Thirteenth: Killing the Mood (Video; un: Caster/forward dated to 14th)

[colchismagecraft]

[tw death/afterlife talk]

[Unlike last Valentine's Day, Caster didn't come to the network late that evening looking for a distraction- instead, she used the chance to shatter romantic moods, and ask a question that had been playing on her mind for some time.

Of course, the video was dark, poorly lit and as suspicious as was traditional with her- the lower half of her face only visible by the gleaming of a strange potion brewing nearby.]

Good evening, Avalon. For those I haven't met yet, I go by 'Caster' here.

For anyone else who's grown tired of the day's festivities and would like to humour me- I have a question. Tell me, what is the afterlife like in your worlds? There are so many legends, after all, and I'm always interested in hearing in how they differ.

[A pause for thought, before adding, by way of deflection: ]

Ah. I'm working on some new potions at the moment- do come by if you're curious.

Comments

video, un: cherrypit

[polterguide]

Y’know, I’m not really sure? All I really know is a lot of people don’t end up there when they die.

[They prop their chin on their hand, looking down at where they have their phone propped up for this car.]

Death isn’t really the end, where I’m from. There’s things like vampires and other kinds of undead, from all the ambient… whatever going on in the world. [They wave their other hand.] But most people who stick around are less corporeal and can’t talk to anyone who hasn’t developed the ability to communicate with the dead. It’s a pretty lonely life, but if you have something tying you to the realm of the living…

[They pause.]

But I guess that doesn’t really answer your question, sorry.

[colchismagecraft]

So instead of going to the afterlife, they become something else...I see. That is something possible in my world, but not a common occurrence.

...You're right, though, it does sound lonely. I take it you were would who could communicate with them?

[It wasn't too dissimilar to Heroic Spirits in her world, but she at least could choose who could see her.]

Not at all, it's an open discussion.

[polterguide]

I don't know that I would necessarily say it's, like, an everyday occurrence where I'm from? But it's more common than people thought it was, I think.

[They nod.]

Yeah, and I found out pretty early on that the people I could see and talk to that nobody else I knew could were people who have died. One of the first ghosts I met... she knew she had died, but she still couldn't move on, which isn't how it always goes.

I feel like knowing you died is probably worse? But I don't exactly have any experience being the one dying.

[They say, talking to someone who died. Whoops!]

[colchismagecraft]

...I suppose it depends how your life met its end. I don't make a habit of dwelling on my own demise.

[It was a bitter, lonely death, after all.]

I think I would have taken longer to come to terms with being brought back as a Spirit, had I not known I had died...but I doubt my actions would have changed too severely.

So, what was your role in all of this? What did you do, for those who could not move on?

[polterguide]

[Hearing that she's died before isn't really much of a surprise - but perhaps that's because it's not the first time they've met someone who just wouldn't stay dead.]

I obviously can't speak from experience, but... I think knowing what's happening makes things easier to cope with than being thrown into the deep end, even if what you have to cope with is something as traumatic as being brought back to life. Or some semblance of "life", anyways.

[How do they explain this...]

Well, all I really do is... talk to them. A lot of them are just people who are hurt, or confused, who don't know how to process what happened to them and the state they're in right now, and having someone to listen to or help them find ways to cope can make the difference between a vengeful ghost terrorizing the family that just moved into their home and someone who can coexist with them peacefully. Some of them move on, but a lot of people... still don't, even when they've come to terms with how they exist after death.

[...]

I'm basically just kind of a therapist, even if I only got my bachelor's in psychology. There's not really any sort of accreditation or board for ghost counseling, though, so I was able to get a job pretty quickly and could take a pause from school for a bit.

[Said job didn't exist before they started pestering people about it and they probably didn't even need the degree to begin with for that, but even that much made them seem more credible.]

[colchismagecraft]

...how generous of you.

[Her tone was serious, rather than sarcastic.]

Then you don't see it as a failure on your part if they don't move on? So long as they settle with the living peacefully, you mean?

How would you approach one who had been wronged in their lifetime- one who sought vengeance? Would you humour their wishes?