In my series, the Herd; everyone has three lives. Void smiles are those lost lives, being sent into a unknown void. Not a heaven, not a hell. In a purgatory of dark trees and void.

When a lost life or "lost" enters the void, they start losing all memories, only holding emotional ones, so they know who was family, partner, enemy, ETC. And would have get a uniqe smiling mask.

The void smiles are friendly outside the void and to new friends, but they're usually frowning under that mask...

Or at least not until they're home. At the void they let their true selves out and play violent and self mutating games just for fun and is when they truly smile.

Void smile status depends on how many of the same "losts" came from the same person so how many times a herd member has died, and how old the smiler is.

One herd member can make several losts, one per life, so if they lose two lives, they make two losts.

If they gain a 1up, they get a new life, but the number of losts stays the same