cuddlecity | EVENT: SWIPER, NO SWIPING!

EVENT: SWIPER, NO SWIPING!

As the blustery winds and steady snows of January give way to the cool breezes of February, the city begins to notice strange trends amongst its volunteer citizenry: an uptick of online searches for things like flower shops and cheap romantic meals, a surprising increase in chocolate purchases (though, perhaps more surprising, no increases in consumption), and a report from the local pharmacies regarding a sudden shortage in contraceptives, of all things! Consider the administration officially flummoxed — that is, until the city's favorite and only volunteer coordinators begin to investigate further.

You see, Valentine's Day isn't quite the thing in Cadelle. Here, St Valentine never led couples in matrimony under Roman rule, and so, no time-honored capitalist dream could be established. However, the date of February the 14th is still a special one in the city — it's the day that many honor as St Trifon's Day, or "Winemaker's Day". It's a day of celebrating the first pour of the prior year's winemaking, with the first bottle of each vintage reserved for drinking with one's special someone... preferably privately, where post-drink merriment may commence uninterrupted. (Scandalous.)

Not wanting to leave out any of their volunteers from the city's special day, the volunteer coordinators have arranged a collection of meeting locations, each perfect for getting to know a potential special somebody in advance of the big day. To help people get acquainted, they've partnered with that reclusive (and anonymous) mogul behind okCuddle to add a limited time special feature for the season — that's right, a matchmaker!

Simply press the bright red button on your app's home screen to be enrolled in a Match Meeting. There are five unique locations, each offering a different experience to appeal to those who might find true love or common ground in its midst, and each location will host a different couple each day to ensure everyone has an opportunity to meet their one-and-only... or maybe just their one-night-only. (We won't judge.)

▸ Any opportunity to incite a little romantic feeling would be remiss if it didn't include the time-honored date experience: a candlelit steakhouse dinner at the city's best dining experience, DeWolfe's. Whether you're hungering for a porterhouse medium rare or a more demure airline chicken breast, the wait staff here will be more than happy to attend to any needs you may have, and delighted to disappear shortly after, providing plenty of privacy for quiet conversation and those ever-important lingering glances. Feel free to extend your night with a walk through DeWolfe's famed gardens out back, or perhaps a nightcap... the only question left, then, is their place or yours?

▸ Let The Good Times Roll offers those who enjoy athleticism and coordination an evening of nostalgic fun under twinkling lights — courtesy, of course, of the disco ball hung prominently in the center of the risk, a perfect match for the classic jams that are piped out from the speakers on each wall. Strap on a pair of rental skates, and when the lights get low, be sure to hold your honey's hand tight for that all-important couple's skate. When you're done zooming around the linoleum, be sure to try a bite of the rink's famous pizza and popsicles meal, the perfect treat for summer campers and kids at heart alike! Groovy!

▸ The Vinery, while not necessarily a classic first-date location, offers a bit of non-traditional romance with its gorgeous hill country views and a seemingly endless assortment of local blends to sample. Visitors paired up for a Match Meeting here will have the opportunity to enjoy a rarely experienced grape-stomping session, during which they'll become bonafide vinters (winemakers, for the uninitiated) and the proud recipients of a complimentary bottle of the Vinery's own St Trifon's Day special blend — the perfect reason to ask for a second date, no? (And if you don't want to wait, there's always the cover of a gazebo or the fields nearby...)

▸ Animal aficionados, fear not: the expansive nature reserve at Nahtazu offers an opportunity to get up-close and personal with your favorite wild beasts — no, not the ones in your pants — and one of the reserve's most knowledgeable guides to show you the way. Of course, since it's an hour away aboard the local trains, the city has arranged a private compartment for two, where Match Meeting attendees will enjoy a catered lunch, the perfect way to fuel for a long day of hiking, climbing, and maybe even a few jungle swings. On the way back, feel free to enjoy the plush seats for a little post-adventure cuddling... or more, we won't tell!

▸ At The Worm Hole, nerds and geeks and casual gamers alike will find plenty to shoot and score on over pints of everything from sweet ciders to dark ales. There's no shortage of games here, so if your idea of a great night out involves beating your date at Super Smush Brothers — and no, that's not a typo — you'll definitely enjoy your time here. To help set the mood, a special booth has been set aside for Match Meetings in the far corner of the room: get cozy, play some Pong, and maybe make things interesting. Strip Marco Kart, anyone?

Of course, those that opted not to sign up for the city's version of eHarmony won't be left out of all the fun! In preparation for the big day, Flora and Cornelius have put together what they're affectionally calling the single mingle: a weeklong invitation to enjoy the best in everything but romantic films and features at the local theatre. Feel free to come alone or bring a pal or two, and enjoy complimentary admission and select snacks each night — just don't let them catch you getting frisky! That's what the drive in is for!

Surprise! It's a Valentine's event that's almost not about Valentine's Day! For those of you that participated in our survey, you should have received a private message from our moderator journal with information regarding your character's match assignment by now. If you did not receive one, please let us know!

Because this event runs a little differently than many of our other events, we've opted to tweak our process a little as well. For your character's date, please locate your appropriate date and location in our BLIND DATE THREAD HERE. If it's still empty, your character has beaten their date to the punch (and maybe the free food, too). If there's already a reply, greet your date! (Pretty simple, right?) For all other threads, including pre/post date experiences, feel free to post traditional open top levels as usual!

For example: Flora may have a blind date with Cornelius on Monday at DeWolfe's, so she'll comment to the Monday thread's DeWolfe comment with her starter. This will make it easy for Cornelius to find her thread and reply. However, Flora may also be lingering outside beforehand looking nervous, or shopping in the mall the day before and looking for help in finding an outfit — these prompts can be posted as traditional open top-levels!

If you have any further questions specific to this event, we encourage you to ask away on our QUESTIONS COMMENT here in this post. If you have general questions, or prefer a more private venue, our GENERAL INBOX (and SCREENED INBOX) is always available for you. In addition, if you've got an idea for a future event, feel free to drop us a line at our EVENTS SUGGESTION POST.

Peace out, cuddle scouts!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

In for the long haul? [ He's buying a suit, odds are in favor of this being a long game kind of deal. ] If she's never seen you in a suit before and there are other more romantic occasions to be had in the future- don't go full A game. It makes topping that for the bigger stuff later difficult. Give yourself room to build.

[He doesn't really have an answer to that. He and Diana haven't had that much time together, after all, but it's been long enough for him to know that what they have is unlike anything he's ever had before, and that all of the things he never expected wanting look more possible than they ever had before. Even if has no specific idea of what those things might be.]

It won't be the first time she's seen it. I was working before though, and this isn't for work.

Navy, not black-you don't strike me as a bold color choice kind of guy, but the classics are classic for a reason. [ No burgundy velvet for this poor soul, not everyone can rock that, Tony knows well enough. Some days even he can't rock it so for a first step into...something? Probably not a good idea. He starts peering at the racks, nose crinkling. ] My limited kingdom for a proper tailor. You know your measurements?

Of course. [He's been to the tailor before, and needed to know his measurements to find uniforms that would fit.] Why do you think navy instead of black?

It'll bring out your eyes. Black, depending on the fabric, may or may not wash you out. Navy? Will soften you a little. [ He pulls back from the rack with a suit jacket, holding the navy fabric up to get a better idea of what it might look on him. ] Limits your options for shirt and tie colors but I think we can make something work anyway.

[This is a bit of a strange encounter, but he'll take advice when he can get it. He's never put this much thought into it before, or had reason to.]

Navy then.

I think they're a little different than the last time I bought one.

Depends on where and- I guess- when you're from? Styles change over the years, hell, styles change month to month sometimes. Keeping ahead of the curve is impossible so sticking with the classics is your safest bet.

The last time I bought anything, before I arrived here, was 1918. [It's been awhile, Tony.]

...Yeah we're going to have to adjust expectations accordingly unless you want to shell out for something more familiar and custom, but not by all that much. Things are cut slimmer, I think? FRI bring up a comparison for-

Sorry Boss, I don't have any holographic emitters online yet.

Right. [ Well that's embarrassing. ] Nevermind. Navy, slim and- [ He gives the guy one last long look from head to toe, leaning around him slightly to get a look at his shoulders, back, and backside. ] I honestly can't tell if you've got an ass or not, but slim cut looks good on most people.

[Someone else is talking, but there's no one else here. So that's new. Most of what the woman said didn't make sense to him, but at least the other man seems to know what's going on. And then he -- well, times have certainly changed.]

Let's go with that then.

Right. [ He pulls a few options from the racks and hands them over, already squinting at ties. ] You a pocket square kind of guy?

No. And I don't dress like this often, either.

Then we'll keep it simple. Suit, shirt, tie, dress shoes if you don't have them.

I don't. I didn't have any reason to buy them earlier.

This place doesn't really demand dressing up, does it?

Not really. I don't mind though.

Well if you've got your relationship locked down, no reason to. If you're keeping an eye out for opportunities? Can't hurt. Can't hurt even if you've got your thing with Diana locked down either. Sometimes a lady likes to be surprised.

[ Shirt, suit, tie? Tie. ]

What color are her eyes?

[As much as he likes the chance to talk about Diana, you lost him, Tony. He doesn't know why that's relevant.]

What difference does that make?

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