pumpkinhollow (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pumpkinhollow) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
ph_logs2023-12-27 04:07 pm
pumpkinhollow) wrote in ph_logs2023-12-27 04:07 pm
December Event - To All a Good Night
To All a Good Night
Givingstide
Winter is hard for everyone, but none more so than the residents of an island that has been isolated by the cruel hands of fate. Where the rest of the Emerald Isles is able to rely on imports from other nations in warmer places, Marrow Isle has no resources but her own. All the while, her mettle continues to be tested against the horrors brought on by the curse.
It is for this reason that among all the holidays celebrated by the Mothers' children, Givingstide is particularly beloved. A warm and cozy festival based around wishing each other prosperity and love in the new year, the lengthening of days, embracing generosity even in the lean times, and celebrating the fact that the darkest part of the year is coming to an end.
The fireplace is lit at the Oak & Iron. A wreath of pine boughs hangs over the merry blaze, paper horses and snowflakes decorate the walls, and a table in the center of the room has been done up to look like a silver sleigh. As people file in, hot food and warm drinks begin coming out of the kitchen and bar, and gifts begin piling up on the sleigh table. (Ultimately, a fair amount of them end up on the floor around it.) Everyone greets each other warmly with hearty handshakes, firm hugs, and wishes of a blessed Givingstide. Perhaps if you have a clever eye, you may even see a horned figure drinking hot cocoa in the corner harmlessly, enjoying the atmosphere of good will and keeping watch over the party to prevent any troublemakers. And for once, just once, for the first time in so long on this frightful, forsaken island, there is true peace.
As dinner carries on, music begins to be played from the tavern stage, and Mayor Poe has Yorick assist her in doling out the gifts from the table. They read the tags and summon the recipients to the table to recieve them. You can open yours right there or at your table, and decide for yourself whether you care to announce the name of the giver to the room.
Once the gifts are distributed, the partygoers are left to their own devices, allowed time to laugh with friends, dance to music, drink to their hearts' content, sneak off to while away a private moment in one of the inn's sitting rooms, or head home for an early night. Regardless of your choice, let it be with a loved one. A friend, a partner, a member of your newfound family. Blessed Givingstide, and may your lantern ever stay lit.
It is for this reason that among all the holidays celebrated by the Mothers' children, Givingstide is particularly beloved. A warm and cozy festival based around wishing each other prosperity and love in the new year, the lengthening of days, embracing generosity even in the lean times, and celebrating the fact that the darkest part of the year is coming to an end.
The fireplace is lit at the Oak & Iron. A wreath of pine boughs hangs over the merry blaze, paper horses and snowflakes decorate the walls, and a table in the center of the room has been done up to look like a silver sleigh. As people file in, hot food and warm drinks begin coming out of the kitchen and bar, and gifts begin piling up on the sleigh table. (Ultimately, a fair amount of them end up on the floor around it.) Everyone greets each other warmly with hearty handshakes, firm hugs, and wishes of a blessed Givingstide. Perhaps if you have a clever eye, you may even see a horned figure drinking hot cocoa in the corner harmlessly, enjoying the atmosphere of good will and keeping watch over the party to prevent any troublemakers. And for once, just once, for the first time in so long on this frightful, forsaken island, there is true peace.
[ Enter the Tavern. ]
The tavern is warm. Orange firelight flickers, as if dancing with the shadows. Decorations of shimmering silver and hunter green, the colors of Givingstide, adorn the dark wood decor of the Oak & Iron. The stucco and timber walls of the dining hall safeguard those within from the bitter wind and snow. It's no Leeds gala--- the food is simple, but it is beautifully made. Roasted chicken, potatoes, onion soup, and fresh-baked bread. Slices of pumpkin pie are passed around for dessert. Hot cider with or without alcohol, mulled wine, coffee, and spiced tea are served with the meal. It isn't glamorous, but it's made with love and tastes like coming home somehow.As dinner carries on, music begins to be played from the tavern stage, and Mayor Poe has Yorick assist her in doling out the gifts from the table. They read the tags and summon the recipients to the table to recieve them. You can open yours right there or at your table, and decide for yourself whether you care to announce the name of the giver to the room.
Once the gifts are distributed, the partygoers are left to their own devices, allowed time to laugh with friends, dance to music, drink to their hearts' content, sneak off to while away a private moment in one of the inn's sitting rooms, or head home for an early night. Regardless of your choice, let it be with a loved one. A friend, a partner, a member of your newfound family. Blessed Givingstide, and may your lantern ever stay lit.
gifts and vouchers
Some important information regarding gift-giving and vouchers can be found below.
For simplicity's sake for both our mods and our players, we will allow you to decide for yourselves the prices of your items so long as they are reasonable. You can use other purchase requests in the bank as a reference or simply decide on a price you believe is fair based on your experience. You do not have to list prices. We will trust you to make fair decisions! If you're still unsure how much an item ought to cost, feel free to ask us in the question thread on this post, but in the spirit of the holiday season (both real and fictional) we would rather allow your characters to get gifts for all their loved ones than worry too much about financials. Perhaps your character is simply a very good bargain hunter!
As a slight aside, we would love to thank each and every one of you for being a part of making Pumpkin Hollow amazing this year. We truly could not ask for a better group of players and are extremely grateful to have met all of you delightful, creative, talented, funny, incredible people. We hope you had a great holiday season, whatever that looks like for you, and we're so honored to greet the new year with this fantastic community!
[ Review. ]
Gifts can be purchased using your own Brass, or via the holiday bazaar vouchers found in our December TDM. If you haven't taken the trivia quiz on the TDM, you still can! You can take it for each character or just once and give all your characters the same voucher.For simplicity's sake for both our mods and our players, we will allow you to decide for yourselves the prices of your items so long as they are reasonable. You can use other purchase requests in the bank as a reference or simply decide on a price you believe is fair based on your experience. You do not have to list prices. We will trust you to make fair decisions! If you're still unsure how much an item ought to cost, feel free to ask us in the question thread on this post, but in the spirit of the holiday season (both real and fictional) we would rather allow your characters to get gifts for all their loved ones than worry too much about financials. Perhaps your character is simply a very good bargain hunter!
As a slight aside, we would love to thank each and every one of you for being a part of making Pumpkin Hollow amazing this year. We truly could not ask for a better group of players and are extremely grateful to have met all of you delightful, creative, talented, funny, incredible people. We hope you had a great holiday season, whatever that looks like for you, and we're so honored to greet the new year with this fantastic community!
Hand in hand, we put the darkness to our backs and step into the light. Rejoice, spring cometh.
no subject
He pauses, blinking a little.
"At least, he was last time I checked. That part's a bit...fluid." he admits, shaking his head. "But I digress. This bloke, he's...the agency I worked for was more or less dedicated to hunting him down. He had some trouble with the royal family a long time ago, and the agency I worked for was formed to--well, to keep him out of the country's interests. To destroy threats like the one he was perceived to be, seize technology and knowledge from people like him..."
Ianto finally looks into her face, eyes filled with a mix of sorrow and affection.
"But the thing is, I've seen that man work. He's not a threat, he's a hero. He's...made mistakes, done terrible things, and for all I know he deserved a bit of the sour grapes he got from my superiors. But I've seen that man work. I saw him save a lot of lives. Not all of them--when he came to my agency there were a lot of people who died on his watch, but it wasn't his fault. Someone else set that massacre in motion, and what he did? It allowed people like me to escape, to live. The day I saw the world end, I saw people who did not die because he was there. And..."
He reaches out to run a finger along the edge of the bracelet.
"...he's known for traveling in a big blue box. Just this color...this man who is loved and hated both. This man who has faltered and succeed, both."
His hand lifts to her face as he smiles.
"This man who is a flawed being and a hero. Both. Just like you."
no subject
"I don't... feel particularly heroic, to be honest. But I think I understand. It's definitely fitting, and beautiful, and I'll wear it proudly."
no subject
Grinning, he leans in to kiss her, slow and deep--and as he draws back, lifts his own unopened gift into view.
"Now, am I going to embarrass myself if I open this 'year?" he drawls with a mock suspicious look. "Sentimental tears, excessive opulence...something scandalous, like a nude photograph?"
He wags his eyebrows suggestively at that, but he's smirking.
Eat your heart out, Jack Harkness.
no subject
Perhaps, though, she should open up about a few things soon.
As Ianto eyes her large gift addressed to him, wrapped in silver paper, she laughs at his guesses. "If it was a nude photo, you'd be the only one allowed to take it. So it's not that." The box is large and fairly heavy. It clatters a bit when moved. "I tried not to make it too terribly opulent. It is a bit fragile, though, so be careful."
Inside the box is a complicated apparatus of glass and brass, standing on a base cut from a large deposit of pure lapis lazuli that has been polished to a shine. Though it has a different name here due to coming from a different country, Ianto will recognize it easily as a Belgian coffee maker.
no subject
He recognizes it immediately, and his eyes go wide, lighting up with pure delight.
“…you got me a—bloody expensive coffeemaker.” He breathes through a laugh. “A Belgian…”
He doesn’t quite get the box shut properly before he’s pulling Dahlia into his arms, kissing her with absolute abandon and a hand sliding up her back to press her as close as possible.
He wonders how quickly he can get a room upstairs, which is absurd because it’s a bloody coffee maker, but it’s a bloody coffee maker and she gave it to him for Christmas and…and…
God help him, he might be falling in love with this ridiculous and wonderful woman.
no subject
no subject
His beautiful girl, his beautiful coffeemaker, celebrating an otherworldly Victorian Christmas in a home as rife with danger and secrecy as Cardiff--and just as full of promise for the future, if not more.
In moments like these, he can almost forget that he died.
"I love it." he finally replies, the words heavy with things he's not sure he should say yet, not sure if he can. "I absolutely love it, sweetheart."