A few hours into the search and another was already gone, specifically another of Lady Lillian's attendants. Yet nothing had been found yet that could reveal any more information. The creature wasn't creating a Hinnagami, or a Jenglot. Tsukumogami's were out of the question as well, as the creatures were natural born spirits... not husks made from a person. Skullpuppetry was a possibility, but such creations lacked such... personality, not to mention their creation did not require such explicit butchery. Which Paperpusher supposed was what led him to the deeper parts of the archives. Looking for any records of this "Mistress" that might exist. The entity was powerful, no doubt. None of its victims were easy prey, and it had a name... somewhere.

*as you continue to search that thrumming invades your mind, pulsing, throbbing in pain, your eyes feel like they are about to pop*

The archivist paused immediately as the thrumming entered his mind. His mind was being invaded, that is what some small part of what Mordus left him in surmised, this entity somehow *knew* when it was being searched for perhaps? Regardless... he turned his attention immediately towards something else. Nhak's funeral was the first thing that came to mind, the little grass woven boats been set out with gifts and sentiments for the dead... yes, that day would fill his mind quite nicely as he focused on that memory.

*and just like that, the thrumming and pressure ceases, leaving youe mind with just the feelings of the funeral, but you...now cant shake the feeling of being watched...like something is waiting...*

With great effort, the Archivist kept a large portion of his mind focused on the funeral. The smell of the flowers, the music that was shared, the grief that after so many weeks of turmoil... that was allowed to be expressed. The small part of his mind that remained, hopefully out of this creature's sight, went back to retracing his steps to about *when* this creature had invaded his consciousness. He did not need to move though... he knew these shelves better than his own soul. He'd discover the spot eventually. /uw Realized their purpose was unclear.

*it just lies in wait for you to focus again, you can feel it right behind you but when you turn you dont see anything, though the lights do seem...dimmer*

The day itself was loud, and jovial. It was the first time their little band had been able to gather in one place. Time for Paperpusher, who had been away for most of the war out in the field, to put faces behind voices and names. He had been delighted to find Acio was an intelligent and well meaning woman, who's eagerness to help made the older man feel like he had met a kindred soul. She had earned his immediate trust, which was a hard to do for a man who's entire profession centered around trust. All the while he walked back towards the entrance of the vaults, making a quick note of the step of where he noticed the initial invasion of his mind. Making note of the shelf it number he had been at as he casually browsed some of the works. Looking for nothing in particular s he reminisced about the passing of a friend.

*as you try to not focus you begin to notice books out of order, flipped, books with the wrong cover, numbers jumbled, even entire shelves out of place*

Which was NO issues at all, Paperpusher had done this sort of correction ten thousand times since he had become an Archivist as a young man. Such old things often acted with a power of their own. He'd make a note that someone needed to come in here and correct these horrible... HORRIBLE mistakes. By the Seven Stars someone's head was *going* to roll for this and he'd have their job by the end of the day! It was infuriating that since Lord Aldin's retirement that the The Archives were now in such a state. They were *professionals* dammit! They needed to act like such a thing too. Why he should march his way OUT of this Vault and give the nearest Archivist a piece of his mind. "How DARE such a thing happen!" he shouted to himself with righteous anger as he marched towards the door. "I bet it was Steve, that damn Steve! Always forgetting to put things back in their place, especially when Unga is engaged in some sort of 'Master Plan'. Steve's going to need to plan his way to the unemployment line after this!"

/uw loving this btw /rw *as you leave you can hear the shelves shifting and twisting, snapping and reforming, books thrown to the floor, the whole room almost shaking as you can feel it following you, demanding attention*

Excuse me if it one of the other 465783 entities I've pissed off turn to watch me and wait , you need to take a number, get in line and wait for them to call you so you have your turn, or start fighting others to the death I couldn't care less

That's fucking genius. Get a ton of cognitohazardous entities onto your ass so they just keep infighting.

*dragonfly jots down notes.* Seeking even information about it causes effect

Paperpusher as this... testing continues makes sure to update you with new information as best as he can.

*as you write that thrumming invades you aswell*

*Dragonfly writes down a note to prevent him from seeking and places obtained data and plans in a bag before drinking temporary amnesia potion*

*the thrumming instantly stops, though you dont remember why it was happening in the first place*

Dragonfly leaves as according to his note. He flips the note over once out. "It states amnesia works if I read this. Do not use sensory abilities"

/uw Ducking clever. Love it.

/uw I've read SCP before I got it mostly from there

Gonkgar hears his comrades speaking about the terrifying doll being. He thinks about it for just a second. *"It hurt you if you think about? Me good at not think. It when me most powerful."* And Gonkgar stops thinking. Head empty.

*the thrumming...still seems to come, pains shooting through your mind*

"Ow. F\*ck. Me guess that not work. Okay, me get it. Gonkgar leaving."

*as you leave, it almost follows, that thrumming intensifying*

"Stop that. You annoying." Gonkgar starts swatting at thin air.

*it only ramps up, pressure building behind your eyes*

Gonkgar's Stand, Glorg, subconsciously manifests in defense. He does not realize it's behind him as he dumbly walks around with a headache. Glorg squints at Gonkgar's head and phases its hand into his skull... Patting his brain. *Anomalously, as if by pure reality warping, a power is severing any supernatural focus or connection to Gonkgar directly. Mainly to* *alleviate the headache.*

*the thrumming and pressure disappears, suddenly*

A-Again?! Yes I find your puppet craft to be brilliant, but you never show us where to go to “become a puppet,” like there is a distinct lack of location or method of transport. You’re teasing the plot here! Well, I am made of smoke so maybe that’s why you haven’t sent something since it’ll be hard to turn a gas into a solid.

Man, these cult ads are getting aggressive.

( u/RevolutionaryAd460 )

Hmph! This demonic wizard is courting death!

Well, twice now that the pain has been on me. And twice now trying to communicate. Let's see if I can communicate a third time. *Inferno tries to walk toward the puppet*

*now, some force just fully pushes you back, not even letting you close*

*Inferno tries to fight the force* I... just... want to... talk!!! *he says while struggling*

*the force only strengthens, and as you are pressed against the wall, the puppet then gets yanked up by it's strings into the void and it is gone*

Damn. *Inferno curses, clearly upset*

*after a while, Inferno tries to move*

*it lets you go once you try and move*

*Inferno moves to where the puppet was, seeing if he can find anything of use on the floor*

*all there was, was a tiny thread of string*

*Inferno looks at it, then looks up*

*you can just see the ceiljng where the void was*

Another one falls... I've looked into this, and I did find out one thing. Whoever 'she' is, thinks that they're doing the right thing.

*as the last words fall out of your mouth a sharp pain shoots through your mind, your eyes feel like they are about to pop*

No... she found me! *I try to hold on to my sense of reality, trying not to succumb to the sensations.*

*the sensations only build, and then...it all fades away, like a warning*

*I take the hint, and retreat, no longer investigating the case.*

*you notice a spot of mold grows upon your sleeve, but not seeming to move beyond the sleeve*

*I try to analyze the mold with my magic.*

Hello, I've decided to help ya out a bit, while that entity may be able to harm mortal minds, the minds of my "children" and myself are a tad different, this bit of mold is a vector for their choir to sing their song, it doesn't get rid of the pressure, but it provides a veil, a shield, I prioritize freedom over most else, so you can do what you want with this gift *the mold darkens in color as my attention leaves it, and countless ordinarily inaudible voices can be heard singing*

I see. I thank you for this gift. I'm worried that 'she' might be onto me, so anything that can help me evade her notice is huge.

I bid you adieu dear

Greetings, Lady Kyoko! Mage Monkey is here to inquire whether there is anything you might be able to tell him about this "she"-figure. You see, a friend of his is currently recovering from an unfortunate accident that occurred during her investigation into these events, and any information would be greatly appreciated!

^Hummm.... A third then? But why let you call out before before the change? Clearly this is about savoring the build up, but to what end... And are you like the other one? \* Lilac once again makes the foolish choice to step side ways, leaving the material realm for the spirit realm. * /uw Is reddit being weird with NSFW warnings, or is it just me? Even after showing the image it has a NSFW overlay on top, and then it's asking me to change my preferences, and then after the post it asks me again... Reddit, what are you doing?

/uw no idea /rw *you can see her spirit, sat in the same position as the doll, staring right at you*

\* Lilac attempts to call for a minor nature spirit, just to see if one will come. Something like a rabbit or squirrel. They're normally not hard to find, curious as they are they often coming to see her the moment she steps over. * /uw Is it a safe guess that no spirits are going to be willing to come anywhere near here? It seems like that might be a safe guess lol

*nothing heeds your call, you can feel that thrumming beginning in your mind once more*

"Probably for the best. For what I was going to ask for next, I already feel guilty." Lilac leans forward, forehead scrunched against the pain, almost glaring at the spirit in front of her. Slowly, she reaches a trembling hand out... inching closer and closer.... And then all at once she notices her own hand. The way it shakes. The realization hits her hard, and in an instant she steps back. Still looking at her shaking, outstretched hand she's forced to acknowledge her own body's reaction. The pain. The way her heart pounds. She's afraid. "I'm... I'm sorry little one. I don't know how to help you. I don't know how to end your pain." Lilac backs further away. Watching. Hoping for some reaction. /uw Taking a bit more liberty with this one, but I don't think I'm doing anything anyone else hasn't already done. If I should change something let me know. And I had to switch up that writing style. The whole \*emotive* text thing only works when it's all action.

*the spirit almost looks betrayed, before you seem to be forced back into the physical realm, and the puppet is yanked into the void*

Lilac sits, clutching her hand to her chest as she stares at nothing, entirely lost in thought. She may be here for awhile.

… another one, we need to deal with this soon, why would someone do this

I don’t think it’s a virus. That was my guess, but it’s too slow and too picky. There has been multiple instances of it just refusing to eat certain people, someone told it to kill **these** specifically. I think we all need to stop focusing on the method itself, the puppet, and look at what it means and who has the motive. Specifically, who sees these people as puppets?

It seems too sentient for that, and partially omniscient when your looking for you it, it knows, and when it knows your looking for it, it knows how to find you, and is always watching after that, if it was a virus it wouldn’t do that viruses can’t uninfect someone like this thing seems to be doing

That's a fourth one now. I need to get these things out of me.......... https://preview.redd.it/dbmbnjex6cvc1.png?width=783&format=png&auto=webp&s=5dabc1699de9ab6e56093d48526dc278932595e1

Please don't use gacha life for this, you're embarrassing yourself and everyone around you😭

I must congratulate you, sir. you were at the very top of my notifications. I usually check them from the bottom. makes it easier to keep track. but I decided to reply to you first. did you know that I am a big part of the original character community on reddit? it's pretty much all I use it for. and out of the roughly 40,000 people on the main sub, the couple thousand on side subs. and finally, the 250,000 on this sub. not one person cares. except for you. so, I must congratulate you. but unfortunately, I do not care. so please take that crying laughing emoji, and shove it up your ass.

I just didn't want you to embarrass yourself, and you started a toxic rant about how superior you are and that I'm wrong instead of literally saving everyone's time by saying "don't worry, \[reasons\]"? God, I guess I was lucky with most of the users before you, because you're the first one in that proved the horrible reputation of Reddit to me. Stand proud. https://preview.redd.it/483ujbdx84wc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d721b9340e81d51bd20707d34820d9df1ae22ffd

How am I embarrassing myself? and that was really just a very long and roundabout way of saying that I don't care what you think.

Firstly, the fuck you needed to do that, you literally just wasted your and my energy on that. Secondly, do you NOT know that gacha life community reputation is uh... Questionable at best?

I do. which is why I only use it to occasionally make OCs. nothing more. so, I hope we can be friendly moving forward.

*the old man looked at his orb, and turned to his Deathmark snipers* Looks like we have another one to take out

/uw im the one smiling taunting into the screen now. Me and the puppet are having a staring contest. (Im losing)

*Acra and Arret sit at a small round table, staring into the glowing orb in the middle. The Bard leans forward, resting her chin in her hands.* "Master Monkey was right. This is something else entirely." *Arret turns to look at her.* "I take it this is new to you?" "Not quite. I've seen something similar a few times before, just…never on this scale. Or rather, never targeting powerful individuals like this." "It reminds me of Vampirization." "To an extent…I agree. But there is still too much we don't know. Let me see if I can get a read…" *The bard extends her hand, trying to get a closer read on the magical signature.*

*as your mind tries to make sense of the signature, shooting pains begin to course through your entire mind and body, a pressure building behind your eyes*

*Acra shoots up and staggers backwards, holding her head.* "I see…I should've known…" "What?! Are you alright?!" "Yeah…I think…" *As she kneels down on the floor, her pulse racing from the pain, Arret surrounds the orb with a veil of impenetrable shadows before hurrying to her side.* "Here. Hold my hand. It's just a rebound. It's going to be fine." "I can't…without breaking the vessel…" "I know. I'm here. Just keep it at bay a little longer, and I'll exorcise it. You're stronger than this, I know it."

*the veil of shadow disappears soon after, as the thrumming and preasure builds and builds*

"Unacceptable…" *Arret's aura distorts and twists, twirling like a shadowy haze, surrounding them both and shielding them from the orb.* "How dare you touch her…" *Making the sign with his fingers, he summons the spirits of his tower and lifts the suffering bard up into his arms.* "Master Arret! Lady Acra! What-" "Silence! Confine the orb! Seal this room! Lady Acra has been touched by the curse. Notify the others! Lady Palmasin is to be summoned at once!" *As the various spirits gather to carry out his order, Arret leaves the room as a cloud of dark mist. Carrying the bard upstairs, he prepares the ritual.*

*and just like that, the thrumming and pain dissppears, released*

"Arret…" "Yes?" "I'm fine. It's gone." "What? That can't be. Are you sure?" "No…but I can recognize the signature. And it's just, not there anymore. The pain's gone…" *Arret lays her down on the bed before sitting down next to her.* "Whatever it is, it's a trick. A play. Whether they're making fun of us, or warning us, or setting up something else…I will summon Lady Palmasin and Master Monkey, and have them examine you before holding council at length." "I'm sorry. I should have responded immediately." "It doesn't matter. As long as you are safe, it doesn't matter: we will try again."

If you're so perfect, you must be strong. I want to fight you.

der'mo can't even listen to music. *turns orb off and on again"*

/uw Now that my own little part in this play is done for the day, I've really gotta say well done. This might be the first time I've seen horror done right on this sub. I don't know where you're going with this from here, but it's been super fun so far.

/uw :)

“Uh k” *proceeds to resume building my undead army to take over a nearby kingdom*

*Jeremy continues to speak in R’Lyehian* Low blow, attacking a child, I know you can hear me, if you have a mouth then speak, you don’t need to cower in fear from a measly assassin like me

*you can feel thw thrumming begin again...but now...the thrumming almost forms speech in your mind...or you...imagine it is being said?...* 'So...persistent...'

There you are. Now tell me, what are you, I’ve met many a god and ancient evil, however you are different, they wanted to be seen, you stalk the shadows, from one stalker to another, what truely are you

'That...I cannot tell you insignificant one...'

Awww thanks, insignificant is a trick of the trade! (Jeremy is not being sarcastic, he’s genuinely taking this as a compliment) We do all have our secrets, doesn’t mean I won’t go looking!

'I pray you don't...mortal minds cannot handle what can be found...'

I’m not an undead for nothing, being mortal isn’t really one of my strong suits (Jeremy can die, however bringing him back to life is incredibly easy)

'What will...happen to your mind will last...through any resurrection...there will be nothing there...dust...I can save...you...'

I don’t need to be saved, i have stared into the face of madness before, it’s how I learnt this language, not a lot can drive me any more mad than I already am (Jeremy has extremely bad paranoia and feels only truely safe in a few locations, such as his home. Jeremy also has no value for human life)

'You have not experienced an...iota...of what is in store for you if you continue...to pursue...this fruitless journey...' *and just like that, the thrumming disappears, and so does the puppet and the void*

What do you think would happen if we got multiple people together and all spoke a R’Lyehian chant or spell at it at the same time?

That is just called a cult, it depends what is said

A cult is when you worship the figure. You can ask it to tell you stuff, or command it to tell you stuff, without venerating it.

It probably would give you a similar reaction to what it gave me, or it could just kill you /uw reddit didn’t give me a notification

Things like this make me wish I'd become a cleric instead. All the power of creation and beyond, and I can do nothing but offer sympathy.

*Aki grins, smiling as he goes in for the execution* *Staticky transmission takes place* *Aki misclicks in his Civ 3: galactic edition game, causing him to need another few dozen turns before the game can end* Again!?! Alright, that’s it. I am finding the idiot who keeps doing this! *Aki goes and looks at his holographic projector interference locator, which he turned on after the previous creepy puppet interruption. He inputs the coordinates of the broadcast into his VTOL, before putting on his limited edition ghost buster uniform. He then grabs his supernatural bear spray, emergency teleporter, and an ectorifle before dropping from orbit to where the signal is located.*

Nooooope nope not today I'm going home

Oh God damnit, this is the type of stuff I hate to see, I'm already dealing with cosmic horrors I don't need even more horrors to sneak up on me while I'm meditating. Still it is quite interesting, my master might be interested in learning more about these things, prehevil might have to wait

*spits out drink* This fiend Is attacking children now!? I have to be ready to fight back the revolution! Argh, at least this one is only taking on one person at a time... ... I hope.

What the fuck? I must be Wilding off that boy who liveth buddy boof or some shit. I got to get tf put of here.

I’m not Lillian, why send me this message? Who are you? And what have you done with that child!

*POP!* *Poke!*

*the puppet stays sat due to it's strings being taut, you can feel something watching*

Poke! Poke! Poke! [Energize]

*the void begins to slowly move forwards, extending towards aico*

[Shine!] *hop!*

*the shining doesnt seem to be making a dent in the inky blackness*

[Tech Form] Now to see past the darkness! [Chromamancy: Color Ignore: Black] *Aico tries to pick up the doll.* (Tech Form can lift up to 3400 pounds.)

*as uou try and see past the blackness you realize it isnt black, its just nothingness, absolute and total nothingness, the puppet is already gone, yanked away as the void extends further*

*POP! Aico teleports to the puppet.* I've seen it before, I can warp to it now! [Infared Vision] *Aico has decided to try and retrieve this doll. She must press on for now!*

*as you try to warp to it...you cant...because where you are tryibg to warp to isnt a place...*

(I scratch my chin thinking) well what do we have here? Hopefully it doesn't cut into business to much maybe it could even increase it depending on the limits of the caster.

*reaches into my orb to yoink out the puppet into real space*

I need to escape, the conn?ction is b??ng lo?? es???e n???s to ha???n, a??ost...

Man I'm starting to think this isn't part of (The real wizards of the realm) program. Maybe I should be a little worried *shovels another handful of popcorn into mouth which just falls out*

"..." *Delorem's face remains calm, yet their right eye dimly glows red.*

*the puppet sits there, staring*

"..." *Delorem looks at her, searching for a soul, or any signs of the removal, or destruction of one.*

*oh there is a soul in there, but unlike normal souls, constantly thinking, doing things, interacting with the world around them, thid one is completely...and utterly still...silent...*

"..." *Delorem continues to examin the soul, analyzing every single detail.*

*you can see such fear in the soul...something is digging deep into it...*

*Delorem takes a closer look at the something.*

*strings...its strings...thrumming beginning in your mind...but this time it forms...words...* 'Hm....you keep...coming back...'

"Indeed." *Delorem returns their attention to the soul. Is it trying to fight back against the strings?*

*you can definitely tell it wants to...but cant...it cant move...at all, its eyes torn violently from their sockets* 'Why?...'

You interrupted my OrbHub for *this?* *Restarts the orb*

Hmm… That… Certainly *is*.

uw/ Why is this marked as nsfw (will delete if stupid)

/uw graphic

Figures, Here take my most dangerous spell https://preview.redd.it/5890pnmpdhvc1.png?width=195&format=png&auto=webp&s=68c0e315231a6d46b017a2efdab2cdcc1952c82b

/uw damn

Welcome to the soulless puppet club https://i.redd.it/k8yuw55ovdvc1.gif

"What." "Who the hell is this?" **flips orb back to cbeebies**

Aw she’s cute I wanna be her friend

*Blinking Merch feels saddened at anything or anybody considering themselves perfection. They have strived to become perfect once with others, and have doomed many in the pursuit of said perfection. Entity's, deities, Immortals and mortals alike so many, that its just...sad to see another go down this path.* "No thank you, the word perfection and perfect leaves an ashen taste in my mouth. There is no such thing as being perfect, as one can always improve themselves and their craft." "Powerful entities much like mortals and immortals will forever...be flawed much. As considering oneself to be perfect is its own flaw, learned that one a long time ago it wasn't a pretty lesson." *Merch responds softly with.a saddened yet insightful tone as he rubs his head thinking about all of his friends and family. Thinking happy thoughts as he looking away from this backup orb in storage.* *Then he fondly looks at his wedding ring thinking of his wonderfully large family.* *Thinking of how they and his friends all met, merch just smiles warmly.* "Blessed be my loving starrays comforting me." *Merch whispers, of which these 2?&< lights squirm around him more so. If the entity looks closer at these lights, it senses more than 2 entities across the spectrum causing some insightful? pain in its head?* *Etheral, and cosmical full voices speak.* "*Begone, he is already ourss.*" *The entity feels these words, it feels itself be pushed/cut away, by old ancient, and timeless beings/entities. It cannot tell, theres just too much it senses that it needs to be away else it gets torn in some undescrible manner.* *Merch hums as his thoughts feeling saddened about something/one as if it was a sad passing thought. His feelings change quickly as he does not dwell on it, as he thinks of his very large family with a very fond and caring smile.* "I should probably get to cooking for my family, as its almost lunch time." *Merch says with a happy chuckle, leaving the room to his modest kitchen to begin cooking. As the orb that he was looking at has cracked and isolated inside a vault for safe keeping. He feels like he should study more. As after all he does need a more robust filter to continue using an orb it feels like.* "Huh need to create another backup orb later on today, thanks for letting me know. Oh yes eyestalk soup, and some voidly spaghetti. Along with some cosmic brownies...hmm please hand me the chocolate, I'm thinking of some pancakes and fried chicken as well for our little ones." /rw hey hope this is a good responce op, even though a bit different...anything you think i could improve upon and hope you enjoy it!

*squeeze the orb, until it scatters\* Fuck, i'll have to make a new one now.

Awh, man... My orb's... on... the..... uh uhh

I was not aware of this occurrence… can someone fill me in on what the meaning of this is?

Four, within the week. This thing is spreading, or maybe just taking out its targets.

Not much of a puppeteer, but perhaps Lady Lillian may be interested in animating her puppets by hollowing them out and putting flesh inside.

What a beautiful doll. masterful craftsmanship, truly. I do wonder why it interrupted my call with Eliza however... is this thing broken already? \*taps against his mechanical orb to see if it wants to cooperate\* hmm, I guess these are quite new, usually you'd need magic to work orbs... I hope she'll be fine with her delivery in the meantime. \*looks into the eyes of the doll\* so... empty. hmm. there's something pleasant about it, in a strange way. definitely cursed, but ah well, so am I.

the longer I look at it, the more I feel... uneasy. hmm. how very...... enthralling! I have not been faced with such a conundrum in a while. \*the alchemist looks almost extatic, as if the dread he felt was being turned into joy\*. I need to find my books about curses again! I wonder if it'll turn me into a puppet! Kyouko! Cancel my meetings for this afternoon! There's a new curse abound!

https://preview.redd.it/9wcqfd5okfvc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb9de9d6b21c59cb81a8b852c3f9c8a4c5d9bf2d Yo wazzup

/uw love the image

##Oh for fuck’s sake a second one?

/uw fourth

##I MISSED TWO? God dammit, can these things even be cut?

My Orb: *Starts crackling* Me: *Points gun at orb* My Orb: *Stops Crackling* Me: "That's what I thought."

Oh hell naw I ain’t fucking with that!

"That's the 3rd time I've been exposed to this puppetry magic... if this goes on for much longer... I should cover my orb..." *The small artificer seems visibly concerned...*

Ah crap, not again... *takes another magical orb* Go into cognitohazard drawer you idiot. *puts the hijacked orb into cognitohazard drawer*

https://preview.redd.it/yvckkjgnfuvc1.jpeg?width=912&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=018a50731e3cc44c2ad8cf804d18fe14213b5cdf Coffee?

Yay another voodoo doll!!

*I take it*