melodiesofeternity | Event || The Festival of Light

Event || The Festival of Light

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.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

You know, I think it might!

[Chara holds out a little towards Papyrus.]

Here, you should probably give it a test.

"Not yet, at least. We'll keep an eye out though.

What's your name, partner?"

Chara has to stifle laughter at that. They weren't even thinking it until you mentioned it Frisk, but you did good on capsizing that bit because now they can't help it.

"You sure it wasn't, mirror?" they tease, "Seemed like a pretty eye-opening revelation to me."

It's somewhat amazing, how no matter the world or the name, Shifty or Frisk, they manage to so be the same person. This one might be a bit more talkative and flirty than the Shifty they knew, but they otherwise might have been the same person. Chara supposes they should be disoriented by it, but in truth it's comforting.

As for the rest, they take a breath before speaking.

"It's nothing, partner. This is still pretty disorienting, but I figure I'll pick this up pretty quickly. ...Some people, you just can't talk to. They won't give you the chance."

The pause a minute, wondering if they should even say the next part. In the end, what can it hurt. This place is too dangerous not to at least offer it.

"I dunno how many brawls you've seen, partner, but if you ever need any pointers, I can teach you some."

From just beside her, Orcelito meets the worker's gaze with childlike charm. You want to make them happy, right? He returns her smile with an encouraging one, echoing her triumph. See, it's easy, nothing to be nervous about!

Pleased, he joins her at the bin and takes another look. They all seem a bit ‘mean’ to him... and that's not necessarily a bad thing - scary toys can be fun sometimes. But normally there would be a wider selection, judging by the merchants he's seen selling similar wares. And aren’t these being handed out to even small children? This isn’t really appropriate!

His attention returns to her, hiding his own opinion in a neutral tone. "Do you see anything you like?"

Ganeshan's eyes go large. "TWO SANTAS? YOUR WORLD MUST BE VERY LUCKY!"

Double-Santas to spread cheer and make children happy? That sounds awesome in Ganeshan's book.

"IT COULD BE SO. PERHAPS I SHOULD TAKE A POLL OF THE OUTWORLDERS AND SEE HOW MANY WORLDS HAVE A SANTA CLAUS! GYA HA HA HA! THAT WILL BE EVEN MORE REASON TO CELEBRATE COME DECEMBER!"

"That's the best way to learn any skill," Biggs says. ~~Unless you have a mystical force helping you out.~~

The two men pocket the fliers Amanda had given them. "We won't keep you from your job."

"Don't let O'aka keep you here all day, though. It's a festival, you should go enjoy yourself." Wedge gives Amanda a conspiratorial wink as he takes his leave.

[Ganeshan's eyes go wide with excitement. A hat? No, he had never considered so daring a fashion statement. They were not practical when swimming, so back home in Ka'Pandol, most people didn't bother.]

DO YOU THINK I COULD FIND A HAT TO FIT ME? I DO NOT KNOW IF HABERDASHERS NORMALLY DESIGN FOR HEAD-FINS.

[Does he dare get his hopes up?]

"Well I mean...yeah but...not the same way." Melody mumbled pouting at being called out.

Meanwhile Beastboy laughed at the harpy's response. "That's cool! I mean we could always use more friends! I'm Beastboy and this is Melody!

Beastboy grinned broadly at the stranger coming to his defense and he gave the guy a thumbs up while he finished the massive bite he'd been working on.

Melody meanwhile rolled her eyes and shot the Zora a withering glance.

"It's not about just eating to survive. He may be scrawny but he's not missed any meals."

"Hey! Who you callin' scrawny? I've got muscles they're just...ropey." He flexed in an attempt to prove he was muscular but whatever there might be was lost under his loose tunic.

A little's good for ya. Helps with circulation. Or somethin'. I'm a marshal, not a doctor.

[He shrugs and finishes of the last bit of his beer.]

A symposium ain't much good for relaxin'. Dontcha kick back sometimes? Even I know when to take a break. [THAT'S DEBATABLE.]

And were there any Eidolons that you haven't seen here?

[The Zora breezes past the mention of the Ultima Weapon in pursuit of this goal.]

Do not get me wrong, the similarities are fascinating, but the differences can be illuminating as well.

"Ah...hmm...well I mean I don't think I am. I was never good with paperwork stuff. I usually leave that up to Robin or Cyborg. They were kind of the leaders of my team back home."

Melody returns with more for him and herself just in time to hear Clair talk about her job.

"Well if anything happens to you then you'll have every hero who came through the Center rushing to save you won't you?" She meant it as a compliment while Beastboy set about munching on a fried cake.

"Do you fight and stuff too? Do you have like super cool red tape attacks?"

[Wedge grins at the moogle. This is his kind of fuzz-ball right here. He turns to the man to reassure him.]

Don't worry, kid. Even if they do sell them, they've probably got a ban on them while the festival's going.

[That is not to say that Wedge isn't going to be keeping his eyes peeled for them while he's checking out all the booths.]

If we can't find one, the Curti Center's got labs. I wonder if we could reverse-engineer something similar. [Sorry, Newt. EXPLOSIVE KUPO NUTS.]

Sunny Starlight

Dolls that glorified villains? That’s what it seemed like. Reno didn’t recognize most of them, but hearing Sephiroth’s recorded words from children in the streets set his teeth on edge. ”You are a puppet.” ”Shall I give you despair?” He hadn’t heard that tone from the silver-haired SOLDIER in years -- not since Sephiroth had become a Hero of Light.

”You are a puppet.”

What the fuck?

Whether or not he was conscious of it, Reno’s lip had curled and his nose wrinkled with disgust. “These are really shitty toys, yo.”

Midnight Airship

Reno sighed as he leaned his forearms on the railing, looking out over the cities, the empire’s lights looking like their own set of stars fallen to to the ground. He never felt more relaxed than when he was in the air like this. It was as close as he ever expected to get to heaven.

In all honesty, it was a good vantage point for work, too. Even though it was dark, riding the Midnight Airship let Reno’s eyes adjust to how the land would look in the shadows. Each grand building, each rolling hill took on a different form in the night and Reno intended to know both. Work or no, Reno was happy to touch the sky and he wore a gentle smile as he looked to see who joined him at the rail.

Housing

It was like a stone settling in the pit of his stomach. Reno knew these houses, though logic would tell him it couldn’t be the same. Past experience, however, argued differently. Either way he had to force himself to walk these streets, one foot heavy in front of the other, limbs like lead. Until, with little recollection of how he got there, he stood in front of his assigned door. His mouth was dry and his lungs refused to breathe, hand trembling somewhat as he held the key.

This had been his home.

Ardynia

A place named after Ardyn? Yeah, Reno was there. He intended to investigate every nook and cranny while he could, too. Anything associated with that traitor was just as suspect in Reno’s eyes... as normal as everything around him seemed to be. He tried not to let his distrust show. The best way to get information was to get others talking -- so that’s what he did. With his usual charming (and occasionally flirtatious) nature, Reno was chatting up the locals: where the best deals were, if anyone famous came out of the guilds there, latest gossip and current political events. He made sure to avoid the ugly fedoras.

Parasraya

Reno fully intended to investigate Parasraya as well. The villainous toys, cities named for traitors -- in fact, Vaikuntha’s own “Goddess of Death” in this case -- had only further convinced Reno that the Empire was an enemy. He’d already expected as much before leaving Sparks Golsaucia.

What he hadn’t expected were all the cats.

“Agh... c’mon...” Meow... myah... nyan... They were everywhere, all underfoot and loud and in the way. Reno didn’t want to step on them or kick them, but it was so inconvenient. “Damn, what the hell is going on?”

The further into the city he got, the harder it became to keep walking -- not only because he was physically hindered but because all the critters were so... infuriatingly... cute. Reno grit his teeth and tried to keep going. He’d had a cat already, perhaps the most important cat he’d ever loved in his life, his Zodiac lover, his Kyo. Then the kitten he’d been given by Terra... Both were gone now. Reno wasn’t sure he was ready for another.

The choice, it would seem, was not entirely up to him. Just when Reno thought he’d escaped, he felt a stubborn tug on his coat. He turned to look over his shoulder but there was no one grabbing at him... and the weight mysteriously followed the curve of his turn. Likewise followed by a tail. Reno sighed and pulled the length of his coat back around, ready to pluck off whatever cat was begging for food. At least until he saw not one begging cat, but a kitten -- thoroughly embedded in the fibers of his mantle -- and what he assumed was its sibling, likewise connected by biting onto the first kitten’s tail.

Two. Peeping. Kittens. “Oh no...” It was all over.

I'm fine. I didn't expect someone to be rushing this way. [She peeks around Demyx.] Did you already see the Starlight displays?

[There is excitement in her eyes.]

"Red...tape?" Claire raises an eyebrow. "That's not a physical attack, if that's what you're imagining. Office life doesn't have the flashiness of field battles."

She watches Beast Boy eat his new dish for a minute.

"I can provide support if it came to a fight, but I'm not on the lookout for one. I'd rather live my own normal life."

"Dear child, I can see why he would say that. You seem hesitant, though. Where you came from, others dictated...but where you go now, is up to you."

Pharce nods at Emeralda. "The bonds we form, be it between summoner and Eidolon, or the bonds between friends, can change the world. I am glad you have people to rely on."

[He curses when his spell is absorbed by the ugliest looking dog he's ever seen. And as much as he wants to shift his focus to helping Ravus deal with the green mongrel, Gladio knows that Ravus is a capable fighter.

A dog, no matter its size, shouldn't be too much of a challenge for a fighter as skilled as Ravus.

So Gladio keeps his blade in a defensive position and readies himself to parry and dodge, grateful for the Sentinel modifier that raises his defense.]

I've defeated you once. I'll do it again and take a second blade from you! [The shout is meant to rally himself, but if it rattles Gilgamesh that's just a bonus. Gladio punctuates his shout with another Saint Cross spell, and prays to the Astrals from home that it hits this time.]

Truthfully, Owen assumed Lean knew that he was following behind. He wasn't exactly hiding himself or trying to be stealthy, after all. So, he merely furrowed his brows at the statement.

"Because you look as though you've seen a ghost."

"... Alright. That should work." He'll try not to fret. "Oh, I'm Adrien."

"I've kinda been a natural at... some things, so I've gotta like. Practice practicing." The worst kind of practice. "Yeah, anyways, I'm gonna ditch once I hit my quota."

Angeal may not be up to his usual self, and he might still be too distracted trying to decide what he was doing at all, but he wasn't blind. Even with the years in the interim, he still knew the way Reno moved - and a heavy step like this was not it.

He waited until they were inside and the door safely closed before asking, quietly, "what's wrong?"

Not 'are you all right' - that was not really an option the moment the Turk's hand had been trembling. But he couldn't help unless he knew what was happening.

[Every word she's saying? He's on board. He loves it. That sounds exactly like something he'd want to get on board with.]

Quite the selection you've got there. [And...he does need to find some source of income...] Is there an audition process?

[He can perform! It probably wouldn't be too hard to recreate his Voltron Show performance here, either...]

['It's work', Tidus mentally filled in, snickering (quietly) to himself. Part of the research involved the cloud they'd all come from, or at least he thought it did. But was there anything else?]

"Good! Because I just found you, I'm not ready to give you up yet," Tidus promised him, eyes sparkling. "Man, I totally get what a headache it must be, though. Seeing all these people and places that are supposed to be familiar, but they're not? It'd make anyone's head spin."

His attention flickered back to the game for a few moments, then it was fully back on Sora. "Don't worry if it takes time. You're handling it pretty well!"

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Event || The Festival of Light

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somehow my inbox lost this one! Sorry!

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Housing

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