This is the story of a man named Atticus

"We can only be found now."

[rflcticns]

"ʜᴀɴᴅꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴡʀɪɴɢ ᴍʏ ɴᴇᴄᴋ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ ꜱᴘᴇʟʟꜱ ʀᴇɢʀᴇᴛ"

-the stanley parable au rp blog-

-semi selective . crossover friendly . oc friendly -

-interacts from @slideintothevoid . mun by @theyashirocommission-

-the muses-

promo template by: @/ noahsresources psd by: @/ cavalierfou

[rflcticns]

Art by AnnaDrawz

[person918x]

[liminalxbasementxdweller]

No way out, this place is a maze.

[memesfromstuff]

*: ･ﾟ✧   90 loaded questions / interview the muse.

found on this website, so credit goes to them.

What’s your favorite strategy for avoiding tough situations?

How often do you do things just for the attention?

Would you prefer to be manipulated or to be the manipulator?

What is something someone always tells you to do more of?

What is something someone always tells you to do less of?

Who do you look to blame when things go wrong?

What is the one thing people assume about you that you wish was true?

What is the one thing people assume about you that you wish wasn’t true?

When was the last time you lied to protect your image?

How often do you put on a happy face when you’re really not feeling it?

When do you think you began putting your guard up so much?

Who made you feel most anxious when you were a kid?

How do you speak about others when they’re not around?

What aspect of your life are you most delusional about?

How often do your admit you were wrong?

Which one of your biggest flaws do you like to rationalize the most?

Is it your fear of commitment or your fear of intimacy that makes you shut down more?

At what stage of a relationship are you most likely to withdraw emotionally?

What is the one compliment you always get that you’re too embarrassed to accept, so you deflect it?

What would someone say is your worst habit?

What is the one insecurity you are pretty sure has some basis in reality?

When was the last time you felt really insecure about the parts of yourself you pretend don’t exist?

What is the most interesting white lie you’ve told?

Do you ever feel like an imposter?

Do your friends know how competitive you are?

What’s the hardest thing about being rejected?

How do you deal when you know you’re being irrationally jealous?

How do you deal when you know someone’s not willing to give you what you want?

Are you ever afraid of people knowing who you really are?

If you went to a therapist today, what would they say is holding you back the most?

When was the last time you lowered your standards just to get someone else’s approval?

Is your need for revenge greater than your need for peace?

Have you stopped trying to control things yet?

Which parts of yourself do you still seek validation for?

How do you cope with being unfairly ignored?

Do you like punishing yourself for things that are out of your control?

What does someone say is your biggest problem when communicating?

Are you okay with not knowing what happens next?

Will you ever feel okay with being imperfect?

Does sabotaging yourself give you an odd sense of comfort?

How do you feel about being disliked by some people?

What’s the strangest thing you’ve done just to avoid failure?

What is the biggest risk you’ve taken just to prove yourself?

What’s the boldest thing you do every day, just to feel like you’re still in control?

What accusation would you defend yourself most fiercely against, even though you know it’s true?

What’s the most toxic thing about yourself you actually kind of secretly like?

How much do you enjoy being in control?

When do you give yourself permission to lose control?

What guilty pleasure are you currently justifying to yourself?

What is the most passive-aggressive way you’ve dealt with your rage?

What is the pettiest and most immature way you’ve avoided losing face?

What’s the worst habit you have that rewards you the most?

How do you get your needs met when you’re alone?

What is the most ridiculous thing you’ve done to please people?

What is the most ridiculous way you’ve rebelled?

What’s your favorite way to channel your aggression?

How do you cope with being betrayed?

Are you okay with disliking someone?

What is your favorite form of self-destruction?

What’s the one thing you struggle most to manifest in your life?

What’s the one thing that you manifest so easily, people are jealous of it?

What’s the most irrational reason you’ve ever had for disliking someone?

What is one fear that you’d be ashamed of your friends knowing about?

Which one of your deepest secrets do you think is the least common?

How do people normally find out you hate them?

What is your go-to strategy to deflect criticism, even constructive criticism?

What is one thing people always get wrong about you?

What emotion motivates you the most when you’re down?

What emotion makes you want to give up?

Are people shocked when you stand up for yourself?

How often do you say yes to the things you really want to say yes to?

How often do you say no to the things that make your skin crawl?

How far are you willing to go to maintain a relationship, even an unhealthy one?

What is the worst way someone’s ever abandoned you?

What is the worst way you’ve ever abandoned yourself?

How do you entertain yourself when you’re not around people?

Are you happier alone because you enjoy being alone or because you prefer it to being surrounded by horrible people?

What habit do you know you could quit but don’t want to?

What is your favorite strategy for avoiding difficult people?

What is your favorite strategy for avoiding conflict?

What is the weirdest thing that gets you angry?

What is the weirdest thing that makes you sad?

How often do you take responsibility for other people’s crappy behavior?

When are you most likely to shut people out?

Which insecurity would shock people if they knew about it?

What do you find yourself justifying to people, even when no justification is needed?

When was the last time you tried to please someone who made you angry?

What do people often tell you need to focus more on?

What do people often tell you need to focus less on?

What is the one thing that could make you happy, but you refuse to do it because you’re afraid of what others would think?

[rflcticns]

▶▶ skip ahead?

Atticus eyes focused on something, something strange, something he’d never seen before, a yellow button with a skip-like symbol. What is this? Is this an entity or an object that he doesn’t know about? Well Alec doesn’t seem to know either judging by his commentary.

He decides to press it to find out, Alec telling him to be careful, which he is anyway, he is in the backrooms after all.

[skippedforward]

(∥) five minutes pass. you wait. in a blink, it’s over.

[rflcticns]

Atticus returns by blinking, to which Alec noticed, being quick to tell him what happened "Oh there you are, Wanderer. I was wondering if you'd gotten yourself into trouble again, seeing as you're so good at that. You'd frozen in time, I dont know what that button is but I do not believe it to be trustable."

Atticus rolls his eyes, asking how much time has passed, he gets told 5 minutes. It can't be that bad if it's just five minutes, right? So before Alec can give him any sort of answer he presses again. Curiosity killed the cat after all

[rflcticns]

[ @kamurocho-dreams / Offering Ryoma Nishikiyama ]

✂💕

Atticus doesn't recognize the difference between a person and a skin stealer, not not, and certainly not soon. He's angered, he's damaged and he's not in the mood, so upon seeing Ryoma, a man once familiar to him who'd hed met before, in these hellish halls. He didnt hesitate to take out a weapon and fire, not bothering to wait and see if it was a skin stealer or an actual person.

A handheld wound shouldn't do so much damage, then why did it tear so much skin? Revealing parts of the other's face and body from where Atticus missed his shots. And, they certainly shouldn't have an exit wound. The hole straight through Ryoma's shoulder would say otherwise.

At this moment, Atticus was seeing red and hearning nothing, not the sound of Alec telling him to stop, and even less aware of any entity that were to come to the scene, which he'd shoot with just as much hatred. He's so tired of being in these halls, after having gotten so close, it felt like this was a joke.

James walked toward Ryoma and practically forced him down, were he not down yet, and were he not dead yet, he'd feel Atticus dig a knife into his back and open it, he's not one to take apart corpses, but god knows he needs something to tear to pieces before he tears himself to pieces.

Once wary and gentle brown eyes staring empty and with hate at the red on his hands, the red staining a white suit. It took a while before Atticus finally stopped, getting up and exhaling, lightheaded from the activity but, it was necessary. It's not until he looks back probably to think about whether he should hide the corpse or not, that he realizes that this was not, in fact, a skin stealer.

"...Oh James, you foolish boy, your little tantrum? Look at what you caused." He heard from nowhere, he could recognize it was Ryoma now, but instead of doing anything about it, he did what he knows best. He ran. He ran until he could no longer see the corpse, until he clipped through the level into another, until the red in his hands had dried into them.

[angstmemes]

Send me ‘✂’ and my muse will kill yours. Right now. Brutally, horribly, bloody. Just do it.

[rflcticns]

[ @kamurocho-dreams / Ryoma Nishikiyama ]

The rain drizzled down, the neon lights of Kamurocho shone so brightly in the freshly formed puddles. There were people everywhere despite the rain. A buzz of excitement rushing through them as they reached out to the skies. Money drifted down from the tall tower, smoke billowing from its' 60th floor.

On the rooftop of Serena, a man sat on the edge of the building, lighting a cigarette with his golden lighter that had a koi fish engraved onto it. He mindlessly watched the billowing smoke and moeny continue to flow freely from the building. The love of his life was in there, named as one of the victims of the explosion. So many questions rattled his mind, but all he could do was watch on in misery as the people below him on the bright, neon streets cheered with excitement as they attempted to grab as much cash as they could.

The icy air and constant drizzle had finally forced him to remove himself from this view. He stood so calmly, removing the cigarette from his mouth and tossing it to the side, before stepping on it to put it out. As he made his way down to the street level, his head was spinning, his heart broken. His place in the world seemed lost, like everything was a dream. All he could focus on was the sound of the sirens in the distance, knowing fully well that they were carrying his beloveds burnt and heavily damaged body. Being so distraught and lost in the endless haunting thoughts, Ryoma made his way down the metal stairs.

As he made his way down, a metal clanging following his footsteps. His heart dropped suddenly, sending a wave of fear shooting through his body as he missed a step. Without warning, he tumbled down the metal stairs, a loud clanging following his descent, landing into the puddle that awaited him at the bottom.

And then he fell.

And it went on. And on. And on. It never stopped. He could no longer see the streets of Kamurocho- the neon lights that dotted the place, the crowded streets... nothing. He couldn't hear the sirens anymore, or the cheering crowds. For a moment, he closed his eyes. Perhaps he had only knocked himself out-

When he opened them again, he found himself in a lavish hotel foyer. It was like nothing he had seen before, with original pieces of furniture from the 30's dotting the room. It felt as though he had stepped back in time. As he laid there, feeling the world continuing to spin and a dull ache in his head, he could hear the faint echoes of calming jazz music. His elegant white suit was now sodden- and now, freshly stained with blood that was dripping from his own face.

The place felt unsettling- and completely unnatural considering he was just on the streets of Kamurocho. Did he pass out and end up here? Did he just blank out after that fall and make his own way to this... place. Wherever this was. It certainly didn't feel like something you'd find anywhere close to Tokyo.

Ryoma sat up, feeling the blood drip from his nose as he looked around. There was an odd feeling, as though he was being watched- but there was no one present.

"Hello?" He spoke in his best English, in hopes that someone could hear him.

There was a faint sound of music almost as if from a record player playing somewhere nearby, what song it was was hard to tell. The halls seemed to bend and stretch endlessly, and the feeling that there was something wrong was not able to be helped.

A fluttering could be heard, a moth most probably, that's until it actually appeared. 6 limb like things came from its body, fuzz at their ends. It was massive, at least 4 feet. It was a Deathmoth. The deathmoth stared at Ryoma, before making a sound of having been aggravated

It spat something on the floor, and the floor began to melt, it was acid. It fluttered its wings and flew toward Ryoma, better start running as soon as possible if you know what's good for you.

Whether he'd chosen to run or not, a muffled bang would strike down the deathmoth, followed by the sound of a gentle exhale. The man put down his weapon and looked at Ryoma. There is now a man standing behind where the deathmoth was flying, and is now on the floor. He gazes up at Ryoma

The man had messy black hair with desaturated brown eyes, wearing a grey turtleneck, black pants, and just as dark combat boots. There was a bag slung over his shoulder, a handgun on his hip, and another gun on the side of the bag, this is ignoring the one currently held in his hand. There was a hint of exhaustion on his eyes.

[kamurocho-dreams]

The subtle sounds of fluttering wings caught his attention, turning to look towards the source of this gentle sound. The giant creature- moth-looking thing moved slowly towards him. He's never seen anything like this before, nor does he ever want to see anything like this again.

Maybe if he stayed still and quiet, this thing wouldn't see him. Maybe, he could be that lucky. He held his breath, eyes pinned on the moth. He watched the it spit at the ground before him, watching the floor around it begin to sink into the void.

What the hell.

Feeling his heart spring to motion, pounding in his chest as a sense of panic rose within him, Ryoma picked himself up from the ground and attempted to hurry away from this terrifying creature. As he moved, he felt a sharp pain shooting through his leg, forcing him to stumble. He hadn't noticed the pain from the rest of his body after his tumble down the stairs behind Serena, but that didn't matter right now. All he needed to do was get out of here.

The sudden ringing of the gunshot didn't phase him- if anything, he felt relief wash over him as he saw this terrifying creature tumble to the floor. A man stood behind the beast, gun in hand. He looked messy, his clothes and hair- clearly the sight of someone who has had to fight to survive. The exhaustion in his eyes clearly demonstrated this.

"Where the hell are we?" Ryoma spat out in his grumbly tone. He couldn't even thank the man for saving him. He just wanted to get out. This? On top of losing his beloved? Not what he needed. He was already at breaking point, and this only pushed him further into madness.

[rflcticns]

The man turned around, raising his hand for Ryoma to stop, it took a moment before he lowered it. "Welcome to Level 5 wanderer, The Terror Hotel." His voice rough, almost like it hasn't been used in a while. "Atticus James, you?"

You could swear you would hear a gentle chuckle from nowhere, but judging from the way Atticus just rolled his eyes then it wasn't something harmful. "Here, don't overuse it, sound attracts entities" He spoke as he walked over to Ryoma, handing him the gun and a few extra bullets, it seemed to be a sniper of sorts.

Atticus signaled for the other to follow him "You're in the backrooms, new i guess." His boots gently tapping on the ocasionally carpeted floor of the hotel. He was looking for the main hall, finding it odd a wanderer wouldn't have appeared there.

"I'll take you to a faction, there's some people around that use the level as an actual hotel, pretty safe in their hand actually." And as he walks, he spots a silver something on a door, quietly ushering Ryoma to follow as he opens the door. Behind lay one of The Beverly Rooms, a massive ballroom-type thing with a table on the center, the table has drinks and an unfinished game of Mahjong.

It's only after they're both inside that he realizes just who is on the other side of the room. "...shit" He mutters. A being dressed in a suit with the head of a squid, almost like an eldritch being, seems to also notice them. It looks glad to see them.

"Ah! James Atticus was it? How wonderful to see you around my hotel again." There is a hint of slight anger in his tone, and Atticus is clearly reaching for his handgun. "No need for weaponry, I see you've grown more accustomed to the backrooms. And who is this new friend of yours?"

A low growl escapes the man "Nobody." Putting an arm to stop Ryoma from going forward, he gives him a gaze that says to trust him. "No, let him come forward, he should introduce himself! Why It's my pleasure to meet you, I'm the Gentleman of Level 5, I own this wodnerful hotel, isn't it pleasing?" speaks the beast of level 5, to Atticus' dismay.

He looks at Ryoma, lowering his arm and simply deciding to trust the newcomer to do as he desires. All he hopes is he doesn't make a deal.

[kamurocho-dreams]

"Nishikiyama, Ryoma." He bluntly replies, this time introducing himself formally. The dried blood under his nose was starting to agitate him, forcing him to wipe it off onto his white sleeve- not that it mattered anyway considering the rest of his suit was stained with the same blood. He took the gun from Atticus- he'd rarely used any form of weaponry like this, but knew his way around them.

"Backrooms? What's that mean?" He asks as he follows along, completely ignoring everything he's being told by Atticus. "Look, I don't even know how I got here. But I need to go back, I have things to do."

Ryoma scoffed seeing the mahjong table in the middle of the room, half played too. No surprise, everyone hates mahjong. He goes to make his way into the room, but stops when he hears Atticus mutter. He looks up to see the being with the squid head-

What the actual hell is that? He's never seen anything like this.

The weird eldritch being piqued his interest. When do you ever get the chance to see something as messed up as this? Ryoma stepped forward, hoping to get a closer look, only to be stopped by Atticus.

Even after this thing asks to be introduced, Ryoma stays put. Now he's not sure he wants to approach this thing.

"I'm Nishikiyama." He speaks with a grumble in his voice. He refuses to provide his first name- because unlike normal people, he doesn't trust this creature. "Why am I here? How did I get here?"

[rflcticns]

"Well it's wonderous to meet you, Nikishiyama. You must've clipped through reality into the backrooms, how lucky are you to have landed in my hotel for your first visit! Despite the thousands that come through here, you are the only one who has landed first in my hotel" The beast laughs, making Atticus warier.

The beast begins to walk toward them, showing no signs of aggression, however Atticus is showing signs that he'd rather not be here. The beast stops a few feet before the duo "So I wonder, would you perhaps be willing to take a chance at owning this place with me?" It asks

This is where you can see Atticus' anxiety skyrocket, you can hear how he breathes. From the displays he's seen from the other, he knows that most probably he won't take the deal, but you never know. Plus he just doesn't want to be standing anywhere near the beast of level 5.

The best extends its hand to the man "So, what do you say?" It asks. You can see Atticus shaking his head, the beast seems to clearly ignore him

[kamurocho-dreams]

He has to take a moment to understand what the hell that means. Clipping through? Is he saying that he fell through the earth? The last thing Ryoma can remember of Kamurocho was the billowing smoke, the excited cheers below... the falling down the stairs. This still doesn't make sense to him, but he knows he needs to be present in this moment and to find a way out of here.

The beast approaches, its' hand extended out towards Ryoma. Out the corner of his vision, he notices the agitation forming in Atticus and the obvious shaking of his head. It's clear that he doesn't want to be here and that this thing is clearly up to something.

"Why the hell would I want to co-own this place?" Ryoma speaks, his grip tightening on his gun. "I just want to get out of here, back to Kamurocho. I have a family to run." There's an anger in his voice, is it because he's tolerating the pain still coursing through his body, the suffering fact that his love just died mere hours before, the fear of whatever the hell giant moth was from before, or this interaction? In any case, he's angry, and it's starting to reflect in his stance.

[rflcticns]

"Why there is no way ou-" "There is a way out, however i'd already be gone if it was easy to find" Atticus voice is harsh compared to the beast of level 5 "He refused your deal, let us go. You won't get nothing from us"

Atticus standing position turns from defensive to ready to run. "Fine then. Run, lamb boy, run." It speaks, and it takes just that for him to grab Ryoma's wrist and run. He's fast, he's always been a runner after all.

The amount of running he did would tire anyone out, but considering Ryoma was being forced to keep going by him, it's only when he stops that they both stop. He exhales, practically showing that did nothing to him but tire him a bit. Atticus puts his hands to his face "I need a moment.."

Before letting out a muffled scream into them, it's surprisingly muffled for just being his hands, he exhales shortly afterwards, proceeding to go into a coughing fit for doing that, he needs to remember to not use his voice like that when he barely has any.

He mutters a few unhearable things before handing Ryoma a bottle of something from his bag, it's Almond Water. "The only thing you need to survive here.." He speaks a bit louder before chugging half a bottle of one. "You're stuck here, congrats. Welcome to the backrooms, there's no way out"

[rflcticns]

[ @kamurocho-dreams / Ryoma Nishikiyama ]

The rain drizzled down, the neon lights of Kamurocho shone so brightly in the freshly formed puddles. There were people everywhere despite the rain. A buzz of excitement rushing through them as they reached out to the skies. Money drifted down from the tall tower, smoke billowing from its' 60th floor.

On the rooftop of Serena, a man sat on the edge of the building, lighting a cigarette with his golden lighter that had a koi fish engraved onto it. He mindlessly watched the billowing smoke and moeny continue to flow freely from the building. The love of his life was in there, named as one of the victims of the explosion. So many questions rattled his mind, but all he could do was watch on in misery as the people below him on the bright, neon streets cheered with excitement as they attempted to grab as much cash as they could.

The icy air and constant drizzle had finally forced him to remove himself from this view. He stood so calmly, removing the cigarette from his mouth and tossing it to the side, before stepping on it to put it out. As he made his way down to the street level, his head was spinning, his heart broken. His place in the world seemed lost, like everything was a dream. All he could focus on was the sound of the sirens in the distance, knowing fully well that they were carrying his beloveds burnt and heavily damaged body. Being so distraught and lost in the endless haunting thoughts, Ryoma made his way down the metal stairs.

As he made his way down, a metal clanging following his footsteps. His heart dropped suddenly, sending a wave of fear shooting through his body as he missed a step. Without warning, he tumbled down the metal stairs, a loud clanging following his descent, landing into the puddle that awaited him at the bottom.

And then he fell.

And it went on. And on. And on. It never stopped. He could no longer see the streets of Kamurocho- the neon lights that dotted the place, the crowded streets... nothing. He couldn't hear the sirens anymore, or the cheering crowds. For a moment, he closed his eyes. Perhaps he had only knocked himself out-

When he opened them again, he found himself in a lavish hotel foyer. It was like nothing he had seen before, with original pieces of furniture from the 30's dotting the room. It felt as though he had stepped back in time. As he laid there, feeling the world continuing to spin and a dull ache in his head, he could hear the faint echoes of calming jazz music. His elegant white suit was now sodden- and now, freshly stained with blood that was dripping from his own face.

The place felt unsettling- and completely unnatural considering he was just on the streets of Kamurocho. Did he pass out and end up here? Did he just blank out after that fall and make his own way to this... place. Wherever this was. It certainly didn't feel like something you'd find anywhere close to Tokyo.

Ryoma sat up, feeling the blood drip from his nose as he looked around. There was an odd feeling, as though he was being watched- but there was no one present.

"Hello?" He spoke in his best English, in hopes that someone could hear him.

There was a faint sound of music almost as if from a record player playing somewhere nearby, what song it was was hard to tell. The halls seemed to bend and stretch endlessly, and the feeling that there was something wrong was not able to be helped.

A fluttering could be heard, a moth most probably, that's until it actually appeared. 6 limb like things came from its body, fuzz at their ends. It was massive, at least 4 feet. It was a Deathmoth. The deathmoth stared at Ryoma, before making a sound of having been aggravated

It spat something on the floor, and the floor began to melt, it was acid. It fluttered its wings and flew toward Ryoma, better start running as soon as possible if you know what's good for you.

Whether he'd chosen to run or not, a muffled bang would strike down the deathmoth, followed by the sound of a gentle exhale. The man put down his weapon and looked at Ryoma. There is now a man standing behind where the deathmoth was flying, and is now on the floor. He gazes up at Ryoma

The man had messy black hair with desaturated brown eyes, wearing a grey turtleneck, black pants, and just as dark combat boots. There was a bag slung over his shoulder, a handgun on his hip, and another gun on the side of the bag, this is ignoring the one currently held in his hand. There was a hint of exhaustion on his eyes.

[kamurocho-dreams]

The subtle sounds of fluttering wings caught his attention, turning to look towards the source of this gentle sound. The giant creature- moth-looking thing moved slowly towards him. He's never seen anything like this before, nor does he ever want to see anything like this again.

Maybe if he stayed still and quiet, this thing wouldn't see him. Maybe, he could be that lucky. He held his breath, eyes pinned on the moth. He watched the it spit at the ground before him, watching the floor around it begin to sink into the void.

What the hell.

Feeling his heart spring to motion, pounding in his chest as a sense of panic rose within him, Ryoma picked himself up from the ground and attempted to hurry away from this terrifying creature. As he moved, he felt a sharp pain shooting through his leg, forcing him to stumble. He hadn't noticed the pain from the rest of his body after his tumble down the stairs behind Serena, but that didn't matter right now. All he needed to do was get out of here.

The sudden ringing of the gunshot didn't phase him- if anything, he felt relief wash over him as he saw this terrifying creature tumble to the floor. A man stood behind the beast, gun in hand. He looked messy, his clothes and hair- clearly the sight of someone who has had to fight to survive. The exhaustion in his eyes clearly demonstrated this.

"Where the hell are we?" Ryoma spat out in his grumbly tone. He couldn't even thank the man for saving him. He just wanted to get out. This? On top of losing his beloved? Not what he needed. He was already at breaking point, and this only pushed him further into madness.

[rflcticns]

The man turned around, raising his hand for Ryoma to stop, it took a moment before he lowered it. "Welcome to Level 5 wanderer, The Terror Hotel." His voice rough, almost like it hasn't been used in a while. "Atticus James, you?"

You could swear you would hear a gentle chuckle from nowhere, but judging from the way Atticus just rolled his eyes then it wasn't something harmful. "Here, don't overuse it, sound attracts entities" He spoke as he walked over to Ryoma, handing him the gun and a few extra bullets, it seemed to be a sniper of sorts.

Atticus signaled for the other to follow him "You're in the backrooms, new i guess." His boots gently tapping on the ocasionally carpeted floor of the hotel. He was looking for the main hall, finding it odd a wanderer wouldn't have appeared there.

"I'll take you to a faction, there's some people around that use the level as an actual hotel, pretty safe in their hand actually." And as he walks, he spots a silver something on a door, quietly ushering Ryoma to follow as he opens the door. Behind lay one of The Beverly Rooms, a massive ballroom-type thing with a table on the center, the table has drinks and an unfinished game of Mahjong.

It's only after they're both inside that he realizes just who is on the other side of the room. "...shit" He mutters. A being dressed in a suit with the head of a squid, almost like an eldritch being, seems to also notice them. It looks glad to see them.

"Ah! James Atticus was it? How wonderful to see you around my hotel again." There is a hint of slight anger in his tone, and Atticus is clearly reaching for his handgun. "No need for weaponry, I see you've grown more accustomed to the backrooms. And who is this new friend of yours?"

A low growl escapes the man "Nobody." Putting an arm to stop Ryoma from going forward, he gives him a gaze that says to trust him. "No, let him come forward, he should introduce himself! Why It's my pleasure to meet you, I'm the Gentleman of Level 5, I own this wodnerful hotel, isn't it pleasing?" speaks the beast of level 5, to Atticus' dismay.

He looks at Ryoma, lowering his arm and simply deciding to trust the newcomer to do as he desires. All he hopes is he doesn't make a deal.

[kamurocho-dreams]

"Nishikiyama, Ryoma." He bluntly replies, this time introducing himself formally. The dried blood under his nose was starting to agitate him, forcing him to wipe it off onto his white sleeve- not that it mattered anyway considering the rest of his suit was stained with the same blood. He took the gun from Atticus- he'd rarely used any form of weaponry like this, but knew his way around them.

"Backrooms? What's that mean?" He asks as he follows along, completely ignoring everything he's being told by Atticus. "Look, I don't even know how I got here. But I need to go back, I have things to do."

Ryoma scoffed seeing the mahjong table in the middle of the room, half played too. No surprise, everyone hates mahjong. He goes to make his way into the room, but stops when he hears Atticus mutter. He looks up to see the being with the squid head-

What the actual hell is that? He's never seen anything like this.

The weird eldritch being piqued his interest. When do you ever get the chance to see something as messed up as this? Ryoma stepped forward, hoping to get a closer look, only to be stopped by Atticus.

Even after this thing asks to be introduced, Ryoma stays put. Now he's not sure he wants to approach this thing.

"I'm Nishikiyama." He speaks with a grumble in his voice. He refuses to provide his first name- because unlike normal people, he doesn't trust this creature. "Why am I here? How did I get here?"

[rflcticns]

"Well it's wonderous to meet you, Nikishiyama. You must've clipped through reality into the backrooms, how lucky are you to have landed in my hotel for your first visit! Despite the thousands that come through here, you are the only one who has landed first in my hotel" The beast laughs, making Atticus warier.

The beast begins to walk toward them, showing no signs of aggression, however Atticus is showing signs that he'd rather not be here. The beast stops a few feet before the duo "So I wonder, would you perhaps be willing to take a chance at owning this place with me?" It asks

This is where you can see Atticus' anxiety skyrocket, you can hear how he breathes. From the displays he's seen from the other, he knows that most probably he won't take the deal, but you never know. Plus he just doesn't want to be standing anywhere near the beast of level 5.

The best extends its hand to the man "So, what do you say?" It asks. You can see Atticus shaking his head, the beast seems to clearly ignore him

[liminalspacesandplaces]

ArtStation

[rflcticns]

[ @kamurocho-dreams / Ryoma Nishikiyama ]

The rain drizzled down, the neon lights of Kamurocho shone so brightly in the freshly formed puddles. There were people everywhere despite the rain. A buzz of excitement rushing through them as they reached out to the skies. Money drifted down from the tall tower, smoke billowing from its' 60th floor.

On the rooftop of Serena, a man sat on the edge of the building, lighting a cigarette with his golden lighter that had a koi fish engraved onto it. He mindlessly watched the billowing smoke and moeny continue to flow freely from the building. The love of his life was in there, named as one of the victims of the explosion. So many questions rattled his mind, but all he could do was watch on in misery as the people below him on the bright, neon streets cheered with excitement as they attempted to grab as much cash as they could.

The icy air and constant drizzle had finally forced him to remove himself from this view. He stood so calmly, removing the cigarette from his mouth and tossing it to the side, before stepping on it to put it out. As he made his way down to the street level, his head was spinning, his heart broken. His place in the world seemed lost, like everything was a dream. All he could focus on was the sound of the sirens in the distance, knowing fully well that they were carrying his beloveds burnt and heavily damaged body. Being so distraught and lost in the endless haunting thoughts, Ryoma made his way down the metal stairs.

As he made his way down, a metal clanging following his footsteps. His heart dropped suddenly, sending a wave of fear shooting through his body as he missed a step. Without warning, he tumbled down the metal stairs, a loud clanging following his descent, landing into the puddle that awaited him at the bottom.

And then he fell.

And it went on. And on. And on. It never stopped. He could no longer see the streets of Kamurocho- the neon lights that dotted the place, the crowded streets... nothing. He couldn't hear the sirens anymore, or the cheering crowds. For a moment, he closed his eyes. Perhaps he had only knocked himself out-

When he opened them again, he found himself in a lavish hotel foyer. It was like nothing he had seen before, with original pieces of furniture from the 30's dotting the room. It felt as though he had stepped back in time. As he laid there, feeling the world continuing to spin and a dull ache in his head, he could hear the faint echoes of calming jazz music. His elegant white suit was now sodden- and now, freshly stained with blood that was dripping from his own face.

The place felt unsettling- and completely unnatural considering he was just on the streets of Kamurocho. Did he pass out and end up here? Did he just blank out after that fall and make his own way to this... place. Wherever this was. It certainly didn't feel like something you'd find anywhere close to Tokyo.

Ryoma sat up, feeling the blood drip from his nose as he looked around. There was an odd feeling, as though he was being watched- but there was no one present.

"Hello?" He spoke in his best English, in hopes that someone could hear him.

There was a faint sound of music almost as if from a record player playing somewhere nearby, what song it was was hard to tell. The halls seemed to bend and stretch endlessly, and the feeling that there was something wrong was not able to be helped.

A fluttering could be heard, a moth most probably, that's until it actually appeared. 6 limb like things came from its body, fuzz at their ends. It was massive, at least 4 feet. It was a Deathmoth. The deathmoth stared at Ryoma, before making a sound of having been aggravated

It spat something on the floor, and the floor began to melt, it was acid. It fluttered its wings and flew toward Ryoma, better start running as soon as possible if you know what's good for you.

Whether he'd chosen to run or not, a muffled bang would strike down the deathmoth, followed by the sound of a gentle exhale. The man put down his weapon and looked at Ryoma. There is now a man standing behind where the deathmoth was flying, and is now on the floor. He gazes up at Ryoma

The man had messy black hair with desaturated brown eyes, wearing a grey turtleneck, black pants, and just as dark combat boots. There was a bag slung over his shoulder, a handgun on his hip, and another gun on the side of the bag, this is ignoring the one currently held in his hand. There was a hint of exhaustion on his eyes.

[kamurocho-dreams]

The subtle sounds of fluttering wings caught his attention, turning to look towards the source of this gentle sound. The giant creature- moth-looking thing moved slowly towards him. He's never seen anything like this before, nor does he ever want to see anything like this again.

Maybe if he stayed still and quiet, this thing wouldn't see him. Maybe, he could be that lucky. He held his breath, eyes pinned on the moth. He watched the it spit at the ground before him, watching the floor around it begin to sink into the void.

What the hell.

Feeling his heart spring to motion, pounding in his chest as a sense of panic rose within him, Ryoma picked himself up from the ground and attempted to hurry away from this terrifying creature. As he moved, he felt a sharp pain shooting through his leg, forcing him to stumble. He hadn't noticed the pain from the rest of his body after his tumble down the stairs behind Serena, but that didn't matter right now. All he needed to do was get out of here.

The sudden ringing of the gunshot didn't phase him- if anything, he felt relief wash over him as he saw this terrifying creature tumble to the floor. A man stood behind the beast, gun in hand. He looked messy, his clothes and hair- clearly the sight of someone who has had to fight to survive. The exhaustion in his eyes clearly demonstrated this.

"Where the hell are we?" Ryoma spat out in his grumbly tone. He couldn't even thank the man for saving him. He just wanted to get out. This? On top of losing his beloved? Not what he needed. He was already at breaking point, and this only pushed him further into madness.

[rflcticns]

The man turned around, raising his hand for Ryoma to stop, it took a moment before he lowered it. "Welcome to Level 5 wanderer, The Terror Hotel." His voice rough, almost like it hasn't been used in a while. "Atticus James, you?"

You could swear you would hear a gentle chuckle from nowhere, but judging from the way Atticus just rolled his eyes then it wasn't something harmful. "Here, don't overuse it, sound attracts entities" He spoke as he walked over to Ryoma, handing him the gun and a few extra bullets, it seemed to be a sniper of sorts.

Atticus signaled for the other to follow him "You're in the backrooms, new i guess." His boots gently tapping on the ocasionally carpeted floor of the hotel. He was looking for the main hall, finding it odd a wanderer wouldn't have appeared there.

"I'll take you to a faction, there's some people around that use the level as an actual hotel, pretty safe in their hand actually." And as he walks, he spots a silver something on a door, quietly ushering Ryoma to follow as he opens the door. Behind lay one of The Beverly Rooms, a massive ballroom-type thing with a table on the center, the table has drinks and an unfinished game of Mahjong.

It's only after they're both inside that he realizes just who is on the other side of the room. "...shit" He mutters. A being dressed in a suit with the head of a squid, almost like an eldritch being, seems to also notice them. It looks glad to see them.

"Ah! James Atticus was it? How wonderful to see you around my hotel again." There is a hint of slight anger in his tone, and Atticus is clearly reaching for his handgun. "No need for weaponry, I see you've grown more accustomed to the backrooms. And who is this new friend of yours?"

A low growl escapes the man "Nobody." Putting an arm to stop Ryoma from going forward, he gives him a gaze that says to trust him. "No, let him come forward, he should introduce himself! Why It's my pleasure to meet you, I'm the Gentleman of Level 5, I own this wodnerful hotel, isn't it pleasing?" speaks the beast of level 5, to Atticus' dismay.

He looks at Ryoma, lowering his arm and simply deciding to trust the newcomer to do as he desires. All he hopes is he doesn't make a deal.

[rflcticns]

[ @kamurocho-dreams / Ryoma Nishikiyama ]

The rain drizzled down, the neon lights of Kamurocho shone so brightly in the freshly formed puddles. There were people everywhere despite the rain. A buzz of excitement rushing through them as they reached out to the skies. Money drifted down from the tall tower, smoke billowing from its' 60th floor.

On the rooftop of Serena, a man sat on the edge of the building, lighting a cigarette with his golden lighter that had a koi fish engraved onto it. He mindlessly watched the billowing smoke and moeny continue to flow freely from the building. The love of his life was in there, named as one of the victims of the explosion. So many questions rattled his mind, but all he could do was watch on in misery as the people below him on the bright, neon streets cheered with excitement as they attempted to grab as much cash as they could.

The icy air and constant drizzle had finally forced him to remove himself from this view. He stood so calmly, removing the cigarette from his mouth and tossing it to the side, before stepping on it to put it out. As he made his way down to the street level, his head was spinning, his heart broken. His place in the world seemed lost, like everything was a dream. All he could focus on was the sound of the sirens in the distance, knowing fully well that they were carrying his beloveds burnt and heavily damaged body. Being so distraught and lost in the endless haunting thoughts, Ryoma made his way down the metal stairs.

As he made his way down, a metal clanging following his footsteps. His heart dropped suddenly, sending a wave of fear shooting through his body as he missed a step. Without warning, he tumbled down the metal stairs, a loud clanging following his descent, landing into the puddle that awaited him at the bottom.

And then he fell.

And it went on. And on. And on. It never stopped. He could no longer see the streets of Kamurocho- the neon lights that dotted the place, the crowded streets... nothing. He couldn't hear the sirens anymore, or the cheering crowds. For a moment, he closed his eyes. Perhaps he had only knocked himself out-

When he opened them again, he found himself in a lavish hotel foyer. It was like nothing he had seen before, with original pieces of furniture from the 30's dotting the room. It felt as though he had stepped back in time. As he laid there, feeling the world continuing to spin and a dull ache in his head, he could hear the faint echoes of calming jazz music. His elegant white suit was now sodden- and now, freshly stained with blood that was dripping from his own face.

The place felt unsettling- and completely unnatural considering he was just on the streets of Kamurocho. Did he pass out and end up here? Did he just blank out after that fall and make his own way to this... place. Wherever this was. It certainly didn't feel like something you'd find anywhere close to Tokyo.

Ryoma sat up, feeling the blood drip from his nose as he looked around. There was an odd feeling, as though he was being watched- but there was no one present.

"Hello?" He spoke in his best English, in hopes that someone could hear him.

There was a faint sound of music almost as if from a record player playing somewhere nearby, what song it was was hard to tell. The halls seemed to bend and stretch endlessly, and the feeling that there was something wrong was not able to be helped.

A fluttering could be heard, a moth most probably, that's until it actually appeared. 6 limb like things came from its body, fuzz at their ends. It was massive, at least 4 feet. It was a Deathmoth. The deathmoth stared at Ryoma, before making a sound of having been aggravated

It spat something on the floor, and the floor began to melt, it was acid. It fluttered its wings and flew toward Ryoma, better start running as soon as possible if you know what's good for you.

Whether he'd chosen to run or not, a muffled bang would strike down the deathmoth, followed by the sound of a gentle exhale. The man put down his weapon and looked at Ryoma. There is now a man standing behind where the deathmoth was flying, and is now on the floor. He gazes up at Ryoma

The man had messy black hair with desaturated brown eyes, wearing a grey turtleneck, black pants, and just as dark combat boots. There was a bag slung over his shoulder, a handgun on his hip, and another gun on the side of the bag, this is ignoring the one currently held in his hand. There was a hint of exhaustion on his eyes.

[rflcticns]

▶▶ skip ahead?

Atticus eyes focused on something, something strange, something he'd never seen before, a yellow button with a skip-like symbol. What is this? Is this an entity or an object that he doesn't know about? Well Alec doesn't seem to know either judging by his commentary.

He decides to press it to find out, Alec telling him to be careful, which he is anyway, he is in the backrooms after all.

[rflcticns]

CW - DETAILED WOUNDS , DEATH

Atticus shivered as he opened his eyes, it was so cold laying here in the hard concrete.

His once shining and wary eyes were dull and pained, the stains of dried up tears flowing down his face. He could feel his faint breathing, too weak to provide any sort of health or recovery. His hands were wrapped around his abdomen as he laid on his side, the floor around him wet with red.

Atticus' firearm lay not too far from him, but just far enough that his arm won't reach it, he can remember how he got here, but unfortunately, he can also remember what happened here.

He doesn't know what level this is, nor how he got into it, but he certainly knows that he's not finding the exit. Was this it? Was this when he'd become one with the backrooms? An entity or a corpse?

The man opened his mouth to say something but instead coughed up blood, it was boiling, it was disgusting. His vision blurred as he brought his hand up and saw it also stained. It wasn't hard to see what happened to him.

His abdomen and chest were torn open, claw marks that dug into his skin at the sides and shoulders of his body. Mauled by an entity, he can't remember what it was, the clear view of half his organs was clear to him, and were he not in so much pain he'd be surprised he's not dead yet.

The broken ribs that allowed his internal organs to fall out were it not for his arms having been devoured, he's pretty sure one of his lungs is partially missing, his stomach probably has something too, and his heart? With a chunk taken out of it.

It didn't take long before Atticus began to cry again, his quiet whimpers loud against the suffocating silence in the area, he no longer had any energy to scream, to cry out for help.

Where is the other? Why can't he hear him? God if only he could hear his voice perhaps he could at least breathe, but he's not there is he, did someone get to him? No, no that couldn't have happened he's too smart to be caught like that. "A-Alec.." He barely manages to struggle out his name.

Atticus heard footsteps, was that a savior? No he was too far gone to be saved, maybe the entity is back for round two. Yeah that's probably it, who would want to save a shame like himself. To think he escaped the Frontrooms to start a new life, who would've known he'd end in such a foolish fate.

The footsteps got closer, but Atticus had refused to look at them, he was so cold, yet he felt warmth when he was moved onto his back by someone, someone that rested their arms around him gently, someone that cried with him. The curled brown locks he could get a sight of feeling oh so familiar, but he couldn't remember.

What he could do, was bring a hand to them to gently dig it in the hair, it was so fluffy, it was so fun. He couldn't help the giggle that escaped himself. The other being's gentle sniffs as they cried alongside him quieting down, he simply closed his eyes.

The other moved, he could feel their hand on the back of his head, and the warmth of lips on his own for a moment before he assumes they put their forehead to his own. He could hear a faint whisper of a voice, a voice so sad that it shattered his heart.

"Rest... Well my... Atticus"

ENDING NO.1: TRAGEDY ENDING

[rflcticns]

After walking through another messed up doorway in her office - which she has grown quite used to over the last few weeks - Thursday wanders into what she at first believes is another office. It *seems* like one, except there doesn't appear to be any offices or cubicles or filing cabinets or Narrator speaking to her or anything that would indicate this is actually an office aside from the carpet and walls. "Huh," she mumbles, sighing, feeling very tired, looking around. @parables-for-days

A tired, tired man seems to appear between the labyrinth of walls. And it’s not until he notices Thursday that he stops. Black hair with brown eyes, a grey sweater and black pants with average brown work shoes. The explorer seems on edge, placing his hand on a firearm on his hip, he clearly seems more well armed for this place .

The man approaches Thursday warily, keeping at least 10 feet of distance between both of them when he stops. The buzzing of the light would drown out his voice the first time. “Speak up, explorer” He hears, told to no one but himself.

“..Who- Who are you? Are you human?” Asks the wanderer, considering where they are there’s a great chance that she’s simply new to this place and doesn’t know where she is. But of course he’s going to be suspicious of someone when it’s almost impossible to find anyone else here in this level

[the-haunted-office]

Thursday smiles when she sees this other person, ready to greet him as a potential new friend.

And then she sees that he has a gun, and that he has his hand on said gun, and sighs.

Of course he has a gun.

Oh well, what’s the worst he could do with it? Shoot her? Been there, done that, moving on.

She stops walking when he stops those 10 feet in front of her and just watches him while still smiling, forcing aside the worst of her fatigue and malaise in order to address him.

“Ahaha,” she lets out a short, friendly laugh. “Last I checked I am. I want to assume you are too…” she adds, looking at him again, “…but around these offices that’s never a guarantee, is it? My name is Thursday! Yes, that’s right, just like the day of week. Nice to meet you!”

“So! What kind of office do we have going on here? No rooms? No cubicles? No filing cabinets or anything else? You guys renovating over here?”

[rflcticns]

It takes very little for the man to realize that yes, this person is new to these backrooms. With a sigh, he lets himself untense, walking closer to her and extending his hand to shake hers "Um, Atticus James, nice to meet you Thursday, welcome to The Backrooms."

"If you're here you must've fallen from the frontrooms, or what we call reality, and are now stuck here for some time. You're lucky I found you, its a miracle i even encountered someone in Level 0." The way Atticus frames it makes it seem like well, yeah, it really is a miracle.

It takes him a moment but he fetches something from his bag, it's a bottle with a label that says Almond Water. "Here, this is your best friend in this labyrinth, it helps all your ailments. Never trust any foods for the most part, they're probably unsafe to eat unless told otherwise."

"This level is devoid of entities so it's safe, but it can still be dangerous, top 10 places to go insane" His voice is coarse, he's clearly forcing himself to talk but he would rather not take a risk with someone that just arrived

[rflcticns]

After walking through another messed up doorway in her office - which she has grown quite used to over the last few weeks - Thursday wanders into what she at first believes is another office. It *seems* like one, except there doesn't appear to be any offices or cubicles or filing cabinets or Narrator speaking to her or anything that would indicate this is actually an office aside from the carpet and walls. "Huh," she mumbles, sighing, feeling very tired, looking around. @parables-for-days

A tired, tired man seems to appear between the labyrinth of walls. And it's not until he notices Thursday that he stops. Black hair with brown eyes, a grey sweater and black pants with average brown work shoes. The explorer seems on edge, placing his hand on a firearm on his hip, he clearly seems more well armed for this place .

The man approaches Thursday warily, keeping at least 10 feet of distance between both of them when he stops. The buzzing of the light would drown out his voice the first time. "Speak up, explorer" He hears, told to no one but himself.

"..Who- Who are you? Are you human?" Asks the wanderer, considering where they are there's a great chance that she's simply new to this place and doesn't know where she is. But of course he's going to be suspicious of someone when it's almost impossible to find anyone else here in this level