CROSSING PLANNING #2: A STORM BREWING

[thecrossingmods]

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It's Time to Cross...

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Here we go again! We've made it to our second Crossing event. The toll has come due, and it's time to choose.

The event log will go up a little earlier than planned, at 10AM ET on Saturday, April 19th. This is to give everyone plenty of time to thread out their Crossing trials before the next setting changeover.

THE BASICS

Some of you have been here before. You felt it once in the Cavern, and the same feelings begin to creep up on you again, here in the Desert: first a pull, seemingly on your soul itself, drawing you towards The River; then discomforts, irritations, and pain returning to your body in ways that you might not have noticed were gone before.

This time around, though, those aren't the only portents that something is coming. There have been storms across the Desert ever since you arrived here, largely dry lightning storms that are intense but short-lived. What appears to be brewing out on the Dunes now is different: it is a wide, ominous darkening of the sky, and it's approaching fast.

A STORM IS COMING

As before, The Ferryman sends a call out to everyone, instructing anyone who wishes to travel with them to gather at The Lantern, by the edge of The River. As before, the charge is to follow the flow of The River: for those traveling with The Ferryman, this means walking on The River itself; for those going it alone, this means crossing the Dunes.

At the same time, almost to the moment, the storm arrives in your corner of the Desert.

It's a powerful storm, complete with lightning, high winds, and heavy rain. The loose, sandy soil of the Desert isn't built to handle this much water at once, and flash floods sweep across the sands. The salt crust of The River begins to melt, and the mud beneath becomes even more treacherous as it soaks through with more water than it's used to handling.

As before, characters will be separated into two groups from this point forward, only able to communicate via their devices — though that may be difficult, with the weather. Fortunately, it seems the water, at least, can't ruin your devices: books won't soak through, and electronics won't short-circuit.

PAYING THE TOLL?

The Ferryman said they would guide you, and there are at least a few souls here who've made the journey once before. Are you ready to make it again? Or is this your first time giving up a piece of yourself?

Here are the IC parameters for the toll, as a refresher:

A toll to be levied for safe passage
from the desert to ǝɹǝɥʍǝsʅǝ

envision a place of comfort and safety
a haven from the wants and ills of life
be it for a moment or for a lifetime

offer it to The Ferryman
and let go

As before, we're leaving the interpretation of this largely open to player discretion. Here are the OOC guidelines:

• The offered memory must fit with the theme of the toll. In this case:
  • There must be a physical location associated with the memory, and
  • It must have generally positive emotions associated with it, like peace, safety, comfort, fun, etc.
  As before, you have flexibility beyond that! It could specifically be the memory of the location itself, or of an event that happened at that place, or anything else that makes sense to you. If you're unsure, just let us know! We're happy to workshop with you.
• The memory must be offered willingly. The Ferryman will not take anything beyond the exact cost of the toll. Characters might not fully appreciate the consequences of losing this memory, which is completely fine, but nothing "extra" or "unexpected" will be taken.
• This also means that The Ferryman will not take more than what's asked for. Characters can't wipe everything out at once; stay on topic!
• Remember to update the memory bank with whatever it is you've chosen. If you can do this in advance of the log going live, it's helpful for us, but not the end of the world if you need some more time to decide!

All wraiths will be repelled from anyone under The Ferryman's protection, no matter how far they might straggle behind, and no physical harm can come to them, from any source. You should probably still try not to fall too far behind, though... Because as before, there is a trial. Paying the toll ensures your protection, but it isn't a free pass from doing the work.

Characters journeying with The Ferryman will get periodic reprieves from the storm within the locations given up to the toll, including muted versions of the emotions associated with that location such as calm, comfort, joy, etc.

Don't get too comfortable, though — the group needs to keep moving, and the spots you stop in are just mirages. If you linger too long, the mud of the melting River might start to suck you down again.

As a reminder, the chosen memory is fully lost at the conclusion of The Crossing; in other words, characters will still recognize one of the places they visit during the trial.

... OR TAKING THE LONG WAY?

The rest of you will have to brave the elements... and the wraiths.

Refer back to our previous Crossing info post for more details on the wraiths during this time (which we will eventually get around to moving over into the FAQ...). As a refresher: The Crossing affects the wraiths' corporeality as much as it does the characters', and they become solid, monstrous, and very, very angry.

There's more to deal with this time around, too... As you might recall, the wraiths aren't the only creatures populating the Desert. While the wildlife does not become as single-mindedly aggressive as the wraiths do, they do become extremely agitated and panicked during the storm. And you know what they say about a cornered animal...

As before, characters traveling on their own will have the incessant pull of The Crossing to guide them, but they will not have the benefit of The Ferryman's guidance or protection.

Again, the scope of consequences here is largely up to player discretion, but a quick refresh of our OOC guidelines as guardrails:

• The longer a character has spent outside the protective bubble of The Lantern the more aggressive the wraiths will be during The Crossing.
• If a character has spent a fair amount of time outside The Lantern's bubble, some wraiths will have taken a particular liking to them; they would have followed them around for longer periods of time than other wraiths, and sought your character out again the next time they ventured beyond The Lantern's Light. These wraiths will be the most aggressive toward your character in particular during The Crossing.
• Characters traveling without The Ferryman's protection are susceptible to all types of physical harm during The Crossing, which will translate to memory loss when The Crossing is complete. You can see the FAQ for more detail on how this works, but in general losing memories this way is unwilling, uneven, and unpredictable. You are not constrained by the parameters of the toll in this case; this type of memory loss can be whatever you like.
• You can plot out how your character fares during The Crossing yourself, or if you'd prefer you can comment here & the mods will roll severity for you and give you a prompt to start with.
• As above, remember to update the memory bank with whatever losses you decide on!

INTRO & PLANNING

Lastly, we want to welcome our newest players from the most recent app round! They can use this post to introduce themselves -- and everyone can use it to start planning for the event! Here's a form to get you started, but feel free to tweak as necessary for your particular needs.

🕱 OOC INFO 🕱

NAME / PRONOUNS:
CONTACT:
ETC?:

🕱 IC INFO 🕱

CHARACTER NAME:
CANON & CANON POINT:
FIRST TOLL:

CROSSING HOW?:

CR WISHES:

CR OFFERS:

ETC?:

<span style="font:600 clamp(12px,3.5vw,20px)/1.25 Georgia, Garamond, sans-serif; font-variant:small-caps; text-shadow:0 1px 3px #1d1d1d3c;">🕱 OOC INFO 🕱</span> <blockquote style="border:none;"><b>NAME / PRONOUNS</b>: <b>CONTACT</b>: <b>ETC?</b>: </blockquote> <span style="font:600 clamp(12px,3.5vw,20px)/1.25 Georgia, Garamond, sans-serif; font-variant:small-caps; text-shadow:0 1px 3px #1d1d1d3c;">🕱 IC INFO 🕱</span> <blockquote style="border:none;"><b>CHARACTER NAME</b>: <b>CANON & CANON POINT</b>: <b>FIRST TOLL</b>: <b>CROSSING HOW?</b>: <b>CR WISHES</b>: <b>CR OFFERS</b>: <b>ETC?</b>: </blockquote>

c

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Comments

QUESTIONS?

[thecrossingmods]

answers!

Re: QUESTIONS?

[marblenest]

Hello wonderful Mods.
I have been cooking up a plot with Dankovsky for him to forego toll again to test icly if avoiding getting injured means you actually would get to avoid losing any memories. It sounds like he is going to have a hell of a time. I am so glad to put him in the pear wriggler once again.

My question is, you know, is it actually physically possible to avoid all injury? Or just statistically very very improbable?

I could roll a d100 and we could treat a 100 as the mad lad actually does it otherwise, we give him consequences, maybe closer to 1 means worse consequences??? I am down to move down plot/discuss or move to dms or whatever :|b

[protectorofkouka]

If the place of safety and comfort is tied to certain people they shared it with, would the memories of those people, and/or the memories they shared be affected as well?

I was considering having the memories from the place he gives up become muted after the crossing. He remembers them, but the comfort he felt back then is diminished since a part of that comfort was taken for the toll, otherwise the location alone wouldn't suffice for the toll. Would that be alright?

Re: QUESTIONS?

[solitarynote]

Hello, mods! I had a question in regards to Sunny’s toll.

The toll requires a physical space - my debate was if Sunny could give up a place in Headspace? Normally I feel like dreams wouldn’t be considered, but Sunny’s headspace is unique and a legitimate place of safety for him, but I figured I would check before placing in the toll information.

I can provide more details on the specific place I was considering if needed.

Thank you!

ROLL FOR MISHAPS

[thecrossingmods]

Is your character making a go at The Crossing on their own? Do you want them to get into trouble on the way, but want to throw a bit of randomness into the mix? Let us roll some trouble for you!

Give us any parameters you like (eg, if you want to keep the severity low-medium, or want to crank it high, or if you'd like one prompt or multiple ones), we'll roll some dice, and write you a prompt or two!

Re: ROLL FOR MISHAPS

[toilet_bound]

[Signing Hanako up for this, since - as much as I’d like to see him succeed in protecting Yashiro (his goal) and himself - I’m biased XD

Multiple prompts, if that’s alright? Severity low-medium to start. Thank you! <3]

Re: ROLL FOR MISHAPS

[callsignhornet]

Allynbee is going to do her best to protect the folks who are not going with the Ferryman. Medium severity, please, and multiple prompts can work (as I understand it, there are 4 or 5 people who are abstaining from the Ferryman's protection, so I don't expect it to be easy for Shep.)

Re: ROLL FOR MISHAPS

[daikonheroine]

[Signing Yashiro up for mishaps! Multiple prompts can work and low-medium severity please! Thank you for the fun and all the hard work. :) )

Swirl | Papyrus | Undertale

[spaghettimonster]

🕱 OOC INFO 🕱

NAME / PRONOUNS: Swirl - they/them
CONTACT: PM this account, ping me in the discord, or swirlingflight!
ETC?: I recently moved to working days... so sleepy. I'm generally down for backtagging, especially for getting first impressions established!

🕱 IC INFO 🕱

CHARACTER NAME: Papyrus THE GREAT SKELETON / Watson / Yamabuki / Anatomical Model / ???
CANON & CANON POINT: Undertale - post-pacifist slightly AU death (killed by the human as my take on the canonical possible ending with the scribbled out faces)
FIRST TOLL: All variants of his own name were neatly redacted from memory, including nicknames based on it! Other nicknames / titles have stuck around to some extent, though.

CROSSING HOW?: Traveling with the Ferryman this round at least, because as much as he enjoys challenging himself with random difficulties generally? Right now, he doesn't have an iota of magic to his name, he has reflexes that depend on having magic, and he doesn't yet have a good idea of what he's in for with this crossing thing. Better the memory of a moment in room than risking a lot more than that, just yet.

I think it'll be the time he and Sans made his 'battle body' (the outfit he's in for most of the game and promo material) for a costume party some time before the game takes place, working together in his bedroom. Secondhand emotions might include anticipatory excitement for showing off at a party, enthusiasm at a plan coming together, hints of surprise and the warm feeling of receiving help from someone he cares about - someone who can't always be bothered to do anything. And this comic isn't exactly my headcanon for how it was made, but I love the face journey.

I'm going to use it to dim some of the memories of his brother being supportive and the various ways he spent time surrounded with things that brought him happiness... >:)

This will make for a reasonably-sized room for sheltering in, relatively spacious for its size with how all the furnishings are up against the walls. Other things of note: an adult-sized racecar bed, action figures (some of them "sexy robots"), a bookcase covered in a mix of technical books about "puzzle construction" (requiring mechanical, electronic, and carpentry skills at the least) and children's books, an old PC tower and monitor and maybe a view out the window to an icy river in a snowy forest with stone instead of sky above, and a box of bones. Plus, can't forget the skull and crossbones flag, in case anyone can't guess whose room it is.

If the memory of place for respite extends past the room into the house a little, I can add summaries at that point, but the other key thing would be the door of his room featuring labels to the gist of: (NO GIRLS ALLOWED!), (NO BOYS ALLOWED!) and (PAPYRUS ALLOWED.)


CR WISHES: Additional nickname notions! None of the suggestions so far have felt like HIM, though he is at least recalling them.

Seeking people willing to attend a calisthenics group for the sake of exercise of body and mind, whether for actually working out, or hanging out to provide background music and/or encouragements! The skeleton's been appointed second-in-command of Hanako's 'radio taiso' idea, and given the fallout of therapy, the ongoing fallout of a few recent disappearances, and the impending crossing...? He figures it's TIME FOR EXERCISE.

CR OFFERS: Papyrus is a major source of comic relief in his canon and the extended materials about it, between his odd turns of phrase and thought, his boastful optimism, and general cartoon skeleton energy. It's a demeanor he consciously emphasizes and maintains, and can work hard at bringing to your characters!

...It's also at least somewhat a mask for an anxious skeleton preoccupied with feelings of loneliness and insecurity, who seeks to challenge himself in bizarre ways rather than fail in mundane ones. There's times the mask slips in Undertale, mostly when he's stressed and strained between multiple priorities - he only really mentions his worries when he's trying to get something out of someone, like friendship or help with a problem.

ETC?:

Mel | Nagito Komaeda | Danganronpa

[blindluck]

🕱 OOC INFO 🕱

NAME / PRONOUNS: Mel (she/her)
CONTACT: maiiau; PM
ETC?: Feel free to add me on plurk!

🕱 IC INFO 🕱

CHARACTER NAME: Nagito Komaeda
CANON & CANON POINT: Danganronpa, post-Danganronpa 3; slight AU where Nagito dies from his terminal illnesses
FIRST TOLL: Nagito has forgotten whether or not he died alone.

CROSSING HOW?: Ferryman route!

-Nagito will be giving up the last memory of being with his parents before the day of their death. This means if they want people can take a break in a large, expensively decorated tatami room. There's a big pile of books on the table that range from elementary level to adult level. The emotions the room gives off are calm, quiet, peaceful ones. It's not a memory of Nagito's parents interacting with him so much as it's a memory of them all being in one safe space together, so it's very lowkey.

-This Crossing shouldn't be as stressful for Nagito as the last one; he should be able to keep himself together. Of course, he's still very stressed out by Makoto's disappearance, but he knows Shepard showed up in the next location after being lost so that's what he's banking on here. Still, he will be keeping an eye out just in case Makoto suddenly pops up mid-Crossing or something, just in case.

-That said, he is obviously stressed out and distracted. But he probably won't walk by your character while they're sinking into the mud or something.

-He will be attempting to keep an eye on the Omori crew, particularly Sunny, albeit from a distance.

-Nagito may be giving Yashiro a Talking To before the Crossing starts, trying to impress upon her just what her going the non-Ferryman route would mean. It's heavy on the guilt trip. If this happens, you're free to have your character make note of it, since it's not like there are a lot of private places when we are all gathered together in a storm.

CR WISHES: Nagito does tend to gather negative CR; this is totally fine with me! If your character can put up with Nagito, or is even as weird as he is, then that's great. Having actual friends is good for him even if it can be difficult. Debate him about his weird opinions on hope. Question his calmness in the face of death and trauma and absurdity. Question his extreme lack of calmness in the face of his own issues. Persistent interest is important to Nagito, because he doesn't think he's worth that.

CR OFFERS: Nagito is good at dealing with weird people. He tends to act very calm in the face of 90% of terrible situations... Until he doesn't, though right now he should be relatively okay. This means he can offer some support for the others, though it may get mixed results. He'll try to keep everyone moving but a lot of the things he says aren't as comforting as he thinks they are.

ETC?:

[hasapoint]

Nagito should point out some of these books to Need.

[witnessvelama]

I need to catch up on things a little but in the wake of Makoto seemingly vanishing I think Celehar might give a more concerted effort at seconding the current efforts to nudge Nagito into being a little less hero worshipful of him

[hasapoint]

🕱 OOC INFO 🕱

Joys/she and her:
CONTACT: I'm Joysweeper on Plurk and Disco
ETC?: uhh... yesterday I dreamed about a video game that was hybrid visual novel investigation/2-d fighting game, starring a woman who'd signal a fight section was starting by getting mad enough to flex her jacket to shreds? I got nothing.

🕱 IC INFO 🕱

CHARACTER NAME: Need
CANON & CANON POINT: Heralds of Valdemar; post Storm Breaking.
FIRST TOLL: Her name in life, Lashan.
CROSSING HOW?: Team Ferryman. Need is giving up meeting Darkwind in the entrance of the gryphons' home.

the tl;dr is: odd house in old ruins and a hit of being Known and viscerally Loved

The location is within the ruins of a long-dead city, which is quiet and peaceful and a little eerie. A newer construction of ruin-stones, plants, and logs with a thatch roof is here, making a three-room house big enough for a family of bear-sized gryphons. It's kinda low on furniture, mostly there are some bookshelves and the floors of two of the rooms are minimum knee-high in long sweet grass roughly shaped into massive nests.

The emotion... so, Need-the-sword-ghost shares the senses and emotions of those around her, meaning when she's awake (as here) her memory of a scene includes the experience of whoever she was closely interacting with, in this case Darkwind. The base emotion is of vague unrest and detached, cynical interest on her part. On his, great strain and heartbreak, the weariness of running on empty and putting the self aside to the point of collapsing and having new complications now. But now the danger is passed. For Darkwind this is the home of his closest family, who are looking out for him. The weariness intensifies, but it's safe to collapse and draw a breath here.

Then, and I imagine this comes on more slowly, the much less tangible impression of holding something small and vulnerable / being grasped by something great and ancient, with the restraint of a mastiff very gingerly moving a newborn chick. Of looking into it / being looked into, peering into and knowing mind and memories. This is followed by cynicism dissolving into the ache of compassion / the sense of being loved, truly, deeply, despite everything. The grasp withdraws and is invited to return, and does so as an embrace, folding / being folded in brilliant wings and sheltered like a child. The weariness is eased and strength returns like a rising tide. The wings will furl back away before very long, even if you try to stay in that moment.

(Need's favor is not as intense as being Chosen by one of the other angels, which involves being inspected and tested and then on passing it's all overwhelming otherworldly love, a shock of joy close to pain, being freed and bound at the same time. People who are Chosen change and will do anything to keep that love. Contact with Need doesn't change people like that and at this extra remove it's not inherently world-rocking, you can manage to focus through and be skeptical of it or even just walk out)

CR WISHES: I wanna see someone get fucked up on love and acceptance. Whether that's a negative response to the sense of being known, rejecting being loved and protected, or the 'positive' response where it's devastating or they want to stay. Despite herself, Need might have to be prompted to leave this one.

CR OFFERS: Need's an experienced mentor who can be gruffly supportive, philosophical, or snipe back and forth, so she's open to anything in that vein. She may be old but she's also tall and muscular and quite physical. She likes to boast of an invulnerable heart, which is almost true! Thanks to being, well, an ancient angel herself she's very stable and capable but that doesn't mean she's not still (a form of) human.

ETC?:

CHARACTER NAME: Sakuya Shirogane le Bel
CANON & CANON POINT: Hatoful Boyfriend, post BBL but pre-epilogue
FIRST TOLL: Monsieur le Bel telling him those not of the pure bloodlines are worthless beings not to be interacted with lest they make him worthless as well.

CROSSING HOW?: Sakuya's new, unnerved when on the spot the only thing he can think of to give up is too important to him, and has a tendency to disregard the odds - he's gonna try to go it alone. After all, unlike you peasants he can just fly! I want that to work for long enough that he gets really smug or incredulous, tempting fate until he has to land to rest/wind slams him/a flying wraith appears or just one of the regular Desert birds goes for him. Whups.
CR WISHES: Please see him eat shit. And then someone help him out? He's huge for a bird, about thirty pounds and waist-tall if he stretches, but that's not uncarry-able. Bail him out and he'll be grateful, and if things really go well could direct you from the air?

Also I want this to undo the red ribbon/bird ascot he wears around his neck and does he know how to tie a tie? of course not. I wanna make him ask someone, with painful reluctance.
CR OFFERS: Sakuya's gonna garner some negative CR. Well and good, it's a wonder there are people in canon who like him at all! But he does also have good qualities and loyalty is among them.

ETC?: he don't like salty liquorice

[blindluck]

Nagito would definitely have Some Sort Of Reaction to the feeling of being loved and accepted! Some combination of being absolutely desperate for it and rejecting it because it's impossible for someone to feel this way for him, surely.

[protectorofkouka]

I'm so intrigued by Need's safe place! Experiencing a place through the emotions of others is such a neat concept and Soo Won is already drawn in by the idea of a kalyke. The weariness of running on empty and putting the self aside to the point of collapsing followed by the sense of being loved and accepted that Soo Won sacrificed for the good of his kingdom will hit Soo Won hard.

[witnessvelama]

Look, after Celehar was like 'I don't see what the big deal is,' of course he needs to be wrecked by the feeling of being cared for

Also he's going to have no clue how to react to Sakuya and I can only imagine it turning into chaos

Nicholaj | Soo Won | Akatsuki no Yona

[protectorofkouka]

🕱 OOC INFO 🕱

NAME / PRONOUNS: Nicholaj (she/her)
CONTACT: Nicholaj, Discord@25thNicholaj, or PM, feel free to add me on both!
ETC?: PST, I'm a tired snail and my tagging tends to be a bit inconsistent orz

🕱 IC INFO 🕱

CHARACTER NAME: Soo Won
CANON & CANON POINT: Chapter 249, with a slight AU for his death
FIRST TOLL: the memory of when he, Hak and Yona first met

CROSSING HOW?: Soo Won will be crossing with the Ferryman again. He wants to know more before attempting a crossing on his own since the memories of his past are precious to him.

I think I will mostly be tagging around this time since Soo Won will have an easier time paying the toll this time. The safe place he will be sacrificing is in the past already. Hiiryuu Castle hasn't brought him the same comfort since he drove Hak and Yona from the palace. The special place it was during their childhood is already gone, as long as Soo Won can keep those precious times with Hak and Yona he can accept losing his memories of Hiiryuu Castle. Little does he know his memories of Hak and Yona during that time will be muted after the crossing as part of his toll since they are the reason the castle was a comforting place. It will also be fun to see if he can keep up his facade as a merchant when his safe place is a castle lol.

CR WISHES: Everything! Unexpected CR can be so fun so I try not to put many limitations on CR. Soo Won loves people. He's friendly and curious with an open mind so it's easy for him to get along with most people. Smugglers, information brokers, rich or poor, he doesn't judge and treats everyone fairly. It is hard for him to truly hate someone although he dislikes those who take advantage of others' kindness or use people's lives as mere tools. As king he knows violence is necessary sometimes and excessive violence can be useful in deterring your enemies from retaliating but Soo Won tries to avoid that strategy and he's less understanding of meaningless violence or cruelty. So negative CR is possible but difficult with him.

Soo Won is a lovable martyr who has put his kingdom before his own happiness almost all his life, even when he was still a child. He deserves to be happy and I hope he can find some happiness here before his journey ends. It will be a uphill battle though. He has never prioritized his own happiness and he has a lot of unresolved feelings that he buried so he could be a good king. Some of those walls have started to crack since the first crossing but he being stubborn and ignoring it, instead focusing on this fascinating setting and uncovering its secrets. Soo Won has a particular interest in the wraiths.

CR OFFERS: Soo Won is a skilled strategist and a good listener. As king, he preferred to be a guide for his people rather than have them follow him blindly, and he would frequently go undercover as the humble merchant Won, instead of using his title to take control. He's good at offering gentle encouragement and guiding others to their full potential. Despite his love for people he can be quite cold and the morally grey character when he needs to be. He even murdered his kind uncle because it was necessary to save his crumbling kingdom from the king's weak rule so there is little he won't do if he deems it necessary.

ETC?: I have a trip to Finland next month so I will be going on hiatus and Soo Won will be disappearing for a bit. If there is anything you would like to do with him beforehand just let me know. I'm open to any ideas!

Re: Nicholaj | Soo Won | Akatsuki no Yona

[solitarynote]

Sunny, seeing the castle, totally misunderstanding: Merchants live in giant houses (or “and my friends thought my house was cool”)

Seriously though, enjoy your trip and will gladly get up to any and all shenanigans with Soo Won ^^

Hope | Sunny&Hanako | OMORI&TBHK (respectively)

[solitarynote]

🕱 OOC INFO 🕱

NAME / PRONOUNS: Hope (she/her)
CONTACT: Either journals or HopeOnWings on Plurk (I’m in the Crossing fan discord server the lovely Frieda-mun set up, so feel free to hit me there too!)
ETC?: EST time period, though insomnia and my weird lack of work at work means tags can come from nowhere. Be prepared XD

🕱 IC INFO 🕱

CHARACTER NAME: Sunny!
CANON & CANON POINT: OMORI, post a certain Day 3 RL fight. Specifics below:

Day 3 Omori Spoilers Below

Post-fight with Basil, Day 3. Post-the Truth, pre-Memory Lane (Death by shears)

FIRST TOLL: The smell of Mari’s cooking :(

CROSSING HOW?: With the Ferryman! (Will he ever do it any other way? It would take a lot to convince him!)

- For his toll, Sunny will be giving up “Neighbor’s Room”

(Specifics here)

It’s the Headspace counterpart of the Treehouse in Faraway Town, and acts as the neutral point where Omori meets up with his friends to go on adventures. It’s a place where enemies cannot reach, where his friends play cards and there are nods to important items (such as a remembrance picture or other items seen in the Treehouse).

Since Sunny practically spent the past four years in his dreams, Neighbor’s Room is a safe spot for him (even if it’s “Omori” in his dreams, Sunny is still in control).

Giving up Neighbor’s Room as his toll would cause the room between White Space and the rest of Headspace to become devoid of color and comfort, an equally neutral and bland space, compared to the bright, cheerful, and safe spot it is currently.

- This will be everyone’s first look into Sunny’s pre-Crossing dreams! Color saturation warning, it’s not normal (also, there’s a Giant Cat that just watches them. Totally normal)

- This is an extremely safe place for Sunny. No enemies can reach here, and there are even little activities for people to take part in (like a game of cards!). The overall air of the room exhibits a childhood nostalgia and carefree nature.

- Sunny hasn’t been completely convinced that this hasn’t all been a dream yet and, even though he knows that he is giving up Neighbor’s Room for the toll, people might have to convince him to actually leave

CR WISHES: CR has been wonderful so far T.T Sunny is skittish and doesn’t talk much (going with the head canon of selectively mute), but I’d really like to build on his current CR and branch out for new, especially if you can get him to trust you on at least a surface level!

CR OFFERS: Good thing I’m writing this and not Sunny? ^^; If you want a good listener and rather perceptive teen who randomly panics over a multitude of different fears, feel free! (Sunny is a walking trigger, so he does have an opt-out/content warning on his journal. Omori isn’t a problem and not appearing for now?).

ETC?:

🕱 IC INFO 🕱

CHARACTER NAME: Hanako (formerly, Amane Yugi)
CANON & CANON POINT: Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, Volume 3 Chapter 64

More details below

Technically AUing a death point from the manga. While exploring No.6’s boundary in search of Yashiro’s friend, he (and Yashiro) falls into what is described as the Boundary’s “waste bin” - a space that links to the Far Shore (and the living who make it this far usually die at that point). Since Hanako was already dead, it wouldn’t be a problem and the manga would continue on as usual… expect instead he ends up in the Crossing! He really doesn’t remember said tunnel of bugs and death though, so he can’t tell you exactly *how* he died. Whoops~

FIRST TOLL: How exactly did he die? Oops~

CROSSING HOW?: Unless something drastic happens (Yashiro goes with the Ferryman, leaving it up to Yashiro-mun), Hanako will be Going It Alone

- As much as I’d like for Hanako to succeed, he really does need to be taken down a few pegs (at least), so I’ll be signing him up for the ‘Roll for Mishaps’ We will see how this goes!

- Yashiro’s safety comes before everyone else’s (including his own). This is especially so during the Crossing. He’s been (maybe subtly, maybe not) trying to influence people into protecting Yashiro, even if they don’t agree with him, so we will see if his gambits paid off!

- If Yashiro does choose Ferryman, Hanako would give up a memory, of which I do have that planned ^^

- Otherwise, uh… probably Hanako during this entire Crossing: “Aww, don’t be scared! It’s just a bit of water~” - torrential downpours, thunder, lightening, and the Animals

CR WISHES: EVERYTHING. Seriously, Hanako is such a weirdly diverse character that, even if normally I would stay away from negative CR, I’m totally fine with him accruing it! For as much as he jokes, he’s really just a sensitive and bashful thirteen year old who has been Dead for Too Long and has Trauma, so I’d love for you all to crack that case XD

CR OFFERS: Someone to egg you on? Someone to provide amusement? Someone to let your character scream/cry about their circumstances or to help them process? Come see him!

ETC?:

[blindluck]

If Sunny is having trouble leaving, Nagito will definitely try to get him going again.

[urtitan]

🕱 OOC INFO 🕱

NAME / PRONOUNS: Schmittchen (or just Schmitt) / ♀
CONTACT: This journal or schmoechen/schmoechen_defunct on Discord (or @ me in the Crossing Discord server!)
ETC?: We made it to the 2nd Crossing! I'll miss the desert, honestly...

🕱 IC INFO 🕱

CHARACTER NAME: Frieda Reiss
CANON & CANON POINT: Attack on Titan / After her canon (offscreen) death in Episode 1
FIRST TOLL: All memories of her younger half-sister Historia

CROSSING HOW?: This time, Frieda didn't participate in the pre-Crossing conversations, merely observing the others' discussions because I crashed out... but after some ruminations, she resolved to once more go with the Ferryman.

I'm still deciding on a safe space she'll give up! Since her canon appearances focus on either her family's secret titan crystal cave (which had more of a ceremonial than comforting air to it) or the farm where Historia lived (which she can't remember anymore, or at least doesn't have any emotional associations to), I'll rely on headcanon for this one. It'll probably come down to either the Reiss family's estate (she's shown to enjoy walking through the fields) or their home library (since she took a lot of joy in teaching Historia to read, it can arguably be extrapolated that she liked reading to/with her other younger siblings too)!

CR WISHES / CR OFFERS: Unlike the 1st Crossing, which was monumental for Frieda, this one should be relatively peaceful on her end... but maybe she can bond with her fellow souls over their sentiments regarding their homes and families! Overall, with some fellow souls having gotten lost (be it permanently or temporarily) and new ones having joined the party, Frieda will attempt to put her personal feelings aside and focus on keeping everyone together, focused, functional, and, if not hopeful, at least not too despondent!

ETC?:


(Source)

[protectorofkouka]

A relatively peaceful crossing sounds nice after the last one. I meant to have Soo Won follow up with Frieda afterward but I also crashed this month orz. Would you be interested in a quieter crossing in Frieda's safe place? Soo Won enjoyed the gardens in Hiryuu castle and he has expressed some interest in reading to a few people in the group lately so both options sound good.

[callsignhornet]

🕱 OOC INFO 🕱

NAME / PRONOUNS: Neon (they/she)
CONTACT: pm, NeonSaline on discord or NeonEternity on Plurk
ETC?: I love everyone in this Chili’s

🕱 IC INFO 🕱

CHARACTER NAME: Allynbee ‘Lyn’ Shepard
CANON & CANON POINT:Mass Effect, post ME3 Sythesis ending.
FIRST TOLL: Allynbee cannot remember how her second death happened, only that she is indeed dead.

CROSSING HOW?: Allynbee WILL NOT be going with the Ferryman. She feels her presence is best used to protect people who are abstaining from going with their mysterious protector.

CR WISHES: Now that she’s settling in and simply being Commander Shepard is not proving to be enough to solve problems - She’s going to need a friend or two to lean on, that she doesn’t have to be so wrapped up around. Also I really want her to reach the edge of her patience with someone and maybe snap/have a breakdown, y’know as a treat.

CR OFFERS: Allynbee is a good shoulder to cry on and naturally wants to keep people safe and protected. Also if you want to bump heads by endangering other people by action or manipulation, she’s definitely a good foil for that kind of thing.

ETC?: Y’all are great

[blindluck]

Nagito is definitely the kind of person who inspires snapping and breakdowns, though he is trying to be good. But that doesn't guarantee anything given what his standards are

[knockingatthedoor]

🕱 OOC INFO 🕱

NAME / PRONOUNS: Fey / They Them
CONTACT: Over discord with _erichthonios_
ETC?: Italian, working healthcare, some times I'm a bit dead dead. Ovearll chilling in the discord and all.

🕱 IC INFO 🕱

CHARACTER NAME: Kel (Kelsey)
CANON & CANON POINT: OMORI - Post Oyasumi ending (Death caused by 'falling with Sunny'.)
FIRST TOLL: He lost memories of his sister Sally.

CROSSING HOW?: With the Ferryman. He lost a big chunk of memories from messing up last round and he's feeling more lonely than he should without knowing why + Mari and Sunny made him realize he should REALLY remember this Hero person. Kel may be afraid of losing big important things without having control over it at the moment...

CR WISHES:

ANYTHING. He's currently fussing over both Mari AND Sunny, feeling increasing guilt toward them and actively blaming himself for Sunny's death, so literally any CR that can have him focus on other stuff is more than welcome.

He seems to like most people around and he's trying to be as friendly as possible BUT I'd love some negative crs. Mister forced positivity could use some people calling him out or some people to fight with.

I'd also love people he can talk to. So far he has been open only with Frieda, at least a bit, and that was wonderful.

CR OFFERS:
Local friendly guy. As long as you're not hurting his two special people you're having someone who will offer full support and try to put you up. I still offer all kind of crs, also keep in mind he's a teen (a relatively normal one) so you can expect him to do stupid teen stuff too if wanted.

He's also preparing every time the post crossing meetings, sooo... yeah, if you want to join the efforts feel free to let me know. This time we'll have some equivalent of a 'relationship box', inspired by Nagito and by how The Local Gays are squinting in his and his Hope's weird 'relationship status'. He does welcome all ideas!

ETC?: He's perfectly, perfectly fine.

[spaghettimonster]

Hey Kel, looking for other things to focus on, huh?

Want to get deputized into Radioless Taiso as another of the more energetic people looking for Activity as Distraction???

Thara Celehar | Chronicles of Osreth

[witnessvelama]

🕱 OOC INFO 🕱

NAME / PRONOUNS: Ptero, they/she
CONTACT: DM is fine! Or discord
ETC?: no memes this time I fear to go in fandom spaces after the latest book lol.

🕱 IC INFO 🕱

CHARACTER NAME: Thara Celehar
CANON & CANON POINT: Chronicles of Osreth: he's from halfway through the Grief of Stones!
FIRST TOLL: The true name of his god.

CROSSING HOW?: He's going with the Ferryman, of course! Celehar's crossing toll is going to be a corn maze :D well, there isn't any actual corn growing in it in the memory, but it used to be one! Everyone have fun walking the path there.

It's a place he sought out to find some peace after he dealt with a pretty harrowing overnight stay on a place called the Hill of Werewolves that was full of ghosts of an ancient battle. He went there to find equilibrium, and afterward he got fed by a bunch of gregarious farmer monks. So it's a relatively small memory for him, but he's learned his lesson after the first crossing.

CR WISHES: I want to get him talking a bit more about his life! He hasn't actually started processing that yet, and just thinking about the friends he left behind.

CR OFFERS: As suspicion builds about their circumstances and the Ferryman, Celehar's not likely to waver. He's got a particular perspective on their circumstances, influenced by his own impression of how the Gods work, and the god of death in particular. I wouldn't mind giving him a bit more chances to get into that! Especially if anyone needs an excuse to get someone in on paying the toll.

It is probably going to continue to cause him to butt heads with folks, but he's willing to keep engaging people despite a disagreement, if only because he insists due to a genuine concern for everyone.

ETC?:

[hasapoint]

need really has to find a way to ask about "per-ennial" without getting derailed by talk of murdered girls

[daikonheroine]

🕱 OOC INFO 🕱

NAME / PRONOUNS: Emily (she/her)
CONTACT:Either on Discord or Plurk as EmiriSuika or PM this journal
ETC?: Let's all have fun!

🕱 IC INFO 🕱

CHARACTER NAME: Nene Yashiro
CANON & CANON POINT: Toilet Bound Hanako-kun, Anime: Season 2, Episode 2
FIRST TOLL: How she died.

CROSSING HOW?: Despite everyone's best attempts (besides Hanako-kun that is) to persuade her to go with the Ferryman, Yashiro is attempting to cross without paying the toll. (Other than that... waiting on RNG from Mods to see how this goes. :) )

CR WISHES: Let's have a ton of fun! Yashiro is more of a silly character so the things she often does and or says are much more comical based.

CR OFFERS: Yashiro will gladly try her best to protect those she cares about despite being a regular human without any special skills. She's also the stereotypical girl in love and younger sister type.

ETC?:

[perfecttune]

🕱 OOC INFO 🕱

NAME / PRONOUNS: Emily (she/her)
CONTACT: Either on Discord or Plurk as EmiriSuika or you can PM this journal
ETC?: So excited to play with everyone! Let's get this trauma train rolling shall we?

🕱 IC INFO 🕱

CHARACTER NAME: Mari
CANON & CANON POINT: Omori, after in canon death
FIRST TOLL: Memory of the recital

CROSSING HOW?: Mari is going to be crossing with the Ferryman and giving up a memory. In terms of things, its either going to be the memory of them building the treehouse (in which case I guess would be the backyard space?) or the actual treehouse itself (need to confer with mods first).

CR WISHES: Looking forward to building new relationships and advancing existing ones.

CR OFFERS: While it's clear that everyone- including Mari- has their own trauma they are going through, she is still a Big Sister to the core. Despite the fact that internally she will be struggling with certain things, she's definitely going to be more concerned with making sure the rest of the party is ok and get through this- then go freak out in a corner when she's alone.
ETC?: Let's all have fun!