#bhqevent001

[withbitterness]

who: open (@bhqextras)

where: early afternoon in time square, near the Rockefeller ice skating rink

Hanging out around the tourist trap of the ice skating rink wasn't something Sherri ever did. Her only reasoning now was because she was early for her concert rehearsal at a venue nearby, and the weather called for a hot drink. Which is how she found herself adjacent (not at!) the skating rink, purchasing a cup of hot chocolate from a booming vendor. Cupping her drink for warmth, her eyes couldn't help but travel to the merry skaters enjoying the unexpected flurry. As her sight caught on a couple locked in an embrace, her mouth moved on it's own, speaking in what might be a skeptical tone to the person nearest her. "Well, isn't that cinematic."

[tctteredwings]

for: @bhqextras location: kitty & brew, brooklyn, just after nightfall

After the snow had begun to fall, the coffee shop had pretty much turned to complete chaos, a constant stream of people hunting for somewhere warm to get a drink ( and the added bonus of cats for company helped, too, of course ). Leo was used to a busy day, of course he was, but he wasn't quite so used to so many people turning up without some kind of prior booking, which meant it had been non-stop since midmorning right through to nightfall.

He was in the process of tidying up the place ready to close, a few stragglers enjoying the last of their drinks, when without warning the power went out, plunging the shop into darkness. Naturally, there was a pause, hushed murmurs, and the sound of pottery and spoons clattering, and then instinctively he called out, "No one move. The cats." A second later he'd switched on the torch on his phone, doing a quick sweep of the room and those remaining. "We have a generator, be right back..." And then he disappeared through the doors into the back. The power wouldn't last very long, but it would help for now.

[boroughshq]

THE STORM

The snow started falling at 10:37am. Nothing unusual for New York, no alarm raised by its citizens at the light snow fell. A little snow was expected in the morning’s forecast. A storm, however, was not. As the hours went on, the snow only picked up in force. By the afternoon, it was obvious to everyone that a storm was afoot. One inch became three, became six, became ten, before reaching a height of fourteen inches of snowfall. Heavy, but not an unprecedented amount by any means. The state has seen worse, so this snowstorm shouldn’t be a problem. And of course, the snow wasn’t the problem. The response was.

THE (DELAYED) RESPONSE

The unexpected nature of the severity of the storm combined with a belated response from political leaders of the state led to more chaos than warranted. To put it simply: there was more snow than anticipated, and far too many roads left untreated. By the time snow plows and treatment trucks were issued, the damage was already done. The snow had turned to slush, and that slush had frozen over into ice. All at once, interstates were made into parking lots, cars abandoned by citizens who chose to travel by foot rather than be stuck in a gridlock in unmoving traffic. Trains ran on reduced service before seeing significant service suspensions. Flights were canceled at all major airports. Electricity cut out sporadically at homes and businesses across the boroughs. As state officials moved into overdrive to recover from their fumbled response, a state of emergency was declared. Citizens at home were advised to stay at their homes and avoid any unnecessary travel, while stranded motorists and citizens out in the city were advised to seek out shelter at unaffected stores and community shelters to hunker down at until the worst of the storm passes. Inspo Storms: 2014 & 2010.

OOC EVENT DETAILS

The event has now officially begun! Though participation in the event is optional, it is highly encouraged!Please remember to tag all event posts as #bhqevent001.

As a reminder, the snowstorm passes through New York on Thursday, February 1st. However, the event will run from February 1st through February 8th. After 2/8, no new starters can be made set during the event, but writers are free to continue previous event threads until their conclusion.

If you signed up for the character shuffle, please make sure to reach out to your assigned partner for plots! Though a thread from the pairing isn't mandatory, as the event was made to facilitate the creation of new plots for members, they are highly encouraged!

The starter rule (must reply to 2 open starters before posting one of your own) will be lifted for the first 4 open starters in the tag. After that, please make sure you're responding to at least 2 open starters before posting your own! And of course, closed starters are welcome!

As a reminder, members are not limited to only interacting with their paired partner. Additionally, members are free to continue pre-event threads during this time, too!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send them to the main!

Have fun! Feel free to take any liberties you'd like with the setting! It's a chaotic day! Cars are in gridlock, the subway's barely operational, the power's going out everywhere - there's a lot of situational fun to be had!

[maccaulayblake]

Who: Open. (@bhqextras) Where: Glow, Brooklyn

The power was going out on and off but the place was still riding on, for a Tuesday with expected bad weather the Drag Queens still showed and Glow drew a decent-sized crowd. The show must go on - as was the theme of the night, and lucky enough (for now) the generator was proving a worthy investment. Was it smart? No, probably not. Was he out there shoveling the main entrance every half hour? Also no. That much was clear when he stepped outside. Left with minimal staff, choosing to stay or go much earlier. The snow still beating down as hard as it was a couple hours ago when one of the only few people within eyesight came near, catcalling out "Ow ow, lookin' fucking fly. Fly and frozen. Should come in...strong drinks. Got a generator..."

[itshoneys]

location: Gideon's place when: on Friday night / during snowfall status: closed starter @dizzyedgc [ Gideon Chowdhury ]

—already dress to impress; in a lace up front mini black dress, her hair done in a half-up ponytail, slightly curled, she is sat comfortably on the couch, buried in the pillows, high heels forgotten somewhere by the entrance. her brown eyes are focused on the deep crimson liquid that falls divinely into her glass, and once she is satisfied with the quantity, Honey sets the bottle on the table. turning her full attention on her dear friend once more. If she can even call him that now; she has been going back and forth with him for what seems like forever —which in dramatic Honey time means probably ten minutes by now. “don’t give me that look, Gid…” she narrowed her eyes at him, contemplating whether throwing a pillow at his handsome face, for good measure, will help her case or not. regardless, her fingers toy with the edge of a throw pillow, whilst she sipped her wine; a generous sip. perhaps she would have better luck with a different, more direct approach?

“we gonna get you ready and fabulous, go out, meet so new people…” she winked at him. “come on…” she exclaimed as she set the glass on the table and stood up. “I am not taking no for an answer, you know that!” and if she had her mind set on something, she was really hard to sway; unless there was a better offer presented, yet staying in on a Friday night was not amongst her plans, especially since she had an invitation to a private, luxurious, high end event that they could go to and have tons of fun (aka drinks, food, and dance the night away).

[tctteredwings]

for: @bhqextras now closed to new replies! location: outside bake my day, staten island

It was getting late and the snow was getting ridiculous. Anabelle had, of course, seen it all before, but the snow today didn't seem to want to stop. By 4pm she was sure she wouldn't be opening the shop tomorrow, the snow was already drifting against the door by almost a foot and a half, so that meant attempting to get rid of the stock by any means necessary. She was huddled in the doorway, coat zipped up so high you could barely see her face, brandishing several Tupperware boxes.

There weren't too many people around ( not at all surprising ), which meant she woud practically jump on any brave passerby. "Hi, hi!" The enthusiasm was unrivaled. "Would you like a couple of cupcakes? They're free. Please, take a couple!"

[boroughshq]

EVENT 001: SNOWSTORM CHARACTER SHUFFLE.

In preparation for our first event, under the cut you'll find a list of the shuffled character pairings for the upcoming snowstorm, along with further details about the event. As a reminder, the event will officially begin February 1st.

SHUFFLE PAIRINGS:

Marlon Mathis..............August Russo

Ryan Caddel................Claire Xiao

Javed Kashif................Alexander Warren

Onyx Harper.................Hercule Boisseau

Enzo Chavez.................Kian Zhang

Bijan Mousavi...............Oliver Metcalfe

Anavieve De Leon.........Deryn Adler

Riaz Mian.......................Fiona Burton

Athena Aston.................Anabelle Burton

Jasper Tomkins.............Johanna Paredes

Robin Morgan................Colson Kim

Gideon Chowdhury........Alina Ayutthaya-Harper

Kaan Demirci..................Neva Björk

Cerrus Balfour.................Anthony Ramos

Daniel Sutton..................Pauly Parker

Maccaulay Blake............Skyler Cameron

Josette Allen Lynn..........Honey Lavere

Merryn Hurley.................Riva Simone

Juliana Torres.................Benjamin Loverson

Violet Hú.........................Sherri Lowe

EVENT TIMELINE

IC Timeline: Canonically, the snowstorm will suddenly pass through New York on Tuesday, February 1st.

OOC Timeline: Members will have from February 1st through February 8th to post their initial starters around the snowstorm. After 2/8, no new starters can be posted, but writers are free to continue their event thread until it's conclusion. An announcement will be made on both days when the event has started and ended.

EVENT DETAILS

Now that the pairings are announced, members are encouraged to reach out to the mun of their paired partner to plan out what will occur between the characters. Members are free to take liberties with the snowstorm backdrop to create whatever situational atmosphere they'd like - they can be as comedic, lowkey, absurd, mundane, adrenaline-seeking, or subtle as you'd like! If you're interested in more concrete details prior to the weather report on Tuesday, the 2014 Gulf Coast Winter Storm serves as a reference point!

Pairing Threads:

The primary reason behind the event is to encourage character interaction between characters who may not have engaged with each other before. As such, character threads are highly encouraged between the assigned pairing. Members can choose if they'd prefer to have their threads set during the action of the snowstorm (ex. thread of two character chatting while stuck in an ATM vestibule together until the power comes back on) or after the snowstorm (ex. first thread are characters running into each other two days after being stuck together in the ATM vestibule during the snowstorm).

Threads have no set length, neither in writing nor in IC time. The encounter between characters can be as brief as twenty minutes or as long as an overnighter, while threads can be full on multi-paras or simple gif conversations.

Additional Threads:

Members are also free to take advantage of the setting to engage in other snowstorm related threads during this time period, and are not limited to only engaging with their assigned partner. Other plotted threads and open starters are welcome! (ex. after being freed from the ATM vestibule, your character briefly seeks warmth at a nearby grocery store with other patrons, where an open starter may be set - or they return home to their roommate for a closed starter!)

Additionally, members are free to continue non-event threads!

Please be sure to tag all event threads as bhqevent001 for differentiation purposes.

Happy plotting everyone! An official post will be made once the event has begun on 2/1. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send them to the main!

[boroughshq]

EVENT 001: SNOWSTORM CHARACTER SHUFFLE.

"The recent drop in weather has definitely been a chilly reminder of the season! We've had, what has it been, two inches of snow this past weekend, and a possible storm in route? Jones has been keeping an eye on it and we’re hoping for warmer news, let's check in with him now. Jones, what do you see?" "That's right! Building on what Sarah's just said, the city has been hit with some snow these last few days, with just over an inch of a half of sticking snowfall this last weekend. I know that may not seem like much, but it did break our city's longest recorded streak of no significant snow accumulation as we've had something of a snow drought following last winter, which has clearly come to an end. The good news is that it doesn’t appear like the snow will be staying for long. While the northeastern states were under a winter weather advisory and winter storm watch, as you can see here, the storm is a mover, and it is quickly accelerating up and off the east coast into the Atlantic; it’ll be out of here in a blip! There are some minor indicators that it may move back towards us on it's way out, so we will be keeping an eye on it. New Yorkers should expect to see some drifting snow and colder temperatures, but all signs are pointing to this monster of a snow storm moving straight past us for the time being."  "Well isn't that a relief! Thanks Jones! Let's check in with..."

WELCOME TO BOROUGHSHQ FIRST OFFICIAL EVENT!

This event will be a character shuffle in order to encourage character interaction between characters who may not have engaged in threads with each other yet. Characters will be randomly*** paired up with each other during a sudden unexpected snowstorm. The circumstances of their forced proximity can be plotted up by the muns assigned to each other, and can be as tame, imaginative, comedic, or dramatic as you'd like! Please read the below information for more descriptive details of the event.

Participation: In order to participate, please submit the names of the characters you'd like to be involved using this form by 11:59pm EST on January 29th (Monday). Character pairings will be posted the following day on January 30th (Tuesday).

***Though characters will be randomly paired primarily, you are free to request your character to be paired up with another character for plotting purposes (we love some forced proximity angst!). Both parties will need to specify the same pairing request in the form for it to qualify.

IC Timeline: Canonically, the snowstorm will suddenly pass through New York on Tuesday, February 1st.

OOC Timeline: Members will have between February 1st through February 8th to post their initial starters around the snowstorm. After 2/8, no new starters can be posted, but writers are free to continue their event thread until it's conclusion. An announcement will be made on both days when the event has started and ended.

Threads: During this time period, members will be expected to write a thread with their paired partner, but members can also engage in other snowstorm related threads with other members, and are free to continue non-event threads as well! Just please be sure to tag all event threads as bhqevent001 for differentiation purposes.

If you have any other questions about the event, please do not hesitate to reach out to the main!

Overall Event Timeline:

1/26-1/29: Submit characters for participation by 1/29 11:59pm EST (form)

1/30: Character pairings released

2/1: Snowstorm Weather Report Detials & event threads allowed to be posted

2/8: Last day to post new event threads

[bjorkncaddel]

𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐄𝐃 at the mention of his cats. ❛ I know! She thinks my bedroom is hers! I am just a pet for her whom by chance has things in her environment. ❜ She mentions about her cat, Boo that that feline rarely leaves her bedroom. Normally only to greet Neva. ❛ Let's try! I think Boo never saw a cat in her life. I am curious to see how that goes. ❜ She mused.

❛ Yes, I don't know the other two countries I will visit it's to be determined, but if any of them is close to my home then I will stop by there. ❜ Neva visited a few European countries. Italy won't be the first time she will visit. She is excited to go back there. ❛ Ah, if you want any requests from there I can bring something for you. In Italy what I love is the food. I mean, who doesn't love Italian food? ❜ Speaking of which, she wanted to eat pasta right now or tiramisù. ❛ Oh, Switzerland is wonderful! If you ever go to these places just let me know, because I can make a list of things 'to do' in these countries.❜ Traveling makes her so excited. ❛ Ohh, really?! That's amazing! Congratulations! I love your illustrations! Is it a new children's book? And where it will be? ❜

"Maybe, but cats are a bit more territorial than dogs. Dunno how well mine would do with a playdate." He chuckles, shrugging nonetheless. Could be fun to try.

"Two you're not sure of?" He can't imagine going off to Europe and not knowing exactly where he was headed to. "Italy will be wonderful, I'm sure. And Switzerland." Asa never really got to travel - only from Ireland to Wales to London, and then he'd fled to the US. And here he is now. "New... not terribly. I was invited to a conference, for illustrators and authors. For my childrens' books. It's a weekend thing, so I'm not sure if I want to be gone for that long. But getting invited at all was a huge honor."

[boroughshq]

THE (DELAYED) RESPONSE CONT.

While the initial response to the storm was delayed, once the size of the problem was actualized, state officials moved into overdrive to overcome it. A state of emergency was issued as citizens were advised to stop all travel and stay home, with stranded citizens advised to seek shelter in stores and community shelters. State officials worked tirelessly to rescue stranded motorists and tow cars blocking lanes so snowplows and treatment vehicles could tend to the roads. Come the next day, the majority of roads around the state had successfully been plowed and treated with salt and brine. Railways were back in full service for the day's commuters. By the weekend's end, electricity was restored to all communities that suffered outages. State officials vowed to be better prepared for the next time a surprise storm hits, with all signs of the damages of the snowstorm now behind them.

THIS MARKS THE OFFICIAL END OF THE SNOWSTORM EVENT.

As a reminder, no new starters can be made set during the storm, but members are free to continue any on-going event threads until their natural conclusion. Thank you to everyone for participating! I hope everyone who did choose to participate had fun taking advantage of the snowy backdrop and were able to foster interesting new threads through this experience!

[withbitterness]

who: Leo Darby (@tctteredwings)

where: early morning at Kitty and Brew, pre-snowfall

Stopping by the kitty cafe wasn’t on Sherri’s agenda for the day, but it was on her route to the thrift store, and she couldn’t resist stopping by to say hi to her favorite kitty. Yet, as she came in, a quick search of the place found her feline friend asleep, the black cat only accepting a quick pet from the blonde before turning in on herself. Not one to bother, Sherri instead set her sights elsewhere, spotting the owner sipping what she assumed was tea. Showing perhaps more familiarity than warranted, Sherri easily walked over and plucked the cup from their hands. “Forecast says it’s supposed to snow today.” A load of bull considering how warm the last few days have been following last weekend’s brief snow, Sherri thought, sipping from the mug (very pleased to find that it was, indeed, tea). “Ten bucks says it doesn’t.”

[itshoneys]

location: some main street in Manhattan when: evening / during snowfall status: closed starter @omarijxcksons [ Omari Jackson ]

—it has been snowing for hours, yet Honey had somehow convinced Omari it would be a great idea to go with her to an exclusive event she had been invited to. apart from being one of her best friends, they are easily the most fashionable and stylish person, like ever, and she is guilty of using him as a personal stylist on too many occasions. tonight, however, she just wanted to have him as a plus one, for them too to have some fun, catch up. she had, of course, dressed for the weather with a bright pink faux fur, a pair of flare light color jeans, and a pair of chunky boots —well, somewhat weather appropriate. She was about to tell him about what happened at the club the other day when she was rudely interrupted by the Uber driver who told them that he couldn’t go any further, Honey thought he had to be joking, but when he asked them to get off, she nearly didn’t believe her own ears.

she turned to look at her friend, wide eyed and in pure disbelief; standing on the curb, hugging herself tightly, cursing under her breath it was when she had been fully convinced that the dude had really meant it. there were not many cars around and she fidgeted with her phone, trying to call another Uber, nearly desperate, but trying her best to get a grip. snow nearly fell in handfuls by now and she turned to Omari with an apologetic look. “okay…say it…” had they said it was an awful idea to begin with? could have, but Honey was certain it would be fine and it’s just a little bit of snow, and don’t be such a princess, had been her words in her attempts to convince him to come with.

[bjorkncaddel]

𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 Violet putting the wines on the table. And she took off her snow coat and left it in the corner. ❛ I prefer the white wine and onesie. ❜ She made her way toward the brunette, taking the wine she had chosen, and put the other wine back where it was. ❛ Thank you. ❜ She said softly, with her cheeks blushed in shyness, unsure of what to do first. She stayed in the corner as if she were waiting for the next movement from Vi. ⏤ Neva nodded and went to grab the glass of wine, from where it was instructed she also looked to find a wine opener, found it, and gingerly opened the bottle of wine, pouring generous quantities for both of them.

Once she finished her task, she put the glass of white wine in front of Vi, without disturbing her actions of cooking. ❛ I'm allergic to shrimp. ❜ She warns her, staying by her side, holding now the glass of wine. She was a bit surprised by the question, rarely anyone ever asks if she is allergic to something. ❛ What else do you want me to do? ❜ She inquired curiously. ⏤ Upon her question… ❛ Ahh, it's a little hectic at work. I think, next week I might trip to Europe, a work trip. And I went to Comic-Con for the first time, with a friend of mine, Ryan. I didn't know how those events worked and people thought I was a Barbie's cosplayer. I also wore pink that day to make it worse. ❜ Neva was a bit introverted so to be in an environment full of people wanting to take pictures of her, asking for autographs was a bit challenging for her. The blonde is also a 'fashionista' apart from having a lot of pink wardrobe, she has a lot of outfits that could potentially be 'Barbie's material'. ⏤ ❛ She is there, waiting for you to come and say 'hi' to her. New pieces are about to come. I don't have a date yet because of the deeds I have to do in Europe first. ❜

❄︎ ❅ ❄︎ ❅ ❄︎ ❅ ❄︎ ❅ ❄︎ ❅ ❄︎ ❅ ❄︎ ❅ ❄︎ ❅ ❄︎ ❅ ❄︎ ❅

The smile on Violet's lips only grows once her idea is met with approval, once again opening her fridge to take out some ingredients and two bottles of wine, one red and one yellow for the other to choose from. "I have all type of lounge wear you can use for the night, there are a few onsies somewhere in my closet, flannel pajamas, some old ithaca pants from back when I was in college— tell me what you prefer and I'll get them ready for you to change to, toiletries are in the bathroom. As always, make yourself at home" she encouraged. It was innate of her, aiming to please and to be a good host, to have her sacred space become such to those who entered it.

The artist began to prep her ingredients, getting some herbs from her little potted plants she had on her kitchen before pointing at one of the wooden cabinets in her kitchen. "I have some wine glasses up there, could you get them and get us something to drink? You can choose whichever you prefer" she then pointed between both bottles now resting on her counter next to the ingredients she began chopping, her gaze focused on the blonde. "Any allergies I should know about?" a beat later, she cleaned her throat. "So, besides the crazy weather, how was your week? How is my lovely Magnolia?" she inquired, referring to her favorite art piece of art from Neva's place of work.

[withbitterness]

who: Onyx Harper (@gcld-rushes)

where: Rock Star Crystals, start of snowfall

On principle, Sherri didn’t believe in luck. Sure, she engaged in theater superstitions - she never said Macbeth in a theater, and only received flowers after shows - but that was more so out of tradition than any belief in any actual bad luck. As such, crystal shops held very little interest to her. Even the aesthetic of it all didn’t fit her vibe, all witchy and Halloween-esque. But, she had just left a browsing at the local thirft still in a consumer headspace, and as she walked by the shop’s storefront, she figured even if the crystals meant nothing to her, they sure could make some pretty accessories. Plus, it had started to snow. It was a light fall, barely anything more than rain, but she was dressed ill equipped for the weather and was already getting cold. A break in a heated store before she made the rest of the trip home sounded heavenly. Once inside, she was only half joking when she spotted Onyx and quipped, “Got anything to help protect me from that out there?”

[withbitterness]

who: Riva Simone (@sweetnxthngs)

where: morning at Trove Thrift, pre-snowfall

From the look of her, Sherri knew she didn't look like a thrifter. That was intentional. The entertainment industry was all about image, and wearing secondhand clothes didn't help it unless you scored the vintage shit. Luckily for Sherri, she's been thrifting since she was a child. At first, it was out of pure necessity - too poor for department stores, especially with a mother who used all her money on drugs. Then, there was no money to waste on clothes when she had an expensive New York move ahead of her. Years of it lead to her developing an eye for designer pieces and a knack at combing through the racks of junk to find it. Skimming through one such rack, Sherri huffed as she got to the end with nothing, turning to Riva at their rack. "Think it's too early to start shopping for spring?"

[withbitterness]

who: Asa Holland (@asa--holland)

where: noon at Stardust, early snowfall

Sherri had originally intended her stop by work on the way to her rehearsal to be a quick thing. She’d accidently taken her nametag home with her last name and, absolutely hating having any reminder of work at home (her roommate sat in a gray area), she needed to immediately expel the thing from her apartment. Hence, a quick stop by work today after her morning errands. How she got roped into assisting with a shift and a number was beyond her, but she fed on the applause all the same. Nonetheless, the second she saw an opportunity to bolt, she did, leaving her nametag behind wile simultaneously donning the black uniform shift with the restaurant's name splashed across the front. Ugh, she thought, realizing her error, then shivered as the cool of the snow caught up to her. Fuck. As she moved to retrieve and put on her earmuffs, Sherri paused as she felt the presence of another near her. Not missing a beat, she said, “If you’re here to request a song, you’re shit out of luck, as I don’t work here.” A less convincing lie with the restaurant’s name branded across her chest, but a lie she made regardless.