Closed International Rubber Ducky Day OPEN

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Dad

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Pa

Andrea

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Interacting with Cyrus Darsel @Koko Riddle	Date - 18/07/24
WC 318/200	Color Legend - Mylo | Thoughts

Mylo had been enjoying camp so far, they hadn't really been to one before and therefore hadn't known what to expect. But they'd been pleasantly surprised by everything. The tents were nice and there was quite a lot to see and do, some of the activities they'd seen on the schedule had made an impression and they'd couldn't wait to do them, like the enchanted exchange for instance. One thing they hadn't quite expected though was the cold weather, not that he minded in the slightest. Although he enjoyed warmer, not hot, weather the scenery of the snow was magnificent and made up for the slight numbness in his limbs.

The day had been pretty calm so far, mostly just walking around and getting their bearings a bit more around the Quidditch stadium itself, not wanting to get lost or anything. Which had led Mylo to suddenly be walking past an older student, wearing crocs he noticed. not exactly the best shoes for the weather he thought to himself wondering how the boys feet weren't freezing off. But the thought quickly being dismissed by the sentence "Do you want a free rubber duck?"

Noticing the sign and the huge bag full of rubber ducks next to it, a small smile spread across Mylo's face and he stepped closer to the boy. Although he wasn't aware that International Rubber Ducky Day was an actual thing it did not disappoint them, in fact he loved the idea. Carefully taking the rubber duck the boy was excitedly holding up to them he couldn't help his excitement rise as well due to the excitement of the other student.

"Thank you! I didn't even know there was an international rubber duck day, although it's amazing and more people should know about it. I shall take good care of them." He stated smiling happily at the duck they now held in his hands.

OOC Notes -

Code by Ara Villa

Interactions: @Koko riddle | @Mylo Atkins Mentions:

Date: 18th July Location: London quidditch stadium

Outfit: x

- International Rubber Duck Day -

Feet firmly cushioned in warm boots, Cass once again thanked their "overpacking" tendencies. This was another example why they would clearly need extra clothes for the opposite season in their luggage at all times. They had yet to find a use for the three different sets of marbles they had brought, but they were confident it was only a matter of time. They had decided to take a stroll through the campgrounds today, to combat the boredom that was quickly emerging into their week. Even summer camp didn't seem to be immune to it. Each tent seemed to be a new kind of magical, and they regretted not being able to go inside all of them. Igloos and tents that seemed to be made of night sky looked amazing.

Among the tents, an older boy they didn't recognise from hogwarts sat on the cold snow. The boy wasn't that remarkable, but the sign next to him and the strange yellow objects in the bag certainly was. What were "rubber duckies"? Now that they looked closer, the objects resembled a crude mockery of a duck. They weren't normally yellow, for one. And they certainly wouldn't be that round if they intended to leave the ground and fly. How had they never seen these objects before? And what were they? Now that they looked closer, the boy who they belonged to seemed equally weird. Why on earth did his shoes have holes in them? Wouldn't the snow get in?

Then he spoke, and Cass went from confused to extra confused. "Whats a rubber duckie? Are they meant to be ducks? Why are they so round? What do they do" they rattled off a list of questions, picking one up from the bag (Why did it feel so smooth?). The other boy beside them seemed to know what the weird yellow not-ducks were, making them even more confused.

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Ruby roamed through the Stadium, looking for some things to do. The first few days of camp had been filled with meeting new and exciting people, and finding her place. She liked her tent, it was beautiful and at night she would lie aake for seceral hours just watching the stars pass before her eyes. She wished she could do the same for the ceiling at home. Maybe she could ask her dad if he knew how to enchant it.

Today was a quiet day, and she was exploring the Stadium to find interesting things to do. But just walking through the snow was nice too. She liked the snow. She wasn't such a summer girl, because it would get too hot for her to be comfortable. She liked the peace and quiet of a world covered in snow. It seemed like a new beginning, starting all over with a blanc page. She passed tents in all sorts of colours and sizes, and sometimes a friendly face would emerge from one of them and she woud wave at them.

After a while she decided to go back to her tent, maybe have some hot cocoa next to the little bonfire in their tent. She rounded a corner to walk back on a different path, we she suddenly saw a boy sitting there with a big bag next to him. The curiosity got the better of her and she walked towards the bo in a plain black hoodie. As she approached him, she saw the sign next to him that said: 'Free rubber duckies!!!'

The boy noticed her and offered her a free rubber duckie. Ruby noticed the bag next to him was filled to the top with little rubber ducks.
Oh, how very nice of you. I would like one, thank you so much!
She took the duck the boy handed to her and gave him a big smile, taking over his enthusiasm. She looked at the duck in her hands. It was a yellow one, wearing a sweater with all te colours of the rainbow. Funny enough this duck suited her very well.
I didn't know there was an International Rubber Ducky Day, but from now on I will certainly remember. Thanks again!

She smiled at him one last time and headed back to her tent to place this cute little ducky next to her sleeping bag, as a little token to prove there are still friendly people in the world.

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roleplaying as approved inpc elias travers
Eli's ASL + Eli's BSL + Eli's Writing + Eli's Speech
Brendon's ASL + Brendon's Speech
Parker's ASL + Parker's Speech
Lance's ASL + Lance's BSL + Lance's Speech
Paige's Speech

It was so crazy, two big vacations in just one year (especially since the first one was literally for New Year's Day), but it was happening. Four Travers and Lance were going to London. That's right, four. Aunt Paige was helping her brother finance the whole shabang, and Lance was buying his own ticket and stuff.

Elias hadn't wanted to go to summer camp, initially. He wanted to stay home with his mom and dad and Lance. But Brendon and Parker had thought a lot about it since he went back for the spring term, and they had always wanted to take a family trip to Europe, and it became set in stone when Lance revealed he was fluent in BSL (and a whole lot of other SLs, turns out he's a polygot). Aunt Paige had to go to London anyway, some sort of design conference (the fashion world is fancy like that), and she figured since her way was pretty much paid she could lend a hand to the Brendon Travers family. Parker's pride took a hit, but Brendon assured he would be contributing a lot to the trip. A joint effort, not charity.

And so on July 5th, the Travers crew set out on a grand adventure. For ten days they cavorted around London and saw the sights and did the things and had a wonderful time. Paige went to her conference, Lance and Elias met some deaf British people and had a really good conversation.

The day of the fifteenth came far too early, however, and Elias had to make the decision: summer camp, or home?

I don't know what to do, he signed, flopped on the hotel bed.

That's ok, Lance responded from the floor.

Parker looked between the boys, petting Elias' hair softly. "American, please," she said, signing the same.

"Sorry, Mrs. Travers," Lance quickly apologized. Maybe you should go. I bet Cyrus and Nate are. Plus, we'll be waiting at home when you get back.

Elias shrugged.

Paige opened the door in a whirlwind of coat and bag and hat, "Hello!" A bright smile fell as she noticed the three by the beds. "What's the matter over here?"

"Eli's having a bit of trouble deciding if he wants to stay for Summer Camp or not," Parker answered.

Paige waved her hand. "Tell him to go. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to go back." Lance relayed this information. Elias paused, head tilted.

He found himself bidding farewell to the family that night outside of the London Quidditch Stadium. And by outside I mean several blocks away. I know it will be so hard for you, but stay out of trouble, yeah? Brendon signed before ruffling Elias' hair. The boy laughed.

Now, three days later, he was missing them terribly, even though they were only just now flying back to the States. Perhaps Cyrus could turn his mood upside down with International Rubber Ducky Day.

"Cyrus!" the younger boy shouted, grinning madly and dashing up to him. Good to see you! He noticed the ducks quickly after noticing his friend. "Woah." He then noticed the other people and gave a sheepish wave before looking back to Cyrus.

Roleplaying as Hans Jenssen, all dialogue in accented English (noticeable but does not affect understanding) unless otherwise stated

Some would think Hans would be far too old for such inane things as rubber ducks.

Why, they would be wrong, it seems. Certainly, the bright yellow oddities lit up his day this summer, and he was never too grown for such perfectly frivolous distractions as rubber duckies. While he would not say no to such a joyous blessing, what Hans had not been expecting was someone actually giving them out and, without any shock, an American, no less. That was exactly the scene, a student - from his accent, he guessed, from Ilvormorny -, with long curly hair of similar colour to the German and dark blue eyes. Though his appearance was unassuming, his clothing choice stood out among the coats and jackets of winter-clad individuals. Clad in a hoodie, khakis, and more surprisingly, crocs of all footwear, he looked like a run-away vacationer who had haphazardly thrown on warmer clothes.

Though of course, all focus was not on him but the subject of his speech: rubber ducks. And so Hans' stroll was interrupted by an enthusiastic wave, an amiable voice, and a smother of bright yellow as the young man held up one of his many rubber ducks, 'Hi! Hi! Happy International Rubber Ducky Day! Would you like a free rubber ducky to celebrate!' Perhaps his more serious peers would choose to ignore or even actively deny such an offer, but Hans, still well in his young teenage years, had no qualms against indulging in the benign and childish. Walking up to the gradually forming crowd around the American, he spread his arms, a grin tugging on his lips as he said, his accent noticeably accented but the words still distinguishable, 'Hey everyone, how's it going?' Once a reply was given or his presence acknowledged: 'These look nice,' he said, for lack of a better adjective, 'Can I get five? Wouldn't mind sharing with my friends.'

@Koko Riddle as Cyrus Darsel

threading as Johannes Sauer
speaking in russian unless specified

interacting with @Cyrus Darsel
mentioning @Slava Preobrazhensky

When Johannes had gotten word that summer camp’s theme was vaguely winter themed in the middle of July, he could only imagine the amount of preparation involved to set up a winter wonderland for a whole section outside of London’s Quidditch Stadium. Thank god he wasn’t in charge of coordinating tent layouts or else everyone would have been kicked out until the sports games.

General camp atmosphere aside, Johannes’ normal wanderings couldn’t be stifled by a little fallen snow. He schooled at Durmstrang for god’s sake, where even surprise conversations could be momentarily mistaken as a threat. Johannes had been roaming the grounds aimlessly when he’d been called upon by a boy perhaps about his age, seeming infinitely more questionably dressed compared to the cold-looking kids they were loosely surrounded by. Next to the other sat a large bag full of rubber duckies, all stacked atop of each other without a bathtub in sight. Johannes hadn't heard of a prank war(?) this year, but then again, he also hadn’t heard about an ‘international rubber duckie day’. Was this going to be another googly-eye incident? If either event were happening, under a different name or not, Johannes wouldn’t know until he asked later. Perhaps rubber duckie day was actually an American celebration with ‘international’ buzzword slapped onto it…? Did it matter? The guy seemed nicer than the standard street vendor at least.

Though caught off guard as he was, Johannes was quick to switch to ease conversation by switching to English. "Rubber ducks, in this weather?" A weird choice but hey, Johannes wouldn't judge too much. Bewildered and at war with his (somewhat) irrational knee-jerk irritation towards the United States, his accent also rang distinctly American. "I mean... sure. I can take one off your hands. Thanks, man." Turning the rubber duck around in his hands, Johannes experimentally squeaked the poor tortured creature a few times. God, it had been so long since he'd picked up one of these toys. Its little printed eyes looked up at him soullessly. Stupidly, even. It was kind of cute, in a novel sort of way. At this point in life, it would be completely useless except as a desk decoration (wasn't that its charm?) but he was sure he could find it a place.

Grinning to himself at the familiarly jarring annoyance, Johannes looked between his new toy and the gathered crowd around the American. Seems like rubber ducks were popular. Then again, anything free and funny would be. A thought occurred to him, faced with a standing bag of little yellow ducks. "Actually, can I get another one? Just one more." He had the perfect person in mind, just as annoyingly cute and sunshine-coded as any kid's toy. Now, Slava was neither a stuck programmer nor Ernie from Sesame Street but Johannes was sure his friend would get a kick out of it, even as a joke.

Unwilling to further overhear the irritatingly funny confusion of uncultured kids and more than happy with his little gifts, Johannes was not one to stick around. Now in possession with not one but two rubber duckies (emphasis on the -ies, not -ys, because it was cuter), nothing could stop him from annoying the hell out of people. Oh, the glorious advantage of free stuff.

"Cheers! Good luck with the rest of them. And uh…" Johannes paused and turned back to glance at the busy American as he left, looking vaguely amused at the other's choice of socks with sandals— sorry, crocs with socks— in the enchanted snow. "Don't freeze out here."

As bubbly as Cyrus was, he had no inkling of the fact that he would not have to become a proper near-telemarketing salesperson for rubber duckies.

He had expected it to take more effort on his part. More 'it's a very important holiday to celebrate' and 'if you change your mind, I can send you one by owl along with a reminder of the date', but people seemed to take note of his good intentions anyway. Cyrus supposed that if fashion design didn't work out, he could always become a professional conman whose ultimate goal was to help others.

Cyrus was hardly unable to contain his joy when a boy came up to him and expressed that he believed more people should know about International Rubber Ducky Day. Cyrus bounced lightly on his toes, snow falling into the holes in his Crocs, when the boy said he would take good care of his rubber duck. 'Marvellous! I hope you and your duck have fun. Feel free to spread the word of this amazing holiday!'

That boy was not the only person to approach! The next child seemed confused about what a rubber ducky was – they were likely a pureblood, Cyrus decided. Even better. He could educate them!!

'It's a no-Maj, aka Muggle, toy! Although I just think they're really cute. I don't know how common they are here in the UK, but in the US, where I'm from, a lot of kids have them to play with when they're little. They're round because if you squeeze them –' Cyrus squeezed one of the ducks to give an example. It let out a high-pitched squeak. '– they squeak! They also float in water...'

He took his wand out of his hoodie's pocket and waved it at the ground. 'Aguamenti.' A little stream of water formed, creating a small pool of sorts in the snow, and Cyrus set the duck down in it. The toy floated, and Cyrus laughed. 'They're just here for some good fun. They don't necessarily look like ducks, but I guess they don't have to, since kids just play with them for fun, and kids don't need realism. Although I'd love a Mandarin Duck rubber duck, personally.'

The next kid to arrive thanked him for the ducks, which made Cyrus's smile widen. She was smiling, too. Aah, positivity was amazing! 'Of course! And it's a relatively unknown holiday, which is why I'm trying to help more people learn about it!' He said the words confidently and happily, still bouncing on his toes, his gaze clear and proud as if he had learned about this holiday rather than having just made it up himself.

Cyrus glanced down at his duffel bag (and also the pool with the rubber duck in it) to see the stash still very much full. Oh, yay!! He didn't think he was going to run out of rubber ducks anytime soon.

The next child was one that Cyrus recognised – Elias! He had learned some more ASL since he had last seen the boy; it was the one language he actually made a consistent effort to learn, mostly because he had someone he could talk to in that language. He had a few books on it back in the tent, and he had been practising a lot. He waved wildly at Elias. 'Hi, Elias!' he said excitedly, before his hands moved in a slightly slow, cautious flow of signs. It's very nice to see you! I hope your summer... His hands paused, and he frowned slightly, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say. ...is good?

It wasn't perfect, but it was something.

Do you want... He didn't know the signs for rubber duck. ...a duck toy? They are free. Ugh, if only... wait!

He used his wand to draw in the snow, next to the pool: Happy International Rubber Ducky Day! The ducks are free if you want one. :-)

More children arrived, something Cyrus could have hardly imagined earlier. He was not usually the best at getting along with students from other schools (or even Ilvermorny), particularly the broodier types of students, who, if he was honest, tended to scare him a bit. The next kid to come up to him spoke with a definitively not-British or American accent that he couldn't quite place.

'Hi there! It's good for me. I am happily celebrating International Rubber Ducky Day. I hope you're doing well!'

He was taken a bit aback by the boy's request for five ducks, but he happily obliged, handing him five toys. 'Absolutely! I hope all of you enjoy them!'

The next boy to approach was one Cyrus had probably seen around before, judging by his age, but also one Cyrus had never properly interacted with. He found himself chuckling when the boy asked about rubber ducks in this cold weather, and Cyrus shrugged. 'I didn't exactly plan for the snow.'

He handed the boy a duck and eyed his reaction. The older boy was decidedly less excited-seeming than the younger children, but he still seemed... intrigued. And then he grinned, prompting Cyrus to bare his teeth in a warm smile, too. 'Yeah, absolutely, take as many as you want!' Cyrus reached down and grabbed a few ducks from the bag, holding them out for the boy to take as many as he wished.

He waved when the boy began to leave, some weird feeling of solidarity having lightened the weight that had rested on his shoulders since his uncle's death. Although Cyrus often felt as if he didn't fit in... now, he might have found his crowd.

'Oh, don't worry about me! A little Hot-Air Charm never hurt anyone.' And then a bit quieter, he added, '...But thank you. Have fun!'


Setting: 18 July 2024, Midday, London Quidditch Stadium
Interactions: @Mylo Atkins & @Cass Ito & @Ruby Night & @Elias Travers @Astra Norrick & @Johannes Sauer @Astrea Soleil Neptune & @Hans Jenssen @Archer Duncan
Action: duck lad is giving out rubber ducks!!!
Statistics and Abilities:

.tone hiro bakugo - navy robe - mahoutokoro - quidditch beater - fourth year - mood maker - blond hair.
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More students came up and Tone stepped to the side a little to make room for them. One of them asked if they could take more than one and Cyrus answered their question. Lovely! Since they could take more than one, it seemed as if the blond could take some back for his tentmates too. With that being decided, Tone shrugged out of one of the straps of his enchanted backpack and placed the rubber duck he'd originally gotten into it. Then, the Mahoutokoro student reached over and picked up a few more ducks to put them inside as well, before putting the backpack back on again. "It's a little cold out here, do you have anyone to help you with this or are you doing it all on your own out here? Do you have anything warm to drink? I could grab you something if you want." Tone said with a smile. "Ah, I'm Tone. You are?" He asked, waiting to hear.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────.go, let all your stress fly away, don't worry about tomorrow, so we'll just have some fun right now.

Actions: Takes a bunch of rubber ducks for his tentmates and chats with Cyrus.

Banner was made by the great Pericles Dralt

RPing as Zophyr Qethnis from Uagadou

Genderfluid, pronouns at the moment: they/them

☽ Kirundi | French | English | Swahili | Arabic | Tswana | Xhosa ☾

Date: July 18 2024 Time: Midday

Interacting with: Cyrus Darsel @Koko Riddle Mentioning: Tone @Kim Sato

Zophyr was so sick of the cold. All they'd been doing for the past few days was stay in their tent, wrapped up in blankets, only leaving to get food or go to an event that was warmer. It had only been three days since summer camp had started, and had it been any other kind of camp, they might have been bored from the lack of human interaction and observing and everything. But they couldn't care less this year, because they were too busy hiding away from the snow. Eurgh.

Unfortunately, right now it happened to be around noon, and Zophyr's stomach was grumbling at them to go and get something to eat. They reluctantly made themselves get out of bed, put on three different sweaters and a scarf (nooo, they definitely didn't sew some of their blankets into sweaters, what are you talking about? after all, it was too cold to only wear the single sweater they'd brought, they needed to get creative), and went outside.

Every time they did so, they half hoped it had all been a dream and the snow was not actually there, but they were always disappointed. Fine then. They were just going to race off, find some food, and race back to their tent to eat it. No point in staying outside in the cold for longer than necessary.

As it turned out, their curiosity did not feel like letting them stay warm today. Because two minutes in, they noticed Tone a little ways off, talking to someone, and had to approach. They'd been running and weren't frozen yet - they could spend a couple seconds figuring out what was going on, right?

And what was going on was rather peculiar - an older boy seemed to be selling... little yellow pieces of rubber? Zophyr felt like they'd seen the things before somewhere, but couldn't place what they were. Thankfully, the Uagadou student had arrived while the older boy, with a significant accent, was explaining what they were: rubber duckies, little duck toys that squeaked when you squished them. The more rational part of Zophyr's brain thought this was kind of silly and useless, but the other part drowned it out, saying SQUISH IT.

So when Zophyr was handed a ducky by the very smiley and very weirdly-dressed-for-the-weather boy, they immediately squished it. "Oh. My. Gods." They squished it again, then looked up at the older student, the cold and hunger somehow entirely forgotten. "Thank you. This is the most amazing muggle invention I have ever seen. I will treasure it forever." They squished it again for good measure, then frowned. "What should I name it?"