October Plotting

[reveriemod]

Hello, Reverie Operators!

This is an OOC post regarding our upcoming player plot, which is kicking off on October 1st. Your characters have probably had a stressful few months, what with living on a hostile and possibly sentient station that seems to be actively trying to kill you. Why not relax... with some music?

Shortly before the event, Venus will find an old radio from back home. With Erika Mishima's help, she'll then wire it into the station's communications system for everyone to hear. Don't worry: she's a considerate DJ! She'll keep broadcasting to public areas, and she'll even turn down the volume past midnight. Your character's health comes first!

Don't worry, though - there's more to the event than space Spotify. See, radios have a certain significance where Venus is from. They aren't just for music, or broadcasts, or weather reports; they're for fighting, and casting spells, and communing with the divine. It's a radio that lets teens like Venus hear God's voice if they need guidance, and it's a radio that lets those same misunderstood teens hear the devil's words. With a radio and a willing soul, you can let the devil into your heart - shedding your old, fallible body and becoming something greater. With a radio, and enough people, you could practically flood a place with newborn devils. You could make Hell right where you stood, if you really wanted.

And that's exactly what Venus plans to do to the station.

At midnight - right as October 1st rolls in - Venus will make a brief announcement to the station before hooking in the radio and tuning in. For the next weeks, characters will hear the devil's voice whenever they pass through communal areas - the bar, the mess hall, the outer ring of the observation deck, and so on. The devil sounds like smoke and honey; she is kind, and speaks softly. She will tell your character how much she has missed them - them, specifically - and how much it hurts to watch them suffer. And she offers them a choice: to let her help them, or to push her away.

From here, your character can take one of two major paths:

If your character chooses to let the devil in, the devil will speak to them privately and directly. What she says here will differ from character to character (and you are free to play it out!), but it will always boil down to the same thing: she will identify a source of pain or inner conflict for your character, and do what she can to help. This will result in two major changes: a mental one, and a physical one.

Mentally, your character will mostly be the same as before! However, even if the problem isn't fixed, the devil will make them more able to address the problem and work it out. A character with trust issues might not immediately trust everyone, but they certainly would be capable of acknowledging the problem and working with others to fix it. Similarly, a character stuck on a trauma from the past might feel the distance they need to process it and work through it.

Physically? Your character's got a big storm coming. Their body will change into a new, devilish form, one that reflects their issues to some extent. For a few examples, Venus becomes a being of light and eyes because she wants people to see her as she is; Jupiter grows "a hand for every kind of touch" because of a lifetime spent denying her urges for physical contact. You are free to go as wild as you want with this: the world's your oyster! Do you want a few simple changes reflecting the change? That's fine! Do you want a full on, gory body horror transformation with a massive redesign? That's fine too! However, one important thing should be noted: past the initial pain of transformation, your new devil probably shouldn't dislike their form. The devil is doing this for them, not herself!

Finally, after their "deal" with the devil, her voice will no longer come through the radio. Instead, they will hear music. What your character hears is up to you, but it's something they would find personally beautiful!

Notably, as this plot has been mod approved, these do not have to be temporary; you are free to keep any number of changes as permanent for your character! Please err on the side of caution and choose design aspects on an aesthetic basis rather than a power-based one.

If your character chooses to rebuke the devil, however, things will go very differently. The moment they take an actual stand, they will stop hearing the devil's voice - permanently. Instead, they will hear deafening static mixed with other sounds: screams, sobs, and general panic. Notably, this group will later have the opportunity to make a major impact to how the plot resolves! This will be addressed in a subsequent writeup.

Characters who consciously avoid making a decision will continue to hear her voice throughout these two weeks, until either the event ends or they make a decision. If a character asks for time to think, or is simply hesitant, she will wait patiently for them before asking the next day. If you choose this path the whole way through, your character will not be directly impacted in any way outside of other characters.

Part one will last for two weeks, ending on October 14th. Part two’s OOC writeup, concerning the corruption of the station and subsequent fight to “cleanse” it, will be posted a few days before then. Stay ready, and stay sharp - hell's not meant for humans!