First void crossing next week, what do I actually need to bring?
Taking the Fenwick-to-Dross corridor for a work trip next Thursday. I've never done a void crossing before. I've read the official transit guidelines and they say to bring "essentials only" but then the packing list has 40 items on it including something called a "continuity lanyard" that I can't find at any store. People who've actually done this, what do I ACTUALLY need?
The official list is wildly overcautious. For the Fenwick-to-Dross corridor specifically, which is one of the shortest and best-maintained routes, you need: 1. Your transit pass (obvious) 2. A light source that doesn't use batteries (wind-up or chemical, since batteries behave unpredictably in void space) 3. Something to focus on. A book, a photo, a specific memory you can hold onto. This sounds fake. It is not fake. The void is disorienting and having an anchor helps. 4. Water That's it. The continuity lanyard is for deep-void crossings over 4 hours. Fenwick-to-Dross is 22 minutes on a normal day. One actual tip: don't look at the reflections. You'll see them. They're not dangerous, they're just confusing, and first-timers tend to stare and then feel weird for the rest of the day. Just keep your eyes on the markers and you'll be fine.
What do you mean "reflections." Of what.
Yourself, mostly. Don't worry about it. Just don't look.
Did the crossing. Reporting back. It was fine. You were right about the packing list being overkill. I brought a book, a wind-up flashlight, and a water bottle. Used none of them. The corridor was well-lit and shorter than I expected. I did see the reflections. I know you said not to look. I looked. The one I saw was definitely me but it was wearing different clothes and seemed to be heading the opposite direction. It waved. I did not wave back. Was I supposed to wave back.
You were not supposed to look and you were not supposed to wave, so the fact that you didn't wave after looking is an acceptable compromise. The reflection was you in an adjacent transit layer. It's harmless. They're always heading the other direction because from their perspective, YOU'RE the reflection heading the wrong way. Nobody is the original. This is one of those things that's easier to accept than to understand. Glad the trip went well. Next time you'll barely notice any of it.