FAQ

[thecrossingmods]

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FAQ

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THE BASICS

How dead are we, really?
Really, really, really dead. We want to be very clear up front that there's no bait-and-switch hiding in the metaplot somewhere: all characters are really, for real, actually dead.

So what does that mean for my character? Do they have a body?
Sort of! They sure feel like they do, anyway... at least to start. ICly, characters exist as manifested souls, and that manifestation is anchored heavily on their experiences during life, as well has their expectations of how the world "should" work. This means that some fuzzy dream/death logic applies: they can breathe/eat/drink/sleep/etc but obviously don't need to anymore, they feel like their body is solid but (with some notable exceptions, see below) they can't actually be injured, etc.

Of course, as they start to lose memories, that status quo may change...

Is there a metaplot?
There sure is! The journey is, unfortunately for the characters (but fortunately for the players!) not as straightforward as it seems. Characters can work together to discover what's going on behind the scenes — and then decide what, if anything, to do about it. Given the plot framework the mods have established, the game is projected to last ~2 years.

What are the activity requirements?
We require 15 comments across 2-3 threads for AC. Given the personalized nature of the game, we do not employ a strike system; if you fail to meet AC, and did not proactively communicate with the mods beforehand, your character will be swept from the game. Idling also means that you will not be allowed to apply again for two app cycles.

Is there a network?
Kind of! Characters are already connected by virtue of being malleable souls all in the same malleable place, but (as mentioned above) the anchoring of their previous lives and experiences prevents them from fully and freely tapping in to that connection. Instead, it must be channeled through some kind of familiar object, be it a phone, a notebook, a PDA, etc.

Characters will receive this object, whatever it may be (that's up to you!), from The Ferryman. You may assume either that this was a direct gift, or something left for them to find, whichever you prefer!

As of now, this loose "network" supports written communication only. As time goes on, and characters start to figure the world out, this may change.

APPLICATIONS

What kind of characters can be applied for?
Any character from any kind of published media is acceptable, excluding historical figures and fandom OCs. We do not have an official waiting period for applying characters from recently published canons, but we ask that you please be respectful of your fellow players and warn for spoilers where applicable.

Original characters from their own universes as well as TTRPG settings are also acceptable. Malleable protagonists fall under this category as well; we ask that you include detail about your iteration's decisions & outcomes in your application.

In cases where versions of a malleable protagonist may have significantly different & distinct backstories (eg, Wardens with different origins, Tav vs The Dark Urge), we will accept one version of the character.

We do not allow CRAUs at this time.

How many characters can I apply for?
Each player may apply for up to 2 characters. However, you may only app one character per app cycle. Depending on the size of the game, we may allow players to purchase a third character slot with AC rewards in the future.

Are there any limitations on who can app?
One of the goals of the game is to personalize settings and events for player characters as much as possible, so we will be starting with a player cap of 35 and a cast cap of 7. We do not require invitations at this time; anyone may reserve and apply. Once the mods get a feel for the game's workload, these caps may change.

What if my character is still alive in canon?
That's okay! You can either lightly AU them to take advantage of a canon close-call (eg, a character who canonically was brought back from the brink of death, but never actually died), cook up something yourself, or handwave it entirely (eg, a character may not remember precisely what happened to them). Just keep in mind that here, they are really, very, actually dead.

What happens to my character's inventory?
You can't take it with you, darling. Characters have no inventory to speak of.

What about powers?
You don't even have a body! What do you mean powers? All characters are fully nerfed on arrival.

Is there any way to get powers and/or inventory items back?
👻

What about canon updates?
THERE IS NO MECHANISM FOR CANON UPDATES. Characters' previous lives are over; there is no going back. Be thoughtful about your choice of canonpoint, because you will not be able to change it.

ARRIVAL

How will my character arrive?
The details of arrival will differ depending on the current setting. These will be outlined on the TDM for that cycle, but you will be able to find them on the current setting page as well, in case you need a refresher.

As with the setting, though, some things will stay consistent! Characters will always begin in The River (though The River itself may take different forms), and will need to get themselves out of it (either on their own, with the help of other characters, or the help of The Ferryman). They will also always be missing a memory of some kind, which we've OOCly dubbed their "First Toll".

Does my character know a memory has been taken from them?
How would they? They can't remember it, after all. Depending on what was taken, they might have to do some detective work to figure it out. (Maybe a once-familiar smell doesn't do anything for them anymore, or a canonmate remembers something they don't.)

My character's canon already has an afterlife. Why are they here instead of there?
Seems weird, huh? Your character never made it to their world's afterlife; they came straight here. The Ferryman might know more.

SETTING

What is the setting?
Well, that's a complicated question, because the setting is always changing! For detailed info on our current setting, see here.

Once every three months, there is an event called The Crossing, after which the main setting of the game changes over to something new. What it changes to depends on a few factors, including: a) setups the mods already have set aside to draw from, b) the characters in the game and the kinds of memories they give up and/or lose, and c) any ideas players might want to bring to the table as well.

That said, there are a few things that will always be present regardless of the setting type:

• The River, where characters emerge from when they arrive (see the ARRIVAL section below), which may or may not manifest as a literal river. The River will almost always be the most prominent landmark in any given setting.


• The Ferryman, who will hold vigil at some point on the banks of The River until the next Crossing, and who also seems to get a whole lot of stuff done despite apparently never moving? Who knows with them, honestly.


• The Ferryman's Lantern, whose light defines a neutral zone for characters to reside until the next Crossing, and creates a boundary preventing wraiths from entering.


• Wraiths, creatures who linger on the other side of the boundary created by The Lantern, hungry for something, though it's hard to say what. They're only dangerous during The Crossing, but it's probably for the best not to let them get your scent before that...

What is The Crossing?
Characters are on a journey from their lives Before, to whatever comes Next. The Crossing is a transitional period on that journey, wherein characters move from one stage to another. It can be a volatile and dangerous period, and characters have two options for how to navigate it:

• Accept The Ferryman's offer to let them guide them through The Crossing. The Ferryman asks a toll to do so, and there is a trial associated with the journey, but characters are guaranteed that the only memory they will lose is the one they give up for the toll, and nothing else.


• Reject The Ferryman's offer, and try to make the journey themselves. They might get out scot free, or they could run into trouble, and lose even more of themselves in the process.

Who is The Ferryman?
The Ferryman is a guide, clearly a supernatural being of some kind, though characters don't know much beyond that. They're happy to chat, though, if your character would like to know more.

Importantly, The Ferryman never takes anything that isn't freely given. While the price of the toll is set, characters get to choose if and how they pay it, and payment is only due at the time of The Crossing. If a character initially agrees to the toll but later decides they want to back out, The Ferryman will not force them to pay anyway.

Wait, but what about the first memory that was taken? My character didn't agree to that.
Ah, you're so right! How strange! The Ferryman might have something to say about that.

Can my character be killed?
No, silly! They're already dead. 👻

Then what's the big deal with attempting The Crossing without a guide?
The Crossing is an event (characters moving forward on their journey to what's Next), but it's also a state. Whatever this place is, it goes into flux during The Crossing, which is what allows souls to move from one place to the next.

The boundaries between Before, After, Here, There, Next — whatever they are, they start to blur together. It's what some supernaturally-minded humans might call a "thinning of the veil." It affects characters, too; The Crossing is the closest to fully corporeal they've come since, y'know, dying.

This also means that they can be injured, and for them, injury means much more than some superficial damage. Damage sustained during The Crossing is damage to a character's soul, and will cause them to lose memories in a much less controlled way than if they had given something up to The Ferryman.

During The Crossing, the wraiths that follow along in the shadows can now get their claws in — literally. And it isn't just the wraiths; any injury sustained during The Crossing will result in memory loss, whether that injury was a result of a wraith attack, a tumble down a hill, or a fight with another player character.

What happens when a character drops?
Souls get lost along the way all the time. That's alright; it's The Ferryman's job to find them and put them back on course. Time around here doesn't work quite the same way as you might be used to, though, so it might be a while before you see them again...

The Ferryman could probably tell you more, if your character would be inclined to ask.

What about hiatuses?
While on hiatus, characters can either be set to autopilot, or you may have them similarly get lost & be retrieved by The Ferryman at the end of your hiatus. For more information on the latter type of hiatus, see our hiatus & drops page.

MEMORIES

How do characters lose memories?
There are currently three ways to forfeit a memory: being taken as a character's First Toll, being offered up the The Ferryman during a Crossing event, or being lost involuntarily if a character is injured trying to perform The Crossing on their own.

What kind of Crossing tolls will there be?
They vary, and the type of toll will always be tied to the event itself. Some will be positive, some will be negative, some will be minor, some will be foundational! We will announce the type of toll during the pre-event planning for each Crossing event, so that players have plenty of time to think it over. If you have trouble coming up with a memory to match the toll, just let us know and we'll be happy to brainstorm with you!

What kind of memories will my character lose if they're injured during The Crossing?
That's up to you! Generally speaking, though: the more severe the injury, the more severe the loss. Think of it as damage being done to your character's self — the wound might be superficial, or it might be a single deep puncture, or it might be a jagged tear. They might lose one important memory, or irregular pieces of many incidental memories. Get creative with it!

Mods will also be available during The Crossing events to RNG a severity level for you as a jumping off point, if you would like.

So, it's possible to get through The Crossing without losing any memories?
It is indeed. Difficult, definitely, but possible. However, characters who do may find that the wraiths become even more aggressive toward them on future Crossings.

Does losing memories affect the way characters' souls manifest in the game?
It can! We can't say exactly how this early on (that's for you to find out!), but with time characters may find that as they give up memories, they gain a better understanding of the setting's malleability, and how to use that to their advantage. Stay tuned for more info. 🤫

Is there a way to regain memories?
Currently, characters do not know of a way to get their memories back. Who says it's not possible, though? Hmm.

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FULL NAVIGATION

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Comments

[quoththepoe]

Just checking since they don't have a body anymore, is it okay if they didn't have one beforehand too? Like an AI who never had one but did experience a 'death' of a kind.

[thecrossingmods]

Hello!

Yes, this is completely fine! If you think not having a body previously would cause them to interact with the setting differently as well (ie, not being as "anchored" the way other characters might be), we're happy to let you get creative there too.

[love_and_peace]

Hello! I'm here with the injuries-and-accessories question!

If they don't really have bodies, per se, then are all their injuries healed? Or do they show up with their wounds healed but their scars and past injuries still present? Do they keep their scars, if that's how they picture themselves?

And, for characters like this guy here with his artificial arm, what about characters with after market parts?

[thecrossingmods]

Hiya! Great questions, thanks for asking!

For older injuries/existing scars, a lot of this comes down to how characters see themselves, and how they expect themselves to appear. So any previous scars they're used to having and/or feel closely tied to their image of themselves will still appear. If, however, they end up relinquishing a memory of the injury, such that they wouldn't expect to have it at all... that would change how they present as well!

For any major injuries they might have had when they died, a lot of it is up to you! The only stipulations on our end are that a) they feel physically fine upon arrival, and b) however the injury presents aligns with the above re: their expectations and/or image of themselves. So maybe, since they know they were injured but feel fine now, they'd expect to see a scar — and ah, yep, there it is. Or maybe they're having trouble reconciling what happened to them and can't imagine themselves with an injury that severe, so they just... don't! We want to give players room to be creative with this sort of malleability, so feel free to play around with it.

The same logic applies for prosthetic limbs/artificial augmentations/etc, with the stipulation that the effect is more or less aesthetic only. The prosthetic might look and feel the same as they expect it to, but any functionality beyond that of an ordinary limb wouldn't work properly out of the box, so to speak.

[fefellocaelum]

hello! a bit of a silly question about powers--

so amaya's heart was basically literally ensnared by the dragon of her world as revenge for amaya turning on it, and i'm excited to play her powerless! but one of the other things the dragon did was seal off amaya's ability to feel positive emotions--would that still be in effect here, or will she finally have access to the full spectrum of feelings here?

[thecrossingmods]

Hi there! Not silly at all, this is an interesting case!

Going strictly by mechanics and rules of the world, we do think that the seal would be removed, and Amaya would again have access to her positive emotions. However, given that doing so sounds like a pretty major factor for her characterization, we're inclined to leave how you want to implement that to your discretion!

Maybe the "expectation" clause takes priority here and causes her positive emotions to feel dulled rather than nonexistent (because that's more what she's used to), maybe it's a gradual process and the positive emotions get stronger over time, or maybe it's like a floodgate of all the new/returned emotions hitting at once. We want to give you leeway to play with whatever would be the most fun/interesting for you!

We hope that helps. Let us know if we can refine anything for you, or help you brainstorm!

[necromants]

Hey mods! I have a fairly specific question here - Zvei's body contains tentacles that he can draw from his back. These are a part of his body and not a power or ability, just simply a part of him. He would expect to have them be present, but would they be? Since he can't really do much with them outside of use them as extra hands, they wouldn't really offer him any benefit, but I understand if you'd prefer to remove them entirely!

[thecrossingmods]

Hiya!

Yes, as long as they're part of his body and only act as extra appendages, it's completely fine for him to keep them! It's only special powers/abilities/weapons that are nerfed.

[curiouscrafter]

Hiya, checking over the FAQ and the TDM and noting a question for test drivers like myself.

I was planning to voice test Odile here as well as Papyrus, and both are from time loop games with somewhat varying paths available - I hadn't decided on a timeline yet.

Given the TDM is canon and characters are dead, no for real, they're realsies dead, no takebacks, do we need to have already settled on a single specific canonpoint to work with when we tag into the TDM? Should I figure that out before tagging in, or is TDM's canonicity a little more flexible, being pre-application?

[thecrossingmods]

Hi there!

Some flexibility in the TDM is for sure okay; we understand that a lot of players will still be mulling things over before they apply, so we don't mind a little bit of retconning if necessary after you app in.

That said, if the canon points you're considering would significantly affect how you tag in the TDM, such that your threads would be too difficult to retcon if you changed your mind and would need to be thrown out entirely, we'd recommend narrowing it down a bit more. The TDM is meant to act as essentially an intro log for new characters, and we'd hate for you to miss out on that foundation! But doing so wouldn't negatively affect an application, or anything like that.

[blindluck]

How do languages work in this game? Are characters hearing their own native languages, is everyone speaking some new universal language, or is it something else?

[thecrossingmods]

Hiya!

All characters speak in their own native language, but find that they have no trouble understanding others, even if it's a language they've never heard before. A sort of universal comprehension, if you will. The same rule applies for written communication on the network, when it becomes available.

[consequerer]

Just to clarify, for canons where it's possible for a character to persist after death, as a ghost or similar rather than actually entering any afterlife, the setting conceit is still that they got pulled straight here rather than doing any of the haunting they may or may not have done in canon, yes?

[thecrossingmods]

Hello!

Yes, in general, that's the conceit! However, we're open to players stretching into the "haunting zone" of canon (especially if, for example, the character is only a ghost in canon) and framing it instead as the character finally moving on (either by choice or otherwise).

We hope that helps!

[blindluck]

Can our first toll be related to an AU death? It would have an impact on him to have forgotten it.

(If you need specifics, I was considering having Nagito's toll being that he doesn't remember if he died alone or not. He has a canonical fear of dying alone, but also an expectation that he will die alone, and considering he's died alone once already, it would definitely eat at him.)

[thecrossingmods]

Hi!

Just to clarify, the circumstances of the death itself wouldn't be changing in his memory, he just wouldn't remember that particular aspect of it (whether anyone was present or not)? If we've got that right, that sounds perfectly fine, yes!

[catsgothistongue]

Heya, hi, hello! Still in the middle of considering my character, but I've got a question regarding powers. More specifically, curses. If a character has a curse when they were alive, would it stick after death, or be removed with their powers? This is probably a little redundant to ask, but I just wanted to make sure.

Slightly related to the above, if a character dies in another form than their own (clarification, Ranma has a curse that makes him turn into a girl and back to normal when splashed with water), do they arrive in the last form they previously died in? Asking for the sake of how I'm having my character die and how they arrive. Thank you for your answer in advance!

[thecrossingmods]

Hello hello!

Curses are treated like powers, and would be removed on arrival. However, as with Amaya's (fefellocaelum) case above, we'll defer to player discretion on how that actually plays out IC. We want this to be something fun to play with, not limiting! We're happy to help brainstorm as well if needed.

For arrival, the general rule of thumb is that characters' form on arrival is informed by how they view themselves and/or how they expect to look and feel. Again, we're open to your discretion on this — maybe Ranma considers his male form to be the "truest" representation of his self and so arrives in that form regardless of which one he died in, or maybe he arrives in whichever form he died in because it's fresh in his memory and that's how he expects to appear. It's up to you!

We hope that helps. Let us know if you have any other questions!

[blindluck]

hello I'm back again whoops

How long would you like the suitability section of the app to be?

[thecrossingmods]

always good to see you again bestie!!

We didn't want to put a hard expectation on the suitability section, since we know that some people might have more concrete plans coming into the game, whereas others might prefer a "see where things go" approach. If it's helpful to have a ballpark, though, we think 300-500 words is good to aim for, though you can certainly go longer if you feel it's necessary.

(Danganronpa Spoilers)

[cloversandcranes]

Hello mods! I have a question!

I think you said that you can do a light AU for their deaths if they haven't died. How far? For example, could I have Makoto get executed by the Future Foundation for helping the Remnants of Despair? I would love to join this game if so.

[thecrossingmods]

Hiya!

Yes, that level of AU should be just fine! Given the kind of divergence, though, as well as the potential impact to characters currently in-game, we'd like to hear a bit more about it if you do decide to apply (in particular, why you chose that AU as Makoto's "deathpoint", and how it might impact your character portrayal and/or plans in-game). Feel free to add that to your regular history section.

Let us know if you have any other questions!

[cloversandcranes]

I have a question about AC and rewards.

Since threads for both AC and rewards only count that month, can you submit ongoing threads for AC and/or rewards or just ones those that have finished?

[thecrossingmods]

Hi!

There's no restriction on the status of the threads used for AC or reward proofs, they can be complete or still in progress.

We hope that helps!

[blindluck]

Because we have only the most important discussions in the discord: do ghosts get dirty? Do they need to clean their clothes and such regularly, or only when something of note happens like falling in the salt flats or getting attacked by a wraith?

EDIT: One more question: is it okay to post memes to the ooc comm? I'm thinking of the heart meme.

[thecrossingmods]

Hiya!

1. This falls into the bucket of "characters expectations influence how their forms present". Probably everyone would expect to be dirty after falling in the salt flats, but maybe only neat freaks would think about day-to-day engrimeification. Ultimately, it's up to you!

2. Yes, it's absolutely okay for players to post memes to the ooc comm if they would like!

[hasapoint]

I just wanna put this answered question here for general reference! I asked if characters can understand when others talk about memories they've lost, and the answer -

"Characters can discuss what they heard during The Crossing freely. Doing so, of course, would not activate any kind of internal recollection of the memories in question though -- it would just be like hearing a story about yourself third-hand."

[spaghettimonster]

Unlikely but worth asking - if a couple of characters tried prompting some of the attentive wraiths to converse via drawings, might they get any responses? (Besides the attentive staring, that is)

[thecrossingmods]

Hiya - sorry to hold you guys up!

The response is, indeed, attentive staring and little else. If it's any consolation, though, the wraiths do seem to be aware of and interested in the drawings, but it's hard to say for sure why. Maybe it's just because you guys are the ones drawing them!

[hasapoint]

For characters that use powers like telepathy to communicate, how would that be handled? Is it possible to still <use alternate punctuation to show they're speaking> but have all the same restrictions as regular speech (can be drowned out, can't be any more privately directed than a whisper is etc)?

[thecrossingmods]

Hiya!

A point of clarification: is this for a character whose primary means of communication is telepathy (ie, they cannot otherwise speak), rather than telepathy being additional power on top of regular speech?

[fantail]

Does the Ferryman appear human-shaped to nonhumans? Do the wraiths?

[thecrossingmods]

Hi!

The Ferryman's shape is static (for the time being, anyway) and appears as humanoid to everyone. The wraiths are similarly perceived the same way by everyone, but their population is more varied - many of them are humanoid (or enough to suggest they were once humanoid), but it's absolutely possible to find non-human shapes among them.

[spaghettimonster]

I come bearing a question about the crossing and the memory tolls themselves:
How fitting does a memory need to be to the prompt?

The most obvious choice I have for the skeleton here might be a larger toll than he'd willingly offer, so I think he's going to try something that sorta fits. Is there a chance of offered memories failing to be taken? If so, would the Ferryman give a gentle/sad nudge to try again with something else?

[thecrossingmods]

Hello!

In general, the prompts can be applied pretty broadly, both ICly and OOCly! Usually the main sticking points are a) the type of memory, and b) the emotions associated with it. When certain things about the memory are important, we try to highlight that in the planning ahead of the Crossing event itself so that players have some guardrails.

As an example, for April's Crossing, the memory must a) be a physical location of some kind, be it a house, a room, a hiding place, a mountain, a city, a playground, etc., and b) generally have positive emotions associated with it, like peace, safety, comfort, fun, etc.. Beyond that, the rest is up to player discretion! And we're always happy to workshop with y'all if that's helpful, as well.

That said, if a player were interested in having their character try to Cross with a mismatched memory, we're definitely open to that! It would probably be along the lines of what you're imagining, yes - The Ferryman acting as an in-the-moment pseudo-therapist to encourage something more relevant/appropriate. The Ferryman is also available ICly as a sort of sounding board as well, if that's something players want to explore.

We hope that helps!

[fantail]

I'm pecking(heh) away at an app for a bird and I got a couple specific questions now!

Does winged flight count as a 'power'? Do wings that can also somehow work as hands?

I really don't want to completely remove flight capacity but I'm happy to limit it pretty seriously. And I definitely still want him to have manual(?) dexterity, even if it really doesn't make sense!

[thecrossingmods]

Hiya!

Given that these are both natural operations of Sakuya's body, we think they're both fine to keep! For limitations on flight, you're free to use your best judgement, and of course a blanket "don't break the game" applies. If you have any specific questions about what Sakuya might encounter while flying, just let us know!

[blindluck]

Nagito is writing down the memories he's giving up in his notebook so he can at least have an account of them, even if they'll feel like they didn't happen when he rereads them. Will that have any effect on things in the future? Just wanted to check because giving up the memories is part of the point, haha

[thecrossingmods]

Nagito is completely free to do so! It won't cause any problems for us in the future... but we'll be sure to keep it in mind. 👻

[protectorofkouka]

For returning players can we use our old app and do we need to choose an additional first toll or stick with the one we chose last time?

[thecrossingmods]

Hi again!

You may reuse the app if you like! As for the First Toll, that depends on how you'd like to re-enter the game: if you'd like a completely blank slate, as if entering as a brand-new character, feel free to either keep or change your First Toll, whatever makes sense to you; if you'd like to maintain continuity with your presence in the game last time, just keep what you had before.