elnysa | voice | un: prince

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voice | un: prince

Good-- [The man's voice is the unflattering tone of someone obviously sick, shown further through cutting himself off to cough into his arm.] Good morning, fellow refugees. In light of our unfortunate situation, I'd like to try and extend a kindness. It's becoming more difficult to remain grounded as this sickness progresses, and... we all need something to remind us what is real.

I've received a book that will read out any passage of a published work that I name. That alone might not be very useful to all of you, but... recently, I've discovered that will also use any voice I name to use. Even of the voices who are... no longer with us.

[He pauses, debating on whether or not that needs an elaboration. Ultimately he believes it hits hard enough, for the sound of turning a page follows.]

If there is anyone you would like to hear again, give me their name and something you would like them to read. Please, take your time.

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...It can do anyone's voice?

Anyone's voice. It just has to be... something with a title, by someone.

Could I just...send you what I want it to say? Like, what if I wanted to write something specific, could it do that?

That... could work. I've never tried to cheat it before, so you're welcome to try. Just label it something I could tell the book.

Nah, that's okay, we can just do original style. I can't think of any good rhymes anyway. So, the voice I want is Merle, and has your reader ever heard of a traveling show called the Fresh Prince of Fantasy Bel Air? Because there's this theme song - though if you want to write your own version of it, that has rhymes, you can do that.

Any voice at all. And ones from people you don't really know yourself?

[That's... creepy. To her at least.]

... It's a nice gesture?

[I mean, it's definitely creepy. There's no denying it. Still, with the phone propped up to show pages of braille, he smiles.]

I know it might be... questionable, to some. But I have no reason to use these voices afterward for something nefarious, as it's confined to published works. Does it unsettle you too much?

[Nefarious hadn't even entered her mind honestly. On some level it disturbs her that it didn't. Hadn't she learned anything over time? Suspecting others, keeping them a good arm's length away? Kei Lo hadn't poked holes in her boundaries that much after all.

For a moment the woman despite the generally apathetic tone of her face seems to look unsettled in some mild way.]

I can't say I would take you up on this myself but it doesn't make me upset that it exists or anything.

[It's more... she hates to say it because she doesn't believe it. Not really, not while there's an optimist buried under all the pessimism and realism.]

It would be like listening to a ghost.

[They're not dead, she knew that. She knew it. And she was absolutely frightened of just that reality.]

[Her apathetic tone is all that he can notice, but he doesn't mind it. His smile takes a turn into the melancholic with no attempt to hide it.]

It would be, wouldn't it? But I think I would fear a device that uses their voices to bend someone's will. Or something to have conversations with, or... something that would allow you to see them. Someone would waste their life away using it.

I lost the ability to remember anyone's face a long time ago, so... I think of it as a way to never lose how someone sounds forever.

[Mai can't help but smile a little at that. At least her smile reflects lightly in her tone.]

It's all about perspective, hm? I hadn't thought of losing that but I guess it would fade over time.

[The thought is a somber one because how long would it take for a voice to fade away? Months? Years?]

What, really? Anyone?

[He sounds choked up? This is an emotional moment. Finally, a chance to hear the voice of a dearly missed loved one.]

I've got someone you can do, who was, uh, really important to me, I miss him every day.

[It's too difficult to determine on whether or not this is truly an emotional Taako moment. Regardless, he's waiting with bated breath.]

You could tell me about them, if you like. Or we could just go ahead.

He was . . . oh, this is real hard, revisiting these treasured memories, you know? Oh geez. His name was [a pause. A long pause, while he has to turn away from the camera to cover his mouth, not that Snake can see this.] Jenkins.

[A loud snort. He could just be dealing with a lot of emotional snottiness right now. Snake is blind he doesn't fuckin' know.]

And he was the shittiest wizard I ever knew. If I could hear his voice one more time-- here, I'll send you the poem he liked best.

[hey what the fuck did you think it would be]

[The longer Taako keeps talking, the more Snake knows, and the more Snake dreads. He takes this time to reorient himself towards the camera before he turns on his own video feed of him looking directly into it. He's looking into the camera, dead inside, and you know what? He's still doing it.

He taps his phone so the Siri-esque reads "Nicki Minaj dash Anaconda", then he takes a deep sigh.] Read Nicki Minaj's Anaconda as... Taako's dearest friend, Jenkins.

[And in a voice that was made to describe slow sex, Jenkins does sing about how he ain't missing no meals, and how he's coming through to fuck them in his automobile. And Snake? He goes to get a drink. It's water, but he can't listen to this. He can't do this.]

[HOWLING with uncontrollable giggle-laughter. He's gonna choke to death, fuck the skinny bitches in the club. Don't walk away from this Snake. Yelling after him as he leaves the camera.]

Come back! I got more dearly departeds to mourn here, my man!

Suddenly I can't hear! Seems like I've died! I'm dearly departed now, you can request my voice!

[Snake's muffled yelling comes from the kitchen. He has to stay there while Jenkins keeps going on to say how he wanna see all the big fat-ass bitches in the muthafuckin' club. Fuck you if you skinny bitches. He walks back into frame with a cup of water and some yogurt only as it ends, just staring off into the distance as Jenkin's droopy voice melts away.]

I don't like you.

[He is actually crying now, because he was laughing so hard at this brief chance to hear the dulcet tones of his closest friend, Jenkins, one last time. Anyway, shut up Snake, no one wants to hear your bullshit.]

I honestly don't know what you expected! Anyway, I got another one. Strap in, my dude. Gonna need to hear Magnus perform this dope beat.

[it's a good song]

...That sounds really fucked up.

[ and not said in like, a joking way. what the fuck. ]

[Oh... well... at least he's a little concerned about it, now? He's trying.]

That... was not my intention.

--No, no, I don't mean your offer. That's fine, it's just... a book that can talk in dead people's voices? That's some crazy voodoo shit.

Oh, I... yes, I understand what you mean. I hadn't thought about it in that way.

I try to think of it as a recording. Something they'd say beforehand, or... something they did say before, but you've forgotten how it sounds. If it helps any, Junpei and I only discovered it by having top celebrity chefs reading recipes.

[ that gets a snort out of her. ]

Shit, really? Who did you use - Gordon Ramsey? Guy Fieri? Oh man, you gotta make it talk like mister fucking Flavor Town.

[ why be sad when you can be a shithead? ]

[The temptation to abuse this for sentimental purposes is intense. But it wars heavily with her general curiosity because how the fuck does that work...]

Any published work?
Do you mean only those from this universe, or any?

[If it can do any voice possible, then that wouldn't be too wild. But it does raise questions of where the limits lie and if one needs to know for a fact that a work exists in order to request it. After all, there are possibly an infinite number of universes out there, and an infinite number of monkeys on an infinite number of typewriters will eventually produce Shakespeare's works. By that logic, couldn't they say literally anything as a title and anything as an author name, assuming that in one of those infinite number of universes that is a real name belonging to a real author who published a work under that title?

This is too complicated a subject to muse on while she's hella sick.]

I don't believe it has a limitation... I've recalled books from home quite easily.

[No one can see it, but he's grimacing at having to admit... he doesn't know this. He's had the time to think about it while lying around in his and Junpei's apartment, and there's just no cap on the number of possibilities it holds, and... that makes his head hurt as much as being sick does.

Frankly, if he knew Rose beyond the fact she was rooming with his dearly departed... friend, he might not trust her with all that power.]

I assume it will pull from other worlds as well.

"Complacency of the Learned" by Rose Lalonde.
Narrated by Kanaya Maryam.

[Could it cause some kind of paradox, hearing the words of a story she's yet to complete as written by her adult self in another universe? Maybe, but she's a little beyond giving a fuck. If this will somehow doom the whole timeline then let a future Dave show up right now to stop her.

No future Daves appear, so it's all probably copacetic.]

... That's very kind of you, thank you. I've never heard of an ability like this, but I'm sure there's a lot of people here who appreciate what you're doing.

...seriously? Does the person have to be the one who wrote it?

Or can it be anyone reading anything?

It can be anyone reading anything, I promise you. You could have family reading a famous author's, or a famous author reading your family's work.

Oh, wow.

Well, in that case, I guess I'd kind of like to hear the voices of some of my friends, if that's okay. How many can it do at once?

Multiple people reading the same material? I can't say I've found a limit. We can try however many you wish.

Okay! Uh, I have a list of... eight people, if that's okay! Should I text them to you? Anything else you need to know?

That sounds like the kind of gift with a horrible catch to it.

Really? I thought it sounds like the kind of gift with a wonderful opportunity.

Perhaps. But such wondrous things rarely come for free. And something so magnificent . . . I'd be too leery of the price.

I do hear your point... However, I raise you this: if we were so wrapped up in the cost of something great, how would we move forward? It seems a waste to leave some things on a shelf.

I'd test it. Hypothetically speaking, I'd take it apart and test it over and over, until I was certain of the outcome before I ever tried it.

I would be more than welcome to allow you to try such a thing if I weren't concerned for losing its properties. It is hard to repair a book with a broken spine.

What's the catch?

[He's so suspicious the squinting is practically audible.]

[thanks for this audible squinting, the blind dude appreciates it]

Does there really have to be one to everything?

Yes.

[zero hesitation. he's like 3 zillion years old with a mild gambling addiction he knows how life works.]

Any voice at all...

[Huh. It takes Yona a moment of two to think that over - during which she, too, is forced to muffle a cough in her sleeve. Her voice is a little raspy when she speaks again.]

So, you could make it sound like my father...?

I wonder how the found the voices? This sort of gift seems more cruel than comforting.

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voice | un: prince

video; un: THE_HAMMER

i hate you

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video; un: mai

video

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video | un: SizzleItUp@LinkedIn

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voice | un: KISS

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text | un: tentacleTherapist

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voice; un: seraph

video, un: Yousoro★

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voice; un: R. Lutece

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audio | un: aceofhearts

this is beyond late, gomen.... i was on snake haitus

how dare you

voice, un: yona;

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