TDM #4 - Aurora Borealis Blitz [FIRST EDITION]

[pumpkinhollow]

Pumpkin Hollow Gazette January Issue

[Find our plain text version here!]

Pumpkin Hollow Gazette

1/10/24 | TDM #4 - AURORA BOREALIS BLITZ"
Content Warnings: "Further Details" section has independent CW labels.
Forecast: Heavy snow

BREAKING! REBUILDING HELP REQUESTED

By Cecil Gershwin Palmer

A photo taken of the damage.

ACROSS PUMPKIN HOLLOW - City government is requesting aid with repairs to public buildings and local fixtures after the recent earthquakes on Tuesday, January 8th. While there was minimal damage to Town Hall itself, several important buildings sustained damage, including the Magpie National Bank, the South Train Station and the Clock Tower, which is now stuck with hands at 8pm.

Regarding the cause of the earthquake, local biologist Dr. Elias Coldwood was heard to say “There's never been seismic activity here.” And he’s a scientist, so he would know! But clearly this is no longer the case. Perhaps Pumpkin Hollow has a mysterious tiny civilization underground worshiping a destroyer god, planning to attack through the bowling alley, the moment we create a bowling alley. Perhaps not. More on this story as it unfolds, faithful readers.

In the meantime, volunteers to help with the damage to city buildings are invited to meet with Mayor Hellen Poe for assignments.

ANNUAL AURORA IN NORTHERN SKY

By Yorick Aberdeen

An artist's rendition of last year's view.

ABOVE MARROW ISLE - Midwinter is upon us! That means it’s the time of year when our skies light up with the technicolor gleam of the arctic north! Those looking northward between the hours of 10pm and 2am should be able to see beautiful curtains of bright green, blue, purple, and pink lighting up the sky above the island. If you plan to go outside to view the lights rather than looking from your window, please make sure you travel in a group and carry a lantern. May it be ever lit!

HOROSCOPES

By Cecil Gershwin Palmer

What do the stars say about you today?

Capricorn: Do you feel as if you’ve lost something? If not, it’s wise to double-check. Perhaps it’s not something like a button or a key, but your sense of wonder or your self-confidence. Remember, things tend to be in the last place you look.

Aquarius: Something about the year ending made you feel lighter, like taking off a heavy wool coat. Ride this burst of energy as far as it will take you, because the shiny of a fresh beginning tends to wear off quickly.

Pisces: Don’t worry, I don’t believe what everyone says behind your back. You’re not too sensitive or too naive. They’re just jealous. Really, most of the time when they’re whispering, it’s not even about you.

Aries: You’re the sort of warm individual that babies and animals are drawn to. Unfortunately, this may include hungry wolves and swarms of insects. But don’t let that bring you down! We need that sort of personality around here.

Taurus: There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be the best, until you work to stop others from also being the best. That’s called cheating and may lead to you being disqualified from competitions. If you get caught, that is.

Gemini: You know those riddles about the two guards, one who always tells the truth and one who always lies? Well, everyone hates those riddles with a passion. You’ll see for yourself, soon.

Cancer: Wouldn’t you like to know?

Leo: Your incandescent personality often makes you the center of attention. However, that’s not the only thing about you that glows. Moths may flock to you in the dark this week, and so might children afraid to sleep with the lights out.

Virgo: Be careful with your words–they aren’t just the precursors to your deeds, but the manifestation of your will. This is not a week for idioms and metaphors, not for you. Even something like bemoaning a lack of spoons may make eating cereal harder.

Libra: You are, inevitably, the first one heard to say a situation isn’t fair. And it’s not, nor will it ever be. Instead of getting upset, have you ever considered getting revenge? That’s usually more satisfying in the long run.

Scorpio: Ugh, Scorpios. The position of Venus means your usually volatile emotions will be in the doldrums instead. Enjoy this while it lasts I guess. Who knows if you’ll ever experience such peace again, given, well. You’re kind of an emotional mess and no one likes you.

Sagittarius: There will never be another day like today. You must strive to make the day everything you want it to be. No mistakes, now! Consider your choices very carefully. Consider your choice to consider, very carefully.

SUNFIRE'S HEARTH

By Yorick Aberdeen

A photo of Mayor Poe's cats, Toffee and Butter, enjoying the view.

ASSORTED LOCATIONS - As the coldest part of the year settles over our fair isle, it is time for Sunfire’s Hearth--- an informal celebration of bonfires and hearth flames, for those unfamiliar! For the months of January and February, a raised platform for bonfires will be lit on weekends, and restaurants and taverns across town will keep their fireplaces lit. Unlike many of our other festivities, there is no structured celebration--- simply make some time during this time to bask in the warmth of a fire! You can even celebrate at home.

An additional benefit of this time of year is that Merrymeet is well on its way. So take this time and get snuggly in front of a fire with your special person to get in the mood for romance! (Or they could be platonic snuggles. Whatever suits you best.)

LOCAL ALCHEMIST REPORTS MISSING POTION

By Yorick Aberdeen

Some of Mx. Sallek's usual stock. Could stand to have better labels./p>

LOCATION UNCERTAIN - Early Monday morning, local alchemist Aeryn Sallek reported that a large container of magical potion has been swapped with another, and it would seem that the mistaken jug has been sent out for delivery. According to Mx. Sallek, they sent a number of jugs out for delivery in a case with our local delivery extraordinaire, Sam Porter Bridges. The jugs were meant to contain a harmless, potable freeze-resistance potion for our town’s various water sources, in the interest of keeping water reserves drinkable in sub-freezing winter weather. However, when they returned to the shop, one of these potions remained on their counter while a love potion they’d been working on went missing.

“‘Love potion’ is kind of a misnomer, honestly,” Mx. Sallek is quoted to have said on the matter. “But ‘emotional acuity’ potion doesn’t quite roll off the tongue. Basically what it actually does is enhance existing romantic desire and embolden the user to be emotionally open. But Yorick should already know all this, since he’s the one who ordered it.” [Editing note: don’t forget to cut the last part of that comment before publishing. Cecil, you don’t need to include personal statements directed at reporters from these interviews!]

It’s unclear which area of town this particular potion ended up being injected into the water source, but according to Mx. Sallek, the potion was not particularly intense to begin with. It should be significantly diluted as to be harmless. Still, if you notice any strange symptoms such as butterflies in your stomach, a desire to burst into song, or inexplicable yearning, please file a report with the Safety Board at your earliest convenience.

FOOD SHORTAGES PUT STRAIN ON ISLAND ECONOMY

By Yorick Aberdeen

MARKET DISTRICT - While there are many things to celebrate this time of year, Marrow Isle is not without its adversity. Over these past months, many new members of our community have arrived by ferry after our numbers remained small and stagnant for many years. And the presence of our newfound neighbors has been a boon to all of us. Many artisans have opened useful businesses, medical professionals have expanded our access to healthcare, and a new fishing vessel has taken to the seas. However, despite a few additions, our farming community remains quite modest and planting was not planned with such incredible new growth in mind.

The unfortunate result of this is that food reserves on the island this year are uncharacteristically low. As such, Town Council has made the difficult decision to allow for the temporary inflation of food prices and the rationing of food staples.

“We understand the hardship this will place on the residents of Pumpkin Hollow,” said Mayor Poe in a statement after this decision was made. “But please know that we are all in this together. We hope to be able to offer a better incentive package for those interested in farming in the coming springtime.”

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Further Details...

Aurora

The dead of winter sheds all colors of the trees and flowers across Marrow Isle, but tonight, there are no stark whites and grays and browns.

Tonight, in the sky sprawling with stars above the dreary town, there are lights.

Sprawling trails of violet and green twist and wave through the sky, brightening the earth below and the sea beyond Jack's Marina in magical colors. The return of the borealis is something many Pumpkin Hollowites look forward to, and their reactions are very clear: people scurry down to the shores to watch with wide eyes, many retrieve telescopes, and some even borrow the decks of ships, abandoned for the night at the docks, to watch the sights.

It doesn't take long for this to change, however; the sea nor land are safe from the curse, and it's made quickly apparent that the sky is no exception.

At first, the sight seems like none more than an illusion, perhaps someone blinking and missing a strange shift of the lights. A glimmering outline forms around a cluster of stars, only slightly harder than any of the lines that define the aurora's rays. Several of these shapes form, each array of stars different from the last, some larger, some smaller.

And then, the stars begin to fall.

Seeming to peel off the painted sky, the ebbing colors surrounding the starlight drop, crashing to the world below. Some fall to the streets and beaches, while others fall into the forest, leaving view, or drop into the sea, leaving splashes and waves in their wake that ensure any watching knows full and well that this is not a trick of the light. At first, these shapes are unmoving, glowing masses of aurora-light with stars shining brightly within them. Most townsfolk are uneasy, but this seems to pale in severity to the other disasters, even if they lack any idea of what it could mean for them.

That is, of course, until the masses begin to move.

Each one is as varied as the constellation it stole from the sky: stars form suggestions of skeletal structures, and their "flesh", only consisting of swimming lights and liquid sky that steals any lights around them. Two identical glowing shapes rise to a face finally taking form, and slowly, moving more like gel than animal as it rises to freshly-formed legs, it settles on the closest living thing it can find.

There is no calculation in it, nor what seems to be a glimmer of thought.

It simply lunges with intent to kill.

Horoscopes [CW: Altered emotional states ]

Cecil’s disconcerting horoscopes have the following effects for the next few days:

• Capricorn: misplaced things, particularly small objects
• Aquarius: zoomies!
• Pisces: intense paranoia
• Aries: Disney princess-like magnetism to local fauna
• Taurus: insatiable perfectionism
• Gemini: reversed truth values; lies come out honest, being honest sounds like a lie.
• Cancer: Pandora-esque curiosity, to the point of personal detriment
• Leo: radiant glow emanating from your person
• Virgo: figurative speech is manifested into the world with its literal meaning
• Libra: a particularly potent desire for revenge
• Scorpio: numbing of emotions (can be counteracted by love potion, partially)
• Sagittarius: incapacitating indecision

(Don’t know your character’s sign? Feel free to just decide on one!)

Love Potion [CW: Altered Emotional States ]

Unbeknownst to the townsfolk, the “love” potion ended up in the water supply of the Oak & Iron. As promised by Aeryn, it is thoroughly diluted, as its recipients believed it to be a normal freeze-resistance potion to be mixed with their water.

The effects are not particularly intense. However, anyone who drinks any of the tavern’s housemade ale or cider, drinks the coffee, or eats any food that might require water to cook will experience symptoms of “emotional acuity”. This involves feeling more emotionally open, more receptive to positive feelings about others, a strong desire for physical or verbal affection, and the intensification of romantic or sexual attraction that you might already be experiencing. It will last about half a day. Just in time to help potentially land you a date for Merrymeet, a flower and fertility festival in early spring!

Famine [CW: Starvation and food scarcity ]

Food rationing and inflation will have the following impact:

Grocery budgets for apped-in characters will be reduced in their efficacy. Basic groceries will be only the most minimal of staples. You will likely go hungry if you do not find a way to supplement this. Bountiful groceries will be reduced to the amount of food normally contained in basic. Lavish groceries will not be available at all. Your grocery choices from Activity Check are not able to be modified for this month unless otherwise stated.

Bonuses and Discounts associated with the Farmer and Fisherman jobs are also reduced. Level 1 bonuses will be reduced to standard, which is to say how they would function for a non-Farmer/Fisherman character during a normal, pre-famine month. (ex. Whereas normally a Level 1 Farmer would get free Basic groceries, they will now have to pay the 50 Brass, but do not have the efficacy of Basic groceries reduced as described above.) Level 2 bonuses will be reduced to that of a Level 1 Farmer/Fisherman. (ex. Whereas a Level 2 Fisherman would normally be able to have Bountiful groceries discounted to 50 Brass, they now must pay full price for Bountiful groceries. However, they can still get Basic groceries for free and don’t suffer from the famine induced efficacy reduction for either budget.)

Oak & Iron Residents will only be able to receive bland, repetitive meals with their food vouchers consisting of simple broth, plain bread, bland potato dishes, and the like. It is enough to be fed and comfortable but it is incredibly unsatisfying. (This includes all new characters that are not apped-in.) Drinks, however, are still plentiful.

Characters who do not eat will find that their respective sources of fuel will be reduced to just barely enough to keep them functional, provided that they ration carefully. (Ex. Transformers may want to be less active. Vampires will find that victims cannot handle excessive blood loss without fainting and generally prefer to stay home.)

Characters who were present to fight the Mother Crab back in late summer and chose to can some of their crab can use it now!

Hunting, foraging, and fishing can help reduce the impact of these reductions, and people can share their food. You can absolutely die of starvation. After Merrymeet in February, food will return to normal.

Comments

Emery Deluca | Original Character | Existing Player

[wolfborn_were]

Knock-Knock, Werewolf Here
Emery gets a peek at the Gazette during one of his early morning forays into the village while in wolf form. (Yes, for everyone worried about the fact that he lives out in the woods, Emery is actually not far from the village itself and does visit every so often. Just when humans are less likely to see him.)

And everything else -- natural phenomena, astrology crap, upcoming festivals, and human error -- pales in comparison to the looming famine. Emery knows what it is to go hungry. Whatever the humans think of him, whatever reaction they're going to have to a werewolf in their midst... doesn't matter anymore. He's making himself known and he's making himself useful.

Emery goes back to his den to grab the winter cloak he bought for himself (with bazaar vouchers) and then marches to Town Hall in his most human shape. It takes several explanations to the clerks, as well as a demonstrative transformation or two, but eventually Emery marches back out with a shiny new job title that boils down to "Hunter".

He's supposed to supply certain businesses with the raw game that they'll process to be edible for humans. And he's going to do that. But he's also going door to door, figuring out who is going to come up short on their rations. Some people are going to be getting direct deliveries.

Knock knock! Someone's at your door.

Stars in Favor...
...So reading Cecil's horoscopes leads to Aries developing a "Disney princess-like magnetism to local fauna"? Guess which local wolf happens to be an Aries??

This will help with the hunting that he's assigned himself... but also, animals he's not supposed to hunt may be drawn to him. Perhaps one of your pets or farm animals? Let's annoy the wolf man some more!

Wildcard
Emery's got himself a job that will be keeping him very busy, but he'll still be available for other stuff. Hit him up.

Who's There?

[sunshinesally]

Sally's more than sweating about her rations. It'd be one thing if she had to make it through a lean time, as she's done far worse, but as Gwen is growing and Sally's finally comfortable breastfeeding, well...

There's a lot to consider when you have an infant.

So when a knock at her door reveals a werewolf with food, her excitement is palpable.

"Oh! Hello there!"

[wolfborn_were]

Emery smiles, careful not to show too much of his sharp teeth, and says, "Doctor Sally Boyle? I'm Emery. I've been helping supply some shops with meat from my hunts. Mostly deer. And the owners said that you would probably need some direct help, since you've got a little one."

He holds out the covered dish in his hands -- already cooked, from the scent wafting off it. (Sally will find that it's a shoulder roast.)

"I also have some raw cuts on hand, if you have cold storage for them. And some vouchers they wrote up for you to use later."

[sunshinesally]

"Oh--- Oh my goodness, I hardly know what to say! Thank you so much, this is--- a massive relief." She carefully takes the covered dish, setting it inside. "And yes, I have an icebox! I can show you where it is, if you'd like?"

[wolfborn_were]

"Yes, ma'am. I'll put them where they need to go, if you just show me."

He'll step inside and follow her direction, placing the food into the icebox. Then he straightens up and nods at her.

"I'll come by to check if you need more later. If anything comes up and you need help sooner, Bart has set up a mailbox for me at the edge of town, near the forest. He can show you where it is. Just drop a note in there, okay?"

Famine

[lovinglefthand]

It's technically a violation of medical confidentiality, but the Autobots have different standards for these things anyway. When First Aid hears about what Emery's doing, he takes him aside for a quiet conversation about which households might need his help the most.

"Thank you for doing this," First Aid tells him earnestly. "I've been at my wit's end trying to come up with a solution." He has some extra brass, but not enough to feed everyone who needs it -- especially when the problem is a food shortage, not a cash shortage. "The cold and all the time spent indoors is already weakening people's immune systems; if they start going hungry too, we could see a disease outbreak. A pandemic under these conditions could claim a lot of lives." And if people start dying in small groups while others are still sick, they could get stuck in a cyclical death-resurrection cycle for who knows how long. A situation to be avoided at all costs, First Aid feels.

[wolfborn_were]

Emery listens seriously, committing the names to memory. (He rarely writes things down. While he is literate, Emery doesn't make a habit of carrying pen and paper. His memory is pretty sharp, though.)

"That's what it is to be part of a pack, doctor. One that serves all members, at least. Everyone should contribute to the best of their ability." Emery gives him a comforting pat on the shoulder, remembering that First Aid is used to something like a werewolf's pack with the mind-link. First Aid is probably missing those he shared brain-space with, and physical contact isn't the same, but it's something. "It's not your skill to supply the food. It's your skill to keep people well. So I'll use the best of my ability, and you with yours. Mother willing..."

Emery cracks a little smile. "Or is it Mothers here? Mothers willing, we'll get through this."

[lovinglefthand]

"Y-yes," First Aid agrees, his visor brightening slightly as the comforting touch has its intended effect. (He is a very tactile person, even moreso now that he's small enough to cuddle his favorite humans.) "And you'll come back if there's anything else I can help with, right?"

[wolfborn_were]

With a touch of sarcasm: "No, doctor, if I break my arm out in the woods I'll just mope around and not get it fixed."

Beat.

More seriously, "Yes, if I need your help I'll come back around! Silly metal man."

[lovinglefthand]

First Aid huffs, not sure whether to be more amused or annoyed. "I'm just making sure you remember! Some of the people I've been responsible for in the past were so stubborn, I wouldn't see them for months on end until one day their friends carried them into my medbay in pieces! And then they'd complain the entire time while I welded them back together, it was so annoying." Yes, he's talking about YOU, Cliffjumper! Stop being so precious about your check-ups!

Stars in Favor

[listenforbirdsong]

Mairi doesn't mean to laugh. Really, she doesn't. She can tell how frustrated this guy is about being followed around while trying to hunt. But the sight of a werewolf leading a parade of cute little chickens, goats, cats, and dogs is too funny.

"I can talk to animals," she offers. "Do you want me to ask them to back off?"

[wolfborn_were]

"The farmers will get all up in arms if I kill their chickens, I'm sure." Emery directs a glare at the birds in question, who just cluck and stare back at him adoringly. "And I'm going to make an effort to go after the wild hogs, to help with the food shortage. These tag-a-longs will be in danger."

He pauses, gives an embarrassed little cough, and actually answers her: "Yes. I would appreciate if you asked them to back off. That's what I mean."

[listenforbirdsong]

Mairi chuckles softly. A glow forms in her hand, which she presses to her own throat to transfer it, casting Speak with Animals.

She stoops in front of a chicken. "'Scuse me. Can I ask why you all are following this guy around?"

The chicken clucks at her.

"Oh, yeah, he does have pretty good vibes, I agree. Well, listen. He's about to go hunting. You ever seen a wild boar before?"

More clucking.

"Yeah, for sure. Bad news. He asked me to ask you if you guys could maybe wait out here for him, and hang out later. Do you mind?"

The chicken seems reluctant, but chatters at her a bit more, before all of Emery's entourage huddle up off to the side, apparently settling in to wait for him to come back.

Mairi turns back to Emery with a smile. "That ought to buy you some time, at least. Need a hunting partner?"

[wolfborn_were]

Emery would prefer if they all went home, but a reprieve is a reprieve and he's grateful for it. He nods at the lady.

"Thank you. I wasn't looking forward to tackling a hog hunt on my own, but since I'm the only werewolf here..." Emery gives a little shrug. "If you're volunteering, a hunting partner sounds good. My name is Emery Deluca. You are...?"

[listenforbirdsong]

"Well, I'm no werewolf, but I do have a good clobbering stick and a handful of spells." She offers a hand to shake. "Mairi Miann."

She pronounces her name "Maa-rhi," a Gaelic name.

Semi-wildcard

[maltesefalcon]

When Cerrit happens to come across Emery, between hunting trips and swarming stars, he makes a point to approach.

"You've mostly been finding rabbits and the like in the woods, right?"

[wolfborn_were]

"I see rabbits in the woods, sure, but I leave them for the other hunters. Why do you ask, Agrupnin?" All curiosity, no hostility.

[maltesefalcon]

“If you range further up north, close to the mine and the area the locals call Crane Ridge, there’s flocks of geese that can’t migrate off the island for the winter. Ducks, too, out by the lakes and ponds. I didn’t know if you’ve run into them yet.”

Yes, Cerrit is also bringing in geese, but there’s plenty to go around.

[wolfborn_were]

"Thank you for the tip." Emery gives a little sigh. "Seems kind of sad, doesn't it? They're stuck here with us and can't follow their instincts."

That won't stop him from hunting the ducks and geese. But a hunter can get philosophical at times, can't he?

[maltesefalcon]

“All the migratory birds. Yes, it is sad. I wonder what it’s done to the population over the last five years. Fish, too. It’s probably something one of the scientists could make a study of, if they were so inclined.” Something to suggest to Bart, perhaps.

Wildcard - Spoils of the Hunt

[pineapplesalmon]

César's returning from his farm for the day (a bit later in the afternoon than usual) and looks up to see he's not the only one walking back into town. Someone with another one of those Pokemon.

"Hallo!" César calls out with a friendly wave from still quite a distance away.

[wolfborn_were]

Emery gives a nod of acknowledgement toward César, while Humbaba glances at him up and down with an indistinct grumble. (Perhaps it's Annihilape for "I could take 'im...")

Both Emery and Humbaba have their hands full -- most of a deer slung over Emery's shoulders, and a brace of geese in the Annihilape's arms.

Once they actually get within speaking distance of each other, Emery says, "Afternoon. Had a good hunt today."

Might be obvious, but humans always seem to need assurance that it's okay to talk.

[pineapplesalmon]

César smiles. "I can see that. Is 'congratulations' the right response?"

He means it, genuinely. They can use every bit of food they can get.

[wolfborn_were]

"I suppose. Humbaba is less happy, because he'd rather wrestle me than hunt for everybody else, but once we're done with this delivery..." Emery smiles, "I promised him a tussle."

[pineapplesalmon]

"I can tell he's the type." César smiles to the Pokemon in amusement, then glances back up to Emery. "Need any help carrying anything? I'm César Salazar, by the way."

Humbaba's name reminded him that he hadn't give them his own.