[Ghostie 101]
A collection of notes, mostly for my personal benefit (my memory is just that bad) but also a user's guide to dead!Shinichi. Since this AU is not based off of any particular canon with regards to ghosts (although bits and pieces of quite a few have crept in), I figured that laying down the assumptions/rules that underlie his verse would be a good idea. Feel free to PM me or comment with questions; if there's anything I love it's talking ghost stories (and Detective Conan).
1. So he's a ghost, right?
deaduction is a collection of the thoughts, memories, emotion and drive that used to be Kudou Shinichi. He is a construct of pure energy with sentience and the ability to appear/apparate in varying degrees of solidity/transparency. He no longer has any connection to his physical form or any physical needs such as hunger, sleep, etc. However, as a being of energy/emotion, Shinichi needs energy to fuel his existence, and so is constantly drawing energy from his surroundings. The air around him will chill slightly as he absorbs heat, electrical appliances will dim or flicker, batteries may drain. Shinichi will be popular come summer. This is usually unconscious on Shinichi's part, except for moments when he is extremely weakened or actively haunting. Think of it as equivalent to breathing.
2. That's what I said. Ghost.
He prefers 'spirit' -- fine. Ghost it is.
3. How does being a ghost work? Is there a manual?
If there is, Shinichi knows better than to let on about it -- he's seen Beetlejuice.
It's the presence of the other living Shinichi's in the dressing-room that give Shinichi his unusually strong ability to manifest himself and interact with the world right now -- even in Conan form, the doubles provide him with a constant energy boost, while interacting with them reminds him of who he is, something very necessary to his prolonged existence. Possessing another him ( thank you so much, only_1_truth) is a massive power rush, and even allows Shinichi to reconnect with some of the emotions/memories that he has forgotten as a ghost (though how permanent this is remains to be seen).
Ghost!Shinichi exists because of the combination of the following factors: a painful and violent death that separated body and consciousness vividly and suddenly, ties to the Living world in terms of relationships and things undone strong enough that Shinichi resisted the instinct to move on, a sense of self strong enough to hold himself together without a body and the determination to get what he wants.
All good things, right? Well you'd think that -- but this is an unnatural existence going against the Order of things, so existing as a ghost is like fighting a constant pressure -- like gravity. To preserve themself, a ghost has to constantly reinforce their sense of self, remembering who they are and why they remain. As time passes, this focus will exaggerate some personality traits while others will disappear entirely and the ghost's impulses become compulsions, finally obsessions.
4. That last part sounds kind of creepy.
He's a ghost. Ghosts are supposed to be creepy. Just ask Ran. Or Conan. Heck, even Shinichi finds himself creepy.
5. That wasn't a proper answer.
All right. Imagine a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being pretty much as human as a ghost can be, 10 being a terrifying monster that exists to wreak havoc and terrify -- a shade. A new ghost starts out at 1 and as time passes and they lose more and more of their humanity, the ghost gradually becomes a vengeful shadow bent only on revenge and destruction. How quickly this happens depends on whether the ghost welcomes their new existence and pursues their purpose relentlessly (Haibara) or actively resists the process (Shinichi).
There is good news! If a ghost manages to free itself from what holds it to the world of the Living (ie. move on/pass over) before it becomes a shade, all is well. Once a shade, a ghost cannot pass on and it will wreak furious havoc wherever it can until it has satisfied its urge to destroy and it ceases to exist or someone exorcises it. A ghost is still malleable, able to learn -- Shinichi has acquired quite a bit of humility and a lot more appreciation for his friends and human bonds in the time he's spent dead. A ghost can also go up and down this scale -- right now Shinichi's at a three I'd say, but a nice possession can raise him to a 2, while a drawn out and emotional confrontation with a grieving Ran can pull him down to a 5. And of course, even ghosts have bad days.
6. So, are there any specific things that pull Shinichi up the scale?
Definitely! He's aware of what is happening to him and makes a conscious effort to remind himself of the things he considers integral to himself. In his own world, rather than focus on the Black Organisation or Ran to the exclusion of all else, he helps those around him, involving himself in Conan's school life, being his invisible friend as well as big brother and mentor, and also uses his influence with Kogoro to continue to help and protect people by solving cases. The danger of this is that he might lose his focus and cease to exist, or that his time will run out and he'll become a shade before finishing his business with the Black Organisation, but he wouldn't be Shinichi if he could walk away from a murder, would he?
Being around / haunting particular places, people or things also help by providing him with focus and a sense of who he is. In the dressing room, he's chosen a study that reminds him of the library in the Kudou house as his particular haunt and appropriated a burner, incense and candles to make it his space. Quiet, dark places are preferred, although anywhere that Ran is tops the haunting list.
I've already mentioned the postive effect that hanging out with himself has on Shinichi (most of the time at least!), but hanging out with the people he knew while alive in a normal capacity is a pretty good restorative for the undead soul. Playing soccer with Conan, arguing with Ran, teasing Takagi, making friends with Hattori, Kaitoko -- doing positive *human* things reminds him what being alive was like and why he has to stay who he is. Just about any attention is good -- being talked about or remembered reinforces the fact that he exists, and that in turn makes the Universe back off a bit, lessens some of the pressure on him.
He also accepts offerings in the form of incense, candles, prayers, flowers, mystery novels and newspapers.
7: And what brings him down?
For a how-to guide to reducing Shinichi to his weakest, see 1412 doing just that. By pushing at Shinichi's comfort zone, drawing his attention away from his inward focus, upsetting Shinichi's worldview, rubbing in his death and provoking him to anger, 1412's pretty much ticked all the right (wrong?) boxes. The possession was just the icing on the cake -- a mind that messed up is only going to have an adverse effect on a ghost who exists by virtue of his ability to hold himself together.
Alternatively, you can question his motives for staying, or if Ran, tell him he's not wanted.
8: How to put this? Dead!Shinichi seems really focused on Ran.
There's a reason for that! Ran is a major part of what is keeping Shinichi around. Sure, he's not going to out and say it, and he's given a few different people varying degrees of the truth -- and he's not being entirely honest with himself either. He tells himself that he's going to see the Black Organisation no longer a danger and Ran safe and happy and then he'll go, but it's less to do with needing to protect her as it is needing her.
As it stands right now, Shinichi feels compelled to talk to any Ran he encounters, even against better knowledge (eg. knowing that he upset karates_doors the first time they met, he still has to go and find her and upset her some more).
9: So when he's not making a nuisance of himself, what does he get up to?
Shinichi does enjoy a spot of haunting. Keeping up with the Living -- it's exhausting, even with all that nice energy! If he's not in the study he's apprpropriated, he's probably lurking in the lobby shadows to watch the new arrivals or fooling around with a soccer ball, maybe even practicing his apparating -- places don't haunt themselves, you know.
10: On the subject of haunting -- what can he actually do?
Well, we've covered the chill factor. Shinichi can consciously alter the temperature around him, but even when not doing it on purpose the more energy he is using to manipulate his surroundings, the colder it gets. He can also spread his awareness, and create shadows/shapes within a small distance -- Haibara can manage full on illusions and head-tricks but the cost for that is being half-crazy, so I don't think Shinichi will be adding that to his repertoire any time soon.
Apparating: Shinichi can make himself varying degrees of visible all the way from appearing normal if pale and sombrely dressed (pay no attention to the bullet-hole in his forehead, thanks) to invisible -- or almost. See, in his verse, The Kaitou Kid is always able to tell where Shinichi is, even when Shinichi is trying his best to be unoticeable. seeing_tantei can locate him as well, and I think all it takes is the right knowledge and focus. However visible he seems, he's not tangible unless he's thinking about that very hard -- touching takes concentration, as does being solid enough to be touched, and Shinichi slips up constantly. Not being able to interact with objects/be visible at all back home except to a very few people means that these aren't skills he uses very often and he is being forced to develop them fast in the dressing room.
Influence: As Shinichi is basically a collection of thoughts, he can sort of impress what he wants to say on others by concentrating really hard and hoping they're not distracted. Like Canon!Conan will stand around a crime scene going 'a-re-re? Why would NaniNani-san rip a page out of his diary if he was just about to kill himself?', Shinichi will stand over someone's shoulder going 'Look at the diary, the diary, look it's right there, look look look--" Unless Kogoro or Conan is there to translate.
It's easier to influence people when the ghost can connect with them via shared feelings/emotions, easier still when those feelings are negative -- the lower someone is feeling, the less defences they have so the further down the shade scale a ghost is, the more ability they have to sway the Living. The feelings they come into contact with further push them down the scale in a vicious circle. When influencing someone a ghost can put words/thoughts into someone's head, or make them do simple, everyday actions -- opening a door, picking up a paper, slipping an extra word or two into whatever they're writing or cause them to make mistakes in the same, slipping or stumbling while walking, typoing, etc., but anything more complicated is out unless the ghost is prepared to try a full blown possession.
So that doesn't sound ominous at all.
Possession in this verse is basically the ghost forcing their consciousness on a person. The more aware and/or resistant/different a person is, the harder it is for a ghost to do. It's very draining emotionally and mentally for the ghost (and possessee should they resist) and Shinichi only uses it in cases of last resort such as Mouri ignoring him. Since coming to the dressing-room, however, he has discovered that possessing another Shinichi bolsters him up.
While possessing someone a ghost can direct a person's actions/words -- when using Mouri to solve a case this way, Mouri even acts with Shinichi's mannerisms which show how complete a possession can be. A ghost also has access to surface thoughts/memories triggered by what they:re doing but nothing more involved unless they actually dig (and player of the possessee approves).
So that's not massively god-modey at all!
Yes, possession is extremely god-modey which is why I'm not going to be doing it unless the other player has okayed it and I am always, always willing to redo/edit a comment if things go in direction that you're not happy with. With any form of possession, I'd prefer to be in contact with the player via e-mail or AIM, so don't be surprised if I ask for your contact details --I'm just wanting to double check I'm not stepping on your toes. I'm usually available by e-mail, lj pm or ooc comment even if I'm not on AIM; please do not hesitate to get in touch.
The other thing is -- it is possible to resist. In this verse, The Kid can shut Shinichi out completely and it is likely that others with magic (Akako) or latent ability (Kazuha, Hattori depending on the verse) can do the same -- but basically anyone who can think loudly at him can make it harder for Shinichi to stay put. If you're insane like 1412 or have a very strong mind/personality, Shinichi's even likely to be weakened by possessing you as this damges his sense of self. If you're exceptionally crafty it might even be possible to trap him.
My character is not a huge fan of ghosts. What options do they have?
God-modey as Shinichi has the potential to be, he also has some big problems. He might not feel physical pain, but then again he can't cause it -- at this time he can't touch a character strongly enough to hurt them.
He's also susceptible to energy drain and emotional manipulation -- keep him talking, who knows? You might just wear him out. I'm pretty sure that the DC cast is smart enough that Shinichi won't be running around unchecked for long. And of couse, remember that if things ever do start going in a direction you are not happy with, I am more than willing to give you ideas/ edit comments -- I am just a pm away.
Shinichi's also weak against ofuda, charms and most traditional wards against ghosts. Also magnets. It's hard for him to interact with electrical appliances without draining them and Shinichi interfering with a computer in any way results in the blue screen of death.
But he can go through walls, how come he can't fly?
Ghosts don't follow the rules that apply to the living ie. gravity doesn't mean an awful lot when you don't have a body. However, because Shinichi's mindset is very close to human he forgets this -- gravity is a hard habit to break. It's like moving his mouth when he talks. Since he's not breating, not technically speaking, he doesn't need to do this -- but it's a really hard concept to get your head around. However, as Shinichi has learnt through experience that it is hard for him to deal with solid objects, he has no problems going through the occasional wall.
Hopefully this has been useful! If there are questions you have that I didn't answer or you'd like to pick my logic apart, please feel free to leave a comment below!
Useful Links:
Japanese Funeral.
Ghost Hunters.
1. So he's a ghost, right?
deaduction is a collection of the thoughts, memories, emotion and drive that used to be Kudou Shinichi. He is a construct of pure energy with sentience and the ability to appear/apparate in varying degrees of solidity/transparency. He no longer has any connection to his physical form or any physical needs such as hunger, sleep, etc. However, as a being of energy/emotion, Shinichi needs energy to fuel his existence, and so is constantly drawing energy from his surroundings. The air around him will chill slightly as he absorbs heat, electrical appliances will dim or flicker, batteries may drain. Shinichi will be popular come summer. This is usually unconscious on Shinichi's part, except for moments when he is extremely weakened or actively haunting. Think of it as equivalent to breathing.
2. That's what I said. Ghost.
He prefers 'spirit' -- fine. Ghost it is.
3. How does being a ghost work? Is there a manual?
If there is, Shinichi knows better than to let on about it -- he's seen Beetlejuice.
It's the presence of the other living Shinichi's in the dressing-room that give Shinichi his unusually strong ability to manifest himself and interact with the world right now -- even in Conan form, the doubles provide him with a constant energy boost, while interacting with them reminds him of who he is, something very necessary to his prolonged existence. Possessing another him ( thank you so much, only_1_truth) is a massive power rush, and even allows Shinichi to reconnect with some of the emotions/memories that he has forgotten as a ghost (though how permanent this is remains to be seen).
Ghost!Shinichi exists because of the combination of the following factors: a painful and violent death that separated body and consciousness vividly and suddenly, ties to the Living world in terms of relationships and things undone strong enough that Shinichi resisted the instinct to move on, a sense of self strong enough to hold himself together without a body and the determination to get what he wants.
All good things, right? Well you'd think that -- but this is an unnatural existence going against the Order of things, so existing as a ghost is like fighting a constant pressure -- like gravity. To preserve themself, a ghost has to constantly reinforce their sense of self, remembering who they are and why they remain. As time passes, this focus will exaggerate some personality traits while others will disappear entirely and the ghost's impulses become compulsions, finally obsessions.
4. That last part sounds kind of creepy.
He's a ghost. Ghosts are supposed to be creepy. Just ask Ran. Or Conan. Heck, even Shinichi finds himself creepy.
5. That wasn't a proper answer.
All right. Imagine a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being pretty much as human as a ghost can be, 10 being a terrifying monster that exists to wreak havoc and terrify -- a shade. A new ghost starts out at 1 and as time passes and they lose more and more of their humanity, the ghost gradually becomes a vengeful shadow bent only on revenge and destruction. How quickly this happens depends on whether the ghost welcomes their new existence and pursues their purpose relentlessly (Haibara) or actively resists the process (Shinichi).
There is good news! If a ghost manages to free itself from what holds it to the world of the Living (ie. move on/pass over) before it becomes a shade, all is well. Once a shade, a ghost cannot pass on and it will wreak furious havoc wherever it can until it has satisfied its urge to destroy and it ceases to exist or someone exorcises it. A ghost is still malleable, able to learn -- Shinichi has acquired quite a bit of humility and a lot more appreciation for his friends and human bonds in the time he's spent dead. A ghost can also go up and down this scale -- right now Shinichi's at a three I'd say, but a nice possession can raise him to a 2, while a drawn out and emotional confrontation with a grieving Ran can pull him down to a 5. And of course, even ghosts have bad days.
6. So, are there any specific things that pull Shinichi up the scale?
Definitely! He's aware of what is happening to him and makes a conscious effort to remind himself of the things he considers integral to himself. In his own world, rather than focus on the Black Organisation or Ran to the exclusion of all else, he helps those around him, involving himself in Conan's school life, being his invisible friend as well as big brother and mentor, and also uses his influence with Kogoro to continue to help and protect people by solving cases. The danger of this is that he might lose his focus and cease to exist, or that his time will run out and he'll become a shade before finishing his business with the Black Organisation, but he wouldn't be Shinichi if he could walk away from a murder, would he?
Being around / haunting particular places, people or things also help by providing him with focus and a sense of who he is. In the dressing room, he's chosen a study that reminds him of the library in the Kudou house as his particular haunt and appropriated a burner, incense and candles to make it his space. Quiet, dark places are preferred, although anywhere that Ran is tops the haunting list.
I've already mentioned the postive effect that hanging out with himself has on Shinichi (most of the time at least!), but hanging out with the people he knew while alive in a normal capacity is a pretty good restorative for the undead soul. Playing soccer with Conan, arguing with Ran, teasing Takagi, making friends with Hattori, Kaitoko -- doing positive *human* things reminds him what being alive was like and why he has to stay who he is. Just about any attention is good -- being talked about or remembered reinforces the fact that he exists, and that in turn makes the Universe back off a bit, lessens some of the pressure on him.
He also accepts offerings in the form of incense, candles, prayers, flowers, mystery novels and newspapers.
7: And what brings him down?
For a how-to guide to reducing Shinichi to his weakest, see 1412 doing just that. By pushing at Shinichi's comfort zone, drawing his attention away from his inward focus, upsetting Shinichi's worldview, rubbing in his death and provoking him to anger, 1412's pretty much ticked all the right (wrong?) boxes. The possession was just the icing on the cake -- a mind that messed up is only going to have an adverse effect on a ghost who exists by virtue of his ability to hold himself together.
Alternatively, you can question his motives for staying, or if Ran, tell him he's not wanted.
8: How to put this? Dead!Shinichi seems really focused on Ran.
There's a reason for that! Ran is a major part of what is keeping Shinichi around. Sure, he's not going to out and say it, and he's given a few different people varying degrees of the truth -- and he's not being entirely honest with himself either. He tells himself that he's going to see the Black Organisation no longer a danger and Ran safe and happy and then he'll go, but it's less to do with needing to protect her as it is needing her.
As it stands right now, Shinichi feels compelled to talk to any Ran he encounters, even against better knowledge (eg. knowing that he upset karates_doors the first time they met, he still has to go and find her and upset her some more).
9: So when he's not making a nuisance of himself, what does he get up to?
Shinichi does enjoy a spot of haunting. Keeping up with the Living -- it's exhausting, even with all that nice energy! If he's not in the study he's apprpropriated, he's probably lurking in the lobby shadows to watch the new arrivals or fooling around with a soccer ball, maybe even practicing his apparating -- places don't haunt themselves, you know.
10: On the subject of haunting -- what can he actually do?
Well, we've covered the chill factor. Shinichi can consciously alter the temperature around him, but even when not doing it on purpose the more energy he is using to manipulate his surroundings, the colder it gets. He can also spread his awareness, and create shadows/shapes within a small distance -- Haibara can manage full on illusions and head-tricks but the cost for that is being half-crazy, so I don't think Shinichi will be adding that to his repertoire any time soon.
Apparating: Shinichi can make himself varying degrees of visible all the way from appearing normal if pale and sombrely dressed (pay no attention to the bullet-hole in his forehead, thanks) to invisible -- or almost. See, in his verse, The Kaitou Kid is always able to tell where Shinichi is, even when Shinichi is trying his best to be unoticeable. seeing_tantei can locate him as well, and I think all it takes is the right knowledge and focus. However visible he seems, he's not tangible unless he's thinking about that very hard -- touching takes concentration, as does being solid enough to be touched, and Shinichi slips up constantly. Not being able to interact with objects/be visible at all back home except to a very few people means that these aren't skills he uses very often and he is being forced to develop them fast in the dressing room.
Influence: As Shinichi is basically a collection of thoughts, he can sort of impress what he wants to say on others by concentrating really hard and hoping they're not distracted. Like Canon!Conan will stand around a crime scene going 'a-re-re? Why would NaniNani-san rip a page out of his diary if he was just about to kill himself?', Shinichi will stand over someone's shoulder going 'Look at the diary, the diary, look it's right there, look look look--" Unless Kogoro or Conan is there to translate.
It's easier to influence people when the ghost can connect with them via shared feelings/emotions, easier still when those feelings are negative -- the lower someone is feeling, the less defences they have so the further down the shade scale a ghost is, the more ability they have to sway the Living. The feelings they come into contact with further push them down the scale in a vicious circle. When influencing someone a ghost can put words/thoughts into someone's head, or make them do simple, everyday actions -- opening a door, picking up a paper, slipping an extra word or two into whatever they're writing or cause them to make mistakes in the same, slipping or stumbling while walking, typoing, etc., but anything more complicated is out unless the ghost is prepared to try a full blown possession.
So that doesn't sound ominous at all.
Possession in this verse is basically the ghost forcing their consciousness on a person. The more aware and/or resistant/different a person is, the harder it is for a ghost to do. It's very draining emotionally and mentally for the ghost (and possessee should they resist) and Shinichi only uses it in cases of last resort such as Mouri ignoring him. Since coming to the dressing-room, however, he has discovered that possessing another Shinichi bolsters him up.
While possessing someone a ghost can direct a person's actions/words -- when using Mouri to solve a case this way, Mouri even acts with Shinichi's mannerisms which show how complete a possession can be. A ghost also has access to surface thoughts/memories triggered by what they:re doing but nothing more involved unless they actually dig (and player of the possessee approves).
So that's not massively god-modey at all!
Yes, possession is extremely god-modey which is why I'm not going to be doing it unless the other player has okayed it and I am always, always willing to redo/edit a comment if things go in direction that you're not happy with. With any form of possession, I'd prefer to be in contact with the player via e-mail or AIM, so don't be surprised if I ask for your contact details --I'm just wanting to double check I'm not stepping on your toes. I'm usually available by e-mail, lj pm or ooc comment even if I'm not on AIM; please do not hesitate to get in touch.
The other thing is -- it is possible to resist. In this verse, The Kid can shut Shinichi out completely and it is likely that others with magic (Akako) or latent ability (Kazuha, Hattori depending on the verse) can do the same -- but basically anyone who can think loudly at him can make it harder for Shinichi to stay put. If you're insane like 1412 or have a very strong mind/personality, Shinichi's even likely to be weakened by possessing you as this damges his sense of self. If you're exceptionally crafty it might even be possible to trap him.
My character is not a huge fan of ghosts. What options do they have?
God-modey as Shinichi has the potential to be, he also has some big problems. He might not feel physical pain, but then again he can't cause it -- at this time he can't touch a character strongly enough to hurt them.
He's also susceptible to energy drain and emotional manipulation -- keep him talking, who knows? You might just wear him out. I'm pretty sure that the DC cast is smart enough that Shinichi won't be running around unchecked for long. And of couse, remember that if things ever do start going in a direction you are not happy with, I am more than willing to give you ideas/ edit comments -- I am just a pm away.
Shinichi's also weak against ofuda, charms and most traditional wards against ghosts. Also magnets. It's hard for him to interact with electrical appliances without draining them and Shinichi interfering with a computer in any way results in the blue screen of death.
But he can go through walls, how come he can't fly?
Ghosts don't follow the rules that apply to the living ie. gravity doesn't mean an awful lot when you don't have a body. However, because Shinichi's mindset is very close to human he forgets this -- gravity is a hard habit to break. It's like moving his mouth when he talks. Since he's not breating, not technically speaking, he doesn't need to do this -- but it's a really hard concept to get your head around. However, as Shinichi has learnt through experience that it is hard for him to deal with solid objects, he has no problems going through the occasional wall.
Hopefully this has been useful! If there are questions you have that I didn't answer or you'd like to pick my logic apart, please feel free to leave a comment below!
Useful Links:
Japanese Funeral.
Ghost Hunters.