peckenpaugh | wow, that's a lot of pollen...

wow, that's a lot of pollen

what's up? Hard to believe the temperature today is a record setting 91 °F what with all that snow in the air. Wait, that’s not snow. It’s cottonwood fluff! And boy is there a lot of it. Over the last three days, the seed fluff and yellow pollen have steadily collected, though not quite like this. Students wake up to a white out on Wednesday, and it just keeps on piling up through morning classes, sticking to everything and causing rampant sneezing with no end in sight.

By lunch, some parts of campus have several feet of fluff on the ground. Central Campus is still manageable, but Thorntrail’s woods and Mothgarden’s grounds look like a blizzard rolled through, the hillsides around Wildgulch are a not-quite-winter wonderland and the pollen is ankle deep in Deeplurk’s meadows. Bub is working his special brand of magic double time to clear paths as fast as possible, but keeping up proves a challenge even for him.

The relentless pollen explosion is a considerable nuisance and staff has trouble keeping students focused after lunch. Junior Pre-Healer Studies is canceled outright when Healer Greatheart decides to move herself to the Central Classrooms lobby to keep a better eye on students. She passes out allergy medicine to those who seem to need it.

Several students spot unfamiliar wizards in long black robes wandering around the upper floors of Central Classrooms before fourth period. By the end of fifth, the day’s called a wash and Administrator Kwan announces that the last period has been cancelled. She advises that students stick indoors — not just because of the pollen, but because it’s hot as hell! Of course, y’all aren’t about to listen to good advice, are you? At the very least, enjoy the rest of the day. Throw on a Bubblehead Charm (or not) and brave the fluff!

As the sun dips low, the endless rain of fluff finally slows and it seems to have petered out after dinner. Staff and student volunteers spend the evening helping to clear fluff.

At the end of the night each Head of House stops by their respective Common Room with a bit of explanation for the day’s events: while the pollen itself was mundane, it seems the cause was magical. Local magical flora and fauna took issue with an invasive grove of Ents moving into the area north of Peckenpaugh, above the falls, and the excessive pollen was the result of magical beings attempting to intimidate the Ents into leaving. Ms. Treetops and Mr. Trullinger are collaborating with the BoMB to help mediate the dispute. Things aren't quite settled, but at the very least, going forward our sinuses should all be spared.

volunteer slots! A harried Ms. Gunzenhauser, unable to track down her TA, asks 💯 GERTRUDE MCGILLIGUDDY and 💯 LIONEL LOVELACE to teach freshmen the Bubblehead Charm. Assuming they at least try (make a thread with 3 replies each) they’ll each net 5 Points for their House(s). Ms. Gunzenhauser knows how difficult the freshmen are, though, and if TRUDY & LIONEL make real headway (make a thread with 6 replies each), they’ll each get 10 points for their House(s).

As soon as classes are let out, TYBALT ZETTLER digs up some makeshift sleds in the athletic building and organizes a fluff-sledding session on the hills around Wildgulch.

Whether or not 💯 LASZLO PATAKI knows that cottonwood seeds go up like flash paper, they go right to a pile of it with a bit of flame. Just the right amount of mayhem for them, they try this again in several other spots, netting a crowd and ultimately taking their little lightshow to the Mothgarden hedge mazes. Lighting the fluff on the ground at the eastern hedge maze causes quite a scene as the fast burning fire rips through the greenery. It looks cool, but it seems to catch on some mulch. Luckily (unfortunately?) Mr. Berzelius happens to be nearby, with a “Dude,” and a quick Aguamenti he stops a real fire before it can spread. LASZLO loses 10 points for their House and has to turn in a two page paper about fire safety to Berzelius by this Saturday.

HOLLAND GRAVES and FREYA NORRIS use their free time to do some detective work, following a Muscheron scout around campus sure it’ll lead them to the source of all this pollen and fluff. In fact, the Muscheron does not, and instead takes them on a winding adventure through the deepest, densest areas of fluff before returning them to the Surly Stump, which trips FREYA as the Muscheron giggles.

ARMANI’s eyes are so bleary and itchy from all the pollen that they can hardly see, so they decide to head back to their dorm to nap once classes are cancelled. The wheezing mess barrels right into MERLIN PLETCHER outside Central Classrooms after fifth period going in the complete wrong direction. So, MERLIN finds themself tasked with escorting ARMANI to their dorm.

Something’s moving in the fluff near the Greenhouses and CORIANDER PICQUERY can’t tell what it is. It’s kind of freaky, the way it moves, and they scramble to get away, but whatever it is gives chase. CORI leaps into the arms of EDDY WAXWEILER seeking escape when the tiny predator leaps to attack—it’s the FEROCIOUS cactus kitten! Covered in so much fluff it almost looks like a regular cat! CORI and EDDY return the kitten to a very thankful Mr. Trullinger, whom they find speaking with a bearded wizard in long black robes.

locations! ⬦ WHAT'S UP: Well, this has been a weird day! Did you get an allergy headache? Collect fluffy seeds for a craft project? Celebrate when classes were cancelled? Tell us in brief how your student spent their day here!

⬦ SCENES: A place for threading around campus during the Pollenpocalypse!

⬦ OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The universe has graced Pax with no allergic reaction to this nightmare, so she's going to take advantage of this - near the Central Classrooms, she's playing like it's snow. There are 'snow angels' scattered about that are mutated by even the passing of another student, and currently she's trying to make a snowman. It's pretty futile, but she's managing to get at least some density to a tiny ball of fluff after a considerable amount of work. This is going to be the smallest snowman ever.

"Hey!" She calls out without even looking. "Help me out!"

Edited 2019-10-03 02:53 (UTC)

Felicity's eyes are puffy and red, her nose is dripping, and yet she wears a big fat smile on her face and she runs around in the fluff-pocalypse. This is amazing.

"Yoooo!" Felicity lets out when she's close enough to properly see what Pax is up to. "Dude needs a friend." She immediately sets about to making a second tiny figurine. She delicately scoots her creation toward Pax's. "This is Frederick Flufferson. He works on a dairy farm but is working with the cows to plan a big escape. Who are you?"

"Yo!" Pax responds in kind, waiting until Felicity has created a friend for her dumb fluff ball before she looks at the other girl. She's... not looking too hot, but Pax isn't one to scold her for braving allergies just to have fun. She will at least ask, though.

"Man, are you ok? And what's got Mr. Flufferson in such a tizzy that he's got to split from the farm?"

She's still fiddling with her small fluffman as she talks, after a long moment of consideration trying to add a second head before quickly giving an introduction of her own.

"This is Mister McFluff. First name Mister. He absorbs fluff from his surroundings and grows extra body parts so he can fight crime."

Edited (dumb) 2019-10-05 21:53 (UTC)

"Oh yeah, I'm good--" but her claim is undercut by a building sneeze, which by some act of god she's able to stifle. Her whole body gives a little pop instead, as the sneeze 'detonates' inside her. But nothing comes out her mouth or nose and both their flufflings live to see another day. It's hard out here for a fluff.

"Well Mr. Mister McFluff," Felicity continues, addressing the small, soft vigilante, "maybe you can be of help. The owner of the farm is poisoning the milk." Felicity lowers her voice in case crook might be listening. "And he's shipping this diseased dairy all over the country. Including to some heads of state."

Edited (dumber) 2019-10-08 17:09 (UTC)

Look, if Felicity wants to claim she's fine, that's her business, and there's not really anything Pax can do about it in either case, so... it'll be fine! The other girl is tough. Even though she maybe just imploded a little.

"Holy cow," Pax murmurs after learning the situation at the dairy, pausing for appreciation of the ?joke? she just made before continuing on. "Mr. Mister McFluff will happily get on that case, because poison is rude. Even if sometimes heads of state deserve it. He'll get his clobbering arms on."

She attempts to stick a tiny twig into her fluff creation as an arm, but it immediately falls out. "Bummer."

"Good joke," Felicity smiles. "Don't milk it."

A few tears run down her face. Is it allergies? Deep gratitude for Mr. Mister McFluff's help? Extreme joy brought about by this childhood game of make-believe?

"I'm having a little trouble breathing," Felicity wheezes.

Well, we have our answer.

"But it's fine."

She gently pushes Frederick Flufferson closer to his new partner. "We'll have to be careful. Farmer Dill is a ba-- baaa-- baaaaaa--" Felicity 'detonates' another sneeze inside herself. "--a bad man."

Pax laughs, probably a little too loudly, at the 'don't milk it' line, clearly delighted. Man, just being a kid is fun - this is why she resists anything serious. Though she remains smiling, it's hard to not want to take pity on Felicity.

"Dude, your body is trashed right now. Let's go inside or something. Mr. Mister McFluff can go slap the crap out of Farmer Dill for Frederick Flufferson without our assistance."

"Ooookay," Felicity moans. She gives Frederick Flufferson a small (but deadly) pat goodbye. Ashes to ashes, fluff to fluff. She doesn't see the unintended destruction, though. She's more or less blind now. Felicity stands and her puts her hands out in front of her, like a criminal waiting to be cuffed. "Help," she sobs, soft and pathetic. "I've had too much fun. Take me inside."

Grabbing for one of Felicity's hands, Pax is quick to begin leading the girl along, if she'll allow it. She definitely does not mention Frederick Flufferson's demise. "We're going to dope you up on allergy business, sweetie."

wow, that's a lot of pollen...

Pax & Open++

Pax & Felicity

Pax & Felicity

Pax & Felicity

Pax & Felicity

Pax & Felicity

Pax & Felicity

Pax & Felicity

Pax & Felicity