Event || The Festival of Light

[eternitymods]

Who: Everyone!
When: August 18th - 25th
Where: The Empire
What: The Festival of Light is here! Feel free to use any of these prompts. NPCs tag will come sometimes this week. Please mention it in your top-level if you'd rather not be tagged by a random NPC.
Warnings/Notes: N/A

EXPOSITION OF THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT
— Third District || August 18th – August 25th || 10:00 to 23:00 —
The museums in the 03rd District are open to visitors and are home to many relics predating written history. A lot of those old relics are items of archaeological interest or look like they could be really advanced technologies if they weren't broken beyond repair. Prototypes for Magitek Armor of a new age are exposed, alongside fragments of what are believed to belong to the legendary WEAPONs, machines that belong to the same category than Ultima WEAPON.

The section for Eidolons has all the Eidolons the characters have met so far as well as others yet undiscovered displaying on a gigantic wall-covering painting. The largest Eidolon on the painting appears to be a dragon some characters may recognize as Bahamut, he is so big he dwarves the other Eidolons and should one pay attention, his wings are actually the background of the painting.

Interestingly, someone has doodled something that looks like Ultros over Leviathan on the painting...


SUNNY STARLIGHT
— Ninth District || August 22nd – August 25th || 07:00 to 19:00 —
Do you really believe because it’s summer, you can escape the beauty and magnificence of Christmas? Think again. There is one thing all the nations on Vaikuntha are of one mind on: the wait from the December 26th of a year to the December 24th of the next is too long. This is why a band of Moogles, Lalafells, Bangaas and Zoras from all across the Empire have occupied half of the Ninth District. Decorated trees, Christmas music, people dressed as Santa Claus (and probably dying because of the heat), fake gift boxes as well as a very large and pretty box for donations all await you!

Kids below the age of 15 will all receive a gift if they come: plushies made in the likeness of the main villains of numbered Final Fantasy games! And when you press the button hidden on their stomach, they speak a random line. Who doesn't want a Sephiroth plushie saying "You are a puppet" or a Jecht one repeating "Cry, cry, cry" all day long?

It's like a dream come true!


MIDNIGHT AIRSHIP
— Twelfth District || August 20th – August 24th || 23:00 to 06:00 —
For the late sleepers, it is possible to board a special airship prepared by Hypellos to party up in the sky. The Airship flies all around the Imperial Territories and should characters so desire, they can ask to stop by one of the two other cities. Whether they want to dance, to eat or to enjoy the view, it might be a very fun and relaxing activity. It is also a very good place from where to watch the fireworks… Or to scout for an incoming Tarutaru and her weapon toy.

Note that all the personnel onboard are Hypellos. They are very serviceable and nice, but can try the patience of those not used to their accent. Of note, one Hypello is green and appears to be angrily stalking anyone heading for the "Sunny Starlight" event. He is quite sneaky though and will always manage to get away before being approached.


MOGNET EXPOSITION
— Ninth District || August 22nd – August August 25th || 07:00 to 19:00 —
The half of the Ninth District not occupied by Christmas fanatics is occupied by the Moogles working for the Imperial section of Mognet. Split for the regular Mognet for a decade, Imperial Mognet has managed to thrive. Imperial iMog Slates have all sorts of functions other iMog Slates could only dream of, such as games, grammar check and that kind of stuff. All of those things can be visited at the exposition! Not only that, but the Moogles are also putting on display things that have nothing to do with Mognet but more to do with Moogles themselves.

Come and visit the exposition to discover the rich and amazing culture of the Moogles! Kupo Nuts, Fur Dye, Fake Kupo Nuts, Pom Shiner, Carved Kupo Nuts, booklets titled "How to Use Your Cuteness to Exploit People," Mognet Bags, Deluxe Kupo Nuts, Sheets to Prepare Future Strikes, Mog Beds, Explosive Kupo Nuts, Kupo Champagne—

There is no end to what might be learned from Moogles!


CHOCOBO RACES
— Sen Riqeaux || August 23rd || 15:00 to 20:00 —
A Chocobo Race will be held all around the city! Will you compete? Shall you win? There are no prizes as all the money earned through the race is given to the Safety of Sparks Golsaucia movement. Those participating can bring their own Chocobo or get a temporary one from the people organizing the race. It will be a very bad Chocobo though, so they shouldn’t expect to win… Beware the Hamsters and Marlboro during the race though. It’d be a real shame to end up getting eaten while racing.


SHOPPING
— City's Outskirts || August 18th – August 25th || 07:00 - 20:00 —
On the city's outskirts are all manners of stalls by shoppers eager to make some money. You can find everything there: plushies, food, clothes, souvenirs, books and even cosmetics. Why, one of the merchant is even selling contact lenses covering nearly all of the rainbow's spectrum aside from green while another sells all kind of swords, even the supposed legendary Excalibur! This might be the perfect place to take on O'aka's Quest if you so wish!


MINI SPARKS GOLSAUCIA
— Eleventh District || August 19th – August 24th || Anytime —
Specially for the festival, stallholders from Sparks Golsaucia were invited and brought a few attractions to display what they can do. Noticeably, there is a shooting stand—Once again, a treasure chest game where characters are presented with ten chests and can open only one-- Prizes range from one Gils to gigantic plushies. The novelty this year is something called the "Kupo Boxes," Boxes you punch open and you get something: perhaps something wonderful like a 1 million gil ticket, more often than not though absolutely nothing. Will you try your chance? Be careful, your wallet might not survive it.


TOURNAMENTS
— Tenth District || August 19th – August 23rd || 10:00/15:00/20:00 —
There is a Blitzball Competition taking place during the Festival of Light! Characters are free to go and watch the matches, so long as they can pay for the tickets. At the same time, a Triple Triad competition is taking place. Characters are free to enter the Triple Triad tournament if they so wish. Characters who know Triple Triads have decent chances to win. And even if your characters lose, what matters is trying, right? There are no prizes to be won, as all money goes to the Triple Triad For Everyone associations.


CULINARY ATTRACTIONS
— Second District || August 18th – August 25th || 12:00 to 13:30 / 19:00 to 21:00 —
What would a festival be without free food and banquets? Not really a festival. In the fourteenth district, there is a banquet and many stands held by people from all over the Empire. All kind of food can be found here-- Refined food, pastries, cakes, cooked meals, etc. It's virtually impossible not to find something to like in all of this, and it's all free! There are, however, guards standing around on the lookout for Gourmands who would be tempted to ruin the fun for everyone. After what happened two years ago, better be careful.


THE OPERA
— Ninth District || August 18th - August 24th || 22:00 —
There is an opera every day for all to see for free, titled "A Goddess's Tears." It is a retelling of the creation myth, but shown from the (presumed) perspective of the Goddess of Death. The play depicts the Goddess as someone who started out as a rather sweet person, but whose life took such terrible turns she wished to die and resented life. Yet, death was too scary of a prospect for her and she couldn't choose what was better, Life or Death. As the play progresses, she decides both are equally terrible and resolves to create a world where those very notions shall no longer exist.

As the play unfolds, toward the ends the story becomes what people are more familiar with. However, rather than letting her die wordlessly, the four heroes appease the Goddess's soul by singing. As the four heroes sing, the Goddess smiles and sheds a single tear before passing away. It is said the play is very emotional, sensible people might want to pass on it.


HOUSING
— Fourteenth District || August 17th - August 27th || Anytime —
Before, after and during the Festival of Light, the characters will all need a place where they can rest. Thankfully for them, people coming with the Curti Center delegation are all given the keys to stay in one of the abandoned houses in the 14th District. Truth to be told however, those house look anything but abandoned. Why, it's as if people had been living in them up until very recently, given how either clean and ordered they are for some, or chaotic and neglected they are for others (Characters who were present in Melodies of Life will be able to notice the houses are nearly identical to what they were just before the time skip during endgame, though there are a few eerie differences).

At least, it's a good place to sleep!


ARDYNIAN DISCOVERY
— Fifteenth District || August 18th – August 25th || 10:00, 15:00, 20:00 —
Everyday, it will be possible to get wheeled motor vehicle driven by imperial soldiers and go visit one of the other cities, case in point, Ardynia! Not much is done over there for the Festival of Light, but it is worth checking out, if only for the Wizard and Jester Jobs. It is a thriving city with people from all over the Empire, and it appears to be something of a shopping center for the imperial region.

And most importantly, discover the official headwear of Ardynia: the Fedora! It is said Archaeologists have imported this fashion trend to Ardynia when they pass by, but none know whether this is true or not. While most citizens have enough senses not to actually wear this dreaded hat, those who do wear it really look dumb doing so. And those who don't look dumb look like they'd make jokes about your pet's untimely demise while you're still crying about it.

Perhaps is is best to stay away.


PARASRAYA DISCOVERY
— Fifteenth District || August 18th – August 25th || 10:00, 15:00, 20:00 —
Everyday, it will be possible to get wheeled motor vehicle driven by imperial soldiers and go visit one of the other cities, case in point, Parasraya! Not much is done over there for the Festival of Light, but it is worth checking out, if only for the Archaeologist and Catmancer Jobs, as well as the Weapon Master Association. It is a technologically advanced yet small and cozy city...

... If it wasn't for a tragedy plaguing the city: cats, cats everywhere. If the meowing doesn't kill you, the constant flow of cats asking to be pet, fed and to sit on your lap might. You may even encounter a few tired citizens paying you money to take care of the cat infestation around their house. Others however are really defensive of the cats and will hunt anyone trying to bring harm to them. Of course, the source of all these cat-related troubles can be traced back to the origins of the Catmancer guild.

But, perhaps it is a story best left for another day.


FIREWORKS
— First District || August 18th – August 24th || Midnight —
Fireworks will be launched from the Castle starting 00:00 and will end at 01:00, everyday of the Festival. No matter where you are in the city, anyone should be able to watch them with ease if they so wish. Unfortunately, it means falling asleep before midnight may be a bit hard with all the noise. On the 25th, characters will be with dining with the Empress as the fireworks happen.

Comments

[suigojin]

[The man or his clothing don't get Gi's attention so much as his words. He's in the middle of sketching something or other that's half broken when the guy joins his conversation, but pauses to look up.]

'On the verge of destruction'? I'm not out to destroy anything...are you saying that everything on display was once a weapon of some kind?

[shadowsthedawn]

He catches the warm expression and is surprised by it until he watches it evaporate into cautiousness. Clearly Roxas had mistaken him for someone else at first too, and he can guess who. But now he definitely knows exactly who Riku is. He can't even blame Roxas for the caution or his briskness.

Inclining his head to the side, he gives the other boy a half nod in greeting.

"I passed the Mastery Exam. Yen Sid asked me to bring Kairi to him for training." He doesn't know whether any of that would mean anything to Roxas, but he also doesn't feel the need to keep anything from him either.

II - Azusa, don't get lost!

[boomchucka]

Azusa!

[Selphie still remembers the message that Azusa had posted on mognet a few weeks ago asking for help. The SeeD reaches the idol quickly before she's looping her left arm around Azusa's right and steering the other in the opposite direction.

Selphie guides the idol over to a bench before Azusa had a chance to wander off and get lost again.]

Don't get lost again. You were heading towards an exit out of the city.

[shadowsthedawn]

[He doesn't mind her curious gaze as she studies him. It's a look he's gotten from a lot of people since his arrival who have met and know Takeshi. It's like he's become the other one now. But he can't say that he minds it. Especially with the three of them here now everyone will just have to learn how to see them as themselves.

Besides, he can't help but study her in a similar fashion, searching out all the similarities and differences between her and the girl he grew up with.]

Do you have to smuggle him out? [He drops his gaze down to the kitten in her arms for a moment before moving back up to her eyes.] Can't you adopt him? If he doesn't have an owner it shouldn't be a problem.

[zanarkandian]

[Tidus has clearly made a mistake in choosing his path. He bites his lip and leans back into the shadows, grateful that Myste Aura's blitzball uniform is predominantly navy and black. He'll wait here for the perfect moment to continue on his way.

The sight of such a large, happy family makes something ache in his chest. It had been just him, and mom, and dad...and then just him. Most people in Spira didn't have large families either, given the situation. It was nice.

Who was she? Cid's sister? Old friend? Given the state of the nations' relations, he has so many questions that he can't answer. Not yet, anyway.]

[lordshield]

"Awoken? What precisely was the nature of this weapon? Daemon? Organic? Mechanical?" Some people might consider starting up a robot as awakening it. He had no idea what to expect from this world or the previous one in regards to technology or magic.

As he was about to ask who might send this threat, she spoke a line that perplexed him. "Princess? Of what princess do you speak, Majesty?" His attention was on the young woman now, the relic having no more information to offer for the moment. His knowledge was too limited to extrapolate anything further. People such as Ashelia, with prior experience, would do far better than he.

3 - foodies~ :D

[boomchucka]

Selphie had a feeling that if the lure of tasty treats had sucked her in, there was a good chance that it would claim any of the other resident foodies as well. Having had her fill of sweets for the time being, the perky brunette can be found wandering amongst the stalls that were offering savory treats to try before she eventually settled on being adventurous and trying something new. It wasn't perfectly cooked ham or fish but something completely different.

What the SeeD had discovered was a treat comprised of balls of fried dough, coated in a savoury brown sauce alongside mayonnaise, parsley flakes and some strange pink flakes that were dancing on top from the heat. A toothpick was inserted into one of the balls as she held the small container carefully while she waited for them to cool down a bit. When she spotted Ignis wandering by with a plate of various goodies, she worked her way through the crowd and sidled up beside him with a cheerful grin on her face.

"Hungry?" she asked curiously.

[chosennobody]

Interestingly enough, all of that registered with Roxas. He had his own sort of consciousness within Sora that allowed him to know what the keyblade wielder was going through, what he was doing and seeing. Not that it gave Roxas any power to do anything, though he had made Sora cry at least once, though that was an accident. So he knew of what Riku spoke.

"And you've never been to a place called Ryslig?" he asked, almost wishing this were that Riku; they'd developed a wary sort of friendship. His guard was dropping a bit, however. This Riku had succeeded in taking him in and reuniting him with Sora, which was why Roxas was cautious and resentful in the first place. But it also meant this Riku wasn't likely to try to attack him for any reason. They were past that at least.

V

[boomchucka]

Ardynia. The name enough was plenty to put Selphie on edge as she warily wandered through the town. The fedoras were gaudy and terrible and looked plain awful as she walked past every vendor attempting to sell her one. She wanted to get a lay of the land if only for the sake of information gathering. She didn't have much reason to come to a town named after Crystallis's Archfiend of Fire for any other reason.

When she heard the groan from nearby however, she followed it to find Regis standing nearby. She debated about giving the man some space but wanted to make sure that he was okay. Selphie made her way over to the Prince but kept a safe distance just in case.

"Are you okay, Regis?" she asked loud enough for him to hear but not for anyone else that was milling around.

[musicinmysoul]

(The girl nods. Even with the distrusting glare shot her way, Matilda is taking it calmly.)

They attract a lot of attention, that's for sure. Good and bad.

They're...pretty special, where I'm from. I'll skip the history lesson, but a lot of people look to them as a sign of change and the hope it can bring. It feels appropriate, seeing them so soon after waking up in this world...kind of reassuring, too.

[warpstriking]

[Noctis blinks when he feels the weight on his shoulder, turning his head to see the blond mess of hair resting on his shoulder and feeling more than hearing the quiet, measured breaths that usually indicated someone was asleep. He smiles, letting Prompto nap on his shoulder. It's the least he can do for him deciding to come with him to this.

He'll have to make it up to him later. He nudges him when people start to file out.]

Hey. It's over.

[modelcivilian]

"Hm... there has to be someone we can talk to about this."

He wondered though. The cats were native to the Empire - maybe they wouldn't want them taken. But... then again, maybe they would. Cats would be a great way to open up the Empire again especially to the off worlders it seemed.

[garyoutensei]

Keep it. -Baiken waved off the attempt to return the kerchief. It wasn't as if it was particularly special after all, but her eyebrow cocked up at the other offer.-

If that's what gives you pleasure, don't let me stop you.

[garyoutensei]

It was a struggle, at first, to keep up with him, stumbling along, but eventually she managed to find her feet again. They still worked. They weren't...

Once outside, she pushed herself away from him, with more force than she'd meant to, falling to one knee as she clutched at eye. Her scar was burning, or at least felt like it was, fresh as the day it was made...

[arosetowar]

Once Finn has the kitty, Cornelia focuses away from him to brush the fur off her gloves. She looks back up as soon as he starts introducing himself, though, and gives him a short, acknowledging nod when he's done.

"Cornelia. On second thought, have you been to the Catmancer's Guild yet?"

Parasraya

[warpstriking]

[So, about Prompto hoping Noctis didn't find out about the cats and didn't come here... There's just one, teeny tiny problem with that little hope. Said teeny tiny problem being the fact that, yes, Noctis is indeed here. And has a nice little trail of feline companions following him, with a black cat nestled atop his head and a white kitten resting on his shoulder.

They swarmed him, indeed.]

Pretty sure it's just down the street, Shiro.

[Which is where a third of his little entourage came from. Yet he doesn't seem all that perterbed.

He's in Lucis Caelum heaven and it happened to be in Empire territory, what the fresh hell is this?]

[warpstriking]

[Noctis sighs, trying to cover up his amusement. At least it wasn't the entire store.]

Alright.

[Is it any small wonder he picks the black and blue one? No? ...He's becoming a little predictable, isn't he. He pauses for a moment, before picking a second one as well: a white one decorated with reds, violets, blues, yellows and greens. He isn't sure what Shiro's favorite color is, but... the colors mean a lot to him; he knows this, and it somehow doesn't look tacky as hell. Must be due to the fact it's a specific type of multi-color yarn used.]

[pidgeypidge]

Expo

Not surprisingly, Pidge can be found wandering through the various exhibits to be seen. Bobble had been bouncing around, wanting to help, so he'd been assigned the task of taking photos of everything. This included the exhibits and displays, of course, but every once in a while he'd pause in that assignment to sneak a couple of Pidge herself.

She hasn't noticed just yet, but every once in a while she'll stop to point something out to the moogle and he'll flutter over to take a look.

Sunny Starlight

As stupid as it might have been, Pidge could admit that the whole... Christmas in August was a nice distraction. If she couldn't go home to her family, being in a city that just casually decided to move Christmas on a whim was very possibly almost as good. Maybe.

They hadn't been walking long when someone in a Santa Claus suit came shuffling over to wish them a Merry Christmas! and thrust a doll into her arms. And then just as quickly as they'd come, they were off again. "Okay..."

Meanwhile, Bobble was praising his good fortune at being able to catch that moment on film.

Mognet Expo

Pidge's motivations for peeking in here were two-fold. She wanted to get a look at the Imperial iMog slates, sure. But she also felt like Bobble needed a distraction from being so... Bobble, and she'd heard about there possibly being moogle-related things here too. So really, it was a win-win.

In fact, she'd given him the okay to go off and do whatever and told him she'd come to find him in a bit. All in all, the Imperial functions were shiny, but not necessarily things she couldn't do on her own. The jury was definitely out on whether or not she actually wanted one.

She caught up with Bobble a short time later, and he was busy deliberating between a tube of pom shiner and one of fur conditioner. It seemed a little pointless, but she knew better than anyone to not let her moogle get bored. "Why not both?"

Tournaments

Bobble had been buzzing incessantly all day about a Blitzball match, and also about something called Triple Triad. Pidge honestly couldn't decide if either of these things were anything she'd be interested in, but she'd managed to calm him down by agreeing to go and check them out. If only it could always be that simple.

After some poking around, she felt like the Blitzball was going to be a lot more entertaining than a card game. But she was willing to reserve judgement until she had all the facts. For now, though, she had some time to kill.

Culinary Attractions

Perhaps if things had turned out differently, she might have taken more of an interest in cooking. The handful of times she'd helped her mother with something or other, it hadn't been completely terrible. But it wasn't something she spent much time thinking about. She'd eventually have to learn to do more than reheat things, but today was probably not that day.

That didn't mean she wasn't willing to accept free samples if there were any. She even decided to do the responsible thing and try things other than the cookies and cakes and candies. Mostly. A little bit. Sugar high was not something she needed.

Parasraya Discovery

The city wasn't terribly remarkable in the general sense. It was cozier than she might have expected, and the level of technological advancement was certainly interesting. But both of these things paled in comparison to horde of fuzzy, adorable cats monopolizing the city. Bobble was not nearly as excited to see the furry felines, and he quickly took up a perch atop Pidge's head as she moved through the streets.

By this point, she'd amassed quite a following of attention-starved cats, and it probably had a lot to do with the fact that she kept pausing to pet them. Bobble, to his credit, had been industriously snapping photos here, too.

Choose Your Own~

[If you want the gremlin for something not included up there, goferit~ I'll match format as well.]

mini sparks golsaucia!

[thegoofball]

[Lance can appreciate a performance - showmanship, glamour, dazzle. He's all about it and he's drawn to it like a moth to a flame or a cat to a half-full glass sitting on the edge of a table.

So it's kind of inevitable he ends up at the mini-Lady of Bliss, brow quirking at the fliers. He recognizes Adrien, but he had no idea the kid could play the piano. (Not like he really had an opportunity to learn, yet. The first week of them being roomies, uh...Well. It wasn't great.)]

Man, I should've gotten out more. [He whistles, lowly, before shooting Madhuri a sheepish smile.] Had no idea there's actually places like this to go.

1

[spaceforged]

"I still wonder who managed to get that doodle in." Shiro stands a few feet away, peering at the painting with his right, very white eyebrow quirked. Clad in greys with yellow bars of rank on his shoulder, it almost disguises the lack of a right arm.]

"Think it was Ultros himself?" He looks back at the painting, glancing at each Eidolon in turn for but a moment. "Nice to see you again...sorry about last time." The whole being stinking drunk part.

[spaceforged]

[He blinks then a smile of his own graces his face. He crosses over to stand near by and shrugs.] I don’t think I look that terrible.

You look the same as ever. How do you feel about this place? [She isn’t wrong. He looks like he got kicked around by life and made it out the other side. Whether he’s wiser is up to debate.]

[spaceforged]

We will. [He squeezes Keith’s shoulder. He leaves his hand there drawing strength from the contact. He hadn’t expected Keith to tell him so much. He’s glad he did. His heart swells with pride for how far Keith has come. Now the world will see what he sees in him.

He has wanted so much for his best friend to find his place in the universe. Shiro turns to him and tugs him towards his chest. If Keith goes with it he wraps his arm around him.]

Keith...history won’t repeat. You’ve come too far. All of you have come so far from that day in the desert.

[He hugs him a little tighter.] Have you looked at yourself lately? Really looked.

[eternitynpc]

I see. So you didn't enjoy the Opera itself?

[eternitynpc]

Have you seen them do anything? I heard Leviathan threw a tantrum recently, perhaps that is something...

[ Her stare rested upon the dragon. ]

Are you familiar with their lord, Bahamut?

[eternitynpc]

Now, perish the thought. What makes you think the locals wouldn't like being surrounded by hundreds of cat? Heaven on earth!

[ The sarcasm is strong. Then the man actually took out his purse and threw it at Souji's way. There's roughly a hundred thousand gil in it. ]

Actually, that's yours if you just take that cat back with you.