on!

[writetheway]

[That's a good question. She's standing, but it doesn't feel like she has legs. When he asks, for just an instant her expression looks haunted, but she tries to pull it back in to a less painful sort of sadness and upset. She grabs onto his offered hand. Her legs, even unfeeling, still respond to what she wants them to do.]

Do you know where we can go? [She doesn't, and wouldn't blame him if he didn't either, but if he could really save her--well, Monika's always wanted that kind of thing.]

[simulatio]

[He doesn't, and it's obvious from the hesitation on his face. He can't go to Ren, can't risk whatever took control of his body trying to kill him. Can't involve Mercy, can't risk her getting hurt. Going out somewhere in the open feels like the opposite of safety, and yet, it's the only idea he has to try to avoid marionette strings.]

Out, [is all he says out loud, though, twining his fingers with hers as if the solid reminder of another person might be enough to keep him in control. He yanks more than guides her toward the door, all sharp, decisive movement now that he's decided his course.] Somewhere we won't be trapped. We aren't dying in this shithole.

[If he's going to die, again, perhaps for real this time, he doesn't want it to be in a cramped little room. Laughable, really, that at least this time, he can take comfort in not dying alone.]

[writetheway]

[Monika does her best to keep up, though Akechi's yanking is definitely useful when she stumbles. She doesn't complain about that, though; dying outside sounds nicer than dying in here. She died inside before. Maybe it'll be better out there.

There's music playing, distant and getting louder. Monika's whole body goes stiff when she hears it, and she trips up again.] Right--right, let's go, right now!

[simulatio]

[He doesn't understand the significance of the music, but it's clearly affecting Monika, and that's reason enough to go. It's not until they're out the door that he remembers it's autumn in the northern United States, and they'd both be better off with jackets, but he's not planning on going back. Freezing to death outside has got to be better than being marionetted and ripped apart.]

Will going somewhere with witnesses make a difference? [It's asked aloud, but it's more rhetorical than anything else.] Are you alright?