etrayamemes | TDM 002

Entry tags:

!tdm

TDM 002

⏵ 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⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ She sees the username and it could be a coincidence. It's more likely than not but forgive her for hoping she has a friend here.

She'll be able to figure out if this is the real fake K7 or not pretty easily in any case. ]

R U OUT OF UR DEPTH AGAIN K7?

Edited 2024-04-06 02:11 (UTC)

[Words can’t describe the way his heart leaps when he sees that username. Is it really…?]

depends. are you here to help me out of it?

[ Hmm. Not a definitive answer. ]

WHAT HELP R U ASKING FOR?
OPENING A DOOR?
DID U FORGET UR WASHER?

[ Kyra figures that's gibberish enough that no one will really get what she means. And she's skilled in sorting out bullshit, even in text. ]

idk if I could afford it. you’re still two up on me for saves.

U COULDN'T
LUCKY FOR U THAT I DON'T CHARGE FRIENDS

[ As nice as this is, talking on an open network she has no control over makes her antsy so... ]

DINER IN 10.

I’ll meet you there

[ Kyra doesn't bother replying, instead walking to the diner. It won't take her a full ten minutes and that's the point. It gives her a chance to get set up-- find a booth near the secondary exit, pull up her hood and blend in as much as she can, order some fries. Maybe she'll let Alex have some, if he's nice.

Or she can throw them in the face of an impersonator and run. See? His Scooby-Doo tendencies are rubbing off on her. ]

[It actually does take him a bit longer to get to the diner, or else he would've done pretty much the same thing as she does. He's been spending time out exploring, though, so it takes a swift jog to make it to the building on time, and then he's doing his best not to look too eager once he spots her and heads to her table. Nothing to see here, just some friends meeting up for a meal. It's all very, very normal.

See? He slides onto the seat opposite her, and it's so nonchalant. He's definitely not restraining himself from wanting to hug her out of sheer relief at finding someone he knows.] How long have you been here?

[ Kyra sees him and a smile grows on her face. Her shoulders droop ever-so-slightly, like she's releasing a little of the tension she's been carrying. ]

Not long. A few hours, maybe.

[He finds himself mirroring her with a relieved smile of his own. It really is good to see her. Not good that she's here, but good to not be alone. Good to have someone he trusts, someone who can help him figure out what's true and what to do about it.]

Did you find a flat yet?

[ She shakes her head. ]

Not yet.

[ It wasn't high on her list of priorities. Getting away from the hospital and that horrible trapped feeling that reminded her of Point Blanc had been top of her list. ]

I've been acquainting myself with everything else. Not much to find so far.

It’s free, like everything else here. As free as it can be when you’re imprisoned, anyway. Mine’s only got the one bedroom, but we could check for one that’s a bit bigger if you wanted to stick by me.

[He wouldn’t be lying if he said he wanted her close, where he could protect her if needed.]

[ Kyra plucks a fry out of the basket and takes a bite. ]

If I have my own room, it's an upgrade from Amsterdam.

[ He might think it's to protect her, but Kyra sees it another way. Whenever they stick together, they're able to make it out of impossible situations. With their skills combined, they can keep each other safe.

Kyra can make it on her own. But she's learned that she doesn't have to. It's a lesson that's stuck with her, one taught to her by Alex himself. ]

If no one’s drugging us and using plastic surgery to make copies of us, it’s a step up from Point Blanc.

[The correct way to deal with trauma is to make bad jokes about it, right? It’s definitely An Approach, anyway.]

[ Kyra gives him an amused smile. If they can't laugh at their trauma, what can they do? ]

With better food and no 'classes' to go to.

Which is weird, you know. How can it really feel like imprisonment if there isn't a fascist madman spouting speeches about how he wants to be a global dictator?

[It's healthy! At least they're not pretending nothing ever happened.]

No, instead we have some shadow figure telling us to decide which world lives and dies.

[ She pops the rest of the fry in her mouth and chews morosely. ]

Sad that Point Blanc feels like a 'simpler time.'

[ A time before Kyra's parents died because of her. A time when they were just fighting for their own survival, not preventing the death of millions by the hand of another megalomaniac.

And now being fed bullshit about saving the whole of her planet, like some bad sci-fi novel. ]

[He takes one of her fries, because they were clearly mean to be shared, right?]

If it's even true. This seems like a bad way to go about it.

[Not that Alex knows what a good way to decide what universes to delete or not would be. But still.]

[ Kyra lets him fish out a fry before grabbing another one for herself.

She rolls her eyes. ]

It's bullshit. Probably another psycho playing games.

[ But he does have a point. Her expression turns thoughtful. ]

Strange to make up such an unbelievable story. And with all of this land and advanced tech... nothing adds up.

I was hoping it was just another rich psycho.

[Well, not hoping exactly, it's not that he wants to deal with another rich psycho, but it would be an easier explanation for what's happening than what they've been told.] It's not just the amount of land, either. If you go far enough, it's like you run into an invisible wall. And there was a leopard spliced with a rattlesnake in the hospital cafeteria.

[ She knows what he means. They have experience against rich psychos and they're 2-0. ]

No signals out, either. The network is self-contained.

[ The tension returns to her shoulders and she curls in on herself a little. Kyra has become very familiar with this feeling-- it's the helpless feeling she'd had at Point Blanc. It's fear. ]

I don't trust this is what they say it is. But it's definitely beyond what we've seen before.

[He hates the idea of saying it's another world (another universe), but he can't say it's definitely not, either.] - Maybe it's still just a rich asshole when it comes down to it, though.

At least that part would be familiar.

[ Not that it's comforting but it's more realistic than an AI and its shadowy master. ]

Did you find anything else out there?

Not all of it's developed land. Some of the wildlife gets weird out there, like that leopard with the rattlesnake tail. And there's something in the rain, it's like - maybe there's a drug in it. It gives you a burst of energy and euphoria, and then a crash.

[Which Alex is a little too familiar with now, since it's been raining the entire time he's been exploring.]

You know this from experience. [ Not a question. He mentioned it while talking about exploring and, from what she can tell, the rain has been continuous since she's been here.

She rests her arms on the table and leans forward a little. ]

That didn't happen to me, but I did not stay in the rain long. Maybe it's a deterrent to keep people from exploring?

network; text; id: therealk7

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