etrayamods: (Default)
∎ ETRAYA MODS ∎ ([personal profile] etrayamods) wrote in [community profile] etrayalogs2025-09-19 08:20 am

MISSION 011

WHO: Everyone.
WHEN: September 19th - October 3rd
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: Mission 011
NOTES\WARNINGS: Psychological horror, hallucinations, paranoia, body horror, violence, death imagery, loss of autonomy, existential horror. Threads may have their own individual warnings.

CONTENT WARNINGS: Psychological horror, hallucinations, paranoia, body horror, violence, death imagery, loss of autonomy, existential horror.





❬ Ashen Veil ❭


Aurora had issued a warning: the nebula's particles were coming, whether or not they were wanted.
Through multiple conversations, she had made her limitations clear: she could let them know what was coming, but provide no assistance in finding the vent to end it, nor offer safe haven outside of the already established mechanisms for skipping missions. This was a puzzle they would have to solve regardless of how much they hated the idea of participating, and solving that puzzle means being an active participant: it mean searching through the particles to find the vent, physically closing off the thing allowing them inside their city.

Yet some allowances have been made: on September 18th, she gathers up all the animals she can convince to come along with her, ushering them into the same dome that those with mission passes will find themselves within. People are welcome to bring her their pets, too, to ensure they do not experience the same horrors they will - all will be kept safe and fed, cared for by the companion bots and Aurora herself until the vent is closed and the particles are fully filtered out. They are not participants, and she would hate to have them suffer through a mission when they can be protected elsewhere.

The night of the 18th goes by quietly, companion bots ushering animals out of the way while Aurora herself offers a hand clearing the way. And once they've all been herded in, the vent opens, allowing the nebula's particles to slowly begin making their way through Etraya's atmosphere.

It doesn't take long at all for the small bits of dust to accumulate in the protective barrier's atmosphere. Thick fog enshrouds everything, it makes it's way through the cracks in windows, the space under doors, through the very fabric that makes up every piece of Etraya. And with the spread of the Fog comes the horrors it brings.

Everything becomes hazy.

While Etraya is green, brimming with life and bright colors - the Fog dims everything. What was once light and beautiful now looks drained, color leeched out and left as nothing more than a husk of what it once was. Every flower and leaf appears to wilt in moments under the heavy weight of the Fog's touch. The air itself grows heavy, tasting of metal and rot, seeping into the lungs of those under it's influence like a slow suffocation. Sound itself dulls - footsteps echo strangely, or perhaps even sound duplicated, the steady taptaptap making it feel as if one is being followed. Then again, considering how difficult it is to see mere feet in front of them - perhaps they are.

Shapes stir in the haze. Some may be tricks of the eye: distortions among the thickened air, but others linger a little too long, watching with patience in a way that feels wrong. Eerie. A shadow may linger where no one should be, only to dissolve when approached. Or worse - it does not dissolve at all but turns as if it look at those who approach it.

Yet the Fog also remembers things it should not. It bends itself into shapes familiar to those within it, taking the outline of loved ones and enemies alike, whispering in voices that should not be present. But it's whispers, it's movements, are all wrong. There are cracks, clear distortions of what may have been a happy memory now turned menacing. Perhaps a friend appears to offer comfort, before their features distort and their comfort curdles into ill wishes.

And through all of this, the vent breathes unseen. The nebula's particles continue to seep their way into the city, digging deep into every possible surface, clawing it's way through skin to settle deep. There is no safe space left upon the surface of Etraya - as soon as the Fog has been given leave to spread, it has entered not only the atmosphere but those within it. It lingers behind eyes, under skin, whispering that it will never leave.

You belong here now, under its veil.





❬ broken symmetry ❭


The street below doesn't feel stable - it shifts and sways, shifts from stretching out into the Fog to folding in on itself, leaving those on it at unfamiliar crossroads. Yet one will find that they are not the only one who has arrived here: a stranger, or a friend, stands opposite, but something does not quite feel right: they look distorted, not quite as they should, but it's almost impossible to tell what has changed. And yet both individuals will feel the same pull: that this person in front of them isn't as they should be, and something needs to be done.

Perhaps their hair is too long and needs to be cut, and one feels the intense need to take out a pair of shears to trim. Perhaps it is their clothing, somehow wrong in how it hangs off them. Or perhaps it's something - a little more dire. The shape of their nose, the color of their eyes. Regardless, it needs to be fixed. Repaired.

Yet the one being judged may feel as if everything is completely normal, and the person opposing them just happens to be calling out the thing that causes them the most insecurity: the shape of their nose, the weight of their hair, their clothing. But the feeling of something wrong goes both ways.

Perhaps what is truly needed here isn't to change, but to accept.





❬ that which burrows ❭


Something pricks against the skin - sharp, fleeting, similar to a mosquito bite or perhaps a bee sting. But by the time one reacts, whatever it had been that had touched them has already slipped beneath the surface where no hand can reach. Yet it was no insect that had touched them, nor was it anything real in any sense one could understand.

It gnaws at the edge of thought, settling in one's gut and swelling into a panic. A worry that perhaps they had once dismissed, or perhaps had never stopped to truly be concerned over, blooms into something monstrous and all encompassing. It fills every corner of their mind, until breathing becomes near-impossible. Reason fractures, and the thought writhes, burrowing deeper, until there is nothing left.

Maybe they should have never been born. Maybe their existence is a blight upon those around them. Perhaps they truly are the disappointment their companions have assured them they are not. Maybe a mistake made eons ago resurfaces, until they are left sobbing with regrets and begging for forgiveness that has long-since been earned and yet they cannot accept it. Perhaps they are choking on regret, heart pounding as bile rises in their throat and nothing seems to successfully swallow back that sensation, the gut-feeling that their regrets were truly their fault.

For those familiar with panic attacks, many of the same techniques that help to manage can help push back the thought, but cannot circumvent it - physical contact being the most effective way to reduce cortisol, grounding the mind if only for a fleeting moment. Still, the presence remains, thrumming beneath the skin like a parasite of unease. One can muffle it, console it, distract it, but never banish it.





❬ hollowing road ❭


A narrow trail winds through the forestry of Etraya, murmuring to them that this is the way, this is where the vent lies.

If one follows, the Fog rewards each step with a loss. At first, it's nearly impossible to perceive what has been lost - perhaps it was a favorite color, a memory of where one had left a friend, or the taste of a favored meal. Small things, gone before one even notices their absence.

But as they continue down the path, they will find that the loss increases. Memories unravel like a thread being pulled from it's spool, leaving behind remnants from memories lost. Objects may become buried in the foliage behind them on the trail - a piece of fabric from a favored dress, a key that once opened the door to their childhood home, a picture of a family lost. Each pulses faintly with the echo of the memory they belong to, begging to be picked up and held close - or perhaps buried deep in the forest to never be found again.

Eventually, the truth will become impossible to ignore: those on the path will no longer remember why they came, nor what waits at the end. Turning around, they may find evidence of what was left behind in their wake, leaving them to gather the pieces that once made them whole. Each item will dissolve once pressed close to it's owners chest, sharing the memory itself with anyone who happens to be close enough to get a taste.


❬ MISSION NOTES ❭


📌 — The above prompts are just there to get you started. Feel free to play with the setting and concept beyond what we've suggested here!

📌 — For all questions relating to this mission, please refer to mission plotting. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

📌 — Custom scenario prompts can be threaded here or anywhere else, as you like. Mod-driven threads will be posted here.



twin_blade: (39)

[personal profile] twin_blade 2025-09-20 04:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Vax noticed the touch of the screwdriver, but he didn't flinch. If Percy wanted to try it, he was welcome to, but he'd have to deal with the consequences, which includes fighting a champion with many of his armor's powers still intact.

The fog that muddles his mind wants Percy to make the first move. Give Vax an excuse. Vex would be better off without a husband like him.

"You said..." But he denies it? The thing about Percival is that he owns his actions and his words. He wouldn't deny it like that.

The grip relaxes a little, and Vax's hand slides away. "What the fuck is happening to us?" The question is a whisper asked of no one.

But in the fog, everything warps and twists. The image of Vax turns a sinister look onto Percival. "I'll never approve of you and Vex. She's going to leave you. I'll make sure of it."
badnewsandshitlist: spaceconfessional (The Guilt)

Just a little light stabbing between brother in laws.

[personal profile] badnewsandshitlist 2025-09-20 05:31 pm (UTC)(link)
The screwdriver hovered at Vax’s chest, the point biting against the black leather of the Ward. Percy’s shoulders locked, his hand trembling, his breath breaking unevenly through his teeth. Inch by inch he leaned closer, pressing harder until the tool grated along the seams.

His voice cracked, hoarse and pleading under the fury. “Tell me you did not mean it. Tell me you do not scorn the only sunrise I still believe in. Please, Vax. Deny it. Deny it, so I can stop hearing it.” His jaw clenched, his eyes bright, desperate for the words to be taken back.

The itch along his spine surged until it felt as if it would split him open. His whole body shook with the strain, the plea curdling into anger.

He shoved. The screwdriver slid into a shallow seam, grinding against leather. The impact jolted through his arm, graceless and brutal.

For one heartbeat the pressure lifted. Relief flickered sharp and vile inside him. Fixed.

The tool slipped from his grasp and clattered against the cobbles. Percy staggered back, chest heaving, his face pale with shock. Horror rushed in, but it did not wash the aftertaste away. The satisfaction still clung, poisonous and undeniable.

His hands rose, empty and shaking. “I should not have said that,” he rasped, his voice torn between apology and self-condemnation. “I should not-”

But he had. And worse, part of him had wanted it.
twin_blade: (61)

let's hug it out bro

[personal profile] twin_blade 2025-09-20 05:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Vax stares as Percy struggles with whatever it is he's hearing. As if he might break apart at any moment. And Vax knows it affected him, too. Fuck. This is not good.

The press of the tool is felt digging into his shoulder, stopping short of piercing his skin when Percival lets it go and it lands at their feet. There's a momentary sigh of relief from Vax, who should have stepped away, but that felt as if he was letting the fog win. He's seen Percy conquer demons before and believed he would do so again.

Before Percy staggers far, Vax swiftly reaches out with both arms, grabs Percy's shoulders, and pulls him hard into a full embrace to hold him.

"It's alright, Percy. I'm not your enemy."
badnewsandshitlist: inkcharm (glasses glare game strong)

Re: let's hug it out bro

[personal profile] badnewsandshitlist 2025-09-20 06:16 pm (UTC)(link)
The arms around him landed like a blow, but not the one he expected. Percy froze, shoulders rigid, the warmth of the hold at odds with the cold shame crawling under his skin.

His breath caught, shallow, then broke. Slowly his hands lifted, clutching at the cloak, not in trust but because he had nothing else left to hold.

“I stabbed you,” he rasped into the fabric. “And part of me wanted to. That is what terrifies me. For a heartbeat it even felt like relief.” The last word cracked out of him, spat like it was poison on his tongue. His throat worked, voice shaking. “You should not be holding me after that. I do not deserve it.”

His grip trembled, but he did not let go. His words spilled uneven, disjointed. “We were meant to be finding vents. Shutting them. I do not know how we strayed this far off course.” His head pressed harder into Vax’s shoulder, his voice muffled. “That urge to correct and my paranoia, they do not leave. They gnaw at me. I cannot tell where I end and they begin.”

He drew a long, ragged breath. “It might be wise if you kept my tools. And Retort as well.” The admission came strained, scraped from the bottom of him. “I left Bad News and Animus behind. This was only meant to be a scouting run. Retort is all I have on me. If I get unstable again, I cannot trust my hands with it.”
twin_blade: (08)

[personal profile] twin_blade 2025-09-20 06:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe Vax shouldn't be holding on to Percy, since there's an equal chance Percy has another sharp object on him that could land in Vax's back, but he’s not letting go, despite the risk.

"That wasn't you. It's this fog. Besides, you couldn't stab me." His voice tries to take on a lighter tone to lift the heaviness that surrounds them. "I do the stabbing around here."

But now Percy knows just how fucked up these missions can be. Vax tried to warn him and Vex, but no warning can prepare anyone for how wrong things can go. And for what? Some promise to save their world? From an entity that won't even show its face? Fuck that.

Vax leans back just enough to look at Percy's face. There's a hint of amusement in Vax's eyes. Must Percy give everything he owns such silly names? Just call it what it is. But, Percy is an inventor. Like a father, perhaps he's compelled to name them all.

"You can't walk around defenseless, either. There could be more than people on the streets."