etrayalogs | APRIL MINGLE

APRIL MINGLE

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: April 25th - Early May
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: The arrival of newcomers, spring activities, and feathered friends!
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.

However, if they are arriving from Aphaia, it's a little different, though mostly through means and familiarity. They will still show up in the hospital of course, but how can vary. Either through Aurora offering a portal for escape, their own demise (however it might have happened), or even a simple blink of their eyes and they're in the hospital. They had been given the briefest explanation last time they were here, but at least Aurora can better answer their questions now. No time constraints nor rushing them off to a dying world, this time!

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, spring is sprung, it is warm and comfortable. Flowers have bloomed, and everything is in a sharp contrast to Aphaia—there is life within the bubble, and even the myriad wildlife seems to be basking in the glow of it all. Almost as if a celebration of that life itself.

Bees are buzzing, birds are—warking?

⏵ Birds of a Feather ⏴

Etraya has always had its interesting assortment of critters, but there seems to be a particularly colorful array of birds wandering around. Those familiar would know they are named Chocobos, those less so familiar, well, these are some strange looking ostriches, or whatever large bipedal bird equivalent fits. While the birds all seem to be of the same species, there are certainly some variety in their features. Some with friendlier faces and others looking a bit more eagle-like.

They are not particularly congregated in any one spot within Etraya, seeming to stick to groups, while others don't, yet even some are accompanied by newly hatched chicks. The observant might be quick to notice that their colors dictate some level of behavior, or even where their little groups mingle:

Colors	Behavior and habitat
Yellow	Can be found just about anywhere in Etraya, they don't necessarily stick to self-made groups, and typically are more likely to be friendly to people. However, if they are in the company of a newly hatched chick, they can become wary, though easily won over with some greens.
Green	These Chocobos are mostly found in grassy or woodsy areas, almost always in pairs, and sometimes found in the trees themselves. They are more wary than their yellow brethren, though if they see someone struggling or in danger, they are quick to offer assistance in what way they can. Doting like motherhens.
Blue	Most often found by bodies of water, these Chocobo seem content to keep to themselves. Three to a group, they are not so easy to approach without being noticed. Their skill and love of water is clear, however, and it's not unusual to find them flapping about or swimming. Though they may flee to the water if you spook them.
Brown	The most skiddish of the Chocobo, they can be found throughout Etraya, though further away from anything occupied by people. They stick to groups of four, though they have a clear leader who sports blue and green feathers, but seemingly is not of the other two types. Should they catch sight or sound of someone approaching they are like to run off, or they might attempt to defend themselves.
Red	There seems to be only one of these running around. Highly aggressive to anyone who dares to approach it. Best to avoid it. Very likely to hurl comet-like balls of fire your way. Untamable.

The birds all favor these strange cabbage looking plants that can be found out and about in the wilds of Etraya. Some proving a little overeager in their voracity to eat the leafy greens. One should be careful, with those large beaks of theirs.

⏵ Gift Hunt ⏴

It isn't only the birds that have shown up out of nowhere. Small to medium sized boxes, wrapped as if they should be under a tree, and maybe not hidden in a tree, have also appeared. For whatever reason (possibly the same reason eggs were given out over winter) there seems to be gifts hidden all over Etraya! Some in more difficult to find locations (in trees, on top of a roof, on snake island), while others look as though whoever "hid" it gave up halfway through and simply dropped it on the ground and put a leaf over it.

For those who need a little extra help, well, certainly your fellow Etrayans could lend a hand, however there are also perfectly capable birds about for those still left wanting. Certainly that blue chocobo could assist with crossing the river to obtain that perfectly balanced gift on a rock! Or what about that green chocobo roosting in a tree not too far from that gift stuck in the branches because it has entirely too many ribbons?

With that said, there might also be some dangers in trying to take one of the myriad gifts from a chocobo's nest, especially if there's a chick presently sleeping next to it. Perhaps befriending them would be a good idea first, besides, isn't friendship with a big bird the truest gift of all?

On the tag of each and every gift box says the same thing:

To: You
Love: 💋

Each gift has a random assortment within. Some contain candy, others contain alcohol, make-up...maybe even a pair of socks, very perfunctory gifts with very little thought or feeling put into them. However, there is at least one gift that is personally relevant to each character in Etraya. This item will be the equivalent of a 5 point AC reward, and does not have to be found by the person it is intended for.

What better way to break the ice than to give someone their gift which you opened!

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Welcome to Etraya newcomers and happy spring to everyone!

It appears that someone is trying to correct her previous mistake of handing out eggs during the winter holidays, and now there's a hunt for gifts accompanied by a bunch of lovely birds to help out!

Some notes in regard to Chocobos:

-Each color can be tamed except for the red one, he's a free spirit. Should someone wish to harm or attack this chocobo, let us mods know. There is only one of him, after all.

-The others will just take various amounts of work to win over, however, but they are loving and cute companions for those who are willing to put in the effort! And who knows, maybe more colors could arise with time and patience...

-Feel free to pull from all the designs of chocobos throughout the Final Fantasy series. If you fancy FFXII's, for example, there are some that look like that. Variety is the spice of life!

Concerning the personal item, be sure to plot out and get permission when finding someone else's item. This is meant to encourage possible new CR and mingling, but the choice of the item should ultimately be within the hands of the player who is receiving it.

If you are uncertain if your item is appropriate for the reward cost, feel free to ask here!

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⏴

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Considering everything that happened there, I'll have to agree.

Stuff from home.

[It feels a little pointless to point out that everyone probably has stuff from home, so she doesn't. Instead, she cradles the box in her arms.]

Is that why you're out here by yourself?

[Dick. It's always about Dick. Jason stands there, hands in his pockets as he stares down Bruce. Not his Bruce, his mind unhelpfully supplies. No. Every Bruce is the same. Every Bruce will fire him, will tell him to stand down, will ground him.]

Can't you do that with surveillance cams?

[Shaking his head.]

[Kirk is not at all bothered by the statement as it's true. It seems fitting that academics would recognize each other. He's almost appreciative of being read like that]

Yes. Hematology, biochemical genetics and molecular biochemistry. Are you a psychiatrist?

[The study of mental health is rather broad so the question feels necessary to Kirk]

It's better this way.

( Because you're actually here, Jason. )

Yeah, stuff from home. [He stands a little straighter, but his hands remain in his pockets.]

They're really good at following people, so I doubt I'm really alone.

[You hear that Bruce, he's calling you out!]

Edited 2025-04-27 02:15 (UTC)

What, driving alongside a teenager?

[He is but barely a teenager, but his point remains the same.]

Look, there's no Joker to go after. I'm fired, so I don't have the suit. You don't have to worry about me.

[He can recognize the care in their voice as they described their friend. Things like how their friend exudes a kind of warmth that only someone close would probably recognize.]

No one by that description has come through here. [There have just been, birds. He felt a beating of a wing as one of the chocobos step foward. Their feathers seem to shine hues of green and blue in the light. They claw at the ground, puffing up to make themselves look bigger as they squawk at Dion. They haven't determine if they're a threat to it's herd or not. Shadow remains observant of the situation. If they're forced to leave, it's none of his concern. Their inquiry has already been answered.]

[Yeah, but she's fine if I went and fucking starved while I was there, Knife thinks grimly, glaring at the purple bird. if this thing tries to gank one of their pillowcases or start some shit...]

Just food is free? [what about.................stuff..........]

[ Ororo is in town, walking on foot!, with a couple of bags in-arm from one of those clothing shops. Roxx's? Roxy's? Something like that. Clothes are important for self-expression and Ororo needs to slowly replenish her wardrobe here. Slowly. It will be a months-long process.

But she runs into a familiar face crouched down over the pavement, and... Well, now. Ororo tilts over to the side, trying to get a better look. ]

Oh. [ That's a very pleased sort of Oh. When Laura looks up, she'll find Ororo starting to crouch down and get a closer look at her work. ]

You are very good, Laura.

[flatly:] Not wanting to explode. [they flap an arm.] Nobody says people explode here, but nobody's said people don't explode! I don't wanna be someone's workdog, but I don't also wanna get got, either!

You don't just stick your arm in a dark, mysterious hole in the ground and not expect to get all bit up by scorpions or spiders, right? [that's a normal thing to experience to learn the weight of consequences outdoors, right?]

We are not new.

( but eddie knows he's not the person being addressed here. all the same, he looks at her set-up with... curiosity. the birds are good for her, as in they actually listen when she says hush. they are rarely as good for eddie, but that's because he's, as venom puts it, BOSSY AS SHIT. )

You saying hi to the incoming arrivals? Rolling out the proverbial welcome wagon? It is about that time of the month, isn't it...

( maybe she doesn't know it's not meant to be a real, literal wagon... venom vouches for her; he didn't know the 'welcome wagon' was a proverb either. )

I
[Arrival is a strange experience.

Her time in Aphaia had been… stressful, to say the least. Learning of a world that Claudia could not save, no matter how desperately she wished, had been something of a nightmare. She doesn’t think the people of the world saw it that way, as committed as they were to drag each other down into oblivion. But it still left her shaken, to see how little life was valued.

Without the ticking clock, she speaks for a while with Aurora, if only to confirm what Alessa told her upon their meeting.

That all worlds are in danger.

And she remembers what Vincent told her, too.]

This world… it’s so full of life.

[Her duties as high priestess meant she never had a chance to truly enjoy downtown. She sits on a bench, content for the moment just to take in the sights.]

II
[The strange birds are hard not to notice for Claudia, whose exposure to large wildlife and animals in general is relegated to animals like horses and deer. She isn’t even entirely certain what to call such creatures, but it’s only after spending some time outside, marveling at how, well… alive Etraya seems to be, compared to the last world she was in, that she comes across a particularly enormous specimen.

It's nearly twice as tall as her, preening at its golden yellow plumage, apparently oblivious to her presence.

Despite the fact that the creature’s clawed feet are bigger than her head, she’s stuck by the desire to reach out and touch it. It seems gentle enough, though that beak does make her wonder if perhaps it eats meat.

Anyone nearby will earn a question from her with a very quiet voice.]

Do you think it’s dangerous?

III for Vincent
[Presents for her, so soon after arriving at the Etraya base she learned about? Claudia isn’t certain what to make of it. The Order doesn’t believe in material possessions. She owns very little; she doesn’t even own a pair of shoes. As a priestess, she doesn’t wear them.

But she does at least open the letter gifted to her curiously… before making a face.

No, this does not belong to her. It doesn’t technically belong to Vincent, either, but she doesn’t want it in her possession. Despite not seeing him since he gave up his hearing to tell her about the state of their world, she still tracks him down.]

I believe I was given something meant for you by mistake.

[She hands him the “letter”.

Despite their many disagreements, she doesn’t gloat about it being a formal complaint against his conduct. Claudia doesn’t entirely care, truthfully.]

IV
(wildcard! come up with your own prompt)

What's it like? Your home. Not the stuff.

[He's from Earth, probably, if he knows about the Easter Bunny. But really, he could be from anywhere.]

I'm not that good at following people and I found you. But in my defense, I was trying to see how many more of these boxes I could find.

[Jason doesn't judge and it's not like there's a real economy in Etraya anyway. No one's getting hurt. So he patiently waits from a distance for his younger self to come out, ready to resume tailing him]

[ For a bare moment, Dion's expression turns sheepish. ]

Truthfully, I'd been so diverted, I hadn't yet examined it.

[ Now that they're on the subject, he gives the menu a proper perusal, folding his arms across his chest. ]

...I've not heard of these. [ It's as much an observation as it is an admission. ] A black tea should be a safe choice, provided you don't dislike them.

[Was she expecting to be attacked? Hope she was, cause that is exactly what Shadow is about to do. The moment she made her presence known, Shadow abruptly disappears, reappearing again right before her. He'll grab her by the neck, proceeding to slam her onto the ground and tries to pin her there.]

Why do you keep looking for me?! [Stop it.]

[for the love of--

okay. okayokayokay what shit did Knife designate okay to be Pending about again? the boots (not useful, currently stuck on a bird, not the ground)...some knives (stab chicken is an option), the bell (if chickens even have a concept of mortality to be stricken by)...

this is not a good time to be trying to review this.

fuck it. Bane them.

there's a palpable shudder in the air - a sense of wrongness that settles keenly upon the feathered shoulders of several of the critters clustered within Knife's sight, and they all consequently fail to react in any such way to deter Knife back on their way to their sacks of shit - nor do they successfully dodge being swatted by said sacks when Knife swings them at them to clear a path for themself.]

Get! [thwack.] Out! [smack.] Of my! [thwump.] Way! [fwack.] God-- [thunk.] dammit!!

Bunch of fuckin' know-it-alls walking everywhere all the time. Assholes take advantage of vulnerable people. All cops are pigs. You know, normal.

[Have an eye roll from Jason.]

Congrats.

[As Jason comes out of the store, he swears he thinks he sees something in the distance and pauses for a moment before continuing down the road. After a couple minutes, though, he darts into an alley.]

[ A twin. Small wonder he led with their resemblance. Dion nods, committing the description to memory. Should he sight her, he'll be certain she knows her brother is looking for her.

He nods, the motion a stiff but clear acknowledgement. ]

Understood. I shall hope one of us crosses paths with her.

[ Once again, he offers the box. The other man should keep such a memento, at leasr until he sees his sister once more. ]

In my case, a friend. We crossed paths in Aphaia, at least I believed we did, yet we are alike in a way that should allow me to sense whether he is near. Wherever I have wandered in this place...nothing. No sign.

[ He knows not whether it's the nature of this world or Joshua didn't make it to this place. Or perhaps he'd merely imagined the comfort of familiarity amongst so much that was new and foreign. ]

...

[ from that comment, the hedgehog looks towards them with disinterest. not as though they did anything wrong, but aren't they throwing their lot by engaging with shadow.

basically sticking their arm in a dark, mysterious hole and bit in some ways, more than one? ]

That didn't seem to be an issue when you decided to interact with me. What's the difference?

[ what made them confident? ]

hungry chocobos ;
[ Curious and always eager to learn about local flora and fauna, Ororo had picked up an armful of the leafy greens with the intention of figuring out if they could re-plant them somewhere around the Institute grounds. She used to keep a greenhouse, and maybe she could do that again some time soon. They couldn't always rely on the "always free" food and items in town, could they? "Teach a man to fish," and all that.

But some yellow chocobos have come closer, curious about the vegetables in her basket, and she returns the level look they seem to give her. She doesn't feel like she's in danger, but... one could never quite tell!

Ororo slowly offers a leaf, mindful of that great big beak and how quick it might move. ]

I do not mind sharing, you know. But I would rather have all my fingers intact after you take these, please.

Gifts to Keep or to Return to Owner ;
[ Ororo totally ignores all the gift boxes. She's been in enough wild simulation runs and not-simulation runs done by the likes of Mojo and Arcade and Viper to know better. But somewhere out there, there will be some gift boxes with earrings: some lightning bolts, some hoops, and maybe one or two pairs of ornamental gold with a splash of color. Feel free to keep them, or give to a friend!

But if a pair of very large lightning bolt earpieces show up, gold and very flashy, they may or may not be engraved with Storm or House of J. Carnation on the inside. ]

drinks 🍻 ;
[ Being back is a lot, and the institute being so full now is also a lot. When Ororo finds it too crowded and too full, she finds herself stealing away into the familiar brews at Harry's Hideaway. The beer always seemed to be a brew that someone else liked, but that's how she likes it too. It was a nice way to unwind after a long day, loosening her thoughts and remembering people who may not be around... But the memory of them always made for very good company. ]

Edited 2025-04-27 02:46 (UTC)

Behind his red goggles, Kirk raises an eyebrow at the lounging feline(?). Someone is certainly making the best out of the situation.

"I've seen bread boxes before," he says, deadpan.

Since Sleeper has apparently decided to loaf.

Edited 2025-04-27 02:39 (UTC)

[Crane moves his hands, sliding one across another, not grasping his wrist but gently resting.]

Correct. Clinical psychiatry to be precise. Psychopharmacology is my primary field.

[Were he less proud of himself, he would be more guarded about his specialty, his involvement with criminals. But he is proud of himself and proud of his work.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 10 of 119

APRIL MINGLE

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sidewalk chalk

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Claudia Wolf | Silent Hill 3

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Ororo Munroe (Storm) / Marvel Comics / newly returned!

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