Greetings Sentient News-Readers,

To introduce myself, I am Sareia Stella'aria, Director of Culture of the Shadowed Territories of Hashan. First of all, without having to know the context, I want to thank everyone who came to our Mayaween-themed grand ball last 2nd of Glacian, 927AF, with the two very-long costume and dance competitions. I hope you enjoyed our festivities. To my supportive city-mates, I'm pouring more bottles into our fountain. We also thank our friends who came from other regions, those who may have stayed up later and longer than usual, those who listened to me talk endlessly about rules and the program, and those who went with bones tired or not. You going there might have meant a lot to your slightly sentimental host.

To the unknown pair who stayed for the free-for-all dance when everyone left, who danced drunk and swooshed more than a dozen empty glass bottles in the way of their choreography into smithereens, even if Swarley kept looking at me funny, I wanted to say that you made me proud that night for leaving almost no bottle unbroken! That was some impressive serial footwork! I digress. Going back.

"To introduce a spirit of positive social mania triggered by endless and grand celebrations of life.", is one of my promises to my city, and moreso to this life, and all of Achaean existence. It does not matter where we come from, celebration knows no face and name. We celebrate life! Something about two to three birds brings me here. The third or second one wishes to provide some form of entertainment to our surely busy and varied lifestyles.

I too, have been quietly reading all of your very colourful posts. Thank you all for making life full of action. Contributing to this read-by-all Achaean custom, I write to you a memory.

2nd of Glacian, 927AF saw the celestial ballroom at Hashan full of people.
I hosted a grand ball. Every friend and family of the citizens of Hashan was welcome.
We had a costume contest, a dance contest, and a free-for-all dance.

--
Here's a special and very rare glimpse of the event.
During the costume contest, we had...

Tremul as King Oberion of the Fayad race.
Fanten and Lasyll as a pair of captured spectres from the Sunderlands.
Ardor as Hashan landscape,
Scarleta as a beautiful phoenix of death and rebirth,
Nezaya as a Dryad, a forest spirit.
Atul as a sea rat lumbering in the woods dressed in a loincloth.
Bellis as a Frozen Winter Butterfly
Blackwillow as her forestal self and History,
Calistar as a vampire with spiders,
Yinaf as an adorable bumblebee of secret doom, cousin of evil bee propagandists
Tahllulah as internal herself shown with gore and rage,
Lirathea as the Killing Frost of Winter.
Tymbi as a Siren wearing a shattered mask, glass slippers, and bone ornaments.
Unjen as someone who woke up to a party after years of slumber, wearing nothing but a blanket
Badriyah as a Nymph of rot and decay with a severed finger.
Icraa as Icraa, Storm of the Dawnblade, Star of the Celestial fleet
Aziz as Bonko with the Staff of Nicator
Gaelyn as the Wolf that bit him many times.

It was honour to have you all there. Even if we were limited to choosing one winner per contest, all of you were the stars to the constellation we made real during that night of the grand ball.

Everyone who joined the costume contests shared what inspired them to choose what they wore that night.
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Congratulations to our winners!

We congratulate Tymbi of Cyrene, who won Best Costume, and the title, "Grand Star of the Night."
Your honest and real ensemble of going as a Siren wearing glass slippers and bone jewelry, how you shared why you chose them won the hearts of our party-goers by almost a land-slide!

"What was your inspiration?"
[ 1 ] ANSWER RECORD:
Tymbi steps forward careful, her glass slippers causing a tinkling sound. A gentle hand pressed to
her shattered mask and a slight tilt to her head leaves her looking almost doll like as she stands
perfectly still. "Beauty and Siren go hand in hand.. but some say beauty is only skin deep... I
chose this look because some of us Sirens are more than just a pretty face.. or pleasurable
distraction. The mask is broken, because you can only pretend for so long to fit into the tiny box
that one has categorized you into.. my slippers are glass, and I must walk carefully to not break
them.. I chose bone jewellery to represent being just flesh and bone.. and glass because even masked
one can see the true me.. sometimes broken and raw and bare... Sometimes what you see beneath might
turn out scary though.. so careful who you choose to play with.." With a wink she steps back to
stand next to Cae.
--

We give special mention to Aziz of Hashan for taking almost half of the other votes for Best Costume with your 'Bonko with the Staff of Nicator' creative ensemble!

You brought life to the party!

--

A party isn't a party without -even more- competition.

During the dance competition, we thank these pairs for giving us a great show!

Dance Contest Participants:
Lirathea and Icraa
Badriyah and Tremul
Mercer and Calistar
Nezaya and Atul

The people watched, voted, and chose...Nezaya and Atul for Best Dance Pair of the Night!
It was the loincloth. (In jest) You won us all with your natural, honest, and fun syncronised waltz dance moves! Your routine was a perfect mix of fun and sweet. Even if your host, one of my twins, may have failed to hear their father's request for waltz and may have accidentally asked the band to play...tango. (Our spectral band was quick to realise and adapt.)

Congratulations Nezaya and Atul of Hashan for winning the Dance Competition, and taking home the title, "Supreme Twinkletoes of the Celestial Dance"!

We give special mention to Lirathea and Icraa for the laughter you shoved our lungs with! If I had lungs, I would've suffocated from laughing. You two made me feel like I had one! That night we learned that stepping on your grandfather's foot can be a great side hobby.


--
Summary of participants

Present:
Aziz, Fanten, Lasyll, Gaelyn, Lirathea, Tremul,
Scarleta, Asmodron, Mercer, Calistar, Ceredia,
Solaire, Badriyah, Ardor, Aleksei, Atul, Icraa,
Jei, Nezaya, Yeletta, Khalayx, Tymbi, Taelle,
Blackwillow, Tahllulah, Augtavian, Unjen, Bellis,
Yinaf, Cae


Costume:
Tremul, Fanten, Ardor, Scarleta, Nezaya, Bellis,
Blackwillow, Calistar, Yinaf, Tahllulah, Lirathea,
Atul, Tymbi, Ynjen, Badriyah, Gaelyn, Icraa.


Dance:
Lirathea and Icraa
Badriyah and Tremul
Mercer and Calistar
Nezaya and Atul

--


A broken record, but one long broken, I wish to thank you all once more.
My only wish is that you all had relative-fun.

I, Sareia Stella'aria will continuously study social behaviour to discover the best methodologies for hosting successful events and parties for all to remember.

This party will be studied so that perhaps one day, you may be invited once more to another better one.
Reach out to me if within your mind cages invaluable feedback. As always.

May your heart and mind be full of the alchemical fires that burn behind every sort of passion for life.



Cheers, Achaea.

Sareia Stella'aria,
Hashan's Director of Culture,
Part-time Dancer,
Your Host


Penned by my hand on the 18th of Sarapin, in the year 928 AF.