It's that time of year again — when the temperature starts to dip down, making way for thick cable-knit sweaters and coffee drinks flavored like bright orange gourds to pop up around every corner, and the long days of summer fade out in favor of early twilights and cool autumnal breezes. That's right, it's nearly fall in Cadelle, and you may have noticed the city's busy bees looking a little busier than usual around the city center.
The Energy Festival takes place in time with the changing of the seasons — a time when energy is high in the air, ripe for the harvesting; it's a time-honored tradition in the city of Cadelle where citizens gather together and work towards doing good deeds for our fine city and for cities near and far. In keeping with the city's emphasis on charity and compassion, citizens both new and old will find a variety of opportunities to give back, all while enjoying the very best that the season has to offer.
▸ Give thanks for good fortune, health, or friendship at the nightly lantern release. Decorate your own lantern at an arts & crafts booth sponsored by Colortopia, the local art supply store, or purchase a hand-crafted lantern from local merchants — all proceeds are donated to the city's volunteer organizations! At night, meet your fellow citizens on the beach to release your lanterns up into the milky night sky. At last, you might just see the light!
▸ Enjoy a sweet treat, like creamy white mooncakes filled with the season's harvest or a tart glass of freshly pressed apple cider. If sugar and spice isn't your bag, dive into something savory — the city's food venues have come out in full force to showcase their new fall menus, which feature such city favorites as creamy pumpkin soups, hearty meat pies, and other stick-to-your-ribs comfort foods.
▸ Make like a tree in autumn and shed your leaves at the clothing donation drive! Come drop off your gently-used garments in exchange for tokens, redeemable throughout the festival for souvenirs, treats, and more! You can even browse the sorted racks of your fellow citizens' donations and find some new digs of your very own! You never know what you might find — good or bad. (Please, no intimate apparel.)
▸ Share your talents at a variety of volunteer-hosted giving circles. From knitting and quilting blankets for the children's wing at the hospital to sorting donated canned goods for the food pantry and soup kitchen to simply offering a helping hand in carrying heavy boxes wherever they might need to go, your time and energy are always appreciated! There are plenty of volunteer citizens around to point you in the right direction... or, at least, what they think is the right direction. Fingers crossed!
Of course, good deeds aren't for everyone, and the city administration has certainly noticed a particular proclivity in its newest citizens for the newly discovered —
er, alternative means of energy generation. (Ahem. You know what we're talking about. Don't make us say it.)
Not wanting to pass up such a perfectly-timed opportunity to maximize on this discovery, the administration has tasked sweet, innocent Flora & Cornelius (the poor dears) with determining an appropriate venue for encouraging this unique form of energy generation.
While they're not exactly sure where the idea came from, they're delighted to announce the city's very first Togetherness Tent! Hosted in the city's smaller Eastern Gardens, there's plenty to see and do for those that may prefer something a little less charitable...
▸ Feel free to explore the OUTDOOR SEATING AREAS — there are plenty of places to relax and get comfortable, with both single chairs and larger booths all around. With a cool breeze in the daytime and a roaring firepit in the chillier night hours, and a carefully selected catalogue of instrumental music to enjoy, your hosts hope you'll be plenty comfortable while you chat and get to know each other!
▸ Just beyond the outdoor area, you'll find an assortment of beautifully decorated BEDOUIN TENTS. Some are completely open to the public, with various couches and pillows and comfortable blankets in the main spaces, and others offer more private, curtained-off areas for the shyer (please read some air quotes around "shyer") sets.
▸ If you're not much for sitting pretty, or need a little liquid courage before you start exploring, there's always the OPEN BAR, where talented (and attractive) bartenders will mix up anything under the sun with a smile. Feel free to linger, or take your drink to go. Request a little extra something in your drink (and be extra nice to the bartenders), and they just might be able to add a drop of a golden substance to your beverage that makes you even more keen to meet new people — and maybe even a little braver, too.
▸ Just like a mouse with a cookie, your hosts know that any good drink needs something savory (or sweet!) to go with it. Just beyond the bar, you'll find an expansive display of SNACK TABLES, each filled to the brim with city specialties sure to encourage a feeling of goodwill and togetherness in anyone who eats them!
▸ The center table, decorated with a simple cream cloth, features your standard party fare. Finger foods are the name of the game here, with everything from your grandmother's favorite spinach dip and vegetable crudites to upscale bites like fried ravioli filled with only the richest cheeses. Sprinkled around the table, you'll also find more classics like tea sandwiches, petit fours, and other party planner staples. Everything here is perfectly safe to eat, and shouldn't offer any side effects other than a potential stomach ache if you decide to overindulge.
▸ The table to the far left, however, is a little cooler. Decorated with a rich navy blue cloth, the table is full of small bites and chilled drinks all catering to a very specific, very cool theme. Whether you try Flora's favorite chocolate spearmint cupcake (please don't tell her the icing looks like toothpaste) or a frosty glass of blueberry apple cider, each bite is sure to leave you tingling from new sensations. Treats and sweets from this table will, depending on what's chosen, offer tantalizing side-effects ranging from a literal chill in the air to phantom touches that encourage the eater to seek out the source, or even the sensation of time slowing down around you — eat too much at once, and these side-effects might just overwhelm you! Be sure to read the menu carefully before you choose your bite.
▸ On the far right, draped in a deep red cloth, lies the last table. Like its blue-hued sister, this table is themed around heat, with a variety of items sure to tempt even the shyest into exploring their inner spice champion. Cornelius' favorite cinnamon sweet potato cupcake takes center stage here, but you'll also find other sweet and savory snacks, as well as both hot and cold beverages like the classic hot toddy or crimson-hued sangria to wet your whistle. Items sampled from this table will provide encouragements ranging from a pleasant flush to sudden desires creeping up from your subconscious, or perhaps the immediate urgency of a well-known battery bunny. Forget to pace yourself on these small plates, and you may wind up moving too fast for even a speedster to keep up. Be sure not to speed-read over the menu before loading your plate. (We're looking at you, Mr. Allen.)
As may be expected, Flora and Cornelius aren't exactly the most experienced at planning a tasteful, sensual affair in Cuddle City, so they've enlisted the help of caterers from a nearby city that specialize in aphrodisiac cuisine. However... they may have failed to overlook that those available at short notice aren't always the most qualified for the job. There's a reason, after all, that they're available when others aren't.
The caterers certainly meant well, and they did their best to provide the high quantities requested within the ridiculously short time frame allocated, but consistency isn't exactly their best attribute. Some batches may have come out a little more concentrated than others, while others may lack any oomph whatsoever. Eat a bite-sized chocolate spearmint mini cupcake and maybe your touch will have a pleasant, icy tingle to the recipient, or maybe you'll smooch them and it'll be like a scene out of A Christmas Story. Pop a spicy Red Hots bite-sized cupcake into your mouth and warm your companion right up, or maybe you'll just singe a handprint into their clothes.
It's like Russian roulette. With cupcakes. Normal, right?
It's like Forrest Gump would say. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. In this case, life's like a giant batch of cupcakes, and you never know which one's gonna make you want to tear your clothes off.
Howdy, cuddlers, and welcome to your first Energy Festival! This is the first of a quarterly event series, themed around the four seasons and timed to align with the solar calendar. While the city certainly emphasizes the charitable options available in the town square, and we are thrilled to see what sort of hijinks will ensue, we know there will be plenty of excitement (and plenty of questions) on the Togetherness Tent and the opportunities it provides.
As a reminder, consent is extremely important both ICly with the city administration and OOCly with our player guidelines. Characters will have full opportunity to know the effects of anything they consume, as labels will be available as well as descriptive menus above each table. There are also NPC'd catering staff as well as party hosts available, should a character have further questions about a specific item's effects or ingredients. However, as players, it is always up to you how thoroughly you wish to have your character read the fine print before diving right in. Should you wish to have your character ignore the menu and all printed warnings, eat an entire plate of cinnamon candies and wind up feeling an irresistable urge to disrobe, you're certainly welcome to do so! We simply ask that you keep in mind our policies on consent-based actions, and should your character's urges involve another character, that you obtain the appropriate IC and OOC permissions before moving forward, and please remember to utilize any content warnings in your subject lines if applicable.
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.
We hope you have tons of fun out there this month, cuddlers, and we'll see ya around! |
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cuddlecity2017-09-15 03:00 pm
kimberly hart • open
▸ we're all in this together
and hopefully something better can be found in at the snack bar. robbie's not sure that he particularly believes what the signs he's been carefully reviewing say, so he picks up one of the hot toddies from the red table, takes a healthy swig and nods appreciatively.]
Would you like a drink, babe?
you're fired for that title
luckily, robbie was more than willing to make that first choice for her, narrowing down their options to a singular table and then to something from it, offering her a cup of gently steaming something — though it looks like tea, the sharp scent tells her it's definitely not for all ages. not that the realization stops kimberly from taking the cup, or from matching his sip with one of her own.
as she swallows, she can't help but feel a little flushed, as if the room was a little overfull, too many bodies all in one place. she's glad she opted not to wear the jacket, but the long sleeves of her dress can only really be pushed up so far. )
Is it warm in here?
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it doesn't make sense.]
Yeah, it's definitely warm. Like hot summer day in the direct sun for hours warm. Maybe it's just the fact that the drink was a hot one. Feel like trying something chilled from the table? [he pours himself a sangria from the carafe at the table, taking a sip before handing it over to kim to try.]
It's tasty at the very least.
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but to her surprise, before she even takes a sip of the offered wine mix, a sudden burst of cool relief rolls through her hand and arm, up from the back of her hand where his fingers had brushed against her skin. that is certainly worth looking into. normally, he's warm to the touch, sometimes even oppressively so; she genuinely can't remember a moment where he's ever felt cool. )
Did you — ( maybe he dipped his hands in ice while she wasn't looking. there is ice in her glass, after all. maybe there just wasn't a scoop, so he handled things a little more directly. but a glance up shows he's just as perplexed as she is, staring at his own hands, brows slightly furrowed in thought. ) You felt that too, didn't you?
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he had grabbed a few ice cubes, carefully shoveling them in the glass but the ice had offered no relief. in fact until they'd brushed against each other, he'd felt even warmer that just moments before.]
Yeah. I did. But I didn't do anything.
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( kimberly hums, a contemplative sound over the rim of her cup, and takes an experimental first sip of her drink. it's definitely chilled, but it offers no more than fleeting refreshment over her tongue before the sensation is gone. a little desperately, she drains the rest of the glass next, sets the empty vessel aside on a nearby standing table; as soon as the liquid clears her throat, another wave of warmth floods through her, this one strong enough to bring color to her cheeks.
it doesn't make sense. she should feel cooler after a cold drink. if anything, she should feel no different. but feeling warmer?
forgoing rationality for just a moment, kimberly decides to go with her instincts; the palm of her hand hesitantly reaches up, curving flat against his cheek. it only takes a moment of contact before the shock of cold greets her, sensations pouring down her arms as if someone had dumped ice water over bare limbs. it's enough to earn a sharp gasp of surprise, gaze flicking up to his. )
Oh. ( well. that's something. ) Your turn.
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at least, it is until kim presses a hand against his cheek.
the effect is nearly immediate. sweet, sweet relieft. if just a hand on his cheek feels this good, he wonders how it will feel if he leans his forehead against hers. the short answer? amazing. robbie takes it as a sign to pull her closer, hands grasping at her waist as he presses his face against the column of her throat, feels as if an ice cold blast of air hits his skin.]
Feels good if I touch you. Otherwise, I keep burning up. I didn't think this would happen if we had stuff off the table.
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no, there's nothing to complain about. except for maybe the strong desire to cool down more, or at least more than standing near the snack table will allow.
there's a slight pang of regret, accompanied by a flush of heat, as she gently pulls his grip off her waist. it's a necessary adjustment, one made to allow her to guide him elsewhere; the cool breeze that wraps itself around her wrists as their hands tangle together is a small reprieve in the meantime. )
Come on, ( she murmurs, dragging him along by the hand as she weaves through the public seating areas. it's only when she finds a small couch in a tucked away corner that kimberly finally stops moving, choosing instead to push him down into the cushions; she follows with little hesitation, dropping into his lap so as to curl up that much closer to him. for purposes of cooling down, obviously. )
Better?
this entire damn post probably deserves a nsfw warning
they slip between tables where other couples are enjoying intimate conversation, none apparently aware of what is currently plaguing him and no doubt other people in attendance of the energy festival. at last he's summarily shoved onto a couch. kimberly follows shortly thereafter, settling right on his lap.
robbie heaves a sigh of relief as chills spread from his lap to the rest of his body. he makes good use of the relative privacy of their surroundings to run a hand along her calf, oh so conveniently exposed by kim's wriggling to get comfortable.]
Yeah, a little. How's this feel? [he asks as he drags his hand up further, fingers teasing the back of her knee as he continues to inch higher until his palms rests flat on the inside of her thigh.]
yr not wrong
in response to his question, kimberly lets out a slow exhale, eyes fluttering closed as the chill spreads through her limbs, not quite cold yet, but thankfully she's no longer burning up from the inside out either. ) You always feel good, ( breathed out, a quiet hum of pleasure as his fingertips press in a little against her skin. a pulse of cold, through her leg, helps a bit. she's still warm, though. the knit fabric of her dress weighs heavy against her limbs, trapping any heat and preventing it from escaping into the air above, and even though it's shifted up to expose a little more of her legs, her arms and chest are still particularly warm.
if these gentle, patient touches settle her, if earlier touches — her hand on his face, the press of his forehead against hers, his mouth against her neck — had felt good, it stands to reason that something that touches a little more will feel better. like lifting her head in order to press her lips to his, slow and soft as she waits with baited breath to see just how the touch will make her feel. )
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his grip falters as her mouth finds his, lips feeling surprisingly cool against his own. robbie groans into her waiting mouth, then chases that chilly feeling by sliding his tongue out and tracing her lips.]
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but the chills that course through her from the echo of his groans aren't entirely ingredient-induced. there's a little wanting mixed in, that familiar desire that creeps up her spine as the warmth of his body bleeds into hers; she doesn't hesitate to meet his eager touch with more of her own, hands sliding under the lapels of his jacket to curve over his shoulders, carefully encouraging the fabric up and over. )
Still warm, ( kimberly murmurs, words offering both explanation and encouragement. more seems to be the theme of the night, though that's nothing new for either of them. )
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since they're both still warm and since it seems that all the extra touching that usually stokes a fire is — well it's still exciting as ever but it's not leaving him feeling like he's ablaze but rather it's a cooling relief that spreads across his skin with each stroke of fingers and each press of lips — he slides both hands back under her dress this time, reaching behind her to squeeze her ass.]
Gonna need more than just a makeout session to cool you down at this rate.
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robbie's hands tug her closer, a firm squeeze as he whispers in her ear, and kimberly can't help but groan in response. a shift as she leans up to press her lips to the line of his jaw, exposed so neatly from this angle, and she echoes back, ) I don't wanna go home yet though. ( there was so much more she'd wanted to see, and they'd gone through all the effort of getting dressed up for the evening — as tempting as it was to drag him back to the front seat of his car, she did want to actually enjoy the evening she'd been promised. )
What was in those drinks?
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but what he does want is to takes whatever this is that's brewing between them further. and as tempting as it may be to just throw caution to the wind, and encourage kim to take things further right where they are, the more rational side of his brain knows that she'd never agree. it's too much of a stretch. tempting, but ultimately the risk doesn't outweigh the reward for her.
guess that just means that he'll have to suggest another venue so they can take things further.]
I don't know, but I doubt it's something we could buy at the local liquor store. [his hands shift again, until they're pressed against the small of her back and he rocks them ever so to increase whatever additional friction he can manage.]
👉👌💦
( the past tense may not be entirely accurate. there's still the rolling effects of their previous consumption in her limbs, that lingering warmth only held at bay by their persistent connection; if she were to clamber off his lap and stand alone, she'd surely fan into fever soon after. but given the snug grip on her waist and the insistent press of her lips and gentle scrape of her teeth against his neck, there's no rush to separate.
well, at least there's no rush from kimberly's side of things. but robbie is, to her delight, facing a more pressing urgency; though it's tempered by the chill that spreads across her skin with each new touch, she can start to feel the heat that normally pulses through him, that demanding wanting that burns her like a brand. )
I wonder if everything is so hot...
🍆👌💦
no. he doesn't want to let go of her for any reason other than perhaps to find a comfortable horizontal surface for much more pleasurable activities. which, given his increasingly tight pants, will probably need to happen sooner rather than later.
robbie nibbles on her ear as his hands continue their journey across her feverishly warm skin.] Wanna find somewhere private so we can find out?
i waited a week to tag this as punishment for that emoji choice
not that there was really any doubt of that.
no, she's quite certain she knows exactly how much he'd like to find somewhere private. or, rather, how much he needs to, given the insistent pressure against her as she rocks in his lap, the hem of her dress riding up just a little more with each movement. )
You're not really making me want to get up, you know...
( might as well just carry her. she's pretty sure they passed a few private spaces during their initial exploration. they should surely be unoccupied by now, right? )
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[if his last experience with suggesting semi-public intimate activities was a fair indicator of her feelings on the matter, robbie knows that she's probably not down to get caught. not really at any rate. but the way she keeps rocking against him, egging him further and further on suggests that she doesn't want him to stop either. so he figures it's up to him to take matters in his own, very capable hands.
robbie pulls her tightly against him, urging her to wrap her arms around his neck as he stands. he carefully navigates them out of the more public area they're currently in toward one of those private tents. a quick peek inside tells him that that one isn't exactly available.
the space behind door number two is thankfully not occupied, and robbie has to smile at the plush bedding, detailed geometic patterns covering rugs and pillows. he sets her down gently, following suit just after and settling between her legs.]
Alone at last. Any ideas about what we should do?
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I think... ( a hum as she thinks the question over, a coy smile quirking the corner of her mouth up. ) I want to try something else, actually.
( maybe more than just one thing. there had been quite a selection on the two tables, after all, and if a cup or two of drink had warmed her so thoroughly, who knew what the other table might offer? )
Maybe something from the other table?
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[because he definitely knows he wants a few of those cupcakes. thinks if they're cool that perhaps they'll be just the kind of relief that they need. beyond that, he'd like another drink or two and maybe something savory would be nice. he listens carefully as she offers up a suggestion or two of her own. he slides a hand through her hair before he heads back toward the food tables to grab them some treats to snack on.] Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone, babe.
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when he does manage to make his way back, hands full with a tray piled high thanks to various snacks and drinks, she's all too happy to take it from him and settle it in front of her on the bed, allowing him to make himself comfortable if he so chooses. after a kiss, that is. maybe more than one. )
What'd you bring me?
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the cooling effect is immediate, and now that they're alone without fear of anyone interruption their fun, he doesn't have to hold back. he slips an hand into her hair, pulling her closer, deepening their kisses until his head spins from lack of air and he has to pull back just enough to grab a shaky breath.]
A little bit of everything. Cupcakes, I know the icing kind of looks like toothpaste but everything's been tasty so. There's some chilled sandwiches too. And I thought you might want another drink. The blue and dry ice is a little much but maybe it'll hit the spot.
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shifting her weight to curl up beside him, her back pressed firm against the solid expanse of his chest and the soft cotton draped over it, kimberly reaches out to pull the tray of items a little closer. she can't resist a laugh in agreement with his assessment — the icing really does look like the kind of toothpaste swirls you see in advertisements, almost too perfect and smooth — but it doesn't stop her from picking one up, or from taking a bite, icing smearing across the tip of her nose in the process.
the cupcake doesn't disappoint. it's a damn good cupcake, the chocolate cake sweet and milky as it melts on her tongue, and the hint of spearmint in the surprisingly light icing feels less like a line of colgate than she'd expected. not to mention the refreshing burst of cold that blooms in her mouth, icy paths trailing across her teeth and down her throat until they spiral out into her limbs. a slow shiver down her spine, and kimberly grins, mouth opening in a small circle as she offers an experimental exhale.
to her delight, her breath is visible, dotted with faint glimmers of white from endless miniscule snowflakes. another breath, this time ghosted across his cheeks and nose, and a murmured, ) Think you can melt the ice?
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