etrayamemes | TDM 001

Entry tags:

!tdm

TDM 001

⏵ arrival⏴
Arrival goes as anticipated. Characters awaken in the pristine, new hospital, greeted by Aurora and potentially getting a rundown of what's happening depending on their approach to being dropped somewhere new. The door to their room opens, and new arrivals are left free to explore their new environment.

Or what exists of it anyway. Exiting the hospital will show that there isn't much of anything just yet. Generally, Echo can build new facilities before new arrivals awaken, but it appears that this time… well, it didn't happen. The apartment complex exists, standing just beside the hospital, and there are a few facilities that are half constructed, companion bots carrying around rebar and other necessary bits and pieces, but they're not quite ready. Oops. But maybe, just maybe, one of those half-built facilities is familiar - a childhood home, a favorite supermarket, the run-down garage they worked at as a youth, a grounded spaceship in the middle of one of the massive bridges connecting land over rivers.

The companion bots will offer quiet apologies if approached; they were expecting new arrivals to touch down, but not quite this early. They'll be ready soon! A few more days at most, they promise. In the meantime, do not stray too far from the hospital. While most of Etraya looks habitable, they have not finished verifying that it's safe for its new inhabitants.

The apartment building and hospital are safe, and the land directly around them is fine, but beyond that? Stay away. But hey, the hospital's cafeteria is fully stocked with cuisine from across the multiverse! Please feel free to settle in, choose an apartment, and get to know your new friends.

⏵ water you doing?⏴
Decide not to listen? Well, the companion bots had offered their warnings.

Etraya is a new establishment, one that received newcomers before it was ready. And as such, the land has not quite been prepared for their arrival. Wandering off the land the apartment building and hospital are settled on comes with very, very poor results. Take a step down into the river below, and you'll find yourself uncomfortably hot. Or cold. Or hot and cold, because whatever that 'water' is, it wasn't meant to be played in. The only way to resolve the temperature regulation issue, as Aurora informs, is finding a buddy to cuddle up with. Those who are lucky may have a nearby friend they're familiar with and don't mind leaning a shoulder against. Those that don't? Well. . . have fun having a very uncomfortable conversation with a stranger, asking them if it's alright if you lean into them or hold their hand for a bit. Any physical contact will do, as long as it's directly skin-to-skin.

Except that's not where the contact stops. Characters will find that, for the next several hours, they'll feel everything that their companion feels. Frustration, anger, amusement, homesickness that comes from being so far away from their families and friends - all those feelings? They're not your feelings, they're our feelings now.

No explanation is given for how the empathy bond and the temperature regulation are related, but it may have to do with how since they had decided not to listen, it was time to test how well they could cohabitate with their new friends.

⏵ bonding bingo ⏴

Maybe it feels a little too much like Obi-Wan had when receiving Leia's message, but all new arrivals are their universe's only hope. Except they're not the only ones arriving, and not the only ones who are trying to keep their worlds safe. Instead, they've arrived with several others who carry the same weight on their shoulders. And they aren't meant to go through this alone. The people they've arrived with are both their new companions and their competition. Both comrades to fight beside and enemies to battle against, depending on what the specific mission of the month is. But currently?

They're here to bond. It's important to get to know those who they'll be spending the next unspecified but lengthy amount of time with, isn't it? To that extent, Aurora's hologram waits just inside the hospital's front doors, offering bonding bingo cards to those willing to participate. It's not necessary, but she does specify that this is one way to get ahead: cooperation is important, especially given what they're going to face together. Bingo cards are three long and three across, and offer a multitude of activities you can do to check each box off.

Some examples include:

Learn someone's biggest secret

Get into a fight

Tell someone something that you've never admitted out loud to

Throw a drink on someone

Win a game of pool in the apartment building's recreation room

Cheat on a card game without getting caught

Hug a new friend

Get stabbed

Steal something important to someone

Pull off an elaborate prank on a stranger

⏵ matchmaker ⏴

When the earpiece is put on, a nice green HUD(head-up display) lights up in front of new arrivals. It asks them for their name, which is fairly standard for these.

Except it seems it wants them to put together a profile to help pair them off with other new arrivals. For some, this information may autofill with what Aurora was able to discern about them from watching them in their home worlds. But some lucky individuals may catch their profiles before they're posted live, and have the opportunity to edit out information included in fields, even if they're not able to clear it out entirely.

Welcome to Aurora's idea of matchmaking. Have fun getting paired off with a buddy or four, with your profiles exchanged between one another. Maybe they're the perfect match. Maybe this is a nightmare in the making.

⏵ OOC ⏴
Welcome to our first TDM! We're excited to have you here. For more information on character arrivals, click here. For any questions relating to the TDM please reply below. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ It just so happens that Joric is in the same restaurant a few tables away, enjoying a rather hearty meal. He's like a bottomless pit for food and the former soldier has three plates spread out before him as he tries a bit of everything on offer. But when a woman's voice unexpectedly speaks in his ear, his leg jerks under the table so hard that the plates on top rattle loudly, attracting the attention of the companion bot. He's already on edge about the strange metal creatures and he quickly says he's fine so it will leave him alone. Then he takes a deep breath as if trying to center himself before he tentatively says back: ]

Hello?

[ He has yet to realize the call is coming from not so far away. ]

( hello the earpiece at long last counters and sylvie presses it closer to her ear in excitement, her cake now utterly forgotten. what is this fantastical technology, like telephones but there's no operator besides herself, and isn't that some power to hold? isn't that some freedom? holding her breath for a moment, trying to think of something clever to say in response, something along the lines of how eloisa would have greeted the stranger's very male voice suddenly echoing in her ear, nothing comes to mind and finally she simply blurts out: )

Oh! Listen to you! ( if she had had both hands free to do so, she would have clapped with enthusiasm, but as it is, she simply changes the device over to her other ear, looking around the restaurant, at all these incredible things. shining metal creatures, like cars but with a will of their own. they're very kind, too, but who can say cars wouldn't be as well, had they been sentient. sylvie understands none of it, but it makes her feel elated. what a world. what a scary, amazing world.

at least she isn't alone in it. ) Quickly, name something you're looking at right now!

( another of her silly little games, but it's familiar. it's what she knows. )

[ His brow furrows at the request. Why is this mysterious voice asking him to name things? ]

Uh...

[ His gaze lowers to what's in front of him. ]

Food?

[ Is that what the voice wants him to say? He's very confused and takes a moment to look around the restaurant as if looking for a woman hiding around a corner with her face peeking out, staring at him. ]

Men made of metal. A woman with short blonde hair.

I'm looking at men made of metal, too!

( a smile creeps into her voice, there's a sense of relief to it, as if she's genuinely happy about it, about the stranger on the not-telephone seeing something that she sees, the two of them looking at the same thing. food, same thing. are they both eating? what is he eating? not éclairs, probably.

or he could be the kind of guy who eats éclairs, it's hard to say, just from a voice.

then, she does a double take as he says 'a woman with short blonde hair', because. she has short blonde hair. a woman with short blonde hair, looking at metal men and food. could it be...

stretching her neck, she looks around the restaurant, catching sight of a man a few tables over who seems engrossed in talking to himself, or well. maybe to her? completely without inhibitions, she straightens up and begins waving her free arm to catch his attention. )

I see you. I think. Wave back so I know, and I'll come over!

[ She sounds so genuinely happy and he wonders at it. Perhaps that's just because he's not very open with showing his emotions - especially with people he doesn't know. But he supposes there is no harm in it either.

After answering her he takes a large bite of his meal, which is not an eclair but rather a roast beef sandwich, among other things. He's chewing thoughtfully when the movement of her arm catches his eye and his expression shows some degree of surprise. Well, this is a coincidence. Raising his forearm, Joric gives a far more subtle wave back to her as he eats. ]

All right.

[ He speaks with his mouth full as table manners aren't really a thing where he comes from. ]

( all right, he says. that was an invitation if she ever heard one, isn't it? smiling widely, she pockets the device and grabs her plate with her lonely éclair before hurrying over to his table, sitting down without minding his mountain of food or his relative lack of manners. if you've seen her brother's mansion erupt in festivities, you know what 'no manners' really means, after all. sylvie is not so easily scared off.

putting her plate off to the side, looking his food over a bit enviously, she simply holds her hand out to him, across the table, across his many dishes, deciding she can be a little rude, too, and not wait for more invitiations. she thinks this place doesn't need her waiting, she was done with all that. )

I'm Sylvie Gallard, my knight in shining armour!

( there, introductions. )

[ He looks a bit confused, namely because he doesn't know how the night can wear anything at all. The only conclusion is she's speaking metaphorically. So he takes her hand and gives it a shake with much less pressure than he normally would. Though he's seated, his figure is large and imposing and he has a great deal of strength so he's mindful to not squeeze too hard. ]

Joric.

[ It's all he says for a moment as he considers her, but after a pause he says what he's thinking. ]

You are most cheerful.

Edited (used a word twice in a row and it looked silly) 2024-02-25 02:46 (UTC)

( for such a big, imposing man - reminding her of her brother, though charles wouldn't have held back for her sake, of course - joric has a very unimposing handshake and sylvie smiles slightly as they shake, taking her hand back after a moment and letting the both of them come to a rest in her lap beneath the table. her dress and the sorry éclair on its plate are currently the only traces back to paris as she knew it. a universe she's supposed to save, they say.

no, she doesn't understand any of it. isn't there only one world?

at joric's observation, she brightens in an even bigger smile, laughing slightly and shaking her head, not to say no, but to deflect the implications. what's so bad about being cheerful? )

A little optimism can turn even the most impossible situation around, didn't you know?

( a good mood can save everything, save for the passengers on a sinking ship. she knows. some things can't actually be salvaged. she hasn't decided yet whether this is one of those things. )

[ His response isn't exactly a laugh - more like a brief exhale with the corners of his lips lifting briefly. It's been a long time since he's had reason to laugh, and yet his situation is no longer as dire as it once was. He'll need to learn how to laugh again. ]

I did not.

[ Picking up a few french fries, he stuffs them in his mouth before adding: ]

Do you find this to be such a situation?

I haven't decided yet. There's a lot about it I don't understand.

( try 'most of it'. she looks at the french fries for a moment, appearing hesitant before reaching over and letting her hand hover over the plate, then meeting his gaze in an evident, can i question. she has her cake, but cake isn't food, as her aunties would insist.

she thinks she's seen similar potato fritters like these, but for all that she doesn't know what they're called, they look hearty. tasty, too. so, she waits for him to tell her no or yes, adding while doing so: )

I feel like it must be a dream. A very weird dream that I ought to paint afterwards.

[ He does a gesture that despite different worlds is probably universally understood: a slight raising of his palm to indicate "go ahead." ]

I don't understand it either. Without seeing any proof it feels like a lie, but if it is I cannot say what other goal there might be. Seems a great deal of effort to bring us here for anything beyond the most dire of circumstances.

[ He takes a drink before continuing. ]

How does one paint a dream?

[ Beyond painting wattle fences or things like that, painting is rare in his land. There tends to be more carved wooden things or metalwork jewelry to decorate with instead, so needless to say, he knows little of these things. ]

The most dire of circumstances...

( at his gesture, she nods in gratitude and reaches for his fries, grabbing one and eating it in two, delicate bites. oh, it is hearty. she fishes out another, mumbling his words to herself in contemplation. if it's a dire situation, optimism is needed more than ever.

she squares her shoulders and smiles at him, swallowing french fry no. 2 down as well. )

With a lot of symbolism. ( a small swooping gesture around the restaurant, indicating everything, the food, the guests, the metal men and what have you. all of it. him. her. ) This world? Doesn't it remind you of a melting pot? All these different pieces and people coming together to forge new connections. In a dream, that's how it would look to me, and so I'd paint it that way. A huge pot full of precious metals.

( smiling slightly, she meets his eyes. )

We're the silver and the gold, I'd like to think.

[ There's a brief lifting of his eyebrows since he's not one to do well visualizing that sort of thing. He's a very simple man and often assumes he's not smart enough to understand such things. But he supposes if people could be metals than the pot is the place. ]

I would be more like iron, I should think; not something so precious as silver or gold.

Oh, don't sell yourself short! You look very golden to me.

( flatter, for sylvie, is not an empty thing. does she say it to be kind? yes. does she say it to be deceitful? never! what she sees is a man who has been kind enough to indulge her flights of fancy, who has helped her figure the small ear-phone out (somewhat, at least), that's honestly worth more than any amount of gold charles can flaunt back in paris.

he isn't like armand either, joric, it's not that there isn't any coarseness about him, it's that he's rough around the edges, but show her the nugget of gold that doesn't look like that.

that's what her compliment means, and she means it with sincerity. )

[ He merely gives her a doubting look, unsure if she's lying or if she truly believes it, but he certainly doesn't. Instead he continues eating a moment in silence before adding: ]

Do they have things such as paint here? I've not seen much yet.

[ Leave it to him to follow his nose towards food first. ]

( his question gives her somewhat of a low-brow, frowning in thought as she keeps munching on his fries. she hasn't seen any paints here either, but to be fair, she hasn't looked too closely either. give her a break, she just recently woke up! a girl can't do it all at once.

she eats more fried potatoes. the sound of their chewing the only sound to disturb the comfortable silence between them for a moment. )

If they have pigments and oil, I can make my own. It's not exactly a black and white world, this, so they must be hiding the colours somewhere!

( she smiles, cocking her head at him. )

[ There's a hint of amusement in his eyes. ]

No indeed. I prefer the colors of nature, but they seem to think their town being built is good enough and tell us not to venture out there. I do not know why that should be. Perhaps wild animals or something. Still, I would prefer looking at trees and grass than these buildings.

( sylvie leans forward slightly, lowering her voice in a stage whisper. there's amusement in her eyes, too. )

Wild animals, or they are keeping secrets from us!

( laughing, she leans back again and grabs another french fry on the way, eating it in contemplative silence. she looks at him for a long moment. charles would like this man. although he lives and thrives in the city, her older brother, she thinks he would prefer looking at trees and grass that the bustling cityscape, too.

unlike this man, though, he'd never admit to that. )

Will you tell me about your world?

One is as likely as the other.

[ She seems unconcerned with either, perhaps because she sees safety in the buildings here or for some other reason. As someone who's lived the better part of two years out in the wild however, he knows to be cautious of predators. ]

I suppose I could. I've been to various lands, but my homeland is best. Fjelldalr, it is called. It's a land of mountains and valleys far to the north of the continent. My people thrive in colder environments and we've made lives for ourselves in different clans throughout the mountains. My clan lives at a higher elevation where we farm and fish. It's a quiet, simple life, but we thank the gods for it. I would rather be there than anywhere else.

[ Too bad he's an exile who can never return. But his voice and expression clearly show what home means to him. Still, he doesn't linger on it. ]

And what of yours?

( she listens quietly, reminded strangely enough of armand who would sometimes tell her about his travels through africa with that same reverence for a landscape she has never seen nor can fully picture. but it sounds beautiful, and it sounds serene, and she can understand why home means so much to him, both of them. her own home has been a faraway mirage for her most of her life, after all. sylvie understands.

longing for something you arene't certain will ever be. not for you.

looking down, she is silent for half a minute, thinking his question over. her home is in paris now, but it still feels like a place where she is a foreigner, like she hasn't earned the right to be called a parisienne yet.

maybe she never will, so she can only describe it as she knows it. has come to know it. )

I live in a city now, it's called Paris. It's a grand place, full of old sights and buildings, though new structures are constantly being built, too. It's a place that is never at a standstill. It never sleeps. At night, people go out, they dance and they party. I think Paris is called 'the city of lights' because none of us dare turn down the illumination.

( she meets his eyes, her expression for once serious. )

We're too afraid of the dark.

Hm. I suppose the dark is frightening if people don't think they can handle what's out there.

[ His face is thoughtful. ]

The rest sounds like here. Buildings being built, those metal men never stopping.

[ A pause. ]

Though I have yet to see night here.

Is night ever anything but night?

( she is done with the potato fritters, nodding at him when their eyes meet to indicate her gratitude, thank you for letting me eat your food, and in turn taking her plate with the éclair and putting it between them in offer. the cake looks shiny from glaze and fluffy. it makes her smile, because it seems so... oh, applesauce, it reminds her of home, the home she had before the one she found in the city and like that, of every home before that, right back to paris where it all began.

before the sky fell and the boat sank and au revoir only meant goodbye.

she blinks a couple of times, looks away from him once more. )

[ He looks on the pastry with interest, unsure what the dark glaze is as melted chocolate is rare in his land. It is a gravy? He picks it up to rip off a piece with his fingers, surprised at the filling, and stuffing it in his mouth. Eyes light up in approval at the taste. ]

Hard to say. The fact that we were brought here from all over means that night could be anything.

Imagine that. ( she laughs, shaking her head. it sounds like any parisian's dream, a night that could be anything. isn't that what they're all chasing, really, that kind of vast opportunity?

she watches him as he tastes the cake, her smile turning softer, amused. yes, her brother would truly like this man, and she wants to say it speaks in his favour, but that might be an old part of sylvie talking. a young part. an innocent part. in reality, it could be a warning sign, for all she knew. ) We'll have to be ready, then, won't we?

Mm hm.

[ He's chewing for the moment, but says soon enough: ]

I was a soldier once. If anything dangerous lurks in the night, I have no fear in facing it.

{ arrival }

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