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

[For a moment Kirk thinks about how rare it is for him to use the doctor title. The vampirism came shortly after he graduated with a doctorate so he almost never has the right opportunity to introduce himself in the way Dr. Crane does]

What do you think of your time here so far, doctor?

I've been here two hours, maybe? [Truly tragic, the two of them. Still, Jason is eager to keep that sunlight on him.] Wait, let me look at the [He makes a hook gesture over his here before pulling on the device.]

So. Looks like there's a cafe near the apartments. Gotta have coffee there.

[Meanwhile, Jason's temper is getting shorter]

No because I've done this kind of dumb shit before. Why do you think I'm warning you?

Because you're just like Dick and you hate any time I do anything.

[Getting ready to walk off again.]

[Ill-tempered, irrational, and contrarian. Not for the first time Jason wonders if this is how others saw him when he was a teenager]

Alright, fine. What can you possibly offer him in exchange for his so-called help? What's to stop him from not secretly turning you into a new guinea pig?

Who the fuck even cares? I get what I want, he gets what he wants. It's real fucking simple.

[Cue dramatic teenager walk off!]

[Nope. He's following]

Except it'd be more like he gets what he wants and you get jackshit. Since when does Scarecrow play altruist?

[There's a long, uncomfortably tense silent moment as Jason thinks. The older Bruce hasn't spoken too much about what his world is like so Jason can only hazard some guesses based on the possible similarities between their worlds]

Are the Lazarus Pits still around?

[Bruce sounds certain that he thought the Joker was dead until recently. So he must've seen the body. Maybe someone tampered the body afterwards...?]

[ It is surreal being back in a place that should be in shambles yet looks so untouched. Worse though is being the only one to walk its grounds. It makes Dimitri feel like he is the one who is a ghost.

His progression through the monastery is a slow one and, really, what hurry is there? There is no one else here in this world that he knows. Dimitri thought he knew solitude, thought himself well acquainted with it. The fool he was.

The apartment building, while significantly less dramatic than Aphaia, hosted more weird technology than he wished to confuse himself with tonight. Which is why, at the end of his meandering, he pushes open his old dormitory door. Something he has previously wished he could do one more time. Fool, indeed. ]

Oh.

[ He is so thrown by the other man’s existence Dimitri just stands there and stares. He registers that he should pull the door shut and quickly utter an apology for coming in without knocking, but…

But that is Yuri looking exactly as he had left him. No. That isn’t right- can’t be right, his hair is supposed to be shorter. Cheeks a little rounder. But something in his chest is telling him he’s exactly the same. Which only adds to his silent gawking. ]

[Still walking! Lil Jay has short legs, though.]

You don't even know what you're talking about! You don't know anything about me, otherwise you would know exactly what Crane offers.

When it comes to the Scarecrow, it's always about fear. He knows how to trigger it and enhance it, which means he would know how to work in reverse too. Except he's not the kind of doctor who'll help someone with that. He just sees lab rats to manipulate and more psyches to dissect.

[Jason is vaguely aware that he probably sounds like Bruce but now is not the time to let the teenager go off alone]

[He wants a number of things. For them to go away, beat them stupid, why are they like this, who are they? His hand squeezes the branch he was holding onto. He wants them to hurt, after the pain they put him through. Just because he exists.] Just don't get in my way.

[That's all he could say. They're just laying there, leaving him be. There's no satisfaction in striking them now. He needs to get better anyway. He disappears once more, the distant sound of jets when he reappears elsewhere as he leaves the area to the other.

Once he's put himself some distance, he's back at it again. Spinning and slamming into trees and whatever else. The birds linger with him, foraging in the area, even though some try to sneak back to where the older hedgehog was resting. They make good moving targets while he's practicing at least. The practice session doesn't last for very long though and soon, there's no more sounds of a hedgehog spindashing around. The older hedgehog isn't the only one lacking in much rest. It comes to a point when it was useless to keep going when he could no longer focus. Head quite empty. He doesn't recall when or how it happened, but he'll end up passing out on top of a chocobo pile, using them as a bed. Who knew choco feathers and fluff makes the comfiest bed? Certainly better than sleeping inside a tank. The chocobos don't seem to mind this at least, all of them huddled up together beneath a tree to rest themselves.

There is never rest for a Shadow though. Their sleep constantly wrecked with nightmares, of memories of a past long gone. They always start the same, him with Maria, the one he knows, laying inside the pillow fort, or beneath the night sky. All is peaceful, full of laughter and joy, watching or talking about things that have little relevance on the grand scale of things. They're watching the stars this time, and Maria would point at something orbiting the earth. Something large and manmade, moving across the sky...that wasn't there before. Something starts to light up from it. Alarms start to blare and they were suddenly running through the base. His hand gripping onto Maria's tightly.

Something's wrong. A GUN soldier appears to stop them ahead. It'll be different this time. He'll do something about it. He lets go of Maria's hand, rushing at the soldier to knock them down. He'll save her this time. The soldier didn't stand a chance, falling backwards. Their helmet slips off and it was--that man. The one Sonic cared dearly for, now laying lifeless on the ground. What...? He turns as there's a shout, Maria was no longer there. There was nothing. Lights continue to flash in the darkness, a girl yelling his name. Shadow runs in desperation, calling for her. Follow his voice! Come back to him!

There was a scream, nearly deafen by an explosion. The place suddenly goes white, and then...nothing. No sound, just a white space and...two bodies laying on the floor. Lifeless, dead. He didn't want to go over there, he knew what was waiting for him and he couldn't. But a voice whispers his name, her voice. His feet start to move, as if the voice commands them. It'll be ok...don't worry. But it wasn't. His breathing gets caught in his throat, seeing her body lay there once more, unresponsive, gone. The one next to her, the one Sonic called Tom laying dead with her. The distant sound of a fire burning. Echoes.

Don't let it get away!
We have our orders!
I did what I had to.
It's what they deserve.

Nothing good comes from another one.

The area abruptly shifts before him, fires, broken canisters that once held chaos energy, the eclipse cannon above ready to fire. Maria's head suddenly turns to Shadow, eyes wide open. A silouette of another, standing behind her.

How could you let this happen?

The nightmare abruptly ends with the Eclipse Cannon firing, Shadow screaming. In the dream, in the waking world. There came the panic wails and squawks from the chocobos that were rest with him. One of them unable to get free as Shadow grips their wing. It's as good as broken. Without any awareness of his actions, the bird is suddenly tossed, slaming into a tree. The other chocobos start to flee in a panic. The one that hit the tree will not be so lucky, becoming Shadow's victim for his uncontrolled rage and despair.

It's not his fault. It's not his fault. Didn't he do everything as they wanted? Wasn't he a good test subject? He wasn't supposed to be there. Why did she have to die instead? It's all his fault.

There's blood everywhere, the bird before him, already beaten to death. Yet he still brings down his fists onto it, over and over. Until his head felt like it wanted to explode, sparks coming off his body. It's all his fault, for existing. He press his fists against his head, blood staining his fur, screaming, sobbing. It all hurt.]

Yeah, okay, Bruce. [Older Jason is very correct about how he sounds.] Just go away!

[Jason scoffs]

Yeah, nice defense there. So what're you gonna do? Walk up to Scarecrow and just ask pretty please over a cup of tea or coffee? Then just hope for the best? Or get all gung ho about it and not think about he might have some of the fear gas already up in his sleeve?

I don't trust it. [He didn't ask for this. He doesn't want to remember. Someone is clearly doing this deliberately. For what reason, he hasn't figured out. If Scott won't take it, he'll dispose of it later. "Later."]

You shouldn't open anymore of these boxes. [He's being serious. Don't open random shit you find in this place, kid.]

[Oh how right his older self is. Jason tries to walk faster.]

I'm not some evil villain who is going to give his whole deal in a long speech.

[Jason is keeping pace]

No but I see someone who's going to confront a known sadistic psychopath with zero plans and zero backup.

[ A thought he's considered. But unless one of the others spoke about what's happened, no one knew he'd be there to dig him up. True enough Ra's may have found the burial site, but he didn't really have a need for Joker. ]

At the time this happened? Yes. Ra's al Ghul controlled them.

[ A glance at Jason. Don't think he hasn't noticed the uncomfortable silence. ]

I assume that's true where you are from?

Been like that for centuries. You probably know the story.

[Jason fidgets a little with the batarang]

Talia has access too.

[ It is Bruce's turn to grow quiet, frowning a bit at the thought of her. Talia deserved better. Even after the betrayals, he would not have wished what happened to her on anyone. ]

I have. You know it well?

[He sees you tall, long-legged Jason.]

I've got a plan.

[The Lazarus Pit was great for his growth spurt]

Enlighten me then. Tell me how it's nothing like anything I just said.

Yeah.

[Jason takes a breathe before continue]

She's also why I came back to life.

[Jason still doesn't know if what she had done was really a good thing given how she took him in afterwards]

I don't have to tell you shit.

[Jason shakes his head at his older self.]

[Older Jason remains unimpressed]

But I can guarantee the others are gonna be all up in your shit too, especially if you're gonna do something like that.

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APRIL MINGLE

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