The Alurizan Republic is a testament to the power of cooperation, mutual aid, and reason. By leveraging the skills of an accepting community it seems almost nothing is impossible. The guiding ethos of Alurizan culture, the Root Logic, started simply as a strateg to resist annihilation, and developed into a shared realization amongst the founding species that their former squabbles amounted to nothing compared to a true existential threat.

The Longest Night Celebration focuses on the time of the Harbor's winter solstice, as the Harbor is the center of the Republic. At this point, the name of the holiday is largely symbolic: as soon as we begin to discuss issues that span across multiple planets, the particular climate of one given planet becomes irrelevant. While there are nearly endless variations of the holiday across the diverse cultures of AREZ, there are some unifying tenets among them.

The Longest Night is a celebration of perseverance, community, and gratitude. It says: you have passed through the darkest times, you have survived the worst together, your future will only be brighter—just as Aluriza rose from near-destruction to its safety and security today.

There are a few staple traditions that any Alurizan cannot go without during the holiday, with first among them being the bonfires.

In the early days of Aluriza, it was said that many refugees had to survive long periods without access to energy and shelter, and would construct large communal fires. Tired refugees would gather around these fires to share resources, stories, and most importantly keep hope alive. These days, we carry on that tradition by sitting close to the fire and sharing in community, snacks, and hot mugs of various liquids, settling in and staying up to mark the longest night of the year.

Solstice in Owai cannot be complete without the annual winter meteor shower. Visible for a couple weeks but peaking around the Longest Night, the meteor shower has become a treasured solstice tradition. People can be seen gazing skyward at the brilliant azure lights, with the hope of maybe even finding a landed meteorite for themselves. As countless generations of Alurizans watch the same meteor shower each year, a popular folktale as emerged: it's said that someone who stays up all night to count one thousand shooting stars will have their wish granted.

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DRAW TO ENTER - X-133: RUDY

Rudy's size might be intimidating but don’t let that fool you, they are a sweetheart! Big, fluffy and adorable might be the best summary for this Tundra Xero! One of Rudy’s favorite activities is to go sledding in the mountains with friends or go on chilly winter hikes. While Rudy is right at home in the cold, they also make a mighty fine hot spiced sweetsap for those less arctic-inclined friends.

*The winner of this DTE is more than welcome to change the name, pronouns, and personality of this Xero!

MASTERLIST LINK  ★  TOYHOUSE LINK

What is a DTE (Draw To Enter)? Our DTE is a raffle-based event, in which you enter by submitting artwork. Draw, write, or create mixed media crafts for the featured Xero and win a fabulous prizes and a chance at owning this Xero yourself! This DTE character is Xero X-133: Rudy.

Click HERE for more information about this DTE!

 

Seasonal TRAITS!

We also have one new and one returning Seasonal Fruit!

The Tato Fruit allows a Xero to have Patterned Skin! This can include markings of any shape on their ears, paw pads, tongue, or hairless sections if combined with that trait. These markings can only be darker or lighter than their normal skin color, unless combined with the Split trait.

And the returning Astera Thistle! This plant allows a Xero to have Fur Pads, giving a Xero extra fluffy feet that covers their paw pads, like a rabbit or fennec fox! This adaptation can help protect their paws against extremely hot or cold conditions.

The Tato Fruit can be obtained from the Winter 2022 DTE or Secret Santa 2022, and the Astera Thistle can be purchased from the ARC Lab. Both can also be foraged! Be sure to stock up before they go out of season!

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Monthly Prompts

Finally, as always, we still have our monthly repeating prompts, XOTM & ARC Survey!

 

11 2022 XOTM: Dicti-tm 's  X-473

What is XOTM? Each month, a new Xero will be picked at random to receive a plethora of gifts from the community! Draw, write, or create some mixed media crafts for the featured Xero and win a Mysterious ORB and a chance for your Xero to be featured next month!

Learn more about XOTM

ARC Survey: 007

Greetings! I hope that everyone had a chance to enjoy the Twilight Carnival and experience something new, but now it's time for us to move on to the present topic: this month's survey! With winter fast approaching, I'm sure we're all starting to busy ourselves with our various plans for the Solstice, so I'll keep this to the point! In the spirit of the holiday, what is your wish for this upcoming year?

Participate in ARC's Survey

Keep an eye on the sky this Longest Night, my Alurizan friends. Perhaps your wish will come true!