etrayalogs | MISSION 001

Entry tags:

MISSION 001

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: March 29th-April 20th
WHERE: Everywhere on Etraya
WHAT: Mission 001!
NOTES\WARNINGS: Potential violence, death.

⏵ mission prep ⏴
On the morning of the 29th, characters will receive a notification from Aurora to come to the hospital’s ground floor to prepare for their first mission. On this floor, pairs will be given slips of paper with matching numbers. If characters have chosen their partners, they too will receive small slips of paper with matching numbers, as these numbers match the room assignment they will be asked to please step inside.

The rooms themselves are bare. There’s a cot, two chairs pushed up against a small table, a miniature fridge set up below a sink, and a television that only plays static. On the table is a note, which simply reads:

Welcome. To prepare you for your first mission, we are giving you time to get to know your partner. You have a twelve-hour time limit to discuss your lives together. We recommend talking about moments throughout your life that have defined the person you have become. In addition, we have included several ingredients inside the miniature refrigerator. You must, without telling your partner specifically what it is, create their favorite drink using the ingredients within and above the refrigerator.

Do not attempt to cheat. Do not make your own drink.

If you pass, you will both be given two points and the door will unlock. If you fail, you may try again with the same partner or a new partner may be reassigned to you.

Good luck.

Within the mini fridge will be numerous ingredients - these ingredients could be anything, from Bantha milk to dragon fruit - whatever their favorite drinks are, they will find all the correct ingredients to make them. There will also be numerous extra ingredients. Maybe a character’s favorite drink is a nice cup of peppermint tea. The kettle, and the tea bags, will be present on top of the mini fridge, but there may also be soda bottles inside the fridge and various milk substitutes. Cheating by making their own drink will result in the game being reset, and a new partner being assigned or no partner at all being assigned and they will simply be removed from this part of the exercise.

⏵ the secret's out⏴
Numerous notes can be found throughout Etraya’s populated areas - falling from the sky, taped to doors, slid under them, or perhaps being handed out by a few of the companion bots who will eagerly note how these are meant to help, but a quick read may show that they’re not things anyone wants to be given out so freely.

After all, on the notes are secrets, untold truths, things that were never meant to be shared nor wanted out in the open. Some of these aren’t notes at all, but small packages that are not addressed to anyone in particular, or addressed to the incorrect party. Inside the packages are items that may be associated with a particular event: a knife that had been used to betray a friend still stained with blood, a mask meant to conceal identity, a picture featuring a moment in time that had best been left forgotten.

The goal of the game becomes clear by the notes written on the back or thin slips within the packages: match the secret to the person. You could simply ignore them, but the note also includes an addendum: more notes will continue to be sent until the person is matched to their secret.

⏵ cracked reflection ⏴

Every person is an intricate mosaic, composed of numerous facets that shape what makes them - themselves.

After all, one person is not simply one picture, but rather, a puzzle comprised of myriad pieces. These pieces may shape their strengths, their sense of humor, the influences of their upbringing, and who they admired in their formative years. Together, these fragments coalesce into a singular form: you.

But what if those pieces were rearranged? What if the fundamental aspects that define who you are simply… didn’t exist? What if, rather than being a courageous hero, you were cast as a formidable villain? What if, instead of pursuing the path that led you to greatness, you veered in a different direction?

A new dawn breaks over Etraya. The artificial sun rises over the horizon, accompanied by the melodic chirping of birds. As the denizens of Etraya awaken, they sense... a shift in the air - a feeling of dissonance, as if a piece of themselves has suddenly gone missing. Because it has.

Doubles of every current inhabitant of Etraya roam the corridors of the apartment building and the surrounding facilities. They let themselves into Roxx to get a few new outfits, get themselves a meal at the hospital cafeteria, or maybe they’re raiding the snack shelves at Kwik Trip. They may bear a striking resemblance to their counterpart and act very similarly, but there is something off about them. A quality that sets them apart. Remember that step you took, that led you to your current career? The step you’ve kept secret for so long, that has defined your actions ever since? They didn’t take it. They went down a different path, something darker, or perhaps something lighter. They took the path you most feared, the one you knew would turn out terribly. And they in turn - turned out for the worst.

Characters will find they are facing one of their worst fears: themselves, but their worst selves. The version of them that they fought so hard not to become, that they strove against rather than towards. And the mission? They need to take out their worst selves.

But there’s a twist: interaction with their doubles isn’t possible. Both halves are cognizant of each other’s existence, yet they are incapable of verbally or physically interacting with each other. And while the double understands what they are, the original? Well… how do you truly know you are who you’re supposed to be? What if you were the double all along? What if you are your own worst self?

There is one way to be sure: the color of the copies’ blood is slightly darker than what it should be. Running closer to a red-black than the red you would anticipate. Or for some, perhaps their blood is red where it should be running black. While they feel and look real, driving a unique blade straight through where their heart would be will cause doubles to dissipate into nothing once the knife penetrates deep enough. As for the genuine articles, well, the blade is sharp—and it’s going to hurt.

A blade is provided for every authentic copy. Those who were sleeping through the night will find it beside them upon awakening. As for those who remain vigilant throughout the night, the blade will manifest beside them in the early hours of April 2nd.

Guess someone is going to have to kill your double.

⏵ quicksilver has no sense of tact ⏴

Aurora’s announcement left out several crucial details: the existence of the doubles, for one. But also the looming deadline to take care of the mess that has been dropped onto Etraya. Inside the characters’ wrists, they will discover a timer gradually counting down. The timers are only visible for the person who dons it, as is the amount of time given. Every person is given an individual time limit, but it cannot be longer than two weeks. As the numbers dwindle, more black marks appear going up the inside of their arms toward the inside of their elbow. And what are the black marks?

With each additional black mark, they begin to feel… less like themselves, and more like their doppelgangers. In the beginning, maybe they barely notice the change. Maybe it’s a favorite food they loved that they now hate, or perhaps it’s an event that has shifted: something small but important - a decision to save a life changed to taking one. Maybe they’ll feel like a piece of themselves is no longer the same, replaced with another feeling or sensation. Where something would have usually made them empathetic to another's blight, now they find their suffering funny. Regardless, the longer their doubles are around, the longer they slowly begin to become their doubles - and their doubles begin to become just like them.

If their doppelganger is not taken out at the end of their provided time, it will simply dissipate and the original will remain changed. The only way to return to normal is to kill the original. After death, the character will remain dead for twenty-four hours before returning to their normal selves as if the death had never occurred. While killing them to return them to normal is information Aurora will readily share, no one will inform them that they will simply return to normal by April 20th.

⏵ OOC ⏴
Welcome to the first mission! For any questions relating to this mission please reply below. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

Please note that while ICly, characters are not given a choice, players can choose which missions they wish for their characters to participate in. They may have missed receiving room assignments, or their secrets may not have been dropped, or a copy may not have shown up for them. This may not always be an option in future missions!

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I. Mission Prep

Closed to Kate Bishop

[ Raising a brow at the mission parameters, Jason reads the note before setting it down for his partner to read. Coincidentally, he’s already met her once as the Red Hood. Clad in jeans and a fitted black tee, he’s missing the monikers of that persona. Right now, he’s Jason Todd. No guns. No knives. Just him and a mission worth the prize in the end.

Seated on the chair with his legs spread comfortably, Jason looks at the girl that probably thinks him a stranger and gets started. Whoever chose me for this is either insane or has the most fucked up humor. ]

Why don’t we start with introductions.

[ He sits up slightly, boots firmly on the ground, no longer slouching, and extends a hand out in camaraderie. Here goes nothing. ]

Jason Todd.

[ He winks, slipping into another persona, hiding the scars of experience underneath a boyish grin. ]

At your service.

II. Secret’s Out

[ Secret 1: He got killed by a clown. A package addressed to 'Robin' with a bloody crowbar inside can be found by someone. The package is addressed to ‘Robin’. Someone can find it but there won’t be any other clues to help the finder. If they go around looking for the owner Jason will come across them dressed up at the Red Hood and tell them they know the owner.

Secret 2: He likes classic books. A package addressed to Jason contains a first-edition copy of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and The Count of Montecristo by Alexander Dumas. Someone can find one book and someone else can find the other. If they go around looking for the owner Jason will notice the titles and comment on the book being a good find. If they tell him the name of the owner, he’ll claim it.

Secret 3 (closed): He almost killed a friend in cold blood. A package addressed to The Red Hood with a Superman Plushie inside can be found. If Kate goes around looking for the owner Jason will notice the familiar plushie and ask about it. He’ll be in his Red Hood outfit/persona. ]

iii. Cracked Reflection

a. Father Todd

[ A young priest dressed in the traditional catholic cloth walks calmly through the myriad of streets, hands clasped behind his back, nodding with a welcoming smile to whoever happens to come near. Despite his youthful appearance, he’s been through a lot in his short life, and welcomes anyone’s approach. ]

Good day.

b. The Death of Red Hood

[ The priest became his shadow companion. His true north where Jason was always so lost. He hid away the dagger the first night he tracked him down. A priest. Warm, calm, and collected. Everything Jason was not. As the black marks took up more space on his skin, that peace started to resonate inside him, changing him little by little, and before the week was out, he put away his guns. His knives. The armor plating, and finally, his signature helmet. He took on the priests mannerisms. Like a sweet poison, Jason welcomed his death. Who wouldn’t? He was better like this. He knew that from the moment he laid eyes on that pristine collar. He walked away that first night, knowing he was the cracked reflection.

Someone will have to kill his double for him. He can’t do it himself and will try to defend anyone who tries to kill his better half. But he would have forsaken violence by that point and can easily be undermined.

Note: There can be more than one attempt at killing his doppelgänger. Maybe he stops you. Maybe he doesn’t in case multiple people tag this one. ]

Edited 2024-03-29 22:05 (UTC)

[The fact that the packages occasionally come with names attached is a rude awakening for Rufus; it'd be one thing to just have people's secrets out there like traps waiting to spring, dangerous but navigable should one prove to be lucky enough. It's another when Aurora is evidently going out of her way to make them traceable — which in turn means he might have some secrets of his own out there, with his name on them, just waiting for someone to match them back to him.

Disconcerting, to say the least. He's never been particularly subtle about who he is, or the name he answers to.

The book, however, is the size of a small brick and about as heavy; the back cover bills it as an adventure novel with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness. It's idle morbid curiosity that has him sitting down with it to page through, mostly just trying to get a sense of why it might be intended for this "Jason", or what he can glean from a person set to receive it.

It takes about half a chapter before he's invested, devouring the ugly foreshadowing of an oblivious but good-hearted sailor thinking he's standing on the top of the world while friendly faces plot against him and political machinations sweep him up in their jaws.

(It's, shall we say, thematically relevant to Rufus's interests. In a lot of ways.)

Eventually he'll go looking for the owner, checking places like the diner and the apartment rec room, places where people are likely to frequent. Though he's not looking all that hard, admittedly, because there are 117 chapters in this unabridged edition and like hell he's going to surrender it until he knows how the vengeance plot all turns out...]

[ Dumas, Austen, Machiavelli, Tzu. They kept him company his first few months in Wayne Manor when he still wasn't sure if this was a big elaborate scheme. Get him comfortable, then pull the rug under his feet. Jason didn't actually think that was the deal here. Bruce was training him to become his new Robin, after all, but he still had his reservations, never getting too comfortable with having a roof over his head and regular meals.

Ironically, this was the same place he'd scoped out to break into and lift all the valuables he could get his hands on. Alfred, Bruce's butler, told him he could take whatever he wanted, so Jason took Bruce's emerald cuffs. When no one accused him of theft and came to demand them back, he sneaked them back into his dresser, and no one ever mentioned them missing.

The library of Wayne Manor finally lured him into a sense of complacency. There were books everywhere. Many first editions from some centuries ago. A place a street kid from Crime Alley didn't belong. He didn't touch them, just walked by, reading the titles, and authors he didn't know. Alfred found him like that one day and removed the book he'd been eying from the shelf, handing it to him. Jason stood there, book in hand, with absolutely no idea what to do. Alfred patted him on the back and reminded him about dinnertime before leaving him to his own devices.

It was hard at first, stumbling through old English, and all the stupid words he needed a dictionary for but he got through that first book, then picked up another, and another still, until it became commonplace to find him tucked away in a corner of the library reading a book.

He still remembers the excitement of being suckered into the Count's plot, and much like Rufus, Jason was 100% on board for the vengeance pact. An eye for an eye. So, when he spots a familiar edition in the hands of a blond executive-looking type, Jason zeros in on it immediately and walks over with a friendly smile in place. ]

Is there a library around here?

[ Clad in dark jeans and a black fitted tee, he doesn't exactly look like the well-read type. Still, a zeal of energy radiates from him when he motions to the book and sits across from him uninvited; it's a diner, after all. ]

Edited 2024-03-30 18:32 (UTC)

[It's funny how experiences can be so alike in some ways and so different in others. The stranger who sits down across from him in the diner booth asks about a library and he thinks of the basement of the old family manor, the entire floor of the Shinra Building, shelves from the floor to the ceiling packed with row after row of multicolored spines, and absolutely none of them suited for leisure. Who would bother with writing novels when the Shinra propaganda machine had all the bread and circuses that any populace could ever ask for well in hand already? All that paper, spent practically and dutifully. Who would waste space on a fantasy when it could be used to turn a profit instead.

He glances up from the page he's on — marking his place with a carefully-torn piece of napkin because he's not a morally bankrupt barbarian who dog-ears pages to keep his place — and regards the new arrival quietly for a minute before setting the book aside altogether on the tabletop.]

Not quite. This one came by mail.

[Or thereabouts. It's hint enough of the method of acquisition, anyway; he watches to see if his guest catches it.]

Looking for something to read?

[ Catching on, he raises a brow, looking amused. He knows there have been some questionable packages lately and wonders if he should look forward to finding one of his own, but never once does he think to ask who it's addressed to. ]

Depends on what you've got.

[ He motions to the napkin With a twist of his wrist, pointing to the napkin with his index finger. An acceptable mode of marking his place, so long as it's clean. Not that he thinks he'd use a dirty one. A quick assessment of his clothes and general demeanor says a lot. ]

How do you like so far?

He's teaching the stepmother about how to perfectly conceal the use of poisons to commit a murder. Academically, of course. I'm sure it won't give her any ideas about how to ensure that her stepdaughter doesn't get in the way of her own son's inheritance.

[Ah, family drama. That, too, is relatable — not that any of his father's illicit liaisons would try anything so stupid as moving against his sole heir, of course, but it's not as though he's any stranger to that type of inheritance scheming, either.]

The fact that his motives are so transparent to the reader doesn't make the adventure any less enjoyable; it's a good read. You're familiar?

[ He laughs, the sound stemming from his belly and spilling out in a string of notes. His movements are smooth when he pours himself a drink from the water pitcher on the table, and his blue eyes clear as they regard the familiar edition. He asked Bruce about the poison, and he proceeded to give him a crash course in toxicology. Jason wasn't even mad and found the answer to his question by the end. ]

I read it when I was younger, and I was on Team Dantes the whole time. It's a good read— one of my favorites.

[ He's in his comfort zone talking to strangers— people who don't expect anything from him, who don't know where he comes from or what he's done. It's nice not being the bad guy for a little while.

He sets an elbow on the table and picks up his glass. ]

Is this your first time reading it?

Edited 2024-03-30 22:18 (UTC)

I'm not sure what other team you'd be on. The villains are all but caricatures; that's half the reason it's enjoyable to see them fall.

[That's not actually a criticism, the way he comments it. More just an acknowledgement that he is, in fact, paying attention, and thinking about what he's been reading rather than just mindlessly killing time with it.]

It is. Not going to spoil the ending for me, are you?

[ He wasn't wrong. It was the same with the criminals of Gotham. Who wouldn't think it was a good idea to take them out? An image of a black-clad crusader pokes at his subconscious, and Jason pivots away from those thoughts. ]

I'm not a monster, you know.

[ That's practically blasphemy in his book! Err.. if he had any!

He takes a moment to take a drink, regarding the blond with a curious look. He's been trying to memorize the people in this place and hasn't come across him so far. There's too many of us, and yet so few. ]

Did you come in with the latest batch? Here to save your world and all that jazz?

Oh, no? Well, that's reassuring, if a bit disappointing. Sometimes monsters are the most interesting people you'll ever meet.

[Says the guy reading The Count of Montecristo and not, say, Dracula. Which is a shame because he'd for sure enjoy Dracula, too.]

Is that what they told you? That you've been brought here to make a case for the salvation of your world?

And sometimes you realize those monsters are more human than you. It's all in the eye of the beholder.

[ Sounds like they both need to go find a book stash somewhere to make those dreams come true! ]

Pretty much what they're selling us. It's a good hook. Save your world from destruction. Almost makes you feel like a big hero, you know, if you believed any of it.

Sounds as though you don't. Or that you're a skeptic, at least.

[He drums his fingers lightly on the cover of the book, then reaches over for his own drink — just an ice water — and takes a sip.]

You don't think you have it in you?

I like to gather my facts before I act. Makes things less messy.

[ Unless something triggers him, and then it's always messy. Jason's not exactly emotionally stable. He just pretends he is! ]

To be a hero? [ He raises a brow in question. ] Do you?

Jason Todd l OTA

secret #2, the count of montecristo

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