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

She didn't, but thanks for complimenting my mother's taste.

[He knows that's not what she's going for, but he's making it clear he's not going to tolerate any talk about her.]

There's a dress code to work at the level I do in Piltover. I can't just show up in shorts and a scoop neck shirt.

[There is, however, no dress code in his own forge. He misses his forge…

But it’s true, white’s the hardest to keep clean. He has way too many white clothes, and it’s always a hassle getting to the dry cleaners every other day. As she’s still considering the clothes, he’s muttering to himself about a new idea of a device that uses ultraviolet radiation to keep white clothes clean.]

[ Yeah, yeah, his mom is probably a very nice woman who would faint at the sight of Sevika. Whatever. ]

Do it anyway. What are they going to do? Fire you?

[ What Jayce doesn't realize is she's speaking from experience. She hadn't changed a single thing about what she preferred to wear and anyone who even tried to bring it up regretted it almost immediately. It was no longer an "issue".

Of course, Jayce is infinitely nicer than she is, so... ]

Here.

[ A pair of dark striped pants are thrown to Jayce to catch, along with a short little vest (black with red and white accents) and a similarly short little shirt (white clothed). Admittedly, this first pass with the very midriff-revealing vest and shirt is for shits and giggles. She'll keep looking for something more suitable but until then? ]

Go try those on.

[He purses his lips in an unamused look, and doesn’t comment on how of course he won’t be fired. But that’s not the point. Getting everyone on board with Hextech still took a lot of negotiations and good impressions that needed to be made, and appearances were a part of that. Jayce doesn’t glance twice at the clothes she picks for him, catching them as they’re thrown callously, which doesn’t exactly dissuade the assumption that maybe yeah, he does just wear whatever is given to him.

He doesn’t complain right away when he takes the clothes into the dressing room stall to change into it, but the annoyed grunt that follows within minutes indicates a change in attitude from him.]

It’s the wrong size, Sevika!

[ The real shame here is that Jayce will never get to see how little Sevika follows the council's imaginary rules and how uncomfortable they are with her dominating the room with her silent disdain for them. They would accept her as she was. It certainly flew in the face of how Mel had approached the other councilors.

Of course, whether that worked in her favor in the end was yet to be seen. She didn't want to confess that intimidating them all may not work as well as it did with the chem-barons. ]

Which one? The shirt?

[ But there was something far funnier to focus on right now. No need to worry about her own future — maybe even far future — problems. See, the vest and pants should have been fairly close to the right size for him. She took a guess, but she's good at guessing. The shirt, though? ]

That's not the wrong size; it's supposed to be form-fitting.

Form-fit— it's half a shirt!

[He's not leaving the stall. His embarrassment radiates from within.]

[ Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't even chuckle. It's a real struggle for her, but she manages. ]

Yeah? What's the problem? That's a common trend in the undercity.

[Sevika keeping her laughs to herself wins her exactly one thing, and it's Jayce leaving the stall, not even bothering with the vest as he stands there in those chosen trousers and crop-top. Midriff exposed, with his hands balled into fists, and expression in an angry pout.]

"I can't believe you expect anyone to take you seriously," and you give me this.

[ Sevika greatly appreciates that he steps out of the stall in that, thanks. Her eyes flit down to that midriff, though she won't let that look linger. She isn't that much of a sleeze, okay? ]

It worked for me for years.

[ Yeah, Sevika, because you were terrifying. How you were dressed never came into question. But! She'll relent. She turns back to the racks and pulls off a longer sleeveless shirt — this one is black — instead. ]

Here.

[ Tossed on over, shirt number two. ]

A longer one might not work out with that vest, though.

[Yes, there are abs. Don't be shocked.]

Because you punch people, I assume though walls.

[Someone needs to let her know that's a huge factor. Meanwhile Jayce is standing there, only lightly shivering with his arms crossed over his chest as he waits for the second shirt. He catches it, confirming with his own eyes this time that it's a proper length, and begins to rip off the crop top over his head one-handed on his way back to the stall. Such disdain had for such a small amount of fabric that he'd rather be shirtless than wear it for another second.]

I need something for my shoulders. A jacket?

[ She's not surprised! She's appreciative. ]

Through walls? Hah. [ Rare laugh, but there it is. ] Only occasionally.

[ So..... yeah. He isn't wrong. However, her amusement is short-lived when he complains about needing something for his shoulders. Okay, maybe she should have thought about how whiny he might get when she decided to play "Dress the Piltie." That's on her. She will take a serious look at the jackets on the rack, at least, and picks a black and red leather one out. With that in hand, she walks over to the stall and holds it out. ]

Here. Right outside the door.

[Of course he's going to be whiny!!

Jayce opens the stall door ajar, peering at the jacket and giving it an approving hum before he takes it and shuts the door again. He's more inclined to give something a chance if it's red. Sometimes it really is that easy.

When it's all said and done, he leaves the stall again, this time significantly less embarrassed, with the dark striped pants, black tanktop and red and black leather jacket. Jayce moves his arms around, wincing a little at the creak that follows.]

I guess if I just don't move my arms...

[He might accidentally flex tears into the sleeves. This is why he doesn't do leather. Still, he's wearing it, so she can't complain.]

Satisfied?

[ Oh, the temptation to tell him to do a little spin so she can see him from every angle, but even Sevika expects that would be a step too far. She does look him up and down with a critical eye, however. ]

Black and red work pretty well on you. [ She'll give him that. ] But maybe not the leather. There was a vest with those colors, too, but since you're so whiny about the cold, you'd want to get a long-sleeved shirt to go under instead.

[He rolls his eyes and starts taking off the jacket, holding up a single finger.]

You get one more round of playing dress-up with me, and that's it. Make it count.

[ Challenge accepted.

Sevika turns back to the racks and tracks down what she mentioned before — a red vest with gold buttons and trim, a long-sleeved black shirt that will most certainly be form-fitting. She pairs it with some leather gloves that are mid-fingerless, meaning they cover up to half the fingers and all of the thumb when worn. After a moment of thought, she adds some black knee-high boots with gold trim to match the vest.

Those get shoved at him. She doesn't bother saying anything else; she simply quirks an eyebrow as if to ask "well?" ]

[He wordlessly takes the newest bundle of clothes, which is a good sign that he doesn't seem to be complaining right away. With the final bout in the dressing stall, he comes out in exactly the outfit Sevika gives him, the only modification Jayce makes being the long sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Everything clings a little tightly, but he’s used to that, since most of his normal clothes do.

He’s silent as he stands outside the stall, lips pursed like he doesn’t want to admit it, but…]

…It looks good.

Don't sound shocked. I wasn't entirely fucking around with you.

[ Only partly fucking around with him. Her gaze flits over him in the new set of clothing and even she'll give a nod. Yeah, that does look good. ]

Add a few tattoos and some dirt and you'd at least make people look twice before realizing you're from Piltover.

Your way of saying I look cool, right?

[He recalls for a second how he's seen her stand around when she's clearly trying to look cool herself, and he mimics the pose- crossing his arms, leaning back against the wall with one of his feet propped up against the wall.]

"Cool"? What are you, Talis? Twelve?

[ Oh, no, he is not mimicking her. She can't even do that right now, she has one arm! ]

[He tries to give a look like he's smugly appraising her like he knows she's done before, doing his best devil-may-care smirk. The expression doesn't suit him at all- the slight gap between his front teeth, the way he can't mask the sincere glint in his eyes, obviously pleased at how he's annoying her. He can't even hold it for long before whatever he was attempting to convey fades into something earnest.]

So what would you call it then?

[ Don't laugh. Sevika isn't going to laugh. Do not laugh. He is doing such a bad job at pretending to be her. He's too soft for it. Aw, fuck, fine, she'll at least give him that same smirk, only it's hers, and therefore it suits her perfectly. ]

I don't call it anything. It's just me.

[ Sevika being Sevika. ]

[He knows he almost won her over there, but she managed to shut it down. Damn.]

The Sevika look. Just need a bottle of something horrible and a cigar to complete it.

[Which should be obvious is a joke.]

Guess I need to give my press tour with this on if I want to keep it.

You forgot the last part of completing my look: get an arm blown off.

[ Similarly a joke but also a reminder. Even with the stylish cape from the snazzy white and neon pink outfit she's sporting, it doesn't disguise the missing arm as much as her usual cape. ]

Although you might want to skip that. [ Two arms are nice to have. Anyway. ] You know, I really doubt the robot can stop you if you wanted to leave with it and anything else you wanted. These things are pushovers.

[ Sad Theobold noise in the background. Hello? He's still here? He's been here the whole time? Why is Sevika so mean to him? Poor fella... ]

I know it’s just his programming, but it doesn’t feel right to upset him.

[He gives a glance toward where Theobold is there, upset and disgruntled at the same time. Jayce gives an apologetic wave, but otherwise goes back to ignoring him.]

And I think I’ll keep my arm where it is.

[A few thoughtful seconds later, and he puts his hands on his hips.]

I could make you a new one, you know. If you wanted it.

[ Theobold receives nothing but a roll of her eyes from Sevika. No apologies whatsoever from her, and that's how it'll remain. Damn thing needs to keep its "visions" of fashion to itself. Around this time, she's considering ditching the outfit for her old duds again, assuming Jayce was about to leave, but then...

He could what? Sevika stops as she's turning to head to the dressing rooms and looks back. Her suspicion is immediate and obvious. ]

Why? Do you even have experience with prosthetics?

I built my mother prosthetic fingers when hers had to be amputated from frostbite. I know it’s not a whole arm, but I could draw up some blueprints.

[Hands behind his back now, defaulting to good boy pose because he lost a little bit of confidence when having to cite his (lack of) experience.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject