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

THE FERRYMAN

[theferryman]

[The closing connection has the sensation of The Ferryman turning away from you, to return to their vigil. If you have more questions, you could call out, and maybe be able to ask a handful of them.]

katsuki bakugo | MHA

[reflashed]

text
[The reply is as instant as it can be for someone who can only type with their non dominant hand like a boomer.]

LIKE HELL I'M GONNA GIVE YOU ANYTHING. JUST SHOW ME WHERE TO GO I'LL DO IT MYSELF.

[action]

[If you want to come across him in the (unliving) flesh. You can find him at the edge of the river, pacing back and forth, hunched over and with his hands, in his pockets, looking somehow reminiscent of an angry cat]

[blindluck]

[Nagito only calls out after he gets the message.] Excuse me, Ferryman-san. Do we select the memory we lose, or is the message the closest we get to a hint about what we won't remember?

text

[blindluck]

What a decisive answer! I'm not sure if coming to a conclusion so quickly is a sign of confidence or recklessness! [Perhaps both!]

[theferryman]

[A pause, returning. It's an important question.]

You'll choose. I won't take anything from you that you haven't already made your peace with.

[blindluck]

Oh! [Nagito's surprise is obvious--he was absolutely expecting the worse scenario, of not knowing at all.] Well, that does change things! Still, I'm not certain if I deserve to forget something that causes me pain... [Surely that's too much like abandoning his responsibilities.] But I'll consider my options with this new information in mind!

[reflashed]

My memories are mine. I ain't gonna give them up to pay a damn toll for a bridge I didn't ask to cross.

[blindluck]

As far as memories go, I don't disagree, but do you even know what the potential cost of making the Crossing on your own is?

[reflashed]

No. But I'd rather take a risk and try then just pay to take the easy route.

[blindluck]

I see, so it's recklessness after all.

[reflashed]

Better reckless than a weakling that just gives up without a fight.

[theferryman]

Everyone deserves to find peace, Nagito.

[That's all they'll say on it for now, though. The rest is up to him.]

[blindluck]

I never claimed to be anything else. But you could at least ask Ferryman-san for more information, right? [Also, he actually hasn't decided what he's doing yet. This won't stop him from having spirited discussions!]

[reflashed]

Hah, so that's it? Bring us to a bridge and make us pay a toll.

[theferryman]

That's the journey. It's hard. But it's necessary.

[Action/Text]

[witnessvelama]

[Celehar is standing in the husk of a building he's chosen for his own, when the voice speaks to him. It's sudden presence startles him into dropping the piece he's found - a little ornament in stained glass that crashes to the floor from his nerveless fingers, with enough echoing presence that it must surely be heard on the street outside, should any be passing by at that moment.

He listens with his ears pinned back against his skull, a dreadful feeling sinking into the pit of his stomach as he does. With slightly shaking hands, he goes to kneel, picking up the pieces of the ornament he'd dropped. First, before he can think on such things, he needs to clean up the broken glass.]

--

[Later, when he's had the time to gather his wits, Celehar turns his attention to his little notebook. Most often he uses it to keep notes for his Witnessing, but now the pages lie empty and blank, except for the so-called toll.

If it might truly spread the message... then all he has to do is write. With a careful precision, he sets pen to paper, keeping his handwriting neat in the fashion with which he dictates depositions, rather than his less formal personal notekeeping.]

My name is Thara Celehar, a Witness for the Dead. I have undertaken to create a Mich'othasmere - a shrine to all gods - in the remnants of the city. For any who might seek peace or space for meditation, I offer it to you here.

I cannot make any offer of wise words of guidance, but I am versed, at least, in offering a listening ear. You may find the shrine off the first market square of the bridge to the River, marked with a black cloth on the door.

[And so there it is, and there he'll be for a while, a pale elven figure in a dark coat, sitting outside the doorway to better examine the pages of his notebook by the light of one of the warding lanterns.]

text

[blindluck]

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

Sunny | Omori | OTA

[solitarynote]

[It took a long while for Sunny to figure out how texting worked. Doubly so after he had a voice talking into his mind. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so strange, if the voice had been by his own choice but… not now.

Once the teen figured out that the flat device they had been given could type like a computer? He was alright. Even if sending a message did give him some amount of nerves as he waited for an answer.]

What do you think ‘let go’ means?

~~~

[If you want to find Sunny in-person, he’s taken up one of the empty rooms in the housing complex of the city. One entrance, one exit. The sparsity, coupled with that fact, left him feeling somewhat more in-control of his surroundings. Just barely.]

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.

In the Not-Flesh

[solitarynote]

[Sunny was determined to not go back to the River. The pain he had felt when submerged in its depths made sure of that - and, if it hadn’t, the fact that it was a deep body of water surely would have kept him away.

Still… seeing a familiar, one-armed figure pacing in front of said body of water was enough to catch his attention. It actually did remind him of Mewo, when the kitten had gotten into a particularly fussy mood…

So when the teen did approach, he stayed as far from the River as possible. Should he… say hi? Wave? What if he was bothering the other teen? Sunny fidgeted in place, unsure of what to do.]

[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.]

He’s trying ^^; maybe it will work, maybe not

[solitarynote]

[‘I’ll be where I always am.’

Despite the fact that Sunny hadn’t actually talked to the Ferryman, he did remember the glow of the lantern. Maybe… that was a place to start?

Still, he didn’t feel comfortable talking out loud. He didn’t know the Ferryman yet and… what if his voice failed him? That would just inconvenience them.

So he turned to the device, typing out a message. Maybe it would work, maybe the Ferryman would respond… or not.]

What if… we don’t want to go?

[Sunny wasn’t sure he was up for another adventure. The past three days had (physically) been a lot for him, let alone the adventures he would go on in his mind.]

[solitarynote]

[Oh, that answer left anxiety rolling in his stomach. Sunny had to choose?]

I… don’t like that.

[He didn’t elaborate. Was it the fact they had to give up memories? Was it simply the choice?

Sunny also noticed the fact Nagito hadn’t answered his question. He wasn’t going to ask again - maybe it had been rude of him to ask at all.]