i have a little dreidel // ratmukkah solstice event // d10

[✨ zozo.]

✡︎

Despite Wren Horowitz's attempt to state that the County Fair was a district-wide effort, much of its success had been accredited to her. And sure, she had organised almost the entire event and there was no reports of illegal activity from the locals or guests - a win in Panem's books - but Wren was as modest as the winter was cold. The County Fair's summer weather had brought a scorching heat, with winter-time's air a freezing juxtaposition.

Despite her usual lifestyle of isolation up on her ranch with nothing but the animals to keep her company, Wren loved spending the holiday season with others. The Fair had been a hit across the community, eager for another event to keep spirits high despite the short days and piles of snow that chilled to the bone.

Solstice was no County Fair, kept inside the District's borders this time, but that same sense of community kept her heart warm. Inside a barn-turned-hall sat oil heaters and hot mugs of cocoa, little stalls of free soup and knitted wears to take home for those who would usually go without. Ten didn't have much, but they had each-other. It was easy to forget on the hard days, easier still to try and reject the bittersweet memories of holiday times with her now-passed father. But Wren still had her dreidel, a good-luck charm she carried around with her, and this year she decided it was time to share her family traditions with the people she cared about most in this world.

So she had set to work melting cocoa and cream, setting home-made chocolate coins in the fridge and wrapping them with tinfoil. They weren't exactly like those her Pa used to make, but they were good enough, and with what meat she couldn't fit in her small fridge-freezer she whipped up as leftover beef brisket and potato latkes for good measure. A circular water drum turned table stood in the middle of the hall surrounded with chairs, where a bowl of shiny gelt sat with some makeshift dreidel pieces she had commissioned from wee Sofie Winchester down the road.

"It's easy," she smiled as people peered at the wooden dreidels curiously. "You spin it like a top, and whatever it lands on you either give or take the coins. See?"

The dreidel spun in the warm light, the hall buzzing with holiday spirit. Creating new memories from her father's traditions and sharing them with others, Wren felt as though she was the luckiest woman in the world - if only for a moment.

✡︎

OOC; Welcome to the District Ten Dreidel Game - celebrating IC Ratmukkah for the Vet Memes Ratmas Winter Solstice event. Special thanks to Lance for his help & education with this event!

You gain 1 (one) Ratmas point for each post you make across the districts' solstice events, for a maximum of 15 (fifteen) points! Blitz length posts are encouraged, and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to myself of any of the veteran members on slack!

HOW TO PLAY:

Each character starts with 5 gelt (chocolate coins), with 10 in the center.

Each character will spin the dreidel (dice=1-4) once during their turn. Depending on which side is facing up when the dreidel stops spinning, the player either gives or takes pieces of gelt from the pot.

1. NUN - נ

The player does nothing. The next character spins - traditionally sat to the left of the previous player.

2. GIMMEL - ג

You get to take the whole pot of chocolate coins + an IC food hamper containing beef brisket and latkes.

Everyone, including the spinner, puts another gelt into the pot, and the next person spins.

3. HEY - ה

The player gets half of the gelt pieces in the pot. (If there are an odd number of pieces in the pot, the player takes the half the pot rounded up to the nearest whole number.)

4. SHIN - ש

Sorry! You now have to put another gelt into the pot.

The first 4 characters will form Group 1, the next 4 Group 2, the next 4 Group 3, etc. Feel free to write as many rounds as you'd like with your group, even if another group hasn't finished a round.

Depending on what dice roll you land on is what side of the dreidel faces up. I recommend rolling and then writing the character's reaction at the bottom! 

The groups will be first post, first served!

Group 1:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Group 2:
1.
2.
3.
4.

etc.

[Cait]

corvan harper.

When Jordan dragged me out of bed this afternoon, interrupting my hard-earned nap, and begged for me to bring her down to the Town Square, I don’t know what I was expecting. These days I try my best to go along with the younger ones’ spontaneous plans – I know what it’s like to be let down, after all. And the centre of town is busy this time of year, sure, but somehow it’s not quite as crowded as it was at the County Fair just a few months earlier.

I’m still struggling to admit to myself that I actually enjoyed myself somewhat.

I barely have time to yell after Jordan to keep close to me before she’s bounding away to explore what appears to me like a mediocre lights display, but to her probably means the world. After a few minutes of walking through the crowd, a strong voice rings out over the speakers, enticing people to come! play a game! prizes to be won!

The promise of sweet chocolate treats is too great to walk away. It would indeed be a happier Ratmas if I was able to put a few more gifts under our makeshift tree.

So I approach a small table with four empty chairs and take a seat, looking around for someone to help get the ball rolling. The playing surface is lined with miscellaneous trinkets, the pieces reminding me of something akin to a game Nana would try to entertain the littles with, once upon a summer day of past. Not for the first time in my life do I find myself, then, regretting sitting alone in my room on such days, or venturing out towards the edge of the Orchards with Elijah to avoid the bustle of the collapsing mansion, the creaking floorboards. Maybe the noises of kinship would have helped me understand the rules of this game in front of me.

“Do I just…?” I pick up the top gingerly, careful not to hold too tightly for fear of dropping the delicate object out of my clammy hands.

[marguerite harvard d2a (zori)]

w i l l o w
a n n e

"*"

What a wonderful time of year.

Willow Ann practically had to drag Briar and Joshua to take part in the festivities, especially now since both were out of the house. They could hem and haw all they wanted, but she wouldn’t be deterred. It was good for all of them to have a time of year focusing on how good they had it, not just constantly chugging along.

This year had been a little different with Briar getting married and moving to her husband’s dairy farm. That summer had been hard, cleaning out her old bedroom and trying to figure out what the heck she was going to turn it into. Joshua had suggested some sort of game room, with a poker table and a little bar. One that he could use with his friends, the same ones who seemed to come crawling around after the sun went down and were far too comfortable walking around her house.

But today was about finding a bit of cheer, spreading it around, and taking their minds off of work.

She took up a chair next to a young man who’d grabbed one of the dreidels and asked if they were meant to start playing. “No time like the present, I think. Go on, give it a spin, huh?” Willow Ann dragged her chair a bit closer. “Hope you don’t mind, I thought I’d join this table. Willow Ann.”

She waved her hands again to encourage him. If she were a little bit bolder, she might’ve taken the thing and spun it herself.

elegant

[Deleted]

A l e x    P e p p e r w o o d

I needed out of the house for a bit, things felt weird around the holidays without Thad. We could tell someone was missing, the ghost of him still haunted the farms. I decided to head into the town square. I saw a guy messing with a dreidel, a girl approached him after watching too. It looked like they were getting ready to start playing, but the four chairs showed they might need another person.

I headed over and sat down, I wasn't shy - that wouldn't be very cool of me, "Hey, I'm Alex." I didn't say my last name much anymore. Especially after how Quinn's Ma reacted to hearing it over the summer at the County Fair. I was surprised I didn't see that little red head running around - at least not yet. Free candy seemed right up her alley.

I had heard of the game before, but the dude seemed confused. Like he was waiting for something - probably a forth player now that I was here. I was just glad Sammy wasn't here to steal my thunder like on my date with that chick from Eleven last summer. Younger siblings are so embarrassing.

"We just need one more player now, right?"

[Cait]

corvan harper.

Two strangers approach my table, coming to save me from the certain embarrassment that would have taken place if I’d tried to play this game myself.

“Go on, give it a spin, huh?”

And here I was thinking we were supposed to see how far we could throw it.

I can feel my cheeks warming up as I nod my head, hoping my face doesn’t give away just how utterly confused I had been ten seconds earlier. What a first impression that would have been!

The newcomers introduce themselves as Willow Ann, and Alex, and I offer a small smile their way. “I’m Corvan,” I reply as I watch them sit down in short succession. It’s nice to have some company, and now that I’ve been saved from my own incompetence, we can start playing for real. Willow Ann looks at me expectantly, and I’m just about to spin the small object in my hands–

“We just need one more player now, right?”

Oh, yeah. There are four chairs here, after all. Probably because there’s supposed to be four players.

I swivel in my seat to scan the surrounding perimeter, but can’t spot any other likely players approaching our table – not for the next few minutes, anyway. Patience may be a virtue, but it’s no strength of mine. I shrug.

“Surely we can start with three? Someone else can come along and join if they want, right?”

I don’t really expect either Alex or Willow to answer my questions. Rather, I make up my mind for myself, the curiosity winning out over proper gameplay rules. I give the spinning top a gentle flick and watch it swirl across the table for a few seconds, before gravity pulls it back down with a soft thud.

4uPebxHj4w1-4

The top lands on a symbol I don’t know how to interpret, and I frown uncertainly. “Does anyone know what that means?” I ask, pointing towards the centre of the table. “I've never played before.”

As if that wasn’t painfully obvious.

1-4

[Deleted]

---

He had been enjoying a smokewood cigar as he kept an eye at the solstice event. More so to enjoy the company of Miss Horowitz, the work in District 10 had always been a pleasure due to her work. The County Fair was a cozy event, the most the peacekeeper had to do was help clean at the end of the nights. Things were different in 10 than they were in 2 -- the community's so tight knit, there ain't ever much of a need for peacekeepers down here.

Country folk just know how to behave or something. McCree tipped his hat to Wren as he arrived to her ratmukkah event, a group of three already spinning a dreidel. Never heard of one back in district 2, but pretty much all he knew back then were the Johnwayne's cluster from hell and the rest of the trainee's from his hero peacekeeper core. He'd almost gotten homesick thinking about some of his old troupe; he'd have to send a letter to Mercy some time soon. 

Lord, she's gotta be worried. 

"Howdy," he says, joining the first dreidel group, "reckon I'll be y'all's fourth." Ain't no pain in the game of winning chocolates, McCree's always been a sucker with a sweet tooth. "Don't think I've played this before, so we'll have to see how this goes."

---

x8P|qm7Qtr1-4

1-4