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

Do the chocobos match up to their various subspecies? Such as ones that might come from The Source in ffxiv, can be trained to be combat partners as well? Or would that apply to all of them?

hiii mods!! about the chocobos, can they live in our apartments :)

Gifties! Are the personal presents mods picking these, or are they player-picked?

They do match up to their subspecies!

We'll run with they can all be trained (aside from the red one) as long as one spends a significant amount of time working with them.

If one is brave enough to try wrangling them inside, why not? Just make sure to pick up after your new pal.

These are player-picked!

You mods are the best! ❤️

I | hospital happenings

a. Pending, as the ominous, glowing letters in Aphaia's sky so aptly opted to name them, had made a fucking bee line toward the portal that appeared. It was the same shit that got Knife into the mess, so the faster it was approached, the faster they could get out!

And out they got!

Back into the fucking white room!

Fuck!

This time, at least, Aurora isn't immediately accosted by hidden blades, but she doesn't get too far into an explanation before Knife's impatience fizzles out in the face of so many wrong answers (no, Soliton isn't here; no, this isn't your world; no, you're not going back yet) before they're grabbing up pillows, yanking the pillowcases off, and stuffing them full of assorted items in the room like it's Halloween, petty theft edition.

"Okay, yeah. Okay. Don't--don't talk to anyone about me, thanks. Bye. I'm--"

They're swinging open the hospital door very quickly...

...and likely directly into someone.

"Woops."

b. The half-orc is standing, facing a wall in the hospital, holding a defibrillator paddle and squinting at the labels inside the rest of the stowed mechanism.

"What is this even for," they mutter, loud enough for passers-by to hear.

They already have one defibrillator in one of the pillow cases they're carrying - clearly debating stealing another one, but hindered by not knowing what it even is. Other things appear to be stuffed in there: first aid kids, kitchenware, someone's socks (your socks??)...

Doomsday prepper? Hoarder? Kleptomaniac? Who's to say - maybe it's worth investigating.

II | bridge troll antics

a. Near and around the hospital, Knife-as-Pending is staggered by the scale and variation of the place within view. On the plus, it smells way less shitty than Aphaia, but on the other...it's so fucking...open...Like, do people not fear getting fucking jumped here or something? And if that's the case, are there guards?

They need a place to hole up. Maybe they should've asked Aurora about that...as if they'd willingly accept free digs from a ghost-lady! Fuck that, she just wants to keep tabs on them (she can totally keep tabs on them)! No - no, they need to sort this out on their own terms an--

Hey, free loot.

They already pilfered a bunch of junk of varying value out of the hospital, but Knife is going to make do trying to shove a few of these discarded boxes of whatever-and-such in pillowcases and their satchel or pockets as size allows, not even bothering to find out what's in them before doing so. Free is free.

"This yours?" They ask, already bending near your feet to pick the box up. Yoink.

b. Knife is standing near the base of one of the many nearby bridges with their dragon's hoard of junk, ripping open gift boxes and making piles of Keep or Trash. Upon discovery at this moment, they have just popped open the cork on a bottle of expensive-seeming champagne and, after sniffing its contents and wrinkling their nose, proceeds to dump that shit out on the grass.

This could be very tragic-seeming to boozehounds and liquor connoisseurs. If they are not stopped in their evil, they will then proceed to squat down and...and fill the bottle up with river water. Normal.

III | the planchette

One lucky winner of the gifting will find a planchette in a giftbox. Just the planchette - no game board, no instructions. It's fancy enough, but...what is it for?

Looking through its glass bubble will be a trip: The planchette can detect latent magical energies (which can manifest stronger or weaker depending on the wielder's affinity for magic) and detect ghosts (if any are nearby)! Freaky!

This is FCFS; just drop a comment here calling dibs and you can have it............and I can mark you as a target for Knife to jump later to get it back B] (we can plot it out for later here!)

IV | the wildcard

[free space! if there's something funny u wanna do set it up!

things Knife is doing/prioritizing: collecting free-seeming stuff, eating, scoping shelter (under bridges, alleys, the catacombs, empty rooms, etc)
they won't be near the busier/louder spaces

if there are cars, they might almost get hit by one; sideswipes are always a fun first encounter]

Edited 2025-04-25 20:32 (UTC)

Dutifully reposting!

When it comes to hues and shades (except the singular Red Chocobo) are there variance? e.g. is the only hue the depicted colors or can abyssal blue count as a 'blue' shade? for a not specific example. Or hunter green

>>Arrival

[By the time Jason arrives in the hospital, he's pretty sure that this is all one weird hallucination. Maybe Rachel's powers went awry again or maybe someone slipped him something in Aphaia. He spends as little time as possible in the hospital itself before venturing out onto the streets. There's green everywhere, which tells him that this isn't Gotham. Nothing green ever seemed to last long in Gotham.

He tugs his black hood up over his head and tries to make his way to somewhere quiet, somewhere he can get his bearings (and maybe avoid the other version of him).]

>>Birds of a Feather

[Of course while he's trying to avoid things does he run into weird giant birds. The first one that leans down to him gets a shove and he gets a peck to the head for his efforts.]

Ow, hey! What the fuck!

[The bird leans in again and Jason gives it another shove.]

Fuck off!

>>Gift Hunt

[Jason's journeying farther and farther from Etraya's center when of course there's something else in his way. Not in his way, specifically, but enough of a distraction that he groans. What is it with this fucking place?

He reaches up for the package, without any indication that it is safe to do so and pulls it down, glancing at the tag.]

From what?

While most the colors tend towards the posted examples, there are some that vary beyond those brighter hues. It isn't impossible to find chocobos with darker plumage, though it might take longer to find them, and it's possible their disposition matches their gloomy feathers.

— birds of a feather/gift hunt

( despite being brought to aphaia first, inara was quite relieved to realize that situation was only temporary and that there could be some level of peace and tranquility in the strangeness of etraya. while she was still a bit unnerved about being brought to this world without much warning and pulled from her own, in a way it left her wondering many things.

mostly—

did he even miss her? yet in quickness of everything there was very little time to truly think. all she could do was move forward and try to find her bearings here. what she wasn't expecting was to come across such strange birds and gifts scattered about but they were beautiful and delicate, easy to tame and approach. perhaps this distraction wasn't the worst.

so eventually she found herself seated by the river, eyeing a gift out in the middle of a lake. a blue bird had approached her, resting its head on her shoulder until the sounds of someone rustling nearby made it nervous and caused it to run off. )

Well that certainly lasted longer than I expected. It's a shame you had to scare it away....we were getting alone quite splendidly.

( she wasn't quite upset, but clearly she was working up to something here. if the gift in the middle of the river was any indication. )

— thrifting (all over etraya)

( the moment inara found out about the very strange and primitive bartering system used in this world, she almost felt a sigh of relief. she certainly had no qualms about the work she did given it granted her a large number of liberties and privileges but that left her with a whole new predicament.

she was brought here with nothing more than the clothes on her back and forced to start her life anew all over again. the first time had been quite difficult, banished from the companion house madrassa and forced to find a way to provide for herself with new clients and having to travel to them.

there would be no clients here, not for the foreseeable future at least but she needed things. she had grown used to the creature comforts that came with her lifestyle. the luxury tea set she used early in the mornings, the abundance of incense to tranquilize the mood in her shuttle, and the endless comfortable robes and jewelry she adorned for her work. while she could certainly live without the jewelry, she could not fair well without the clothes, tea, and endless books she had access to.

one thing at a time though and that's what brought inara all the way out to quiverfields after learning the layout of the land. she was thrifting and shopping in general, but clearly she needed help. so anyone who happened to be in the same vicinity whether at the roxx or any other of the many stores in etraya, she was immediately approaching them with a soft and friendly demeanor. )

Well I certainly wasn't expecting our gracious hosts to allow us the privilege to shop. I was nearly expecting them to have us run around in a uniform or at worst....naked like wild animals.

— wildcard

( opt-out/info | kept the prompts short this month as I'll be tagging out with inara and heather. feel free to hit me with a wildcard prompt or if you prefer a closed starter feel free to reach out to me. )

Edited 2025-04-25 22:13 (UTC)

1) arrival

[ he had said before that he wouldn't return here, but there were few choices presented before him, and this outcome feels selfish. shadow had said that he would return both him and maria home knowing what awaited them both, but maybe things could be different if he uses etraya as a medium to keep her alive while trying to save their world. it'd be like a second chance, maybe maria would live regardless.

or so he thought. ]

a) [ within the hospital, the hedgehog notes that he's come back alone, and that it must be the same for everyone. maria's not in good health, she needs someone to support her, and he wonders if arriving in a place like this is a cruel joke. what if she's bedridden, what if she's by herself, lost and confused and doesn't know what to do. he wastes no time moving from room to room, peeking inside, and even pushing open doors that are probably locked for a reason in search of her.

it's when he finds a robotic assistant that's moving throughout the hospital that shadow tries his luck there. unfortunately, luck has never been on his side, and as someone is passing by the door... luck is on their side as they barely miss this android slamming right into them, or maybe they're not on luck's side as it does slam into them.

either way, as the hedgehog walks out the room of where the robot previously was, and his attention on the person instead. ]

You're in my way.

b) [ no matter where he searches, he doesn't stumble upon her at all. that's when worry starts to sink in, maybe he's done something wrong, and maybe this is karma for his previous actions. his steps have turned into a run as he zips through the halls, papers flying off tables and various items crashing onto the floor.

he doesn't really care about the mess he's making once he finally reaches the lobby. zipping from one spot to another, it's hard to keep up with the hedgehog until he stops in place, head tilted forward with a fist under his chin in thought. as much as he hates it, the hedgehog will accost the first person that he sees, dashing forward at an unbelievable speed to cut them off from leaving. ]

You. [ this is the hardest thing to do in his life. ] A girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, where is she? [ it sounds almost accusing, but this is how he is, it's the most important question he could ask, and then against his better judgement with a groan. ] Or something that looks like me.

2) birds of a feather

[ it's been like this for the past few hours, one of those annoying chocobos has been following him nonstop now, even as he puts distance between him and it, and he's safe from it for maybe thirty minutes to an hour... the bird inevitably finds him again.

annoyed, the hedgehog stands there with a frustrated expression on his face as the chocobo walks over and snaps at him, trying to bite at one of his quills. he's quick to grab the bird's beak, holding it shut and then stretching his arm out so that it doesn't try again. it's the closest person he notices that he's giving them a task ]

This nuisance belongs to you.

[ it's not exactly tamed, but shadow has it's beak confined by his strength where it's unable to leave from out of his grip, no matter how much it flaps its wings. releasing the bird, its wings spread out, feathers fluttering everywhere as it stomps against the ground, and again trying to snap at shadow's quill. the hedgehog quickly dodges, dashing right behind the person he had just spoken to, and the smell of lavender fills the air with the hedgehog so close by. ]

3) wildcard

[ are there things you want to do with shadow the (meaner) hedgehog through plotting and planning, hit me through pms. do you have an idea already that you want to roll with, then hit me with what you got! as for the gift selection, if anyone wants to find this photograph and give it to him, or if there's anyone that wants him to find their gift and give it back, i can make a starter for it. ]

It seems rather fond of you.

[ blaze can't help but observe the fact, though her sensitive nose twitches as the scent of lavender lingers in the air. could that be what the creature is so attracted to? either way, shadow doesn't seem too fond of the strange bird-beast. as it stomps its feet and rears its head, preparing to push its way past her and to its tasty smelling target, blaze will hold out her hands in an attempt to calm it. ]

There, there. Could it be that you're hungry?

[ she casts a glance over her shoulder. ]

Shadow, pass me one of those leafy greens.

What part of "nuisance belongs to you" did you not understand?

[ he doesn't seem to care or want to help, as long as the bird has taken interest in someone else will he turn his back to leave. she's part of the royal court, she should be able to make it heel, but when shadow attempts to leave will the bird start to grow even more upset as though a meal has started to flee.

it's not ever day you can have tasty lavender in that shade, a very rare morsel. the bird takes a step forward, but with blaze in the way, it stomps onto the ground a few times and then looks down towards her.

when it begins to nip at the fur of her attire, she will see where its reign of terror begins. ]

some questions about red! does he have any particular feelings about other fire-havers and users? is there a place around that's gated or anything, where red can be contained? even if temporarily!

So she's come back to this place... how strange. For Blaze, it was in the blink of an eye—but between her initial lecture and what she'd learned from fellow 'Etrayans', she has few questions and little patience for Aurora's spiel this time. With a brief thanks for her return to this place, which seems much more peaceful than Aphaia, Blaze heads towards the door...

And it promptly nails her right in the forehead.

With a startled sound, Blaze winces, bringing one hand up to her forehead now... Ow. Owww...

The glare she levels on the person responsible is ice cold.

One might expect some level of kinship between fire users, but instead it seems the angry chocobo takes it as a challenge of his authority over fire. Which is to say, he remains just as aggressive, if not even more so, should one try to present their skill over flames to him.

There isn't anywhere publicly available that's fully gated that could be used to contain him, but that doesn't mean something like that couldn't be made!

sounds good, we'll put something together maybe... thank you!!

"Sorry."

It's not exactly contrite, but it is an apology. Knife bends at the waist in order to peer around the door, scanning around eye-level...then down.

They blink.

"Oh. Hey."

It's the purple not-gremlin again!

I see.

[ well if he doesn't want to cooperate, there's no reason for blaze to protect this lavender-scented hedgehog from the hungry bird, now is there? she brushes its beak away from nipping at her clothes, and instead, steps cleanly out of its way.

the bird seems delighted at this, chasing after shadow, flapping its wings, and diving straight into its apparent buffet—his quills. ]

So. This hedgehog and one other are gonna fight that red chocobo. In case there's anything that needs to be known?

[ he has important things to do, and the touch of beak against his quill, and it tugs against him is igniting a temper inside of him. shadow doesn't react though, the hedgehog lifts one hand to smack away at it.

seems like someone's usefulness has went down a notch. ]

...

[ it pulls away, wanting to snap again until shadow quickly moves out the way and is by blaze against. gripping her hand, he brings it to his chest for a brief moment before letting it go. it's within a second that he blips out of existence, and the chocobo is looking at her like the next snack. ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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APRIL MINGLE

mod queries.

gift queries.

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knife 🗡️ an oc 🗡️

Re: mod queries.

Jason Todd | Titans

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inara serra — firefly

shadow the hedgehog | sonic (idw)

birds of a feather

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i-a

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