By mid-month, the last of the winter snows have melted away; March has proven to hold true to the old adage, coming in blustering and brash like a lion and fading out much like the proverbial lamb, and by the time balloons and banners are hung in the town center, it’s clear the seasons have finally shifted for good. It’s still cool, of course, but just right — light sweater weather, no parkas needed.
Today, and for a good few days, it’s time to take in the sights. It’s time, after all, for the spring equinox, and with it, the Energy Festival. This special celebration takes place in time with the changing of the seasons — a time when energy is high in the air, released like a long-held breath after a trying winter; it's a time-honored tradition in the city where citizens gather together and welcome in the fresh new world that spring reveals. It's a little sweet, a little saccharine, and sometimes a little bit cheesy too, but that shouldn’t stop you from exploring the colorful celebration.
Come don your Sunday best, people. It’s a spring fling, and you’re invited.
Make your way down to the city center, and you’ll find plenty to entertain you. The whole downtown plaza has been decorated — with plenty of help from the Events Committee’s most recent hires and their dedicated volunteers, for which they’re very grateful, of course — in the colors of the season. Said colors being pastels, naturally, of every shade and hue imaginable. Banners are hung from trees and awnings alike, splashed with painted letters of buttercup yellow, seafoam green, gentle lilac, and even delicate pinks and baby blues perfect for all the newborns sure to come after a long winter. (Everyone knows what people get up to when they’re stuck at home in a blizzard. The city knows, and they are prepared.)
▸ Along the western edge of the plaza, there are plenty of food stalls to sample from. The city’s most popular restaurants are here to promote their seasonal menus, but for those that like a little variety, there’s also visiting vendors from cities near and far as well as local stands from citizens and volunteers alike offering homemade delicacies they’re looking forward to sharing with you.
▸ Not to be outdone, the Vinery has set up a wine-tasting station in the very center of the plaza; here, you can sample the vintages from the most recent harvest, along with some of their more popular selections… all for a very reasonable donation to the city’s charity drives. It may not sound very selfless, but a little liquid confidence never hurt anyone, right? Especially when the Vinery has graciously agreed to host the recently requested kissing booth — hosted entirely by volunteers on a rotating schedule, you’ll never know who you might see! (Or, maybe, who you might kiss if you volunteer instead!)
▸ On the more relaxed side of things, the southern edge of the plaza is home to a collection of blue and pink tents, each strung up with gently twinkling lights that seem to beckon in all that pass by. Peek inside, and you’ll find a group of local women, ranging in age from youthful tweens to elderly grandmothers, all seated in a circle surrounding a pile of the smallest hats, blankets, and one-piece suits that could only be worn by the tiniest of people. That’s right, folks. The citizens of Cadelle are sorting through item after donated item, hoping to find the perfect sets to create baby boxes for new parents in the city. If you’d like to help, pull up a chair — volunteers are never turned away, and helping hands are always in high demand.
If you venture past the city center and wander out towards the grassy shores of Blue Springs Pool, you might notice the perpetually busy members of the city’s Events Committee arranging a trio of sign-up tables, complete with endless paper-laden clipboards, stacks of freshly pressed white t-shirts, and boxes upon boxes of miscellaneous logo-branded accessories, ranging from terrycloth headbands and bracelets to impossibly small water bottles good for no more than one long drag. That’s right, y’all. It’s time for the city’s first Color Run, a modern take on the more formal Color Celebration that traditionally kicks off the spring Energy Festival.
▸ First things first: pick up one of the many (many) clipboards, and prepare to answer a million questions about your life. You can’t expect to take part in a physical activity without signing your life away on a few dozen waivers, can you? Try not to take too much offense at the range of questions asked — the city’s administration wasn’t sure who or what might sign up to participate, so feel free to leave things blank if you’re not sure. Or, alternatively, just give your best guess. Just don’t ask the poor event volunteer handing out pens what a FLDSMDFR is… because they don’t know either.
▸ Once you’ve signed up, get suited up! Pick up a complimentary Plain White T(-shirt) — available in a range of sizes from teen girl crop top to sumo sized “sharing shirts” — and don your favorite runners’ accessories. Whether you choose to stay contemporary casual or embrace the logo in full force, be sure to follow the volunteers’ instructions and keep all of your delicate items protected. Clear bags of all shapes and styles are available for purchase, because capitalism is still alive and well even in the multi-verse! (Don’t worry, all the proceeds still go to charity…)
▸ At noon on the dot, those that have signed to compete can meet their fellow runners at the starting line, where the sound of a shot flare (and likely a few startled screams) will signal the beginning of the race, along with your first dose of colored powder. Made up of a mix of colors from across the ROYGBIV, it’s a literal and figurative toss-up as to which ones will grace your skin… or your hair… or maybe even the inside of your mouth, if you’re not careful. Luckily, it’s non-toxic stuff. It just doesn’t taste very good, or, if we’re totally honest, like much of anything at all other than chalk and the vague hint of crayons. Don’t ask.
▸ For those that didn’t sign up, there’s still plenty of fun to be had. Volunteers will be passing out buckets of powder to all those who’d like to spectate, and there are plenty of spaces along the path of the 5K race to stand and greet runners with encouraging words and celebratory color bombs. Just try not to aim for their eyes, okay? Nobody needs to be blinded by the light or the bright colors in those buckets.
▸ By the end of the race, everyone from runners to spectators to even unsuspecting passersby who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time will be covered head-to-toe in brightly colored powder. It’s just inconvenient, a little silly, but nothing that can’t be cured with a quick dip in the nearby springs or a shower at home.
Of course, when has anything in this city ever been "just a little silly"? Much like the rain that fell for weeks, or the suddenly-appearing pool of water, or the ghosts ... well, there's something strange about this powder, too. Turns out, the events committee wasn't exactly sure where to obtain this stuff from when their newest recruits suggested the Color Run as a hip way to get people out and about in the nice weather, so they've harvested from a few plants that were (you guessed it) watered by all that infused magical rain. So that's a thing. Shouldn't be too bad, right?
Hahahahahaha. Hey, cuddlers, when has anything ever been "not too bad"? Never, that's when, because who likes things to be normal and boring when they could be weird and strange for everyone involved? Nobody, that's who!
True to form, the color powder from this month's Color Run is sure to have curious effects for your character! What effects specifically? We're leaving that up to you, the players, so that you can have the Most Fun Ever with this event. But, to help you out, we've got a few suggestions below! Feel free to play off these, or change them up, whatever floats your boat! Just keep our consent rules in mind, please!
▸ Red powder has a scent that some say reminds them of cherries — it's been known to stimulate feelings of hot-headedness, romanticism, or just plain lust!
▸ Orange powder, unsurprisingly, smells like oranges — a little too much might just make you magnetic, drawing in people close and far by the sheer power of your magnetism! (Do we mean charisma? Maybe. Maybe not.)
▸ Yellow powder features a burst of bright lemon scent — if it reminds you of sunshine, you're not alone! Those who don this sunny color will find themselves feeling more sunny themselves, with strong bursts of optimism and cheer paving the way for friendly greetings and impromptu hugs!
▸ Green powder comes with the unmistakable fragrance of melon — get it in your mouth, and you'll know without a doubt that green means go! Wearers have been known to enjoy bursts of superspeed, extra confidence, or even just brash recklessness... though we're still not convinced those aren't all the same thing.
So... that's a thing, innit! 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, cuddlescouts! |
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cuddlecity2018-03-20 12:53 pm
Derek Hale • OTA
baby boxes
color run
wild card
[ I will match your style if you have a strong preference toward brackets. ALSO! I am 1000% here for color powder shenanigans, so please lmk if you want to do something with this! ]
baby boxes
So, she and Lady had elected to go fill baby boxes instead. Derek is there and as he's the only person she recognizes, she comes up close to him in hopes that they will be able to talk while they work. Lady sniffs him, wanting to learn his scent, and she seems to be intent on figuring out what is different about Derek, to the point where Sansa is mildly embarrassed.
"Lady, calm down. Derek is not looking to harm me and he's a kind man. He's not someone to be suspicious of." Lady looks up at her mistress, slightly ashamed, but goes on investigating Derek anyway.
"I have no idea what's gotten into her," Sansa says, starting to work on a box. "She must just be taking an inordinate interest in you because she likes how you smell. Do you have a dog, possibly? She always smells Baby's dog on him and spends a good half hour climbing over him to put her scent on him when he comes over."
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He smiles a little to himself, his eyes shifting from the woman to the wolf and he holds a hand out with his palm up to invite the other wolf to investigate without having to be sneaky or invasive. Derek welcomes it, so when Sansa starts to apologize, Derek shakes his head.
"No, she's okay. She just smells the wolf on me, probably. She's fine. She's really beautiful, what's her name?" he asks, gesturing with his other hand for Sansa to feel free to sit with him if she is so inclined. "You know Baby?" he follows up. They have plans to sit and do nothing in silence together at some point, since they both have agreed that silence is wholly underrated. Derek is actually looking forward to that. Maybe he'll get to know the adult Baby a little bit while he's at it, if he's lucky. God knows he could use some friends who aren't Kara or from Beacon Hills, so he's trying to expand his social circle a little. Nate is a good start, but Baby had seemed a little bit more Derek's speed. It interests him to know that Sansa is friends with Baby, too.
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"Do you also have a wolf? I thought most people were frightened of them. If you have one, perhaps he and Lady could go out hunting together. It's just a thought. And yes, I know Baby quite well. He's...forgive me, I'm not terribly good with these words. I think you'd refer to him as my boyfriend, possibly? I see him exclusively." The latter makes Sansa blush profusely and she looks down at her box, suddenly quite interested in packing it correctly.
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With a blink of his eyes, the glowing blue drops away and Derek's green human eyes shift back up to look at Sansa. "Yeah, I think most people are afraid of them. Oh, no I...no, I don't have a wolf. I am...a wolf, I mean. I can be. But she's still welcome to come running with me sometime, if she wants. I don't really bother hunting when I'm in form, but I wouldn't begrudge her doing it," he replies.
Then, he gives her something of an apologetic grin. He knows that's a lot to take in for most people. A little smirk tugs up the corners of his mouth when she tells him that Baby is her boyfriend. "Boyfriend, yeah. That's cool. I didn't know him until very recently. My friend Kara found him by the well when he was an actual baby and she and I took turns taking care of him. He seems like a cool guy."
If Lady will let him, Derek reaches to scratch her behind the ear. "It's been a minute since I saw you last. You hanging in there?" he asks, looking back over at Sansa and then going back to packing the box he'd been working on before she and Lady had approached.
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"You are a wolf? Do you have the wolf dreams, then? My brothers have them. I never have but I think it's because I lost Lady when I was a child. Jon and Bran have the wolf dreams, though, because they bonded differently with their wolves than I did with Lady. She and I are still learning together."
When Derek mentions Baby, Sansa lights up a bit. "I'm doing quite well, actually. Since you taught me how to use my device, anyway, and Baby helps quite a bit himself."
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He smiles a little at Lady before looking back at Sansa. "Then I'm especially happy for you having gotten her back, if it's been that long. You'll get there. If you ever need or want help communicating with her, let me know. I can't really translate like this, but I could transition and then translate when I transition back out."
Derek's glad to hear that she's been getting on well. He'd been hoping that his tutorial had been helpful, especially since he's never been all that competent with technology himself. He's never preferred it to actual face-to-face interaction, but even Derek can agree that it does sometimes make things a little easier.
"I'm glad to hear that. So what brings you to this tent, out of all the things you could be doing at the Energy Festival?" he asks, curiosity tipping into his tone.
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Sansa works on her box a bit more before addressing his next question. "Ah, well, I am not terribly athletic so I would be useless running. I cannot participate in a kissing booth, I am spoken for. This is what I feel like is where I would be of most use."
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"What can your brothers do?" Derek asks. "I'm fast-learning in this place that pretty much anything is possible, so consider me curious." His eyes move to watch her hands working before she starts to speak, at which point he gives his focus back to his own box.
He gives an understanding nod when Sansa explains why she's chosen the boxes. "I got talked into volunteering for a few hours at the kissing booth. I don't blame you," he replies. "I don't know how useful I'll be in here, but I'm trying. It's something to do, you know?" Not that she asked why he's here, but he figures he might as well share if he's going to be asking her why she is.
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"I know it must be different than being able to change to a wolf, yes, but I am not unfamiliar with being bonded with an animal - especially a wolf."
Sansa continues to work on her box, trying to make it as lovely as possible for the newborn that will be using it. She has never been given the opportunity to think much on children of late, only that she must have them someday, and that's in the distant future. "I'm not sure I've explained it very well."
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"Will you just never be able to do it, or do you think you can once you and Lady have the proper chance to bond?" he asks, curious. Usually he's the one on the receiving end of probing questions because someone is fascinated by what he's saying about what he is and can do. It's kind of a nice change to be on the other side of the conversation.
Shaking his head, Derek smiles. "No, I think you have. You'd be surprised what I can wrap my head around, these days. I think you might actually be the first woman I've ever met who's ever said anything remotely in that vein. Usually the responses I get are fear or fascination, but never something so casual and understanding. It's nice." And it is, he thinks, as he finishes up his own box belatedly. It doesn't look as nice as Sansa's but it doesn't look a mess, either. He'll get the hang of it.
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"If I do have the wolf dreams, I won't mind it. It's a part of having a direwolf, I think, and part of being a Stark. I'm not afraid of what it means."
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"You should never be afraid of parts of yourself and, from the sounds of it, that'll eventually be a part of you," Derek says casually, looking up from his work and over to Sansa. "So that's good. I hope you find that part of yourself, I really do."
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"What is an Alpha? I've never heard this term before, Derek, and I'm not certain what it means."
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"Oh, uh, it's the leader of the pack. The Alpha is the one in charge. The one that should be protected at all costs. They're the dominant one in the pack. For werewolves, the Alpha is the one who can create new werewolves, has the most physical strength, and leads the group," he explains, wetting his lips. He's wondering how much of this he should really divulge, because some of it isn't wolf specific so much as werewolf specific.
Clearing his throat, he decides to wait to see how she reacts to that bit and whether she appears to be more interested in the additional information he could add.
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"I would ask how you knew so much but you are a wolf, as you say, so I suppose it just comes naturally, doesn't it?"
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"Yeah, sort of, but also...my mother was the Alpha of our pack and she was training my sister for when she would be Alpha someday. I wish I'd paid more attention, since now they're both dead and I'm sort of on my own, but...you know. I don't know, my mom sort of ran her pack like a well-oiled machine. It's hard not to pick up on the hierarchy and all of that when you're that close to it, you know what I mean?"
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It's a heavy burden, all told, but Sansa doesn't mind it. She's always known she'd have to do her duty as a lady someday and being the Lady of Winterfell is much better than being Ramsay Bolton's property or some old man's wife. She likes who she is now. She's steel now, no longer porcelain, and she won't chip and break.
"There is no House Stark without me."
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Focus.
"So you get it, even if your situation is a little different, they run in the same vein," he replies, pushing the train of thought away because, really, what good is it mulling over the missed opportunity? He's missed plenty of opportunities in Cadelle. He's also lost opportunities. He's also toed the line of screwing up good things. So what? Derek is accustomed and comfortable enough with being lonely in love that it's actually kind of easy to flip the switch and decide that if she's not available to ask out, maybe she's available to become a friend. That's actually probably better and safer in the long run, anyway. It's a hell of a lot less scary a path to choose to take, in his experience, anyway.
Derek reaches over to scritch Lady behind the ear again absently. "Does she get along with Baby's dog?" he asks, suddenly curious. It might or might not be a question that has more to do with whether Baby's dog is wary of the wolf because she's a wolf, which might or might not be something weighing on Derek's ability to take the plunge and adopt a dog the way Kara's been urging him to for months. He'd do better to have the company, after all. He's partially worried that the responsibility will be too much, but also...well. The dogs at the shelter are sometimes intimidated by him in ways that they can't seem to understand and he wonders if that's just because they're naturally fearful dogs or if it's specifically the wolf and whether that sort of thing is going to impact his ability or lack thereof to have a dog as a pet, someday. Maybe.
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Perhaps they won't ever be close friends but Sansa thinks they get along well enough that she has no issues bringing Lady over to Baby's apartment or having Baby bring Otis to her house. They get along together and it's almost as if they have a little family.
"She's just protective. She took to you a lot quicker."
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Why he's asking Sansa when he doubts she has an actual answer for him, Derek doesn't know; maybe just because she's there. He hopes that he'll decide sooner than later. Half the time, he feels relieved that he's waited and the other half volunteers at the shelter and sees these dogs who need a home and then he feels guilty for waiting.
"She's a good girl," he says, his tone softening and going slightly higher pitched; the attention is on Lady as he strokes the back of her head and neck. "Yeah, we should go for a run something, huh, Lady? You can tell me all the things you've been wanting to tell your mom and haven't been able to say," he tells the wolf with a small smile.
His eyes move back to Sansa, then. "And you and I should have brunch again sometime. Baby can come, even, if you want."
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She tips her head and tries to think, tries to work out a solution. "Perhaps you should show them you mean no harm. They're confused because you smell one way and look another. Show them your true form? Then they could reconcile it easier."
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His eyebrows lift a little and he looks back at her, though, when she gives her suggestion. "...that's actually a really good idea. I have no idea why I didn't think of it myself..." he says thoughtfully, giving a little facial shrug. Probably because he's so used to having to hide who he is and even though he's gotten much better at being open about it in Cadelle, every once in a while, the decades of conditioning will come back and he'll forget that it's safe to be who he really is.
...that and it might complicate things a little doing that at work, seeing as how when he transitions back out of the wolf, he's naked. That could cause some problems. He'll have to think about it.
Derek finishes the box and looks over at her. "Think I should try another one or is this a lost cause?" he asks with a little laugh, holding his box up for her to look at. All the things that are supposed to be in it are in it, but it doesn't look very nice.
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She is nothing if not diplomatic and she appreciates all the effort he's put forth. She doesn't want to deny him that.
"And yes, you should simply let them see the wolf. That is what I would do."
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"That gets a little complicated, so I'll have to think on it. It's not quite as easy as just 'let them see' when I'm at work, because of the way it works when I come back out of it. Maybe I'll go after they close the shelter for the night and everyone goes home," he responds.
Truthfully, he's just a volunteer, so Derek doesn't actually have a key to the place, so that means he'll have to break in or steal a key, but...it's better than taking his clothes off at work and potentially getting caught in the act out of context.
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