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∎ ETRAYA MODS ∎ ([personal profile] etrayamods) wrote in [community profile] etrayalogs2024-12-21 05:15 pm

DECEMBER MINGLE

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: December 21st - Early January
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: Newcomers, a surprise gift from Tatianna, and a visitor!
NOTES\WARNINGS:



⏵ arrival ⏴

Welcome to Etraya!

Arrival goes as expected - characters awaken on hospital beds and are offered an explanation of their situation: that they have arrived in the city of Etraya, and they are their world's only hope. They are welcome to wander the hospital if they would like to - the upper floors are mostly empty, full of pristine hallways and numerous rooms filled with supplies, cots, and things one would expect from a relatively average 21st-century hospital.

The lobby is filled to the brim with tables of freshly baked goods. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" banners are taped to the walls, and several other typical birthday decorations can be found in this area. A few of the baked goods tables are lined with massive cakes covered in unlit candles, just waiting for someone to grab a lighter and sing off-key. Is it anyone's birthday? Who knows! The companion bots seem to believe it's every new arrival's birthday and will greet them as such - with friendly waves and cheers as they make their way to the lobby.

A coat rack is situated by the doors leading out of the hospital, covered in warm clothing that fits the new arrivals just right - whether it's to their preferred style or not is something else entirely. Some of them appear normal enough. Others? Well. They can't all be perfect, now can they?

Outside the windows, the grass is covered in a couple of inches of loosely packed snow.

We hope you enjoy your stay.


⏵ an unexpected gift ⏴


Out by the hospital stands a tall, decorated tree covered in candles and golden pinecones with a handsome, red velveteen tree skirt. In front of it are a few oversized wrapped gifts for show- and atop one of those sits a familiar woman. Or unfamiliar, if this is your first time.

It's Tatianna in a slutty Santa outfit with a big ol’ burlap sack.

“Hey, I got something for you,” she says, digging into the bag and rummaging for a moment.

She produces a painted egg and holds it aloft.

“It’s your Winter Solstice Egg! This is the egg holiday, right? Wait, shit. I’m mixing them up, aren’t I? ...Well. It’s a little late to change it. Here you go!”

How one treats their egg is fully up to themselves. They can choose to ignore it entirely, or destroy it and leave the yolk and innards to rot on the ground. They can hand it over to someone else or care for it as if it were something precious. No one will prevent them from doing whatever they please with it!


⏵ naughty or nice ⏴
However, how they treat the egg will define how the egg treats them in return.

Those who keep the egg and tend to it will get the benefit of being able to watch it hatch seven days after they are handed the egg. Eggs that are treated with attention and love may yield a loyal companion, or a weapon of choice that always returns to its owner, while neglected eggs may yield a curious, cursed trinket or an animal who treats its new owner very much the same way its owner had treated it before it was born.

Please submit an egg request below for what items you would like your character's eggs to hatch into! Please note that these cannot be things that would be applicable in the game.

Those whose eggs are destroyed or forgotten will simply get the gift of... nothing!


⏵ free your spirit ⏴


With the winter chill gripping the air, a mysterious figure makes their presence known in Etraya - a towering, horned creature dragging a massive sack behind them.

𝓐 𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊 𝖇𝖚𝖎𝖑𝖙 𝖔𝖓 𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖍𝖆𝖘 𝖆 𝖜𝖊𝖆𝓴 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓.


Regardless of a character's strengths or weaknesses, they will find that when Krampus raises his massive sack over their head, they are powerless to stop him from catching them. Those capable of great magical feats or other supernatural abilities will sense something... otherworldly about Krampus, but will not be able to place the source of that sensation.

Once within Krampus' sack, they are welcome to fight, but escape is impossible. It will feel as if Krampus is dragging them over every rock possible, dragging the sack in through the rivers to the point it soaks through and drenches them - potentially almost drowning them.

When the sack opens, they will find themselves in an impossibly dark space. Around them are others who have also been captured and dragged here by Krampus, trapped in small cages hanging from a massive, wiry tree.

Krampus will return often, banging clawed hands and birch rods on the walls of the cages and knocking them into one another.
𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖋𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖘𝖘𝖘𝖘𝖘.

The whisper resonates through the darkened area, regardless of Krampus' presence. Confess your secrets, and be freed. Otherwise? You'd better hope someone figures out where Krampus has set up base; those who refuse to confess may find themselves stuck here forever.

⏵ NOTES ⏴


Krampus' base is under Etraya! Deep within the catacombs, he has set up multiple cages to capture those who inhabit Etraya to punish them for their naughty habits. Fighting him is possible! Defeating him by means of combat is not, however, possible. Think of it like fighting a god: Krampus creates the rules in the space around him, including who can use what ability.

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

messenger: brow furrowed, earnest, melancholy (❝ aztec circles of ❞)

it do be like that sometimes 😔🙏

[personal profile] messenger 2024-12-30 04:34 pm (UTC)(link)
That depends entirely on what's being asked for. There was a time when we concerned ourselves with holy wars and steering the path of progress... Not all of the Bible is correct, but it isn't all wrong, either, as long as you account for the human bias. If we're talking about, say, giving someone a child, that's something that would be nudged. A war might require direct intervention. An object could be aquired by finger snap.

But we work at the behest of our superiors. We didn't just grant every prayer we heard.

[ he closes his eyes and remembers. everything was carefully guided, of course. always. every miracle recorded and logged. nothing was done without permission. ]
unaliveyourself: (pic#17583691)

it does... also lmao the research i keep having to do for these tags rip. tfw u play a nerd

[personal profile] unaliveyourself 2024-12-31 03:36 pm (UTC)(link)
I wouldn't assume you did. Some prayers are bound to be contradict, between all of the people in the world.

[He rolls a shoulder, casual.]

So who were your superiors? I don't think I ever asked what category of angel you were supposed to be. Is the hierarchy roughly similar to how human theology described it?
messenger: looking aside, brow furrowed (❝ you know what's right ❞)

oh yea lmao... my memory is like a sieve, so i have to double-check everything

[personal profile] messenger 2024-12-31 04:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[ that's true, too. it's questionable whether they'd even have the numbers for it, these days. ]

Human theology is largely contradictory on the matter of our hierarchy, but there's some truth to it. The Archangels are the most powerful, and our leaders — Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and formerly, Lucifer. The Roman Catholic Church specifically venerate the former three, but in Judaism, Uriel is incorrectly included among their rank. Though, he was very powerful as a specialist.

[ castiel tips his head back and sighs. uriel... who would have defected to lucifer's side if anna had not killed him.

castiel couldn't do it. he wasn't strong enough. ]


Otherwise, the De Coelesti Hierarchia is nominally correct, though the power differential between the three ranks is miniscule compared to the the gap that separates us from the Archangels.

[ he takes a moment to consider whether or not to share the rest of this information, and then decides, well, perhaps the krampus will take it as a confession and let him go. who knows. ]

My direct superior was an al-muqarrabin. That is, one of The Close, sometimes considered in human theology as the Cherubim. Four faces, one of that which is a lion... I'm sure you're familiar. [ it's a striking image. though there are also the putto, which they call cherub... don't worry about it. ] I... am an angel. A mal’āḵ.
unaliveyourself: (pic#17498006)

same mood tbh ... also rip i missed a typo

[personal profile] unaliveyourself 2025-01-02 04:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Al-muqarrabin specifically is an Islamic concept, isn't it? Fascinating.

[And yet, the references to Catholicism, the use of a Hebrew term for himself, as far as he knows. It's a little bit incredible to find that Castiel's cosmology might in fact be a hodgepodge of multiple faiths, rather than the realization of any one specific tradition.

He could indulge himself in that academic discussion if he wanted, while away the time here and hope that the new mission comes before he dies from dehydration, which will assuredly come before starvation, and returns less than whole. There's certainly less pleasant company than Castiel to spend that time with, after all.

It's tempting, if only out of spite for the breadcrumb trail Dazai can see easily, toward where their conversation is meant to go. But what does he accomplish? He cannot even die properly, here. He would risk parts of himself he is unwilling to put on the line simply for pride, and stubbornness.

He allows himself to change tacks, though there's a trace of reluctance. Like he'd rather have be having any conversation but this one, actually.]


You were one of the rank and file, then. Is that why you think you'll die, once the war is over? After all, your rebellion isn't exactly unique. Lucifer's being among the most famous in the world, to begin with.
Edited 2025-01-02 16:34 (UTC)
messenger: profile, eyes shut, melancholy (❝ will you meet the common end ❞)

<33

[personal profile] messenger 2025-01-03 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[ castiel hums his agreement, since in the dark a simple nod just isn't going to suffice. he listens to the banging in the distance but doesn't concern himself overly with it. it's far, yet, and if they're going to be killed, it might give them a chance for escape without laying themselves bare.

castiel doesn't particularly want to confess to more than he already has, but this is what he gets for being altruistic. having the very, very handy ability to teleport means he actually has a chance to rescue people — but he isn't perfect. we're not omnipotent, he once told dean, and they aren't. the krampus knows his game.

ah, well. ]


Essentially.

[ lucifer is very very powerful. he is not. lucifer is also loved. castiel is not. ]

They already tried to reform me once, and it didn't work. They won't try again.
unaliveyourself: (pic#17481350)

where did my brain go for three weeks

[personal profile] unaliveyourself 2025-01-27 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
Did they, now.

[That's new information; Dazai had been under the impression this man had not stepped out of line until betraying his God. Perhaps under different circumstances, he'd dig into that more, yet it feels like his ears are ringing. He can't focus right, because he knows -- he knows where this is going. His thoughts have already turned in that direction, not that it's ever far from the surface.

But it's becoming too close for comfort, and he doesn't like it. Next thing he knows, Castiel will tell him that this doomed battle he is throwing himself into with the full expectation he won't live to see its aftermath is the result of a situation his God manipulated and engineered for him to engage in specifically, for the greater good of Heaven.]


Know this isn't said to be condescending, but you may well be underestimating yourself. I knew a man who was the lowest ranked in his entire organization, yet he was skilled enough that he could've laid waste to the vast majority of his superiors, if he had ever been driven to such a thing.
messenger: looking down, lips pressed, melancholy (❝ and i'm the worst mistake ❞)

wherever mine went probably :sob:

[personal profile] messenger 2025-01-28 01:35 am (UTC)(link)
"Could have".

[ perhaps it's only an affectation of their separation here, but it sounds like he's talking about someone who no longer exists in the present. castiel's tone of voice is appropriately solemn. he can imagine how it must feel to know someone in the way that dazai seems to know this individual, someone who could have laid waste to the vast majority of his superiors who somehow, still, didn't make it. he thinks of balthazar and anna, his garrison, all those he lost he shouldn't have. it won't be the same, of course, but death for an angel is absolute.

he should be more afraid than he is. ]


Should I go first? Maybe I can open your cage from the outside.
unaliveyourself: (pic#17583737)

[personal profile] unaliveyourself 2025-01-28 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
[...Ah. That was a slip. There's no point denying it, yet he doesn't immediately confirm, either. Perhaps because Castiel goes and distracts him by offering to speak first, and try to see if he can avoid Dazai having to speak at all.

The worst of it is that he doesn't even suspect Castiel of ulterior motives. Anyone else, he would. He'd weigh the costs and benefits of potentially owing someone a debt like that. Dazai would wager a significant amount that if he brought such a thing up to Castiel, he'd probably be confused. He's too straightforward and earnest ... just like Odasaku. He hates this. It feels like being mocked, having that precious person's memory turned into a cosmic joke at his expense.

Dazai has killed many people in his life, but he's never felt very much about it. Sheer unbridled rage and hatred, like so many other emotions, were too distant to reach, a mirage through a clouded mirror. And yet, in the depths of the emptiness in his heart, they've been steadily taking root as if weeds in an untended garden. He wants to tear Echo apart with his bare hands, make them suffer as extensively as possible without granting the mercy of death.]


You needn't feel obligated. [It's answered at length.] I've thought about seeing whether we could outlast this. The new mission has to be soon.
Edited (more ic) 2025-01-28 02:17 (UTC)
messenger: looking down, lips parted (❝ that god has ever made ❞)

[personal profile] messenger 2025-01-28 01:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Aren't you human?

[ aside from that strange power, he was under the impression dazai had to eat and sleep like the rest of them. castiel could in theory outlast anyone, but under the guise of those same rules, he shouldn't have been caught in the first place. that he remains in his cage, incapable of removing himself or even slipping free from his vessel, provides a fair amount of information as to the seriousness of the situation. and the information says that the normal rules of engagement don't apply.

they're on the creature's "home turf". they're playing by its rules.

castiel cocks his head like a bird. it's quiet now. ]
unaliveyourself: (pic#17583727)

[personal profile] unaliveyourself 2025-01-28 02:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Of course I am.

[For all he might sometimes speak of humans or humanity as though it's something removed from himself, often feeling as though he barely qualifies as a human being, he's not in denial about any biological facts, here.]

And a human can survive for roughly three days without water. It'd be an interesting gamble, wouldn't it? To see if the mission is announced before I can die of dehydration? At the three-day mark, I could even test what happens if I call Aurora on the network for help.
messenger: stern, stare (❝ the heart of persephone ❞)

[personal profile] messenger 2025-01-28 02:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ he is curious what aurora would do if they asked her for help. this isn't, officially, a mission. is she forbidden for helping them even in situations like this, where it seems that dangers have come to nest here only by happenstance? ]

You're accustomed to the idea.

[ of dying, he means. he turns in dazai's direction. ]
unaliveyourself: (pic#17455242)

[personal profile] unaliveyourself 2025-01-28 02:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[He could brush it off. He could say he was kidding right here, and let the matter drop. People don't usually take him seriously, when he says these things. Or they get nervous, and change the subject. He's not often called upon to elaborate or explain himself.]

Castiel-san, if someone were to describe an indeterminate period of suffering with no guarantees of respite for any duration or frequency, what would you think they were talking about? Isn't "torture" the first word that comes to mind?
Edited (bah redundancy) 2025-01-28 14:40 (UTC)
messenger: neutral, profile (❝ stop kidnapping children ❞)

[personal profile] messenger 2025-01-28 02:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[ in the dark, castiel blinks. ]

Ah, I suppose...

[ so the association you're making, is... ]
unaliveyourself: (pic#17481381)

[personal profile] unaliveyourself 2025-01-28 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[Of course it doesn't click. He shouldn't be surprised. Castiel is, after all, so much like Odasaku.]

But then, isn't that also a way one could describe a human life?
Edited 2025-01-28 15:59 (UTC)
messenger: staring, at dean, as always (❝ where you left me standing ❞)

[personal profile] messenger 2025-01-28 04:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[ castiel takes a deep breath.

honestly, it's almost funny. ]


That's the same argument I used.
unaliveyourself: (pic#17481383)

[personal profile] unaliveyourself 2025-01-28 04:16 pm (UTC)(link)
To God, when you rebelled, you mean?

[That is funny, honestly. Irony sure is a hell of a thing.]
messenger: looking up, staring, melancholy (❝ into the light ❞)

[personal profile] messenger 2025-01-28 04:25 pm (UTC)(link)
To Dean.

[ it feels like such a long time ago now, but it's only been a year. to an angel, that's practically nothing at all. ]

"In paradise, all is forgiven."
unaliveyourself: (pic#17583708)

cw very explicit death idealization/romanticization

[personal profile] unaliveyourself 2025-01-28 04:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[Oh. He understands, now, he thinks.]

You know, when we first met, on the network, I resented you. Your existence represented the worst possible fate I could imagine, after all. Persisting on indefinitely, without hope of an ending.

[He shakes his head, softly.]

I don't need to be forgiven, Castiel-san. Truthfully, I don't regret very much in my life. Less than I probably should. I simply want to turn out the light, pull up the covers, and sleep. I have been waiting for it for a very, very long time.
messenger: frowning, brow arched, exasperated (❝ when you've had enough ❞)

ditto

[personal profile] messenger 2025-01-28 04:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[ for a very, very long time, he had no opinion on the matter at all.

but now, he does. and now that he does, he feels... pain. guilt, anger, confusion. once this is all over, and they save their worlds or don't, what point will there be to his continued existence?

he can't envision a future. ]


I understand, Dazai.
unaliveyourself: (pic#17495328)

[personal profile] unaliveyourself 2025-01-28 05:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[Dazai isn't entirely sure if Cas does, exactly. He was as he was meant to be, once, and then things changed. Or rather, his understanding of things changed, and he no longer felt right being that way, if Dazai has put the pieces together correctly. Dazai has ... never once felt as though he belonged in this world, as though he had the qualifications to consider himself a human being.

Even so, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if he does, because this really is the last piece, isn't it? Castiel wanted to live, before his world changed around him. Odasaku wanted to be a writer, and all at once no longer felt he had the ability to, as the solid ground beneath his feet was torn out from him.

The cage no longer matters to him, either. Trying to resist, keeping back the most vulnerable pieces of him ... he can't do it. He feels as though Castiel has run him through with one of those holy swords and he is burning from the inside out.]


You really are ... just like him.

[He sighs, and there's the barest grumble. It's not even really meant to be audible, save for the lack of any other sounds or distractions in the dark:]

Dean had better keep you safe.
messenger: looking down, head hanging, melancholy (❝ i've got one hundred hours ❞)

[personal profile] messenger 2025-01-28 06:06 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm... sorry.

[ it seems like the only thing to say in response.

solid ground is something they all seem to take for granted, one way or another. castiel never thought his world could change. maybe the person dazai knew was the same. perhaps his future was snatched away for the sake of some greater cause— one dazai no doubt resents. he couldn't say if that cause was good. if it was worth it. if it was worth anything at all. it's not his place to make that judgement anymore, anyway.

the cage swings, the soft whine of rusted chains playing the backing vocals to their conversation. is this all intentional, he wonders? did echo let this happen? forcing vulnerability. intimacy. for its own causes. in that sense, playing along would mean playing into echo's hands. but despite castiel's inexperience with humanity, he knows the admission dazai just made is a personal one.

it's not something he would have said voluntarily.

the mumbled words that follow aren't meant for his ears at all. they reach them anyway. he could argue that it's his duty to keep dean safe— but he doubts that matters. instead, he makes an admission of his own.

it's been setting on the tip of his tongue since they were captured together. it's the one thing that feels like a worthy admission in this company. ]


... You were right, you know.

About Dean and I. About my... feelings.
Edited 2025-01-28 18:09 (UTC)
unaliveyourself: (pic#17489004)

[personal profile] unaliveyourself 2025-01-29 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
[He says nothing, to the condolence. There's nothing he has to say on it. For all that he feels overwhelmed by what emotion the situation has wrung out from him, is nonetheless entirely too logical, too detached for genuine projection. Castiel isn't Odasaku. Dean isn't him. The relationships each pair has are singular; nobody else could truly understand what they were to each other. Even if Castiel were to live, it wouldn't change that Odasaku is dead, and Dazai failed to save him.

No, Castiel is merely a reminder of a grief that has already lived in his skin for four years. It's just that most of the time, with most people, it is an old scar that aches in bad weather. Castiel, with nothing of guile or ill intention, nonetheless digs his fingernails in the wound and tears, with every new conversation. It wouldn't have ever been for him to know, the ache in his heart when they speak, the nostalgia that he has given nobody the right to share with him. He couldn't hold the angel responsible for that; the blame lies solely with Echo, as far as he's concerned.]


I thought I might be. You never once denied that you would do anything for him, even then.

[He's silent a while. Then:]

His name was Sakunosuke Oda, but I never cared for it. Oda is too short, but Sakunosuke is too long, so I called him Odasaku. He walked willingly to his death for a battle he knew he wouldn't survive. He wasn't like me, though, who has only ever longed for death. He wanted to live. He wanted to be a writer.

[The cage clicks open. Dazai ignores it.]

You told me you understand, but I don't think that's true. I think you don't want to die, but you're afraid to live when your world no longer makes sense. You're afraid of how human you've become, and how much more human you might yet be. It only makes sense. You've been watching us suffer for thousands of years, after all.
Edited 2025-01-29 02:22 (UTC)
messenger: stare, stern, frowning (❝ at least that's what they tell me ❞)

[personal profile] messenger 2025-01-29 01:56 pm (UTC)(link)
I... [ funny. but dazai understand him better than he does. the single spoken word is punctuated by an inhale, though it isn't shock he's expressing. rather, resignation, and the moment of comprehension that comes before it. the doors on both of their cages are slowly swinging open under their own weight, and neither one of them is paying attention. his mind wanders, again, to the idea that this was all as set up.

he didn't trust echo in the first place, but his tacit acceptance is curdling. it's beginning to taste more like resentment.

as his thoughts organize themselves, there are several questions resting on the tip of his tongue. he wants to ask dazai if he really thinks it's worth it. to try to live as a human. to try to live apart from his brothers, separated from his own home forever. could he? would it be worth it, even if he could? he's admitted his feelings for dean, but he doesn't know how else to express those but by putting himself to some use. what happens when he has nothing left to give?

could he forgive himself?

it feels like he's running out of time. did dazai feel that way too, with odasaku? when sakunosuke oda gave up his dreams, did dazai know the shape of the end?

by the time he speaks, his throat is dry. he wonders if dazai understands that, too. ]


We should go.