The Crossing Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thecrossingmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
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
OHO! SO LITERAL... AND SO ARTISTIC.
I'M PROUD TO HAVE INSPIRED THIS CREATION! THANK YOU FOR SHARING IT, PEPPER FAN.
no subject
The spicier the pepper, the more damage to your mouth.
[that was a fact in Headspace AND real life. Still, he was kind of pleased that the receiver like his drawing…]
no subject
IF YOU EVER NEED TO INJECT SOME SICK BURNS INTO A SPEECH!
I WON'T RISK TASTING IT THEN.
[The better to preserve those pixels - or, uh, pen? charcoal? marks - for later. This is mostly joking, but now that he knows the other dead people come from other worlds, who knows? Maybe someone has magic for bringing drawings to life and eating them. Or, well... had magic, once.]
no subject
It’s a Desert here, so it’s hot. But the nights can get chili. Pepper your steps.
[Did it make sense? Maybe not, but cheesy jokes existed in Headspace all the time. This one, at least, Sunny didn’t have to speak out loud.]
no subject
...Well, he thinks there's two. 'Pepper your steps' goes a little over the skeleton's head, even when he tilts it to examine the message more carefully. Prepare? Pep up? But chili is very straightforward, and offers an easy conversational pass.]
I'LL BE SURE TO MIND THE NIGHT TEMPERATURES!
NO SENSE RATTLING ANY NAPPERS WITH MY RATTLING BONES.
BUT CAYENNE YOU EXPLAIN HOW YOU'D PEPPER YOUR STEPS?
(NYEH HEH HEH!)
no subject
You’d put pepper on your feet and then go to sleep. [Well, at least that’s how it would work in his dreams, and the sand outside would be brown sugar if that was the case.] Not here - here, you have a bedtime routine. You need to make sure to add steps that make you warm. I like more blankets.
[A beat later then-] That might not make sense. Hopefully you aren’t too salty.
no subject
WITH SUCH DETAILED AND BIZARRE PRACTICES, NO WONDER SOME PEOPLE SLEEP EIGHT WHOLE HOURS EVERY DAY...
HOW COULD THEY EVER WANT TO GIVE UP THEIR PEPPER SNOOZES?
SO FEAR NOT, YOU HAVEN'T SOURED ME TO THIS NOTION!
I WAS ALREADY AGAINST SLEEPING AS A GENERAL RULE ANYWAY.
[After all, there's so much available for him to get done all day and night, even if those things are sometimes just playing with action figures in his room. And there's so many nightmares to avoid in his dreams that there's hardly any sense in subjecting himself to the sleeping state when he can avoid it! And now that sleep seems entirely optional... Well, the skeleton doesn't spend much time in his sleeping headspace, that's for sure.]
no subject
You don’t like to sleep?
no subject
IT'S NOT THE WORST THING, BUT,
ALL THAT TIME I COULD SPEND ON OTHER THINGS.
CRAFTING MY ONLINE PERSONA... ARTISTIC CREATIONS... CULINARY PURSUITS...
AND WHO WANTS TO DEAL WITH THE OCCASIONAL TERRIBLE DREAM??
TALK ABOUT A WAY TO GET OFF THE DAY ON THE WRONG FOOT.
[Though, maybe all his life he was missing that foot pepper trick as a way to ward off nightmares. Who knows! He's definitely not planning to do any more sleeping now that it's optional and he has his own death to feature in any hypothetical new nightmares.]
no subject
What about good dreams?
[Sunny was very familiar with nightmares. He hated them. But in order to dream, he had to risk the nightmares too.]
no subject
BUT IS IT REALLY NECESSARY TO SLEEP TO HAVE THEM?
AFTER ALL, DAYDREAMING IS A THING.
MAYBE NOT THE MOST PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITY...
BUT IF YOU CALL IT 'PLANNING' NOBODY CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE.
[And one can always plan while messing around with action figures or artistry or the like. Maybe it occasionally results in an extra burnt meal, but that's already a feature of learning to cook, so it's fine.]
no subject
Not always. Daydreams are nice, but you aren’t full cut off then. Something can make its way in.
[Not like a nightmare, no, daydreams allowed for more control. But… Sunny was still aware of himself in a daydream. Omori could only be inhabited in the throes of slumber, total and complete. Otherwise… a car horn out the window, the beady eyes of judging stuffed animals, a knock on the door… all those made it impossible to slip from daydream to full immersion.
Not that those things could interrupt him here.]
no subject
[Not that he has the context to even guess at what the pepper-punner might mean, with these slightly ominous turns of phrase. He can't relate to wanting to be fully cut off from the waking world, not with the emotions that drove him to keeping his phone on and with him at all time, ready to pick up within two rings. But they are all dead, and while his murder came as an abrupt surprise, there may be others who had... worse lives, that they were happier to leave behind. So he doesn't press, and instead offers change of subject options - mostly, himself.]
CERTAINLY I COULD COUNT ON MY BROTHER TO INTERRUPT MY DAYDREAMY PLANNING SESSIONS,
FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER.
AND IF IT WASN'T HIM, OR MY BOSS, OR THE SIREN CALL OF MY ONLINE LIFE...
IT WAS PROBABLY THE DOG TRYING TO GET MY ATTENTION.
no subject
If anyone would interrupt daydreams, it would be a sibling.
[Granted, when Mari had been alive, Sunny hadn’t been as dedicated to his daily imaginings.]
no subject
BOTHERING... IT'S JUST WHAT BROTHERS DO.
[He should know, as he's the sibling who does most of the waking from dreams and daydreams, come to think of it. But interruptions and finding ways of annoying each other are very much mutual. Were... very much mutual.
...It's strange to be grieving, when he's the one who died. Hopefully the only one, for a long time yet.]
SAY, DOES SLEEPING AND DREAMING WORK NORMALLY?
I HAVEN'T TRIED IT...
BUT I SHOULD KNOW WHAT TO TELL NEW PEOPLE, IF I PULL ANY FROM THE RIVER.
no subject
Focusing on the latter part of Papyrus’ message was easier.]
Sleeping does. I take lots of naps. [That was easy enough to answer. The other part…] I.. haven’t had a dream since arriving here.
[Then again, Sunny might be the exception. He hasn’t really asked anyone else who still followed a nightly routine if they dreamed… but it was strange. His overactive imagination would have normally taken him far from here during his dozing hours. It only seemed like glimpses poked through when he was awake.]
no subject
NO DREAMS AT ALL?
[It's unsettling, more so than he wants to admit, aloud or in writing. His face is surely expressing it, but it turns out this is a fortunate side to not having any sort of video or selfie ability (aside from the deliberate drawn self portraiture). He can look alarmed, perturbed, disturbed, or whatever in his own time.]
SO WHEN YOU SLEEP, NOW,
IS IT AS IF YOU...
ARE LYING DOWN TO SKIP FORWARD IN TIME??
[Does this technically count as a subjective time travel experience on the pepper-artist's part?]
no subject
[And wouldn’t that be ironic? Sunny’s dreams had been his form of escape for four years. It would be cruel if they were unreachable only to him.]
When it looks like it’s night and I’m tired, I lay down. There’s beds in some of the huts. [Important distinction, as the time here was weird. While Sunny could nap all hours of the day, his sister didn’t let him.] Then I sleep.
[He… wasn’t sure how to take sleeping as a form of time travel.
New Existential Crisis Unlocked]no subject
[The idea that it being dark out could just cause sleepiness, or at least the urge to sleep... Incredibly like the bird whose home he saw covered by a blanket one time.]
I DON'T KNOW THAT I MEAN TO TEST IF DREAMS WORK.
BUT I COULD ASK AROUND?
[It's an uncertain offer, because surely if it's been bothering the pepper-artist they would have mentioned it to someone else before now, right? Unless he's the first to ask the right question to get them to open up about it at all, which would match his commendable social skills, but also indicate that maybe it hasn't been all that long yet.]
no subject
It might be best to ask. If you want.
no subject
I MIGHT GET WAYLAID BY SOME OTHER MYSTERY...
BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S PLENTY OF TIME TO ASK AROUND ANYWAY.
[It isn't the most pressing notion on his mind, after all, just concerning and bizarre. And a topic of conversation that isn't the skeleton explanation, or the monster explanation. A different thing for some humans to get alarmed about is at least a change of pace.]
Just imagine when Sunny does find out he’s been talking to a skeleton this entire time XD
…Good luck…
[Whether the person on the other end figured out one or all (or none!) of those goals wasn’t Sunny’s problem. He… didn’t know what else he was supposed to say. Offering to help would only hold the other back.
Still… this had been nice. He was glad to have been able to get some nice puns out of it (and returned! What a pleasant surprise!).]
A coolskeleton, even! Cooler than the Bones in Sweetheart's dungeon (and elsewhere), maybe...?
YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN A WELL-WISHING OF GOOD LUCK WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.
[Mostly since knowing - or at least thinking - that someone out there believed in you, helped with succeeding at just about anything. At least that was something he told himself, when wishing himself and others well.]
AND TO THAT END,
GOOD LUCK WITH WHATEVER YOU DO NEXT!!
[Maybe the polite thing to do would be to ask...? But then, the pepper artist hasn't seemed that talkative outside of sharing a fun sleep fact and a different unfun sleep fact, so maybe he shouldn't push it yet. It's not like they don't have, seemingly, all the time in the world.]