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

[ If this looks weird, it doesn't feel weird to Gorgug. He's grown up the taller one, always, as big as his parents as a baby, and only getting bigger from there. Their limbs have never reached entirely around him in his memory, and their tightest squeezes never really pressed as close to him as some of his friends' hugs. Even as Maria's does now, whether she's putting her whole strength into it or not.

He would do anything for one of those hugs right now. But this isn't a replacement for that, asking Maria for this. Gorgug keeps his head down, nods when she grants him his time, and-- he doesn't cry much. He puts his arms against her back, their pressure soft, his head craning to lean down close to her shoulder, at least letting his face hide near to her hair.

His tears are few, and he doesn't mind much sound; just some heavy breaths, a small shake of his shoulders once, and that's it. He's not afraid to cry, and not in public, but it's difficult. It's hard. The things he misses and the things that he worries about, and facing the truth of their situation. The actions they can take, but the changes they can't make.

He wants to do more. He just wants to be a teen. He wants to remember being here, but thinks he might want to forget it, too.

Gorgug takes his time, as Maria allows him. His throat sore, even if he didn't really cry, but the pressure of the emotion still leaving an uncomfortable lump that he has to swallow against, rolling his lips to lick them without catching Maria's hair. ]

I don't want to ever forget you.

[ He phrases it like he might have a choice in the matter. If he did.

But if there was anyone who deserved to be remembered, wasn't it the woman who wasn't made to be? ]

[Gorgug is her friend and for that alone, Maria would hold him for as long as he needed. but because he is her friend, she does feel worse that there isn't much she can do for him than this. there's nothing she can do to assure him that things will be okay because that is just an empty promise. right now, Gorgug is just a young man who misses his family and Maria can't replace that. but she holds on tightly like she thinks it's possible for her to get as close as possible to it.

she knows he isn't exactly crying but she knows he isn't not crying. she tries to pat his back in a comforting manner, trying to tell him without words that she's going to be there for him as best she can. it feels like she's doing a good job and she thinks that she can say she managed this situation pretty well...

until he says that and Maria feels her own heart break. for the fact he can care so much and for the fact he is someone who cares about her so much as well.]

Gorgug...[what does one say to that? there are probably a lot of things someone can say but this moment is about Gorgug and so she simply says:] Thank you. If I do get to stay here then I know I'm never forgetting you.

[it was impossible for her to do so.]

[ ... ] Thank you.

[ He doesn't say it immediately, but neither is he slow to. It's enough: to be told that, to hear it, and know that Maria means it, just as Gorgug hopes to remember her, too. The possibility of it happening doesn't matter, on either of their ends--

What matters is them, their friendship. And Gorgug appreciates it, standing there with it for a while before he finally takes a slow step back, raising his head to look at Maria properly. There's no red eyes, no colour around them to show that he's been crying beyond the damp marks down on his cheeks; but the upset is clear on his face, the way the wrinkles he has--gained from an unfortunate battle that aged his features--deepen when he frowns. ]

...You're really good at being an instructor. [ He's still quieter than he needs to be, vulnerable. But it's a different kind of upset than previous that sticks with him; the kind at the end of a good cry. From being with good company. ] I think I'm gonna find a tree to sit under and be miserable until I get tired of doing that.

[ As you do. ]

[it is like Gorgug to say thank you but Maria doesn't think he needs to say it. she knows he's grateful but it is nice to hear anyway.

there is a smile at his compliment and it's a wordless thank you in its own way before she's patting his shoulder. sometimes you need to be by yourself and Maria understands it. one of the many reasons why she kept her own apartment, so she could wallow in her own self-pity.]

The drums are always here if you feel the need to bang on them before we leave for good.

Okay. [ He says it to the offer, a small nod, and there's a little more he wants to say, but not because there's any words there. But he takes another step back, turns on his feet, and before he does so entirely- ]

Good luck, with the rest of the session.

[ Session, lesson, whatever. It's enough of a parting word before he goes, though he would wait if there's anything else that Maria wants to say. ]

MISSION 009

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject