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

[4got10]

"Crystallis. That's the world people think came before this one, right?" At least that's what Chara remembers reading in the notes that one person posted up for all of them.

"That's pretty slick, partner," Chara says, smiling. "I guess I'll have to pay more attention in case I ever try one."

They pause for a moment, then says, "Can I ask you a question? About moogles, I mean? Where you're from, did moogles just naturally end up following people around or getting assigned to them, or is it just here?"

Re: Exposition Dump

[acapriciousreaper]

"This is only the second time for me, I suppose. Gaia was not my birthplace, it was a planet called Terra. I... suppose you could say I had a family, if you stretch the definition of the word to the breaking point. Garland was always terribly... controlling. Even the slightest hint of disobedience was always punished, and there was always, of course, the threat of simply having me removed." He sneers, crossing his arms. "When I dared to so much as express the notion that, perhaps, I didn't want to go along with every minute detail of his scheming, he kicked me back to Gaia and made it so that I'd be unable to use the ship to get back. Not that any of it matters now; he got what was coming to him, in the end. He thought he'd have the last laugh, and yet here I am, alive and well."

[pidgeypidge]

[Thaaaat... didn't sound like anything she ever wanted to see.] I think I might have to second that hope. No offense to gourmands, of course.

[Because, really, she doubted that the people who picked up the asterisk had any control over what the skills and things did.]

So people sometimes see a specific memory and end up with a new asterisk... I wonder if there's any way to predict if its' going to happen. [Unfortunately, it didn't lessen her desire to go poking around the dream width as soon as she had the capability to do so. But she would be keeping that information in mind.]

Have you ever considered a Sphynx? Or there are a couple other breeds of cats that wouldn't be so hard on your allergies. [Maybe it wasn't any of her business, but he really seemed to like cats and she figured the information would be good to have, if nothing else.]

Hmm... I do love cats. And Catmancer sounds like it'd be interesting. [It might even be fun to pick up something that people wouldn't generally associate with her. And if they were already in the neighborhood...]

[alborada]

[ Hearing his words, Sylvarie has to duck her head to hide the small smile playing on her lips—she may have never been anywhere outside of Vaikuntha, but the sentiment was somehow familiar when thinking of the first few weeks after the first wave of outworlders. ]

That was... is, something we were worried about as the time the next outworlder would appear approached. Even more so when we had to inform that we haven't discovered the means to return you all to your homes. From what I understand and have witnessed… many of you have the hearts you are describing.

[ So, she doesn't mind the seeming monologue in the slightest. Though it would serve to share the information with the rest of the Center, for now Sylvarie tucks it away in her memory carefully—the efforts to help the outworlders would always be ongoing within her.

Those efforts also included slowly embracing the theory of Crystallis, alongside other information that had been gathered... ]

I… I know many of you believe this world was born of the… ‘Calamity’ that inflicted the world of Crystallis. I don’t know the details, but if it somehow did originate from there, I hope Vaikuntha has even a fraction of its beauty.

[ Falling silent, the young woman closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. ]

Perhaps I should offer my gratitude as well, because then this world wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for your efforts as Heroes of Light.

[regalblaze]

True. Apologies. [Ignis instantly agrees. It completely slipped his mind that yes, they are still in public and yes, there might be some guards following them around. They are Otherworlders, right? It's leaving a nasty feeling scraping at Ignis' neck.

He always has a few plans in store that don't include fighting their way out of the trouble. But sometimes, even the most delicately made plans fail so Ignis is prepared for anything.]

Right. [...] Do try to enjoy yourself if you can. I have some doubts that an opportunity like this would appear again.

[desertbloomed]

[ Ashelia shakes her head. ] No, but I was called to Crystallis previously. This city...it's an exact copy of our home there.

[promiselisting]

The Triumvate's spokeswoman?

[ Also, interesting. He just said that only Mooglekind were allowed in without special permission, but that security was also a factor. Was that a mistake, or...? ]

So uh, do all Moogles work for the Mognet in some way or another?

[ Does she need to see if there's some kind of status effect that'll turn her into a moogle ]

[promiselisting]

Pff-

I meant the Festival in general, but yeah, that sounds about right. You should see some of the games phones and stuff have back home.

Man, hopefully they haven't discovered gacha games yet...

[ The last thing any world needs is that kind of timesink. ... potentially lucrative though. ]

[promiselisting]

[ If human is the default though, that means that there are other options that exist which is what she's ultimately looking for. ]

It's not like these things are exclusive to Otherworlders, though.

[ Pokes a few settings around, changes the setting to Moogle, double-check the touchscreen/touchpad settings... ]

Here, give this a shot.

[eternitynpcs]

R-really? [He dared not to hope, but maybe it was because of this Outworlder's kindness that he perks up some.] I'm Kupoto, thank you. Thank you, kupo!

[He twirls slightly in place, somehow not spilling any of his cocktail. He's in rare form this evening.]

[spaceforged]

[His grin grows wider then it falls as he turns to fully face the painting. He points to each one as he speaks about them, his voice calm and measured.]

The man on the horse is Odin. I was told he's one of the Eidolon Lords, but not much else is known about him. That one that looks like a reaper is Hades, lord of the dead. and the red bird is Phoenix.

That last one is said to have healing abilities...I am going to go looking for them.

[eternitynpcs]

W-Witata, kupo! She's a m-mean, clever Lalafellin woman who keeps the three leaders of the Oktavian States in line and speaks for them when they agree, kupo. T-think of her as the Triumvirate's Claire but with a higher public appearance rate.

[He shudders at the thought of running into her in person later this week. P-please tell no one.]

Most do, kupo! There were a few, like my grandfather, who decided to work more to preserve what we remember of the Eidolons, kupo.

[He pauses, dropping his voice to a whisper as he floats a little closer.] I-if you really wanna visit HQ, kupo, try contacting Mograna when we're no longer in imperial lands.

[keymemory]

Uh.. she was like.. um. Pretty big, she's a whale? But like.. um.. Not as big as some whales?

[ He's completely unhelpful :( ]

[keymemory]

[ Yeah, seems right. ]

Oh, okay. Well.. you ever been to Wonderland? [ Just ask'n. Sora uses the inside of his shirt to wipe at his face. This is the grace and appeal of all his 15 years of age. ]

[hatejakku]

He can... definitely relate. "No," Finn says after a long moment. "No, they shouldn't. But you aren't alone. Sometimes the past just won't let go, but that's okay."

Or that's how he gets by, anyway. Bad things happened, bad things are still happening, and getting through it is okay, it's enough. He's still trying to grasp that one completely.

[spaceforged]

[He pauses at that. There's a lot he could say but in the end he just smiles a little.]

...we all came together and held each other up. That is what Voltron truly is. [Five people bound together so tightly their united will could change the universe. And he's still part of that even if...even if he chooses to stand aside and watch his best friend's rise to the leader he knew he could be.]

That's what being a Paladin is, back home. Maybe I can bring that to the guild too.

Cw ptsd, mind control mentions

[spaceforged]

[Shiro blinks and leans over to get a look. As he reads through it his heart freezes in his chest and dread drenches his mind in a torrent. He goes still as a statue. The calamity isn't gone.

He'd thought it but he hadn't voiced it. All he can think about is clawed hands reaching for him as a voice commands him to give in. The Black crystals...would they come back too.

He won't press Takeshi about this. He'll talk about it when he's ready. His breath escapes him in a rush. He waits for a moment until he can trust his hand and writes back.]

I'll drop by the Mognet representative's office at the Cutri Center and alert them to this user. They'll get them out. Even if they come back we can monitor exactly when. It would give us time to find a way to track them instead.

[shinra_dog]

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Reno gently adjusted his bag, a response of mews coming from within.

"The only concern I really have, is who is gonna run it while you ain't there. Did you have anyone in mind?" Reno wasn't especially concerned if it wasn't directly run by the Brotherhood, as long as the profits and the association were guarded. Whoever Kenichi chose to work with he would have to trust to handle a business.

If there was no one... well, Reno supposed he could open his own business ideas could include cats.

[balancingedge]

[Keith is quiet the entire time, realizing that Shiro knows something about what's said but waits for him to pull himself together slightly. He rests a hand on Shiro's shoulder, concern etched across his features as he watches Shiro write. It's a sound idea.]

I'll talk to Pidge later. If she hasn't started prodding at the coding for the slates, I'd be surprised.

[It should be obvious why: she's the one who managed to hack into his arm even before she could read Altean or Galran, and Lance told him about how she kept the teludav from exploding on them when the clone's virus had shut down everything else in the Castle.]

Shiro, while we are missing Allura, Coran, Mom and Romelle- we have each other. We have allies. Whoever this is, they'd have to go through all of us.

[And he'd fight the same fight over and over again to keep his friends alive and of sound mind. No matter what happens, he'll always have their back. Especially Shiro's.]

[desertbloomed]

Lady Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca. Charmed. [ She nods cordially. ] Tell me about this grandfather of yours, then, Kupoto. Did he also work for Mognet?

[garyoutensei]

"Like the whole saving the universe thing," No worries, Pidge. Hunk gave her pretty much the entire rundown.

[garyoutensei]

"How many people like me... have those things created, huh? Wraiths left wandering, half-dead, with no place to return to..."

[garyoutensei]

Maybe... If anyone can, it's probably you. -A small smirk.-

Any other of your kids shown up?

[spaceforged]

Teammates. [He corrects with a gentle inflection.] Pidge is the youngest, but nearly all of Team Voltron is here. We're just missing two of us.

We know who else will show up. [And if they'll be Voltron, Coalition, Blade, Garrison, or foe.]

[twomeals]

[Well, since he's offering...Yue takes the gun, returns the smile, and carefully (awkwardly) aims for that same swinging target. The problem here is, he might have awesome bird vision, but guns are tough. He aims! He fumbles a bit! He manages to shoot!

It manages to hit a different target entirely.]

....That works too, I guess!