cuddlecity | EVENT ▸ welcome week

Entry tags:

EVENT ▸ welcome week

EVENT 001: WELCOME WEEK

MOVE-IN DAY

Welcome to Cadelle, cuddlers! The city is — for the most part, at least — very happy with the first wave of volunteers who have chosen to spend time here! To help everyone get settled a little easier, Mayor Drake and her team have put together a series of helpful booths, each staffed by friendly citizen volunteers who are more than ready to answer any questions characters may have.

▸ First things first: visitors will need to visit City Hall to officially enroll as a Cadelle citizen. Once complete, they'll receive their Welcome Packet, which will include all of the most important items for settling in. Characters will find keys to their apartment and associated mail box, their housing assignment, and their pre-activated CuddleCard, ready to go. In addition, the volunteer coordinators have included a newly printed map of the city, as well as contact information for various city-run organizations, just in case!

▸ Due to the influx of energy from all of the new visitors, the city’s computer systems have been experiencing some "minor hiccups". While this is nothing to be concerned about, characters may find themselves mildly inconvenienced — they may have received keys that don’t work in their door, or been issued someone else's room assignment unknowingly!

▸ If they've arrived during regular business hours, characters are, of course, able to visit the maintenance office on the first floor of each building for help switching out their mismatched keys or determining their correct assignment. However, getting settled after hours will require a little extra creative problem solving — like asking a new friend if sharing a bed for the night seems reasonable, sleeping on the couches in the public lounges downstairs, or maybe even roughing it for the night outdoors. (Of course, there's always the frowned-upon methods of breaking and entering... not that you heard it from us!)

▸ As with any move-in day, there’s bound to be lots to see and do. Characters may need help carrying their things, or even just help finding their way around. If they're lucky enough to find their room without problem, they may not be so lucky in their assignment. They may find themselves living underneath someone who's got to be part elephant (who stomps that much at 6 AM?!) or just above someone who insists on burning every batch of popcorn they make! Get out there, meet the neighbors, and see what this city has to offer!

CITY SCAVENGER HUNT

A few days after the big move-in weekend, characters will find an unread message on their CuddlePhone, encouraging them to check out the CuddleTalk network for a very special message from two very special guests. When they do, they’ll find a cute (but admittedly very cheesy) video message from Cadelle’s volunteer coordinators, Flora and Cornelius. The video highlights a few of the most popular destinations in the city — Blaze Pizza, for example, the home of the ninety-second wood-fired pizza, or Dinah’s, where you can enjoy a literal bucket of fries perfect for sharing.

At the end of the video, a link will come up for characters to click if they are so inclined. They’ll be directed to a sign-up page for a city-wide scavenger hunt, with a grand prize promised for the first team to complete the challenge.

Want to participate?

▸ Characters will be able to sign up for the scavenger hunt either on their own or with a friend. (The prizes remain the same regardless of the size of the team, so if your character wants all the money for themselves, they'll either want to race it alone or pick a very generous teammate!)

▸ Among the many delicious dining destinations around Cadelle, characters will discover three venues that the volunteer coordinators have tapped as their current favorites. Somewhere in those three venues, characters will find a beautiful framed photo of Flora and Cornelius.

▸ When characters find the photo, they'll be instructed to take their best selfie, being sure to capture themselves, the framed snapshot, and their teammate (if they chose to bring one along) in the shot.

▸ The first group to send in all three selfies will win the grand prize — one month's stipend worth of extra CuddleBucks! However, all competitors who complete the challenge will be rewarded with a token of appreciation — one week's stipend worth of CuddleBucks, just for playing along!

▸ While characters explore the city, they just might find some "bonus" surprises along the way. Keep your eyes peeled!

Helpful Hint: To find the secret locations (and any hidden bonuses along the way), check out our CITY DIRECTORY for all the amazing destinations your character can explore! Feel free to sort by category on the left, and click your way through your first big adventure in the big city!

Mod Note: For fairness, the "grand prize" winner will be determined by RNG in a drawing on August 4 at 3:00 PM. If your character would like to be eligible to win the grand prize, please be sure to leave us a comment so we can include them in the drawing!

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Shaking his head, Derek laughs a little with her. ]

I don't actually think that sounds ridiculous at all. I know what you mean. Maybe, in your case, we start with books and move to newspapers, then. With books, you'll get specified subject matter, so you can cherry pick what you want to read. Then once you've got the base knowledge you want, deep dive with newspapers.

That sounds perfect. Is there anything I should keep my eye out for when reading that you're looking to learn?

[After all, with the two of them reading up on the city, they were bound to notice different things. She only turns her attention from him in order to peruse the shelves, fingertips tracing lightly over the bindings of the books.]

Thank goodness these aren't in ancient languages none of us can read.

[ Like the Grimmerie back in her apartment. ]

[ Derek considers her question for a moment before deciding to answer. He could be honest; he's looking for any reports of mysterious "animal attacks" and how they're dealt with. He can read between the lines, by now, when it comes to that sort of thing. Translation: are werewolves native here and are they hunted? In other words, has he made a terrible mistake coming here and he has to continue to hide who and what he really is, or can he be himself for the first time in his life?

He thinks better of asking for it and gives a little facial shrug as he shakes his head. ]

Not really. I'm sort of in the same boat. Not completely sure what I'm looking for, but figuring I'll find it when I find it.

[ He nods in the direction of the historical archives and takes a few steps, willing her to come with him. ]

I saw some things back this way. I don't know yet if they're what you're looking for, since I only saw them in passing, but it's worth checking, right?

[The long pause makes the Good witch pause herself, glancing over at him but not pressing him to answer. There's a kind of a, sort of a, way people have about them when they're considering whether to say something important and close to their hearts. Who is she to demand to know everything from a near stranger right away? Still, her smile is sympathetic and she takes it at face value when he mirrors her own answer- she certainly can't fault him for that.

She takes a few steps after him, fingers lifting the hem of her skirt only enough so that she doesn't trip on it.]

I'd have to agree. Leave no stone unturned and all that. [Her smile brightens a bit from before.] Lead the wa.

[ Derek can tell that she's pulling back from potentially an urge to ask why he took so long; there's something about the look on her face that suggests it and he honestly can't blame her. It's a little sketchy that he waited to answer and he knows that. Derek just appreciates that she's willing to respect his uncertainty by not prodding him for more information. He hopes that the apologetic smile he gives her in return silently illustrates that appreciation.

A small laugh escapes him and he nods as he leads the way toward the archives. ]

I'm starting to wonder if this place is a little too good to be true. It's so chill here and I'm not really...used to that. [ He looks back over at her and lifts his eyebrows in question. ] Where are you from?

[The smile she gets in return says enough- she can only hope that she'll be trusted well enough in the future by him and others, to be privy to more intimate knowledge. It's hard to help people only superficially- though she's no stranger to that.]

Chill? [Slang she's not familiar with, but she's eager to learn.] It does seem too good to be true- perhaps that's why we're here. A little bit of healthy skepticism.

[She picks up her pace so she's not just trailing behind him, but close enough that he doesn't have to look completely over his shoulder to see her.] I'm from Oz... The northernmost quadrant, originally- but I've been living in Emerald City for some time now.

[.... As though that means anything to anyone here.] You?

[ Derek's eyebrows lift a little at the question. It hadn't actually occurred to him that he might come across someone who didn't recognize the slang, if only because Derek doesn't really use slang all that often. Not like the people he used to surround himself with in Beacon Hills did, anyway. They were teenagers, it's what teenagers do. ]

Oh, uh...calm. It means calm, sorry about that. [ He laughs a little at the latter comment, nodding and cocking his eyebrows in a way that can only ever mean he is entirely familiar with requiring "a little bit of healthy skepticism." ] Yeah...probably not a bad idea.

[ Trying to sort of meet Glinda in the middle, Derek slows his step a little, only to stop suddenly at the mention of Oz. He looks sharply over at her. ]

Sorry...Oz? You said Oz?

[ While Derek hears her reciprocating question, he's a little too distracted to answer it. ]

Oh! [ It seems so obvious after he explains it, Glinda can't help but appear at least a little bashful. After all, she couldn't expect everyone to be familiar with Ozian slang.

But the way he looked at her so quickly after she mentioned Oz... She looks back at him with a very soft smile and nod of her head.]

Mmhmm. The northernmost quadrant of it. Are you familiar?

[ She says it so casually, like it's completely normal to tell someone that you're from "the northernmost quadrant" of Oz. He blinks, confused as to how he should approach responding to her question of whether he's familiar. Derek decides to play it safe, because this is entirely new territory, all of a sudden. ]

Uh...kind of. You could say that.

[ This is so trippy... ]

[ What? It's not normal???

She brightens immediately- that was an answer she had never expected to here in her time here. Glinda reaches out to hook her arm with his, only if he allows her, but that doesn't stop her from continuing on about herself (her favorite topic).]

I'm the Good Witch of the North, to be precise. Though... I suppose now I look after Oz as a whole. [A short sigh.] It's a long story...

[ Amused incredulity escapes him in a soft huff as she takes his arm and he grins down at her. Is this what this place is always going to be like? There's no spike in adrenaline coming from her. No uptick in her heartbeat. She isn't lying. She's exactly who she says she is. He's supposed to have relationship energy with these people, but she's a huge chunk of his childhood. He and Laura used to watch the Wizard of Oz all the time when they were kids. He always liked the flying monkeys better than the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow, but still. ]

Yeah, no, I've...yeah. That's cool. What's it really like there?

It's incredibly green... In the Emerald City.

[That should go without saying, but she still can't help but explain it that way.]

And, to be perfectly honest, Oz in all it's splendiforousness, has been through a lot in the past several years. I can only hope that I'm the Witch to help it get back to normal... Get Animals back to talking, help the Munchkins find a new mayor...

Just make like enjoyable for all citizens ones again.

Makes sense.

[ That's simply put and he remembers that much from the movie, anyway. But when she keeps talking, she loses him a little. He's sort of been under the impression that everything was pretty good after Dorothy left. Maybe he'd misunderstood the ending; he'd only been a child, after all. ]

What happened to it?

The previous government official corrupted everything, he'd been doing so for decades. There's so much wrong that I don't even know what all of it is yet.

[Her smile falters briefly- who is she to fix all of this anyways? Elphaba would have been better... if she was still around.]

When something is that corrupted, it takes a while to build back up, I'd think.

[ Nodding, Derek's lips press together into a thin line. He's thought the last several human government officials have been doing that very same thing . He wonders sometimes when the humans will actually do something about it. ]

Yeah, that'll do it... Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you. Is that why you're here? Take a vacation and recharge your batteries before taking all that on?

In a sense, I suppose so.

[More or less, she wants to bring back her only friend, and the better Witch of the two. Oz needs all the help it can get...

And she's hoping that this place will provide more insight in potential ways to help fix Oz... Though the Good Witch likes to talk about herself as much as any self-important person, there are some things she's too scared to share. Parts of herself that she'd rather not admit to- her past, her mistakes. Being anything less than perfect.]

What about you? Where are you from, why did you accept the invitation to be here?

Seems like a good plan to me. The more relaxed and fresh-minded you are, the easier an on-taking that will probably be, I would think, wouldn't you?

[ He feels for her there, really. But from what he gathered in context from the movie, she does a pretty damn good job. The munchkins seemed to adore her enough, anyway. ]

Me? Beacon Hills, California and honestly...there wasn't much left for me there. I won't be missed. I figured I might as well make myself useful somewhere.

[ Plus, the idea of being able to start a new life that would simultaneously guarantee the safety of his only remaining nuclear family unit was too good to pass up. ]

I should hope so.

[If her smile had faltered at all, she was replacing it quickly with a fresh one, beaming up at him at she gave his arm a squeeze.]

Beacon Hills, California... [Glinda repeats it as though committing it to memory- but that smile, however bright it may have been, turns and her brows furrow as she continues gently:]

I've found that the people who think they won't be missed will often be missed the most. [A pause before she adds matter-of-factly] I know we've only just met, now, Derek... But I have a hard time believing that you won't be missed.

[ More than seeing her smile falter — which, for the record, he hadn't — there's a shift in her scent. Derek doesn't know Glinda well enough to put his finger on it, but given the context, if he had to guess, his guess would be anxiety or something similar. He doesn't comment on it; that emotion, whatever it was, was for her. ]

Yeah, it's nothing special.

[ That's a lie, but he wouldn't call it special as a compliment, in any case.

Derek looks a little surprised at her comment and he huffs out a soft laugh, shaking his head. ]

That's really nice of you...but believe me, if I had any reason to believe I'd be missed, I wouldn't be here. There's nothing left for me there. ...there's no one left for me there.

[ He shrugs, at that. ]

I won't miss it or them, either.

[ Much. ]

[Anxiety is probably the best way to describe it. Worry... Fear...

Another deep breath and she's nodding, nothing but genuine in her understanding of the circumstances.]

You couldn't have said that to anyone who understands more. Frankly, on a personal level, there's no reason for me to be in Oz.

[Ideally there will be when she chooses to return, whenever that may truly be.]

And as long as we're continuing to be candid- I'm thankful that you are here, even if circumstances aren't truly ideal.

[ That's definitely not what Derek is expecting to hear from the Good Witch of the North. It shows on his surprised expression for a flicker before he contains it. ]

That bad, huh?

[ Still with more surprises. Derek lifts an eyebrow in question. ]

Oh yeah? Why's that?

[ He can't help being curious what would merit her feeling that way about someone she's just met. Especially when that someone is him of all people. As far as Derek can remember, he's not sure anyone's ever been thankful that he's anywhere. At least not since Laura's death. She always was... ]

[Keep smiling: a mantra going through Glinda's mind right now.]

It's as you said, there's no one left for me there. No one that truly knows me.

[But as he continues she can't help but laugh- bubbly and soft- as she shakes her head.]

Is it so strange, really? I just have a good gut feeling- and you've already listened to me ramble for this long. You're good company, I would have missed out if you weren't here.

[ At that, he looks a little more thoughtful. It never occurred to him that someone like her — or at least, what little he knows of her — could ever have that sentiment in common with someone like him. ]

I guess we could all use a little slice of a new life, even if it's just for a little while.

[ An amused huff escapes him with her response and he looks away for a moment long enough to shrug. ]

That's a new feeling. Nobody's actually wanted me around in what feels like a really long time. So...you know, thank you for that.

[ He gives her a little smile and then nods up ahead. ]

The archives.

Of course... it's only the truth.

[ Glinda, after all, has no reason to lie about that. That smile is returned before she glances where he's nodding. ]

Let's see if we can't find answers to the questions we don't know we have.

[ His eyebrows lift thoughtfully. It's still a strange, new feeling. He's not really sure how to process it whenever it happens here — and, to Cadelle's credit, it has a few times — but he's grateful for it, either way. ]

Well, thank you.

[ Derek huffs a small laugh and nods. That's sort of a clever way to put it, if he's honest. ]

All right, then, let's go.

[ And with that, he leads her to the archives so that they can both start looking through. Hopefully, at least one of them will find what they're looking for. ]

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EVENT ▸ welcome week

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