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𝚆𝙾𝚁𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿 (𝙼𝙾𝙳𝚂) ([personal profile] uruz) wrote in [community profile] cultor2026-04-01 01:18 pm
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TAKE AIM & GIVE ● APRIL 2026 EVENT

EVENT: TAKE AIM & GIVE




Won't You Wait For Me? — Week 1

( content warnings: Psychological horror, atmospheric dread, themes of isolation and abandonment, feelings of being watched, paranoia, supernatural influence and loss of control. )

New Vessels will awaken randomly across the city in the dead of night with their Nightmares and welcoming item— courtesy of Espera— In one piece of mind and body. You may even wake up next to the Veteran vessels you met within the Dreamscape. Gather yourself, extra clothes, a blanket or two, and enjoy the working heaters during this never ending winter. The strange animals won't hurt you if you don't hurt them. Nothing of value is worth noting, only that you are safe for now, if you choose the right place, and you should get some footing under you in the days to come. Luckily, you have others to help you get situated.

But Veterans will quickly begin to notice that for once in the many months they've been here, nothing is wrong. Nothing actually happens, even as the month's full moon pours pale blue into the sky and agitates our Lycans. Even as mildew becomes a sheet of frost in the morning. Even as the chill nips and makes its stay comfortable long past the amount of time winter should be had.

The nights pass without forcefully caused incident or . . . "Divine intervention", if you'd call it that. The Murmur hums low and distant, like a machine idling somewhere underground. No sudden dreams. No new Hosts clawing their way out of dark places. No anomalies worth reporting. Three is still gone. Two may blink a soft hello to you through the lights. Espera is quiet, unsettled. And One— One cannot be reached, and those who attempt it will find themselves facing a cold, cold wall.

It is . . . Quiet. Too quiet.

Established Tethers feel familiar again— warm, settled, almost comforting. The ache that usually comes with connection has dulled, replaced with a strange sense of ease. Some Vessels sleep better than they have in weeks. Others feel watched in the absence of Sleep's usual pressure, as though something has stepped back to get a better view of them all.

TOKEN EFFECTS
• You have a persistent sense that something important is being withheld from you; could be affection, truth, or attention, and from just about anyone.
• Heightened emotional awareness toward your tether(s), bordering on preoccupation.
• Moments of peace feel undeserved, as if they're borrowed time.
• Increased vulnerability to Sundowning symptoms at night: restlessness, fixation, difficulty grounding, etc.
• A temptation to cling to what is familiar rather than question why it feels wrong.

OFFERING EFFECTS
• Subtle physical discomfort when separated from your tether(s): pressure in the chest, static under the skin, etc.
• Protective instincts begin surfacing early, even without a clear threatin sight.
• A sense that your usefulness is being evaluated at all times.
• Dreams where your tether is distant, blurred, or just out of reach.
• Instinctive distrust of the quiet, even as others welcome it as the disguise of calm.


Take Aim On My For Once — Week 2

( content warnings: Psychological and emotional abuse, manipulation, depictions of toxic attachment and obsession, relationship deterioration and interpersonal conflict, themes of abandonment and self-isolation, worsening mental confusion, intrusive supernatural presence, feelings of being hunted or targeted, sustained emotional distress and destabilization. )

Well, that didn't last.

Tethers begin to hurt gradually and unmistakably. Conversations between your bonds may sour without warning. Comfort turns abrasive at the drop of a dime. Being close feels dangerously like standing in front of something loaded, with your friend's finger tightening on the trigger.

Sleep's presence presses closer through the Murmur at last, intimate and merciless. Her attention burns with precision, never warm and much less inviting— unless you know the invitations of a temptress. When She slips wordlessly between the empty spaces of your day to day, brushes upon your psych like a fish's tail flitting against your legs in the water, it is with intent. When She watches you, it is to study you.

One immediately, pathetically, really— takes the bait in his solitude. She purposely ignores him, giving you all minor scraps of attention, and he runs after Her anyway like a desperate pup. If this is how she loves— if love is meant to wound— then he will endure it. He withdraws from his black hole of self-punished isolation. Pushes away safety. Cuts himself further off from those who would soften the impact. Whatever remains of him turns toward Sleep alone, asking Her to aim true. Those who have felt the pain of real loneliness at least once in life will hear the echoing chamber of his serenade from time to time: How you love like weapons kill . . .

Unfortunately, One's song, feelings, emotions— warp the very reality you live and feel very day. Some Vessels feel the same pull, while others recoil. The strain finally reveals itself:

Established Tethers begin to misfire— Familiar bonds will grow volatile and emotions will echo too sharply. Comfort curdles into agitation, and being close to each other feels like pressing too near a wound that won't close. You're irritable, and your Tether is irritable right back. Established pairs will have negative effects on each other rather than positive during this week. The Murmur distorts around your connections, vibrating unevenly, as if something is interfering with the signal. Sundowning worsens where bonds are strongest, causing nighttime confusion to bloom faster, deeper, harder rather than slowing down. The closer you are to your Tethers, people who are supposed to be your ground, your pillars, your safe haven— the more it hurts.

The shot hasn't fired yet, but you can feel the crosshairs. As quickly as she can, Espera does what she does best, exhausted but resolute:

"You must . . . Find new Tethers. Just one will do. At least for now. Two will assist where I cannot."


Those who go outside and walk the city in search of a new bond will be aided by blinking lights— that will then lead you straight to someone else, in equal need.

TOKEN EFFECTS:
• Emotional pain from your tether(s) will register as proof of connection rather than the warning that it truly is.
• Increased tolerance for emotional harm if it means staying close.
• Intrusive thoughts that frame suffering as something you must endure to be worthy.
• Sundowning escalates faster when near your tether(s).
• Desire to isolate from others who question the health of your bond.


OFFERING EFFECTS:
• Compulsion to remain present even when it hurts. Retreat feels like failure on your part.
• Self-destructive protective behaviors: taking on emotional or physical harm meant for your tether.
• Heightened aggression or defensiveness toward perceived threats to the bond.
• Difficulty recognizing when care has turned into damage.
• Instinct to endure rather than escape, mirroring One's withdrawal.



Give Me All That You Can Give

( content warnings: Manipulative and coercive intimacy, themes of emotional dependency and possession, loss of autonomy and personal boundaries, obsessive attachment, supernatural influence. )

Rounding the month's third week, the pain between Tethers stops abruptly, cleanly, like a weighted thread snapped at the grip. Tethers no longer wound, but they do not loosen either. Instead, they tighten, drawing Vessels closer into something dense and consuming. Sleep's presence floods the Murmur, no longer distant, but intimate in a way that leaves no room for you to breathe in the slightest.

One reflects back to her like radar bouncing off wall. Their voices overlap in the dark of your dreams, devotion echoing devotion, and occassionally, should your heart be open, they duet. Love stops hurting because it no longer needs to. Instead, it takes. And takes, and takes.

Protection becomes instinct to some, while attention becomes fixation for others. Needs may be spoken aloud and without shame, and expected to be met. One and Sleep's cruelty mirrors closeness taken too far upon you, with their care sharpened into unhealthy possession.

No one is alone this week, but that does not mean you are safe.

TOKEN EFFECTS
• Growing expectation that your needs should come first within the bond.
• Difficulty tolerating distance, silence, or unmet demands.
• Emotional comfort derived from your tether's sacrifice.
• Increased confidence when obeyed or prioritized.
• Rationalization of control as intimacy: this is just how we care for each other.
OFFERING EFFECTS
• Obsessive vigilance: tracking moods, movements, threats, real or imagined.
• Territorial behavior toward others interacting with your tether.
• Willingness to sacrifice sleep, safety, or selfhood to remain useful.
• Anxiety when not needed; relief only when depended upon.
• Difficulty distinguishing your own desires from your tether's
.


I Won't Fight Fair

( content warnings: Snakes, intense stalking and predatory behavior, vivid hallucinations and psychological breakdown, intrusive body horror and parasitic infestation, loss of bodily autonomy, graphic implications of illness and bleeding, supernatural possession, severe mental distress and destabilization, themes of obsession, emotional exhaustion, and abandonment. )

Something is watching you by the tail end of the waxing crescent.

A Host moves through the edges of the city, seen in reflections, dreams, empty tunnels and storefronts. Corners, windows, and alleyways. While it never seems to attack you in its stalking stages, its presence alone is enough to unravel nerves already stretched thin by earlier devotion and demand. The sense of being observed does not come with footsteps or breath. It arrives in reflections that linger too long. In slithering silhouettes that do not move when you do. In scaley serpents pouring through the mouths of familiar faces before snapping back into place.

A manifestation has entered the network. The Murmur carries its presence poorly, as if whatever this Host has become does not belong fully to Sleep, nor to the world that remains. Yet, those who feel its attention describe the same progression: The certainty of being singled out, the maddening inability to prove it, and the slow understanding that distance does not help.

The Basilisk stalks its chosen Vessel across nights and waking hours alike. Appearing only at the edges of vision, behind glass, at the far end of alleys, or standing impossibly still beneath broken lights. When ignored, it draws closer. When acknowledged, it stills, and grows your paranoia. It seems to feed on your awareness.

The longer it watches, the weaker its target becomes. Rest drains poorly from those already hollowed by obsession and demand. Sundowning deepens catastrophically. After horridly vivid hallucinations of the Basilisk catching you in the nasty form of friends and loved ones, blood follows you through nosebleeds, blackened veins, and a cold setting into the bones no matter how close the heaters warm.

When it finally closes true distance on the sixth day of stalking, it does not tear or bite with violence— at least not first. It makes you spiral before it forcibly enters your body, through the mouth— Until you, too, spew over with slithering creatures burrowing into your skulls, and making their parasitic home. It will crumble into sand when the waxing gibbous is at its prime, leaving the city damp with dissatisfaction. The only way to escape it? Pass it on to another Vessel through any kind of physical harm. A cut, a punch— anything to make them bleed.

Only then will the Basilisk leave you be. If you survive the end of the week, all Basilisks will dissapate into dust.

One is exhausted. Hollowed out. Whatever he gave, whatever he surrendered, did not fill the space it left behind. Sleep is close, closer than ever . . . And still so unreachable. When the pressure finally lifts, it leaves him standing alone, emptied by devotion that was never returned in kind.

Tethers completely stabilize, but there's a bad taste in your mouth for the days to come.

TOKEN EFFECTS
• Emotional whiplash as devotion peaks and begins to withdraw.
• Guilt over what you demanded once the pressure lifts.
• Fear of abandonment or loss of control as balance returns.
• Difficulty trusting affection that doesn't require sacrifice.
• Lingering paranoia from the Basilisk.



OFFERING EFFECTS
• Burnout: physical exhaustion, emotional numbness, or delayed resentment.
• Shame or confusion over how far you were willing to go.
• Hypervigilance persists even after the threat fades.
• Difficulty releasing control without feeling unsafe.
• Sense of having given everything and being left empty-handed.



GENERAL EFFECTS (ANY WEEK)
• Characters may have dreams involving weapons, open hands, or eyes in the dark.
• The Murmur feels louder when alone than when surrounded.
• Difficulty articulating where love and affection ends and harm begins— both may bleed into each other.
• Residual emotional fatigue even after the month concludes.

networklogsoocmemesnavigation
hallowedly: (come in peace)

[personal profile] hallowedly 2026-04-01 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello! Question: can the Basilisk tell the difference between a living Vessel and an illusion? How much time would that kind of stunt buy, if any?
hallowedly: (dessert)

[personal profile] hallowedly 2026-04-01 05:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Nonsense, I look forward to his humiliating failure!
vixenish: (pic#18341811)

Lortel Kehelland | The Extra's Academy Survival Guide

[personal profile] vixenish 2026-04-01 07:23 pm (UTC)(link)


plotting postsiren song permissionsuniversal DNI/opt-out[plurk.com profile] heartfuls
Edited 2026-04-01 20:05 (UTC)
dethangel: (it's like clone high)

Toki Wartooth | Metalocalypse | ota

[personal profile] dethangel 2026-04-01 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)


[doing nested prompts! wildcard options always available as well. bring your own prompt, plot with me, or ask for your very own starter here or at [plurk.com profile] agentkaz. plotting post here. toki info page here.]
vixenish: (Default)

[personal profile] vixenish 2026-04-01 08:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Are human Hosts still out and about week one? are they usual levels of aggressive/dangerous, or are they too more docile than usual?
dethangel: (there he is smiling again)

Week 1A

[personal profile] dethangel 2026-04-01 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[Things feel strange right now. That much is clear. It's way too quiet, in that kind of fucked up way.

But Toki'll deal with that later. There are far more important things to consider right now. After all, he's riding what appears to be a giant, shadowy, fluffy black rabbit, and how much can you worry when you're on one of those? It's a cute sight aside from the size of the thing and Toki's demonic appearance. Maybe it's a little scary, actually.]


Don't worry! He's new at this but I don't think he's gonna stomp on you!

[That'd be brutal.]
vixenish: (pic#17936182)

WEEK 1 — Won't You Wait For Me? (SEMI-OTA)

[personal profile] vixenish 2026-04-01 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
CW: panic attack, grief, loss, mental breakdown

(cut for introspection)
[ she doesn't realize it immediately. that dream drained her, more than she could have ever expected. more than a single one of their collective nightmares ever has before.

Lortel wakes up slowly, trying to blink open eyes that feel tacky with sleep. it's more disorienting than usual to be back in Manhattan, after everything that happened. everything she went through in that wretched tower.

it will later be a source of acute, shameful agony that she didn't realize it sooner. the guilt of not realizing right away, of somehow not just knowing. why didn't she know? she loved him.

it's only when she finally sits up—at home, in bed, in the Blue Note, the only small mercy this day will afford her—that she starts to realize. something feels ... wrong. she finds herself staring around her room, her frown slowly growing deeper, sharper. something's not right. the sensation grows acute; she lifts a hand, clutching at her shirt where it lays over her heart. what is this feeling...? why does she feel like she's—lost something?

her heart stumbles. something is wrong. someone is missing.

it takes her a second longer to realize it's noah.

that's when the horror sets in, rising panic swift behind. this—can't be real. no, no no no. the end of their tether feels like a rope that's been snapped clean; there's nothing there anymore. whatever once belonged at the other end has come unmoored, and it's gone.

noah.

no, no, not noah.

please not him.

no.

her heart kicks up. she curls over it, its thundering pulse in her throat making it suddenly strangely hard to breathe. cold dread surges from her core to flood every corner of her body.

no. no. please. please don't do this to me.

please don't leave me.


you said you would stay with me.


you said you loved me.

that's about when she bursts into tears. gasping, wretched gales of tears, so hard she can barely breathe at all. why can't she breathe?

Lortel curls over tighter, shivering so hard her teeth are chattering, injections of adrenaline with every pump of her heart curdling her blood. she curls and curls until she's little more than a trembling ball on her bed, arms circled beneath her legs to hug them close.

someone is crying. wailing and weeping of a broken heart. it takes her an extended moment to even connect that sound to herself; to inhabit her body enough to feel it, to realize. she feels—shorn off. lost. empty.

noah. not noah. not noah, please, please, no...

she can't breathe. she can't breathe. alongside the grief comes a rising tide of panic.

this can't, this can't, this can't be happening, this isn't real, it can't be real, he can't be gone, not him, she





loved him.

she's getting dizzy, crying so hard she can't get enough air. if she had her wits about her, she might realize she was starting to hyperventilate. she does not. all she does is curl up tighter, until her forehead is pressed to her knees, face burying into the divot between them to muffle the way her sobs shear off into screams. as if she can somehow make herself so small that this unbearable pain can't reach her anymore.

she can't. she can't. she doesn't know

how.

it was so foolish to love anything, wasn't it? all it did was give her something to lose.

losing Sunny had been hard enough. she'd tried not to think about it, not to talk about it, to let the insistent sussurus of her heartbreak rain only in the quiet of her thoughts. but Noah had been there to catch her, when her knees had buckled from the shock. she hadn't fallen, because he was already right there, holding her in his arms.

and now he's gone, and in this moment, it is the most horrible agony she's ever known.

she's survived so much. starvation, beating, broken bones, men with cudgels screaming in her face and stomping on her limbs. manipulation, betrayal, a world where she could trust no one and never rest, always moving, always scheming, always inventing some new way to stay alive, to keep her head above the dark, disturbed waters of the ruthless and cutthroat ocean of greed Elte had plunged her into.

none of this had ever prepared her for a broken heart. she'd so long chosen to trust no one and expect nothing, to spare herself from disappointment. she's never loved anything enough to be stung by its loss. she'd finally let down those walls, and look where it got her.

a second snapped and empty tether, with only nothingness at its abrupt, horrific end.

she feels like she's drowning. like she might never stop drowning.

it is abject cruelty that a human body can even hold this much pain.


dying violently at the hands of the Cleric was bad enough. it was just one more fascinating new flavor of terror to add to her routine, daily nightmares. actively hunting and trying to kill her own friends, the people she loves, trapped as a powerless passenger in her own body and unable to do anything to stop it— ... well. that was worse.
losing noah ...

any one of these things would have been bearable. she wouldn't have broken. any two of these things would be punishing, but manageable, if only barely.

all three is too much. it snaps her completely in half. ]


A. (CLOSED TO TETHERS/EXISTING CR)

[ her control catastrophically fails. her emotions explode out of her, a tsunami of choking grief that will flood her every tether with cloying, tarrish despair. she has no awareness she's done this; will have none, unless anyone cares to tell her. until and unless someone comes, physically, to get her, she won't even move for hours.

in the day following, she'll be loath to go much anywhere—but won't refuse visitors, if they come. ]


B. (OTA) CW: mild mention of animal hunting/death

[ Neither Megumi nor any of her other friends can stay by her side at all times. It takes only a few days before she wanders outside—though in rather a different state than usual.

She never wanders far from the Blue Note, and she is utterly lacking in her usual level of polish. She wears boots and pajamas, her hair down; she stays warm with a long coat and a heavy blanket she keeps tugged around her shoulders. She's drawn, pale and exhausted and unsmiling. Enterprising explorers, should they wander into the burgeoning complex of fortifications beginning to surround the block on which the Blue Note is situated, may just find her sitting on the curb staring at the sky.

But she'll venture further, for lack of anything better to do, for lack of anywhere for her grief to go. Her feet take her to Washington Square Park, where she'll sit on a bench, petting the head of her Nightmare—an enormous tiger—as it sits beside her. She speaks to it in low tones, at times; at others (though only just once a day), she'll loose it to chase and hunt an animal for her, petting its head when it returns, expression never once changing as it leaves its kill at her feet. She always brings them home, barely seeming to notice if she gets blood on her clothes. at one point, she'll find herself in the wide open courtyard where used to stand a number of permanently-installed tables for chess; most are in ruins, but one or two are intact. she sits before one, having gathered a collection of small stones; these she moves idly around the board in what are clearly chess moves. join her, and she'll glance up at you without smiling. ]


Do you play? [ said soft and hoarse. her tiger, sleeping curled up by her side, will not react whether you sit or depart.

She'll wander up 6th Avenue without real purpose, sometimes poking at storefronts already long picked clean, always pausing when she seems to think she's gone too far and turning back. If and when she sees another person, she'll always pause, not freezing so much as simply going still, holding herself in place as if deciding whether she truly wants to be here. Her Nightmare, at her side still, will nudge her hand with its massive head; friends and anyone she has even a mildly positive acquaintance with will be regarded quietly and calmly. all others will be on the receiving end of a thunderous low rumble of a growl, though the tiger will not approach. ]


Shh, boy, [ she'll whisper, without real strength. ] Shh.

(ooc: if we've discussed other plans, or you'd like to interact with these prompts in any other way, feel free to wildcard me or hit up my plotting post to discuss!

a reminder that the psychic blast in option A is completely optional for all of her tethers.)
exaltruistic: canon art. (11. ) 💫)

ko tenjin | handead anthem | offering: seraph.

[personal profile] exaltruistic 2026-04-01 09:14 pm (UTC)(link)
— ooc
////////////////////////////// notes ///////

( ko's log with the event prompts is here, featuring such prompts as:

🌟 restless wandering in search of a mysterious tether ... !
🌟 whatever you want for the 2nd & 3rd week prompts ... ! i'm afraid i'll have to talk specifics, but i'm very happy to write a starter for you if you want.
🌟 paranoid parasite psychosis ... !

you can also just wildcard. open to temporary or permanent tethers, as well as any sort of warping of them. intense + overprotective + strained, etc., all good with me. )
trashblaze: (💫 177)

A

[personal profile] trashblaze 2026-04-01 09:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Having found out where Lortel stays, Caelus decides to visit eventually. Of course, he has a lot of plans lined up, after all! City projects aside, it's also something more personal. A special little day that only passes once a year. It's not yet time for an actual celebration, but he's here to scout her place for information (glance at her interests and such, for gifting ideas!) and to check in, to make sure she's doing fine. That latest dreamscape was intense.

Considering Caelus has no formal tether with Lortel yet, he didn't realize the state of her tethers. He arrives, fully naive to her complicated situation. Would she answer the door like this? He'll try to knock once and wait. If there's no response, then he'll knock one more time and wait a bit longer. And if there's still nothing (despite telling signs of someone's presence within), then he'll go ahead and enter, out of concern that something might be up. ]
Edited (changing a detail when I remembered something…) 2026-04-01 21:23 (UTC)
demoon: (pic#18217953)

guren ichinose ☾ seraph of the end ☾ token: runecaster

[personal profile] demoon 2026-04-01 09:43 pm (UTC)(link)
plotting commentinformationpermissions
please feel free to ask for personalized starters or wildcard your own!


☾ WEEK ONE
( Guren is restless, this week.

The restlessness isn't an entirely new sensation, but that familiarity eats at him from the inside, twinging up along tense and tired limbs and forcing him into motion. It feels wrong to sit still, like wasted time, and so he moves wherever he can. The dorms where he resides, the streets, old buildings and alleyways— as day turns to night, he almost wishes something would jump at him and give him the excuse to swing the metal rod in his hands, to hear that satisfying crack of magic and fire, the instant heat. Instead, though horrific host animals tilt and twitch their heads and appendages in directions they shouldn't be able to, not a single one bears its teeth. Guren's breath leaves him in an agitated hiss from between his teeth, and he continues to patrol wherever his legs take him into the night.

For the few who are tethered to him, Guren makes his way to them without even realizing it. It makes sense, doesn't it? It was tethers that had helped him through his first hint at sundowning, so it should be tethers that can help him through it again. Still, even the quiet comfort of company isn't enough to chase this discomfort away. It feels wrong. Wasteful, or soul-sucking to be relying on them so much. It's because I'm too weak, he thinks, and so his attention hones in on the people closest to him in this place. Each glance is like a pluck of the tensing unseen string between them, his concern unusually palpable.

And in those moments when he can't trust the peace and quiet, he draws subtle runes along walls or pavement, tucked into corners and obscure sections— barriers, to keep out some unseen threat that he can't seem to register. Each one adds to the new darkening of his fingertips, now bruised a dark and reddening purple. The moment he registers someone is close, he doesn't bother to look up from his work, but he does speak as he rubs his fingertips together, testing the stain. Nothing smears, like it's beneath his skin. )


Hey. ( Now, he spares a glance, a seemingly unbothered expression not matching the subtly anxious pattern of his movements thus far. ) Am I in the way?

☾ WEEK TWO
( By the second week, vine-like bruising has reappeared along his arms and neck, dark spots like leaves peeking from the collar and sleeves of his scavenged "I♥NY" hoodie. Current tethers aren't ones he can leave behind, but he catches the murmured message of Espera in the midst of her exhaustion: they need new ones to fight this off. He can't really grasp it, as this power they're all messing with is beyond their comprehension, from what he can tell. Experimental efforts to find the right path, to keep themselves and each other alive. Isn't it the same as always? Whether it's the demon inside of him now, the Murmur, or the abilities granted to him— by One, by Sleep, by whoever it was— it's a risk. Sometimes the thing that could help them the most one minute turns into something harmful the next. And there's no avoiding it, but he's not about to roll over. He has people waiting on him, people depending on him.

Guren's eyes are heavy from a lack of proper sleep, but he's no less alert as he approaches. Nearby, a streetlight flickers one or twice, signaling his guidance, and he spares it a passing glance before turning on the person before him. Someone in need, equally so if not worse. He can recognize the signs, whether visible markings or odd behavior, and so he places himself in plain view. One hand shoved into a pocket, the other extends forward in offering, bruised fingertips and stoic expression an odd contrast to the warmth he tries to convey in his next words. )


Come on, let's tether up.

( So bold that he's actually a little embarrassed about it, not that he's trying to reveal that, right now. Come on, accept his hand, before he looks like a tool. )

☾ WEEK THREE
⤷ cws of the basilisk prompt all possible here
( It's with a sharp intake of breath that Guren wakes from his slumped sleep behind the counter of what was was a department store. The metal rod he's kept gripped in his hand throughout his impromptu nap is snatched up, held out in the direction of detected movement. Danger, an enemy— is what he originally thought, at least, though looking through bleary eyes now, he's not sure what he's making out. Someone he knows? A stranger? Someone who shouldn't be there? Any number of possibilities bleed in and out of existence, and as he struggles to catch his breath from the panic of it all, he stays tense, makeshift weapon ready to swing at the first wrong movement. )

What are you doing?

( Accusatory and suspicious, he seems too worried to even try standing right now. He stays crouched, one leg propped up, other hand on the ground ready to push himself up in an instant should he need. But his eyes are darting too much, unfocused, like he continues to see movement in the corners of his vision. Whether the person before him now has tried to answer or not, he continues rather aggressively. )

What do you want? Make it quick and move on, already.

( Isolating. Recognition, or at least some sort of feeling of responsibility, lies beneath those cruel words. He doesn't want anyone near him right now, when he's not sure what he might do. It doesn't feel safe. )

for_sake: (that's not it)

[personal profile] for_sake 2026-04-01 09:54 pm (UTC)(link)
hi hi! this event is horrifying and beautiful. i love it as i have been loving each and every one. i have some questions about the basilisk which i hope aren't too silly... just things that might come up in threading:

  • since the only way to escape it is passing it on, there will be Vessels stuck with it when it strikes, yes? if some Vessels can't escape it:
    1. assuming the forcible entering is real and physical, is the parasitic attack real or a hallucination that feels real?
    2. real or not, how lethal is the parasitic attack?
    3. will a Vessel's Tethers feel anything when that Vessel is attacked?

  • and when the basilisks turn to dust, are there any of its remnants:
    4. in the Murmur?
    5. in the Vessel it attacked?

it's totally cool if we're free to play all this by ear, i just thought it'd be good to ask!
hallowedly: (dessert)

week one

[personal profile] hallowedly 2026-04-01 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
( Roses are red, violets are blue, hopscotch is for dullard children, and this calligraphy's questionable, too. Far from Seishirou, master and monster of every school of classical onmyoudo and some clandestine strains to boot, to raise his brows at the furious cacophony of runes storming the street before him. Asphalt is only sand, slag and gravel, and licked streaks of bitumen to bind the alchemical horror; it could hardly put up a decent resistance, maidenly in its resigned defilement.

Seishirou could offer out criticism, instruction, or the knowing glance of every respectable adult who, upon encountering a not-so-small child alone on the street feels duty-bound to scour the earth or nearest bar for his irresponsible mother. Alas, they're short supplied of deadbeats; Fushiguro Touji may monopolise, but can't cover the entire market.

It's down to Seishirou, face tight like a wrenched wet cloth, to gently break the lines of his stalking rigidity and slip by one [1] Ichinose Guren and his countless aggregated instances of private mental meltdown, given human form. He lingers by the drawings, before his fingertips — lily white, hardly so torn, learn, little boy — ease onto the first rune and start wiping away points of chalk, bleeding lines, smearing contours. Suddenly, inexplicably, surely by accident under the wallowing watch of an early morning sun, many, oh so many of the runes become...

...emoticons. Cat and other pet faces. Ungainly stick figures. )


Not at all. I couldn't think of a better arrangement.
vixenish: (pic#18354112)

[personal profile] vixenish 2026-04-01 10:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[ the ground floor of the club is deserted, motes of light drifting through the empty air. living fireflies dance and flicker near the ceilings and in the corners; it's quiet, here.

two luminous globes fix on Caelus; it becomes clear they are eyes when the creature to which they belong rises, and pads closer. it's a Nightmare; an enormous tiger, hip-height and imposing, paces closer. as long as Caelus allows it, the tiger will come close and nuzzle his hand. it recognizes him as Lortel would: a friend.

her bond with her Nightmare is what draws her from the upper floors. something about the resonance in their bond changes and, tired as she is, little as she wants to do much of anything, she'll pull a blanket around her shoulders and slippers on her feet and head downstairs to investigate the cause. it's only a few minutes after he arrives that she'll emerge from an innocuous side door. ]


... Caelus?

[ her voice sounds as rough as she looks. wan, eyes red-rimmed and deep-set above pronounced dark circles. her hair is down, loose, even a little messy, a far cry from her usually impeccable appearance.

she doesn't smile, as she normally might. she does come close, touching her Nightmare's head; it nuzzles her, then returns to a corner to lie down and curl up. ]


What brings you all the way here?
markingnight: (quiet)

week one

[personal profile] markingnight 2026-04-01 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Only wondering what you were writing.

[ To Ironeye, the feeling called unease was an old friend, and thus to feel that something was wrong was oddly comforting. It was complacency that got people killed. ]

The runes here sometimes resemble the ones from my world. Strange.

[ In the shadowed corridor from where he spoke, there was the faint rustle of scales. His mantle, brushed up against a bit of exposed metal. ]
dethangel: (stressed)

Week 1B

[personal profile] dethangel 2026-04-02 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
[Okay. Nathan the horse-turned-bunny is very good, and Toki loves him, but there's that whole thing where everything's so not fucked up that it feels fucked up.

That's probably a bigger deal than it feels like. But he's also not so sure why it feels like it's such a big deal. It's normal! Maybe that's like, a reward for dealing with all the bullshit as usual.

So he works on things. He's had plenty of inspiration for that solo album he's been kind of working on, there are craft projects to be done, and he always makes sure people know that FAO Schwarz (new name always pending until he figures one out) is open for new friends if they need a place to go as long as they don't mind his taste in music.

And yet it still feels wrong. He wants to fight threats that aren't there, wants to stay close to people, wants to make as much noise as possible.]


Fuck! [he yells for no reason in the middle of nothing in particular.]
Edited 2026-04-02 02:26 (UTC)
demoon: (pic#18213402)

[personal profile] demoon 2026-04-02 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
( The runes are oddly foreign to the sorts of spells he's used to, back home, and yet his mind seems able to make sense of them with strange ease. The Ichinose clan, leading the Order of the Imperial Moon, had its own unique style of magic honed over the past 500 years— magic directly integrated into melee-style techniques. For that reason, Guren was great with things like blood bane magic, enchanting weapons or swords, or creating fuda— spell tags that could be used in the middle of melee combat, such as explosions, or linked traps.

Things like illusions and other more traditional forms weren't things he was bad at by any means, but he was for sure outclassed by the Hiiragi family and the other branches beneath it. Goshi and his illusions come to mind, as he drags the chalk in an attempt to finish out the barrier, or Shinya and his expert application— but something twinges at the tips of his fingers like a strain broken, interrupted, and now instead of uncaring, he's downright annoyed. )


Hey, bastard—!

( Perhaps it's the restlessness that's made him so reactive, right now, but along with an immediate swing of his head over to Seishirou and his offensive changes to his runes, he swings his leg up and jabs it forward like he intends to push him back with it. If he'll allow it. )

Stop wiping them off! I'm practicing!
ingestion: (Default)

heather mason — silent hill 3 (offering: lycan)

[personal profile] ingestion 2026-04-02 12:33 am (UTC)(link)

permissions/opt-out infoplotting post

‣ contact — pinkwestwood @ discord | [plurk.com profile] fuels
open starters below | wildcards welcomed
ingestion: (pic#17598781)

— week one

[personal profile] ingestion 2026-04-02 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
( whether is was just plain paranoia or heather simply being in the wrong, she had decided in her mind that she had an enemy to look out for. his name was murphy pendleton, the man who came from silent hill just like her, had mentioned someone else was from there but failed to make it clear he had nothing to do with heather's situation at all.

his words, tense movements and almost terrified expressions all made her incredibly wary of what might occur. additionally it was no fun being in the prime of her youth, forced into a transformation beyond all terrors. silent hill was not kind about body horror, and this place seemed like it wasn't either.

still regardless of outward appearances, she was on the prowl for this man. she'd been stalking around the area like a menace, eyes peeled and trying to keep tabs on him. the only issue was she couldn't actually find him on her own for some reason. especially not when she was painfully hard not to miss—

it was obvious this teen wolf was wrapped around corners and walls spying on someone. especially when she jumped up at the sound of anyone approaching her. )


W-Who...who is there?

( don't mind her turning her head nervously at the prospect of being caught red-handed. )
trashblaze: (💫 216)

[personal profile] trashblaze 2026-04-02 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ The emptiness makes Caelus double-take. Did he go to the wrong place? Nah, there's no way. He's always been good with directions, even if he can't read more than half the street signs. He's confident this is the place, especially as he's sure he felt that someone's in here.

… Or maybe this is who he actually felt? Seeing the lovely tiger approach, Caelus can't help but smile at it. It has such gorgeous fur, thus he's certain this is someone's friend, and not a Host. The way the tiger adorably nuzzles his hand is the only confirmation he needs. His smile turns into a grin, and he leans in to give the fluffy Nightmare a quick, warm embrace.

Nice to meet you.

Caelus stands back up straight when he finally hears Lortel's voice, though his bright expression fades when he realizes her state. He doesn't need anyone to tell him. This is the look of someone who has been… crying, for a while now. He watches her for a few seconds, a concerned expression forming instead. And soon, he silently moves in to give her a protective embrace. With one hand, he settles it at the back of her head, stroking it softly. ]
ingestion: (pic#17598914)

— week two

[personal profile] ingestion 2026-04-02 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
( whatever ideations heather had about finding a routine, a rhythm and sticking to it were now eroded away as the days went on. her body and mind were in a stranglehold to find someone to connect to, to bond, to tether. she felt empty and violently oppressed over the notion of not being tethered and it made her sick to her stomach. at one point, the arms she had that were free of blemishes were now scratched up by her claws, scars trailing down broken skin. she didn't look too hot to begin with when she'd arrived here initially but now?

she was truly a werewolf.

and a werewolf needed their full moon to be complete. it almost became a violent affair, heather losing her mind and prowling through the streets as she locked eyes with anyone who looked at her. if they were not for her, she turned them away with that teenage glare that yelled leave me alone. finally though...a promise.

the person who so unfortunately happened to be near her now was being confronted by her, nearly lunging as she moved steadfast to meet them. )
demoon: (pic#18217952)

[personal profile] demoon 2026-04-02 12:54 am (UTC)(link)
( Guren spares the stranger a glance, long enough to try and get a read on him. He's on edge, despite the relaxed way he keeps one hand shoved in a pocket; the other drags chalk in purposefully slow lines, like he's trying to feel out the way it forms the symbols. )

I'm trying a larger spell. Some kind of barrier, maybe, or a ward.

( It's in progress, a workshop. If you will. )

Somehow, it didn't take long for me to understand them. What kind of world are you from?
markingnight: (hmm)

week one

[personal profile] markingnight 2026-04-02 01:08 am (UTC)(link)
Oh. [ For a moment, the sense of tension that seemed to be stretched over the past few days had temporarily tightened. But no, this was no creature of Sleep's. Or even some sinister doppelganger. ] I don't think we've met before. I'm called Ironeye.

Are you looking for someone?

[ Or something? Hard not to be on edge when it was so easy for Hosts to blend into the ruined landscape. For his part, Ironeye was dressed in light armor, with a scaled cloak that seemed designed to keep off rain and weather. He seemed human in form, at least. ]
Edited 2026-04-09 04:30 (UTC)
markingnight: (backlit)

[personal profile] markingnight 2026-04-02 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
The Lands Between. A place beyond the fog.

[ If you knew, you knew. It was that sort of answer. Ironeye didn't expect to meet recognition out here in Manhattan, which seemed to attract travelers from worlds similar to this one more often than not.

His had been a quiet approach; even now, he seemed unusually predisposed to stillness. ]


Then you are used to the idea of magic. Are you a scholar of some kind?

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