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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

GASP!!! Could it be that he doesn't know? Papyrus' hands fly up to his mouth at first before he turns on a heel, lifts his chin, and raises an index finger. Kuja, beware what you have just unleashed.

"WHY, SANTA IS ONLY THE KINDEST, MOST CHARITABLE MONSTER IN EXISTENCE! HE'S A LARGE, JOLLY SOUL WITH A MAJESTIC BEARD WHO DELIVERS GIFTS TO ALL THE GOOD LITTLE BOYS AND GIRLS EVERY YEAR. HE HAS A SPECIAL LIST THAT HE CHECKS NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE!!! AND ALSO, HE CAN SEE YOU AT EVERY WAKING AND NON-WAKING MOMENT.

SUCH IS THE POWER OF SANTA!!!"

Edited 2018-08-28 18:13 (UTC)

Kuja is skeptical. "Some local eidolon, then?" That would make sense. Dressing up in particular clothing to pay homage to a god. "Omniscience, however, does seem a bit suspect. Most likely exaggerated; goodness knows it was said how Titan could level mountains and leviathan could flood the world."

"WELL, MAYBE NOT AN EIDOLON WHERE I'M FROM, BUT I SUPPOSE IT IS POSSIBLE HERE." Contemplating this, he strokes his bony chin. Interesting! Very, very interesting...

"BUT I ASSURE YOU! SANTA'S POWER IS LEGENDARY. IN JUST ONE NIGHT, HE'S ABLE TO DELIVER PRESENTS TO EVERY LITTLE BOY, GIRL, AND GENDERLESS INDIVIDUAL!

WELL, EXCEPT FOR THE ONES ON HIS NAUGHTY LIST. THEY JUST GET COAL."

"That is preposterous. An entire planet in a single night? Every year? Impossible. It would take a thousand mages of my calibre to even attempt such a feat. And not for the purpose of, say, apotheosis, or something actually useful, but just to throw rocks at people he doesn't like?"
Kuja Tribal, mage, alien, angel of death, destroyer of worlds, scoffs. Clearly the notion of a fat man in a red suit giving presents to children all over the world is just too unrealistic to believe.

Papyrus huffs, setting one hand on his hip and raising his index finger> "FOR YOUR INFORMATION, SANTA BRINGS JOY TO THE ENTIRE UNDERGROUND! HIS GIFTS ALSO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO BE ON THEIR VERY BEST BEHAVIOR. ERGO, HE'S AN OUTSTANDING MORAL FIGURE TO ASPIRE TO!!!"

His arms fold, and he frowns a little. If only he was here to explain. "I DON'T KNOW HOW EASY IT'D BE FOR HIM TO DO IT OVER THE ENTIRE PLANET, BUT HE ALWAYS MANAGES TO PULL IT OFF FOR EVERY MONSTER. I JUST NEVER PRIED FOR HIS SECRETS. EVEN IF WE ARE CLOSE, IT'S NOT MY PLACE TO DIG INTO HIS PERSONAL LIFE!"

"An authoritarian peeping-tom who throws rocks at people if they don't play by his rules." Kuja crosses his arms, looking less-than-enthused. "Yes, I can see how one might want to aspire to that. Are you certain this 'Santa Claus' even exists? On Gaia, there was this old legend of a jolly old Qu with a sack that gave pudding and sausage and all manner of other peasant foodstuffs to children, and beat children who'd been naughty with a spoon. He wasn't actually real, it was just the parents dressed up with a fake tongue. Perhaps the situation is similar?"

He's still pouting. Yes, skeletons can somehow pout without lips. It's all in the wrinkle in the brow and the slight sagging of the cheekbones. "I KNOW HE EXISTS BECAUSE I'VE MET HIM! WE'VE BEEN IN CONTACT SINCE I WAS VERY YOUNG. I EVEN GOT TO HELP HIM GIVE OUT PRESENTS TO THE MONSTERS OF SNOWDIN ONCE!!!

AND ALSO, HE WOULDN'T BEAT PEOPLE WITH A SPOON. THAT'S JUST PLAIN RUDE!"

Coal is acceptable because it doesn't hurt anyone. Unless it's thrown. But Santa doesn't throw things at people.

Kuja raises an eyebrow. "How do you know it was the mythical being 'Santa Claus', and not merely someone in a costume pretending?"

BECAUSE EVERYONE KNOWS IT'S SANTA!!! HE IS HIGHLY REVERED, ESPECIALLY IN SNOWDIN! AND ALSO, HE HAD A MAJESTIC BEARD. He raises his finger. "POWERFUL HORNS! A BIG BELLY THAT JIGGLED LIKE JELLY. AND. AND!!!"

Both his hands ball up from the sheer passion and excitement. "HE WAS CLEARLY A BOSS MONSTER! THE STRONGEST OF ALL MONSTER SPECIES, ERGO, IT'S ONLY FITTING THAT HE WAS OUR GIFT-GIVING GENTLEGOAT!"

Kuja is unimpressed. "I don't suppose you know of anybody else who happens to meet that exact same description? Pardon me if I find this all rather hard to believe."

He shakes his head. "BOSS MONSTERS ARE VERY RARE. I BELIEVE MOST OF THEM WERE, ERM... WELL. LET'S JUST SAY WAR IS BAD AND LEAVE IT AT THAT."

But hmm... there is another possibility, but not one he's put too much focus on. Better to think of Santa as Santa! It's more magical that way. "AS I SAID, BOSS MONSTERS ARE THE MOST POWERFUL OF ALL MONSTERS! AND VERY DISTINCT IN THAT THEY ONLY AGE IF THEY HAVE LIVING PARENTS OR LIVING CHILDREN. OTHERWISE, THEY ARE FUNCTIONALLY IMMORTAL."

"Functionally immortal. How... nice." Godsdammit no we're not thinking about that those are thoughts from the Bad Old Days.
"So, hypothetically speaking, what mechanism do they make use of to forestall the passage of time? Surely entropy must kick in at some point."
Oh, Kuja.

"NOT REALLY. IT'S JUST A PART OF THEIR BIOLOGY! FOR WHATEVER REASON, THEY NEED LIVING PARENTS OR CHILDREN TO AGE, AS THE PARENTS SHARE SOUL ENERGY WITH THEIR CHILDREN." Pausing, he rubs his bony chin and paces just a little. "THEY'RE VERY INTERESTING MONSTERS, HONESTLY. THEIRS ARE THE ONLY MONSTER SOULS THAT CAN PERSIST OUTSIDE THEIR BODIES UPON DEATH- EVEN IF IT'S ONLY FOR A FEW SECONDS. EVEN THEN, A HUMAN'S SOUL CAN PERSIST INDEFINITELY, SO WHATEVER MAGICAL PROWESS WE MONSTERS MAY HAVE, OUR SOULS ARE... SADLY ON A LOWER LEVEL."

Edited 2018-10-02 18:58 (UTC)

"Your... souls cease to be upon death? Entirely? That..."

Kuja stares off into space, for a moment, argument about seasonal deities completely forgotten. "That's completely awful."

"WELL... I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS AFTER DEATH, TRUTH BE TOLD." He folds his arms, sighing. "BUT, WELL. THEY SAY A MONSTER'S SOUL, LIKE THEIR BODY, BECOMES DUST. WHAT THAT MEANS IN TERMS OF AN AFTERLIFE IS... DEBATABLE."

Ah, this just got heavy. Very, very very heavy. "IT'S MOSTLY BECAUSE WE MONSTERS LACK DETERMINATION. IT'S A SPECIAL COMPONENT IN HUMAN SOULS THAT ALLOWS THEM TO PERSIST SO STRONGLY. WELL... SOME MONSTERS MAY POSSESS IT. MY FRIEND UNDYNE- SHE'S LOADED WITH DETERMINATION! BUT... WELL. IT'S NOT VERY COMMON. AT ALL."

"I... can empathize. Genomes do not truly have souls of their own. It may be theoretically possible that, over time, one may form from residual spiritual energy, but we were... made to be vessels, not agents in our own right. We do not return to the Crystal when we die; we merely... cease."

...Oh.

Papyrus' eye sockets widen, though without the googly trait that often coincides with his surprise. He wrings his hands together, making a slight motion with his head not unlike a gulp. There's a shudder. Because that's... depressing. But it's also not... unfamiliar.

"YOU WERE... SOUL VESSELS, THEN?" That's.

Oh.

Oh wowie...

"In a sense, yes. It's all rather complicated, but it's as I said. We were, largely, designed to be self-sufficient and serve the purpose of staying alive and providing a healthy population of vessels until the day we... were needed." He scowls, glaring at the ground. Just the thought of Garland makes bile rise in his throat, his hackles rise-

"THAT'S... HM. BUT WHAT WERE YOU GOING TO BE USED FOR? TO MAKE SO MANY VESSELS..." And ones that clearly have a mind of their own, if Kuja is any indication. He seems very intelligent and not just a fancy meat suit.

But.

Oh.

Perhaps Undyne wasn't wrong to make her vessel something else. Something without a mind. Something without autonomy. Was it wrong for Papyrus to have pursued his path with the experiment?

Surely not! He quite literally made a friend. A friend who could very easily end up helping them break the barrier, but... If he ever learned of his origins, would he be unhappy? Would he suffer a similar fate? He hadn't thought of it that way before.

Kuja hesitates, staring at Papyrus. This is... extraordinarily out of character for the shrieking bonebag. Should he say something? Hide it like always?

What's the worst that could happen? Pretty sure he's too innocent to hold it over you.

"The resurrection of Terra," he says, quietly. "A planet that was dead for millennia. My maker was the last... golem, I suppose, created by the Terrans to preserve them and bring them back by any means necessary. He made us, and the rest is a story I'd... rather not talk about in public."

Edited 2018-10-02 19:32 (UTC)

Oh. That's... intense. Possibly noble? He's not sure. Using people as puppets isn't particularly positive. And this is heavy. Getting heavier by the second. Papyrus certainly understands Kuja's apprehension.

So he nods. "SORRY. I REALIZE THIS IS VERY PERSONAL. I WON'T PRESS IT, ALTHOUGH..." And here he hesitates. This is also very personal, but. Well. The subject's already come up. Ish. "I SUPPOSE I'M NOT ENTIRELY UNFAMILIAR WITH THE IDEA OF USING VESSELS FOR SOULS."

"Did you ever use sapient creatures as vessels, or think to commit genocide in the course of some nebulous 'master plan'?" His tone is quiet... icy, even. "If not, I doubt I'd have much to say about it."

"WELL, NO. GENOCIDE IS VERY MUCH NOT ON MY AGENDA, AND. WELL. THE VESSEL... WASN'T ORIGINALLY SAPIENT? AND NOW THAT HE IS, HE SEEMS PERFECTLY A-OKAY WITH DOING HIS THING."

Despite this, he still fidgets slightly. There's just a tiny hint of anxiety in his voice. "REALLY, HE'S BEEN A TERRIFIC FRIEND. AND SURPRISINGLY KNOWLEDGEABLE. BUT... WELL. I NEVER STOPPED TO ASK HIM ABOUT HIS, ERM. STATE. AS HE WAS JUST SORT OF... INJECTED WITH THE RAW POWER OF DETERMINATION."

Kuja is quiet for a long while, as he considers this. "It's a dangerous thing, imparting large amounts of spiritual energy to a vessel not prepared for it. I... hope, for your sake, he doesn't come to resent you or the world for it."

"HE'S A FLOWER."

It's said quickly. Nervously. Oh dear, this is worrisome. So very, very worrisome.

"YOU SEE, ERM. WE WERE... DOING EXPERIMENTS. TO, ERM. UNRAVEL THE SECRETS OF THE SOUL AND POTENTIALLY SIMULATE THE RAW POWER OF A HUMAN SOUL. TO BREAK THE BARRIER THAT TRAPS US UNDERGROUND.

BUT WE NEEDED A VESSEL- SOMETHING THAT COULD CARRY HUMAN SOULS AND A SUPERPOWERED MONSTER SOUL. SOMETHING THAT WASN'T HUMAN OR MONSTER."

This was... a lot more than he ever intended to air out, but. Well. Kuja did seem like he had similar experiences, and it was a bit too late to turn back. Hrm.

"BUT I ASSURE YOU, EVEN WHILE HE WASN'T CONSCIOUS, I TOOK GOOD CARE OF HIM! I GAVE HIM PLENTY OF WATER AND UV LIGHT. AND I READ HIM MY FAVORITE BOOKS!"

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acapriciousreaper - 2018-10-08 00:04 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Event || The Festival of Light

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pretend that last tag didn't randomly have him lose his font :P

Re: pretend that last tag didn't randomly have him lose his font :P

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undertale spoilerrrrs I guess

Re: undertale spoilerrrrs I guess

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