Ael | labrathor (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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nexus_crossings2022-10-16 08:33 am
labrathor) wrote in nexus_crossings2022-10-16 08:33 am
Entry tags:
Happy Naberus! [Party post]
There's a chill in the air and a distant howl, and the sun is nowhere to be seen. On the outskirts of the Plaza, grinning faces carved into squashes tempt passersby to follow their lighted path, leading visitors down twists and turns through darkened streets, fog swirling around their feet. Did you already pass this way before? Are you going in circles, lost forever? Doubling back on yourself will lead to much the same result. And you don't remember when or how, but your clothes have somehow become a costume - whether funny, horrific, or downright bizarre.
Eventually, you find yourself in a small street carnival, tucked away far beyond the beaten path. Lights and lanterns run the length of a darkened street, the smells of fried and baked treats in the air, a light haze of smoke gathering under the awnings of food stalls. Beyond the food stalls, a haunted house beckons the brave to venture into its dark, cramped corridors, the sounds of distant screams coming from deep within. To the other side, a mountain of pumpkins waits to be carved, scoops and wicked-looking knives laid out on a tall table. Further still, wooden washtubs full of dark red wine host a small flotilla of apples to be bobbed, leaving all participants with deep red stains running down their necks from trying.
But before you can investigate the many wonders this strange little celebration has to offer, you must first be confronted by the host.
What looks for all the world like a fleshy flower writhes in the entryway to the festival, already towering over most visitors at fifteen feet high. But then that flower opens, unfolding into the form of an even larger young woman, bloody handprints painted on her exposed skin and shards of glass seemingly jammed directly into her head, and papercraft severed limbs hang in a necklace around her throat. She grins at you with unrestrained glee. "Couldn't resist, right? This is the happiest time of the entire year! Happy Naberus! You do know what that is? The Orokin festival of death, darkness, and deviance." She peers down at those in her presence. "We're all equal on Naberus night now, under our masks. Who's to know who's powerful and who isn't?"
She straightens up and laughs, waving her arms towards the carnival behind her. "Don't say I didn't warn you!"
[ooc: Happy Naberus, Nexus-goers! This is a party post, so feel free to tag around under the activity tags or just with each other! And remember, everyone must have a costume to participate! You can make it as mundane or as terrifying as you like. If you are open to spooky and/or horrifying events happening to your character, please also contact me through DMs here or to Ael on Discord so we can plan it together beforehand. The horror side of this event is opt-in, and threads containing such content should be tagged in the subject line.]
no subject
This was definitely going to be more intense than any haunted house he’d been in back in his world. He grinned to himself with excitement!
And then came the crossroads.
He didn’t really even hesitate before turning to the right. Picking the breathing over the skittering noises was an easy choice. What it meant, though… who knew?
no subject
A distant glow, barely anything to see by, just enough for Minoru to make out shapes and shadows. Jagged shapes hang from the ceiling and down the walls, enormous fangs embedded in the fleshy corridor. The floor heaves slightly, contracting, a muscle spasm that threatens to make him stumble.
The rhythmic breathing suddenly stops, replaced by a slow, steady sucking of air. A great inhale, drawing Minoru forward...
no subject
“Okay… this is starting to get a little gross.”
He didn’t stumble when the floor shook. But to keep his balance, he crouched just far enough that his hand touched the floor. Immediately he pulled it back in revulsion.
“Okay, a lot gross.” He cringed as he stood back up. He shook his hand and wiped it on his sleeve. “If they’re trying to make it feel like I’m inside something, they sure doing a good job. Ugh…”
When he felt himself being drawn forward, Minoru just went with it. He was more than happy to leave that disgusting fleshy hallway behind!
no subject
It's just enough time for Minoru to second (and third) guess his decision before the floor drops out from underneath him, and he finds himself in an unstoppable slimy slide.
Deeper, deeper, faster, faster...!
And then...!
Oof! He tumbles to a landing in a pile of bones that clatter as they're struck, bleached by acid and dry to the touch. The walls are lit with glowing orange pustules that cast a dim light over small abattoir, a darker passage at the far end of the chamber.
Movement stirs among the bones, the skittering of countless chitin legs...
no subject
“Okay… maybe I’ve had enough fun for one…” he said to himself as he stood up. “uh…”
He definitely didn’t expect to end up in front of a small slaughterhouse. The sight, the smell and the feeling of slime still clinging to his body made him immediately nauseated.
“Okay. Yeah. Ready to get off this ride.”
Not like that was going to happen…
no subject
No sign of the exit. Perhaps it's somewhere at the end of this maze?
A strange light shines through the walls of each passageway, like a flashlight shone through skin. There doesn't seem to be anybody else down here, at least, not until Minoru catches sight of a roughly man-sized shadow making its way through the labyrinth...