Dear Ms. Raven, I’m a new follower of the wonderful Twisted Wonderland and just finished up Chapter 6 but have a question regarding the realms we’ve seen so far.
In particular, the Underworld and the Spectral Realm. What makes the Underworld and Spectral Realm so different or are they the same plane just different areas? (Because from what I understand, the residents of both are people who have passed away and while some lingering ghosts have attachments (like Princess Eliza) it confuses me that Og!Ortho is stuck in the Underworld)
If this has been explained before or maybe I’ve missed it please feel free to ignore me!
I think you’re getting some terms mixed up here. “Underworld” is being used as a synonym for “Tartarus” when they are not the same thing.
To clarify, in Twisted Wonderland lore:
The Underworld is the realm of the dead and Hades’ (King of the Underworlds’) domain. This is where people go when they die. They are not considered ghosts, but souls that have fully passed on and cannot return to the realm of the living.
The Underworld also appears to host creatures such as the Hydra, Cerberus, and the Titans, all of which are under Hades’ command. Hades himself is considered a historical figure, so it stands to reason that the Underworld may be a physical location somewhere in Twisted Wonderland.
Tartarus is the bottom-most pit in S.T.Y.X. HQ; this is the place where they keep captured Phantoms contained until needed for testing. The head of the Shroud family’s unique magic, Gate to (the) Underworld, opens and closes the gates to Tartarus.
Despite the UM name, this isn’t a place which contains the dead. Ortho is the only exception, which I believe occurred because he died via Phantom attack in the general vicinity. Weird magical lifeform-merging or whatever 💀
The Spectral Realm appears to be a separate dimension where ghosts roam. It’s a strange space connected in odd ways, and it is easy to get lost here. Under normal circumstances, the living cannot enter.
A ghost, in this instance, is someone whose soul is NOT able to pass on yet due to still having “unfinished business” or an earthly attachment which grounds them to the realm of the living. In Endless Halloween Night, Ruggie describes the Spectral Realm as an equivalent to the afterlife—so is this where ghosts hang out once they’ve ascended from living realm? Ghosts like… Eliza?
In Scary Monsters!, Lilia says that ghosts visit the living on Halloween—but where are the ghosts coming from? Is it, perhaps, the Spectral Realm? (Note that the dead in the Underworld cannot leave it!)
That’s what I could find on the topic!! Hope this helps ^^
If you want more general ghost lore, you might find this resource useful ✨
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