TEST DRIVE #3

[thecrossingmods]

TDM #3

Welcome to The Marsh, wayward souls.
It's good to see you again.

The TDM is game canon and will be active MAY—JUL. For further details about the setting, please reference our current setting page. All the information there is fair game for this TDM.

arrival

— TANGLED BELOW ( NEW CHARACTERS ONLY )
CW: trapped underwater, drowning
Your journey begins as it has for all of those before you: in The River.

The water is lukewarm, and murky with dirt and vegetation. The surface isn't far away— but it might be hard to tell what direction you need to go in to reach it. To make matters worse, you are tangled in the plantlife around you, and will need to break free in order to escape The River's grip. There are others here who may be able to help you... but they'll have to find you first.

It's not possible for you to drown here; you may or may not recognize that you don't need to breathe, even down here. But every moment you spend with your head below the surface, you will spend trapped in the memory of your death, as if by a flashback. Depending on what brought you here, it may exacerbate your panic and confusion: maybe it isn't reeds, holding you back - maybe it's an assailant's hands; maybe it's not water clouding your vision, maybe it's something else, claustrophobic, smothering you. Or, maybe it's the dreamy, floaty peace you were expecting when you closed your eyes.

Regardless, you'll need to push through — to even start your journey, let alone finish it.

— BALANCED ABOVE ( EXISTING CHARACTERS ONLY )

You've traveled a long way to get here. Finally, there is a reprieve from the heat and chaotic energy of the Desert: the environment emerging around you is cooler and calmer, if not quieter. There are quite a few creatures populating the Marsh, both fantastical and not. Frogs croak quietly from the reeds; fireflies float along the surface of the water.

Wading around and through the muddy shallows of The River isn't exactly comfortable, so it may be a relief when the group comes across a wooden walkway rising out of the water and leading deeper into the Marsh. The planks creak under your weight, but they hold firm, and draw something like a path through the dense same-ness of the environment.

That path is anything but straightforward, though. And in the seemingly-perpetual dusk around you, it might be easy to get turned around: whether you have to retrace your steps from a dead-end, or lose track of others in the gloom.

You must be tired. But surely it's only a little bit further... right?

a marsh less traveled by

— THE VILLAGE

However much further it is, eventually you reach it: a small village, mainly comprised of wooden, multifamily homes lifted above the water on stilts. (Be careful which ones you choose to rest in, though — some of them might wander off with you still inside!) As with the shelters in previous locations, the homes are decorated as if by many tenants before you, continuously building on top of what was there before, and you may happen upon small items you recognize from home.

Unlike previous shelters, these don't seem like they've been abandoned for long. The items you find might be in better condition than they would have been elsewhere, and there might be newer or more comfortable amenities. Beds with softer sheets and more numerous pillows; pantries stocked with shelf-stable foods; unbroken toys or even board games with all their pieces.

Given the nature of The River here, this is also the closest The Ferryman has kept their vigil to the group's living quarters so far. While they still remain on the outskirts of the village — seemingly as separated as they can manage while still casting the Lantern's light where it needs to be — it's not as much of a trek out to see them. You might even pass them more than once on your regular goings-on during the day.

If you continue following the walkways, out to the edges of the village, you'll find a small pier with a number of rowboats lashed against it. They're small, and maybe a bit dusty or mossy, but they're sturdy, and large enough to accommodate two people at a time. There's no one else here but you — presumably no one will mind if you take one out deeper into the Marsh?

mist of memories

— AND BEYOND

There's plenty to be found, if you venture out: from the burping firedamp, to curious reflections of familiar places, to the choking mists of the mangroves.

Try not to get lost in those mists. It's a disorienting situation on its own, but certainly exacerbated by the wraiths that will follow you in great numbers, their misty forms often camouflaged within the mist itself. It's stressful. That must be why you might feel like you're seeing other ghosts in the mist as well, figurative or literal. Snatches of familiarity, just at the edges of your vision; maybe a face you never thought you'd see again.

It's not all dark and dreary, though. There are patches of brightly colored wildflowers growing throughout the Marsh as well, hidden among the leggy roots of trees and patches of reeds out on the water. In particular, the same bright orange marigolds that dotted the path you traveled in from the Desert also peek out in places throughout the Marsh, usually in clumps of three or four. They almost seem to follow you as you pass — maybe, even, smile knowingly at you. But surely that's a trick of the light?

Harder to ignore are the rarer, but unmistakable, bioluminescent blue flowers scattered among the others. If you touch one, it may have something to whisper to you — but if it's a voice, it's almost too soft to hear, and even if you could, the words themselves are unfamiliar.

But there's no one else here but you. Right?

---

Image credits: 1, 2 + stock imagery unless otherwise noted

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Comments

QUESTIONS

[thecrossingmods]

Answers! Feel free to reference the FAQ for more general game and/or mechanics questions.

CHAT WITH THE FERRYMAN

[theferryman]

[The Ferryman is a much more prominent fixture here than they have been in the past... but still they hold their vigil. They will help any souls struggling to find their way out of The River, greet oldcomers and newcomers alike, and answer any questions, to the best of their ability.]

Re: CHAT WITH THE FERRYMAN

[solitarynote]

[Sunny likes that the Ferryman keeps their vigil close. Seeing them near the hut makes him feel safer, even with the water constantly around him and the random creaking of the walkways (and the occasional hut wandering off).

One afternoon, he sits nearby, gaze somewhat shyer than normal.]

Hi…

[blindluck]

Ferryman-san, good afternoon! [Nagito is here to follow up on the whole transformation thing everyone had noticed during the Crossing.] I have--I suppose two questions, actually! Did you change your form during our first Crossing as well, and were you able to understand me when I asked about that during the last one?

[witnessvelama]

[Having been found at last, Celehar seems reluctant to stray from the Ferryman's side, even having released their hand - once he has been brought back to the fold, he almost starts down a walkway towards the huts, but... stops.

At first it's simply rearranging himself, smoothing down his coat, resettling the pins in his braid, which is a mess of flyaway curls in the damp air - has his hair ever been kept smooth, in one of these places? It already tended to lose its braid, and being stuck in this endless wandering has done it no favors. Beyond the edges of the mist, he can see the glowing flowers, the moving shapes in the mist that his mind is convinced must be ghosts.

In the end, he turns back to face the Ferryman, biting on the inside of his cheek.]

... Might I sit here a while?

[fantail]

[Sakuya's claws click on the boardwalk as he approaches at a forceful walk, tail fanned, and stops abruptly, glaring up at the Ferryman.]

I've been quite patient. [by his standards anyway] Where is the train? There is someone I must catch up to, before either of us forgets why it's important.

[his brother Yuuya. who isn't actually dead in Sakuya's timeline; Yuuya's handler got him hospitalized in secret, he'll be fine.]

[callsignhornet]

Ferryman.

[Allynbee approaches, hesitant as usual, but there's an edge to her distance. When she speaks, gone is her usual vulnerability.]

How many did we lose this time?

[It is technically a question, but there's something accusatory in it, mirrored in Allynbee's demeanor. No, not Allynbee. Commander Shepard.]

Nagito Komaeda | current player, prospective characters welcome to reply!

[blindluck]

A; wash the dishes, do the mopping
[By now, Nagito has figured out which house Kel is planning on trying to get people to live in. Including him, apparently? That's still very strange. He's never really shared a home like this. But if he's going to be living here, he's going to make himself useful, and he's going to do that by cleaning.

So Nagito pulls his hair back into a loose ponytail and attacks every wall, floor, countertop, and ceiling as if he expects a white glove test in his future. He's only found so many cleaning suppleis so far; he's making do primarily with diluted white vinegar and a lot of elbow grease. But he's found plenty of rags, a broom, and even a mop, so it's fine! Sure, he had to clean all of those too before he could use them, but cleaning is soothing in its own way.

He hasn't touched any bed anyone has claimed, but it seems like a significent chunk of currently unused bedding has been put out on clotheslines (and where did Nagito get clotheslines?) to air out while it's sunny. Walk inside, and he calls out immediately--]

Take your shoes off, please!

B; don't ever forget about me
[Nagito is used to wraiths by now, of course. That doesn't make them less interesting, but it does make them less alarming. It's spookier with all the fog, sure, but it's only fog. Nagito is more concerned with mapping out the area than the spirits.

Or he was until out of the corner of his eye he catches a flash of pink hair and a cat backpack. He snaps to attention, turning sharp and quick.]

Nanami-san? Nanami-san, is that--

[He yelps as he takes a step off of the wooden walkway and plunges gracelessly into the water.]

C; fire walk with me
[Nagito came across these strange places early on in his investigations, but it's not until a few days later that he's decided how to investigate. Leaving everything from his jacket to his notebook in Sunny's care, he heads off in clothes he scrounged up from the other hosues of the marsh. Something he won't miss. He takes a boat as far as he thinks he can without risking it before he hops out.

Traveling by water is easy enough. The unexpected plunge he took earlier gave him a handle on how best to deal with it. But eventually the water runs shallow. And he could take a very long time working through little by little, but that would cut into the time he can spend exploring whatever is beyond this.

So Nagito just steps right into the fire, walking entirely without hesitation. He hardly even flinches.]

B! (Give Sunny a heart attack, why not XD)

[solitarynote]

[Sunny spent most of his time in the communal hut, in his room. That being said, because of that, he became very aware of the specific sounds of certain people coming and going.

Nagito sounded like he was going, and it took the teen a moment to realize he had forgotten to ask if he could borrow a new book.

Sunny just made it out the door of the hut in time to see Nagito flop gracelessly into the water-]

…!

[He rushes to the edge of the walkway, fretting. Why did this always seem to happen to him?!]

C (Not here but thought I would put this anyway XD)

[solitarynote]

[In case there was any doubt, Sunny is taking very good care of Nagito’s belongings back at the hut. (Even if there was a mild amount of confusion as to why Nagito was asking him to watch them, the teen still agreed.)

They have earned a place on his bed.

Safety. The 9/10 quality mattress. Nagito’s belongings are quite comfortable.

Sunny himself is reading a book, completely (and blissfully oblivious) to the fact that Nagito is about to go catch himself on fire. Probably.]

A!

[toilet_bound]

[Hanako is just returning with an armful of (probably stale?) candy that he found - one of the other huts had it, and he can’t help but think a certain apparition might have left it behind.

That being said, when Nagito’s voice calls out, the boy does take his shoes off… after doing a little hop just to make sure his ghostly floating powers hadn’t returned.

Nope, such a shame.]

You seem hard at work~!

A. Wash the Dishes, Do the Mopping (do I sense a disney quote? lol)

[perfecttune]

[It seemed like Nagito had the same idea. Cleaning, especially when coming to a new place, was essential. They didn't want anyone getting sick after all- not that Mari was sure they could get sick... after all the only time they could get hurt was during the Crossing...]

Want any help?

[She smiled as she approached, carrying a mop and bucket full of water.]

c

[hasapoint]

[Need watches from a ways away. She's scoured the docks until making a choice of a shallow flat-bottomed canoe, and picked up a long sturdy pole to punt with. This sort of boat is maneuverable and doesn't run aground easily, and she has a paddle for when the water gets too deep for the pole. It works pretty well except when one of those huge white slugs gets interested, but that's what a shorter, sharper pole is for.

She is not shocked by Nagito wading into the flame, though she wonders for a moment if his clothes and hair have caught. Need watches patiently, pausing here and there to check she's not missing anything coming after her. If he looks her direction she'll acknowledge that, or draw specific attention, by raising the dripping pole in a quarter-arc.]

B

[urtitan]

[Frieda, having come out here for some alone time and likely gone unnoticed by Nagito, having sat motionless on a fog-obscured log nearby, gets startled by both his call and the loud splash that follows.]

Nagito!

[She hurries over to where he fell in, worried about the creatures in the water - the gigantic slugs are a threat by their sheer size alone, and who knows what else is lurking under the surface? Who was he calling out for..? But first, they need to get him back on dry ground. She scans the area for anything that would help him get back up on the walkway, not putting a lot of faith in their joint strength and athleticism.]

B!

[witnessvelama]

[Celehar, by contrast, has been much more reticent about leaving the defined area of the Ferryman's lantern this time around. Previously he was never what anyone might call particularly reckless, but he would still walk the edges of the light, observing the wraiths and unbothered with being observed in turn.

Now, he's spent most of his time in the same plaza where the Ferryman sits, occasionally venturing out. He's on one such cautious journey when he catches the sound of Nagito's voice calling out, then the much more alarming splash. Does he see a flash of pink in the fog? Impossible to say, but he does pick up the pace, raising his voice.]

Mer Nagito?

[He draws up short on the edge of the walkway where he finds it spattered with water from the fall.]

c

[knockingatthedoor]

[He has been investigating just fine himself. What could possibly go wrong? With the fear they'll somehow have to deal with those weird flames during the next crossing, Kel did his best to reach around and check how they work.

When Nagito shows up? He blinks, taking in his presence and turning around to say hello, the place may be wet and unpleasant but it's at least not as terrible as the stormy desert, right?]

Hel-

[And the other is walking toward the fire. Instinct kicks in before he can even think they're all already dead and Nagito may be able to see an orange blur run full force in his direction, basically jumping to tackle him away from danger. It's not always a good thing being faster than the average person, not when he's running in without even stopping to think- impact may not be pleasant]

Finally tagging on this! C. Fire Walk with Me

[daikonheroine]

[Yashiro had been trying her best to follow sneakily after Komaeda-senpai. She had wondered what he was doing ever since she saw him looking for clothes in one of the abandoned huts earlier…

And so she follows to the best of her ability through the trees. After all, they had already lost some of their group, including Naegi-senpai and Won-senpai… At this rate, Yashiro was worried that Ikemen would go extinct!

And that was something she couldn’t allow. Her plan was going great till she reached the water… rowing boats by yourself wasn’t quite as easy as it looked…]

Sunny | OMORI | Current Player, OTA

[solitarynote]

[Balanced Above]

After the long trek to the Marsh, Sunny is exhausted. Physical tasks aren’t his strong suit by far, and wading through the previous storm has him drenched and tired.

In fact, when they first encounter the wooden planks that act as suspensions above the water, Sunny wonders if he hasn’t already fallen asleep.

A similar place exists in his mind, the water clear and eerily still, banked on either sides by the Vast Forest.

A tentative foot is placed on the plank. *Squeeeeak* Yep, it sounds the same too.

“…?” His head tilts minutely in puzzlement.

[All Planks Lead Somewhere (Lost)]

Move on they must, though… the monotonous pathway isn’t straightforward and this, too, is something that he is used to.

Whether he gets lost or he finds you amidst the spiraling wooden pathways, he simply extends a hand.

Follow me - his silent gaze seems to say.

[The Village/Cohabitating]

The first thing Sunny does when arriving at the Village is stare at the huts that decide to wander off.

…not strange at all. Sunny might still be convinced he’s dreaming… and everyone else is in his dream, too. (It would make sense, after those that had passed through his safe haven maybe had just ended up in his head…?)

The second thing the teen does, once a suitable living space has been chosen by the others, is go through each of the rooms and lie down on the bed, rating the comfort of each one.

3/10 - the mattress is stiffer than he likes. This one probably wasn’t used much.

6/10 - comfy sheets, good imprints, though kind of hot since it’s in the middle.

9/10 - This one! He feels like he might collapse into sleep just looking at it, so Sunny calls dibs with a small sign that says ‘Sunny’s bed.’

1/10 - there was a strange-looking swamp frog/turkey thing lounging on the bed when he entered…? It had looked at Sunny as Sunny looked at it, let out a turkey call, and then flopped out of the room to who knows where…

…And so on.

He can be found in the room, mostly, as communal living is something Sunny isn’t quite used to. If asked why he won’t go outside, his one eye shifts to the doorway. “…too much water…”

[In My Field of Paper Flowers]

On the rare occasions that Sunny does leave the hut, he still looks frightened. In the places before, at least he could keep the River out of sight out of mind, but here…

It was everywhere. The plank walkways haven’t let him down yet, but he sure steps on them like it might be his last…

His attention is something fleeting. Sometimes he can be found staring at the bright orange marigolds like they hold the secrets of the universe…

And another time, he’s found laying face-up in a verifiable batch of strong-smelling herbs. He’s been here for hours and might be spacing out… Help?

[Wildcard]

((All players welcome! If you want something else, feel free to plot in DMs, on Plurk (HopeOnWings), or throw something at me ^^))

The Village/Cohabitating

[perfecttune]

[When Mari first encountered the notes left on the various beds, she couldn't stop herself from laughing. After all, her sweet brother grading all the beds wasn't something that you saw everyday. Maybe he could become a professional bed tester!

She made sure not to let the note fall under the bed, carefully placing it back on top once she was done making the bed.]

Any bed you would suggest for me?

Hanako | TBHK | Current Player, OTA

[toilet_bound]

Balanced Above

[Hanako seems to enter the Marsh with the same characteristic, upbeat energy as always - even if he is inwardly exhausted.

But everyone is, right? So he’s keeping an eye out, curiosity in his amber gaze (and especially keeping a closer eye on Yashiro, as usual).

Once they encounter the wooden planks rising from the water, the boy smiles, hopping a few paces ahead.] Watch your step~!

A Marsh Less Traveled

[The Village certainly is an upgrade from their dwellings in the Desert (even if some of the housing here has the propensity to just walk off).

Hanako gets caught in once such hut by chance while searching for supplies.] No, no, not that…

[The boy mutters to himself, sorting through anything that might be useful, when the floor beneath him seems to jerk.] Hmm? [It stops quickly enough, so he resumes his search, until-

That small movement from the hut? Turns into the feeling of riding an elevator going up too quickly (if only he had experience with that, so there really wasn’t anything he could put to name it).]

Woah- what’s-? [He makes it to the edge of the doorway before he realizes the hut itself has stood up on two long legs, suspended several feet above the Marsh itself now, and is walking.

…how is he supposed to get down when he can’t float?]

Mist of Memories

[Despite the fiasco with the hut, once their little group is settled into a (stationary) living quarters, Hanako isn’t content to sit around. He did too much of that in the Desert - the sand was endless, the heat was miserable, etc. - but here? Here he wants to explore!

Whether it’s someone else heading out on an expedition or they stumble upon Hanako looking curiously at the rowboats.]

Want to see what’s out there~?

[He’s especially curious when they seem to stumble upon another part of the swamp. The ground here is shallower and seems to be more lush compared to the mist-covered pathways of their dwelling area. In the distance, Hanako thinks he can see the shape of something interesting.]

What do you think that is?

Wildcard

((Will match brackets or prose. Hanako is up for all counts of exploring, so if you want to go someplace else and want a buddy, feel free! If you want to plot, send me a message via this journal’s DMs or HopeOnWings ^^))

Mist of Memories

[urtitan]

[Frieda agrees to go with Hanako, if only because she doesn't want him to go alone. Wise as he is for a boy who died young, he's still a child - if her siblings Abel and Dirk were here, he'd fit right in the middle, age-wise. Besides, the accumulating disappearances have made her all the more wary.

As they boat silently glides along, she sees some more of the strange animals and plants she already noticed on earlier occasions - the chunky little swamp birds, the eerie white spider monsters, the bright blue and orange flowers growing in patches. As they reach an area where the air and water feel warmer, she continues to keep her eyes on the water, wary of the giant slugs - until Hanako draws her attention.]

Boats..?

[This isn't their village - they definitely didn't get turned around. For one, there's no wooden walkway here, just a trodden path that leads down to the water. Even the boats look different, seemingly built by another method. Could there be another settlement further into the tall reeds? She cautiously slows the boat down so they can investigate.]

Thara Celehar | Chronicles of Osreth | Current Player (Open)

[witnessvelama]

Message

Be careful of the paths. They twist around themselves tremendously.

My apologies, if I worried anyone.

- Celehar

The Village

[It is a tremendously ineffective note, and Celehar knows it - but he cannot thing of a proper method to explain the process by which he got lost, when he thinks himself that he is so often careful, and with his notebook given maz to carry each and every word in it to the eyes of the others, he has no paper to waste on drafting a message that explains it properly. Instead, after he has written, he finally rises to his feet.

After finally working himself up to leaving the Ferryman, Celehar doesn't travel far, only to the edges of the village, then winding through them. The first time he approaches one of the huts, one shifts and begins to walk away from him on long, stiltlike legs. He startles badly, nearly stumbling over the edge of the walkway itself, before finally settling again, one hand pressed to his sternum.

The next house he finds, Celehar watches for quite some time before daring to approach the winding stairs and sticking his head inside.]

Hello...?

Wildcard

[Want to find Celehar somewhere else? Go for it, or ask me for a starter! For now he's going to stick pretty close to the village and the Ferryman, but we can come up with reasons for him to go elsewhere.]

UN: No.7

[toilet_bound]

Ah! So that’s where you went~!

[Poor Celehar, the ghost boy is probably one of the last people he wants to hear from at that moment.]

Mari | Omori | Current Player, OTA

[perfecttune]

Balanced Above

[Mari tried to hide her exhaustion the best she could, even though all she wanted to really do was lay down and rest in a bed... after all, there were others to look out for and even stranger creatures as well. It was refreshing to hear the noises of other lifeforms in a way after the silence of the desert and the cavern.

If you were near her, she would reach out a hand and offer assistance.]

Try to stay near me ok? We don't want to get lost here... Especially since we don't know where we are heading...

[It's possible despite her words that you both get a bit turned around in the undergrowth.]

A Marsh Less Traveled By: The Village

[By now, Mari had settled into the routine of helping clean the rooms, just like she did in the Desert. She made sure to not disturb the beds that were already claimed- although if either Sunny or Kel refused to make their bed she did it for them- and was delighted to find that there was actually food here. While they might not need it, cooking was something that Mari was fond of and a great past time as well.]

"You know any good recipes?"

[While she has made a ton of different things, it was always fun learning new ones. Maybe they could even hold a cooking class here!]

Mist of Memories

[While Mari didn't make it a habit to leave the Village often... she did get curious about what was beyond the walls of their huts. Especially when her gaze followed a trail of familiar orange marigolds. It probably wasn't the same ones that her and Kel had found in the Desert... but she still followed them regardless, curious to where they led.

It wasn't till she looked up that she realized that she couldn't find her way back... the mist had circled all around her. The girl frowned and turned to try to go back the way she came-or what she supposed was the way she came- when her gaze landed on a familiar form...]

"Hero?"

Wildcard

[Want to interact with Mari in another way? I'm always open to having fun! Feel free to message me at this journal or as EmiriSuika on Discord/Plurk!] :)

Mist of Memories

[toilet_bound]

[Hanako still kept his own kind of vigil here - paying attention to who was coming and going was something he had done in the Desert, too, and it was useful to continue the tradition (even if some of it was just to give him something to do).

When Mari wandered off, her dark hair waving behind her like a beacon in the cloud of mist, he followed.

And when she went to reach for that specter-]

Don’t.

[Hanako’s hand is wrapped around her wrist rather forcefully, his expression serious by comparison of his normally cheery exterior.]

Frieda Reiss | Attack on Titan | In-Game

[urtitan]

1) Arrival

[The group's arrival in the new territory is overshadowed by their losses. Frieda mentally keeps track of those who disappeared so far: G'raha and another person she never met but heard about, in the cavern. Katsuki, Makoto, Arche and Soo Won, in the desert. Is that all of them? Is she already forgetting someone? She lingers at the fringe of the marsh, looking back despite Sakuya having been unsuccessful in recovering the missing from even his bird's eye perspective. Eventually, though, she does follow her fellow souls as they call for her.

As they move into thicker, denser vegetation, large mangrove trees blocking out much of the light, she notices the water on the sides of the swampy path getting deeper. Still entirely wet and dirty from the struggle through rain and mud, she falls behind once more to reenter the now marsh-shaped river, intending to clean her clothing before they potentially reach solid ground again - it's better if it dries without mud encrusting it.

When she notices a large pale shadow gliding underwater a distance away, she holds still, trying to gauge if she can trust her eyes... and just as she decides to head back to the path, just to be on the safe side, the creature raises its enormous head, at least twice as large as hers, above the surface. Frieda doesn't consider herself a scaredy-cat, but she can't suppress a small, startled cry at the sight of it. It's an enormous slug, easily as big as a bus (not that she'd draw that mental comparison, given that they didn't have buses in the Walls).]

E-everyone--!!

2) A Marsh less Traveled by

[The village on stilts is a surprisingly stable shelter, with far less of a "makeshift" feeling to it than the ones they encountered before, and the group immediately sets to exploring it.

Frieda, occupied by thoughts of those who disappeared, lacks motivation, but with Kel encouraging her and Nagito to help him prepare the next "town hall" meeting - or no, it'll be a party right away this time, going by all the things he's planned, won't it? -, she follows the wooden walkway into the far recesses of the marsh, equipped with a number of large jars and a net to capture glowworms. Certainly, she could hunt for them closer to the village, but she wants to be alone with her thoughts for a while.

Ruminating on how much she misses especially Makoto, who was such a kind and gentle presence in the group, and Soo Won, who was in such a similar predicament as herself in life and whom she wishes she'd spoken with more while she could, she sets about the task. Lost in her thoughts, she hardly notices the pair of strange, knobby, spider-like creatures moving in on her... luckily, they're "only" about half as large as the giant swamp slug was, but she certainly has a penchant for attracting the local wildlife! When she eventually does notice the silent beings' movements in the nearby trees, she freezes and stares, though not without a disbelieving whisper on her lips.]

Goodness. What are these?

3) Mist of Memories

[Even as a few days pass (or do they... it's hard to tell, what with the unchanging twilight hanging over the marsh), Frieda seeks out solitude rather than exploring the environment out of active curiosity. Despite accepting some of the others' invitation to stay with them in one of the communal houses, she steals away quiet moments here and there (though she doesn't venture into the water again, not after that early encounter).

At one point, she enters a small, cosily decorated hut with a strange air about it... it's as if she weren't alone, though she confirms that she is. With an inviting bed in the single room, of a type she hasn't seen ever since she died, she gets under the blanket and closes her eyes. Will she dream of her family?

In the end, her sleep is dreamless, but it does feel like sleep, unlike the mere rests she experienced thus far. When she awakes, she takes her time getting out of the comfortable bed, but eventually, she steps out of the hut - and almost falls down into the water, just barely managing to grip on to the doorframe and pull herself back inside. Where did the wooden path go?

Alarmed, she realises that the rest of the village seems to have disappeared. It's as if the hut grew legs and walked away with her - or else, everything else has vanished. Is this what happened to the others? Were they unwittingly whisked away along with part of the environment? Panic rises up in her chest. She doesn't want that! She doesn't want to be alone, without the only community she had left after her death. Did this happen because she sought out solitude? Admonishing herself not to panic, she calls out into the foggy, quiet marshlands.]

Can anybody hear me?

mist

[hasapoint]

[Need's taken a little flat-bottomed boat out. There's a paddle, but she's mainly using a long punting-pole to push off the murky bottom. It's a good option for navigating this kind of environment, though the boat would tip quickly if there was rougher water to be found. It's maneuverable and doesn't easily get caught on anything, and with the pole she can un-catch it without too much trouble most of the time. The paddle's mainly for deeper patches.

She pauses hearing the cry in the mist, ignoring the wraiths and the half-glimpses. Need considers, thinking trap? as she often does, and checks for giant slugs, and decides she has to respond.]

Hoi! Who's there?

Yashiro Nene | TBHK | Current Player, OTA

[daikonheroine]

Balanced Above

[Yashiro sighed, glancing down at her ruined school uniform in dismay. She was glad to be out of the Desert and its unpredictable weather... but the warm air here didn't help her mood...]

Do you think we will be ok here?

[She turns to you to ask, her smile wary. The last place they were at wasn't terrible but it also wasn't the easiest... and this was only after her first Crossing. It seemed like there would be many more...]

Lost in the Woods

[One moment she had been with the rest of the group and then next... she was alone...]

H-hello?

[Her gaze cast about warily before she froze when hearing a strange bark, landing on a strange dog-like creature. She crouched down, looking at the strange animal in disbelief.]

A... dog? Are you lost too?

[She squealed in fright when the creature came closer and barked again, before relaxing when it rubbed up against her leg. It didn't seem dangerous... and at least this way she might not be alone...]

The Village

[Once Yashiro had settled into the Village and had a way to get around- placing stones strategically might actually help her find her way back after all- she set about wandering through the undergrowth. Even if it was just to get away from prying eyes to clean her clothes, the thought was easily forgotten once she came across the boats.]

I wonder who used these... and if it would be ok to go in one...?

Mist of Memories

[She wasn't sure exactly how she had gotten turned around.... again... and the mist made it even more confusing...]

I really should start bringing someone with me...

[Hanako-kun was going to scold her... Yashiro sighed and decided calling out would be a good idea.]

Hello? Is anyone else here?

[A shape materialized out of the mist and Yashiro brightened up.]

Kou-kun! What are you... doing... here?

[Her excitement turned into confusion as the mist continued to separate, turning into more figures she recognized... classmates, friends, teachers... and...]

The world is getting more confused, right~?

[Even enemies... she spun around too fast and seeing the shadowy figure in front of her tripped backwards, suddenly feeling lightheaded.]

Wildcard

Want to encounter Yashiro in another plot? Feel free to message me and we can plan something out! I'm always up for fun ideas! Feel free to message this journal or message me on Discord or Plurk as EmiriSuika.

Mist (Fine, let’s play~ I know who you brought XD)

[toilet_bound]

[Thankfully for Yashiro, when she wandered off, Hanako wasn’t too far behind. This proved true even in the case of (both of their) death.]

As always, you seem to draw quite an unsightly crowd, Yashiro~

[His voice might be carefree, but Hanakok snaked an arm in front of her protectively. So much mist… hopefully it was harmless… and the figure staring back at them had something in Hanako freezing further.]

Need | Heralds of Valdemar | OTA

[hasapoint]

[fire prompt]
Having found a part of the boardwalk within the village that has a square of bricks with scorch marks and ash, Need has proceeded to collect fuel and build a fire! It's smoky and sullen as little of the fuel is at all dry, but mostly that smoke drifts out over the water.

She may be hardening off some items the size of walnuts, made from clay she dredged up out of the water, shaped, and dried as much as she could. Need just reaches in and out of the flame to place and adjust them, ignoring the unpleasant pressure of fire on her skin. She's used to not being hurt.

[grocery run prompt]
Need comes back from the hertasi settlement with a sack and brings it into the village. "I picked up some rice, a cone of cane sugar and one of cacao, and some fermented feka tea. And fish sauce and a couple other things," she says. "Since I guess we're doing food, now."

[mist prompt]
It troubles Need, the way she feels different during the Crossing. It brings back sensations - feelings, she's realized now, emotions - that have long faded to remnants. She has to get back in touch with the patience of the inanimate. She chooses to do this by standing at the end of a pier, not breathing, not moving at all, for... well, until she's interrupted.

It's also a reason to stare out into the mists with a fixed, unblinking gaze, letting wraiths and less hostile shapes pass in and out of her peripheral vision.

[dianoga prompt]
Dianogas are here to put people into the River who wouldn't normally end up there. Need is in that category. There's an exclamation cut off with a splash as she's plucked, possibly off the pier from the previous prompt, and a moment of struggle before the creature, almost invisible in the silty water, determines she isn't edible and moves on.

Need died as a human long ago, and much more recently 'died' again. Both times were very different, and if she wasn't so practiced in splitting her attention and multitasking she would be transfixed for a good while. As is she's not entirely incapacitated. A wire is crossed and she sees her older death much as she would a stranger's. It fills her with rage. If you come to see or help you'll see her eyes wide open and furious.

[wildcard]
Need can be found just about anywhere, using a flat-bottomed boat and a long pole to navigate the shallow water. If you want to try something else, I'm game!

Fire!

[toilet_bound]

When Hanako isn’t spending his time exploring the mist-covered walkways, he loiters around the Village, observing what his fellow companions are up to!

The smell of smoke and an open flame have his curiosity peaked, and it isn’t long before the boy settles down nearby, head propped on his arms as he watches her work.

“Good thing it’s so damp here, or else we’d have some more fires~” He chirps happily. Really, them ending up in a marsh (and getting a break from the oppressive heat that was the Desert) was fortunate in several regards.

“What’re you making?”

P. Victorious | The Princess Beard | current player, this is just messing around

[masculinitea]

tangled below
[Vic is a truly enormous centaur. Draft horse lower body. Big upper body, even if you only look above the waist he's bigger than most humans. A whole lot of muscle and only a crop top to sort of hide his pecs.

The equine half is very hard to see under the water, being darker and contrasting less with the plant life. The human half is paler, and seems to be vaguely struggling. Touch him, or wait a bit, and after a bit more fussing he'll just... stand up... and the River is shallow enough here that his head, possibly his shoulders, breaks the surface. Ears back, Vic spits water out in a stream and looks miserable.]

Bro... oh, bro, that's so gross.

powerloss

[so now Vic's out on the boardwalks, which groan and mutter under his dinner plate hooves, and has cleaned up a bit. I must reiterate: huge. He's eight feet tall, he'd loom over Need. At present he's... striking dramatic, gestural poses while yelling gibberish.]

HYAAH! CRULLAR!

[nothing has been happening. He sighs, long and hearfelt.]

Awh, dude. I guess... [Vic's having a thought! Brows furrow. Ears flatten back with effort.] it's like... you should be careful what you ask for, because it might be bad, actually. Bummer.

[I didn't say it was a great or original thought.]