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

[sabigoe]

[ Her sunglasses slowly slip... then she's quick to push it back onto her face. ]

You're the first person to ever call me cool.

[ And Scott is the first person around that she's seen with sunglasses, so she believes he must be an expert on who or what "cool" is! That and well, she might have far too much faith in what others say... he seems friendly enough.

It's also a nice feeling, with her appearance being referred to with a positive word. Instead of being called poor and gross like what the children back home used to call her. Her old tattered clothes have been changed out since Aphaia, to a simple, clean white dress. Well, it is somewhat clean... better quality fabric than what she last had. There are some fresh dirt marks on the garments after running around just outside of the city.

Before she forgets, she would like to learn the name of her cool new friend. ...She would like to be friends, anyway. ] My name's Fio, by the way. What's yours? We can be cool friends!

[laserguy]

I won't be the last person, especially if you continue wearing those shades.

[If not, Scott will Fight Them. Okay, maybe not, but he would be rather pissed if anyone picked on her, even other children. Yeah, that's right, Scott Summers getting into it with actual kids. He's not above that!! Although the idea of getting her sunglasses that truly fit her feels even more pressing now. She deserves something that actually settles on her face correctly.]

It's nice to meet you, Fio. I'm Scott, Scott Summers. [He can't really help but easily agree, his smile turning genuine.] And I'd like that, being cool friends with you.

[...] Hey, would you want to pick out your own pair of sunglasses?

[sabigoe]

[ Despite how they barely stay on her face, she doesn't complain... she's quick to please. Especially since she hardly receives gifts. ]

Summers. You even have a cool name. Summer—that's when Mr. Sun is happiest, I think.

[ She giggles, easily amused. "Mr. Sun" she says, as if it's an actual person with feelings. Playing, of course. Or does it really have feelings? Who knows. But she might just call him "Summers" because it sounds nice to her.

At his question, she pauses and follows up with an eager nod. This won't be the first time she's had the luxury to freely pick from different options. She's had that opportunity recently back in Aphaia, with her points. But it is still kind of a new thing to her... it's exciting. ]

I wanna see what other sunglasses look like!

[laserguy]

...Yeah, that is when Mr. Sun is happiest.

[Sometimes too happy if you ask him, because it's so hot on some of those days!! Almost like he's melting. However he doesn't really have it in him to really counter her comments; it's not like she's really wrong anyway. A part of him wonders what summers are going to be like here. Hopefully not scorching hot and something more bearable. It's hard to really predict the weather of a planet he's never been to.

It's at least pleasant right now and so he's taking that.]

Alright, follow me then. We got to have you all equipped when summer really starts hitting around here. [So she can be ready for Mr. Sun.] Is it usually hot or cold where you're from? Or just depends on the season?

[sabigoe]

[ True, summer can be very hot. But she tries to remain optimistic, thinking about the fun playing on the beach during hot summer days. She'll get to collect sea shells too. Is there a beach anywhere in this place? She hasn't wandered too far from the city to find it. And she still has yet to try riding the trolley. ]

Oh... um, yeah. It depends on the season. I'm from a place called Earth, so we've got spring, summer, fall, winter. Do you know about Earth?

[ Kind of. It's easier to tell others that she's from Earth than trying to explain about where she's truly from. She doesn't fully understand her prior existence as "data" and she's always felt human anyway. And she's an actual human now, thanks to either Echo or to the little ghostlike being back in the Cage. She doesn't know.

Before they can start walking, she bounds up by his side, reaching to grab Scott's hand. It doesn't cross her mind that it might not be acceptable... Blaze and Lars held her hand when they walked around in Aphaia. Scott's nice too, so maybe it's okay? ]

[laserguy]

I might be a little familiar with it, because I'm from Earth as well.

[There's a light teasing tone in his voice, more amused than anything else. So, they're from the same planet? Maybe a little surprising, since she didn't know what sunglasses were, but... maybe she just never ran into them! Or different time period. He's familiar with that now.

Different timelines. Parallel universes. And it's not just because Aurora gave that whole spiel. The other mutants in this place...

But he shakes his head of those thoughts. Right now he's just befriending Fio, maybe finding her better sunglasses. That feels more important right now. He can angst later in his room--]

I'm from America-- New York, specifically.

[He looks down with a curious glance when she suddenly comes to his side. And. Of course he's going to reach down to hold her hand. Not even at his worst would he refuse. His hand lightly grips hers before he starts leading the way.] Got a favorite color? We can probably find frames that has your favorite.

[Although, she'll have to find said color because it's a little hard for him.]

[sabigoe]

[ No one would be able to guess that Fio already has some awareness of other worlds, timelines, and branches—that there are different kinds of Earth depending on the choices people make. She is one of the many memories in a massive database with all that information. Even though she came from such a place, it's not like she had the time to learn about every different time period. Compared to everyone else that she's met, she comes from a lifetime that's far behind in technology. Before being called upon by Echo, she had a few companions that might be from the same era as Scott, but they had little time to chat.

Coming to Etraya, there's been so much for her to learn... it's been overwhelming sometimes.

The place that Scott mentions is—maybe she's heard it once in passing in a data file somewhere. But she's unfamiliar. ]

You might be from a time far ahead of me. I don't know where New York is...

[ She squeezes his hand lightly as they walk along. As for favorite color, it's difficult to choose one... ]

...I think I like gold. It's kind of like Mr. Sun too. It shines!

[laserguy]

[Hm, so different time periods. And she's pretty familiar with the idea herself, it looks like, saying that without missing a beat. Scott nods with a slight smile, just agreeing with her assessment.]

You might like it. Hell, I do. It's a huge city filled with a lot of things to do. Movies, the arcade...

[Although, if she doesn't know what New York is, there's a pretty good chance that she doesn't know what movies are. Or said arcade. Well, that needs to be fixed! Even if there's no actual theater here, there's gotta be some VHS tapes or something similar. Might be something to do in the future...

What? It's very important! Every person has to watch Star Wars, at least. He'll take this very important duty upon himself.]

Gold's a good color. [Who knows what the quality will be like, but oh well.] Not an easy color for everyone to wear, but I think you can pull it off.

[sabigoe]

...Not an easy color? How come?

[ She doesn't know too much about fashion and how to coordinate her clothing. If anyone tells her that gold frame sunglasses suit her, then she might easily believe it. She'll figure out how she feels once they get to the shop to decide on her glasses. ]

Um... I don't know what movies and the arcade is. [ An embarrassed smile, though it's not really her fault for not knowing. ] Are those things that you do for fun?

[ Fio's seen the way footage is broadcast on monitors and how people communicate with each other through video. That's not quite the "movies" that he speaks of. Scott will definitely need to introduce her to movies and the arcade sometime. Judging from the way he speaks highly of it, they do sound like some sort of fun activity. She's mostly a bookworm and the kind of kid that usually created her own fun by playing alone in secluded areas... ]

[laserguy]

It clashes with stuff sometimes. Like clothing, for example, but don't worry about it. You'll be fine.

[He gives a lighthearted shrug. Hard to imagine anyone giving Fio a hard time about the stuff she wears. Let her live her best life, okay!! Especially since it's clear that she hasn't been able to experience a lot of the good things in life, like movies and the arcade. Yes, these are the good things. Essential too.

He'll just make sure that they don't watch Alien or The Thing. He's not that mean.]

Yeah, those are some of my favorite things to do. We'll start with watching a movie and we'll do the whole experience, like grabbing popcorn and soda. Trust me, it's very important.

[Surely there's stuff like that around the city. It's just finding actual decent movies to find from the store to get.] Just think of movies like... plays. Except they're captured by camera, so we can keep on rewatching over and over without needing all the actors in front of us.