etrayalogs | JANUARY MINGLE

Entry tags:

JANUARY MINGLE

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: January 17th - January 23rd
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: The arrival of newcomers and some new construction!
NOTES\WARNINGS:

⏵ arrival ⏴
Welcome to Etraya!

Arrival goes as expected - characters awaken on hospital beds and are offered an explanation of their situation: that they have arrived in the city of Etraya, and they are their world's only hope. They are welcome to wander the hospital if they would like to - the upper floors are mostly empty, full of pristine hallways and numerous rooms filled with supplies, cots, and things one would expect from a relatively average 21st-century hospital.

A coat rack is situated by the doors leading out of the hospital, covered in warm clothing that fits the new arrivals just right - whether it's to their preferred style or not is something else entirely. Some of them appear normal enough. Others? Well. Looks like someone was trying to improve on last month's designs.

Outside the windows, the grass is covered in a couple of inches of loosely packed snow.

We hope you enjoy your stay.

⏵ passion for fashion ⏴

As the newcomers find themselves leaving the hospital as per their usual arrival, they will find that not too far from it is a small boutique. Newly added, just as they have been, though they lack the context to know this. Companion bots will encourage them to go in and meet the particularly unique bot inside, dressed to the nines in line with the fashion the boutique itself is offering. While small, it's clearly been decorated to emphasize the loose era and taste of the particular fashion it's advertising. The building itself is also petite, and made to feel more personal rather than a commercial experience. It has a single dressing room, and outside of it has an area with mirrors where one might take in their lovely visage from nearly all angles. There is a little waiting area with seating in the front, for those who are not being molded through Theobold's vision, or simply waiting for whoever is.

The tastes and aforementioned era of this little establishment is decidedly Victorian, with a bold splash of neon trimming, cog-like adornments, and other accessories that brighten up the otherwise neutral fabrics typically used in the style of dress. Theobold, as he has named himself and will not let anyone forget, has taken to a three-piece suit, a deep emerald in color, with a black vest, and matching black gloves.

He will take it upon himself to judge each person's attire (which he will unabashedly hate), then restyle them into something more along his tastes (even if it takes him a while, he will find something you don't ruin). There are, of course, many different combinations to pick from, all hearkening to a very loud style of dress that seems as much neon as it is punk or steam. One might even name it steampunk with a splash of neon. Neon Steampunk? Something like that.

An interesting combination to say the least, Theobold insists as much.

This is, of course, not simply limited to newcomers, though they will likely be exposed to this boutique more quickly than the others. Any who come near the general area of the hospital (thus the boutique) will find themselves being encouraged by the other bots to come inside, and they will likewise be judged and restyled to Theobold's tastes—which are as bright as they are bold. He really doesn't take no for an answer, though he can't truly stop anyone from leaving any more than a pushy grandmother fussing over her grandchild's clothes might.

He has obviously discovered his passion, why not indulge him?

⏵ trending or treading ⏴

After enjoying the privilege of being restyled by Theobold, he will also insist that you take the outfit for a spin around the city! See what people say, take note of how many looks you catch, how many eyes are on you. He wants to hear about it as well, clearly to validate his own artistry, and who can blame him? Does not every artist strive to hear a little bit of praise for their hard work? Do they not yearn for recognition from the public? Theobold may be a bot, but he is also an artist honing his craft! His boutique is not above critique, though he hopes the critique isn't too harsh...

Should one indulge him, telling about what others thought, he will gladly gift the outfit to the wearer. A humble act of his endless generosity! Or if they fancy another outfit of their own taste from his boutique, then that will suffice as well. Even if it breaks his heart that you don't like the outfit. No, no. It's fine, really. It's perfectly okay. Everyone has their tastes, and yours just happens to stab him in his mechanical heart.

He'll get over it. In time. Probably.

⏵ leaving tracks ⏴

Companion bots have taken to building train tracks, as well as what appears to be a train station, in the South Eastern island of Etraya. The area is, for the most part, blocked off from Etrayans. After all, it is a construction zone, and the companion bots are ever vigilant with safety. At least they try to be. However, if people wish to lend their aid in the construction, well, they won't necessarily stop them. However they will assure them that they are not in need of assistance, and might intermittently remind those especially helpful Etrayans of that fact.

Those who wish to simply watch the construction may do so, but nothing especially interesting is going on beyond the mystery of what this these tracks and the station might be for. Besides a train, of course. After all, since when has there been any mention of a train? Asking the companion bots about it will yield little results. They won't be able to give any further details besides the obvious: when this is done, it will be for a train. It seems even they might not know the full extent of what this entails, or maybe they cannot say.

Regardless the reason of their lack of explanation, it seems patience might be the key to the answer.

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Some may notice that in the area Gorgug's friend had gone exploring outside of the environmental bubble, there is a message written on a massive piece of fabric, which is tied to two large rebar poles. The message is in an alien language, but the earpiece will automatically translate it: DID YOU THINK YOU WERE THE ONLY ONES?

On the bottom of the fabric are four vertical lines. Every Friday, a vertical line becomes crossed through with a horizontal one.

For all questions relating to this log, please refer to the mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It takes work to maintain a lie," Kirk agrees. "It seems there are people who've been here for nearly a year. Someone's working for the long-term, whatever those plans are. Alternatively, the best lies are the ones with some truth mixed in them."

Over the years, Kirk had to learn to consider as many possibilities as he could think. Mysteries were tricky like that.

"Omission of information is the easiest way to carry a lie forward," he remarked. Information happened to be the only real currency in this place, what with everything else being free or a strange pay system of requests. "But agreed, most of the truth does make the lie even more believable."

Right now, he wouldn't say he had enough information to be anything but wary and offended by his place here. There was curiosity as well. This was basically a second chance for him to perform acts of good where previously there had been personal failings.

"Is there anything you have in common with the people from your world?" Kirk asks. It would be a very small sample but maybe a pattern could be found in there.

"We all come from the same geographical area," he said simply. "Many all know each other or of each other." He was the odd man out in that way. He was adaptable enough to be able to be trustworthy to the Piltover bang at least.

"For me, I've only met some of them for the first time here."

"Interesting..." Kirk murmurs. "From my own end, there appears to be people from alternative versions of my world. I've been recognized but also clearly not who they usually expect."

Though he doesn't appreciate being called a "copycat."

"Meanwhile, I don't recognize them."

"Alternate versions?" The concept had never occurred to him until that moment, and yet it made complete sense given the multiverse concept that brought them here in the first place. "Do you get along with these alternates, or is it now competing priorities on who saves whose world?"

Well, that sounded incredibly complicated, and he was glad so far they weren't dealing with that from Runeterra.

That question has crossed Kirk's mind before and so far, he's not liking what the possible answer is.

"I haven't met everyone from those alternates yet but unfortunately, it might be competition," he replies.

He hasn't had a good impression from them so far.

"An unexpected complication," he said, considering. So, this place was forcing them to complete even against each other for their worlds. It was almost cruel. "I don't expect cooperation in some groups, but perhaps yours will be?"

He didn't expect any alternates of his world to bother with cooperation. Janna only knew that even those from his reality could barely hold it together for a single conversation and even then had not agreed on the single objective to 'work together'.

"At worse..." he trailed off, uncertain if how death worked was common knowledge or not.

"It might take some time before we can have a rapport. We're probably all inclined to distrust others," Kirk says.

Damian threatening Hernan with a kryptonite knife certainly showed how the the kid feels at least.

"Do you think your group will do better?"

They couldn't all be paranoid, could they?

"A personal trait?" So far, he hadn't found Kirk to be a distrustful person, though he may have originally read their encounter wrong thanks to the Shimmer at the time.

However, he had seen that plenty of people here were particularly hot headed.

"Well... I have to reverse psychology one of them, and the others will probably pull in the same direction between yelling, crying and throwing objects at each other." He offered a well-meaning shrug. "You know, politics..."

Kirk nearly raises and eyebrow at that. He's not one to judge considering how one of his teammates tends to use brute force to get his way. A lot of the time, diplomacy doesn't work quick enough.

"They're from opposing parties?" He asks. It sounds like they're opposing in more ways than one.

"In a sense," he replied nonchalantly. "They have history with each other which I am not involved in. It can cloud their judgments at times." More than a few times. He had no doubt that Kirk was a intuitive enough to look into the matter discretely if it was that important.

"I expect we'll all have some interpersonal dramatics the longer we remain here."

"It's what tends to happen to a group when in a confined space for a long enough time," Kirk says, agreeing. "It sounds like you could be the neutral party for them."

Though he wouldn't blame Vander if he would rather stay out of all of the drama. Politics of any kind tends to be chaotic.

"We also have a long sordid history," he said with a shrug. "As long as we work together to save our world, that's all that matters to me." Would that happen? Well, maybe in each person's very unique, often eccentric way.

He would shove them together as needed. "I suppose first things first and that's investigation and information gathering, yes?"

Kirk nods.

"Still too many questions and not enough answers," he says. "Were you able to find out more about your children?"

"Agreed." The corner of his lips twitched in a bit of a fond smile, hiding the still lingering grief from his last memories before arriving here. "Yes. One of my girls is here but significantly older than I remember. The other isn't here, but she's alive and safe for now."

That's why he would fight. To give Vi a future.

"Must be a big adjustment for you and her," Kirk says. It's such a big contrast to his estrangement with his family. He was already shunned before his vampiric transformation. There's been no point in trying to reach out again after becoming Batman.

"Ah, yeah. Circumstances of our initial parting wasn't the best situation," he said with a little shrug of his shoulders. She had unloaded a lot of information on him since then, and he was still processing it. "She's good though. It's like getting to know a new person again honestly."

“Perhaps this will be a second chance for both of you,” Kirk says. He doesn’t know the intricies between Vander and his children but Kirk can see how much the man cares for his family.

"Perhaps. It's complicated." When wasn't it? He was committed to being her father still as long as she would have him. She had made it clear she wanted him in her life, so nothing would stand in his way of doing just that.

"Is there anyone you're hoping to arrive here?"

Kirk nods.

"A friend. We're also teammates," he replies. "She's been traveling the stars so she might land here at some point."

Kirk has no doubts that Bekka can take care of herself while she's traveling.

"Do you think that people willingly come here?"

It had never occurred to him until that moment that there may be an instance or two where someone chose to be here. Surely in all the multiversion places, there had to be people like that, right? The challenge? The escape?

"I wonder what happens to us if we fail and our worlds die...."

"Don't know. It might be more likely of someone being on their way of elsewhere and accidentally being here," Kirk replies. He can see that happening to Bekka somehow. Boom Tube technology isn't infallible. "We don't seem to be running on a specific timeline either."

"That seems reasonable, I guess. I can't even fathom the advanced mechanics necessary to drag people here let alone have it hijacked by someone on the outside." He was just a simple bartender. Most of this was above his head, and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. "Maybe your friend will arrive and you'll have an ally?"

"Hopefully. Bekka isn't one to take something like this lying down," Kirk says. "I have another teammate here and the place has been trying on his patience."

Which was putting it politely given that someone had recently tried to threaten Hernan.

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