thecrossinglogs | TEST DRIVE #2

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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.

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.

code

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I think the mud is very unlikely to help anything! [So the skeleton doesn't have to worry. Probably.] Ah, I've been rude--my name is Komaeda Nagito, by the way. [If he's been rude in ways beyond not giving his name, he isn't going to comment on them.]

[Earlier, the skeleton had declined to answer about just what he had forgotten, as he'd still been coated in flaking, drying mud. Very, very covered, what with how he'd been submerged and it had gotten all the little nooks and crannies of his bones. But stopping by the oasis on that tour for actually more than a short while, submerging in the actual water of the lake (and rendering that towel rather muddy), had given him some mental space. Some time to process. A chance to feel a little more like himself. And, well.]

Ah, well... I appreciate it! That's not quite, the same manners as where I come from. [The other rude things going without comment, while the name thing being acknowledged, for one.] Sometimes people are reluctant to share their names, for one reason or another... But, uh.

[He hesitates. Opens his mouth like starting to introduce himself will surely bring the last key word out. But...]

I-I'm afraid that's, not the case. I would gladly introduce myself! If. If I weren't... missing my name, at the moment. The, uh. The shock, I'm hoping.

So that's what you meant before. [There's something kind of funny about it--Hinata had at least had his name. But it wasn't shock then, and Nagito doubts it's shock now. Beyond the vague irony of this situation, it's actually maybe a little alarming that someone showed up right out of the River like this.] There's no doubt everyone is going to ask questions about your situation. And we'll need something to call you. Well, you're the only skeleton here, so that could work as a name, if you want.

[He hums an unhappy acknowledgement - it is what he meant, earlier. Surely clear enough cause to hope it was shock, even if it's increasingly unlikely that's what it is.]

The Great Skeleton... I can't deny it has a certain ring to it. But, it... it really sounds more like a descriptive title, than a name. ['Skeleton' alone is a little too easy to sound like an fearful insult, for one, and he'd prefer something more universally complimentary. Not to mention, as much as he really hopes not to find anyone he knows around here any time soon.... he does hope to be reunited eventually.] Besides! Just because I'm the only skeleton here now, doesn't mean I always will be. Let's consider that a work-in-progress placeholder!

Of course, someone like me isn't any good at coming up with names. [Nagito chuckles, the self-deprecation obvious.] I think if it were me, I'd pick one out of a book.

Hmm... Picking one from a story... [The skeleton hums again, this time more intrigued. Partly from the notion of doing just that, tempered by the fact that he doesn't exactly have a book on hand, and partly deliberate to counter that self-deprecation by showing some genuine if exaggerated approval for it.] I might worry about being mistaken for a fictional character, if I weren't cool enough to make the name my own in time. 'Who?', people might say, 'oh, that character named after that very cool skeleton?', even about stories published before my time... In fact, in a way--

[He hesitates again, his train of thought fizzling out. What was he starting to say, again? Something about his name, but not quite it being from a story...? Something to do with his brother...?]

Well, at any rate, I do remember my friends' names! So at least I won't accidentally give myself one of theirs.

That would definitely be embarrassing, if you saw them again! [Of course, it would also mean said friends were dead, but Nagito isn't really thinking about that part of it at the moment.] If you don't want one out of a story--well, I could suggest asking the rest of the group for suggestions, but some of them are likely to be...

[Hanako would undoubtedly come up with something weird. Maybe Yashiro, too, though in her case he doesn't think it would be intentional. Sunny probably wouldn't like having that kind of responsibility put on him. ...Well, for most of them it would probably be fine to ask, at any rate.]

[It really would be embarrassing, if that happened! What a relief that he's only forgotten his own name, and not any of theirs. And he'll need to make a list of names of people here, starting with... Komeda? Nahgito? - the better to keep proving to himself that it's only his own missing, as well as doing the mannerly thing of using theirs.]

...I could ask everybody for recommendations. It's some sort of conversational icebreaker... and, besides! Even bad suggestions could be helpful. They'll make the good ones stand out all the better for it. [It's a way to look on the bright side, at least. Maybe between all the brainstorming and suggestions, he'll come up with something even cooler than his misplaced name.]

Almost everyone here does seem to like group projects! [He hasn't been called lame for suggesting they all work together or anything.] And it can give them something to think about that isn't you being a skeleton.

[He hesitates again with this reminder that the other (dead) people might really be unsettled by his skeletal visage. Wouldn't dead people have gotten... used to the idea? Maybe it's just that this Nahgeto(?) is projecting his own fresh awareness of death, having helped the skeleton out of the mud. But either way, there's another possibility to consider.]

Or maybe double think about me being a skeleton... Maybe I should brace myself for some terrible wordplay. [Imagine someone trying to convince him his new(?) name should be Bonejangles or Rattles or something. Awful. Surely not true - surely he'd remember some outrage about it, or have been using some nickname, or something.]

That's definitely possible! [Nagito is again imagining it from at least Hanako.] Maybe you should come up with a set of rules before you ask everybody.

A set of name suggestion rules... Hmm! [That is an idea he can get behind. Really put his backbone into convincing people of, and so on and so forth.] Rule one... no terrible skeleton puns. Rule two... not the name of anyone here, or any of my friends from before...

[Since, after all, the people here are all potential friends, even if they aren't friends yet. There's always a bright side to look on, if one works at it.]

Rule three: not Skeleton? [That isn't technically a skeleton pun.] And I assume not other terms that are just names of bones.

[Skull-san... Femur-san...]

Oh my god. [Technically!!!] No! No bone names! And yes, that's rule three.

Do you want a piece of paper for this? [Nagito pulls out a thick notebook.]

...I think, I'm already being nice to myself... [That said, he will lean closer to see whether the pages within also have affirmations like that cover on them.]

Ah... [Nagito laughs, embarrassed.] I asked Ferryman-san for a notebook, and I guess they have a sense of humor. [The pages are blank.]

The humor of good life advice... [Said with signs of sincerity] But I'm glad they're not on every sheet. I'd never tell anyone to ignore them, but they have nothing to do with name storming! People might get confused and try to offer life advice as names....

Good life advice? I suppose, though I think it's wasted on someone like me. [Nagito rips a piece of paper neatly out.] You can borrow a pen as well, as long as you give it back when you're done.

[Papyrus has many colorful options to choose from.]

Wasted on you?? [Surprise, skepticism, and the start of a scheming all cross the skeleton's face in a truly alliterative face journey.] I don't know about that... How could it be wasted?

[That said, after some consideration he goes for the lighter of the blue pens. The better to indicate to readers of the list that they should stop and really take it in.]

Because regardless of the motivational notebooks Ferryman-san provides I'm still an inherently useless person.

[This is why the Ferryman gave him the motivational notebook.]

[This is definitely why the Ferrymansan gave that motivational notebook. And here- the skeleton- had thought Alphys needed encouragement and support. But he can't think of a single Undernet post quite that dire.]

What remarkable confidence, making a claim so bold... So absolute... [This tour and explanation conversation hasn't been that long, he doesn't have a clear handle without watching this person interact with others too, but.] Are you sure you aren't saying, you're scared to try and fail at usefulness?

No, I've already done that. [Nagito seems to think this is a normal conversation to be having.]

[Well, maybe it is? He can't say it's entirely abnormal - he still lives with his brother and still follows Alphys on social media, after all. Neither of whom has ever been this... blunt... about the self-loathing, but... He has to figure, dying would put something of a pall on the idea of further self improvement, even if one is still lingering around after death somehow.]

Hmmm.... Trying, or failing?

Both! Maybe you could call that efficient! [He's still smiling cheerfully.]

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just puts a dollop of isat problems on the skeleton for funsies

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