MISSION 009

[etrayamods]

⏵ CAMP ETRAYA ⏴ On May 16th, Aurora and the companion bots direct those not heading off to Solmara to make their way to Camp Etraya. Nestled away from everything else in a large clearing full of wildflowers and redwoods, Camp Etraya is a nostalgic summer camp experience put together just for it's residents! Cabins are assigned, scary stories are told around campfires, gossiping happens among friends on the trails surrounding the cabins - and don't be surprised when something goes awry. After all, this is still Etraya. While the rest of Etraya is still accessible and will not be blocked off, characters are discouraged from venturing far from camp for too long: Aurora will specify that they are on a mission, and that missions do require participation, but she has intentionally left them the freedom to wander. Not sleeping in their assigned cabins, not participating in events, and staying away from Camp Etraya will end with her having to take more extensive security measures, so please be on your best behavior! The last thing she wants to do is start enforcing boundaries, but she will if she has to. Camp is set up much like your generic summer camp! Each cabin is named, housing is assigned to characters as they arrive, there are camp counselors, and rotating daily tasks and chores. There are also multiple activities that characters are expected to participate in, and each activity is worth points that goes toward their camp graduation score. This score will be visible on their earpiece, and follows the A-F grading system. We are not be monitoring this, and are leaving character scores up to players. We do, however, ask that you please report your characters' camp grade HERE for rewards and demerits to be handed out after the mission itself. Cabin assignments can be found here, which also has their roles, and chores assigned to that cabin. Those who are participating in Solmara have received an assigned cabin, too, but their absence toward the beginning will not harm the cabin's ability to compete given how spread out their assignments are. ⏵ WELCOME TO CAMP ⏴ Camp life is meant to instill a sense of belonging, connection with nature, encouragement towards the creative, all on top of a firm foundation of responsibility. Upon arriving, campers will be escorted towards a table of white t-shirts and countless buckets of dye! Each Etrayan will be invited to make three Tie-Dyed shirts- as well as required to wear one as part of their summer uniform. Camp counselors must wear 80s basketball shorts or cut-off jeans. Campers may wear cargo shorts or a skort. For those with physical limitations to what they can wear, accommodations will be provided. Here, bonding is the camp runners' priority. They will be pushed into various ice-breaker activities, such as trust falls, two truths and a lie, and Never have I Ever. As the sun goes down, there will be weenies roasting over the bonfire, followed by s’mores and a sing-a-long! With the stars well-visible, it’s off to bed with campers. Each day after will start much the same: with the ringing of the bell and raising of the flag (Aurora, while unfamiliar with flag designs but an understanding of the concept, has chosen a rainbow flag for the camp. Rainbows make people happy, right?), followed by a meal at the Great Hall, morning assembly, activities with counselors, chores, free time, and then an evening winding down by the great fire. An hour after sun down, campers will be escorted back to their cabins for curfew. Camp Counselors are expected to keep track of their campers, and ensure they're all within their cabins for bedtime. This is part of their grade, too! Curfew lifts an hour before the first bell. ⏵ CAMP ACTIVITIES ⏴ As with most summer camps, Camp Etraya offers a wide variety of activities to participate in. While some of these activities may be mandatory, others are optional. We'll be leaving this up to individual player discretion: perhaps Viktor is mandated to report to arts and crafts, whilst it's optional for Silco to show. Silco, on the other hand, may be mandated to report to the archery contest. Characters are encouraged to participate in a minimum of one camp activity per day. Below is a non-exhaustive list of camp activities. Three-Legged Race - You and a partner are tied together at your ankles, and you must race others to the finish line. Those with abilities that would give them an advantage will find that the rope that ties them together hinders those abilities from functioning. Archery - This can be more traditional, magical, or include moving targets! If you're particularly unlucky, your target may even shoot back. Softball - What instills a sense of camaraderie better than a bit of team sports? Games will be held on Wednesdays, the field is otherwise available for practice. Dodge Ball - Standing diametrically opposed to Softball is dodge ball, the bully’s sport. This is a great opportunity to claim dominance or be sent to the Nurse’s Office. Obstacle Course - You are directed into a large maze with multiple obstacles for them to overcome, such as rock climbing walls, ramps, tires, and nets. Capture the Flag - Small teams are put together in order to take the flag from a particular bot, whose entire goal is to avoid being caught. Canoe Race - Canoes are placed into the rivers just off of the camp, and characters must race to the finish line. Chocobo Riding - Learn how to care for and ride these magnificent birds! Newbies will be taken around the corral, whereas more experienced riders can take the trail around the lake. Arts and Crafts - Make friendship bracelets, bead lizards, paint rocks, learn origami! Or perhaps you're tasked with putting together an enchanted necklace. Don't know how to do enchantments? Now is as good of a time as any to learn. Campfire stories - Share scary stories amongst yourselves around the campfire late into the night. If you're particularly unlucky, you may just hear the thing you were just warning others about.. ⏵ NIGHT TIME ⏴ Once campers have been put to bed, the counselors can still stay up. Unwind with hidden beers and the strumming of a guitar. Don’t get too comfortable, though, since without supervision, no one is keeping the campers in bed. After dark, should campers evade their counselors, they can go exploring in the dark. Eerie lights glimmer from the lake. There’s rumors of a headless spectre walking from the archery field to the edge of the forest. Should you behave, you still might hear a scratching at your bunk house window. And on the very last night of camp, there will be a talent show. Show off your hidden talent and bask in the excitement of wowing your fellow campers! ⏵ NOTES ⏴ Welcome to Camp Etraya! Please enjoy the s'mores and campfire songs. :) Camp will last approximately two weeks, going from May 16th to May 30th. For all questions relating to this mission, please refer to the plotting post. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

[agoddessonce]

Oh. [ Is there? Probably. Ororo has only ever been to one summer camp (as a guest speaker) (for a girls' STEM summer camp) (it was attacked by aliens.) but she thinks she can believe in the existence of a sewing station.

But... are they suggesting that she use such a station to sew her own underwear? ]

Somehow I doubt they would have the patterns for what I need. At that point, wouldn't it be more convenient to go without?

[rudelanguage]

I...don't know. [there's a slight falter in their tone, seemingly at a loss. they appear very poorly trained in conversation and aware of it, maybe even embarrassed by it.] Sorry.

[this is going swimmingly. great job, Knife. you appear so very normal.]

[snapp_crackle]

You're not even bleeding, quit whining about it already!

[ Popp snatches the arrow, hops to his feet, and sets it to the bow. His form is... quite bad. In about every way that it can be bad. This time his stance is too open instead of too closed! A vast improvement. ]

And I've figured out where I went wrong, so you'll be perfectly safe right where you are!

[rudelanguage]

[Antigone grimaces. yikes, kiddo.]

You figured out a new way to be wrong? Dang. Congrats.

[fortitudosalutis]

Got a gun. Knife's easier to carry around here.

[ They're under observation, more than usual. This time it comes in the form of grinning, too-happy counselors. Their own people playing watchmen.

Not that these are his people, Carver reminds himself. This is a game and it's always possible to lose. Always. ]

And quieter, [ he adds. ]

p1

[copsormasks]

[It's always weird to see someone getting tied up. The process reminds Jason too much of Bruce, of his methods. It's causing such dissonance that Jason lingers perhaps a little too close.

When help is asked for, Jason seizes the opportunity. The bots are just beyond reach of hearing as he ducks down. Ropes are easy for him as he makes quick work of one around Knife's wrist.]

[copsormasks]

"I don't fucking know," Jason groans balling his hands into fists inside his hoodie pockets. " 'Cause they get off on it, probably."

Infirmary

[instabilitatem]

[Guess who's here to annoy you, Robert! Connor has found the infirmary and smiles when he spots Robert.]

I'm not injured, I wanted to see if you wanted help.

[Ever the annoying little busy bee that he is.]

[twin_blade]

When Vax hears someone approaching with a handful of things, he does open one eye enough to spot someone from his own cabin working a lot harder than he is. His arms stretch over his head and he yawns.

"Next time, bring an umbrella with you." He's joking, but it would be nice to take his nap under some shade. "Did you fix all those?"

[fourthwalled]

Wade sees it and has a dumb grin on his face because of it. He's got his still on, naturally. It's got a special place on his left wrist by itself, while all the other bracelets he'd made line his wrist nearly up to his mid-forearm on his right.

"There could be a catch. Usually there is. Still, maybe learning to kick back, relax, and have fun will save the universes?" clinking his beer against the one in Cable's hand, "Maybe not every solution to huge problems involves epic battles, blood, and a badass soundtrack?"

Although Wade did love those...

"You sad you didn't go on that mission? I saw who else went." Namely his baby dad and Nate.

[fourthwalled]

You've got a lot of anger in you for such a lil' guy. Give Cable a run for his money. [Except Cable actually likes him. Maybe. Surely he could wear this hedgehog down too?]

I didn't say I was a good counselor. And we have the Ultimate Lifeform around, don't we? Can't you protect us? Or are you not as Ultimate as you claim? [Ha ha! Boom, reverse psychology? Something like that anyway.] You can try to leave, but it'll just end with you getting more mandatory chores, kid.

[fourthwalled]

Oh, I did more than just fuck that blender. I got allll up in there. [Since he's got scars everywhere. Also he doesn't look too mad to be made fun of. He's used to it by now. He just puts that pain into the bottomless agony bucket in his soul along with the rest of it. It's fine.]

Maybe it's all AI bullshit, but why not take a chance to relax before the next challenge that will have you reliving all your darkest memories or fighting bigfoot or Mary Poppins or whatever. Take the good times where you can get it, I say.

[rudelanguage]

Thanks.

[once loosened, Knife can wiggle both arms free without having to bother with the other knots, pushing up to their elbows to get knees under them.

they procure a knife from a pocket and cut their ankles free, too irritated for finesse.]

Nobody else tied up? [they're annoyed about that! why are they the only one hog-tied!]

[copsormasks]

[Jason's eyes spot that knife and focus on it for a moment before he glances around to look for anyone else tied up.]

Let's get out of here before they change their mind.

[Jason reaches out to help Knife up from their place in the dirt.]

[twin_blade]

They had the same feelings about the situation. Vax felt that way about almost all of their missions. What did this prove about the worth of his world? Nothing, as far as he could see, and neither Echo nor Aurora would justify these missions.

And he's definitely not wearing that dumb camp uniform. No doubt, Paine wasn't about to wear a colorful tie-dyed t-shirt, either.

When he hears the familiar voice, he looks behind him and pauses. "Oh, hey. That makes two of us."

[rudelanguage]

[they don't need telling twice; Pending gets to his feet swiftly, foregoing the hand (no offense; they're not a touchy kinda guy) and deftly falling into step behind their rescuer.

in a low tone:] Where's the exit?

[odinpusrex]

Personal desires mean little here.

[Which is both true in a way, and less insane of a thing he could say when it comes to his thoughts about desires. But such preaching is for the worthy, and while Knife may wear his face, he would not conclude them thus.]

You are aware the cost of your insubordination.

[The campfire songs are not...what Barnabas wants either, the whole thing is rather ridiculous, and it is grating, but in his mind the alternative is apocalyptic, and so what is sacrificing your dignity and eating a s'mores for the sake of your world?]

[rudelanguage]

So she says. [but her word is only worth as much as a jailer's, the perspective skewed.

they shake their head.] It doesn't add up. You want to save a world, you pick someone capable. Not random. [and not...them.]

[copsormasks]

[Jason isn't the least bit offended by Knife choosing to stand on their own two feet. He leads the way back through the trees, trying to listen for footsteps other than their own as they move.]

Should be this way.

[Jason's not as certain as he sounds, but bravado has gotten him to a number of places in his life.]

[rudelanguage]

[there's a lot Knife wants to say, but most of it is complaining and altogether not useless for the situation.

What the fuck is all this now? is not that useless, but not great for the current moment; they catch Jason by the shoulder and hiss a warning sound when they hear the puttering hover of one of the bots skimming through shrubbery nearby looking for them, entirely unaware that these things likely have infrared and can fucking detect their heat signatures.]

[odinpusrex]

Fate is oft inscrutable to even the most keen of men.

[That Aurora could bring him here speaks much and more of her and her master's ability. That she could, in some ways, defy Barnabas' own God's will. Change the path he was fated to tread...it lends some credance to her claims.

Maybe particularly when he was plucked from a world on the brink of destruction, so he has lived first hand through a dying world, and a place like Aphaia was not as shocking as it could have been.]

To what end do you believe your futile defiance will serve?

[There is something interesting about Barnabas effectively talking to himself here, mostly because he feels more inclined to speak. Some may chalk it up to narcissism, but it isn't quite that. Barnabas just dislikes other people so much and he's so used to his own company, that this somehow slips into feeling...natural and comfortable.]

[copsormasks]

[Jason stops at the touch to his shoulder and he also hears the tell-tale sound of one of the bots in the forest. He's only had one encountered them once before and has limited knowledge of their function.

Frowning, Jason glances around the tree before turning back to Knife. He silently gestures with his hand to take a curve away from bots.]

[thelightshines]

[He tilts his head. That's one way to describe it.]

Yea. I suppose. You're going to try to escape the whole time, aren't you?

[rudelanguage]

[quietly:] Better than blind obedience.

[they've been too long a slave, the idea of being subjected to it again makes them nauseous. they lift their head.]

Nothing told to me here adds up to something worth dumping all my values and falling into line. [the people here don't give a shit about them, so why should they in turn? the threat of world annihilation? big deal, that's a Tuesday; they'll better serve saving being at Soliton's side.]

[rudelanguage]

Why would I want to stay? I wasn't even asked, I was forced. [not a gleaming review of a good time in their opinion.

they get to their feet, dusting off their knees. the un-dyed shirt falls off their back, having been forgotten in the struggle and now noticed.

oh hey free stuff. yoink.]