etrayamemes | TDM 006

TDM 006

⏵ arrival ⏴
Arrival is absolutely not normal this month. Instead of a hospital bed, you wake in a tunnel with a large group of other people. These are the residents. A woman’s voice in an earpiece hurriedly clues you in with an apology.

I apologize; I had not planned to introduce you this way, but we are low on time. Please proceed down the hallway.

An image of a shattered pearl pops up on your personal HUD and rotates.

I am Aurora. You are joining many others on Etraya in order to save your world from destruction by completing missions. Your current mission is to find the pieces of this object that have become scattered in the library ahead of you.

For everyone else, coming in is much the same. The instruction goes out to head to designated areas immediately, where companion bots will escort the residents of Etraya down into the depths, the area beneath where much the same is explained.

⏵ disrobing ⏴

The tunnel eventually opens directly into the foreroom of an expansive library, painted in marvelous hues and patterns with skylights far above. There are wizards milling about, bearded and holding tomes, quietly chatting amongst themselves.

The reception area of the library has tall ceilings with equally tall doors Before you get too caught up in the scenery, a voice directs you forward. A gentleman, hunched and bespeckled craws out.

"Make a line! Make a line, everyone! You cannot enter the library dressed as you are... Come forward and give me your name."

The receptionist asks your given name and then hands over a box from underneath his counter. You can give him any name you want, he doesn’t seem to mind. It is tied with a tagged ribbon- labeling it accordingly. “The _____ robe of _______.”

	(First Letter of Given Name)				(Last Letter of Given Name)
A	Controlling	N	Helpful	A	Melodies	N	Light
B	Glimmering	O	Floating	B	Discretion	O	Mind-Reading
C	Wet	P	Handsome	C	Growth	P	Climbing
D	Gruesome	Q	Gullible	D	Grasping	Q	Jumping
E	Observant	R	Ratty	E	Flying	R	Hurting
F	Powerful	S	Adhesive	F	Reading	S	Guiding
G	Psychedelic	T	Sweltering	G	Dancing	T	Bug-Speaking
H	Swift	U	Cheerful	H	Shouting	U	Exploding
I	Voracious	V	Anxious	I	Extracting	V	Complaining
J	Soft	W	Likeable	J	Punishing	W	Dividing
K	Keen	X	Ruthless	K	Creeping	X	Slapping
L	Fabulous	Y	Dramatic	L	Walking	Y	Charming
M	Fair	Z	Demonic	M	Listening	Z	Combustion

As you read what the contents of the box may be, they form inside- Looking and behaving as your character expects them to. After all, magic is all in the wielder’s mind.

Don your robes and enter the library.

⏵ unfamiliar familiars ⏴

For those without a familiar (like one hatched from an egg not too long ago) you may borrow one from the library counter. They all have strengths and weaknesses, but they will all assist in the very important mission. As you roam the library, they will make little indications that you are closer or further from finding a piece of the pearl.


Pro	• Hardworking • Gives correct directions 75% of time • Won’t run away from you	• Very affectionate • Gives correct directions only when paired with another rat, toad, or personal pet.	• Gives correct directions 90% of the time
Con	• Must feed bookworms	• Will run away if too close to a cat	• Does not care for you • Sleepy • Will run ahead • Gets distracted by rats

⏵ the task at hand ⏴

With robes donned and creature in hand, you must now complete your mission. Find the pieces of the shattered pearl. As you enter the library, you may notice that it’s all very dim. There’s oil lamps around the place that may be moved with you to assist in your journey if your robes do not already emit light.

Break off and search the library. There is a directory at the front to point guests to all the different sections.

	Wings of the Library
A	General Works	B	Music
C	Philosophy, Religion	D	Fine Arts
E	History, Auxiliary Sciences	F	Language and Literature
G	Magic, General	H	Science
J	Geography, Anthopology	K	Medicine
M	Agriculture	N	Hobbies, Recreation
P	Social Science	Q	Military
R	Political Science	S	Practical Arts
T	Law	W	People
X	Education	Y	Spiders

Each section looks enough like the last, though the books within have immense power. Pick up the wrong book, and you might conjure a dragon or a historical figure! You must persist and avoid making too much noise or breaking too many things.

Or else the Librarian, a tall mass of knotted fabric will confiscate your robe and usher you back outside. Your name will be struck from the list, and you must pick a new one to re-enter the library to continue the search.

You can try to fight back against him- he may be set alight with the lamp. But should you be starting fires in here?

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Any thread with 15 comments between you and another may be submitted to find a piece of the pearl. There are 20 pieces altogether, and we will determine if the mission was successful by March 28th. A post will go live on the OOC comm for this!

This mission occurs out of time, similar to how the spaceship had. Meaning, those currently in game can experience these events any time between now, and March 14th.

Please direct all questions to our mod queries comment!

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[At least there's one bit of New York nostalgia out wandering the streets: just after Root absconds into her out-of-the-way corner to change clothes, Shaw walks by, her expression guarded and watchful and, above all, skeptical. She's not so watchful that she'll be scouring every nook and cranny in her path, though, and she doesn't have the x-ray vision to see around right angles. By the time Root emerges, Shaw will have passed by. Good thing her ponytail and familiar-looking leather jacket are easy to pick out from behind.]

[Cloud huffs quietly. Listen, you little shit, context matters...! But whatever. Let the kid think he's weak, it wouldn't be the first time Sephiroth underestimated him.

His tone is hard when he responds with less hesitation than the first time he referenced the kid's future.]

Because the moment you do find a way to escape, you try to wipe out humanity.

[The chocobo wanders over to see if the toad's found anything good, but it doesn't know whether worms are good or not. It tilts its head. Should it try one...?]

[If he wasn't attackable a couple minutes ago he shouldn't be now! Same subject, slightly different shelving! The only conclusion to draw here is that Cloud doesn't want to ruin the Spiders section but is just fine with People getting wrecked.

This should be a more concerning dialogue than it is. He knows his future self gets up to terribly dark things and madness is apparently involved, but wiping out humanity is so far beyond the scope of his abilities that it startles actual laughter out of the teen, a sharp disbelieving sound.

He keeps having to shift his estimation of exactly how much damage Cloud's endured to his mind.]

I know propaganda wants to make me out as this unstoppable tide of inevitability to frighten Wutai, but in spite of the claims, I can't actually enact genocide on that scale. It's beyond my capabilities.

[The teen shakes his head, momentary mirth squished down into nothingness as he delicately works free a disgusting worm to offer to the little chickobo.]

Even if I wanted to. Which I don't; killing is my job, it isn't something I enjoy doing.

[Of course he's laughing. Cloud shouldn't have expected anything less. There's not a trace of amusement on Cloud's face, as he watches Sephiroth act like a smug little asshole with that same hard look.]

I'm not making a suggestion. I'm telling you, that's what happens in your future. That's what you will do. And you might not enjoy killing now, but...

[He closes his eyes very briefly, just long enough for the fleeting image of the adult Sephiroth smiling as he cuts people down like so much wheat to pass through his mind.]

...you will.

[The chick accepts the offering, slurps up the worm, and then kwehhhhs in displeasure. Those are gross!]

Edited 2025-01-08 22:50 (UTC)

[Getting through the line is going to take a bit, but at least he had a shirt now. And by the look of things, odd full length robes to look forward to, which would cover nearly everything else fairly well. And they're.. getting pets up there. Pets? He doesn't know what to do with those.

Shuffling one step at a time isn't going to get them anywhere fast.

But he's content with quiet while doing so, it gives him opportunity to watch VERY closely what's going on up there. It'll be their turn eventually.]

For all your words about change being possible, one would think you'd be happy I don't want to slaughter the masses and encourage it, instead of insisting it'll happen.

[People ... were very contradictory, in ways he didn't much care for. It felt like there were always multiple standards and he was left trying to guess which one is being applied at any given time.

He was not particularly good at it. There's a murmured apology to the disgust of the chocobo chick; he's not one for eating such things either. Toads on the other hand seemed fine with it.

The toad, content with its food, suddenly reorients with a croak, all but pointing in a direction not too far away, a different set of shelves, and carefully he moves in that direction. It seems pleased, for an amphibian.]

How long from now is that supposed to be? The year is nineteen-ninety two.

[ That behind is also easy to pick up from behind. As soon as Root realizes who this is, she reaches out, grabs Shaw's arm, and yanks her back into the corner. ]

I'm saying, you need to take this seriously. I'm not joking or exaggerating or talking about propaganda. I'm telling you that in my history, that's what happened. So whether you think you got it in you or not, you do and you're gonna have to deal with that.

[Cloud is both annoyed and surprised, at first, that as a kid Sephiroth doesn't seem to take anything seriously. But after a moment he realizes - he rarely does as an adult, either. He's almost always smiling - that awful, knowing smile. Even before, he would quietly tease and make light of most things, probably because he didn't really need to take anything seriously. Nothing was a threat to him.

The chocobo pats Sephiroth's arm with one little wing. It's okay, not your fault, tiny human.

Cloud folds his arms, thinking.]

Ten years. That's when it starts. Then, five years later is when you come back and everything gets worse.

[Shaw should know what's going on - after all, it's not like Root hasn't pulled this trick on her before. But even though she's aware of the possibility of others from her world showing up, and she's considered the fact that Root might be one of them, she's not actually expecting it, and she reacts the way she would to any other attack. On pure soldier's instinct, before she has time to register who's nabbed her, she pulls her gun and grabs her assailant's arm, attempting to spin her around and throw her up against the wall.]

[There is a lengthy pause before the boy speaks again, words selected carefully.]

I am told repeatedly I have a choice, and then I am denied choices. Very well, I choose not to spend the next ten years convinced I'm going to set out to annihilate everyone in my path.

[He takes almost everything with deadly seriousness. But planetwide genocide? He knows where his limits are, and even with a lifetime with which to set to such a grim task, it would be beyond him. He wasn't immortal or unstoppable, just tougher than most.

The absurdity of it crossed the threshold into unbelievable. And coming from a person who'd suffered mako poisoning so bad he was in a coma for years? Mako poisoning was known to cause all kinds of damage to the mind. The chocobo chick is glanced at, and then left to its own devices as he sets the toad down on the shelf it wanted and resumes his hunt.]

Otherwise I am obligated to make sure I have prepared thoroughly for that inevitable task so I can live up to the expectation I can bring the entirety of humanity to its knees in only a decade.

[Something in his tone suggests he's probably already trying to think of ways to pull it off, on a sheer hypothetical.

Cloud may not know it, but Sephiroth really is the son of scientists.]

Edited 2025-01-08 23:37 (UTC)

[ Even if his answer had been 'no', Felicia would have tried to find a way to weasel it into a 'yes'. ]

Good plan. That's just what I was thinking.

[ She takes the final hop down from the ladder, but she's not intimidated by his height. ]

I'm Felicia.

Good.

[Cloud's tone softens a bit, serious but no longer stern.]

You do have a choice, but if you're gonna choose differently, you gotta know what the original choices were.

[He's about to go on to say he's glad the kid doesn't actually want to annihilate everyone, but the rest of what Sephiroth says gets him a half-exasperated, half-disbelieving glare.]

Mock me all you want, but you're the one who said you were getting fed up with no one telling you anything. So I'm telling you things. You don't believe me, that's on you.

[But Cloud really hopes he can somehow convince Sephiroth, because otherwise nothing will change.]

Hey, their fault if someone has the bright idea to say "swordfish" and it opens.

[The next shelf in the row slowly starts receding into the floor.]

Huh. I can't believe that actually worked. Wonder if someone around here is a Marx Brothers fan.

[There's no response at first, he's feeling around in the dark. Books blocked vision but he could get around that, and he intended to be thorough. Eventually though, there's a response.]

I did not say I was getting fed up.

[There's... something. Something he can't quite get at, and once more the boy sets to climbing the shelves directly again. His other-self had reasons to not inform him of things, and they seemed believable. But he could be patient when he had to be.

Now is not one of those times, now he's definitely after something.]

I am not mocking you, either. Understand I mean every word of what I say, at all times. Anything else is punishable. If I am to accept I will set myself to global genocide, then by necessity I must reason out how I could accomplish such a thing in my lifespan, and more importantly, why.

[Sephiroth really isn't keen on most of humanity. He didn't understand how to act around people, and they could TELL. It was uncomfortable and awkward. But he didn't want them all exterminated, the idea sat uncomfortable and foreign in his thoughts.]

No event happens in a vacuum. How do I come to hate humanity so much, when those I will in just over ten years declare as my mates, are human? [They .. are, aren't they? He's pretty sure, dragons aside, they are.] I am to meet them very soon should I return to Midgar.

[And what about Glenn, Matt and Lucia? The idea of deciding to kill them was.. .. unthinkable.]

[That is... an interesting way of responding to Tim, but he chooses to view it as Charming(TM).]

Has it guided you to anything? They're supposed to help us find pearls.

I believe I have managed quite well so far, but if it will make you more comfortable I shall not attempt any further entrance.

[Small organics could be so worried about the potential to be stepped on. There wasn't any risk of such, though. Sky Lynx's gratefulness was unmatched both on land and in the air. Or, from a more unbiased perspective, much better than his size would suggest.]

I am the incomparable Sky Lynx. What name do you go by, small friend?

Edited 2025-01-09 00:22 (UTC)

...nah, you didn't. But I would be, in your shoes.

[Then again, this conversation has proven more than once that Cloud doesn't really understand this kid version of Sephiroth at all, despite his adult self back home having explained what he's doing and why in great detail.]

Wait, punishable? Whose bullshit policy is that? Who do you report to, Lazard?

[Cloud hadn't thought Lazard was that sort of guy, but in hindsight, how well did he really know anyone back then?

Listening to Sephiroth explain himself, Cloud has to admit it makes a grim kind of sense, trying to figure out how he'd do it. The 'why' is what Cloud really meant, though, when he said it was important to know what the choices were that led to everything.]

Meet...who? Your mates?

[Does he mean friends, or...?

Regardless, he walks in silence for a moment, gathering his thoughts. Trying to figure out what the best way to explain it would be, what the risks are. What the chances are that learning so early about his origins might drive Sephiroth over the edge right now. Unlikely, Cloud thinks - and even if it happens, it'll be a lot easier to stop this teenage version of him than the adult Cloud fought in the reactor.]

You ever heard of Jenova?

[ Oh no, that's hot. Root doesn't fight back-- doesn't even have the time to, given she lacks Shaw's training and experience. When her back hits the wall, the air gets knocked out of her, and she smiles. ]

Nice to see you too.

"Change of perspective, mostly," Tim says because he's not really sure how else to describe that period of his life. "I don't think it would help much here, though." Aside from bonding with his familiar. Which is not happening. "Do you... want me to help you with your robe first?"

Seeing as how it's still drenched. Unless that's also an innate quality of the robe? He tugs his glasses down his nose slightly so he can peer over them at the cloth and hopefully determine if this is temporary or if it's an enchantment on the robe itself, like how his is Soft.

Edited 2025-01-09 00:33 (UTC)

As of when I left Midgar I still report to Research and Development. It's a reasonable policy, when your duty is to report on demand and not waste time.

[He reports to Hojo. That's not going to last much longer, Shinra was eager to put their very expensive weapon to work proving his worth, and Hojo was more interested in running more tests and experiments. The military would win in the pull of who gets what, inevitably.

There's a quiet acknowledging hum about meeting his future husbands, he's still not sure how he feels about touch or inevitable romance, but he could accept it would surely be a good thing to have. By the time it happened, he'd probably welcome it.

A few books are moved to one side. Nope, not yet.]

I have. It's the name I was erroneously given for my mother by the Professor. Who Jenova actually is eludes me, though I am certain she exists and isn't invented whole cloth.

[Something's already changed.]

Edited 2025-01-09 00:39 (UTC)

Just lookin' for pearl bits with the child version of your nemesis, like you do.

Sure, when you're on duty.

[It hasn't occurred to Cloud yet that maybe Sephiroth was never off-duty.

His brows lift - something has already changed, and it seems like a promising change to Cloud. Not having that lie rattling around in his head could maybe help Sephiroth take the whole thing less personally.

There's a sudden kweh! as the chocobo chick seems to smell something and turns to follow it down a long row of shelves containing books that seem to be about...famous war heroes. Cloud follows the chick, giving the titles on the shelves an annoyed and skeptical look.]

Yeah, Jenova exists. But it's an 'it,' not a 'she.' It's an alien life-form that crashed on our planet on an asteroid a couple thousand years ago and turned the humans against the Cetra until they were mostly wiped out. Fast forward to Shinra scientists finding it dormant under layers of rock formations, thinking it was an Ancient, and using its DNA to try to make a modern-day Cetra-human hybrid.

[The second she gets a look at Root's face, Shaw lets go of her like she's been burned, her arms snapping back to her sides as she takes a big step back.]

What are you-- you--

[It's not easy to make Shaw stammer, but congratulations, Root; you've managed it.]

It did bring you here, too.

[The look Cloud is given is puzzled, over one shoulder. Hand on a book. It's not what he wants either, and it's put to one side.]

...No, it's at all times.

[What is this off duty stuff. Something that happened to other people, clearly; if he got a phone call to demand answers at any time, he better be prepared to give them! Maybe he'd been getting lax these past three months on such a thing, he'd supplied answers and said things he shouldn't have.

If Rufus Shinra is present, he was going to have to curb that very quickly.

Not finding what he's after, carefully he climbs down off his shelf; the toad moves over to the next one in a couple of meaty thwacking hops.

The description of what Jenova is draws a pause. He already knew life existed on other planets, and that so far they all seemed to have a very similar binary male and female status, so declaring this one an 'it' seemed .. an odd choice but not one he confronts.

It's not hard to begin making connections.]

The scientists involved. Were Professors Hojo and Crescent among them?

[ Wow. He is nailing this social interaction.

Honestly, he can hear himself and feels the unease and panic of being unable to translate his articulate thoughts into words. But his companion doesn't look bored or annoyed -- so this must be going well! ]

Oh... no. [ The rat is somehow looking conflicted due to the cat's proximity and the charm it feels. ] ... it's mostly just been here... or well, here... [ He twists his head to jerk toward his shoulder to indicate it's been on his shoulder.

I don't know his name. I should ask it... He sucks a breath in then looks away. No, a bit too much time has passed... maybe not. His eyes skim the titles of books. Well... if I lead with a name, that should cover up any awkwardness in not saying anything sooner... ]

I'm Henry. [ Smoothese segue to introductions ever. ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 21 of 129

TDM 006

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

i am okay with dragging henry pearl-hunting but we can also separate!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Re: the task at hand

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Cloud and mini-Sephiroth!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject