Week starting Monday, January 23, 2023

Some downtime

• I spend time continuing to try and get Griff to be a better defender of the freehold
• Agnes works on researching Stheno
• Aoife works on upping the reputation of her new law firm
• Blaze works on improving our rep with the local werewolves
• Moira works on improving the rep of her studio

News of the week

ATLANTA ABC MORNING NEWS
Monday, January 30, 2023 — 6:30 A.M. EST

ANCHOR (ON CAMERA):
Good Monday morning, Atlanta — I’m Steve Osunsami, with your ABC 11 Morning News. It’s January 30th — a crisp start to a week that’s shaping up to be both historic and brutally cold. Let’s get to the headlines you need before you start your day.

❄️ ARCTIC WEATHER APPROACHING

Meteorologists are warning that the Deep South is in the crosshairs of a historic winter storm system. Temperatures are forecast to plunge into the single digits by Tuesday night, and forecasters say wind chills could dip below zero.

• Freezing rain and ice are expected late tonight into tomorrow morning.
• Power outages and slick roads possible across the metro area.
• Schools and county officials are on alert; several districts are already considering closures.

“Take this seriously,” said state meteorologist Carolyn Mays. “Treat the ice like snow before it ever gets here.”

So if you have travel plans this week — especially Wednesday and Thursday — be sure you check with airlines, counties, and school systems before you head out.

🌍 WORLD NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

🇨🇿 Czech Republic Presidential Election:
Voters in the Czech Republic go to the polls today in a closely watched presidential election. Polls show an incumbent advantage, but turnout and coalition politics could shake up the result. International analysts are paying attention; Europe’s political landscape is already shifting ahead of the 2024 EU Parliament elections.

🇵🇰 Peshawar Mosque Bombing:
In tragic news out of Pakistan, a bombing at a mosque in Peshawar has killed and wounded many worshippers. Officials are still assessing casualties and motives, but the incident has rattled the region and drawn condemnations from governments worldwide.

🇱🇧 Lebanon’s Ongoing Economic Crisis:
Lebanon’s prolonged economic collapse — now in its fourth year — has hit residents hard. The Lebanese pound continues to lose value, shortages linger, and many families face steep inflation for basic goods. International organizations continue to appeal for aid.

🇮🇱 Israel–Sudan Normalization Agreement:
Diplomatic developments continue in the Middle East: Israel and Sudan have signed a normalization agreement, marking another step in recent peace overtures in the region. The deal includes trade, security cooperation, and a pledge to move toward normalized relations in the coming months.

📍 LOCAL EVENTS & THINGS TO KNOW

Here’s what’s happening around Atlanta today and this week — before the cold front arrives:
🗓 MONDAY, Jan. 30

• Art Show Opening: Local painter Ramon Cortez unveils his winter collection at the Piedmont East Art Space, 5 p.m.
• Community Workshop: “Grow Your Small Business” seminar at the Centennial Library, 2 p.m.

🌇 TUESDAY, Jan. 31

• Live Music at The Battery: Rock and jazz fusion night at 8 p.m. (dress warm!)
• Family STEM Night: Atlanta Midtown Family Center, 6 p.m.

🎭 WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1

• Winter Festival at Piedmont Park: Outdoor festivities from 10 a.m.—just be sure your layers are thick!
• Imbolc Candle Workshop: Hosted at the East Atlanta Village Creative Collective — 4 p.m.

🕯 THURSDAY, Feb. 2

• Torchlight Rituals at Magnolia Plaza: Festival starts at sunset for families and community groups.

And looking ahead:
FRIDAY, Feb. 3

• Black History Month Forum: City Hall, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY, Feb. 4

• Atlanta Beer Fest: Centennial Olympic Park, noon — dress for cold and be safe.

📰 CULTURE & ATLANTA FEATURES

From Atlanta Magazine’s January issue:

• A profile on local chefs redefining Southern cuisine
• A feature on our city’s craft beer renaissance
• Highlights of independent bookstores worth visiting before winter

🧊 TRAFFIC + WEATHER

• Expect slower commutes this morning with slick bridges and overpasses.
• Our Live Doppler shows moisture arriving from the northwest by late afternoon, with temperatures dropping rapidly through tonight.

Again — a historic cold snap. This is the kind of weather system that can create ice in places that rarely see it. Officials urge everyone to prepare now.

ANCHOR (ON CAMERA):
That’s your Monday morning roundup. Stay warm, Atlanta. We’ll be right back with a closer look at that Arctic air and school closure updates.

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

• The ice storm doesn't actually hit Atlanta, which is surprising
• It does hit Texas badly

Wednesday, February 01, 2023

• A runner from Tara-Nar, called a firebrand, is due to show up that night with a lantern containing a flame to replenish our holding's balefire for Imbolc
• We Moira and I have been at the freehold all day, her baking, me being a layabout
• The others all arrive after dark
• Shortly after Blaze gets there, who is the last to arrive, a rental SUV shows up and parks in the lot
  • She spots the flickering green of balefire coming from the SUV
• There is a big meaty knock on the door, which I open
  • There is a very tall woman holding a torch burning with green flame
  • It's Brigid, the troll pro-basketball player that had gone missing that we met in Mexico
  • She says she asked to do this duty in part because she wanted to talk to us about everything that has happened
• I tell her about the vision
  • Crystal Falls is a place she seems to recall, something about a place that was in the real world and then the Dreaming, or vice versa
  • I explain the keys and that they hide us from the fomorians (or at least the Herald) and thalian and give her the Mexico City key
• I get her to give me an autograph
• We give her the addresses of the various freeholds (and tell her the Fox is full of bastards) and then she heads out
• All of us but Agnes stay at the freehold

Thursday, February 02, 2023

It's Imbolc (and luck is not on our side)

• Those of us who stayed there get up bright and early and head out to go and take care of our various things
• Agnes goes to a meeting at the FBI about the Malacoda
  • It's being run by her boss, Shelly Park, and her partner Alan is there
    • After the meeting, where the story is "there are no new leads" Agnes gets a call from Christopher's school asking her to come pick him up because he's been suspended because of a fight
  • Christopher hit another kid named Billy because Billy said "your parents deserved it"
• Blaze is on set of her big budget movie
  • It's moon stunt time!
  • She does an okay job, but has a hard time containing herself and doesn't give as good a performance as she could
  • Johanna Skarsgard injures herself in the rig, breaking an ankle
  • While production is stopped as they try and figure out what they're going to do, Blaze finds out that Jimmy Chin broke his arm on set today too
• It's also the day I have my new court date set (which I definitely shouldn't miss)
  • It's scheduled for 10:30, though Will did tell me that I should probably show up before then
  • Aoife gives me a lift to the Marta station, which I then take to Georgia State station to get to the courthouse
  • I am there well ahead of time, but Will Lennox isn't there so I get to spend a night in jail while a public defender is assigned
• Aoife has a meeting with Ezekial Barnes
  • He asks her what his liability is in regard to a team of five of his people having gone missing while working a job for a client
    • As they're talking, he stops and goes "fuck" and Aoife looks out the window and sees five figures shuffling towards the doors
  • Aoife gets Zeke Barnes to get the people downstairs to hurry upstairs as she goes down to confront the shambling figures
    • They appear to most likely still be alive, but something is wrong (maybe some sort of contagion) and when she uses Sovereign on them, it seems to break some other compulsion they were under
  • She then tries to unleash Spring on them to attempt to purify them, but she botches
    • When she comes back to her senses, Zeke has come downstairs and shot all five men, killing them
• Moira is at the studio and Marina Blue is there getting started to work on something related to Groundhog's Day
  • Marina is struggling with the subject (Bill Murray), and Moira tries to guide her to another angle
  • A group of protestors show up, protesting Marina being there
    • Amongst them is Marianne Thomas, Milo's mom
    • There is a news crew
  • Moira tries to calmly talk them into leaving, but it isn't working and she can tell that Marina is losing her creative spark in this moment

Wednesday, February 01, 2023...again

• Shortly after sunset, as all of us are off doing whatever it is we're doing, we all hear a knock on the door
  • Regardless of where we are, everyone is back in the kitchen of the freehold, except for me who is at the front door of the freehold
  • I open the door and it's Brigid
    • She says that she was going home and then was here at the door
  • I check my phone (which I didn't have because I was in a jail cell) and see that it's the time of sunset of the previous day, the 2nd.
• A message comes through from the city group Changeling emergency number saying "a temporal disturbance" has occurred, and then a moment later another message comes through saying the anomaly appears to be limited to the Atlanta area
• I tell the others that I think something bad happened/happens to Will
  • Aoife calls him and he's okay; she tells him to call her if anything strange happens
• Agnes messages Silas to see if he is aware of time having looped
  • No answer yet, but its very early in the evening
  • About an hour later he does reply back and says no, he isn't aware
• I email my bookie, Paul, to see if he is aware either (and that I might have a way to make us a lot of money)
  • He quickly replies back and says no, but I have his interest
  • I reply back and tell him about the time loop
• I have a freak out when I realize that this means Brigid's autograph isn't in my horde any more
  • I eventually calm down enough and get her to give me another
• Whatever did happen, it does seem to be limited to just the Changelings
  • It is possible that someone may have reset time for one or a small number of people, but because Changelings have a strange relationship with time, all the Changelings within a certain area (like the city) could get swept along with it
• We all tell each other about what happened in our day
  • Brigid says that she did spot the yeti/bigfoot guy (a Lurk) handing out across the street from the Willow's Heart freehold in the morning
  • Neither she nor Pneumatic had anything notably bad happen
• I call Sir Sam and tell him about our bad luck and the Lurk