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Fire
Fire, one of the three foundational elements of the World, is a transformative omen. Demanding attention and respect, fire signals a period of change and personal growth; consumption and passion; destruction and death. Approach your current situation with awareness and harness the energy within to pursue that which sets your soul alight. But be wary: without careful attention, fire can quickly become an uncontrollable, reckless force of destruction. As quickly as it can purify, it can reduce to ash.Ram's Horn
Often used as a musical instrument for communal or religious purposes, its disturbing loudness calls one to attention, urging one to wake up and focus on the world before you. Appearing before you now, it asks: what crucial, obvious detail are you missing?Key
A key appearing in your empty cup represents an opportunity. Something once locked away by another is now accessible to you. If the key appears as the largest symbol, or if it appears alone, you may soon discover a puzzling revelation which puts a puzzling situation into perspective. If the key is broken, beware that someone close to you withholds information that keeps you from your goal, or perhaps intentionally obfuscates your path.Spider
Spiders represent that which has been fearfully misconstrued. Rather than the malicious intent so often assumed of it, the spider is a creature of patience and careful planning. A spider appearing in your tea leaves is an omen suggesting the web of your actions lays the foundation for your success. But beware: even the most well-constructed web requires patience to navigate. Do you weave your own destiny? Or will you be hopelessly caught in the machinations of your own web?Tree
Just as a tree may rot from inside, the intricately tangled roots of your relationships that were once your source of stability may be your downfall. A tree appearing in your the leaves of your tea is a symbol of stability that can weather near any storm.Bridge
A bridge represents a transition. If the bridge appears sturdy, your can be confident in your path forward. But if the bridge is broken or incomplete, be wary and be careful to navigate the obstacles ahead. A misstep now could send you plummeting to the depths of [ illegible text ]Bird
A bird appearing at the bottom of your cup signifies a deep, intrinsic desire to persevere - and a selfish instinct to rise above, separate yourself from the struggles of those less fortunate than you. Untethered by [ illegible text ], the bird's appearance may suggest your growing feelings of isolation. It calls for self-reflection: is your detachment your safety, your strength? Or are abandoning those you left behind?Lion
The lion is a creature of immense power and legendary strength. Its appearance is an omen of symbolic ending. Pay close attention to transformations happening around you, and welcome these transitions into your life: some endings, though painful, are a necessary sacrifice to open the way for something new.י
This [ illegible text ] represents the smallest, yet most powerful and significant, beginning. Easy to miss, it contains infinite potential, and its presence suggests the formation of something new in your life. Pay close attention to that which you may usually overlook. That which you now experience is a part of something beyond your current understanding.Feather
A feather suggests that you are being called to let go of your burdens and approach life with greater ease. Whether this means allowing yourself to forgive or rest or move on, the feather encourages a mindset of grace and acceptance. Be open to signs, whispers, and the quiet truths carried on the wind.Chains
The appearance of a chain in tea leaves represents deep connection, and warns that a bond, while strong, may be holding you back. Relationships, while a wonderful exploration and support, grow heavy and limiting when boundaries and independence become lost and blurred. If multiple, linked chains appear, you may be holding onto something limiting your self-expression. If the chain appears broken, or in pieces, this symbol urges careful self-reflection. Are you connections empowering you... imprisoning you? Are your connections formed of love... or obligation?Snake
A snake's omen is twofold. While it represents deception and warns you to be wary of hidden threats from those close to you, it is also a symbol of transformation and renewal and shedding one's skin to grow. Consider the changes you face now, or in the near future, and how they will transform you. Will it be for better, or worse? Will you be the predator... or they prey?Coffin
A coffin signifies suffering, but not for you. Someone you care about may already be struggling, or they may face a sudden, unwelcome change. Either way, the appearance of the coffin in your cup suggests this turn of fortune is somehow tied to you. Be vigilant. Will you be the cause of your loved one's misfortune, or the solution?Worms
The appearance of worms suggests something inside of you is rotting. Perhaps you have lost sight of something important. Perhaps something you believe is a lie. Just as decay makes soil richer, your current mindset can feed your growth. This symbol encourages you to ask yourself hard questions. Who are you? Who do you want to be? What do you want?Star
Stars represent hope, inspiration, and direction. A star near the handle of your teacup may mean you have confidence in your decisions, that you should continue on the path you are currently on. Multiple stars may mean other people are looking to you for guidance or leadership. People are counting on you. Try not to let them down.Apple
The apple's meaning is twofold. For some, it is a sign of long life and successful dealings. For others, it is the forbidden fruit, a warning that your choices may have unintended, unwanted effects. Look closely at your relationships with others. Are they fruitful? What sort of fruit will your efforts bear?Camel
The camel denotes dignity, resilience, and patience. It appears most often to those who feel burdened, particularly those who carry the burdens of others. Consider this sign a reminder that endurance is not always a virtue. You may benefit from setting more boundaries and asking others to share the load with you when you can.Triangle
Triangles are always auspicious, for three is a powerful number. A triangle pointing upward may indicate an ascension, a move upward from your current position to new and better things. A triangle pointing downward may hint at internal growth, increased focus, or self-improvement. What path does the triangle point you toward? Follow it wherever it leads.Leaf
Just as a leaf is carried by the wind along a path with no control of its own, its appearance in tea leaves represents a directionless period of life where personal meaning is lost. If the leaf appears alone, it may indicate uncertainty. If surrounded by other symbols, it may suggest external influence pulls you in many directions, obfuscating your way.Scepter
A scepter symbolizes authority and control. When it appears askew, it warns of corruption and abuse, suggesting that power is wielded unfairly and that cruelty overshadows justice. It may represent a figure in your life who demands control without consent. Consider where power dynamics influence you. Are you the one enforcing control, or are you subject to it? And if so, how long will you allow it?Shield
A shield in tea leaves represents protection from harm, resilience, and the act of escaping from an oppressive or abusive situation. This symbol suggests that you are seeking safety, whether that safety comes in a physical or emotional form. If the shield appears strong and intact, you are successfully guarding yourself against past wounds or present dangers. If cracked or worn, it may indicate lingering fear or the need to reinforce your boundaries.Consider who in your life you provide with strength... or who provides it to you; and remember: protection is not weakness. It is a sign of courage, and of survival.
Its leather cover gleams with intricate designs of twisting vines and unfamiliar symbols. Small, sharp studs protrude from the edges of the leather, breaking through the unnervingly organic curves of the binding.
Opening the book reveals neatly inked pages, but the lettering is of strange and unreadable design, and hurts the eye to look at too closely for too long, leaving your vision blurred and head throbbing. Nearly every line has been underlined in dull pencil, marked with endless nonsensical annotations of half-formed questions and cryptic warnings. Tucked between the final page and the back corner is a note on faded parchment, written in the same scrawled hand: WHO CAN BRING OUT CLEAN FROM UNCLEAN? A neater, blocked hand replies, THERE IS NOT ONE.
Touching the pages themselves sends a visceral sensation sliding up the nerves of your fingers, through your arm, and the library around anyone inside is replaced by a place in your memory. It trembles as the haze of vision settles into place.
You’re standing in a room you recognize: it’s the backdrop to an important moment in your life. A place where a touch was exchanged — physical or emotional, kind of unkind, something burned into your memory or something best forgotten. Only sharing the context of the memory, the context of what it means to you, aloud to your companion allows you to escape the vision and stand safely back in the library.
But should you choose to withhold what the place means to you, or if you lie? The scene before you becomes a grotesque, intensifying nightmare: the air thickens with fog and soot, impossible to breathe; the furniture rapidly degrades, the walls twisting and warping, the floors rotting and breaking under your feet; shadow creatures grab at your arms; bugs swarm from cracks in the walls; eyeless crows swarm, clawing at your skin and tearing at your hair.
Only confessing the significance of the room frees you and your companion – be stubborn enough, and your dream’s death leaves you gasping for breath on the library floor.
When your character is accepted to the game, please make a top-level comment for your character below. AC should be submitted by commenting on your header at the end of every cycle with this form:
☠ All comments must be posted within the period of activity (the previous two months).
☠ Proofs must be from a variety of CR.
☠ You must submit two proofs, each with at least five tags from your character.
☠ Happenings and NPC interactions do not count for AC requirements.
Bonus Activity Rewards are an optional system to receive various in-game perks. As a game aiming to maintain a laid-back environment and pace, the spirit of Pareidolia's Bonus Activity Rewards are to reward interaction variety within the game, rather than rewarding the sheer volume of interaction within the game.
Bonus Activity can be submitted with Activity Check or at any time during the cycle. The variety of interaction types that qualify for bonus activity are listed below.
Threads and/or CR used for AC proofs may not be submitted Bonus Activity.
Rewards may be redeemed by using the form to the right and commenting under your character's activity toplevel. The categories of available rewards are listed below. If you'd like something that doesn't fit into a category listed, feel free to make an argument for what you'd like and how much it should cost.
Characters receiving redeemed rewards will find the item at random in any way players deem appropriate. For example, an item could catch the light in just the right way to draw their eye, could be mysteriously placed in their cabin while they're away, revealed in the dying embers of the common house fire, or discovered in the dirt as they're tending to the garden. Items may be ignored ICly, but will continue to appear in their paths indefinitely.
Wherever they are when the update occurs, whether it's asleep in their bed or reading in the library, characters are swarmed by a thick, dark fog that seems to come from nowhere. It chokes against their throat, blurs their vision, and is ice against their skin. To anyone watching, the character becomes a blur, hardly perceivable and impossible to reach through the fog.
The updating character suffers overwhelming pain as their mind is crammed full of the missing memories and their physical status changes, as if they are experiencing everything in the canon update gap at once. The process can take moments, minutes, or hours at player discretion, proportionate in vibes to the gap of time between the canon points.
When it's over, the fog sinks into their skin and disappears, leaving them an exhausted heap on the ground, and with a headache that lasts for days.
Pareidolia is a horror game that focuses on exploring character emotion, identity, relationships, and how close anyone can be to being pushed off the edge of morality.
Characters will not be humanized, but will be scaled down to fit the setting.
Yes. Death is not permanent. Should a character die, shortly after death, their body will be swarmed by crows. When the swarm reaches a point of overwhelming auditory and visual noise, the crows will suddenly scatter, and all that will be left behind is a dissipating dark mist. This process begins within a minute of their death, and lasts less than thirty seconds.
Characters will return the next day or later, confused and dazed, by stumbling out of the mist at the edges of town. They will not remember where they have been. At player discretion, they are encouraged to have a permanent scar, mark, or other loss related to their death.
Take, for example, they might find that blanket they need to keep warm tucked at the end of their bed, but it's worn and frayed thin in places. There will always be food in the pantry, but the flour is always on the edge of running out, and the thin stores of preserved meat are oversalted and hard to chew. The trunk in their room has enough clothes for daily wear, but they may not necessarily be in a character's style, and they'll certainly need to wash their clothes and linens themselves.
Pareidolia is a semi-private dark fantasy horror panfandom game that emphasizes characters' influence on and connection to the setting.
Pareidolia sets its focus on emotion and identity, and aims to capture the dread of the undefinable shapes moving in the dark — the intimacy of hushed late night conversations that can never be repeated in the daylight — and the creeping cultivation of the darkest parts of ourselves.
Characters find themselves in a long abandoned and deteriorating mountain village, surrounded by steep cliffs, dense forest, and disorienting fog. With resources dwindling and the air growing ever-colder, only one thing is clear: it's going to take everything they have to survive.
Game content and themes will commonly include cult worship, cannibalism, gore, body horror, and animal death. While dark content will be warned appropriately, aspects of the cult themes are central to the game and unable to be opted out of.
It started with the dreams.
Nightmares ripped at the secrets coiled tightly around your heart, woke you in the dark, sweat-drenched, left you with only a fading blur of memory and the aftertaste of terror. The dread lingers in the day, flicking at the periphery of wakefulness, ensouling its snare at night, until one you wake to find yourself not in your bed, but lying on your back on the morning-damp earth between unfamiliar cottages in an unfamiliar village.
No one comes to welcome you, and there is nothing to indicate why you are here, where you should go, or where you can rest when night falls. A crow cocks its head from its thatch rooftop perch, watching you curiously as you orient yourself and wipe the mud from your cheek.
Welcome to Pareidolia.
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