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

OTA - All the days

[hatejakku]

A. EXPOSITION OF THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT

The Eidolon wall was creepy. No two ways about it. It was just plain creepy. Leviathan still left a weird taste in his mouth, after all, and seeing her image covered by Ultros only added to that mystery.

It was the overwhelming dragon that made him turn away. Too creepy.

Instead, he focused on the WEAPONs and stuck around to study them for a while. He'd never seen many of these before and some of them were a little too familiar.

B. MOGNET EXPOSITION

"How to Use Your Cuteness to Exploit People," Finn read aloud. "Valli, have you been using this against me?"

"Oh, perish the thought," she said, floating closer to show off her haul. Her floating was being a little weighed down by the gigantic bag of kupo nuts, but she was managing. "You got a promotion the other day, right?"

He sighed, putting the book back on the stall. "Only one bag of each kind."

"What about Fur Dye?" she asked. "I have some totally-not-nefarious ideas."

"So long as you don't grab the whole rainbow, yes."

"Weee!" She then proceeded to whip around and fly at full speed to the stall with all the dye. Beware of a heavy flailing bag of nuts.

C. SHOPPING

Finn was stopping at every vendor who caught his fancy to exchange their goods for gil and a flyer. He already had a new dagger tucked away and a Chocobo plushie for Valli under his arm. It was the baked goods that made him pause. He hadn't seen a place with this stuff before!

After getting a jam-filled doughnut, he realized he had nowhere to put it except- Well. He held the doughnut in his mouth so he could hand over his cash and one of O'aka's flyers.

"Fank Mu!" Finn's does wonderful first impressions. Excuse him as he scuttles away like a crab with a very delicious doughnut.

D. CULINARY ATTRACTIONS

Everything was free! This was the perfect opportunity to try as much cuisine as Vaikuntha had to offer. All he had to do was eat as much as he could every day. No problem.

Except, after the third stall, it became a problem. He wasn't used to eating his fill back home, and going beyond that was out of the question. Not to mention simple math meant he would never be able to try everything over the next few days.

With his hands on his hips, Finn studied the place with a keen eye. "How am I going to try all of you?"

E. PARASRAYA DISCOVERY

Finn had gone to Parasraya to check out the Weapon Masters. First, he was sidetracked by the Archaeologists Guild, curious about how they studied objects rather than just texts.

Then he was sidetracked by the cats. They assaulted him as he was leaving his tour from the Archaeologists, rubbing against his legs and meowing loudly. "What?" he asked them. "What do you want? I don't have any food. Seriously, there's a whole place with free food a few miles from here. Go over there."

But they were having none of it. They just meowed up at him as a group. Then a tiny, brave one leaped and dug its claws into his pant's leg. Finn yelped, danced, and pulled the little one off. He brought it up to his height to give it a proper glare. "I don't have food!"

The little one gave a very small, very quiet, very adorable meow in response, leaving Finn speechless.

That's when Valli floated by. "You done digging in the dirt with those nerds- What is that?" Apparently, she didn't like something cuter than her.

F. WILDCARD

((Feel free to pick a prompt I didn't use or have your character, if they're a friend of Finn's, drag him somewhere else.))

E

[modelcivilian]

"I'm pretty sure they're fed locally. Besides, there's no saying how they'll be received in Sen Riqeaux."

Speaking as another arrival also being assailed by cats, but not as heavily. Blanc certainly doesn't seem to mind Adrien carrying three kittens while Adrien himself seemed unbothered by a cat on his shoulder.

"What it really wants is your attention."

[hatejakku]

Well... if anything, this guy definitely seemed to know what he was talking about.

"My attention?" Finn looked back at the little fluff ball in his hands just as it meowed at him again. "You really want attention?"

"Ugh. That means it's whiny and needy. You, there! Why'd you have to tell him that?"

"Valli," Finn warned before turning to the newcomer. "It wants to be noticed that bad?"

[modelcivilian]

Blanc's fur rose and the large moogle certainly looked like he didn't appreciate Valli snapping at Adrien.

But the blonde wasn't really paying any mind. "Yeah. Cats love affection and they'll seek it out. They're pretty good at letting people know when they want it and when they don't. Try giving it a scratch under the chin."

[hatejakku]

An animal that craved affection? Huh.

The kitten was so small that Finn could easily hold it up with one hand, so he did and scratched underneath its tiny chin. The purring was pretty immediate, but the cat still wiggled and meowed at the awkward hold. Finn kind of ignored that last part, more fascinated about the kitten's first reaction.

Purring is good, right?

"This is... really cute... I don't know what I'm supposed to do. You can't come with me, cat." Right? "They can't come with us, right?" he asked Adrien.

C.

[mythmaker]

My, my. I suppose that's one way to carry a donut, but...

[Azusa hums as she catches Finn scuttling away. He's no doubt not wanting to be caught, but Azusa is far from bothered to see this display of 'bad manners.' Instead, she laughs, and she holds out her hand, ready to take hold of that plushie for him.]

...you won't be able to enjoy it much that way. Here, let me help~.

[She has a bag of her own in one hand, but she's still very plushie-capable.]

[hatejakku]

Mmph!

[ Azusa suddenly appearing was a surprise, as usual, but she only seemed amused about his current situation. He carefully allowed her to take the plushie so he can remove the doughnut, finally. ] Ah, thank you!

[mythmaker]

It's nothing, I'm happy to help.

[She takes a moment to make sure she has both items secured, and when she's satisfied she looks back up and smiles.]

It looks like you're having fun, Finn. I didn't know you were a stuffed animal person~.

[hatejakku]

Aha. [ He kinda laughs but mostly just blushes. ] It's for Valli, my friend. I thought maybe she'd like it. What do you think?

E

[arosetowar]

Though Cornelia had intended to make her tour of the new jobs and the Weapon Master Association as brief and interruption-free as possible, when she emerges from the Archaeologists Guild shortly after Finn, she finds herself stopping to take in the spectacle. Sorry, buddy. There's something absurdly amusing about a man being thwarted by cats and tsk tsk'd by a jealous moogle.

But because she thinks that there's also something rude about watching it all unfold, she doesn't stand there for very long before asking, "Do you require assistance?", her tone hard despite seeming almost tinged with laughter.

[hatejakku]

Finn does a small jump at the voice, turning to see the same woman who had been in the guild with him not a ten minutes before. Great, this was a little embarrassing...

"Ah, no, I-" The cats meowed again as Valli groaned. "Maybe." Then the little one decided to be brave again once it was pulled closer to his chest and attempted to climb his shirt. "Ow! Ow! Yes, I do!"

[arosetowar]

Hey, a little embarrassment every now and again builds character. Deftly weaving through the cats at their feet, avoiding stepping on and tripping over them, she moves to stand in front of Finn and says, somewhat more commandingly than the situation calls for, "Hold still."

Taking caution not to spook the clingy kitty into digging its claws further into him, she slides one hand under its belly and moves the other beneath its front paws in an attempt to free Finn's shirt before lifting the kitty away.

"I've heard it said that dogs are indiscriminate but cats choose their people."

[hatejakku]

Finn rubs at the sore spot on his chest. "Thanks for- Oh." Chose their people. He eyeballs the kitten. "That's what that was?

But I don't- I can't take one home, right?"

D

[littlemhigan]

"Carefully, I'd reckon," Castor says as she sidles up alongside Finn, already with what seems like an armload of the day's offerings. "At least, I suppose ye ought te start by looking at whatever it is yer in the mood for."

[hatejakku]

Finn turns to see Castor and laughs. "That's good advice if I wasn't already full. Maybe this is all about timing..." He then takes a peek at her treasure trove. "You've been busy."

[littlemhigan]

"Tomorrow's another day!" Castor says brightly, before continuing. "Aye, well, when the food is free, ye take advantage've what ye can, yeah?"

D

[rivieran]

"You don't."

Ena approaches Finn from behind. There's a bag stuffed with boxes of food and bottles of drink hanging from her arm, and she has an empty box in her hand. She was going to use it for herself, but she overheard him, and now she'd feel guilty for denying him this chance.

She hands the box to him.

"Just take it home with you."

[hatejakku]

His eyes widen when the box is presented to him. "Oh, I-" He gingerly takes it, looking at Ena for confirmation. "You sure?"

[rivieran]

"Yes." Ena nods. "The kind man at the stand over there accidentally gave me an extra." Her hand now free, she gestures to a dumpling stand over yonder. "I'm afraid it's not very big, but it should do."

a

[garyoutensei]

Baiken wasn't far off, easy to spot as usual with how much she tended to stand out (much to her chagrin, most of the time), but there was something to her posture when observing the WEAPONs exhibit that suggested things were... not well. Her grip on the rail was strained, knuckles white, and she seemed to almost be panting.

[hatejakku]

It was easy to spoke Baiken, true enough, but she looked like she wanted to be alone. Finn didn't think it too wise to disturb her.

However, when he noticed something was up, the need to intervene outweighed his hesitance. "What's wrong?" he asks without much of greeting.

[garyoutensei]

"Get me... out of here," she spoke quietly, strained, and with shame clouding her tone. She didn't want to be helped, like this, to be seen this weak, but her legs were having trouble moving. Crawling through that rubble, unable to walk, dragging herself with one hand...

No. That wasn't here. She forced her eye open, with a small gasp, the hand on the rail now clinging to Finn's jacket.

Exposition

[eternitynpc]

Bahamut.

[ While Finn had been staring at the Eidolon painting, a man had approached him. He was dressed finely with a long coat, the way you'd expect a politician to be dressed. ]

That's the name of the dragon. Lord of all Eidolons, or so the legends say.

[hatejakku]

[ The other man's approach hadn't startled Finn, but the start of a conversation was a surprise. Finn glanced over at him then back to the mural. ] Is he here in Vaikuntha? I mean... can the Summoners call on him?

[ Because that sounded horrifying, to be honest. ]

[eternitynpc]

No, even a master Summoner wouldn't be able to call on him. At least...

[ The man stopped, opting not to finish his sentence. ]

You see, a local legend claims Bahamut was the Goddess of Death's very own Eidolon. In an attempt to defeat the heroes who threatened her, she infused him with her powers. The result was a creature the size of a mountain who could easily destroy worlds. We believe this is the reason Bahamut has never shown himself.