a city of random beauty

I fell in a manhole on Wednesday afternoon while still on the clock for work. 

When I say I fell in, I mean, the ground disappeared and I dropped. I caught myself by my elbows and leaning forward, but my right shin is all scraped up (and still slowly bleeding if I walk on it, which I have to do) and my high upper left thigh is all abrasions and bruises.

The left thigh is the worst part because that muscle is now bruised and you use that muscle to move. Walking hurts. Steps are killer. I've figured out that if I turn my left foot out a bit and move the side of my foot forward instead, then shift my hips to swing my right leg forward, it doesn't hurt as much and I can move more quickly. Even so.

I've got a wedge pillow so I've been using that and sleeping on my couch (easier to keep the wedge in place) to keep my legs elevated while I sleep.

The abrasions also burn-itch, especially after I put on antibiotic cream and change the bandage. 

I'm better today than yesterday, if only because I was able to pull my left leg up into my chair to sit. I've filled out the fun medical materials for work. I could have apparently taken yesterday off (except I had to go in to file the report). Nearly everyone I tell says I should sue the city. And I'm like, 'for what?' No broken bones. No permanent injuries. Yes, walking hurts, but I can walk. Yes, it shouldn't have happened, but ?

Anyway. That's me right now. I'm working from home today. Not my favorite thing to do (I like my routine w/ writing time), but it is easier to elevate here/etc.

Okay, so I had basics before, but now that I'm shifting further from masc/fem associations with sky/sea/land, I want fashion to be more gender-neutral from a real world perspective, but still distinct in-world.

The basics remain the same.

Everyone wears undergarments of a snug undershirt (knit or woven) and woolen leggings/hose. When it is cold, people will wear a sweater over this as well.

The outer garments everyone wears are a sweater of varying thickness and a pair of loose trousers that can be buckled or drawn to gather at the cuff when it is windy/cold.

Sky silhouettes, I've decided, emphasize movement and so the preference is for draped garments and loose garments. Something like an arisaid is popular. If the airsaid is covering enough, they may forgo the trousers and/or sweater of the base outfit. They also prefer cloaks over coats, but may forgo both.

Land silhouettes, in contrast, emphasize structure and so the emphasis is on fitted jackets (rather than cardigans or sweaters) and felted hats. They prefer coats over cloaks.

Sea silhouettes emphasize volume and so their sweaters tend to be looser and thicker and their trousers look more like tobi pants or knickerbockers. They'll wear either coats or cloaks. Or maybe something like a cloak with sleeves (a mantle?).

So all three wear the same basics, but each has something extra. 

The Lamplighters are very active and don't tend to be super wealthy, so their outfits cleave more to the basics, but you'll see the variation in coat vs cloak and Sea-called with a greater bell to their trousers or comfier looking sweaters. 

...I'm going to have to go through and adjust all clothing descriptions now. But, this has been bugging me for a while. I've been avoiding clothing descriptions for the most part because I didn't have good answers.

I think children tend to wear cloaks, too, because those can last through size changes better. 

What I've been landing on is this: I provide a choice when at least one of the following is true:

1. The choice allows the player to be a specific type of MC (empathetic vs logical; subtle vs sensational; a little mean)
2. The choice affects mechanics (e.g., stat changes, stat tests)
3. The choice leads to significantly different text and non-essential knowledge (essential knowledge is always passed on, but may receive varying degrees of emphasis)