etrayalogs | MAY MINGLE

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: May 17th-31st
WHERE: On Etraya
WHAT: A mingle log!
NOTES\WARNINGS: N/A, please note any needed warnings in threads.

⏵ a hero's return ⏴

As champions exit the Labyrinth, they’ll find that their environment has gone through some fairly drastic changes. Where there used to be larger bodies of water is now thinner rivers going through land; the amount of bridges connecting landmasses has decreased, given what had been individual islands are now much more connected. In addition, Etraya is significantly more green; flowers bloom, birds chirp cheerfully, and there are numerous additional species of insects, mammals, and aquatic creatures throughout the lands. Baby foxes roam through forested areas, bees pollinate the flowers to spread them more thoroughly around the inhabited areas, and it feels brighter. Or perhaps that’s just in comparison to how the Labyrinth had been.

There are more areas to explore, new facilities, animals, and Etraya feels significantly more settled than it had before. Aurora’s promise of renovations had been true. And if one looks up, they may notice a city bubble visible on the closest planet that hadn't been visible before.

⏵ coffee break ⏴
After hearing Clarke’s suggestion, Aurora sets up a new cafe close to the apartment complex, and sends out notices to individuals with mandatory coffee hour times listed for them to come to Corrine's Cafe and make a few friends.

While the note does state that it is mandatory, there will be no follow-up from Aurora nor the companion bots to ensure those who receive notes do show. Given this is Aurora trying to take suggestions in mind and see how successful they are among the citizens of Etraya, however, following directives may not be a terrible idea.

It's up like a modern-day, smaller cafe. One walks in through the front door, and is greeted by a companion bot behind the counter who offers a wave of their hand and a friendly “Welcome! Let me know when you’re ready to order”. The menu offers lattes, mochas, espresso, black coffee, several different kinds of teas, and a few drinks that are a little odd to find in a cafe; ale, canned sodas and coffees, numerous bottles of wine, but only pinot noir.

Soft music plays in the background, impossible to place but it sounds as if it may be based on tracks that were popular in the early 90s.

Tables and booths are set up to seat two to four, with packets of sugar and small containers of creamer set out towards the middle. There are charging stations set up at every table, which may seem strange considering phones and laptops aren’t widely available, but Aurora’s doing her best. There are also a few bookshelves full of the classics, a few historical fiction, and several written by H.P. Lovecraft.

Each seat has a placard in front of it, with a name, and a ‘fun fact’. One might say “Hello! My name is Joe, and I like to paint!” Another may say “Hi, I’m Jill! My sister died tragically in front of me and I’ve never gotten over it.”

⏵ new horizons ⏴

Several of the new bridges found in Etraya now have signs posted just outside of them, and on those signs is a QR code that the earpiece’s HUD can scan. Scanning this with the HUD will bring up a scavenger hunt, listing several items and circling areas where they can be found.

Some of these objects will be obvious: find Corrine at Corrine’s Cafe - the companion bot who runs the counter, find a delicious meal at Bangsan Market, break into S.T.A.R Labs, or find room 87 at Point Blanc Academy. Some will be less obvious, like locating a bat, becoming friends with an archer, find a pink shirt, open bagged milk without making a mess, or get a drink at the mutant-friendly pub. Please feel free to make up your own items to find around Etraya!

⏵ NOTES ⏴
Welcome to our mid-month mingle!

Please feel free to use this to explore Etraya, put up wildcard prompts (you don't need to use the above!), or use the open prompts to assist in jumpstarting cr.

This mingle covers the period from May 17th to May 31st. Our next mission (and next mod log) will not go up until June 7th.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ah, so you like to dance? [ She doesn't say so, but her tone would indicate that that's something exciting to hear. She loves to dance! ]

I do like a little rock and roll, so this was fortunate. But I'd prefer more variety... Jazz, like you say, and some RnB. Something for a little mood, rather than to sing to. [ Even if she can occasionally be coaxed into singing, it's not something she does without a beer or two in here. Mostly she's content to sit and let the music be part of the atmosphere. ]

I think everyone is in... particular sorts of moods after the last couple of weeks. I wish we had something a little livelier to play, to help boost people's morale a little.

Oh yeah~ I love t'dance. [He coos, truthfully Angel loves any sort of entertainment. What he wouldn't give to be able to dance away some of his stress. Maybe they'll get lucky some other time. Or maybe the radio is like the clothing at Roxx, as people come in different things get added.]

Well this place is real good at tryin' t'wing it. Maybe it'll change as it realises ain't a single soul wanna listen t'the same shit and all.

[He taps at the side of his glass.] Lets hope it does cause like you said. I think we could all use a damn morale boost. [A total understatement.]

Goddess, I hope so. I love this song, but I'd appreciate a little variety more. There are only so many ways to listen and dance to one thing.

[ She takes her own glass and takes the barstool next to his. ] A morale boost would be very helpful, yes. I'm not sure how to go about it yet, exactly. Right now, people are quite... scattered, you could say? [ People stumbled out of the labyrinth and simply went on to do.. different things. Not that she could blame them, but something about this place makes her think they needed a little community. ]

Yeah, especially around this place.

[He shifts a little to give her more space, scooting his stool with ease a little closer to the bartop. Two sets of hands on one side seem to dust away the air in tandem.]

Scattered is a damn understatement. I don't know what this place is trying to prove but I never thought I'd miss Charlie's idea of team work building exercises cause this places version is fucking insanity. [Angel never really thought he'd want 'community' but the longer he stayed here, away from everyone else at his happy little hotel back home, the more he realised just how damn much he missed it and how terrible it felt to be all alone. There isn't a soul here from his world, or even close to he feels so damn out of place.]

I ain't sure I am the person to ask about morale boostin'. I was never good at plannin' that sorta thing.

What sort of team building exercises did your friend like for you to do? [ She won't call attention to the name; she had opinions on the Charles that she is familiar with, ones she'd actually rather not examine right this minute. ]

When I had to do little outings to boost morale, it involved very careful scheduling - to get everyone together in the same place -a little beer, and some karaoke. [ So... not impossible, here! Except maybe she'd go easy on the beer - it doesn't escape her that there were some younger types here in Etraya. ]

It sounds simple and mundane, but I always found that such things helped all of us, whether we knew it or not.

Lots of like, getting to know you kinda shit. Sit in a circle and share feelins that kinda nonsense. [That's too much to unpack over drinks. Not after the helluva week they had.]

Hey booze makes anything better, so that's a fuckin' start. [So he noticed, but then again it's not as though that sort of thing was really that big a deal where he's from.

It's been a learning curb. Trying to behave. It's hard man.]

Yeah. I mean, people like simple. It's easier to deal with. Especially after shit so... complicated and awful. [He looks a little shook for a minute. If he has to ever spend a day outside again he might just break.]

Are we meant to focus on simple things only, at the expense of discussing why the complicated was so complicated in the first place? Not in a circle, necessarily, but perhaps just to name what has been troubling us, so that we may address it. [ She isn't accusatory or anything, simply saying things aloud. She shakes her head; she knows it's a tall order for anyone to... sit in a circle, to discuss feelings. ]

... My apologies. I don't mean to impose how I think we should be dealing with what has happened. I am simply wondering what options we have here, since I do not like how disconnected so many of us seem to be.

I do wish more things could be solved like this - by making a new friend over a bottle of beer. [ She flashes him an amused smile. ] May I have your name, if you wouldn't mind sharing? I am Ororo.

[It was a lot to ask of people, but it had gotten easier admittedly the longer he'd stayed at the Hotel with his friends and Charlie. He had just gotten fairly comfortable with it all but he was right back to square one here and it was worse now it felt like. At least back home he felt a little more, normal. Here felt weird even months later.

But they probably should talk about it, as much as he absolutely hated it sometimes it really did help to have people to connect to and doing it over booze did help. He tightens his grip around the stem of his glass with one of his sets of hands while the other waves off her words.]

Don't apologise, ya are right. It's just hard. I mean, I think you have to start simple. Ya certainly ain't gonna get someone to just dump out the hard shit straight out the gate. [A pause.] Well for most people anyway.

[He blinks for a moment and releases one of the hands that isn't currently occupied holding his drink.] It's Angel. It ain't like it's some secret. [Well, it kinda is. His real name that is, thankfully no one found that secret at the start of all this.] Nice t'meet ya Ororo.

Angel. [ She says it more out of rote than anything, committing it to memory with a smile. ] A pleasure to meet you too, though I wish it were in more pleasant circumstances.

Please know I won't expect you to - ah - dump the hard shit. [ She grins briefly for his benefit. ] But if you need an ear to listen, I wouldn't mind offering some of my time. It isn't as if we have all that much to do around here, hm? It must get quiet between... whatever it is Aurora and Echo expect us to do for them. [ And that was her other, larger hang-up about this place. Who was she, when she had no clear purpose? She needed to find something to keep her busy, hopefully soon. ]

Same to ya, Ororo. But it is what it is. Seems like we ain't goin' anywhere soon.

[He nods at the others offering but he'll tuck that in his back pocket for now. He just spent months doing the whole talk it out thing, and now he's back in a strange place starting what seems like all over again.

And he needs a moment before he can do it all over again.]

I dunno, doesn't seem that quiet. I been enjoyin' all this places stuff. Every time more people get here this place changes. The shops get new shit t'accommodate and that's been pretty great. Especially the snacks. They got these little coconut cake things that are fuckin' awesome.

[It's the simple things, the food in hell sucks. For obvious reasons.]

MAY MINGLE

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject