“paper remembers what applause forgets.”
Death: April 2, 1915 — tuberculosis.
Era: Early 1900s — County Kerry → Boston immigrant.
Quirks: scent of sea air and candle wax; fogged-window poetry; books fall open to pages he once read aloud.
Personality: soft-spoken romantic with shy courage. writes to feel real. carries centuries of ache with grace.
“I’d rather be a ghost than be forgotten.”
Death: August 17, 1903 — tuberculosis, slow and dignified.
Era: Edwardian London → New York exile.
Quirks: pens roll off desks; books open to underlined phrases; the faint sound of someone clearing their throat in quiet rooms.
Personality: restrained, intelligent, quietly tender beneath formality. believes in order, bows before silence.
“There is grace in restraint. Even now.”
Death: 1890s — vanished during a magic act; the cabinet was empty, but his hat remained.
Era: 1890s New York magician, the golden age of illusion.
Quirks: cards flutter from ceilings; locked doors click open; shadows move out of sync.
Personality: charismatic, witty, always performing. masks pain with charm and sleight of hand.
“Pick a card. Any card. I already know it’s heartbreak.”
Death: 1910s Paris — collapsed mid-performance after dancing through an injury; the chandelier fell seconds later.
Era: 1910s Paris ballet scene.
Quirks: floorboards creak in rhythm; feathers drift from nowhere; music boxes hum waltzes in empty halls.
Personality: graceful, self-critical, romantic — a perfectionist turned phantom. loves beauty, fears stillness.
“I wanted applause. I got eternity instead.”