Mikal

This dude is so fancy and I love them so much thank you so so so much willow for helping me with the design cause oh BOY does this SLAP

Brother of Veridan and main antagonist to the story. An attention-starved asshole that feels no remorse over hurting others as long as it benefits him. Tried to give himself ghostly abilities but fucked it up and now is stuck in a ghostly form without ever having died in the first place. His main master plan was to steal the energy from the ghosts in the Whisper Court Ghost Sanctuary because something about the neighborhood makes ghosts who originate from it more powerful and he would be able to take on a corporeal form. He didn't know how to do this, and subtly possessed/manipulated Veridan to get him to help. Is actually a red-tinted ghost, but is aware of the fourth wall and the color scheming of ghosts in this story, and so he presents himself as blue to appear more trustworthy. When angry, the cracks spread and get deeper to reveal the red underneath. His hidden eye is made of the same stars as his cape, and can sometimes drip below his hair when agitated.

He has two names listed here because when he's trying to be inconspicuous, he goes by his fake name of Malik. He thought an anagram of his real name would make for a fantastic code name, and thought Malik sounded like malice and that was pretty cool. Unfortunately for him he is an idiot and everyone always knows it's him, this just makes it harder for people to recognize his name which is the opposite of his goals.

Always carries the staff he manipulated Veridan into creating. It can shoot out a bird-claw shaped cable to attach to any ghostly entity. Once attached, it will begin to drain that entity of its energy, rendering it unable to move, materialize, and desaturating their colors greatly. Mikal forced Veridan to make a failsafe so the staff won't work if used on himself.

Story: Whisper Court
Age: 23 (at time of "death")
Height: 6'0
Gender: Male
Pronouns: he/him
Main Theme: Our Little Horror Story by Aviators
Whisper Court Toyhouse folder

Mikal is the main antagonist, a selfish and cruel person who is willing to do whatever he wants to get attention. It's the one thing he craves above all else: to be remembered and known. It doesn't matter if it's for something good or bad, he wants people to know his name.

He kept this mentality all through childhood as well, where he would often drag his brother, Veridan, into his schemes to cause commotion. After years of this Veridan finally got sick of it, deciding he'd rather reveal to the school that he can see ghosts than spend one more day helping Mikal. Mikal was quickly forgotten, with the final straw being when he was only known to the school as "Veridan's brother".

Mikal hated him, and began to scheme. He stole the books Veridan had collected on ghosts over the years, devising a plan to give himself the ability to see ghosts. It went horribly wrong, costing him his eye. His antics had attracted the attention of the deities of the ghost world, however, and he was deemed a threat. Kritana, the most neutral of the deities, was sent to deal with him. She jumped at the chance to get to him early when he had the audacity to try to summon one of them. Kritana was the safest option for Mikal to choose from, meaning he was perfectly content to hear her out when she appeared.

Kritana hid her punishment in the form of a deal. She made up the rules of engagement with her on the spot, something Mikal had never thought to research. She told him that she would grant him one request for successfully summoning her, and he was quick to state what he wanted: he wanted to see ghosts. Kritana was happy to grant this request. Mikal was in too much pain to tell what she'd done.

He had become a ghost himself without ever having died. He knew the rules as soon as he became a ghost: He had 30 days to accept his past life and either move on, or stay in the boundaries of areas safe for ghosts on Earth. He refused, so deep in denial that his form almost wavered entirely. His natural form is now a sillhouetted spirit form, something he despises and seeks a way to avoid as much as possible.

It was Veridan who eventually gave Mikal his hope back. Veridan had become the Head Caretaker of the Whisper Court Ghost Sanctuary, and had as much power and free reign as he wanted. Mikal snuck into the Sanctuary, subtly possessing Veridan in such small ways that he never knew that Mikal was even there. Veridan was the one who designed and created Mikal's staff. The bird claws around the exterior can extend, sharply connecting with other ghosts to drain their energy and transfer it to Mikal, making him more stable and causing the other spirit to become grayscale and lifeless.

Mikal now sought to destroy Whisper Court, something that would be so devastating his name would never be forgotten. Finch was his key to accomplishing this, as they were a new ghost who did not form already knowing the rules, meaning he was free to pretend to be their friend to manipulate them openly. As he becomes more solid he is unable to reside in Whisper Court without the Guardian Spirit, Whisper, discovering him, meaning he spends most of his time just outside the boundaries, manipulating both Finch and Veridan from a distance.

Mikal is aware of the fourth wall, and knows that the ghosts in Whisper Court are color coded by how friendly they are. He uses some of his energy maintaining a blue appearance to subconsciously appear more friendly to those around him, while his true colors are red. The more upset he gets, the deeper and wider the cracks on him become, revealing the red beneath it all.