#She just started planning her afterlife right in the middle of my headcanon

[absolutely-esme]

My Headcanon for Liminals

I've been having a lot of fun posting headcanons, and I'm starting to realize just how many I've built up over the years, so here's another one.

So I've stated before that part of the reason why Danny and Vlad are so different is because Danny was inside of a portal when it turned on whereas Vlad just got a face full of energized Ectoplasm and other assorted nastiness. The still human and already ghostly halves of Danny fused into a cohesive whole in order to survive the opening of the portal and continued supporting eachother. Vlad's human half forcibly integrated his resistant ghost half as it formed in an effort to survive. Rather than a cohesive whole, Vlad is two dischordant halves.

That said, I do not consider Vlad's state the default result of humans being exposed to ectoplasm.

Part of it is because the exposure was violent and his human body was so incredibly unwell that it made sense for the part of him with less emotional attachment to it to want to escape. This illness did not stem directly from the ectoplasm. We know this much because other people exposed to ectoplasm did not get ecto-acne, and figuring out the involvement of the cola was what allowed the Fentons to cure it.

Part of it is because Vlad has a superiority complex. This means that, in any given state, Vlad considers his current way of being superior. As a human, Vlad considers humanity superior. As a ghost, Vlad considers ghosts superior. This leads to a whole lot of clash between the parts of his psyche which each consider the other half to be lesser. Combine this with the fact that each half despises the illness and associates the illness with the other half, and you get a whole lot of internal toxicity.

For the average person with ectoplasm exposure, there wouldn't be so much of a clash. They would take on some ghostly traits (more and more over time, with continued exposure) and maybe start doing some prep-work for ghosthood, but they wouldn't be trying to leave their human lives early. They probably won't have insane healing factors like Danny, but they won't be tearing themselves apart like Vlad either.

They're preparing for the afterlife, but they wouldn't be so eager to discard the human life they are still living. If you've ever had a favorite hoodie that you wore all the time until you loved it to pieces and it came apart at the seams, that's kind of the feeling. It's not the end of the world when you can't wear it anymore; you can wear other jackets when you're cold, but you want to hold onto it for as long as you can.

The more someone is exposed to ectoplasm (in terms of both frequency and amount), the more ghostly they will become over time.

A random person who just happens to live in Amity Park on the opposite side of town from Fenton Works and and was somehow never at the sight of a ghost fight, will probably just experience a slightly increased awareness of ghost-related stuff and perhaps a slightly smoother transition when their time comes.

Other kids at Casper high, who attend school with Danny every day and get caught up in ghost attacks sometimes will probably start to form the wispy beginings of their ghostly self. Sometimes you just catch a glimpse of what sort of ghost they are going to be. They may also develop some slight powers while still alive.

You look at Paulina carefully shaping and lacquering her nails into something both beautiful and dangerous, and for a split second you just know that, someday, she's going to be all claws and glittering scales and passionate pursuit of her goals. She will transcend the human form and shape herself into a work of art of her own design and a powerhouse none can deny. Then she turns to her friend and giggles over a funny story, and the moment passes; she's just another kid steadily making her way to adulthood.

She's just another kid until some jerk at the mall oggles her a little too blatantly and her jewelry flashes brighter than the lighting should allow, blinding him so that he trips into a fountain, and Paulina smugly watches him sputter before turning to walk away with a satisfied spring in her step.

Sam and Tucker, Who hang out with Danny every day and frequently explore the ghost zone with him, will start forming more of the foundation of their ghostly selves and probably develop more powers sooner. They are more likely to develop to a point of being able to take on a ghostly form while still alive.

Typically, a halfa formed through extreme, prolonged exposure like this would have a bit of separation between their human and ghostly halves, but without much discord between the two. However, with Sam and Tucker spending so much time around Danny during their formative period (and having so much less contact with any other ghost than with him), it's entirely possible that they would subconsciously learn the integrated system approach, in much the same way people pick up habits of speech from the people around them.

[jackcinephile]

L'Inferno (1911) Movie Review!

As promised, we're gonna be celebrating this Spooky Season with a Devilman Crybaby headcanon! In order to fully express my HC, I will be reviewing icons of horror cinema and literature that helped contribute to many of the themes and ideas that are prevalent in Go Nagai's original manga. So, without further ado, let us descend into the Blind World. Put all fear and cowardice aside. I will be your guide through this eternal place, where you shall hear the shrieks and see the tormented spirits who all bewail the second death.

And how appropriate? Because our first film is the 1911 adaptation of The Inferno by Dante Alighieri. I suppose it's only right to begin this saga of horror films with one of the first horror films ever made. Okay, "first horror film" is actually debatable, so keep in mind that I said "ONE of the first." In any case, it remains one of the most important landmarks in horror cinema.

"Stopped, in the middle of what we call life,

I looked up and saw no sky, but rather a dense cage of leaf and tree and twig,

For I was lost."

The film opens as the iconic poem does. Dante Alighieri is a middle-aged man who finds himself lost in a dark, gloomy forest. This opening of the story always had a way of making me feel somewhat lonely and isolated. In my interpretation, I always saw this forest as being symbolic of how Dante felt after the death of Beatrice. Allow me to explain...

For those who don't know, Dante met a young girl named Beatrice when they were both nine years old. The young boy immediately fell in love with her, even though they hardly interacted. Despite their lives continuing in separate directions, Beatrice had always and forever held a special place in Dante's heart. When he received word that she had died, Dante was absolutely devastated. He felt that she deserved to be immortalized in what he intended to be his magnum opus; The Divine Comedy.

I believe that this opening to the Inferno is actually Dante going to a journey to find Beatrice so that he could say goodbye to her. Along the way, he got lost, both literally and spiritually. That, in my opinion, is what this forest symbolizes. In many ways, this opening kind of reminds of the opening to Silent Hill 2, just from how dismal it is.

Having said all that, I think the film does a very poor job of conveying those emotions. Sadly, I just don't feel any of the despair that was present in the original poem. He just wanders around for a few seconds, then steps out into a clearing. But don't worry! As soon as Dante steps into the clearing, the film IMMEDIATELY gets better. Upon entering this clearing, Dante finds himself at the base of, what I believe to be, Mount Purgatory. I can only assume that's where he is, because the gates of Hell are at its base, and Dante seems to suggest the gates of heaven are at its summit, just like Purgatory. Unfortunately, his path is blocked by three ravenous beasts: a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf, all representing different Earthly sins. He runs back the way he came, before being rescued by a strange apparition. It's here that the film begins to remind us all of why the original poem is regarded as a self-insert fanfic...

Upon introducing himself to the apparition, Dante learns that it is the actually the ghost of Virgil, author of the Aeneid. The significance of Virgil being in the story is that he was Dante's favorite poet of all time, and Dante always longed to meet and interact with him. It's literally a self-insert fanfic of Dante meeting and interacting with all of his inspirations. It's honestly a mystery to me why I love The Inferno so much, because it's everything I hate! It's a Catholic's fanfic about why he sees himself and his friends as morally superior and why everyone he ever disagreed with is going to Hell. Somehow, in spite of all that, I still love it.

So why did Virgil even decide to help Dante in the first place? Well, remember when I talked about Beatrice dying? It turns out, she descended from Heaven into Hell to ask him for help, because she knew how important he was to Dante. She tasked Virgil with being Dante's guide, after seeing that he has gone astray.

This is where the film's innovation starts to take shape. Beatrice has often been drawn as having a halo around her head. The problem is, how do you show that in a film made in 1911? The effect was strikingly realized with, what I assume to be, spinning rods covered in reflective material. I can only guess this is how it was done, but it appears right to me, because that's how a similar effect was created for the lightsabers in the original Star Wars. It looks like the rods were placed behind the actress, so that the rig couldn't be seen, making it appear as if the light was emanating from her head. This scene also displays an early appearance of wire work on film. In those days, that shit wasn't easy. It was even harder to hide the effect, which this film does fairly well.

So, Virgil explains to Dante that he must take him on a pilgrimage through the three different stages of the afterlife. To be perfectly honest, I never understood why. Maybe I'm just an idiot with little to no reading comprehension. It's also a factor that I haven't read parts II and III of the Divine Comedy, so maybe it's elaborated better in there. From what I gathered, since Dante is going on a journey to find the literal Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin intensifies) Virgil needs to take him to Hell and Purgatory, so he can face his sins and better appreciate Paradise. And thus, Virgil's pilgrimage to lead Dante through the Afterlife begins!

"Through me, the way to the City of Woe

Through me, the way to everlasting pain

Through me, the way among the people lost

Divine Power made me

Eternal I endure

Abandon Hope, all ye who enter here"

That is the inscription above the Gates of Hell. It is here, that Dante is already planning on turning back. Virgil literally tells him to stop being a pussy, and I was satisfied. Once they enter the gates, it becomes apparent to the viewer, if it hasn't already, that this isn't just an adaptation of Dante's work. This film is actually a cinematic translation of the ICONIC illustrations by Gustave Dore that were created in the middle of the 19th century. So much care and detail was put into recreating his AMAZING artwork, that many consider to be his magnum opus. This film was basically the Zack Snyder's Watchmen of its day!

Those familiar with the story will recognize this iconic scene that is being recreated onscreen. Dante and Virgil have come to the shores of Acharon, where the souls of the damned board Charon's vessel to be taken before Judge Minos, who lives in Limbo.

Speaking of Limbo, that is the first spiral of Hell Dante visits. This is where good people who weren't Christians come to face eternity. Their punishment is meant to be the denial of Paradise, but if you ask me, it doesn't seem so bad. Apparently Dante felt the same way, because this is where he meets his other great inspirations, such as Homer and Ovid! The poets all enjoy their visit together before Virgil must take Dante on his way. This is honestly the part that makes me cringe the most. Nothing reeks of self-insert fanfic more than meeting your idols and being greatly respected by all them. This is exactly why I abandoned my Silent Hill fanfic.

Anyway, Minos's throne lies at the lower boarder of Limbo. The king himself appears as a giant naked bearded man with a snake tail. The tail is used to determine the punishment of sinners by wrapping around Minos's own neck multiple times. However many times the tail coils determines which spiral the sinner is sent to.

And here we get to my favorite scene in the whole film: Lust! This spiral perfectly displays the true innovation of special effects. In this spiral, sinners are punished by being caught in a tumultuous whirlwind. The wind symbolizes the tumultuous feelings that arise between lustful lovers. It's one of Dore's best illustrations, and it blows my mind that the filmmakers were able to recreate it so well!

Our two pilgrims move onward to the Spiral of Gluttony, where we come across Cerberus. He guards this spiral, but Virgil subdues him by throwing a clump of dirt in his face (still more respectful than Lore Olympus). Honestly, Gluttony is nothing to write home about. It's just a raining landscape with people laying in the mud. Still, I have to give credit for the meticulous recreation of Dore's art!

Down in Greed, who else do we find guarding this spiral, other than Plutus?

SIDE NOTE: I've read a very strange "translation" of his dialogue. The original line reads, "Pape Satan, Pape Satan, allepe!" Strangely, no one seems to agree on what exactly this means, so most translations are different. Particularly, in the case of Douglas Neff, he translates "Pape" to "Papa," which is strange because "Pape" means "Pope" in Itialian. Then, he changes "allepe" to "you are my king." Let's also not forget that Plutus was also occasionally used as an epithet for Hades and/or Pluto. This means Douglas Neff literally wrote Hades to say, "Daddy Satan, I worship you" (still more respectful than Lore Olympus)!

In the Spiral of Greed, the sinners are forced push heavy sacks of gold around for eternity. Once again, this scene is nothing special, but still an admirable recreation of the illustrations that inspired it.

The next scene, however, shows off more of the innovative talent that makes this film so amazing! Virgil and Dante move on to the Spiral of Anger, where the sinners are punished by being submerged in the black sludge of the River Styx. The only way across is by boat. This is where Phlegyas comes in. The two poets stand by a giant tower which they use to signal for passage to the City of Dis. Along the way, the boat is stopped by Dante's political and intellectual rival, Philipo Argenti. It's here that one realizes just how petty Dante truly was. "Oh, I disagree with you politically. Therefore, you deserve to drown in sludge for all eternity!" He sounds like people I used to know. Hell, he sounds like me in high school!

All while this is going on, we see an amazing special effect of a double exposure of Dis in the background. It's an amazing miniature of the city's outer wall, optically printed to take up the entire top half of the screen.

Finally, they make it to the other side of the river, where we actually get a cameo by Hades' and Persephone's children! No, not Zagareus, Makaria, and Melinoe. None of those people were Hades' and Persephone's children. I'm actually referring to the Erinyes (also known as, the Furies). They block Dante's entrance to the city's gates, so Virgil calls upon the aid of an Archangel to rid them of the Furies. It is here that Dante asserts the superiority of Christianity over the Hellenistic faith (still more respectful than Lore Olympus).

Within the City of Dis, Hell begins to look more like how we always imagined, with fire and brimstone. In the Spiral of Heresy, sinners are stuffed into eternally burning ovens embedded in the ground.

Beyond that is the only omitted sequence from the poem. In the original Divine Comedy, the Spiral of Violence is originally guarded by the Minotaur! Beyond that are sinners, stewed in a boiling river of blood (The Phlegethon). On the banks, we see a heard of Centaurs practicing their archery on them. These are the individuals who were violent towards other people. In order to cross the river of blood, Dante and Virgil must ride on the back of one of the centaurs. You know, having heard of centaurs' notorious reputation for being horrible rapists, it makes me concerned for the sake of our Pilgrims. Maybe they didn't include this in the film because they couldn't figure out how to make a centaur?

On the other side of the Phlegethon, Violence continues into the suicide forest (*Logan Paul reference here*). Here is where sinners, who were violent against themselves, are punished. Once judged to this spiral, they grow into trees. The symbolism being that trees are a symbol of life, of which these sinners have deprived themselves. I'm surprised this scene isn't more controversial. After all, seeing as how seriously mental health has been taken recently, it's fucking awful to tell someone they're going to Hell for committing suicide! As a peice of horrific imagery, I love this scene, but knowing that Dante actually believed this makes me despise it.

In addition to being a horrifying concept, this scene also includes one of the first instances of bloodshed in a horror film. Virgil explains to Dante that he can speak with the sinners if he breaks one of their branches. When he does, blood sprays out of the tree like a drinking fountain!

After a brief conversation with the sinners, Dante moves on to the final section of violence, where people were violent against God. Here the sinners are punished in a desert that perpetually rains fire.

Now, not every special effect in this film is good. Because when Dante rides down to the eighth spiral on Geryon's back, it is such a stiff, unnatural, badly puppeteered marrianet that they couldn't even keep stable for the shot!

"There is a place in Hell called the Malebolge..."

Now, we get to my favorite part of the whole poem: The Spiral of Fraud. Here the deceivers are punished in a myriad of ways, depending on how they lied to others.

In the first Spiral of the Malebolge, those who pander towards others are mercilessly whipped for all eternity. This marks the first appearance of the classic image of the winged demons that we all know and love.

In the second spiral, the flattererers bathe in a stagnant pond of their own feces and vomit. This symbolizes the value of the words that they spew at other people. I think this might be where the expression, "You're full of shit," came from. Think about it; you say that to people whom you think are lying to you, and this is in the Spiral of Fraud.

Incidentally, this punishment was referenced in a Turkish horror film called Baskin -- a film about a small group of off-duty police officers who crash their car and wake up in Hell. In that film, the main characters realize they're in Hell when they find demon raping someone, while shoving her face in a bowl of her own face and vomit. Baskin is not a part of this HC, so I'll have to talk about it later. For now, I'll just say it's one of the best horror films I've ever seen!

In the third spiral, those who joined the Catholic Church for their own personal gain are buried head first, with their feet sticking out in the air.

In the fourth spiral, fortune tellers have their heads turned backwards. This prevents them from looking forward, symbolizing their attempts to see into the future.

In the fifth spiral, the sinners are repeatedly dipped in boiling tar. This scene is especially interesting because it shows that the demons we see aren't actually monsters. They're just creatures doing their jobs, punishing sinners. In fact one of the demons named Malecoda assigns a group of demons to help escort Dante and Virgil through the rest of the Malebolge. That, unfortunately, doesn't work out, however, because the demons are distracted by a sinner trying to escape, so Dante and Virgil move on alone. What's also unfortunate, is that other demons, who assume that Virgil and Dante are also sinners trying to escape, chase them into the next spiral. Luckily, each demon is confined to their own spiral, so they can't keep chasing them.

In the sixth spiral, the hypocrites are forced to wear robes made of solid gold. They also find Caiaphas nailed to the ground. As someone who has Jesus Christ Superstar on his top three list of favorite albums, I was happy to see Caiaphas get referenced.

In the seventh spiral, the thieves are bound by snakes, whose venom causes them to burn to ashes. One thief in particular gets attacked by a giant lizard that makes him into a lizardman (someone tell Alex Jones).

In the eighth spiral, the false advisors are eternally engulfed in flames.

In the ninth spiral, the sowers of discord are viciously mutilated. My favorite part about this scene is that it's one of the first instances of gore in a horror movie. The prophet Muhammad has been cloven from his belly to his throat with his guts spilling out all over the place. That's right! Muhammad is depicted in the Inferno. Not only that, but Gustave Dore drew him. Damn. Dante has no chill. Hey, the founder of the most homophobic religion in the world rots in eternal Hell? I'm not complaining! This kinda makes up for the portrayal of suicide victims.

In the tenth spiral, the falsifiers are punished with enternal leprosy.

At last, we make it to the Spiral of Treachery, at the center of the earth. Here, the traitors are frozen within the Lake Cocytus.

"Lo! Dis Himself!

Emperor of the Kingdom of Woe"

Finally, at the climax of this horrific epic, we see Satan, and it's not what you're expecting! He is in the very center of the lake, frozen up to his waist in ice, and forced to eat the three greatest traitors of all. His body is covered in course fur, and he has three heads and six wings. Satan's appearance in this story is disarming and almost pathetic in a way. You'd imagine Satan to be this fearsome king, but he's just shown to be suffering like everyone else. It's kind of sad, really.

The film ends with Dante and Virgil climbing down Satan's leg fur and ending up at the base of Mount Purgatory.

L'Inferno is one of the first true masterpieces of horror! It's hard to believe that this movie is almost 110 years old! Just think of how it would have been to see it in theaters for the first time when it was new. We owe it to this film for proving the language of Cinema could be used to tell the most epic stories possibly conceived.

You can watch the film for yourself here:https://youtu.be/cMUPbPOGPdM

Now, you're probably thinking, "What the Sam Fuck does any of this have to do with Devilman Crybaby?" Well, for starters, in Go Nagai's original manga, the character Asuka Ryo implies that Dante's Divine Comedy might have been based on a true story. This is futher validated when the demon Xenon appears and bears a strong resemblance to Dante's description of Satan. But beyond the surface-level details, let's discuss some of the deeper implications of what Hell actually is. Within this headcanon, the Afterlife is an entirely separate dimension, occupying the same space as our Earth, but invisible to our eyes. There is a way, however, to see and explore this separate dimension. You see, when different dimensions intersect at certain angles, they sometimes leave gaps through which we can come through and cross over to the other dimension. It was through one of these gaps that Virgil was able to find Dante. These angles and gaps between dimensions will be further explored in a later film.

[wackomcgoose]

"The Not-So-Haunted Factory" - Written for Arachnida (@blood-brainbarrier​) for HWD Secret Spectres @hwdevents​

Human AU, Highschool AU, platonic RusAme

Major shout-out to @littlekroshkakartoshka​ for beta-reading and for letting me use her Yugoslavian headcanons!

[Mood music: Code Lyoko - Kadic Mornings]

It is a blustery fall day. Alfred walks out of the school as the final bell of the day rings. Once out of the way, he pulls out his phone and begins texting someone...

-- heroicBurgers began pestering vodkaMagician --

[heroicBurgers] hey

[heroicBurgers] hey dude

[heroicBurgers] got any plans for this weekend?

[vodkaMagician] Нет, Фредка.

[heroicBurgers] ...dude, i told you i can't read vodka runes

[vodkaMagician] I said nyet. I do not have plan, Fredka.

[heroicBurgers] well then now you've got one

[heroicBurgers] i heard a group of kids talking about exploring that old factory this weekend

[heroicBurgers] you know, the car factory they say is haunted?

[vodkaMagician] Da... Your point is?

[heroicBurgers] my point is, let's go prank some freshman, dude!

[heroicBurgers] we'll make them think it really is haunted!

[vodkaMagician] ...

[vodkaMagician] Fine.

[vodkaMagician] Why you are like to prank freshman, I do not understand, but I will come with you.

[heroicBurgers] it's gonna be fun, ivan, get in the spirit already!

[heroicBurgers] see you there!

-- heroicBurgers ceased pestering vodkaMagician --

With that sorted, Alfred walks off to gather supplies and intel for the prank. This is gonna be great!

[Mood music: Code Lyoko - Sneaking Around]

That Saturday, Ivan makes his way to the supposedly-haunted factory, once again questioning the reasoning of his American-born friend. He arrives, carrying the few requested items: a gallon of glow-in-the-dark slime, an old construction worker's outfit, a spool of twine, and a crowbar.

"Dude, finally! I've been here for hours working on this already!" Alfred's voice can be heard from behind a pillar. Ivan walks over, discovering a rather elaborate device already being built. "Did you get the slime and outfit?"

"Da, I did, though I do not know why. Nor why you did not buy slime yourself, since you are living closer to craft store than me..." Ivan mutters as he hands the stuff over. "What is device?"

"You know those 'audio animatronic' things Disneyland's got? Same concept, but mobile. We're gonna have a 'ghost' ride up to the group, dripping ectoplasm, and scare the pants off them!" Alfred grins, beginning to put the clothes on the dummy. It appears to be one of those poseable store mannequins, attached to a large RC car, with pulleys on various joints.

Ivan mutters to himself in Russian, making Alfred pause. "Fredka, that is not how you scare person. This is how you scare person." He pulls out of his jacket, a piece of rusty-looking lead pipe, with what appears to be a hell of a lot of blood on it. Alfred turns white as a ghost. "...Relax, is fake blood! I scare you muchly, da?"

"N-Not f-funny, dude, we're supposed to be on the same side here." Alfred finishes 'clothing' the device, and picks up an RC controller. "Besides, we can't let them see us, or they'll recognize us immediately and the prank is ruined. What else you got?"

"Hmm... Maybe if they are see us, is problem. But... what if they are only hear us?" The Russian exchange student unpockets a pair of walkie talkies and a few small speakers. "Is from electronics store. Voice changer and different channel select, can hide speaker in different place and make spooky sound."

Alfred's face lights up. "Now you're thinking what I'm thinking! I was gonna buy something like that, but the store was out. High five!" He holds up his hand. Ivan slaps it hard enough to make Alfred wince in pain. "G... good arm you got there... let's try and find places for these... then I got some other stuff..."

The dynamic duo proceed to spend the next few hours setting up various spooks, traps, and jumpscares throughout the facility. The whole time, there is a bit of an evil look in Ivan's eyes, as though it's more than a prank to him. Alfred tries to look away, but he swears he saw Ivan's eyes flicker with a purple aura once or twice...

[Mood music: Wallace and Gromit in Project Zoo - Warehouse (Exploration)]

"This is gonna be great, guys! We're totally gonna debunk a legend, bre!" The Serbian girl walks into the factory, leading her three companions inside.

"...Eh? Is this why you dragged us out here at midnight, Brenka?" Looking around, the Croatian boy rolls his eyes, while the young Bosnian hides behind the Montenegrin. "Calm down, Izet, there's nothing to be afraid of here 'cept Brenka's imagination. And stop hiding behind Jevrem."

"D-Do you m-mean the f-factory o-owner who d-d-died here?" Izet says from his hiding place.

Jevrem yawns. "Can we go back yet? I got sleep to catch up on and a paper to not do."

Brenka stops in the middle of the entry hall. "That 'paper' is why we're here, actually! We have to write about local legends, and I thought why not debunk one of the most popular, the Lithuanian car factory owner that got--" She pauses, staring at the trembling Izet. "Why did you come along, anyway?"

"I-I was d-dragged here..."

"Oh no you weren't, get over it already," retorts the Croat.

"Yeah Izet, get over it and help me look for clues!" Brenka rolls her eyes.

"W-who put y-you in c-charge?" Izet still won't come out from behind Jevrem.

"That's very easy, bre! You see..."

Meanwhile, Alfred listens to all of this over a hidden microphone. "Heh heh... They're so distracted, it's the perfect time to scare them! Ready, dude?"

Ivan grumbles, wearing a ratty factory-worker outfit. "I still do not like idea, Fredka."

"The worker-bot can't go up stairs, I need a real man out there to chase them! Now hurry up and get into position down there..." Alfred looks to the factory intercom system, wired into the voice-changer Ivan brought.

[Mood music: Code Lyoko - Emergency]

"And that is why Srbija is best nation. Any questions?" Brenka beams, having just finished a fifteen-minute 'lecture' on why her home country is the best.

"WHO DISTURBS MY SLUMBER?!" A voice booms out, filling the room.

Izet practically jumps out of his skin, Jevrem's eyes snap open from their half-closed state, Andrej rolls his eyes, and Brenka grins. "Hah! I knew someone was gonna set us up, bre! Show yourself!"

"IT HAS BEEN YEARS SINCE NEW WORKERS HAVE SHOWN UP..." The creepy voice echoes throughout the facility. "YOU FOUR SHALL DO NICELY."

"You wanna fight this?" Andrej puts up his fists. "I'll knock you into the post-afterlife, chump!"

A pair of 'factory workers' shamble into the room, one wielding a rusty pipe. Izet runs off before anyone else can stop him, Jevrem in pursuit shortly after.

"It's fake, guys! Come on, stop being chickens, bre!" Brenka calls after the others, before turning and noticing the one worker walking up to her, pipe raised over his head.

"...Escape first, debunk later, Srbija!"

"I told you not to call me th--" Brenka objects before Andrej grabs her hand and starts running.

Alfred taps the mute button on the intercom, doubled over with laughter. "This is going better than I thought!" Watching the two pairs of kids run away on the monitors, he pulls out his walkie-talkie and radios Ivan.

"Dude, keep following the talkative Serbian and the other guy. I got the sleepwalker and the scaredy-cat." He picks up the RC controller as he resumes piloting the robot. "Best. Halloween. Ever."

[Mood music: Wallace and Gromit in Project Zoo - Diamond-O-Matic (Fight)]

Izet runs through the halls of the factory, Jevrem in pursuit. Shortly behind the two, the robo-worker swings a shovel.

"N-not d-dying t-today, n-not d-dying t-today..." Izet mutters to himself as he continues to flee.

"C-come on, Izet, I can't keep up with you like this!" Jevrem wheezes as he struggles to keep up with the fleet-footed Bosnian...

"In here!" Andrej drags Brenka into a side room, slamming the door behind her.

"What the hell, Andrej! It's just a guy in a costume, it's gotta be!" She manages to wheeze out, trying to catch her breath.

"Fake or not, whatever it is wants to kill us..."

The man shambles up, pipe in hand... but is stopped as Andrej slams the door in his face, sending him reeling!

"..." Brenka is stunned at what she just witnessed, before Andrej continues pulling her along.

"We have to keep moving... Where's the others?"

Jevrem finally manages to catch up to Izet, as the two reach a stairwell. Shortly behind, the robo-worker approaches.

"C-come on... T-there has to b-be a w-way out!" Izet stutters.

"Yeah... upstairs." Jevrem grabs Izet's arm, and begins to pull him upward.

"W-why? W-we'll be t-trapped!" The robo-worker approaches... and bonks right into the bottom stair! It stares up at them neutrally.

"...Very interesting..." Jevrem notices this, staring suspiciously at the stuck pursuer.

"M-maybe z-zombies c-cannot c-climb s-stairs?" Izet offers.

"Ne... I think there is something else going on here." Contemplatively, the two kids run up the stairs.

Alfred groans, staring at the camera feed from the robo-worker's 'eyes'. "Drat. They figured out its weakness already. Well, maybe Ivan's onto something with the two loudmouths..."

He flips through the camera feeds in the control room, noticing Brenka and Andrej approaching a blast door, Ivan in pursuit. "Heh... perfect." Planning to trap them, he hits the button to close the door.

Up ahead of Brenka and Andrej, klaxons begin to blare as the door lowers in front of their escape route.

"Not good, bre! Who is doing this?!" The angry Serb looks around the room.

"Figure it out later!" Andrej runs under the door. Brenka slides under, but her šajkača is knocked off her head in the process!

"Oh ne!" She looks back, seeing the special hat under the closing door. With impressive reflexes, she reaches back, grabbing the hat right as the door slams shut! A thump can be heard as their pursuer faceplants into it.

"You... went back for a hat." Andrej raises an eyebrow, watching Brenka put the hat back on.

"...Do not disrespect my šajkača, Croatian." She gives him an angry glare that could weld a door shut. "Now come, bre. I see stairs ahead."

Andrej giggles at her, as he gets up and follows her toward the stairwell. "Heh heh, you said 'come'."

"Darn it..." Alfred mutters as he realizes his 'trap', actually trapped his partner in crime instead. He looks at the cameras, not realizing which stairwell the kids are walking up...

"And just what do you think you are doing, bre!"

"W-Who are y-you?"

"Guys, I think we found the mastermind..."

"What was your first clue, eh Jevrem?"

Alfred's face goes white as he turns around, seeing all four of the kids standing in the doorway, staring at him. "Well, shit."

"So. What was the meaning of all this?" Brenka says, pacing back and forth in front of Alfred and Ivan. The two pranksters are sitting in the middle of the control room, surrounded by the other kids.

"Do not blame me, was all Fredka's idea." Ivan points out.

"Duude..." Alfred whines, "I didn't /force/ you to come, you /wanted/ to be here!"

"W-what should w-we do?" Izet stutters out.

"You think we should dress them in something embarassing? Heh heh heh..." Andrej imagines what kind of stuff they could make the duo wear.

"...Actually, I think I have a plan." Brenka pulls out her phone, showing off a picture. "They are called opanci. Very weird shoes from my homeland. We will make you wear them to school for a month, bre!"

Ivan flinches at the sight of the ridiculous shoes, while Alfred laughs. "Hah, do your worst! I lost my dignity years ago when my older brother made me wear a tea bag costume!"

Andrej laughs, while Ivan mutters, "...phrasing."

"Not scared, huh? I can think of far worse..." The Serbian woman begins to think... her face plastered with an evil grin. "I might have some /women's clothing/ that may fit you two."

"Serby, that's dirty..." Jevrem whines.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that! I am not Srbija, bre!"

Meanwhile, Ivan's face freezes, looking over the shoulders of the Yugoslavian kids...

"You... do not belong here..."

"Whoa, dude!" Alfred laughs. "Nice work on the second ghost!"

"...Is not me, Fredka..."

Brenka and the others turn around, looking at the mysterious voice. It's coming from a man, dressed in construction gear, with a distinct translucency to him.

"Hah! This one's fake too, bre! Watch!" Brenka walks up, intending to slap the 'fake' ghost... and watches in horror as her hand passes right through, turning frosty in the process.

"Leave... now..."

"...Ohhhh ne." Brenka manages to gasp out, before the kids run away. In the process, Alfred knocks over a CD player he had set up for an earlier part of the prank. It begins to play a song, having landed on the factory intercom button...

[Essential mood music: Mystery Skulls - Ghost (MysteryBen27 Animated Version)]

"Dudes, where do we go?!" Alfred looks around.

"L-let's s-split u-up..." Izet stutters out. "I-it c-can't c-chase us a-all..."

Hearing the ghost behind them, they all bolt in different directions.

'Cause the world might do me in

Izet runs down a paper-strewn hallway, Jevrem following him.

It's alright 'cause I'm with friends

Alfred runs down the stairwell.

Guess I'm giving up again

Ivan heads down a different hallway, the ghost in hot pursuit.

It doesn't matter (Ooh ooh ooh)

Brenka and Andrej carefully make their way across a catwalk.

Had me feeling like a ghost

Alfred kicks down a door... revealing a broom closet.

And that's what I hate the most

Jevrem trips over a cardboard box, Izet helping him up as they continue.

Guess I'm giving up again

Seeing no ghost behind them, Brenka and Andrej take their time with the second catwalk, picking up speed once they're on solid flooring again.

This time, this time, this time...

Ivan finds a rusty pipe, the same one he had earlier...

This time I might just disappear

"Давай, дебил!" Ivan taunts the ghost as it approaches.

Ah yeah (Woah ooh oh oh)

The ghost leaps at Ivan, who swings the pipe. It ducks, and Ivan feels a chill through him as the ghost passes through his torso.

This time I might just dis--

Coughing, Ivan stumbles to his feet and resumes running. The ghost continues, in pursuit of someone else.

(Mo mo mo mo moah~, mo mo mo mo moah~) AH YEAH

Brenka and Andrej round a corner... right into the ghost's path! It roars at them, and they run the other way.

(Mo mo mo mo moah, oooh~) This time I might just disappear

Izet grabs onto a rope and slides down to the ground floor. Jevrem continues to run, unaware of his companion's separation.

(Woah ooh oh oh)

Alfred tries to kick another door, only for it to recoil and knock him over.

This time I might just dis--

Brenka trips over the fallen American, sliding down the hall. Andrej holds out his hand for Alfred to get up, and they follow the sliding Serb.

(Mo mo mo mo moah~, mo mo mo mo moah~) AH YEAH

Jevrem finds a hallway with portraits of the workers of the old factory. He is vaguely unsettled by this.

(Mo mo mo mo moah, oooh~)

Ivan manages to run into Izet. "Come, friend, we must continue!" He picks up the scared Bosnian, and carries him toward the central hall.

Alfred, Brenka, and Andrej reach Ivan and Izet.

"Dudes, there's no exit!"

"I am not getting killed by a ghost that doesn't exist, bre!"

"W-we m-must e-escape..."

"We WILL find way out. Come, da?"

"Hehe..." Andrej snickers.

"Not the time, dude."

A yell echoes from one hallway, while the ghost approaches from the other. The group resumes running.

Try and hear me, then I'm done

Jevrem is caught in a tangle of cables he ran into.

'Cause I might just say this once

Andrej finds him first, and pulls him out. "Did you find something, eh?"

Seen this play out in my dream

"The ghost... it doesn't match any of the pictures on the wall..."

It doesn't matter (Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm)

Their train of thought is interrupted as the ghost shows up.

Tired of giving up the ghost

The other four enter the hallway, grabbing Jevrem and Andrej and running.

Fuck, it's YOU I hate the most

The ghost points a spectral finger at the group, yelling something in an odd language as it resumes pursuit.

Maybe there's no guarantee

"...Литовский?" Ivan mutters, before Alfred gets his attention again to keep running.

It doesn't matter

The group rounds a turn, running into a hallway filled with doors.

"Dudes, no..." Alfred groans. "I hate the bit with the doors..."

A very close-by roar makes him reconsider.

(Uuh) This time I might just disappear

All six of them run into one door, closing it behind them. The ghost opens the door and follows.

Ah yeah (Woah ooh oh oh)

Ivan and Brenka run out of the opposite door, Izet and Jevrem out of another, Alfred and Andrej out of a fourth, and the ghost comes out of the first door.

This time I might just dis--

The pairs swap room sides, the ghost phasing through Andrej to chase Izet.

(Mo mo mo mo moah~, mo mo mo mo moah~) AH YEAH

More door-shuffling occurs. A comment from Ivan about "dumb amerikanski cartoon reference" is lost in the chaos.

(Mo mo mo mo moah, oooh~) This time I might just disappear

The ghost exits a door, being chased by the four Yugoslavians. Alfred and Ivan are somehow chasing copies of themselves.

(Woah ooh oh oh)

A penguin wearing a red rubber glove on its head waddles out of a door, tripping the ghost in the process. The six kids regroup in the middle of the hall.

"...This chicken looks familiar..." Alfred mutters, only to be interrupted by the ghost standing up. The kids run back the way they came, Jevrem pointing out a 'fire exit' sign on the wall.

This time I might just dis--

"We're almost out, dudes!"

"Now are you believe in haunted factory, Serbian?"

"Okay, bre, I guess it was real!"

"T-the e-exit! C-come o-on!"

"Hehe..."

"NOT THE TIME, ANDREJ!" comes a yell from all five of the others.

(Mo mo mo mo moah~, mo mo mo mo moah~) AH YEAH

Jevrem leads them through a stairwell, going right through the control room.

(Mo mo mo mo moah, oooh~)

"Are you KIDDING ME, bre?!"

"Dude, there's my CD player!" Alfred runs over and turns it off, the music promtly halting.

"Fredka, leave it and run!" Ivan points out the ghost behind him.

"Well, crud."

All six kids roll out the fire exit, and run into the woods back into town. The ghost stops at the threshold, watching them escape, before floating back inside.

"Next year, we are go trick or treat instead, da?"

"Da."

"D-da."

"Da, yeah."

"Da, bre."

"Sure, dude."

The ghost floats back to the central hall of the factory... before reaching up, and taking its mask off. Underneath, an elderly Lithuanian man can be seen.

"Heh heh heh... Every year, it just gets more fun to do that." He begins to walk out... before stopping at a certain hallway. Curiously, he opens a door, and sticks a hand through... before staring, confused, at that same hand sticking out of a door at the other end of the hall. "What in the...?"

Deciding not to question it, he goes back and heads out the factory exit door, chuckling to himself. "Keep this up, Toris, and you'll have a haunting legacy for life..."

[rosenfey]

📢, 👻 and 🔗 for deren AND ⏰, 💔, 🎭 for tereese

📢 — Does your muse have a loud personality or a quiet one? Do they enjoy being the center of attention, or would they rather watch and listen?

Ren is rather extroverted and often tends to be the center of attention. He often speaks as he thinks, shooting ideas that just come to his mind  out loud, only to abandon them for newer, better ones as they go. He also speaks very quickly and energetically, using hand gestures a lot, making it very hard for people to keep up with his train of thought. He will pace around while talking, others quickly finding themselves to be awaiting what he’s going to say / do next with expectation. Ren’s a very friendly and talkative person, albeit a bit weird and excruciatingly honest. He’ll breach rather obscure topics with complete strangers during conversations, and some find it hard to truly understand what he’s about. It’s true to say he has a rather cheerful and loud personality, especially when he’s right in the middle of solving any of the problems life throws at him [usually involving the arcane, and including, but not limited to, necromancy, and demons]. It’s easy for others to do what he says without Ren intending to lead anyone, it’s just easy for him to capture the attention of others. It needs to be said, however, it is hugely possible only thanks to his rather peculiar and goofy personality [and the fact no one really understands what he’s on about, but everyone is very much intrigued to find out where any of this is going].

👻 — Does your muse believe in an afterlife? What do they think it’s like?

Deren was never one for religion. Not that he would deny the existence of the gods or the afterlife, he’s rather impartial to it. Being a necromancer, he’s not new to death and the life after it. “Don’t disrespect the dead! Some of my best friends are dead!” is his common phrase, after all: As if he believes in afterlife? Well, there’s some evidence it does exist, though it is believed to be different from the state the lingering souls in the world seem to be. Afterlife is a place of rest, and none of the undead spirits that make Ren’s acquaintances, obviously are truly resting, as they linger partially in the world of the living. Ren does know about this world-in-between, though no one truly knows anything about the true afterlife, and it’s left to interpretation, a role the major religions of the world take upon themselves. As I said, Deren is an agnostic, which means he doesn’t really go into much detail considering such topics. There are enough wonders in this world [and the world of the dead] for him to focus on to be worried about the future.

🔗 — What are your muse’s standards for meaningful relationships? How quickly do they form relationships like these?

Ren is a very free person at heart. Forming long-term relationships is not among his desires. He appreciates a good companionship and is mostly about friendship with, possibly, if both parties feel like it, some added spice as the bonus. It’s not that he’s against commitments, or that he doesn’t care about people. He feels like there are a lot of wonderful people to connect to and that what matters most is the fun to be had. He feels that physical affection coming with romantic relationship shouldn’t be restricted to those only, and often feels like there are really no big differences between friends and romantic partners, as he doesn’t have a problem to get physical with both of them. So basically, Ren is mostly looking for a good friend, someone he can trust, and someone who can keep up with his train of thought and eccentric lifestyle [and as it shows later, that someone might as well be someone completely different than Ren himself, but maybe that’s the charm of opposites].

⏰ — Does your muse feel like they need to do things quickly or do they take their time?

Reese is a very exact, professional person. She makes strict plans and schedules for anything, and usually sticks to them. She’s very reliable once she sets her head on something, and can work rather quickly, too. The sooner something’s done, the better, and it leaves her with enough free time to possibly correct any mistakes, though she mostly makes sure there will be none. She trained to work in short time and precisely, which is a skill she adopts later on in any other aspect of her life. Should the situation require opposite approach, though, she can work more slowly, as soon as it’s part of the plan, and it has a reason relevant for the outcome of the task.

💔 — How would your muse react to losing a romantic partner? How would they cope?

If it was due to her partner’s fault, and if they really hurt her deeply somehow, she would get her revenge. If not, and if she genuinely cared for them, she would probably hide her grief, though that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t be hurt. Reese is not a person who is open with her emotions, and rarely opens to anyone. If such relationship was genuine and serious, she would view her partner leaving her as a betrayal - she let them see her vulnerable side, after all. If the relationship wasn’t that serious, she would make sure the other person would know better than to use her vulnerabilities against her in the future. She would probably not let it interfere with her duties, and proceed to hide her pain and allowing herself to feel down only when no one could see her. She would drink wine - which is a thing she does every day even when okay, so nothing new here - and put her anger and disappointment [which is what she feels, after all, much more than any sadness] into something useful, like strengthening her training techniques, for example, or putting her mind to work. She might punch a lot of stuff, and hit / shout at a few people to make her feel better, it’s the only way she can cope [being taught crying is only for the weak makes you unable to cry much in adulthood].

🎭 — How does your muse handle their emotions? Do they bottle them up or pour them out as soon as they start to feel?

As it’s been mentioned, Reese is not a very open person considering her emotions. She appears as cold, distant, and strictly professional to a lot of people [some of them might or might not be mildly scared of her because of this]. She views giving oneself to their emotions as a sign of weakness, and will not allow anyone see her weakened. That doesn’t mean she truly is a cold, heartless person underneath the mask. Quite the contrary, Tereese cares about things and people, and she cares about them a great deal, just doesn’t let anyone know so they can’t use it against her. The only exception might be her anger, as she usually diverts it to useful things, but never allows it to compromise her purpose. She’s able to keep a cool head in most stressful situations, even though she’s boiling down inside. Being a former assassin, she knows how staying completely calm and level-headed can be crucial. Those unfortunate enough to cross her at her worst know that it’s dangerous to see Tereese shout, but it’s lethal to see her silent.

thought-provoking headcanon meme // character page