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

[chosennobody]

While he was here he should probably take a second, right? It's not like he knows the etiquette of these sorts of events. Sorry if his mouth is a little full when he talks again.

"Oh, kinda..." A moment was taken then to chew and swallow. "I know I have one. My roommate's moogle told me my moogle is training to be a ninja and tries to keep herself out of my sight. But she leaves me stuff when I need it, so..." Roxas shrugged helplessly.

[pishirogane]

"Right... and don't worry, Senpai. We're all in the same position; it's imperative that was aid each other." And he might not be capable of much now, but he would later - if he continued putting experience into Astrologian and his other Asterisk.

"... Your steak is getting cold."

[kuposcreed]

"Mmhmm, they're really pretty. And the grass is nice and cool, kupo~" The summer weather and all the running around had worked up a nice sweat of effort during the day. It was nice to finally take a load off and just enjoy the moment.

[kuposcreed]

Kupo, I can't say if they're the same as in my world, but it's probably safe to assume it's close, kupo. It was like a giant monster made of metal. It was like a robot, and someone could control it, but it was like it was alive and angry and had a mind of its own too. The Empire used it to attack Aqures Ixen twice, though I don't know if they were in control the first time kupo....

[She sighs and shakes her head.]

We were tricked into handing it over to the enemy and it was used against the Heroes the second time. Mary stopped them from getting another, but she said Palitutu had parts of others in her secret lab. Parts like these, kupo.

[kuposcreed]

Kupo, maybe this world is different from mine but...

[The moogle frowns and shifts.]

There's lots of things here that remind me of home in ways I don't think are coincidence, kupo. And if our worlds are linked that way then it might be what the legends are based on. I'm not saying they got them wrong or left things out on purpose but....that's the way it went, kupo...

[She blinks and then looks up at the pretty lady.]

Ah! I'm sorry, kupo! I didn't mean to say anything about your culture. I'm Bonnie, kupo.

[eternitynpcs]

[Pharce raises a scaly eyebrow.]

You don't seem to think very highly of the divine, or of humanity. If we are all fools, who do you believe in?

[red_planet_blues]

Well, y'know, everywhere needs policing, and... [Yeah it's hard to make this sound like a good deal.]

Reckon they were havin' some fun at the expense of a new recruit, or so's my guess. It won't be permanent, anyway.

[kuposcreed]

The nice thing about moogles is with all their fluff and low mass they tend to take impacts with little damage, a lot like bumblebees. Still, no collision is generally preferable.

"Ah no, I'm from Crystallis, kupo. Kuvon is from this world though and he was assigned to help me out." The two are getting on a little better now but Kuvon huffs just a little and busies himself with some ballet drills while the two chat.

"But you're right. Since we moogles are so small and weak we have to be clever. Like this kupo nut." She unscrews the top of the wooden replica to show it's hollow inside. "You could put a stinkbomb in here and trick someone into thinking it's a real kupo nut. They won't know until it's too late, fufufu."

[sassafrisk]

Frisk listens intently to Chara's advice. Admittedly, Papyrus wasn't really the best person to learn how to fight with even discounting the whole "might accidentally stab my best friend to death haha whoops" factor, as he didn't really have the knack either. Well, he did, it was just he always holds back the way Frisk does. Plus none of the jobs he was confident enough with to take into the field were conducive to one on one sparring.

"Yeah. I guess that tangling in the underground taught me the opposite of that, really: the key to winning was getting into my opponent's head and figuring out what made them tick, and that requires a lot of empathy. Which is, like, the exactly what I don't need to do if I ever want to fight back effectively." They shake their head, letting out a puff of air. "So I'll gladly take you up on that. Once you've got your stats up to snuff, at least, it'd just be plain unfair if I went at you the way I am now while you barely have a handle on your job, combat experience or not."

[aethereally]

Ah, yes, I'm sure here it's just a hat... maker... shop. [If you wanna be basic about it.]

What are your feelings on earrings?

[eternitynpcs]

WELL, THERE WAS A KELP FLAVOR, BUT IT WAS NOT VERY POPULAR.

[Ganeshan isn't sure if Roxas is joking or not. He orders a swirled cone for himself.]

WE CANNOT EAT IT UNDERWATER. THAT MAKES IT EVEN MORE OF A DELICACY TO THE ZORA.

[Although trying to eat it under the ocean would be one way to approach 'sea salt' flavor.]

[aethereally]

[These answers were...strange.]

Alive, maybe, but not living. Not if you're chasing everyone from your life like that.

[eternitynpcs]

Ganeshan nods. He pulls his slate out to accept the linkshell invite.

"INDEED, THE TIME MUST BE RIGHT. I'LL LEAVE IT TO YOU TO LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU ARE READY TO BEGIN PREPARATIONS!"

He punctuates the declaration with double thumbs-up for emphasis.

[aethereally]

Oh, yes! I saw those. The adventurer hats. They're a little on the large side, if you ask me. But good for the adventuring type, I suppose. Keeping the sun and rain out of your face. Good for that, but I'm not sure about more formal events.

[Salieri, on the other hand, has a whole lot to say about fashion.]

Maybe I'm wrong, though. As far as clothing goes, things here are radically different from my own home, I may not know what others consider to be good fashion sense here.

[shinra_dog]

"Nngh..." Two pairs of little eyes stared up at him. Reno should leave them, he knew. Could he even take care of anything else right now? He had so much to do with the guild...

"Mya~ !"

Fuck. "I might," Reno sighed. "But I think they'll be staying with me regardless."

[charming_jerk]

Hey, it's nothin'. Don't worry about it. I don't know if I could answer a lot, but if you ever think of anythin' else, let me know. Anything to help get to the bottom of all of this better, right?

[shinra_dog]

Reno took a deep breath. He'd invited Angeal to come with him, after all -- not just here to the Empire, but out of the Dream Width. If they were going to get anywhere, he needed to be honest. And maybe if Angeal knew, it would be easier for Reno and Johnny to bear.

"It's a little hard to explain. But remember how I said this was a different world? An' I'd been to a couple of 'em?" he began.

Shopping (+ O’aka)

[keymemory]

There was a smell that suddenly blossomed in the air and Sora was drawn to it instantly. His moogle, Nunumu, followed behind him softly on the ground. Sora pushed himself next to the man who was selling the cream and he looked up to his side and re-evaluated the situation, it actually sounded like the cream was something he was trying to get the vendor to sell? In any case it sure smelled good. “Hey! What’s that?” He asked openly, a bounce to his heels.

[shinra_dog]

Reno frowned and shook his head gently. "I guess he wouldn't t' you. But that's the way Sephiroth used to sound, back on Gaia. At least at the end."

He didn't expect Bonnie to believe it, really. Had he only knew the Sephiroth from Crystallis, he would have a hard time believing the man had ever been known as a villain, too.

[tsukinohiganbana]

[Yotsuyu's lips twist into a smile. Belief? Who did she had to believe in? All her life, she had been stepped on and taken advantage of.]

Belief is a luxury for those lucky enough to afford it. This world is the same as any other, rotten to the core. Those that are strong will rise, and those that are weak will fall. This is the only "belief" that I hold.

Re: airship

[shinra_dog]

Reno's smile widened to see Johnny. It had been awhile since things had felt calm and peaceful. Even when they'd finally gotten their own place it had been hectic, transporting a vicious cactuar and then immediately going to work.

"Better night now." He took a deep breath, enjoying Johnny's warmth against his side.

Exposition Dump

[acapriciousreaper]

"It's an intoxicating sensation. Eidolons are beings of terrible power, and to hold one at your beck and call in its true form is... an experience not easily rivaled."
It would seem that Kuja, too, has been gazing at the Eidolon mural, just out of sight. "We keep running into each other. Enjoying the festivities, I trust?"

Re: Exposition

[wind_in_my_ears]

[Klonoa turns, looking at the boy who's evidently taking notes. He steps closer and raises a hand in greeting.]

"Hello. You ah, sound like you know a lot about these things."

[Or, more than he does, at least.]

"So, they live in another world when they're not.. summoned?"

[zanarkandian]

"Yeah! You don't drown if you train to hold your breath, though. It's the hardest part of becoming a player. But my dad, he was just..."

A bully? Mean? No, he couldn't say that to a stranger. "Really pushy and rude. Full of himself. And then he just left---which I later found out wasn't his fault, but I hated him for years after that."

He tried not to sigh. "Got over it, though. Sometimes the weirdest things happen, and you understand someone you thought you hated."

[zanarkandian]

[He makes another mental note, redirecting his nervous energy into clinging on to the wall. Did he miss seeing Claire, somehow? He knows of Ganeshan, most of the other offworlders seem to really like him, so this seems important.]