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

[laserguy]

[Oh, so he's already found something that belongs to him... that's cool. Well, guess in that case, Scott feels a little less shy about opening the box that's still resting in his hands. What does he hope for though? Maybe a walkman? A cassette? Guess that would be the nicest thing. New pair of headphones, though he'd want said walkman first.

Keys to a motorcycle-- hah. Okay, that's hoping for too much.]

A music player. [Probably best to say something like that, because he's not sure if Dion knows what a walkman is. He's still giving off that whole 'fantasy' feeling. One doesn't really forget a halberd as an initial greeting.]

Complete with my favorite songs. I'm sure you haven't heard of Metallica-- just think of heavy metal sounds. [Does that make any sense? Well, if he gets this, then he can show just Dion firsthand.

Although, as he opens the box, it's not a walkman in front of him. It's just a couple bags of Skittles and man. Scott can't hide his disappointment, a sigh leaving the teen.]

Well, at least it's decent candy. [...] Want a piece?

[oblige]

[ Heavy metal sounds. Dion can well imagine these, though what his mind conjures are Mid's large-scale projects and Blackthorne hammering away at the ancient materials she required to be modified just so.

Decidedly, Dion had never considered these particularly melodious beyond a steady rhythm, a chorus of sleep-denying racket.

Candy is a word he understands, however. ]

I may not be familiar. [ He prefaces with this, having seen a few examples of confections he'd be pressed to even guess at the taste of. ] What are they?

[laserguy]

Why don't you try some?

[Better to try it firsthand than get him to explain Skittles. Also a lot less work on his end, so even better. Scott opens one of the bags before offering it to Dion with a raised eyebrow, an expectant sort of look on the young mutant.]

Each color actually tastes different, so try a few. Don't like yellow? You might like green.

[He's a red skittle guy himself, but he pretty much likes all of them. Not to mention it's going to be a pain in the ass to discern the different flavors now, since everything is red for him.] Of course, the real way of eating them is pouring like half of the bag in your hand and shoving all of that in your mouth.

[No it's not??????]

[oblige]

[ He takes the offered bag, not one to be impolite, but pauses when Scott elaborates on the candy. Different colors denote different flavors. That makes enough sense to him.

His brow furrows, however, once they arrive at the "proper method" by which to eat the candy. ]

...What purpose do different flavors serve if you're meant to eat them in such a manner?

[ Dion asks, sincere and believing, for why would Scott deceive him? ]

[laserguy]

[...Oh no, he's completely earnest, isn't he? Guess he should've figured that the other would take every word of his seriously and without question. Damn. Well, guess he could just let the older man eat half the bag in one go, but... nah. Only because Dion's pretty cool in his own way.

Plus, he has to try them normally at first. Then he can dump half the bag in his mouth.]

Never mind, don't do that. I was joking. I mean, like, you only do that once you're really familiar with Skittles. [He explains before nodding his head at the bag in Dion's hand.] Just try one at a time for now. So you can figure out which one is your favorite.

[Super important.] What your favorite Skittle says a lot about you.

[No??????]

[oblige]

[ Dion eyes the bag with renewed consideration. He supposes people can draw any number of conclusions based on what another's personal tastes are, be it colors or apparel or candy. ]

In that case, what does your favorite say of you then?

[ He asks, carefully doling out a single piece of candy from the bag. The shade of green is much brighter than he might have expected, but he tries it just the same. So far as he has seen, none of the food in this place is harmful to them.

That could well change, but Dion will hope for one less concern in their lives. ]

[laserguy]

That I'm cool, obviously.

[Somehow saying that with a straight face??? A true miracle. But Scott watches as Dion pours a single piece of candy into his hand, and... okay, he actually can't really tell what color he's holding. Not that it's a big deal, because all of this is just to get Dion to try Skittles and enjoy it in his own way. Some reward after getting this gift from the chocobos.

He gives him a few seconds to taste the flavor, watching him chew, before he tilts his head, as if expecting a response. Maybe he's just a little impatient...] So, what did you think of that one? Be honest, even if you're going to insult my culture.

[oblige]

[ Dion arches an eyebrow at that last part. Are these rainbow candies something Scott's nation takes pride in, or is it a jest? He doesn't know which is the case, newly acquainted as they are, but there's no harm in exercising discretion. ]

It is more tart than I may have expected.

[ And the sheer amount of sugar in the foodstuffs here is near overwhelming to a man who hails from honey-as-sweetener territory, but Dion knows himself to be an outlier in this. Why else would even the tea taste like a confection here, save that others are accustomed to it. ]

I'm afraid it doesn't remind me of anything in particular.

[laserguy]

[Scott's overall expression doesn't help to answer if he was being serious or not... but there's something just a little amused, almost teasing about the teen.

Although, Dion's clear expression of the candies actually gets Scott to smile just a little. He doesn't know-- it's kind of cool, introducing people to stuff that he's familiar with. Enjoys a lot. Halberd man from fantasy land getting to eat overly sugary shit and it's all because of him. What an accomplishment to put on his record.]

Yeah, it can be surprising at first.

[Hell, maybe he'll open his own bag now, just so that he can join Dion in the Skittle eating.] Okay, so sounds like a miss, keep on trying each flavor. That's why there's like 6 of them.

[Is it six? He can't remember how many different flavors there are.]

[oblige]

Do people commonly enjoy only some of them?

[ How curious. Dion will defer to Scott's expertise in the field of rainbow candies. He shakes another out of the bag, this one purple, and looks it over. The novelty of foodstuffs being so vividly colored won't soon be lost on him, but he doesn't linger on it for long, popping the little candy into his mouth.

So follows the thoughtful chewing. His brow furrows as he attempts to identify what this is supposed to taste like. Only once he has swallowed and deliberated does he shake his head. ]

I could not tell you what this is either, but I wouldn't call it unpleasant.

[ A ringing endorsement from halberd man...sort of... ]

[laserguy]

Yeah, some people hate certain flavors, but there's always at least two or three that they enjoy.

[But Scott watches as Dion tilts the bag, letting another piece of candy drop into his hand. Still can't really tell what color it is, but he figures it's a new flavor and hopefully one with better results? He pours a few pieces into his own hand in the mean time, before plopping an orange skittle into his mouth. Chomp. Yeah, fine.

And watching Dion... not much of a reaction still. Dang.] Really? Still nothing? Maybe you're just more of a M&M guy.

[oblige]

[ What is M&M, he wonders... ]

Where I hail from, we've nothing like this. I may simply be unaccustomed to anything so sweet...and colorful.

[ Dion hasn't any idea whether the color affects the taste of these candies or simply denotes it, but it's true their foodstuffs don't tend to come in such vivid hues. Perhaps if enough berries were used in a dessert.

He won't fault the candies for his palate, and so he tries another. Scott has chosen to share something from his homeland; it's only right that he give it a sporting try. And this time— ]

Perhaps some form of berry, that one.