cuddlecity | EVENT: THESE COLORS (DON'T) RUN

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EVENT: THESE COLORS (DON'T) RUN

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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Sansa's brows knit together for a moment as she tries to work out what he's saying. She understands about wolves being a pack - her lord father often spoke of such things and they had referred both to animals and to House Stark as a whole. She still has no idea what an Alpha is, though.

"What is an Alpha? I've never heard this term before, Derek, and I'm not certain what it means."

Derek blinks a little, surprised slightly when she says that she's never the term Alpha before. She's comfortable with wolves but doesn't understand the pack dynamic, which takes him off guard a little.

"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.

"Oh, I see. So as the leader of my house, Lady would see me as her Alpha," Sansa says, trying on the terminology to see how it fits. It's strange, yes, but it seems to make sense with how Lady sees her and how Sansa sees her place within House Stark. If she is the Alpha, no one can harm her. No one can touch her. She is an island alone.

"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?"

Nodding, Derek smiles. "Right, exactly," he says. He doesn't really know the full breadth of "leader of her house" by Sansa's standards, whether she means something from home or just the fact that she's the leader of her small pack of two here in Cadelle, but either still brings the same answer: yes, she understands what he's saying.

"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?"

"Yes, precisely. My older brother would have been head of house had he lived. I am the eldest Stark now, though, so it falls to me to continue the line and to preserve our family's legacy."

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."

If he wasn't already attracted to Sansa, her talking like that would've done it. She's spoken for, though, and by someone Derek would like to become friends with, so he lets that thought fall away again. Strong women are a turn on for him, he can't help it. She has a wolf. She's gorgeous.

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.

"At first she frightened him a bit, I think," Sansa says, thinking about that first meeting. "Lady gets very territorial when she feels someone may harm her mistress so she was wary enough of Otis at first. She knows that Otis cares for me, though, and that Otis and Baby mean me no harm. She's settled down and Otis seems to like her well enough."

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."

Derek nods as he listens. "That makes sense, they would've had to adjust to one another, but that's good to know, that they could." He pauses. Derek hasn't told anyone that he's actually been considering Kara's suggestion, least of all, Kara herself. "Some of the dogs at the shelter are afraid of me, but I always wondered if it was because of the wolf or if it was because they just generally are fearful dogs," he says, deciding that maybe he doesn't want to divulge that secret just now. "I've been volunteering there for months and they're still afraid, but maybe it's not me. I feel like they'd have adjusted to me by now if it was me, right?"

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."

"Sometimes an animal has been abused and it's afraid it's going to be hurt again," Sansa says. "But I feel like that couldn't be the case here. Cadelle is nothing like other worlds seem to be - nothing bad ever happens here. There's minor things, of course, but nothing truly harmful ever happens."

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."

Derek has to look away when she responds to that. Her words sting him in a way he doesn't expect them to, but mostly because it feels like she's talking about him, even though he knows that she isn't; has no way of knowing what he's been through and how that's affecting him and his daily life, especially here in Cadelle.

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.

"I think you should work on putting all the things in the box that are meant to be there," Sansa says diplomatically. "And I shall work on making the ribbons and tidying it? That would be a more effective use of our talents."

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."

The fact that she takes the high road instead of making a joke at Derek's expense when he's intentionally opened the door for it is actually kind of impressive and endearing. "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. I like that," he agrees with a soft smile, instead of pointing out that she just missed an opportunity, or making some self-deprecating joke in the absence of one from her.

"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.

"Yes, you'd have to be discreet," Sansa says, winding ribbon around her fingers to curl it before crafting an elaborate bow to decorate one of Derek's pink boxes. She likes doing things like this and she's had more of an opportunity to do it here in Cadelle than she has had in Westeros of late. Being Lady of Winterfell hasn't left her with much idle time.

"What happens when you come out of being a wolf? If my questions are too personal, please don't feel obligated to answer. I've just never met anyone who could change forms before. It's fascinating to me and I find myself nearly bursting with questions I want to ask."

Sansa smiles a bit, one corner of her mouth quirking up. "I wish I could turn into a wolf. It would have solved a great many problems back home."

Derek shakes his head, starting to load items into the next box so that he can hand it over to Sansa to make it pretty. "No, I don't mind talking about it, it's okay. My clothes disappear. I don't have them when I'm a wolf, and they just sort of disappear into the ether. So usually, if I don't want to lose them for good, I have to take them off before I transition and stash them where they won't get stolen," he confesses.

A little bit of color rises into his cheeks. Okay, it's a little embarrassing to admit that part of it to someone so demure.

"Anyway, turning into a wolf is nice, I'll admit. But it's nicer that I get to choose. I have control and I can be half-man, half-wolf, or I can transition all the way, or not at all. Legend has it that werewolves are slaves to the full moon, but that's only true if the werewolf doesn't work to take their control back and my pack was really big on never hurting humans, so...it might have taken me half my life to get good at it, but I got good at it."

"That's so interesting," Sansa says, starting to work on the new box and tidying it up so it looks as pretty and fetching as the others she's made. It's nice to have something to do with her hands while she's talking and it makes the silences and lulls in conversation not seem so awkward.

"And it makes sense you'd lose your clothes. You'd look silly if you were a wolf wearing a shirt. I don't think wolves favor anything other than their fur coats, do they, Lady?" In response, Lady gives a dignified little woof and lays down at Sansa's feet.

His eyebrows lift and he smiles a little. "That never stops being nice to hear," Derek confesses. "Back home, I couldn't ever tell people, so when I can tell people here and they sound interested instead of afraid, it's just...it's always so nice." Derek looks over at her and smiles a little more, noticing how nice the box looks. She's completely transformed it. "You're really good at that."

A soft laugh escapes him when Sansa points out that wolves would look strange wearing clothes. "Okay, that's true, but it would be a lot more convenient if they would just come back the same way they disappear," he counters in return.

"Part of being a lady is knowing how to make things look nice," Sansa says, shrugging when he compliments the way the box looks. She's always had a hand with niceties like ribbons and bows and she thinks it's because she had always been interested in being a proper lady and pleasing some future husband. She never imagined it would bring her here.

"I don't know how to help you with your nakedness, though. I suppose you could leave caches of clothes around just in case? In the woods?"

A facial shrug takes over his expression briefly. That seems like a fair answer, especially given that she's from an entirely different time than he is. In her time, the role of a woman was very, very different. "Well, still. It's very pretty. Thanks for fixing my mess," he says, laughing a little.

Shaking his head, Derek starts yet another box. "Oh, I'm not worried about the nakedness most of the time. I've got that kind of figured out. The only thing is that it'll make showing the dogs at work my other form kind of complicated, that's all."

"It does make things complicated. I wish I could find a solution for you but unfortunately I only know the habits and particulars of direwolves, not werewolves. I've never met a man who could turn to a wolf," Sansa says, flashing him a smile.

"And I don't mind repairing your messes. That's what friends are for, isn't it? We're simply working as a team in concert instead of alone."

"I'll figure something out. Or maybe the dogs will just have to learn not to be afraid of the person bringing their food on my shifts," he replies, shrugging. It's probably a lot less complicated to just leave things the way they are, but now that Sansa's planted the seed, he'll be thinking of ways he might be able to get away with showing those more fearful animals his actual form to hopefully quiet their minds.

Derek smiles a little at being called her friend. "It is, I guess you're right. Thanks, all the same."

"I accept the thanks. Still, it's simply what a friend does," Sansa insists. "So as long as you have boxes to prepare, I can make them look nice and we'll be a good team."

It's a bit of a silly statement, all told, but Sansa is fairly invested in the idea of doing a good job with these boxes in hopes that the parents of the newborns will enjoy them. She likes making things beautiful.

"We'll just have to find something for you to help me with later."

Derek smiles again and starts on a third box. He really shouldn't stay very long, because if Stiles catches him in this tent, he'll almost definitely guilt him into going back to the kissing booth because this is hardly the "plans" Derek alluded to in order to get himself a short shift, so that he could compromise.

"I'll do one more, but then I should probably get going," Derek says, reaching for another box. He doesn't explain why, but he figures that it doesn't really matter. Sansa doesn't really seem the nosy type and the truth is a little more embarrassing than he'd really enjoy sharing. He won't lie if asked, but all the same.

Another smile pulls up the corners of his mouth. "Well, if you think of something, you let me know."

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EVENT: THESE COLORS (DON'T) RUN

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