New Tick And Winter Fair!

[trpmods]

Whale Comb Back To New Tick!
If there was one thing the Agrii were rather good at foreseeing, it was apparently the snows that came along with the changing of the year on Agra-10. While the start of a new year rolled forward the snows grew deeper, until at last they formed a blanket over the city of Temba, one nearly a foot deep. The top-most layer of snow, nearly two inches thick, is different though. Instead of the soft white one might expect, the snow is a soft, pale pink shade that probably isn’t common in nature, but marks the arrival of something on Agra-10. It’s a lovely sort of snow too, the kind that packs perfectly for fort and snow creature making, and invites you to come and otherwise enjoy its unique beauty.

Those that have been here for a year or more might well recognize the signs that New Tick time has come again. Perhaps in this case they are the lucky ones, for they have already heard the whole spiel from An Nu in the past. Those He Rows that were present for the previous New Tick therefore only receive a brief message from the Agrii about the celebration, coming in the form of a text just before noon.

He Rows Greet they I am! Is An Nu to tell they that this is day! Is New Tick! Play in sweet cold! Is good luck! Go Whale Comb Sent Her and get gifts from us to they! Share memberings of last Tick! Play spark sticks! To Night more big sparks in sky. In next day have games and fun. This day all are fam. Be happy fam!

That is not the only message to go out of course. There are always new He Rows to explain things to. They will be treated to a spirited, high energy audio message at fifteen to noon. Because was there really any way that An Nu interacted except with insanely high energy?

New He Rows Greet They I Am! Am still An Nu, and I tell they of New Tick! New Tick mark Agra 10 move circle of sun. And mark day when time turn over in ship. Agrii group with fam and fronds to tell of all pass in last turning and turning before and before. Tell of life and happy and sad and all things. We give gifts of what come before. Give gifts to make good come for after.

When in Temba, before storms, Agrii play in sweet cold. Make many shapes and have games. Day has sweet cold, very much luck come. He Rows play in sweet cold then come Whale Comb Sent Her for gifts of Membering. We give food for tellings. Then, when dark, we give light sparks for New Tick wish time! Only burn sticks when it dark. They hold from body, sparks make burn pain. Give He Rows heal cream too, for burn pain. Then when much dark give sky fire, and drop ball of shine like He Row Bill Lee speak of! Great fun!

Sure enough as promised, all He Rows will find the Whale Comb Sent Her decked out for the holiday. The decorations inside are a collection of silver stars and garlands hanging about, and the big tables with Agrii foods are back, offering He Rows a meal to help with their celebrations. Actually, a lot of it are foods from Great Full too, including what seems to be Agrii attempts to recreate He Row dishes from the celebration. When one makes it past the tables (and obligatory stacks of peanut butter sandwiches, hearty stews, and roast ‘beasts’ made of vegetables), they will find the mounds of presents!

The presents are all wrapped in a metallic paper in shades of pink and purple, are covered in silver and gold bows, and come in various sizes. Every He Row will find a present labeled with their name, and inside they will find a gift from the Agrii. He Rows will find that even if they don’t attend on New Tick itself, the gift will wait for them in the Whale Comb Sent Her until they receive it, or until three days pass, at which point it will appear wherever they commonly sleep.

That night another table will appear at the door just inside the Whale Comb Sent Her doors. This one will be covered with two piles. The first will be of long, thin boxes that have sticks inside smelling faintly of sulfur and looking for all the world like sparklers. When lit these will result in a shower of quick, bright, and rapidly fading sparks in shades of pink, gold, and silver. These are An Nu’s light sparks, and they are fun to play with outside. The other pile there is made of jars of cream that, when applied to burns, will lead to quick relief of pain, and improved healing. But don’t spend too long looking at them, because soon after they appear, noises will start out in the Temba square. In the full dark of night, and perhaps accompanied by He Rows playing with sparklers, there will be a quick burst of fireworks. Well, they aren’t very good fireworks, because the Agrii don’t understand yet, but they’ve tried. In the course of a minute seven different lights will go off in the sky above the fountain, made up of bright sparks of pink and gold and silver, as if the Agrii have set off a lot of sparklers at once in one place. At least they tried.

The final culmination of the night, though, will come in the Whale Comb Sent Her lighting up from the outside, with lights pointed toward the top of the building. Where a new structure has been put in. From the ground it will look vaguely like a giant soap bubble on a stick, with some sort of glittering mass inside of it. It will slowly start to sink toward the building, in time with a series of beeps on He Rows’ communicators indicating a countdown. A countdown to the giant orb hitting the top of the building, the bubble popping, and the mass of pink and silver and purple and gold glitter inside falling free. Apparently New Tick is being celebrated with a snow of another type that definitely isn’t anyone’s fault in particular at all.

Winter Carnival!
The fun of course doesn’t end on that night either, as the Agrii did promise more celebration for the He Rows, didn’t they? The next morning comes (albeit with a layer of glitter around the Whale Comb Sent Her and nearby buildings), and it’s clear someone has been busy. The decorations in the Whale Comb Sent Her have been cleared away and instead reappear near the floodplain, which has frozen over for now. It seems like this area is set to be the center of the next two days of activities, and the Agrii are clearly trying hard. A lot of the booths from last year’s Rain Fare seem to have returned!

Arranged around the edges of the frozen over lake are huts and stalls, often wrapped in cloth to trap heat from braizers inside, and offering things for He Rows to do. The potion brewery has returned, as has a newly enclosed stage for musical performances complete with instruments. Instead of a forge and candle making tent there is a fluffy animal cuddling hut (the glownies don’t seem to mind this relocation), a comfy tent set up with supplies for wood carving, and even a little room that seems to be set up for fortune telling, not that there is a fortune teller around. There is, though, a mound of fortune cookies.

Training areas are set up as well, just as before, this time focusing on winter skills. There’s a tent set up for ice fishing so people can try their hand at it, and even rods and hooks provided (but no bait), there’s a stall with snow shoes so people can try their hands at walking on snow, and look, some Agrii even figured out skis and there’s a small cross country course set up through the trees! To go with it all there’s the archery range, an ax throwing hut with thankfully solid walls, and a tent just for people to try their hand at turning wire and pretty stones into jewelry. No, don’t ask why the Agrii think that is a skill, they clearly do.

The good news is that the Agrii are not the only ones contributing to this gathering. Some of the He Rows took the prompting of An Nu last month and created their own offerings. Those that did will find structures or areas suited to what they had wanted to offer. Out on the ice, for instance, there’s a table covered with different sizes of strap on skates, ready for He Rows to test their grace and agility and speed. Nearby on the shore is an area staked and roped off with higher than normal mounds of snow, and plenty of buckets, shovels, and other tools that look appropriate for sand castles, but seem intended for working in snow. There’s even a nice ‘prize’ on a table there, though Agrii seem to have taken the idea of a winner’s cup literally. He Row Reeve has offered to preserve sculptures with ice magic for judging, so no doubt there will be a victor.

Near the edges of the lake, where the heat won’t be a problem for the ice, a larger pavilion is set up in shades of red and green that absolutely clash. Inside the pavilion is quite warm from scattered wood burning braizers, as well as others at which meats and vegetables are being roasted and others where breads are being made, stews being heated, and even smaller cauldrons of hot tea, chocolate, and mulled spice red drink are being kept warm. All of this is an offering from He Row Tommy and any diner workers willing to assist, a place to warm oneself, eat, and share the companionship of friends. The stage tent is even nearby, so one can hear music if others deign to play. And for those that are cold but don’t feel like the heat of the pavilion, there is a stand near the ice that is left unattended, but is covered in sweaters, gloves, hats, and scarves, all clearly knitted of glownie wool. Most of them are undyed and pale, but some are in vibrant colors, and clearly made with love. A sign on the stand in an elegant script says ‘Take what you need to stay warm -Lark’.

But little of this is truly suitable for night time fun, right? The cold will be too deep for sports, and food can only get you so far. Ah, but someone has already inspired the Agrii to do more. At night the area prepared for the stage changes. At night the illusory people that tended the Rain Fare appear once more, seeming to play music. Well, they stand at instruments and music plays at least. Just inside the entrance flap to the tent are a mound of masks for people to put on for dancing to the music. All of the masks are identical, and all of them are of an Agrii’s face. Ga Re’s in particular. It seems someone told Agrii about masquerade balls, but they didn’t really understand the assignment. Especially since the dance floor is absolutely littered with colorful children’s ballpit balls. Oh well, at least they’re trying, and the music is probably good enough to dance to.

FAQ
Is the Pink Snow safe to eat?
Yep. It's just snow that tastes faintly sweet. Anyone who could study it on a molecular level will find that it has a very small amount of a sweet compound in it, but it will not leave your hands, or the city, sticky when it passes.

I didn't ask for something on the Season of Gifting page, or I joined the game after the cut off date. What does that mean for my character(s)?
Any character that didn't have a request posted will receive one (1) full outfit from home that previously belonged to them. The rules here is that the outfit cannot have a power/ability/armor associated with it. These are just casual clothes. The outfit can either be complete or a single piece of clothing, but will include no more than: a hat, some garment for the upper body like a shirt/sweater/tank-top, some over coverage like a coat/jacket/cape/cloak, a garment for the lower body such as shorts/pants/skirts/leggings, a garment for cushioning shoes such as stockings/socks/pantihose, appropriate undergarments, some form of footwear, gloves/mittens, and possibly a scarf or tie. A dress/robe/other one piece clothing can be used to substitute for upper/lower body pieces. No jewelry/accessories will come through.

You do not have to run this outfit by the mods for approval, we ask you to just respect that the outfit does not have powers/abilities/armor aspects. We want people comfortable, but not gaining an advantage with these clothes. For instance if someone were playing Master Chief from Halo, his 'outfit' could not be a set of power armor. If your character doesn't have clothes this would normally be true of back home, they will receive a casual outfit identical to an outfit you want them to have that doesn't have special properties to them. If you have questions ask them in the first comment below

What happens if I try and open someone else's gift?
Any He Row attempting to open someone else's gift will receive a light shock from the package which will cause them to drop it. No matter how many times they try, they will not be able to open a gift that is not for them. Nor will they be able to destroy it. No amount of dropping will break the presents while they remain in their packaging.

Does this mean the wrapping paper/boxes/etc is indestructible?
Only until they are opened. Then the paper and boxes and other things can be destroyed through any conventional (and numerous unconventional) ways. Characters may take these to reuse them, but anything discarded packaging/wrapping that remains in the Whale Comb Sent Her overnight will disappear the first moment no one is looking at it.

Okay, are the Light Sparks just sparklers?
Yep! Just sparklers. They come in any variety you might normally find as a normal stick sparkler. Enjoy your little fireworks! Any unused sparklers will disappear at the next dawn. The burn cream will remain.

Do I have to tell everyone what gift I got?
Nope. Just like with a gift you open when no one is looking, He Rows don't have to share what they get with each other. This is true IC and OOC. You can be as open or as secret as you wish to be.

Can I use this as a Mingle Log?
Yep. Just put your top levels below. You're also welcome to make your own Log or Network Posts if you want. Any Top-Level started on this page will be valid for January AC. So don't be afraid to do what makes you happiest! Happy New Year to all!

Who will win the Snow Sculpture Contest?
Everyone can sign up for the sculpting contest in the second comment below. Please include a description of what the character would have made. Then indicate whether you would like them to be considered a possible winner or not. Any potential winners will be put into an RNG to decide the absolute winner who gets the mug. If there are only people who indicate they don’t think they should win, those people will be in the pool to win. If only one person enters, that person will win by default.

I wanted to set up a booth and forgot to submit information!
Any He Row can see what is going on and put together their own booth for the winter festival. There will be empty booths around they can convert to their purposes. They are also welcome to tear down these empty booths for supplies. Who is really going to stop them? If you’re adding a booth, please indicate it in the first comment below, with a subject line of ‘Winter Fair Addition’ so people know what else they might be able to do.

Comments

[small_compromise]

Lying isn't something she's ever had to do, so of course she's being quite honest. Omega tilts her head at him as he stares at her, but she's glad he seems to believe her finally.

"He shared it with all of them, so it had a lot of things that everyone must've brought or collected. All the equipment and tools reminds me of Tech's side of things," she says. It hadn't been too difficult to guess at what belonged to who, not that she'd gotten too much of a chance to explore before the Coruscant guards found her poking around.

She steps over to the huge motor, mouthing a 'wow' as she looks at it. There's a tinkle of metal from one of the tools, and turning she spies the mothkitten, stepping over to scoop Dart up before she can get into more mischief. "You...said something about a birthday earlier, didn't you?" she prompts, looking back where Dustin had gone.

[quark_assassin]

Dustin nods faintly in recognition. Shared barracks - right, that makes more sense. The name 'Tech' is a little on the nose, he thinks, but Dustin keeps that one to himself. He flips the switch on the space heater and it whirrs to life with a blast of warmth fanned from the coils.

But before he has time to relax in the heat, Dart makes her move. Dustin whips his head around at the noise, every muscle tense; thankfully Omega gets to the mothkitten first. Still, the boy looks agitated as he shuffles over to the toolbench, meticulously replacing the tools that the creature had shifted out of the spots he'd left them.

Omega's question doesn't do his nerves any favors. "I--" Dustin locks up, mouth drawn into a thin line. Really need to start watching what I say when I think I'm alone. "--Yeah," he says after a moment, deflating slightly. A hand sweeps through his hair. "Uh. Mine. Eight days ago, technically."

[small_compromise]

Omega looks apologetic at least as she sees Dustin's expression when he goes to fix things. She gives the squirmy mothkitten in her arms a scratching under the chin until the little one seems to settle.

At first she wonders that she's stepped over too many lines as the boy pauses, and she looks away, as though removing her direct attention from him might be an equivalent to giving him some space. She's already kind intruding here as it is, so she supposes she can't blame him if he doesn't want to answer. It's a bit surprising when he does, and Omega smiles faintly when she looks back over at him.

"Did you celebrate?" she asks, head tilting at him.

[quark_assassin]

Dustin, in turn, looks at Omega like she's grown a second head.

"...No?" he says, squinting. "Why would I? It'd just be a stupid waste of time."

This is the critically rational part of his brain talking, of course; emotionally, he'd been surprisingly disappointed by the lack of celebration compared to years past, even when most of those had been just him and his adopted mother. But here, even bringing it up just seemed so...pointless. Frivolous. Who would even care?

[small_compromise]

"O-oh, right. Of course," Omega says, both disappointed and feeling silly for asking. The conversation had gone differently with Peter, and she can tell that the same reasoning wouldn't work here. She looks down, finding Dart shoving her head against her face. It's hard to stay sad for long when you had a snuggly mothkitten in your coat. She giggles softly, obliging the little furball with a hug.

"...I guess we should leave, then." The girl turns, pausing to look towards where they'd abandoned the present. "I hope the Agrii got you something nice from home, at least."

[quark_assassin]

In a stunning show of compassion, Dustin not only realizes that he's done something unpleasant, but actually ends up feeling bad about it. He hadn't intended to make Omega uncomfortable for asking - he'd just wanted to speak his mind, and his mind is often very critical about pretty much everything. Obviously retrospect clears that up for him. Dustin winces and quickly looks away, staring at his feet until Omega speaks again.

"--Right," he agrees quickly. A hand is shoved into his hair, anxiously kneading at his scalp. "Ah. Thanks for helping me get it here, I guess."

[small_compromise]

It's a small thing, but perhaps she's realized that from Dustin, it's a lot more. She turns towards him with a small smile.

"Anytime. And I mean that," Omega says. "You don't have to do things alone." The mothkitten gives a little prrrrt! as if in agreement, and Omega laughs a little. "See you around, Dustin. Um- I won't have any trouble with the door, will I?" Just to make sure. It seems to lock somehow, after all.

[quark_assassin]

Okay, that's enough. Dustin huffs and waves Omega away, refusing to give her platitudes any further acknowledgement. "Just unlatch the deadbolt," he mutters. "It'll lock behind you."

[small_compromise]

Omega was going to take her victories where she got them. With a nod and a wave, she tucks the mothkitten deeper into her coat before turning to let themselves out.