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thecrossinglogs2025-05-16 05:09 pm
thecrossingmods) wrote in thecrossinglogs2025-05-16 05:09 pm
Entry tags:
TEST DRIVE #3
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.
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
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
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
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
Fire!
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?”
no subject
She reaches into the coals and fishes out a football-shaped bit of clay.
"I'm making bullets," she says, and doesn't think to specify sling bullets. To Need these are just what bullets are and don't need a clarifying term. Other kinds of bullet came far later. "It's harder to find the right kind of stones here."
no subject
“Bullets? What might you launch them with?” It wasn’t that firearms had been completely foreign when Hanako was alive, but considering the fact that he had lived a very short period of time, they weren’t as ‘familiar’ to him. Plus… “I guess the damp might make stones moreso too, huh? We can always explore more! I’m sure there’s lots we haven’t seen yet.”
no subject
She puts the bullet back into the fire and indicates what looks like not much more than a loop of thin cord at her waist. "I've a sling. It's a good weapon - easy to make, hard to use, the ammunition is usually everywhere, and very effective."
"There is that drier, higher ground on the other side of the fires," she allows. "I've only gone so far, but anything could be out there."
no subject
“Have you tried skipping rocks? I bet they would go pretty far!”
Though that would probably be a waste of ammo too, though like most things he isn’t too concerned about that.
He hums at the mention of her actually wading into the fire (from his perspective). “It might be nice to see what’s beyond that. Would we have to worry about our clothes burning up too~?”
no subject
"Mine didn't, but leather and wool resist fire. That thistle-haired boy didn't either. If you wanted to make sure you could get your clothes wet. Just don't let your head go under." She raises her heavy eyebrows. Has Hanako found out what happens when someone's ducked in the River here?
no subject
At Need’s explanation, he smiles, carefree again. “That would be problematic! I guess I’d have to dunk my hat too, just in case.” He’s had a really easy time here, so he’s unaware of what happens when one’s head goes under!
no subject
Being the responsible one doesn't mean she has to spell out what flavor of unpleasant it is unasked. Also, she's not sure it's any different from what the River was like in the Desert. She'd never fallen into it there.
CW: past claustrophobia River arrival mention
“Ah!” The boy nods, thinking back to his first and only experience in the River: it had been dark and tight, difficult to breathe and the lack of light… well, it had been a new experience for sure. “Noted~ I’ll be sure not to take an unsupervised dips!” After all, there were some scary creatures in the water too!
no subject
"You're short, so it's safer if you take a boat." Need also takes a boat, but as she's pretty tall she can stand in quite a bit more of the Swamp. "But I'd wager those can get burnt. Use your best judgement. Assuming you have that kind of thing."
Hanako is at least resilient enough that she thinks she can get away with prodding like that.
no subject
Hanako does stick his tongue out at the bit of teasing(?). “I do! No. 2 can vouch for me~!”
The boat would most likely get burnt, and full submersion wasn’t an option when it came to the fire, so he would have to improvise.
no subject
"That that girl you like?" she asks dryly.
1/3
“No~! No.2 is my right-hand skeleton!” If only such because said paramour didn’t remember his true name.
But then…
2/3
Hanako’s face turned bright red, stark in expressiveness…
“N-no, I never said she was-“
3/3
“…not fair…”
The boy muttered, face still flushed, as he purposefully avoided looking at Need. It was so hard defining what kind of relationship he had with Yashiro!
no subject
"Ahhhhhh," she says drawing the word out for a long second before ending it in a chuckle. "So that's how it is. For how long?"
/wheezing laughter at this
at allabout it since).Hanako’s face is still flushed and avoidant at Need’s knowing drawl.
“How what is?” It’s hopeless, he can’t hide it, but that doesn’t mean Hanako can’t try. He’s awful with feelings, admitting them or otherwise, despite how expressive he normally is. How long had he known Yashiro… he’s trying to spin the conversation back around to more comfortable territory. “We met beginning of last semester.” Not that Hanako himself ‘attended’ school, but when he had ended up here, it was sometime during summer break. Not long
and yet he was smitten.