TDM 002

[etrayamods]

⏵ 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. When the first round of citizens arrived, Aurora and the companion bots had been largely unprepared. This time? They made sure to put up welcome banners, even if the sentiment isn't quite right. There are cupcakes and cookies set out in the hospital's lobbies, and a digital map has been placed just in front of the entrance of the hospital, telling others how to reach the various locations throughout Etraya. Companion bots wander throughout the city, some carrying construction equipment to half-built facilities while others act as nurses, servers, or sales associates throughout the constructed buildings. ⏵ rainy awakenings ⏴ Many concepts are new to Aurora, including rain. She is familiar with how it functions, and its purpose, but rain has never been present on the lands of Etraya. Given how new it is, that may not be all too surprising - but the method of how it’s being introduced is… a little much. Rainfall commences in the early days of April, a persistent downpour that waxes and wanes in intensity but never ceases entirely. Most nights in Etraya are characterized by a soothing patter of rain against rooftops. Yet, some nights leave the grounds flooded come morning. Rivers begin to swell, the current much too strong to justify trying to go for a swim. These showers also bring a new assortment of plants blooming across the green lands: bright blossoms whose petals spread wide when the yellow sun shines down on them, while numerous cherry blossom trees have grown out of nowhere, flourishing despite the rainfall. Clover carpets the grassy expanses of the islands, weaving a beautiful tapestry of color across the grounds. ⏵ Getting drenched by the rain can trigger a surge, followed by a slump. Initially, individuals will feel giddy, excited, full of energy, and ready to take on the world. However, in the subsequent days, they’ll find themselves feeling depressed, lacking the energy and motivation to move forward. Aurora advises that these effects are only temporary and should fade within the week, but they can be resolved more quickly by embracing a stranger. Attempting to hug anyone they already know well will not produce the same effect. ⏵ With the rain comes a significant increase in the greenery around Etraya that isn’t fake. Most of these plants will resemble ones originally found in the characters' universes. ⏵ A couple of these plants contain magical properties: The Emberloom is a bright red, fiery flower that only inhabits smaller land masses. Those exposed to its pollen will experience heightened aggression and impulsivity. Shadowbloom resemble tulips during the day, but during the night the petals open and it looks more like the night sky: dark petals with specs of white throughout them. Growing too close to the apartment building for comfort, those who look at the petals after nightfall will fall into a deep sleep. Worse yet: the dreams they find themselves in are not their own, but are the dreams of other residents. Ones who had not looked into the Shadowbloom, but had drifted off to sleep elsewhere on the planet. The one who looked into the Shadowbloom will find they cannot awaken until the person whose dream they have entered does. These flowers will continue to bloom through April, after which the companion bots will search for and remove them from the atmosphere bubble. ⏵ If there is a specific, unique plant that those in game (or those accepted during the next round!) would like to add, please comment to the LOCATIONS page! We’ll add mentions of these to the Outskirts section. Along with the botanical resurgence, numerous new animals appear: glowing fish swim freely through the waters. In the canopy above, new species of birds and critters flit among the branches. Some diligently construct new nests in anticipation of the coming spring, while others seek refuge in the shelter of trees, retreating from the weather. Not all the creatures are so small, or so peaceful. ⏵ Small critters make themselves comfortable in the forested area around Etraya, staying mostly out of the way. There are the occasional visitors that will let themselves in through windows for a quick visit, or maybe a snack, but they’re mostly harmless. ⏵ Several larger beasts make their way into the city to try and find land that’s more habitable for them. Giraffes navigate gracefully through the areas designated for new arrivals, using their elongated necks to reach for the foliage near the hospital when they aren’t finding new places to make themselves comfortable. An eclectic array of cats, ranging in all sizes and breeds, brazenly saunter into buildings they don’t belong. Hopefully, the lioness lounging in the apartment complex's common area does not prevent residents from reaching their rooms, because she has no intention of yielding. ⏵ The leopard adorned with a rattlesnake tail in the hospital's cafeteria may be difficult to ignore, given his determination to devour everything in sight and attack anyone in his way. ⏵ Cat scratches and bites pose a significant risk of infection. In the event a character is injured, individuals can expect the companion bots to quickly seek them out and approach them with a special antibiotic cream developed specifically for these cats. Refusal of treatment may result in severe symptoms, including high fevers and itching. In extreme cases, individuals may begin to exhibit cat-like characteristics, ranging from physical alterations to changes in mental traits. ⏵ Numerous other creatures of all shapes and sizes will be coming and going through the city. You may play with this as you wish! While the uproar caused by these guests doesn’t particularly bother Aurora, she does send out a message to everyone wearing an earpiece to request their assistance in capturing the larger animals that her companion bots may not be able to handle themselves. She has converted an island to the East into a temporary holding area until the companion bots can set them up with something a little more permanent. ⏵ network ⏴ Welcome to Etraya! Upon your arrival, Aurora provided an earpiece, a device to make communication with others stuck in the same situation more simple. The device connects to an internal network, which is accessible by everyone else currently residing on planet. Whether you’re looking for guidance, camaraderie, or want to see if there are any familiar faces around, this is the perfect place to do it! Please feel free to post any questions, offer your name, ask for assistance, or maybe complain to the powers that be about how you’ve got better things to be doing than sitting around here completing their missions. Maybe they’re listening. Maybe they’re not. ⏵ NOTES⏴ ⏵ During April, Etraya’s getting a little wet! Those who spend too long in the rain may experience a few unfortunate effects. ⏵ The rain brings in new flora, including a couple that may cause characters to experience aggression and impulsivity, or take a stroll through others’ dreams. ⏵ New animals also appear! While many of them are friendly, others… are less so. The cats specifically seem to be a little grumpy. Characters scratched or bitten by these cats may find themselves becoming just as catty. For any questions relating to the contents of this log, please reply below. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. The TDM is game canon, meaning everything happening above is occurring within the game properly. Those who apply to join in the April application round may keep their TDM threads as game canon. ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

shadowbloom | (cw: a lot of death stuff, it's a nightmare)

[skaikru]

( in the real world, clarke griffin had finally fallen asleep after a solid 48 hours of trying to either puzzle out the finer workings of aurora, the meaning behind doubles running around wearing the faces of some current inhabitants, or sketching doodles of the various new animals she'd seen walking etraya's surface in the past day. she foregoes her bed, arms folded across the provided desk in her cookie-cutter apartment, with a steady amount of ink smudging along her skin as she begins to sweat in sleep-based duress.

in her dream, they're in a throne room. and she sits in the gnarled backed chair at the top of the steps, spine straight with discomfort and eyes fixed blanky ahead at a procession of people lining the red strip that leads to her feet. or, more accurately, the procession of bodies. some are burnt down to skeletons yet somehow manage to toddle up to stare with ash filled, empty ocular cavities; their lower jaws fall open an inch or two in silent accusations and screams before they peel off and climb the spiral staircase into the floor above. into the wings, where hundreds of souls hover and pin her in place with their judgement.

some of the dead are still whole, but their skin is pickled with radiation burns that crack and ooze when they move. they range from preschool age children to the withered elderly, and they can speak. i sheltered your people or i just wanted to see the surface; just once, one time would have been enough or none of us were innocent, but it hurts and please, i'm burning. some of the bodies are charred by the after effects of a missile impact. they are missing limbs, or cut through with shrapnel, or look like they've been partially crushed with debris. a few are smeared with dirt from being buried alive, and one or two are so completely covered in blood it's difficult to discern how they died. they accuse her in all the same fashion: you knew. you could have saved us, you knew and you did nothing.

she meets all of their gazes. tries to apologize time and time again, only for her voice to crack and rasp with the overuse of i'm sorry. maybe for the best. after everything, what does that really mean to the dead anyways?

dream slips in right at the very end of the lengthy court session — it really is a whole lot of self-flagellating guilt to cram into a 90 minute catnap — but when the final burn victim ascends the stairs that just leaves the two of them on the main level. above her is too daunting, so really there's nowhere else to look but directly at him. and with an air of resignation this dream clarke, with her murder boots on and a mix of dirt and blood under her fingernails, asks: )

...So what did I do to you?

[hypnagothic]

[ the bodies and blood and charred viscera don't seem to affect this guy at all, walking slowly along the edges of the room as if he were walking through his own throne room, or perhaps as if he were strolling through a park for all that the scene fazed him. he ascends the stairs for a better vantage to see the scene laid out just as the last victim throws its accusation at her, coolly meeting her resigned criticism of self. ]

To me, lady? Only shown me what it foremost in your mind.

[skaikru]

( even suspended between sleep and wakefulness, reality blurred by constantly compounding guilt and a deep desire to go back to important locations, there's the vague sense that something is wrong in this moment. she hasn't quite clocked that she's dreaming, but even just comparing this new figure to the procession that had preceded him highlights the difference. the list of people she'd managed to kill without marking bodily injuries is considerably smaller, and this man doesn't fit.

the stone faced mask of dissociation cracks for a moment and clarke's brow furrows severely. her mouth draws tight, and she straightens against the back of the throne chair, tucks her chin down almost protectively because this dream is nothing new, but now the script has slipped out of her control. diplomatically but with no air of command, politely but regarding him like she expects a lunge at any second: )

...sorry, who are you?