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.
The Dunes (Post their meeting at the River ^^)
Hanako is too!
He lets out an excited wave and makes to run towards her once he realizes that fact.]
Ah! A friendly face!
[Or at least, he tried to. Having to walk everywhere on legs instead of floating, plus the sand being quite an unusual texture beneath his feet, has him tripping.]
Ah-! OOF!
[He ends up with a mouthful. It’s fine. He’s fine. Probably.]
no subject
You should slow down on the sand.
no subject
[He picks himself up with an embarrassed laugh, making his way carefully over to her.]
More importantly… doesn’t this area seem familiar? There’s so many hills around here. [Dunes. He probably meant dunes, but Hanako really isn’t aware of desert geography at all.]
no subject
[Hanako makes it over and she nods at his observation.]
Yeah, I think this is my third or fourth time passing by. The sandstorm turned me around.
no subject
Oh, a sandstorm? [His head titled a bit as he thought.] I didn’t encounter one, but the days feel a lot shorter here. And the nights! [They have probably come from different directions and just ended up together somehow.]
no subject
[This place feels dreamlike at times. It might be worth treating it like one.]
Time moves strangely. I wish I could get a bead on what the cycles are doing.
no subject
But that makes sense - guess my privileges as a School Wonder got revoked or something that second time I ‘died’…
[There was limited knowledge he could go off of, but Hanako knew for a fact that he wasn’t the one in charge of this place.]
no subject
[It would track with his attitude at least.]
no subject
[Finally, someone wanting to listen about the School Wonders! Don’t mind him, it’s a great way to buff his ego!]
In the world of the living, the School Wonders are tied to Kamome Academy. Well, I guess there could be different ones tied all over, but it’s kind of hard to verify when I can only stay there, you know~
An-y-way! At Kamome Academy, there’s seven of us School Wonders - all based on little rumors that the students like to chat about: cursed stairs, where things suddenly go missing, an exclusive library… and me!
[That’s only four, but he’s not telling the entire story here.]
I’m the Leader! We keep peace between the humans and the apparitions that like to get out of control every once in a while.
[He hops around a few times, experimenting with his footing on the sand, then turns back to Allynbee.]
Any questions~?
no subject
How'd you become the leader?
[Is he the oldest? The most powerful?]
I don’t have a canon answer, so BSing this XD
Well… someone has to do it! Most of the other apparitions don’t really get along well, but they tend to listen to me~ [Mostly it involved pointing his knife at them and telling them to get along…] Maybe it’s also because my rumor is the most well-known at the school!
Fair play XD
Were you always the leader? Or was there another before you?
More BSing here we go XD
[A bout of silence follows. If anything he said was true, it was that latter statement. The boy tried not to think too hard about the implications…] …there were still things I had left to do, after all. [The whisper left his mouth before he could stop it, and he quickly tried to divert with humor again.] It’s not like I planned to end up dead two times over~!
Re: More BSing here we go XD
[Whether they sincerely want to serve the community or themselves will remain a mystery, either way - nature hates a void. Assuming spirits are natural in his realm. She catches the whisper and cracks a soft, sad smile.]
Had a list of stuff I wanted to do too. I don't think anyone plans for the end, not really.
no subject
He was quiet for a little too long.]
A-ah. Right. No one plans for it, but if they have unfinished business, normally they show up as an apparition. Maybe something similar happened to everyone here - I haven’t really heard anyone who was satisfied by this outcome, you know?
[Maybe to spare them both, he pivoted again.] So… anything fun you had planned? Something we might accomplish here?
no subject
[His thoughts turn to her and she's not surprised - he seems to have thought of something unpleasant. She decides to play along, keeping the reasoning to herself, and decides to be honest.]
I was going to retire, I think. Move somewhere nice with a beach. Try and find some seashells.
no subject
[It’s honestly hard to tell if he’s joking or not. Probably not. But it was easier to keep a lighter mood than have her asking about why he had focused so hard on her own goals.]
Ah, that sounds nice~! A sunny beach, peace and quiet… would you get bored there? Or did the constraints of Captain start to get a bit too heavy? [The way he asked the latter is a bit different from his normal tone - there’s a weight of understanding, in a way.]
whoops I thought I tagged this
Now that it was over, Allynbee could finally admit it: she was tired.]
I might get bored but I, quite literally, had enough excitement for a lifetime.
No worries! ^^
Re: No worries! ^^
no subject
Ehehe, not sure yet~! I’m sure I’ll find something. There’s just not much to do around here - and even if I do like people watching, it gets boring after a while.
[He’s bound to get into a little mischief. There’s only so many times he can watch Dankovsky enter and return from the Dunes.]
no subject
Just don't ruffle too many feathers. There's no telling how long we'll be stuck here, and it's better for everyone to get along.
no subject
Hai~! Noted! Don’t worry, I know not to push too much.
[Though that upbeat tone might not reassure her much, Hanako can read the room. Whether he follows through with not peeving people off depends on his mood. Sometimes it’s too fun~ Sometimes it works to his plans too!]