The door creaks as it closes behind him. He's not bothered, of course. It's ridiculous, this whole thing. He's long-since been under the firm belief that he does not scare, not easily at least. That is not about to change because they put him in a beige room and lock the door behind him. The first thing he notes then is the creak of music, a dizzying sort of melody. Nursery music from a busted music box. The stink of mold like an old house — waterlogged walls, splintered floors, moth-eaten dusty sheets on old furnishing. He forces himself forward, blanking on the thoughts it brings forward. Targeting the senses to provoke a chemical reaction, they got the basics of fear at least. Great for them.

He draws further down the hall, twisting his head to the side to follow the sudden movement of a shadow. It's nothing, keep going. The floor is so dark, there's no knowing when it might just swallow him up. That's not the game though, made even more clear by the lights that flicker on the walls. Shadow puppets flicker across the wall. It reminds him of sleepovers with wren rourke . Shadow puppets projected from a cheap flashlight, stupid laughter muffled under covers. It doesn't exactly provoke the fear they likely hope for. He shoves his hands into his jacket pockets with an unimpressed sigh. Even as the imagery changes, even as it darkens. None of this bothers him. "Is this a joke or something?" Almost had him going there for a moment and now he's disappointed. Yet it doesn't last, something in the tone changes.

Then, there's a rail-thin child digging through garbage. He's just hungry. He's just so fucking hungry, and alone. Emaciated beasts nip at his ankles, birds wait above for him to die. He can almost taste it, feel the sting. It's cold, the people pass him by. They don't even look at him. He doesn't even exist. The ones that do notice him bring only pain. "Really fucking funny." He hisses then, twisting away from the imagery of buzzards on a dead boy. It didn't happen like that, he wasn't alone forever. Things changed.

He moves on and the shadow of the dead boy vanishes.

yjAL79zy

40 resolve
Not open to interaction as of this very second~

He's used to stray shadows darting just out of sight, noises echoing in a dirty vacant alleyways. In truth, none of this should scare him. As proven by the vision he just saw, it's all in his head. Allowing it to take over would be weakness. The hall seems to stretch on, the objects above, twisting on their strings, continues to cast ghoulish depictions on the walls. The floor is vacuous. The darkness is a weighty thing. It's unnerving, but its not frightening, by any means.

Maybe if he hadn't spent his night hugging his knees, praying no one would notice him, this might prove more than simply unnerving. Not that he necessarily handles stress well, he just has an unhealthy idea of fear and stress. The comparison between this and his own experience seems immeasurably distant from one another.

Levy twists around, turning on his heels in a full circle. The shadows behind him have vanished, his own as well. The clink and clank of discordant music continues, nursery-like. A vacant and empty crib. The mildew stink grows, it reminds him of his home — a long time ago. "So, I guess that's it?" He grumbles, stepping onward into the dark. The gory scenes of shadow puppets loses his attention. Maybe this is a waste of time after all

Yp93gZl7

30 resolve
open to interaction or whatevssss

JUMPSCARE!!!

[break]

Your shadow has returned to your side, though its reappearance would bear no comfort. It seems to face toward you, like a stranger staring through a window. Then without warning, your shadow departs from the wall. With great effort it begins to peel itself into the material plane, its hands desperate to latch onto you. What do you do?[break][break]

• Run: You flee the shadow's grasp. Gain 10 Resolve, but roll a 4th dice this round. This 4th dice is treated like the other three, you will lose 10 Resolve if it rolls a PRIME number.
• Smash the Lights: You smash the lights to disperse the shadow. You should not have done that. Do not roll this round. A horrible consequence will occur after your next post.
• Embrace Your Shadow: You allow the shadow to grab you, and it pulls you in for an embrace. The hall fades, and you suddenly find yourself trapped in a wretched nightmare. Roll only one dice this round. A failed roll costs 40 Resolve instead of 10. Awaken back in the hall on your next post.

@elio Elisabeth Fiorelli Levy Alinsky

"Shi—" He jumps at the sight of the blonde, not expecting the sudden splash of color amongst the anemic background. Right then, shadows should be playing across their faces, cast by the offset of the lighting above. It doesn't. Everything about this place feels distinctly unnatural, all the details are written out of order. Honestly, the most terrifying thing so far is the threat of talking to people. "I'll take that as a compliment, I guess." Another glimpse about, he feels his paranoia begin to diminish a little with the added company. "For risk of what might happen if I agree, no comment."

As if to prove his point, and also mock his attempt to side-step the potential irony, the atmosphere changes. He spins around, "What is—?" He mutters, falling silent then as he faces it. Himself, but something else. Oozing, frothing shadow. It tilts its head to mirror his movement and then shudders, peeling free from the wall like rotten, water-logged wallpaper. Disjointed movement as it creeps closer. Move, he tells himself. Feral instinct screams, Move! Yet, he's frozen. You coward, you stupid boy, move. It grips his arms first before pulling him in.

Everything goes dark then, filling him up like a humid pressure in his head. He leans over then, falling to his knees and vomiting black ichor on the ground. At first, he doesn't process that he's somewhere else. This is something else. His vision sways and he feels sick. He looks up then, rising to meet a familiar face. wren rourke has always had that good aura — a light about him that seems to permeate outwards. Yet, right then, the blonde looks so tired. His expression sour. The color on his face something sick. Sunken cheeks and shadow-lined eyes. "I hate you." There's something different about vitriol and malice from good people. It cuts like a serrated knife, sticks in and wont let go. "Wait, Wren... wait- what? I'm sorry what did I do?"

"I hate you, I never want to see you again." Those bright eyes go even more dull, sunken, skeletal. The other boy turns away, slipping through a dark passageway. Levy stumbles after, "Wait, Wren. Please, don't leave me. I don't want to be alone." A door slams behind him. Wren is gone. Moonlight shines through a dusty bay window. The room is vacant save for a child's bed at the center of the room. Dolls line a shelf. Warped floorboards; the stink of blight; wallpaper peeling from the rotten walls like old, yellowed fingernails. It seems like centuries ago but he remembers it. This isn't right.

He twists around to try the doorknob, but then something creaks the floorboards on the other side. Something heavy. Shadows slip across the opening at the bottom of the door and then something massive smacks against it. The whole door shudders on its frame. He falls, crashing down hard. He's smaller again, narrow boyish limbs tangling up awkwardly. "Levyyyyy," A sing-song voice lilts on the other side, edged with rot and venom. "Ma, you can't come in." A much younger voice sobs. Fingers appear through the open slot at the bottom, cracked nails clawing at the floor boards.

With an angry snarl, they vanish. Another heavy slam, the door creaks. The wood splinters. Frantically, he crawls for the bed, shoving things out from under it to hide. Curling up in a ball, his hands lock around his knees and he squeezes his eyes shut. Another heavy slam. Then another. Each time, he braces and a sob slips free. Please, stop. 

The next slam and the door crashes down. Something heavy falls in. He imagines the ugly bruises, the yellowed skin, thinning hair, that crazed look in her eyes. She's angry at him. This is the stupid thing about kids, thinking they can hide in a vacant room and not be noticed. A breath of silence spreads out then, stilling the air. For a moment, he thinks it has passed. He twists around and a hand closes around his ankle. He screams as she pulls him back out into the darkness.

dBUi2MeO

30 resolve
nightmare indulgence vs. free bonus :'3

TRAP!!!

[break]



You have shattered the lights, playing right into their hands. The floor begins to rumble beneath you as something Massive hurdles itself down the hall. A cascade of darkness, all forming a singular figure that roars at your insolence. You have no choice but to run

VnonOcAT

Win Condition Change: You can ONLY roll the above numbers.

@elio Elisabeth Fiorelli

Everything hurts as his eyes open. Shadows spill out into the hall, lights warp under the strange ambience. The imagery of the nightmare remains with him. He very much doubts it's going away any time soon. It's pathetic, really. To be affected so easily by something that isn't even real. It's all in his head and yet there lies his greatest weakness. Really, he should get up. He should keep going. That's the fucking point of this all, right — to keep going?

Instead, he sits up and tugs his knees against his chest. All alone in the vacant and dark space (just how he likes it, right? alone). Instead of getting up as he should, he just sits there, waiting for his mind to still. It's all in his head. None of this is real. What a fucked up place this turned out to be. So much for being unaffected, instead he felt like he just got gut punched.

"I just need a second," He grumbles, certain he'll have no choice but to move in a moment or so. Maybe it's better to just let it be. Will anyone blame him if he quits? He will, of course. Does that matter? Not really.

JxbtoPtH

:c resolve

ELIMINATION!

[break]



Your fate is already sealed. A chill would suddenly tap across your neck. After further delay you begin to shiver as all of the heat behind you disappears, leaving only a soft biting wind. You hesitate to look, your mind spiraling over what horror could possibly be standing behind you. Against your better judgement, you risk a peek. All you see is pitch-black darkness, and as this cold dark envelopes you that is all you will see for eternity. 

Levy Alinsky has been ELIMINATED!