Summer Festival in the MGU

[crashout]

Wherever you are, whoever you are, one minute you’re at home minding your own business and the next you’ll see a shower of sparkles before you blink and find yourself teleported elsewhere.

The elsewhere, it seems, is an open grounds lined with stalls, pathways and gardens. Lanterns light up the pathways in soft glowing oranges and pinks, and even though it’s evening the weather is warm and enjoyable for a fun summer festival.

As you set off to explore, you’ll find that there are countless stalls with every type of treat you can imagine from a variety of cultures (including some from your own home worlds, strangely), all of which smell delicious and enticing. There are other stalls available with different carnival games as well. Go ahead and give it your all! Win a prize for that special someone, or just keep trying out of sheer stubbornness. Other stalls seem to be selling wares such as clothing, household items, flowers, and other things that can be given away as gifts. It seems that every time you look around, a new stall opens, almost as if this festival is responding to your every wish.

Speaking of wishes, there’s a small cluster of bamboo trees nearby as well, tables set up with baskets of arts and crafts supplies to write your wishes on the colorful paper and tie them to a branch. It’s a sweet thought, no?

And of course, what’s a festival without fireworks? Every now and then fireworks will light up the night sky, bursts of color in fun shapes such as stars, hearts, faces of people you know, whatever! Sparklers and bubble wands can also be found to play with throughout the evening near the viewing gardens. Flowers bloom and cover the area, though the paths lead to several small alcove-like areas and gazebos for those of you who wish to have a little romantic privacy. No matter where you are though, you’ll always be able to see the starry night sky.

Do try to play along and enjoy yourself for the evening. It’s only when the last firework bursts several hours later that you can actually leave anyway. Have fun!

[ooc: you know the drill, past mg characters from any of our past games, please don't make me list them again but go nuts.]

Comments

[shiftingwinds]

[catch shi qingxuan after she spends a few minutes panicking over the fact that they've been whisked away again. (and it might be for murder? it is not, in fact, for murder, but how is she supposed to know that?) or catch her during it if you think that would be funny, i don't control you.

anyway, once she clues in that this is just an innocent summer festival and not anything more nefarious, she sees no reason not to enjoy herself! it's nice that these stalls seem to crop up with whatever they all want, because this means she does not have to spend the evening sober. she is absolutely going to be lingering at a stall serving alcohol, and when she spots someone - whether they're familiar or just interesting-looking - she calls out:]

Hey! Come and join me for a drink, why don't you?

[also, much later on, join her in watching the fireworks! for her part, she's entranced, just watching the colors as they explode in the sky.]

How lovely...

[enfangs]

[imagine if i was like "white's still a deman so he just dies immediately in the sun goodbye"

anyway, no. but he just lets out a snort when shi qingxuan talks about drinks.]

Why am I not surprised?

[battling]

[The very funny thing about sudden transportation is that Bradley is already used to it. You can catch him after a sneeze. Same as ever.

This is new though! New place, where is this? Festival? Don't mind if he does.

By which he means, he is making his way through the food stalls, stealing bites as he goes. Anything that's mostly vegetables he leaves alone.

Later you can find him at one of the games. Specifically the target gallery, where he's racking up points and prizes. He's holding onto a teddy bear and a toy bunny.]

Which one d'ya like more?

[azuta]

[iris is already holding onto a bear

but she is absolutely not against opportunism]

The bunny! Show me what you've got, Bradley!

[fishingforcompliments]

[here's flayn! she's dressed in hanfu again, because she is definitely spending more time in yin yu's world than in fódlan lately, and she's at one of the games stalls!

specifically, she is trying to catch a goldfish with one of those flimsy little nets.

three broken nets are sitting nearby, but she doesn't look at all daunted as she picks up a fourth.]

You shall not escape me this time, just you wait...!

[evocationary]

[standing off to the side watching her do this...

a beat, and then she murmurs something and the fish does a like, slam dunk into the net that flayn is trying to catch it with.]

[dianxias]

[ well, nothing says interesting quite like being transported to a random place at the blink of an eye! it looks like it's probably not murder related this time, at least, but xie lian has never been anything if not the type of person to just go with the flow - it's probably fine? so! the atmosphere here is wonderful, anyway, and very lively, reminding xie lian very much of the revelry of ghost city.

that, and the food smells amazing! so. found on his own, xie lian wanders through the festival over to a stall and is presented with a skewer of delicious smelling meat. he looks delighted, thanking the person running the shower with a proper bow, and then slips back into the crowd to resume his curious wandering.

of course, he is xie lian, so therefore, he makes it about five steps before someone bumps into him from behind, and he loses his grip on his skewer. ] Oh - !

[ and it falls in the dirt with a sad little plop - before he can even kneel down to try and grab it, someone even steps on it. xie lian's left crouching down kind of sadly before his treat.

there's a pause. xie lian picks up the skewer and the remains of what's on it, turns his hand a little to inspect the damage... brushes it off....

and then just resumes eating it.

it's fine. ]

[shiftingwinds]

[a hand curls around xie lian's wrist. shi qingxuan, who has grabbed him, looks scandalized.]

Your Highness, really, there's no need for that, we can just find you another one...

[cuedoves]

[ zuko is looking like a cranky bitch as always... he holds up a bubbler ]

What is this supposed to be? A cheap imitation of waterbending?

[disreguarded]

Isn't that a Legend of Korra thing?

[says beau from like a few feet away, mouth full of food.]

[impurities]

[ there's a brief moment where chang geng seems to be deeply considering committing a murder, as you do when you come from a TPK game, but then he seems to process and reason that this is not the same scenario. so he's here, enjoying the festival. insomuch as someone who, at their core, doesn't enjoy crowds, but has adapted to politely tolerate them.

after a passing interest in the shooting gallery booths that crop up, but not being particularly interested in the guns aspect - not his specialty, even if he can handle them fine enough - when there's one that has bows by some chance (wow, convenient!) he stops off at it.

he's impressively poised, drawing the fletching back to his cheek before he releases. you can interrupt him and see if it'll fuck up his shot, or watch him hit the bullseye, or come join him when he's gotten his prize. whatever random plush or trinket or what have you it is, chang geng offers it with a smile to someone else. ] Here, it's better to win a prize for someone else, right?

[liuli]

[ gu yun has never been speechless in his entire life, unfortunately for literally everyone. even when he is blind and deaf, he is STILL, somehow, not speechless.

and yet! when chang geng turns to the side, he will see a very, very, very familiar face just sort of - staring at him? eyes a little wide, surprised. ]

....


[ and then because it's gu yun, he blinks and snaps out of it externally, smiling enough to crinkle those peach blossom eyes, instead, playful and twinkly. ] Shouldn't I be the one winning prizes for you?

[ externally he doesn't even react. internally, now, he is screaming

WHY ARE YOU SO TALL? THIS IS CHANG GENG, ISN'T IT? WHY ARE YOU SO OLD? HELLO? ]

[feytality]

[ catch maya snacking on absolutely everything, making colorful wishes or..... harassing you at one of the game booths with the cutest face she can muster ]

Can you win me that big fluffy wolf? Pleeeeease?

[nodo]

[ hmm. in another universe he might have been softer towards her but you know. that was in another time but in this instance, he's just going to look down at her and just ????

who are you? he was just taking a look. ]

And is there a reason why I should go about doing that?

[targon]

[ if you glance away for like half a second, any food you were holding is gone now.

giggling can be heard nearby... and if you search, it's very easy to spot zoe, given that she's only a couple feet away. and she has absurdly long gradient hair that sparkles. she's sitting in mid-air. eating your food. ]

This is real yummy!

[fishingforcompliments]

[oh! her food...


she looks very surprised for a few moments, but then turns toward the sound of zoe's voice.]

...well, yes! I am glad to hear you are enjoying it.

[refate]

[ WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?

it's kon, actually. i have no blond kon icons so you're just going to have to use your imagination, but he's here - thankfully he's dressed like he usually did at wiwaldi, something like this for the festivities, so he's still recognizable. he's mostly walking around and enjoying the food that's popping up in stalls. but at any random carnival game you might be considering: ]

You know these are rigged? To win, you usually have to cheat the system.

[sacredchants]

[ wow what the fuck is a wiwaldi? don't know what that is however—wow she doesn't need unsolicited advice from you? that said, she's standing there with a broken fish scooper in her hand. ]

Obviously.

[ haha... ]

[applechemist]

[ escha has like four candied apples in her hands. she is struggling to hold them all. help. ]

[fishingforcompliments]

Oh, be careful!

[she reaches over to help escha hold her apples!!]

[maelstroms]

[ i guess this asshole is here.

find him stuffing his face and mostly avoiding interacting with other people. ]

[shiftingwinds]

[


that awkward moment when you end up in line for the same food stall as your cannibal best friend. ex best friend? sqx doesn't even know.

luckily she has some alcohol with her from another stall so she is just going to take a very long drink of that while examining the menu and sneaking glances at him.]

[azuta]

This kidnapping frequency is getting a little ridiculous.

[her WORK. but at least for now it seems mild enough? iris huffs a bit as she mostly keeps to herself, smiling politely and staying out of people's way amidst the festivities. though she does get distracted when it comes to the game stalls, her eyes set on a rather fluffy teddy bear. finding... well, little else to do, she picks up one of the toy guns and goes to take aim. she's okay at it, clearly more accustomed to video games than holding something in her hands - but when she does manage to knock one of the cans, her eyes light up and she gives a triumphant] Boom! Headshot!

[and then looks around nervously in case anyone overheard her. clearing her throat. or you could snipe the win from her while she's still struggling. she will never admit to needing help.



a little later she gets distracted by the bamboo trees and the wishes - smiling faintly at the tradition. she writes down her own wish on colorful paper before turning to someone nearby] Do you think they'll come true?

[so many of these weird places promise wishes,,,, but also she'll step back a few paces, like she's trying to see just how high the bamboo branches go and how she can tie her wish to the very top. high hopes as always, miss iris.]

[evocationary]

They tend to! Amazingly enough.

[she watches iris step back, and then:] Need a boost?

[daifukus]

[ henlo it's your neighborhood bara spear back in action. he's surprisingly comfortable with this nonsense happening yet again and seems to have dressed up for the occasion.

catch him at the fish pool Very Carefully trying to catch a teeny goldfish with minimal luck. there's a least one fish and about six nets next to him but look sometimes... you are meant for stabbing, not catching... ]

Perhaps I require something other than such a flimsy device.

[applechemist]

I could make a better one!

Oh, but I don't have a cauldron with me...

[evocationary]

[you can find lup (redacted, or rings, your choice) in several places!

first, she's out by the fireworks, sitting on the grass. she's got a sparkler of her own, and she's got a mage hand writing curse words in midair. she's also sending her own fireworks up into the air, and those are usually less obscene and more like... symbols. an umbrella, a big floppy wizard hat, an axe, a shark. if you catch her in the act, she just grins at you.

there's also a point where she's curled up writing a wish on one of the papers. upon running into her doing this, she immediately shoves the paper down her shirt. what? what paper.

she can also be found harassing a poor food stall worker.]

Are you sure you used the right amount of cumin? I can barely taste it, my dude, you have to change your recipe because this ain't it.

[liuli]

Perhaps your palate isn't sensitive enough?

[ comes a very teasing, familiar reply from behind lup. ] I could taste it fine.

[liuli]

[ it doesn't say that any of these stalls have booze but i've decided they do so

when in rome! or, when in a weird summer festival, you do as the romans do. if gu yun is concerned about suddenly appearing in a strange place, he doesn't seem to show it; he's already two drinks in from one of the stalls and holding some other festival cocktail with a paper umbrella sticking out of the top of it as he peruses his way through one of the flower shops. ]

Never been whisked off to another world to celebrate Qixi before - only celebrated Qixi in another world. Suppose this is some sort of hint?

[ he will pluck out a plum blossom from one of the bouquets with a charming smile at the person minding the stand, and then turn to you, twirling it a bit between his fingers. ]

Here. Hold still.

[ ? ]

[shiftingwinds]

Hm! It might just be.

[shi qingxuan is, predictably, a couple of summer festival cocktails in, herself. she's sipping idly at one when gu yun speaks up, and she doesn't even hesitate to go entirely still when he tells her to, though her gaze does flick briefly to the blossom.]

I'm not moving, Gu-xiong.

[sengokus]

This is...

[mineo looks up and down the different rows of activities with two eyes. he's eyepatchless and cute now. he's frozen in one spot, looking at people walk around, enjoying themselves. despite this, he is absolutely holding cotton candy in one hand and taiyaki in the other.]

This is....!!

[TURNING TO THE CLOSEST PERSON]

This is like - PEAK DATE ACTIVITIES, RIGHT?!

[shut up shut up just shut the fuck up]

[seradotwav]

Then where's your date?

[malborn]

[a small man in a hooded cloak stands off to the side in the viewing gardens. he's got a bubble wand? and he's staring at it like he's never seen a fun thing in his life.]

[shiftingwinds]

[sir.]

You know, it's more fun if you wave that around in the air a little!

[robopriest]

[Here's a certain someone, hair in a ponytail, though he's dressed in a casual long-sleeved shirt with a vest on as he walks around, enjoying the sights.]

[He can be seen poring over one of the colored papers from the baskets, tapping his chin with a pen.]

Do you think it's in poor taste for a priest to wish death on all his enemies? [And then a chuckle.] Ah, just kidding.

[Later can be found with a bubble wand just blowing bubbles everywhere! He's having fun! Yes, he might be blowing bubbles in people's faces. Also for fun. He's just vibing.]

[evocationary]

[which lup is this who knows]

I mean, uh, maybe poor taste after what the local clientele have been through, but I think you should go for it. Nothing like a good revenge story.

[shixiong]

[ kidnapping...3

if you look up on one of the rooftop buildings you - probably won't see anything. unless, of course, you look really hard, and then, you just might notice that there's a male figure down on one knee up there, wearing a white mask with horns.

he seems to just be observing everything, though, at one point, he does reach up to nudge the mask off of his face - and of course, it's the ever presenceless yin yu, who seems pretty content to watch the festivities instead of socialize. he looks happy, actually, and occasionally pauses in his observation to reach up and murmur something to a small silver butterfly, then carries on with his 'duty'. ]

[disreguarded]

[she absolutely spots him from across the festival and like, terminator runs through the crowd to climb up the building

she's coming for you shixiong]

[alitaba]

[ there's a small gremlin running through the stalls with far too many fireworks in her hand. it seems? like someone? hasn't learned her lesson from last time? at least these aren't lit.

...........for now. ]

Heeeey come light sparklers with me!!

[refate]

Didn't you blow something up the last time we had sparklers..?

[supremity]

[ and here's this big stinker. festival goers might notice errant, silver butterflies weaving through the stalls and crowds, with a faint, tinkling glass noise as they flutter by. anyone that hua cheng knows/has positive cr with will actually be greeted by the butterflies, who come to drift around their heads and land on said person.

hua cheng himself is just drifting through, looking right at home with everything. ghost city is like this but on steroids, after all, so this is nothing new. he does take a moment to grab up some flowers as he passes by them, clearly scrutinizing the quality. ]

[dianxias]

[ hi ]

San Lang! [ that's a familiar voice. here comes xie lian! he's a little breathless, and holding a

truly gigantic thing of cotton candy. ] You simply must try this, here - !

[commedia]

[Whoah, it's a clown! Though not the Big Bad Clown...just Ashiya Douman as they are. There's little pieces of paper flitting around them like butterflies, some holding some trinkets and prizes from the booths, others holding food. It's like their very own little flock of birds.]

[They're very nice and polite, though, nodding to everyone they see, though they're smiling if they see you too holding a lantern or just in general too overburdened with Things.]

If you want, I can put a little spell on your lantern there to make it float! Haha, anything to keep your hands free.

[shiftingwinds]

Really? That would be great! It's sort of hard to carry this and everything I want to drink, after all!

[she


definitely has Way Too Many Drinks.]

[duranduel]

[Wow!]

[It's an introvert's worst nightmare!]

[Catch Mandricardo hurrying over to one of the gazebos or alcoves because you will NOT catch him in the crowd, bye, he isn't here! Let him Be Gloomy.]


[Eventually, he will creep out from his hiding place and look up at the fireworks, before pointing:]

H-Hey, that's Principal Bear!

[steelo]

[ just

looking around them ]

...I didn't think he came with me...?

[haw]

[ no matter who you are, what you're doing, or where you're hanging out—if for whatever reason, you turn around, you'll find this ominous figure there, just... standing. that's all they do. they just stand in your path, not moving, not speaking... h-hewwo???

if you don't want to deal with the jumpscare, though, find majima later on with the mask pushed off to the side of his face, also pretend he has long hair because nobody draws happy y0 majima. anyway! he's at the food stalls with a takeout tray in hand, popping one in his mouth before swearing and fanning his mouth (wait until it cools down, dumbass). only then does he notice he has company, and grimaces. ]

Look, I-I'm fine, I swear, but could ya get me a glass of water or something?

[disreguarded]

[well, okay, like, this terrifying jumpscare figure is right there and it scares the piss out of her so her instinct is to punch]

[chevaliered]

[ well, there's nothing much to see here other than Some Guy™ hanging out near one of the viewing platforms later on in the evening. for anyone who knows him, his hair doesn't seem to be its usual white? it's a darker, more grey tone now. weird!

but he has a sparkler and is waving it back and forth a little lazily while he watches the fireworks. get too close and he'll glance up at you with a grin. ]

Think I could spell something rude with this if I moved quick enough?

[ crow. ]

[azuta]

[





ohhhh she nearly just turned right back around instead of talking to him buT HE ALREADY ADDRESSED HER SO]

It'd have to be both rude and very concise?