May Event Log

[kaisoumods]

May Spirit Realm Event Log
Dominant Element: Shadow
Waning Element: Light

Full Moon: May 11th - 13th

※
While the weather has been typical of a pleasant late spring, there's no missing how dark the nighttime hours are. Not only is the Spirit Vein darker with hues of black and purple, but even the city lights don't seem to light up as well as they normally do. It's so easy to feel like you're constantly enveloped in a looming darkness. It's made even worse by the increase of spirits in the city, that whisper and haunt several spots around Kaisou.

Haunted Nights

Kaisou is no stranger to hauntings - a city with an active spirit vein will always see more paranormal events than one without. This month however? There is a significant increase of ghostly activity. Where once you might caught the odd poltergeist knocking things over in a store, or see a floating orb passing you in the night, now the city is lousy with ghosts. Some are your standard Kaisou ghost fare - souls who have not yet passed on who are haunting the living world until they can - but others are not that. If you are born of this world, or especially if you're an otherworlder, you will start to notice ghosts of people you recognize. Even of people who, last you remember or saw them, were absolutely not dead.

Some of these ghosts may be a comfort to you- a chance to reconnect with someone you loved long ago. And some are just that- happy to talk to you- to ask you to help them move on from this world, acutely aware they are not supposed to be here. These ones are easy to deal with, they don't want to be hanging around, they just want to move on and find their peace. Some, however, are angry and are aiming to cause as much destruction as they can. They want to harm the living and will outright attack anyone who comes near them- some even seek out property to damage. If they knew you in life, they might lash out - calling you out on your wrongdoings in life, anything that might have cause them harm - perceived or otherwise. These ghosts will not pass on easily, and will need to be exorcised.

Some paranormal residents of the city will suddenly take up ghost blogging as a hobby, running around with cameras trying to interview and sometimes outright provoke the ghosts into action, hindering your efforts to keep the peace. Regardless of how you ultimately deal with the ghosts, it's clear that their numbers are not going to slow. That by helping (or forcing) them to move on, all you're really doing is putting a band aid on a bullet wound. You need to cut the invasion off at the source, to prevent the flood of ghosts from continuing into the city. Luckily, Zodiac have an answer on how to do just that.

Land of the Forgotten

On the morning of May 5th, your phone will receive a notification from the Zodiac on the Libra app.

ALERT: SPIRIT REALM GATE DETECTED IN CATHEDRAL HILL
Element Classification: Shadow
Danger Level: Extreme
Designation: Land of the Forgotten
Zodiac has detected a Spirit Gate on Cathedral Hills. Reports indicate it's the Land of the Forgotten, and may be related to the increased paranormal activity in the city.

When you had into the Zodiac office, you will find the place to be rather quiet. Apparently a lot of the staff have been in a lot of meetings since a recent PR fumble by one of the staff. Professor Barbie is rather unaffected by this, however, and she's much more interested in discussing the matters of the Spirit Realm. You see, Zodiac's also noticed the increase in spirits. It turns out, these ghosts have been escaping out of a tear of one of the afterlife realms- the Land of the Forgotten, specifically.

Those who have been on the app for a long time might be getting flashbacks to that realm, as it's the place where several app users died during a ritual sacrificial game of soccer during the first year of the app. Not to mention it's covered in ruins of the past worlds... all in all, not a pleasant realm to visit. But Professor Barbie insists that the tear needs to be investigated, and since you guys are the experts in dealing with such issues... it's up to you. Professor Barbie's even gone far enough to get clearance from the Black Order to allow you access to the realm... so you might not have much of a choice.

The gate is found in Cathedral Hill, in an old nearly-forgotten cemetery behind the church. It appears as a majestic mausoleum of sorts, with a foreboding dark energy radiating from it. Sure enough, at any given time, there are a couple Black Order Guardians posted nearby it, monitoring and making sure no one tries to go into this realm that shouldn't be there. However, once they realize you're an app user, they'll PROBABLY let you through. Some of the more thoughtful ones will give you word of caution- this will be far from an easy journey.

Ruins of Old

As you enter the realm, the sight that lays before you is a grim one. A land of ruins, covered in ash. This is the Land of the Forgotten, where those who are no longer remembered will eventually find themselves. The landscape is littered with ruins that have been forgotten by time: pyramids, towers, and castles, slowly eroding away and turning into ash themselves. As anyone born of this world wander these ruins, they will notice some buildings look familiar to them. Places from AU character's memories can be found scattered among the ruins of the realm: the schools they attended, their old houses, the place they once worked, and so on. These places can be explored in full, though they are in a worse state than they were in the memories. Still they look in better shape than some of the other buildings, almost like remembering them slows their descent into ash.

As you explore these ruins, you may want to be careful as you aren't the only ones in this realm. Numerous denizens live in this realm, serving as both the guards and the threats of the realm. There's the Tlahuelpuchi, female vampires that can shift between human and vultures or an monstrous form in-between. These vampires are out to drink people's blood, but can be fought off using metal. Any bodies of water (forgotten streams and lakes that are among the ruins) have Ahuizotl lurking within, a dog-sized creature with a hand on its tail that'll grab anyone who gets near with the intent to drown and feast on their flesh. And through some ruins prowls Dzulum, large jaguar creatures who are territorial and have claimed certain ruins as theirs. Any of these beings can't be reasoned with, and will attack on sight when they spot you outsiders to their realm.

However even with these monsters, the most numerous beings are the souls of the forgotten. They have a skeletal look to them, and can be found throughout the realm. Unlike the souls who still held enough memory and will to slip through the tear and into the city, these forgotten souls have grown too weak from the erosion process to cross the veil. A few of them might recognize you and call to you, but it's a person you've long forgotten either in your current or past life. Try to jog your memory as much as you can, but their name and face always slips out of your grasp. Most of the souls have resigned themselves to begin forgotten and eventually fading to ash, some even embracing it and making the best of it. However, some have not accepted their fate and have grown so resentful they've lost themselves in another way. Their skeletal forms are more monstrous and they will attempt to attack the living. Try to avoid or fight them off as best you can. Once defeated, they will crumble into ash.

Ruins of New

For those here intent on sealing the tear, they'll quickly come to realize that this realm is far too massive and dangerous to explore blindly. So, your best bet is to track down the ruler of this realm, Xibalba, and have him tell you where there tear is. However, those with presence sensing or enough charisma to ask the various souls will come to learn that Xibalba isn't in his castle today. Rather, he's on the edge of the realm attending to some duties... and he's not alone.

So after a long trek, you'll reach the edge of the main area of realm, which cuts off as a jagged cliff. However... you'll notice beyond the mainland there are several floating islands that are being connected to the mainland by means of large chain bridges, and they're being slowly dragged to the main land. Each of these floating islands contain ruins of various locations, but ones that are much more intact than anything remaining on the mainland. Instead of singular buildings, there's entire neighborhood's worth of places, or maybe even small towns. And for some unfortunate otherworlders... some of these locations may be places they recognize from home. In front of next each chain bridge connecting an island is a tombstone. Chiseled onto the tombstone is the world's name that it came from, a long string of numbers indicating which version of that world it is, and the cause of its destruction.

Should you cross the chain bridge and reach the islands, you'll find it is in fact fresh ruins from other destroyed world. The newest of these islands still have souls lingering, waiting to be processed and move onto their next life. Some of them will remember their deaths, while others it came too fast for them to recall much at all. You can chat with them awhile, for the otherworlders it may feel as a tearful reunion. Some of these familiar worlds are clearly alternate universes from your own homeworld.... while others, it's too difficult to be sure which version it is.

Whether you wait with the souls, or go to find them on your own, eventually you will come upon the death god Xilbalba. He's not alone today, as this time he's accompanied by his wife and fellow death god -- La Muerte, who is a tall and beautiful skeleton woman. Fortunately thanks to the presence of his charming wife, Xibalba is much more personable today than the last time app users encountered him. If asked what they are doing, they will explain these islands came from recently destroyed worlds and whose remaining fragments were drawn to this world, so they were doing their duty of processing the souls and sending them to their next destination. For some of the souls, they'll be joining this world's reincarnation cycle, and for others... they'll be heading to their own respective afterlives, wherever that might be.

And so, upon seeing the two death gods, the souls will begin to line up to be processed. Xibalba will try to shoo you away so they can do their work, pointing in the direction of the tear so you can deal with it and get out of their hair. Meanwhile, La Muerte is empathetic enough that she'll encourage any otherworlders to say their goodbyes to any loved ones -- though she'll gently refuse allowing anyone to actually watch the soul processing, as some things about death truly cannot be known by the living. So... this is your time to say your goodbyes, and make your departure with the hope that one day, either in this life or the next life, you'll see your loved ones again.

As for anyone who tries to disrupt or stop the soul processing? Will get one singular warning from the gods not to intervene. However should you ignore these warnings and persist.... depending on how they go about it and how aggressive they are, the character will find themselves immediately being teleported out of the realm and unable to re-entered.... or just killed on the spot. Turns out you shouldn't mess with death gods.

[OOC: Please note that it's optional for OU homeworlds to be part of the newly destroyed worlds, and requires the approval of the whole cast (aka, please talk to your castmates!)! It's also up to players if these destroyed worlds are the ones the OUS came from or are just alternate universe versions! Also, should your character insist on fighting the death gods, you will need to fill out the death permission form, as that's basically the only result of that.]

Remain Forgotten

Of course, you're not just here to deal with these destroyed worlds. You originally came to this realm to deal with the ghost problem, and that is still a prevalent issue. Xilbalba and La Muerte both say it's unusual that so many spirits would make a break for the land of the living. They normally would only do this on Día de los Muertos - respectful of the rules between the living and the dead. The fact they're doing it now suggests someone else is influencing them.

It doesn't take long to find exactly who that "someone else" is. Perhaps you noticed him among the fortune tellers in the park earlier in the month, perhaps you're seeing him for the first time, but the man who is causing this cuts an intimidating figure. He is very much alive, and not supposed to be here. The ghosts are congregating around him, swirling around him before sweeping off towards the tear. When you approach him, he acts as if he was expecting you. With a voice as smooth as honey, he introduces himself as Doctor Facilier - and that he has a proposition for you. He'll tell you that he's taking advantage of the tear and using the ghosts of the departed to help him cover some "delicate business up top, you know how it is, old debts, tricky magical complications that need a little extra push to complete". Exactly what any of that is, he doesn't say, but he remains slippery as an eel, making everything he's doing sound extremely reasonable. All he needs is for you to just turn the other way and let him get about his business - easy as pie, right? Just walk away!

If you choose to not walk away... well, Facilier turns out to be a formidable opponent. With a puff of some purple dust from his pocket, he can conjure a very convincing illusion around you. It will be something you want, something in your deepest darkest hearts desire. Perhaps you a wanted someone to tell you they loved you. Perhaps you have a dream job. Maybe you lost something extremely dear to you in your past, and now it's here, in front of you. Whatever it is, the illusion feels so very real. Facilier will use you being distracted by the illusion to go onto the attack. He might turn you into an animal. He might turn the ghosts swirling around against you. He might feed your illusion into someone else's, getting you to attack one another. And, if all else fails, he'll just try to bludgeon you with his cane.

Luckily, if you're able to fight through these illusions and all of Facilier's magic, it's clear he's not one for sticking around to fight a battle he can't win. As soon as he realises this is not a fight he can come on top of, he'll give you a tip of his hat and vanish in a puff of smoke like he was never there. The real issue gone, you will now need to help the death gods close up the tear (being sure to shepherd any remaining spirits back to where they belong) to make sure the problem never happens again. There's no sign of Facilier after the battle- but that doesn't mean he's gone for good.

[OOC: Facilier is an interactable NPC if you wish to thread out his confrontation! If you wish to thread with him, it can be done here!]

Aftermath

With the tear sealed, the influx of deceased spirits will come to an end in Kaisou. The only ones left are the ones that managed to leave while the tear was open. It's up to you folks to help those remaining souls move on, either by fulfilling whatever last wishes they have or simply telling them it's time go. The Land of the Forgotten will remain accessible until the end of the month, so people will get their chances to view stuff from their past lives if they wish. But at the end of May, it'll be time to say goodbye to the past, and keep moving on.

OOC Notes

The dominant element this month is Shadow! Anyone with an affinity to the shadow element will find themselves boosted throughout the month. This could mean a boost to their power, having more energy, feeling more inspired with creativity, having better luck on different attempts -- the boost can manifest in all sorts of different ways. By contrast, anyone with an affinity for Light will be experiencing the opposite. Perhaps their powers will be weaker, they have less energy, they're having a creative block or general worse luck - again it can manifest in all sorts of way and players are free to play with this mechanic as they'd like.

The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here.

Comments

Doctor Facilier

[changeitroundsome]

Phase One: Won't you shake a poor sinner's hand?

[changeitroundsome]

[ Should you choose to directly confront Facilier, he can be found standing to one side, directing spirits as they go past him, through into the tear. When he sees your approach, he flashes you a wide, snake-like smile. He pinches the rim of his top hat, tipping it in greeting- the very measure of amicability and manners. His shadow, notably, moves separately from him, giving a little wave of all its own. ]

A tip of the hat from Doctor Facilier. [ His voice is deep, smooth as honey, with a clear New Orleans twang. He places both hands on the top of his cane, leaning his lanky form on it. ] Now, there ain't no need to have hostilities 'bout this. It's only a little business venture of mine, after all - I'm helping these spirits out by letting them go deal with their unfinished business up top. Awful thing, you know? Not bein' able to find peace after you've passed on. I'm giving them a service out of the goodness of my heart.

[He doesn't have a heart, and he certainly have ulterior motives for this, but he's not sharing them. Instead, he keeps on talking, all smiles and careful gestures, making this seem like the most reasonable thing in the world.]

If you need me to grease the wheels a 'lil, that's something we can talk about. I'm always happy for a little quid pro pro, you scratch my back, I scratch yours, yeah? Is there anything you want? Something in your deepest, darkest hearts desire? I happen to trade in changing folks' fates. I can make your dreams come true with a snap of my fingers.

[He grins again, holding a hand out to you. ]

So, what do you say? Can I tempt you to make a deal?

Phase Two: Are you ready?

[changeitroundsome]

[So you chose not to take Facilier's deal. You chose common sense over his silken promises. Probably smart. Facilier's fixed smile falters, just for a moment, before it's right back on. He sighs heavily, brushing off his coat. ]

That's a real shame, Friend, that we couldn't come to an agreement. That was the easy way. Guess now we need to go the hard.

[In a fluid motion, he reaches into his coat, pulling out some purple dust. You have no time to think what it could be before he blows it in your face. As you try to rub it out of your eyes, you find the world around you had changed. No longer are you in the Land of the Forgotten, you're... somewhere else. Perhaps it's your childhood home, perhaps it's a dream realised, perhaps it's the shadows of a nightmare come to life. Whatever it is, it feels desperately real, and Facilier is standing there, leaning on his cane again, looking around you both, whistling softly.]

Well, well. Ain't this an interesting one?

Viktor | Arcane | ota

[hexcrafter]

[i; stay your pretty eyes on course]

[It was, admittedly, not Viktor's brightest idea to accompany an expedition into a dangerous Spirit Gate. Traversal alone was difficult for him, never mind matters of self defense. However, both of these problems had the same solution in the form of the enormous Pokemon whose shoulder he was sitting on. Most threats were a little easier to dissuade or dispatch with a ten foot ghost robot, and getting around was as trivial as walking would be to most other people.]

[However, what they found at the edge of the world made him wish very sincerely that he had exercised common sense and stayed back in the city. Amidst the floating islands, one hovered coated in miasma and shadowed by an eternal storm of swirling cloud cover. The skyline itself was barely even recognizeable as a city at all, coated in some strnge ethereal corruption radiating outwards from the clear epicenter; a massive tower covered in the same webbed substance, reaching up and through the dark clouds into whatever laid beyond.]

[Standing on the ground beside his Golurk as he observed this from a distance in equal parts horror and confusion, Viktor looked to the tombstone at his feet with a blatant lack of comprehension on his face.]

[Runeterra 10013112292011-β
Arcane Herald's Glorious Evolution]

[ii; guess I never really faced my fears before]

[He would have been a terrible scientist if he didn't investigate, and it was hard to miss the way Viktor had immediately gotten back on Blitzcrank as the massive creature quite literally took off like a jet engine straight for the ruined island.]

[And yet, strangely given the nature of this realm...there didn't appear to be any ghosts along what had once been cobblestone streets of an opulent city. Just...dolls, human-sized and corroded by untold amounts of time in the sickly-sweet chemical air. But those couldn't possibly be the same as the lingering souls everywhere else, right?]

[Was that one turned in your direction a minute ago?]

[Viktor himself was not too hard to find, if one followed the trail Blitzcrank's path had left in corrupted air. He had gone straight to a laboratory, or what was left of one. The building was just as ruined as every other, every surface coated with the same webbing of a magical corruption; iridescent as an oil-slick and just as unknowable in form as it was in color. An outer wall had collapsed at some point, leaving the room wide open to the blighted sky and ruined air, colossal tower several times more imposing for its proximity.]

Kurva- [Cursing under his breath, Viktor was prying open a broken desk drawer with his crutch; it inched open with a shriek of rusted metal, enough for Viktor to reach in for several aged and dusty leatherbound journals. Dropping most of them on the desk, he immediately started paging through one as if something about it would explain an inexplicable situation.]

I don't understand-...things were never this severe, there has to be something--how did this happen?

[iii; wildcard]

[anything else! in/around the spirit gate, or whatever you're feeling]

i

[thewarriorqueen]

Meredith didn't know what she was looking at, here. The nuances of supernatural matters were still pretty opaque to her. But she could recognize a horrified expression when she saw one, at least.

"You know what that is?"

ii

[actnormal]

[Caleb sees Blitzcrank flying off and promptly turns away from what he suspects are the ruins of the Astral Express, much more interested in chasing Viktor down to make sure everything's alright.

(Everything is obviously not alright, but it's the principle of the thing.)

It takes a little effort, but soon Caleb is climbing into the remains of the laboratory, wiping his hands just in case any of that webbing caught on him.]

Viktor?

ii

[conseqweinces]

[No matter what life Wei Wuxian was in, the realms of the dead always seemed to draw him back. He knew the fate of the worlds, he knew his would have been long gone as his past life was a very ancient China. Time would have done it in if nothing else.

Some weren't so lucky as to go in with foreknowledge and preemptive closure. Like when Wei Wuxian saw Blitzcrank speed by overhead. It just confirmed what he thought on seeing "Runeterra" from the tombstone. This was where Viktor originally came from. Between Wei Wuxian's keen hearing on the wind and following the trail, it wasn't long before he came across Viktor desperately trying to find the fucking logic in this.

It was very rare that Wei Wuxian's tone was as heavy as it was as he announced his presence.]

... Viktor.

[It was only after doing that he approached the man looking around the lab, ready to conduct a search of his own but he needed a jumping off point first.]

What's the last thing you remember before coming to this world?

ii

[illucesco]

[The ruined realm is familiar, at least. The dolls are unsettling, making him think of clothes pooled on the ground. The air—yeah, Noctis has the collar of his shirt pulled up over his mouth and nose, not quite willing to chance it. Something about the sickly-sweet chemical quality of it...

He follows Blitzcrank's trail easily, leaving behind a trail of his own for a little while as he warps from one point to the next. Eventually he's in the building, in the laboratory that's been broken open like an eggshell, and he spots Viktor reading through the journals.]

...hey, Viktor, you all right there?

Varian | Tangled | OTA

[droptheious]

Haunted Nights

[Varian's been in Kaisou long enough to know about ghosts, they're hard to miss. But he wasn't expecting ghosts of people he knew suddenly showing up. As happy as he is with the life he's made for himself in Kaisou, as much as he wouldn't change this for anything, he's missed the loved ones he's left behind desperately. Normally, this would be a cause of joy- seeing them again. But none of them are dead. None of them should be dead, and in Kaisou. So you'll find him glowering at a small group of four ghosts, pointing an angry finger at them. ]

No. Absolutely not. NONE of you are dead, so this is- this is something else. This is some-some weird trick or trap or-or something to get me. This is like that stuff Tsuchigomori pulled. You didn't fool me then, you're not fooling me now.

[The ghosts look perplexed by this response, honestly.

Tushy-miwhaty? Is that a kind of cake?
It's obviously not a cake. Varian, what are you talking about?
Probably took one too many hits to the head, was bound to happen eventually.
Guys, you're not helping- Varian it's us, really! Are you taller?

Varian ignores them, until he sees you, waving you over- pointing at the ghosts. ]

Okay, REAL quick, can you see them? I need to check if they're illusions again and how far the scope of it is.

Ruins of New

I: Anybody who stands or has stood in my path.

[ Varian shouldn't have come here. The ghosts should have been warning enough that he'd find nothing in this world that would give him anything but misery. But Varian is, and always will be, too curious for his own good. He spends a lot of his time in the Land of the Forgotten trying to help other people. Helping those deal with ghosts clinging desperately to them to get them remember or helping them avoid the numerous creatures around this world. He's not much of a fighter, but he's pretty damn evasive when he needs to be.

But all of that stops when he sees an island at the end of one of those bridges. It's an old city, early 19th century at best. The buildings are barely standing, and most of the towers of the grand castle have fallen- even from here, you can see huge craters dotting around the island, as if several somethings, large and explosive, crashed into the city, obliterating it from existence. Which, if you're with Varian as he grips the tombstone, face pale, you can see this is exactly what happened:

Earth 5672: Corona, Germany -
Separatists of Saporia Uprising

Varian just stares at it, silent at first, wide-eyed, reading it over and over again as if doing so would make that sentence make sense. He hasn't seen his home in three years, not properly, and he has no idea how to process this. This... this is not possible. And then he's off, racing over the bridge, expression panicked. ]

Nononononononono.

[ He makes it over the bridge, trying to catch his breath, to quell the terror rising up in his throat, but he can't. He picks his way through the ruined island city, dodging craters and destroyed homes, making his way upward. Every once in a while he comes across a ghost, but when they see him, they turn their backs on him. Varian stills, each time, expression hurt, before he refocuses Eventually, Varian makes it to where he was running to- the ruins of the grand castle atop the hill. Huge towers have crumbled to the ground, cracking the cobblestone beneath. Where there was once a sun emblem on one of the walls, a different symbol is painted in red over it. Varian stands there, brow furrowed, unable to comprehend what is right in front of him. ]

No. This- this doesn't make sense. This didn't- we stopped this.

[He notices a poster on one of the walls, his breath catches and he quickly snatches it off, crumpling it into his hands. If you were quick enough, though, you might have noticed it was a wanted poster. Specifically, his. ]

II: No matter what comes of me.

[ There's one thing Varian desperately needs to know here, through all of this. He's terrified of the answer he'll get, but he knows this will eat him alive for the rest of his days if he doesn't try to find out. None of the ghosts will talk to him, so there's only one thing he can do. Still by the castle, he finds a side door, managing to force it open. He grabs one of his alchemy glow lights, lighting up the otherwise pitch dark space as he takes winding stone steps down, down, down. If you follow him, you'll soon realise you're in a dungeon. Small cells are built into the arches that hold the castle up. A few are certainly destroyed, but Varian keeps going until get gets to one in particular.

The ceiling is completely caved in, the bars of the cell still firmly locked. There's no way he can get in, but he holds the light up, trying to scan what he can in the rubble. Eventually, he catches some purple fabric, and then the tattered remains of what looks like a maroon bandana. Varian lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding and slumps back onto some rubble. ]

We never got out. Eugene, Max and Lance... they- they didn't find us. That's- that's where things changed.

[His tone is off. He doesn't know how to feel about this. Glad? Glad that he didn't bring about the destruction of Corona? Grateful that this isn't his world. Heartbroken that in one reality, it happened anyway? That something he created brought so much pain and suffering to a people who didn't deserve it? He didn't know. But he's gonna just... sit here for a bit, staring at the ruined cell, if you want to speak to him.]

Wildcard [Want something else? Give me a holler! ]

II

[whiteshroud]

[Jun had a lot of misgivings about letting Varian, or anyone else for that matter, accompany him this realm. He remembered this realm during his first year on the app, he remembered how truly grisly this place was. But Varian had insisted on coming along, and he had no good reason to refuse him. And at first, everything seemed to be going well.

But then they came across this island. Before Jun could make heads or tails about what was going on, Varian had sprinted off. Even if Jun was faster than Varian, it's harder to follow someone who is more familiar. Especially when he keeps getting stopped by ghosts, who see his shroud and sense his holy power, asking if he's the one meant to shepherd them to the next life.

By the time he finally gets free and tracks down Varian, he's already sitting in the dungeon. ]

... Var.

[He'll say softly through the modulator, hoping to get his partner's attention]

Ritsuka Fujimaru | Fate/Grand Order | open

[prunedworlds]

[I. Ghosts and Monsters]

This certainly wasn't Ritsuka's first time visiting a land of the dead. Not even by a long shot. So as she made her way through, whether along or with others, she kept a sharp eye out for any dangers.

"If we're lucky, we won't run into anything bad, but..."

Look, it didn't hurt to stay on alert, okay? And should she come across a monster anyway, or see someone else who had, Ritsuka would naturally be quick to help. She figured it would probably be a very bad thing for someone to die here, after all.


[II. Ends of Worlds]

Of course, Ritsuka wanted to see if there was something to do to help. And so she, too, came wandering to the far edge of the realm, and the floating islands being drawn in. And like some others, she spotted an all too familiar sight amongst them. Though while a bit surprised, she didn't look terribly shocked, let alone alarmed. If anything, her demeanor as she went to investigate more closely seemed as though she were familiar with it...

a - Blank Planet

The most notable feature, at first glance, was how white much of it was. Simply a near-featureless expanse, like the dried salt basin of a long-gone lake, marred only by bizarre, empty ruins that looked like someone had taken an eraser to them. Otherwise it was, well, largely empty. As if all life and form had been bleached away.

At least, for the most part. Walking through it would find patches of other ruins, looking downright out of place against the blank backdrop. One that Ritsuka couldn't help but linger at was that of a heavily damaged facility of some sort. A few ghosts may yet linger here, but mostly the place seemed rather cold and dead. Still, it was clear that this place held a lot of memories for Ritsuka, at least, to judge y the mix of nostalgia and sadness in her expression.

b - Pruned Worlds

The ruins of Chaldea weren't the only place of note from this apparently dead world, however. Scattered throughout the bleached plain were other ruins of various kinds. Simple log cabins that looked like they might have been almost cozy once in one, the remains of a small farming village in another. Another still had clearly once been a vast, highly-advanced city before meeting its end.

Unlike with seeing Chaldea again, however, there was a certain... tenseness to Ritsuka as she explored the ruins. A deep sorrow and sense of regret, perhaps, or still other weighty thoughts. Perhaps more telling, though, was that while these areas did seem to have plenty of lingering souls about, Ritsuka seemed to be largely avoiding them.


[Wildcard/Notes]

For those canon familiar, feel free to reference any of the Lostbelts in tags! For those not canon familiar, if you want more details on the dead worlds feel free to give me a poke. And/or hit me up if you wanna plot something else, as always I'm reachable by journal PM and Altocumulus on Discord.

a - Blank Planet;

[ganymed]

"This...didn't happen to your world, did it?"

Ganymede doesn't know. Honestly, a lot of things seem to be uncertain, and because he is unfamiliar with how crazy things can get, this seems like a fair thing to ask in the first place.

Though, judging by the look on Ritsuka's face, she wouldn't be happy about it being either.

takame kesi | ffxiv oc | closed prompts

[hoshikiri]

i. son, have you seen the world? (closed to facilier)

[Some point prior to the Gate opening, Takame has taken to long night-time walks to clear his mind of pervasive indecision. He wished desperately to propose to Yusuke but he found himself constantly at odds when looking at his duty and his heart. Even with the realm in Shikuha’s hands, he worried.

But the stars were a wonderful sight and he knew Blue Fish Park very well by now. He was also aware of some folks setting up fortune telling booths, many of which were doing it for some good clean fun. Many more being swindlers which was what he tended to have a better eye for. Unfortunately he was still a pessimist by nature and expected, say, the kitsune to be up to their usual nonsense.

But there was one in particular that rubbed him the wrong way with his talk of changing fate. And well his vibes were just rancid.

Takame approached his stand, seemingly neutral as ever but actually on high alert.]

... If I may, ser. How is that feasible? [Changing another person’s fate, he means.]

ii. well what would you say (closed to yusuke)

[Of course Takame would assist with this gate. He’s sensed the presences here strongly all month. It needed to be done.

What he didn’t expect to see...

... was a long abandoned and burned Doman Emblem floating past his sight. His heart sank, expecting the worst as he always did but praying and hoping with all of his heart that it was... some sort of fluke. So without thinking, he ran forward into the ruins of what once laid in this place, well past the gravestone clearly marking what he feared. Swearing to himself the more of the fallen architecture he passed. And recognized. Residential buildings he recalled passing that were newly constructed, strips of kimono and yukata that were intended to be hung out to dry.

Large pieces of a bridge, dried up puddles from what remained of… what could only be the One River, now shallow and dark with grime and dirt from several different sources.

If he could get to the center of this chaos, surely… surely there would be an explanation…!

But. He didn’t. Instead he stopped running as he passed by a small cottage that was run down long before whatever destruction wrought this place. A once humble home with a dedicated space for fishing bait and tools now sunken into the ground with dust and debris scattered around.

And strips of red fabric. One he picked up and felt, recalling it to be worsted yarn from the steppe. Another that made his blood run cold that held the pattern of a familiar Fuga Haori.]

... 母上...?

[Takame just… fell. To his knees. Staying there, blank faced and horrified and worst of all. Unable to cry. Unable to cry knowing that… his mother was gone. Shikuha… was gone too. And Hina. Hina… Hina was gone. And they seem to have been for a long, long time.

Did Takame fail them…? What happened to them? How… how could this…?

Anyone else nearby would find getting through to Takame completely impossible. He wouldn’t speak and wouldn’t move. Just sat there on his knees on the ground staring as if it would change anything. As if it would change the fact that.

His home was gone.

It was only after a long few minutes… closer to a half hour even. That Takame moved an inch. And it was to pull his phone out, of all things. To call someone he did have.

And the recipient would know immediately from how his voice shook and strained that something was deeply wrong.]

Yusuke…?

iii. if i said that you could? (close CR only)

[To say Takame was better would be a lie. He was functional, but essentially on auto-pilot. He was colder than normal and if regarded by someone who was a stranger to him, he would ignore them or worse lash out at them. He hadn’t a clue how to regulate his emotions in this state, but he knew there was still danger present and communicated in a very limited manner.

Even to friends.]

Mind your six. Hostiles still roam.

[The souls of the forgotten and other threats to those who still live. Takame has reverted to a very unpleasant mental state. One he’d been in once before, when one Lord Haurchefant Greystone had breathed his last. And there was a certain spirit nearby who seemed to recognize that.

One could either approach him directly to assist with the fight and maybe get through to him. Or perhaps even speak with the long deceased Miqo’te hovering around him with a look of concern then back to you if you seem very close to her friend.]

iv. wildcard

[[ it’s the etc option, if you’re unsure about tagging takame just ask me and i’ll let you know how he’ll react. depending on how you poke him in prompt 3 replies will either come from him or his friend Shikuha shadowbites. if you want something else from takame-kun let me know that too!! ]]

[stripartist]

What's wrong?

[Takame almost never calls Yusuke during the day, mostly because he doesn't want to disrupt Yusuke's possible art fugue. That's why when Takame's ringtone sounded, Yusuke actually managed to stop painting and pick up his phone.]

Ame?

Rose | FFXIV | OTA | we're so back

[poisontippedcure]

[Ruins of Old]

[It catches Rose off-guard.]

[She doesn't know any of these places. These worlds may not be hers, but they're still someone's. People lived here, and now they're just--gone. There's a sense of eeriness to it that she can't help but find off-putting.]

[As a child, her mother had always warned her to be careful of spirits. It was important to take care for the departed, she would chide her, as you never know what could prevent somebody from crossing over.]

[So when a forgotten soul calls out to Rose, she tries. She tries and tries and tries to remember, but she can't. She is, however, distracted enough for a monstrous skeleton to try to attack her from behind. A little help, anyone?]

[Ruins of New]

[And then, she knows this place.]

[It's Ishgard.]

[The grey cobblestone is unmistakable. The amount of religious iconography could only belong to the Holy See of Ishgard, though most of it lays in ruins. The cathedral is destroyed, but that doesn't matter--Rose knows where she's going.]

[Rose finds her way to a familiar manse, and opens the door.]

[Nothing.]

[Only silence remains.]

[She rushes back outside, and the hope hits her suddenly--perhaps this is the doomed shard. Perhaps this is the version of Eorzea that the Exarch came from, the one that was destined for ruin. Perhaps this is the version where she died and everything went to shit.]

[The alternate version--the one where all this happened because she came to Kaisou and she's been relaxing watching anime while her friends and family are being destroyed--isn't one she wants to think about.]

[So she goes to the nearest ghost, and shakes them by the shoulder.]

Hey, this was Black Rose, right!? Black Rose is what caused this, right?

[It has to be.]

[OTA]

[As always, I'm open to more stuff!]

[Might be slow this month, as a heads up.]

Ruins of New

[moderni]

[Maxima has never been to Ishgard. Depending on the origin of these ruins, he might never get to. He's still having a hard time wrapping his mind around the idea of other timelines, that a world can be theirs but not theirs, although having the multiple Warriors of Light does help with the unsettling concept.

He's about to call out to Rose when he hears what she's asking, and for a moment the guilt of Empire slams through him again. He doesn't quite take in the ghost's response, whatever it may be, as he moves closer, steadying his thoughts until he's sure he can speak calmly.]

...Even if it were Black Rose, it's not likely they'd have known what it was. If they even knew anything was coming at all.

Knuckles the Echidna | Sonic the Hedgehog (movie-verse) | Open

[ampersand_me]

[I. Can't Punch a Ghost]

To say Knuckles was afraid of ghosts was, unfortunately, an understatement. He might put on a brave face, not to mention insisting that a warrior feared nothing, but after hearing the warnings about ghost activity he was definitely looking over his shoulder. Like, a lot.

Still, he tried to brave it out, both for the sake of his ego and because someone he respected encouraged him to. But, well. The moment something incorporeal (or even vaguely spooky) jumped out at him?

"AaaaahhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

... That really was quite the impressive scream, at least.


[II. Forgetting Something?]

While he may have failed at keeping his cool around town earlier, Knuckles was still never one to back down from a challenge. And a spirit gate labeled as "extremely dangerous" was precisely the sort of bait the echidna would jump on.

So here he was, ready to punch some monsters, and...

"So, why is it called the Forgotten?"

... And completely oblivious to what was in store. Welp.


[Wildcard]

Have another idea? Feel free to poke me in PM or on Discord (Altocumulus) or just throw something at me!

Noa Kaiba | YGO x Ryslig CRAU/TBO AU | OTA

[blueeyeswhitedoppelganger]

[HAUNTED NIGHTS - Prompt Variations Underlined]

[While required to patrol the realm of dreams by his contract, the duty of chasing away nightmares is not Noa's only divine task. After just a day or so it becomes apparent that his 'side job' is getting a sharp spike in weight, an increase in work that even Neith herself insists must take temporary priority.

That duty of course, is that of the pseudo-pyschopomp.]

Tch...listen, I hardly care what you think my crimes are, [the sphinx, currently gleaming with a spectral coating, says to one spirit in particular.] But you aren't supposed to be here. Which means you'll have to follow me. Now.

[Maybe someone else will have to help the process. Or maybe instead, by the time anyone sees Noa at work it'll be with a whole line of ghosts, fluttering obediently behind the creature as he leads them to the nearest 'point of departure'.

Could be a church, an actual psychopomp...Anyone or anything who can properly send the dead on their way.

His job's just to get them to that person or place after all.]

...ugh, fantastic, just a few dozen more to go for tonight...

[RUINS OF OLD]

[Well, now that the best path to the solution is clear, it's time to head into the gate. He's 'on duty' in a sense; sphinx form and all, even if he might not be wearing the vest of the Black Order, because this work is more about what Neith wants. Though he's certainly not slacking on any assignments from the Order either.

Still, that doesn't mean he won't pause when he sees...a ship. It's difficult to fully describe it as anything less than a massive pile of junk. It's an enormous cruise ship submersible, cobbled together with all sorts of metal and material, rooms practically jutting out of certain portions. There are hidden treads- no longer hidden by the way they fell apart- at the bottom, from where he remembers it carrying himself and all aboard through a hole...

A hole between realities...to the Sea of Stars.

Noa stares at this machine, this thing that so faintly occupies his memories, and stares for a good long while.]

...Does this mean it worked, or that it failed, I wonder...

[He'll clarifiy, perhaps, if asked. Only if.]

[REMAIN FORGOTTEN]

[No doubt Noa had some words- and sparks- for Facilier, but whatever the case, his focus is back on his job. Facilier has- not literally but very close to it- given up the ghost he supposes, fleeing away for...next time, Noa supposes.

Which of course means-] This way...yes, yes, follow me please...

[Back to work! Behold the pied piper of ghosts! A whole trail of spirits, just milling about as a sphinx herds them on like some kind of sheepdog.]

Ruins of Old

[prunedworlds]

That... ship? Or whatever it was, certainly was something. Huge, and looking frankly like something out of a scifi movie she might've seen once. It was fascinating.

"That ship?"

Dante | Devil May Cry

[advivo]

► i ─ i'm waiting on the day you don't want me tomorrow.

[ Dante's out doing his rounds when it happens. when the sudden influx or more ghosts than normal affects him personally. he's leaning against his bike drafting up a message to the husbands when he feels a pair of eyes on him and his instincts kick into gear─

an ordinary person would only see local private investigator and handy man pull a gun out as quick a lightning, pointing it towards seemingly thin air. everyone else would see the ghostly form blonde woman standing in that spot, her expression gentle and unbearably fond regardless of the weapon pointed in her direction, while Dante's own eyes filled with disbelief. he honestly thought he'd gotten past this with the damn therapy train, that he was free of the ghosts of his past sneaking up on him. yet here we are. ]

Mum?

[ the woman nods then turns, casting a glance over her shoulder at the other ghostly figure behind her. you wouldn't be blamed if you thought the man was either of the twins dressed up in regal finery. they did get their looks from their father after all. but Dante is very much alive, as is his brother, and the tall man behind his mother's ghost certainly is not.

Dante laughs and lowers Ebony, his half finished text abandoned as he stuffs his phone into his pocket and drags a hand through his own hair. ]

Now I'm just losing my god damn mind. [ it's sarcastic but the despair in his voice is impossible to hide. so he does the first thing that comes to his mind, whistling down whoever is closest and gestures at the ghosts of his parents. ] Hey! Do a guy a favor, would you? You can see them, yeah? Need to make sure I'm not losing my mind from sleep deprivation or something.

► ii ─ angels with bells to toll. (closed to Vergil)

[ in truth, he'd rather be losing his mind to sleep deprivation. if it had only been Eva there wouldn't be a problem, he could deal with that. but both of them? the old man who up and vanished only to clearly die in some ditch while his wife and children were left to fend for themselves? yeah, that's more than a little out of his ball park and he just... he can't really with that alone.

the bitter part of him doesn't want to take them to see Vergil, wants to spite his father for leaving all those years ago. wants to deny him the chance to see his other son before whatever problem with the Spirit Realm is inevitably fixed. but he can't. not when Eva gives him a look that disarms him within a heartbeat. Sparda might not deserve to see Vergil, but she does. and Vergil deserves to see her.

so, that is exactly how Dante ends up leading the ghosts of his parents to his brother's shop. how he walks inside only to turn the sign of 'CLOSED' and lock the door behind him, the ghosts following slowly behind. ]

Hey Verg? [ god he hopes Vergil is here right now. ] Get your head out of whatever musty old book you're reading and get down here. I uh... I've brought some guests.

► iii ─ this is how legends are made. (wild card)

[ Dante is leaving the Spirit Gate up to others this time! but he available around the city likely helping with unruly ghosts making life difficult for other people. if you wanna do a thing with him just hit me up! ]

i

[jackdawvision]

[Edward, dusting flower petals off his hoodie, blinks at the sight of Dante's ghosts. The woman he doesn't recognize, but the man looks so startlingly like the twins that Edward's first thought is:]

Vergil? That's quite the costume.

[Except, no, that's not Vergil. He looks to Dante, hearing the despair in his voice, and nods quickly.]

Aye, I can see them. I've been dealing with some ghosts of my own for a few days, you haven't lost your mind just yet. [And Edward would know, he figures, if he'd lost it himself. He's gone through the Event Horizon, after all, he'd recognize that pattern if it popped up again.] Are...Are you all right, Dante?

Yasuho Hirose | JoJolion/PokeGo AU | OTA

[youwouldntdownloada]

[THE LAND OF THE FORGOTTEN]

[The last time that this gate's contents were making itself known, Yasuho wasn't really as involved in matters. In fact, she's not sure she was aware of the supernatural at all at that time, trying with difficulty to place on a timeline the mentions that she can glean from other's conversations.

It's something she ultimately has to give up on, in the end, so she decides to just prepare for the worst while hoping for the best. There's too many ghosts for her to not try something though, but as she approaches the gate this time she's startled when she sees one of her pokemon.

Specifically, her Dusknoir.] What-

Slam..!

[The Dusknoir hovers quite innocently, which is rather impressive given its size and girth.] Slam! What are you doing here, you should be back at the house...

Ssssskkkkkk... [is the response the pokemon makes, and Yasuho rubs her forehead.]

Really, this is probably going to be dangerous...

[She'll be arguing unsuccessfully for a while, but that might not be what catches most people's eye. Is it just them or...

....Are ghosts attracted to that pokemon??]

[THE RUINS OF OLD]

[Yasuho is strangely cheerful here, as she makes her way through in hopes of reaching the actual area that the problem is centered in. The mood increases, despite her waning Light element typically inflicting paranoia upon her, after the tear is sealed and the land is more or less trundling towards its old status quo.

She always knew something probably happened to wherever she'd come from one day. Definitely not while she was alive in it, of course. The world wasn't quite that voltile. But probably...years after she was gone, when some other 'JoJo' got in too far over their head, maybe.

The evidence, she thinks, is in the rust on this strange ski-lift she's looking at.

The woman jumps the instant she hears someone behind her, and visibly melts with relief when it turns out to be a person rather than anything truly malicious.] Phew...

Geeze, you're quiet...

[That might not have been the case, but then, she Was distracted.

Yasuho turns back and gestures up the ski-lift. There's something odd about it, and she's about to explain why.] This thing was a house, believe it or not. I didn't see every 'room', but I remember there was a dessert bar in one...

Want to join me to see the rest? I always wondered what was in the other ones, can you imagine a bed folding out?

[Yes, the poles are holding the rooms somehow.]

the ruins of old

[trailblazingspirit]

I wasn't that quiet. Hi, Yasuho!

[March's heart-tipped tail wags excitedly at the sight of Yasuho, and she makes her way over as quickly as possible. She looks at the rusted lift and everything, then takes out her camera.]

I've been on a fold-out bed before, it's pretty nice—anyway! Sure, take me with you. Will you mind if I take pictures?

Bailey (Byleth) Eisner | FE3H | OTA

[rupturingheaven]

A. Between Heaven and Earth
[Logically speaking, Bailey should be in better spirits (heh) this month, what with it being a shadow month. And while they do have energy-- well. A not insignificant amount of it is going into studying, but when they aren't... it's not uncommon to see them accompanied by ghosts if they're out and about. A lot of ghosts, in fact. Usually different ones, but three in particular keep hanging around.

In fact, it's those three that are around as Bailey tries to ignore them in favor of the meal she has while she's out at the park. Come to check on them, and Bailey just gives a weak smile.]

It's going to be a long month if this keeps up.

[One of the ghosts opens their mouth to say something and Bailey's smile turns a touch strained.]

B. A Funeral of Flowers
[It's not that Bailey dislikes seeing the people from her past life, but it's quite tiring. So, they're more than fine with going into the Land of the Forgotten to deal with the problem.

It's brought them to the ruins of Garreg Mach Monastery. Seeing it in ruins isn't... totally alien, not really, but the place is certainly in worse condition than it would've been when Byleth saw it in sort-of ruins. Entrance hall, dining hall, dormitories, training grounds, classrooms, central building... eventually Bailey makes their way to the cathedral.

After she's been there a while, though, even the slightest bit of noise makes her jump, whirling around with a shadow blade in her hand.]

Who's there?!

C. Paths That Will Never Cross (wildcard)
[Want something not included here? Hit me up and let's discuss something!]

A

[felyney]

Bay?

[Lyney hasn't seen many ghosts this month, just his birth parents once or twice and some he thought might be his aunt and uncle that he refused to look too closely at. Bailey, though...

Lyney sits down next to his cousin.]

Everything okay?

Baizhu | Genshin Impact | OTA

[pharmacologic]

a. an ancient land is a haunted land

[There's an undead child on the steps of Bubu Pharmacy. To those truly familiar with it, this is almost unsurprising. Baizhu watches her, clearly gathering himself, until she finishes stiffly climbing the steps to the top, a misty outline of ancient clothes, lavender hair, and unfocused eyes.]

Qiqi. What are you doing here?

[His tone is soft, even, hiding whatever complicated emotions he must be feeling at the sight of his ward from another life.

"I came home."

He sighs.]

Yes, I can see that. You're not supposed to be here on this side, though.

["I wanted...to live."]

I know. I know! But you're not living, dear. Not even as much as you were back then. I'm sorry.

b. stones full of memory

[In the end, he had to bring Qiqi back through himself to get her to follow. And since he's here, why not wander a bit more through what remains? For a crumbling ruin, Liyue Harbor is remarkably intact, and Baizhu has found himself lingering on a flat stone entryway in front of a building with ostentatious columns slowly losing their red color, tastefully set apart from the main thoroughfare. For some reason he seems to be addressing the nearby message board, which is studded with empty hooks as if some sort of tokens were meant to be hanging there.]

So here I am, doing your job for you. You must be getting a good laugh out of this somewhere.

[It's not exactly unusual to be talking to the dead around here, but there are no ghosts visible nearby at all.]

Of course you're not lingering. I'm sure you marched yourself right up to the processing line and made sure it was straight and no one in it was dragging their feet. You still missed getting Qiqi to come along, though.

[He laughs a little ruefully and shakes his head.]

Maybe you've been reborn already, too. If we knew each other in this life, I'm sure we'd still get on one another's nerves just as much as the last one. It's just as well you're not here to hear any of this, or I'd never bother to say it.

[How can you fondly miss someone you've technically never known?]

c. between breaths (wildcard)
[Need a healer for a fight? Have some other ideas? Let's talk about it!]

b

[lapislazily]

[Zhongli doesn't do anything to announce his presence. He just appears right out of the ashen air as he's wont to do at moments like this with some kind of wooden token in his hand. The symbol carved into it almost looks like a leaf. Using elegant brushwork, he's inscribed, simply, 璃月... 'Liyue'. He gives Baizhu a slight nod of acknowledgment and continues past him to the door of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, kneels, and slips the token underneath the worn doorframe.

The gesture might be totally unnecessary and a little bit dramatic, but after granting so many funerals for his people it makes sense for him to grant a funeral for the nation, too. Of course, Zhongli hoped his nation would outlive him in the end, even if it was unlikely. Parents always hold that wish for their children. At the end of the day... he doesn't remember. He thinks, given his perfect memory, that must be a small blessing of reincarnation.

He stands up and dusts off his knees, though the residual dust settling on his coat indicates he's been walking around here for a while.]

You need not worry for this funeral parlor's old master. No matter the obstacle, she always finds her purpose.

Inwa | FFXIV | ota

[depressionrug]

I. Ruins
[ Inwa wasn't sure what brought him there, or what provoked him to keep walking. It wasn't until he stood in the ruined remains of a manor did he look at what was before him. A hearth broken and cold in a room that may at one point had been the peak of noble opulence.

The remains of a sofa is where he stopped, the right side fallen and splintered, covered in layers of dust and scattered stones. To the left side was a single armchair with the back slashed, exposing the plush cushioning that spilled out into the dingy deep blue of the upholstering. At some point this must have been a cozy with how a low table sat between it all, split in half by a pile of stone that feel from the surrounding structure.

He was quiet for a good long time, looking around the ghastly scene, turning his back to it when he could no longer stand the myriad of thoughts that spilled forth from trying to make sense of what he was looking at.

Instead of focusing on thoughts, he tried to focus on breathing and unballing his fists, settling the rising pressure in his throat and behind his eyes. ]

It's fine. Everything is fine. It was my fault for being too curious.


II. It's part of the job
[ Hauntings were nothing new to him. The spirits he found, whether he knew them or not, were ignored as he went about his days and nights. He was all too used to the protocol that came with his job. Acknowledging ghosts means they would never leave you alone, and he was not here for that.

One night, however, he would break the usual protocol to take his staff out and stand in the park with it raised, letting the rain of feathers and embers fall around him as he began his dance. Every move was slow and intentional, moving his staff and arms in practiced motions that showed experience and meaning. Even with no music, he danced.

In time, the ghosts that had congregated in the park joined in, dancing around him in their own way. There was no purpose nor gain, Inwa dancing barefoot on the grass with staff in hand, his gaze pointedly never resting on any of the spirits that joined him in his silent revelry. ]


III. Wildcard
[ Find him among the ghost, walking around and inspecting depressing places and praying over them, or elsewhere way from the activities. The sky is the limit. ]

II

[whiteshroud]

[Well. That's not a sight you see every night.

It was normal for Jun to wander the city at night in his knight uniform. Partly so he can patrol the town of any threats, and partly just as a ritual that'd become comforting to him. Tonight, he'd made his way to the park, moving atop streetlamps with extreme grace.... when he happens upon this ghostly dance.

Intrigued, he'll jump over to a nearby streetlamps and crouch down, watching it silently to see this dance play out. Sorry for the local cryptid Inwa]

Hermes | Stray Gods | ota

[doublethumbsup]

👻 Haunted Nights 👻
Hermes has exactly zero plans to go anywhere but the city. They don't want to set foot in those rift things. The last time they left the city, they died. So no thank you. Okay, maybe not fair, the last time they ended up hanging out with the Easter Bunny, so that wasn't too bad. Surely, though, kicking around, working their delivery routes, trying to start the whole therapy thing, that won't go wrong at all.

Surely!

A) Orpheus - Good Time
No sooner do they step out of a glowing golden doorway onto a street do they run into a familiar face. Their feet skid to a stop, and they almost drop the pouch of cash they'd been carrying, ending up fumbling it. But the ghost catches it. Arching an eyebrow.

"Dude! Don't just sneak up on somebody - rude." Wait hold up - "Hey! Orpheus! Right? Dude how'd you get out of the Underworld? Did - oh man does Persephone know you're here?"

No matter the answer, Hermes is going to be wheeling Ghost Orpheus around town. A pizza place? Yes. A bar? Also yes. A club? Double yes. They're finally getting to live out their DLC dreams.

"Hey! You gotta meet my friend!" Hermes will, inevitably announce, to whomever they see. "I mean. He's from my world and stuff and kiiiiiiiiiinda also dead? But he's cool! He's a musician!"


B) Grace - Bad Time
On another night, your door glows. Maybe it's a closet, maybe it's a bathroom, or even a really big wardrobe. It glows bright golden yellow, and a very frightened Hermes falls through. They're on the verge of tears.

"You gotta hide me! I - I don't know what happened but - Okay, can you see her? Can you see her too?"

This is sending them into a tail spin. So much so they forget to close the Doorway behind them, which allows the problem to step through too. It's a young woman, ghostly, and she looks pissed. Hermes does not take this well, and tries to hide behind some furniture.

"We fixed it though! And - and I didn't know! I didn't know any of it! I'm sorry!"

B) Grace - Bad Time;

[ganymed]

Ganymede's gotten time to set up his new, spacious house he got...some time ago, so things are looking pretty nice, even if it's relatively in Kaisou. Either way, he's not anticipating someone to come through the doors right away. When he sees an angry ghostly young woman, he looks already unamused and practically thinking immediately how to kick her ass out of her.

Really, this is a pain. First, though, he asks, "What's going on here?"

After that, he puts his hands on his hips in a sassy manner.

Ganymede | Olimpos | OTA

[ganymed]

i. Haunted Nights;

[ Ganymede feels unsettled by how dark night seems to arrive. His first instinct or action to take isn’t to simply walk into whatever nonsense is happening in the city. Look, he isn’t exactly a bleeding heart, though he does care for people and doesn’t like terrible things happening to them or all that. Right now, he is entirely focused on himself as he figures he should have returned to his nice home in the city. Instead, he is suddenly finding himself in the midst of early onset supernatural phenomena.

He sees them soon - at first, his mother and father, who have kind gazes reach him and his heart. A warmth at their reunion which ignites despair and an untold myriad resentment for not being able to reconnect before. It isn’t that he’s not grateful, because he is…

It’s that it is a reminder of what he was taken away from. And when he sees his brother, turning to him, with that short blond hair, earring glinting even in that ghostly form, he recalls what Apollo has taken away from him.

He can be found walking quickly away after talking to them and if someone approaches, he will duck away, trying to avoid them. He’s in a conflicted mood and feels like snapping at anyone who crosses his path, no matter who it is. ]

ii. Land of the Forgotten ~ Ruins of New; (cw: suicidal ideation for responses related to prompt, etc.)

[ Ganymede steps straight into this dark hell, almost as if in trance. Though, soon enough his expression is curious as he observes the oddity of the places.

He sees the cliff - and a memory in his own head replays. Is it from thousands of years ago? He doesn’t know…he knows he was captive for so long. It started when he first became of age - when he became an adult. So many people came and went in that

…Maybe he shouldn’t have come here, since he’s half-dissociating just on this alone. But, Ganymede doesn’t know if he fears death anymore (he doesn’t) and so he steps forward with unerring ease.

Ganymede first sees buildings he recognizes from Troy. Another reminder beyond those ghosts that he survived and they didn’t. He should have died with it, honestly. Yes, he even knows it was destroyed so long ago. Even before he arrived to Kaisou. The only difference is that it seems the entire world of Earth had gone down with it.

But shockingly, is when he sees the cause of destruction listing his name. Everything comes to a halt, and a look that isn’t quite right finds itself on Ganymede’s face. ]

…You got what you wanted, didn’t you?

[ That bastard. Ganymede at this point can’t tell what’s real or not anymore. Over thousands of years of captivity, mind games, and being reduced to nothing but some thing that can be only used to further gods’ ends…that’s right…it’s their fault…it’s all their fault. They’re all the same in the end. ]

iii. Remain Forgotten;

[ Ganymede just wanted this chaos to end. The sooner the better - he finds Faciler, and even if he hates fighting, he thinks this should stop. Now.

Except that there is an illusion. Even after seeing the ghosts, and knowing that the people he knows are dead, everything that fills in his sight feels so very real.

He sees them. His mother, father, his brothers.

Troy, in its natural state. ]

…Ilus? I thought you were…killed by Apollo…

[ He looks towards a blond-haired man with similar eyes, though his hair is far shorter, and he is wearing an earring.

”I’m still here. What are you talking about?”

The taller man ruffles Ganymede’s head and the blond smiles. It shouldn’t be so easy to trick him, but sometimes it’s easier to accept a lie than a truth, and it appears that he may or may not be in trouble of being attacked. Or perhaps the enemy is going to draw whoever is with him into the same illusion per Faciler tactics. Who knows. ]

iv. Aftermath;

[ Ganymede can be found…wherever. It probably isn’t too surprising he isn’t going to start a conversation.

He might even proceed to ignore whoever tries at first, helping some tell to go before he goes back towards his home himself. ]

v. Wildcard;

[ None of the above! Feel free to choose something that doesn’t fit in either categories. ]

II

[whiteshroud]

[Jun had come to this realm for one simple reason: to seal the tear. He'd already visited the ruins of his lost world long ago, and he feels no real desire to revisit it. Right now, he's just trying to locate the gods of this realm to get the information he needs.

Coming across Ganymede in front of that plaque is really just a coincidence. But it causes him to pause all the same. Was this a place that Ganymede knew?]

Ganymede?

[He'll call out, tentatively]

Belle | Zenless Zone Zero

[greatlydares]

[one: just keep haunting me]

[Belle keeps getting haunted.

It's not really a problem to her, exactly. Most of her ghosts are generally quite kind, happy to go about with her while she does her tasks. Some of the more abrasive ones even soften around her, letting down their guards around her. One of them, a young woman in yellow with white hair, keeps calling her by various strange names ("Crimson Twilight," really?) but that's the worst of it.

Today, she's keeping company with three different ghosts over time:

a. a pink-haired girl carrying a wrecked briefcase, scrutinizing a box of DVDs as Belle browses through a garage sale. "Proxy, I know how to make this a steal~" she singsongs.

b. a wolfman butler following in her shadow at the grocery store, peering at the foods she's buying. "Master Proxy, might I suggest an alternative to Kraft Mac and Cheese?" he asks, and from anyone else it might sound judgmental. From him, it sounds as if he really does have an alternative option.

c. a young woman carrying a parasol, sitting on the cold hard ground next to Belle, who's standing on the soil in the park with her socks and shoes off. "I could stay with you, Lord Phaethon. I don't mind being a ghost if it means I'd get to stay!" she says, looking up at Belle with...god, such adoration. "I could haunt your video store, and throw out all who dare to go against your rental guidelines."

It startles a laugh out of Belle.] You don't have to do that, Vivian.

[two: let me know what piece i've lost | closed to harumasa and lighter]

[A little Bangboo squirms back out into the open through a gap in the ruins. Dusts itself off and returns to the two men waiting up on her, and holds up the hilt of what was once an electrified sword. It's been shattered now.

Softly:]

Anby said to say hi.

[And she sits down, silent for a long moment as she holds the hilt in her hands. Then she shakes herself off, puts it away in a little bag, and says:]

Okay. Where to next? I'll get us the safest, quickest route there.

[fuegor]

...

[Anby... she was part of another faction. The one... someone... someone was part of, someone he called brother... but who? What was his name? What did he look like? All Lorenzo could see in his mind was a dark shadow of a man who got really excited about a popular series.

He didn't think coming here would hurt this much. But he and Harumasa were the Agents being led by their Proxy. And Lighter... well. If he stood where one of "someone"'s allies last left her sword and felt like this...

He looked to Harumasa, suddenly very glad for how dark his sunglasses were. Perfect for shielding his eyes from bright lights, blood and from other people seeing behind them when this happens.]

You can pick the next place.

Maxima Priscus | FFXIV | OTA

[moderni]

And we're all to blame

[The terrible thing here really is that Camp Broken Glass looks basically the same as the way they left it, aside from the ghosts milling around. He's trying not to make eye contact with any of them, and he's not going near the building they'd used as headquarters - if Lucia is there, he doesn't want to know. He'll grant himself that small mercy.

Instead, he's sitting on the remains of a broken warmachina, just...staring at the ruins and the slowly decaying camp built inside them. Is this his home, or one of the others'? Does it matter?]

We've gone too far (wildcard)
[Want to run into him somewhere else? Let me know!]

[fuegor]

[Belle and Harumasa had left the Hollo-- the Spirit Realm not long ago. But Lorenzo took it upon himself to wander a little. He was given a job and he couldn't really stand by and let others be alone with their grief.

The Lost Souls and other monsters lingering about were no problem for him, no worse than your B-Grade Etherial. And a group of folks seemed to be around this deceased world in particular so he decided to lend his strength.

He had a bit of reprieve when stumbling upon this old, cold occupied space when he saw a familiar face sitting on some kinda machine. Not wanting to leave the man alone, Lighter approached.]

Hey. You want some company?

Gravelord Nito | Dark Souls

[end_singer]

Ruins of New

[Though it couldn't be anything but new, floating amongst the rest of the newly dead worlds as it is, there is one that somehow looks as if its ruins had been part of the Land of the Forgotten for a very long time, structures from many disparate eras all crumpled together and dissolving into ash. A place that has been crumbling so long that even the tombstone appears so worn by the passage of time to the point that the name is illegible and the numbers only barely so, with only the cause of destruction freshly chiseled in.

{illegible} 3241652817
Fading of the Fire

Nito's face remains as expressionless as ever, yet the slow flicking of his tail and the way he holds himself as he stares up at the island on the end of the chain seems... contemplative. Perhaps even relieved, after a fashion. He gives a hum of acknowledgment to any who walk up, but no more than that until directly spoken to.]


Travelers

[Eventually Nito does take to the air, ascending to and then descending into the ruins of the world he does not recognize but knows down to the marrow is his own.

Down

and down


and down



and down




until finally





the bottom.

Here, buried down in the dark, is finally a place he remembers. The closest place to home that he suspects still existed when this iteration of the world ended: Firelink Shrine. Though he lacks the ability to sigh with any measure of the emotion he feels, the old god shakes some of the ash out of his fur and feathers, sets his bag down, and slowly, slowly, ever so deliberately builds a fire in the center of the circle of stones, sits down, and begins to sing. The tear in the realm must eventually be mended, of course, but...

Even Death itself needs time to grieve.]


Wildcard

[Got another idea? Go ham with this option, my friends~]

Travelers

[prunedworlds]

For Ritsuka, seeing ruins of her own world here hadn't exactly been a surprise. It was a future they were trying to undo, after all, a reality that should never have come to be in the first place. But much as she thought she was fine, could handle whatever she saw, in the end she'd needed to get away, at least for a time.

And so she found herself wandering aimlessly through other ruins, when the sound of singing, of all things, reached her ears. Curious, she followed it, then stopped short upon seeing and recognizing another app user. Was she interrupting him? Should she just leave before he noticed?

closed to dr. facilier

[orchidingold]

[Before the ghosts start showing up, Jin Ling takes himself (and Casper) to the festival. He's feeling pretty good these days, he's got the summer semester coming up and all the time in the world to figure out what major he wants, but there's still that nagging thought, the one that drove him here to this city in the first place: how does he break from Casper without hurting either of them?

Casper themself doesn't seem to mind the thought, but they like to joke that being dead, it'd be a tall order for them to get hurt. Still. Still. They're Jin Ling's friend. Really the only one he'd had for...such a long time. But this can't last forever, and Jin Ling won't make them stay in his head, as much as it would hurt. He would miss them, but—it's fine. It's fine.

Really, it's fine.

He passes by a fortune teller's stand, intending to ignore them, only to hear something that draws his attention. He comes to a stop, turns back, and walks right up to the stand, trying his best to seem only vaguely curious and not ravenously intrigued.]

What was that you said, just now?

[changeitroundsome]

[ Facilier has been laying on the charm to passing city residents, like a fisherman putting out a line, waiting for a bite. He's had some luck today already, but there's always a new sucker to take advantage of and here comes one now.

He grins doing some sleight-of hand with his cards. ]

I said, can I interest in changing your fate? It's what I specialise in. Seeing where people's lives are going and changing it round some.