to lose all my senses —

[happyheartsstaff]

THAT IS JUST SO TYPICALLY ME

It's not clear how many days it's been since you arrived in Wonderland. With it stuck in perpetual twilight, it could have been days, perhaps longer — everything starts to blur together, in this artificially joyful place. Maybe you've started to feel like you you're getting used to it, maybe not...

But eventually, something happens to break the monotony. Your ears begin to ring, and ring, and ring and then — stop. The lights become blinding, forcing you to squeeze your eyes shut and try to rub the afterimage of all that light from them — but when you open your eyes, you still can't see.

The staff don't understand when you ask them what's happened to you. "You've always been like this", they insist. They sign at you, or try to hand you papers written in braille — if you insist you've never signed in your life, or that you can't read braille, they laugh at your funny joke. You begin to wonder — have you always been this way? You were so sure... But everyone around you is equally sure of their truth, and their voices are so much louder.

As if that weren't enough, nothing in the hotel can be found in the same place twice. All the shops keep switching places, once you enter one area it's as though everything shifts in the minutes before you leave again. Getting back to your room is a struggle — where are the elevators? Finding food is nearly impossible — the Pig & Pepper was there, but now it's not. The staff are equally useless here — they have no idea what you mean about moving shops. Where would you want to move to when all your needs are accounted for right here?

What is going on?

SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL — 5/11

The day starts like any other has in the Hotel — unsure if a new day has started at all. Perpetual twilight and lack of clocks makes it difficult to tell time here in the Hotel, but on this particular day, something breaks up the monotony. It begins slowly — or else it happens all at once. Over the course of the day, all Oysters find themselves losing a sense. Staff don't understand their complaints — you've always been like this, they say, gentle, as though to a person in the middle of a break with reality.

Losing your temper won't help, either. Oysters who shout and yell will find staff remaining frustrating calm and compassionate, insisting that they cannot fix what has always been and murmuring about Mad March before taking their leave. Physical aggression may result in a spike of fear, but staff will quickly make their exit and may avoid that Oyster for a while.

If that wasn't enough, nothing in the Hotel is staying put.

IT'S LIKE A MAZE IN HERE — 5/11

The interior of the Hotel has ceased to remain stationary. Beginning at the same time as the loss of senses, the establishments of the Hotel begin to jump around, never staying in the same place twice. An Oyster may have entered the Pool of Tears from the lobby, but exit it into the middle of the casino. The Pig & Pepper Buffet is never in the same place twice, and always seems to move right when Oysters desperately need a meal.

Even as the old shops move, new establishments seem to be being added, but they aren't easy to find — Oysters will see a new sign across the building from where they are, only to see it's moved again by the time they get there. If you take your eyes off an establishment as you head toward it, it disappears and reappears elsewhere. Making it to the new establishments will take some time and dedication (or perhaps plain stubbornness), but there are rewards in it for any Oyster that can manage the feat!

Back To Rights — 5/15

A few days after the effects of the event begin, they just as suddenly end. Sight, hearing, speech — they all return in a rush, possibly overwhelmingly so, and when one tries to make their way to a shop, it stays exactly where it was when they first saw it, and they exit the exact same place they entered. Staff will react much the same way as they did when they were questioned after the loss of senses — you've always been like this.

You made it through, Oysters. You've completed your first event in the Hotel.

We hope you enjoy this first event, Oysters! If you have any questions, please leave them on the first comment to this page. Happy playing!

PREMISE RULES FAQ TAKEN RESERVES APPLICATION MOD CONTACT HIATUS & DROPS WORLD INFO NPCS CALENDAR AC REWARDS

© tessisamess

Comments

[beepbeepboy]

That yelp, while obviously a sign of distress, is so deeply familiar to Richie that it makes him want to cry. He's heard it a hundred thousand times before, since he was a kid, and even though he's forgotten a lot of things since coming here there's absolutely no way he can forget that.

Eddie's alive.

That fucking clown didn't get him - or, at least, It sent him to this weird nightmare world, too. When Eddie calls Richie by name it's further proof that it's really him, and despite the panic in his heart Richie can't help but grin so wide it makes his cheeks hurt.

He can't see Eddie, of course, and that fucking sucks, but he can hear him just fine. He seems weirdly loud, but Richie just assumes his hearing has improved due to his loss of vision - that's how it works in the movies, right?

He lets out a soft grunt as he's pulled into a hug; the motion is surprising, but not in a bad way. Even after they separate Richie keeps one hand curled around Eddie's upper arm, too scared to let go in case they lose each other again. He's so happy to be reunited that he doesn't quite catch that thing about hearing, and he starts to speak, completely unaware of poor Eddie's circumstances.

"What the fuck, man, where did you go? I thought It sent us to different illusion world things or something, holy shit, I'm so happy I found you -- "

Without realizing it, Richie's started to gaze in the direction of Eddie's lips rather than his eyes - that's where the sound's coming from, after all.

[riskanalyst]

Eddie's eyebrows lift as Richie goes on talking. He can see the other man's lips moving and he looks animated enough to suggest that he's especially excited or worked up about whatever the hell he's saying, but Eddie just shakes his head.

"Richie...Rich," he snaps, trying to interrupt and entirely uncertain whether he's being loud enough to do so or if the reason Richie's still talking is because he hadn't been loud enough either time. Eddie never would've thought how important hearing was to be able to speak, but now he supposes it makes sense that most deaf people don't talk. They can't hear themselves, so they can't judge whether the words are coming out right or what volume at which they're coming out. Jesus, he can't live like this... "I said I can't fucking hear you. I can't hear a goddamned thing. I can't even hear myself; I'm sorry if I'm yelling. Or...whispering, I don't even know what the fuck. I can see your lips moving but I have no fucking clue what you just said, man..." he confesses.

Then, he barrels on, "I thought this was some Pennywise bullshit and we got separated, holy shit, I'm so glad you found me, man!" Eddie grabs onto Richie's hands, needing to feel centered the way he had when Richie had been giving him that pep talk before they'd gone through the tunnel. He's braver than he thinks. "Shit, man, we gotta get back. We gotta get the fuck out of here, they need us."

[beepbeepboy]

Richie's so worked up about everything that it really does take Eddie yelling to get him to shut up. His friend's tone is different than usual - even when he's freaking out, there's typically something funny about it, usually because it's obvious to Richie that Eddie's just being his usual hypochondriac self.

But this time it's different. What Eddie's telling him is too weird, too out there - he's stating it like a fact, not an assumption, the way he talks about diseases and allergies. He can't hear. He can't tell what Richie's saying. It's crazy, but as Eddie goes on Richie realizes that the other man's volume is all over the place - loud one moment, quiet the next, the emphasis of his words in all the wrong places. Richie is used to a certain kind of rhythm with Eddie, to the way his syllables ebb and flow, and right now it's all wrong.

"You can't hear me?" He says it out loud, frowning, before realizing that if it's true Eddie wouldn't have heard that, either. Despite his own fear and panic, he does his best to take a breath and calm down. If they're back together, their chances of finding a way out of this place are way higher than they'd be alone.

Slowly, he takes his hand off the wall and lifts it into the air between them, hopefully in the general vicinity of Eddie's face. He points to his own eyes, then mouths the word "no" while simultaneously shaking his head. Hopefully, that'll make things easier for Eds to understand - but Richie honestly has no idea how they'll communicate if one of them is blind and the other is deaf.

[riskanalyst]

Whatever it is Richie's saying, Eddie still can't hear it and his reflex is to shake his head. "I can't hear you, man...fuck, this is gonna get old really fucking fast," he complains.

But then Richie's trying to mime something at him and it takes Eddie's brain a couple of seconds to catch up with is eyes. And his expression deflates. "You can't see? What the fuck?" Well, this is going to be especially challenging, isn't it? One blind and one deaf, shit, and both dumb for it.

"All right...okay," Eddie says and he's trying to center himself. Richie can't see, so it doesn't really make a goddamned difference that Richie's the braver of the two; Eddie's going to have to step up. "Okay, look, here..." he says, reflexively asking Richie to look at something and then having to double back on it, instead just taking Richie's hand and bringing him closer to Eddie himself until he can sling Richie's arm around his shoulders. Eddie circles his arm around Richie's waist. "I got you, man. Come on, shit...I have no idea where we are; I swear to God, I opened my room's door to go out in the hall and ended up in the middle of the fucking casino, so I'm fuckin' lost, but I got you. Let's get somewhere...I don't know. Where's your room? Can you..."

He stops abruptly. No, Richie can't. Richie can't tell him where it is because Eddie can't fucking hear it anyway. And Richie can't show him because Richie can't see where the fuck he's going. This is the fucking worst. Honestly, he kind of wishes they'd just opened the Scary door. Next time, they'll open just plain Scary. "Fuck."

[beepbeepboy]

Well, at least Eddie manages to get the message pretty quick. Richie nods, then sighs, slumping a little as the reality of their situation sinks in. This really would have to happen to the two of them, wouldn't it? Their first time finding each other in over a week and they can't even have a proper reunion, much less figure out what the fuck is going on.

Richie does his best to just wait because, while he'd love to take the lead right now, the truth is that Eddie's a little better off. Even if he can't hear, he can at least see where they're going - or if anyone's in their way. Richie would really rather prefer to not assault anyone else today, thanks.

When he feels himself being moved around a tiny sliver of panic stabs at him, but he forces himself to calm down. It's just Eddie, dumbass, he reminds himself. Eddie's here, and they're gonna figure this out somehow.

Their final configuration isn't great, and moving is awkward, but it's definitely better than Richie's previous fly-on-the-wall strategy. He follows along, wanting to tell Eddie something, anything, but every time he opens his mouth only a few syllables come out before he remembers Eddie won't be able to hear him. A deep frown tugs at his lips; how is he supposed to communicate with someone he can't even see? It's not as though he knows sign language, either.

When Eddie brings them to a halt, though, Richie gives him a sort of... half-squeeze, half-hug, using the arm he's got around Eddie's shoulders. If nothing else, he's glad they're back together. Glad he's here to protect Eddie from the Hotel's darker side - a side he hopes neither of them needs to see.

[riskanalyst]

Richie's half-hug is reassuring in its own way. It lets Eddie know that Richie trusts him, even though Eddie honestly has no idea what he's doing or where the fuck he's going. If he can't find his own room again, then what's he supposed to do? Lead them around in aimless circles until one or both of them are too tired to keep going?

"I'm going to try to find my room," he says, brow creasing as he looks around. "But seeing as how it seems to have disappeared, I don't know how much luck we're going to have."

Not that Richie can agree or object to this plan in any way Eddie can understand. Actually…

An idea occurs to Eddie as they move together. Richie's warmth against Eddie's side brings to the forefront of Eddie's mind the fact that one thing they do still have in common is, presumably, their senses of touch.

"Hey man, I have an idea. What if I try to stick to yes or no questions and you can tap me once for yes and twice for no?"

sorry for the kind of awful tag, I'm slowly getting back into the groove >< ♥

[beepbeepboy]

Richie's honestly not sure how much success they're going to have finding anything, given the way the hotel's been moving around. Nonetheless, it makes sense to at least attempt to get back to Eddie's room - if they're there, Richie somehow feels like they'll be a bit safer. There'll be less people and fewer objects to run into, at least.

As Eddie speaks, Richie finds himself turning his head so that he can listen more carefully. It's never occurred to him just how much he uses facial expressions as a way to understand what someone's saying. Not lip reading - he'd be shit at it if he tried, he's sure - but just the way peoples' faces change as they speak, the movement of their eyebrows and mouth, the little things that all add up to understanding.

He doesn't have long to mull those thoughts over, though, because Eddie's idea is great. He nods immediately, then gives Eddie's shoulder a single tap, trying out their new method of communication.

It's a good thing they've always been so close. Richie can't quite imagine having to "talk" like this with someone he doesn't know as well.

oh gosh, don't even worry about it ♥

[riskanalyst]

Richie seems to respond immediately to Eddie's idea with an affirmative, but just to be on the safe side and make sure that he's understanding properly, Eddie asks, "yeah?" He waits until he receives a confirmation and then gives Richie a small, hopefully reassuring squeeze.

"Am I, like, screaming at you, man?" he asks. "I have no fucking idea if I'm being too loud or too quiet or what the hell," he adds. "It's fuckin' weird not being able to hear myself talk."

Not that Richie can really say much to that, he realizes and changes tack because he doesn't mean to leave Richie out of the conversation entirely. "Are they telling you anything? The fucking staff, I mean? Are they telling you what the hell is going on?"

♥♥♥

[beepbeepboy]

The squeeze is reassuring, not least because it helps keep Richie aware of where he is in space. Being blind is fucking weird - it's not just that he can't see, but that he's lost all sense of depth perception, so he has a much harder time telling up from down. His own body feels foreign to him - where are his fingers? His feet? His limbs seem to be floating in space. With Eddie to hold on to, it's easier to keep himself oriented.

It's also pretty nice to be able to listen to Eddie speak. His voice acts a bit like sonar, telling Richie how close or far away they are from one another. And, even though Richie knows his responses will go unheard, he can't help but chuckle a little as he listens to Eddie rant about his condition. Some things never change.

He gives his friend's shoulder a double tap in response to his question about loudness. He really doesn't sound all the different, just a little disjointed. The next question makes Richie frown, his mind casting back to that moment in his room with Mad March, and he knows that even if Eddie could hear him explain what happened he still wouldn't bring it up. He doesn't want to freak the poor guy out any more than he already is.

So he just gives another double tap, followed up by another squeeze of Eddie's shoulder. It doesn't mean anything; he's just glad they're together again, glad that he can at least try to protect Eddie if any more weird shit starts happening.

[riskanalyst]

Eddie stops abruptly with the forward motion and brings Richie with him as he side-steps around a pair of employees carrying trays full of drinks, so busy chattering amongst themselves and paying little attention to the fact that they're about to walk straight into Richie. Then, he continues forward again.

He's relieved to note that Richie gives a double-tap, suggesting that the volume isn't unbearable, at least. There's always the possibility that Rich is just being nice, but he's trusting Richie to be honest since Richie's the one whose ears will be ringing by the end of whatever the fuck is going on if he isn't. Eddie can't make any attempt to adjust if he doesn't know that he should, after all. Not that he can guarantee a successful attempt either way, but all the same.

Eddie can't tell if there's a hesitation there or if it's just his imagination, so he chooses to believe the latter and sighs, frowning, when he feels a second double-tap. "Are we just going to have to fucking stay like this? I can't be deaf forever, Rich, I'll go fucking insane. If we come across an employee, will you ask? I would, but I won't be able to hear the answer anyway. They have to know something, man, this shit doesn't just happen overnight for no reason," he says.

It's weird being bolstered by Richie's presence while also very much having to be the one taking the lead right now. They'll have to work as a team to communicate with the staff. Eddie can see the facial expressions and body language that need to go hand in hand with vocal communication and Richie can hear it. They'll have to compare notes to come up with the full picture. There's something oddly reassuring about that idea.

Up ahead, nowhere near where it belongs normally nor where it was when he left it this morning, Eddie sees the door to his room and he starts to pick up the pace. "I just found my door and I don't want to lose it. Are you good?" he asks, referring to the new speed of power walking just shy of a jog. The question isn't whether Richie trusts Eddie to keep him from running into anything or getting lost so much as whether Richie feels up to keeping up with it when he has to rely on someone else's eyes.

[beepbeepboy]

The sudden stop is surprising, but Richie manages to recover fast enough to avoid falling over (and taking Eddie with him). It's definitely more than a little frustrating to move around like this, but he keeps a lid on his emotions, knowing that none of this is Eddie's fault and also worrying that, if he loses his cool and lashes out again, something awful will happen.

So he stays quiet and focuses on following the press of Eddie's arm. When his friend launches into a mini-tirade about their current condition, Richie wishes like hell he could somehow fix everything then and there, or even just provide some sort of answer that isn't I don't know. But he can't do either of those things, so instead he settles for a double-tap on Eddier's shoulder, indicating that he'll do what he can to help figure this out.

Just as he's getting used to their pace, he feels Eddie suddenly surge forward. He trips over his own feet but, once he recovers, it's not too difficult to adjust his own speed to match. He's definitely hampering Eddie, he knows, but there's not much else he can do. He gives yet another double-tap as his long legs carry him forward, hoping like hell Eddie's right about whatever it is he's seeing.

[riskanalyst]

"Sorry, man," Eddie says quickly, feeling Richie trip and holding onto his friend more tightly to keep him from tripping over something Eddie doesn't notice or, for that matter, his own feet if his pace falters from the way it's currently matching Eddie's. "I don't want to lose it again. We can figure out a way to talk when we get there. Maybe we can do a voice to text thing for you, so I can see what you're saying, or something," he suggests.

To say that he's grateful when he's able to get them to close the gap and he can pull his door open to look into his room, in spite of the fact that it's just sitting there in the far end of the casino where it decidedly does not belong. "Fuck yeah," he says under his breath, guiding Richie inside and letting the door slam behind them because he's more intent on getting Richie to the bed so he'll have somewhere to sit than he's worried about the noise the door closing itself will make.

"Holy shit," he says. "This is fucking nuts. Are you okay?" he asks, moving close enough so that Richie can reach him to continue with the tapping system, placing Richie's hand on his arm just so that he knows where it is.

[beepbeepboy]

As Eddie pulls him along, Richie does his best to follow as quickly as he can. He tries not to focus on anything other than the weight of his friend's arm around his waist, the sound of his breathing as they rush towards Eddie's door, the tiny changes they have to make in order to get there safely.

By the time Richie hears the door slam shut, he's breathless and his heart is pounding from a combination of adrenaline and lack of cardio. There's absolutely no resistance on his end as Eddie plops him down on the bed - though he does reach out instinctively as the other man pulls away, not wanting to lose him again.

Thankfully, their physical connection resumes soon enough, and it's only at that point Richie actually lets himself relax a little. He slumps down where he's sitting and nods weakly, his eyebrows knitting together. The double tap on Eddie's arm follows soon after.

"This fucking sucks," he says, knowing full well Eddie won't be able to hear him, but too frustrated to just keep quiet. His facial expression shows his frustration pretty clearly, though.

[riskanalyst]

"This fucking sucks," Eddie echoes without realizing he's echoing it. "Do you have your phone on you or anything, dude?" he asks.

Eddie's thought process is that perhaps if Richie's got his phone, they can set it up for voice to text, and then Richie can talk to the phone, and Eddie can look at its screen for the translation. The only problem he can foresee is that Siri's not the brightest bulb in the box, and Android's version is not a whole lot better, so there's a lot of potential for Richie to say one thing and for the device to decide he means something different. It's better than nothing, though.

He settles himself on the bed a few inches from Richie, rubbing his temples briefly before settling for pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. This is actual ass. He'd almost rather they were back in the Well House because at least they would've both had all five of their senses to work with. Though, even thinking that, Eddie feels a surge of guilt because he and Richie are getting a break so that they can go back into the fray refreshed, is how Eddie's looking at it. He's certainly not willing to allow himself to believe that they'll be stuck here forever and he's even less willing to let himself believe that they're stuck here forever or that they've unintentionally abandoned the rest of the Losers to try to fight Pennywise without them. One man down was scary enough in Stanley's absence, but three? They'll never make it.