Winter Solstice All-Skate!
Dec. 21st, 2023 09:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sunbaked_bakerAnd so, the shortest day of the year dawned grey and dim at the tavern hovering spatially and temporally on the precipice of the universe's destruction. Snow fell gently but steadily, accumulating in soft, aesthetically pleasing drifts of white upon the frozen landscape.
But within the bar itself, a cultivated warmth, a gathered light is to be found. Colorful fish swim among the flames crackling cheerfully in the fireplace. Bright candles light corner booths and tables alike, alongside bowls of sweet and salty snack mix. Holly has been hung above each door and mantle, and mistletoe is pinned above suspiciously strategic locations where one may be likely to encounter someone else in close proximity. Garlands of evergreen wrapped in glittery red ribbons decorate the bar counter and stair banister.
And there's food.
Sunshine has been up since [worrisomely early hour redacted] baking and preparing, and now the spread is just about ready.
Pots of hearty soups and stews are there to help warm one's bones. Nearby, a hot chocolate bar offers an array of specialized cocoa mixes to suit any taste; traditional marshmallows plus marshmallows of chocolate, lavender, mint and cinnamon flavors; sprinkles in every color; stirring sticks of peppermint and chocolate-dipped cookie spoons; whipped cream; Irish cream-infused whipped cream; and any number of alcohols with which one might spike one's own drink.
A tableau of baked deliciousness awaits those seeking sweetness to ward off the dark season. There are cinnamon rolls approximately the size of human skulls (of course); smaller iced spirals of earl grey tea-infused rolls; ginger-iced and pistachio-dotted fudge squares; bright lemon bars swirled with gooey lemon and strawberry and dusted with powdered sugar; a half-circle of dark, low wedges of Bitter Chocolate Death, skulking threateningly near the table edge; a pyramid of brighter Chocoholia bites offering five kinds of chocolate together; a pull-apart wreath of crisp puff pastry cut and twisted with tart cranberry jam; two-bite Irish cream-infused chocolate lava cakes sprinkled with edible golden stars; tiny cranberry cheesecake tartlets; cinnamon cookies with a dip that looks suspiciously like chocolate chip cookie dough; and bite-sized pecan pies, among a variety of others.
Scattered among the larger baked goods are tiny butter cookies marbled in the colors of fallen leaves; others in the shapes of snowflakes, iced and glittered with iridescent sugar crystals; crisp and light meringue cookies made to look like acorns and forest mushrooms; and stained glass cookies with star-shaped windows filled with red, green and yellow hard candy "glass."
A good number of the tables have been cleared from a space at the center of the bar room, suggesting that dancing is planned for later in the evening. There has to be plenty of proper revelry to chase away the dark and make sure the sun rises again in the morning.
[OOC: Welcome to the All-Skate: Winter Solstice Edition! All welcome - yes, that means all. Whether they're retired, deleted, AU, original or already being played by someone else, bring 'em along.
Usual all-skate rules apply:
1. Everyone's stressed out of their mind right now, so have fun! Participating in theme/holiday shenanigans is also not required. <3
2. Communication is key.
3. Gratuitous behavior (either of a violent or sexual nature) will not be tolerated in the bar proper. Take that to an OOM, and then Content Warning the hell out of it before you link it.
4. Please don't be a dick.
This post is open forever.]
But within the bar itself, a cultivated warmth, a gathered light is to be found. Colorful fish swim among the flames crackling cheerfully in the fireplace. Bright candles light corner booths and tables alike, alongside bowls of sweet and salty snack mix. Holly has been hung above each door and mantle, and mistletoe is pinned above suspiciously strategic locations where one may be likely to encounter someone else in close proximity. Garlands of evergreen wrapped in glittery red ribbons decorate the bar counter and stair banister.
And there's food.
Sunshine has been up since [worrisomely early hour redacted] baking and preparing, and now the spread is just about ready.
Pots of hearty soups and stews are there to help warm one's bones. Nearby, a hot chocolate bar offers an array of specialized cocoa mixes to suit any taste; traditional marshmallows plus marshmallows of chocolate, lavender, mint and cinnamon flavors; sprinkles in every color; stirring sticks of peppermint and chocolate-dipped cookie spoons; whipped cream; Irish cream-infused whipped cream; and any number of alcohols with which one might spike one's own drink.
A tableau of baked deliciousness awaits those seeking sweetness to ward off the dark season. There are cinnamon rolls approximately the size of human skulls (of course); smaller iced spirals of earl grey tea-infused rolls; ginger-iced and pistachio-dotted fudge squares; bright lemon bars swirled with gooey lemon and strawberry and dusted with powdered sugar; a half-circle of dark, low wedges of Bitter Chocolate Death, skulking threateningly near the table edge; a pyramid of brighter Chocoholia bites offering five kinds of chocolate together; a pull-apart wreath of crisp puff pastry cut and twisted with tart cranberry jam; two-bite Irish cream-infused chocolate lava cakes sprinkled with edible golden stars; tiny cranberry cheesecake tartlets; cinnamon cookies with a dip that looks suspiciously like chocolate chip cookie dough; and bite-sized pecan pies, among a variety of others.
Scattered among the larger baked goods are tiny butter cookies marbled in the colors of fallen leaves; others in the shapes of snowflakes, iced and glittered with iridescent sugar crystals; crisp and light meringue cookies made to look like acorns and forest mushrooms; and stained glass cookies with star-shaped windows filled with red, green and yellow hard candy "glass."
A good number of the tables have been cleared from a space at the center of the bar room, suggesting that dancing is planned for later in the evening. There has to be plenty of proper revelry to chase away the dark and make sure the sun rises again in the morning.
[OOC: Welcome to the All-Skate: Winter Solstice Edition! All welcome - yes, that means all. Whether they're retired, deleted, AU, original or already being played by someone else, bring 'em along.
Usual all-skate rules apply:
1. Everyone's stressed out of their mind right now, so have fun! Participating in theme/holiday shenanigans is also not required. <3
2. Communication is key.
3. Gratuitous behavior (either of a violent or sexual nature) will not be tolerated in the bar proper. Take that to an OOM, and then Content Warning the hell out of it before you link it.
4. Please don't be a dick.
This post is open forever.]
