TDM 006

[etrayamods]

⏵ arrival ⏴ Arrival is absolutely not normal this month. Instead of a hospital bed, you wake in a tunnel with a large group of other people. These are the residents. A woman’s voice in an earpiece hurriedly clues you in with an apology. I apologize; I had not planned to introduce you this way, but we are low on time. Please proceed down the hallway. An image of a shattered pearl pops up on your personal HUD and rotates. I am Aurora. You are joining many others on Etraya in order to save your world from destruction by completing missions. Your current mission is to find the pieces of this object that have become scattered in the library ahead of you. For everyone else, coming in is much the same. The instruction goes out to head to designated areas immediately, where companion bots will escort the residents of Etraya down into the depths, the area beneath where much the same is explained. ⏵ disrobing ⏴ The tunnel eventually opens directly into the foreroom of an expansive library, painted in marvelous hues and patterns with skylights far above. There are wizards milling about, bearded and holding tomes, quietly chatting amongst themselves. The reception area of the library has tall ceilings with equally tall doors Before you get too caught up in the scenery, a voice directs you forward. A gentleman, hunched and bespeckled craws out. "Make a line! Make a line, everyone! You cannot enter the library dressed as you are... Come forward and give me your name." The receptionist asks your given name and then hands over a box from underneath his counter. You can give him any name you want, he doesn’t seem to mind. It is tied with a tagged ribbon- labeling it accordingly. “The _____ robe of _______.” (First Letter of Given Name) (Last Letter of Given Name) A Controlling N Helpful A Melodies N Light B Glimmering O Floating B Discretion O Mind-Reading C Wet P Handsome C Growth P Climbing D Gruesome Q Gullible D Grasping Q Jumping E Observant R Ratty E Flying R Hurting F Powerful S Adhesive F Reading S Guiding G Psychedelic T Sweltering G Dancing T Bug-Speaking H Swift U Cheerful H Shouting U Exploding I Voracious V Anxious I Extracting V Complaining J Soft W Likeable J Punishing W Dividing K Keen X Ruthless K Creeping X Slapping L Fabulous Y Dramatic L Walking Y Charming M Fair Z Demonic M Listening Z Combustion As you read what the contents of the box may be, they form inside- Looking and behaving as your character expects them to. After all, magic is all in the wielder’s mind. Don your robes and enter the library. ⏵ unfamiliar familiars ⏴ For those without a familiar (like one hatched from an egg not too long ago) you may borrow one from the library counter. They all have strengths and weaknesses, but they will all assist in the very important mission. As you roam the library, they will make little indications that you are closer or further from finding a piece of the pearl. Pro • Hardworking • Gives correct directions 75% of time • Won’t run away from you • Very affectionate • Gives correct directions only when paired with another rat, toad, or personal pet. • Gives correct directions 90% of the time Con • Must feed bookworms • Will run away if too close to a cat • Does not care for you • Sleepy • Will run ahead • Gets distracted by rats ⏵ the task at hand ⏴ With robes donned and creature in hand, you must now complete your mission. Find the pieces of the shattered pearl. As you enter the library, you may notice that it’s all very dim. There’s oil lamps around the place that may be moved with you to assist in your journey if your robes do not already emit light. Break off and search the library. There is a directory at the front to point guests to all the different sections. Wings of the Library A General Works B Music C Philosophy, Religion D Fine Arts E History, Auxiliary Sciences F Language and Literature G Magic, General H Science J Geography, Anthopology K Medicine M Agriculture N Hobbies, Recreation P Social Science Q Military R Political Science S Practical Arts T Law W People X Education Y Spiders Each section looks enough like the last, though the books within have immense power. Pick up the wrong book, and you might conjure a dragon or a historical figure! You must persist and avoid making too much noise or breaking too many things. Or else the Librarian, a tall mass of knotted fabric will confiscate your robe and usher you back outside. Your name will be struck from the list, and you must pick a new one to re-enter the library to continue the search. You can try to fight back against him- he may be set alight with the lamp. But should you be starting fires in here? ⏵ NOTES ⏴ Any thread with 15 comments between you and another may be submitted to find a piece of the pearl. There are 20 pieces altogether, and we will determine if the mission was successful by March 28th. A post will go live on the OOC comm for this! This mission occurs out of time, similar to how the spaceship had. Meaning, those currently in game can experience these events any time between now, and March 14th. Please direct all questions to our mod queries comment! ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

[copsormasks]

What the fuck are you talking about? [Jason kicks his robe out of range before rounding on the stranger.]

How do you know anything about me?

[leastdramatic]

[Jason sighs. This is only going to get worse and more confusing]

You know that world-saving shit Aurora was talking about?

[copsormasks]

Yeah? I don't give a shit about my world. There's nothing left for me back there.

[leastdramatic]

[He's not going to touch that part yet. There needs to be some other information established first]

Yeah, well this shit includes alternate versions of your world. There's two versions of the old man here. There are other people from the flock here too that you might recognize but they're different enough that there's no way they're from your world.

[Jason's not sure who else is around in the teenager's world hence the general description]

And I'm an older you.

[copsormasks]

[Jason listens reluctantly, frowning as the older version of him (????) describes a flock and two Bruces and it's a lot.

Having an older version of himself even more so.]

That's impossible.

[leastdramatic]

Yeah, that's what I thought too but here we are.

[Jason runs a hand through his hair and sighs]

Your middle name's Peter. You grew up in Crime Alley before you tried to steal something from the old man while he was on the job?

[He's bringing this all up in case the teenager doesn't believe that he's an older him]

[copsormasks]

[That is so on the nose that Jason can't ignore it.]

Boosted hubcaps off the Batmobile.

[leastdramatic]

[Yup. No surprise there]

Yeah, almost the same for me. It was tires off of that thing. When he caught me red handed, I nailed him across the stomach with a tire iron and ran. He caught me but that was the first time I got the jump on him.

[copsormasks]

What the fuck? [Jason's experience was almost exactly the same. He furrows his brows as he gets a better look at the taller Jason.]

And then he took you in. Made promises he can't keep.

[leastdramatic]

[Jason internally winces at that last sentence because it describes a large part of the problem him and his own Bruce had. What they expected from each other disintegrated over time. It took a long time before that bond could be mended]

The job made me feel like magic. Felt so fucking good to go from being a Crime Alley street rat to kicking ass and protecting people who were just like me.

[copsormasks]

Felt like freedom, didn't it.

[Because that's what it was to Jason. Without Robin, Jason felt trapped, small, worthless. And now he'll get to feel that for the rest of his life while Bruce flies off to London to do Bruce things.]

[leastdramatic]

Yeah. Almost felt like you could fly.

[God, sometimes it still hurts to look back on his Robin days. So many memories are tinged in bittersweetness now because of what happened afterwards

A beat passes before Jason asks his next question in a quiet tone]

What happened?

[There's no judgement in his voice. If this younger Jason is as similar as he suspects, the teenager really needs someone to just listen to him]

[copsormasks]

[Jason shifts where he's standing, deeply unnerved by the fact that he might have an older version who knows him this well.]

Started having nightmares. Made me go talk to Leslie. Fucking reneged on his word and took Robin away from me anyway.

[leastdramatic]

[Jason in turn is unnerved that he's talking to a younger version of himself. All that rage the teenager is showing is still something he can remember like it was just yesterday]

You felt like he saw you as broken?

[copsormasks]

[Jason hates this. He hates all of this.]

Yeah.

[Gotham breaks people, it's just what she does. The fact that he was having some nightmares shouldn't have disqualified for the job.]

[leastdramatic]

[It's only years later and after therapy and a willingness to have more emotionally vulnerable hard conversations with Bruce that Jason can understand now what had really happened. Bruce was trying to help but did it in such a way that scarred Jason.

But he's not going to talk about that yet. His teenage self's pain is still so new. He wouldn't be willing to listen to that and it would be like invalidating the pain. It's the last thing he needs]

What were the nightmares?

[copsormasks]

Who are you, fucking Leslie? [Jason's feeling too vulnerable, too exposed to talk about something like that.

He clenches his robe tighter in his hands.]

You first. What got you kicked?

[leastdramatic]

[Jason's not offended. The teenager has already said a lot as it is. It's only fair it's his turn now]

Looking back on it now? A bunch of stuff. As I got older, I got more violent. He and I kept arguing about how the work should be done.

[And then there was the incident with Felipe Garzonas]

He noticed how much moodier I was getting too. I had been thinking about Mom and Dad a lot. He took me off-duty without giving me a chance to explain myself.

[copsormasks]

[Well, okay most of that clicks. Everything up to thinking about his mom and dad. Sure, Jason would be deluding himself if he said he never thought of them, but as Robin he'd been flying so high. There was never time to look back when there was so much in front of him.

But now that's gone.

He supposes it's back to his side of the deal.]

I got kidnapped and almost killed by Deathstroke. Dropped me off Titans Tower. Kept dreaming about the torture and the fall. Guess Bruce got tired of waking me up.

[leastdramatic]

[It's a completely different incident and he never dealt with Deathstroke as Robin. But there are plenty of things he can imagine, like Bruce's mismanagement of dealing with traumatized wards]

He just got a report from Leslie and just ripped the uniform away from you? No chance of talking?

[copsormasks]

He said he never even talked to Leslie. That is was his choice. Said I was a mistake.

[Which had probably hurt the most. Losing Robin was one thing, but saying it was a mistake to bring Jason in in the first place?

Devastating.]

[leastdramatic]

[This time Jason visibly winces. Even if somehow there was a misunderstand, he can understand well why his younger self is feeling the way he is]

I overheard him telling Alfred that I was "losing it."

[copsormasks]

Fuck. [Jason shifts his weight, shaking his head.] Fucking asshole. He also fly off to London instead of talking to you?

[Jason's relationship with Bruce is at an all time low.]

[leastdramatic]

[Jason frowns at the difference. Not that his story isn't much better]

Other way around. After he told Alfred he was gonna take Robin away from me, I heard enough and yelled at him. We argued again and I ran away. Not to London though. Wound up back in Crime Alley to try to clear my head.

[copsormasks]

And here I was gonna go after the Joker.

[Jason rolls his eyes to the Heavens, but the reality is he'd been about to do just that before he arrived here.]

No idea why you'd find Crime Alley soothing. I'd rather do something.