APRIL MINGLE

[etrayamods]

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⏴

Comments

[knightowl]

Barbara and I searched for him for three weeks and then Joker sent us this.

[ The jack in the box, tucked under his arm. Only bigger and, as Bruce mentioned, with a grenade full of confetti inside. ]

[godsandbats]

[For one thing, not drinking blood...]

Not deliberating causing harm to others. But other than that, "normal" has a rather broad definition to me. There are others whose own definitions are much narrower but sometimes, that comes with having a narrower view of the world.

[restingstitchface]

You seem well enough.

[Which implies a fear of enduring the same illness. But he cannot drop the pretense and outright ask the young man what such poison was.]

Is this poison truly so severe?

[leastdramatic]

[At that, Jason goes cold. His own torture and death was within a matter of what? An hour? That alone was already hell. Three weeks is almost unimaginable]

What'd he do to him?

[Because with the Joker, it's never just tying up and gagging his victims. There's always some sort of sick twist to it to make himself laugh]

[copsormasks]

Yeah, it... really messed me up. [Something about this stranger's nature has him opening up like he did to Leslie.] Had nightmares like all the time. I'd keep seeing it happen again and again.

[leastdramatic]

[Yep, and older Jason can read him]

Sure and I'm a little boy scout.

[copsormasks]

I'm not judging. [All that heat and anger from before has dropped into a quiet confidence, changing the way Jason talks, the way he stands. He's definitely going to seek out Crane and his closest opportunity.]

[leastdramatic]

Why the hell do you wanna go to him?

[Not that Jason's really expecting a straightforward answer]

cw: cannibalism

[levelshift]

[This time, Accelerator isn't surprised. Now that he has a better understanding of who he's talking to, he isn't the least bit shocked to see that a teenager being an asshole isn't getting a rise out of him. The guy would be a really shitty psychiatrist if it did.

What's far more interesting is who this guy is referring to. Accelerator picks up on it very quickly, having attended Hannibal's dinner party way back when. Leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table, his expression shifts to something more serious.]

Someone told you about Lecter. [That isn't a question. He continues, blunt, not shying away from the horrors of the subject of their conversation.] Well, there's been a lot of turnover since that piece of shit was here, so what you want to do might not be insurmountable. I don't know how many newer people knew we had a fucking cannibal here. I haven't seen anyone talk about it outside of the guy who got killed told everyone what happened, and later some other asshole telling everyone Lecter was gone. Both of those were months ago.

[copsormasks]

I never said I would. [Jason shakes his head before pocketing his hands. He leans forward just a touch, clearly eager if not excited.]

[knightowl]

[ Bruce...almost doesn't answer. It's all too fresh. Even after all these years. But then he remembers he hadn't told Terry and that didn't end well for him. He was part of it. Just like Jason was. ]

He was tortured. Brainwashed. Joker had turned him into [ Joker Junior. ] his own twisted image.

[limiterrings]

[ ...

...

the chocobo is staring at her in awe, big ol' beady eyes... let a bell as he walks over to blaze, warking at the sight.

it can't make fire, so instead it hops. their leader is also able to apply flames to their attacks, so of course, the creature is now pretty interested in blaze. ]

[limiterrings]

...

[ watching the chocobo eat something else that isn't him means that shadow can continue what he was doing before. staying out of the way.

when accelerator slides up to him, shadow glances out towards the entrance of the clothing place. ]

Outside.

[ call it him repaying a debt for what accelerator did for him back on the previous planet. with the chocobo focused on those leafy greens, and a loud wark when it notices that one of those scarves are gone.

... shadow doesn't wait to see what happens, not his problem as long as the chocobo doesn't make it one. ]

Coming?

[limiterrings]

[ a confirmation.

it belongs to him and no one else, and shadow only kept it safe because of someone else. what if it's a sign, maybe he should ask much like he's asked others. the chocobo is also a sign, maybe something that knows the future of shadow's feelings. he would feel better if she existed, but maybe he can only remember her in memory.

he could add that the other should be mindful of it, that the chocobos will eat it if he's not careful. however, if it is his, he should be able to take care of it without the hedgehog's advice. ]

...

[ as long as he knows he will not have to be left with the issue that he allowed someone another person's treasure.

even the chocobo that's resting seems to be watching the two, interested in conversation despite not knowing what they're saying. ]

[limiterrings]

[ he can't help but destroy what's in front of him, leave him alone.

still the same, a naive child that thinks he can take on the world. just like he left him at that little game of theirs. ]

Hm.

[ as if he's thinking over the pros and cons of listening to him, but what does he have to lie for. the other has stayed out of his way this far, hell, the older hedgehog didn't even know he was still here.

... ]

You have it.

[ shadow pushes himself off to the side, slowly getting to his feet as he watches the other.

... ]

[leastdramatic]

[It's worse than Jason imagined. Physical torture was one thing. But to push someone to the point of becoming another Joker is another. Was that the breaking point for his family? How does anyone recover from that? Jason is quiet for a long time, trying to process]

And Tim shot him in revenge?

[He can almost see how it could've happened. Would Jason have done the same? Or would he have been too far gone even for that?]

[knightowl]

[ They don't, Jason. They don't ever recover. ]

Joker ordered him to shoot me and Tim almost did. But didn't at the last moment. Leslie brought him back to himself and he stopped being Robin.

[ Because Bruce forbade it. Poured all of his energy into being everything Gotham needed without the need of a partner. It worked - until it didn't. And he had no one to turn to, because he'd pushed them all away.

But that, he keeps to himself. ]

[leastdramatic]

No but it's pretty obvious all over your face.

[Jason almost wants to say that if the kid's going to lie then at least he should hide it better]

[copsormasks]

[Jason scoffs and shrugs his shoulders.] And what if I do? Not any of your business.

[thelightshines]

[No one. He felt a moment of hope, but it was slowly getting consumed with doubt. She would have reached out to him by now if she was here. The other one certainly didn't stop trying to reach him after they got separated.

...

Now that he thinks about it, she stopped calling him once he returned here. He taps the earpiece. She probably hasn't change her username. As he checks the database, a frown starts to form, his ears slowly start to droop. Her name isn't there anymore. His Maria....would she have already tried to reach him if she was here? Or was she mad at him...? No, with how much love the other had given him, the Maria he knew would have been the same. Try everything in her power to find him. He taps the earpiece to turn off the HUD, left to stare at the roller skates without it's owner. Like someone's idea of a twisted joke.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he lowers himself to pick up the box lid to close the gift.] I don't want it. [He tries to give it back to Scott.]

[bubblegumheart]

Either way, I'm sorry you're upset. You probably shouldn't hang around here very much longer, either. There are giant birds running around now too, and I'm not sure if all of them are friendly.

[And with that, she really leaves.]

[oblige]

[ The introduction prompts Dion to stop peering at the automaton as it works, turning to face her properly. He places a hand over his chest. ]

Dion. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Blaze.

[ Punctuated with a polite nod. He may not know whether she has rank or title, but she's a lady regardless. ]

[thelightshines]

[He lays there for a moment as the other moves. A look of suspicion, despite them accepting his terms. His eyes remain on them as he moves to stand. Dark spots in the dirt from the wounds he sustained when the bird struck his back. They have almost healed up.

He glares at the other, keeping a guarded stance with his good eye on them. Not running as agreed upon.]

What is your question?

[thelightshines]

[The tuffs of feathers on the chocobo's head lifts up as they wark excitedly. The others join in, flapping their wings. Brace yourself, Blaze. They are going to crowd around you to get to those greens.

Shadow remains where he's hidden, ears twitching at all the fuss going on. Guess the birds are excited being around Blaze. Good. They've been useful distractions, but maybe they'll finally stop following him.]

[oblige]

[ The silence that follows feels leaden in a way that Dion couldn't put a name to. Not knowing Shadow well — not knowing him at all, really — he has no way of knowing what meaning to assign to it. Perhaps there is none, seeing as neither Shadow seems all that interested in talking. ]

If that will be all, then.

[ It was surprise enough that Shadow had asked about the flower. Did it remind him of something, or did he care that someone didn't end up with an item that wasn't theirs? He surely wouldn't get an answer if he was to ask. ]

My name is Dion. [ Not that Shadow asked, and not that he expects him to care. Rather, he says as much for another reason. ] Since I already knew yours.

[ He only intends that they should be even. ]