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The Ghost Hunt



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Tue Oct 01, 2019 9:10 am
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Mageheart says...



The Ghost Hunt

A Saeverse Production

Spooktober 2019


It is Halloween.

You turn the corner and see grinning pumpkins on guard before picturesque houses - an attempt to capture a fear they can never perfectly emulate. Ghosts line the streets in the form of inflatables, balloons covered in white plastic bags and in sheets draped unceremoniously over small bushes.

The flaming and somewhat bare foliage that aren't makeshift ghosts aren't spared. Their owners have entangled thick, stringy cobwebs in their branches, and even the strongest winds can't shake them out.

You've chosen to enter the most notorious haunted house in this region on All Hallow's Eve. Whether it be because you want to have your courage tested, see what lurks inside, or disprove the claim that it's haunted, fate has brought you to the steps of the haunted house on the same night as several others.

But this is not a game, and this house does not like trespassers.

Image


( Feel free to have your characters dressed in Halloween costumes when they investigate the house! )
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Tue Oct 01, 2019 9:50 am
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Mageheart says...



Spoiler! :
Reyes Eberhardt: Anyone from Earth would recognize him - he's the star of the most popular paranormal investigation show around. Even if someone hasn't seen Hunting Ghosts, they'd recognize his name and maybe even his face. If your character has seen the show and can actually see ghosts, they'd know that his show is entirely staged - there's never any ghosts on camera when he says there is.

He's tall and handsome. He has short dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He's currently wearing a black trench coat, dark blue collared shirt, jeans and combat boots. He also has a bag slung over his shoulder; inside is all the things he brings to the locations he visits.


In retrospect, he should have worn a costume.

On the way to the house, he had already been stopped for numerous autographs. He even thought he saw someone dressed as him, which was an entirely different can of worms. Contrary to popular belief, Reyes didn't hunt ghosts for views - he did because he honestly cared about the deceased. His fame was useful but not entirely supposed to happen.

He knew that a costume likely wouldn't have helped. Someone was bound to have seen him anyways, and he didn't want to risk ruining his persona and reputation by wearing something childish and silly.

But, thankfully, none of the town's occupants had wanted to follow him, and none of his crew had even learned where he was going. "Family business" was a good enough explanation for them, even though his mother was long dead and his father was as much of a mystery as the house before him was.

He walked up to the front step.

Arming himself with a flashlight from the depths of his bag, he opened the front door with a loud creak.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Tue Oct 01, 2019 5:17 pm
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Elinor says...



Spoiler! :
Tara Stone is 24. Naturally sweet, shy and an old soul, by day she works as an archivist at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A mundane job, but she did shake Paul McCartney's hand once. She's Amy Fox's half-sister, and hasn't quite figured what she wants to do with her life.


Tara had never liked Halloween. She'd always been the biggest wimp at scary movies, and had to turn off Psycho before the infamous shower scene. She'd much rather have tea and cake and watch old princess movies. Still, she supposed she was trying to be more adventurous. She was tired of being seen as a goody two-shoes who was just so innocent and pure by her friends, and by Amy, who was only a year older but seemed like she'd lived a lot more.

Heather had talked her into going to the house. "Of course there aren't actually ghosts in there. It's all for fun. We'll dress up, get some drinks after."

Then Heather had backed out at the last minute because she was sick. Heather had sworn she hadn't planned it, and that she really had wanted to go when they spoke on the phone. To her credit, Heather did sound sick. "What do you end up deciding? For your costume?" She asked in between blowing her nose.

"I'm Samantha," Tara said. "From Bewitched."

"Who now?"

"It's an old show I used to watch with my mom."

"You're so cute," Heather said. "Have fun. See you Monday."

**

She looked and felt stupid in her costume, even if the long black dress was warm and comfortable. But everyone thought she was supposed to be Sabrina the Teenage Witch. On her way over a drunk man dressed in a Merlin outfit had hit on her but had made a reference to Sabrina.

She'd even brought a broom from home but realized that was a stupid idea too, because it had no practical function and she was stuck carrying it around.

This house was creepy, and even though Tara didn't believe in ghosts maybe there were some here. She wondered what Amy was up to. Maybe something normal.

All our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them.

-- Walt Disney





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Tue Oct 01, 2019 5:48 pm
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Teddybear says...



Spoiler! :
Lady Marciella Filis: She would appear racially ambiguous to anyone on Earth, with chocolate-colored skin and shoulder-length wavy black hair, but would otherwise look just a little...off. Maybe it's the marks on her collar bone like thin white scars, or perhaps it's her teeth, just a little too sharp, too pointed to be quite human, or her eyes, dark brown at first glance, but if one were to look closely they would see shades of red, or perhaps magenta, hiding within them.

She wears strange clothing that could be mistaken as just a high-quality costume, but are in fact much more authentic than that. She has a belt over a full suit of overlapping grey and purple fabric, with two lengths of fabric like half a layered skirt hanging off one side, the top one being bright orange to match the half-cape hanging down on the opposite side from her shoulder, with a sun and moon insignia woven atop it in the same purple as the other parts of her outfit.

She carries nothing with her save the small knife tucked into one of her knee-high black boots, which she only started to carry recently after an incident involving an attempt on her life, and the silver circlet that wraps around her head with a single color-changing gem in the center.


Marciella was not supposed to be here. She remembered...something. A dizziness, and then she was here, surrounded, simply surrounded by humans. Costumed humans. She wrinkled her nose.

She didn't have anything against the race, they were just...

A man ran at her, his face badly slathered in messy green paint with black streaked over it to look like stitches. He was howling and hopping about, followed by a pack of equally poorly disguised humans in the same state of idiotic reverie as he was. She yelped as they ran past, one of them bumping her shoulder and rushing on without so much as an apology.

She huffed indignantly at their retreating backs and resigned herself to forget them. Forget all of this, she had to go home. She sent one last glare in their direction and looked around, less with her eyes than with her magic. That building there, there was something...something.

She glanced around. No one was watching that place. Good. She walked briskly down the pathway and up to the front door, moving with purpose to avoid questions, and opened the door. She froze. Wonderful, more humans.
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Tue Oct 01, 2019 8:01 pm
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Mageheart says...



He turned when he heard the door creak open behind him - once for the woman with the long black dress, and once for the woman dressed in clothes straight out of a high fantasy novel. The first one was supposed to be from something, but it had been a long time since he had kept up with pop culture.

He didn't have time for that.

Especially not with something like this in his life.

Reyes bit back a sigh and accepted that he wasn't going to have the building to himself; he should have expected it, too, but had been too preoccupied with finding a day where no one would want to tag along. Everyone always had Halloween plans, whether it was trick-or-treating with their kids, movie marathons, or Halloween parties.

"Hello," he said, with the smooth perfection of a celebrity - and the hidden frustration of someone who wished his face wasn't so recognizable. It was only a matter of time before one of them realized who he was.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Tue Oct 01, 2019 8:37 pm
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Teddybear says...



Spoiler! :
I always forget something notable, she's 19 in case that ends up mattering at all. Probably won't, but I figured I'd mention it.


"Hello," she responded frigidly. She had specially designed that tone to dead-end conversations. She had things to be doing right now, like figuring out what world she'd managed to magic her way into and how she could magic her way back out. These people were just a minor annoyance in the way of that goal.

She walked to the decrepit staircase and placed her foot on the first step, testing it to see if it would hold her weight. Always start at the top when you wanted to investigate. The simplest solutions were always kept in the topmost levels of any given building. What sort of solution this place would hole was a whole other question.
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Tue Oct 01, 2019 8:50 pm
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Elinor says...



Spoiler! :
BTW, here's what Tara's costume would look like

Image


Tara let the other two walk a few paces in front of her. She felt anxious on her own and she wished Heather hadn't bailed on her. Maybe Heather could have been Vampira and they could have doubled as a classic horror TV act. They seemed content to ignore her as well.

Maybe she was just imagining it, but as they stepped into the house, Tara could have sworn that she felt a chill. It was kind of creepy. Maybe after this she'd go home and make apple cider and watch a movie, telling herself she'd earned it. She did love this time of year in general, though. She'd been invited to James' Halloween party, which would be going on all night, but it didn't seem like her idea of fun.

Just then, the man turned, and Tara swore she could have recognized his face somewhere. That was when she realized. He was the host of Hunting Ghosts, which her mom watched religiously every Sunday, and Tara never understood why. Even though she supposed his show was a big deal she didn't really care about it all that much. She didn't even remember his name.

The man turned and smiled at her. She blushed.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Tara asked, more cheeky than she'd intended.

All our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them.

-- Walt Disney





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Tue Oct 01, 2019 9:13 pm
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Mageheart says...



He couldn't tell if that was a flirt or not - especially with her blushing - but he decided he would act as if it wasn't.

"No one special," he answered. "I forgot to find a costume for tonight - with my line of work, it feels like just another day."

He gave her another smile and held out a hand for her to shake.

"My name is Reyes Eberhardt," he said.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Tue Oct 01, 2019 9:29 pm
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Elinor says...



Reyes. That was right.

She couldn't wait to tell her mother, who she doubted would ever believe her. Even if his show didn't matter to Tara, it did to her mother, and that was one upside to this Halloween, she supposed. And his response. Goodness he was cheesy.

"I'm Tara Stone," she said, returning his handshake. "Um, I'm Samantha from the show Bewitched."

Reyes said nothing.

"Are you filming a special episode today or something?" It didn't occur to her that there weren't camera crews anywhere in sight.

All our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them.

-- Walt Disney





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Tue Oct 01, 2019 9:36 pm
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Teddybear says...



Marciella concluded that the stairs wouldn't be safe. She turned to the other two. Clearly neither of them owned this place, she doubted anyone did what with the wretched state it was in, but they had been here longer than she had. She went into diplomat mode, pleasant smile, not outward emotions, nothing psychically projected but the equivalent of white noise.

"Do either of you know a safer way to get to the upper floors? she asked, putting an apology in her voice for interrupting their conversation.
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Tue Oct 01, 2019 9:48 pm
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Mageheart says...



He couldn't tell if Tara had noticed how out of place he was, or was just asking a friendly question - a little paranoia was good most of the time, but it wasn't right now. He could worry about saving face after he was convinced she had realized something was off about him being here.

"I'm not," he said. "I was supposed to-" A lie. "-but something came up with my camera crew. I was already heading here, so I improvised - I'm doing research for a future episode."

Well, that wasn't entirely a lie. He just had to search this place for ghosts first - once he took care of them, it wouldn't be long before he filmed an episode here or nearby.

He turned to the other woman - who, on closer inspection, was more of a girl than a woman. "I don't," he admitted. "I've never been to this place before."
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Tue Oct 01, 2019 9:59 pm
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Teddybear says...



Her internal frustration at that didn't show. She shoved it down, down, down, out of her mind entirely and used the free mind space to search for a new angle. Humans were aggressively social, she remembered, they were more helpful toward those they liked, and they liked those who they thought liked them. She could show that she liked them by expressing curiosity.

It all went through her head like one of her lessons, and she followed it like one, too.

She kept her friendly smile and extended her hand, "I'm Marciella," she said with as much carefree humanity as she could get away with without overdoing it, a well-mastered art, " I'm sorry I took so long to introduce myself, I've been distracted. You mentioned cameras? Why?" She said it as if she knew what a camera was.
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Wed Oct 02, 2019 3:17 pm
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Elinor says...



Tara had no reason to disbelieve Reyes' story, so she simply nodded.

"Oh, that's cool," she replied. "My mom loves your show."

From the way Reyes smiled back, Tara hoped he didn't think she was hitting on him. Whatever she wanted one day from a man, it wasn't him, but guys always seemed to misinterpret her natural shyness as being interested in them.

"You mentioned cameras, why?" Asked the other girl. Marciella.

He hosts a TV show about catching ghosts," Tara responded. In that moment, front door swung shut. "Must be the wind," she added, barely audibly.

All our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them.

-- Walt Disney





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Wed Oct 02, 2019 4:50 pm
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Teddybear says...



Marciella had no idea what that meant, but she nodded as if she did. The door slammed shut. She winced. There had been an energy with it, something magical.

Ghosts. Right.

She frowned. This couldn't be good. Were there specialists in this world to deal with that sort of thing? She didn't ask.

Instead, she said, "That wasn't the wind." It was a statement of fact, a rebuke to her assumption.
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Wed Oct 02, 2019 5:11 pm
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Mageheart says...



Marciella's question made him pause, but Tara quickly filled the silence. He offered another professional yet friendly smile at her comment about her mom loving the show, only for the smile to falter at the door suddenly closing.

He turned.

"It must be the wind," he said - echoing Tara's comment without truly thinking about the conversation or the two present. He stared at the door for several moments before his gaze swept throughout the building's foyer. There was no other signs of ghosts just yet, but the door had undoubtedly closed from something other than the wind.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.








she slept with wolves without fear, for the wolves knew there was a lion among them.
— r.m. drake