The Crossing Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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thecrossinglogs2025-01-18 12:15 pm
thecrossingmods) wrote in thecrossinglogs2025-01-18 12:15 pm
THE CROSSING #1
THE CROSSING #1
It's time.
For more detail on the particulars of the event, be sure to refer to our info and planning post!
For more detail on the particulars of the event, be sure to refer to our info and planning post!
time to choose
— CALM BEFORE THE STORM
It likely isn’t a surprise, when The Ferryman speaks into your mind again. You’ve known The Crossing was coming, and for the past hours, days, or weeks (however you prefer to section your time in this place), you’ve been feeling it drawing closer.
You’ve felt the pull on your soul, guiding you to follow The River; you’ve felt the changes in the Cavern, and in yourself, a shift in atmosphere that seems to start in the humidity of the air and sinks deep down into your bones. You feel solid. More importantly, you feel vulnerable.
Those who want to pay the toll are invited to gather at The Ferryman’s point of vigil; those who don’t will at least have the draw of The Crossing to guide them.
If you have anything to say before the split, now is the time to do it.
— LIGHTS OUT
Because when the moment comes, it waits for no one.
The Lantern doesn't extinguish immediately. Those gathered with The Ferryman (and, perhaps, those gathered near The Ferryman) will see it: a precarious flickering of flame behind glass. The light shrinks, and with it comes a feeling of something else retreating, too — something that you may have understood was there without realizing it, or that you may have assumed was simply another aspect of the light itself.
The bubble of safety, you realize, is receding. And when The Lantern's Light finally goes out, so too does the shield keeping you separated from the wraiths prowling the tunnels.
The darkness closes in. The Cavern's glowing plants are now the only steady source of light in the entire chamber, which allows your eyes to adjust, but only so much; it becomes difficult to make out the faces of even those standing right beside you.
It's time, so says The Ferryman. Make your decision.
follow the leader
— PAYMENT COMES DUE
There is no pomp or ceremony associated with The Ferryman's toll collection. You need only to be willing, and ready.
The darkness seems to shroud The Ferryman more than it does the rest of you, somehow. You can't make out the features of their face, only hear their voice bidding you to step forward when you're ready. For any of you who might need a moment, The Ferryman will wait.
A mote of light appears in The Ferryman's palms as the toll is paid, growing in proportion to the number of memories it receives. It's small, but you can feel the influence of it: that protective bubble you felt recede when The Lantern extinguished grows again around the light, just enough to envelop the group gathered here.
Time to go, says The Ferryman. And even though you can't track their movements in the darkness, the light tracks it for you: over the lip of the land bridge, and down to the black River below.
Nowhere to go but forward. When you step off yourself (even if it takes a bit of psyching up to get there), you'll find that the drop is gentle, and that your steps suspend safely over the water.
Just don't get left behind.
— HEAR A VOICE THAT CAUSES YOU PAIN
And so, you journey.
You walk on the surface of The River as if it were a wide, black road. Ahead of you, that same mote of light follows in the steps of The Ferryman, illuminating the ripples they leave in the water as breadcrumbs for you to follow. The air above The River is cold, certainly, and sometimes the icy water might splash up onto your shoes or ankles — but The River is wide, and there's room enough to walk together, even if you can't see each other well. It's as comfortable as a journey like this might ever be.
But The Crossing is a trial. You didn't forget, did you?
It starts slow: sounds from the darkness that could be voices, unless it's been dark for so long that your ears are playing tricks on you? Shouts of anger, high-pitched laughter, cries of fury and despair.
Then there are words. They beckon to you from the darkness: some plaintive, some punitive. They want you to stop. They want you to stay. They want you gone. Most of the voices are unfamiliar to you, but at least one, you know very well.
You need to keep moving. If you lose sight of The Ferryman's steps, you run the risk of being lost in the Cavern forever. Or perhaps it's someone beside you who's on the edge of losing their focus, someone who needs you to help keep them on the path?
trust your gut
— FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE
The rest of you, left behind on the banks of The River, have only your wits, the contents of your pockets, and the pull of something beyond the darkness to help you on the journey. The darkness is smothering, but not completely impenetrable: you have the glow of the Cavern plants, the faint gleam of the toll group’s steps on the surface of The River, and anything you may have picked up before you got here.
You can travel together or alone, but you must move. The metaphysical pull on you is growing stronger and more insistent the longer you stay in one place, and the Cavern, before preternaturally silent and still, is beginning to stir.
The wraiths, once silent, shapeless, harmless shadows following you about the Cavern, have changed. Where before they were merely unsettling to look at, now they have become larger and more monstrous: sharp eyes and claws, wide eyes and mouths. Where before they were silent, seemingly both unable and unwilling to make any sound, now they wail: wordless cries of pain and anger giving away their positions in the darkness.
Some of them may even be familiar to you, once they get close enough; the wraiths that before had seemingly taken a liking to you, seeking you out and following you wherever you went, now seem dedicated to hunting you specifically.
What the wraiths want from you, it's hard to say. If they catch you, they will tear at you without strategy or direction, like a ravenous animal — or perhaps a terrified one.
Any injuries you sustain during this time, whether from the wraiths or otherwise, are just as real to you as they would have been when you were alive: you bleed, you break, and you feel every inch of the pain inflicted on you.
Nowhere to go but forward. If you follow the pull in your gut, you'll get to where you're going. One way or another.
on the other side
— A MOMENT OF RESPITE
Whichever trial you've chosen, there is, eventually, the end.
You feel it first in the atmosphere: a resettling of the off-kilterness that's been surrounding you. The air slowly becomes drier, and the darkness less punishing. The plants that line the walls of the Cavern become more and more rare, their light replaced by ambient light leaking in from somewhere above you.
For the group traveling with The Ferryman, the wide expanse of The River gradually becomes shallower and narrower, until it's hardly a trickle beneath your feet, winding through the cave system. For the group traveling on their own, there comes a point where the wraiths seem unwilling or unable to follow, their shrieks in the darkness growing further and further away.
You feel it next in yourself: a smoothing of your rough edges, aches and muscle pain and physical exhaustion melting away. For any injured on the journey, your wounds resolve themselves as if natural healing on fast-forward. Natural healing is not always the cleanest or the most comfortable, though; you might be left with scars, crooked fingers or noses, or some other lasting memory of what you risked to be here.
Lastly, once The River has narrowed enough and two groups have reunited again: The Lantern relights. The Ferryman, for all that they were nearly invisible to you in the darkness, seems just the same as they were before. You made it through, they tell you, with no small amount of warmth and pride. Let's take a load off.
You should rest. If you took anything from the Cavern to help you on your journey, you'll find that it's gone from your pockets — when did that happen? Did you set it down? It's been such a long journey, it could have been a lapse of memory.
A memory? Ah, there's something else gone too, isn't there? Willingly or otherwise. If you try to reach for it now, it's like dust in the breeze, or a dream upon waking. You know it was there once, but the harder you try to recall it back, the thinner the details get. Eventually, you might not remember even that there was something to forget.
Congratulations. The Crossing is complete.
Image credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 + stock imagery unless otherwise noted
It likely isn’t a surprise, when The Ferryman speaks into your mind again. You’ve known The Crossing was coming, and for the past hours, days, or weeks (however you prefer to section your time in this place), you’ve been feeling it drawing closer.
You’ve felt the pull on your soul, guiding you to follow The River; you’ve felt the changes in the Cavern, and in yourself, a shift in atmosphere that seems to start in the humidity of the air and sinks deep down into your bones. You feel solid. More importantly, you feel vulnerable.
Those who want to pay the toll are invited to gather at The Ferryman’s point of vigil; those who don’t will at least have the draw of The Crossing to guide them.
If you have anything to say before the split, now is the time to do it.
— LIGHTS OUT
Because when the moment comes, it waits for no one.
The Lantern doesn't extinguish immediately. Those gathered with The Ferryman (and, perhaps, those gathered near The Ferryman) will see it: a precarious flickering of flame behind glass. The light shrinks, and with it comes a feeling of something else retreating, too — something that you may have understood was there without realizing it, or that you may have assumed was simply another aspect of the light itself.
The bubble of safety, you realize, is receding. And when The Lantern's Light finally goes out, so too does the shield keeping you separated from the wraiths prowling the tunnels.
The darkness closes in. The Cavern's glowing plants are now the only steady source of light in the entire chamber, which allows your eyes to adjust, but only so much; it becomes difficult to make out the faces of even those standing right beside you.
It's time, so says The Ferryman. Make your decision.
follow the leader
There is no pomp or ceremony associated with The Ferryman's toll collection. You need only to be willing, and ready.
The darkness seems to shroud The Ferryman more than it does the rest of you, somehow. You can't make out the features of their face, only hear their voice bidding you to step forward when you're ready. For any of you who might need a moment, The Ferryman will wait.
A mote of light appears in The Ferryman's palms as the toll is paid, growing in proportion to the number of memories it receives. It's small, but you can feel the influence of it: that protective bubble you felt recede when The Lantern extinguished grows again around the light, just enough to envelop the group gathered here.
Time to go, says The Ferryman. And even though you can't track their movements in the darkness, the light tracks it for you: over the lip of the land bridge, and down to the black River below.
Nowhere to go but forward. When you step off yourself (even if it takes a bit of psyching up to get there), you'll find that the drop is gentle, and that your steps suspend safely over the water.
Just don't get left behind.
— HEAR A VOICE THAT CAUSES YOU PAIN
And so, you journey.
You walk on the surface of The River as if it were a wide, black road. Ahead of you, that same mote of light follows in the steps of The Ferryman, illuminating the ripples they leave in the water as breadcrumbs for you to follow. The air above The River is cold, certainly, and sometimes the icy water might splash up onto your shoes or ankles — but The River is wide, and there's room enough to walk together, even if you can't see each other well. It's as comfortable as a journey like this might ever be.
But The Crossing is a trial. You didn't forget, did you?
It starts slow: sounds from the darkness that could be voices, unless it's been dark for so long that your ears are playing tricks on you? Shouts of anger, high-pitched laughter, cries of fury and despair.
Then there are words. They beckon to you from the darkness: some plaintive, some punitive. They want you to stop. They want you to stay. They want you gone. Most of the voices are unfamiliar to you, but at least one, you know very well.
You need to keep moving. If you lose sight of The Ferryman's steps, you run the risk of being lost in the Cavern forever. Or perhaps it's someone beside you who's on the edge of losing their focus, someone who needs you to help keep them on the path?
trust your gut
The rest of you, left behind on the banks of The River, have only your wits, the contents of your pockets, and the pull of something beyond the darkness to help you on the journey. The darkness is smothering, but not completely impenetrable: you have the glow of the Cavern plants, the faint gleam of the toll group’s steps on the surface of The River, and anything you may have picked up before you got here.
You can travel together or alone, but you must move. The metaphysical pull on you is growing stronger and more insistent the longer you stay in one place, and the Cavern, before preternaturally silent and still, is beginning to stir.
The wraiths, once silent, shapeless, harmless shadows following you about the Cavern, have changed. Where before they were merely unsettling to look at, now they have become larger and more monstrous: sharp eyes and claws, wide eyes and mouths. Where before they were silent, seemingly both unable and unwilling to make any sound, now they wail: wordless cries of pain and anger giving away their positions in the darkness.
Some of them may even be familiar to you, once they get close enough; the wraiths that before had seemingly taken a liking to you, seeking you out and following you wherever you went, now seem dedicated to hunting you specifically.
What the wraiths want from you, it's hard to say. If they catch you, they will tear at you without strategy or direction, like a ravenous animal — or perhaps a terrified one.
Any injuries you sustain during this time, whether from the wraiths or otherwise, are just as real to you as they would have been when you were alive: you bleed, you break, and you feel every inch of the pain inflicted on you.
Nowhere to go but forward. If you follow the pull in your gut, you'll get to where you're going. One way or another.
on the other side
Whichever trial you've chosen, there is, eventually, the end.
You feel it first in the atmosphere: a resettling of the off-kilterness that's been surrounding you. The air slowly becomes drier, and the darkness less punishing. The plants that line the walls of the Cavern become more and more rare, their light replaced by ambient light leaking in from somewhere above you.
For the group traveling with The Ferryman, the wide expanse of The River gradually becomes shallower and narrower, until it's hardly a trickle beneath your feet, winding through the cave system. For the group traveling on their own, there comes a point where the wraiths seem unwilling or unable to follow, their shrieks in the darkness growing further and further away.
You feel it next in yourself: a smoothing of your rough edges, aches and muscle pain and physical exhaustion melting away. For any injured on the journey, your wounds resolve themselves as if natural healing on fast-forward. Natural healing is not always the cleanest or the most comfortable, though; you might be left with scars, crooked fingers or noses, or some other lasting memory of what you risked to be here.
Lastly, once The River has narrowed enough and two groups have reunited again: The Lantern relights. The Ferryman, for all that they were nearly invisible to you in the darkness, seems just the same as they were before. You made it through, they tell you, with no small amount of warmth and pride. Let's take a load off.
You should rest. If you took anything from the Cavern to help you on your journey, you'll find that it's gone from your pockets — when did that happen? Did you set it down? It's been such a long journey, it could have been a lapse of memory.
A memory? Ah, there's something else gone too, isn't there? Willingly or otherwise. If you try to reach for it now, it's like dust in the breeze, or a dream upon waking. You know it was there once, but the harder you try to recall it back, the thinner the details get. Eventually, you might not remember even that there was something to forget.
Congratulations. The Crossing is complete.
Image credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 + stock imagery unless otherwise noted
Re: On the Other Side
Yeah looks like we will have to be more careful from now on about what we attempt to bring... but at least that means we can use the stuff we find before we Cross. [She did giggle at the zombie comment.] As good as it looks on you, I think we'd best try to find, or even make, you another one just for protection... and to ward off the cold...
I understand why you felt the need to stay and see what happened... but maybe now with you seeing how dangerous it is... you can stay with us next time? [Ultimately Mari couldn't, wouldn't, force Kel to do anything he didn't want to, but she did feel more responsible now that Hero wasn't around to help look after him... At his question, Mari threaded her hands together, trying to think back on things.]
We're... ok I think? It's hard cause I can't quite remember what I gave up... just the exhaustion that came with the journey you know? But in the end, it must have been something I didn't care that much about anyways. [She gave him a small smile.] What about you? You didn't give anything up so... all your memories in tact? Remember all of us?
Re: On the Other Side
And why wasn't Mari already... gone? She had been 'away' from Faraway for such a longer time than he or Sunny. He let out a small sigh, leaning a bit closer and resting one hand against her shoulder.]
We totally should. And we should especially treasure what we came with from home because I don't think we may not have anything else if we're unlucky.
[He glanced down at the mess that were his clothes- the shirt was ripped in more than one point and his shorts and shoes were covered in blood. Fantastic...]
I.... yeah, we can look around once we all settled, mh? I could use some clothes as I try to clean the ones I'm currently wearing.
[There was a long, long pause there.]
Maybe. I... someone had to stay and see and my legs are fast, Mari. But.. yeha I may stay with you two next time. Sounds like you had it rough as well.
[Perhaps not physically, but mentally? Probably, yes.]
Huh... maybe... we can help each other next time? We can share with each other the memories we're going to give away and... help each other remember? Or try to? If it's too personal, we can try with mines. [A small shrug followed] I... huh... don't tell Sunny this, but I felt really, really sick when my body was mending up. That being said I don't think I forgot anything? If I didn, I can't remember it. Maybe you can ask some questions? you and... Sunny? About childhood and such? I don't even know how this works. I don't think I lost anything since I arrived here.
[oh, how wrong he was, the memory of both of his siblings almost completely wiped away already...]
no subject
We'll get through this together... and who knows, maybe this new area has a great place we could make a camp at. Maybe roast some smores? [She smiled, thinking back on their old hideaway at the park.]
no subject
[He did return the hug, giving her a big squeeze and pushing away the discomfort he felt, the horror they dealt with staying behind and the guilt for not being with them when they dealt woth their voices.]
Oh. My gosh. I would love that. Don't tell sunny but the orange joe he gave me was... kind of expired. And that was the last thing I ate in a while... Oh! Maybe we find a place where to get pizza too? I was lactose intolerant so it was a gamble back home whenever I had one but here? I mean... hard to get sock, right?
no subject
[She couldn't keep the laugh from escaping her.] And you and Hiro got into a competition to see who could make the strangest pizza. We all ended up having some pretty interesting food that day. [Although she was pretty sure that Kel had goaded his older brother into the competition, and knowing Hiro he wouldn't have refused. Kel also brought up a pretty interesting point...]
That would be something interesting to test out... I mean, we seem to be more vulnerable during the Crossing but not before... after all, we could breathe underwater when we got here...
no subject
[A blink. That had to be.... so long ago. That sounded like the kind of acrivity you put ver small babies in front and he didn't remember anything like that. Still... it did NOT match the price for the ferryman, right?] Man... it had to be so long ago. I don't even remember this Hiro kid. One of the ones always at Gino's? Please, what did I even put on mine? It's the kind of experiments that probably locked me on a toilet with cramps for hours after eating it... right?
Oh.. uhm... yeah? Maybe later I can try to cut myself and see how long it sticks? Not that I even remotely like the idea but we gotta figure things out right?
no subject
[Truly it wasn't. Especially when they were talking about stuff they might have lost or given up. Kel... wouldn't have chosen to give up his memories of Hiro though, right? They were siblings... him giving up his memories of his brother would be like her choosing to forget Sunny...] Pineapple and peanuts if I recall correctly...
[She lightly smacked his arm at the suggestion of willingly hurting himself.]
No! Not that way! Maybe... like... if we accidentally get scratched at some point? [Although that didn't sound pleasant to her either...] Well... let's just try our best to avoid getting hurt and we can worry about it if it happens, ok?
no subject
You know, that kind of special relationship where you spot each other in the crowd and you instinctively prepare for a fighting match.
[Hiro really meant... nothing to him, as a name. It felt familiar, perhaps, it made his chest ache just a bit, but when he was little- well, people moved in nd out of the city all the time.]
Pineapple and Penauts... it does sound nasty but that's just because I'm not that much into penauts.
[A nod, then. That seemed absolutely right but... that was still something they both needed to eventually lok into. If nothing bad happened, he was probably going to have to... do something on his own, right?]
Promise I'll not try anything too weird. Again.
no subject
And you are sure you're ok? What about Hector? You remember him? Your parents? [She would continue to grill him about Hiro later... but right now the potential outcome was just too painful... She might need backup...]
no subject
[Not a prank, sadly. Oh,how he wished he could remember who this random guy was, but no... just a name that sounded vaguely familiar. Even Sunny, one of the people cared about the most, was not going to get much more.]
What about them? Yeah, of course I do! Ma' and Pa' aren't around often so it's me and Hector most of the time- man, you have no idea what a ball of energy he is! Once I had to chase him all around the park when he was covered in mud. Man, you missed him growing up but he's basically a ball of fur with far too many energies.
My good boy... if all dogs go to heaven, we'll see him one day, right?
no subject
Of course we will... [She pulls Kel in for a comforting hug, feeling her heart clench. She tried so hard not to think too much about those they left behind... it hurt. She didn't want them here... but to imagine having to live with the pain of losing three people they cared about in a short time...]
no subject
Oh, Mari...
[He leans in the hug, pulling her close and resting his chin against her shoulder. He's... scared. Fortunately enough there's no heartbeat to betray how tense he actually is, no real other indicators of his pain while he hides his face away.]
It will be fun. The three of us- we will all play with my dog, that's a promise. He's great at playing fetch. I'm sure we'll somehow find a way out of here without losing... too much. And, should anything happen, never forget a very important thing: I love you. And this will never change.
[But it could, right? The memory of this... sister of his? It could be wiped in a second away from his mind...]
Think this is a good place to wrap this one up?
[She didn't allow her worry to get the best of her, she could deal with her feelings later... but for now she was content that Kel was safe despite what he had went through.]
That sounds perfect for me, yes.
Of course we will! We're... well, we're the amazing sibs and That One Orange Guy, we're unstoppable!
[He leaned in, placing a kiss on the top of her head and letting out a small sigh. After that? A jump back, bringing both hands on his hips and acting like nothing was wrong, a big smile painted on his face.]
Well then, time to check on others. See you soon, Mari, call me if you need anyting!