[WORLD TWO | SUNSU FESTIVAL]

[spellbindmods]

Who: All coven members, and more!
Where: Anmung Tower and about a mile radius from the base of the tower!
When: Day 174
Open/Closed: Open to All

For those coven members who come from worlds with Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, etc., they'll likely recognize Sunsu as a version of similar holidays. While there aren't any religious over or under tones, there's snow falling, a high level of merriment and cheer all around. That isn't to say Sunsu isn't without a bit of meaning and lore. Certain stalls are focused on a minor history of Sunsu, a holiday stemming from the story of two lovers, Princess Xin and one of her ladies in waiting, who proved to the Princess' father that their love was worthy of marriage by blessing each other with a fabulous gift. Depending on your taste and place in life, Sunsu can be more romantic or more family-based. Sunsu is marketed as a holiday that focuses on blessing and giving to those that you cherish in life, and receiving a blessing or gift symbolizes uniting people together forever. Because of this meaning, there is a certain romanticized overtone to Sunsu, though of course others celebrate in their own way. It's a holiday of togetherness, and everyone in Shehui seems to be in on the holiday spirit. There aren't as many monitors around, the streets around Anmung tower are packed with families, newcomers and couples alike. Are you ready to get into the spirit of the season? A ▢ For some coven members, Sunsu is a day of work. This work may have actually started early in the morning, which is when the beginning of the Sunsu festival begins. Those who volunteered to work at the festival will be paid handsomely, but they'll have to work hard for it! One such job up for the taking is personal shopper which can be completed with the help of another person -- lucky you! This requires making your way through the streets of Shehui, looking for gifts and items that you're likely unfamiliar with. B ▢ Other volunteers are lucky enough to be stuck in stalls where there are at least chairs. Almost anything and everything is being sold in Shehui, and it's your job to push whatever goods you're being hired to peddle. The good news. You get 10-20% commission! The weirder or more ridiculous the item, the higher your commission! C ▢ Others may not even be working. You've been exceptionally naughty and decided to skip out on your Sunsu shopping until the last minute! Whether you're looking for a last minute gift for your Secret Sunsu recipients, or you're being a horrible friend and neglecting those you love until literally the last day, you've still got time to get some gifts!

As the day goes on, more and more festival decorations are going up -- which this may also be a job you've been roped into! With the sun falling steadily in the sky, the true beauty of Shehui can be seen as night creeps in. As per the request of the lottery winner, almost every structure in Shehui around the Anmung tower, including the famed structure, is illuminated with brilliant, twinkling lights in gold and red colors. Some areas are lit by different colors, like the nearby Huhu Coffee House that's building is wrapped in green lights, while Xi Park is filled with a soft pink variety on trees and fountains. Streamers and banners are hung everywhere, with some offering simple seasons greetings, while others are making passers by aware of sales and wares to be sold. D ▢ Sunsu is certainly a togetherness holiday, and everyone in the coven must have at least one friend or loved one they know in Shehui -- at least a casual acquaintance? There are a lot of things around Sunsu to do in groups or pairs (three ain't a crowd, here!), from stupid picture booths to horse-drawn carriage rides. Well, those creatures certainly look sort of like horses, if horses had four legs and two arms. In the spirit of togetherness, grab a friend or three and enjoy yourself. You've earned it, right? E ▢ Sunsu is a festival, and what's a festival without drinking? Drinking is actually a pastime that is popular at Sunsu, with local signboards discussing the historical significance of drinking in Shehui a long time ago. (If you're inclined to notice, all historical signboards have a sort of whimsical vagueness about them, as if they're discussing a myth or legend, not actual history). There are three types of traditional alcohol in Shehui that are made on Sunsu. One, a red concoction that is strong, reminiscent of a type of vodka. Two, a clear liquid that has a distinctly almond taste; akin to beer but with no fizz. Three, a pink, champagne-lite that is comparable to a wine cooler -- for you kids and lightweights out there. These drinks are also essentially handed out with very few stalls requiring you pay for them. Some stalls are extremely beer-focused, even promoting drinking contests with cash and gift prizes! F ▢ While not completely close to Anmung tower, Chips! is running a special promotion tonight! All games that aren't table gambling are completely free! If you're an introvert who just wants to DDR the night away, you're welcome to spend your night here, as pathetic as it may be. You're also welcome to escape the Anmung crowds, only to find yourself in a different type of mob inside Chips! -- it's better with a friend, though! G ▢ Closer to the base of Anmung tower, a festival game is taking place. Called XiXi, this game involves receiving a red envelope and finding a person who fits the criteria within that envelope. When you do, take the person to a table and receive a credit prize of 500 and a small basket of pastries and fruit. It's popular with children, but adults are allowed to get in on the fun too -- a lot of people treat it like a mixer. There's also no limit to how many times you can complete the challenge, as long as you don't use the same person twice! These criteria can be physical traits, more embarrassing personal qualifications...anything you can OOCly think of!

At midnight, the Sunsu event is supposed to culminate in a fireworks show -- and it does! To commemorate the day being over, fireworks of many different colors are being displayed all across Shehui, further illuminating the evening. It's almost as if it's truly daylight again, between the fireworks and Anmung tower. H ▢ In one more relaxing prompt, you're allowed to enjoy the fireworks. There are several parks that have set up watching points, including blankets on the ground and pre-made picnic baskets you can buy. After a busy day, whether working or playing, it's nice to be able to sit down and simply observe the night sky. I ▢ This doesn't last forever, though. About 15 minutes into the show, there's a disruption in the typical fireworks booming, instead replaced with a very large and ominous bang. These explosion sounds continue until there's a decidedly larger explosion sound that appears and feels a lot closer than the others. While there aren't any signs of fire or debris, the Sunsu festival is thrown into chaos. People are running, stores are closing immediately, and inner city speakers are announcing an emergency and for all residents to return to their homes immediately with escorts available if necessary. It's impossible to see what the source of the sound is here, but it's obviously abnormal. Will you help people in the panic? Where are those friends you've spent so much of the night with? What is going on? J ▢ Wildcard! Have another idea for a prompt? Try it out and tag around!

Comments

[lalliho]

[That's...intriguing. Since he has a free hand, he takes the bottle, sniffs the top, wrinkles his nose, and downs it.

The noise he makes is best described as one's vocalization of "???????"]

[enflame]

Okay, you don't have to drink any more!

( Okay, barkeep -- come back here with that box. Once it recirculates, Emil dares to grab a red drink. His palette has been whetted, so getting it down should be easier.

The box is held out to Lalli -- want anything? There's also just the drink menu if you want something else, his treat. )

Re: D

[enflame]

Photographs? Just on the screen, or is someone going to come and develop them?

( Photography is either a week long process and tangible, or instantly and intangible. No in between exists to Emil!!! )

[lalliho]

[Lalli waves it off -- he still has some of the pink drink left.]

It isn't...the worst? [BUT BOY WAS IT WEIRD.]

[enflame]

I'd get something off the menu but then I'd be paying for it and it might be disgusting.

( No free drinks coming his way now that he's got a guy all over him. He can't even pronounce half of the liquors, let alone imagine what they taste like. )

[efface]

[ she nods in agreement with him, glancing back as if to make sure that the presentation wasn't broaching into anything important (it wasn't) before her attention is back to him. ]

Massive, and difficult to understand. Definitely easy to get lost.

[ she shrugs, almost as though she herself has already gotten lost during her exploring (which is possible, but she will never admit to). ] And not long. An hour or so? I wanted to see what it was like. It's similar enough to how we celebrate holidays back home, but also very different. Have you been walking long, yourself?

[mapsio]

Let's do that! I think I saw a few festival food stalls that I thought looked delicious.

[Haru is definitely not shy about treating her friends to things either so...]

If they ask for payment, I'll get it for us, okay?

( C )

[rootandbranch]

[Geir can't often resist marketplaces. there's just something about the accumulation of objects -- call him a stereotype, but if you put a large number of valuables of some kind together, some tiny part of him really does want to put it all in a pile and curl up on top of it.

he could have guessed that much about himself without ever having set foot in a human shopping district, but now that Geir's visited a couple of cities with the coven, he's also discovered a distinct taste for people watching. even when he doesn't want or need anything, it's fascinating to drape himself over a public monument or along the side of an open square and see what all the humans are doing. sometimes, he'll even greet someone or comment on what's happening within his field of vision.

that's why he calls out when he sees a merchant flag Roy down in front of him... a merchant who owns a stall that Geir's very aware sells overpriced trinkets, cheaply plated with precious metals instead of the genuine article.]

Hey, tell him to look in the garbage heap instead! He'll find better wares!

C

[rootandbranch]

[Riza's not the only one searching for a place to hang back from the press of traffic and listen to a particularly engaging speaker. the woman is really getting into her description of how the grapes that make the wine she's selling are from an unbroken lineage back to those mythical earlier periods of history. unfortunately, it might be hard to tell that the alley Riza backs into to listen is occupied. it looks like it's simply dark and shadowy, from the outside and in the variable lighting of the festively decorated streets, but as she takes up her spot against the wall, something in the shadows speaks:]

Umm--

[that's a... larger voice than she might have expected. and are the colored lights in the main square glittering off of scales?]

I don't think you saw me from out there, but don't be surprised, okay? I'm just listening.

[oh. the alley isn't very shadowy at all. there's just an absolutely enormous creature taking up most of it, to the point where it's difficult to perceive him as a separate mass from the outside. and now that he's spoken and shifted so his head is more visible, Riza can see the gleam of eyes and teeth.

that's probably fine!

(Geir hopes she doesn't yell and run, like some of the Shehui residents have been doing. it always makes the speakers stop talking.)]

[rootandbranch]

H (open)

[Geir spent a while at the festival, and thoroughly enjoyed himself. giving most of his gifts in the morning ended up being a lot of fun; he ate and drank whatever he wanted at the festival, and actually ended up coming out ahead in credits out of it (don't start a drinking contest for prizes with a dragon); and now, he's flopped out grandly on a hill in the park where he's spent quite a bit of time over the last few weeks, enjoying the reflection of the fireworks on his scales and the snow. the heat of his body is more than enough to keep him and anyone standing close by him warm, and the view is beautiful. he's not even a little tired of fireworks displays yet. what could be better?

if anyone wanted to find him before the end of the festival and tie up any holiday loose ends, now would be a good chance. if anyone else planned to have that hill all to themselves... bad luck. he might leave if someone asks nicely?]



I (closed to CR)

[the peaceful scene is as shattered for Geir as it is for everyone else, but with no crowds around him and the ability to fly, his reaction isn't to help those nearby or run for some kind of cover. it's to roar back at the noise, a tooth-baring ground-shaking bellow, and crouch down as he spreads his wings for takeoff.]

What the-- c'mon! Let's get over there!

[what will meet them remains to be seen, but Geir is willing to find out.]

what a cute babyface

[secrowtary]

A few months ago, I would have never even thought to use the word friendship at all.

[ The power of friendship is one thing, but it doesn't mean that the good old little shit Hibiki is gone. He drinks from his glass, observing Jude carefully. ]

I wanted to suggest a toast to love but now you have the chance.

[ His lips quirk up into a smile. ]

h.

[watchfully]

[Fireworks have always been an interesting aspect of human tradition; loud and potentially startling, reminiscent of wartime munitions but colorful and inspiring all the same. It's enough to forget how toxic the chemicals involved are to humans, animals and the ozone layer alike. For whatever reason, he's standing from Yamato at arm's length -- wow when did he get there??]

Are you so unhappy here?

[YES it's a bizarre place and Alcor also had to adjust to the stars (etc) being completely erroneous to what he's familiar with, but being an otherworldly being in the first place allows some wiggle room there.

But hey, the people are nice.]

[deem]

It's...a lot more than I'm used to. This even exceeds Aimintas.

[A bustling city like this is, as Jude said, almost overwhelming. It comes as a relief to him that they were in Aimintas first, because while it was populous, it wasn't quite to the same degree as this city is. At least he's been able to adapt by degrees.

He glances around with a hum, debating. There are so many people milling about right now, he can only see so much of what's around them]

Did anything stand out to you?

[teratias]

The booth does the developing. Are Polaroids still around for you?

[teratias]

[In Waver's opinion, the presentation overall is in fact unimportant. So much of this is just...crap with no point.]

Yeah, I have. I'm...I've never met the people I've been asked to buy presents for, so hell if I know what to get them. So, walking the market. Lots of it.

he's adorable

[talim]

Aren't love and friendship more or less the same?

[ the point. jude's head. ]

[talim]

None of your business.

[ he tries to glare at her, but it's more of a pout than anything else. ]

[mesmerevenant]

A
[ Unlike some others, Jun is merely working the counter at a bookstore this holiday! There for any and all book and coffee needs, and able to assist any personal shoppers trying to find a particular item. For those who are obviously struggling with their list, he's particularly sympathetic. ]

That tough, huh? Need help?

D/H
[ After a busy day at work raking in that sweet sweet holiday cash, Jun's finally got some time to check out the festival for himself. With all the obvious pair-ups and groups of friends milling about though, he's a little ill at ease. Ultimately he opts to turn for home once the fireworks are about to start, literally setting himself apart from the crowd. It's easy enough to catch him on the way. ]

[stripartist]

Easier said than done...oh! There may be an evacuation location. Let's follow the crowds?

[deem]

Evacuation...?

[9s echoes dubiously, because he's never heard the term before.

But Yusuke seems to know what he's talking about]

Alright, let's give it a try. We can watch out for her parents as we go.

[talim]

[ it seems to work, because jude remembers himself and laughs an embarrassed laugh. ]

Sorry, uh— I'm playing this game, right? You're supposed to seek out the person with the characteristics that match those listed on this piece of paper. See?

[ he hands him the red envelope. ]

... I might have been searching for a while.

[ 20 minutes, to be precise. ]

h for hMMMMMM

[meritedly]

[ the people are nice. he's certain they are but he hardly cares. it's been a struggle not getting attached to the morons back home. attachment is messy and it's easier to be a leader and make calculated and necessary decisions when you don't indulge in silly civilian things like attachment and friendship.

alcor really needs to stop doing this, though. he should be used to this by all means, but every single time it manages to make him tense up in surprise. not enough to jump or holler, because that'd be embarrassing. ]

Annoyed is a better word for it. [ he says it blandly, gaze flicking over to the pest he's stuck here with. hmmmm. ] Knowing that things remain in a state of disrepair in Japan does little to make this place seem welcoming.

[hydrostorm]

[ why wouldn't she want to ride around this thing? do you even know her? ]

'tis the season. Or so the locals say. I'm not big into holidays but it seems rude to turn them down, you know?

[ she's lightly patting the seat next to her. yikes. ]

the tilde is suspicious

[hydrostorm]

[ oh my god he got her hot chocolate. the surprise is easily hidden behind a faint (definitely fond) chuckle. ]

Melted chocolate, huh? Are you trying to fatten me up for a feast, Mage?

[ but she gladly will accept the cup, a tiny smile stirring at the corner of her lips. ]

[hydrostorm]

The fireworks.

[ she places a hand on her hip, eying him seriously. ]

You don't know?