OCTOBER MINGLE

[etrayamods]

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: October 25th - Early November
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: The arrival of newcomers, and some holiday fun!
NOTES\WARNINGS: Supernatural elements, temporary physical alterations, mild horror and jump scares, spooky scary skeleton robots, mild suggestion of compulsion or loss of control, mild body horror.

⏵ arrival ⏴ Welcome to Etraya! Everything is fine now. 😊 Arrival goes expected - or it does for the most part. Aurora greets newcomers in the hospital as they awaken, offers a brief explanation and gives them their earpiece so they can communicate with one another. Around the hospital and outside of it, Companion Bots are hard at work decorating the city for Halloween—complete with festive touches like pumpkins, cobwebs, and glowing ghost decorations. The atmosphere is fun, light-hearted, and maybe just a little spooky. 🎃👻 Some carry buckets of candy, and offer those they come across a trick or treat. Except both options are, in fact, treats. 🍬 Tricks are treats specifically wrapped in a green wrapper that very clearly declares that they are tricks. Treats are wrapped in orange, and labeled with treat! Companion bots will recommend that those who do want to take a trick take them when they're beside their friends. There won't be any permanent effects from these, nor will they be terrible tricks - just fun ones! All effects last roughly 24 hours. Giggle Drops cause uncontrollable giggling that bubbles up randomly, even during serious conversations. Beasty Bites cause characters to grow small fangs, and they will begin craving red foods - apples, cherries, etc. Bat Gummies cause small, bat-like shadows to follow characters around wherever they wander. These shadows are harmless, and super cute. Pumpkin Puff is a cotton-candy-like treat, that causes their voices to change dramatically. Either becoming significantly deeper or perhaps very high-pitched, as if they've recently inhaled helium. Floating Fudge gives characters the ability to float in the air! Just a few feet off the ground, but it's still fun. Right? ⏵ getting spooky! ⏴ Etraya is embracing the season - and maybe even going a little overboard. Around the hospital, a few small pop-up shops are manned by festively dressed companion bots. They offer samples to everyone - although sampling isn't really necessary. After all, everything here is free! Candy Shops: Perfect for stocking up on sweets and treats for the upcoming trick-or-treating event. These will not stock the tricks the companion bots offer around Etraya, but instead only carry harmless sweets. They do take custom requests, too, and are happy to create the treats others want! Costume Shops: Find the perfect costume for Halloween! But beware... rumor has it, if you wear a costume, you might become whatever you dressed up as for a few hours. Those who put on vampire costumes may find themselves suddenly craving blood and growing fangs - those with werewolf costumes may find themselves feeling a little wolfish. These effects may last a few hours, up to a few days. ⏵ masquerade ⏴ In the spirit of mystery, Etraya will be hosting a Masquerade Ball outside the hospital through the nights of October 26th and 27th. Dance anonymously with other attendees and make new friends under the cover of your disguise. Everyone receives a single rose they can exchange with someone else throughout the evening. At the stroke of midnight, the roses will reveal the true identities of your masked dance partners. 🌹 ⏵ all hallow's eve ⏴ On October 31st, multiple companion bots set up shop along one of the walkways through the larger island towards the center. With chairs and small booths set up, they offer candies out to trick-or-treaters who wander around through the first part of the night. Some of them will request trick-or-treaters to do a trick for them, to earn a bigger treat! They may ask characters to dance, sing, or show a talent unique to them. Can your character bend themselves into a pretzel? They want to see it, and will offer them a nice bracelet in exchange! Can they whistle super loud? Maybe they'll get a nice piece of kevlar armor after showing off. This can be anything within reason - bike parts, small weaponry, armor pieces, toys, canvases for painting. Please request these items HERE. Not everything is as light-hearted as it seems, however. Aurora issues a warning to the citizens of Etraya: Do not stay outside after midnight. Strange happenings have been reported, and those who disobey may start seeing visions of past loved ones. The visions are compelling—guiding people away from the safety of the buildings and into the mysterious mist surrounding the outskirts. But be careful, these spirits may not be as friendly as they seem. If you come into contact with these ghosts, you’ll feel a chilling cold, leading to hypothermia-like symptoms. The longer you’re exposed, the worse it gets. Treatment? You’ll need to be warmed up quickly. ⏵ skellys! ⏴ The Companion Bots wanted to join in on the fun, so they painted themselves with glow-in-the-dark paint to look like skeletons. But in the dead of night, for those already suffering from the chilling touch of the ghosts, seeing glowing skeletons approach from the darkness might not be the most comforting sight. 🤖💀 Stay safe, warm up, and enjoy the festivities! ⏵ NOTES ⏴ For all questions relating to this log, please refer to the mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

[abstractly]

Then to deny that there is one truth is arrogance as well. If there is one truth then we should seek it as we are all equally punished in this cave.

( everyone shares the same punishment as being a step away, or maybe a flight, a whole entire sea away from the truth. the only way to find it is to look beyond what's before them. even now, she's looking into what the other is telling her, the way he implements this information into an equation that seems to go unstudied. there was never to think there was more than one truth, but if she really thinks about it, one equation doesn't equal every equation.

maybe it still stands. )

Perhaps saying one is wrong, maybe you are right. In mathematics, it takes all sorts of formulas to obtain the answer to different problems.

( however, it comes down to math, the transcendental world where it all completes itself and shows them the other side of the spirals, and patterns that they both find enjoyable. the beauty of what constructs this mediocre world. )

...

( and she falls quiet, her thoughts placed on that comment as she looks down to the ground in thought. her mouth parts, then it closes, and once again she looks to him and then away. that is... actually a thoughtful response, he wants her to form her own opinion separate of his beliefs.

to form her own opinion, it would mean being here for a long time, but he's planted a seed, and she can't really ignore it.

words can also be a shadow, math is the only truth that has stayed the same. her brows furrow before they relax. )

Okay. I promise once I've been here a long period of time, we will return to that conversation. As long as you're willing to have it with me.

[sleepfan]

That is a good point. We should keep our minds open to whatever the truth may be. Anything else would be a betrayal and symptomatic of arrogance. There could be a single truth, or many, or some odd configuration of which we are not aware. Who is to say there isn't another world past your true world of patterns that we cannot see as most people cannot see the patterns that make up the material world?

[ It's so...pleasing to be having this conversation. Something that is usually tight in his chest loosens, just a small amount. Linhardt feels lighter in his body, despite the fact that he and the woman are walking through Etraya at night so he can show her how off this place can be. There is still some pleasure in it, in finding someone who agrees so readily that the search for truth is important.

He smiles in the dark. A real smile, where his shoulders relax and the corners of his eyes crinkle. Out here, there is no worry of anyone seeing him. And if nobody sees his joy, nobody can snuff it out.

Stopping, Linhardt waits for the woman to compose her thoughts and resume movement. She can take her time. They aren't in any hurry.]

I await your thoughts. I can trust that they will be considered and measured, which is a rarity I can appreciate, and that you will share your opinion once you've decided it is well formed.

Ah. Here.

[He holds up an arm to indicate they should stop. At the border between the replica of the monastery and the 'regular' city. It's difficult to see in the moonlight, but to Linhardt, the evidence is as clear as day - the grass and soil are completely different. He crouches down and motions for her to join him.]

Do you see?

Look at this. It's a straight line. 180 degrees. That is not a normal pattern for ecologies. It is like... a shell that is parabolic or exponential rather than possessing the ratio. It's off. It's wrong.

[abstractly]

( a world past the world of numbers, what even goes past that of the transcendental world is where she finds herself at a loss. she takes in the knowledge, see where she can apply it to her already known truth, but if the transcendental world where numbers and shape are true, and extended... then why does this world only show very little of the truth? this is where she has trouble, her eyes furrowing in thought trying to make sense of his words. )

The Transcendental World does as it says, it transcends, which gives it a higher status... the use of measurements, numbers, angles, even life is based on a mathematic structure, and that world has so much more...

( however, maybe he can give her an idea, place a thought in her head... give this world past the transcendental world a name. that's what she will do, many individuals can hardly fathom the world that they're in now, but he understands what should really be seen: shapes, patterns, numbers, angles, the circumference, and other important matters that build the world as it is.

she wants to ask, but as they're walking together, she finds herself taking another look of her surroundings that make the world. it is one thing at a time, especially when they have other conversations to have. the authenticity of this world and its reasons, what's true, what's false... it's a lot to think about as she is new, but this person speaks with a wide range of knowledge. )

How long have you been here? ( it gives her a timeframe to work with as she comes to a stop once he arm is held up. 37 does to finally take in the monastery that she takes in the dated appearance of it compared to the city that they're in. that's different, especially the structure of the walls and the shapes used to craft the building. it sounds out even in the darkness, but as he beckons her to kneel to take a better look at what's before her, she follows him down with a hand on his shoulder to ensure she doesn't fall. she measures the distance of him and what he wants to show, mirroring it perfectly as though there's a grid that splits between them telling her where to be. )

Naturally, the world is fixed in a natural ecological theatre, but what you have here is... perfectly measured in place.

( she says "in place" to warrant that it was put here to be like that, the different soil and texture doesn't match what she's seen before. closing her eyes, she reaches down to pick up some of the dirt to bring to her mouth— she's ate it before, finding it to have the taste of parallelograms.

... )

Would you consider this a shadow of the real thing?