event log: winter wonderland

[moustre]

Event Log: July, Snow Sun? Snow Fun.

Summer's First Snowfall Juril comes in as hot as Iuneril did - muggy, humid, tense. The city buzzes softly with rumors of accidents and incidents, the faint pink skies lasting far too long and starting far too early only bolstering these. I burnt my buns last month, it goes. I never burn my buns. The flowers haven't been growing as well as usual, it goes. It must be because we had red skies during Litha. Such superstitions might be laughable - but in a world of magic, maybe they hold a little more truth than one might want to acknowledge. Still, for as many rumors as there are, there are just as many people who refuse to let the omen get them down. They might be a little more cautious, but they're hardly stopping what they're doing: sailors in the harbors carry good luck charms as they work, households hang sprigs of chamomile above their doors, Witches pound out extras of finding, luck, and safety magics in enchantment and potion form... Aefenglom is a superstitious city, but it's also a hardy one. It's the superstitious nature that leads some intrepid young Witches to think everyone needs a little distraction from thinking about the color of the sky, however, and as the sun crests over the bay, white flakes begin to fall. The air grows colder, and throughout the day, the snowfall grows heavier and heavier until it blankets the city - or a few key parts of it. The snow shows no sign of stopping either; while it lightens up periodically, it still flurries on. That might not be entirely intended - and the snowstorm that hits near the end of the month definitely isn't. Enjoy a peaceful snocation while you can, Aefenglom. As noted on the calendar, this phenomenon will last all of the month! Feel free to set your threads and logs at any point during the month of July; all activities listed in the prompts below will also be going on throughout it.

I. THE COVEN For the first week of snow, the Cove calls off classes. It's not exactly a secret that the Head of the Coven proper has a fondness for the cold, so it doesn't come as a surprise to the students she'd put a temporary hold on instruction-based learning so she they could all enjoy it properly. There are just as many Witches deciding to study on their own as there are enjoying the respite from their professors, however - every opportunity to practice is a good opportunity. For the rest of the month, it's back to business - but students still find time to have a little fun with the cold weather both during and after their classes, and their professors don't discourage it too much. a. Winter's Touch It should come as no surprise at all that when Witches get involved with snowball fights, they use their talents to their advantage to send multiple chilly missiles at one another. They float, they fly, and some of them even latch onto the closest heat signature they can find - whether or not that was the intended target. Keep your wits about you, return fire, or cajole others into joining in! There's no such thing as "allies" when it comes to the Coven's brand of snowfights. b. Enchant Snowcreature Snowmen aren't the only things that get created during the winter; animals of all shapes and sizes do too, and it's not uncommon to see the snow version of animals both of the regular variety (birds, deer, squirrels, cats, foxes, and so on) and rare (the fairytale depiction of dragons, unicorns, sphinxes, and pixies, to name just a few) roaming around along with a Frosty or two. There's even a sled ride hosted by a pair of snow pegasi for those interested in getting off the ground. c. Ice Spires Instead of building forts and castles like regular people, Witches at the Coven use a mixture of transfiguration and conjuration magics to simply draw them from the surrounding snow and ice themselves, Elsa-style. Their creations range from the beautiful and intricate, to the hardy and hard-to-navigate - for safety reasons, naturally - and some even draw up elaborate staircases to the skies to expand on their creations. Make your own or simply explore the creations with a friend - but be careful, as at least one Witch has the had the inspiration to magic up some sprigs of mistletoe to hang in their snow fort. d. Winter's Respite Not everyone is happy with the snow, however; in particular, those tending the gardens of the Coven are quite frustrated - plants, even magical ones, are quite delicate and sensitive to the cold!! As a result, there are warmer spots even around the Coven's courtyard; the snow is melted, and the Witches there are doing their best to save the chilled plants. This is also where one can take a break from all the cold and get some hot coffee that'll keep you warm for hours after finishing it and clothes enchanted to adjust their temperature depending on the temperature - for those who don't want to ruin their sporty short-sleeves style for heavy winter clothes. These enchantments only last a few hours, however. For the interested: yes, the Witches are more than willing to teach those who'd like to learn how to do this - though their version of teaching seems to be more "watch and learn" than actual instruction.

II. THE RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS Encompassing the Residential District proper on both sides of the River Temese, the Aristocratic District, and the Haven, the housing districts are similarly covered in snow - the Aristocratic District has gotten the worst of it in particular, being in the perfect place to center the massive weather spell the Witches responsible have set off. While the streets are quickly being cleared to make foot and hoof traffic a little easier, there's still a lot of snow and ice to take part in, and just as many people willing to have a good time in it. Children in particular are having the time of their lives in all the districts, and the sudden cold weather seems to draw people together - perhaps a little too literally, with long scarves grabbing the nearest person to make a pair, mittens that won't let you stop holding hands until you've gotten somewhere warm, and wooly hats that suggest in quiet whispers to you that you should definitely go give that person you just locked eyes with a hug, they look so lonely... Whether they actually do or not. Someone might've had a little fun with their sewing. a. EASTERN RESIDENTIAL In addition to the usual snow fun (with a significantly less magical spin on it than the Coven - magic is still present, but not to the same wild extent), there are hearty soups, hot chocolate, and fires to warm oneself around. Take a seat and relax a little; almost everything is free, though those wishing to purchase some (secretly enchanted) clothes to stay warm in a more permanent fashion than what's offered at the Coven. b. WESTERN RESIDENTIAL Compared to the other housing districts, the snow in on the western side of the Residential District is much less - and that's due to the presence of heated stones. Alone or grouped together, those more cold-blooded in nature gather to rest and keep themselves awake while the chilly weather marches on. Nagas, Chimeras, and even the exceptionally rare Dragon or Fae can be seen here, with Vampires lurking around in similar spots with umbrellas and tarps up to shade them further from the darkened snowy sky. Spicy foods are popularly handed out around these areas, while in general everyone seems in favor of cuddling up a little. c. ARISTOCRATIC DISTRICT While there are still rumors of pickpockets and petty thievery about (and the suspicious looks that come with such words from locals in the area), it hasn't dampened the spirit of those who really, really enjoy snow one bit. There's less activity than in either Residential District (and a lot more complaining about the weather), but what activity there is makes up for it: igloo-making, ice skating on makeshift rinks in the middle of intersections, sledding on the massive piles of snow, and taking a jingle bell-filled ride in a horse-drawn sleigh through the stunning Aristocratic District. The latter is especially good for those traveling to and from The Haven and don't want to get their feet too cold (or who can't handle the cold temperatures at all). d. THE HAVEN While most of The Haven has been relatively untouched, minus anything anyone living within it might have done - that's you, mirrorbounds - the barracks have been extra dressed up with lanterns and blankets to help keep out the cold a little better, and keep the warmth in. Some kinder Witches have also conjured up a few extra water fixtures, but not for skating on: hot springs populate the larger areas that aren't already taken up by houses, and for those not willing or unable to get in the water, there are sauna options as well in the same areas. Don't get too steamy, though - people getting a little too heated in these areas will automatically have cool water poured on them by some magical means in an effort to get them cooled off. It's a spell designed to keep people from overheating, but it isn't very picky with what it considers "too hot".

III. THE HARBOR DISTRICT Like the southern half of the city, the Harbor District is relatively untouched - relatively. It's an area much more based around industry and work than anything else, and interrupting it isn't looked on very favorable. With that said, though, the harbor is fairly large, and Witches finding a place to practice their own ice magic (inspired, evidently, by the going-ons at the Coven) have managed to bring of the winter cheer to the otherwise dreary district. The orphans, a mix of humans and Monsters, are more than delighted by this turn of events, and they're a common sight playing in the snow summoned around their orphanages when they're not working in the many factories of the Harbor District. What's notable about them is that they don't use any magic at all when dealing with the snow - they've never had any learning in actually utilizing it for themselves, only in feeding it through the magitech used in their workplaces. Any and all shows of the stuff for purely fun reasons, therefore, bring forth grins and awe, regardless of the kind shown. Provided it isn't used to hurt anyone, of course. a. ICE FISHING The areas of the bay that are iced over - either gotten by permission or by careful people watching to see how much use the area actually gets - are home to a surprisingly popular activity: ice fishing. Fishing rods, spears, ice chisels, and boots made for stepping on the ice are easy to obtain from those who've set up shop in the area, and many people have already taken to the frozen ground to try their luck at catching something further out than the piers. There are places to cook and eat what's freshly caught as well, but mind your step; the places where holes were are less thick, even as Witches routinely make certain to refreeze them every hour or so to encourage fresh activity in the area. b. ICE SKATING The other not-as-surprising popular activity for such large swaths of frozen water is, of course, ice skating - and of course, unlike other areas which assume you already have the gear to do so, people have specifically (and quite quickly) set up stalls to sell their skates and sleds for prime ice fun. A little early for their winter line-up, but they're making do. Decorated with small bouncing lights hung on strings, not to mention the tents set up with blankets and pillows, the Harbor District's ice skating area is meant for those who'd like to take to the ice during both the day and night - and the latter is particularly enchanting in its beauty, the soft lighting allowing the frost to glitter in multi-color glory.

Welcome to your snow-filled event log! As a reminder, this will take place over the whole of July, so feel free to take prompts and inspiration for it for threads at any point. If you have any questions or need any clarifications, you can ask them here! We hope you all have a good time and don't give us the cold shoulder for pulling off not-Christmas in July.

Comments

seasons - a

[thisisamazing]

In contrast, Hiccup Haddock seems utterly content with the sudden frigid blanket of snow that has fallen over Aefenglom. On Berk, it's practically winter 9 months out of the year; the heat of the summer had been so much worse for him. He seems at home, strolling along in his wool and leathers, walking on a cleated prosthetic foot to keep from slipping on errant patches of ice. Toothless is several yards ahead, bounding happily through snowdrifts on the sides of the road and undoing the ploughers' work.

He happens to overhear, and he looks over at the guy huddled next to a steaming pipe in the side of a building, tilting his head curiously. "Is it that crazy? It's still hot as the center of a volcano outside the city. This is actually nice." To his very Northern bones, at least. "But you're probably freezing in those clothes. You should really get something thicker."

[thisisamazing]

"Oh, I guess you have a point there. I don't know if it'll be just a few days, though, it could be longer..." Depending on however long the casters of this spell want to escape the heat, he guesses. "If money's the problem, hold on-" He cuts himself off to dig in one of the pouches on his belt, and pulls a 5000 cune note off a roll of other notes, then holds it out with an easy smile. "Here. Just in case, you should probably at least have a coat." Maybe that's a little excessive but he's still getting the hang of numbered currency, okay.

His smile dims a little when he brings up the plight of the city's poor, though, and he glances up briefly at the sky. "That's... I guess I didn't think about how much effort it must have taken to do this. I still don't know a lot about magic. Are those things possible?" He comes from a totally magic-less land, and has no idea what it's actually capable of at times. "I live out in the slums, so I know what you mean. The snow doesn't even reach out there. Does that mean they didn't even think about the people out there wanting to cool off too?"

[thisisamazing]

Hiccup shrugs, but he puts the note away, thinking the whole refusal is a little dramatic but who is he to judge? Keith has been giving him lessons about not making people feel like 'charity cases' but not accepting help and not giving help is still a strange concept to him. "If you're sure."

He reaches out to shake, his grip politely firm and his palms calloused from work. "I'm Hiccup. I'm, uh. A dragon-rider, not... the whole magic thing is new to me completely." He gestures vaguely as if it illustrates his point. "Actually, I guess there are a lot of things I don't get here. Why don't they help the people out there? Some of the citizens have so much and others so little. That's not how we live on Berk, at all."

seasons - c

[halfheartedmagician]

Asra had seen enough to duck out of the way of a group of children racing around in the snow like over-excited puppies, snowballs flying back and forth with no regard to who else they might hit other than a shouted "sorry mister!" before the group scattered and scrambled away. He couldn't help but laugh a little, turning to see who'd been the unfortunate caught in the crossfire, although the humour faded as he saw the state the other man was in.

Immediately he raced to the other's side where he was clinging to a pipe, bending in a fluid motion on the way to scoop up the cane and offer it to him while bracing him with the other hand.

"Are you alright?" The tears didn't escape his notice, and his eyes skimmed briefly over the familiar figure for any sign of injury. "I know a little healing magic if you need it."

[halfheartedmagician]

"It's alright," he soothed, making sure that the other man was stable before he drew back and looked around at the scattered papers. "You can't expect me to just leave you after that. Let me at least help you with these and to where you were going."

He gave the other man a reassuring smile before starting to collect the papers quickly, trying to stop them from getting too damp from the snow. He perhaps had an easier time moving than the other man as well as Asra continued to wear his habitual outfit, his only apparent acknowledgement of the cold the extra scarf and coat. Learning the enchantments for their clothing had been particularly useful for him, and he was more than happy to help someone who apparently hadn't that option.

"Where were you headed? We might be going the same way."

[halfheartedmagician]

Asra laughed softly, scooping up the last of the papers and offering them to the other man with a smile. "It's an enchantment on my clothing, I feel just as warm as you, I promise."

He'd already been considering walking the other man to his destination to make sure he didn't have another fall when a name catches his attention and surprise flickered across his features.

"Symon? I know him. We've spoken a few times, but I don't think he's ever said much about you. I'm Asra." He imagined the lack of information had more to do with Symon not wanting to let on much of his own life, but nonetheless he was curious, especially now he was meeting the mysterious other man.

"Could I walk with you? I have some tea blends I'd be happy to offer in return."

[halfheartedmagician]

"There's the energy cost of course but they say that witches need to use magic regularly anyway." He hadn't really paid too much attention to the risks of magic here, the rest of it similar enough to what he was used to in Vesuvia that he didn't think too much about it.

He was much more interested in hearing more about Symon anyway and a smile curled his own lips at the look on Lyr's face.

"You really care for him, don't you," he said quietly, after the introductions were done. There was a note of wistfulness in his voice, reminded of seeing that smile on someone else's face, once.

[halfheartedmagician]

"He saved your life?" He didn't try to keep the surprise out of his voice, having difficulty imagining Symon going out of his way for something like that, let alone taking care of the person afterwards. Not that he thought Symon would ignore someone in need either, but he imagined he would be more likely to help if it served another goal, and caring afterwards...

Perhaps he'd misjudged the other man. Lyr had said he tended to keep others at a distance, perhaps his need for privacy was stronger than Asra had realised and once someone got closer to him, he was a different person. He knew someone else like that.

"How did that happen?" he asked, keeping pace with Lyr, an eye out for any other patches of ice that might be a risk for the other man's cane.

[halfheartedmagician]

Had he realised exactly how personal the story was and how little Lyr wanted to share it, he wouldn't have asked. But Lyr started speaking and Asra fell silent, although as the tale stretched out he moved almost instinctive, protectively, closer to the other man. He didn't reach out to touch or try to guide Lyr, but his brow creased and something like simmering anger settled behind his gaze.

He didn't like what Symon had apparently been party to, but... he knew as well how it felt to be trapped serving the whims of some cruel tyrant. And how much someone might be willing to endure for the sake of a plan.

"I can't imagine how you managed to see him as anything but an attacker," he admitted after a long moment. "After everything that happened to you, even that kindness must have been difficult to accept at times."

The story prompted his own memories, and Asra remembered then when he'd met Lyr first, the story of his uncle then. The same quiet, shy young man telling his stories, the same sadness in his voice then as there was now.

He reached out to brush his fingers against Lyr's shoulder briefly. "But I am glad that you both had each other."

lord and saviour - a

[exterreo]

Somnus is… well. Saying he’s too logical to appreciate something like art would not be quite accurate since he does enjoy music and he likes playing his pan flute quite a bit. But he’s definitely not an artist in nature, there’s a reason his color scheme consists mostly of blacks and blues with a tiny bit of silver splashed in.

So he just kind of… blinks in confusion when he’s asked.

“Well.” Is all he says at first, trying to come up with an actual answer because he wouldn’t be Somnus if he just up and admitted he didn’t know the answer to something. “... What’s the purpose of this, anyway? To get people’s attention?”

[exterreo]

His first instinct... well, he wasn't a religious kind of man or he wouldn't played around with the Astrals' prophecy the way he had, he wouldn't have changed people's destinies. So this kind of went over his had.

But the other man seemed to earnest about wanting his opinion it made it quite hard to dismiss.

"Well... with tile red like that I would actually go with Olive red. Or maybe a light shade of blue, rather than white- but I am not sure if you have access to those colors. Do you work inside this building, or are you simply the artist?"

seasons C

[belligerentwarrior]

Well, that was... graceless. That snowball had been meant for her, Fang was sure. She wouldn't have ducked out of the way had she realized the priest was there. She pitched a projectile back at her opponents with a "bugger off!" before turning her attention back to the man.

"Oi, you in one piece?"

Her eyes drifted towards the fallen cane and books, and the tall woman meandered that way. What little fur she'd grown so far as a turnskin was hidden out of sight by her winter cloak, and aside from some distinctly pointy teeth, looked human still.

[belligerentwarrior]

Fang stooped to help with the books, since the man'd already gone for the cane.

"Doesn't change the fact they did." She paused her gathering to observe him and his flustered state for a moment, but then resumed without drawing attention to it. "'sides, I should be apologizing to you. Pretty sure that throw had my name on it."

Fang picked up the bag, noting a tear in the side from the tumble.

what the fuck ARE seasons? - b.

[silentsavant]

The untimely chill is brutal on his very bones, permeating into the ex-mage's body language as he hunches in on himself in a tense self-embrace, unable to keep his teeth from chattering. His complexion, cadaverous enough to tinge his lips blue. He shuffles through the snow at a turtle's pace, wondering if (or rather, when) his body will stop moving completely. He's turning into a reptilian monster, after all, even if the only signs to show for it are his constricted pupils and the black scales peppering his clothed arms and covered hands.

It wouldn't be the first time Lyr has so cordially offered him tea. The few instances he has, Soren turned him down each time. He'd been 'too busy' or 'didn't feel like it', immune to the warmth of the priest's personality. However, in this moment, he finds himself submitting the notion some consideration. He maintains dim eye contact, eyes dull where they would normally be penetrating and alert.

"...I suppose... I could take you up on it. I n-need to... warm up anyway..."

He doesn't even care how he comes across to the other man. Probably like a wisp, ready to blow away; he has enough self-awareness left to figure that. He can't even bring himself to care if he gets fussed over, either. As long as he can be warm, that is enough.