voice + text

[theferryman]

[You feel it before you hear it: an uncanny sensation like you aren't alone, like someone just out of sight has fixed their attention on you.

They're not hiding, though. The Ferryman is simply speaking, directly into all of your minds, as clear as if they were standing right beside you.]

It's starting.

Sorry. Was hoping you'd all have more time to rest before we got going. But when it's time, it's time.

We're going to Cross. Not now, but soon. You'll feel it when the moment gets here. And you need to be ready for what that means, when it does.

It's a dangerous journey. There's still a lot of yourself left to lose, even if it doesn't feel like it now. That's my role here. I can guide you through it. Keep you safe.

There's a cost. You'll have to give something up, a part of your life Before. A face. A feeling. A memory. That's your toll to Cross. You pay it to me, and you won't get it back.

You don't have to pay. But if you're not with me, I can't keep you safe. You'll have to make The Crossing on your own. And if you do, there's a chance you lose a whole lot more than what the toll is asking from you.

There's some time left still. You don't need to decide now. But you do need to decide. You'll find out soon what sort of toll The Crossing is asking for, this time around.

Come find me if you want to talk. I'll be where I always am.

[The connection is tenuous; message delivered, The Ferryman's voice fades from your mind. If you're quick, and you concentrate, you might be able to grab on long enough to ask a question or two more.

Otherwise, all that remains is the object that purports to connect you with the other souls, all tasked with making the same decision. Whether it's a page or a screen, there's a new message for you:]

A toll to be levied for safe passage
from the cavern to ǝɹǝɥʍǝsʅǝ

Hear a voice that causes you pain
words spoken with rage or grief or envy
fueled by hate or love or suffering

offer it to The Ferryman
and let go

---

[ ooc | And we're off! Remember: The Ferryman is (for now!) the only one who can communicate to everyone via voice; the rest of you are stuck with text! The only exception is if characters try to hijack the fading connection to talk with The Ferryman one-on-one; there's a header for those questions here.

Otherwise, consider this a mingle! Chat, threadhop, go nuts. ]

Comments

text

[blindluck]

So, what choice do you all think you'll be making?

Re: text

[solitarynote]

[The text catches Sunny by surprise. He guessed they did have a choice in this… maybe.]

I… don’t know.

[Was that a satisfactory answer? Maybe he shouldn’t have replied.]

Re: text

[blindluck]

No idea at all? You'll have to figure it out before we have to Cross, you know.

[solitarynote]

[Right, there was that fact.]

I guess. It… isn’t specific though. What we have to give up. Like a puzzle with too many answers.

[At least to Sunny, it seemed that way. There were too many painful things, too many options.]

What… about you?

[blindluck]

I spoke to Ferryman-san, and they said we get to choose. Maybe it's less frightening that way!

[Which isn't an answer to "what about you" at all.]

text

[ghostmoder]

what's it to you

[blindluck]

We're all traveling together, so surely it would be a good idea to get an idea of what everyone is planning on doing, don't you think?

[ghostmoder]

why
didnt sound like group work to me
you do you and i'll do me

[blindluck]

You'll have trouble making friends if you're too much of a loner, you know!

[witnessvelama]

Is it such a choice?

[blindluck]

Do you think it isn't?

[witnessvelama]

It will be the darkness in the end. To escape that is [There's a pause, as he figures out a word for it] to profane life.

[blindluck]

There isn't a problem with getting to choose how we travel to the darkness, is there? Unless you don't think that's where we're going! [Honestly, Nagito can't be sure.]

writing

[hasapoint]

[Well. Drawing. She circles the message with a rough, scratchy piece of charcoal. Seeing the effect, Need uses the sharp edge to enhance the impression that that circle is craggy wood.

She also wants to know, and also isn't about to share.]

[blindluck]

[Nagito's communication device looks like a smart phone; watching his message get circled as if it were writing on paper is interesting.]

Ah, perhaps my message didn't look important enough before? If someone like me wrote it, it can't be helped... But now it looks very unique, thank you!

[Yes, he is just replying to himself in the hopes whoever did that sees it. Like you do.]

[hasapoint]

[The extremely regular letters just appearing in the book is pretty striking too.

Need very helpfully draws a crude little charcoal bird on top of the 'me', its beak open. She's not a fantastic artist but not incapable, either. After a moment, she puts a question mark above the bird's head. Who's 'me'?

Is she going to actually use her words? The idea that no one can tell who anyone else is when communicating like this is quite interesting to her. It would obviously be pointless, to set up multiple personas with different writing styles and mediums, she shouldn't do that, it's just... it's hard to shed the habit of baroque complexity.]

[blindluck]

[Ah, so they're playing Pictionary now.] Oh, I apologize for not including a name! This is Komaeda Nagito. Who are you, Bird-san?

[knockingatthedoor]

If we get to choose our price, I may be willing to pay it for now.
I could give away that one memory when I drank years old and expired soda. That being said... I'm having strong, conflicting feelings about this.

We really don't know much sooooooooo- currently playing this game sounds like the safer option?

[blindluck]

Do you think a memory like that would count? Unless you're saying you had such a bad time with the expired soda it spoke to you! [You never know.]

Calling it a game is an interesting choice of words, I think! Why a game?

[knockingatthedoor]

We've been given no specifications, I see no harm in attempting to lowball and everything, you know? And it was a pretty strong experience anyway- I love my favorite soda, it's always been me and them against the world.

Well. Big scary monsters right outside the light's protection? Us being like iseka- I don't remember that word exactly, but like Minki Mono we basically all met the equivalent of Mister Truck. And now we're trying to get by, figuring out the laws of this place and how to 'survive', so to speak.

It's all depressing as hell, if I compare it to a game that has a chance of winning it's at least a little tiny bit better.

[blindluck]

I believe you're referring to isekai! Which might make this a strange question, but have you heard of Japan? [The wild variety of places people are from here is still very curious to him.]

As far as this being a game... If it's a game, it means we could lose, too, you know?

[urtitan]

[Frieda's text shows up as cursive handwriting as she replies using her book.]

I think I'll follow the Ferryman's advice. I feel like the outcome will be the same: We'll lose ourselves. It's just a matter of whether we let it happen in a controlled or uncontrolled manner.
- Frieda

[blindluck]

It may be a matter of managing how much of ourselves we lose, that's true. [There are some things Nagito won't give up, some things he doesn't feel like he deserves to give up, and complicated feelings about the places those may or may not overlap.] At least for now, I don't know that anyone has presented a truly viable alternative to going along with Ferryman-san, though there are a few hopeful potentials!

[He thinks they're being reckless, but maybe they can pull it off.]

[urtitan]

[She feels the same way about those who outright refuse to accept the Ferryman's offer (and on some level, she admires their strong will to preserve their integrity as a person, futile as it may be in the long run).]

It does seem like our first Crossing will be a trial run of sorts. I just worry about the unknown worst case scenario that might befall those who attempt it without the Ferryman's protection. I don't assume anyone's been able to find out more about the dangers on the way?

[blindluck]

I don't think anyone has asked Ferryman-san. Someone probably should! [Nagito, however, seems content vaguely suggesting this to people and then not asking himself.]