( 003 » ENSEMBLE ) party time.

[reveriemod]

» WHO? Everyone
» WHEN? July 1 to July 8
» WHERE? Entire Station
» WHAT? 168 hours of being forced to listen to cheesy music on repeat…
» WARNINGS? the mundane and slightly ridiculous becoming terrible, cheesy pop music, forced sleep deprivation, anger, loss of control, emotions, potential for stabbing, hallucinations, mania, memory loss, confusion, seizures, depression.

0 0 1 » LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED

It starts in the mess hall and it starts slowly. At first, it can barely be heard over the conversations that are happening but as the volume increases, it becomes apparent that music is playing. Not just any music: characters from Earth will recognise these pop hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s. They’re the kind of hits one might find on a Spotify playlist titled “Top 100 Cheesy Hits” or “Songs To Sing To In The Shower”. Power ballads. Boy bands. Girl bands. Woodstock.

Soon, the music can be heard all across the station, blasting from every speaker, audible in every room. Characters who were asleep in their quarters will be woken by the music’s volume, characters under the shower might want to start singing along (but remember, the walls might just be thin enough for the neighbours to hear) and if characters clear some chairs, there’s enough space in the bar for an impromptu dance floor.

Some characters have been working on improving the replicators, too, so while the alcohol supplies at the bar are dwindling and all but gone, the replicators are now capable of making something that’s palatable, even if it’s not quite up to scratch.

What’s the harm in having some fun? It’s just a little music, right?

( ♪ )

0 0 2 » I WANT OFF THIS RIDE

It’s just a little music, right? And it is — but it just won’t seem to stop. The first few hours may have been entertaining, at least for those who did not get woken up by the sound of decades (centuries, even) in the past, but the music keeps going long past the point of entertainment.

After two hours, the songs start repeating. After six hours, they’re still playing. After twelve? Still playing. Twenty-four? Still playing.

Sleep becomes all but impossible as the music keeps playing loudly in every room and every corridor of the station. Attempts to shut it down prove unsuccessful.

Forty-eight hours later, the music is still playing.

Characters will begin to suffer the effects of sleep deprivation, in addition to the general irritation that might come from hearing the same two hours worth of cheesy pop songs on a loop: headaches, exhaustion, tremors, irritability and confusion to begin with, followed by lapses in memory, muscle aches, malaise, violent behaviour, hallucinations or mania as cognitive effects set in, possibly also seizures and depression.

And still, the music keeps playing.

( ♪ )

0 0 3 » THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE WATER

The music and the sleep deprivation it causes are the reason for many of the symptoms people are feeling, but something is happening that goes even beyond the music, beyond the lack of sleep: something has changed about the food replicators.

The food is slowly getting better, for one, thanks to a group of individuals who’ve been working on improving them. Beyond that, however, imperceptible, the composition of the food comes with something extra -- namely heightened emotions. Whatever causes it, it’s in the water, too.

Those who are already angry feel angrier and have a harder time controlling that anger. Those who are already sad feel sadder and have a harder time not bursting into tears. Those who are already apathetic feel more apathetic and have a harder time prompting themselves to so much as move. The effect holds for all emotions, heightening them, making them harder to control or counteract. Impulses become action far more quickly than usual. Irritation at the music may become anger at the person singing along under their breath and that, in turn, may lead to someone getting stabbed with a plastic fork.

It’s nearly impossible to keep a cool head, though some people seem more affected than others.

OOC: This part of the plot is completely opt-in. Whatever characters are feeling will be heightened and strengthened and their impulse control lowered. Make sure to get ooc permission for any stabby action of comparable deeds, and keep in mind that non-con is prohibited in game.

( ♪ )

0 0 4 » AFTERMATH

After 168 hours, the music stops. Whatever was in the water and the food is gone again, meaning characters may never know it was there in the first place. After all, some of the effects of it could have been down to the sleep deprivation as well…

Still, there’s something off about the whole thing. It might seem like someone is watching them. Toying with them. But surely that’s just paranoia, right?

In the aftermath of sleep deprivation and poor impulse control, characters might want to get some sleep or try to mend those relationships that were damaged by careless words or people getting creative with the cutlery.

( ♪ )

Please remember to put warnings in subject lines if so required.

Comments

[artisticliberty]

Only what he told me. He said that he, and you, and others in your group, agreed to give up your memories in order to prevent the world from ending--but that something must have gone wrong, because both of you remember.

[motorcycle_noises]

[ All at once, comprehension hits Tatsuya and he can't help but suck in a sharp breath. That explains a lot, doesn't it? ]

Oh.

[ It's all he says, perhaps more than he should let on— a surprise that makes no sense with context, but nevertheless an indicator that he's got something on his mind all of a sudden. ]

[artisticliberty]

[uh oh]

Suou?

[motorcycle_noises]

[ His mind is moving at approximately a thousand thoughts a second now, many of them flitting away half-formed. Tatsuya tries to focus on Yusuke, though there's still a slightly shell-shocked look to his eyes. ]

You're from almost two decades into the future.... Are any of your friends from a different point in time than you?

[artisticliberty]

Not that I'm aware of.

[so, yes, but he doesn't know it]

Is something the matter?

[motorcycle_noises]

....It's nothing.

[ It's not nothing, but he doesn't know what to do with this information right now. ]

You were asking what happened.... We were too late in stopping Nyarlathotep. The world came to a complete standstill, all life had ended.... everywhere except Sumaru City, which only survived because it had become a floating city. And Maya was...

[ He let that thought trail off. It's too painful, even now. ]

But Philemon said we could save her still— We were in the Collective Unconsciousness, where anything was theoretically possible. The world could be reset so that it hadn't ended... But we had to rewind time. We had to undo the day that we all met. We had to give up our lives, our experiences, our memories to create a safer world for everyone.

[artisticliberty]

[yusuke cannot hide the horror in his expression as he begins to comprehend just what kind of situation suou and kurosu were in]

That's--!

[motorcycle_noises]

Unfair?

[ He knows. Believe him, he knows. ]

I let Philemon know how I felt about his part in it.

[ Re: He punched the shit out of him. ]

[artisticliberty]

Good. But still... how cruel, to impose such a choice on you, and then lie to you about the outcome.

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Tatsuya hesitates. ]

He... didn't lie about the outcome.

[artisticliberty]

Didn't he? According to Kurosu, neither of you lost your memories.

[motorcycle_noises]

People can be brought here from... different points in time...

[ It's all he says in response, flicking his lighter open and shut again. ]

[artisticliberty]

Do you think that... your world has been destroyed, then?

[motorcycle_noises]

It's not gone. Our feelings and wishes created a new timeline, a new "world." One where we never met, one where we never became friends. One where our lives turned out differently. One where none of us were ever supposed to remember what happened.

[ "Supposed to." ]

[artisticliberty]

But that clearly hasn't happened.

[motorcycle_noises]

It—

[ But should he really talk about this with a guy he doesn't know, when he hasn't spoken to Jun yet? ...Can he speak to Jun about it? Can he talk to anyone? Tatsuya's shoulders tense up almost imperceptibly as he feels the weight of two worlds resting on his shoulders once more. ]

...Yeah.

[artisticliberty]

... you're hiding something, aren't you?

[motorcycle_noises]

....Don't we all have our secrets, Kitagawa-san?

[ The words come out softly, distantly. He isn't looking at Yusuke anymore, fidgeting with the zippo he hasn't quite put back in his pocket yet. ]

[artisticliberty]

Indeed.

[though yusuke doesn't keep many, himself]

If it has something to do with the end of the world, however, I wonder just how important of a secret it is to keep. Regardless... I understand if you don't wish to speak with me about it. But I hope it's something you can speak with Kurosu about, at the very least.

[motorcycle_noises]

Jun... I don't....

[ Tatsuya shakes his head and attempts to smile. It probably comes off more painful than anything else. ]

Things got too serious. Sorry about that.

[artisticliberty]

Are the two of you not friends? Did I misunderstand?

[not exactly uncommon for yusuke, but he could have sworn he saw something like fondness on jun's expression before]

[motorcycle_noises]

....He's my best friend. He's.... one of my most important people.

[ He flicks his zippo open and shut again. ]

You didn't misunderstand.

[artisticliberty]

[yusuke thinks]

Could it be that you're lovers?

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Tatsuya's face turns a brilliant shade of red, one that might rival the motorcycle leathers he would be wearing if it weren't for these jumpsuits they all wake up in. ]

He's...! We're.... You could say that.... Yeah.

/2

[artisticliberty]

[sighs]

I thought I was reading the atmosphere between you two correctly, but once again, it seems I've misinterpreted--