[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

[mysterybone]

[ Mio's really starting to wonder why he runs into this guy wherever he goes. Maybe he's secretly a RE:BERSERK fan and he's stalking Mio? Ahh, how flattering. At least he seems to be a fairly harmless stalker. And he's pretty nice, too. So he's fine with this.

Might as well get his opinion since he's been helpful in the past!

Mio shakes his head quickly. ] No, why would I need to rethink it? They're perfect!

[ He looks at the ones in his hands and shrugs. ] Not as cute as a bat, but it will do!

What would be your first choice?

[armigers]

[ If one of them is going to be a stalker here, it's definitely not him. He was just minding his own business and doing his shopping to begin with, but now, he's being forced to make important life decisions. How did it come to this?

He tries to at least seriously consider the capes. He might have thought they were cool if he was 10 years younger, and he would have liked carbuncle ears instead of cat ears, but that's just him. ]

How old is the person you're shopping for anyway?

[ Maybe that's where they should start. He's not going to knock on them if it's a small kid using them to play pretend or something like that. ]

[mysterybone]

[ Mio is definitely not the stalker, because he's an idol and idols can't also be stalkers. It's just the rules.

He isn't sure what a carbuncle is, but a cat seems like a safe choice. They're cute and commonplace enough. But he considers this question for a long moment before he shrugs carelessly. ]

I don't know anything about them. Just a name. It's "Lancer".

[ Not anywhere near as cool as Death Chronos, in his opinion, but he's not judging. ]

[armigers]

[ And people think his name is weird? Who names their kid 'Lancer'? ]

You sure that's a name? Sounds more like an RPG class.

[ Like he wouldn't name his own kids something equally nerdy. He can't really judge here... and yes, in the pantheon of weird names, Death Chronos is definitely the silliest. ]

Lancers usually have a high defense and strength stat.

[ This is in no way helpful at all, but Noctis is pretending like he's giving vital information here. ]

[mysterybone]

That's what it said. Lancer.

[ So he's forced to believe that his parents really did name him Lancer. Or he chose that for himself for some reason. It could be anything! ]

Hmmm... high defense and strength....

[ he holds up the dog cape ] So this one?

[armigers]

Maybe more... dragony? Dragoons are sort of reclassed lancers except they wear dragon skin armor and perform aerial attacks.

[ He knows a lot about this subject and not just because their world's version of them almost skewered him in half not too long ago. But he can't really see that lady in a dog cape; isn't even sure if she wouldn't disembowel for the suggestion alone. ]

I mean if you're going to give him or her something like that, might as well go big.

[ Though in all fairness, they're all kind of equally ridiculous. He doesn't think the recipient will feel any less dumb receiving a dog cape over a dragon cape. ]

[mysterybone]

Dragoon? [ He looks at the coats in his hands and then shrugs. ] Dragons aren't very cute.

[ They're pretty badass though. It's always a struggle to find the perfect balance between edgy cool and super cute. Mio struggles with this on a daily basis, obviously. ]

Now you've made the decision even more difficult. I should curse you for that!

[armigers]

Woah there, wouldn't want to get cursed now.

[ There's sarcasm oozing from his voice because he doesn't think he'll actually get cursed. Even if this guy was capable of it, they'd all had their powers stripped from them. Unless, that's part of the new powers he obtained from Qri, but still, Noctis is more on the side of this guy not being much of a threat just judging from his overall impression since they met. ]

And dragons can be cute. They're not all bad.

[ He says that, taking personal offense, considering he currently can transform into a dragon as per his new powers. Judging from the photos Prompto has shown him of the transformation, he likes to think he looks more badass than ugly. ]

[mysterybone]

You're right. You're too valuable to be cursed just yet.

[ He doesn't even notice that sarcasm, because being cursed is a real threat?? And obviously everyone takes it seriously. ]

I've never seen a cute dragon before.

[ He turns his nose up at the idea. Sorry, Noctis. He'll believe it when he sees it. For now, he's shuffling through the capes looking for a cute dragon one. He's got a determined expression on his face. He's on a mission. So far, there's no luck though. ]

[armigers]

Good thing for that.

[ What he's valuable for... he's not sure. Well, he knows why he's valuable in his world, but he doubts it's the same reason this guy is thinking of. ]

And there's a first time for everything.

[ Too bad he's not finding any cute dragon capes either. Just generic kitten ones and bats... he picks one up curiously, briefly contemplating actually trying it on before thinking better of it. Maybe when he's alone, and there's no one to judge him. Besides, it'd cramp his style.

He does grab a hold of a bright yellow chicken one after, holding it up for Mio to see. ]

This one kind of looks like a chocobo. Can't go wrong with chocobos.

[mysterybone]

Yes, it is!

[ Nope, definitely different reasons. And he seems to make them up on the spot. But he's sure that Noctis is valuable for some reason, because he keeps showing up in Mio's times of need. ]

Maybe so. But it doesn't look like there's any dragon capes here.

[ He's a little deflated, but not much. He's soon on the lookout for other cute ones. Until that chicken one flashes in his view and he stares at it for a moment. It's...so bright. It totally clashes with his own style! And yet, it's a little bit cute. ]

A chocobo? You mean a chicken, don't you? It's a chicken. And it's kind of cute.

[armigers]

I think you mean chocobo. Who wouldn't want to be one?

[ Well, he would rather own one than be one, but he's trying to sell him on chocobos here. He plunks the cape down on Mio before stepping back. Yep, good look for a 'scary' dark mage. It's not as though the guy was ever intimidating at any point. ]

That's the one. Can I go now?

[ He thinks he's over-extended the amount of his usefulness for one day. This is clearly more advice than he's used to giving. Lancer better appreciate his or her chocobo cape. ]

[mysterybone]

No, I mean chicken! I don't know what a chocobo is.

[ Silly Noctis. But he blinks as the cape comes down on his head before whipping around to look in the mirror.

Hmm. Hmmmmmm.....

Yes, yes it will do. It's definitely cute enough. ]

Very well! The decision is made! You're free to leave.

[armigers]

It's like a cockatrice but slimmer.

[ He says that as though it's the most obvious factoid in the world. At least, he doesn't have to be wrangled any further into this awkward shopping venture. ]

Don't worry, I'm sure we got this one in the bag.

[ He grins as though he's some expert savant on gift-giving before giving Mio a wave. He's actually pretty sure whoever gets that is going to be perplexed, but whatever. His job is done here. ]