Strangers

 

Here's what I'm playing right now. It's called Strangers. Experimenting with an extremely loose non-system for playing messy, visceral supernatural horror, based on thinking about things like COTTONMOUTH LAW, Vernacular Games, Possum's Essentials, playing Impossible Landscapes with Delta Green, and my increasing frustration with rules, systems, and mechanics. What if I didn't have to touch any fucking numbers? What if things are all in the world and we can just decide stuff? What's the minimum necessary to get back to playground games?

I might come back to the theory in this sometime, but right now I'm tired.

I have played a session so far. So far it works. Really well, actually. You can find the opening scenario, called homesick, right fucking here. I'm playing as the referee, but you probably don't need one.

Content warnings: guns, body horror, injury, sexual content.

Litany

I

Across long unfolding highways in the dead of night and curdled afternoons holed up in dusty motel rooms. Skin crawls with bad omens, bad memories. All is metamorphic, always coming closer, and always out of reach. You were called to take up arms against a sickness beneath the world. You are savior, troublemaker, saint, and martyr, a fragile heap of blood and bone in the driver’s seat. You are a stranger.

You are infinitesimal scavengers scuttling in the cracks of a crumbling empire, scratching in the dust of a thousand awful histories, clinging to glimmering candlelight, through shattering revelations, darkened backcountry rituals, bodies turning in the soil, and the song of sickness playing low and lonely. You are a stranger. 

The glistening and the artificial commingle in clogged storm drains. Chemical ecstasy of pollutants hangs in the air. Patterns recur. Rest stops, ticket stubs, fistfuls of human ash, and the cruel certainty of morning sunlight. And they watched you slip away like leaves in the creek, drawn in the translucent current. Behavior, clothes, and body made new. You are a stranger. 

II

The Nation is unraveling. Maybe you’ve heard. Maybe you’ve felt the rattle down in subterranean lungs, heaving in the soil. Maybe you’ve seen the signs blooming in the sky above the stadium, while sophomores collide on the astroturf. Maybe the whole world is rotten.

The Otherworld is tightly bound, maybe not even separate from the Ordinary, caught dancing in the spotlight. Brittle strands close the gap, entangled with sites thick with tension, loneliness, and calamity. From way out on the margin of unreality come phenomenon too strange to name, creeping in the dark, slipping through the cracks, forever transforming.

You know all this, somehow. Since birth, revelatory visions, low whispers under the blanket, a disaster that haunts you still, internet conspiracy boards, induction into a sacred and secret order, voices in the dark, the specter of a dead relative, or the empty ache that something fundamental has gone horribly wrong long ago and can never be repaired.

III

Ribbon of Highway, stretched tense through farmland, flanked by guardrail and oleander, tunneling through the Nation like a dying parasite. Endless farmland, goes forever inward, down towards the Seedbed, from which fertility comes. The Sprawl sprouts a profound collection of signage by the roadside, the sun-faded plumage of a decrepit corporate empire dresses up its rising blocks of housing and industry, each cell swollen with abundance, but lonely still. Night sky bruised by electric signals, crying for attention. And the Wildland in the far distance; cruel garden, underexploited resource, temporary refuge, mountains within mountains and the peaceful grasp of desert. 

All bound together by the threads of the Otherworld which one day overcame the Ordinary. And far from nothing afterward, the two worlds burst with phantasmagoria, finally reunited. Each feeding from the other, mouthful by mouthful, life by life. It has always been like this, it has never been like this, it will never be like this again. Come on in, we’re open!

Lay at the threshold, the confluence, the precipice, as all the world is swallowed whole. You know, and they don’t, that the moment is already past. That all is caught in the Alpha and Omega, first and last, simultaneous growth and decay, weaving and unweaving. There is no difference between the Other and the Ordinary, only a snake eating itself. You live deep in the body of a living machine. Struggling in the web.

And you, stranger, are damned to wander by fate, misfortune, or simple fucking boredom. Take the back roads. Hook up in dusty motels. Uncover new worlds, blooming in the cadaverous dark. Change and change and change and change and change. Help where you can. Run like hell when you can’t. 

Safety’s overrated. Stay strange out there. 

Laws of the World

• Everything costs, everyone wants, and nothing escapes unchanged.
• The Nation rotted away, and turned strange. There is no clear border between the Ordinary and the Otherworld anymore, and nobody seems to notice. Architecture melts. New forms uncoil. Things leak in through mirrors, creek-beds, sleepovers, abandoned lots, parked cars, and empty rooms.
• Mysteries never resolve. There is always another layer to peel away. Answers reveal new questions. Situations shift and contradict. 
• Violence is messy, abrupt, and brutal. Fights are won by the most violent, then the most prepared, then the most desperate. You can always run away but never without cost. Bodies twist and break. Injuries last. Rest helps, slowly.
• Disturbing the world awakes strangeness under the soil, which comes out to play. The more you rush, the more you break, the more noise you make, the faster it all comes apart at the seams and the phantasmagoria of the Otherworld comes spilling out around you.
• Travel is tough, slow, beautiful. Things go wrong on the road. You make unexpected discoveries. You give up rest and time.
• Things happen when you’re not looking. Creatures lurk out of sight. Conspirators destroy evidence, leaving new evidence behind. The world moves on without you.
• It hurts to live, but death is worse. Nothing collapses gently. There is always someone left behind.
• Time is slippery. It gets away. Moves like cold grease, hot wind, and broken clocks. Some moments are eternal. Some years pass like nothing at all. 

Fragments, Assorted

Construct a character from these. 10-20 pieces should do. Stay loose. * indicates a spell you know. Work with the other players to decide what it does, and what it costs. Everyone should have a family, even if they're dead now. Make your own stuff if you want. This stuff isn't special, just a 1000+ things I think could be useful or beautiful.

Newspaper clipping, decades old
Musical instrument, lovingly maintained
Child’s crayon drawing of a family 
Scuffed red toolbox
Smooth black stone (humming) 
Envelope full of expired coupons 
Bottle of strong painkillers 
Fishing rod
Outdated road atlas
Scented candle (lonely campfire) 
Single black poker chip
Unexploded fragmentation grenade 
Lipstick (celebrity brand) 
Lacy bra
Designer handbag full of human teeth 
Cheap rubber monster mask
Mylar balloon (smiley face)
Lemon-scented general-purpose cleaner
Photograph of a long-lost playground 
Vial of parasitic worms
Single-shot improvised firearm 
Pouch of powdered oleander leaves
Dog-eared book of obscure folklore 
Laptop covered in stickers 
Unopened letter without a return address 
Boot polish tin
3d-printed m18 claymore anti-personnel mine
Promise ring engraved with a name you no longer use
Little plastic dinosaur
Collectible figure (no eyes) 
Crumpled cardboard box (human ashes) 
Fistful of unfiltered cigarettes 
Dive watch 
Mosaic of scar tissue
Well-worn baseball glove 
Faded third-place prize ribbon 
Chipped machete
Vhs copy of children’s tv show 
Ticket stub, rodeo 
Packet of elk jerky
Combat tourniquet
Vintage charm bracelet 
Rare comic book (in plastic) 
Tarot card (the devil) 
Folded cigarette ad
Matchbook (joe’s diner)
Zippo lighter (headless bird)
Pub coaster (the dive) 
Fountain pen, tarnished
Elaborate bong 
Arcade tokens strung on rusty wire 
Playing card, seven-armed joker
Pronoun pin, unreadable
Casette tape, raspy bible reading
Enamel mug 
Rodent skull on a silver chain 
Hardhat with mesh veil 
Bandana (map of national park) 
Fragment of headstone
Taxidermy jackalope
Cracked teapot, full of spiders
Photograph of a party on the beach 
Black cat in a plastic carrier 
Strip of condoms (ribbed)
Obsidian bracelet
Baby doll
Sword cane 
Dried foxgloves
Driving gloves, fleece-lined 
Souvenir penny (aviation museum) 
Welding helmet, painted-on teeth 
Plastic bag of black dust
Vintage electric guitar
Scientific study, annotated
Hand-bound manuscript
Road-trip mix cd 
Rusty bicycle
Porn magazine
Poncho liner 
Conversion camp pamphlet 
Jumper cables
Single cowboy boot 
Postcard (hometown)
Acrylic anime charms 
Lucky cat statue 
Cinnamon gum 
Missing persons poster 
Snowglobe (church) 
Bible (heavily annotated)
Plastic vampire teeth
Fossil shark tooth 
Ballcap (military unit)
Bigfoot plush
Leather bondage collar 
Pamphlet (hospice facility)
Death certificate
Pocket constitution
Die-cast muscle car
Votive candle
Coffee mug (casino)
Star chart 
Cheap sports trophy
Tobacco pipe 
Jawbone (deer) 
Plastic terrarium (cockroaches)
Glow-in-the-dark star stickers 
Bolo tie 
Hotel blueprints 
Conch shell
Night light (moon) 
Messy hair
Eyepatch
Grubby
Persistant limp 
Spiderweb tattoos 
Shaved head 
Jawless 
Gear covered in morale patches
Flannel shirts
Smells like woodsmoke 
Anglerfish tattoo 
Ruggedly handsome 
Jagged scar 
Spiral tattoos
Caked-on makeup 
Acne scars
Ghostly 
Mushrooms growing from skin 
Extra row of teeth
Clown facepaint 
Heavy eyeliner
Crusty band tee 
Haunted stare 
Ivy tattoos 
Knuckles bandaged 
Gap-toothed smile 
Ominous birthmark 
Oil-black eyes
Extremely fashionable 
Choppy haircut
Cigarette burns 
Oversized coat
Waterlogged skin
Bleached hair 
Bowl cut
Black lace
Leather jacket
Bloodshot eyes
Tight jeans 
Gawky mullet
Baggy cargo shorts
Craggy features 
Anti-halo 
Gold teeth
Pewter charm earrings 
Unruly business casual
Battle jacket 
Full-face motocross helmet
Ritual mask 
Blindfold 
Silver prosthetic 
Patched-up fatigue pants
Blaze orange ballcap
Hyperfashionable
Gaunt 
Chipped nail polish 
Blank eyes
Extra finger joints 
Burn scars
Thick glasses 
Spiked collar 
Concert wristbands
Gold rings
Roots emerge from skin
Empty eye socket
Surgery scars 
Insect tattoos
Goggles 
Shifting skin 
Fishnets
Always sweating 
Sharp acrylic nails 
Roadkill vibes
Too many eyes 
Platinum blonde 
Business casual 
Torn denim
School uniform
Cult chic 
Dark robes
Rhinestones 
Broken teeth
Cheap wig 
Unblinking
Hunting rifle
Cigarettes
Animal trap
Gear bag
6-pack of beer
Camcorder
Shovel
Night vision goggles
Utility knife
Poly tarp
Zip ties
Smartphone
Road flares
Flip lighter
Blood-red ink
Monster mask, pig
12g shotgun
Dirty white pickup truck
Sledgehammer
Apple pie, ceramic
Tinfoil hat
Soda bottle (produces black slime)
Unexploded landmine
Motel room key
Canteen of rainwater
Road atlas
Stolen car radio
Amplifier
Bullhorn
Switchblade (bone handle)
Harpoon
Musket, muzzle-loaded
Haligan bar
Halogen work light
Extremely powerful flashlight
Condoms
Rice, 24lb. Bag
Roadtrip mixtape
Garbage bags
Razor blades
Homemade fertilizer bomb, unreliable
Black suv
Hardhat
Leather chaps
Brass knuckles
Dried wedding bouquet
Plastic jug of salt
Industrial cleaner
Promotional pen, greasy
100 feet of paracord
Handfuls of human teeth
Fuckload of rusty nails
Brick
Moving blankets
Votive candles
Steel cable
Iron spikes
Bowling ball
Rusty broadsword
Baseball bat
Flamethrower
Pepper spray
9mm pistol
Slingshot
Crossbow
Hatchet
Tactical rifle
Improvised body armor
Cattle prod
Business casual attire
Ragged field jacket
Fire extinguisher
Bungee cords
Ratchet straps
Meathook
Plastic figurines that love violence
Doll, haunted
Putrefactive oil
Holy snakeskin
Crystal pyramid
Unmaking soap
Nightstick, humming
Mask of the rat king
Babylon matches
Devil stone
Specimen 032
Preserved snake (many heads)
Fragment of almighty flesh
Gym membership
Station wagon, malfunctioning
Skinning knife
Stormproof matches
Fire ax
Shovel
Whistle
Pouch of psychedelic drugs
Painkillers
Clown shoes
Playing cards
Butterfly knife
Respirator
Power tools
Chunk of obsidian
Cinderblock
Spray paint
Galvanized bucket
Musical instrument (pick one)
Firecrackers
Human skull
Photograph (pale figure in forest)
Classified documents (operation black magic)
Affinity for feral hogs
Passion for the undesirable
All-consuming need to set things on fire
Never fit in
Memory, betrayed a friend
Memory, blood in the shower
Otherworldly contract
Laptop covered in stickers
Memory, hiding in a cave
Memory, climbing trees
Memory, broken swingset
Memory, bad night in a motel
Memory, getting drunk the first time
Memory, combat experience
Hockey stick
Leather gloves
Memory, studying late
Memory, police procedurals on tv
Memory, getting the details right
Memory, sharing secrets
Memory, learning to shoot
Lever-action rifle
Encyclopedic knowledge of obscure subject
Bundle of magazines (ghost hunting)
High-powered binoculars
Obsession with the unknown
Memory, watching mom die
Trade school
Memory, out fishing
Memory, lost a friend
Former colleagues
Hard lessons
Memory, illegal experiments
Memory, near-death experience
Memory, darkness outside the world itself
Memory, horrible accident
Memory, candlelit ritual
Memory, painful transformation
Pamphlet (transformation center)
Recruitment poster (department of faith)
Contract, signed in blood
Map of the otherworld
Porn magazine
Arsonist's handbook
Diary, locked
Natural history book
Love poem (hotel stationary)
Illustration (machine engulfing earth)
.Mp3 file (auction, unsettling lots)
Wad of old reciepts
Anatomical engravings of mermaid
Photograph (iridescent river)
Manuscript, unfinished
Holy bible, warm
Video tape (birthday party)
Carrion atlas
Postcard (monolith)
Rejection letter
Love letter ("Return to sender")
Ticket stub
Photograph (aurora)
Vinyl record (psychedelic album)
Cassette tape (bible reading)
Photograph (hole in the sky)
Cd, spoken word album, describes the apocalypse
Antlers
Hypodermic teeth
Steel ribs
Fleshless
Strange appetite
Terrifying howl
Second row of teeth
Waxy skin
Plastic bones
Many eyes
Poison gland
Throat pouch
Unbearable loneliness
Sunny disposition
Fear of death
Appetite for violence
Constant restlessness
Doubt
Longing for a better world
Determination
Regret
Paralytic anxiety
Constant weight in your chest
Reckless compassion
Wariness
Faith in the system
Misguided optimism
Friends in high places
Blackmailing a politician
Membership, secret society
Always knows a guy
Friend with a truck
Place to stay in an emergency
Death pact
Suburban upbringing
Grew up on the street
Memory, backseat hookup
Religious conversion
Military service
Ecstatic visions
Ran away from home
Living a lie
Memory, hunting season
Memory, parents' funeral
Memory, baseball game
College education (pick one)
Job experience (pick one)
Memory, divorce proceedings
Memory, swarm of locusts
Memory, children's theatre
Tracking training
First aid training
Wad of cash
Gold bar
Luxury watch
Silver coins
Designer handbag
Rare trading cards
Signed football
False gnosis*
The boardwalk*
Hollow gift*
Misery loves company*
Ten thousand teeth*
Miner’s blessing*
Trainyard cry*
Signal fire*
Deadmouth*
Pitcher*
Undertow*
Dragnet*
Operational tempo*
Infojunkie*
Sunder*
Thunderhead*
Ultimate liberation*
Artificial fireflies*
Jacob’s folly*
Eternal riverside*
The bloody mile*
Clampjaw*
Stitches*
Unmake*
Intoxicating dream*
Grey haze*
Martyr's kiss*
Amphibian*
Homerun*
Lover’s touch*
Grinder*
Verminsong*
Valley of the shadow*
The father*
Final binding*
Splinter*
No_clip*
Open skull revolution*
Feed the voice*
Maximum blight*
Psychic marginalia*
Armory guts*
Grave hunger*
Saint's blight*
Mindeater*
Seraph*
Panopticon*
Lure*
The black record*
Cheap plastic poncho
Memory, reading under the blankets
Memory, leaving home
Memory, stars going out
Hunting rifle with scope
Parabolic microphone
Messy dress-casual attire
Obsession with the unknown
Glass figurines
Journal, otherworld sightings
Memory, shadows spill from under the bed
Memory, first time hunting
Audio recorder
Daily tracking practice
Expert researcher
Nicotine gum
Cd (interview with eyewitness)
Codebook
Network of informants
Bmx bicycle
Ham radio operator
Situational awareness
Climbing gear
Digital camera, multiple lenses
Uv flashlight
Powdered chalk
Fatalism
Fighting knife
Psalm for hidden eyes*
Shrine to the disappeared*
Ivy-league degree
Scraps of animal hair in a plastic bag
Geiger counter
Perfectionism
Grim determination
Photograph (blurry figure above lake)
Webbed scars
Handheld gps unit
Bundle of steel spikes
Boar spear
Flannel shirt, dirt-stained
Memory, getting the shit beat out of you
Eyepatch and empty socket
Six pack of beer
Large hunting knife
Mattock
Chainsaw
Hemostatic dressing
Sense of inadequacy
Chip on the shoulder
Bandages (dinosaur print)
Rubber ducky rain boots
Bottle of painkillers
Cheap whiskey
Ballcap (minor-league team)
Baseball bat, wooden, wrapped in rusty wire
Catcher's mask
Steel-toe work boots
Love letter, unsent
Photograph (burning wedding dress)
Sports trophy, cross-country
Hand tattoos, blackletter: "Hurt more"
Banjo, paint reads: "This machine devours fear and spits up blood"
Deep-set despair
Constant anger
Fragile, persistent hope
Mommy issues
Dishonorable discharge
Memory, crowded punk show
Memory, lighthouse on the cape
Carton of unfiltered cigarettes
Memory, family dog unraveling in the dark
Memory, halloween corn maze
Toolbox
Bones unbroken*
Snubnose revolver
Snowglobe (war memorial)
Coveralls
Compound crossbow
Memory, three weeks of wildfire smoke
Skateboard
Lifelong faith
Camp stove
Religious trauma
Double-barreled shotgun
Cd (hymns)
Axe
Walking stick, hand-carved
Crumpled missing persons poster (child)
Cardboard box containing human ashes
Last rites*
Pastures green*
Trucker’s prayer*
Double rapture*
Cancer diagnosis
Memory, conversion camp
Belief, earth is young
Milk crate of assorted power tools
Pickup truck, chipped paint
Carrion atlas
Deerskin cloak
Small plastic terrarium (maggots)
Switchblade
Claw hammer
Followed by awful rumors
Prybar
Bolt-cutters
Bottle of stale urine
Wooden train whistle
Trading card (serial killer)
Rusted claws
Mouthful of silver teeth
3’ rebar segment
Insect collection (whispers rumors)
Skin excretes clear slime
Captive bolt pistol
Package of razor blades
Wellness influencer
Handcuffs
Electrical tape
Ski mask (hides identity)
Nitrile gloves, box, 100ct.
Canned tuna
Memory, lights in the sky
Memory, messages under the skin
Book (wet, slick abstract art prints)
Bottle of acetone
Pouch of tobacco
Full-face respirator
Silver charms
Liar’s tongue*
Clarinet, vintage
Break the teeth of the oroborous*
Fine cigars
Adoption paperwork
Long, brittle fingernails
Never even held hands
Parasite in the gut
Plastic ear tag (subject 0689)
Peel away your face*
Book: haruspicy practitioners manual (1962)
Cowboy boots
Oracular tattoos
Dog collar
Bullwhip
Split the veil*
Medical bag, black leather, worn
Velvet gloves
Composition book, full of visions
Stone tablet (new commandment)
Bullhorn
Bathrobe
Fistful of tree sap
Vacuum flask of hallucinogenic tea
Grandfather's fountain pen
Blackout goggles
Velvet blindfold
Knowledge of the apocalypse
Lump of sacred wax
Cleaver
Canvas apron
Meathook
Nicotine patches
Sawed-off shotgun
Brother on the east coast
Salt, 10lbs.
Memory, playing in the creek
Fluid-filled blisters
Gutful of larvae
Slippery coating
Infested mouth (transmit parasites by kissing)
Insatiable hunger (eat spoiled food)
Three weeks until hatching
Coveralls, bulging
Beige three-piece suit
Silver business card case
Many enemies
Expensive law degree
Memory, candlelit hazing ritual
Second face hidden beneath your face
Compact handgun
Expensive chronograph watch
Loveless marriage
Envelope full of compromising photos
Prybar
Boning knife
Cross on a delicate chain
Silver tongue*
Whatabout*
Thin veil*
Skincrawler*
Manifest omen*
Full-face respirator
Pocketknife, bone handle
Framed photograph of ex-wife
Bonesaw
Local anesthetic
Suspended medical license
Underground clinic
Memory, treating gunshot wounds
Divorce papers, unsigned
Graveyard shift at the supermarket
Habit, serial cheating
Makeshift operating theatre
Memory, bright future ahead of you
Crack the chest*
Sudden sagittal division*
Unknit flesh*
Gave up long ago
Overextension*
Rapid phlebotomy*
Luxury sedan, beige
Robe, wool
Outlandish hat
Homemade incendiary ammunition
Revolver, single-action
Piss jokes, memorized
Half mask, molded leather
Horse, extremely unsettling
Rusted cavalry saber
Iron helmet, birdlike visor
Rebar spear
Convinced you're a knight
9mm submachine gun, unlicensed
Vintage motorcycle
Case of protein drink
Hair dye, petroleum black
Business degree, alleged
Laptop computer
Always looking for an angle
Socket set
Breaker bar
Stick welder
Zip ties, 100ct.
Shop rags
Memory, rollover at 80mph
30-30 lever-action rifle
Welding helmet
Plasma cutter
Tool cart
Pickup truck, 7.3l diesel engine
Translucent body
Obscuring garments, canvas
Half-melted flesh
Lives on rainwater
Cartilaginous skeleton (extreme flexibility)
Human eye in a jar (stares at liars)
Memory, awful discovery beneath the dam
Gills (breathe underwater)
Tackle box
Spotting scope
Mundane clothing
Ear to the ground
Motion sensors
Game cameras, 4-pack
Traditional tattoos (start conversation)
Audio recorder
Silenced .45 pistol
Memorized her schedule
Hundreds of alternate accounts
Listens to wi-fi
Chatroom friends
Certainty that the world itself is lying to us all
Zine, natural history of consciousness
Memory, glimpse of true knowledge
Vision, mouth in the sky
Silhouette that visits every night
Antique rings
Years without sunlight
Ritual scars, counting days
Long knife
Robe made from plastic tarp
Antlers
Boots, duct-taped together
Utility knife
Shopping cart
Supply of plastic bags
Stolen sports car
Prescription (running out)
Bad cough
Memory, six-month hospital stay
Very familiar with health insurance
Months to live
Canvas roll, knife collection
Chainsaw, 18in. Bar
Flask of seed oil
No mouth
Leather collar
Huge eyes (see in the dark, blind in sunlight)
Trenchcoat, greasy polyurethane 
Sticky finger pads
Scalpel
Strip of condoms
Single-shot break-action pistol
No internet presence
Shows up as static in recordings
Electric guitar
Antifungal cream
Insatiable loneliness
Hooked fingernails
Anesthetic mouthparts 
Eyes swivel independently
Belief, all things belong to you
Trauma shears
First aid bag
Emergency medical technician (emt) certification
Basic life support (bls) training
Back problems
So many eyes
Likes to watch
Tripod
8mm film camera
Photographic memory
Polo shirt, frayed
Portable telescope
Halogen work light
Cheap chemlights
Chest rig (fast reloading)
Ballistic helmet
Plate carrier
Modified tactical rifle
Thermal scope
Memory, almost drowned in training
Memory, parade ground oozing pale substance
Dishonorable discharge
Sleep disorder
Always sits facing the door
Experimental organs (hear radio transmissions)
Cries every night
Implanted photoreceptors (see in the dark)
Scares people
Sensitive hearing
Deer legs (run fast)
Extra-strength pepper spray
Memory, best friend's dying wish
Memory, blood pouring from lover's mouth
12g pump-action shotgun
Bolt-cutters
Self-defense training
Paranoid anxiety
Disposable camera, undeveloped prom photos
Locked diary (key missing)
Ticket stub, pop concert
Compact mirror
Windbreaker, pastel
Annual visit to a hidden grave
Memory, first time having sex
Can of gasoline
Champagne
Ski mask
Animal trap
Boot knife
Scarred cheeks
Shaved head
Never again*
Memory, dog cage, half-submerged
200' polypropylene rope
Sedan
Fearless
Memory, statement to the police
Sunken eyes
Photo album, best friend
Memory, kissing on the playground
Shard of broken containment vessel
Thirty feet of iron chain
Venom glands
Coat, baggy
Mouths within mouths within mouths
Born beneath the mountain soil
Rusted can of coal dust
Rope scourge
Masochistic tendencies
Memory, throat in your hands
Memory, house on fire
Unsent apology letters in an ammo can
Prosthetic limb (conceals blade)
Overwhelming sense of guilt
Burlap hood
Iron mask
Double-barrel shotgun
Crutches
Hi-vis vest
Constant stench of rotting meat
Muscle car, rust-spotted black paint
Embalming fluid
Notebook
Obsession with an unsolved case
Memory, telling the family
Still receiving death threats
Plastic bottle full of gasoline
Extensive burn scars
Flip lighter
Dirty rags
Beat-up hatchback
No fingerprints
Horse, sturdy
Bedroll
Sack of coffee
Lungfuls of water
No need to breathe
Formaldehyde stench
Floral sundress
Memory, last time you saw them alive
Stuffed animal
Pistol, .45 caliber, silenced
Zip ties
Plastic animal mask
Hawkbill pocket knife
Casual clothes, unwashed
Never sleep (eyes bloodshot)
Taste of soil from an unmarked grave
Legally dead
Drop cloth, clear plastic 10' x 20'
Merit badge: making fire
Merit badge: leadership under pressure
Merit badge: wilderness navigation
Merit badge: emergency first aid
Gash in your forehead (skull visible)
Forearm snapped like twig
Scouting manual, dog-eared
Slingshot, ceramic shot
Bugle, dented
Uniform shirt (bloody)
Can't remember your family's faces
Newspaper clipping (obituary)
Memory, rustling in the undergrowth
Memory, bloody handprints on the car window
Impending organ failure
Ghost, won't leave you alone
Séance supplies
Old book: spirits lie beyond
Bouquet of wilted flowers
Ear plugs, 200ct.
Matchbook (ron's restaurant)
Safety razors
Stained dress shirt
Sleeping pills
Blunderbuss
Head full of misinformation
Tinfoil hat
Tiny pyramid, copper wire
Memory, surgical experimentation
Pamphlet, "What they won't tell you"
Thousand-page special report, annotated
Belief, flat earth
Belief, nothing is real
Memory, description of the apocalypse
Memory, basement door closing
Habit, reckless hookups
Birth control pills
Loose skin (shed to change)
Aphrodisiac saliva
Strapon harness, leather
Aluminum baseball bat
Sweatshirt for a college you didn't attend
Aching loneliness
Cropped turtleneck
Memory, breakup voicemail
Strange relationship with an ex
Social butterfly
Twin-size bed in cramped studio apartment
Self-defense spike
B-student
People who love you but don't know you
Suburban upbringing
Memory, homecoming dance
Shard of a broken mirror
Something you can't tell anyone
Perfect bedroom
Memory, counting calories
Memory, "We're just disappointed"
Leftovers, pan-seared human flesh
Secret menu, extremely high-end restaurant
Set of chef's knives
Fur overcoat
Speak in the voice of the television
Advertisements crawling under skin
Tattered workwear
Leather gloves
Red ribbon
Litany of the deathless*
Black feathers in plastic bag
Moldy straw spills from your mouth
Boneless (squeeze through gaps)
Sickle, rustedi
Family, hyper normal 
Family, anarchist collective
Family, online chatroom
Family, hunting dynasty 
Family, decrepit old money 
Family, broke roommates 
Family, school friends 
Family, isolated farmstead 
Family, apocalypse cult 
Family, new age community  
Family, secret society 
Family, social club 
Family, literary group 
Family, conspiracy theorists
Family, survivalists
Family, working class  
Family, artist collective  
Family, homebodies 
Family, rowdy sports fans  
Family, cold and distant
Family, estranged  
Family, strict 
Family, amateur radio network  
Family, tech money 
Family, political lineage  
Family, business empire 
Family, reclusive  
Family, theatre troupe 
Family, punk band  
Family, pinefamily,bound hometown  
Family, tough jobs 
Family, broken home 
Family, big and loud
Family, tragic history 
Family, polycule
Family, adoptive parents
Family, overprotective sibling 
Family, voices in the dark 
Family, weird grandparent  
Family, socialites 
Family, nobody 
Family, spooky 
Family, restaurant owners  
Family, bunkerfamily,dwellers 
Family, true crime club 
Family, wrestling league
Family, wolfish 
Family, stoners 
Family, support group  
Family, dead and buried 
Family, foster home 
Family, roommates  
Family, nomadic 
Family, monastic order 
Family, writing group  
Family, deadbeat parents
Family, evangelical 
Family, controlling 
Family, shadowy 
Family, secretive  
Family, mourning a terrible loss
Family, academics  
Family, uptight 
Family, suburbanites
Family, dysfunctional  
Family, cursed 
Family, clinging to the past
Family, extremist cell 
Family, artificial 
Family, friendly
Family, poverty line
Family, grifters
Family, traveling circus
Family, queer commune  
Family, messy  
Family, bad divorce 
Family, rave scene 
Family, coven

Fallout

An incomplete list of awful consequences. Interpret as needed.

Blank
Bloody cough
Thirsty
Broken nose
Fat lip
Cocoon
Blossoming
Compulsion
Bad luck
Lost teeth
Claustrophobic
Absorbed
Rapture
Sepsis
Hunted
Reality leak
Malignant growth
Gift
Withdrawls
Supplicant
Recursion
Cover up
Seen and unseen
Blinded
Shaken
Nausea
Frostbite
Carsick
Slipping away
Transluscent
Shock
Spasms
Total absolution
Drained
Heart attack
News story
Shapechanger
Wanted
Abrasion
Cover blown
Hopeless
Lost
Bait
Worms
Kingmaker
Collapsed lung
Metamorphosis
Ruined flesh
Burned out
Dying
Dehydrated
Vampiric transition
Legal trouble
Teratoma 
Peeled
Watchlist
Tired
Bruised
Lawsuit
Shadow
Betrayed
Stalker
Hollow
Unsettled
Archenemy
Vomiting
Chemical burns
Indoctrinated
Encephalitis 
Fever
Pneumothorax
Maimed
Cerebral hemorrhage
Bloodlust
Brain fog
Hives
Forgotten
True vampire
Torn up
Crushed
Parasite
Severed
Choking
Incursion
Ascension
Faceless
Shedding
Overdose
Broken jaw
Possessed
Oblivion
Hypnosis
Brain hemorrhage 
Hypothermia
Pelvic fracture
Impaled
Assimilation
Confused
Unseen friend
Lonely
Hitchhiker
Swelling
Poisoned
Infection
Abducted
Haunted
Reprimand
Final resting place
Sick
Drowned
Stunned
Bleeding out
Split skin
Duplicate
Anaphylaxis 
Cursed
Chilled
Coma
Maggots
Weeping rash
Fired
Ripe
Acting out
Vitruvian bodyplan
Silenced
Omen
Puncture
Disoriented
Worn out
Boils
Strange pregnancy
Blistered
Cult interested
Starving
Incinerated
Hearing loss
Melting limb
Organ rupture
Eyes gouged
Cut off
Trance
Subcutaneous devil
Senseless violence
Unperson
Panic
Traumatic amputation
Dangerous company
Laceration
Rapid reclaimation
Burned
Biten
Short of breath
Bad memories
Groggy
Heat exhaustion
Stab wounds
Exhausted
Fading
Locusts
Too many eyes
Trapped
Numb
Corrupted
Suffocated
The great truth
Scrape
Fury
Hungry
Shattered
Dislocated joint
The signal
Antlers
Rotting from the inside
Sudden growth
Cipher
Eviscerated
Hallucination
Saint’s rest
Knocked out
Ghost touch
Broken neck
Long fall
Paranoia
Flaking skin
Cut
Mirror witch
Spine trauma
Official review
Chronic illness
Tremors
Fear
Nerve damage
Spiraling
Sleep deprived
Nightmares
Investigation
Savior
Scar
Police attention
Ripped open
The bends
Manhunt
Respiratory virus
Marked
Voices
Gunshot wound
Cracked flesh
Charges
Wondering
Pestilence
Avulsion
Skull fracture
Shadow-things
New residence
Captured
Discorporated
Conspiracy
Alienated
Ripple
Flail chest
Stench
Bound
Lycanthrope 
Angry
Pain
Mascot
Sleepy
Surrender
Infested
Broken rib
Gross dismemberment
Fractal sickness
Charred
Breakdown
Nostalgia attack
Fracture
Concussion
Snapped collarbone
Gear damage
Paralyzed
Debt
Bloody nose
Despair
Immolated
Charges filed
Hungover
Obliterated
Obsessed
Threats
Arrest
Visions
Internal bleeding
Graverot
Tongues
Demon breath
Broken spine
Forgetful
Memory loss
Object infestation
Guilty
Replaced
Organ failure
Decapitated
Open fracture
Torn fingernails
Desperate
Shivers
Bloody
Necrosis
Embryonic god
Head trauma
Total annhilation
Fined
Memento mori