THE SUBLIMINAL TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Edition 114

SECRET MISSION INTO QUARTIER FANTÔME BRINGS SPIRITS BACK HOME, NEW DISCOVERY

By: Porter

The DPF announced earlier this week that a secret mission was deployed into the Quartier Fantôme on Halloween that they are calling successful for multiple reasons.

The Tribune had been getting leaks that the higher ups in the DPF- the “Big Six” as they have been dubbed- were in discussions about going in to conduct a mission regarding all the spectres that were let loose, but as to collect any possible evidence of wrongdoing that led up to a grand number of spirits being let loose from the Quartier Fantôme.

While most of the DPF higher ups were hesitant to go, Leader Finnegan of the DPF’s Rescue Operations Team Unit volunteered to be the one to go and investigate. The head of the rescue unit was accompanied by head instructor of the recruit unit, Eliazar, to visit a friend for assistance in this mission.

Leader Finnegan had sought out the assistance of a local necromancer, Almoral, for seeking out the Quartier Fantôme. The leader initially disguised the effort as a mission to save and rescue all of the lost spirits and bring them back home. While that was a part of the plan, the DPF later revealed that there were additional parts of the plan that were to be kept under wraps unless it was deemed successful by leader Finnegan himself.

According to the internal details, the leader was also dispatched into the Ghost District to try and collect any evidence pertaining to Francis Robert P. Jackson- the suspect behind most, if not all of the anomalies in the dream world in the past year. There was speculation that Francis may have been in the Quartier Fantôme, but the leader went into the region with that hunch in mind. 

Not surprisingly, Francis was indeed found within the Quartier Fantôme, but nothing could be done. The DPF does not have authority within the borders of the Quartier Fantôme, and although leader Finnegan has the power to issue an arrest, he was not able to do that within the Quartier Fantôme. As the day went on, Francis would ultimately get away again, but this was not on the agenda. Francis’ capture, should he have actually been in the Quartier Fantôme, was not important. The DPF revealed that something else was more important at the moment than his capture in a region where he just couldn’t be arrested.

“Today, we’re announcing that a secret mission into the Quartier Fantôme led by Leader Finnegan of the ROTU was a success,” DPF Director Ferekides said in a press conference, “Leader Finnegan not only managed to bring back all of the resurrected spirits to their home in the Quartier Fantôme, but he also managed to collect something very important from Francis without him realising.”

Leader Finnegan managed to collect two samples of Francis’ DNA- something that the DPF was not in possession of prior to this. Having any suspect’s DNA is very important as all dream world residents have their DNA submitted to a database. Francis had long been off this radar, but this is a very “big step forward” according to the DPF Director.

Francis’ DNA was hard to get back then because most of the anomalies he caused were done remotely and no samples or traces of DNA could be collected since there was no physical crime scene to examine. Now, there are DNA samples, and Francis can be put within the DPF’s database for examination and analysis.

The DPF has declared this mission a success. Spirits have been returning to the Quartier Fantôme following this mission, and while Francis may still be on the run, the DPF will remain keeping a close eye on him wherever he may rise.

AUTUMN TO REMAIN AVERAGE, COOLER TEMPERATURES BY END OF MONTH 

By: Roman

November has arrived which means that the final month of autumn has too.

The Dimension Weather Prediction Service defines autumn as the season between September 1 through November 30 every year. As we kick in November, the final days of autumn are upon us, and they look to remain average.

Back on September 1, the weather service predicted that this year’s autumn season would be average. According to the data that’s available and been recorded thus far, autumn appears to have been on par with what the DWPS predicted. A majority of dimensions in the dream world have seen historically average temperatures and there doesn’t appear to be anything out of the ordinary. 

With this in mind, the DWPS hasn’t confirmed that their forecast has stood, but it’s likely that we’ll see the agency confirm that by the end of the month. They did state that the current green fog that rolled in last month did not contribute to any drastic temperature or weather changes.

“The green fog didn’t change anything dramatically in terms of temperatures or weather around the dream world,” DWPS senior meteorologist Cirrus says, “That’s good to see! Autumn’s holding up well this year. It’s a very nice season! It’s nice to see it acting according to the forecast we issued in September.”

That being said, some residents are loving the autumn weather pretty well.

“This weather is great! Not too cold and not too hot. Just right!” a local farmer tells me.

“This is pumpkin spice season! I’m on my way now to get a pumpkin spice latte actually!” an Academy student said to me.

But while some take in the autumn weather, others are looking forward to winter.

“I want to see snow! It’s not the holiday season without snow!” a local arctic fox hybrid tells me.

“Hot chocolate around the fireplace during the wintertime…that’s all I could ask for,” a local dream demon said to me.

The DWPS says that, while winter is still about a month away, it’ll begin to be felt towards the end of the month. As seasons transition, the notice is subtle, but temperatures either rise or fall ahead of it. Since the next season is winter, temperatures will begin to slowly drop towards the end of November.

“Our first taste of winter is typically by the end of November,” Cirrus says, “So for winter fans out there, I’d start getting ready soon. For now, let’s just enjoy the rest of autumn and worry about winter later. I almost don’t want to see the beautiful autumn foliage go!”

For the latest forecasts and other dream world weather related information, visit the DWPS’ website for more. You can also visit your local forecasting office for additional resources and answers to questions. 

Q/A: Ask Almoral

Dear Almoral, is there life after death for people of the dream world?

By: Unali V.

Hello Unali! That’s kind of tricky to answer…I mean, is there? I’m not really sure if there’s a life after this one for people of the dream world. For a fact, yes! Humans in the real world spend their afterlife in the dream world, but it’s kind of funny we don’t know if we ourselves do. All I know is that you can still resurrect the soul of someone who has passed away! For example, if something bad were to happen to Lucid- I really hope not!!!- then pft, I can just resurrect him and easy peasy…bam! It’ll be like he was never gone in the first place! Of course…not that I want Lucid to die- NO! No no no no no no…I can’t imagine that… I hope he’s safe!

Dear Almoral, how do marigolds guide spirits back home?

By: Mary Goldman

Hello Mary! The almighty and lovely cempasúchil, or marigold, is the best way for spirits to get back home. The scent that they emit, as well as their vibrant colors, make it very attractive for the souls of the dead. It leads them to or from their home- whether it’s their home in the real world or the Quartier Fantôme! Typically, a path is formed with marigold petals to and from their grave to wherever their home is. This will help them get home easily and not become lost! I had to use lots of marigold petals to get all of the lost spirits back to the Quartier Fantôme! Never doubt the power of the cempasúchil!

Dear Almoral, what is an ofrenda?

By: Allie Tar

Hello Allie! I’m glad you asked! When people pass away, you can always build them an ofrenda in your own home! This is an altar that you build that is supposed to be the place where the souls of those that were close to you- relative or friends- can come to check out during the nights of Día de Muertos- or the Day of the Dead! Their spirits can come to visit their own home or your home on their annual visit to the real world, but there’s elements to an ofrenda that you shouldn’t forget! Ofrendas are best to have with items such as foods and drinks that the person who passed away liked! There should also be colorful decorative banners, marigold flowers, skulls- the colorful ones are the best!- and candles! But of course, you CANNOT forget to leave the most important part of the ofrenda: a picture of the person or people who have passed away! When the nights come, their souls will surely come and visit and hang out at your place! Don’t be spooked! They surely will be happy to see the ofrenda you made for them and will be happy to see you too. Remember, a person is never truly gone just as long as you always remember them and cherish their memories.

Dear Almoral, what’s your favorite holiday?

By: Seli Brayt

Hello Seli! Um, isn’t it obvious? It’s Halloween!! Halloween is the BEST holiday EVER! There’s nothing like seeing pumpkins, skeletons, ghosts, bats, and other spooky decorations being put up around the dream world! This is the best time of year, and my mansion is practically always decorated for it! It’s also the same time of year where we can celebrate the souls of the dead, and as we all know, I’m pretty much an expert on it!

Dear Almoral, can dead people have pets?

By: Oh Nurr

Hello Oh! Yes, of course! Actually, there’s a special type of pet that the souls of the dead can get in their afterlives. They are known as alebrijes! An alebrije is essentially a spirit animal that can come in different forms, colors, and other cool traits! They are native to the Quartier Fantôme and they are SO cool! While we may normally adopt animals, alebrijes seem to adopt YOU! There are many without owners and sometimes you just have to wait until the right one comes to you and decides it likes you enough to stay around! I have friends in the Quartier Fantôme who have amazing alebrijes who help them out everyday. While native there, they can also traverse from our world to the real world! They can protect homes from evil spirits, and boy, they look amazing doing it! I wish I had my own alebrije…but maybe in another life…literally!

Dear Almoral, what’s the backstory of your background and life?

By: Hizz Torie

Hello Hizz! Hmm, that’s a good question… Y’know, I don’t know a whole lot about my background. All I know is that I have roots stemming from the Mexican enclave from back in the day, so I know I am very much Mexican! However, there’s still very limited information about where I come from…and more importantly, my parents.

I didn’t have any parents when I grew up. I was told that they had abandoned me, but I was never sure if that was true. I was rebellious and always up to no good! It wasn’t until I was taken in by a wonderful woman and literal angel that I found a home! Her name was María and she was the best! She taught me a lot of things and quite literally took me under her wing for many years. But of course, nothing lasts forever, and she would pass away leaving me alone again.

By this point in time, I was in my “late teen” years and I needed to start a hobby or something! Her death saddened me, but it also began my interest with death. Why did things die? What happens after death? …can we bring back the dead? This is where I wanted to learn and study the art of necromancy!

I had to read…a LOT! Ugh, not like I was the biggest fan about reading, but I was determined! There was a lot of trial and error…heck, one of my earliest attempts gave me this eyepatch! I was reckless! Sometimes you have to learn the hard way…

Over time, I would learn more and more and start from raising the souls of dead animals to later actual people! To be honest, necromancy is kind of seen as taboo in the dream world. Weird, huh? The dream world is so weird and yet it thinks this is weird! I think the idea of toying around with death can be seen as strange, but I don’t necessarily do it to be mischievous! I can also help people talk to loved ones they lost and earn a living from it. Tch, I have regular customers, y’know?!

Well, my life’s been a mix of ups and downs. You give some…you lose some… Still, I remain with a positive smile! Maybe one day I’ll find out more truths about my background, but for now, I have the best family around- my bestest friends!

Upcoming Events:

Now- Birthday Party: Happy Birthday Almoral! You don’t look so bad for a 357 year old…whatever you are! There’s cake, candles, balloons, but sadly…no Lucid… But at least we’re here for you! Let’s make it an AWESOME birthday, okay?

November 9- Halloween Party 2023 ends: All spooky things come to an end… Be sure to check everything out before it’s gone! From the dimensions of the dream world to Operation Resurrection…don’t forget!

November 9- Biz Mart back to normal : Sid’s coming back to clean up Halloween at the Mart and prepare for another boring shift. You should really come visit him more often!

In November- New room, new event: Mamma Mia! What’s that smell? It smells…cheesy…