etrayalogs | 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⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...there was a guy out there? [now that's not something she was expecting.]

What did you even say?

We left a note. [ He's trying to remember off the top of his head, but- ] We asked-- we asked if they knew anything about Echo and the missions going on, and where they were from? And we tried leaving a way for them to talk to us, in case-- the translation.

[ He gestures to the earpiece. ]

And I guess...that was their answer? I can't decide if it's meant to be creepy, or if they're asking a question.

It comes off as creepy to me. Seeing it? Gives you a shiver up your spine. [though that had been her first impression. Gorgug brings up a good point: it could have been a simple question.]

But maybe I'm reading into it too much.

[ Gorgug's nodding, since yeah, even he gets the creep vibes from it!! All they were trying to do was be nice and make contact! ]

Do you think...we should tell people? I mean, a big sign asking if we think we're the only ones kind of gives the game away. I don't know if it makes a difference.

[ Telling people or not... ]

Good question.

[she really has to give that a moment and consider what could happen.] I don't know. There's a lot of people here. Some not so good. And what if they did something?

[ Hmmm- ] Do you think we should be collectively worried about a possibly creepy question in the first place? [ Oh. He makes a gesture. ]

They added lines under the question. My friend, he said there weren't as many lines. And they crossed them out.

[ To add to the creepiness. ]

Why does it keep getting worse? [she's from a super creepy town and yet this makes her feel weird. at least she understood the logic, or lack of it, behind Silent Hill. this? nah, this is creepy!]

I think maybe opening up the idea to others you know you can trust might be good. But there's some here who would do something to the rest of us if it meant them getting ahead. [which sounds paranoid? but not everybody was a good person.]

[ Gorgug does nod at Maria's ideas about others around. ]

Maybe... if they're trying to get in contact with us, we can try and say something back. [ He pauses, thinking about it further. ] But, if we think there's people in here who would do something to screw the rest of us over -- we have to think people outside would do the same. Maybe we need to... be careful, in case something happens.

That's a good point. I've been kind of thinking we may have to one day fight each other. But what if the idea is it isn't us we have to fight. But maybe people outside of here.

[she knows that is a little paranoid but she's truly been expecting for things to turn that way. make everybody become friends and then see if they will turn against each other.

but what if the idea of the bonding was for the sole purpose of creating an army willing to fight for each other?]

I never thought about that before. I should've asked when we were in the other place.

[ And yet the idea that they could possibly be made to fight one another isn't-- completely dismissed from Gorgug's mind. The possibility is endless with Aurora, Echo, all of this; what they will do to judge them, and under what reasoning? Are you willing to save your universe this much? Do you not care more than someone willing to murder fifty people?

It kinda sucks. ]

But... if they're doing a mission right now, it can't be an easy one. We don't know how many are out there. [ He frowns, trying to think. ] ...who do you trust? If we don't talk about it with everyone. We should talk about it with other people, right?

Something to about for next time.

[and it seemed like Gorgug had some good ideas and he would figure out a next time. as for his question, she gives it some thought. most of the people she knows she isn't sure could help too much with this. not like she's any better but Gorgug seems to have some faith in her.]

Do you know Harold Finch?

[ Ah. That's a name that makes Gorgug nod. ]

He started Chirper. [ Not only that- ] He visited me when he first arrived.

[ What will she say about him, he wonders-? ]

He's a good guy. I don't think anything could be shared with him that wouldn't be genuinely helpful to the rest of us if he acted on that knowledge.

[she has a lot of respect for Harold and she knew he was always trying to help others out.]

If you wanted more advice, I think he's a good one to go to.

FEBRUARY MINGLE

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