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
no subject
B-but… Komaeda-senpai said that it was a possibility…
[And weren’t possibilities things that just didn’t happen yet? Dreams, hopes, mistakes?]
A-and then it did… and now they probably all hate me…
[Despite Kel’s comforting words, she couldn’t quite believe that no one hated her. Hanako-kun probably only put up with her cause she was his assistant… and everyone else didn’t have that excuse…]
no subject
[And people got hurt, too, so.... oh, dear, how many memories got lost?]
Why do you think so? Do you want to talk about it? Because if there's one thing I learnt is that people tend to forgive more easily than others may believe.
[He wasn't the best at comforting people but he was... trying?]
no subject
[Yashiro wiped at her eyes and willed herself to stop crying, nodding.]
It’s just… if I had gone with the Ferryman then none of this would have happened… they wouldn’t have gotten hurt protecting me…
[Others always got hurt protecting her… Hanako-kun, Kou-kun… and now those here too…
A Princess… that’s what Kel-kun had called her, what she was to the fish… and a Princess often stayed in her tower and waited for her Prince Charming to rescue her… there weren’t many stories where the Princess went out and saved herself…]
A Princess… I really am like one… I can’t even defend myself…
[Sorry Kel she’s sobbing again. Big wet tears streamed down her face once more. Maybe if she still had her curse they wouldn’t be pearls…]
I really am useless…
no subject
People who were behind, chose to stay behind. And it's important for us to also know what happens outside of the ferryman's protection, you know? It's... yours wasn't the worst choice.
[He would comment that princesses need to be saved by heroes in games but... it feels wrong.]
Princesses are princesses because they have a beautiful heart, even when they don't have an actual royal title... being able to fight scary monsters has nothing to do with it, you know?
And you're here, crying for others and worrying about them, if that's not a sign of a nice heart I don't know what it is.
[Did.. did he make thins worse? She was sobbing again.]
No one is useless, Yashiro. We just... we're all good at different things, it's a matter of finding our call one way or another.
no subject
[Yashrio focused on Kel’s words, pausing. They did make sense… and in a way he was right. Just cause she chose to not go with the Ferryman didn’t mean that the others based their actions on hers… ok maybe Hanako-kun did…]
Y-you think so? So… they won’t all hate me?
[She wiped at the tears again, this time there being breaks inbetween the streaks.]
Y-you don’t hate me?
no subject
People are more forgiving than you think. And, if there are problems, I'm sure we can talk them off, mh?
[Good kid. He offered a small smile.]
Of course not. I like you, Yashiro.
[And perhaps he meant it in the most platonic way possible but... he genuinely liked the people of the group.]
Sadly don’t have a blushing face saved yet
[Yashiro’s tears stopped falling as she stared at Kel, her expression getting brighter.]
Yeah… talking helps…
[After all it was the best way to handle overwhelming feelings… and Yashiro had a lot of those
mostly guilt currently… Speaking of feelings…It had taken her another moment before she realized just how close Kel was to her.]
Y-you do?
[She couldn’t stop herself from stuttering as a light blush formed on her face. Oh how the misunderstandings continue.]
It's okay, I feel it in my heart
Then, we just have to do it, right? Discussing, figuring things out, all that stuff- the important thing is not to break communications with others, to be honest with them, and things will be okay.
[Aw. How adorable. If only all his
forceful adoptionsfriendships wee so simple. He grinnef, winked in her direction to look as big brother as possible (because big brothers...did that stuff, right? He couldn't remember it, but Hero used to joke around him like that a lot, winking and acting like they were conspirating together despite discussing very basic things.Right- focus on keeping her self esteem up as much as possible!]
Of course! Why shouldn't I?
[Everyone would like a lively kid like her, right?]
Re: It's okay, I feel it in my heart
[Talking… that was a definite good thing! Her expression was looking closer to its natural self, minus the blushing if you were to ask others, with her eyes starting to sparkle.]
Yeah… behind honest is a good thing!
[And something Hanako-kun could stand to learn… This is why Yashiro fell hard for boys like Kel… they were honest, kind, supportive… the perfect Ikeman…
She had to stop herself from swooning when he winked at her— it wouldn’t do for her to pass out on him after all! But her blush did get a bit darker, and she fiddled with the hem of her dress. Being honest… right… she could do that…]
Kel-kun… I-… [Whatever else the girl was going to say was cut off when she suddenly sneezed, nearly falling face first into the water…
Once again she was glad she wasn’t going to grow scales if she did.]
no subject
Indeed. Communication and honesty are very important in a group. We can talk with the others together, if you fear their reaction, but I'm sure everything will be fine. And, hey, just because something didn't go well... it doesn't mean we can't work harder to make things better from now on, right?
Sometimes the path to better things is uphill, true, but that shouldn't discourage us.
[See? He could be a good
Herobrother too when he wanted to.And, since he felt he needed to deliver home that she was safe, things were going to be okay and all...]It's okay, Yashiro. [The sneeze got him by surprise, but he merely pulled her back and letting her rest between his arms- as long as she allowed him to keep her there.] Now. Bottling emotions up isn't good.
[He saw where it landed Basil and Sunny both.]
If you feel like crying, do so. I'll be here until you're feeling better, okay?
no subject
[Yashiro let herself settle comfortably into Kel’s arms, and gave a small nod. The smile was back on her face, although she could tell that the crying had made her tired…]
Ok… thanks Kel-kun…
[There would be time to tell him later. After all, it was best not to rush things…]
How did the Crossing go for you? It wasn’t painful was it?
[It wasn’t fair to allow him to pamper her and not give anything in return after all! If she could comfort him too… she’d like that.]
no subject
Don't mention it. And you can just call me Kel.
[He still doesn't get those weird 'extra' bits to names.]
Mh? oh, I think I was fine? I was more worried about two of the people here than myself and I can't remember what I've lost so... I'm fine. I appreciate your concern but I promise I'm always fine.
no subject
[He was already dropping honorifics! He must really like her then. It was only fair that if she was going to call him just by his first name then he should be allowed to as well right?]
So your friends… they made it through ok too?
[Something about that “always fine” didn’t sit well with her… after all, he was telling her it was ok to not be fine all the time and yet…]
Y-you can rely on me too! I-if you ever don’t feel fine…
[She tried to stop herself from getting flustered but she meant it. She would gladly offer him any kind of support just like he was doing for her.]
no subject
Oh- Nene is a lovely name!
[Nickname, maybe? Wasn't she named Yashiro? He didn't quite get it but hey, Nene felt like the name one would give to a cute little bunny or cat, it somehow fit a child like her. Right?]
Yeah. They're here and they're fine. I made sure to remember all I can about their lost memories and I'll share with them later, but... they're fine. I'm just glad almost everyone seems accounted for so far.
[He could push that away, yet he doesn't, merely nodding. He won't ask for help, but he wants to make sure people feel useful around him.]
Of course! I mean, I shouldn't feel 'not fine'... but I will put my trust in you if needed.
no subject
Y-you really think so?
[She fiddled with the hem of her dress]
I’m glad that your friends made it through safely…
[She didn’t know where those who were missing went… She hadn’t seen Soo Won for a bit either… Makoto too was missing… Did that mean Kel and Komaeda-senpai were next? It was like all the Ikemen were disappearing…]
no subject
Y-you really think so?
[She fiddled with the hem of her dress]
I’m glad that your friends made it through safely…
[She didn’t know where those who were missing went… She hadn’t seen Soo Won for a bit either… Makoto too was missing… Did that mean Kel and Komaeda-senpai were next? It was like all the Ikemen were disappearing…]
no subject
[Again, like a bunbun or a puppy or something, cementing the impression Kel had of Yashiro as 'baby sister'.
How cute. A child who... liked to be treated gently? Pampered a bit? By the way she was messing with the hems of her dress, he wondered if she didn't get much attention by her family back home and that only gave him more determination in being nice to her.]
I'm glad too. They're very important to me. but everyone here is, mh? We're a team and we'll all make it through this whole ordeal together.
[Even if some people went missing.... but Kel didn't want to address that.]