#little overview!!! they relate surprisingly well to the archangels

[muzzleroars]

Any interactions between risen ferryman and everyone?

the ferryman is a strange presence in heaven - long accustomed to the styx and the sinners they carried across it, they have a quiet yet strict demeanor. the world they come from is, obviously, harsh and relentless by its very design, and they had to meet it in equal measure to deal with the husks that constantly poured onto their ship. it makes them a bit out of place with the other human souls who have forgotten things outside of paradise yet they also can't hope to breach the circles of the true angels, and they fear almost that hell has made them unfit purely over time.

however, michael, who brought them here in error, is the first to understand them in their personality and their unwavering faith in god. he invites them to worship with him, guiding them through the heavenly service as one of the high priests of god's altar, and i think they spend a lot of time together in study as well. michael has rarely experienced human faith which differs greatly from the angels, and in time too they begin to relate over the harshness of the duties they once carried out. the ferryman's always quite glad when v2 visits as well, not only appreciating it as a wealth of deep thought and helpful philosophies, but also simply grateful it's as out of place as they are. v2 shrugs it all off, saying if they're in with mike there's really nothing anyone can say about it - it helps them explore, enthusiastically moving through heaven's streets or its now vast outskirts in ways they may not have alone.

uriel is just as reserved as they are, but the ferryman marvels at all of his vast works, now completed, a library impossible to see the beginning or end of. yet they learn uriel very much enjoys stories - he knows the whole of history, but he listens with rapt, meditative attention to the ferryman recount their life on earth or their time in hell. he appreciates the personal touch, they find, and they end up sharing dozens of stories while uriel is a wonderful source of everything they had ever wished to know (he knows too all the little questions they had asked themselves, and the answers to them even if they're now long forgotten). importantly, the ferryman helps uriel use his hands once more in art and writing as they trade their stories.

raphael is the most unsure relating to them with the little contact he's had to those in hell - however, the ferryman is more gentle than their demeanor can sometimes suggest. they enjoy fishing together, with raphael taking a good interest in how the ferryman had once cared for the souls they carried across the styx - they had fiercely defended the sanctity of their ship while also still making it as comfortable as hell could allow. i think they also enjoy learning from raphael, who has very little to share his knowledge of herbs and cures with now since they're so defunct.

they feel a bit awkward for some time when they visit gabriel, though he insists he is nothing but happy for them now. he's glad to receive news about heaven's state from them when he knows his siblings can have a very different perspective from the human souls there, and gabriel is an invaluable source in turn for navigating heaven. v1 is actually quite the comfort as well, a risen "soul" itself that can relate to their confusion and occasional frustrations transitioning from sinner to saved. it gives them much more confidence, seeing it fully embrace its new state and not care about its mistakes, though they know its situation is quite different.

difficulties do arise with the prime souls and lucifer, however, who each have their reservations or outright rejection of the ferryman's current status. minos and sisyphus take issue in accepting their elevation, both ghosts now locked in what they died for and much more unable to see nuance. minos is conflicted, wanting the best for human souls but too damaged by the institution of heaven and how it is upheld by humanity as well. sisyphus views it as ceding to the law of heaven, how the only way to be allowed into their fold is through the deepest supplication over decades. lucifer entirely pushes them out, their visits accordingly short as it will always attract his open hostility - he will see no angelic presence in hell that has no business with him. gabriel has attempted to soften lucifer's treatment of the ferryman in particular, but he's made little progress.