In Raverie, weather is not treated as a natural force to be endured, but as a system to be managed.
While the city exists in a naturally cold climate, atmospheric conditions are partially regulated by the Institute of Weather Research. Weather is approached as public infrastructure — comparable to power, transport, or sanitation — expected to function predictably, efficiently, and with minimal disruption to daily life.
This control is not absolute. Most of the time, the city experiences unaltered winter conditions. Intervention occurs only when specific weather outcomes are required, scheduled, or deemed necessary for safety or civic function.
When weather fails, it is not considered an act of nature. It is considered a system error.
Raverie exists in a cold region where winter is the dominant season.
Snowfall, frost, and low temperatures are constant features of the environment. Light snow is so common that it barely registers as weather at all. Streets, buildings, and infrastructure are designed to function under persistent cold, and citizens are culturally adapted to it.
True warmth is rare. A handful of short “warm windows” occur each year, during which temperatures rise briefly above the usual range. These days are celebrated disproportionately, treated as events rather than a season.
The city’s architecture reflects this climate. Roofs are sloped for snow load, materials are chosen for thermal efficiency, and urban layouts channel wind and precipitation deliberately.
Cold is not complained about. Inefficient cold is.
The Institute of Weather Research (IWR) is responsible for all artificial atmospheric intervention in Raverie.
It operates as a semi-public authority, publishing weather schedules, advisories, and justifications for planned interventions. Citizens do not consult forecasts to learn what might happen — they consult them to learn what has been approved.
The Institute does not control the weather constantly. Most days are governed by natural climate conditions. Artificial weather is introduced for:
Public events
Infrastructure stress management
Safety measures
Experimental research
By law, the Institute is permitted to conduct limited atmospheric experiments, provided they remain within defined parameters. These experiments are tightly regulated — at least in theory.
In Raverie, weather can be scheduled.
Large public events require weather permits. Snowfall for festivals, clear skies for parades, or reduced wind conditions for air traffic are coordinated in advance.
This has shaped public behavior. Weather announcements are treated like transit updates. Delays, changes, or cancellations are met with frustration, humor, or resignation — but rarely surprise.
The expectation that weather will behave has become cultural. When it doesn’t, trust erodes quickly.
Despite rigorous modeling, artificial weather control remains imperfect.
Failures generally fall into several categories:
Fog, snow, or storms that linger far longer than intended, refusing to disperse despite corrective measures.
Snowfall that exceeds projected accumulation or intensifies instead of stabilizing.
Interventions that affect one district disproportionately, leaving neighboring areas untouched.
Weather adjustments take time to propagate. When something goes wrong, the city must endure it until the system can respond.
These failures are treated seriously, investigated internally, and publicly acknowledged only in carefully worded statements.
Not all failures are catastrophic. Some are simply strange.
Occasionally, artificial weather behaves in ways that defy expectation without causing immediate harm:
Rapid shifts between clear skies and heavy snowfall within minutes
Snow that falls, settles, and later rises back into the clouds
Weather patterns that reverse direction mid-cycle
Conditions that appear overly precise or strangely selective
These incidents are typically labeled “minor atmospheric anomalies” and quietly corrected.
Among the public, they become the subject of jokes — carefully phrased, as open ridicule of the Institute is discouraged but common in practice.
Raverie’s citizens have adapted to controlled weather with a mix of reliance and skepticism.
Jokes about weather schedules circulate widely, especially after visible failures. Apologies issued by the Institute for “temporary atmospheric inconvenience” are received with weary familiarity.
Despite this, most citizens still trust the system — not because it is perfect, but because the alternative is worse.
Weather has become a shared civic experience, something to be managed collectively rather than endured individually.