The two constants in life, so they say, are death and taxes.
Unfortunately for you, me, and humanity as a whole, that saying is actually right.
Welcome to the most mediocre non-mortal plane of existence - the Sorting Of Unearthly Lifeforms, or S.O.U.L Headquarters! With endless queueing, painfully large archives filled with books older than god, and countless bizarre beings who all would just like for their eons-long shift to be over, there's plenty to see in this liminal space between life and death, enough to occupy you for eternity and then some.
When people die, they're passed around, stamped, organized, and filed, their actions audited, recorded, and archived, after which they're sent off to wherever they need to go, where they can enjoy or endure whatever afterlife suits them best. Most importantly, souls never knowing about S.O.U.L Headquarters at all - they're kept Dormant, or unaware, for the entire process. It's for the best - everyone working at S.O.U.L hates being there, it would be infinitely worse for everyone if the people they file, archive, and sort actually could talk back, or worse yet, request to speak to a manager.
But after a system error caused by a hapless entry-level worker who's in over their head, there's a human being in S.O.U.L headquarters. Upper Level Management has decided that this error must be dealt with - namely, that the worker who caused it should be fired (literally, with hellfire), and that the human should just be extinguished.
Due to both their existences on the line, they need to find a way to fix this, fast, and hopefully keep their not-lives at the same time.
Oh yeah, and do taxes.
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Welcome to my first ever applyfic! This is a little bit of an out-there concept - the front desk to the afterlife and all it entails - but I'm hoping that it's fun despite that. Everyone loves bureaucracy, and I've got tons of cool worldbuilding that I want to share!
But before the fun stuff gets to happen, we have to go over the rules. We all love rules, right? Of course you do, you're reading an applyfic about the supernatural equivalent of a tax agency.
1. We're all going to play nice. No fighting in the comments, no insults, try to be constructive if you have criticism, no harassment if someone gets a part you don't, all that jazz. Be chill.
2. Be creative! I'm going to be a little bit partial towards concepts or character types that I've never seen before, so go absolutely feral when it comes to your ideas. And for the character designs, I am going to illustrate them, so the more unique or out there the look is, the better!
3. Remember, detail, detail, detail! The most important thing! The more you say, the better I understand what you're going for, so try to be as thorough as possible - get every last bit out of this form!
4. I encourage answering questions in character, like they're saying their answer to the form, because it helps me get an idea of what they're like and what their voice/tone sounds like. If you do choose to do so, please put the character's statement in quotes so I can tell what you're saying and what the character says.
5. The password for the form is your favorite flower, and (if you'd like) put this somewhere, be it an announcement or in a public library. Also, please leave something on this chapter specifically so I know you read this chapter.
6. Communication is a requirement. I might reach out for details on your character or how they might act, and if enough time passes without contact, they will be written out. I'm not bluffing. You aren't required to vote or comment or anything though, just to answer dms within a week or two!
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Now for the fun parts! LORE DUMP TIME!
Like I said, the S.O.U.L Headquarters is a magical plane of existence that lays between the Mortal Realm and the Afterlife. All things that die, be it human, animal, plant, fungus, or microbe must pass through here in order to pass on to wherever. The beings that work here can look like anything, and I mean anything. Your imagination is the limit!
Roles within S.O.U.L include:
Processing: Those in Processing will receive the dead. Some sort these beings by what they are, some identify which soul is which individual, and some get the starting paperwork in order. Most, however, catch the souls falling from the sky (how all souls arrive!) and transport them to S.O.U.L Headquarters proper.
The Archivists: They manage the big old libraries, rooms of endless file cabinets, and giant computer servers that all hold records of every being to ever die - from the amount of photosynthesis done by every dandelion to every lie anyone has ever told, they know it all.
The Auditors: They look at all the actions done by every being to pass through has done, weigh the good and the bad, decide what sort of afterlife they're sent to, and then send these audits to the Archivists to sort the files.
Transport: Those in Transport... transport things! They keep the Soul Chutes (like those pneumatic tube systems from the bank, but transporting dead things) maintained and in working order, and they're the ones who actually put the souls into Soul Chutes and send them off to whatever afterlife they're supposed to go to.
Upper Management: They make sure everything is working As Intended, and if it's not working As Intended, to destroy whoever or whatever is making it work less-than-optimally. There are four Managers and one Company Head, and together they make up Upper Management.
But enough chit chat! TO THE FUN PARTS!!! THE FORM!
YOU ARE READING
S.O.U.L Headquarters
AdventureBecause nothing's certain but Death and Taxes. In which a human falls into an alternate plane of existence, fucks up the afterlife a little, and fights a few gods. And does paperwork. In that order. ((CLOSED))
