etrayalogs | 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⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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'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.

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.

Sounds like a rough place to live.

[It also sounds fairly similar to how her mother had described the city, which is less important.]

Thank you. Are you sure you don't want this one? It's probably something dumb like socks or candy but you did find it first.

Shitty place to live.

[Jason looks at Chrissy for a moment then to the box and shakes his head.]

Throw it off a bridge for all I care.

I'm sorry it's shitty. People come and go from here all the time. Maybe you won't have to be away from home for very long.

[Maybe it's dumb to assume he'd rather be there than here, but it feels like a safe bet. Wouldn't most people rather be at home?]

I might actually open it now. I'm kind of curious, and letting food sit in a box would be a disaster.

[So far, all Jason has seen are a bunch of Bats and other masks who seem far too interested in his life.

With the exception of Chrissy of course.]

Go ahead. Like I said: don't care.

[Chrissy's also ~~nosy~~ curious, but she's generally curious about everyone who isn't from Hawkins- which is pretty much everyone here since Mike disappeared. The difference between her and certain other parties, though, is that she's not motivated enough to be over-invested in his life when she barely knows what she's doing with her own lately.]

Okay, just making sure. Can I ask you another question if I promise it's not please tell me your life story?

[In the meantime, she sits with the box in her lap so she can open it. Fully expecting another pair of socks or something, Chrissy hums thoughtfully as she considers the item nestled in tissue paper.]

So I have another question unrelated to the other one. Does this mean anything to you?

[If not, she will find a place for her fun new paperweight when she goes home later. Either way, it's her turn to hold the box out.]

[Jason presses his lips into a thin line, deeply unimpressed.]

Sure why not. Whatever you want.

[His frown dissolves into a very subtle panic when he looks into the box. There, amongst the tissue paper, is the golden R from his Robin suit. His gaze flicks down into the box and then back up at Chrissy.]

What the fuck kind of game is this?

When's your birthday?

[Maybe he won't even be here at that point, but again. She's curious, and she figures he's probably not the type to turn down free food regardless of the circumstances.

And judging by the reaction, it does mean something. Chrissy shrugs and offers him a small smile.]

I don't know. I've only opened a couple before this and they were just generic things.

Fuck off!

[He remains stuck right where he is, anchored by the golden R that gleams in the sunlight. Tugging the box towards him, he shakes his head.]

You planted this.

I don't even know what that is.

[Or who he is, really. But it's obvious that he wants someone to be angry at, and she had technically snuck up on him before, so maybe it's the least she can do.]

They've been all over the place since we came back from Aphaia.

That's bullshit and you know it. [He snatches the R and tosses the box to the side ~~litterbug.~~]

Mmm, yea. Okay, well you have fun with that-

[Chrissy stands, brushes herself off, and grabs the box he's unceremoniously dumped on the ground before turning to leave.]

If you decide to be reasonable, I'm not that hard to find. If not, well. This has been something.

[Jason scoffs and shakes his head. He doesn't have any friends other than Molly and the last time he saw her he yelled at her, so this is pretty par for the course.]

Yeah, whatever. [Jason tucks the R into his jeans pocket, carefully securing it.]

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.]

Great. [Jason shrugs Chrissy off, more than fine with stalking around angry by himself for a while.]

APRIL MINGLE

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