LEVITATE ● JANUARY 2026 EVENT

[uruz]

EVENT: LEVITATE

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Your Body is Mostly Blood — WEEK 1

For new Vessels, waking up is abrupt. The ground below you gives way. Something collapses inside you, a cord pulled taut that suddenly snaps. The world tips and you fall out of the dream, into reality. But this time, you do not rise into light. It's all terribly, terribly . . . Dark.

You come to in a slow breath. There is a weight across your face born from the mask from your dreams. Your hands grip something unfamiliar— a weapon, or a light source. Some object you didn't have before, pulled from a blessing you can't explain.

It smells of dust and mildew, rust and oil. The pressure of a thousand tons of city weighs above you. You are somewhere deep, and deeper than you should be. Concrete walls stretch out in every direction, marked by fungal grime, decay, and disuse. Pipes run overhead, weeping water and something thicker. Old signage in peeling paint warns of restricted access. But this place no longer belongs to the waking world, so . . . Can it truly be heeded?

Others are here. New faces. New Vessels, just like you. Awakened together in the deep beneath Grand Central Terminal, on the hidden level known as M42. From the looks of it, there is no escape upward—

Only the Nightmares from your dreams greet you kindly. They shimmer into form like smoke catching shape, hooves silent on stone. Some snort, pace, lean against you. All are anxious. Their gaze is turned away from blocked exits— they look instead toward the dark tunnels ahead. Something has drawn them here, and they want you to follow— You have the hunch that it has half to do with your own safety, and half . . . Something greater.

Down here, the Hosts breathe in unison, in dark, still shapes kept to the blackness. Human, almost. Grown into the walls and floors like tumors, their skin glistening with the wetness of translucent sludge and open wounds that never healed. Some twitch as if dreaming while others mouth whispered words. They are clustered around old turnstiles, half-sunken work benches, emergency panels choked in vines and tendrils. Spores drift lazily through the air like dust motes, and some are even produced by these poor, stagnant creatures. For now, they don't seen to react much. Best not test your chances in waking them up. Keep a close eye on those smaller, skittering creatures instead. Mutated rats, mice, and insects might be your only viable source of food down here for the days to come.

Above ground, veteran Vessels wake with a jolt, some from levitating meters off the ground only to snap awake and fall to their beds from the night before. There are no new faces on the surface, no stirrings on Main Street or Central Park. But you too, should you have bonded with one in Sleep's dreams, will have your Nightmare appear before you like old friends— and they are uneasy. The Murmur pulses just below hearing, static and low. Masks tingle with soft interference, beckoning you to answer their call. Something has arrived— they just don't know where.

NOTES:

• M42, where new Vessels awaken, is now infested with the presence of Sleep. Hosts line the walls and floors, dormant for now. Their minds are partially open, and Succumbence is heavy in the air. Prolonged exposure to the spores, if not the overwhelming weight of Sleep's aura, may lead to symptoms.
• Veteran Vessels may experience flashes of static, unease, or brief flickers of connection when interacting with the Murmur or their masks, especially if they attempt to reach out to the new Vessels. Some may begin feeling pulled toward underground locations, but will quickly realize that of the means they've tried to brave the subways, none are safe,infested with more active host clusters.
• Characters who successfully bonded with the Nightmares from the last event now have them as summoned steeds. They may be ridden and gain personalities of their own as time goes on. They will not be able to cause damage, but they may serve as a distraction should one need it briefly. They may come and go based on the need of its Vessel.
• For those who are more attuned to music or feel a deeply rooted loneliness through grief will have their minds susceptible to hearing One play some instruments over the Murmur this week. You may try to speak to him, but be warned he has not been easy to get a word out of since his blood offering.

TOKEN EFFECTS:

• Blood magic is sharpened underground. Small wounds become radiant, releasing bursts of heat or sound. If you are harmed, the Hosts could stir nearby. You may be drawn to places where violence once occurred or still lingers, marked by miniature graveyards of mauled Hosts.
• The pressure of the Murmur manifests as arcs of electrical magic. Static jumps from your hands to metal nearby, as of late. Light and Fire magic is unstable underground— stronger than usual, but unpredictable. Sudden flashes may draw the attention of dormant Hosts.
• You will feel a pull belonging to One's yearning and the fragment of Two like a pressure behind your eyes. They call to each other yet are broken apart, out of reach, and this broken thread could be felt. Binding spells or tethered effects cast underground may double in strength but carry intense emotional weight.

OFFERING EFFECTS:

• Offerings tied to fire, light, or cleansing garner more attention than intended in the underground space. They may create temporary clearings in the spores, revealing hidden signs or eroded rune traces on the walls— but the exposed space becomes a magnet for Host attention and Murmur interference. • Offerings with strong memories of grief resonate with the fragment below. When near the walls or touching old surfaces, they may experience brief, disjointed flashes of memories that are not theirs.
• Offerings aligned with water or decay may create temporary areas of silence underground. Hosts nearby stop murmuring and The Murmur pulls back. In this space, communication with others may become garbled, and movement feels slowed, but at least you get a break from the gnawing of Succumbence.

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Remember my cracking bones — WEEK 2

The tunnels are starting to narrow and deepen.

Old tracks curve through the dark, half-submerged in muck and rust. Spores cling to every surface and vines dangle from above like nooses. The air is heavy with slumber and your belly probably aches with upset— deeper, thicker, it now seems to be weighing much more than before. Even the Nightmares falter here. They snort. Stamp. Some even press against you as if to anchor you in place and keep going.

As the second week approaches, the new group will find a sealed chamber. The walls are stone, but pulsing with energy and thick, rippling tendrils wet with black sludge, if not covered in thick fungal crust and crawling roots. As you move closer, something beneath begins to throb in rhythm— slow, sick, but alive.

There, buried in the wall, is a fragment of Two. A faint blue light that flickers through like a flame, barely visible beneath the rot. It pulses like a heart— steady, rhythmic, but weakening. The closer you get, the louder the Murmur becomes. Not voices, this time. Music. A hum. A song.

One is mourning through the Murmur from above.

The fragment is being choked, its life covered and strangled. You can feel its tether to this world fraying— crying out and pleading to be freed. Espera's voice touches the minds of those with their masks on, like light bending through smoke. Her shape is unstable in your mind's eye, her edges unraveling. Aboveground, Veteran Vessels begin to receive the same message. She speaks with sensation: grief, urgency, pain. You understand her meaning all the same:

"Free it. And Free the runes you find scattered. Help is coming."

Then she vanishes.

Some will be called to the tunnels. Others will be urged by their mares to find runes scattered through the city itself, hidden in alleys, on top of skysccrapers, buried beneath graffiti, and carved into sewer grates or stone. Each rune matters here. Each act of uncovering brings the fragment closer to it's freedom.

As night falls during the second week's middle, the Hosts' dormancy further underground begins to break. Belowground, their bodies twitch. Eyes open. Limbs shift. The pressure of Succumbence sharpens. You can feel the pull in your spine, the weight of it at the base of your gut and dragging downward to the ground. The Nightmares begin to spook. The deeper you go, the more violent the change.

There is something down here, larger than the rest.

NOTES:

• Veteran Vessels may now choose to follow their Nightmares to underground access points (Which will now be possible; they'll find that the Hosts have begun to scatter and leave their posts, allowing them to go through the subway tunnels) or remain topside and search for runes across the city (Where Three may make scattered appearances and attempt to help Vessels find the runes, though he can't keep shape for long). These will be scattered, hidden but not impossible to find. Runic discoveries above will echo underground, helping the weakened bond around the fragment strengthen.
• The Murmur grows stronger here. One's grief is felt everywhere, now, not just for the select. The pressure of their tether decaying may cause effects both emotional and magical similar to secondhand succumbence— be battle ready, and partner up with Veterans who find you— The Hosts will also begin to stir and roam more actively in the subways and topside at dusk, as well as something . . . Big.
• All Vessels will hear One's song as if it is being sung directly into their bones. The sadness is unbearable.

TOKEN EFFECTS:

• Every rune you touch strengthens the sense of connection to the fragment below. You feel Two's presence more clearly, but the bond drags on your mind. Dreams and memory begin to bleed together, One's song grows louder in your ears. Some of your spells may activate without your command, fueled by emotion.
• The fragment responds warmly to your presence. When you get close, the fungus mounds loosen. But the closer you are, the more the Hosts take interest in you. You are marked— something about you makes them highly aware, and they will react violently as to keep you away from the fragment.
• The fragment hums when you bleed near it. Your pain draws it out, helps break the growth strangling it, but the reaction also pulls nearby Hosts closer, hungry for what's being stirred. Your magic becomes a beacon, whether you like it or not.

OFFERINGS

• Offerings with Nightmares will notice they are more focused. They begin trying to guide you toward unknown corners of the underground or up above— and refuse to stop. Following may reveal hidden symbols or Host nests. Ignoring them causes your Nightmare to act erratically, sometimes blocking you from leaving until you have uncovered the runes or destroyed the Hosts.
• Offerings will begin to hear drum cracks that begin to slip into One's mourning vocals in perfect synchrony, as if it's calling back to him, reaching out . . . A duet that has not forgotten him as he thinks. He cannot hear it, but you can.
• Offerings may be granted one protective yell when near a Token. This yell will hush the Murmur around your group. For three minutes, all Hosts in range will stop moving. Any rune uncovered during this silence glows freely— but when the quiet ends, every Host that was paused now moves at once, drawn to the place the silence was broken.

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Forgetting the agony again — WEEK 2

The last of the growth sloughs away from the wall in strips, rotting on impact. Beneath the dead mass, the full body of the fragment is revealed: a glowing structure of blue and silver, greens and purples, latticed with runes, humming with a light too steady to be artificial and too wise to be new. Its pulse grows louder, and the Murmur's network coils tight from it.

Then the ground begins to scream in objection.

Something vast is moving. Not one single Host, not a dozen. Hundreds. A crawling, snarling tide of limbs and mouths and eyes, fusing together in a single, rotting organism: The Rat King.

It lurches into view like something being born backwards. Dozens of bodies melted into one another, joints twisted in the wrong directions, heads split but still shrieking. Its bones pierce its outer flesh like spikes. Its eyes are mismatched and boiling. Some limbs drag along the ground, slack and dead, while others flail with wild hunger. It leaves behind a trail of bile and black growth as it moves, and at its center— where a spine should be— a cascade of black sludge pools at its feet and stains the stone around it.

When the Rat King sees the fragment's light, it howls. Hosts from the walls begin to twitch and fall, swiftly joining the charge and answering the King's call.

You feel one thing deep in your bones: The fragment must be protected, and you all must survive.

NOTES:

• The Rat King is a cursed amalgam: dozens of Hosts bound together by the suffocating influence of Sleep. It cannot be fought with brute strength alone. Its weakness is unity. The more players coordinate, share, or suffer together, the more vulnerable it becomes to attacks. Please refer to the boss battle top level, form your groups, and post your strategy. The mod account will reply with d20 rolls to make your fight more interesting!
• Sleep's subtle influence will grow louder as the fight progresses. It will try to turn Vessels against one another, offering comfort, power, or relief.
• The Rat King's attacks are chaotic: gnashing limbs, walls of fused bone, vomited muck, spine-shattering shrieks that will cause disorientation, susceptibility to succumbence and vomiting the same sludge is "infected". It almost immediately regenerates body parts except when its main head is struck. Keep that in mind when you plan your attacks.

TOKEN EFFECTS

• Tokens can shield the fragment with their presence. The Rat King flinches at their closeness, but doing so paints a target on them. Every time they draw its attention away from another, their defenses weaken. Their Nightmare may step in to protect them once with success.
• If Tokens draw blood willingly, their strikes deal twice the damage to the Rat King. But Sleep's interference begins to retaliate by temporarily taking pieces of their memory as payment. Names. Faces. Anything important enough to startle them to stop.
• Tokens may feel the wounds their allies take. If they are Tethered to them, it deepens in the chaos, and they can draw their pain into themselves. If they take on too much, they may lose their grip on their magic entirely and backfire.

OFFERING EFFECTS

• Offerings seem to feel the Rat King before it arrives. Their muscles seize, breath shortens, vision narrows— as if their bodies are bracing for impact ahead of time. This awareness grants them a momentary edge in reacting to the creature's movements.
• The Rat King is drawn to Offerings in particular. You may use this as a means to bait it and coordinate attacks.
• An Offering's senses will sharpen to unbearable degrees. Every noise cuts deep. Every motion becomes overwhelming. This may cause erratic reactions: flinching from allies, clinging to enemies, breaking into sudden movement or collapse.

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Will you levitate? — WEEK 3

Meanwhile, (and by now), all the Vessels topside have managed to find most of the scattered runes and left them the way Espera urges: bare to the moonlight. Hosts may have tried to make your search difficult, but not impossible. As the final rune is bared, something shifts with an incredible weight. The runes on the walls, underground, and uncovered across the city gradually ignite in full— then all at once, blinding and surging. A pattern that spans across the entire chamber and the city above as it flares to life, weaving through the metal bones of the dream.

The fragment surges, burning its confinements away.

One and Two's song swells, in full. No distortion. No static. It echoes through the Murmur like a siren. Every Vessel hears it through the space between memory and thought. The fragment releases a wave of force, a heartbeat that greets the world from a long slumber— Across the city, from subway rails to skyscraper grids, electricity explodes.

Streetlights and stoplights burst. Screens flicker wildly, all lights blink. Neon signs spit sparks and bright colors. Every power line hums like a struck tuning fork, singing in time with the runes. Even deep underground, the hum rises through the walls and stone, like the city itself is about to lift off the earth. Tokens' eyes will begin to glow like overwhelming beacons and find themselves in a brief catatonic rise, their magic surging with the runes, and Offerings will shift painlessly into their monstrous forms given the greatest of its strength.

Then gravity vanishes.

All Vessels, no matter where they are, rise into the air. Weapons drift beside their owners. Nightmares float mid-step with their misty legs curling under them or disappear all at once. Dust and shattered stone hover in place. Broken glass turns slowly in midair, catching flickers of light that weren't there before. Cars, debris, everything rises, and rises in a moment of grateful weightlessness that silently celebrates.

This moment stretches long enough to feel infinite and dreamlike. That is— until gravity returns.

The world folds back into itself. Objects fall, bodies settle. The fragment's light dims to a soft, steady pulse, and the runes return to a faint light that makes citywide electricity possible.

The Hosts fall silent and The Rat King is slew. Those still active drift away, as if called elsewhere. The fragment no longer cries. It glows quietly in its chamber, cleansed of rot— then disappears into static.

Veteran vessels will feel a shift in the Murmur— a new harmony, subtle but present. Tokens may sense a return of at least some balance. Offerings may feel a strange warmth in their chest. Espera is quiet, for a time. Then she speaks through the Murmur. Her voice is weary, but full of something like relief:

"Thank you.You've done what I couldn't. Rest now. You are not alone."

And for a while, rest is possible. Vessels may gather, recover, speak freely. The weight of violence recedes, and the city feels soft again, like it did before its fall.

NOTES:

• Electricity is back, but not in any normal way. Power is erratic, flickering, and clearly tied to magical and emotional surges. Runes now act as conduits and some technology is either burnt out or completely broken from the surge. Characters are free to use the last week of the month to repair what is blown or broken, make living easier and settle in now that they have energy!
• Freeing the fragment has returned Two, but not completely— He does not appear physically nor does he speak with words, but through pulses, flickers, and rhythm in the lights. Two is also now available for NPC interaction.

TOKEN EFFECTS

• Two's guardian presence lingers in a Token's magic for the rest of the month. Lights flicker when they cast, no matter the subtype, and objects may float or spark around them briefly.
• A Token's mask now retains a faint charge. When worn in darkness, it softly illuminates the surrounding area.
• Sometimes when you cast, you don't feel alone. A second heartbeat moves beneath yours— steady, slow and protective.

OFFERING EFFECTS

• Two's presence settles differently in Offerings. Their heartbeat aligns with a quiet rhythm that echoes faintly in the world around them. When they pass by flickering lights, those lights seem to pulse in tandem— gently, like recognition. Pain eases more quickly than it should, and lights blink softly when they grieve, or when they act without hesitation.
• The sensation of weightlessness won't fully leave until the month ends.
• When an Offering is wounded now, lights around them respond— dimming, flickering, or flaring in their defense.

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Comments

QUESTION & MISC.

[uruz]

[roedeer]

hiii, got a question! so soleum was given a crystal that could map out the area like a sonar and show him people nearby, i was curious if it would show him hidden passage ways / secret areas to get into! and if so, would he find anything of interest?

[hallowedly]

Hello, happy new year!

1. For topside runes: do they react in any perceptible way upon discovery? I see they echo underground, but do they happen to have any above-ground effect to indicate to valiant explorers that they've hit the occult jackpot?

2. ...is it possible to borrow another character's Nightmare, if we have OOC permission, the two characters are tightly knit, and they collaborated to subdue the Nightmare last event? Basically, they sound like a convenient taxi/hunting dog combo for the topside this round — totally understand if that wouldn't work!

[sorte]

Hello! Some questions:

1. Is it possible to get a little more detail on the Murmur trying to turn characters against one another during the rat king fight? It sounded like a bigger deal in the OOC plotting, but it looks like it has been just given a note mention about Sleep trying to do so. It doesn't feel very clear at how significant or problematic it's supposed to be (it feels like a detail that could be very easily missed since it's not mentioned in the main prompt itself so I'm wondering if it's more of an optional effect,) including how she is actually trying to turn them against one another. I just am hoping to clarify how much of a problem it is and a little more about how Sleep is going about it. Is she just offering what is mentioned in the notes if Vessels switch sides in the fight against the rat king or is she telling them not very nice things about the other vessels in regards to them, etc.? Or is it all meant to be very vague and optional for us to go wild with?

2. Once veteran vessels are able to get underground, can the new vessels leave to go to the surface instead of remain underground for the boss fight if they choose or will it be extremely difficult/they'll be completely unable to until the Rat King is dealt with?

Thanks so much!

[shatteredlenses]

It's mentioned that damaging attacks won't help to defeat the Rat King much aside from those that target his head. How effective will non-damaging attacks be? For example, if Ignis attempted to stop or rewind an action the Rat King was taking using his chronomancer skills, would he be able to? Would it just depend on the dice roll or does the Rat King have immunity to that kind of thing like many bosses/berserk enemies do?

I'm planning on having him work with a spotter to be his eyes, which should add to the cooperation quota, but I'm trying to figure out if he should focus on the boss or focus on helping others. If I just need to wait and see, no problem, but it never hurts to ask!

[trashblaze]

With electricity restored, this opens up a lot for Artificers.

- If electricity is flickering constantly, will Artificers be able to stabilize it, at least for their current living spaces? If Caelus repairs generators for people, will that make the energy more stable?
- Will Caelus be allowed to repair broken batteries and craft new energy sources like fuels now that a lot more electronics are back in the game? And are there any particular electronics that you'd prefer people not to play with right now?
- I asked months ago if scooters or motorcycles would be able to be accessed, and at that time, it wasn't worth the energy that Artificers would lose to power them. Has the situation changed now? Can Caelus repair cars and other larger vehicles now? What if he repairs buses?

Thank you so much!

[for_sake]

hello and happy new year! ♡

a teeny week 3 question: "Offerings will shift painlessly into their monstrous forms given the greatest of its strength."

does this full shift last only during the gravitational anomaly or have offerings been pushed into full shift until further notice? or can the full-shift fluctuate differently for each offering? (rubs my paws evilly no matter the answer)

[sacral]

happy new year! 🎉

for the rat king fight: subaru has his size-nerfed kekkai back - one of its abilities is to exclude lifeforms of his choosing from it. if he put his kekkai up over the rat king, would he be able to exclude new hosts from joining the fight/fusing to its main body for a short amount of time?

THE RAT KING

[uruz]

Plot to coordinate and form groups to collectively take down The Rat King here. Once you all have planned accordingly and agreed on a strategy, post here and I will offer D20 rolls for flavor and how it will be defeated, if so. That all depends on your luck!

[whomthebelltolls]

Uhhhhhhhhhh normally I'd have some kind of strategy to take down the boss this time (especially funny because it's the opposite of the last one), but Maria's going to wolf out, lose control of the wolf, and just go nuts donuts on it, so I'm not much help here, so all I can say is:

+ Furry chainsaw with legs
+ Won't be able to pay attention to Sleep's sweet nothings so isn't actually in danger of losing her will to fight or turning on the crew permanently
+ Big, mean Offering will be on the frontlines and probably going to facetank while she goes ham and cheese on the rat king
+ She's attracted to blood, which means splattering a little on the rat king will make her even more aggressive toward it

- Friendly fire is on
- No sense of self preservation
- Being covered in blood will attract her attention
- She can't control herself, so if no one can keep her focused on the rat king, you all now have two bosses to fight
- :) RNG hates me

[trashblaze]

Party:
- Jing Yuan, Dan Heng, Sunday, Caelus



Setup:
- Jing Yuan: Token/Beastkin. Main DPS.
Spearwork and commands a nine-headed lion named Momo. Designated leader of the party, a heavily experienced General who has survived multiple wars in the past and brings solid strategies to the table.

- Dan Heng: Offering/Lycan. Main DPS.
Spearwork and hydrokinetic abilities. Very agile in movement and quickest in reflexes. Will always immediately move to protect his teammates, even at the cost of his own safety.

- Sunday: Offering/Seraph. Full Support.
Healer and buffs everyone with holy magic to increase their damage and move faster. Emotional support, stabilizes everyone's mental state. Likely the most to be targeted among this group.

- Caelus: Token/Artificer. Sub-DPS and Support.
Uses his baseball bat curio that he enchants with energy lasers/plasmas. Deploys a single turret to gun down hostiles coming too close to the group. Also deploys launch pads for movement boosts.

Group Synergies:
- The Moon and the Sun: The Xianzhou partners Jing Yuan and Dan Heng have a long history together, and their movements in battle are fluid, allowing coordinated attacks and being able to communicate through mere glances at each other.
- The Astral Express Boys: Dan Heng, Sunday, and Caelus. Their family bond will cause them to protect each other right away. They're attentive to each other and understand one another's strengths and weaknesses.
- I Love Birds: Jing Yuan and Sunday. Sunday will focus on buffing Jing Yuan the most.
- I'm Sorry I Didn't Mean It: Caelus's not-so-perfect Artificer skills randomly failing. This can be the turret's guns locking up sometimes, or his baseball bat's lasers exploding on himself.

[dethangel]

Toki's definitely happy to help! He'll go wherever he's needed! If you need him in your party, he will help!

Positives:

- He's got all the Offering stuff (feeling the rat king, being a distraction)
- Punching, clawing, biting, etc. He's decently strong and perfectly capable of kicking ass when needed, especially when he gets pissed off.
- He fully has his wings grown! They might not help so much in a small space but he might be able to use them in creative ways
- Heat touch
- Devourer's Grace (can consume pain from one person)
- He has a lot of experience making stuff from crafting and building models in case that helps
- Might find out that he can disappear into the shadows
- Commanding presence

Negatives:

- He's got all the Offering stuff (oversensitive)
- Can get very distracted, overwhelmed, and emotional, easily distracted by fighting too hard (berserker rage)
- Might have trouble coming back from disappearing into the shadows if he finds out he can do that
- Commanding presence is usually accidental (and tends to come from strong emotions) and might mess with other people on his side
- Still kind of sad about all the stuff that's going on with One

[dogmetaphors]

Mo Ran has a sword and he knows how to use it! He's also clueless about just about everything involving this world, which means that while he's first and foremost a frontlines fighter, he'll also be prioritizing watching what other people are doing. He's taken down spirits and demons before, and has literally fought himself, but terrifying eldritch abominations are a new thing for him.

+ competent fighter who will help others on his side
+ was given a sword that gets sharper when he uses it confidently and he isn't the sort to back down
+ haven't nailed down his kimera design 100%, but he also has claws on one hand (just the one)

- dude is going through it mentally and will be easily distracted
- the one person he'd listen to is not here
- he already had an unstable sense of self before he was turned into a combination of three different animals

Till | Alien Stage | OTA

[untilldeath]

Nested prompts below. They are open to all unless otherwise stated! There is a less than 0% chance that Ivan might be around Till if below ground or heading into something dangerous. Till is a Lightweaver! He is human, aside from some ethereal glowy things going on. Feel free to check out my comment on the plotting post if you wish to hash something out not listed below or have questions. Or reach out to me on Discord @ Heatchi or @ hakuboo.
Plotting Post || Appearance & Powers || Aura Color Form

Week 1

[untilldeath]

((Week one prompts. They will be listed below for better organization.))

ranni the witch | elden ring

[deathstealer]

[ permissions | in-game status

open toplevels to be posted in the comments below.
ranni was largely absent last month (with the exception of
claiming a nightmare, and then retreating back into hiding),
but is now reemerging. I'm totally happy to do other thread
ideas, hit me up at cosmonautdelta ]

🌘⸻ your body is mostly blood (ota)

[deathstealer]

[ Of the dream they had just been in, Ranni knows very little. She had held herself separate and small, vanishing into the shadows as best she could. She had only emerged very briefly to make herself known to a horse of shadow and dark flame -- an advantage to know, she had caluclated -- and had retreated once more.

As she wakes back into the real world, Ranni wonders what has become of the new souls in the dream. This happens every so often; they all get brought into a dream so hazy so yet so real, and more souls from other worlds are dragged into Sleep's clutches. She has the sense that they are here somewhere in this world-- she has the vague sense of a direction, but nothing more than that.

And so, she winds up in front of a building she has passed before, but never studied in great depths. The maps call it Grand Central Terminal, a place where vehicles called 'trains' carried enormous amounts of people to and fro.

On the street outside the main entrance, Ranni sits side-saddle on her Nightmare, who idly watches the street, as calm and unruffled as its rider. In one hand, Ranni has a half-rotted tour guide pamphlet about the station, in another, a slim book about the same topic. Her other two hands are idly petting the smokey Nightmare's mane. ]

'tis quite the sight, and quite the feat
of humanity, to have buil't such a thing.
I can scarce grasp how many souls must have traveled here,
back in the day of the city living and vital.

[ She looks down at the person next to her. There is a new silver pinprick of light in her pupil the color of moonlight, and it makes the blue glow of her eye all the more piercing. ]

Didst thee also come for the new Vessels?

Ironeye | Elden Ring: Nightreign

[markingnight]

[ Tetradecimal d: tetradraws

Putting this here for nested toplevels to follow. Plotting post link here!
Wildcard is always an option, LMK if you'd like something specific.


art: sunnbnn ]

Your Body is Mostly Blood — WEEK 1 (MURMUR contact)

[markingnight]

[ A familiar presence through the Murmur, cool and tinged with the colors of Night. Right on the edge of dreaming and waking, just as his fellow Vessels snapped back to reality. Reaching out for a fellow sleeper, someone he thought might be able to share insight on their latest shared nightmare. ]

You saw it, too, didn't you? ...Do you hear the call?

[ The question was softly spoken. Yet it was accompanied by that pulse, just below consciousness. Thready, soft, just under the skin. ]

We should expect new arrivals.

Toki Wartooth | Metalocalypse | ota

[dethangel]

[doing nested prompts. wildcard options always available: bring your own prompt, plot with me, or ask for your very own prompt here or at agentkaz! plotting post is here!]

week 1

[dethangel]

[After falling into the plush throne he's halfway through building, thankful that he decided to sleep in something soft, and getting his bearings from dealing with yet another super weird and realistic dream, Toki steps outside. Soon, there's a sight he didn't expect. It's the horse from his dream. He stares at it, eyes and smile wide, as he reaches out, half-expecting it to go away.]

Oh, wowee! Nathan! You're still here!

[Just like One said. He wonders if One's still looking through the horses or not, or if he can only do that in the dreams. He'll talk to him later, maybe, see if they can hang out sometime. Even with all the stuff he knows about him... he's still his friend. No reason not to pal around.

At least some of the time, he can be found walking around with his horse, or sometimes trying to ride it. The horse is a nervous guy, though, so a lot of the time he's just kind of petting it and trying to see what's going on with it.

As time goes on, something seems... off, though. He uses the Murmur a lot, though, his replacement for social media, the only thing keeping it from being too much for him the fact that he keeps managing to make friends. It makes sense, then, to use it in an attempt to reach out to what he's feeling. He'll have his mask on a lot, trying to see who's there to talk to.]

Hello?

[Something feels weird, but that's not stopping him. Unless he gets distracted and runs into somebody. That might stop him.]

jinx / arcane 🌊 aquamancer

[opheliac]

nested prompts below—open & closed ones. feel free to comment with your own wildcard scenarios if you have an idea, if i'm taking too long to write up things & you're ready to tag me, or if we discussed something privately and you want to start us off!
bio | permissions | opt-out
plotting comment | ferke | opheliac / knurttt for contacts.

ᛗ ┃ Your Body is Mostly Blood — WEEK 1

[opheliac]

⎯ feel free to reply to this comment for your wildcard scenarios or if we have something planned and you want to start us off!

Lady Maria | Bloodborne | Lycan

[whomthebelltolls]

[1: Remember my Cracking Bones pt. 1 - Surface]

[She had heard that the subways were... impassable. That they were choked with hosts and overgrowth, but still, the giant Nightmare had pushed her forward toward one of the Subway access stairways. There are more Hosts on the surface now. Many of them, and during a break of the waves emerging, she stands at the entrance, gently scratching beneath the chin of a massive six-eyed Friesian horse.

The horse's ear flicks toward the approach of another, and it turns its head, but Maria does not follow suit.]

Is your horse pushing you toward the underground, as well? With all the Hosts out, I wonder if it's passable yet.

[2: Remember my Cracking Bones pt. 2 - Tunnels]

[There are people under here. She can hear them, and the Nightmare behind her seems more agitated and excited than ever to find the people trapped in the underground. Maria isn't dumb about it, though. A mote of caution goes a long way to finding the group at the bottom. It's dangerous, but she is more than happy to lead the way, with sword in hand, or slinking through shadows when fighting is not practicable.

The first group of new folks - those that spawned underground - she meets up with is greeted quietly.] There they are. Is this what you wanted? [She looks to her nightmare, but it just fades away, and leaves her to face the group quietly herself.] Quietly now - did you hear the call to find the Rune down here?

[3: Forgetting the Agony Again]

[It had started easily enough; the foreboding sense of impending violence, now made almost physically manifest by Maria's Offering self in the presence of the creature that peels itself from the floor and walls and stands before them. It hadn't lasted long after that, because Maria has a problem: The violence and hunger inside her, long suppressed and denied, fought against and shamed, finally find the outlet they've been truly looking for.

It comes on not long after the ruckus begins, as Maria tries for an attack and receives a brutal, glancing blow in return that leaves her stunned, flooding her mouth with the taste of her own blood.

Then everything goes... white.

For her tethers, they'll feel a single moment of sheer panic, of someone trying to stop a raging flash flood with splayed fingers as it crashes over top of them, washing them into the current immediately. Then, Maria as she is known is lost to the maelstrom.

For those on the outside, the transformation is sudden and violent, as she claws at her own skin, flesh tearing and bones cracking and popping viscerally while her human form is hammered, bent, twisted into a massive canid shape that it doesn't really seem to fit into. Her fur is long and white, but there is nothing soft and inviting about what emerges after the sudden, rapid transformation is done.

Then, it leaps at the first source of blood it smells, claws first, fangs slavering, with a snarl that sounds half like a massive, pissed off wolf, and half like a human trying to emulate a massive, pissed off wolf, and the fight gets that much more complicated.]

[4: Wildcard!]

[For all your not-the-above needs! Afterward, Maria's going to be playing the "I'm ashamed of myself so I'm avoiding people" game for a while, so they'll have to seek her out for the last couple of weeks of the month if they want to interact.

Her plotting post is here, and otherwise, I am open!]

Agent Choi | GDCG | Offering: Lycan

[dedicate]

▎Week 2: Help is coming

Open to anyone

[ jingle

jingle

jingle

in the midst of the darkness and quiet, the bells cut through the silence with their cheerful sound. perhaps they draw in hosts, or perhaps it's you. the bells act as a guide, and should a lucid vessel arrive at the source, they'll find it to be a man with spotted ears and a striped white tail, a large blade spinning deftly in his clawed hand and what's left of a modest number of malformed bodies crumpled at his feet.

the large blade in his hand, his jakdu, glints blue as if under light that isn't here this deep underground. his eyes seem to capture that same light, reflecting it back as they land on the one who's been drawn in by the sound—and then its joined by a smile. ]

Ooh, what's this? One of the new kids?

▎Week 2: Help is coming?

Open to kidnappees

What do we have here?

[ as the drop-off of his latest captive—er, companion is completed in this painstakingly found "safe" spot of theirs, agent choi will tap underneath their chin with one finger, meaning to bring their eyes up to meet his, which shine even in the dimmest of light that they have here. tied, untied, or only half-restrained, he meets them with a smile nonetheless. just one candle flickers towards the back of his musty passage, and the walls show few to no hosts melded against them.

anyway, point is, even if the succumbence hangs heavy in the air, agent choi himself seems to be trying to give off a more comfortable, casual air. he'll let his hand fall back down, pocketing it and shifting so that he can place his other arm behind the one who's been brought here, gently ushering them inside. ]

Lucky you, you got found by a good group. Let's get inside and catch our breaths a little, yeah? Are you hungry?

[ he's heard about the diet down here thus far. eugh!! ]

▎Week 3: Will you levitate

Open to anyone

Hey, you! You any good with electronics?

[ a polite greeting coming from a man with a very warm expression, calling over anybody who happened to have wandered a little too close to him up in the city proper, whether he recognizes them or not. give him a moment, and he'll wave them over with a bright grin, meaning for them to come a little closer so he doesn't have to raise his voice quite so much. ]

I'm looking for somebody who can help me out with something. I'll pay properly for it, too.

[ in this resource bartering economy of theirs—or maybe a favour, if they prefer something like that? ]

▎Wildcard / Notes

[ Feel free to toss anything else at me too!! Other prompts, different ideas, etc. etc. Or it me up via PM if you'd like to run it by me first/want a closed prompt!

If you'd like to be a kidnappee for prompt 2 but didn't get in on that action, feel free to handwave Soleum and Saheon kidnapping your critter and tying them up for delivery! I think they had a max for how many threads about it they could take on, but I checked in OOC and they're happy to handwave the delivery aspect if you'd like an excuse to have a forced chat with Choi! ]

Week Three

[trashblaze]

[ An immediate laugh. Was that an attempt at humor? Who does Choi think he's asking here? Caelus approaches with his usual confident stance. ]

So, what is it today?

[ From bike repairs, to prosthetics, and now to…? ]

kim soleum | gdcg | token: shadowbinder

[roedeer]

▎week one: your body is mostly blood

[ occasionally, you will notice something flicker out the corner of your eye. it never stays, it's like something is leading you along every time you attempt to look away or go somewhere else. they'll feel a tug, something nipping at their limb, or even at their clothes pulling them towards another location within the depths. almost like out of thin air, they'll feel a hand on their shoulder that withdraws soon after.

turning, they'll find a man in a black suit with a deer-like mask covering his face, maybe you've met him before or maybe he's entirely new. his voice is slightly above a whisper, but still firm as he tries not to draw the attention of what's sleeping within the walls. ]

Thank you for being so attentive.

[ thank you, thank you, thank you, because soleum didn't know what to do with himself initially. his heart was beating out of his chest, the fear of being alone in unknown territory has gotten to him, and being left alone with a certain nightmare served no favors. that nightmare which has guided this person to soleum is gone, nowhere to be found, but if any light is angled in soleum's direction it's easy to see his shadow has taken on a more horse-like form. ]

We should work together to find a way out of this place.

▎week two: remember my cracking bones

[ he refuses to do it, mentally, he's unable to do it. the way the critters that run about with them gives soleum a sick feeling, and his stomach twists into a tight knot. occasionally, his stomach growls, a sensation he hasn't felt in a long time that feels like needles prickling against his skin. unwilling to eat has placed an unnecessary burden on him that he acknowledges from his actions. he thinks, maybe he should have, but unfortunately he didn't. soleum stands beside the wall, his back pressed against the wall as he slowly slides down into a sitting position.

hunger wins again, his stomach vocal, and soleum feels lucky knowing that the presence of the hosts aren't terrifyingly active yet. he doesn't hear anything, and even double checking with his shard reveals to him that no one is nearby. he's alone for now, but that means he needs to think, think. he doesn't recall anything like this being on the wikipedia, but in horror story fashion? zombies are a dime a dozen.

the rune behind him pulsates, and soleum's stomach does too. without even thinking about it, soleum closes his eyes to keep himself calm and ignore the pain growing there. in exchange, something births itself out of his shadow: a black cat with deep red eyes steps slowly away from him. it looks back, looking soleum up and down—

it leaves, walking down a different path.

hungry, it's hungry, and the cat wastes no time looking for something to fix this raging hunger within it. it'll find you, and if you have a snack, maybe an item, anything a nimble cat can jump towards and swipe. it does. looking at who the cat has stolen from, it'll run back with the item (and probably their victim) to where soleum sits, and drops what it stole beside him with a thump. the cat sinks into his shadow, and soleum's eyes widen immediately like he's been startled from a bad dream, and he turns his head towards incoming footsteps. ]

▎week three: will you levitate?

[ the last thing soleum bothers himself with is the flickering lights and the alarms going off around him. it's a great distraction to busy himself somewhere else, in a random store called manhattan grand optical. there soleum stands inside stepping over broken shelves and chairs, anything that stands in the way in search of glasses of the non-prescriptive variety.

if anyone catches him there, they'll find a man with messy black hair wearing grey sweatpants with a white button-down shirt. he's a pretty plain man with not much going n aside from walking underneath a few sparking lights as if it's nothing at all. crouching down, he picks up a pair of frames before bringing them to his face to see if they'll work for what he has going on. no, it doesn't, and so he sets them down back where he got them.

he stands up, not with the poise and confidence of mr. roe deer, but with a hunch of his shoulders, and a pathetic look on his face to play the role of someone else. to soleum, the last thing he needs is anyone connecting him to the person he was before at the cathedral or underground, not because he's done anything wrong, but to remain ambiguous and not stand out. after a bit of fishing through the mess, he does find a pair... unfortunately, they're covered in mold and blood.

gross.

as much as he wants to wipe this gunk away, he wonders if there's any precautions to be made, and scuttling himself out of the store will he wave down the first person that he sees. in a soft voice, and his head tilt down to stare at his glasses will a young man walk up with a question. ]

Excuse me... do you have something to clean these with? Sorry to be a bother...

▎wildcard

[ if you'd like to hash things out or have another idea of what you'd like to do with soleum, hit me up through pms and i can offer my discord as well! you can also find me on anjonala!

any kidnappees, know that we're working on custom starters for you! once saheon's player is back from travelling, we'll be putting their prompts under his top-level according to their circumstances. look forward to it. if there are any other people who wanted to be kidnapped and missed the opening, you can handwave that soleum and saheon nabbed you, and dropped you off here with agent choi and/or seonghae at the safe zone. however, beware, seonghae is... always itching to feed people to rats. ]

Week Two

[trashblaze]

[ Right after waking up back in Week One, Caelus didn't waste time to start preparing to head out. He has promises to keep, after all. Before anything else, he crafts what he needs to scout around and brings along some food and first-aid for emergencies. Soon after leaving the hotel, he's surprised to be reunited with his Nightmare Luna out in the city, but welcomes the event. And after being led by Luna to the entrance of M42, Caelus soon realizes this isn't going to be easy at all. And it really isn't, not with how thick the dead air is, spores everywhere, sleeping Hosts, and the suffocating influence of Sleep at every corner.

Days pass in the blink of an eye, with the same routine to keep trying. It's now Week Two, shortly after Espera announces to the newcomers that help is coming. Above ground, Caelus and the other veteran Vessels are still attempting to progress. Until eventually, several openings are finally discovered. With a new batch of supplies, Caelus bravely goes through and immediately runs in as deep as he can, all while doing his best to be careful. It's not any easier, but he doesn't care about any of that. He has his new friends to locate!

Wearing night vision goggles, Caelus squeezes through even the most obscure spaces to try and find his friends. That's when he shortly encounters this strange cat, who is so swift to steal a pack of dry bread from his messenger bag. What the? A cat? Obviously, with the way this world is, that's undoubtedly not an ordinary cat. … It must be a sign of a Vessel nearby somewhere! Without questioning further, the trailblazer immediately follows the cat before he loses sight of it. ]

Hey, wait for me!

[ And behold, the trailblazer arrives, noticing a man curled up in a secluded room. He raises his goggles so he can take a better look at the person he encounters here, with those large golden eyes, curious. Voice familiar. ]

… Oh, are you all right?

Rotorstorm | IDW Transformers | Illusionist

[didiwin]

[Top-levels to follow, wildcard prompts allowed & encouraged! Plot with me either at trepan or on my plotting comment here.]

week 1

[didiwin]

[Rotorstorm wakes with a long, slow breath - novel for someone that doesn't need to breathe. Beneath the mask, his optics flicker from side to side, not quite panicking yet as the memories of the dream begin to settle and place themselves.]

And I thought Overlord had a terrible sense of decor...

[He gets up, looking around much against his will.]

Happy to be alive, really, but, uh... [He turns to anyone else in the room, that's not a Host in the wall.] Any of you know what's up with the nightmare fuel?

Ardyn Izunia ↝ FFXV ↝ OTA (Token: Pyromancer)

[fatedfinality]

↝ arrival / week 1.
( █ cw for: suicidal ideation )

You know, he's getting tired of waking up.

The ideal situation for him is that when he inevitably falls into slumber would be to never open his eyes again. Yet, here he is. Awake, in a strange place and with some unknown artifact on his person. Underground. Despite the brief spike of panic at being confined beneath the earth again, he quickly stamps it out and gets himself moving to find a way.

Mostly because he isn't alone and refuses to give any of these strangers a hint of vulnerability. He should be alone though, which is an extra annoyance. He should be back home, on a throne that wasn't his, and waiting for The King to remove him from it forcefully. But this isn't Insomnia or Eos or anywhere he can recognize immediately.

He does recognize the Nightmares though. "Well, hello again darlings," he coos as one bumps its snout into his open palm. It nudges him back away from an exit and clomps further into the dark tunnel. "Was is it, girl? Someone fall in the well?" They could drown for all Ardyn cares but keeping up pretenses of humanity is important for the time being.

↝ cracking bones / week 2.
( █ cw for: physical violence )

The longer they go without finding an exit, the faster Ardyn's patience has begun to fray. He's begun keeping more to himself down here, a bit brooding and obviously irate. It isn't his best look but can one really blame him? The only thing of comfort so far is the Nightmare - familiar, like the daemons back home - and it seems to want to keep him rooted down here.

That's why when help eventually does come, he's quicker to bite rather than bark. The scuttling of the Hosts around them already had him on edge, but then an unexpected move makes him bare his teeth and snarl. He raises an arm to slam up into someone's throat and pin them forcefully against a wall.

Even if he recognizes them as not necessarily a threat, there is a hint of something dangerous behind his eyes as he stares them down. "Did a rescue team finally find us?" he asks, as they struggle. "It's about time, and- Oh. Forgive me," he says, not sounding sorry at all, as the pressure relieves on the poor soul's throat and he allows them to breathe again.

"There. Now we should be able to talk properly."

↝ levitate / week 3.

Finally free, he takes time to relish in the fresh air and sight of the night sky. The moment is peaceful- Until it isn't. When the electricity runs haywire, he feels the current through his old bones. It sparks the fire magic in him he's still coming to terms with but appreciates in the absence of his tether to Ifrit.

Floating isn't so bad. He pushes his way through gravity-less space, rides a Nightmare briefly, and enjoys it for what it is.

But that's the crux of it: Ardyn knows better to enjoy himself. He will, inevitably, always coming crashing back down. This is no exception. Just as spontaneously as the gravity had vanished, it returns. He falls to the ground with an unceremonious thud and groans. He just... lays there after, for a bit. Give him a moment.

He raises a hand and tilts his head to the side when he hears someone coming. If he grabs their attention, he smiles from down in the gravel and dirt before asking: "Excuse me, do you know where I can find the nearest bar in this hellhole?"

↝ wildcard / plot with me.

(( hello hi it's chai here with this awful man! his plotting comment is here for any ideas. I have some loose plans with folks, but otherwise lmk if you want a closed or specific starter!

you can find me @ tentamenace on plurk/discord or PM this journal if you want to hash things out! ))

nicola francesca | piofiore | shadowbinder

[panzana]

[nested toplevels to follow! likely only posting an open prompt for week 1 so feel free to post your own starter for nicola under the appropriate comment if you want. if you want me to write one for you, let's chat about it so i know what you're looking for!]

ooc plotting | somnia info | general info & permissions

your body is mostly blood — week 1

[panzana]

[post any week 1 starters here!]

shirou kamui — x/1999

[perilously]

will be going the route of nested top-levels by week as things unfold. some additional info below.
def feel free to jump into a prompt at any stage of said prompt, if one strikes your preference!
for questions/plotting/etc dm this acct, reply to the plotting comment, or grab me on disco!
info | permissions

mask: something like this but all black/no decorative embellishments except the tassels (also black) and things that look like gold bells you find on cat collars but eerily they make no sound.

item: perfectly round gemstone, deep violet the same as kamui's eyes. the star in this image is actually etched onto said gemstone. (note: just the stone with the etching is the item kamui has, not the actual sword.) effects: when someone else has a hold of it, the stone has a PULSE to it (think: heartbeat) which weakens or strengthens depending on proximity to kamui. the GLOW of it dulls if his pulse/vitality weakens, as does the actual PULSE of the stone. when kamui has it, it pulse is stronger/glows brighter if he's more giving into his lycan traits, weaker if otherwise and at 'resting' status has a soft glow that uh basically means no news is good news lmao.

plotting refs: main + hanahaki side quest (it's not a side quest. it's a gardener's nightmare.)

Your Body is Mostly Blood — WEEK 1

[perilously]

[ the first thing: it hurts. a radiating pain in his right hand. a weight in his left, not painful but pulsing; strange. the second thing: voices muffled and distorted and carrying so much distress even at the communal whisper it feels loud to kamui, blurring into the third thing -- scent: rot, mildew, stone, and oil. also blood, but it might be coming from himself. the fourth thing: repeated percussive cadences like many overlapping heartbeats. so even once 'awake', feeling like he's fallen from a great height, kamui stays quite still, blinking frenetically under his mask. the hand with something heavy in it tightens. there is a faint glow finally drags him into something more present, enough to make him sit up and stare down at the purple gem across his scarred palm. little though it is, a little is better than nothing. the mask feels heavier than he thinks something this small should.

trying to trace backwards where he was, what was happening, proves harder than anticipated.

what choice then?

what fate?

despite the overall darkness, he feels like he can see better than he ought to be able to, holding the purple stone up out of reflex more than need. it's more likely as kamui makes tentative way around this abandoned area, that the light will act more like a magnet than a guide: look here.

perhaps it's that poor life choice that helps his nightmare find him. kamui doesn't know why he knows it's the same being, but he does, a half smile in the dark as it whisper-winds its way past him, the phantom touch of found you found you found you felt in his body even more than a concrete one. he follows, because it seems to be no reason he shouldn't. there is nowhere else to go.

not trust. necessity. curiosity.

anxiety.

this isn't right.

the way the nightmare throws its head back before disappearing for longer indicates distress echoed. keep going. and all throughout it's the thing kamui heard upon waking but then tried to not hear: someone's despair. someone's loss. someone's song.

time proves impossible to keep track of. when kamui needs to rest, he rests, but it doesn't occur to him to try to find food. instead, he continues doggedly, early tinges of succumbence as vine-like bruises sprouting from his aching palm and up that arm, though it stays markedly clear of his left side -- the one holding the glowing stone. slight trembles. but he's just tired. he's just...

?

is this another dream? how long have i been asleep? where are you?

it's this last one above all: because he can tell, can feel someone he knows in this space, whatever it is, this dream or this not-dream. someone he wasn't sure was even alive anymore, save for the fact that he thought, at least, he would know when he died too. a blessing and a curse. the nature of fate and choice. he slips into his own head so much that a sudden sound is enough to startle him into: 1. dropping the stone; and 2. semi crouching, the way some animals bend and brace before pouncing, his arms raised not in fisticuffs but in a strange tension like he's not sure what to do with them. ]

...is someone there?

[ despite his bizarrely good vision in this relentless dark, he feels that other dominating sense he's had since 'waking': something is missing. or: i am missing something. ruining his questionable guard: he coughs, covering his mouth only briefly and failing to notice a lavender petal feather down lightly into the dark. ]