♞ 003 | dictated

[fearbringer]

Hello again, everyone.

I've had a couple weeks to settle in, and have had the chance to both speak with and observe a large part of the castle's population. Now, as some already know, I want something very simple from you all: your belief. I've introduced myself--

[Here he draws an arrow back to this entry.]

-- And I've encountered plenty of you in person; now I want to call out all you skeptics who think I'm lying or playing tricks. That's right-- all of you. I'm sure we can work out something that will be convincing enough proof.

So what do you say? This will work out well for all of us, really; I'll get what I want, and you won't have to foolishly regard a fellow resident as imaginary and invisible.

[There's a lengthy pause before he adds on one more thing:]

I'm also interested in how common it is for people to show up with two losses.

I really would like my horse back, you see.

[And the nightmare sand that horse was made from, and his ability to effortlessly figure out people's worst fears. But at this point, he's staying silent about that stuff; he doesn't particularly want anybody to know that he was depowered in any way.]

Comments

[i_rule_me]

Think comin' in with more'n one thing missin' means you've got more'n the average ta lose. When I turned up, I didn' notice it at first, but I figured out that the castle took a fair handful o' my powers away from me. Not all o' 'em, jus' the ones that'd do any real damage ta this place.

[fearbringer]

Nothing that was taken would have done damage.

[i_rule_me]

Hmm, so that's out. Near as I've been able ta figure, the Castle takes from us the things we'll miss most. Don' seem ta matter if it's physical or otherwise, if it's somethin' o' value ta us, the Castle wants it, for whatever reason a bloody building wants anything.

[gottaknockhard]

[Spike missed this guy's introduction, what with all the antisocial behavior he's been trying hard to stick to, but everyone runs out of things to read and goes back to the journals eventually. The boogeyman, now.]

...So you're invisible?

[fearbringer]

Hopefully not for much longer.

[gottaknockhard]

[He doesn't get it. Unless he has a magic ring or... something... Could be a ghost for all he knows. (Some people have been around long enough that they shouldn't be skeptics, and yet.)]

I haven't heard of a loss like that.

[molotov]

[Molotov laughs. Oh, she can read between these lines. And she can connect the dots back to her precious Bunny. Maybe no one else remembers his warnings and stories, but she does, and while Molotov normally cottons to Paradisa's darker side, she's firmly with the "heroes" on this one.

Her loyalty can often be swayed, but not when it comes to her Bunny.]

You might not be imaginary, but you will stay invisible. Most of the children are gone, and the ones that remain know they are protected by the Guardians.

[fearbringer]

[OH MY GOD NO

NO!!!!]

I'm not only talking to children here, and I've come across several that I'm perfectly visible to.

The Guardians aren't here, and if you think you can continue their reign of sanitation and eradication, you are sorely mistaken.

[molotov]

I don't have to do that. All I have to do is not be afraid. It is all any of us have to do. And I am not afraid, not of you or anything else.

[preformthisneigh]

Oh hey, Mr. Fear-y Hooves. You know, if you really want to sell it, you should try a ghost story or something.

They keep a bunch of the weird horses in the horse prison in the grounds. Maybe your horse friend is there?

[fearbringer]

Maybe if I were actually trying to sell something, that's what I would do.

I looked. She isn't there, and neither are any of my other mares.

dictated

[inafadingcrown]

Few here arrive with their steeds; I would not consider it a loss. [Join the mildly depowered club, bro. She would commiserate, if she knew.]

dictated

[fearbringer]

It's... more the circumstances around her disappearance that makes me consider the possibility that it's a loss.

Dictated

[deductiongeek]

Why do you want belief?

[Conan was already skeptical. This was sounding far too familiar for his liking.]

Dictated

[fearbringer]

Would you like being invisible to everyone you came across?

[shallwe]

You speak of things only a child would believe.

[And a very gullible one at that.]

[fearbringer]

Then let me prove myself to you.

[Private]

[hasmommyissues]

Struggling to win over the public?

[Private]

[fearbringer]

I don't need them to like me.

[nohalfway]

Hahaha, wait, wait.

People think you're imaginary? What, like some baby's thought up buddy?

By the looks of the rest of the comments here, looks like people're calling your bullshit, buddy.

Man, this place is weird. Even by my standards.

[fearbringer]

If you recall, you said you thought I was imaginary, too.

[deathscript]

Why do they think you're imaginary? We're all in a magic castle. I'd think anything would be believable, given the circumstances.

[fearbringer]

I completely agree. But there will always be people who need to be forced to see the things right in front of their noses.

[originalcopy]

weirdo

[fearbringer]

Does that mean you need convincing?