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"Finding Community in Chocolate" by surging
Niluw straightened her shirt out in the mirror. She adjusted her crown. She pushed down her pants. She fidgeted with her ears. “You’ve done it,” she bravely told herself in the mirror. “You are officially somebody. You belong. You earned an invitation. Act like it.” She stood a bit taller. It had been many years since Niluw became chocolate. But this was the first year she was invited to the chocolate event of the year: the Annual Chocolate Ball. Her cousins Liliakis, Miiacko, Tinnakine, Tronkii, Xan, and Antikanper had helped her get ready. They were all sweets of their own – candy, candy, custard, jelly, mallow, and biscuit respectively – so they knew how to put together a delicious outfit. However, they could never understand the importance of the factory or the ball. It is something deeply rooted in Chocolate Pet tradition. Niluw herself did not understand it until she became chocolate and learned about it. The more she learned the more she knew she needed to go. To others on the outside, like her cousins, it looked like a silly event with no purpose other than to exclude. Niluw continued to nitpick her appearance and listened to her cousins chatter amongst themselves. “I don’t understand why it’s ONLY for chocolate pets!” Miiacko whined. “Look, I’ve snuck in before, it’s not that great.

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