( 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

[personify]

I am. [She sees no reason to lie and also isn't exactly being subtle. Raven smirks, gesturing to him to turn.] Yes, please do. I'd like to see.

[Technically she's not actually wearing any clothes right now either, save the boots. The jumpsuit is a fabrication. Her real one is back in her room. The room she can't seem to find at the moment. The sleep deprivation is making her chatty, it seems.] It's interesting being on the other side of this... usually it's me walking around naked.

[resleeves]

( the honesty is surprisingly refreshing. he's pretty sure he expected her to just say no and stop looking like she'd never seen another man's naked body before. so, he holds his arms out and spins in a slow circle before he stops, facing her again. )

Feel free to join me.

( he's not opposed. )

[personify]

[And it's refreshing just how little he seems to care about his lack of clothing or Raven's assessment of him. So, amused, she shrugs at his offer.]

Alright. [The jumpsuit seems to dissolve, sinking into blue scales as though it had never been. Because it hadn't been. She's nude, yet the scales cover up quite a lot. Still not very much is left to the imagination.]

[resleeves]

( the scales are definitely a different kind of thing but they don't put him off. he watches the jumpsuit seemingly fade away, looking almost impressed.

once she's both naked (and still blue), he nods his approval. )

Feels better, doesn't it?

( he's been naked around so many people over the span of his life that he just doesn't give a fuck who sees what now. )

[personify]

[She nods, thinking of what Erik told her the night before everything changed, smile growing on her lips.] Have you ever looked at a tiger and thought you ought to cover it up?

[And then Raven can't contain the snort. God, what a line.]

[resleeves]

( yeah, that was quite the line there. enough that kovacs arches an eyebrow. )

Where the fuck did you hear that?

( oh god, had she just made it up? had she just come up with that because if so... )

[personify]

Just something someone told me when I was younger and more impressionable.

[It had worked, she had to give Erik that much credit.]

[resleeves]

If I'm being honest, don't think I've ever looked at a tiger and thought anything.

( thinking about it, kovacs has to add: )

Don't think I've ever looked at a tiger at all. My family wasn't really the zoo going type.

( the kovacs were not a happy bunch. their companionship came brutally and violently. )

I get the point though. If you wanna be naked, be naked. It's a good look for you.

[personify]

Zoos are depressing. You're not missing much. Wild animals locked up in cages. Animals who've forgotten what it is to be free.

[Raven's got a lot of opinions. Clearly. She lets out a soft snort at his compliment.]

It's not that I want to be naked, necessarily. It's just easier. Clothes, they get in the way. [And before he can misconstrue her meaning into something dirty-] They get in the way of my powers.

[resleeves]

( they get in the way of that other stuff, raven. he knows, he knows. )

Your powers have anything to do with being blue?

( doesn't bother him but he knows it's not exactly a natural color where he comes from. people can do themselves up like that with body modifications but kovacs doesn't think hers are a tattoo or some elaborate paint job. )

[personify]

They're related. I'm a mutant. Most people here don't seem to know what that is. [Which is mostly a blessing because they also didn't seem to be all that afraid of her either. Which is entirely new.] But it means I have abilities. And that I'm blue.

I'm a shapeshifter. I can look like anyone. But I'd rather look like myself, given the choice.

[resleeves]

( he'd heard the word mutant before but never not in a derogatory way. but that was pretty much how his world worked. everything was fucking insulting and awful and terrible. you just learned to live with it. )

Shapeshifting.

( well, that would be fucking handy, wouldn't it? he's tempted to ask her to prove it but no, he does not want to stare at his phone face. )

Born this way?

[personify]

[It's still derogatory in her world too. Depending on who's saying it and the context. But Raven owns the name. She's proud of it, or at least she tries her best to be.] Yes, I've been like this since I was born.

[Much to her real parents' chagrin.]

[resleeves]

You look fine to me.

( not that she'd been seeking his approval but he decides to let her know anyway. she's one of the few that hasn't come by to bitch him the fuck out for being naked so she's automatically better than half the prudes on this shitty bucket. )

Most blue people that exist back where I come from get it through body modifications and stupid fucking paint jobs. This is better.

( realer. )

[personify]

Thank you.

[She's honestly startled by the compliment. It's certainly not what she expected to happen when running into a man in the midst of a mental break down and destroying a door.]

I spent a lot of my younger years pretending to be someone else. To look the way I thought I'd be most accepted. [The most attractive.] Of course I chose to be blonde.

[resleeves]

( kovacs snickers at that, trying to picture the person he sees in front of him with blonde hair. it just doesn't work. it doesn't look bad but it doesn't work. )

Stick with this. Blondes are fake. I've known a few.

( bancroft's wife, for one. what a fucking deathtrap there. what a fuck up he'd been for doing what he'd done with her. stupid fucking drugs. )

It's better.