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You must be 18 years or older to join this game. Somnia deals with mature and distressing content, including psychological horror, trauma, body horror, and moral ambiguity. This is not a space for minors.

Infomodding: Characters can only know what they have access to in-universe. Player knowledge should never bleed into character behavior. Characters with perception-altering abilities such as telepathy, scrying, or emotional reading must obtain player permission before using these powers on other characters.

Godmodding: No character can control, reshape, or destroy the setting. Attempts to do so must be driven by plot and player collaboration, not assumed authority. Characters may gain influence in-game, but no amount of IC power excuses OOC disrespect or broken mechanics.

IC vs OOC: This game encourages deeply flawed characters. They may lie, lash out, betray, or manipulate, but the players must not. If you feel someone is using their character to act out OOC issues, speak to the mod team. Players are not their characters. Do not conflate the two.

Hostile Behavior: Tension belongs in the narrative, not between players. Harassment, passive-aggressive conduct, hate speech, dogpiling, and toxic gossip will not be tolerated. We do not use a strike system. If we feel a player cannot adjust their behavior or is a danger to the community, we may remove them without warning.

Activity Expectations: We run a regular Activity Check. Consistently failing AC or participating only in brief, scattered bursts may be considered squatting. We'll reach out to discuss concerns, and may ask you to meet specific goals to remain in-game.

AC Drops + Reapps: You may reapp a dropped character up to three times. After the third AC-related removal, that character cannot be brought back by you.

No Rape: Non-consensual sexual experiences are not permitted to occur on-screen or off-screen. Characters may reference trauma in their backstory, but such topics must be handled carefully, and tagged properly.

Content Warnings (CW): Please try and tag your content. If a fellow player requests additional CWs, please honor them. If there is a CW that a mod has missed, please let us know immediately and we'll edit anything that is needed as soon as possible.

Communication is Key: Let others know if you're confused, uncomfortable, or concerned. Most issues can be solved quickly with a little clarity. We expect players to try respectful resolution before mod intervention— but we are always here if needed.

Respect Boundaries: Use cut-tags, tone indicators, or CWs as needed. Don't pressure other players into certain plots or comfort levels. Collaboration requires consent.

Complaints are reviewed case-by-case. We pay attention to context, patterns of behavior, and community impact. If you are filing a complaint, please include logs or evidence whenever possible. You can submit concerns on the Mod Contact page. We may also preemptively ban players with a known history of disruptive or harmful behavior.

Somnia is an invite only panfandom roleplay set in a surreal, post-apocalyptic world haunted by a god-like being called Sleep. Characters arrive through dreams and awaken transformed— physically, mentally, and spiritually— into vessels of her infection.

Here you'll find horror, intimacy, memory, and the slow erosion of identity, blending elements of psychological horror, dream logic and body horror into the game.

Somnia draws inspiration from the music and lore of Sleep Token, as well as their graphic novel Teeth of God, elements from The Last of Us, Annihilation, James Cameron's Avatar, Resident Evil, Stranger Things and more.

Somnia takes place across two overlapping realities: a crumbling, post-apocalyptic physical world and the deeper, surreal dreamscape that is shared between characters.

When your character is first pulled into Somnia, they're drawn through the dreamscape: a boundless realm shaped by Sleep's will. When they wake up, they're in the real world of Somnia: a physically ruined version of Earth, twisted by her touch. This is a landscape torn apart by some great, forgotten disaster, all collapsed cities, overgrown highways, flooding skies, and the husks of what once was. In some places, it's almost normal. In others, it's been dream-touched, warped by broken logic, impossible geometry, or magical rot.

The two worlds bleed into each other. Sometimes dreams spill into waking life. Sometimes reality bends without warning. It's unstable, shifting, and always a little wrong. The world of Somnia is shaped by the Murmur, by magic, and by the people inside it. As characters bond, transform, and explore, new zones will open, revealing more of this broken place and the deeper, stranger things lurking beneath it.

. . . You know. Like New York.

🪢Eldritch/psychological horror, survival/apocalyptic horror, fictional religious elements, body horror, occasional nsfw/sexual content and emotional challenges with low energy break months to recoup in between
🪢A vast dream world that slowly reveals itself and a post-apocalyptic waking world.
🪢Dream-logic environments and dissonance
🪢Optional bonds
🪢Themes of intimacy, belief, decay, and transformation
🪢A soundtrack-driven structure using Sleep Token's music

Upon arrival, each character is transformed into a Vessel. They are otherworlders who have been drawn into this one by Sleep and changed in the process. Every Vessel takes on one of two forms:

Tokens are altered into beings of psychic or metaphysical power, capable of strange magic and perception beyond reality.

Offerings are transformed into monster-like forms— part bestial, their bodies reflect the trauma and dreams they carried into the world.

The Murmur is the lingering psychic connection between all vessels. It is how they speak in dreams, how they feel each other's pain, and how Sleep's influence spreads. It is not a network anyone chooses to join— it simply exists.

Players can explore The Murmur as deeply or lightly as they wish, but know that it will always be present.

Tethers are emotional and spiritual bonds between two characters— whether romantic, platonic, toxic, codependent, or something different. These bonds give mechanical and narrative benefits, but also come with vulnerability: emotions bleed across Tethers, and proximity strengthens them.

When a Tether grows deep enough, it may become a Convergence— a permanent and overwhelming connection that changes both Vessels in irreversible ways.

Yes! Optional mechanics allow your character to form temporary or permanent Tethers with local flora, fauna, or strange environmental features. These come with insight, power, or companionship— but overuse may lead to signs of Succumbence.

Succumbence is the process of giving in to Sleep's infection. As a Vessel draws deeper into The Murmur through overuse of their power, too many Ambiental Tethers, or too much emotional erosion, they may begin to physically and mentally change.

Succumbence is slow, gradual, and often ugly or beautiful. It may be a chosen path or a tragic one, but it is not immediate and never irreversible— until the final stage, when a Vessel becomes a Host: fully consumed by Sleep's will.

Somnia is structured in phases tied to Sleep Token's discography. The Prelude Phase uses early EPs, singles, and covers to introduce Sleep, NPCs, the infection, and the world's crumbling boundaries. Then each full-length album spans about more or less one year of gameplay:

🪢Sundowning: The slow collapse of Sleep's illusion. NPCs begin to interact more with player characters through game events, player characters may begin to rebel.
🪢This Place Will Become Your Tomb: Sleep's retaliation and the word's descent into psychological and physical ruin. The Murmur deepens, and bonds are tested.
🪢Take Me Back to Eden: Sleep's reckoning and NPC's counterattack. The world threatens to reshape; vessels face their final forms, dreams, or deaths.
🪢Even in Arcadia: An Epilogue . . . Or the beginning of another chapter. Do you think The Cycle Must End or The House Must Endure?

The total planned runtime at the moment is approximately 3.5 to 4 years, with narrative break months between arcs. This can span a little more or less depending on player run plots, suggestions and character choices. This estimate may be subject to change (or not!). We'll see what the future holds :)

Start with the Invite page and ask for a Mod invite or get an invite from an existing player that has been in the game for at least a month. Then keep an eye out for our Test Drive Meme to get a feel for the game, Reserves and then Apps!

In a way! Every Vessel arrives with a mask, blindfold, or veil— a symbolic object bound to their transformation. When worn, it grants access to a shared psychic space we're going to be very original about and call it The Network.

Through it, Vessels can communicate over distance— like whispering across a void or leaving behind a memory for someone to find.

Mechanically, the Network allows characters to send:

🪢Telepathic messaging, brief and intimate like thoughts or texts
🪢Illusory voice communication, where a vessel hears another's voice in their mind
🪢Projected apparitions, resembling the speaker’s form in a dreamlike facsimile, like a waking hallucination or VR

Masks and blindfolds are not merely tools; they are sacred conduits. The more emotionally charged the message, the more vivid— or distorted— the transmission.

Death in Somnia isn''t permanent— but it's serious.

There are ways to come back, either through necromancy (by other player characters with the right abilities) or with help from certain NPCs. That said, dying should never feel like a "reset button" or something casual. It's a major event with real consequences just as the real world, and it's meant to mean something every time it happens.

You can't bring yourself back. Another character, either a Token who knows necromancy or an NPC, has to make the choice to do so. That means death always involves some form of outside intent and consent. Characters who return from death will always come back changed. This can look a lot of different ways:

🪢 They might keep visible injuries (e.g., always-bleeding wounds, stitched scars, signs of rot).
🪢 They could lose an important memory and feel incomplete (a person, a place, a moment they treasured).
🪢 They might show more permanent signs of Succumbence (extra limbs, plant growth, strange eyes, tendrils, fungal growths,etc).
🪢 They might feel emotionally dulled or disconnected.
🪢 They might hear the Murmur louder than before, and have trouble tuning it out.

These changes are meant to reflect the fact that your character has died and returned. You can decide what this looks like, but it should always be noticeable. It should be clear to others that your character has been through something intense and should avoid similar fates.

We currently allow OCs and Canon Characters. We do not allow CRAUs.

Considering the nature of Sexy Token when it strikes, yes, you can assume that the occasional nsfw prompt or perk can be found in events to reflect that vibe (especially when certain acts could power up Tethers, count as rituals or worship), but these are completely optional. What the game really focuses on is horror! Also a note that characters under the age of 18 should be kept away from these prompts.

It could be if that is what your heart desires. If you dig the setting but don't want your character turning into a fullblown monster, then a good vessel option for you would be a Token, where they take on a mage archetype rather than a creature.

Absolutely not. But I hope you'll enjoy the music and the little nerd space we've made out of it. Worship.

16+. Any younger than that will be considered on a case by case basis, since we are aware that child characters in horror settings exist (Attack on Titan, Stranger Things, etc). We'll be asking for a reason as to why they'd fit into the setting if they are younger than 16 and will make our decision if they will be a good fit for the game or not.

🪢One app per person per cycle.
🪢Once you've been invited, you can submit one application per round.
🪢No challenge apps.
🪢First-come, first-serve rules apply— if someone has a reserve in before you, they get priority.
🪢If you were swept due to inactivity, you'll need to wait one full app cycle before trying again. This may change depending on patterns of behavior. If we suspect squatting, we may ask for proof of intent to play.
🪢Revisions may be requested for things like missing info, unclear answers or wordcount issues. If multiple issues come up, the app may be passed on for this cycle.

PLAYER INFO
Name:
Preferred Contact: (Discord, PM, Plurk, etc.)
Age: (Must be 18+)
Invite Link: (Direct link to your invite)

CHARACTER INFO
Character Name:
Canon:
Age:
If Under 16, why is this character a good thematic fit for Somnia?:
Canon Point: (When in their story they’re being pulled from)
Wiki Link(s): (for personality/history)

SOMNIA-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
1. Dreams are how Sleep chooses you. What might draw your character into Somnia— a wound, a wish, a weakness? Would they follow the dream, or run from it?

2. Somnia is a slow unraveling—of worlds, and of selves. How does your character respond to fear, transformation, and losing control? Do they fight, adapt, collapse?

3. Connection is the only constant. What kind of bonds does your character form— fast and burning, slow and wary, deep and desperate? How might that shape their time in this world?

4. What are two major forces in your character’s personality that are often in conflict? (Ex: logic vs emotion, power vs guilt, obedience vs rage, etc.)

VESSEL SELECTION
Which Vessel Type are you choosing: Token or Offering?
Why does this Vessel type feel appropriate for your character (you may also include your specific choice bere, if you're going with a chosen one)?
List one OR three subclass options within your chosen Vessel type that you think would suit them: If you've chosen three, the mod will make the final call by randomization.

Samples include samples of how you play your character, preferably from our TDM.

Kim Soleum | gdcg
Rotorstorm | IDW Transformers
Guren ichinose | seraph of the end
Mo Ran | The Husky and his White Cat Shizun
Silco | Arcane
Shirou, Kamui | x/1999
Shelly Lang | OC
Monika | Doki Doki Literature Club
Maria | Silent Hill 2
Murphy Pendleton | Silent Hill Downpour
Ardyn Izunia | FFXV
Noctis Lucis Caelum | Final Fantasy XV
Caitlyn Kiramman | Arcane
Lee Seonghae | gdcg
Vander/Warwick | Arcane
Julian Bashir | Star Trek: DS9
Dante Falzone | Piofiore
Kaiisteron | Witch King
Choso | JJK

🪢 You only need an invite for your first app. Once you're in, you can apply for more characters freely.
🪢Invites aren't automatic approvals— we may follow up with the inviter or invitee if we have any questions.

A Host is a vessel who has fallen completely to Sleep. Whether through infection, surrender, or the slow erosion of will, these individuals are no longer themselves. Their thoughts, bodies, and even identities have been reshaped to suit the designs of something so powerful they could not contain it. Some may appear lucid at first, some completely feral. They may even speak in familiar tones, use familiar names, or simply snarl. Either way, the soul within has either been extinguished or overwritten. What remains is a twisted shell bursting with Sleep's fungal fingerprints.

Animals that fall to the Murmur can also become Hosts. These creatures, whether wild or once a family pet, twists under Sleep's influence. Types of animals that could be found in the setting has been explained here. They may develop fungal blooms, extra limbs, distorted cries, or tendrils in places you'd least expect.

However, because animals possess simpler cognition, they do not always act like human Hosts. Some remain instinctive, confused, even docile when they shouldn't be. Others become violent— not out of malice, but reflex.

Sleep's influence in hosts could be described as parasitic. Certain animals can be infected, but they are not ideal vessels. The parasite (in this case, Sleep) cannot complete its full life cycle within them. These creatures are incomplete Hosts— functional, but flawed.

Succumbence is the process by which a vessel becomes a Host. It may be slow— weeks or months of dreams, whispers, and subtle body horrors— or sudden, triggered by trauma, overuse of the Murmur, lack of tethers or voluntary surrender. Some vessels shatter instantly while others fray over time, becoming a shell of what they used to be.

Vessels on the edge of becoming Hosts may exhibit:

🦠Changes in skin texture, tone, or transparency.
🦠Speaking in tongues, reverse speech, or others' voices.
🦠Forgetting names, faces, or emotions.
🦠Increased inability to distinguish dream from waking.
🦠Sudden knowledge of things they shouldn't know.
🦠Vines or fungi blooming from scars— You are free to be as body horror as you'd like.

Despite a generalized list of symptoms, Vessels may experience Succumbence differently depending on their Vessel type. Below are some inspirational ideas to be played with, should you wish to give your character a unique succumbence arc:

All Vessel types may begin to experience their corruption in stages: low, mid and high, before Offerings become Succumbra, a full monstrous shell of what they once were, and Tokens become Succumbentia, collapsing into their own magic where its output overtakes their identity, stability, and physical form. You are free to mix and match symptoms, or even create your own in similar lights.

🦠 Example of Low Stage Succumbence: Noticeable shift in behavior or mood, energy becomes unstable, changes in sleep patterns,subtle physical tells (pupil changes, sweating, trembling, slowed movement, etc.), faint vine-like bruising on skin, surroundings feel slightly oppressive or charged, hunger appears as an easily dismissed sensation, growing awareness of or fixation on Sleep, develops repetitive habits that resemble rituals,finds comfort in darkness, quiet, or locations associated with Sleep.
🦠 Example of Mid Stage Succumbence: Daily needs are neglected or deprioritized, social behavior becomes skewed (clinging, isolating, demanding, or obsessive), interactions begin to feel transactional, symbolic, or ritualized; emotional regulation deteriorates, fungal blooms spread into hair, feathers, fur, or scales; early physical mutations or damage appear (nails loosening, skin splitting, texture changes), hunger intensifies and is no longer satisfied by normal eating, speech or thoughts about Sleep become deliberate or reverent, performs intentional rituals, often improvised or poorly understood; resists criticism or interruption of ritual behavior.
🦠 Example of High Stage Succumbence: Body and mind destabilize, severe physical symptoms may appear (fevers, fainting, vomiting, untreated injuries), behavior becomes unsettling or difficult to engage with, fungal discoloration thickens, forming a partial second skin and ugly blooms; clear mutations are visible (extra eyes, tongues, limbs, structural distortion), blood appears darker and thicker when spilled, social disconnect deepens (alienation, superiority, emptiness, fixation), hunger becomes constant and intrusive, worship shifts from belief to compulsion, interprets pain, mutation, or loss as communication or approval from Sleep, loses interest in non-ritual or non-Sleep related concerns.
🦠Example of Succumbra (Offerings): total loss of personal identity, fully non-human, heavily warped form; black tar-like substance leaks from the mouth; white glow from eyes, mouth, and wounds; bursting fungal growths and/or tentacles from skin and orifices; strong camouflage or blending in darkness; driven by instinct rather than conscious choice; insatiable hunger focused on flesh; presence actively corrupts the surrounding environment.
🦠Example of Succumbentia (Tokens): Magical output reaches critical mass and detonates (supernova event); physical form destabilizes rather than fully degrading; emerges in a new, corrupted form, often humanoid but distorted or symbolic; Identity fragments instead of vanishing outright; Creates a personal magical space called a Sanctum at the moment of collapse; Sanctum reflects the Token's magic, trauma, beliefs, or worship; Reality inside the Sanctum follows unstable logic, may be dreamlike; The Succumbentia is bound to and sustained by its Sanctum, generally they do not roam.

Some believe they can turn back, and few ever do. But! Strong Tethers between vessels can slow or even completely hold off Succumbence. The right bond, grounded in trust, memory, and shared will, forms a stabilizing force against Sleep's erosion. Some say a Convergence can even cleanse Succumbence entirely— for a while.

🪢Telepathic messaging, brief and intimate that may feellike messaging. There are no spoken words,but "felt" ones.
🪢Illusory voice communication, where a vessel hears another's voice in their mind, much like a phone call.
🪢Projected apparitions, resembling the speaker's form in a dreamlike facsimile, like a waking hallucination or VR.

Vessels may form deeper connections with one another with Tethers. A Vessel-Vessel Tether is the formation of a psychic and/or emotional link between two vessels. It may start subtly, as a shift in dreams, a shared sensation, or a deepening awareness of the other's presence, and then gradually grows— or can form immediately through intimate acts between vessels. It doesn't require spoken consent in-character, but it always requires agreement OOC. Your character may have multiple Tethers, or even a shared Tether of up to three individuals at a time (rare, but possible). Some may form instantly, others over time.

They can manifest emotionally, psychically or physically. Some examples include:

🪢Feeling the other's emotional state or pain.
🪢Dream-sharing or subconscious bleedover.
🪢Slight combat buffs.
🪢Reflexively reacting to each other's presence.

Tethers are mutual by default, but asymmetrical or toxic connections are allowed with clear OOC consent from both player parties. They can grow stronger, fade, break, or warp. It's also worth noting that Tethers between Token and Offering are stronger than Token-Token or Offering-Offering combinations. Remember that Tethers are the beginning of a bond— they are significant, but still forming. Think of them as open threads, not yet tied. A strong and consistent Tether that has been tied can evolve into Convergence: a deeply entangled bond that leaves lasting impact on both Vessels. More on Convergences can be found further below.

Vessels may also attempt to bond with local flora and fauna, called Ambient Tethers, with mixed results. A successful Tether can grant emotional and physical resonance, insight into the environment, or practical aid (like a steed or animal companion). However, repeated or intense use of non-vessel Tethers may lead to Succumbence, the gradual loss of self to the Murmur's (Sleep's) influence.

This mechanic is optional and highly customizable. Minor aesthetic changes are welcome even without full Succumbence (a vessel who chooses to frequently Tether with flora may have small plants or flowers growing on them, a greener tone to skin, etc).

A Convergence occurs when a Tether becomes fully entangled— when both Vessels' Murmurs sync in a way that permanently alters their relationship and possibly themselves. It is not always positive, and it is not always planned. What sets a Convergence apart from a Tether is:

🪢Stability: The Tether becomes harder to sever or ignore. Even if the characters part ways, the resonance lingers. Vessels that have converged share an incredibly strong gravitational pull towards each other. They are constantly drawn back together if apart.
🪢Mutual Effect: Physical mutations, memory shares, power sharing, mental changes, empathy, echoed thoughts or emotional influence becomes stronger and more immediate, near or apart (A Token in Convergence with an Offering who has horns may begin to grow smaller horns; a pair may share the same eye color; An Offering in convergence with a necromancing Token may adopt a more goulish appearance, etc).

Just as a Tether, Convergences that are between Token and Offering are much more intense than Token-Token or Offering-Offering combinations. If a threeway Convergence is being attempted, at least one of each Vessel type will work as the bond's stabilizer.

Not all Tethers are meant to last. Some fray on their own; others must be cut. And sometimes, even a Convergence must be undone— though rarely without a cost.

Severing a Tether:

🪢Requires intent.
🪢Can happen organically (characters grow distant) or violently (betrayal, trauma, forced separation).
🪢May leave behind emotional or psychic residue— phantom sensations, dreams, or physical after effects.
🪢Can trigger a moment of vulnerability where the Murmur tries to replace the lost connection, which may make a vessel more susceptible to Succumbence.

Severing a Convergence:

🪢Rare and difficult. Convergences are not meant to be casual.
🪢Requires a traumatic split, external force, or deliberate ritual.
🪢Leaves scars, literal or metaphorical. One or both vessels might lose abilities gained through the bond, retain memories or habits not their own, or become more susceptible to Succumbence.

Sometimes, the Murmur refuses to let go and the Convergence decays rather than ends, becoming something twisted.

A decayed Convergence is what remains when a deep bond festers instead of healing or severing cleanly. The vessels stay connected, but the connection has soured, bent under pressure, neglect, betrayal, obsession, or despair. It hurts. It makes you unwelland unlike yourself.

Symptoms of Decay may include:

🪢Disruption in the Murmur: Static, distortion, invasive thoughts, dream intrusions— like feedback from a broken circuit.
🪢Unreliable Resonance: Emotions misfire; one vessel may feel things that aren't theirs, or nothing at all.
🪢Physical or Psychic Rot: Glitches in memory, phantom limbs, spreading mutations, or "wrong" flora/fauna traits creeping in uninvited.

Decay is not always mutual. One Vessel may pull away or change while the other clings, corrupting the Convergence further. Sometimes, both simply . . . Drift, likely into Succumbence.