Info post - Spirit Guardians / Basculegion swarm

[indigo_league]

Uh. What's happening?

On the Fourth of May, two never before seen pokemon will be swarming in Victory Road, namely the White-Striped Basculin and Basculegion. However, all these fish will be the least of the characters' concerns. Because as it turns out, interacting with the swarming Basculegion creates a very unusual effect.

Once a character has touched one of these pokemon, they will suddenly start feeling a sensation on the back of their necks. It could be a chill or a warm brush of air. Then, they'll notice a presence moving at the corner of their eyes. It might even be more than one. And if they are brave enough to turn and face them they'll find themselves staring into the faces of the dead.

Again!! What is happening!!

Much like Basculegion are shaped by the spirits of the fallen, so are most people. In their lives, most people (and thus, most characters) will be shaped, in some way, by the death of another person. It might be a beloved parent that passed away, it might be someone they were unable to save. Or it might even be someone they sacrificed along the way.

During this event, those spirits will become visible.

Now, what this will mean for your character is entirely up to you. It could be a positive experience, where they are able to briefly interact again with someone dear who has passed away. It could be an unpleasant reminder or a source of guilt. It could even be a source of annoyance if an old petty enemy still won't leave them alone from the grave! Any approach is valid.

You are not limited to just one spirit either. If your character has experienced multiple deaths, they can see them all at once, or the spirit that is by their side can change throughout the day.

Can only my character see these spirits or can everybody see them?

The spirits will be visible to others!

Will the spirits be talking or silent?

This will depend on the relationship between your character and the person who died.

Essentially, the closer the relationship between your character and the dead person, the more they are able to communicate. They will only ever be able to communicate things that your character already knows (so no telling you that long lost family secret!) but still, it'll be a comfort to hear that familiar voice again, right?

(well, unless you were the one that killed them)

If the character who died was essentially a stranger to your character, they will be completely silent. After all, you didn't know them well enough to know what they'd say to you.

Of course, the spirits speaking to your character is optional. If you'd rather have your character deal with a silent presence, even if it was someone they were very familiar with, that's fine too.

Other people can see the spirits. Can they also hear them?

They sure can!

Can we actually touch the spirits?

Unfortunately, no. They are still spirits, so if a character tries to touch them, they will pass through them.

How will it feel to pass through a spirit?

This depends entirely on the nature of the spirit. Passing through a spirit who had a positive influence on a character will feel like a warm breeze. Passing through the spirit of an enemy may feel like a static charge. Passing through a stranger or someone whose death the character feels guilty over may feel like touching ice. Go wild!

Victory Road humanises characters when they arrive here. Will the spirits also be humanised?

No, the spirits will be as the characters remember them. So, if the person who died was, in fact, a giant dragon, their spirit is still going to look like a giant dragon to everybody in Victory Road.

So. Due to time shenanigans/weird magic powers/the fact I'm playing from Homestuck, the dead people that have affected my character are their own selves. Can those show up too?

Yes, you can have a tea party with your dead clones.

My character thinks a certain person is dead but they are, in fact, still alive. Would they be able to show up?

The only spirits that can show up are those of the dead.

Additionally, the only people who can show up are those whose deaths the character in question has already experienced. So, if in your character's future a certain person will die but they haven't died yet, that person's spirit won't show up.

If the person whose death your character experienced was later revived, their spirit will only show up if they are still dead at your character's canon point.

What if nobody my character knows has died?

Then un(?)fortunately, they will not be able to see any of their own spirits during this event. But they can see see the spirits of others and interact with the event in that way!

What if the person who died turned into some form of undead?

They can show up as spirits too, especially if the form of undead is of the mindless variety. Think of a shambling zombie -- sure, the body might be moving, but the spirit is gone. And the spirit is what is important during this event!

I'd love to participate in this event, but my character is on a route without water! Now what?

Because this event will take place during a swarm, the Basculegion will be present on every route! Yes, even the ones without fishable water sources. You might find ones in shallow streams and such that are not marked on the general map. Or you might find one splashing in a puddle.

This event really isn't my style...

That's fine! If this is not something you want to explore with your character, please remember that characters will only be able to see the dead if they have physically interacted with a Basculegion. So if you want to sit this one out, just have your character not touch one of the fish.

I have another question!

Comment below and we'll get you an answer ASAP.

Comments

[indigo_league]

The concious misconceptions would be stronger than the subconscious awareness. So it might shine through, but would be more in line what the person would be expecting.

As long as the death still had some effect on the person (which in the case of a parent dying is still present) they can see them.

The characters can catch the Basculin/Basculegion (and after the event they'll be available in the wild) but doing so will have no effect on seeing spirits.