A method of making an absorbent cellulosic web, the method comprising: (a) forming a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of fiber orientation from a papermaking furnish; (b) dewatering the nascent web on a forming wire that is traveling at a first speed; (c) rush-transferring the web to an open texture fabric that is traveling at a second speed that is slower than the first speed; (d) thereafter, further dewatering the web on the open texture fabric to a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent by way of (i) combining the open texture fabric bearing the web with a fluid distribution membrane and an anti-rewet felt as the three pass through a nip into a pressure chamber defined in part by a plurality of nip rolls, the fluid distribution membrane bearing against the side of the open texture fabric away from the web, with the anti-rewet felt bearing against the web, and (ii) applying a pneumatic pressure gradient from the fluid distribution membrane through the web, thereby dewatering the web; (e) thereafter, transferring the dewatered web to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed; (f) fabric-creping the dewatered web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a creping fabric, the fabric-creping step occurring under pressure in a fabric-creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping fabric, wherein the fabric is traveling at a fabric speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface, and the fabric pattern, nip parameters, velocity delta, and web consistency are selected such that the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed onto the creping fabric to form a creped web with a reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different fiber orientation including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched regions having an orientation bias in a direction transverse to the machine-direction, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of colligating regions whose fiber orientation bias is offset from the fiber orientation of the fiber enriched regions; and (g) drying the creped web to form a dried web. (a) forming a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of fiber orientation from a papermaking furnish; (b) dewatering the nascent web on a forming wire that is traveling at a first speed; (c) rush-transferring the web to an open texture fabric that is traveling at a second speed that is slower than the first speed; (d) thereafter, further dewatering the web on the open texture fabric to a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent by way of (i) combining the open texture fabric bearing the web with a fluid distribution membrane and an anti-rewet felt as the three pass through a nip into a pressure chamber defined in part by a plurality of nip rolls, the fluid distribution membrane bearing against the side of the open texture fabric away from the web, with the anti-rewet felt bearing against the web, and (ii) applying a pneumatic pressure gradient from the fluid distribution membrane through the web, thereby dewatering the web; (e) thereafter, transferring the dewatered web to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed; (f) fabric-creping the dewatered web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a creping fabric, the fabric-creping step occurring under pressure in a fabric-creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping fabric, wherein the fabric is traveling at a fabric speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface, and the fabric pattern, nip parameters, velocity delta, and web consistency are selected such that the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed onto the creping fabric to form a creped web with a reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different fiber orientation including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched regions having an orientation bias in a direction transverse to the machine-direction, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of colligating regions whose fiber orientation bias is offset from the fiber orientation of the fiber enriched regions; and (g) drying the creped web to form a dried web.