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.
you're good! that's happened to me too recently, it might be dw
Dreamwidth! *Shakes fist*
You and Sunny-kun found these? And no ones been able to translate it?
[There isn't a lot of people in their group and if you consider all the worlds that could be connected to this place, it makes sense.]
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[Nagito having information squirreled away like this is probably not that surprising to someone who watched his behavior in the simulation. But at least this probably doesn't have anything to do with murder.]
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[The Ferryman won't translate for them? Why? That's not at all suspicious... Still, he looks up at Nagito's eyes and can't help but appreciate that Nagito found this. Even if they have no idea what it says. And thank goodness the information isn't about murder this time! ...Though now that he thinks about it, would that even be a problem here?]
...Good job keeping this with you, Komaeda-kun. Perhaps we'll find something to translate it later.
[He doesn't know how likely that is but something like this could be groundbreaking in this situation.]
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[Nagito may have manipulated Sunny into getting that backpack, a little.] These have Ferryman-san's symbol because they were the group Ferryman-san was associated with before they had to stay by the River, I think. There were eye and flower symbols as well, but aside from a few letters, all of their things seem to be gone.
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Everything but those letters...
[He didn't want to suspect the Ferryman but it was a little suspicious.]
We should let the others about this. Maybe during that talk that Mari-san is organizing? Even if it turns out to be nothing to worry about, it still could be useful for us.
[Nodding to himself, he smiles at Nagito and turns back, starting to walk again, but keeps talking.]
Did you find anything while you were out here? Other than the giant skeleton, of course.
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Unfortunately, it was only the skeleton. My luck is really on a downswing lately...
[Which is strange. He can't generally control his cycles, but he's familiar with them. There are certain things he can always do. Finding something of note in the desert should have been simple.]
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Now that you mention it, my luck's been strange too. Well, stranger than usual. Other than that one time you saved me when we first met here, I haven't had any incidents with it. It's weird. I wonder if anyone else has been having troubles with stuff like that.
[He doesn't know what it means but it feels like something important.]
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But that can't be true.]
Some people say they're supposed to have magic or things like that that are gone now, but of course that's not the same thing, and it's surprisingly difficult to explain talent to people from other worlds, so it's hard to get any real comparisons.
[Absolutely nothing like their varyingly uncontrolled probability manipulation, or Celestia's gambling-related probability manipulation, or Yasuhiro 30% of the time, or Princess somehow being a talent at all, or Kirigiri being able to sense death. Absolutely not.]
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...But what if it's gone? Both your luck and mine. ...It might explain things.
[Could such a thing be possible? He carefully turned to look at Nagito as he said this, waiting for his response.]
no subject
I hate to disagree with you, Naegi-sama, but that's impossible.
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...I'm just saying. It's possible, right? Our talents aren't more unusual than someone's magic here, after all. I think that's more impossible than the chance of our luck disappearing after our death. At least, considering all the worlds that are connected in this place.
[Just the knowledge of all those worlds, both entirely different to his and the ones parallel to his like Nagito's made his head swim.]
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[He doesn't know how to conceptualize himself without his luck. If it's gone, he can't imagine a "Komaeda Nagito" who is still there in any sense of the word.]
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...Luck isn't all you have, Komaeda-kun. Luck may have shaped your life and experiences but it was your wits and skills that led you here. Luck may have influenced most if not everything you did and still do, but it was your adaptability and choices that ultimately brought you to this point.
[He takes a big breath as he tries to make Nagito understand. What would the others say... What would Hinata-kun say?]
None of us, no matter how prevalent they may be, are just our talents. Or our choices. Or even our past. We are a combination of all these things and more. We can be influenced by them but we will always be more than that.
[He hesitates before adding.]
Hasn't your time with Hinata-kun shown you that? Or do you think it's only because he's him?
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[He looks away. As much as he instinctively tries to deny what Makoto's saying, it's not as if the words have no impact. He wraps his arms around himself, squeezes tight enough he can feel it in his mechanical limb, then holds out a hand.]
Rock paper scissors. Then we'll know.
[Except against Hinata, he's never unintentionally lost.]
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[Makoto watches Nagito hug himself in concern as he waits a reply. Whether that will be a rejection or something else, Makoto will wait for as long as Nagito needs. But when Nagito thrusts out his hand and says those words, Makoto is confused.]
Rock paper scissors? What would tha-!
[Makoto stops when he realizes, perking up and then his expression turns serious.]
Understood. Let's do it.
[He holds out his hand and prepares to start.]
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[Makoto's mind reels at how fast Nagito is but manages to keep pace with him, quickly thinking of one of the choices. Maybe scissors? Quickly morphing his hand into a crude resemblance of scissors, he looks at Nagito's and his eyes widen.]
Eh? I won?
[Makoto stares at their hands in silent awe before looking at Nagito with wide eyes.]
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He sucks in air, finally.]
What?
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M-Maybe it was just a fluke! Let's try again!
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Rock, paper, scissors. [He's going fast again, this time out of something like desperation, throwing rock this time.]
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You chose rock?
[He won? Makoto had terrible luck with games, and usually lost by a landslide. But this...]
Komaeda-kun...
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Ah.
[For a few moments, that's it. A quiet noise, a blank expression. Then the giggling starts, bubbling up out of him, as impossible to stop as the tide. It's gone. He's not lucky anymore. He's not talented anymore.
Relief floods through him, enough that he's dizzy with it. And then guilt, because that's not how he should feel, this isn't good, this makes him absolutely useless, even less of a stepping stone than he was, not worthy of his former Super High School Level title. The giggling turns into laughter, but the mania doesn't quite roll him under like he's used to. He tries to cover his mouth and is startled to find his hand coming away wet. He has no idea when he started crying. Somewhere in his wildly churning thoughts he's embarrassed.]
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But when he sees the tears rolling down Nagito's face, any worry about despair falls away and pure concern for his friend rises. Without hesitation, he wraps his arms around Nagito's shaking body and holds him against himself.]
Komaeda-kun...
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Shyly, uncertainly, he lifts his hands to hang onto Makoto, not quite hugging him, not allowing himself that. Even this much feels like taking liberties.]
My luck is gone. [His voice comes out very nearly tonelessly. Everything feels like it's been turned sideways.]
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