etrayamemes | 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

While psychics aren't a think in his world, there was an artifact that gave him essentially that sort of power over people. He was able to speak to them through it and hear their thoughts in return. Outside of the Millennium Rod though, he has no idea that ability actually exists.

So the teen sees the large, older woman approaching the lioness while in the lobby himself, having managed to sneak by earlier to pick out his own apartment. (Either that or his mop of hair looked lion-ish enough that the lionness didn't care.)

Being the snobby brat he is, he decides to interject to possibly(?) save Lashan from being attacked: "If you're going to approach her, you should at least bow."

Lions represent royalty, so why wouldn't you treat them with the same respect?

Lashan senses the cat's attention shift a bit as the boy speaks, but the golden eyes stay fixed on her. That's all right, she's bigger. Currently reading more as a potential threat than as prey, too, though the lioness probably would gnaw on her bones regardless. But, if she can thread her will just right... this is an animal that lives in family groups, it's more feasible than charming something solitary.

It's going to go more slowly if she multitasks. Still, she's got to say something. Keep this kid from doing anything stupid. (As if what she's doing isn't stupid.)

"And bare the back of my neck? I'm not doing that," she says. Lashan doesn't respect royalty more than she's required to.

Thankfully Marik isn't going to do anything too stupid other than being rude for a change. He isn't in the mood to see if his dumb luck is still in place, so despite engaging in the conversation, he makes his way to the door to stand near.

"So you're going to challenge her?" The tomb keeper asks as he looks between Lashan and the lioness.

Good. If this does go wrong, he should stay clear. Lashan is becoming increasingly confident that it's not going to go to blood and screaming, but she's always open to the possibility.

"To a fight? I'm not fighting a lion. How old do I look, fifty?" Face to face, sword to claws and teeth, she could absolutely have taken a lion when she was fifty, she's quite confident of that. She might have picked up some more scars in the process, of course. "I'm trying... no... there we go."

The lioness blinks slowly, breaking that intent eye contact, and stands up in a leisurely way, stretching, then saunters up to Lashan and shoves her with its head, making the old woman have to brace herself. A big cat like this is quite strong, even when it's been nudged into thinking she's an older sister. "Stop that," she scolds mildly. "If you have to rub against something, rub on my cane."

Edited 2024-04-07 21:38 (UTC)

The question throws him off and he doesn't have an answer. She looks old enough to be his parent so he would have guessed around fifty but he's also garbage at telling how old adults are.

Marik's ready to rush out the door as soon as the lioness moves, expecting the beast to attack but instead she winds up... displaying affection?

The teen stares for a moment or two, mouth hanging open slightly, before his thoughts catch up with him.

"How... How did you do that?"

Some kind of lion tamer, maybe? There's no way you can just assert your dominance by eye contact...!

She's in her seventies but is still upright and sinewy, even if she does carry a cane for rough ground and times when an old knee injury acts up. The lioness rubs against that cane a few times and then lays down at Lashan's feet, getting comfortable.

Lashan suppresses a sigh of relief. It's been a long time since she's dealt with big wild animals like this, and insinuating friendship is harder and more complicated than calling or repelling them anyway. She's still got it.

"I'm all right with animals," she says, finally looking at the kid. "It's a family trait. One of my sisters could charm birds right out of the sky, but I'm not that good." Just because she's decided not to pretend she's not Gifted doesn't mean she's going to just explain everything she can do.

People, she doesn't try to influence them the way she does a beast, but she's got no compunctions about picking up on their emotions. Humans are if anything more dangerous, after all. There's a certain weight to Lashan's regard, a watchful, aware, reserved quality. "How'd you get past her? Or were you here by the time she came in?"

She'll find Marik is an odd one to read. His emotions seem muted in a sense despite how intensely he might show them from time to time. Being half a soul will do that to a person. The teen glances down at the lioness again then returns his attention to Lashan. "You got a lioness to submit to you. I'd say you're pretty good."

He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly as he admits. "I tried to be sneaky and slinked past. Either she didn't notice or... didn't care."

It might also be the fact that the boy is skin and bones. "I figured remaining calm might make me less interesting prey."

TDM 002

back in my day (i'm sorry for this idiot in advance)

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