♫ text; cw mentions of character death

[ghostlocked]

hey hadriel. two things.

thing one is that im the mystery guy that got attacked by the uh weird tentacle creatures those other guys mentioned. keith and steak ig?
i managed to learn a lil abt them before they fuckin killed me. o lmao thats one thing i learned. theyre strong as hell. keep ur distance if u run into any.
i fight scary monsters for a living back home. the fact that they managed to take me out is saying something.
anyway i have a spell that can read minds. it doesnt work on animals and shit. just intelligent creatures. it worked on them.
what i got was confusing af but the gist is that they were scoping out the city. theyre not happy that were here and they see us as a threat. thats why they killed me. i think they were trying to stay hidden but theyre shit at camouflage.
whats weird is that i didnt get linear thoughts so much as. idk. how they were feeling?
and that shit was all over the fuckin map. like they were flippin thru emotion channels. it was weird.
idk what to make of it but it didnt seem natural. maybe the door was influencing them or smth. not sure.
o and i got a shitty pic.

[He attaches said shitty pic. Its eyes are glowing blue.]

i know it sucks but two secs after i snapped this that fucker was goring me with its gnarly ass beak so it was the best i could do.
theyre big fuck off shellfish. whats the one with the spiral shell that zips around backwards? its that.
theyre fast and those shells are thick af so theyre tough to damage. my spells didnt do much against em.
be careful. judging by what i got from the mindreading i have a feeling theyre not done w. us.

anyway. thing two.
apparently i scared some ppl. sorry.
yes i died. it sucked. more important im fine now. ty hope.
o i cant do magic atm tho. my focus didnt come back to life w. me. rip guitar pick.
if anyone wants magic lessons im still offering but ill be out of commission for a couple weeks prob. making a new one is gonna fuckin blow.
but there. thats all my updates.
seriously watch out for the fuckin punk ass zippy upside down ocean snail things.

[ooc: everyone give it up for ALEX our nathan drake player who drew the nautilus monster image that the mods sent me!! and also SORRY ALEX for shittily cropping and motion blurring your amazing artwork!!!]

Comments

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[sallyfaced]

[Sal is going to attempt to act like a calm and rational adult about this!! Which is why he's glad this is text. It's easier to pretend like you aren't scared and worried as fuck. Everything's just been so shit these past few days and this is just like the cherry on top of the shit sundae, or something. But it's cool, it's fine.]

i'm really glad you're okay now

[Nailed it.]

you're going to get a lot of rest now and stuff, right?

cw death and being flippant about it??

[ghostlocked]

ok im giving that a six out of ten on following my implied instructions.
wouldve been an eight out of ten but then u went and said the thing about resting.
bro ive been resting for days. rotting on an altar is mega peaceful and shit.
i appreciate the sentiment tho.
seriously im fine.

[Action]

[imhisaunt]

Delmar doesn't read it.

Or at least he didn't read any more than what little it took to know how much he didn't want to read it. Instead he sets his phone down, hand shaking and heart set so high in his chest by a tangled mess worry and upset and fear and relief it feels like it can scarcely beat, only shudder.

Delmar swallows it down the whole time he's bundling himself into his coat. The minutes it takes him to step into his shoes and shuffle down the stairs in a hurried but stiff gait.

He pushes everything to the back of his mind except the internal mantra of 'he's back. he's back. he's back.' and clings to it so tightly so as to not let any other thought through. The creeping sick feeling when dark thoughts creep up? He shoves it down. 'He's back'. The sharp inhale with a brief rise of panic? 'He's back'.

And so it goes.

Coiled so tight that he's not even wholly aware of himself when he ends up just standing at Harlan's door. So eager to be on the other side of it that his body leans forward like a top heavy flower, forehead meeting with the wood. Eyes closed tight.

'He's back.'

[ghostlocked]

It takes Harlan longer to answer the door than usual. Without his magic, he can't set up the Alarm, ergo it's a long minute or two before he realizes that dull thump was actually a knock. Then it's another long minute or two before he manages to quietly extract himself from Michael's death grip, which remains strong as ever even in his sleep. Harlan insisted on a nap once they got home—his poor boyfriend looked like he hadn't slept in days—but Harlan's been asleep for, like, days. He's wired. Hence the network post.

When he finally opens the door, he's in his pajamas but is distinctly alive. And, god, poor Delmar. Harlan smiles through the heavy pang of guilt that hits him as soon as he sees his friend's face.

"Hey, Del."

text;

[hardwearing]

I'm glad you're okay, Harlan. Sorry about your focus.

[ And the whole dying thing but. Wash really doesn't want to dwell on that for very obvious reasons. Especially on the damn network. ]

That's a better picture than what I was working off. But if your spells didn't do much, we're in serious trouble if they come back in numbers. Did anything affect them at all?

[ghostlocked]

ty. me too on both counts.
tbh idk.
they saw me first. they didnt attack until i saw them but they still got the jump on me.
my first chromatic orb missed. they were too fast. second one bounced off the shell. i tried phantasmal force and that mightve done something.
i was fighting three at once. it was tough to keep track.
by that point i figured i was fucked so i opted for recon w. detect thoughts and a pic.
i was gonna teleport out after but i wasnt quick enough.

[hasitsthorns]

Thanks for the info, dude.
I've seen enough hentai to know to stay away from tentacled monsters but like-
These ones are way less fun seeming.

You gonna be alright?
Dying definitely turns things upside-down for a while.

[ghostlocked]

jfc.
im nipping the hentai comparison in the bud. i did not get murdered by a porn monster.
the tentacles were too weird for hentai too.
they were like. uh. hard? jointed?
i hate that u made this a dick thing. y did u do that.
my point is i think the tentacles had bones or cartilage or something in them.
not good for fucking. dont fuck these things.
im mad that im saying that.
anyway.
im fine. ive died before. it was worse the first time. only shitty thing about this one was that i didnt know when hope would be back.
i got lucky in that dept.

Text

[hoperulesdespairdrools]

[Whaaaat?!]

How long were you dead for?

[Probably not the best question to ask but he is actually shocked by the news.]

[ghostlocked]

uh i died not too long after the stampede started.
four days or so i think. not long.
i got fuckin lucky that hope came back so soon. i was worried id be out of commission for way longer.

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[toiletseat_girl]

Sonuvamotherfuckingbitch.
This is bullshit.
I fucking asked Hope if there were any monsters here and the fuckwad said "no."
And now this happens.
[a pause]
I'm really glad you're okay.

[ghostlocked]

hey its possible he didnt know abt these.
the gods arent omniscient. idt he lied on purpose. he doesnt seem the type.
thx. me too.

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[outofthefire]

[she's glad this is text, because that way no one gets to hear how rattled this has her]
Sounds like these new guys are pretty tough.
Bad enough we have the Null trying to find us, now we have them too.
Are you gonna be good for food and other stuff while you get better?

[ghostlocked]

yeah. if u run into any running is ur best bet.
i couldve gotten out of there if i hadnt stopped to get the pic i think.
i cant believe i died for that shitty pic. lmfao.
o well.
yeah ill be fine. ty. we have enough of a stash left to last us a lil bit.
heres hoping hope restocks the shops soon. im sure hes working on it.

text

[unphase]

Why am I not surprised that even the locals run on emotion?
Everything else seems to.
I'm glad that you're okay now and I'm sorry you had to go through that.
Our lessons can wait until you're feeling better.
Are you feeling better?

[ghostlocked]

idk that they run on emotions. it felt more like the opposite. like they were being influenced by smth.
maybe theyre more sensitive to the door than we are? idfk.
i feel fine. dw abt me.
aside from the magic thing im good as new.
which btw i can do cantrips. just nothing that requires a focus.
i think im gonna wait a few days before i remake it. itll fuck me up for a while afterward.
so if u want lessons get em in before im magically hungover for like.
god idek how long. at least a week. probably longer. ive never remade my focus w. magic this strong.

text

[theladyofhighever]

Were you able to determine why they think we're a threat?
[a pause.
she should probably say something comforting, shouldn't she?]
It's good that you're no longer dead.

[ghostlocked]

no.
if i had to guess id say its bc were a city that popped up outta fuckin nowhere.
ppl have been out killing those mammoth things and shit so maybe they assumed that means were hostile.
theyre intelligent but idk how intelligent.
lol. ty.

[abyssalarcana]

natives? looks very unlike the one i spoke to but it would make sense given what we know about these creatures + their emotions

funny that i might understand some of them better than all of you

[ghostlocked]

[Oh. Hi Caedra.]

u spoke to a native? when?

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[hot_mes]

will you stop dying for fuck's sake?

[ghostlocked]

id fuckin love to.
u know ive only died twice right?

[YES THAT IS MORE THAN THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF DEATHS PER PERSON, BUT.]

the last time was a year ago. during an actual war.
my records pretty good all things considered.
shit im like a double hero now.
i died twice for all u assholes.

( text; )

[mysophobic]

I'm sorry...about what happened.

[ He doesn't even know Harlan but he feels like this needs to be said. He can't even imagine what the poor guy went through just to get a picture of these creatures. ]

These beings aren't willing to talk..do you think? Maybe if we try to get one alone...it might be willing to tell us what it wants. [ Though he isn't sure if that would make it better or worse, but's worth a shot... ]

I wonder if my powers could work on breaking down their shells.

[ghostlocked]

ty but im fine. really.
uh shit thats a good q. idk how capable they are of communication tho.
theres creatures in my world that are intelligent enough for me to use that spell on but they dont really speak languages or anything.
thats the vibe i got from these guys but its tough to say for sure.
all i know is i didnt pick up any languages when i was in its head. just emotions and those barely made sense.
but maybe? idk.
what are ur powers?

Text

[stealyoursoul]

Huh. Hard to kill monsters that have intelligence? I should go make friends. Oh and glad you're alive again, of course.

[Look at that. He made a joke. Leo's a lot more sarcastic over text than in person, since sarcasm ranges too close to lies for him to use it effectively.]

[ghostlocked]

[Harlan is proud of you, buddy.]

o there u go.
would eating them count as sinners or w.e? since they killed me and all.

[text]

[forcer]

[ Glossing over most of the text, Kylo hadn't intended on responding until he saw the bit about magic and offering lessons. He knows there are other people in the galaxy who can use the Force or are Force sensitive, but this guy doesn't strike Kylo as one of those people. No Force user refers to what they can do as "magic." So, that leaves Kylo wondering what type of magic and how could he possibly incorporate it into his own repertoire, possibly making what he's able to do as a Force user stronger and more efficient. ]

Can you tell me more about your magic? I'm... very interested in that sort of thing.

[ghostlocked]

yeah sure. what do u want to know?
the basics are that magic is a type of energy that naturally exists in the world im from. and here too apparently. idk how it works elsewhere.
anyone can learn how to use it. ive taught a few ppl in hadriel. most are from works where that shit doesnt exist.
u can do all kinds of shit w. it. ill send u my spell list as an example. its a lil out of date. ive been busy.

[He attaches a file!]

Text

[knifecollecting]

Do you think they used to be with the gods? They were feeling everything?

[ghostlocked]

hm. not sure.
my current theory is that they were affected by the door but thats a guess.
but yeah they were mood swinging like crazy. it was tough to follow.

text

[pocketspa]

ok so when you say
magic didnt do much
what kinda thing were you using
do they need the shells to live because if they come the fuck back here theyre gonna meet my good friend dupree and hes gonna get shellfish for lunch baybee

text

[ghostlocked]

uh it was two chromatic orbs a phantasmal force and a sword burst.
first orb missed and the second bounced off the shell. acid and ice respectively.
idk if phantasmal force did anything. my attention was on the other two and then the one grabbed me.
sword burst hurt it. p sure the diff is that i got a clean shot at its body inside the shell.
if i could do it over again my first choice would be blight. brute force against the shells isnt gonna get u anywhere.

text

[restinglichface]

yeaaah seconding my brother up there
wanna shell out a few more deets on the magic not working thing?

text

[ghostlocked]

i gave ur bro the rundown.
idt theyre immune to magic but lobbing spells against its outer armor isnt the right move.
i shouldve tried blight but it took all of two secs to figure out i wasnt gonna win.

Text;

[epsilol]

Well that looks fucking terrible. Let's hear it for ice planet being even shittier than anyone expected.

[ghostlocked]

i have a feeling the jungle wouldve been worse.

latest tag in everrrrrr

[battlebound]

( Ah, so this is the man they saw. Steak frowns as he reads everything — everything more or less adds up to everything they experienced, but more unnerving is more proof of Hope's abilities.

He's not sure what he thinks of people being able to come back to life like this if they're not Food Souls. It's unnatural. )

Can The Door do such things?

[ghostlocked]

do what? influence shit?
i havent experienced it firsthand but sorrow was warning ppl abt it. some idiots wanted to get in on experimenting on it and he was worried theyd go insane from being too close to it for too long.
its underground but idk maybe the creatures are more sensitive to it than we are.