Ruins Mingle Log!

[ohnehalfte]

Who: Newt Geiszler ohnehalfte and EVERYONE
What: So a bunch of people headed up towards the ruins, so they've got to all run into each other and start to congregate, right???
When: Evening of the mingle log and onwardish.
Where: The Ruins
Warnings: Um...same as the mingle log?



The beach curves up a gentle slope until it meets forest, some manner of building visible through the trees. Further exploration of this area will reveal a dilapidated building of sorts; the architecture is indiscernible to even the most skilled eye. Despite looking as if it has seen better days, there are areas that offer some form of shelter...and who knows what else. Just because it appears uninhabited doesn’t mean you won’t wind up pleasantly, or unpleasantly, surprised.


[ooc: Hey y'all! I thought this might be a good place to start getting larger groups of characters together to do some exploring, settling down, banding together and figuring out rations, etc. Feel free to throw up any threads of your own for specific things like exploration groups, a gathering in the entrance hall, whatever strikes your fancy or that you think your character would organize. Have a party!

Edit: Additionally, there is now an OOC Post for those that want to handwave their character signing up for ruin exploration]

Comments

ota

[boundwitch]

[Sieglinde has made it to the ruin, finally. Her Arachne Patousa were designed to function inside her house, and while they can handle stairs and the occasional stepping on books, the mechanical spider legs were not optimized for dirt, and especially not for sand.

But she's made it to the ruined building eventually, with much cursing and struggling and percussive maintenance. Her new backpack is on her back, her clothes (which are really not appropriate to wear outside, in the mind of anyone from the 1880s) are stiff with salt and still damp at the edges, and her silk stockings are torn at the knees, but she's made it.


There's an initial period of waving and yelling to get the attention of anyone walking by in order to get them over to the ruin party, but then this very intense eleven-year-old will get to work with a variety of tasks that can be done while sitting on the ground. Tasks like "organizing the stick piles so they can get very tall without falling over", "examining the pile of leaves intently and muttering under her breath while sorting leaves", or "yelling Hey, do you have food? at anyone she sees as she puts herself in charge of ration awareness".]

[pleasereset]

[With a lack of anything else to do, Asriel ends up following everyone else up to the ruins. He's not really up to exploring, but maybe there's some way he can be useful...

Before he can get too far though, a girl about his age with giant metal spider legs approaches him. He stares at the legs for a few seconds, thinking just how freaking cool they look and kind of wanting them, before realizing she asked him a question.]

Huh?? Oh, um... I have some bread?

[boundwitch]

[She presses a button on the side of the legs and they lower slightly, enough that her feet touch the ground (but she doesn't put any weight on her legs, and her feet are far too small for her height). She leans forward and the legs carry her a few more steps until she is probably uncomfortably close. Emerald green eyes take in the entire existence of the creature in front of her, studying the texture of the fur, the shape of the ears, puzzling out the way the skull must look under the layers of skin.


(Looking for the lines of a mask.)

He seems real enough, and Sieglinde accepts that. Sort of. She really wants to pull on his ears.]

How much bread?

[prettypurpleparlor]

Ah, what a marvelously stylish invention.

[Muffet seems delighted to see Sieglinde's spidery legs- as far as she's concerned, more humans ought to try that. It would be a major aesthetic improvement.]

Hello, dearie, may I ask your name?

[boundwitch]

[The creature in front of her is... really interesting. Sieglinde is never the sort of person to be really put off by monsters, not after being raised in a village guarded by werewolves.

She's more interested in how this spider woman could work, how her body could be put together and what her range of vision is. But she has at least a little bit of situational awareness and politeness, so she smiles and gives a little curtsy (or, as much of one as she can give while still wearing the spider legs).]

Sieglinde Sullivan. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.

[But, well, now that that part is over...]

I've never seen anything like you before. Do you just look like a spider or are you related to spiders? Can you talk to spiders? [Wait, wait, the most important part.] Can you make silk?

[prettypurpleparlor]

A pleasure to meet you, Miss Sullivan. My name is Muffet.

[She curtsies briefly in return.]

I am indeed a spider monster- we are, I admit, more magic than biology, but there are certainly notable similarities.

Other spider monsters I can, of course, speak to, but ordinary spiders aren't intelligent enough to really communicate with on anything more meaningful than making a threat display. Silk, however, I can provide, albeit not in unlimited quantities.

[boundwitch]

[Sieglinde nods, taking in and cataloguing the information.]

How much silk can you make? Spider silk is very good for bandages, and could also be used for rope or cloth.

[prettypurpleparlor]

It's hard to be sure of an exact number- it's a physical effort, so it depends on a number of factors, like health and how well I'm rested and so on. Enough to make some use of it, at least.

[boundwitch]

I understand. We will all be relying on your silk, so please make sure you remain healthy.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Aww, how sweet.]

I will, of course, do my best. Please do try to look after yourself, as well- you seem like a charming young lady, I'm sure it would be a terrible loss were we to be deprived of your help.

[boundwitch]

I am unaccustomed to caring for myself, but I believe I will be able to learn quickly. Thank you for your concern.

[prettypurpleparlor]

Think nothing of it- we are all here together, after all, it's in everyone's best interests to look out for each other. Do feel free to come and speak to me if you think you need help with something.

[boundwitch]

[Useful associate acquired.]

Thank you, Miss Muffet.

[prettypurpleparlor]

You're very welcome, dearie.

If you don't find it too personal a question, may I ask about the design of your apparatus? I'm curious to know who had the excellent idea to model it after one of my kind- I've always rather thought those of us who came out with extra legs had a useful advantage, but most humans seem to find it unnerving.

[boundwitch]

I designed it. [She says, confident in her design and her reasons for it.]

My observations of spiders indicated that additional legs would provide increased stability, which is necessary for movement on uneven ground.

[prettypurpleparlor]

You're quite talented, then.

I've always thought the spider monsters who wound up with more legs did have an advantage in that- although I suppose I do save money on shoes, in comparison.

[boundwitch]

[She crinkles her nose. Shoes are difficult.]

But your dresses must require more complicated tailoring. Do they make dress forms for more than two arms?

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Aw. That expression is adorable.]

Well, it might be more of a problem if I only ever went to human tailors, but monsters are much more likely to come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, so we're used to having a wide variety of clothing types.

Some don't wear any at all, but I've always enjoyed dressing fashionably when I can.

[boundwitch]

... I did not realize clothing was optional. [SIEGLINDE NO]

Yours appears far easier to wear than mine is. I require a maidservant to dress me, but I believe I should attempt to modify my wardrobe while I am here.

[prettypurpleparlor]

I think it depends on the context and culture- one obviously would wear protective clothing when in a dangerous environment even if it wasn't a regular habit, for example.

And most human cultures seem to have more of a taboo against nudity than monsters do. I've never been quite sure why...

[Come to think of it, the other humans on the island might be uncomfortable if this girl starts going around naked. Perhaps she should offer a few more reasons to stay dressed, so they avoid any awkwardness.]

Perhaps it's something to do with hygienic concerns? Monsters don't catch illnesses like humans do, since we're made of magic, so keeping skin covered so it can't be cut and risk the cut being infected might be more important.

[That probably covers it, right...?]

I would be happy to help you make something a little more suited to our current environment, if you'd like.

[boundwitch]

[The explanation makes sense, but she still doesn't like all the layers she's wearing.]

It would be unfortunate if I were to be injured because of a lack of clothing.

I do not know what people wear on islands, but my clothing is already somewhat indecent by English standards. [It's cut too short in the front, ending over her knees.]

[prettypurpleparlor]

Hm... I'm not personally familiar with either English standards or island weather, but I believe a sundress- that's a short, light dress with fewer layers- would be considered acceptable by most humans I've met.

[boundwitch]

[Fewer layers? Does Muffet really mean...]

Do you mean just one layer? What are you wearing right now?

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Yes, Sieglinde, there is a Santa Claus culture where people don't wear fifty different layers at all times.]

Well, in my case I'm wearing this capelet over my shirt because I enjoy the look of it, but the outfit would still be considered perfectly acceptable if I wasn't.

[boundwitch]

What about... [Her voice drops a bit, because this isn't something to shout about.] your underthings?