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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
Nooooo T.T
They were new. All of them.
Such a terrible thing to miss out on when he sat four years in his room, no one to deliver Spaceboy comics, so his brain had needed to come up with his own crossovers.That being said, it did take a moment for Sunny to realize that Kel was speaking to him. He blinked, looking almost like he was coming out of a daydream, as he looked up at his friend.]
Pluto… [Right, the planet had been part of one of the arcs, right? The teen was torn between finishing the volume he was on and searching for said issue that Kel had suggested.
He was not going to fold the corner of the page to keep his place. Nope. Pedro wouldn’t be happy about that, even if the shopkeep was mysteriously absent in Kel’s memory here.]no subject
Sunny seemed to have a great time, right? One glance at the door, one at the water that was starting to come in from below it. The floor still wasn't mood, they still had time.]
. . . keep reading. I'll keep watch for both of us and call you when it's time to go, okay?
[He wanted to stay, he wanted to be in his 'safe' place a bit longer, but he wasn't going to lose the memory of Pedro and as long as he kept in mind he had to move forward for Mari and Sunny he was going to be able to step forward and go.]
I could use someone remembering those for me. Heh... you'll get to tell me new stories as well once we're on the other side, isn't that great?
no subject
(Strange, because Sunny himself had things he would gladly give up, things he had already hidden deep in his memory and brought to light like a band-aid ripping from a wound. It was the same. It wasn’t the same.)
But… Sunny looked down at the comic in his hand again, then back up at Kel. His nod was almost determined.]
I’ll… remember… [Even if he hoped Kel would still remember some part of Captain Spaceboy… it would be really awkward talking about the comic and having him go ‘wait really?’] Good… memory… [The reassurance was said with a faint flush. Sunny didn’t like calling attention to the compliments his friends gave him-
A photo album laying open on the ground.
“Don’t worry, OMORI has a good memory! We’ll be able to put them back!”
-but in this case, maybe it would help.]
no subject
There were better things in life than sharing any proper anxiety with a friend who was probably suffering a lot more than him, all things considering. Sometimes, a self appointed 'big brother' had to be strong, right? ]
Heh, I know. Much better than mine, crossing magic at work or not. You weren't around for it, high school stuff, but once I forgot an egg sandwitch in my locker during spring break and when I opened it again it was like opening a gate to hell. Oh, the smell of rotten mayo...
[Is it true? Absolutely not. But he talks, talks and talks for the sake of talking, lately. What matters is that Sunny finally looks confident about something and Kel makes mental note to bring this up more often. A good memory indeed.]
I'm going to count on you, Captain Spacesun.
[And for now he just kept... looking around. Water was going to come, after all.]
Sunny is trying so hard here ^^
At the moniker, Sunny’s eye widened, a few slow blinks as he processed. It took him a moment to be able to speak, so that when Kel had turned around…]
OK… Kelkoko… [The last syllable is almost indiscernible with how Sunny’s volume lowers, embarrassment painting his cheeks and the tips of his ears red. He even pretend saluted, a small action that Kel might catch if he turns fast enough.
What had possessed him to say that? There had just been something so… lonely? Almost… about the way Kel was keeping watch.
And if Sunny was the Captain, then that meant Kel was his first mate, right? Captain Spaceboy couldn’t do all of the cool stuff he did without the support of his best friend Rococo.]
Kel knows and appreciates it so much.
As for Sunny's smell... Kel thought he was more like a... series of clothes that were left for too long in a drawer? Forgot, half abandoned? It didn't bother him in the slightest, though.
Oh. Kel... coco? Ah. He could only hope to still remember how awesome Rococo was once this was all lost. Kel leaned in for a small side hug, wrapping one arm around the other's shoulders just for a couple of seconds, before bringing his attention to the door.]
If we're lucky, you'll be able to take them outside too. Read more on the way. We should at least try.
[His eyes were on the door, dirty water was starting to flow in from the entrance so it was just a matter of time before they had to rush through the backdoor.]
You know... After Pluto? Rococo and Spaceboy are my favorites.
no subject
It might be worth trying to take a comic or two.
He noted what page he was on, then stood up and started leafing through the comics on the shelves.]
Pluto. [He said by way of explanation. Pluto was Kel’s favorite. No, no, no… there it was. Pluto on the cover! Sunny grabbed that one and stuffed it in his backpack. For Kel.]
no subject
The teen bit his lips, wondering how much the other could manage to read under the rain, but if they found another little space of comfort, maybe.. ah, how sad, all that was going to be lost, huh? And he wasn't going to have more stories to share with Sunny... not the ones he read there at least.
He still offered a little smile.]
The best guy. How does he always say? When I flex I feel the best!
[He nodded, though. Ready to go. Ready to leve everything behind.]
no subject
If he could have something to show Kel, maybe it would jog the other’s memory…?
He can’t help the small breath of air that leaves him, a voiceless laugh in its own way, at that catcphrase.]
That’s… it… [Nodding. It was one thing to hear that catchphrase when Pluto was an ally, but when he was on the other side of the battlefield, one had better be prepared to Run.]
no subject
And- oh? Sunny enjoyed Pluto's weirdness? Kel took mental note to take in some behaviors from him, for the sake of amusing his friend down the way. hopefully... he wasn't going to forget everything. Right?]
I can't wait for you to tell me... how awesome those stories are.
[They'll be gone but, hey. That only meant he and Sunny were going to have plenty to share at another moment, right?]
You never told me which character was your favorite in those comics, by the way.
no subject
Did… Kel forgetting all of this mean that Sunny would forget about everything in Neighbor’s Room? His own safety place… he had given up the physical space, so he should remember everything else, right? It was that sudden uncertainty that scared him - what if he forgot the way his friends played cards, or the snake that lingered and gave out Clams, or the Giant Yellow Cat…]
Ah… um… [At Kel’s words, however, Sunny’s ears heated. Maybe it was a bit embarrassing but… Kel might not remember this, so he should really tell him while he could, right?] S-Space… boy… [It was maybe a little stereotypical. They had all loved the captain’s tales among the stars but… Captain Spaceboy had a lot of qualities that Sunny wished he had. His bravery, his stoicism under pressure, his loyalty to his friends…]