etrayalogs | MISSION 009

⏵ 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⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Fio really isn't expecting anything in return and she would feel content enough if he simply keeps the gift. In a way, the little rock really did do a good job in keeping her out of trouble by being the subject of her attention. Hours spent painting rocks and doing other crafts have managed to keep her in a single area for a long period of time.

It's possible others have seen her working on it. Or he can hope that others were too busy with their own projects to even notice. The arts and crafts area is a pretty popular spot! ]

Watch... me? [ That sounds like a joke, even if Shadow doesn't look like the type to be telling jokes. But she also recalls being told how she shouldn't be going off to places alone. ] Are you worried about me, Darkie? If I'm ever in really big trouble, I've got the earpiece that Miss Aurora gave me. I know how to use it.

[ ...She hardly uses it, but she knows how it works for the most part in case of an emergency. ]

[ he doesn't expect her to be able to make it on her own, but she grimaces at her question. it's not worry, he only knows that she pushes herself to the point where she has to regret it. she's thinking about too many people around her than herself, she's not as selfish as she should be. ]

No.

[ now why would that the case. ]

If you make stupid decisions, it'll cause issues in the long run of things.

[ this is to say that he knows what's best, and if anything, he could protect her from that. imagine if she fell and then the whole world shattered or something, it's not that simple, but with how aurora is running this place, he would never know what could happen.

especially with a girl like her who is easily influenced. ]

I don't use it. Make sure you stay out of trouble.

[ as for the rock, he hasn't given it back, but he throws up and it disappears right before her eyes. ]

I'll be careful. I won't be a lie ability. [ Though she says that, she won't stop trying to reach out to help others if she thinks she can do something. And she's already exhausted herself multiple times... ] You don't use earpiece 'cause you don't trust Miss Aurora, is that why?

[ A slight look of surprise as she watches the rock simply vanish into thin air, followed by a curious tilt of her head. He wouldn't be cruel enough to discard it in front of her face, would he? She wonders if it's stored elsewhere. Residents of the Cage are capable of doing something similar. Fio as well, but it's not doable with just any regular object. ]

...Did you put Rockie somewhere safe?

[ Like Darkie... ]

...

[ she's so simple it hurts, he even thinks to correct her, but she's just a child. ]

I use it sparingly. She shouldn't hear certain conversations.

[ as much as people tend to call out for one another on them, shadow doesn't see himself going out of his way to use it anymore than he has to.

only if he has to, if there's mo other choice. ]

You must trust her.

[ foolish, and this is why he must watch after her to make sure she doesn't make any careless mistakes. he lifts one hand, the aforementioned rock appears out of nowhere, floating in his palm before dropping in place. ]

If there's a safe space, that's with you. Do you want it back?

I trust her. I wanna trust her... I don't really know what else I can do. [ Especially with the little information they have. If she doesn't go along with the missions, if she suddenly stops trying to complete their objectives—she fears that she might accidentally doom the multiverse. ]

I'm worried about my friends back home. I really wish there was some way to see if what we're doing is really helping.

[ Now Fio's really just keeping her arms tucked behind her back to show she has no interest in retrieving the rock. She shakes her head. ]

Rockie is my gift to you. Keep it as a good luck charm.

You want to trust her?

[ she doesn't have to do that, it feels almost cruel to make a child have to trust one person against her will. unlike others who have grown accustomed to aurora, and became a friend, they might have found happiness in this place or maybe they believe their actions mean something. ]

Hm.

[ thinking it over, if shadow didn't care about his own world, he could use himself as an example. put his world up on the chopping block to see if aurora is truly a woman of her word, but he isn't sure what counts as messing up her plans of saying them, and he feels as though even attempting to do so... is against everything maria stands for.

shadow clicks his tongue. ]

I don't trust her, I've seen no progress.

[ because she won't take the rock, shadow causes it to disappear again as though he has no use for it. ] Do not push yourself no matter what she requests of you, and if it is too much, you will ask me.

...Thank you, Darkie.

[ He makes it sound like she has no other choice but to go to him. She appreciates it though, knowing that she has someone to go to. Sometimes she needs to hear it, just to remember that she doesn't need to push herself doing everything on her own. At this point, she's made plenty of friends and allies that would help her. ]

But how do you know there's no progress?

[ And how do they know that there is... ]

Do you feel as though you made progress?

[ he looks to her, it's a very important question because how does she feel on the matter? no one makes progress without seeing the fruits of their labor in some way, and the only progress that seems to be made is getting through the day.

...but does it count? is it helping them get home? ]

I feel nothing, see nothing.

I... want to believe there's progress.

[ Usually she tries to hide her troubles underneath a smile. (One that can always be seen right through.) But she can't bring herself to do that now, dipping her head sadly. Despite her Earth's current state, it's a place she doesn't want to lose. As well as the moon—where the last bastion of humanity is stored, in the form of records within the Cage. It would be too sad to lose. ]

It doesn't feel like there has been. All I can do is hope. [ She holds a lot of hope. But the passage of time can gradually chip away at her optimism... ] I wish I could see that our homes are okay. But... I'm too scared to stop.

...

[ she's too scared to stop, and shadow finds that maybe the truth isn't what she's ready for. it would be wrong to leave her in the dark, to lie to her, but she has her hope, and that's something he's unable to take away from her. ]

Hmph.

[ as long as she has that.

what a nuisance. ]

We'll allow them a few more rounds to show what they're capable of.

[ he doesn't trust them, but if fio wants to go along with this and see what they're able to achieve by playing it their way then shadow can't stop her until he sees an issue. ]

Do not let them misguide you.

MISSION 009

i think he should hit someone with it (fio does not)

dont worry... rockadow will learn to bask in the blood of his enemies

the most humiliating way to die...

he'll beat the other shadow to death with rockie... symbolic!!

shadow stop hitting yourself with yourself!!! also happy late fathers day shadow-

if i kill him itll be ok bc its me and sometimes there can only be one.... i have one daughter 😭

happy belated birthday shadow- ... also sorry for these late/spotty tags i've been burned out...

no its ok dont worry im also in the same boat... ive been so busy .... shadow's bday did this to us

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