the graveyard

[mewreview]

the graveyard



You wake up in your bed. At first, it might not seem as though anything has changed...until you try to leave the room. You'll quickly discover that while you can phase through the interior walls of the building, you can't open doors, pick up objects, or alter the environment in any way. Worse, the only people who can see and hear you are your fellow ghosts; to everyone else, you may as well be so much empty air.

That said, there are still a few other things you can do besides just observing those who are still alive. You now have the ability to conjure any food, drink, or reasonably small object out of midair, although anything you conjure will go unnoticed by the living inhabitants. More interestingly, there is now an intricate iron door embedded in the wall of the main room that you're sure hadn't been there yesterday. If you open it, you'll find that at long last you've exited the building...and the world outside looks quite familiar.

In fact, it's your world. Though...it might not be exactly how you remember it when you left.

You won't be able to get far in the area before you feel some kind of barrier preventing you from taking another step, but it's enough for you to know that something has Gone Terribly Wrong. Perhaps it's the bombed-out shell of your building, or the monsters screeching nearby, or the corpses of your army scattered on the ground; whatever the situation is, it's clear that you would have been in grave danger had you still been back home. Luckily, your ghostly status is still in effect even here; while there may be danger still lurking about, none of it will be able to affect you.

The building behind you has taken on a translucent, almost insubstantial appearance; only the iron doors remain as solid as ever. You can simply open them again to return to the cat's domain.

(OOC: Here's how this will work! Whenever someone new arrives to the graveyard, the world outside will change to their canon's world. We'll leave the exact location and situation up to you to describe; the only thing that matters is that it should be clear your character would have been in enormous danger had they been around. Everyone in the graveyard will be able to explore the area, which will at maximum be around the size of a large ballroom; you'll be able to see things outside the area, but you won't be able to take another step forward. You can interact with the setting, but you won't be able to affect anything living, and anything that might pose a danger such as bullets will pass right through you.)

Comments

[disingenue]

[When Sayaka first arrives, she's in quite a state, especially after looking outside.

By the time others begin to show up, she's calmed down a little, but she's still sitting by herself. She doesn't have a bed to her own, but she can be found in one of the rooms in the infirmary, sitting on the bed on her own.]

[hakurouken]

[As soon as she awakens she inhales deeply. Her eyes still sting and her throat is still sore but she's still here. She's still here and she might be full phantom but she's still here! The relief that washes over Youmu is immense and she immediately jumps out of bed and dashes to the door. In her attempts to grab the handle she tumbles straight through.

For a second she stares, unsure about what just happened but that's not important right now. She had to let everyone know that she's alright. Youmu dashes through the halls as fast as she can before bursting into the central room where the others have gathered]

Everyone! There's no need to worry I'm-!

[Not okay, if the sight of her corpse is anything to go by. Somehow it seemed strange to see herself without her phantom-half. Just a dead human. But it was strange to see herself like that at all.

Unable to properly process what's going on right now she steps carefully over to Yuyuko and kneels by her side with her hands on her shoulders]

Yuyuko, can you hear me...? It's okay, I'm still here.

I might be the same as you now, but I'm still here...

[disingenue]

[She's been keeping to herself, but she happens to see Youmu arrive. Her expression is a little bizarre - she's smiling, but there's something completely dead behind her eyes.]

None of them can hear us. We're dead.

Case three reaction

[hakurouken]

[Even though she couldn't offer a single word, Youmu had been watching the case the entire time. Not only to see if she could see any shadows during the discussions but also to get an idea for the people that might be joining them later. Even if the others hadn't let themselves be known Youmu had still left dinner and snacks in the dining room just in case. She hoped they'd be feeling well enough to show their faces soon enough.

At the voting results she gets ready to leave and wait for Klavier in his room but the hissing of the cat brings her attention back to the scene. The symptoms were painfully familiar but as they fade and he speaks again Youmu can't help but feel a strange mix of relief and jealousy]

Huh... So there is a way.

I suppose congratulations are in order.

[That's good... right?]

'sup youmu

[ladyofthehouse]

[Austria wakes up looking a little lost, but then that was the standard for this week it seemed.]

...?

[She hasn't been herself in a while, forgive her.]

Yo!

[hakurouken]

[It had certainly been quite a night and Youmu still felt on edge, despite being unharmed but it was precisely that inability to help that made her restless.

She wasn't really sure if things would work out the same way they did for her but she found herself in Austria's room regardless. A small wakizashi in her off hand and poised to attack if need be, she wasn't taking any chances]

Are you Miss Austria? Or someone else?

[bigthings]

[LATE BUT after Kouha realizes he can now suddenly walk through walls and that everyone is being SUPER RUDE and ignoring him, he starts wandering around the building, looking confused. Ghosts aren't really a thing where he comes from.]

Helloooooooo? What the hell's going on? Can anyone hear me? Stop ignorin' me, you jerks!

[ladyofthehouse]

Oh I doubt I could ignore a voice so obnoxiously brash even if I tried.

[How she envies the living.]

[hakurouken]

They can't hear you, heavens knows I've tried. But if you want to get through to anyone, Miss Fey and Lady Yuyuko are probably your best bet.

[In fact guess who Youmu can be found trailing most of the time]

It's been a while, Mr. Ren.

[vivillon]

[Serena is walking around in something like stunned silence. She has only guesses, of course, but she's found herself following her very distressed-looking Sylveon, though the poor thing doesn't seem to be able to see her.

Even the presence of the door doesn't seem of interest to her in comparison to how her Pokemon are acting.]

[hakurouken]

[The moment she saw the body she knew she had to find Serena. The murders were getting worse and she was the last person to deserve anything like that. Youmu didn't have to look far, as her Sylveon seemed to run right through her]

Miss Serena?

[Remembering how Kouha first reacted she raised her hands, trying to come off as non-threatening as possible]

Please don't be alarmed...

[ladyofthehouse]

[...Well that certainly wouldn't have been who she would have picked, not that she would have been in control of her facilities to object. Although perhaps the thing possessing her would have agreed with the selection. It's a little sickening to think about.]

Frau Serena.

[Austria keeps her distance. She's been distinctly unpopular with others and has no desire to add to Serena's troubles. A sixteen year old girl being hacked up like that... it's revolting.]

[vivillon]

[Serena spends the time after the case concludes following Ritsu around, because Ritsu is the one with her Pokemon. It calms her down to see how Ritsu is trying his best to care for them--it's reassuring to know they won't just be forgotten about and left in their Pokeballs or to roam around the place on their own.

That's when she finally finds it in herself to be interested in the door, and will address anyone nearby when she goes to look at it a little more closely.]

What is this?

[ladyofthehouse]

[Austria looks up from tuning a small violin she's willed into being because apparently pianos are too cumbersome.]

It's a door that gives you a general impression of what's been going on in our respective homes. I believe it's been here the entire time to be perfectly honest. [She gives the cat a rather bitter glance.]

However, it's only become noticeable to those who are in our predicament and the contents... Well. They seem to have a trend of being rather disturbing, however. Since you were the last to arrive if we open it should show us your world.

If you wish to open it I'll accompany you.

Graveyard roll call!

[hakurouken]

[It had been so long, they only had one more shadow left to get but then what?

Even since she found out what had happened to their worlds, what had happened at her trial, the frustration, guilt, anxiety and loneliness had been bubbling up inside of her only to leave her exhausted. For so long she debated with herself over whether she should try and contact the living and tell them about the door but when the windows started reflecting those images to the living there was no need.

And suddenly Youmu felt a strong resolve stirring inside her.

The dead have no mouths if they choose to keep them shut but Youmu was not about to stay silent, and neither should anyone else. After Austira's contact with the living she hurried through the hallways, calling out to those that had made themselves scarce]

Everyone! Now isn't the time for self pity and isolation! Your death is not the end and we still have work to do.

Come out! We can't change what's already happened but we can figure out what to do next. Let's meet in the tea room and talk this through. There'll be snacks at least!

[And snacks there will be. Youmu will lead anyone she finds to the tea room and set out a small array of Japanese style sweets and snacks for anyone that joins them later on. Once everything is settled she kneels down by the table]

It's been a tough few weeks and I'm sorry we all had to meet like this. I'm sure everyone's seen through the door by now, even the living have caught wind of what's going on.

I think we still might have a chance to break through, as Miss Austria and myself have proved it's still possible to contact the living through Miss Fey and now they're seeing things that only we could see. Whatever barrier there is between the living and dead might be weakening, I think it's still worth trying to push through. By all means, we should have been able to talk to them from the start.

I'm not sure what will happen to us when they find the last shadow, but if we were going to disappear I think it would have happened by now. We should do our best to figure out what's going on too.

ooc [Even if you haven't posted in the graveyard before feel free to tag. It would be great to get some more people active]

[vivillon]

[As the newest arrival, Serena is still pretty downcast, but she can appreciate the determination and the idea of doing something, so she ends up in the tea room, although she still doesn't have an appetite.]

What can we do from here? Is the door the only thing that we can see that they can't?

[bladebender]

[ Oh, damn it. One murder left and... she's dead. Great. Just wonderful.

She doesn't realize it until it's clear that no one is responding to her, which is... wow, she doesn't think she's ever wanted people to speak to her so much before. Then there's the door, and beyond it... the same thing she and Ty Lee had seen at the window. It's even more uncomfortable than it was in window form, so yeah slamming that shut.

It's all a lot for a girl to take in, and when anyone finds her wandering, she's at maximum conceal, don't feel deadpan. This is what she's always done, why should she stop now...? Not that anything matters now, OH WELL. ]

... Death is even more boring than life. [ HEAVY SIGHS

She'll also be following Ty Lee around during the case, unsurprisingly. ]

[vivillon]

Hi. [Serena smiles a little, but it seems more a matter of politeness than anything.] You know what's going on, right?

[ladyofthehouse]

[Malik being the one to blame is just karma at it's finest but-- thisis terribly frustrating to watch.]

I suppose I was hardly the best choice to relay such information.

[She hates this place.]

[vivillon]

Maybe Maya will channel someone else? Some people believe you, at least.

[bladebender]

[ Trailing Ty Lee around, and watching... all this unfold, and... wow. Uh.

Mai looks genuinely concerned for once, fidgeting a bit with her hands since she can't just grab Ty Lee and shake her out of a breakdown. ]

Ty Lee... she's never acted like this.

[ It's not that Mai disagrees that Malik deserves a solid ass-whooping of some kind, but Ty Lee essentially arguing that someone die? That's... just... nope nope nope. ]

[hakurouken]

It must have really hit her hard, you two always seemed close.

[At the same time, she can understand Ty Lee's sentiment. Better to kill one than risk have many more murdered. Youmu wouldn't be here if she didn't feel the same]

Do you think she'll be okay when this is all over?

[obeytherod]

[Well look who just showed up. Malik doesn't leave his bed for a while. He just sits up and draws his knees upwards to rest his arms against them. He knows he's died, but it still takes some time and testing of nearby objects for that to settle in.

...It would probably be a good idea to not approach the others, so he just leaves the bed and tentatively phases through a door to get into the hall. As soon as he finds her, he begins to follow Harriet around.]

We were so close... [Everything hurts.]

[hakurouken]

But better some may die so others can live, isn't that right?

[There is no sneer to her voice but the way Youmu addresses him is a lot colder than her usual tone]

[vivillon]

[Serena is staring at the cat a little blankly. Is her world really doomed?]

...Isn't there anything we can do? [Her voice sounds so small. She doesn't even have her Pokemon with her to calm her down.]

[ladyofthehouse]

There must be something.

[She can't accept the reality she saw behind the door.]

I refuse to take it's word on this! It's mislead us this entire time!

Meanwhile...

[mewreview]

[Anyone who happens to be observing the greenhouse may notice this going on.

It will become especially difficult to ignore once Kouha is channeled.]

[vivillon]

[Serena is watching with a hand clapped over her mouth, nearly in tears. She thinks there should be tears, but she's too emotionally exhausted to manage it.]

We can't--do anything to stop them, can we...?

New arrival thanks to manipulation and stupidity!

[scientificinvestigator]

[After this happens and Ema dies from massive blood loss and trauma, she's surprised to find herself back in her bed. Instinctively, she pats herself down and finds herself to be whole. She then reaches over to move the bed curtain aside and realizes that she's also incorporeal.

Under any other circumstances, Ema would take the time to explore and examine her new surroundings and test various hypotheses about her currently-dead state.

As things are, however, the first thing she does is bolt through the walls to the greenhouse so that she can watch what's going on there. If she passes anyone along the way, she doesn't notice them.]

[vivillon]

Ema! [Serena is here, still watching everything and looking pretty horrified.] Why did you--you could have lived!

New arrival #2: stupidity boogaloo

[bloomnobly]

[ Yuyuko's entrance into the main room is as grand as her antics were in "life"--mainly in that she descends through the ceiling in a suitably dramatic fashion. Although once she sits down, she yawns loudly. ]

Ara, ara...I wonder if this is how ghosts in the Outside World feel, with no one able to see them. I've been living a cushioned life... or is it deathing a cushioned death?

[ She seems way less bothered at her gruesome death than she really should be. ]

[obeytherod]

[He wrinkles his nose at the pun, but otherwise looks pretty awe-stricken. The only flowery fights he's ever seen involved holograms children's trading cards.]

...You sure put up a fight.

YEAH SO THE ONE THING EMA ASKED KOARU TO DO...

[scientificinvestigator]

[When this happens, Ema lets out a scream and hurls herself toward Kaoru, swinging wildly as if she could somehow get him off his feet.]

You promised!

[Unable to actually tackle him, she crashes to the ground instead. She lets out another cry--almost a whimper--when she realizes (again) that he can't hear her and that there's nothing she can do.]

You promised you wouldn't... Maya was supposed to...

[She just sits there, helpless and frustrated and angry and impotent, her hands curled into fists as she shakes with the effort not to cry.]

[vivillon]

...I'm sorry. [There's nothing to say, really, but Serena is sorry regardless. This has been awful to watch.]

MMM WHATCHA SAAAAY

[bigthings]

[SUP GUYS DID YOU MISS HIM

Kouha stands in shock for a moment while his mind tries to catch up with what happened. And then he just...collapses to his knees, like a puppet with its strings cut. He doesn't scream, doesn't curse, doesn't show any reaction at all other than staring blankly forward as tears start to run down his cheeks.

He failed. He's worthless, he failed, he blew his only chance and now everyone in his world is going to die because of what a massive fuck-up he is. Not just his family, not just his country, but his entire world because he couldn't get this one damn thing right. Fighting's the only thing in his entire life that he's ever been able to do well, and he couldn't even last long enough to make any difference other than get an innocent girl killed.

He should have never asked to be saved. What the hell had he been thinking? He doesn't even know why he got the offer when it should have been Kouen, Koumei, anyone else because they wouldn't have fucked up as badly as he did, would have never even been killed in the first place. Even with so many lives depending on him, even when miraculously getting another chance to save them, he still couldn't do anything.

He's completely worthless, and now billions of people are going to die because of it. He doesn't know how he could have ever thought he was good enough in the first place.]

MMMM THAT YOU ONLY MEANT WELLLLL

[bloomnobly]

[ Yuyuko sits beside him, fanning herself. She'll wait till he gets his bearings before saying anything. IF, YOU KNOW, HE DOESN'T TRY TO SOCK HER OR YELL AT HER OR WHATEVER.

She...doesn't seem very angry, at least? ]

Hay gaiz what's going on in this thread

[acemedium]

[Well, her channeling of Kouha and consequent death had been right in there in the open for all the dead to see. And she'd tried her very very best to stay positive and cheerful in her last moments left, willing herself not to crack because even if it was too late for her, they had to go on and she had to do her best for them.]

[But once it's over.... the second she realizes she's left her body behind and finally kicked the bucket, she breaks down into tears like a complete loser]

[AWWWWWKWARD....]

[obeytherod]

... [He recoils at the sudden sound of wailing. This is awkward... Malik just looks around, hoping somebody else will do something about it.]