In need of some help!

[candyland]

...and not just the professional kind.

There's this plunnie idea that was thrown at me by kaitodoushi, and has been bothering me for weeks. Well, last night I actually managed to sit down and figure out a feasible storyline for this particular idea. Mostly by babbling at people, who were nice enough to let me babble and not throw things at me *adoration*

But anyway, there's only one detail that's still eluding me. And since it's a rather important part of the story, I'm coming here to ask for help from all the people on my f-list who are more creative than me (i.e. all of you). And me asking the question is probably going to give away at least part of it, but I'm asking anyway.

How would one get a ghost OUT of a photograph after said ghost had been sealed into it?


Any thoughts would be greatly and gratefully appreciated!

Comments

How to Escape 101

[(Anonymous)]

Some possibilities:

-Photo has been ripped, set on fire, or destroyed in some fashion

-Photo has been edited, like photo correction fluid where things are removed or whited out. Even Photoshop if you want to go there

-Magic(al incantation)

-Photo is reflected into a mirror and via the mirror, the ghost can escape (This one's kinda complex, but my favorite)

-Living human (non-magical or magical) enters the photo and brings the ghost out (totally stole this from the Charlie Bone Books)

-Whomever sealed the ghost in dies/revokes it

Eh, I'll probably think of more later. Hope this helps!

-Cactus

Re: How to Escape 101

[jewelsybear1017.livejournal.com]

I was going to say that the photo was cut or damaged in some way but I was beaten to the punch. I do like the magic idea as well as the human going into the photo.

[ysabet.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... what if the photo was photographed or copied? Just kind of brainstorming here, but... what if?

[ulfstormbringer.livejournal.com]

Well to go along with the other ideas that have been presented, basicly if something was sealed in, something can be unsealed. Most places, there has to be a counterbalance. There always have to be a chance to escape, it can be comething like if the photo is ripped, or more complex like "When a first born mouse, walks over the picture on a moonless night, eating a peice of imported cheese you shall be free." Or there is always, "When the soul of the one you love returns, you shall be free."
Any number of ways, just depends on how the universe works for you.

[theorygirl.livejournal.com]

It depends on how it was sealed in the photograph in the first place. The only thing I can think of that hasn't been mentioned already is the Japanese sealing evil away with that piece of paper (ofuda). So if that fell off (or someone removed it), the ghost could get out. In the same vein, if the seal were something written on the back of the photograph, then if it were erased, or faded, or written over (etc.), the seal would be undone.

[wren-chan.livejournal.com]

Hm... destroying the picture could be risky. If it's a polaroid, cut it at one edge so that the white frame is broken. If the picture is of the ghost, trim the ghost out. If there's a door in the picture, cut it on three sides so that the door 'opens' complete with 'henge'.

Take a picture of a door and put it overlapped with the other picture, or even cut out the door and glue it on.

Get a miko to chant an unbinding spell over it.

Heck, invent your own opening/unbinding ritual--hold it in the hand that holds the key while you unlock a door. Do this three times, or three times three.

Tie a string or rope (silk is best, but anything might do) around the picture and then very ritually UNtie it while saying, 'Name, I unbind thee'.

ANy of this helpful?

[(Anonymous)]

While I agree that destruction is dangerous, she never said that the ghost had to survive or get out intact or anything...

And it also depends on whether after the ghost escapes if it stays a ghost. Will it have to take over a human or animal host/body? If so, said animal or human must trigger something.

Ooh, and sorry for kinda inadvertently taking most people's ideas-when I'm on a roll, I'm on a roll.

-Cactus

[ytak.livejournal.com]

I was going to make some suggestions but most have been suggested. I guess it would also depend on how the ghost was sealed. Just the picture taking? Or was some sort of ritual used to make it so the picture would hold it?

Along that note, if a film camera is used, I'd imagine that the ghost would actually be sealed in the negative as opposed to the photo itself. If that were the case, I'd do the developing process backwards (fixer, stop-bath, then developer fluid), expose it to light, and then destroy the film. That would be a literal reversal of how a photo is created.
Or, you take a photo of the negative, which would make the new negative in the camera a positive of the original, thereby releasing the ghost.

And with digital, since, a digital photo is made up 1 and 0, then maybe overwrite everything with its opposite. Or maybe do a variation of the negative idea. Make a 'negative' of the digital and overlay it over the photo.

[soc_puppet]

Dittoing the technical stuff here. I'd also suggest just exposing the film to light if it's not yet been developed.

Oh, and if it's digital? Is there a computer in the universe that can convert data into real things? Can you "download" the ghost into something else, something physical, that could give it form, if not necessarily release it? And what sort of damage/interesting things could it do to a computer/the internet/et cetera, were it released there? Ohohohohohoho~

[/brainstorm]

[ytak.livejournal.com]

That's a good thought if it hasn't been developed.

Ghost in the Machine style? ^_^ Danny Phantom had an episode where a ghost ends up trying to take control of a game. I really, really like the idea of a ghost reaking havoc in the internet.

[laytonmeme.livejournal.com]

In a scenario like ProjectZERO I can't see ghosts escaping the photographs as the thing that's sealing them in there is the biggest force of good canonically; the only thing that's ever impeded it before was the mirror (the sealing force) breaking.

So I guess if the sealing force is broken, the things sealed by it would be let free too :3c

[gracie-musica.livejournal.com]

Mmm, I say if you're going the magic route, something spills over the front of it. I want to say I remember reading a book (by Cunningham, maybe?) where they used a mirror as a portal, then cleansed the mirror by washing it in ammonia.

Or I could be making things up.

[axtar.livejournal.com]

Erm, break the seal? Lots of interesting suggestions going on up there! :p

[magic-truth.livejournal.com]

Wow... um any one of these suggestions would work! *laugh* I thought of a couple but they've already been mentioned. Unless you've got some other tidbits to share?

[gomath02.livejournal.com]

Wow, total creativity here. So jealous! Why do I have to be so left-brained!

[whitetigergp.livejournal.com]

duh, use a plunger.