Plot || The Star Wars Vaikuntha Special

[hatejakku]

Who: Open
When: June 8-14
Where: Everywhere
What: The race for the crystals is on!!
Warnings/Notes: OOC Post


Crystals have fallen out of the Dream Width in a beautiful meteor shower and scattered all over the world! Due to their origins and mysterious properties, the Curti Center is interested in gathering as many as they can for researching purposes. To incentivize the public in helping out, O'aka has donated a few silver coupons to those top few who collect the most crystals. There's also a rumor that the one person (or more if there's a tie) who collects the most, wins something marvelous and mysterious~

The hunt for these crystals have taken storm across Vaikuntha and they're suddenly worth a lot. It's all anyone talks about anymore! The locals have gone crazy with it! If you weren't interested to begin with, surely the madness that is this new fad has sunk its teeth in. Besides, who knows what the crystals can actually do? Are they gifts? Curses? Dust collectors? Only one way to find out.

NAVIGATION
❄️ Snow	🔎 Shadow	🔥 Flame	🌼 Flower	☔ Rain	☀️ Sun	❤️ Love	🌵 Arrow
🎭 Sword	🎶 Chime	👻 Grey	🥚 Egg	✉️ Chrome	🏁 Rainbow	🐹 Plasma

LEADERBOARD
Character	| Crystals
Klonoa	| 08 ❄️🔎❤️🌵🎭👻✉️🐹
Kuja	| 07 🔎🌼🎭🎶👻✉️🐹
Frisk.bin	| 06 🔎☔🌵🎭✉️🐹
Uendo	| 05 ❄️🔎🎶✉️🐹
Corrin	| 04 ☔❤️🌵🎭
Red	| 03 🌵🎭✉️
Okuyasu	| 03 ❄️🌼🐹
Tyzias	| 02 ❄️🐹
Megatron	| 02 🌼🐹
Maul	| 02 👻🏁
Sephiroth	| 02 🌼✉️
Naoto	| 02 ❤️✉️
Adrien	| 01 ❄️
Castor	| 01 ✉️
Selphie	| 01 🌵
Pidge	| 01 🥚
Minimus	| 01 🌵
Kenichi	| 01 🐹
Papyrus	| 01 🔎
Naomi	| 01 🌼
Ovelia	| 01 🌼
Asriel	| 01 🎭
Kanji	| 01 ❤️

Comments

Rainbow Crystal - Cloud City

[hatejakku]

Whether you're at the stadium, somewhere in the city, or just listening on your comm, you'll hear a flourish of drums before an announcer starts to speak. He sounds like he's had way too much caffeine but that's irrelevant information. Ehem:

"Wwwwweeeeeeelcome! One and all! To the Cloud City Rainbow Races!" He pauses to let the crowd cheer in the background. "We hope you've tuned in to that last race we had, folks. Woo! What a doozy! Who knew one of Vaikuntha's most notorious gangs, the Tusken Raiders, would have signed up in such large numbers! Probably has to do with that Sky Pirate gig, ey? I kid, I kid. There are still several Rainbow Crystals unclaimed, still several races to compete, and we've saved the best for last, folks. The next three races will include Vaikuntha's very own HEROES! OF! LIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!" Another pause. More cheering.

"Before we get started, we wanted to give a shout out to our sponsor, the new highly anticipated game ready to take Vaikuntha by storm, Melodies! of! LOVE!" More cheering.

"Now, let's meet our contestants!!"

Crimson Race - Frisk, Castor, Ringabel, Undyne

[hatejakku]

"Representing our beloved Heroes of Light are a couple of veterans and a couple of newer faces! Give it up for Frisk! Castor! Ringabel! And Undyyyyyyyyne!" A pause while the crowd loses their minds over their respective favorites.

"Aaaaaaaand representing the TUSken RAIders are Cardinal and Roooooose!!" The crowd loses their minds a little less this time. Looks like they aren't huge fans of the Tusken Raiders but are at least cool enough to get some fans.

"And the racers are at the starting mark," the announcer says in a suddenly quiet voice. Contestants have lined up in their vehicle of choice, pod racers and the like. There are four lights hovering over the track, only the first one lit up. Red. Then the second, red. Then orange. Then-

As soon as the green light comes on, a loud buzzer sounds and the gates open.

"AND THEY'RE OFF!!!"

[sassafrisk]

Frisk is off like a rocket as soon as the race starts, diving off the starting platform and immediately activating their jetpack. Crap, what would be a good "racing anime rival" thing to say? Um, uh... you know what, screw it, they're just going to blow a raspberry at the competition before thrusting their hands behind them and activating a continuous Force Wave to give themselves a lot of extra acceleration and to keep anybody from tailgating them.

> Force Wave (Anybody Trying To Tail Frisk | Single Target)
Single-target weak nonelemental spell with heavy knockback.

[exspeariment]

Undyne flew off the moment the green light appeared. While this wasn't exactly like her mech, it wasn't too different, either. Though, for once, she wasn't chasing Frisk, although she was struck with the Force Wave and her podracer was knocked back quite a bit. She narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth as she flew back. Soon, though, she resumed her relentless pursuit of the finish line.

[manlycharms]

Well! That Force Wave is certainly an impressive start.

Ah, but how to pick up the pace. He starts off by simply blasting off alongside the rest, but with Frisk utilizing their own sneaky skills, then perhaps he ought to do the same. Is it fair play? Well, that all depends. They certainly set an early precedent.

Well, if job skills are on the table, then he'll go ahead and use Saint Cross to try and get a leg up on his competitors, particularly those raiders. He aims it in such a way as to at least try not to injure his competitors, but if he can, ah, rock the boat, so to speak, then that should at least give him an edge.

Plus, it's bright and flashy. It should totally dazzle the audience!

[hatejakku]

"We're off to an impressive start, folks!" the announcer shouts into his microphone. "Frisk is in the lead followed closely by Ringabel! It looks like Undyne got caught in-... What was that? Turbulence? Is Frisk so fast that they put off that much turbulence? Hard to say from this angle, folks!

"Oh no! It looks like Crimson is going to knock into Castor!"

> Shadow Stalk | Single Target: Castor
Regular attacks. Ignores the enemy's defense stats or buffs.

"That set her back a good bit, looks like!

"They're coming into the bend and- WOWEE! Did you see that, folks? That was beautiful! And dangerous! Castor, Cardinal, and Rose all had to fall back after that spectacular light show!"

---

1. Frisk
2. Ringabel
3. Undyne
4. Castor
5. Cardinal
6. Rose

[sassafrisk]

Now that they have a fare amount of acceleration behind them, Frisk can really leave their opponents in the dust. Whooping wildly, they dart out of the way of the Shadow Stalk and the Saint Cross, and use [Leaf Blower], creating a slipstream for themself to go even faster while throwing a total of eight hazardous, fast, and very, very sharp leaves everyone else's way.

> Leaf Blower (Eight Random Enemy Racer Targets | Single Target / AOE)
Single-target weak wind spell that slightly lowers defense and copies itself for every SOUL Buster skill learned. Can hit the same target multiple times.

[manlycharms]

Ah! A close dodge. Well played on Frisk's part. The added turbulence from the Leaf Blower gives Ringabel momentary pause. But if Frisk's going to try and lower defenses, then he'll have to reinforce himself with Rampart and keep moving despite the added hurdle.

Where's the fun in giving up? He made it this far. Time to keep it that way!

Emerald Race - Pidge, Okuyasu, Papyrus

[hatejakku]

"Representing our beloved Heroes of Light are only three faces in this race! Give it up for Pidge! Okuyasu! And Papyruuuuuuuuuuus!" A pause while the crowd loses their minds over their respective favorites.

"Aaaaaaaand representing the TUSken RAIders are Verde and Swaaaaard!!" The crowd loses their minds a little less this time. Looks like they aren't huge fans of the Tusken Raiders but are at least cool enough to get some fans.

"Oh, wait a minute, folks! Looks like there's one last-minute contestant here! Hmm, I can't get a look of their face beneath that big coat, but that is one really NICE pod racer they've got there, if I do say so myself! Oh, wha-" There's some rustling, a couple of whispers, then the announcer's back. "Sorry about that, folks. I just got a name for our mystery contestant. Give it up for POE! DAMERON!!" The crowd sure seems excited about this mystery guy. Somewhere in Nakagawa, Finn has the radio on and just did a spit take from across the room.

"And the racers are at the starting mark," the announcer says in a suddenly quiet voice. Contestants have lined up in their vehicle of choice, pod racers and the like. There are four lights hovering over the track, only the first one lit up. Red. Then the second, red. Then orange. Then-

As soon as the green light comes on, a loud buzzer sounds and the gates open.

"AND THEY'RE OFF!!!"

[einspine]

A crowd! How exciting! Papyrus beams at all the cheers. He bows. He tries puffing his chest out in a show of charisma and winking for good measure. Inside, though? So many jitters. If he had a heart, it'd be fluttering like mad.

Still, he manages to keep his footing on his hover board. His eye sockets narrow as he scopes out his surroundings. What's the ideal route? What tricks can he use to his advant-

OH! The buzzer!

Well, no time to dilly dally. Papyrus kicks off, ready to soar to victory. "NYEH HEH HEH!!! FEAR NOT, SPORTS FANS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM READY TO COMMENCE WITH VELOCITY!!!"

[righthandstand]

A race means a new outfit. Cobbled together from the thrift stores, bargain bins, and partially sewn by hand, Okuyasu wears a cowboy-inspired getup fit for a grand race with a lofty prize. He stands atop his car while the crowd cheers. Love it or hate it, his appearance grabs their attention.

Fortunately, he knows when it's time to get seriously. He slams on the pedal, knowing nothing about driving other than the crash course given by the race organizers (hah..."crash"...) and zooms ahead.

"Eat my dust, boner boy!"

[pidgeypidge]

Pidge grinned and waved to the cheering crowd and if she seemed a little subdued, it was probably because she was trying to psych herself up for this. While she'd been piloting Green for quite a while now, she'd only had minimal experience with the speeder. She hadn't even had the chance to tinker with it much yet.

But she was sure it was going to be fine! How hard could it be to go in a circle, after all? Either way, she was ready to slam on the gas as soon as that buzzer sounded. Unlike the boys, she had no witty comments to make, but it might've been because she was so focused on the track ahead of her.

[hatejakku]

"And Pidge is in the lead, followed very closely by Okuyasu and Papyrus! Verde's right behind the Heroes with Sward coming in and Dameron taking the back. Wa- Wait, a minute, what's this-?"

> Mog Bomb | Single Target: Sward
Makes the puppet deliver an explosive package to the enemies for medium fire damage.

"Sward's engine is on fire, folks! They're having to fall way behind to do repairs. Now Dameron's catching up close to the others as they enter the first bend. These are tight quarters, here, folks, and- Oh no! It looks like Verde might collide with Papyrus-! And he has! Just a simple nudge, folks. Papyrus is still on his board!"

> Treachery | Single Target: Papyrus
Inflict damage to the arms of the enemy, preventing weapon and spell use for one turn (25%). FAILED ROLL

"Either way, it looks like Verde's now in third! And they're coming into the bend-"

[righthandstand]

"Oh, hell no!" Okuyasu swung the wheel hard at the bend. The vehicle skidded while it adjusted its direction, but he hoped it came him some distance between him and the dude that threw a goddamn bomb! Everyone was cool with cheating?

Fine. So could he. However, with only two seconds to think, Okuyasu's brilliant plot consistent of throwing one of his pins at the car behind him. Most likely, it would ping off of the hood without notice, but hey! He had to try for a distraction!

[einspine]

"HEY!!! THAT WAS RUDE!"

Ack! That was a very unwanted attack. Papyrus staggers a bit, but he's quick to retaliate with Blue Attack to stun the pesky raider for just a little bit.

Hopefully this'll at least buy him time to regain lost traction. He still has to be a fair sport about this. No truly dirty tactics here!

[hatejakku]

"Verde's catching up to second place now, folks, and- Oh, hold on! Papyrus just knocked right back into Verde! Looks like there's some tension on the track today and- Oh!

"Something shiny just fell off of Okuyasu's speeder! I hope it wasn't vital- Oh dear! After Papyrus threw him off balance, that shiny thing just hit Verde right in the face! It doesn't look pretty from this angle, folks. Is that blood?

"Either way, he's fallen back quite a lot! Dameron darts around him while he's distracted, catching up to Papyrus at phenomenal speeds! Maybe he can even get a glimpse of our mystery pilot, folks!

"And now they're going into the stretch!"

---

1. Okuyasu
2. Pidge
3. Papyrus
4. Dameron
5. Verde
6. Sward

Navy Race - Naoto, Serge, Red, Maul

[hatejakku]

"Representing our beloved Heroes of Light are some people who've been with us awhile! Give it up for Naoto! Serge! Red! And Maaauuuuuuul!" A pause while the crowd loses their minds over their respective favorites.

"Aaaaaaaand representing the TUSken RAIders are Azure and Indigooooooo!!" The crowd loses their minds a little less this time. Looks like they aren't huge fans of the Tusken Raiders but are at least cool enough to get some fans.

"And the racers are at the starting mark," the announcer says in a suddenly quiet voice. Contestants have lined up in their vehicle of choice, pod racers and the like. There are four lights hovering over the track, only the first one lit up. Red. Then the second, red. Then orange. Then-

As soon as the green light comes on, a loud buzzer sounds and the gates open.

"AND THEY'RE OFF!!!"

[mech_and_mutt]

He was chomping at the bit all throughout the countdown; unsurprisingly, he was out like a shot the moment the gates opened.

Understandably, he brought his beloved DAHAK Mk.III as his vehicle of choice; it may have looked a little silly, blasting off across the course with its arms spread out in facsimile of wings- but it was difficult to argue with the sort of results he was getting out of it.

Especially after he outfitted the thing for racing. Hopefully all the gil he'd blown on tweaks to the variable cycle engine and light blisk would pay off here; after a look at how half the competitors' rigs were just two gigantic engines with a saddle attached, he was going to need to squeeze off every ounce of thrust he could get...

..but just to be safe, he'd squeeze out a little more by switching to the Sky Pirate asterisk, and quietly folding his Gunblade back into a gun. Some of these competitors looked a bit... frisky.

Super Bombad Pod-Racing

[last_son_of_dathomir]

Immediately behind Red as the race begins is Maul, having selected the biggest, most intimidating (and yet vaguely familiar-looking?) pod-racer in the hangar to serve as his vehicle for this endeavour. This takes him back to his youth, and momentarily makes him pine for Bloodfin, his customized speederbike, lost decades ago.

But for now he banishes such thoughts of nonsense sentimentality from his mind and focuses on the mech in front of him. Victory must be his. With his custom Sith Assassin asterisk in place he has regained some control over the Force, though it's not yet as strong as it once was. And yet perhaps strong enough to make things a bit more difficult for the dog in front of him.

Releasing one hand from the wheel (a dangerous proposition in a pod-racer to be sure) Maul makes a quick gesture with his hand, sending the Force out towards the DAHAK, perhaps just enough to make it suddenly swerve uncontrollably to one side...and perhaps give Maul an opening to pull into first.

That done, his hand slams back down on the wheel of the pod-racer, his action hopefully too quick to be noticed, especially at the speed he's going.

>Force Mastery (Red Savarin | Single Target)
The DAHAK suddenly swerves sharply to one side before Red regains control.

[pishirogane]

Naoto doesn't intend on getting tangled up in any foul play with her racer, but 'thems the breaks' when everyone wanted to get these crystals. Helm on, gloves tight, Magitek Knight her primary asterisk for now with a ghostly co-pilot Slepnir whinnying with her, it's set, ready, and go once they get the green.

She'd rather have to keep her eye on the Tusken Raiders, but no sooner are they going that she notices something strange occurring ahead with Red. That's fine - let them fight for first early on; she just has to maintain distance and work on passing once they got closer to the end.

[timecrash]

An awful lot of people might wonder to themselves- why is Serge entering this race with what looks for all the world like a canoe?

The answer, of course, is probably understood when he turns on the Device strapped to the back, and the thing starts hovering off the ground- and then moves, when the race starts, alarmingly quickly for a wooden boat. With an impish grin on his face, he gathers energy for a moment- and then releases it, coalescing in a [Luminaire] in front of the other racers as they round a bend- a blinding distraction at a dangerous moment, hopefully.

[hatejakku]

"And Red is in the lead!" the announcer cries from his booth, "followed closely by Maul, Indigo, Serge, Azure, then Naoto trailing behind!"

"Looks like Red might have some engine trouble, folks! He suddenly pitched to the right! He's recovered just in time, but now he and Maul are neck and neck into the bend! Indigo's coming up behind and-

"What's this? It looks like Indigo just tossed something on to Serge's, uh, boat? Racer? I'm not sure but that looked like foul play to me! Once again, the judges are silent!"

> Bottle of Rum
Throws a jug of booze at an enemy, dousing them in alcohol. This attack will follow up with a lit match on the next turn.

The announcer continues, "They're all in the bend now and- Wow! Did you catch that light show!? Where did that come from, folks? I'm starting to be able to see and- Oh, no! Looks like Azure didn't make it through the turn! Their pod racer's destroyed! Goes to show how dangerous these races really are, folks, but the white mages on standby are assuring me that Azure is a-okay!

"Naoto also looks to be affected by the lights! She clipped the side of the track pretty bad there, lost a little time, but she's still in the race! Hopefully, that racer didn't suffer too badly!

"Now they're coming into the first stretch!"

[timecrash]

Well, now he's soaked in high-proof alcohol. Serge is pretty sure that setting him on fire might be a violation of some kind- but then, if it is allowed, then there's no shame in playing dirty, is there?

Time twists, for a moment, and then there are two of him, two boats diverging, hazy and flickering in half-realized potential. [Time Crash] is probably racing dirty, but what's the worst that could happen?

Time Crash: Gives the Arbiter a 50% chance to automatically evade any incoming attack for 3 turns.

[mech_and_mutt]

"Furballs--!!"

A yank of the controls managed to barely force the Dahak into some semblance of course. What the heck suddenly tipped him off course like that?! It wasn't as though bumps or traction could affect him in the air, and he knew the DAHAK like the back of his hand.

No-- someone was screwing with him. That had to be it. But who did it was anyone's guess, especially with this many people on the track. Maul, Serge, Indigo, Serge, Nao-- ...Okay, so he mistakenly counted Serge twice, but that was all a part of keeping his eyes on the course.

But he wasn't going to ignore Maul's leering gaze out the corner of his eye, either. No sense making enemies just yet; he'd just tap his arm and use the •Magitek Bracelet to form a protective shield around the Dahak as he hit the accelerator, and try to keep one eye turned for any incoming pot-shots from his competitors...

[pishirogane]

If Serge tried something that that again, Indigo dousing his 'ship' was going to be the least of his worries. Any time, she could switch over to Gunslinger and take advantage of the spilled rum herself.

After correcting herself and nodding to Slepnir, Naoto sped up a little just to make up for that slight off course. One racer was out and that wasn't her doing.