Selina Skies
August 07, 2021 9:08 AM
Bonfire - Let's Get Cooking by Selina Skies
“Good evening,” Selina addressed the students. The relatively simple set up behind her of tents, an as yet unlit fire, and food, belied the thought and effort that had gone into this year’s event. The bonfire should have been one of the easier events in the rotation. After all, it was ‘stick a bunch of tents on the pitch, light some wood on fire.’ Even the main issue of making sure no one got hurt should have been relatively self-managing with eleven to eighteen year olds, though they had put a barrier charm around the fire just to be on the safe side.That element of ‘health and safety’ had not been the primary concern this time around. Again, it was eleven to eighteen year olds they were dealing with…
“We will launch our celebration and our evening activity, which will be a camp cook out, shortly. Before that, some logistics… Tents are divided based on gender, as per your dorm assignments.” She was fairly sure that wording both accurately assigned the trans and non-binary student populations to their correct tents. “As a reminder, there is no maximum occupancy on tents, but there is a minimum occupancy of three.” This year, given the number of openly same-sex relationships occurring between students, the tent-sharing policy had needed to be revisted. Or rather, the existing tent rule would be firmly reinforced, and they would have to hope that a solid portion of gooseberries put a damper on anything more than hand-holding. “Beds are single occupancy, and similar charms to the dorm room corridors are in place to enforce this.” In this case, the spell related to the number of occupants, which was strictly capped at one. This only applied to people getting into the bed between the covers, so groups could still sit on the beds to chat, paint nails or—if they realised this loophole—make out and do inappropriate things. There was no such thing as a perfect system, but it was the best they had been able to come up with. She had debated whether or not to specify the bed rule, as she thought it was more likely to get people thinking about it than deter them, but had erred on the side of not wanting anyone to get a nasty shock—after all, she could envision a perfectly innocent scenario where someone was having a bad dream and wanted the comfort of a close friend; the last thing they needed was dumping abruptly onto the floor.
The other pause for thought was how to make the bonfire ‘interesting.’ Selina wasn’t sure why having a large fire and a camp out wasn’t a change enough from the normal routine by itself, but it seemed like they had to work out how to make every iteration of the event unique. She wasn’t fully convinced that was what the founders had had in mind when they had decided to celebrate summer with a rotation of four simple events, but apparently that was the expectation. Luckily, everyone had been happy with the suggestion of a simple cook-out.
Well, all the staff had been. She wasn’t sure how some of the students would respond to the suggestion that they prepare their own food. She thought it would be rather good for all of them, though she wasn’t going to force anyone.
“As stated, for the bonfire, we will be having a camp cookout. As well as the main firepit, there are several smaller pits laid. Once you have taken a seat by them, they are charmed to respond to ‘fire please’ and will ignite themselves. There are several food types on different trays with instructions, which you are welcome to take back to your fire and cook.” These ranged from simple things like hot dogs which basically needed reheating, to more complex things like chilli—although the complexity level had still been taken down a good few notches with most of the slicing done, meaning the only real thing the students would need to do would be combine it in a pot and supervise it. The food fell into the categories of things that could be wrapped in foil and shoved in a fire, put on a stick, or combined in a single pot. “Prairie elves and teachers can help if you’re not sure what to do, and there will also be some pre-prepared supper items to compliment your meals, or for those of you who don’t want to cook. The elves are only here to help guide you, not to do it for you,” she pointed out, though given their tendency to want to serve she thought that keeping them from doing the work might be a struggle even for those students who did have good intentions and only wanted a little guidance.
“I hope you will enjoy your evening. I declare the bonfire...open.” With a wave of her wand, the main pile lit itself.
Subthreads: Oooh chili! by Bridget Ferguson with Hilda Hexenmeister
This has certainly been a year. by Valentine Duell
Finding my fellows (tag: beginner male) by Hansel Hexenmeister with Xavier Lundstrom
On patrol for troublemakers [Staff member] by Osvaldo Alamilla
Hey, boyfriend by Philippe Delachene with Freddie Zauberhexen
Well, it's about time by Iris Cobb
Yo, what's wrong with you? [Stanley] by Bonabelle Row
I'm freeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!! by Topaz Brockert with Billy Cobb
This is the best by Sophia Priory with Ellie Alperton
Waiting for someone by Sadie-Lake Chalmers with Dathan Fischer
This is fine. Everything is just fine. by Giselle Duell with Katerina Vorontsov
An opportunity worth missing. [Oz] by Henry Spellman with Oz Spellman
13
Selina Skies
Bonfire - Let's Get Cooking
26
1
5
Topaz Brockert
August 09, 2021 11:28 PM
I'm freeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!! by Topaz Brockert
OOC: CW-*sighs* Straight privilege/homophobia, minor victim blaming, and just the general awfulness of Topaz being herself BIC:
Topaz couldn't believe it, it was over, it was finally over! She was finally free of Snotti-Ness once and for all and she could not be happier! In fact, she could not remember the last time that she had been so delighted. She was sure that it had been before she'd met that vile, despicable creature that she had been forced to share a room with for the past seven years.
That little twit had really put a damper on things for Topaz. In addition to not being able to do the things that she really wanted to do to her, Snotti-Ness was practically the definition of what it meant to be a wet blanket. The other Aladren couldn't have been more of a wet blanket than if she'd been a soaked quilt. She was so uptight. Like, always thinking about her causes and forcing her beliefs on people instead of just forgetting about things and enjoying herself.
And her ego! Snotti-Ness had to be the most arrogant narcissistic person that Topaz had ever met. She was possibly worse than even Uncle Eustace. Actually, the two of them weren't all that different, now that she thought about it. Both of were misogynists-which was odd considering how both of them were attracted to women-both of them were annoyingly entitled, both of them expected everyone to worship them for no good reason and, Topaz was certain, both would absolutely hate the comparison as much as the seventh year hated both of them.
Okay, so Topaz also thought incredibly highly of herself but then, she actually deserved to. She was magically talented, from pretty much the closest thing to pureblood royalty that America had, wasn't too bad looking, and most importantly, was mostly likely a genius.
It also confused her very much how Snotti-Ness had gotten someone to go along with it. To worship her. Partially because Topaz had never gotten anyone to do so to her when she was actually deserving of being worshiped. Okay, there were a few silly boys at balls who seemed attracted to her, but that wasn't actual worship. She often got people to do what she wanted them to do, but that was based primarily on fear. The seventh year sort of did understand how her uncle had found a wife, because Aunt Helena or her family, most likely wanted a connection to the Brockerts and/or the a***** found a way to come across charming to her aunt who seemed the weak and spineless type anyway, sort of like Allegra.
Snotti-Ness didn't have even that. She wasn't charming at all not even as an act-Topaz would know, having been unfortunate enough to live with her-and her family was a disgrace.
Of course, Topaz's best explanation was that Clown Lips was a grade A moron that probably had the intellect and judgement skills of your average canine. Or of a really stupid one. She was no more than Snotti-Ness's well fed pet. How that idiot had ever been elected Head Girl was something else that baffled even Topaz's great intellect though of course, she did have her theories, which had she been capable of empathizing with another human being, would have made her feel very sorry for Heinrich Hexenmeister.
Still, it didn't matter now because the Aladren was free ! Completely and utterly, wonderfully free ! This had to be how people felt when they were released from prison! Probably better unless someone actually had a cell mate like Snotti-Ness. Which was absolutely a far worse punishment that prison itself.
Professor Skies started to speak and Topaz was glad to hear that they were enforcing the three person minimum. Why give gay people another extra privilege when they were already getting a boost towards prefect? They weren't the super specialist ever people like her thankfully soon to be former roommate seemed to insist they were. They weren't somehow superior human beings just because they were attracted to those who were the same gender as they were.
As for cooking, Topaz was going to do no such thing. Cooking was beneath just as much as cleaning was. She got one of the pre-made sandwiches, making sure it included meat just as one final way of sticking it to Snotti-Ness.
11
Topaz Brockert
I'm freeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
1427
0
5
Billy Cobb
August 12, 2021 9:14 PM
I can afford that! What services can you render? by Billy Cobb
Wooo! Bonfire! Billy hadn't been to a proper bonfire since... well, when he was home last summer. It was something that happened fairly regularly back home on the mountain, but apparently didn't much 'round here. The 'camping out' bit wasn't really a thing back home neither, but it'd be fun to mix things up a bit. He figgured he'd find a tent with Gus an' Oz, but... maybe not? He always slept in the same place with them at school here. Maybe he should find some other folk to hang out with tonight. He wasn't sure who, but that was a problem for later, the immediate problem now was to find some food!He strolled towards the food and past the big, main fire. His normal practice at home was to toss whatever sticks or twigs he could find lying around into the fire. Unfortunately, there wasn't any such loose wood strewn about the quidditch pitch. His wand was the only thing on hand that was close, and he thought that throwing it into the fire probably wasn't the best idea in the world. So he sighed, grumbled to himself and continued walking.
Reaching the food area, he saw all sorts of different things along with instructions of how to prepare them. Not bothering to read any of the instructions, he assumed that the idea was to put the food items on one of the sticks and cook it over the smaller fires. That seemed easy enough. He grabbed a stick and began moving along the food table, skewering whatever he happened to find along the way. A hotdog, some sort of sausage, a piece of bread, a potato all went onto the stick with varying amounts of difficulty. Billy spotted Iris throwing things into a pot and detoured around her. She apparently had no idea how this worked, and he didn't want to have to explain it to her.
At another table he saw sandwiches. Interesting. There was one of the old students there as well, she seemed confused as to how this worked just like Iris. Welp, she weren't his sister, so he should be polite and nice and help her out. "Hiya!" he grinned cheerfully at her. He had no idea who she was, so thought it best to introduce himself. "I'm Billy Cobb of the Kentucky Cobbs," he rattled off as had become his custom. "Pleasure ta meet ya Ma'am." It was always good to be polite.
He then gestured back the way he'd come, "They got sticks down at the other end," he continued helpfully as he picked up one of the sandwiches and jammed it on the end of his own stick, next to the bacon strips he'd found, to show her how this was supposed to work. He gave her a knowing wink, "This way you can cook it without gettin' to close to the fire." Billy then inspected his fully loaded cooking stick with a satisfied smile. "Now to go find a fire. Once yer ready, you can let me know if'n you need any help with that part. I been doin' this as long as I can rememb'r." Then he turned to see about where them cooking fires were.
2
Billy Cobb
I can afford that! What services can you render?
1519
0
5
Topaz Brockert
August 13, 2021 6:30 PM
Awful to The End by Topaz Brockert
OOC: CW-Anti-vegetarianism BIC:
Topaz turned to go sit down and eat her sandwich. Her delicious meaty sandwich. There was something about having a vegetarian for a mortal enemy just made meat taste all the better. Honestly, the fact that Snotti-Ness was a vegetarian-while making meat taste better-was rather irksome. First of all, vegetarianism was stupid anyway and just a tad obnoxious when there were people out there who didn't have the luxury of eating anything they wanted. Like, her cousin Miles for example who was allergic to pretty much everything and basically would probably starve to death if people like Snotti-Ness had their way.
Not that Topaz really cared about her cousin all that much, but she hated her soon to be former roommate more and would use any excuse to point out why people had to be able to eat meat. Or any of the many other things that Snotti-Ness was wrong about.
What really got her though about the other Aladren being a vegetarian was that she thought even animals were more important and deserving of rights than purebloods were. Okay, arguably, Topaz thought the same about them being more important than Snotti-Ness, but that wasn't based on blood status or any of those other things that people claimed were discriminated against unfairly. It was based simply on the fact that she absolutely despised the other seventh year, so therefore, every single creature on the planet whether it be a pig, a worm or one of her siblings, ranked ahead of Snotti-Ness. Topaz was still going to eat meat and do taxidermy. Animals at least gave her that, the other Aladren was more inclined to want to take things away from not just her personally-which would be a mutual desire,since she'd happily take away everything from Snotti-Ness that made the other seventh year even remotely happy- but from every straight pureblood person in the world, while claiming to be in favor of equal rights.
And true, Snotti-Ness didn't whine about people eating meat as much as she did about every other thing on the planet, even though she'd taken offense to Topaz's taxidermy before Topaz had ever done anything to her. However, whether she liked it or not-and she didn't-Topaz had been around that vile creature enough, to somewhat understand how she thought. And, she thought that if you didn't think exactly like her, you were wrong and evil. Therefore, that implied that she didn't think anyone should eat meat either.
Anyway, before Topaz could walk away and sit down to eat her yummy, meat filled sandwich, some child came and introduced himself to her. Kentucky Cobbs? She didn't think she'd ever heard of them. She didn't think such a pureblood family existed although it was possible that she could be wrong on that. However, even if that was the case, he could not have been anyone of consequence or she would have remembered the name. Besides, she knew there weren't any pureblood boys this age at Sonora that she wasn't related to other than Katerina's brother, because Amethyst had been whining about that.
And now the child was yammering on about sticks and how to cook over a fire. The whole reason she was eating a sandwich rather than sausage or hot dogs or bacon-although there was bacon on her sandwich-was because she didn't want to cook. Topaz gave him a look that clearly portrayed her annoyance. "What are you talking about? You don't put a sandwich on a stick and roast it over the fire. And why are you talking to me anyway?"
11
Topaz Brockert
Awful to The End
1427
0
5
