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]

Maybe not now--

[ He takes one step forward before abruptly stopping. Whirling around, his other hand grips onto her shoulder. ]

God was born?! [ Vincent drops his facade and normal tone of voice. It isn't anger that screams forth but fear. Even if he's dead, even if he's in another universe, some fears transcend barriers of logic and reason. ] What do you mean God was born?!

I was putting all my bets on you to stop it! To kill her! What happened?!

[ingestion]

( to say she was trying to scare him was a misunderstanding. truthfully she wasn't sure why she had mentioned it but perhaps the comfort of holding his hand, seeing him alive again, and being here far from it all made her lose her judgement. the words came out almost without any input from her own mind.

she was just talking to talk really. now though, she was truly scared. she stood in shock as he gripped her and she remained silent for a moment, trying to process everything that had happened. why was she holding his hand again? )

Vincent...I had swallowed the capsule from the pendant I had. I think it's called the capsule of Aglaophotis. Well I threw up God from inside of me and as I was about to kill it, Claudia swallowed it herself.

( he could probably figure out what happened next, but she says one thing that could probably bring comfort to them both.

even if it was redundant. )

Claudia died giving birth to that thing.

[banworthy]

Aglaophotis!?

[ He finally lets go of her shoulder and hand if only so that he could walk around in a semi-circle. His hands are held in front of him, clenching them into fists, as he mutters the word "how" every so often.

Vincent pauses and winces at the idea of Claudia swallowing that mess. His shoulders involuntarily shudder as he takes a second to look disgusted. However, it isn't so much of the act as much as her derangement that horrifies him.

He can, at least, chuckle at her telling him that she died in the process. ]

In the end, she wasn't able to meet her god. I suppose that is a consolation prize for everything that has been done. [ Running a hand through his hair, he twists his fingers in the strands. ] But what will come next -- I can't imagine.

[ingestion]

( whether the effects of the food were still there or not, she felt like she could finally start seeing things clearly. the view before her was no longer a blur and began to realize the revelation she had just made. was it a mistake? should she have kept him in the dark about this? after all, despite their initial differences, they had at least that goal in common.

heather remained still as she watched him pace back and forth, muttering that word like a desperate prayer. she remained silent as her expression began to turn into one of stress and she wasn't sure what she could do about this now.

truthfully, she was still angry about the whole thing. she wanted to be the one to kill claudia, but perhaps it was best that she hadn't. that would have dragged her down to a level she had been trying to avoid- filling her heart with bitterness and cruelty. )

Vincent...

( she said softly before she fell down to her knees and gave out a desperate cry in stress. it was the first time she had been able to decompress and really think about what had happened. )

I can't believe I let this happen, but I swear I was about to kill that thing. Disgusting, weak, it looked just like me.

[banworthy]

[ If he were someone else, he might have knelt to help her. If she was one of his flock, he might have offered a kind word and hand on the shoulder. As it was, he was furious at the state of their world. There was almost no reason to save their universe - which left a very interesting problem that they had for themselves. Where were they to go? They could not stay here indefinitely, could they? Could they abandon their world to figure out how to live elsewhere?

Because even if the Powers that Be end up sparing their universe, the God born from Claudia's insanity will soon end it. His hand presses over his face as he chuckles to himself. The irony of the situation that they're in is not lost on him. ]

You hesitated. I understand. [ The bite is not left out of his voice. ] Oh, the woes of having power and having to live up to the potential and hope that people place on you. [ He breathes in. ] But that's unkind. You are only a teenage girl. I suppose it was a bit much to believe -- well -- all that planning really went nowhere, hm?

[ Cocking his head to the side, he stares down at her. ] You understand what this means, right? I don't know if time is still moving forward but if it is, there's no point in going back to our world. [ Hm. ] It may be that she wanted you to live. You know, your other self. She is quite powerful. I can't imagine she wanted you to wallow and suffer in the mistakes of others.

Congratulations on your second chance... now all we have to do is figure out how to lose gracefully and not be blipped out of existence.

[ingestion]

Vincent...

( that's all she can say as his words flowed like poison seeping into her flesh. each word, each flick of his tongue was like a cruel lashing against her. he had such a way to express what he truly felt, even if what he was saying was restricted or held back. she could feel that, it was the same way dahlia was at times-

manipulative and hurtful.

these words weren't comforting ones, instead they were meant to make it clear to heather how useless she had been in the end. )

You don't know that Vincent...what if we go back and things return right to that moment?

( but she doesn't argue further. it made no sense. with a last quip, she finally spoke in a rather sarcastic manner. )

I guess I got distracted by how easily you let yourself be killed. It was hard not to mourn for you.

( with that, she decided it was time to move on. there was a nagging urge in the back of her mind that the stamp card she had to be completed to be set free from this. so she stared at vincent briefly before turning away and walking off. she knew or rather felt he wasn't going to come after her. they may have been from the same world, but did they really have to stick together? especially after what he had said...

she decided for now she would keep an eye on him. see what exactly his goals and plans were for this new world. )

[banworthy]

[ The sound he makes out his nose is a dismissive one. It's the idea that they would be able to return right at the exact moment everything went to shit. His mouth quirks into a half-smile, but he says nothing else. There's a scream burning in his throat - it presses against the skin until the insides feel raw and bleeding.

However, he says nothing else. His eye twitches at her sarcastic barb. ]

Nice to hear you sound like yourself, again, Heather.

[ Not quite the last word, but close enough to accept. He drags his heel back against the pavement before he turns to walk away. Before he had almost a decade to plan and scheme, now he has significantly less time. Irritating. So irritating. ]