001 ☼ video; un: ginko

[tenthousandmiles]

[So he's been given to understand this "network" is something like a bulletin board, except people can contact each other in real time, a bit like sending letters through the uro passageways but even faster. Honestly, he's kind of fascinated by the whole thing, but it's still a bit overwhelming, even if the notion of different worlds and planes of existence isn't entirely foreign to him. Hence ... why the video feed is a bit overly zoomed in, and starts out upside down before he realizes his mistake and rights it.]

Ah, it seems some of the creatures from my world followed me through the portal. If you're capable of seeing them, you might have noticed what seem to be ghosts or phantasms floating around--they're called mushi.

They're not sapient, and most are harmless, but some can cause trouble, so if you feel suddenly unwell or notice anyone exhibiting unusual behavior, don't hesitate to contact me. My name is Ginko. I am a mushi-shi, which means handling such incidents was my livelihood before now.

[There's a brief pause. He's not really great at this whole "meet and greet" thing, considering he never really stays in one place long enough for that to be necessary, but...now that he's gotten the business part of this out of the way there are a few things he's curious about.]

Has anyone seen the portal that brings us here? I've heard myths and legends about portals to alternate worlds, but I've never actually seen one.

I'd also like to learn more about these devices, and how they work. Where I’m from, we still communicate through letters, so this is truly astonishing to me. I could tell you some stories about my home, in exchange.

[ooc: Canon never really specifies what makes some people able to see mushi and others not. Believing in or being aware of spirits etc or having a connection to nature in some way probably helps, but honestly feel free to assume your character is able to see them, if that's something you're interested in! They look vaguely like this]

Comments

[tenthousandmiles]

That could be a possibility, yes.

[He shakes his head, then]

But there's no need to thank me. It's my job as a mushi-shi to inform people of such things.

[As for the question...]

Anyway, people who have the ability are generally born with it, though there have been circumstances in which those who ordinarily cannot are able to. I met a sake brewer once who was able to see them while drunk on the sake he had accidentally brewed with a mushi, and a woman who became able to see them after nearly dying delivering her child.

There's no permanent way to induce it, however.

[As evidenced by the Minai clan and its unfortunate members like Kumado, who had their souls replaced with that artificial kouki-made mushi just to give them that ability....]

[lionunchained]

Hmm... sounds like there are a lot of options for how it can happen. And of course, if you never have seen one before and have the ability, you wouldn't know it until you saw one. [He sighed] Sounds like it makes it more difficult.

What exactly do they look like? I know you said ghosts, but are they traditional images of ghosts? Would someone have a hard time telling them from a real person?

[Chances are he may never have to know about these things, but given his seemingly long term luck, he'd be the one to come across them]

[tenthousandmiles]

It's somewhat rare to become able to see them in the middle of your life, actually. One either has the ability or doesn't, and most in the latter category never do.

[An exhale of smoke. Technically, the smoke itself is a mushi, though it's one of the kinds visible even to those who couldn't ordinarily see them.]

Some mushi can take on a human appearance, but--

[He's...interrupted by a mushi floatin right on screen.]

Aa, you're in luck--here's one now. Can you see it?

[lionunchained]

[Everything had been going normally until something quite clearly floated across the screen. He would have thought it was a glitch in the communicator until Ginko spoke]

That's... a mushi?

[Also makes him wonder if he should worry that he can see it considering what Ginko had said]

[tenthousandmiles]

[He nods.]

Mm.

[A beat, and, because this guy is looking a little unsettled:]

There's no need to be afraid. Ones that give off light like this one are fairly weak and don't have a lot of ability to influence things.

[lionunchained]

[Both unsettled because Ginko had mentioned how someone got the ability to see mushi and because he had mentioned them being potentially dangerous]

So this one is weak? And most of them are like this?

[tenthousandmiles]

[u could just naturally have the potential to see mushi in u, shiro, he doesn't kno ur life!!!]

I haven't done a lot of exploring to see what mushi followed me here, yet. But generally--yes.

[lionunchained]

[Immediate assumption that being able to see them is related to what happened to him and not that he might have had a strange ability to see them all of his life, but they were never there to see? Yep.

But since he can apparently see them...]

So how would someone know if they are looking at someone who is being affected by a mushi? Would it follow them around?

[tenthousandmiles]

Mm, there is one species of mushi I'm familiar with that does so, but no, not usually.

[He takes another drag off of his cigarette, letting the mushi-smoke blow out. Notably, a couple of the mushi that had floated onscreen earlier scatter.]

It's more common for a mushi to take them on as a host, instead. [He rests his chin against his palm, expression remaining mild.]

Try not to disturb them when you see them, and like I said, keep an eye out for any behavior that seems strange or out of place compared to what you've seen before. That's the best you can really do.

[lionunchained]

[Shiro does notice that they scattered, wondering if they had been startled or if it resembled something they didn't like. It was a question he was just going to keep wondering about.

So apparently there was at least on variety that would follow people, but most would not. Good to know]

All right. Thanks. I'll let you know if I notice something weird like that.