[OPEN EVENT] Weekend Winter Wonderland

[wintershepherd]

Characters: All?
Date: March 8th-11th
Location: All of Keeliai
Situation: It's been a stressful month thus far for a lot of people, but Jack is determined to Make All The Happy and decides he needs to get back to his wintery roots by giving the city a proper snowing.
Warnings/Rating: People high on snow glitter?
NOTES: Actionspam OR prose, whatever is preferred! (Settings were just easier to prose.) Make your own thread headers if none of these suit! ♥



Jack had spent the last three hours balanced motionlessly on the top of a flagpole, head tilted back as he listened to the wind and the sound of the city below. Where is Winter? it asked. I'm here! the spirit replied, but he knew it didn't mean his physical presence. He'd had too much on his mind and too much in his heart and in that sense he had indeed been absent these last few weeks.

Eyes closed and thoughtlessly trusting, he tipped forward into open air, letting the wind catch him and hurl him upward into the misty cloud cover that scudded across the stars tonight. At his touch they thickened, fat and pale grey against the indigo backdrop and Jack swirled them up, the motions so ingrained in him they felt just like breathing. In the small hours of the morning snowflakes began to fall on the sleeping city, specks at first but then quickly becoming heavier.

Now with a fresh canvas to work with, Jack was really in his element. He could never have done something like this back home, not anywhere in his world. It would have been too strange, too inexplicable, drawn too much attention. But here on the turtle, things were different. There wasn't really a semblance of normal and Jack poured his imagination and heart into the things he wanted most to share, and from the snow rose gleaming swirls of snow and blue light, forming things of exceptional detail and delight.

By the time the sun rose, a solid three feet of the snow had blanketed the city, glistening and crisp and Jack went rocketing down the streets, rapping on doors and windows to leave spirals of frost on every surface.

"Whooohoo! Snow day! Get up sleepyheads, everyone come out and play!"


THREAD STARTERS
Ice Skating | Snowball Battle | Sledding Hill | Ice Cityscapes | Kids Playground | OOC Plot Post

Comments

[poeticverses]

As far as I am aware--and I have read many things involving dragons--all dragons breathe fire and have a horde of precious metals and jewels. They are also prone to kidnapping helpless maidens, but I do not believe that is the case for your world, Temeraire. You are much too civilized for that.

[dracobin]

Well, I suppose I would not object to a horde of precious metals and jewels, even if I do not breathe fire. I have heard they are very comfortable to sleep on. But pray, why would they kidnap helpless maidens? I cannot see the point in it, unless they wanted company.

[poeticverses]

There is never any given reason, except the occasional sacrifice or tithe required to keep the kingdom safe. It's generally assumed that the dragons...euh, eat them or otherwise dispose of the girl.

[dracobin]

[what ew.]

But that is revolting; why should any dragon want to eat a girl, and what makes girls any tastier than boys, for that matter? And would a nice cow not have a great deal more meat on it, and be easier to obtain besides?

[poeticverses]

It is the idea of a damsel in distress--the maidens are always victims as the hero is always a man, usually a knight, prince, or particularly skilled peasant who then gets to marry the girl. It's quite a common plot.

[dracobin]

Oh, I have heard of this before, though I do not quite understand the explanation I received: something to do with women having to care for your eggs, and I confess it did not make much sense to me at the time. I still do not see why it ought to be so. There are women in the Corps, and I would wager that Catherine and Jane could beat most any knight in a duel, and certainly any peasant, skilled or not.

[poeticverses]

Women are the only ones capable of giving birth and are generally more suited to the role of caretaker. As such, they are entitled to protection and are frequently victims if they are not. I will admit to having met several forceful women in my life, as well as several caring men but as a rule women are mothers and caretakers.

[A pause]

And humans do not have eggs.

[dracobin]

But it does not follow that women are suited to the role; just because they can give birth does not mean they must, and I do not see why they should require protection because of it, either, unless it is while they are carrying an egg. Surely having eggs is not all that women do.

[Blink.] Yes, I have heard that, from many people, but nobody will explain to me how you are laid instead.

[poeticverses]

It's not a case of can--women are the only ones able to do so. Because of this and their generally more delicate natures, they deserve protection. Again, I am not saying all women are delicate--my godmother was the farthest thing from it--but in general they are.

[Jehan blushes, clearing his throat. And things just got awkward. Hm. How to phrase this delicately...]

Are you familiar with how cats have their kittens? Or how cows have calves?

[dracobin]

[Temeraire only looks thoughtful.] Perhaps they are only delicate because you coddle them so, and expect that they need protection; it is that way with hatchlings. All of the females I have known in the Corps are the equal of any of the males, humans or dragons, and I should like to see anyone who thought any of them needed saving say it to their faces.

[Why does everyone turn interesting colors whenever he brings this up?] I am not; pray explain it to me?

[poeticverses]

[Oh dear God above. Jehan fixes his cravat awkwardly]

Have you ever seen a woman who is expecting a child and is expecting the birth to be soon?

[dracobin]

Oh, yes, I have! Catherine--she is one of the captains I mentioned--she was expecting, last I saw her, and she grew quite round in the middle, and very annoyed about it.

[poeticverses]

Instead of laying an egg and waiting for the egg to hatch women--and cats, and cows--they...well, they carry the child for several months and then give birth. The child is helpless for several years, and it is the mother's responsibility to care for them, although the father does help in some situations or does the most of the raising himself with the help of the women in his family or circle of friends, should the mother not survive childbirth. I am not a doctor, however, so I do not know the details of childbirth beyond what I told you.

[So. Red.]

[dracobin]

[Temeraire listens with wide-eyed interest. This is so very exciting, and a great deal more than he has ever gotten out of anyone, although part of him is beginning to suspect he has probably been asking the wrong people.]

That sounds dreadfully inconvenient, and very dangerous. It is a wonder you lay eg--have children at all.

[poeticverses]

Well, we need to survive and continue our family lines. Combeferre is a medical student--if you wish to know more, he would be the one best suited to explaining it.

[dracobin]

Oh, I did not know that. I believe I shall; there are a great many questions I should like to ask him.

[poeticverses]

You mentioned a Madame Catherine--she is a captain? A captain of what?

[dracobin]

Why, captain of a dragon, of course, like my Laurence. We are all of us in the Aerial Corps together.

[poeticverses]

You let women fly dragons?

[Stunned]

[dracobin]

[oh right this is supposed to be a secret. Temeraire looks a little uneasy before he decides it doesn't particularly matter, since Jehan isn't from his world anyway.]

Yes, of course, although you are not the first to react like that. But Catherine is as good a captain as any of the males in our formation, and Jane a splendid admiral; anyway it is quite necessary, since Longwings will only accept female captains, and Britain cannot very well send their only acid-spitters off to breeding-grounds, with a war on.

[poeticverses]

[Well. It's a bit difficult to argue with that logic. Who's going to argue with a dragon?]

I...suppose that makes sense, yes. Acid spitters, you said?

[dracobin]

Yes, that is correct. My friend Lily is one--Catherine is her captain--and she is not nearly so big as I am--or was, I suppose--but she has small spurs of bone along her jaw, like so-- [he gestures at the corners of his mouth--] and when she opens her mouth and coughs in a special sort of way, acid comes out. It eats through just about anything, so you can see how useful it is in combat.

[poeticverses]

[Jehan nods]

I can see why the British would be reluctant to prevent women from joining their military, if the acid spitters won't take anyone but a woman. Are they a British-only breed of dragon, or do other countries have them?

[dracobin]

Longwings are found only in Britain, yes, but I have heard there are at least two more, in Japan and the Incan Empire.

[poeticverses]

...excuse me, the what Empire?