Subliminal

Delta Green has learned about a teenager undergoing an unexplainable physical transformation. Further research uncovered other unusual events in close proximity. The Agents know the following:

• Selfies on an Instagram account corroborate rumors about a teenage boy transforming from Caucasian to Asian-looking.
• At the same time a TikTok account, with videos geolocated to the same town, has gone from a single digit number of followers to millions overnight, with no apparent reason.
• In the same town a man has been thrown out of a casino after winning the jackpot on three different slot machines.

The Agents have to determine if the events are connected and if the Unnatural is the root cause.

Handler Information

The Instagram account belongs to Dylan Marshal, the TikTok account to Aleah Britt and the man in the casino was Isaac Dotson. All three have all been listening to a so-called subliminal. Subliminals are audio clips or videos that contain subconscious messages that are supposed to help the listener achieve a variety of goals. Subliminal users and creators claim that they can help with weight loss, self-esteem or change even physical features, like height or eye color.

The subliminal has been created by Isaac’s sister Carlie, who is friends with Dylan and Aleah. The subliminal actually works and fulfills the listeners desires: Dylan wants to be like his K-Pop idol, Aleah wants to be popular, and Isaac wants to be rich. However, the changes also have negative and dangerous side effects.

Carlie’s subliminal is working due to an artifact she recently acquired, a hand mirror that once belonged to a witch. An entity is trapped inside the mirror, who’s whispering can be heard by those susceptible to the Unnatural. These whispers have been recorded in the subliminal and are the cause of the strange events.

The Affected

Anyone who listens to Carlie’s subliminal undergoes a three-stage transformation. The Handler is free to decide an NPC’s initial stage and how fast they progress.

Dylan Marshal

Marshal is obsessed with K-Pop star Min-Jae. He listened to the subliminal to be more like his idol.

Progression:

1. Dylan’s physical facial characteristics change and begin to resemble those of Min-Jae.
2. Dylan starts speaking Korean, his appearance is now almost identical to that of Min-Jae. He has trouble recognizing people close to him and forgets details about his own life.
3. Dylan turns into a living caricature of Min-Jae, only able to communicate in Korean phrases from Min-Jae interviews or songs. The original Dylan is gone.

Witnessing the different stages of the transformation from a normal teenager into Min-Jae costs 1/1D4 SAN from Unnatural.

Aleah Britt

Aleah was an outcast at school, so she turned to subliminals to become more popular. Now her TikTok account has millions of followers, even though her content is nothing special and pretty boring.

Progression:

1. Aleah gains sudden popularity on TikTok as well as in school.
2. People approach Aleah for autographs and take selfies with her. A loyal entourage follows her wherever she goes.
3. People are obsessed with Aleah and quickly turn to a violent mob if they think someone is not showing the necessary respect to Aleah.

When an Agent meets Britt, they have to make a POWx5 roll against her CHAx5. On a failure the Agent is fascinated by Aleah and all skill rolls against her are at -40%.

Isaac Dotson

Isaac always takes the easy way out. His sister’s subliminal was another attempt to solve his money problems without having to put in any real work. It worked and things have never been better for Isaac. However, for the people in his vicinity things get worse and worse.

Progression:

1. Isaac wins scratch-off tickets and minor sport bets. People around him lose keys, knock things over, etc.
2. Isaac wins the lottery. The man handing him the check has a sudden heart attack. Car crashes and other accidents happen regularly in Isaac’s vicinity.
3. A huge disaster happens and Isaac is one of the few survivors.

Agents in Isaac’s vicinity have to roll their reduced Luck. On a failure something bad happens to them. The severity of the misfortune depends on the current stage, as well as any potential SAN loss from helplessness.

Misfortunes:

• Minor: losing/breaking a piece of equipment, stumbling, flat car tire
• Moderate: accidental weapon discharge, car crash, arrest due to mistaken identity
• Major: sudden electrical fire, plane crash, deadly aneurysm, nuclear meltdown

Carlie Dotson

Carlie is interested in Wicca, witchcraft and everything esoteric. Her recent acquisition of a magic hand mirror is the cause for the subliminal’s effects. After having listened to the subliminal herself Carlie is turning into a real witch.

Progression:

1. Carlie successfully casts minor Wicca rituals (e.g. a healing spell gets rid of her acne). She attributes this to her prowess as a witch and not to the subliminals or the mirror.
2. After a successful love spell the high school quarterback is infatuated with Carlie and never leaves her side. A protection charm shields her from bodily harm. The mirror starts whispering to Carlie.
3. Carlie is able to cast destructive curses and is becoming powerful enough to be a real danger to the Agents. She is going insane.

Agents have to be cautious, Carlie is a sassy and emotional teenager and does not respond well to threats and intimidation.

The Investigation

Looking at photos or videos on Dylan’s Instagram or Aleah’s TikTok can lead the Agents to the high school that both are attending. Similarly, talking to the casino owner reveals that Isaac Dotson was the person mentioned in the news article.

Agents can learn more about the Affected by checking social media, talking to other students, teachers, parents, or the Affected themselves.

Dylan:

• People at the school think that Dylan had plastic surgery. Agents with Medicine/Surgery know surgical intervention would take much longer to heal and leave noticeable scars.
• Dylan’s parents blame “that Satan worshiping Dotson girl”.
• Dylan is hesitant to talk about subliminals at Stage 1. At Stage 2 he becomes afraid and is willing to talk to the Agents.

Aleah:

• Talking to other people reveals nothing useful, they just keep talking about how cool and interesting Aleah is.
• If the Agents look at older videos on her TikTok account they find a video in which she expresses interest in subliminals. The only Like is by Carlie Dotson.
• At Stage 1 Aleah admits that she has been listening to subliminals. At later stages she is drunk on her fame and unwilling to talk to Agents that are unaffected by her charm. Unrelenting Agents are confronted by her rabid fans.

Isaac:

• Isaac is a slacker who has trouble holding down a job. He went to the same high school as Dylan, Aleah and his sister Carlie.
• Isaac himself does not attribute his recent streak of good luck to subliminals, so he doesn’t mention them. If the Agents explicitly ask about subliminals he tells them that his sister created them.
• He is wary of the government, because he is afraid they might take his money away.

Carlie:

• Carlie was Aleah’s only friend before she became famous.
• Everyone knows that Carlie is really into witchcraft and collects antiques with an occult background.
• At Stage 1 Carlie believes that her subliminal’s effects are due to her witchcraft. At Stage 2 she suspects that the mirror is behind it, but she won’t admit that unless the Agents are very convincing. At Stage 3 she is obsessed with the mirror and would never tell anyone about it.

Subliminals:

• Online research leads to the r/subliminal subreddit, news articles, and lots of subliminal audios and videos on YouTube and TikTok.
• They are mainly used by insecure teenagers.
• A variety of pseudo-scientific concepts are used to explain their effectiveness, ranging from the law of attraction to quantum effects in the brain.
• There is little scientific research, but many of the changes that are ascribed to subliminals are better explained by puberty or placebo effect.

The Mirror

Carlie Dotson bought this hand-held bronze mirror for a surprisingly small amount on Etsy. The seller claimed it belonged to a 19th century witch, which is accurate. Agents that have crossed at least one breaking point can hear the whispering of the entity trapped in the mirror.

The mirror is located in Carlie’s room, next to the computer on which she recorded the subliminal. If Carlie reaches Stage 3 she keeps the mirror on her.

Resolution

Stopping the incursion means destroying both the mirror and the subliminal. The subliminal is uploaded to YouTube and so far only the Affected have listened to it. Deleting it requires Carlie’s account credentials or submitting a copyright removal request.

Destroying the mirror stops the progression for all Affected. Aleah loses her unnatural charisma and Isaac’s Luck decreases to base value and no longer affects those around him. Other changes, like Dylan’s transformation, cannot be reversed. Carlie’s POW returns to normal, but she retains her knowledge of hypergeometry. She can become an asset or a mission.

Stats

NPCs

Carlie Dotson
Teenage witch, age 15
STR 8 CON 8 DEX 10 INT 10 POW 14/16/18 CHA 10
HP 8 WP 14/16/18 SAN 40
SKILLS: Alertness 20%
ATTACKS: Unarmed 40%, 1D4 - 2
RITUALS: Healing Balm (Stage 1), Infallible Suggestion (Stage 2), Exaltation of the Flesh (Stage 2), Withering (Stage 3), Revelation (Stage 3), others at the Handler’s discretion
DISORDERS: Obsession (The mirror) (Stage 3)
GROWING POWER: Carlie’s hypergeometric abilities grow over time. When she progresses her POW and WP automatically increase and she gains access to additional rituals.

Dylan Marshal
Min-Jae stan, age 15
STR 8 CON 8 DEX 12 INT 10 POW 10 CHA 12
HP 8 WP 10 SAN 30
SKILLS: Alertness 20%
ATTACKS: Unarmed 40%, 1D4 - 2
TRANSFORMATION: Dylan is turning into his K-Pop idol Min-Jae. Witnessing his physical and mental transformation costs 1/1D4 SAN from the Unnatural.

Aleah Britt
TikTok sensation, age 14
STR 8 CON 8 DEX 10 INT 12 POW 10 CHA 14/16/18
HP 8 WP 10 SAN 50
SKILLS: Alertness 20%
ATTACKS: Unarmed 40%, 1D4 - 2
UNNATURAL MAGNETISM: Aleah’s CHA increases whenever she progresses to a new stage. Agents that interact with Aleah must make a POWx5 roll against her CHAx5. If they fail they are fascinated by Aleah and all their rolls against her are at -40%. They feel the urge to protect Aleah from any harm.

Isaac Dotson
Lucky loser, age 22
STR 10 CON 10 DEX 10 INT 10 POW 10 CHA 10
HP 10 WP 10 SAN 50
SKILLS: Luck 70%/80%/90%
ATTACKS: Unarmed 70%/80%/90%, 1D4 - 1
PROBABILITY MANIPULATION: Isaac’s unnatural Luck increases whenever he progresses to a new stage. Whenever Isaac has to make a skill check he can roll Luck instead, including for attacks. People in Isaac’s vicinity have a decreased Luck score of (100 - Isaac’s Luck)%, so 30%, 20% or 10%, depending on the stage.

Artifacts

The Mirror

Experts can determine that this bronzen hand-held mirror was manufactured in 19th century Italy. Agents that have passed a breaking point can hear faint, unintelligible whispers coming from the mirror, which costs 0/1 SAN.

Everyone who spends twelve cumulative hours with the mirror loses 1/1D6 SAN as their subconsciousness picks up messages sent from the mirror. Every additional hour costs 0/1 SAN. Should an Agent pass a breaking point due to the mirror they develop the disorder Obsession (The mirror). They are consumed by the idea of freeing whatever is trapped in the mirror. From time to time the mirror may show them images of places and people which might help them with that task.

The Subliminal

This YouTube video shows a still image of a peaceful meadow while relaxing new-age music is playing. Embedded in the audio track is Carlie’s subliminal message (“All your wishes will come true”) at a very low volume. Agents that have passed a breaking point can also hear another voice that faintly whispers unintelligible things.

Anyone listening to the subliminal for more than an hour has to make a POWx5 roll. If they fail they are now one of the Affected. The Handler should ask an Agent’s player what the Agent’s deepest desire is. Alternatively they can look at the Agent’s Motivations. They get whatever they desire, but with a cruel twist. The Handler chooses what this means. E.g., a romantic interest turns out to be an obsessive stalker, an Agent that wants to be stronger starts growing additional tumor-like muscles everywhere, etc.

Credits

Subliminal was written by Hendrik for the 2023 Shotgun Scenario contest.
Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w3mugA8AFX3ew-gKaCh17IsMUw_qvecuPkq-dR8tuCQ/edit