etrayalogs | MISSION 004 (part 1)

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: July 19th-July 27th.
WHERE: Moorecroft Village
WHAT: Enjoy life in your new suburban neighborhood!
NOTES\WARNINGS: Potential death.

⏵ welcome home ⏴
Welcome to Moorecroft Village, where the sun casts a gentle glow through soft white clouds. Pavement paths wind around the village, adorned with wildflowers in every hue. Birds sing a soothing melody, while a few content cats lounge in sunspots or on benches along the streets. Cars hum by, ferrying residents to work, the store, or back home after a busy day.

It looks almost perfect. The ideal little village, occupied by individuals from all over. Orcs, elves, faeries, werewolves, vampires, and dhampirs coexist harmoniously, each contributing to their quaint little town. Despite their varied backgrounds, they appear to embrace this place as their own. They take their baby carriages out during the day for a stroll, chatting with friends and neighbors about current happenings, discussing their most recent mission (a ‘game’ of Whodunit, in which one of theirs, Theo, was tasked with killing one of their own each day and they all had to figure out who had killed them before they could come back to life) and the difficulties therein, new job assignments, weird things the teens in their houses are getting up to... generic, neighborly conversations.

The village is full of life. There are numerous facilities to wander and things to do! The library houses a vast collection of books spanning history from countless other worlds and whimsical children's tales. Teens gather at the ice skating rink, while the movie theater screens films spanning generations. An aquarium full of wonders: glowing rainbow fish, miniature great white sharks, a colorful octopus with patterns running over it that almost look like ivy, and numerous others.

In the daytime, everyone can explore clothing stores, indulge in gourmet cakes from the grocers, and partake in leisurely pursuits without financial concerns; just like on Etraya, money does not exist here.

⏵ help wanted ⏴
Moorecroft surpasses Etraya in its development, offering attractions and activities to engage its inhabitants throughout the day. But with these advancements come additional responsibilities. By day, at least one adult from every household is expected to fulfill their shifts at 'day jobs', lasting anywhere from four to eight hours. Meanwhile, the youth are expected to go to school, absorbing knowledge in various disciplines.

Each job duty requires different skillsets, but whether or not those required skillsets are matched to those who are expected to work them... well. They’ll have plenty of time for training, won’t they? Or perhaps they’ll get dropped right into their job and be expected to figure it out all on their own.

For the younger residents, education is structured into two main institutions: "Sandalwood Lower" for those twelve and under, and "Maplewood Upper" for older students. These schools offer a broad curriculum encompassing Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, Technology, Fine Arts, and a diverse array of Foreign Languages. Electives range widely, from specific sports to Survival Training, Creative Writing, Journalism, and Sociology.

At lunchtime, the school cafeteria presents an array of choices. Options range from standard fare like school pizza to other offerings such as vampire's blood, brains, and hearts—just in case an unexpected guest should drop in. After all, one never knows who might show up in Moorecroft.

⏵ honey do's ⏴
But life extends beyond work and school. A structured routine of what is expected of each household is kept on digital calendars, and installed on the wall in the kitchen of each house. These calendars update daily with smaller tasks, and weekly with larger ones, detailing what is expected of those residing within its walls.

Typical tasks include simple activities such as:

Take the child(ren) for a walk outdoors.
Visit the local park.
Bake a pie for the neighbors.
Tell your spouse(s) how important they are to you.
Share a secret.
Shop with your child(ren).
Mow the lawn.
Don’t forget to attend your child’s school’s PTA meeting!
Help with homework.
Take family photos.
Go on a date.

More complex tasks are found under weekly checklists, and may involve:

Host a neighborhood barbeque competition.
Volunteer at the hospital.
Teach your child a sport.
Start a soccer league.
Create a garage band.
Get a part time job.
Join a club.

Eos will check off each task as it is completed. At the bottom of each calendar, a tally records the completion of tasks, providing a visual measure of productivity and community involvement.

⏵ night watch ⏴
As the sun lowers over the horizon, everything shifts. Every long-term resident understands the consequences of curfew and the threats within. They retreat to their homes, urging those unfamiliar to them who may not understand the rules just yet that they, too, need to return indoors for the night.

Within the confines of their houses, life continues under a fragile veil of normalcy. A peek into some of the homes of long-term residents will find them playing board games with their family units, completing homework or work assignments they were unable to finish during the day, watching a few family-friendly shows on their couches, or enjoying a late dinner. Eventually, they’ll return to their beds and wait for the sound of their alarms.

In Moorecroft, no friendly companion bots roam the streets during the day. In their place, highly advanced robots emerge to enforce curfew once the time comes. They silently make their way through the streets, sweeping away anything that isn’t part of Eos’ design: trash left out on the street, bugs left by suspicious men wearing cowls that have ears on them, graffiti, new decor that Eos decides she doesn’t like. No winds shake the trees, there are no cars on the road, but noises can be heard coming from outside that don't sound... normal by any means. Croaks, whispers, scratches against doors and walls alike.

Those who defy curfew will be asked, once, to return to their homes. If they opt not to listen, they are met with force: physically restrained, subdued, and dragged back to their homes. If they decide to fight, the bots are not above killing them and dropping their limp bodies just inside the front door of their houses. They will revive after 48 hours but not without cost. Each return carries an absence—a missing memory, a lost skill, or a fragment of their very essence, stolen away in the process of their revival.

Even those who manage to evade capture will awaken in their beds with no recollection of their death or what they may have witnessed before dying. They will instead have a vague feeling that something horrifying happened.

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Daily and weekly tasks can be chosen by players! We won't be listing these out for each household, but relying on players to choose what's most fun for them to play with within their households.

As noted on Mission Plotting, we're open to one group successfully staying out past curfew, but would like to keep this to one thread.

We have a separate log for NPC interactions for this mission!

For any questions relating to the contents of this log, mod queries thread on the initial plotting post to assist us in keeping all mission-related information in one place. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.
⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's tough juggling the parameters of their mission, looking out for others, and conducting rebellious investigations. And to top it all off, the cafeteria doesn't even have katsudon. Izuku is half-heartedly picking at some chicken and mashed potatoes, which can't possibly compare to Lunch Rush's food.

"Oh hi Kacc—eh?"

His face freezes, which has the effect of turning his friendly smile into a frozen rictus of confusion. He turns bright strawberry pink.

What? ...WHAT???

Being asked this question never entered his mind. He wouldn't know what to do. He has so many more important things to worry about, like his weird Quirk, his career, and not getting killed. Romance was to be a problem for an older Izuku who has his life in order. Or perhaps never. Izuku was reviled by all in middle school. Izuku always assumed no one would take an interest in him.

This is the last thing he expects to hear out of someone's mouth, particularly from his rival. Convention says that rivals are diametrically opposed, though personally Izuku sees his relationship with his rival as a positive one. He's someone who he admires, who has always been there, and they learn from each other. That's just normal rival stuff, right?

Why is he panicking?!

"I'm sorry, I think I heard you wrong..." he wheezes like an asthmatic. "Did you say d-d-d—"

He's going to die. He's going to drop dead and expire.

It's only when Izuku's voice stutters out and he goes bright pink that Katsuki realizes he may have made a mistake thinking Izuku was the right person to ask if 'not make a big deal out of it' was part of his criteria. Stupid! Since when had Izuku ever not made a big deal out of anything?

When Izuku wheezes out that question, Katsuki gives him a solid thump on the back as if that'll help clear his lungs, and then follows up with a light cuff against the back of Izuku's head with the palm of his hand.

"You didn't hear me wrong, nerd." he says, "I said go on a date with me."

Katsuki plants his feet on the seat of the chair next to Izuku, rests his elbow on his knee, and his cheek in his hand, head tilted as he looks at the other boy, red eyes slightly narrowed. As nonchalant as he's being, Katsuki feels a little like his stomach is in knots, and he's not entirely sure why. It shouldn't be. He's been bullying Izuku since they were kids, he's been acting like he hates Izuku since they were kids. Deep down, of course, he knows that he doesn't hate Izuku, that Izuku is someone he's known for as long as he can remember, that Izuku is his rival. Someone important. Someone whose opinion matters.

So, despite the way he leans back with his hands on the table and body swayed back, not looking at Izuku, he can feel his heart pounding as he waits for an answer.

Izuku idly bats his hands away. Katsuki, in the new paradigm set after the Sludge Villain incident, usually gives him space like a prickly cat would, but sometimes he does break it when Izuku does something stupid. Like now. Whether a thrown object or a clap of his hand, he continues with bluster, as he does with most things in life. It's hard to get at the real Katsuki through all that.

Izuku knows this, but Katsuki doesn't even explain why! Why him? It is true they are fixated on each other, always comparing themselves for years, rivals like twin binary stars in orbit. Izuku would happily expound to anyone who would listen about how he admires Katsuki's reflexes. Admiration? Attraction?

"S-Sure!" he pipes before he really thinks, because he is the agreeable sort. Wait, what? But I don't like boys? ...I never really thought about it? Do I like boys?? I'm just nervous because it's Kacchan! Crap, I can't make this weird for him!

It's too much like when a pretty girl gets too close to him. Boys are more familiar to him socially. Then why does his heart feel like it's going to explode? His eyes keep darting to and from Katsuki. When Izuku regains the ability to speak, he yammers quickly,

"Um—why? I mean, not that I don't want to, but why? Don't people usually say something first? I had no idea. What do people do on dates? I didn't think you were interested in this kind of thing..."

When Izuku says "sure," something in him relaxes a little, and some of the bluster goes out of him. Slouching a little, he allows himself to look at Izuku again. Izuku looks shocked, which Katsuki supposes makes sense, but he also looks nervous with his eyes darting from Katsuki to staring into nothing and then back again, the flicking quick and anxious.

Izuku's anxiety is just starting to catch, to nestle in beside the too-fast beating of his heart from asking in the first place and infect Katsuki with fear when Izuku starts talking again. Asking why, that he had no idea Katsuki might want to date him, what they even do on dates.

This would be where it'd be easy to crush Izuku like he used to all the time, where it'd be easy to tell him that it was a request from whoever's giving them chores and say he doesn't want to follow through, that asking was the only requirement. It'd be easy to say it and walk off and leave Izuku to deal with that. Because Izuku had said it - 'not that I don't want to' - and that means he wants to go on a date with Katsuki. For a few moments, he feels himself on a precipice, on a tightrope where he could slip to either side.

He remembers standing in the rain, hands clenched at his sides, apologizing to Izuku in front of all their classmates, asking him to come back to UA with them. Remembers watching Izuku nod off on the couch in the common room after he'd come back, and Ochaco's speech. Remembers all of that in a flash, the reasons he'd promised not to go back to being the way he was, that he'd promised to change. So it doesn't even really linger in his mind to crush Izuku like he would've done without thinking just over a year ago.

"Oh. I got told to ask someone out, by this place." he says, "And you're the person I know best, so I figured I'd ask you. So that's done." He pauses for a moment after that, licking his lips and not quite looking at Izuku, "But, uh. I was thinking maybe a picnic or something, after we're back, you know?"

He wants Izuku to know, right away, after the revelation that it hadn't been Katsuki's idea really, that he's going to follow through on it and take Izuku on the best date he's able to.

"The list—r-right..." Izuku knows of the list. He has one in his "home" as well. Learning to drive was on his own, to Cloud's chagrin.

Izuku's shoulders drop a little. Of course Katsuki has to be his honest self. Midoriya is less forthright in a lot of ways. But it still is a blow of a sort, that this wasn't Katsuki's idea, that he was prompted by some outside pressure, even if Izuku was the person he went to. Izuku had always sort of accepted that he wouldn't be anyone's first choice in anything in life, so he just didn't think about himself.

He could dissemble and try to laugh it off with one of his polite smiles, make it clear that he was never interested, say some self-effacing words... his usual social survival tactics. But he'd like to follow Katsuki's example. Maybe he should be more honest, even if it's just sitting with the confusing swirl of emotions instead of trying to distance himself and saying everything is fine.

Katsuki usually faces things head on, so Izuku interprets lack of eye contact as a sign of uncertainty within the ranks of his mind. Izuku doesn't look away now. Their connection is important to him.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to," he says softer than a whisper. "I would never want you to do something you weren't comfortable with. But... a picnic does sound nice after we're back and away from all this."

He says, stronger but still unable to keep a tremor of excitement and uncertainty down, "Let's go together then."

Saying he'll do something is tantamount to a promise on Izuku's end. Is it a date? It's not not a date... Izuku has already internally decided that no matter what, he's going to be the best date ever. Sure he has no experience or knowledge, but this isn't the first time he's faced insurmountable odds with little to work with.

MISSION 004 (part 1)

the task at hand

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lmao oh my god they're so much