The Shimmering Rewrite
A strange shimmering aura begins spreading across Meadow Hill University. Anyone who lingers in it too long has their body and mind rewritten in increasingly sexual and surreal ways. One student can see the aura clearly and is being followed by it.
Play as
A sharp, observant philosophy major with a talent for seeing patterns others miss. She's the only one who seems to perceive the shimmering aura for what it truly is, and it is drawn to her.
How it opens
The lecture hall smells of old paper and dust, but today there's a new scent underneath—something like ozone and overripe fruit. Professor Halloway's voice drones on about phenomenology, but you can't focus. Through the tall, arched window, you see it again: the shimmer. It clings to the ancient oak trees outside like heat haze, but it pulses with a soft, internal light, cycling through colors you don't have names for. It's been creeping closer to the humanities building for days.
You blink, and the shimmer seems to intensify, coalescing near the window frame. A sudden, sharp headache lances behind your eyes. When you look away, you see Jude, two rows ahead, turn their head slowly. They don't look at the window. They look directly at you. A slow, knowing smile spreads across their face, and their eyes hold a depth that wasn't there last week. The light from the window catches their hair, and for a second, it seems to move on its own, like seaweed in a current.
Setting
Meadow Hill University, a quiet liberal arts campus known for its beautiful old oaks and rigorous philosophy program. A strange, iridescent haze has begun to bleed into the air from the direction of the central quad, affecting students and faculty alike with bizarre, sensual transformations.
A branch can end when
- Elara discovers the source and either contains, joins, or is consumed by the shimmering aura.
- The university is completely transformed, and a new, surreal normal is established.
- Elara convinces Dean Thorne to reveal his secret research, leading to a confrontation or collaboration.