the kids'll blow dandelion fuzz

[eviscerates]

WHO: The Righteous Snow Teams & anyone who wants to watch (and laugh, and judge.)
WHAT: A GIANT SNOW FIGHT.
WHEN: 13th July or whatever the IC equivalent is.
WHERE: In the valley near Skyhold.
NOTES: ooc post 1 and also ooc post 2. The snow fight itself is closed to those that signed up, but the observation/chilling afterwards stuff is open. No warnings to add here, please put any that come up in the subject lines!

Also we have room for one more last minute sign up!

Wrap up warm! It probably goes without saying that certain medical personnel will be less than sympathetic to those who come to them with colds after this.

The valley near Skyhold has never really completely defrosted, given how high up they are in the Frostbacks, and Adelaide's students have found themselves working with an environment very receptive to the reintroduction of cold, even in the summer months.

The battle field is impressive. Each of the six teams has their own fortress, forming a rough circle on a thick blanket of snow. Each fort has one flag flapping over all others, the only one each has that cannot be stolen (or, at least, would be very challenging.) Their other seven flags are considerably smaller, and where they are depends entirely on how the team opts to defend them. The vast majority of the snow is white, but there are generous patches within and around each fort that matches that Team Fort's colour. Each fort is a little different, but comes with a catapult build inside it, and scattered around the field are large snow drifts, some battering rams, and a trebuchet. (No trebearchet, sadly. We can always dream.)

Every team member is given a sash of their team colour, and a round wooden shield that is so padded that hurting someone with it would actually be quite an accomplishment.

Far enough away to be spared the fighting, but not to entirely escape the chill that has been renewed in the valley, are some benches. There is warm cider and some food being served, and people are welcome to come and watch (and laugh, and judge) and/or hang out with the noble warriors once the fight has wound down.



Recap of OOC & IC Info;

ADELAIDE	BLACKWALL	CASSANDRA	MERRILL	NORRINGTON	OBI-WAN
violet	apricot	seafoam	raspberry	goldenrod	periwinkle
Andra	Zevran	Eirlys	Sabine	Sadira	Vasran
Alistair	Samouel	Church	Ruby	Clarke	Anders
Cosima	Rydia	Korrin	Martel	Mal	Aleron
Daenerys	Cullen	Sherlock	Ciri	Hermione	Ingrid
Bellamy	Kas	Aveline	Bruce	Taashath	Katniss
Pel	Ellana	Velanna	Lexa	Cyril	Merrick
Anakin	Jeannot	Emma	-	Val	Kirk

Plus Teren as a wildcard and liferiner. No other wildcards on the field!

IC-ish RULES AND STUFF.
1. NO WEAPONS, NO MAGIC.
Assume there is unlimited snow - some dyed to match team colours - so there are snowballs galore! Every person also gets an extremely well padded round shield as a chance to defend themselves. Don't use the shield as a weapon, pls and ty.

2. FLAAAAGS.
Each team gets seven flags that match their team colour. The IC goal is to capture as many flags as you can, but OOCly this is flexible and timey wimey and you don't need to worry about keeping track of flags bc who has time for that?

3. NO VIOLENCE.
Or, more accurately, no going out there to hurt people - it is a snow fight and there is siege equipment, let's not kid ourselves. That said; no tackling anyone smoller than you. If you hurt someone, apologise and don't be an ass. Don't make an NPC referee come after you.

4. BASICALLY JUST HAVE FUN.
Characters can't be eliminated unless they're being a big jerk, but no one wants that to happen because friendship is magic, or something. If it's fun and its awesome then odds are it's totally fine, unless it'd put a character in danger.


There will be an IC prize for winning, which will be ICly due to happen after Orlais since that opens up so soon after the snow fight.

A quick recap on how the winners will be determined OOCly - in three weeks time I will do a tally of points based on comment count and tagging around done per team. Three weeks will hopefully allow everyone a chance to dive in even if unexpected RL things happen, as they are wont to do, and not put on too much pressure with the Orlais plots opening up.


How to get points:
1. Open starters! Every team will get 2 points per team member that posts an open starter.

2. Tag around! Every team will get 2 points every time a team member tags a new person. (If character A tags characters B, C & D they will get 6 points total for tagging around - three different threads with character A and character B would still only result in 2 points.)

3. Keep threads going, hop around and have fun! Every comment by a team member will be worth 1 point. (Multi-comment responses ie. one tag split over two or more comments will still only count for 1 point.)

4. Be hilarious, do something awesome, idk persuade me that something is worth an extra point. NO SERIOUSLY, TELL ME I love excuses to reward people for puns and/or being absurd.

5. IC rule breaking may result in points being taken away because how rude.

Comments

[arcaneadvisor]

Kieran is the one to have told her, unsurprisingly, since there are likely many matters people don't tend to bring up to her when there are still so many who barely even speak with her unless they must. That doesn't mean she knows much, and well, this is her son with her, sipping the cider carefully, cheeks already turning pink.

"Not real enough? You appear real enough."

[colecomfort]

He looks up, blue eyes peering from behind his bangs in Morrigan's direction.

"Slipped through from the other side. You call, and something like us answers. Something like you." He addresses Kieran next, with hardly a pause: "Is it good?"

[arcaneadvisor]

"At least you are not possessing a child's cat," she murmurs since that isn't something she's forgotten, if only for how utterly bizarre it was. Everything about them meeting Shale was bizarre though but the cat stood out.

"Very good," Kieran replies, the tip of the unfortunate Theirin nose turning pink from the heat. And then he looks, the way he looks sometimes, because he isn't just a boy but a special boy with something unfurling ahead of him. "Does it make you sad? Not to try it?"

[colecomfort]

"No," Cole says, shrugging a shoulder, his hands raising to toy with one another in front of his chest. "I know how some things taste, because of what they mean. That's enough."

A wisp of memory plucked from somewhere in the crowd: "Berries bubbling in the pot, sweet and steaming. Mother always let me lick the spoon."

[arcaneadvisor]

"I have never encountered a spirit in such a manner before." Only Wynne, and well, she and Wynne had never been close. So much about the woman had rankled and even now when she had been brought up to try to build some sort of bridge it had burned it instead. "And yet you remain. Around all of…"

A stray snowball flies through the air, Morrigan flicking a hand out to melt it with magic before either of them are struck in the face.

"All of this." Children, she thinks, then looks to Kieran, the actual child who looks more mystified with proceedings than keen to be involved.

[colecomfort]

"The Inquisition is more than people. More than anything else in the world, it wants to help." Still, even now that the Herald is gone. For a time afterward, Cole had been afraid that things would fall apart. He isn't anymore.

"The Herald's light drew me here at first. She was so bright. A song that carried to all corners. And — she's gone. But the Inquisition is still here. Still hoping to heal."

So yes. He remains.

[arcaneadvisor]

"I am sorry I came too late to meet her." Sorry is a strong word but it would have been interesting to meet her but the Inquistion was not the Inquisition, and she had work to attend to at the time. "There is much more to be done before the healing can begin. In many corners they still say the Inquisition is the cause and not the cure."

There likely isn't a poultice large enough to draw the foulness from the many festering wounds Thedas carries.

[colecomfort]

"Heretics and fools, flotsam washed up in the Frostbacks." He's heard those thoughts before, whispered in the minds of those they've come across in their travels. But hearing doesn't lead directly to understanding.

"Why do they think that?"

[arcaneadvisor]

"Kieran," Morrigan calls quietly, "Take Doghren for a walk, she will tear her vest to pieces soon."

Morrigan talks about a lot to Kieran, aware as she is of how much he knows, how much he picks up but some things? Some things she would rather he remain oblivious to or at least relatively unaware of. Off they go, a ridiculous sight but Doghren doesn't mind her vest so much when Kieran kicks up great plumes of snow for her to bite at.

Sighing quietly, Morrigan considers her answer; ten years her mind goes back, as it so often does these days. To the Fifth Blight and when the sky went dark, when the land sickened beneath their feet for a year the further they walked upon it. "They think that for that is what we are to them. All that remains. When only two Grey Wardens stood in all Ferelden, Loghain Mac Tir still put out rumour that might have seen them dead and all hope extinguished. It is the way of the faithful, to have the singular belief that their particular faith is the only true faith. They can tear one another to pieces over it. And yet...I believe they tell themselves that so they might laugh. So they do not have reason to fear what the Inquisition might do."