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

Lionel always intuitively knew not to go outside. Now he definitively knows why.

Going outside carries risk. One minute you're thinking you should get up and stretch your legs, the next you're teaching the Bubblehead Charm to a group of unruly freshmen amid a pollen storm. Thus far, none have shown promise. Or interest, really. One unsuccessfully performed the charm and instead created a bubble in front of themselves. Now a few of the kids are hitting the bubble in the air like some snow globe beachball hybrid.

"No," Lionel says in a strained voice. Followed by an only slightly louder, "Focus now. Please."

He turns to Trudy. "One more minute then we just go back inside?"

Trudy purses her lips and lifts her chin in a way that makes it easy to imagine that some day, she might make a career of being a terrifying librarian. It doesn't actually make her any taller, but something dark seeps into her demeanor. "LISTEN!!!" she shrieks. The bubble charm pops. The freshmen stare.

Edited (better late than never????) 2019-10-08 01:13 (UTC)

Trudy's command cuts through the chaos and noise. But with all the freshmen's eyes on him, Lionel isn't so sure this is better than before. "Oh um, so uh-- the Bubblehead Charm. Yes, the Bubblehead Charm, so."

He pulls up the sleeve on his wand-casting hand just a little for ease of motion. "Everyone in positions," he instructs and waits for the freshmen to follow suit. They do. He then points his wand at his face and waits for the freshmen to follow suit. They do. "Now, it's important you say the incantation correctly and clearly. You don't want to fire the wrong spell at yourself."

His voice is a bit muffled and distorted by the bubble around his own head. Hopefully that won't be a problem, though.

Edited (i missed you) 2019-10-08 05:03 (UTC)

The smile Trudy wears once Lionel has the freshmen's undivided attention is unpleasantly pleasant, a little too wide and devoid of actual positive emotion. She's content to let Lionel do the instruction, and she strolls behind the freshmen, eyeing their stances. "No funny business!" she chirrups frighteningly. At least one of the freshmen glares when she isn't looking.

"Right. It's important to be extremely precise as—" Trudy begins, but one of the children is already casting. Instead of a bubble, though, his wand issues sparks and a concussive BOOM.

"AaaaAaAAaaAa," Lionel wails in surprise, and the sound echoes unnaturally inside his bubble. He quickly gets his bearings and performs a hasty Aguamenti on the singed hair of the over-eager freshman.

He addresses everyone. "You need to wait until we've expla--" Another BOOM from elsewhere. Okay, maybe it's Expelliarmus time.

Personally, Trudy thinks that letting the fire burn for a few more seconds may have provided a helpful lesson, but she is impressed by Lionel's quick reflexes regardless.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Trudy shouts at the next freshman that so much as twitches their little nose. "LISTEN TO LIONEL!" she shrieks. It makes her own bubble wobble precariously.

Edited (time is imaginary) 2019-10-21 00:48 (UTC)

The few freshmen who do "LISTEN TO LIONEL" hear him muttering "Gimme that" and "Hand it over" and "Get back here you imp." He's marching around and snatching up the freshmen's wands. Sometimes you have to know when to just cut your losses. "We're doing it ourselves," he explains, "And that's that. You had your chance."

"Two lines," he instructs. "One in front of me. One in front of Trudy. Come get your bubbles and then you can have your wands back."

This seems an acceptable solution to Trudy, who would have long since given up on the freshmen if not for the fact that they were specifically asked by Ms. Gunzenhauser. "Today, you'll just have to learn through careful observation." She shoots an intense glare at the first freshman in her line before casting the bubble head charm on her.

One bubblehead charm. One returned wand.
One bubblehead charm. One returned wand.
One bubblehead charm. One--

"Hey, what are you doing with your wand?"

The rogue freshman's answer is muffled by their bubble, but it sure sounds a lot like, "Doing something crazy." Or is it "Doing nothing crazy?" Or maybe "Goofing but so safely." There's no time to ask for clarity because they're already waving their wand like they're trying to trace out the alphabet at record speed.

Trudy may be petite, but she's solid, and besides that, any amount of weight will take a person out if hurled with sufficient force. This probably isn't even the first time Trudy has tackled a freshman, truth be told. "Give me THAT, you gremlin!"

Edited (slow but steady??) 2019-10-29 13:53 (UTC)

Half a second later, Lionel jumps on the freshman too. The results is two-fold. One, the wand is knocked free. And two, Lionel and the freshman's bubbles merge (and Trudy's too?) to create one large, all-encompassing bubble. Their faces are inches apart and the sound is different in here. Clear but echo-y.

"Why are you like this?" Lionel pants.

Oh, no no no no no. Trudy is suddenly in a freshman+Lionel sandwich, and their faces are in one big (but not nearly big enough) bubble. "I DON'T WANT TO BREATHE YOUR AIR!" she shrieks, right into the freshman's face, trying to wiggle out of the middle of the two, an escaping slice of slippery tomato. "I DON'T CARE IF YOU CHOKE ON POLLEN!"

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

Lionel & Trudy to the Rescue

Lionel & Trudy to the Rescue

Lionel & Trudy to the Rescue

Lionel & Trudy to the Rescue

Lionel & Trudy to the Rescue

Lionel & Trudy to the Rescue

Lionel & Trudy to the Rescue

Lionel & Trudy to the Rescue

Lionel & Trudy to the Rescue

Lionel & Trudy to the Rescue

Lionel & Trudy to the Rescue

Lionel & Trudy to the Rescue