#ghost!leo

PHANTOMS: A subcategory of ghosts, phantoms are shy, lost souls that don't know what to do after their death and can't let go. However, they don't wish to be seen or interact with the living. They'd rather watch from a distance, often causing cold spots, minor electronic disruptions, sometimes appearing in dreams, and can only be seen (with no mystical assistance) in reflections. If spotted, the phantom may panic and cause migraines, or even throw/knock over items in their attempt to get away. Too much exposure can lead to them becoming poltergeists. Unfortunately, they are often children.

Post movie, Leo couldn’t be saved, and everyone went home mostly expecting him to be dead. There was very little hope for his survival, really, and they all had injuries to care for themselves. While they did plan on trying to check later on, (at least to get a body), with Donnie building a portal and Mikey trying to unlock his powers, in the end, they didn’t have to.

Within a few days, things started happening gradually around the lair (moving objects, closing doors, flickering lights, etc), until eventually they were getting texts from Leo’s number. No one really wanted to believe it, whether out of fear of what his presence implied or straight up not thinking ghosts were real, but eventually, as Leo texted things only he’d know (and the general acknowledgment of Hamato spirits being a thing), they came to be… open to the idea.

Draxum confirmed that ghosts were fairly common amongst yokai, separate from spirits, and with that Donnie dived head first into researching it, determined to see the ghost and get solid proof that it was, in fact, his twin.

In that research, he came across information on a ghost’s appearance. He didn’t pay much attention to it, or the dread that settled in his stomach. He didn’t care. He didn’t.

SO my thinking is, he was a bird yokai of the 17th century, during the era of the bubonic plague. Cloaking brooches at the time were mostly for the wealthy, so many yokai who couldn’t afford them or make them had to just disguise themselves if they wanted to leave hidden cities.

One particular yokai during this age realized his profession would do much better in the human world, since he knew much on practical medicine and not as much in the mystic sense. His only mystical talent was with small animals, like rats and birds. So if he wanted to be a doctor, he’d be much more helpful up top.

When the plague hit, Dr Falco, as he went by with humans, was becoming much more busy and thus, more profitable. Cities were paying him well to work on the sick, including those that could not afford it. He was happy to help those less fortunate in life… until his help started to become too effective.

So, he started having animals spread the diseased fleas much quicker than before. To keep his income. Obviously, he felt guilty to doom so many like this, but hey, a bird’s gotta eat too. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Then, Yokai started to also get sick, and were quick to blame rodent based yokai for bringing the human disease into the hidden cities. Many of them were getting attacked and even killed for things they had nothing to do with. There was no proof of their involvement, just a raising paranoia — for rats, in particular.

When Dr Falco was found out by his own kind, the family and friends of those rodent yokai attacked him out of revenge, leading to the tears on his mask and cloak. He managed to get away (with the help of whatever small critters he could make swoop into the fight), thinking he may just never return to the Hidden Cities again… only to be spotted by the very humans he was treating. Him, in a tattered cloak, ruffled feathers, and many rats and mice still surrounding him…

They believed him to be a demon disguised as a doctor to curse them with this sickness, and thus had him hung and his body burnt.

In his moment of death, Victor Falco was fearful, enraged, vengeful, but most of all, guilty. All of that emotion as he died created the Demon known as the Rat King. Forever wandering the living world with a crick in his neck, rats at his side, and tangled in the “tails” of lies that he crafted for his own selfish gain.

Initial concept doodle for him a few days ago:

He’s been contained multiple times by exorcists of both yokai and human descent, but manages to escape every time, if only for a while. Now, his sights are set on New York, as there’s a strange peak in mystical energy within those sewers, and a lot of supernatural items being used in the same area all at once…