“if heaven had a signal, it’d sound like dial-up.”
Death: October 31, 2001 — exorcism gone wrong.
Era: early-2000s Southern Gothic apocalypse glam.
Quirks: crosses tilt sideways; hymns play backward; cold drafts smell of ash and vanilla.
Personality: loyal, lethal, tired; says grace, then shoots the demon. carries faith like a knife.
“God doesn’t keep score. But I do.”
Death: February 6, 2002 — lured by a mimic pretending to be her sister.
Era: Y2K angelcore with grunge-lace witchcraft.
Quirks: crystal necklaces swing; lights flicker to her pulse; dolls’ heads turn to follow her.
Personality: gentle medium, wide-eyed and otherworldly; could banish darkness with a whisper or make it follow her with a smile.
“I think the dead just want to be remembered… or held.”
Death: August 3, 2003 — found after a house party; cause never made it past the voicemail.
Era: early-2000s UK neo-soul & garage.
Quirks: speakers hum R&B riffs; mirrors fog with unrecorded lyrics; scent of cocoa butter and smoke lingers.
Personality: smooth, poetic, mournfully kind; speaks like music, loves like a secret song.
“I was never tryna be unforgettable. I just was.”
Death: September 9, 2008 — car crash; his girlfriend, Ivy, was driving.
Era: late-2000s emo scene — eyeliner, burned CDs, MySpace heartbreak.
Quirks: shows up in mirror selfies; lights flicker to emo beats; MP3 players power on to track 13.
Personality: sarcastic, loyal, romantic and raw; lowercase texts and quiet loyalty in equal measure.
“i wasn’t trying to be tragic. i just didnt think anyone would miss me.”
Death: April 17, 2011 — disappeared after posting his final blog entry, “if i disappear, don’t refresh.”
Era: early-2010s Tumblr age — pixel hearts, MySpace ghosts, rain and static.
Quirks: static before rain; stray texts end in “:)”; playlists rearrange to 2009 songs; blue pixels shaped like tears appear in photos.
Personality: half sunshine, half screen glare; clever, lonely, hiding poems in memes; wanted to be seen, feared being known.
“the cloud’s just heaven with ads.”