The Crossing Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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thecrossinglogs2025-02-05 04:26 pm
thecrossingmods) wrote in thecrossinglogs2025-02-05 04:26 pm
Entry tags:
- !tdm,
- akatsuki no yona: soo won,
- attack on titan: frieda reiss,
- chronicles of osreth: thara celehar,
- danganronpa: makoto naegi,
- danganronpa: nagito komaeda,
- heralds of valdemar: need,
- mass effect: allynbee shepard,
- omori: sunny,
- overlord: arche,
- pathologic: daniil dankovsky,
- toilet bound hanako-kun: hanako,
- toilet bound hanako-kun: nene yashiro
TEST DRIVE #2
TDM #2
Welcome to The Desert, wayward souls.
It's good to see you again.
The TDM is game canon and will be active FEB—APR. For further details about the setting, please reference our current setting page. All the information there is fair game for this TDM.
It's good to see you again.
The TDM is game canon and will be active FEB—APR. For further details about the setting, please reference our current setting page. All the information there is fair game for this TDM.
arrival
— BENEATH THE RIVER ( NEW CHARACTERS ONLY )
CW: claustrophobia, being buried alive
If your journey is starting here, you begin as all others have, and all others will: in The River.
You awake in the dark and the damp, with pressure all around you. In this case, however, it isn't water that surrounds you— but earth. Specifically, it is mud made from the sand of the desert and the standing water of the sparkling white salt flat that The River has become, and it behaves like quicksand. It has you here, and it doesn't want to let go.
You aren't in any direct danger; you may or may not notice that you don't need to breathe down here (or at all). But that may be difficult to appreciate in the moment: immediately on waking, you are seized by what was perhaps your last memory— or, at least, the somatic feeling of it. Panic, terror, pain; or (depending on the circumstances) maybe peace, or relief. It is the moment of your death as told by your body's visceral, emotional response, and it won't stop until you pull yourself out of the mud.
You are close to the surface. Even a bit of lucky thrashing might be enough for you to break through the sludge, and crack the shell of salt above. But The River will not release you easily; it will continue to suck you back down until you are able to fully pry yourself free— or someone else is able to lend you a hand.
— BEYOND THE RIVER ( EXISTING CHARACTERS ONLY )
If you arrived here from the Cavern, you'll find that the cave you came from opens up onto a rocky cliff face, not unlike the one you may have found yourself settled in before The Crossing. From here you can see the sprawl of the Desert ahead of you: the Oasis tucked against the base of the cliffs, the endless dunes, and the wide, white expanse of The River — though it hardly looks like one now.
There is no city to be found among these cliffs, though. They are steep and rocky, with dry, loose sand making finding and keeping traction difficult. There is a narrow, winding path to the Oasis below, but it will take time to hike, and the sun is already hot and oppressive above you.
Theoretically, there's a more direct route... if you're feeling bold. The cliffs are covered in jutting striations (as if, say, carved by a massive river, or maybe a River) that make halfway decent handholds and footholds for anyone hoping to climb their way down instead.
Just don't change your mind too much. If you turn back, you may find that the path behind has become impassable or now leads somewhere else entirely. You don't ever see it happening, but it's almost as if the cliffs are rearranging themselves whenever your back is turned.
shelter from the storm
— THE OASIS
The Oasis, as well as the rest of the surrounding Desert, is bustling with life. (Or do plants and animals have a Journey they need to complete, too?) It's a green, if not lush, patch surrounding a small lake of fresh water, partially shielded by the arms of the cliffs from the winds blowing across the dunes.
There are creatures besides you making their homes here: from small, skittering mammals to circling scavengers. If you look closely, though, you'll find it's a bit of a mishmash, as if an ecosystem appeared rather than developed... and, depending on where you're from, some of it might even be recognizable to you.
Those of you that came from the Cavern might appreciate the return of natural light, though you might be disappointed to discover that day and night don't always arrive at the cadences you might expect them to... In fact, they don't seem to follow any recognizable or even trackable pattern at all. Some noon suns stretch on forever; some sunsets speed run straight into dry, cold night.
If that were all the unpredictability the Desert had to offer, it might be tolerable enough... but the weather proves to be just as erratic. One day is clear and bright, with wide-open skies; the next brings dust clouds and lightning storms rolling in from the dunes. (And when today might be half as long as yesterday, those swings add up.)
Luckily for all of you, there have evidently been others here before you, just like in the Cavern. There is a collection of shelters lining the Oasis, no more than huts designed to keep everyone within as cool as possible. There's less space than there was in the Subterranean City, but that means some things are easier to find... The huts are decorated just like the city was before it, as if in layers with the odd familiar trinket from your home stashed in a drawer or under a mattress.
shifting sands
— THE DUNES
The Ferryman is holding vigil at The River, as they always are. They have positioned themselves (and their Lantern) so that their Light casts over the Oasis— but that aura can only cast so far.
The Lantern's Light might not be quite so obvious here as it was down in the Cavern, drowned out as it is by the desert sun, but you can still feel when you approach the edge of its protection, the way the sense of comfort and safety wanes. Beyond it are the rolling dunes of the Desert, where wraiths gather in great numbers.
Those who have been paying close attention will recognize that these are not the same wraiths you encountered in the Cavern. Or, at least, none of the wraiths you encountered in the Cavern are represented here.
These wraiths are not the violent, wailing beasts encountered by some during The Crossing. They are just the same as the wraiths originally found in the Cavern: silent, insubstantial, and always watching. The ones who have found the Oasis prowl the edge of the boundary; the others wander the dunes as if lost. Or, perhaps, searching.
If you, yourself, wander the dunes, you'll find them at best difficult to navigate— or, at worst, impossible. You may be swallowed by a sand storm, or lose sight of your landmarks when descending into a valley between the dunes. You might find yourself somewhere you never expected to be... Or, you might just need to send a message out to the others for help finding your way home.
If your journey is starting here, you begin as all others have, and all others will: in The River.
You awake in the dark and the damp, with pressure all around you. In this case, however, it isn't water that surrounds you— but earth. Specifically, it is mud made from the sand of the desert and the standing water of the sparkling white salt flat that The River has become, and it behaves like quicksand. It has you here, and it doesn't want to let go.
You aren't in any direct danger; you may or may not notice that you don't need to breathe down here (or at all). But that may be difficult to appreciate in the moment: immediately on waking, you are seized by what was perhaps your last memory— or, at least, the somatic feeling of it. Panic, terror, pain; or (depending on the circumstances) maybe peace, or relief. It is the moment of your death as told by your body's visceral, emotional response, and it won't stop until you pull yourself out of the mud.
You are close to the surface. Even a bit of lucky thrashing might be enough for you to break through the sludge, and crack the shell of salt above. But The River will not release you easily; it will continue to suck you back down until you are able to fully pry yourself free— or someone else is able to lend you a hand.
— BEYOND THE RIVER ( EXISTING CHARACTERS ONLY )
If you arrived here from the Cavern, you'll find that the cave you came from opens up onto a rocky cliff face, not unlike the one you may have found yourself settled in before The Crossing. From here you can see the sprawl of the Desert ahead of you: the Oasis tucked against the base of the cliffs, the endless dunes, and the wide, white expanse of The River — though it hardly looks like one now.
There is no city to be found among these cliffs, though. They are steep and rocky, with dry, loose sand making finding and keeping traction difficult. There is a narrow, winding path to the Oasis below, but it will take time to hike, and the sun is already hot and oppressive above you.
Theoretically, there's a more direct route... if you're feeling bold. The cliffs are covered in jutting striations (as if, say, carved by a massive river, or maybe a River) that make halfway decent handholds and footholds for anyone hoping to climb their way down instead.
Just don't change your mind too much. If you turn back, you may find that the path behind has become impassable or now leads somewhere else entirely. You don't ever see it happening, but it's almost as if the cliffs are rearranging themselves whenever your back is turned.
shelter from the storm
The Oasis, as well as the rest of the surrounding Desert, is bustling with life. (Or do plants and animals have a Journey they need to complete, too?) It's a green, if not lush, patch surrounding a small lake of fresh water, partially shielded by the arms of the cliffs from the winds blowing across the dunes.
There are creatures besides you making their homes here: from small, skittering mammals to circling scavengers. If you look closely, though, you'll find it's a bit of a mishmash, as if an ecosystem appeared rather than developed... and, depending on where you're from, some of it might even be recognizable to you.
Those of you that came from the Cavern might appreciate the return of natural light, though you might be disappointed to discover that day and night don't always arrive at the cadences you might expect them to... In fact, they don't seem to follow any recognizable or even trackable pattern at all. Some noon suns stretch on forever; some sunsets speed run straight into dry, cold night.
If that were all the unpredictability the Desert had to offer, it might be tolerable enough... but the weather proves to be just as erratic. One day is clear and bright, with wide-open skies; the next brings dust clouds and lightning storms rolling in from the dunes. (And when today might be half as long as yesterday, those swings add up.)
Luckily for all of you, there have evidently been others here before you, just like in the Cavern. There is a collection of shelters lining the Oasis, no more than huts designed to keep everyone within as cool as possible. There's less space than there was in the Subterranean City, but that means some things are easier to find... The huts are decorated just like the city was before it, as if in layers with the odd familiar trinket from your home stashed in a drawer or under a mattress.
shifting sands
The Ferryman is holding vigil at The River, as they always are. They have positioned themselves (and their Lantern) so that their Light casts over the Oasis— but that aura can only cast so far.
The Lantern's Light might not be quite so obvious here as it was down in the Cavern, drowned out as it is by the desert sun, but you can still feel when you approach the edge of its protection, the way the sense of comfort and safety wanes. Beyond it are the rolling dunes of the Desert, where wraiths gather in great numbers.
Those who have been paying close attention will recognize that these are not the same wraiths you encountered in the Cavern. Or, at least, none of the wraiths you encountered in the Cavern are represented here.
These wraiths are not the violent, wailing beasts encountered by some during The Crossing. They are just the same as the wraiths originally found in the Cavern: silent, insubstantial, and always watching. The ones who have found the Oasis prowl the edge of the boundary; the others wander the dunes as if lost. Or, perhaps, searching.
If you, yourself, wander the dunes, you'll find them at best difficult to navigate— or, at worst, impossible. You may be swallowed by a sand storm, or lose sight of your landmarks when descending into a valley between the dunes. You might find yourself somewhere you never expected to be... Or, you might just need to send a message out to the others for help finding your way home.
no subject
"If it's too difficult, please don't worry. Just stay in the Oasis where it's safe. I can make my way back alone. Just keep yourself safe." He insists. That's more important than anything here, truly.
no subject
[Or she'll get lost trying.
Getting back up, she offers him a faint smile and a small wave.]
Please mind yourself while I'm gone.
[With that, she descends back down to the bottom of the structure, and Daniil will only hear her footsteps anymore, until they fade into the distance.]
cw: alcohol use mentioned
Ever since he wandered to that Town and stumbled right into the grips of the sand pest Dankovsky feels like he's truly become pathetic somehow. Life simply keeps happening around him and he's entirely unable to do anything about it. Developing a vaccine? Completely unachievable. Instead he experimented with bull blood a bit and spent the rest of his time getting drunk on twyrine in the Broken Heart with his old college friends.
He really had fallen from grace. Capital celebrity he was no longer. Now he sends children to do his bidding while he sits around and watches the sun disappear behind the dunes again. It hadn't taken Daniil long for him to get tired of the sun. When exiting the Cavern he had been so excited to see the sun, welcomed it, but now he loathed it- the night was even worse though, cold.
At least his arm wasn't wet anymore. He pulls the sleeve of his arm down, buttoning the cuff of his shirt, adjusting himself to look presentable. Like it matters. Does it fucking matter?
He wished he had a drink. Would the ferryman give him a drink? Perhaps when Dankovsky finally gets back it'll finally be time to ask for a bottle of vintage wine. Certainly there's a place he can hide away in the Dunes to drink it. Surely.
The Bachelor thinks these self depreciating thoughts and worse as he waits. He sits. He paces. He thinks about how he's gotten here and why and why him and how.
1/3
Did she do the right thing? Or did she spent the last 3 years of her life as nothing but a pawn to her ancestor's will? The moon and stars, moving too fast over the sky above with their cold light, have no answers for her, nor does the burning sun when it rises again to bear down on her. She tries to orient herself by the heavenly bodies' position, and Daniil will see notes about landmarks she passes by appear in his book - ultimately, ones he may recognise from the vicinity of the oasis. She's made it back.]
2/3
Message for Doctor Dankovsky: Received 2 collapsible buckets.
- Frieda
[And, a mere hour later:]
Message for Doctor Dankovsky: Collected mud from the river - making my way back.
- Frieda
[The way back takes her longer. The mud-filled buckets get heavy fast, though the Ferryman seems to have taken into consideration how much she can manage after hearing her explain why she needed them. While landmark notes keep trickling in, it's only after 2 more sunsets (and a few wrong turns and backtracking) that she sees the silent monolith rise up against the night sky again and hastens her steps.]
3/3
Doctor Dankovsky! I'm back!
[She's exhausted, but the mud has nicely thickened in the days' heat, and they may just be able to put it right into the recesses in the walls like plaster.
Hopefully, Daniil sent at least an occasional response - else, she'll certainly have worried!]
no subject
Dankovsky feels grateful. He isn't one to think this way normally but it's almost as if she was meant to come back. He's still exhausted, not as exhausted as she looks, but relief washes over his face as he's quick to his feet (or as quick as he can be) and rushes over to her side.
"Let me take one." He insists. He does, and he's not taking no for an answer, "You can put the other one down, if you're too tired. Please rest if you need to, I've sat around more than enough."
He takes one bucket and walks over to the wall and begins to get to work. Dankovsky rolls up both sleeves this time and dips his hands in the mud, carefully and evenly distributing it into the first recess. The Bachelor is no surgeon, no master of handiwork, but he's still meticulous as a doctor should be, making sure to capture every crevasse evenly. He continues on, moving to the next, and so on, and so forth.
no subject
Working more slowly than Daniil, she only completes a couple of shapes before all recesses have a mud-made "artifact" inside... and something happens. Once more, they hear a strange sound, as if a hidden mechanism were activated, then there's a rumbling, and the wall beyond the water basin slides open. Stepping stones rise up from the depths to let them walk across to the newly opened hallway, and Frieda suddenly struggles to still understand the monument's layout.]
...
[Feeling the gravity of the moment and awe-struck into silence, she reaches for her companion's hand once they've both made it across.]
no subject
He steels himself. Takes a deep breath that is unneeded despite his denial. And pushes on into a hallway that goes nowhere. That he thinks leads to answers.
Dankovsky will look to Frieda and make sure she's still able, but unless she indicates she needs a break, he'll press on, navigating through the confusing twists and turns of the hallway. Trying to make heads or tails of the alien architecture as they press forward is giving the Bachelor another headache...
no subject
When she ultimately sees the reflection of water ahead, she gets terribly excited. They exit the tunnel into a small, open-roofed space that mirrors the one they came from down to every detail - and, crucially, if they left anything behind, they'll spot those items, too.]
...
Let's head downstairs.
[Is this a second monolith? Will they have to repeat the puzzle here? Just how many are there to connect? But all those questions become moot when they find the mud-filled recesses in the walls downstairs, along with their buckets. Somehow, inexplicable, they were turned around.]
no subject
"Wait."
The Bachelor doesn't ask it. He demands it, just as he demands the slurry that is his mind focus in on his surroundings. The buckets on the ground. The mud slathered on the walls. That pool of water he stuck his arm in hours ago.
Yes, they had been here.
Poor Frieda was simply too tired to realize it. And Dankovsky wanted to just about cry when he realized it himself.
He doesn't want to say it. So he simply uses his cane again to motion over to the buckets.
"... I'm sorry." He finally manages.
His grip on her hand tightens a bit. Why was this place so demanding? So cruel? If there was a god, he was laughing at Dankovsky right now, that much was for certain.
no subject
...
Don't apologise. It's not your fault.
[After a moment of wondering why - surely, whoever built this magnificent momument had a greater purpose? -, she quietly suggests:]
Let's go back through the hallway. Maybe there's something we overlooked - a hidden side door or hatch..!
[But whether he joins her or lets her go alone, too hopeless now to engage in further futile attempts at discovering anything in this structure, there's nothing to be found. The path simple leads from inside the monolith to back inside it, with not so much as a hint of any further mechanisms.]
no subject
And he's right.
He truly does hate being right sometimes.
When they make it back to the main hallway again, he finally feels himself giving up fully. He kind of just. Slumps to the floor, sitting down.
The Bachelor is biting his lips, digging his fingernails into the palms of his hands, trying not to cry in front of Frieda even though it's all he wants to do right now. He's barely holding it together. Dankovsky really thought this place would be something, would lead to something. But it was nothing. A practical joke, played on him, just like the rest of this stupid desert.
"Damn this place." He whispers to himself, "Damn it all anyway."
no subject
...
It's cruel to put something like this monument in a place like this.
[Whoever rules this afterlife seems to take enjoyment in cruelly mocking their eagerness for answers, and she feels taunted by invisible observers. Even so, there's a distinct thread of anger within the despondency - because of those higher powers' idle games, Daniil has had to suffer, and she finds that harder to forgive than having her own hopes dashed once again.]
no subject
"... We should leave." He says to her, sighing, "I've had about enough of this place."
Though he doesn't move to get up. Not right away. He can't will himself to even move. What's the point, anyway?
He eventually does stand, though it takes him a minute to wrestle up the gumption to bother. Really his only motivation is just to never see this place ever again.
no subject
Heaving a deep sigh, she motions with her head - despite the buckets now being empty, she still holds one in each hand, weighed down more by the disappointment than by them.]
Let's go, Doctor Dankovsky. It's no shame on us to have hoped to find meaning here.
[If they at any point find out who is responsible for this, she'll have words for them.]