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

[ The young man joining Carver seems.. weirdly jovial for the situation. Sure, maybe it isn't jovial by having a coffee date standards, though perhaps just a touch too enthusiastic even for that.. But when compared to Carver's outfit and the message on that card, Fabian definitely looks way too jovial. Like a total contrast in the mood. ]

Well, that is my card..

[ He uses his hand that isn't currently holding a cup of coffee to gesture at the other card on the table, which reads: 'Hello, I am Fabian Aramais Seacaster, and my motorcycle is also my dog!'

Fabian doesn't seem too fazed by his own card, instead just casually flopping down onto the seat opposite Carver's. All casual, even with his weird pointy ears sticking out of his hair, an eyepatch covering one eye on the side of his face that has a scar running down it, and a golden neck tattoo that reads 'Maximum Legend'. ]

And the Valley of Death sounds like an extremely metal place. Just saying. [ Just judging by the way he says those words, Fabian has absolutely never heard of the Valley of Death before.. ]

[ God save him from the extroverts. Carver gives the young man a long, slightly pained look, and just exhales through his teeth. Great. This is fun. This is super fun for everyone right now. ]

It was not, [ he replies shortly. Like all places named by the U.S. Army, it was both extremely apt and extremely on the nose. ] How the fuck is your motorcycle your dog?

[ There's a slight 'oh' noise from him at the other's reply, but there's absolutely no time for Fabian to ask about where the name comes from then when the other is already remarking something about Fabian's card in turn.

At least he looks like he has absolutely no problem talking about it. If anything, maybe Fabian sounds a little too casual as he says: ] Because my motorcycle is possessed by a hellhound, of course!

[ You know, of course. As sometimes happens in life, right? ]

Though he prefers to be in motorcycle form. Not that I'm complaining-- It is a whole lot easier to get around on a bike than it is to get around on a dog! It looks much cooler too, naturally.

What.

[ He's too bewildered to get angry about it, even though this guy must be having him on. Carver stares at him for a long moment, waiting for the punchline. It doesn't come, though. ]

How?

.. well--

[ At least now it's no longer one of them looking confused. The confident of a moment ago seems to completely leave Fabian. Not even because he was lying or anything. It's just that he doesn't even know how to explain this. It's just that natural to him. It's like someone just asked him to explain why grass is green.

It means he blinks slowly with his one eye, and then starts, attempting: ]

I mean, how do motorcycles get possessed where you come from?

[ Because that's clearly a thing that happens, right, Carver? ]

Jesus Christ.

[ Why is this his life? Carver pinches the bridge of his nose, fighting back what feels like an impending migraine. Yet another in a series he's been suffering through lately. ]

They don't. That is not a thing.

Oh.

[ ...

Give him a second to process that, Carver. As normal as it might be to not be used to this sort of thing, it's kind of a wild thing for Fabian to wrap his mind around. He never questioned his hellhound-possessed motorcycle for a moment. ]

Then.. what is the place you come from like? [ Maybe a better question, Fabian thinks. More general. Carver doesn't exactly seem all that eager to speak of the specific thing mentioned on his card, after all, so maybe this way the other can pick and choose which parts he wants to talk about. ]

Shitty, [ he replies flatly. ] Magic's not a thing. Probably.

[ Aside from the whole dead rising thing. ]

[ The probably is a little weird, huh. Though it feels difficult to immediately focus on that in the face of what the other guy says before it. ]

.. sorry, man.

[ It's not too heavy, since Fabian doesn't want to drag the mood all the way down, but he does want to offer those words. It's not like he's just going to slide right over them, pretend they were never there. ]

So is being taken away from that right now kind of like.. a vacation for you, or something? [ Not that this place is great. See: the deadly maze they all went through only a little bit ago, for one. But Fabian wouldn't necessarily describe this place as shitty, not even with that going on. ]

It's a trick. A distraction to keep everyone off balance, [ he replies, in that same flat tone. There's no such thing as a vacation in a place like this, a world like this. All places are the same now. ] You fall for it, you're going to die.

[ Sheesh.

Fabian is getting the idea that the other is a major debbie downer, but.. on the other hand, Carver probably can't help it. He seems like the type who's probably seen some shit to say all of this in the first place. (Sure, Fabian has also seen some shit, but-- the fact that he tries to remain so Fabian in the face of it is just a unique case, and maybe he kind of knows it. He and his friends are a little weird in that sense.) ]

Well, worse case scenario, we do die.. [ His voice trails off for a moment, and he shrugs a little and gives the other guy a reassuring smile.

.. or he hopes it's that, anyway. The intent may not carry very well when Fabian adds: ] Then we'll just get revived, right?

[ He's not even talking about the mechanics of this place, mind you.

It's just that he's used to things working that way back home.. ]

MAY MINGLE

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject