The Crossing Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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thecrossinglogs2025-04-19 09:44 am
thecrossingmods) wrote in thecrossinglogs2025-04-19 09:44 am
THE CROSSING #2
THE CROSSING #2
It's that time again.
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!
always keep moving
— CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON
The Desert is sprawling. If you've ever gotten turned around in the rolling dunes, it may have once felt endless. But in the weeks and days before the descent of The Crossing, something appears on the horizon: first a dark smudge of storm clouds, not unlike the others that have rolled through before, then growing — wider, darker, and more threatening.
You feel it, too. For some of you the feeling is new; for others it's a reminder of a trial you've been through before. It's a weight in your body, a solidity of your self, a vulnerability to whatever is approaching.
The storm overtakes the oasis. As the first drops of rain begin to fall, The Ferryman speaks in your mind.
It's time. Those who are prepared to pay the toll are instructed to gather on the bank of The River. As for the rest of you... we hope you have a plan.
taking refuge
— THE RIVER OF MUD
The storm hits hard and fast. Even as you gather around The Ferryman, the rain grows from spitting droplets to a desert monsoon. The Ferryman's protection only goes so far: even if you're promised safety from danger, you'll still have to cope with the cold, the wind, and the water.
As before, The Lantern's Light grows dark. As before, The Ferryman gathers memories one by one, consolidated into a mote of light in their palm that becomes the new center point for the growing temporary bubble of safety. But this time— what it was too dark to notice in the Cavern before— you realize that The Ferryman themselves is changing, too. Their form fades as the light in their hands grows, becoming as fuzzy and insubstantial as mist... not unlike the wraiths, outside of The Crossing.
The sparkling white salt flat before you begins to melt and grow murky, exposing the sticky, grasping mud beneath. The Ferryman glides out over the roiling muck of The River, and so do you, your steps as light as if there were still a crust of salt to separate you from the mud before.
You must keep moving, though. Linger too long, and you'll start to sink... and the mud might not let go, this time.
— A HAVEN FROM THE WANTS AND ILLS OF LIFE
The journey is arduous, and the storm is unrelenting. The Ferryman, unfamiliar as they might be in this form, leads confidently through the blur of lightning, wind, and rain. As before, the mote of light created from your memories follows in their footsteps, illuminating the path to follow along the wide expanse of The River.
Even with The Ferryman's protection, it is exhausting work. It's as mentally taxing as it is physically draining. As such, when the path forward begins to shudder and shift, it may come as a reprieve. The wall of wind and rain finally breaks, the Desert around you replaced by... somewhere else. A place you may recognize, or may not.
Whatever stress or fear you may have been feeling from your journey wanes, replaced by feelings of calm, peace, or joy. If the place you are in is unfamiliar, the feelings are muted, as if they don't quite belong to you... but surely this is better than returning to the monsoon? Perhaps you can rest a while. Play a game, recover in shelter, or take a meditative walk through a maze. What's a few minutes, anyway? Time hardly means anything anymore.
Just don't forget: if you linger too long in any one place, the mud of The River will start to suck you down. It's best to stay alert— and to keep an eye on those traveling with you, as well.
storm chasers
— SWEPT AWAY
The Desert isn't designed to weather a storm like this one. Beyond the pounding rain and cracking lightning, those of you who have decided to travel without The Ferryman must also navigate the environment itself. Flash floods sweep through lower-lying places in the dunes, where the sand isn't able to absorb water quickly enough. Creatures that may have been docile before are now panicked, and might impede your progress, or even lash out themselves.
And, of course, there are the wraiths.
They're easier to spot this time around, across the rolling dunes. It's easier to make out just how much they've changed as well: the claws, the teeth, the exaggerated proportions... and the unmistakable pain and fury in every movement, in every shriek and wail.
You are vulnerable to any and all injury during this time, whether from the wraiths, the wildlife, or the elements. As long as you follow your gut, you'll know where to go — but we hope you have a strategy, all the same.
— AN EYE IN THE STORM
At least in the Cavern, you had cover. Nooks and crannies, branching tunnels, rocky outcroppings... But out here, beneath the wide-open sky of the Desert, there's very little in terms of shelter. The odd plateau, or cave entrance, or inexplicable feature might grant you some reprieve, but there's always more sand to cross in-between.
On occasion, however, you may spot a strange sort of wraith watching you at a distance. Some of you may even recognize it: an eerie, dissembling creature that some have dubbed the Smart Wraith. Its form, like the others, has solidified into something grotesque and painful, as if its body has been plucked like clay by a particularly spiteful child. Unlike the others, though, it does not attack, or even approach. It simply watches, as it always have.
If you have the presence of mind to notice, however, you may find that there are occasional reprieves from wraith attacks, especially across longer stretches of dunes. They're brief, but often crucially timed (such as when someone is significantly injured, or when a flood has just rolled through), and always correspond to a moment when The Wraith can be found watching from some far-flung vantage point.
It's odd, certainly. But do you have the luxury of looking a gift horse in the mouth?
stormbreak
— CLEARING SKIES
Eventually, the storm calms. Your body lightens. The atmosphere realigns.
The Crossing ends.
The thick, sucking mud of The River has become shallow and waterlogged. It's easy to wade through now, if a touch... unpleasant. Fibrous plants and reeds line the sloped banks, inexplicably dotted with bright orange flowers. Light is low, though the sky has cleared, as if wherever you are now lingers in perpetual dusk.
If you were traveling with The Ferryman, the mirages that dogged your journey finally fade and stay gone. If you were traveling on your own, any wounds you sustained heal rapidly on their own. As before, the healing is natural, but on fast-forward, and thus may not always resolve perfectly.
For both groups, memories bleed away from you - perhaps literally, perhaps not. Anything you found in the Desert, unless given to you by The Ferryman, is gone from your pockets.
When you look again, The Ferryman appears just the same as they were before The Crossing began. Let's take a break, they say. It's been a long journey.
It certainly has.
Image credits: 1, 2 + OMORI'S STORY, and stock imagery unless otherwise noted
The Desert is sprawling. If you've ever gotten turned around in the rolling dunes, it may have once felt endless. But in the weeks and days before the descent of The Crossing, something appears on the horizon: first a dark smudge of storm clouds, not unlike the others that have rolled through before, then growing — wider, darker, and more threatening.
You feel it, too. For some of you the feeling is new; for others it's a reminder of a trial you've been through before. It's a weight in your body, a solidity of your self, a vulnerability to whatever is approaching.
The storm overtakes the oasis. As the first drops of rain begin to fall, The Ferryman speaks in your mind.
It's time. Those who are prepared to pay the toll are instructed to gather on the bank of The River. As for the rest of you... we hope you have a plan.
taking refuge
The storm hits hard and fast. Even as you gather around The Ferryman, the rain grows from spitting droplets to a desert monsoon. The Ferryman's protection only goes so far: even if you're promised safety from danger, you'll still have to cope with the cold, the wind, and the water.
As before, The Lantern's Light grows dark. As before, The Ferryman gathers memories one by one, consolidated into a mote of light in their palm that becomes the new center point for the growing temporary bubble of safety. But this time— what it was too dark to notice in the Cavern before— you realize that The Ferryman themselves is changing, too. Their form fades as the light in their hands grows, becoming as fuzzy and insubstantial as mist... not unlike the wraiths, outside of The Crossing.
The sparkling white salt flat before you begins to melt and grow murky, exposing the sticky, grasping mud beneath. The Ferryman glides out over the roiling muck of The River, and so do you, your steps as light as if there were still a crust of salt to separate you from the mud before.
You must keep moving, though. Linger too long, and you'll start to sink... and the mud might not let go, this time.
— A HAVEN FROM THE WANTS AND ILLS OF LIFE
The journey is arduous, and the storm is unrelenting. The Ferryman, unfamiliar as they might be in this form, leads confidently through the blur of lightning, wind, and rain. As before, the mote of light created from your memories follows in their footsteps, illuminating the path to follow along the wide expanse of The River.
Even with The Ferryman's protection, it is exhausting work. It's as mentally taxing as it is physically draining. As such, when the path forward begins to shudder and shift, it may come as a reprieve. The wall of wind and rain finally breaks, the Desert around you replaced by... somewhere else. A place you may recognize, or may not.
Whatever stress or fear you may have been feeling from your journey wanes, replaced by feelings of calm, peace, or joy. If the place you are in is unfamiliar, the feelings are muted, as if they don't quite belong to you... but surely this is better than returning to the monsoon? Perhaps you can rest a while. Play a game, recover in shelter, or take a meditative walk through a maze. What's a few minutes, anyway? Time hardly means anything anymore.
Just don't forget: if you linger too long in any one place, the mud of The River will start to suck you down. It's best to stay alert— and to keep an eye on those traveling with you, as well.
storm chasers
The Desert isn't designed to weather a storm like this one. Beyond the pounding rain and cracking lightning, those of you who have decided to travel without The Ferryman must also navigate the environment itself. Flash floods sweep through lower-lying places in the dunes, where the sand isn't able to absorb water quickly enough. Creatures that may have been docile before are now panicked, and might impede your progress, or even lash out themselves.
And, of course, there are the wraiths.
They're easier to spot this time around, across the rolling dunes. It's easier to make out just how much they've changed as well: the claws, the teeth, the exaggerated proportions... and the unmistakable pain and fury in every movement, in every shriek and wail.
You are vulnerable to any and all injury during this time, whether from the wraiths, the wildlife, or the elements. As long as you follow your gut, you'll know where to go — but we hope you have a strategy, all the same.
— AN EYE IN THE STORM
At least in the Cavern, you had cover. Nooks and crannies, branching tunnels, rocky outcroppings... But out here, beneath the wide-open sky of the Desert, there's very little in terms of shelter. The odd plateau, or cave entrance, or inexplicable feature might grant you some reprieve, but there's always more sand to cross in-between.
On occasion, however, you may spot a strange sort of wraith watching you at a distance. Some of you may even recognize it: an eerie, dissembling creature that some have dubbed the Smart Wraith. Its form, like the others, has solidified into something grotesque and painful, as if its body has been plucked like clay by a particularly spiteful child. Unlike the others, though, it does not attack, or even approach. It simply watches, as it always have.
If you have the presence of mind to notice, however, you may find that there are occasional reprieves from wraith attacks, especially across longer stretches of dunes. They're brief, but often crucially timed (such as when someone is significantly injured, or when a flood has just rolled through), and always correspond to a moment when The Wraith can be found watching from some far-flung vantage point.
It's odd, certainly. But do you have the luxury of looking a gift horse in the mouth?
stormbreak
Eventually, the storm calms. Your body lightens. The atmosphere realigns.
The Crossing ends.
The thick, sucking mud of The River has become shallow and waterlogged. It's easy to wade through now, if a touch... unpleasant. Fibrous plants and reeds line the sloped banks, inexplicably dotted with bright orange flowers. Light is low, though the sky has cleared, as if wherever you are now lingers in perpetual dusk.
If you were traveling with The Ferryman, the mirages that dogged your journey finally fade and stay gone. If you were traveling on your own, any wounds you sustained heal rapidly on their own. As before, the healing is natural, but on fast-forward, and thus may not always resolve perfectly.
For both groups, memories bleed away from you - perhaps literally, perhaps not. Anything you found in the Desert, unless given to you by The Ferryman, is gone from your pockets.
When you look again, The Ferryman appears just the same as they were before The Crossing began. Let's take a break, they say. It's been a long journey.
It certainly has.
Image credits: 1, 2 + OMORI'S STORY, and stock imagery unless otherwise noted
Clearing Skies…? (AKA Where doth Makoto, perhaps?)
But the way Nagito was moving, almost on autopilot, concerned him.
It was no surprise, really, when Sunny heard the other’s remark. Makoto. He hadn’t been a part of the Crossing… and with it, a slithering sense of guilt and worry had the teen shivering.]
Makoto will…? [The small question is hopeful and concerned all at once. But Nagito knew Makoto well, better than Sunny did, so maybe the other had just slipped through while he had been preoccupied? Though Sunny felt like he hadn’t seen Makoto for a while now…]
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[His smile fades just a little as he turns his thoughts over again and again.]
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Sunny hadn’t been sure - he can’t keep an eye on everyone, but still…
That makes him feel a little better. Makoto would still be with them… wherever they ended up next.
Still… Sunny was good at reading body language. Nagito’s was automatic, almost tense without being so. He was worried.
Sunny poked the back of Nagito’s jacket with one finger.] OK…?
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[Even though Nagito is probably the only one experiencing actual adversity when it comes to Makoto's vanishing.]
CW: sacrificing someone to the lava in Super Mario Bros, except with lava
He couldn’t bring himself to contradict what Nagito said.
It was good to know though that hope could still exist without Makoto. That they still had Hope. But the words ‘step on top of’ have Sunny’s imagination spiraling, with some people actively jumping off of Makoto to reach above the mud…
He didn’t like that.]
…we… can tell him… about the places… we saw…
[It’s a lie. Even now, Sunny’s own memory is leaking from his mind like the last remnants of a dream. But it gives him something to look forward to and, hopefully, something for Nagito to latch onto except the lack of their friend.]
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[Good at understanding people. Nagito is terrible at that.]
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They had willingly let such places go, right? So it was fine. It would be fine.]
You… too… [Nagito was good at investigating, Sunny liked to think. That’s how they had met, rummaging through one of the spare buildings in the Cavern City. Maybe, together, Nagito and Makoto would be able to figure something out.
(Not that Sunny knew what exactly they were looking for. He just wanted Nagito to have hope too - hope that they would be able to continue doing something beyond this moment. It was weird, almost like Sunny cared…]
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But when… they are…?
[Sunny doesn’t understand. Nagito and Makoto were both good at something. That should be enough, right?
It should be enough that you are good at something and not perfect.
And yet, the almost invisible callouses that have been long healed are still a reminder of the fact that it isn’t enough.]
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[Especially when it's about murders, though Nagito is still not technically talking about that.]
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That was ok, people didn’t understand Sunny too. And Sunny didn’t quite understand himself.]
Is ok…
[Was it really? That wasn’t Sunny’s decision to make. Not truly. But… he was sure Makoto would let Nagito know he was just fine as is. Or something.]
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Instead, his voice comes out small.] …helped me…
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Sure, Kel could have thrown Sunny over his shoulder or everyone could have forced him into some strange Congo-line out of the room, but… there was something about the choice of walking out of such a special place himself.
Without Nagito’s encouragement, Sunny doubted he would have made it even that far.]
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Sorry! I, ah--it's the sort of thing Naegi-sama might do, but if it's me...
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But… Nagito was in earnest… and Sunny really didn’t deserve any sort of praise.
Still, the tips of his ears heat as he looks at the ground, his voice a whisper.] Air pats… ok… [Like giving permission. Kel’s physical touch was something Sunny was used to, and Mari’s was barely acceptable, but…
So long as Nagito made it clear what he was going to do and… actually didn’t touch him… air headpats would be alright.]
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Here’s the dose of fluff after the stress XD
Sunny visibly relaxes as the tension leaves him.
Even if Sunny has no idea what exactly he’s being praised for…? He assumes it is praise? Nagito hadn’t hit him with mud or anything, after all.]
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Do you like murder mystery novels, Sunny-kun?
1/2
(Plus the safe havens really had been nice little breaks.)
That being said, Nagito’s question does come out of the blue, and Sunny only hears half of it before his heart skips a nervous beat.
M̶̧̧̢̞̖͍̱̳̦̗̭͉̳̳͖̙̹̺̱̾̕Ų̸̧̨͇̙̘̩̰̫͍̦̞̰̻̄̈́̽̂̂͝͝R̸̳̖̟̬̫̥̥̹̫̯̰͙̫̓̓̄̆̔͛̍͐̕D̵̡̢̥͇͇̦̱̯̻̬̝̱͍̘̬̾́́́̑̓̽͌̂̒̇͂̃̕͠ͅḘ̵̢̰̼̀̾͌̈́͜͝͝R̵̠̦̯̻̱͎̩̖̩̗͖͕͔̘̝̦͆͋̆̆̓̌̈́͆̀̄̀͆́́̆̾͜͠
]
…!
2/2
He nods.]
Like… reading…
[Whether that was an answer to murder mystery novels or reading in general is Nagito’s guess. Though… Sunny does have a favorite genre.]
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(He doesn't forget that reaction, though.)]
Ah, me too. [Which is probably pretty obvious, given how much time Nagito spends looking for books and reading them.] Have you read Sherlock Holmes? Need-san thought I should ask, since she saw some of my books in my memory.
[Strange how he can remember that part but not the actual place they were talking about books in.]
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Detective… books… [The Library back in Faraway Town had a few, but certainly not all of them (there were so many, and Sunny was sure he had missed a few volumes while cooped up in his room.)]
Need… did…? [That seemed to puzzle him more. She had been thinking about him while during the Crossing?]
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[He wouldn't call himself Sunny's friend or anything, that would be rude.]
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