pumpkinhollow | July Mini Event

Pumpkin Hollow Community Bulletin

Main Nav | Permanent Bulletin | Calendar |

It’s the end of July. Summer is peaking, hitting its stride. In the forest, frogs sing and fireflies dance through the night, and dragonflies go about their business in the sun. In town, farmers roll up their sleeves and young ladies swap out their many layers for breezy floral gowns. And on the beach, swimmers take to the sea for water at its warmest and young crabs climb up from the sun-drenched sand. Kora’s glory at its finest!

For about a week now, a flier has been up on the community bulletin board. :

Midsummer Beach Festival!

Join us on July 21st and 22nd for our annual beach bash!

Organized by the Temple of Sacred Roots in tandem with Town Hall, all townsfolk are invited to join in for seaside festivities in honor of the height of summer. Activities will include:

Live music (Sign-ups for performers will be available at Empty Pockets Music Bar)
Locally made strawberry wine from last summer’s strawberries
Beach pit barbecues for lunch on both days
A hot food banquet for dinner on the 21st
A fish fry breakfast on the 22nd
Paper lantern float
Beach games
Tents and bed rolls for beach camping

We look forward to seeing you there!

And, as promised, the festival opens up on the afternoon of July 21st, where the smell of barbecue rises up from Tawny Beach. Tables sit on wooden plinths to avoid sinking in the sand, bearing fresh summer fruit and drinks. Pork, fish, and lamb roast in a sand pit. Enchanted barrels covered in magic frost keep frozen treats like orange juice shaved ice and strawberry sorbet cold. A station for assembling little wood-and-paper floating lanterns can be seen off in the distance and Cormac and the Banshees are setting up for their opening set. Tents and bed rolls have been set up toward the Marina. Literally everything is decorated with thin golden coins on strands of twine, sea shells, and sea glass. In the center of it all, stones have been laid into the shape of a massive compass rose, whose center houses the makings of a bonfire.

Those who were here last year will recognize that this festival is much larger than last year’s, and was not preceded with desperate pleas from Town Hall for help providing food and decor. It speaks plainly to the health of the town now. Even with all that has been going on, the growing population and renewed sense of community and purpose have improved matters around the island considerably.

Near the tent area, a family of crabs (one red, one blue, and three purple) can be observed. The small purple ones are poking each other with sticks. The Limoncello has made port, and Royal and his crew are splitting helper duty with the staff of Town Hall, and are dancing and partying the rest of the time. All is as it should be. For once, there is no dangerous surprise lurking in the shadows.

So, what’s on your agenda? During the day, volleyball, swimming, and a game that involves throwing small fabric sacks of dry lentils into wooden hoops in the sand can be enjoyed, alongside a plethora of frozen treats. At night, food and wine and lemonade are served at the banquet tables and lively music plays on the temporary wooden stage for dancing by firelight. There is also the lantern float, which encourages participants to send a glowing lantern out on the water in honor of the lost and the distant, ending the first night in a moment of peaceful sobriety. You may also notice a charming stranger milling around, cozying up to Royal, and drinking after nightfall--- a woman with dark olive skin, raven hair that soaks up the firelight, and rum brown eyes who wears a billowing blue dress and (whenever she hasn’t placed it onto someone else’s head for fun) a wide-brimmed black hat.

Then, at night, camp on the beach under the stars or head home by additional lantern light. The festivities will continue until the following afternoon! Feel free to share your beach fit in the fashion show thread below, as well. Enjoy!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Amen to that." She jokingly raises her glass as if in a toast before taking a swig. When it lowers, she licks her lips and rolls her neck. "Never liked it even when I was fuzz. Even less when it was Bouchard. Slimy little freak."

Not that she didn't follow through on most orders she received, but that didn't mean she liked them. And she did go rogue.

"Sometimes think I should've joined you lot." The enforcers, she means. "Then I think again and. Nah. Terrible fucking idea."

Valdis toasts in return and takes a small sip.

"I did everything I could to climb the ranks as soon as possible in my past lives, taking it slower here. It's not all bad, the chief is great, but I think she's starting to get a little tired of the whole thing."

Valdis shrugs.

"It might not be an ideal job for you, no."

"Doesn't surprise me. Higher-ups back home never liked getting their hands dirty. Every time they were forced to do something it was this big affair."

She never had much respect for the top dogs at the Met. She always knew they'd throw her under the bus once if they were given reason.

"Think I miss the variety. The hunting gets samey. Half the time it's even the exact same animals. Keeps me fed but it's not exactly a gourmet meal." She snorts. "Which is exactly why I shouldn't be allowed any sort've power to do anything different. Eugh."

This must be how Jon felt eating nothing but old statements all the time. The strange feeling of both being sustained and yet unsatisfied, the difference between a real hit and the equivalent of stale leftovers, was rather lost on her back when she was starving herself outright.

"I mean, does the hunt have to end in a kill? Solving mysteries and bringing justice always makes me feel fulfilled."

Killing sometimes does too, but the thrill of figuring out what others could not would always make her feel superior.

"Mm. Never did anything for me. Basira, sure. But the only 'justice' that ever satisfied me was the extrajudicial kind." She shakes her head. "And, well. I don't have to kill. But it's a risk. Y'know?"

Even if it's not necessary to get the benefit, she can't totally eliminate the risk of going overboard.

"I suppose it would be hard to break off the hunt in the moment."

Not everyone had the precision she had developed with her own magic, and even her magic could still be unpredictable.

"More like impossible. Or close enough. Wouldn't need two back-up plans to stop me if it was any easier."

Those being Valdis herself and Fever.

She sighs and shrugs. "It's fine. Just one of those things."

"Sometimes we can't defeat our nature, only temper it."

Like Daisy, she has two people, Fever and, of course, Daisy. They definitely have a lot in common.

"Yeah. But." She raises her wine and complains as she's going to drink, "Sure is a pain in the arse."

She raises her glass in return.

"It is."

Daisy downs what's left in her glass and sighs, "Good luck to us."

July Mini Event - Seaside Sway

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

wrap?

wrap!