victory_road | Beach fun for beach bums

Entry tags:

Beach fun for beach bums

Who: Everybody!
Where: Cianwood!
When: June 21st, all day.
Summary: Come to Cianwood today to celebrate the solstice, participate in a race and maybe even get a date??

June 21st. The solstice. The longest day of the year. Practically half the year gone already, which frankly, seems rather insane. It seems like only yesterday you were all fighting to save Christmas with Santa, and yet, that was almost six months ago! How can that be? We just don't know. Time is a force even more mysterious than pokemon evolution.

In any case, Cianwood has gone all out to make this solstice a great big celebration. The beach is awash with bright-coloured umbrellas and stands, selling everything a visitor might need to make this into one hell of a day (and, let's be real, also a lot of things you don't need, but hey, who doesn't want a nice souvenir?) Rental stands have everything from surfboards to huge inner tubes for rent for those who want to stay at the surface of the water, as well as snorkelling equipment for those who won't mind taking a peek below the surface. On a cleared stretch of beach, a small Sand Castle Contest is being organised. The prize won't be anything fancy (just a token little reward, really) but why not enter? Don't worry, there are separate prizes for kids and adults. Meanwhile, large piles of wood have been stacked here and there, waiting for evening to fall so the bonfires can be lit.

One particular section of the beach is a riot of different smells, with various restaurants and other establishments having set up stands to sell you all the very best. It doesn't matter what you are in the mood for, because you won't have any trouble finding it here! Want some BBQ? It's there; several Sizzlepede keeping those coals nice and hot while the cooks chuck everything that can vaguely be chucked onto those grills. Would you rather cool down with some ice cream? No problem; just as long as you can actually make a choice from all those different flavours available. Has the summer sun put you in a fruit mood? Watermelons (whole and cut), strawberries, cherries, papaya -- it's too much to name!

Or do you maybe just want a drink? It's important to keep hydrated, you know! Juice, water, mocktails and cocktails, everything that you could possibly want to stave off the heat is there. There is even coffee and teas available for those who need their daily worship at the Church of Caffeine. Just don't overheat on them!

And, of course, there is the race.

It looks like the first-ever SEMPER race has drawn quite the crowd. And where there is a crowd, there are more souvenir stands. Why not buy a flag or two to cheer on your pokemon? Or maybe you should buy an 'I ran the SEMPER race and all I got was this lousy t-shirt' for your pokemon to commemorate the occasion. They sell them in all sorts of sizes.

And then there is that mystery section of beach, currently cordoned off with ropes and screens. Signs let everybody know that this is where the Helping Hand auction will be taking place later tonight, but if you had hoped to get an early peek at the decorations or items up for auction, you will be sorely disappointed. Be patient and wait like everybody else is.

So come all and enjoy the beach. Participate in a race maybe, and pull your wallets for tonight's charity event. After all, who knows when disaster might strike again? Better enjoy things while you can!

ooc: The Charity Auction will have its own log, which will be posted later tonight. Should there be any questions, please use the event info post to ask them.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I d-don't know..."

He vaguely realizes Dimitri's probably just trying to be helpful, and perhaps if it were to do with anything else Shrike might consider it. But the idea of being introduced to someone who knows what real fay are like specifically for the purpose of discussing that subject makes him nervous. He's been doing okay so far with keeping his hood on and being cautious in his interactions with people, but Shrike's not keen on taking unnecessary risks.

And he especially wouldn't want to risk losing the good opinion of one of the few people who's not only been nice to him, but he's actually found something in common with.

"That's fine." Clearly something about this conversation is making Shrike anxious. Dimitri wonders if it is really just about meeting a new person. It seems as though that would be a little much for such a relatively small matter... But he's learned that just because something seems small to him does not mean it is the same for anyone else.

Besides, people carry all sorts of burdens and scars from the lives they have lived, no matter how young they are. Something from his past may be affecting his feelings now.

Well, all Dimitri can offer him is reassurances, and he offers the bottle of water to Shrike. "If you ever do become sure, all you need to is ask me of him. He is quite an interesting man, really. Very calm and patient, even when one is acting wretchedly, as I did when I first met him. He has a child a little younger than you, and is interested in breeding." Dimitri pauses, trying to recall the exact words. "In fact, he has expressed an interest in... the concept of therapy paliens?"

That's how he described it, yes.

Shrike hesitates to take the water bottle. It's not that he isn't thirsty (it's probably obvious that he is), but that he's still a little reluctant to take things for free. He feels like he ought to be giving something in return.

That, and the fact that Dimitri seems to think highly of this Grant person aside, what he's saying catches Shrike's attention.

"Therapy?"

He has absolutely no idea what that is.

All right. Dimitri pauses, brow furrowing just a bit. While he has an idea of it in theory, it's still not something he's really... done. At least, not in a professional manner. Mostly he's just been dealing with his problems, and not always well.

Still, he tries his best. "There are some wounds which are not physical," he explains. "Or, if they are physical, they go deeper than that. They affect the mind, almost the soul. Therapy... is a manner of healing which seeks to address those wounds. For example, I suffer from constant nightmares of things from my past, to the point that... I sought to avoid even sleep itself." Dimitri shakes his head; they were bad times. "But Grant brought a Munna to me, and that has helped me sleep. With the energy of sleep, it felt as though the world around me changed."

Shrike is... not entirely sure he gets it. Well, he kind of gets the nightmares bit, he's had those on occasion to be sure, but the rest of it is a little beyond what he can easily grasp. These are all new concepts to him.

"It's a way to stop having nightmares?"

Scratch that, he almost definitely doesn't get it.

Yeah, he's most certainly not explaining this right. Dimitri rubs the back of his neck. "It can be a way to... help make nightmares happen less. It can also help you in other ways."

What are those ways... Dimitri tries to think of what he's read in his books. "Have you ever heard of depression before, Shrike?"

He would guess no, but he doesn't want to assume.

"I don't think so..."

The closest he can come up with is that it sounds like something he might have once heard someone use to describe a shallow hole in the ground. But he's pretty sure that's not what Dimitri's talking about.

Well. Time for him to try and explain a concept Dimitri is not entirely certain he can explain right himself.

"It is... sadness, as an affliction," Dimitri tries slowly, although he wonders if that makes sense. "Sadness that haunts a person, no matter if their life is going well, or if they are doing something they know they love. It keeps them locked in misery... or apathy, and exhaustion. It tricks them, in numerous ways, such as thinking they are a worthless existence, or that they'd rather not live."

Shrike, thankfully, has not had any first-hand experience with the kinds of feelings. However, that description does remind him of a certain conversation he'd had with someone over the network just a few days prior.

"Someone a few days ago was talking about someone being lazy from being sad, is it like that?"

He has no idea that he'd been talking to a Clefairy talking about her trainer (and trainer's BFF), but he can still put two and two together.

Lazy from being sad... Dimitri carefully thinks back to his own experiences, along with what he has read about in the book Claude got him.

"Yes... It is not dissimilar, at the very least. Depression robs the individual of desire and energy both." Dimitri shakes his head. "It is a... miserable affliction."

"It sounds bad."

Probably understatement of the day, really. But he's still trying to wrap his mind around the concept, so that's probably to be expected.

"Indeed," Dimitri says, because, yeah. Yeah it sure is. And that's only the tip of the iceberg, from what he's read and experienced. One day he'll figure out how to properly explain it...

Well, for now, all he can do is shrug. "Therapy is meant to help with all of that... Any time that one has emotions that are overwhelming and constant, beyond their control. Anger and anxiety can also be dealt with that way... so Therapy companions can help in many different ways. I am sure Grant would know more on the matter."

There's that Grant guy getting mentioned again. Clearly Dimitri thinks highly of him, but Shrike can't help being a little wary, for various reasons.

"I see..."

It's still all a pretty new concept to him, in any case. Something to think about, perhaps, should he or someone he knows wind up in need of it.

"It's complex," Dimitri concedes, since he knows it must be. Certainly it was strange to learn about for him, although... comforting, in other ways.

"If you are ever curious about more of it, I can ask Grant as well, and relay the answer back to you." Perhaps that would be a good way for him to introduce them... It could give Shrike a little bit of distance to take into consideration his shyness, while still offering a connection. And then through that, hopefully Chip could make a friend as well.

"Uh, all right?"

Shrike honestly isn't that curious about the subject, at least at the moment. He doesn't know of anyone that he knows it would apply to, after all.

Really, if the plan is to introduce him to someone else, Dimitri might have better luck just being straightforward about it. And not mentioning the fay thing.

Maybe one day he'll realize that there's A Fay Thing to be worried about. For now, however, he just nods, and eases back against the towels. Talking has been a good distraction, so far, against the heat. It would probably be good for him if he were to go into the water, but, well...

He'll get there eventually, he supposes. So long as he doesn't miss the charity auction.

"If you ever need a place to stay in the nearby Olivine, do let me know."

It would no doubt help immensely if Shrike actually said something about it. Unfortunately, he's still far too wary to bring it up directly, if at all.

"I can find someplace myself if I need to..."

Dimitri's already done a lot for him, Shrike couldn't possibly impose. Assuming he ever bothers to travel beyond Cherrygrove in the first place.

"Of course." Dimitri nods. In a way, he was rather expecting that, but he felt he needed to make the offer anyway. Just in case. Something, something... You always miss the shots you don't take, yes?

"You are very resourceful like that. Still, places like this are meant to be relaxing, from what I have heard, so do not feel as though you need to take on everything yourself. I would be glad if you could find help with your Paliens, at least."

"I'll be fine."

At least, he assumes that the offer's being made out of some kind of good-natured concern. It's just, between his shyness and his aversion to feeling like he owes someone, Shrike finds it difficult to take anyone up on these sort of offers.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Beach fun for beach bums

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

cw a medieval fantasy man talks about depression and suicide

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject