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

[modelcivilian]

"You couldn't see the ground?"

Gosh, that just meant all the cats... he doesn't know if he'll be able to survive. Maybe he should climb onto the rooftops, be followed by the cats that way - yeah, maybe that'll work... oh, but what if kittens followed? No, he'll stick to the ground. "... Let's see how it goes first. If it becomes overwhelming, then I'll call for back-up."

[eternitynpcs]

There is almost a visible sparkle in Ganeshan's eyes at the idea.

"YES, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED IN THE COMING HOLIDAY SEASON! IT WILL BE THE GREATEST STARLIGHT IN MEMORY! WE MUST MAKE IT SO."

[hatejakku]

"You've got nothing to apologize for."

Finn was the one feeling sorry. He didn't really know what to do, but she seemed to be calming down now, at least. Now that she was talking, though- "What can I do to help?" If anything, that is.

He wanted to ask if she was feeling better now, but that just seemed like a stupid question.

[keymemory]

[ There was a brief moment in which Sora considered what his life actually was in this world. For some reason, the toss of the plant toward him slowed down (figuratively) and his mind drifted off to a distant memory of when life was boring, simple, and clean~

He was on the beach, laying down in the shade of the tree, and the sand beneath him was warm, not too hot, and not at all too hard. It was the soft sand that recycled through the title wave each day the water rose.

He was snapped out of the memory as soon as the plant landed in his hands. The noise of the cats mewing and hissing was far too concerning then the simple - “simple” - plant he’d gotten. He went to shout he had caught it, his blurry eyes searched for the man while he stepped backward, but something drew his attention back to the plant in his hands.

Did this thing just move? Did it… no, it couldn’t possibly have meowed..?? ]

[keymemory]

Wouldn't that be great?! Cheeseburgers, fruit, nachos.. bread, soda! Why not? It'd be a great idea! Or.. what if a whole ocean came through, complete with all the fishes and mermaids and ..

I'unno!? I mean, if we can come here, why wouldn't a mermaid? Right?! [ It's obvious he's quite excited! ]

[keymemory]

Sora beamed up at Tidus. He felt the same, absolutely, once he found his friends he wasn’t ever going to give them up or leave them behind (if he could help it!). He was grateful for the compliment in how he’s been coping, but all the same, it sure was difficult at times! He pulled a breath in and huffed it out through flared nostrils over a small grin. “I’m glad you’re here!”

[keymemory]

Okay... okay. [ Sora offers a small nod and he looks a moment at the situation before he offers: ]

How can I help?

[keymemory]

[ Oh! Hah.. heh, hah, though.. nah.. Sora shoots a puff of air out from his nose and narrows his eyes before he throws his head back gently as if to say: I totally was not thinking that.. at all, whatsoever.. Then his expression turns somewhat suspicious: when did you get mind reading abilities.. your so weird… wait, you always know what I’m thinking.. STOP READING MY MIND.. Then he breaks the eye contact and brings the fruit cup up to his lips to swallow back some of those FRESH and delicious chunks of fruit in preservative juice.

It’s nothing like the fresh fruit at home.. but, hey, .. when in Olympus..

Sora finishes chewing his food and swallows, he then clears his throat and exhales before he takes a winded breath. ]

Sooooo; what house are you talking about .. I mean.. your home doesn’t loo—

[ Wait, is it one of those “I’m not Riku” sort of deals where he didn’t live in the same home as he did in the island…? Better play it safe! ]

Ah, I mean… what’re you talk’n about?

[keymemory]

[ Best. Day. Ever. Sora is making all these wonderful friends and now.. now he can add this really awesome, cool, fantastic, creature-beast-thing to the list of new friends! Man! Where did Keith meet him? What a cool story that’ll be! Sora better ask him… oh he was booped on the cheek.. gaaah, that’s so cute!

And for a minute, it didn’t matter… that he wasn’t home, that he wasn’t familiar with this place, that he was overwhelmed with the complexities of the world “order” and the lack of companions he’s known for over a year? (Has it been that long since he first fell into Traverse Town?) All that mattered was the needs of this puppers and his own need to become lost in the comfort of providing the beast with whatever he could. It was absolutely the kind of therapy he needed; not that he knew he needed this therapy (or that such a coping mechanism existed) but gosh.. this was so wonderful.

He looks up at Keith and his cheery face says it all: he’s in heaven, he’s in some form of reprieve, and there’s no room fo anxiety or worry now. ]

[regalblaze]

I remember the maids not being able to remove the glitter from the plush in chairs.

[The chairs actually looked better that way. And King seemed to quietly agree with that- there was no single complaint about it.]

Then it is decided.

[It does mean- it tells Ignis a lot.]

[wildlinks]

Souji stops trying to chew through the piece of raptor meat he took. Trying to properly think through what Naoto meant as -espionage-.

"Who is 'some'?" he finally asks after swallowing the food.

"This... situation is too different from what we're used to. Are we properly equipped for that?" Both abilities and experience. Because Souji definitively lacks the latter one.

[wildlinks]

"They will?"

Okay, maybe chocobos are now in rank with cats on Souji's list. Fluffy, cute. He's not sure how cuddly they are though.

He reaches out to pet the chocobo, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey there! That alright with you?"

[wildlinks]

There is something so calming about cats, [Souji says with a soft sigh, petting the cat in his lap. The grump went to sleep a few moments ago, curled into a ball of literal fluff, letting Souji pamper her with pets.]

Dogs are great too! But they are way more energetic. [And he's not sure if he can keep up with them.]

[eternitynpc]

[ A smile. ]

Ah, you can call me Meghamaal. It's a pleasure meeting you.

[eternitynpc]

You used to before, but that method proved inefficient. Last time I had people capture monsters for me, it took them forever to get them all.

[ A shake of his head. ]

Instead all you have to do is fight them and then the gear'll recreate them based on your experience. Not just native monsters, mind you. Monsters from your homeworlds too.

sorry for the wait

[regalblaze]

"Any sane person would," Ignis says with mild annoyance in his voice. Not at Shiro, of course, but at the thought of everything that had happened, of all the things that were kept in the dark. Ignis is not sure if there were other people that knew this or no but he can't help but feel bitter about it.

"He wouldn't, however, run away from it." Noctis is everything- lazy at times, complaining about veggies, sleeps until noon- but when it comes to serious things when it comes to his responsibilities he's... quiet and determined. Dedicated to ones he loves. "We... just wanted a chance to fight back and find a different way." And from the way things went, from the fact that Noct was already trapped in the Crystal- they didn't get it.

Ignis frowns, listening carefully to explanation. What is Dream Width even? "You gained new memories..." He has so many questions but he doesn't want to seem insensitive about them.

[rivieran]

Ah, I see, a sort of...melancholic type of sadness, instead of tragedy, right? That might be interesting.

[ Now, on to picking his brain! ]

I want to ask your opinion, Okuyasu Nijimura. Why do you think she smiled at the end?

[regalblaze]

Ignis sighs.

"There are only rumors circulating for now. I don't think even the residents here know what precisely is going on. Only that something is happening because we are here."

Now that he thinks about it, "According to the legends, the people from other worlds appeared to fight the Calamity. Something that almost destroyed everything in the past. Perhaps they are assuming that we, appearing here, will lead to something like that again."

[rivieran]

The sudden switch from devastation to bright smile just unnerved Ena even more, and she could feel her heart sink. The devastated look was the one she was expecting, not the smile. And for some reason that made her feel...worse. Even though it was just the same smile she'd seen Monika make countless times before in actual happy situations.

Ena let go of the porch railing to clasp her hands together. "No, Monika..." She felt awful. And listening to her talk about it being a "side effect" or just treating it like she needed to "get it off her chest" in consideration of how Ena felt made her feel worse. Because as far as she was concerned, this wasn't about her. "You don't have to do this..."

[rivieran]

[ Now he wasn't making any sense at all. The melody, while very nice, was just on the verge of irritating her when it suddenly strikes her - this was some kind of doublespeak, wasn't it? Though she remains cautious, her aggressive posture relaxes. ]

...What do you mean? [ Her voice is lowered, as though trying to keep the throngs of people around them from listening in. ]

[regalblaze]

"Things work differently here, both the magic and the technology," Ignis nods. "It will take some time until we finally understand what we have on our hands."

Or, if they are lucky, they wrap things up here and the Empire has the answer to how to return them back to their world. But that's a stretch and Ignis is not hoping for it.

[desertbloomed]

[ As absurd as it seems for a moogle to be afraid of such heights, it is somewhat windy at this elevation...Ashelia may miss flying this high herself, as her Psychic abilities allowed her to do, but even she could acknowledge the difference in, well, density. ]

Are you Sen Devadattan by birth, then?

[desertbloomed]

I'll not speak to her decision to somehow destroy the very concepts of life and death, as I was not present, but before that...

[ There's a deep sigh. ]

It was revealed that the very nature of Crystallis, as modified by the Ancients, consumed the life force of other worlds. Specifically, the worlds the Heroes of Light hailed from, due to our connection with the Calamity...

[ She pulled out a small, perfectly spherical crystal. ] ...through these. As ominous as it all sounds, and I suppose it is that, it also allowed us to utilize two jobs at once. A useful skill...but beside the point.

The point being, through these crystals, our worlds were being drained of their life, and the cycle would keep repeating. So, to sacrifice the people of Crystallis, or the trillions that would eventually be consumed by Crystallis and the Calamity?

[chocobosnap]

"Right. Why would it go in lockdown though? I mean...for protection, like Insomnia but what are they hiding from here?"

Prompto was just thinking aloud really. "And what's special about us?"

[chocobosnap]

Cats are great. And dogs, and chocobos...

[So, needless to say, Prompto is an animal lover.]

Nah, I guess he likes me. [He grins and rubs under the kitten's chin.]

So cute, you deserve a treat...hmmm I don't have cat treats. I bet I can get some nearby.