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etrayalogs2025-05-16 08:18 am
etrayamods) wrote in etrayalogs2025-05-16 08:18 am
Entry tags:
- !mission log,
- arcane: jayce talis,
- arcane: viktor,
- batman beyond: bruce wayne,
- batman wfa: jason todd,
- detroit become human: hank anderson,
- dimension 20: gorgug thistlespring,
- final fantasy xvi: barnabas tharmr,
- final fantasy xvi: dion lesage,
- fruits basket: shiraki mayuko,
- genshin impact: kaeya alberich,
- genshin impact: lumine,
- have you seen my brother: chu wenshan,
- ice age: manny,
- jl gods and monsters: kirk langstrom,
- little mushroom: an zhe,
- marvel comics: hope summers,
- mcu: loki,
- mcu: peter parker,
- my hero academia: izuku midoriya,
- person of interest: harold finch,
- person of interest: sameen shaw,
- remnant 2: the custodian,
- silent hill 3: heather mason,
- sonic (paramount): shadow the hedgehog,
- sonic idw: silver the hedgehog,
- stranger things: chrissy cunningham,
- the sandman: hob gadling,
- the untamed: xue yang,
- vox machina: vax'ildan vessar,
- word of honor: wen kexing,
- xmcu: laura
MISSION 009
 ⏵ CAMP ETRAYA ⏴ On May 16th, Aurora and the companion bots direct those not heading off to Solmara to make their way to Camp Etraya. Nestled away from everything else in a large clearing full of wildflowers and redwoods, Camp Etraya is a nostalgic summer camp experience put together just for it's residents! Cabins are assigned, scary stories are told around campfires, gossiping happens among friends on the trails surrounding the cabins - and don't be surprised when something goes awry. After all, this is still Etraya. While the rest of Etraya is still accessible and will not be blocked off, characters are discouraged from venturing far from camp for too long: Aurora will specify that they are on a mission, and that missions do require participation, but she has intentionally left them the freedom to wander. Not sleeping in their assigned cabins, not participating in events, and staying away from Camp Etraya will end with her having to take more extensive security measures, so please be on your best behavior! The last thing she wants to do is start enforcing boundaries, but she will if she has to. Camp is set up much like your generic summer camp! Each cabin is named, housing is assigned to characters as they arrive, there are camp counselors, and rotating daily tasks and chores. There are also multiple activities that characters are expected to participate in, and each activity is worth points that goes toward their camp graduation score. This score will be visible on their earpiece, and follows the A-F grading system. We are not be monitoring this, and are leaving character scores up to players. We do, however, ask that you please report your characters' camp grade HERE for rewards and demerits to be handed out after the mission itself. Cabin assignments can be found here, which also has their roles, and chores assigned to that cabin. Those who are participating in Solmara have received an assigned cabin, too, but their absence toward the beginning will not harm the cabin's ability to compete given how spread out their assignments are.  ⏵ WELCOME TO CAMP ⏴ Camp life is meant to instill a sense of belonging, connection with nature, encouragement towards the creative, all on top of a firm foundation of responsibility. Upon arriving, campers will be escorted towards a table of white t-shirts and countless buckets of dye! Each Etrayan will be invited to make three Tie-Dyed shirts- as well as required to wear one as part of their summer uniform. Camp counselors must wear 80s basketball shorts or cut-off jeans. Campers may wear cargo shorts or a skort. For those with physical limitations to what they can wear, accommodations will be provided. Here, bonding is the camp runners' priority. They will be pushed into various ice-breaker activities, such as trust falls, two truths and a lie, and Never have I Ever. As the sun goes down, there will be weenies roasting over the bonfire, followed by s’mores and a sing-a-long! With the stars well-visible, it’s off to bed with campers. Each day after will start much the same: with the ringing of the bell and raising of the flag (Aurora, while unfamiliar with flag designs but an understanding of the concept, has chosen a rainbow flag for the camp. Rainbows make people happy, right?), followed by a meal at the Great Hall, morning assembly, activities with counselors, chores, free time, and then an evening winding down by the great fire. An hour after sun down, campers will be escorted back to their cabins for curfew. Camp Counselors are expected to keep track of their campers, and ensure they're all within their cabins for bedtime. This is part of their grade, too! Curfew lifts an hour before the first bell.  ⏵ CAMP ACTIVITIES ⏴ As with most summer camps, Camp Etraya offers a wide variety of activities to participate in. While some of these activities may be mandatory, others are optional. We'll be leaving this up to individual player discretion: perhaps Viktor is mandated to report to arts and crafts, whilst it's optional for Silco to show. Silco, on the other hand, may be mandated to report to the archery contest. Characters are encouraged to participate in a minimum of one camp activity per day. Below is a non-exhaustive list of camp activities.
 ⏵ NIGHT TIME ⏴ Once campers have been put to bed, the counselors can still stay up. Unwind with hidden beers and the strumming of a guitar. Don’t get too comfortable, though, since without supervision, no one is keeping the campers in bed. After dark, should campers evade their counselors, they can go exploring in the dark. Eerie lights glimmer from the lake. There’s rumors of a headless spectre walking from the archery field to the edge of the forest. Should you behave, you still might hear a scratching at your bunk house window. And on the very last night of camp, there will be a talent show. Show off your hidden talent and bask in the excitement of wowing your fellow campers! Welcome to Camp Etraya! Please enjoy the s'mores and campfire songs. :) Camp will last approximately two weeks, going from May 16th to May 30th. For all questions relating to this mission, please refer to the plotting post. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. |
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[It makes sense Viktor's more accustomed to them, if they're that common in the Undercity. Which given that "the Firelights" are named after the bug itself... it's making sense.
It doesn't mean Jayce has to like it. Or want to touch it. Even if it's cute that Viktor seems so thrilled with them, for some reason. Something he didn't know about Viktor before now, actually. Even with all of their years of working side by side, there's still new things to learn.]
Butterflies are fine.
[He'd still rather they don't land on him, but they're more acceptable for their lack of noise and huge spiked legs, at least.]
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Very well. Follow me. [ He will place the katydid back on the tree where he found it and pick up his notebook and tuck it under an arm as he proceeds to make his way through the trees to a rather open field filled with tons of flowers and butterflies of varying degrees of color. Some are more striking than the others. But Viktor finds himself enjoying a particularly beautiful one that he can't help but take his pad out to draw and label the coloration of. ]
Ah. I have been meaning to catch sight of this one again. It's quite striking, no?
[Never mind, they're like in a natural menagerie, so some are bound to land on them at some point. ]
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[Of all the teasing he gets from nearly all directions at this point, Viktor's the one who's allowed to tease him the most. He makes a little annoyed pout, but doesn't argue the point. He knows it doesn't make sense- this sort of bug is entirely harmless, meanwhile a gemstone could blow him to bits if used wrong.
He follows Viktor, and sure enough they're in an open field that's a scene right out of a fantasy book. He didn't think places like this existed in Etraya, and a part of him oddly aches. He's always been a cityboy, that's not a surprise, but there's a type of beauty here that stops him in his tracks. Viktor's sketching the nearby butterfly as dozens flap around them both, going about their own lives as if he and Viktor were just tall trees. Viktor's still enough as he sketches and another butterfly, a monarch, lands on top of his head.
Jayce snorts and smiles at the sight, putting a hand to his chin as he watches.]
Very striking.
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[ It is making him self-conscious to a degree that he doesn't know what to do with it. But he's also not doing anything about it to make Jayce stop. He's enjoying the attention even if he doesn't admit to it. ] You are talking about the butterflies, yes?
[ Not him, right? It couldn't be him...even if he so desperately wants it to be. ]
I managed to find this place looking for a reprieve from the chaotic cacophony of the camp. [ A soft sigh as he finishes up his sketch, and the butterfly will take off only for another to take its place. ] A natural oasis.
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[He doesn't just mean the butterflies. He means Viktor. It feels like something just clicks in his brain- something he's known for a while, but the actualization of it as a thought in his brain just eluded him. He does think Viktor is... striking. He respects him immensely, he cares for him like he would a family member, he wants to only be in Viktor's praises. But those can be platonic feelings, ways he considered he would feel about a best friend. Admiring his partner's physical form... not in an envious way but in a covetous way. He's always been protective of Viktor- the world seemed like no one was intending on defending him, so he would, without question or second thought. But a thought occurs, as he sees Viktor even at one of his lowest points of physical health and he wonders- I want him.
It's an alien sort of thought for him. He doesn't think about people like this. He would never think this way of Mel- this sort of possessiveness- and he loves Mel. He is with Mel. So what... what does it mean? Why is it so hard for him to drag his eyes away from the slope of Viktor's nose, the slight pink on his cheeks visible in this bright sun.]
...this place.
[Is what Jayce weakly finishes his answer with. The pause was very long.]
Of course you'd find a new oasis.
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It is the last thing that filters through his mind before he flusters himself so significantly that he just brings his drawing pad up to his face with the intention of not looking like a silly school boy fawning after their crush. Pretends to finish his drawing, which is already finished, and he finally brings his pad back down after he's calmed himself. His heart is still hammering in his chest, though. Gods. He was far too old to be doing this.
But he wants. So badly does he want, but at the sake of making things awkward, he will look away and huff out a laugh. ] Mm. This place, of course. I only ever find the best places to wallow in one's thoughts and self-pity. It is a great skill of mine.
[ Saying it with an amused tone. ] You are...more than welcome to use it, should you ever have the need.
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Wallowing in self-pity surrounded by butterflies and flowers? The moody waterfall was one thing, but could you really get yourself in a bad mood here?
no subject
I'm very good at, a professional, you could say. One of my many talents. It would be hard but not impossible. [ Just an amused look in his eyes as he looks at Jayce directly now, but it lasts for maybe half a second before he's back to looking at the book in his hand. ]
With you here, it is a bit harder, admittedly. [ That sure is the start of an obvious blush coloring his cheeks before he looks away. Time to change the topic, he thinks. ]
Are you enjoying yourself at camp?
no subject
Actually, yeah. I am. I didn't think I'd like it this much.
[But it's so carefree. Sure, he doesn't get to pursue their research, but having something of a schedule figured out for you, arranged meals, and fun activities... He feels like he's had a chance to think about things a little more clearly than he's had in some time. Even without research deadlines, there was still a sense of pressure and responsibility he felt in the larger existence of Etraya. Here? It's small, close-knit, personal. No expectations other than their menial tasks like his "Fun Fact" board.]
And you're enjoying at least a part of it, clearly.
[He means the bugs.]
no subject
I've found some interesting specimens. Things we don't have in Zaun, Piltover, probably not even in Runeterra either. It's been enjoyable. [ He says that as he finally holds out a finger for one of those butterflies to land on and he'll gaze at it curiously. ] And you seemed to be having fun with your fact board.
[ A smile. ]
no subject
[He doesn't elaborate on the fun fact board, his mind drifting once more to Viktor, and now, to his fingers. Thin, delicate. His own fingers are sometimes too thick to get into the really intricate wires of some of the devices they've worked on, and he'll wind up needing to use tweezers of some sort. Viktor's can just get right in there. Probably could get right in anywhere-- what.]
--Doesn't it tickle? Their legs crawling all over?
no subject
It does. A bit. [ He will finally straighten a bit more, looking at the monarch butterfly that lands on the top of it. ]
But it is not so bad a feeling when you consider all the other sensations one could be having. [ He means pain mostly. This helps distract him, if only minorly, from the usual sensations of pain. ]
no subject
I...
[wish I could take all your pain from you. Wish I could be honest with you.
He hasn't had good luck with his honesty lately. Every time he's admit to anything he has done or intends to do, he's met with accusations and judgements. Normally he'd just bare this quietly, but if there's just one person who he can hope to understand, it's Viktor. He knows what they're going to do with the nanomachines and AI, he knows that Jayce doesn't pursue these things for power or inappropriate purposes. He knows that Jayce regrets the choices that led him to being on the council, to leaving Viktor's side.
Viktor will understand.]
You know that whatever I do, it's to help cure you, right?
no subject
[ There's that note in his tone of voice that is a mixture of worry, of concern, of longing...
He looks the other way, breaking eye contact as he hunches his shoulders ever so slightly. If this conversation had been before Aphaia, before he knew and heard those words come directly from Jayce's mouth, he might not have believed it. He might have asked, then Why did you leave? But looking back on things, realizing the choices made, the memories he's retained from his two-day stint as The Herald, it all makes sense in some backwards, ridiculous way. ]
Mm, I do know. And you should know that all I needed and wanted was that. Your support and your help for us and for Hextech. But it got lost amid everything else, the intent to do what we could to help people, to help Zaun.
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[Why is he bringing this up now? In such a beautiful place? He's going to ruin Viktor's new sanctuary if he keeps this up, but the words fall out of his mouth anyway.]
Does it even matter if there was good intentions?
[He can't keep eye contact either, staring instead into the distance of the field.]
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[ A soft smile even as his attention now returns to Jayce. ]
I think the intentions matter more than you think. But it also depends on that as well. Whether it's to do good or bad can make all the difference. But what I do know is that you are not a bad person, Jayce. You are a bit naive and a bit too willing to do what others ask of you, but it is never intended to be for malicious purposes.
[ A blink as he regards him. ] Unless that has somehow changed since you returned to Piltover and came back.
no subject
I did something to you.
[He looks back to Viktor now, hoping he can at least keep his face dry long enough to get through this. He swallows and licks his bottom lip, stalling for precious half-seconds.
A normal person grieves loss. They don't let their denial carry them all the way back to their lab, lungs burning from the dust and shouts and breakneck pace, and shoves an experimental and potentially dangerous piece of magic technology into their partner's chest.
He's not normal. He bears the appearance of normal but on the inside he is a fractured mirror trying to show people what they want to see, as his own selfishness crawls out of the seams between the shards.]
I couldn't let you go.
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Love and Legacy was it? ] You used it on me, the Hexcore.
[ His voice is flat, quiet, as he finally looks back at Jayce. ] I hadn't told you about Sky...before that, so you didn't know.
[ He had only said that it had to be destroyed. And now he knows that the memories here don't transfer when they return home, because then maybe their conversation on the train would have mattered? No, he's not sure it would have. Maybe that was his own fault for not stating the dangers of it. For not saying how powerful the pull was of the Hexcore itself, to the point where Viktor was practically consumed by its force. Would be consumed by it. Funny how right Heimerdinger was. ]
What it had...will turn me into. All of it was because you- [ couldn't let him go, went against his wishes, denied him his final breaths beneath that rubble, but most of it was because Jayce loved him. ] -couldn't accept that I had died in the council room. [ But he can't just accept that as the reason. ]
Or is it something more you just will not say to me? [ He already knows the truth, but he wants to hear Jayce say it. ]
cw: co-dependency 🙃
[Jayce agrees, his voice cracking. He used the Hexcore. And based on what he knows of the future, it worked. Viktor lives, at least in some manner. How else would Jinx know to call him "Fortune Cookie?" She'd have no words or nicknames for a dead man.
He didn't know it killed Sky, in that version of himself. He bites his lip to stop himself from saying it doesn't change anything. Even if he knew... he would have still used it. He could speculate that it killed Sky because she wasn't attuned to it, like Viktor was. It's a tragedy it happened at all, but the worst that could have happened to Viktor in the state he was in, was that Jayce wouldn't have a body to mourn. Instead he waits by Viktor's comatose side, monitoring his vitals every few minutes, staying away all hours of the day at the slightest hope there will be something more than a steady but torpid pulse.
He's ready to agree to it all, but then Viktor asks him... that. Jayce frowns deep, trying to make sense of all these awful emotions he has. He doesn't know how to say it without it sounding dire, and he grasps for less concerning phrases and finds none, his vocabulary dried up.]
I can't think of a world where... where I exist, and you don't.
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I. Do you not think it's the same for me? [ He knows that he had saved Jayce all those years ago. Saved him from taking that final step off that ledge, and he knows that Jayce had saved him too in the same night, but in a different way entirely. ] You gave me a sense of purpose, a dream, and a means to help people that night. You saved me from a life of mundanity that I would have otherwise died in with little to no legacy. If not for you...
[ his life would have been so woefully boring. He swallows thickly, looks away again. ] So to say such things so easily. Then I am the same. [ A shaky breath that ends with a small cough. ]
Because I...[ Because I love you, have loved you for 7 years, and don't want to lose you. That he's afraid he will die here, and Jayce will do something stupid or drastic or both, and it will be this constant, never-ending cycle of them hurting each other because this body of his is useless and deteriorating.
But he doesn't say outright, but in so many words, it can be inferred when he finally manages to speak again. ]
My feelings for you have always been the same. They are...far deeper than you know, and I know that yours are the same... [ a pause as his voice comes out softer. ] because you told me back in Aphaia.
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It’s only when Viktor keeps going that Jayce starts to freeze.]
I- told you?
[The color drains from his face, as if he's just heard awful news. His hand curls into a fist and he holds it in front of his mouth, covering up how he anxiously gnaws at his bottom lip. He doesn’t remember that. He would remember this. This is— his future self, again?]
That I…
[He feels like he’s going to faint. What did his future self say, exactly? Feelings for him— there’s no way he’s misinterpreting that, right? If he’s wrong, this would ruin everything. But if he’s right…
Jayce looks to Viktor, exhaling a shaky breath. Silently, he takes a step closer. Then another, and another, until he’s only inches away.]
Viktor.
[He places his hand on Viktor’s cheek, his breathing heavy, feeling like anxiety is trying to pull his lungs out of his chest. With one last push of determination, he closes his eyes and leans forward, capturing Viktor’s lips with his own.]
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There's a soft noise of surprise from him as his own hand comes up to cup Jayce's cheek, deepening that kiss with a hitch of breath as he wants to taste and feel Jayce. His eyes will close as he presses against the other, only to stop and pull away, fear and worry in his eyes. ] Is this-Is this okay?
[ He doesn't want to ruin it, he doesn't want to ruin this. He doesn't want to seem so desperate and needy that he can barely control himself. How embarrassing it was that his face was so red already after just a kiss.
Viktor's expression is...strange, almost questioning, as if asking Jayce if he actually is the one he wants. As that unspoken question lingered between them, Viktor shifted awkwardly away, and for a second his eyes looked elsewhere, anywhere, but at Jayce. ]
no subject
I...
I don't know?
[He thinks of how it felt so natural to crawl into Viktor’s bed and sleep next to him, or when he fell asleep with his head in Viktor’s lap. The low rumble of Viktor’s voice when he says Jayce’s name, how good he imagined it would sound forming certain other words. The way he wants to push around Viktor’s hair to untangle it with his own fingers. How he would do anything… anything for him. Even things against Viktor’s will, just to be able to stay by his side. Viktor even knows this now, and he still wants to be with Jayce? That can’t be right. What he confessed to wasn’t normal. Maybe Viktor doesn’t realize yet that wasn’t a one-off situation. That Jayce would do that, or similar things, again and again.]
Are you sure?
[Are you sure you want me?]
I don’t think… I can change how I feel about you.
[It’s love; they both know this now. But it doesn’t feel the same way he loves Mel. It’s a kind of love that Jayce would make himself dizzy over; where he feels like the edges of it have grip that’s not afraid to leave clawmarks behind. Viktor should know this, before he agrees.]
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Viktor flushes as he looks at Jayce and then looks away again, thinking much the same thing. Does Jayce really like him, as he is, like this? That's all he can think, and it takes all his strength not to ask that question, fearing it would ruin the moment. But what Jayce doesn't know is that Viktor feels much the same. He has always been so eager, so willing to help and do good. Viktor has only ever wanted Jayce. Wanted him to understand, wanted him to believe, wanted nothing more than to just work with him in the lab, and work on their dream. Viktor has more restraint than most and even now he finds himself holding back in taking everything he possibly can from Jayce. ] I-I am sure, Jayce. I have...always been sure, since we met.
[ Another revelation that's probably going to be hard for Jayce to swallow and to accept. But Viktor says it just as easily as if it's nothing. Viktor swallows thickly, his amber eyes locking with Jayce's. It's love because that familiar pang in his chest that he knows all too well sits deep inside his chest cavity and threatens to knock the air from his diseased lungs. ] I don't think I could change my feelings for you. [ A pause as he idly strokes Jayce's cheek with his thumb. Of course, there have been times, like on the bridge, or their talking of making hextech weapons. His feelings may have faltered there, but it always ended up with Viktor wanting nothing more than his partner back. ]
I don't want you to change either. [ Even if he knows deep down how strange and utterly weird this is. The knowledge of Jayce using the hexcore on him to keep him alive, the betrayal that he felt when he was turned into something inhuman. How the knowledge of Jayce's actions towards him were all because of his devotion and love. It's hard to pinpoint if it's wrong to continue feeling this way, or if there's something fundamentally wrong with them both. Viktor doesn't linger too much on it because, despite all of that, it just feels right.
They were right for each other ever since that day they met and the night they decided to change the world. Two outcasts the world didn't believe in, only to have each other to the bitter end, it seems. ] I just want you.
[ It's only ever been just you. ]