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.
Yup! He certainly wasn’t prepared for that XD
Differing societal norms indeed..“Is… that so? Your clothes must be pretty special then!” He recovered quickly. It had him wondering what sort of society she came from, to have such a nonchalant nature. “Everyone here has clothing, as far as I’ve seen, so I’m sure you won’t have much to worry about there~”
no subject
"...In any event, young master, your own clothes seem unusual to me. Then again, almost everyone's does. I've no idea what some of those fabrics could be..."
no subject
And he certainly didn’t want her boot up anywhere uncomfortable. That would hurt!At her inquiry, he looked down at his own clothes. “Oh, really? I guess to me it might seem standard. A bit old-fashioned, but it’s still a school uniform.” Outdated by a few decades for sure. “Good old uniform cotton!”
no subject
That feeling when your author is Japanese, your native culture is Legally Not Roman, but your native environment is a godforsaken desert.
Not me deep dive researching into JP school uniforms XD
Really, the uniforms from his time (circa 1960s) were still based on more militaristic fashion compared to modern seifuku. So he already had a hat which… didn’t do much for the sun, but it was better than nothing.
A few more minutes and…
“Ah! Here we are~!” A bright smile was directed toward Arche as they rounded a corner, the expanse opening up into a small but suitable pond. “It’s almost heaven, when you consider we’re in a desert~” Not that he’s been in one before now, but he can only imagine. It got hot enough in Japan during the summer, let alone here. Really, they were fortunate that there was any body of water.
It Be Like That On This Bitch Of A DWRP Website
Action the first: she takes off her boots and socks and sets them neatly near the water's edge.
Action the second: she gets into the pond with nine thousand and one percent of all her other clothes definitely still on.
Action the third: submersion.
Action the fourth: wet clothing is expelled from beneath the surface of the water.
Action the fifth: the narrator stops to take a shot at their own format for this tag as if meta-commentary qualifies as a joke by itelf.
Action the sixth: Arche's hand emerges from the water and drags her clothes back in.
It is at this point that her head pops out from beneath the surface, the worst of the mud shaken out of her blonde hair, looking absolutely relieved. It is a sharp contrast to whatever's going on under the water, which is either a violent drowning or vigorous, improvised cleaning of her clothes via excessive shaking and wringing into the pond. One of those. She keeps the expanding cloud of silt and the water's surface between her modesty and the young master.
"I won't say that I couldn't wish for some soap," Arche muses, "but given everything, this is a princely kindness, young master. Thank you."
/Applause! (This has me cracking up XD I didn’t think anyone but Yashiro would get this icon XD)
“You might want to-“ Whatever else he was going to say is cut off by her submerging in the water. Which has him grinning somewhat in amusement.
Until step four hits.
As soon as the rest of Arche’s clothing seems to shoot through the water’s surface, Hanako’s face turns beet red. “WHA-?!” A startled exclamation falls from him, as his brain tries to process what exactly is going on in rapid succession.
By the time Arche actually surfaces and addresses him again, she will find that Hanako had promptly turned away from the pond, his back to her, and his ears still burning extremely. One hand has pulled the brim of his school hat down, as if to hide his expression (it really doesn’t do much).
“A-ah… um… I could maybe… try and find some…?” He’s stammering, not quite sure what to say… and definitely not ready to face her in the moment. It seems for all his earlier teasing about potential peeking, he really has no experience with this sort of thing whatsoever.
One Day I'll Thank David Eddings As The Fundamental Cause Of This Series Of Events, Worry Not
The irony of that question.
XD
He had no idea what those vigorous sounds were, considering his back was still turned and… nope. He wasn’t going to guess. He’s not looking.
Arche’s question only has him flushing further, though it is more in embarrassment now. “I have. Or they do but… girls and boys have separate facilities… and you get in trouble if you peek…” Not that Hanako ever had when he was alive, but he’d certainly heard the horror stories of some students who were caught doing so. Even the bathrooms, gym exercises, changing areas… they were all separated between genders. Which was normal for a school in the 1960s… and he guessed in modern(?) Japan, at least as far as Yashiro’s time went.
“I-I’ll make sure… no one approaches…” Even as he said the words, which seemed to trail off into a smaller, more hesitant voice, and desperately facing away from her, he could feel his face still flush.
Damn Canon Characters And Their One Liners
A good one liner though XD it actually makes him think
But… that stopped his thoughts, his skin becoming paler as he had something else to focus on besides Arche’s clothes washing endeavors.
Was… the school a home to him? Sure, he had spent the last few decades entwined with it, watching over the students and supernaturals there, but was it what he would consider home? He wasn’t sure he had an answer to that.
The only other place that had been home to him was…
“What about you? What is your home like?”
no subject
So Hanako, that outfit with four layers that she possibly needs a butler to put on is for desert living.
Don't think too hard about it, if you point it out it's not gonna make sense to Arche either.
no subject
“So you went from one desert to another. Lucky, aren’t you~?” He’s trying to get back to his upbeat self. Trying being the key word. “Makes me wonder though… I haven’t heard anything about water struggles here.” Certainly nothing on it being a limited resource. “Seems like we won’t be sticking around long enough to see if that would happen either!”
no subject
no subject
Not that it was meant to be a serious question, but it did call into thought of who exactly might be in charge of this whole trip. He had approached the Ferryman trying to figure that out, assuming they were the closest person to ruling what might be their current Boundary, but… they had said that the gathered group were ‘in charge.’ He certainly wasn’t going to laugh at something as serious as heat stroke… unless someone repeatedly ignored warnings. Then they were fair game.
Ah. Her admission brought him back to the current situation, and Hanako had to work really hard to make sure he didn’t turn several shades of red again. The boy made a show of acting like he was listening for said voice… “Nope! I can’t hear your teacher, but maybe their shouts don’t reach this far~” OK, that wasn’t as amusing as he had meat it to be, but he was still thrown. “Besides… there’s not much to do around here.” Excitement was in short supply. His next words come out more honest, even if he struggles to admit them. “…So… it’s alright. If it does take time…”
no subject
no subject
He’s really still more a blushing boy than the Leader of the Seven Wonders right now, with how he’s acting…
A deep breath later and his voice comes steadier. “I’m not sure if I could do this all the time-“ Mostly for his sanity, though he didn’t say that. “-but next time you might need to use the pond like this, let my assistant know. She’d be a good lookout.”
Plus Yashiro could use a friend here. Though it would be troublesome if someone tried to peek with her bathing… so he might have to stand watch anyway.
Don't Mind Me Activating The Infodump
Mind you she's still talking. "Given the situation I feel like there's a joke here somewhere. Who is she to you, if death wasn't enough to part you?"
Infodump, infodump~
“She’s just that - my assistant~!” And yet that wasn’t quite the truth either, was it? “She got in a spot of trouble while trying to win someone’s affection, so I bailed her out. For a price, of course, that’s how it works with wishes.”
And yet how Arche said it, what about this situation was unique, in that both him and Yashiro couldn’t be separated by death? “I was already dead for a while before coming here. She wasn’t. I guess… we got lucky, in a way.”
That she ended up here… it was such a polarizing feeling. That ache in his chest, accompanied by the breath of fresh air that she brought into their interactions.
no subject
But...
No, no, that spot of curiosity might be unwelcome right now. So instead she trips into it anyway by asking, "How would I recognize her?"
no subject
“She’s like a daikon~!” As if that means anything to someone outside of Japan? “Long gradient hair, clumsy, easily startled…” Kind of like a hamster, though only one of those is a physical trait. “Ah! Compliment her on her ankles! She’ll love that~”
She won’t.“Sometimes she’s a bit fishy too, though that shouldn’t be a problem here!”His shoulders might be shaking with barely hidden laughter now, even if 90% of what he just said was true.
Context is important, folks. Sorry Yashiro.no subject
no subject
He’s still not looking, but he leans back a bit from where he’s sitting, ultimately pleased by his work. Plus, her name was always such a nice set of syllables to say.
“She’s around here somewhere-“ not that he’s keeping tabs on all of the places she goes, nope. “But I’m pretty sure if you yell ‘Daikon’ she’ll turn in your direction~!”