Monthly Rundown: June Edition

[hadrielmods]

Well, now that our first vote of Arc 2 is underway, I hope everyone really hated feeling angry and also happy, because there won't be any Delight or Rage events for a bit! But if you think that that means things are going to ramp down, you're sorely mistaken. With June, we're beginning to get back into the full swing of things, and that means more intense events for everyone!

As always, if you ever have any suggestions or feedback you'd like to offer us mods, remember you can always drop us a line here! Also, please remember to hit up the Current AC post if you have AC for the month! Characters accepted in May do not require AC proofs, but we do require a check-in on the post!

JUNE PART 1: DON'T HARP ON ME

With the raging party from the Delight/Rage event coming to a close on June 2nd, we understand that you'll need some time to recuperate and maybe put some neosporin on those cuts you got when someone smashed a bottle over your head. Lucky you, because for the first few days of June, you'll get just that!

Of course, like always, the intro log for new characters starts on June 10th, when the Door opens and brings with it a bunch of new characters as usual, and a flock of harpies, from greek mythology and most rpgs you've ever played!

Harpies vary greatly in shapes, sizes, and aesthetic appeal throughout many of their depictions, but these particular ones are far more monstrous than most of the ones depicted in pop culture today. These monsters are fast and capable of flight, with talons that can rip through flesh and a stomach that craves for human meat, so look out!

JUNE PART 2: A BLUSTERY DAY

On June 15th, the cave ceiling of Hadriel will seem a little further off. Still above you, of course, but oddly distant- though, this may be due to the... cloud formation?

Yep, for just a few days in the middle of June, Confusion is going to put on a small event of her own, featuring a little bit of adverse weather. Too bad Hadriel has never needed to be stocked with rain gear, because from June 15th-June 17th, the skies are going to open up and monsoon on all of these unsuspecting folks. From whipping winds to harsh rain to even a little lightning here and there... well, you might want to stay inside with some cocoa.

On the evening of June 17th, however, the thunderstorms will abate into a warm, gentle rain, after which the clouds will disappear entirely and everything will return to normal. Weird!

JUNE PART 3: GHOSTS THAT WE KNOW

With all these positive vibes going on there between the gods and the various people in Hadriel, it's high time that something come in and shake it up a bit- after all, this relationship is firmly on the "it's complicated" side of things.

So, as it's been some time since Sorrow has had an event, and Love has frankly, not had one yet, the two of them decide to get together to cook up something that will particularly tug on your heartstrings, in not-entirely-pleasant ways.

Starting on June 21st, you may run into ghosts of people from your various worlds who have influenced or were otherwise close to you. This can be a parent, a sibling, a lover- living or dead, it doesn't matter, as long as you have, at some point, loved them. The ghosts will speak and act like the way you remember this person to be, though nobody else will be able to see or interact with your ghost. Ghosts will appear opaque and faded at first, but are solid to their anchor characters. Basically, you can touch them, but nobody else can.

That's not so bad then, right? Seeing your loved ones again shouldn't be too upsetting for some of you- hell, it may even bring a comfort or two. But as the event goes on, you may notice yourself sleeping for longer hours during the day, losing your appetite, feeling just... well, sluggish, while your ghostly loved one grows more corporeal, as if they're gaining their strength to physically manifest from you.

Which could be bad.

As the event drags on, these ghosts will drain you of more and more of your strength if not dealt with, until by June 26th, you can barely move. At this point, the ghosts will have eclipsed the point where they're solid enough to appear to and interact with other characters. If it goes on for much longer than that, the ghosts will eventually drain enough energy from their hosts to kill on June 29th.

How do you stop them? Well... you have to kill them. This can technically be done from the very beginning of the event, if the thought strikes you. If you won't, can't, or find that this is too much to bear and would rather waste away than kill your loved one, then it's up to your friends to drop the hatchet after your ghost appears solidly to everyone else on the 26th. Hope you don't hate them too much for that one- they're only looking out for you, after all.

If a ghost is not killed, and it does eventually kill their host, then the ghost dies as well, fading away as if it were never there at all. June 29th is the cutoff date for this, the date when everyone either dies or has their ghost murdered. As a note, this event is entirely opt-in, and all of the edgelords in Hadriel can feel free to be a bit liberal with the definition of a 'loved one'. Have fun!

TO RECAP...

► June 10th: Intro Log
► June 15th-17th: A Blustery Day Event
► June 21st-29th: Ghosts That We Know Event
► June 23rd-30th: Activity check
As a final note, our schedule for the month is viewable on the calendar!

Comments

[hadrielmods]

Just like Ravine, as long as you have permission from the other players involved, Carlisle would be able to see people's ghosts before they're solid.

[tongueamok]

Rad! Thanks, mods!

[hadrielmods]

Until they've gained more strength, you'll only see your own ghost, even if it's the same as someone else's.

[hadrielmods]

After the ghosts are solid enough to be visible to others, yes! Before that, only the host will be able to see any effects.

[circumitus]

OH MAN YES, YES IT DOES. THANK YOU.

[whip_poor_will]

Excellent, thanks so much! I'll be sure to put up a permissions/plotting thing and ask if I end up tagging out. <3

[irrelevantcode]

[Pops molly] But I love everyone-


Awesome and thanks for getting back to me so quickly!

[tongueamok]

Would the ghosts have access to their host's memories to any degree? Like, as they solidify, would they know who someone's friends are when spoken to even if they haven't run into them during the duration of the event?

Mostly asking for, like... if a ghost is the kind who would want to not let their host suffer, and if they'd seek out help from one of their host's friends/family for help rather than random Jack on the street.

[hadrielmods]

Yep! Ushahin could see the ghosts of others if he's inside their head- this would, of course, require explicit player permission before it could happen. But yes, that's definitely a possibility!

[hadrielmods]

As a note, we are canonblind! However, since these people aren't technically 'people' and don't have... well, souls or general personhood, then killing them may not count toward a corruption-esque game mechanic, unless the EXP mechanic was more about the moral decision of killing vs the type of creature being killed.

All of that is a bit complicated, but ultimately it's totally up to you guys! You're free to treat these ghosts however you want in terms of EXP.

[hadrielmods]

This would ultimately be up to the player! The ghosts' "self" would be coming from their host's mind- their memories of them, their assumptions about the ghost's personality, etc. It would be feasible that they'd know who the person's friends are to talk to them about killing them, but whether or not they would is definitely something that we'll leave up to you guys. :)

[tongueamok]

Oooo, sounds good! Thanks mods!

[foundafamily]

Sorry to add to the pile of questions, but what happens if an immortal with regeneration powers is drained by their ghost? Would they then recover as normal, or would they have to be revived by Hope? And if they do regenerate, would their ghost come back with them and continue the cycle?

[tongueamok]

One more question, then I promise I'll stop asking questions: do people who aren't the host have to wait until the ghosts are solid to kill them, or can they be exorcised as ghosts by people who would do that sort of thing? If so, once solid, can they still be exorcised, or do the characters have to use more traditional murder methods?

Re: QUESTIONS

[circumitus]

Hi I'm back with ANOTHER QUESTION wups.

But yeah I was curious if ghosts are limited to only knowledge that the host has with them, or if they're capable of passing information/sentiments that are canon. Like if ghosts could share something with the host that they never got to before.

Thanks and love. <3

[ishotyouuu]

Okay so obviously it comes down to me to ask the only question that matters here-- can you fuck the ghosts?

QUESTION

[so_dark_a_road]

Can the ghost be accompanied by other ghostly manifestations?

Curufin is going to be visited by his cousin Finrod, whom he tricked and sent to his death. Since Finrod was killed by a werewolf who was one of a pack, could he be accompanied by ghostly werewolves, as symbols of the pain of betrayal?

They wouldn't have the power to attack Curufin, only to prowl around and metaphorically suggest that Curufin was a wolf in sheep's clothing at the time he screwed Finrod out of his kingdom.

[chaoscontroller]

aha, you thought i wouldn't ask something too?

just a small one, upon killing the ghosts, would the host recover their strength/energy all suddenly, or would they have to wait a good night's sleep or something?

ty for this event it will be fab ❤

[hadrielmods]

For the most part, that would be up to the player. As the ghosts are draining what is essentially a life force from the character, it's possible that the ghost can kill an immortal! If this happens then Hope could definitely revive them and their ghost would be dead and not come back. If your character is capable of returning from death then they would not need Hope's revival, but their ghost would still be dead.

[hadrielmods]

People who aren't the host have to wait until the ghosts are visible to them and solid - exorcism won't work, whether they're solid or not. Sorry, this is a murder-only activity!

[hadrielmods]

Yes.

You can fuck the ghosts.

(Please use protection and get full ghost consent.)

[tongueamok]

Good to know! o7

[hadrielmods]

Unfortunately, the ghosts aren't separate people that the gods bring through the Door- they're manifestations of beings that the characters love. While this means that the ghost's knowledge is limited to the character knowledge, it doesn't mean that the ghosts are necessarily 100% predictable. They can have memories/thoughts that have been repressed or removed from their hosts and they are functioning independently, capable of making decisions and acting on their own.

Characters are basically recreating a person from their thoughts and memories, but that person is alive and has their own emotions and thoughts and reasons for doing things- so, for example, an "I love you" from a ghost wouldn't be said because the host wants their ghost to love them, but rather because the ghost's personality was remembered/created to have love for their host. To get into the nitty gritty, they aren't the character's ideals of them or people that the character sees through rose-colored glasses, but they are the most realistic recreation of the loved ones that can be done with the character's own memories.

...if that makes sense.

[hadrielmods]

There would be a small recovery period, but not one that would require a full night's sleep or anything. Upon the death of the ghost, the character would feel as if they'd been revitalized and will begin to steadily gain their energy back. Within a few hours, they'd be back to normal.

[hadrielmods]

Characters will only see ghosts of people that they love - so in this case, Curufin would not see any ghostly manifestations of wolves, since he presumably does not love them. He could see more than one person, but not unrelated creatures or objects.