GHOSTS
While humans use the term "ghost" to identify any paranormal being that is transparent in appearance, the term Ghost in Halloween is used to refer to those who are... well. "Transcendent" in some fashion, "translucent" in another, and "transparent" yet again. Ghosts are the souls of former humans, creatures, monsters, and just about anything that could call itself "alive" and had a soul. Or at least they had a soul before a Reaper trained in the art of harvesting souls separated them from their body and brought them into Halloween.
If asked a ghost cannot tell you what they were like prior to becoming a ghost. The act of being separated from their previous body erases all memories of their former lives. The only thing a ghost has left is their name and personality. See Memory below for more information.
Ghosts have been seen as one of the "newer" races in Halloween, as they did not begin showing up until after Reapers began to bring them here. Still, ghosts do have a tendency to be overlooked whether it's from the fact that they're transparent or someone quite literally forgets that they're there. After all, anything that can cause a scare is welcome in Halloween.
Please note that in the following guide, "humans" is used to represent the person a ghost was in their previous life. It is possible to have a ghost animal as long as they fit the criteria to make a ghost (see: In the Human World). In addition, it is also possible to have a ghost monster/demon/reaper as long as they have died in the Human World. Keep the rules of Memory in mind should you choose to go this route; your character can only be a first year should you choose to go this route. You may not have an alumni character who dies and comes back as a ghost and must re-take school.
Appearance:
Ghosts have a wide range of appearances. They can look as humanesque, grotesque, monstrous, or as demonic as they wish to be -- providing they were like that before they died. Ghosts look like the splitting image of their former selves, give or take a few limbs and mutilations depending on how they died. While it's true that some ghosts can bend and contort themselves into a wide variety of appearances, most ghosts tend to stick to their appearance of what they looked like at the moment of death. It's not unusual to see a headless ghost carry around their head for example.
Of course, the main "trait" of being a ghost is being... well. Transparent. Translucent. Transcendent. From having limbs or hair that fade and curl off into whispy trails or to have an aura of murky mist about them, there is something eerie about the soft glow of ghosts that makes them unmistakeable to any other race. While ghosts tend to not be as vibrant as any other race, their muted colors do lend to their ethereal appearance.
Ghosts can and do grow... when they choose to. While many ghosts who die choose to remain in their at-death state, ghosts that are born and raised in Halloween often choose to grow up right alongside their more solid and "alive" peers. Ghosts can only grow up; they cannot grow backwards. They can certainly make themselves look younger however.
Memory:
At the moment of death, ghosts lose their memories of their former lives. They cannot recall what the human world was like, any exact moments in their past history, or the names or faces of people they once knew. They are a blank slate, equipped only with the knowledge of the basics and what their name is.
In a way, ghosts have a sort of "detached" memory if you will. They know what things are and how to use them providing they have had experience with them in their past life (ie, a former chef would still know how to cook). They would even have strong feelings attached to the knowledge, however they do NOT know the specifics. For example, a ghost who was a former chef would know that someone was a fan of their pancakes, but they would NOT know if it was a former lover, child, family member, or tough-to-sell food critic. They would just know that someone enjoyed them to the point that they'd always smile, for example.
However, when it comes to emotions ghosts can only remember STRONG emotions. A chef-ghost for example would not remember working in a restaurant. If, however, the restaurant was their own the thought of working in and managing their own might fill them with a warm, fuzzy nostalgia. A chef-ghost who worked in a cafeteria on the other hand might recoil in horror at the thought of being asked to cook for a large number of guests if their experience in working in a school cafeteria was horrifying enough with the screechy little buggers.
Of course if a ghost is born in Halloween, then they suffer no memory loss. They merely grow up just like any other kid born and raised in Halloween!
Culture:
Given the unique amnesia-filled histories of ghosts, their culture is a hodgepodge collection of many different cultures and aspects. For a ghost, remembering their past life is having an important thought or idea on the tip of your tongue, but you're unable to recall it. You come close, but deep down you know that it's not perfect. The same goes for the houses, clothes, and overall ghost "style" in Halloween: there's always something off about it. Overall, though, ghosts are particularly drawn to things that are familiar with them.
Once such place of familiarity is known simply as "The Collection." The Collection is the largest and most organized junkyard near Amityville Academy, as one citizen's junk is a ghost's treasure. The Collection itself is an active 24/7 market in which citizens (a majority of them ghosts) buy, trade, and sell various trinkets and objects to one another. Some stuff is valuable, others aren't, but there's something for just about everyone at the Collection.
Next to the Collection is a make-shift "town" (if it could be called that). Those that know their Human Studies would be able to identify many different human settlements from various eras in equally various states: new, old, crumbling, and ruins. It is in these that ghosts like to make their houses, though it isn't uncommon for a ghost to live in or haunt a small object as well, such as a plush animal that was similar to one they beloved in a former life should they have had one.
Ghosts celebrate both birthdays and arrival days -- arrival days being the day when a former human steps into Halloween for the first time. In addition, Ghosts also celebrate Day of the Dead to celebrate the fact that they're dead. They also celebrate O-Bon, a ghost holiday for 'out of town' ghosts where thousands of lanterns are lit. These lanterns are set afloat to wish them a safe journey.
Elementals and Spirits:
In Halloween, the ethereal similarities Elementals and Spirits share with Ghosts has prompted many to see them as a type of ghost. They also share the same animosity they feel towards Reapers. Where Ghosts have mixed feelings (Grim Reapers created them, but there were some Reapers in the past that liked to trap ghosts and use them as nightlights), Elementals and Spirits are summoned by Reapers again and again for various tasks. Go attack this, go do my cleaning, do this, do that -- nevermind what they were doing previously, when a Reaper calls they demand your presence NOW.
Ghosts have welcomed Elementals and Spirits with open arms. Even if they don't share the same memory problems or haunting problems, they are similar enough to where they co-exist peacefully. Over time, Elementals and Spirits have even picked up on a few ghost tricks, namely learning how to become intangible and how to levitate.
Bakemono and Youkai:
At this time, relations between the Ghost race and Demon race is currently strained. Reapers from Japan have brought back two new types of beings who identify themselves as "bakemono" and "youkai." These names are often translated to "ghost," however the demons argue that the word can also be translated into "demon." As a result, both factions are disputing over where exactly these new creatures go: are they ghosts or are they demons?
Currently the dispute has been temporarily settled. If the being has a natural solid state that is animalesque in appearance, it is classified as a Demon. If the being has a natural non-solid form, then it is considered to be a Ghost. Ultimately however, if the being identifies itself as a type of spirit then it is considered a Ghost no matter its solid or non-solid natural state.
In Halloween:
Ghosts fill in many different roles in Halloween:
Security: Ghosts are an ideal choice for security guards, as thieves can't hear them coming! Some may even take up the job of stealing, because hey -- if you can reach through walls, why not? It's a pity that ghosts can't make objects as intangible as they are, though.
Scouts: Can't hear them coming, and you can barely see them too.
Haunts: Some ghosts are doing it anyway. If you have something precious, why not protect it with a ghost that'll shriek their ectoplasmic head off if someone dares lay a hand on it? Too bad it means you can't touch it either, but hey -- you get what you paid for.
Continuality: Should a ghost choose to, they can continue the career they had in their previous life. Granted figuring out what that was may take some time and experimentation, and even relearning the skills to do what you previously did may take some time, but hey. At least you know that you enjoyed it. Or hated it.
These are only a few of the jobs members of the Ghost race performs in Halloween. There are many jobs and careers available to any aspiring ghostling!
In the Human World:
When a person in the Human World dies, a Grim Reaper reaps their soul. The act of reaping removes the Fear from the soul. If there is enough Fear, the Fear will manifest itself in a Ghost. This Ghost will have the person's appearance and name, but only fragments of emotions for their memories. These ghosts are taken to Halloween. If a person does not have enough Fear, then the Fear merely goes to Halloween to power it.
Newly made ghosts are too stunned by the transition from "dead" to "unliving" to do anything, and by the time they clue into what's going on they're already in Halloween. Thus, it is impossible for a ghost to escape into the Human World as soon as they manifest. If a ghost is unfortunate enough to be trapped in the Human World (by losing their Human World travelers pass, becoming stranded, etc), then over time they will lose control of their tangibility. Slowly over time their limbs will turn into permanent wisps of smoke. This is why some of the older ghosts in Halloween Town have a wispy "tail" in place of legs.
In order to generate Fear for Halloween, Ghosts that visit the Human World rely more on subtle scares than violence. From fading in and out to merely standing there, ghosts prefer to generate Fear from a few people than many. In the Human World, "haunted" spots are family/ghost clan "heirlooms." Rather than pass down an object through the family, ghost clans pass down the location of the haunt, how to look like "the" ghost haunting the location, and the tactics used to scare. These secrets are guarded closely within ghost clans. Students at Amityville Academy may not access these sites until they are second or third years.
ABILITIES
Racial Abilities:
Tangibility: All members of the Ghost race, even if they are elementals and spirits, have the ability to become intangible and translucent. This allows them to avoid being seen (to an extent) and avoid some physical attacks, such as a shoe being thrown to their head. This, however, does not enable them to walk through walls. To walk through walls is a natural ability obtained by certain species of ghosts.
In a combat situation, becoming intangible does not prevent a ghost from being attacked! Attacks strike with Fear. Even if a ghost is intangible, they can still be hit with Fear. However if an opponent strikes a ghost and they are not concentrating their Fear, the opponent's fist can go through them.
Either way, ghosts can reach various states of intangibility with little to no effort. From left to right:
o_O Ghost: 100% tangibility. You can touch them just like any human being! Ghosts can reach this state with little thought or effort, as ghosts need to make their hands solid in order to pick up objects. Ghosts prefer to turn certain parts of them this solid rather than run around in this state all the time, as it does require some concentration to turn their whole body this solid.
^o^ Ghost: 80% tangibility. Student Pin prevents ghosts from becoming more translucent naturally. If a ghost isn't concentrating, then their physical form is between 100 and 80% due to the pin. Reaching through a ghost in this state is like putting an arm through thick mist.
°◇° Ghost: 60% tangibility. Students can become this translucent with concentration while wearing pin. This is as transparent as they can be while wearing the pin; to become more translucent, they need to remove their pin. Even when they remove their pin, First years cannot become more transparent than this.
n_- Ghost: 40% tangibility. As transparent as any year two and onward ghost can get without their student pin. Also requires intense concentration.
¬_¬ Ghost: 25% tangibility. Character must have a natural ability that enables them to become this transparent. Can become this transparent with extensive training (year 3 onward). Please see a professor to begin this sort of training; training can begin at year two.
๏͡๏ Ghost: 10% tangibility. Character must have a natural ability that enables them to become this transparent. Cannot become this transparent/invisible without an enabling natural ability. Ghosts with extensive training can reach this state when they graduate from Amityville Academy.
Levitation: All ghosts, elementals, and spirits can float up to five inches off of the ground. To float any higher requires a natural ability enabling flight. However, if the ghost formerly had wings in their previous life they can fly by means of their wings. This does mean that if they suddenly fall to the ground they will crash into any obstacle five inches away, however.
Luminosity: Ghosts have a soft glow about them. While for most it's very dim and only just barely becomes apparent when they're in a dark room, others are lit up like a night light. Ghosts have only a very small control over this glow, and are unable to completely extinguish it.
Note: Ghosts have THREE racial abilities. They can become intangible (to an extent), glow (or barely glow), and float five inches off the ground.
Natural Abilities:
If there is more than one listed, YOU CAN ONLY PICK ONE. Natural Abilities represent the "clan" of ghosts you belong to. While you may be the same species, each species has different "clans" or "factions." These represent the changes and adaptations different kinds of ghosts have developed over the years in Halloween. While it is possible to gain an extra natural ability through classes and experience, you may only begin with ONE.
