etrayalogs | FEBRUARY MINGLE

Entry tags:

FEBRUARY MINGLE

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: February 14th - March
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: The arrival of newcomers, a mini mission, and some new city features!
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.

In the hospital's lobby are several party tables set out with miscellaneous baked goods: croissants, cookies, breads, cake slices, as well as tea and coffee to accompany them - or hot chocolate, for those who are opposed to the other offerings.

Outside the hospital, the last remnants of snow are melting in the sunlight as the weather begins to warm up. It's still chilly enough one might want to put on a coat, but not so cold a jacket is necessary for wandering around without freezing off one's fingers.

We hope you enjoy your stay.

⏵ heroes return ⏴

As the Quantum Rail train glides to a halt, returning passengers step out onto familiar ground - the train station, right where they had initially begun their mission. When exiting the station, their earpieces vibrate, indicating the automatic download of a detailed map which highlights key locations, transit paths, and notable landmarks. As Aurora promised, she had been working on a few renovations around Etraya! A sleek trolley system now winds through Etraya, following clearly marked pathways through the city bubble to make travel across the city smoother. However, the trolley only moves one way, eternally following the loop Aurora has set it on. And because of this, it takes six hours to complete it's loop all the way around. Don't miss your stop!

Pets and animals have been returned to their usual preferred areas, some awaiting the arrival of their owners, and others keeping to themselves in the forested areas throughout Etraya.

Beyond the small upgrades, things seem relatively unchanged - until one familiar sign catches the eye. One marked by four vertical lines, methodically crossed out one by one: the final slash has now been drawn through. The tally is complete. What it indicates has yet to be made clear, but it has to mean something, right? No one would go through the effort of making an ominous-sounding sign without following through.

⏵ love in the air ⏴

This Valentines Day, Aurora and the companion bots have opted to try something a little different: they have scattered mystery valentines across the city. Hidden within mailboxes, tucked into cafe menus, slipped under doors, on the outside of high windows for those wall-crawlers to spot. There are countless of these little slips of papers, strewn throughout the city. And within each valentine, is a challenge or gesture to complete. Please feel free to make these up yourselves as long as they fit in with the theme!

Some examples include:

Deliver a flower to a stranger.
Write a heartfelt poem for someone.
Share a box of chocolates!
Confess your feelings for another.
Play matchmaker for two people - this can be platonic, or romantic!
Gift a friend with a stuffed animal.
Give five different people a genuine compliment.

While not mandatory, completing five tasks will earn an individual an additional ten points to use towards anything they would like!

Each little Valentine is signed "Your Secret Admirer. ♡", and some of them may even be addressed to specific individuals. Don't be surprised, Eddie, if you see one or two that are specifically addressed to you lurking around your collection of chicken friends!

And while most of these are harmless, some of the valentines cards come with effects for those who come into contact with the paper. Perhaps they thought it was a piece of garbage, or were just kicking it out of the way rather than intending on taking part. It doesn't matter! They get to join in on the fun, too.

Heart Eyes - your pupils literally turn into hearts for a few hours, making it hard to focus on anything other than things (or people) you find attractive.
Love-Struck Stammer - You can only speak in poetic compliments or romantic declarations, regardless of whom you're speaking to.
Chocolate Bliss - Everything feels good. Simple. Easy. As if there's nothing in the world to concern yourself with. You feel happy, without any concerns or worry.
Rose-Tinted Vision - everything looks soft and romantic, as if you're in a romance novel. You know the ones.
Magnetic Attraction - regardless of what you had been doing, you suddenly find yourself unable to leave the side of the person closest to you. Had you been eating chocolates while walking down the street? Well, have fun getting stuck to the guy who'd been out for a jog!
Serenade Syndrome - you find it impossible to resist the urge to sing your words, turning all conversations into love ballads.
Heartstrings - A thread appears, connecting you to someone close by who you share many similarities too. Perhaps you had never met this person before, but the threads tied around your pinky fingers that refuse to let go until you allow yourself to open up to them clearly means you should be a little more familiar with them.

Love is in the air—or maybe just a bit of well-intended chaos! 💕

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Welcome back from the mission, and welcome to Etraya for our newcomers! We've tried to keep this log simple for an easy introduction, as well as some downtime for our mission-goers who worked hard to solve the Quantum Rail mystery.

There is something else going on, but. . . well, no one seems to know what! The computer that had been on the lower floor of the hospital is now missing, and Aurora may seem a little flustered as she flits around Etraya, in search of something.

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⏴

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[It's almost funny, how this particular predilection of his seems to draw more eyebrows than the rest of his fixation on death and suicide, or any of the other casually alarming things he might say. This might be the third time he's clarified his opinion on this front.]

I would. Have you noticed how most traditional marriage vows contain some variation on 'til death do us part?

Most cultures seem to recognize as romantic the desire to share the length of one's natural life together, yet the notion of being joined in one's final moments, to not be left behind to embark upon one's final journey into the unknown alone ... rather than some tragedy, isn't such an idea comforting?

[He spreads his hands, shoulders lifting and falling in a somewhat expansive shrug.]

A double suicide takes control out of the hands of fate, a choice for lovers to end their story to their satisfaction, on their own terms. There's something beautiful in that, I think. It's how I'd most like to leave the world.

[ John can see some sense in the opinion, or at least a coherent line of thought. He thinks there's better ways to go out, but it's not for him to say how Dazai should feel about death. Still. ]

Usually you'd think that would come at the end of a long and fulfilling life. And not with someone you've spoken to only a handful of times.

[ John has no belief that Dazai would consider him romantically at all. Certainly the idea is romantic, but the application right now is far from it. ]

[Dazai is far from interested in a long and fulfilling life. He's been looking for either a way out or a reason to stop looking since he was fourteen. But the point is largely moot, because any kind of romantic statement between the two of them would be hollow and meaningless.

He shrugs.]

A romantic declaration was your idea, John-san. If you've come up others, I'm still listening.

[ Dodging the question, though in a way answering it. Dazai has doubled down on it being a romantic declaration rather than refuting John's words. The truth? Avoidance? No way to know. ]

I think it's interesting to watch you talk in circles for as long as you do.

[ ...Nothing. The string stays where it is despite John's genuine compliment. Not romantic enough, perhaps? Not that he has anything truly romantic to say to Dazai. ]

I don't think it's declarations of feelings.

[Dazai looks between John and their hands, counts in his head all the way up to ten, before he accepts John's assessment that this attempt, too, has failed.]

It's the worst-case scenario, then. This isn't about expressing a connection, but forming one.

[He allows himself a sigh.]

It's likely another of Echo's tests, if I had to guess. Neither of us is inclined to trust readily, so we're placed in an uncomfortable situation until we give in.

[He twirls a bit of the string connecting them around his finger on his free hand with a hum.]

Forcing an emotional connection here and now is unreasonable, of course, but I do have another suggestion, if you're amenable to it. Given the kind of people we are, it might even be considered more valuable.

Edited 2025-04-13 04:34 (UTC)

[ John can unfortunately see the logic in Dazai's conclusion, so he's willing to hear out what this other suggestion is. ]

I'm all ears.

A proper alliance. We would share resources, information, connections. Have an understanding between us not to use each other to our own ends at the other's expense.

[All propositions that require trust, that perhaps neither of them has earned from each other yet. But it might be the closest they can get to forging any kind of bond, which may yet release them from the string.]

[ That's a difficult question for John to answer because... in his heart he doesn't think of the people in Etraya like that anymore. When he met Dazai at the party it was like that, he thought only of connections, of getting a leg up, an advantage. He doesn't anymore; he's going to give Gorgug a book, Shadowheart flowers. ]

I don't have to make a special promise for that. I'm not interested in competition or alliances; we're all in this together. If you need help, as long as it's not at the expense of others, I'll help you.

[An eyebrow does raise, at that. All in this together? It's not a sentiment he expected John of all people to espouse, though he hears others say things like it from time to time. Idealists and bleeding hearts, typically.

Under different circumstances, in a different context than being literally tied together asked to form a connection, he might have considered that shift in attitude as something to use in the future. But if an alliance won't do, then ... honesty it is.]

Let me ask you something then, John-san. Do you genuinely believe Echo is benevolent, and does not intend to play us against each other for the safety of our worlds? I will admit, I don't.

[ Does John believe that? Not really. He expects it'll come to blows eventually. ]

Even if it does, I've decided I don't care. I won't make enemies of the people here.

[ He got his sniper rifle, it's in the library (much to Harold's dismay). He just isn't prepared to use it anymore. Even if Dazai was his enemy he thinks he'd lose sleep over putting a bullet in his head. That's just... not who he is anymore. It's not who he wants to be anymore. Maybe if Harold wasn't here to steady him, to remind him, maybe then he would be— but Harold is here, and seeing him, living with him, has reminded John of his purpose: saving lives. ]

[John is a kinder person than he is. Again, if he had the option, he would make some distracting comment, talk in circles and obfuscate the issue until the subject had shifted, but he's aware there's no point in that now. Echo will extract some piece of him in this interaction, and what he thought as a sufficient offering will apparently not be so. A miscalculation he hadn't anticipated.]

...Do you remember a conversation we had, a few months ago? You asked me if a single person could be worth the lives of seven billion. I believe we will eventually find ourselves in the position of making choices like that, as long as Echo continues to maintain control over Etraya. That the purpose of forcing us into situations like this repeatedly is to make those choices ultimately more difficult by introducing an aspect of betrayal to them -- to see if you'll harm your new friends for the sake of billions of innocent lives.

[They've discussed the trolley problem before; if the person needed to be sacrificed to save the greater number of lives is connected to the person asked, that person is consistently less likely to switch the hypothetical tracks.]

What would you do, if you were asked for such a thing? I don't ask this simply to know the answer. I am going somewhere with it, if you'll trust me enough to humor the question.

Edited 2025-04-19 07:35 (UTC)

I don't know. I'd probably try to find a different way. I don't think these kinds of problems happen in a vacuum, I don't think it's ever that simple.

[ They did talk about the trolley problem before, back when John was trying to set all these rules, draw all these lines, put everyone in boxes far away. Except it didn't work like that. He wasn't able to maintain that distance. He's not going so far as to call people "friends" but... that's kind of what it's like, isn't it? Friends, not something he deserves. ]

Not ordinarily, no. But ordinarily, people don't get trapped in magical cages until they reveal intimate personal details either, nor literally tied together until a sufficient connection is formed with no further instruction.

[It is an answer, in its own way, but For once, gauging a reaction alone isn't enough for his purposes. Dazai is aware that the question he's posing is a difficult one. He doesn't typically announce having a specific intention behind something he's doing, after all, preferring people to assume that he's simply operating on his whims alone.]

If you were placed in that position by one of these ridiculous tests, what would you do?

Edited 2025-04-20 00:45 (UTC)

Like I said, I don't know. [ An idea occurs to him. ] But what if these tests aren't some trap, what if Echo is trying to test our teamwork?

[ Riz said something like that, before. How Echo likes to bring in teams. What if the thing Echo is looking for is how they all work together? That's why they have missions together, that's why they keep being thrown in these situations. What if it really is that simple? ]

That could be the case.

[Dazai looks at the string that remains firmly in place, and sighs. He would've long abandoned this line of conversation by now, normally. He doesn't care to express this much of his honest thoughts out in the open.]

I'm hesitant to believe it, though. I find the default assumption among most people in Etraya that Echo has been genuine with us about their intentions and that they seek to promote exclusively positive, admirable traits to be intensely troubling.

Edited 2025-04-20 06:35 (UTC)

Troubling how?

[ John agrees that he's not convinced of Echo's good nature, but he's curious to hear about Dazai's opinion on the matter. ]

[He's quiet for just a moment, mentally calculating how much he ought to say in service of the string versus keeping some of his cards to his chest. But by now, they both know neither of them is an innocent by any stretch.]

It's much easier to manipulate people who are convinced of their own righteousness.

[ An honest answer, then. The string hasn't budged yet, but John doesn't mind continuing this conversation. ]

You think Echo is manipulating people for some grander scheme?

[ It's hardly inconceivable. An uncharitable interpretation of things, but definitely a plausible one. ]

[Dazai shakes his head, frowning in displeasure at the string which remains firmly affixed to his finger.]

I don't know if there's necessarily a grander scheme, though it's certainly a possibility. But I find it likelier our participation is in itself the scheme. An interdimensional social experiment of sorts with observation and data gathering as the primary goal, or more crassly, perhaps simple entertainment for voyeurs.

[ That's not an angle John had considered before, but both possibilities seem reasonable. Of course, they both raise more questions that they have no way of answering given how little Aurora says and how inaccessible Echo is. ]

And of course the potential loss we're supposedly fighting for is too big to give up on, so we have little choice but to play along until we're sure of anything.

Precisely. It's rather ingenious in that way, don't you think? Even if we become aware of the hamster wheel we're forced to run on, there's no stepping off of it without risking the fate of our world.

[Which ... makes it rather clear where he probably needs to take this conversation, actually. It always comes back to this, doesn't it? He sighs.]

... Though truthfully, John-san, that only ... really matters to me because of something a friend asked of me before he died. A few years ago, I probably would've tried to break the system and sabotage my world, just to see what would happen. But I do prefer things this way, being on the side that tries to save lives instead.

Edited 2025-05-01 08:20 (UTC)

[ An honest confession. Personal too, not just the inner workings of Dazai's mind. And if Dazai's theory about the string is correct, John will need to reveal something personal as well. At least he has a decent confession for this topic. ]

I do too. My previous job involved a lot of killing people just because I was told to, though the rationale was always that it would ultimately save lives. It probably did, sometimes. But now I have a job where my employer has asked me not to use lethal force unless I have to. I like that better. It's a nice change, isn't it?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

FEBRUARY MINGLE

continuing SI cws + also death idealization

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