In the center of the event, there's a large glass willow tree shimmering in the light of lanterns, fireworks, and starlight. Though nobirdie mans it and you're unable to see any signs or pamphlets detailing the tree's purpose, it soon becomes clear once you come closer. Birdies from all over approach the tree, each carrying a little glittering bag and were hanging these baggies onto the limbs of the tree. 

You notice these birdies tucking an array of items into the bags from candies to slips of paper to small handmade craft and Glass Stars. You wonder if this has anything to do with the whispered murmurings - the wishes - of the birdies around you. 

Only one way to find out, right? 

How to play: 

Members must either draw or write about an NPC or a birdie on the masterlist creating a Wish Bundle and leaving it on the Wishing Tree to be granted. 

Requirements: 

1 Fullbody & Simple Background or 800 Word Writing

Not Repeatable

Cost: 100 Glass Stars

While exploring all the festival activities, your eyes land on a large blue tarp, as well as... buckets of paint? You walk over for a closer look, noticing that there's a wide assortment of colors.

"Interested in playing?" You hear a voice ask. 

Confused, you look around until the voice giggles, "Up here!" 

You look up and discover that the voice belongs to Shrimp! She's sitting on top of a giant board that's covered with random splashes of paint. Underneath these random splashes you see faint X's and O's. "Welcome to Tik-Tak-Toe with paint!" Shrimp says with a grin as she hops down from her perch.

Tik-Tak-Toe with paint... You look back at the board again. The X's and O's suddenly make more sense.

"You can choose to go against me, or find someone else to play against. And if you're worried about getting messy, I can grab ya something," Shrimp says with a giggle, motioning toward the paints on the ground. "So, you wanna play or not?"

How to play
Members must either draw or write about either an NPC or their created birdie playing paint splatter tik-tak-toe with either the stall-runner or a friend.
Requirements: 1 Halfbody & Simple BG | 600 Words
Repeatable

Cost
Free to Play

While you're checking out the festival booths, you happen upon Tensei. He's looking down at his clipboard, reading a page of handwritten notes. You stand in front of him, waiting for him to notice your presence, but he doesn't look up from his notes until you clear your throat awkwardly.

"Ah," he says. He tucks his clipboard under his arm. "Sorry about that, I was just reviewing some field notes. I assume you're here to play the booth?"

You nod. You open your mouth to ask about the notes on the clipboard, but before you can, Tensei launches into an explanation of the boat race. 

"As you can see, behind me there's a tank of water, inside of which there are three boats. Each boat is piloted by a glass fledgling; you choose a boat to bet on prior to the race, and when the whistle sounds the race begins. The first boat to cross the finish line wins the grand prize, while the second wins a runner-up prize. Good luck, and enjoy the game!"

Well, that sure sounds like fun! You thank Tensei for the explanation and walk over to pick the boat you think has the best chance of winning.

How to Play:

Members must write/draw their Birdie(s) or an available NPC participating in the boat races

Requirements: 1 Halfbody & Simple BG | 600 words
(Repeatable)

Cost: 35 Glass Stars

Happy New Years!
Let's make some resolutions that we totally won't ditch in a few weeks!

｡･:*˚:✧｡•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•° . *•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•｡✧:˚*:･｡

"For as long as we can remember, there has been the Glass Comet," Fae murmurs as xey gesture with both hands toward the sky, before looking back down to the side at you with a gentle smile, "It is a tradition we carry on from Primordials."

Tradition?

"To celebrate it's arrival. Yes?" The Scientist's mouth upturns into a fond, amused smile, cheeks rosy, "Every year, it orbits our planet- A strange phenomenon. Yes? Most comets take much, much longer to orbit because they are much farther away - if they were any closer, they would risk being pulled in by gravity. But the Glass Comet is very close; it is more like a moon. Yes? One with a very pretty tail."

Oh, wow. Uh... science stuff. And a moon with a tail. That sure does evoke imagery in your mind- Why doesn't it crash into the planet, then?

Fae sighs softly through xeir nose and folds xeir hands back into xeir sleeves, looking up toward the evening sky again, "We are not really certain; every test we run, the results, they do not hold up to our logic. The best explanation I can give you is that it is magickal. Yes?"

Considering everything else you've seen since coming to Modernia, that seems like a pretty safe and reasonable answer.

The Kitsune laughs heartily, startling you, before patting your hair affectionately, "It does make sense, yes. Even more so when you consider that as the Comet passes overhead, the veil between our world and The Glade thins to where it is almost imperceptible. Then all the little creatures, they come through and the celebrate with us and play their tricks. Yes?"

The Glade? That sounds... vaguely familiar, for some reason. Little creatures?

"My colleagues and I often forget that you're not from around here," Xey chuckle, "You fit in so easily. The Glade is... Yes, well, it's..." You watch as xey ponder for a moment before smiling again, "All magick in our world comes from the Core. Yes? We are connected to the Core via Mother Mountain, one of its two largest outlets. But there are also many, many smaller outlets all around the world. Yes? Outlets that cannot create life like ours, but can still sustain it. Outlets where the magick of our planet runs rampant and wild - these outlets are known as The Glade."

That sounds... dangerous. Kinda fun, actually. So any of the 'little creatures' from these places are probably chock full of magick, right?

Fae beams at you, and your chest flutters as you can't help but grin back, "Precisely! Outlets from The Glade tend to become more powerful as the Glass Comet passes overhead, likely reacting to its own magickal pull and being pushed into the open as a result. Buildings and cities that weren't there before, suddenly appearing out of thin air. Marvelous, isn't it?" You can't help but agree, "And we have many good relations with these cities. They bring us many kinds of tools, gifts and cultural celebrations, and we return to them protection, food, and..."

You blink as Fae pulls a star-shaped crystal of glass out of xeir pocket and holds it up pinched between xeir index finger and thumb for you to scrutinize.

"These are Glass Stars. Yes?" Fae smiles again when you nod unsurely, "Take it, hold it."

You fumble nervously as the object is suddenly thrust in your hand, then wobble as a sudden wave of power rocks into you. It nearly takes you off your feet, the breath punching out of your lungs before you finally right yourself.

When you look back up, Fae seems a little startled by how much the star affected you, but continues with xeir explanation, "As you can see, it is full of raw magicks. They fall from the sky in chunks from the Glass Comet itself, as if it is shedding excess, and then we find them here. The Little Folk covet these, due to their connections with the Core, but cannot touch them unrefined. The greatest good we trade with them is when we handle these chunks, take them and refine them into those little stars. They are still quite powerful, but... manageable."

Oh. You see. Fae nods, and you both begin to walk again as you hold the thrumming star-shaped glass close to your chest, soaking in its power.

"Though he is not one of the little ones - that I am aware," Fae clears xeir throat awkwardly, and you get the feeling that xey're about to bring up quite the character, "There is a wizard - a man, powerful in magicks and understanding of them to a greater extent than we are - whose tower appears on the beach during this month, floating. He also takes these stars, converts them into raw magick without forme, and then bestows that magick as gifts unto others. Yes? He is quite... eccentric. But he is a good man."

You get the feeling that you won't have a choice of whether or not to meet him.

As you look around, having been distracted by the thumping of your heart, you realize that Fae has lead you around the Glass Castle into the palace gardens. All around you are hanging fairy lights, blooming shrubbery and flower patches, magnificent trees with bowed branches, and what must have been hundreds of floating motes of multicoloured lights. It's beautiful, and you say as much under the light of the Moon now in the sky.

A hand squeezes your shoulder, and you smile up at the soft-faced scientist, "It is, yes. Now look this way, to the center of the garden."

Doing as xey say, you stare wide-eyed up at a massive blooming willow, dazzling you with rich pinks and purples and mauves. Its hanging vines and blossoms flutter in the night air, dancing with the wind to complete the scene. Though, to the left you notice a newcomer to your little foray: 

Appy, Modernia's most beloved Weather Birdie.

You watch as she unties an odd-looking tag from her belt and approaches a line of juvenile bamboo decorated with red ribbons and string, before taking one of the strings and retying her handmade tag to one of the shafts. When Fae sees you tip your head in a mixture of curiosity and confusion, xey laugh softly.

"My, you certainly do have much to learn, don't you? Yes?" You nod awkwardly with a sheepish smile and xey continue, "She is participating a little early due to her forecast schedule, but Appy dear is tying her wish to the bamboo, in hope of it coming true this year. It is one of the many traditions brought to us by the Little Folk. Yes? Later on tonight, the comet will pass just close enough for its magicks to reach us, and this willow will turn into pure glass until it is gone again. Then, Birdies will come from all over to tie their wishes to its boughs along with offerings to The Glade," Fae leans in now, a conspiratorial smile gracing xeir lips, "They are rather fond of food. Yes?"

You can't help but laugh at the scientist's cheeky antics as you approach the tree, Appy giving you a cheerful wave and smile before disappearing around the bend. However, when you get close enough to read her wish, both you and Fae share a foreboding shudder.

You catch Fae's eye as xey turn to you with a grim expression, "Let's hope that your wish isn't quite as destructive. Yes?"

Oh, of course. Hopefully.

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To Participate:
   There's a handful of activities to participate in this time around!! Not to mention, sharing this post in a Bulletin or Journal and then commenting below linking us to said post will get you a reward, with added bonuses per tier listed below-

Journal/Bulletin: x1 Uncommon Trait
Up to 3 tags: 50 Fibers per tag
All 3 tags: x1 Rare Trait

Join our Discord here to participate and activate your inventory!!

Mechanics: 
   Members must already be on the Inventory to be able to participate in this event and play the stalls. Characters used for stalls and prompts must be from the species to reap any reward. This event will last until 12AM on February 1st, though the Event Shop will continue to remain open for a week after for stragglers.

Stalls will be available all month for members to earn prizes, species currency, and event currency. These stalls will consist of games and other interactive events that will be a mixture of free-to-play and pay-to-play (with event currency), and will require art or writing to interact just like previous events. Each stall will have a specific set of prizes, which will be rolled by whoever is tending to that specific booth. Players also may interact with these stalls as often as they like, for the entirety of the month, with the exception of the Lollipop Tree and the Fireworks Show.

Finally, there are rumours that a special Event Shop will be available to users, featuring seasonal traits that will help bring in the magicks of a new year! These special Event Traits will be available to purchase through the Event Shop with the event's special currency, but each item will only be purchasable once by each person.

Monthly Prompt(s):
   Along with the start of the new year and the passing of major holidays, Monthly and Bi-Weekly prompts will also start back up in earnest! Monthly prompts will be themed around the events and time of year, while Bi-Weekly prompts will remain more scattered in their topics.

There will be one Monthly prompt and two Bi-Weekly prompts this month, focused all around new beginnings! Make sure you check it out for some super nice rewards!

Event Currency: Glass Stars.

   You can often find these just about anywhere during the festival - on the ground, in trees, sometimes you can even find them in your house (because they crashed through a window, of course)!

While they seem like insignificant little glass trinkets at first, no one can really deny the power that thrums through your fingers from holding a few of them. It’s clear that they came from the Glass Comet itself, and hold traces of its limitless magicks.

In a small corner of the Fashion District lies a little festive shoppe that’s closed for all but one month of the year. The roof seems perpetually covered in snow, with frosted windows strung up in colourful lights that are only used once a year, and a hanging wooden sign that sways in a non-existent winter breeze that reads, ‘Snowdrop Shoppe of Jubilant Winter Joys’.

Except now the festive lights are on, and warm firelight takes up the old darkness in the windows, and you stop in place from where you were walking past because you smell hot cocoa and roasted marshmallows and festive winters pies - and your chest swells with a sense of home, no matter how far you are from yours.

You’ve barely crossed the threshold of the entrance when you’re scooped into a warm, crushing embrace.

“There you are, sugarplum! I was beginning to think you weren’t going to stop by!” You smile widely as Grandma Snowdrop lets go and steps back, hands on her hips as she offers you a pout, “No, really, I thought you were going to walk right past.”

But once you reassure her that you had no such intentions, she bustles you over to the fireplace where a humble group of Birdies has grown - all bundled up in blankets and nursing cups of glownog and cocoa, warm smiles and soft eyes - and introduces you to the few faces you aren’t familiar with. Time passes by with striking ease, and your group dwindles slowly one-by-one until only you and a pair of dozing Birdies remain.

You jolt from where you’d been gazing passively into the hearth and stand quickly, dislodging your blanket, and Grandma looks up at you in surprise from her desk where she’d been writing a few letters. When she looks out through the store windows to see the darkness of night just outside, she rises and shuffles her papers around haphazardly with a hushed Oh, nutcrackers!

She approaches you with an apologetic smile, taking your hands in hers, “You’ll have to forgive me, you know how easy it is to lose track of time during the winter days,” You nod, “How about you browse my inventory, to make up for it? I’ve gotten a new stock this year.”

That certainly sounds like a deal.

Available

• Peppermint Patty – I heard that eating one of these makes you pretty cool!
       Provides the ‘Peppermint Growths’ trait
       450 Little Snowglobes
  
  
• Gingerbread Loaf – Well, you are what you eat!
       Provides the ‘Gingerbread Growths’ trait
       450 Little Snowglobes
  
  
• Paper Snowflake – Carefully hand-crafted with a handful of love and magick.
       Provides the ‘Snowy Hair’ trait
       750 Little Snowglobes
  
  
• Rainbow Crystal – Supposedly powered by the Aurora Borealis itself.
       Provides the ‘Bioluminescence’ trait
       1000 Little Snowglobes

Set up in the culinary capital of Modernia - the Innovation District - a massive competition is being held by the best bakers in the country. Stalls and stands, booths and cookware and appliances have been set up along the longest street in the district, and the sounds of baking clatter in the air.

There are still several stands that are unoccupied, and it seems to be open to anyone to join so long as you bring your own ingredients! There are a small handful of judges, too, that are wandering around at a leisurely pace, taste-testing the food as it’s finishing up. It smells amazing.

Off to the side you see a familiar face rushing by with a massive, slightly burnt, half deflated souffle. Edgar seems busy with his own issues... it'd probably be best to leave him be. Or perhaps you'd be willing to lend a helping hand to the poor guy!

How to Play: 

Members must write/draw their Birdie(s) or an available NPC

Requirements: 1 Halfbody & Full Scene BG | 900 Words

Repeatable

Cost: 75 Little Snowglobes

You find yourself standing in front of what appears to be another festival activity. There's a sign set up that reads "Bird-Call Caroling with FELICITY!", and as you're reading it, a Primordial approaches with a jovial smile.

"Hi there! We were just getting ready for another song, if you wanna join in! There are song books on the table," Felicity gestures over to a long table behind her that has piles of blue folders on it. "There's also a little hot chocolate, courtesy of the folks over at Cocoa Corner. Make sure to stop by and visit the vendors stalls when you get the chance!"

You hesitate, unsure about whether your singing would really add much to the carols, but Felicity waves off your concerns: "Nonsense! Anybirdie can join in, regardless of how good a singer they are!"

Feeling reassured, you walk over and pick up a song book.

---

How to Play: 

Members must write/draw their Birdie(s) or an available NPC caroling with others to bring Birdies joy.

Requirements: 

Two Fullbodies & Focused BG | 1000 Words (Repeatable)

Cost: Free-to-Play!

｡･:*˚:✧｡•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•° . *•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•｡✧:˚*:･｡

In the early morning light, with the sun rising just above the glass walls, you stumble upon the chatter of several birdies and what seems to be a variety of different creatures. The hay has been stacked in such a way to resemble a makeshift stable, one sleigh per partition. Bea, one of the founder knights, leans against some of the bales. Noticing your curiosity, she beckons you.

'Hey! They're free to ride around town if you wanna hop on,' she signs. 

Pointing to the various sled/creature combos, you notice a few of them are missing. Crunching through the snow on your way here, the array of sleigh lines already in the snow makes you wonder how many birdies have already come and gone. Looking around you find barkpots, glass amalgams, and even a few things you haven't seen before. A 'pygmy seal snail' and two 'steed form dinogriffs' according to Bea.

'Just grab a ride and be sure to hook them up well. If you need any help just call me over. The sleighs will also be up all day so feel free to ride again if you want.' She gives you a big thumbs up and then moves onto another birdie just walking up to the stables.

｡･:*˚:✧｡•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•° . *•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•｡✧:˚*:･｡

How To Play:
Members must write/draw their Birdie(s) or an available NPC riding on one of the various sleds! 

Requirements:
Two Halfbodies & Focused BG (Sleigh animals not mandatory) | 800 Words [Repeatable]

Cost:
Free-to-play!

Tucked away near the entrances of the Underslums, the vented caves providing a warmth outside lacks, a casual atmosphere permeates the area. Temporary shops seem to have been set up for generally low prices, stocked with all the wintery goodies you could ever need or want to enjoy.

Spiced eggnog and cider, candied fruit, caramelized popcorn and nuts, striped candies and peppermint - but most of all, the smell of hot cocoa overtakes you, filling you up with warmth from the inside out and leaving you craving. Lucky for you, there's plenty of stalls to peruse and enjoy.

As you walk through the stalls through the day you follow the smell of hot cocoa to a more open space, stalls are still scattered but you can't help but notice the sheer amount of snow piled near the hand-crafted hot cocoa stall and the growing number of birdies surrounding it. You peak around and see Cupcake, happily chirping away as she serves everyone some fresh hot cocoa. You can't help but admire the hand-crafted decoration as you shift into line, and within seconds you're face to face with the cheerful birdie.

"Welcome! Here for some cocoa? I got plenty of it and plenty of treats to put in it too! Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to hand it out for free no matter how hard I pleaded, they wouldn't budge... but! I got little gifts for everyone who gets some!" Cupcake exclaims happily as she rambles on, mentioning something about her jacket as well. You could've sworn you heard her mention how Bea wouldn't let her run the stand without one. Soon enough her rambling ends and you decide to get some cocoa before heading off for more winter adventures.

How to play:
Members must write/draw their Birdie(s) or an available NPC perusing the food booths and finding something special.
Requirements: 1 Fullbody & Focused BG
Repeatable

Cost: 100 Little Snowglobes

｡･:*˚:✧｡•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•° . *•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•｡✧:˚*:･｡

Not quite near the beach, you find a path of snow winding through a sparse cropping of trees in the area. The longer you follow it, the more piles of snow you find along the path, until you reach a large clearing absolutely covered in mounds of snow. Some birdies have already created some adorable masterpieces..... and some strange looking ones. You stand at the edge of this clearing, and suddenly hear a voice call out from nearby.

"Hey! Another friend!"

It's Polaris, the pet rescue owner! His shop is still being built, but many birdies have started hearing about the lovable polar bear. He hurries over with a clipboard in hand, glass paws easily moving through the snow, then stops next to you with a chuckle, looking over the snow creatures that already dotted the area.

"Great job finding your way here, friend! We've had a few others already find this spot, but more are soon to come, haha! Oh! But please, don't mind me!" Polaris waves a hand out towards the snow field, nodding eagerly. "Please, go ahead and get creative if you'd like! There's no right or wrong when it comes to making snowbirdies! Or snowcreatures, haha!"

｡･:*˚:✧｡•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•° . *•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•｡✧:˚*:･｡

How To Play:
Members must write/draw their Birdie(s) or an available NPC building snow sculptures to try and impress the judges and win the competition.
Requirements:
One Fullbody & Simple BG | 600 Words

Cost:
50 Little Snowglobes