TDM 004

[etrayamods]

⏵ the usual arrival ⏴ NOTES\WARNINGS: Horror elements, themes of addiction, supernatural changes, light mind control Arrival goes as anticipated. Characters awaken in the sterile white glow of artificial lights, the hum of soft machinery thrumming in the background like a mechanical lullaby. The hospital room is pristine - almost too pristine - sterile, but oddly calming. Every surface gleams in a way that feels calculated as if someone had specifically designed the space to be comforting. Yet, a faint whiff of antiseptic clings to the air, and the silence feels unnatural. The first face they see is Aurora's: her smile appears to be warm, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. She might offer a quick explanation, or leave characters to figure it out for themselves depending on their approach. The door to the room swings open, revealing a hallway that stretches out ahead of them. They're free to explore their surroundings now, but something tells them this place is more than just a hospital. The lobby is a stark contrast to the sterile rooms above. It's warm, almost welcoming. Currently, an array of cookie trays are strewn about the area just inside the door that leads them to the outside world, decorated with frosting shaped into leaves, pumpkins, and the occasional snowman. They aren't perfect, but - the companion bots tried their best, they're still figuring out this whole cookie decorating thing. At least most of the cookies are normal cookie flavors this time. However, it doesn't feel as if this is what they should be eating. Something is telling them to go outside. To find something more filling. ⏵ the unusual arrival ⏴ Perhaps you skip all of that, somehow, slipping through the cracks of the system. You arrive outside of the normal purview, outside of the hospital walls. Perhaps you come to, standing in line for a food truck covered in slime. You could be anywhere, though. At the Diner, perhaps the apartments, or a random shop. Anywhere. It’s okay, though. This has happened before, and they are more prepared for it. No matter where you are, the helper bots will be ready with a quick and convenient remedy. A companion bot approaches you, bidding you to step into a clear tube. Should you do so, it will seal before power-washing you from head to toe in an efficient handful of seconds. And then it will release you, sopping wet but clean! Oh dear, are you catching a bit of a chill? …They will come up with a solution for that next time, I’m afraid. ⏵ lunchtime ⏴ As the swelter of summer begins to fade into the first hints of autumn, a small fleet of food trucks arrives in each part of Etraya. When you arrive at one they offer a stamp card with a little map of Etraya and the location of each truck’s loop. "Make sure you don’t lose it," the cashier warns in a friendly tone despite their vague and shadowy visage. Once you begin sampling their offerings, stopping becomes near-impossible. The food is delicious--or seems to be. However, each dish comes with a catch, and the more you eat, the more its effects intensify. To break this curse, one must sample all and fill their stamp cards. Traveling between the Apartments, Hospital, Ramsey Farm, S.T.A.R. Labs, Bangsan Market, and Corrine’s Cafe, Bau Haus serves dumplings and bao so good you'll start feeling feral for them. And the more you eat, the more animalistic you become - your senses sharpen, your temper flares. Senses and reflexes may become sharper, and boy does that slab of uncooked meat sound satisfying. Do you feel the need to growl at people who come too close to you and your meal? Surely that can't be related. Moving between Hannibal Lecter’s house, Sector 5 Church, Wayne Tower, Daily Planet, Shinra HQ, and Clint Barton’s Apartment Building, the Owl Feather serves soothing tea and delicious boba. But overindulgence may make you overly affectionate and obsessed with helping others, whether they want it or not. Muy Biento serves Mexi-Japanese fusion bento boxes from the Avengers Compound, Bishop Publishing, Dhali-Wal-To-Wall Books, and Cafe Millennia. There are teriyaki chimichangas, tempura carne asada, carnitas onigiri, and more. After a meal, you begin seeing ghosts out of the corner of your eye, always vanishing when you turn to look. Serving fried chocobo and "popoto" wedges, The Golden Chocobo makes you ravenous no matter how much you eat. Soon, you'll be eyeing increasingly strange items to satisfy your hunger. It travels between Ebbet’s Field, the Diner, Wayne Manor, and the Bunker. Offering crepes between Xavier Institute, Harry’s Hideaway Pub, Roxx, Kwikk Trip, and Big Belly, Thyme Served’s food seems innocent enough—until the night terrors begin. The more you eat, the worse they get, with the truck still there the next day, calling for you. Perhaps… a banana one this time. Bill’s Buffalo Burgers travels between Beviin-Vasur Farm, Point Blanc Academy, and Muten-Ichi-Ryu Dojo and serves only one burger - topped with pork rinds for a satisfying crunch, but it sounds good to you. However, after your first bite, you're told there's a price: a lock of someone else’s hair. Refuse, and it will feel like hair is stuck in your mouth, driving you mad until you pay the price. After all that trouble, you go home and can’t stop thinking about getting another burger. Offering blue milkshakes and ice cream, repeated visits to the Milk Man will turn your tongue—and eventually your blood—blue. A creeping chill settles in, growing worse each time until no amount of warmth can help. ⏵ nova city ⏴ Nova City, vast and sprawling in its corner of Etraya, remains mostly abandoned. Its towering buildings stand silently, watching over empty streets where only stray cats and the occasional bird roam. The dragon, Zhaera, perches protectively atop the tallest spire at the heart of this desolate city. She has been guarding her egg since her arrival, waiting for the young dragon within to mature enough it can survive in the outside world. As its incubation period draws near, her anxiety grows. A tremor spreads through Etraya, an instinctive call to those nearby. As the egg nears its hatching, strange forces awaken within Etraya itself, spreading too into Nova City. Shadowy creatures crawl out from the ground, surrounding the tower the dragon and her unborn child have taken shelter on. The air crackles with the energy coming from the egg itself, and the cats throughout the city seem unsettled. The sheer amount of magic the egg gives off is enough to attract anyone capable of sensing it. The dragon, normally composed and fierce, appears to be visibly distressed by the changes going on in the city below it. Her maw opens, sending flames to ward off the inky black tendrils intent on getting to her egg. But she may need some assistance keeping it safe. ⏵ NOTES ⏴ This TDM covers September and October. The events happening in the TDM are game canon. Threads can be kept as game canon if wanted! For any questions relating to the contents of this log, please use the mod queries thread. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

Comments

[banworthy]

Hikaru.

[ He tips his head down, committing the name to memory. ]

You and me both. I don't have any powers so I can't imagine what I can do. [ But he does understand one point. ] Indeed, it is a bit vague, isn't it? Earning the favor of Echo to ensure our universe's survival.

I suppose we'll be given tasks and we'll have to complete them. In the tasks we are given, we'll be able to see what kind of entity that Echo is. Find what is it that pleases it and go from there.

[godkaru]

[He talks about it as if it's purely transactional - as if this is Echo's fault somehow. A different interpretation, of course given different lived circumstances, but not the one she'd take herself.

Hikaru can't help but wonder if this is what was waiting in the Road. Is this the Test then? She needs to be smart so she can truly make it through this and check on Eagle and everyone else.]

Maybe... Hopefully they'll be easy tasks. [It's what she hopes, anyway. She has no delusions that the tasks would be as simple as 'deliver a package' or something, but she could hope it wouldn't be as drastic as others she's done.]

I think if we all keep each other from panicking, we can manage it together.

[banworthy]

Hopefully.

[ He isn't too sure that they are going to be. To earn favor with Echo means the continued survival of their worlds, he doubts that what is going to be asked of them is going to be easy. Still, he wonders what kind of entity that Echo is.

Cold and meticulous; warm and adoring. Did it realize the limit of its power and believe it did not have the right to choose who lived and who died? Does it see this as the only means to carry on and truly so long as the boxes are ticked, that is all that is needed? ]

I agree. Panicking never helps anyone... it only causes more confusion and pain.

[godkaru]

[Hikaru nods at that. It's the same conclusion she came to, after seeing all the citizens in the Castle back in Cefiro-

She focuses on what's in front of her: a table and chairs.]

I agree. So- I'll ask someone who's been here longer what they know and go from there.

[That's easy enough to do. A first step. Simple.]

[banworthy]

[ Something tells him that he isn't going to have years to gather the information that he needs. But who's to say? It may be decades of playing this game without knowing if his world will or won't be destroyed.

Vincent wonders if salting and burning where he came from would actually be for the best. But what would happen to Her? If the universe is destroyed, does that mean She is, too? So long as he survives - does everything else need to? A final petty action from the least likely person to decide if his universe deserves to carry on.

Well, he might not have a lot of time to dance for Echo, but he has some time to decide how he feels about the whole matter. ]

Makes sense. [ A warmer smile. ] I intend to do the same, so why don't we combine our notes later? Two heads are better than one, as they say.

[godkaru]

[Hikaru smiles gently at that. At least others she's met so far here are amenable to working together, which is better than the alternative.

She just wishes she knew for sure if this is the Road still, or the Test, or if this is something else entirely. Clef hadn't been able to give her much information since the only person before who'd known what to expect was gone now.

And whose fault is that...?

A pang of guilt in her chest tightens before she refocuses on what's in front of her.]

I'm not very good at taking notes, but I'll try to remember what I can.

[banworthy]

It's all right.

[ Every little bit of information counts. ]

What matters is that we're pooling it together to find a way to save our worlds and universes. [ He closes his eyes. ] So long as we get a general picture, we can figure out what to focus our attention on later.

For now, there are just too many unknowns.

[godkaru]

[She nods at that.]

I agree. I think it'll be really helpful in the long run.

[She looks up to Vincent again, really taking stock of him. He looks like he's been through a lot but made it out all right, one way or another.]

Thank you.

[banworthy]

[ Vincent makes a soft, affirmative noise in the back of his throat. He'll be riding on the coattails of those who came before him before he can share any information, but oh well.

What matters in the end isn't who has the information but who can formulate a conclusion that is accepted by the majority. ]

Hm? Thank you?

[godkaru]

Mhm! Thank you.

[She says it like it's the most normal thing in the world, and they aren't strangers from two different universes brought here suddenly.]

I was kind of freaking out a little when I got here, but talking with you a bit helped me get a goal so I can move forward. So, thank you.

[banworthy]

Well, you're welcome.

[ He dips his head in a small nod.

It's interesting to be spoken with such a familiar tone. Is his act that good, or is this her nature? Probably a mixture of the two - but that works in his favor. In the situation that he finds himself, it's best to have relatively positive relations with others. Or, at the very least, be seen as the least likely person to be capable of causing any discord.

A girl like Hikaru will be treated well by most strangers. If he's seen as a confidante and positive influence, that'll work in his favor later. Right now - he has no pieces to move and so has to gather up what he can to start his new chess match with a new unknowable deity.

It's tiresome, but he supposes this is his lot in life. ]

I'm equally thankful for you, as well, you know. [ A beat. ] Sometimes the best way to help oneself is to help others. So, you also helped solidify and ease some concerns I had. I'll just have to keep doing as I did... and hopefully, it will end in something positive in the end.

[ He gestures to her. ] Like this interaction.

[godkaru]

[So he was feeling the same way, just with way more words than she used. That's so sweet...

She always does feel better when she knows she's helped someone, even passively like this. Hikaru smiles a bit brighter and bows once.]

We both will. We'll figure out what we can.