01. TEXT

[quickquotes]

( It has taken Rita most of the time she's spent in Lunatia thus far to understand enough of this 'technology' to send out a broadcast. She's not the type to let such a little hurdle as unfamiliarity get in the way of reporting the news, and she is glad to announce her success with her very first article! )

UNDEAD YET DEADLY
The inhabitants of Lunatia might seem an uncouth lot, with their scales and their horns and other extraneous appendages. However, the natives of this world appear positively genteel when compared to who, or should I say, what walks amongst us, attempting to blend quietly into the shadows. Fortunately, I, Rita Skeeter, freelance journalist-for-hire, am here to shed light on the situation.

The Moonblessed by the name of ‘Ambrosine’, is a self-confessed practitioner of the Dark Arts. She is also known to post on this network under the alias of ‘undyingsoul’, which should tell you everything you need to know already. If you still require an explanation, know this: every magical child from the youngest of ages is taught that death is permanent. Any individual who attempts to meddle with mortality is faced with a fate worse than death: the eternal corruption of the soul.

Why does this matter, you might ask?


Those of you from my own world might know of the evilest Dark Wizard of our time, a man so evil that even after his defeat we still refuse to speak his name, only referring to him as He Who Must Not Be Named. In the name of ideological superiority and in search for the secrets of immortality, this Dark Wizard murdered thousands of people, witches, wizards and Muggles alike.

To use a more local frame of reference: as many of you will know, the city is still recovering from the aftermath of the rampages of another Dark Wizard, Asmodeus, who used his powers to control the minds of many innocent bystanders. Could Lunatia withstand another attack so soon?

While Ambrosine has not shown any untoward predilections to violence yet in her time here, evidence suggests she has so far murdered one innocent person in her quest for immortality thus far, as well as a unicorn (a most sacred magical animal).

How many more deaths will she cause? Can this type of individual truly be allowed to walk around our society unchecked? My recommendation would be to lock her up and throw away the key before she can cause any more harm to befall others.

After all, there’s enough to get used to in this new society without wondering about murderers in our midst. As so succinctly put by local resident, the charming thirty-six-year-old Mr. Valmont: it’s positively exhausting!

( After the main text in the article, smaller lettering reads: if you have leads which require any further investigation, or any information you would like me to know, please contact me here.

The name, again, is Rita Skeeter. )

Comments

[tigerpoet]

I do. She has certainly been much kinder than the sort of gossipmonger who's currently spreading rumors about her.

[This is pretty strong language, for Atsushi.]

[quickquotes]

It's more than just a rumour.

( But it's not like she has the original sources in her possession, so leaving that aside for now... )

I'll be keeping a close eye on you. ( Her gaze flickers briefly to her quill. ) Anyway, you didn't answer my question. How many so-called undead are there here?

[tigerpoet]

Besides myself? I really couldn't say. It's a big city.

[And if he could give an accurate number, he wouldn't.]

[quickquotes]

( Ah. )

No wonder you're being so defensive! So, what are you, then? A vampire?

[tigerpoet]

Ghost, more or less. It's public knowledge, I have nothing to be defensive about except for what you're saying about my friend.

[some of his best friends are alive.]

[quickquotes]

( Rita pouts, visibly disappointed. )

That's not the same.

[tigerpoet]

Isn't it? Aren't you going to call me an abomination to the laws of nature, et cetera?

I wasn't aware that nuance was in your vocabulary.

[quickquotes]

Why would I? Ghosts are commonplace, simple imprints of souls that are too disturbed to leave the living world.

( A pause. )

Although I must say, you do look exceptionally solid.

[tigerpoet]

Then I don't think I count as one, by your metric. Even if there certainly was a time when I was a living human.

[He picks up a pen on his desk - yep, definitely tangible here.]

[quickquotes]

Just how do you have a proper body?

this tag disappeared... i'm so sorry

[tigerpoet]

It's just ink and magic in the shape of a human. Nothing more than that.

all good! C:

[quickquotes]

Ink? Why ink?

[tigerpoet]

Because I'm a writer.

[Makes perfect sense to him?]

[quickquotes]

Then you should be using that ink to write with, not to ... form a body with.

( Honestly, the mere idea is ludicrous. )

[tigerpoet]

Well, I couldn't write anything if I didn't have a physical body to lift a pen with?

[quickquotes]

I fail to see how ink would help you lift anything.

[tigerpoet]

It's a tangible object. Easier to make a body with something material than without anything like that.

I don't know the exact details, a lot of the process is above my head.

[quickquotes]

So this isn't something that you did to yourself?

[tigerpoet]

It's not. I never knew something like that would even be possible when I was alive.

[He's a writer, not a wizard.]

[quickquotes]

So just how exactly did you end up in this predicament?

[tigerpoet]

Well, where I'm from, there are these creatures inside books that are devouring literature and erasing the stories and people's memories of them. And normal humans can't exactly go inside books to fight them, so...

[quickquotes]

( What. )

So, you ... what, precisely? Elected to go under a dangerous magical process to save the world?

( How foolish. )

[tigerpoet]

Elected implies it was my decision? It was more that I was brought back from the dead and told the situation and what I was supposed to do about it.

[quickquotes]

So you didn't choose to do this to yourself at all. Somebody else did this to you? Am I understanding correctly?

[tigerpoet]

...that's not incorrect, but the people who did this are coworkers and friends of mine now, and I don't appreciate the insinuation that they're horrible practicioners of dark arts either.