hellonspectacles

[ Hello, Pal! You might not be expecting a sea jelly excitedly knocking at your door seemingly at random, but who does really? There should probably be a protocol for this specific situation. It happens a lot, for some reason. ]

Picture turned out weird but Captain's got a black void inside him which will apparently kill you if you touch it. Do you know what it means?

[Attached: a photo of the captain's weird head wound, except it's all warped like a creepypasta.

Look, Pal is like his go-to person to creepy occult shit.]

Hell of a party. Feel like trading notes?

[Guess who also happened to get airdropped a couple of pictures of the captain?? And now very much wants to share some shrimp-color-related information?]

Took another picture of the captain. It's still distorted even though this time I couldn't see the void. I tried to take a video and the noise was so loud it ruined the speakers.

[Attached: picture of a black smear by the bridge. Oh yeah, Natsuno just knocked on the captain's door hoping he'd answer.]

[Within an hour of this conversation concluding comes this 8-part text message:]

Interesting thing happened. Additional 11 months memory now mine.
Thought it was a bit much, Friday was useless so I spoke to the captain.
Going to try and write down everything before I forget.
The me that's here gained memories from the me that was then.
I know. It makes sense if you say it aloud.
Versions of me not stuck on ship = different moments on the timeline = other versions of self
Asked what I am, I am me but also not me. So hello from a Different Skulduggery. (1/8)

Reference made: Highlander. Never watched it, the commercial was stupid. (2/8)

Physical differences unaccounted for, as in, he does not know how I was physically altered.
He has no idea what happened to me really, even though this is HIS SHIP. (3/8)

You want to know how to talk to him?
He avoids answering questions he doesn't know the answer to. When he starts to talk in circles you know you've found a corner. Back him in.
Always ask exactly what you want the answer to. Otherwise, the runaround.
Direct. No commentary. One question at a time. (4/8)

Research. We're all kindling for the flames of knowledge, but it isn't just apotheosis.
Remembering correctly: tested thousands of ascension rituals but none fit purpose. Purpose??? Repeated again desire to know what he is.
Other purpose??? Possible. Again with the circles.
My gut says this is about freedom of will but my gut is also 451 years rotted away so!
Take it with a grain of salt. (5/8)

"All that exists will always exist." The things that happened to me have happened, will happen, are happening.
He knows our timelines and our various selves on that timeline are capable of being brought here and ???? ???? ???? ???? ????
What happens THEN? Always missing the forest for the trees. (6/8)

Can't remember it all. Time has passed and I am not myself.
Thinking in the future I'll record him.
🔉🔉🔉🔉💥💥💥💥
No! Can't. Audio blows out the phone speakers.
Can't write down in front of him either. He'll mock me.
Do you know how frustrating it is to be mocked by that man?
Worse yet to be mocked and still have to admit that he's right?
"I'm always right"
🙄😒🤮 (7/8)

I don't know. I'm going on vacation.
I have sent this exact message to the following people:
Jade Palamedes Natsuno
You three can work it out without me. Have fun.
I've got books to read and karaoke to sing. (8/8)

Edited 2022-06-25 08:31 (UTC)

[The morning after these two threads, Skulduggery sends another text message chain: this one is only 2 parts, thankfully...]

I'm sure by now you have discovered the unfortunate side effect
of contact with water. This effect has trickled down from a misguided spell
from the Captain. Friday is currently affected and as far as I can tell, is only
capable of telling the truth. Use this information as you will. (1/2)

Friday told me she would like the Captain to give up.
She also informed me that some of her blood is his.
I refrained from asking anything too probing. It's likely the Captain will
still hear everything she says, and it wouldn't do to needlessly risk anything. (2/2)

[the closest he's going to get to "maybe I don't want Friday to be murdered for something that isn't entirely her fault" to be honest...]

Skulduggery Pleasant talked to the captain. The water thing is because one of his spells backfired. Also, there's a good chance next excursion will be bad. Be careful if you decide to go.

Friday doesn't leave the ship because a part of the captain can't afford losing her. She doesn't know if he will survive her leaving, because she's keeping "himself" for him. She refused to give further details. If think she could but didn't WANT to. Said talking about it makes her feel "wrong" like she hasn't felt before. When I tried pressuring her she begged that I stop and sounded like she's about to break. Apparently she's "built to care" about what he needs.

[Some radio silence from Skulduggery to be expected here and there. When he texts Pal back at last, however, he has more juicy gossip to share!!]

The rain was only meant to last for 1-2 weeks. You may have noticed that turned out to not be the case.
The Captain took a second dose of the truth elixir that started this mess in the first place, likely to relearn what he'd forgotten the first time around.
He then promptly took a memory charm to forget what he'd learned. AGAIN.
He said that he'd taken the charm a total of four times this month alone.
There's no reliable way to tell how many times he really took it.
"I only forget irrelevant things" he says, having forgotten too much to know that with any certainty!
Turns out, he likely forgets information that is either "compromising" or "detrimental." (1/6)

He claims the only reason we're here is to fuel his magic and entertain him with our pain.
He has a narrow view of his own project and I fear that's caused more grief and pain than we'll ever be able to uncover.

He said that he wouldn't use the memory charm on himself again.
Furthermore, he said that Friday would keep them from him.
To quote him: "If I order something once, I cannot take it back no matter what I do." (2/6)

There is a secondary goal that he has been purposefully obfuscating from himself: to ensure he cannot be controlled again.
He's clearly forgotten it too many times now, and that amnesia of his has stalled out this project for who knows how long.
There are hundreds of passengers who died for nothing, all because he couldn't handle whatever truth he found.
We could very well be the next if we don't take more proactive steps to solve this. (3/6)

He mentioned Jenny. ("Guabancex.") She limits her power by asking for memories of emotions, as opposed to taking the emotion as the Captain does.
He said that she dragged the passengers of her time out onto the pool deck and slit their throats.
I think she may be trying to make up for this by hunting down ways to fight the Captain.
I also think that the Captain may have started out similarly, which makes me concerned for Jenny's future.
The next time we see her, she may more closely resemble the very thing we're trying to stop. (4/6)

August is likely to be a difficult excursion. "Difficult" being a massive, horrifying understatement, of course.
After the events of last month, combined with what he intends to do, he'll need more power than before.
I'm sure at least one person will die before the end. Perhaps all of us. Whatever happens, we'll have to accept that some casualties are inevitable.
My hope is that the tentative cooperation we're all struggling with will hold. If it doesn't, and even one person turns on the rest of the group...
Well. That's how Jenny wound up the way she is. (5/6)

He says that death is the most effective way to gain power.
"Your worst pain will always shine brighter than your greatest joy."
More confirmation that he is, indeed, a fool. (6/6)

Palamedes, You showed me an interesting trick with my cigarette case the first time we met, at the introductory party. I may need you to duplicate that trick again, under less playful circumstances. I don't want to say too much over text. Can we meet in person, ideally with some degree of privacy? Johnny

( clarke griffin has been in tauva for an unreasonable amount of hours. luckily she currently exists beyond the control of space and linear time, in addition to well beyond the confines of her usual social filters. )

You like me right? like me Ooooh I spelled it right the first time

Citizen Sextus?
I have a query.

- Tayrey

[Despite her new friends' best efforts, she hasn't quite grasped the informality of texting, sorry]

Ava plans to celebrate Fio's birthday on the excursion.
Assuming nothing goes horribly wrong, can you make some dancing skeletons? Fio would enjoy it

And Rita will lose her mind.

Hey, Natsuno needs some help. Get over to 109.

[Yes, she calls him Natsuno now. More importantly, Rita is reluctantly turning to Palamedes only because magic is the only likely way to treat him.]

Ava found Ebalon's corpse and used it to summon a spirit in one of the bars.
The spirit ate the corpse, said "play" and disappeared.
I don't know what it means but it can't be good.
Be prepared for chaos.

Peace and prosperity,

I wish I had an explanation for the time rifts opening across the ship. I haven't yet figured it out, but it might interest you to know that I was drawn into one that appeared to lead to the past of the man calling himself Captain. It was very strange.

- Tayrey

[ooc: context]

action;

text after the captain's party

[text] a day or two after the captain's party

[ text, after Lumine's infoshare session ]

[text] 2 days after the end of camping

[text] july 8-ish

text, july 8-ish (after skulduggery's)

backdated to july after he talks to friday (idk time isn't real)

[text] 1st of august

[text], after the early morning Cabin 107 'Party'

nov 7th-ish