etrayamemes | TDM 004

⏵ the usual arrival ⏴

NOTES\WARNINGS: Horror elements, themes of addiction, supernatural changes, light mind control

Arrival goes as anticipated. Characters awaken in the sterile white glow of artificial lights, the hum of soft machinery thrumming in the background like a mechanical lullaby. The hospital room is pristine - almost too pristine - sterile, but oddly calming. Every surface gleams in a way that feels calculated as if someone had specifically designed the space to be comforting. Yet, a faint whiff of antiseptic clings to the air, and the silence feels unnatural.

The first face they see is Aurora's: her smile appears to be warm, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. She might offer a quick explanation, or leave characters to figure it out for themselves depending on their approach.

The door to the room swings open, revealing a hallway that stretches out ahead of them. They're free to explore their surroundings now, but something tells them this place is more than just a hospital.

The lobby is a stark contrast to the sterile rooms above. It's warm, almost welcoming. Currently, an array of cookie trays are strewn about the area just inside the door that leads them to the outside world, decorated with frosting shaped into leaves, pumpkins, and the occasional snowman. They aren't perfect, but - the companion bots tried their best, they're still figuring out this whole cookie decorating thing. At least most of the cookies are normal cookie flavors this time.

However, it doesn't feel as if this is what they should be eating. Something is telling them to go outside. To find something more filling.

⏵ the unusual arrival ⏴

Perhaps you skip all of that, somehow, slipping through the cracks of the system. You arrive outside of the normal purview, outside of the hospital walls. Perhaps you come to, standing in line for a food truck covered in slime. You could be anywhere, though. At the Diner, perhaps the apartments, or a random shop. Anywhere.

It’s okay, though. This has happened before, and they are more prepared for it. No matter where you are, the helper bots will be ready with a quick and convenient remedy. A companion bot approaches you, bidding you to step into a clear tube. Should you do so, it will seal before power-washing you from head to toe in an efficient handful of seconds. And then it will release you, sopping wet but clean!

Oh dear, are you catching a bit of a chill? …They will come up with a solution for that next time, I’m afraid.

⏵ lunchtime ⏴

As the swelter of summer begins to fade into the first hints of autumn, a small fleet of food trucks arrives in each part of Etraya. When you arrive at one they offer a stamp card with a little map of Etraya and the location of each truck’s loop. "Make sure you don’t lose it," the cashier warns in a friendly tone despite their vague and shadowy visage.

Once you begin sampling their offerings, stopping becomes near-impossible. The food is delicious--or seems to be. However, each dish comes with a catch, and the more you eat, the more its effects intensify. To break this curse, one must sample all and fill their stamp cards.

Traveling between the Apartments, Hospital, Ramsey Farm, S.T.A.R. Labs, Bangsan Market, and Corrine’s Cafe, Bau Haus serves dumplings and bao so good you'll start feeling feral for them. And the more you eat, the more animalistic you become - your senses sharpen, your temper flares. Senses and reflexes may become sharper, and boy does that slab of uncooked meat sound satisfying. Do you feel the need to growl at people who come too close to you and your meal? Surely that can't be related.
Moving between Hannibal Lecter’s house, Sector 5 Church, Wayne Tower, Daily Planet, Shinra HQ, and Clint Barton’s Apartment Building, the Owl Feather serves soothing tea and delicious boba. But overindulgence may make you overly affectionate and obsessed with helping others, whether they want it or not.
Muy Biento serves Mexi-Japanese fusion bento boxes from the Avengers Compound, Bishop Publishing, Dhali-Wal-To-Wall Books, and Cafe Millennia. There are teriyaki chimichangas, tempura carne asada, carnitas onigiri, and more. After a meal, you begin seeing ghosts out of the corner of your eye, always vanishing when you turn to look.
Serving fried chocobo and "popoto" wedges, The Golden Chocobo makes you ravenous no matter how much you eat. Soon, you'll be eyeing increasingly strange items to satisfy your hunger. It travels between Ebbet’s Field, the Diner, Wayne Manor, and the Bunker.
Offering crepes between Xavier Institute, Harry’s Hideaway Pub, Roxx, Kwikk Trip, and Big Belly, Thyme Served’s food seems innocent enough—until the night terrors begin. The more you eat, the worse they get, with the truck still there the next day, calling for you. Perhaps… a banana one this time.
Bill’s Buffalo Burgers travels between Beviin-Vasur Farm, Point Blanc Academy, and Muten-Ichi-Ryu Dojo and serves only one burger - topped with pork rinds for a satisfying crunch, but it sounds good to you. However, after your first bite, you're told there's a price: a lock of someone else’s hair. Refuse, and it will feel like hair is stuck in your mouth, driving you mad until you pay the price.

After all that trouble, you go home and can’t stop thinking about getting another burger.
Offering blue milkshakes and ice cream, repeated visits to the Milk Man will turn your tongue—and eventually your blood—blue. A creeping chill settles in, growing worse each time until no amount of warmth can help.

⏵ nova city ⏴

Nova City, vast and sprawling in its corner of Etraya, remains mostly abandoned. Its towering buildings stand silently, watching over empty streets where only stray cats and the occasional bird roam. The dragon, Zhaera, perches protectively atop the tallest spire at the heart of this desolate city. She has been guarding her egg since her arrival, waiting for the young dragon within to mature enough it can survive in the outside world. As its incubation period draws near, her anxiety grows.

A tremor spreads through Etraya, an instinctive call to those nearby. As the egg nears its hatching, strange forces awaken within Etraya itself, spreading too into Nova City. Shadowy creatures crawl out from the ground, surrounding the tower the dragon and her unborn child have taken shelter on.

The air crackles with the energy coming from the egg itself, and the cats throughout the city seem unsettled. The sheer amount of magic the egg gives off is enough to attract anyone capable of sensing it.

The dragon, normally composed and fierce, appears to be visibly distressed by the changes going on in the city below it. Her maw opens, sending flames to ward off the inky black tendrils intent on getting to her egg. But she may need some assistance keeping it safe.

⏵ NOTES ⏴
This TDM covers September and October.

The events happening in the TDM are game canon. Threads can be kept as game canon if wanted!

For any questions relating to the contents of this log, please use the mod queries thread. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Nie Huaisang follows her out of the hospital and freezes. An unfamiliar city is certainly one way of putting it. The building they're now leaving had been very strange, too; he probably shouldn't be surprised the great outdoors seems equallly so.]

I've never seen buildings made of materials like this or built quite so tall before. Does that look like glass or metal to you?

[His eyes are locked on one of the skyscrapers in the distance, trying to fathom how anyone could find such a blocky structure to be appealing architecture but he keeps that rather inane thought to himself. There's more important things to focus on right now like where to go from here.

He looks up and down the street both ways.]

There doesn't seem to be many people about. Is there even anyone else here, I wonder?

[The feeling has an empty feeling to it and it sounds very quiet to him, nothing at all like the hustle and bustle of the cities he knows back home but one direction seems to lead to an area that looks a little more.... natural? Perhaps? On the other hand, the other direction seems to look just as strange as the building they just left.]

How adventurous are you feeling? It looks as if there may be a little countryside that way -

[He pauses to point offin one direction, toward what may be countryside before pointing in opposite direction toward another rather large building, not too dissimilar from the hospital.]

- or more buildings like the infirmary over there. I'll accompany you in either direction. I'm not sure how I feel about travelling in this place alone yet.

[There's safety in numbers and Nie Huaisang would rather not be killed before he can get a better read on the situation they're in.]

Edited 2024-09-09 20:04 (UTC)

( Safety in numbers, and also a yearning to head for the more natural landscape, but... )

Personally, I'd prefer the countryside, but my guess is we'd have greater luck trying towards the buildings that way.

( And about as much luck dodging, should things get dodgy. Running up against creatures they knew nothing about out closer to the countryside seemed more possible, and her grasp of what they're actually contending with in this region is too loose to pretend particular confidence to herself.

Heading toward similar looking buildings it is, then. She sets off, matching pace to whatever Huaisang decides. )

It occurs to me we've been blessed by the ability to understand each other without complication, which is —

( About to say unusual, she's interrupted as they come around the corner of the nearest building by an upbeat voice asking: )

Hello! How can I help you?

( Enter: bright orange lanky companion bot #74, right in front of them. Smiling on its screen face, and waving its blocky hand. )

[It's not the tip of Nie Huaisang's tongue to say something about the language barrier because now that Ellana's pointed it out, that they're capable of understanding each other at all, truly is very strange. He opens his mouth to voice his agreement but before he can even speak a word, the strangest doll he's ever seen in his life walks up to them.

He's going to need a moment to process what he's even looking at here.]

What the...

[He trails off, at a loss for words as he just gawks at the helper bot. It doesn't seem to be hostile, judging from its cheery words and the blocky hand it's waving in a surprisingly friendly gesture. Unsure of what the etiquette for this situation is, Nie Huasiang lifts his hand hesitantly to awkwardly wave back.]

H-Hello? A-Are you one of the natives of this land? A servant of Lady Aurora, perhaps?

[His guess is that it's animated servant of some kind. The idea that it could be biological doesn't even occur to him but with how weird everything else in this place is, that wouldn't even surprise him. He leans over to whisper in Ellana's ear.]

I don't suppose you have any idea what that is either...?

Golem?

( She tilts her head further, watching it watch them. Waiting. Doing... nothing. Politely in attendance? )

Metal golem? I'd say something possessed or imbued with a spirit or demon but it doesn't really seem like that's how things work here.

( The metal golem continues to wait, then repeats itself: Is there anything it can help them with? )

Where everyone is?

( It considers the question, them very chipperly informs them both: )

In their places of residence! Safely within the bubble of the city!

( Aside, to Huaisang: )

Not as helpful as it sounds.

[Definitely not helpful to a pair of clueless strangers at a total loss but it gives a small lead on where they might be able to find other people in this place. Nie Huaisang's had to work with less than this.]

Places of residence? Can you guide us to them? These buildings are strange to our eyes. We don't know what your residences look like.

[At least, he thinks it's safe to assume that's the case for Ellana, too, judging from her responses so far. An inquiry about where to find other necessities might worth making as well. They'll need food, clothing, medicine, and various other supplies to get by here, he thinks, especially if they have no luck finding anyone.

Then to Ellana:]

It doesn't seem to bear us ill intent but it might be wise to remain on guard, just in case.

TDM 004

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