glocksuke | Summer Festival in the MGU

Summer Festival in the MGU

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[let him pretend not to be stupid for like five minutes. then again, the best thing about riku and kairi has always been that they're the people who understand him the most. it's kind of nice not having to say anything and knowing riku's going to read between the lines.

he does not think to tell riku that that's the mean thing that lup reacted to. it's still not really mean to him. it's facts, and riku's always been the one to push him forward. he was grateful for it then, and he's grateful for the words now. together...just like always, right?

riku loosens the hold and sora's dumbass self immediately tries to grab him again before realizing riku's not even going that far. stay there. thanks! cannot believe they've learned about poly separately and still just continue to be this way.

but right. haha! that.]

...after restoring everybody's hearts, and after Xehanort scattered Kairi's again, I went back to the Final World. Chirithy told me that I'd changed everything. "The power of waking is meant to be used to wake and restore sleeping hearts, not to restore them after they've completely faded away from existence." That's what they said. If I were to use the power again to restore Kairi's heart, I would lose my powers and I would vanish from the Final World with no way of getting back home.

[...it's pretty obvious what he chose.]

You guys are safe on the island. You, Kairi, Aqua, Terra, Ven, Lea, Roxas, Isa, Xion...even Naminé. Xehanort's defeated for good. Things are okay.

[and that's all that matters to him.]

That was about a year ago.

Sora.

[He doesn't say it like he's chastising, but like it hurts him to hear. When his fingers curl into Sora's clothes, it isn't because Sora has yet again taken the self-sacrificial road, but because he feels like he can't--won't be able to?--help.]

I'm not... [Well, it hasn't even happened for him yet.] I know I won't give up so easily. I just said I wouldn't.

You're not... [The rest of the words catch, and he looks down, a bit angry. Not at Sora, of course.] You're not dead, so--there's a chance. I'm not accepting there isn't a chance we can find a way to get you back home.

It's not... it's not right! You've done all of that for all of us, and you should be there with us. I know I wouldn't give up on you, Sora. I'm looking for you.

[it's not chastising but he sure does feel a little guilty anyway! mostly because he knows he didn't tell anyone about this plan before doing it. he lets riku hold onto him and he hasn't exactly let go himself and they're still standing in the middle of a walkway at a festival which is a wild thing to consider.

but...of course he won't give up so easily. riku's never been like that, even when he's made mistakes.]

I don't know. There's...something else that happened. But I don't know what it means. I don't think I'm dead if I'm still in one piece, and that guy in the coat that showed up in the Realm said my heart is in the same place as his. Wherever that is. And I know you and Kairi are looking.

[because that's how it's always been. losing each other to find each other to lose each other all over again with the hope of staying together for good. ...and normally he wouldn't continue, but after being alone for a year, living through a murdergame, and now seeing a familiar face...his shoulders droop just a little.]

But I want to go home.

[THANKS, THIS HURTS HIS HEART!!!]

Sora...

[Even though he still needs to process EVERYTHING Sora told him (so he can remember for later), none of that is important in this moment. The expression on his face softens.

Sora gets a good thunk when he gently drops his forehead against Sora's own, letting them rest together.]

Kairi and I will find you. We'll bring you home, and we won't give up until we do. Just hold on a little longer, okay, Sora? I'm sorry... you had to do all of this by yourself.

[Not Riku already thinking about whether he should tell any of this to Taichi and Yamato.]

[this is why he doesn't tell riku things!! but he's busy bonking their heads together and he's leaning in a little. sometimes...you are barely sixteen and truly appreciate the support from your best friend. it's fine. he will take what he can get.]

I know you will. I've never really been worried about that. [...] I don't regret it. Any of it. I needed to bring you guys back no matter what.

[good luck to riku and literally every complication this has brought up.]

But you've kinda gotta live through it first. You're still pretty far back.

I know you don't.

[He'd think Sora was a pod person if Sora had ever told him anything different. Of all people, of anyone he knows, Sora absolutely is the person who would never regret giving his life to save other people.

Stupid. Foolish. But courageous and kind.]

That's okay. I... can do it. I'll be ready.

[The hardest part he knows will be having to go along with it to get the best outcome. He understands changing things will give them unexpected results, or worse, terrible results. He has to let things go the way they have to go,

and then he can work on trying to get Sora back. That's the hard part. But at least he'll know how to be a bit kinder to Sora in the present. To... not take their time together for granted.]

We'll do everything the same. And then Kairi and I will come to get you. Just like we're doing already for you.

[that's absolutely the hardest part, knowing all of this and knowing they can't fix anything. it's a decision sora himself had to make after his time in the realm, and it isn't something he ever wanted to wish on his friends. but if anyone can handle it, it'll be riku.]

Okay. [he sounds a little relieved, at least, even if he had zero doubts.] I'll be waiting.

[...but even then...]

But let's stay here a little longer, okay? [he's also not going to take their time together for granted.]

[Soft. And disgustingly sappy. How could he ever say no? Carefully, he lifts his head, and a weak smile touches his mouth for a moment. A sort of exasperated one.]

Okay. [Even if he's going to spend the rest of forever thinking about everything Sora has told him. And worrying about it.] I'm here.

What do you want to do first?

[even if Riku feels a little exasperated Sora continues to give him a pleased little grin, tension disappearing slightly. he doesn't quite let go of Riku's hand but he turns to look behind them. ]

We should probably figure out which way Meow Wow went, but he always comes back later. [and then there's a tiny devious grin.] There's a couple of games down that way. Bet I could win a bigger prize than you could.

[nothing is ever going to be the same, but he can pretend.]

[........SORA. >:|

His gaze lifts to follow Sora's over and down along the way. And then he looks back... at the... devious grin... very flat-faced.]

Not a chance. Maybe we'll see Meow Wow on the way. Worse case, we'll have to win him back from one of the games because they think he's a toy.

[c:?]

You'll see! I've been practicing. [have you, sora. except. wait.]

--you don't think they'd really try to give him away, do you!?

[HIS LITTLE MEOW WOW!!!!]

[Older Sora is going to kick his ass.]

Calm down. I was just kidding. [Hm.] Well... he does look a little like a toy.

[Now he's just being mean. So he's going to start already leading Sora toward the games by the hand before the boy has a hernia about the puppycat. Komory flaps after them.]

He's probably fine. We'll find him.

[he's going to climb up onto a counter and beat riku up? that's so rude!! he puffs up his cheeks like a little chipmunk, indignant at the idea of meow wow being given away before riku begins leading him away. komory swoops and flaps behind them and sora's busy looking this way and that to make sure they don't miss the puppycat.]

Probably. The Dream Eaters are pretty good at taking care of themselves. Meow Wow wasn't even really around in the Realm most of the time. It was just for a week.

[STOP. Also stop puffing the cheeks, it only makes him want to pinch them between two of his fingers. He's VERY tempted to do that, but somehow manages to resist.

No one would give Meow Wow away because a) the fat thing would start moving around, and b) the two of them would bust in to stop it.]

Only a week? [The question sounds mostly rhetorical.] I didn't have Komory at all, but it was because I hadn't met the Dream Eaters yet.

[He glances over his shoulder at Sora.]

What was the Realm like?

If you had, he probably would've stuck around more. But the Realm was weird...I couldn't access my Keyblade or my powers or anything.

[as for what the realm itself was like...]

Most of the time, there were places on one side of the bridge that never changed like the inn we were staying at and the planetarium and the book store. The castle was on our side of the bridge, too. It's where the Leaders stayed, and we only got to go there if they invited us or if we had a job to do with them.

But every week, the bridge would extend to another portal that was different. We went to a space base, the jungle, a pirate port, a haunted mansion, the wild west, a medieval castle, the beach...the portal would change each Monday and we couldn't go back to previous locations. It was nice though during the week. A lot of it felt familiar.

[Riku absolutely squints a bit when Komory makes a twittering sputter of affirmation with Sora. Don't agree. Taichi and Yamato really would have been Spider-man pointing at him if he had Komory.]

You had a castle...?

[Sheesh. He heaves an "wow," but not angry sigh. Sora really went to Disneyland, and he got stuck going to fucking school. WHY? What God continues to shit in his dinner?]

Well, I guess it would. It sounds more familiar to the two of us than to other people, I imagine. [Especially if black coats are involved. Tch.] The school just opened up new areas as the weeks went by.

There were a few weird places, I guess...? But nothing like a castle.

Yeah. A big one. But like I said we didn't get to go to it unless the Leaders invited us or we had another job. And even then we didn't get to look at every room.

[this is what happens when you tell a seven year old santa isn't real, riku. you get to go to school and suffer.]

The boardwalk that we got to visit during one of our last weeks there came with a beach. It really...kind of felt like being home again. And the pirates' port felt a lot like where Jack Sparrow and the others are from. I even got to steer a pirate ship while we were fighting a kraken.

I did take some pictures of stuff though. I wanted to show you and Kairi whenever I got home again.

[Sora, don't just say yeah a BIG one?! STOP RUBBING IT IN. He has selective hearing about the other part of the context (no). ALSO STOP, HE WAS YOUNG AND MEAN BECAUSE HE WAS INSECURE.]

...

[HE FEELS SO TIRED hearing about the pirate ship and the kraken even though he loves this boy anyway. It takes a lot of strength not to get on Sora about being careful and not being stupid when clearly... it worked out in the end. Listen.]

Pictures-- [Recognition zips across his face. Wow, he truly is the dumbass here!!! He slows to a halt.] I could just... show you the pictures.

[Wow.]

[again, this is exactly what riku deserves? but sora seems at ease with all of his bullshit (as usual) given he just rewards riku with an innocent grin. the kraken was awesome? being a pirate was awesome? don't @ him and his childhood dreams. at least he doesn't have to tell riku about the hedge maze and fighting the griffin and the giant snake and what-have-you.

instead, he seems to light up at the idea of pictures even when they come to a halt.]

You too? [he's just. shaking riku by the arm. pictures!] Show me! I wanna see everything!

[SHOW HIM!!! meow wow is probably perfectly safe and pictures are really important instead.]

[NOT THE MAZE, HE WOULD BE MAD AND DIE.]

Sor--okay, calm down, hold on. [Wait!] Hey, you have to show me yours, too. It's only fair.

[He's not being Taichi and Yamato'd for the 2989284th time when he shows everything or talks about himself, and gets nothing in return.

Carefully, he digs out the phone from one of his pockets.]

You can't laugh. [At his stupid sentimental photos. Or being stuck in AU school hell.] Promise.

Yeah, yeah, okay. Let me...[he's using his free hand--well no. the cotton candy stick gets shoved into his mouth so he can use his newly freed hand to dig around in his pockets to pull out his phone. he could just let go over riku's hand, but no.]

Why would I laugh? [naruto...] You can't either though. [hope riku's prepared for the truly bizarre look of the gummiphone and also pictures from home (including photos of riku and kairi and the others) in addition to pictures from the realm. there are absolutely selfies of him and lup, him and clem, photos of glimmer and some of the other leaders, a sneaky pictures of lup and blanca being gross and romantic, some other pictures of people like hua cheng and xie lian and taako and izumo and action shots of people in general and the different places around the realm and sora in his different costumes. there's also a photo of the sora donald and goofy constellation in the planetarium.

there's also a photo of a photo, apparently! it dem. the background is of the island though and not plain white, but yeah. memeries.]

[SORA... PUT THE STICK IN THE TRASH. God, if he hands--and last braincell--weren't occupied...]

You'll probably laugh. But I'm not going to laugh.

[Who knows, he might laugh. He has his phone out, and he trades with Sora rather than me making him get distracted by Sora's pictures first. Sora... what are... these pictures from home. Geez. ALSO WHAT IS THIS PHONE. Anyway. He recognizes Lup and Clem, but not much else. He does raise his eyebrows at Lup and Blanca because Sora that's just fucking weird.

Okay, sorry, the pictures of Sora in the outfits do make him laugh. HE'S PRETENDING NOT TO GET SENTIMENTAL ABOUT THE PHOTO OF THE THREE OF THEM HE'S LOOKING AWAY!!!! LOOK AT HIS PHONE INSTEAD!

There's a picture of a picture, too. Of a brown-haired boy giving the peace sign on a beach with a silver-haired boy and a smiling red-haired girl. There's two pictures of Fall Dorm posing with a Claudeboard; a picture of the Christmas tree; a picture of a stolen Anime Night poster; a picture of a manila envelope with a drawing of the silver- and brown-haired boy watching the sunrise, signed "Dawn"; a selfie of a grumpy cat mascot standing with Manwol; a picture of Beauregard in a Naruto headband; and a picture of Riku with Mabel and Mandricardo; there's a picture of what looks like a spring picnic, and Riku is asleep holding a girl's hand? a player; a picture of a bunch of people in an auditorium at some kind of weird weeb party; a picture of dressed up Riku sitting in the lap of a boy his age who looks grumpy, flanked on both sides by two pretty young ladies--a player???; worse, one of the last photos is a selfie of him, a brown-haired boy, and a blonde boy shoulder-to-shoulder.]

[NO HE'S BUSY. anyway yeah have fun with this stupid-ass phone, you get one later bro. instead, he takes the phone from riku and begins flipping through the pictures.

it's not hard to miss the way he seems to sort of sag in relief as he starts going through everything. this is...a lot more people than he thought. these are all people that reached out to his best friend and helped him not be alone, and that's awesome? he raises an eyebrow a little at the anime night poster, followed by a soft smile at the pictures and drawings of them. none of the people really look familiar, to say the least, but he does linger on the last photo of what he assumes are taichi and yamato.

it's...sweet. all of it. but he doesn't want to outright say so immediately so there's a teasing smile.]

You're sure you only have two boyfriends? [explain the maya and hugo!!!]

[If he had been just a bit younger, he maybe would have been jealous of the photos crammed into Sora's phone. Even with the photo of him, Sora, and Kairi--that wouldn't have garnered his focus because he was stupid.

But now for some reason... he doesn't feel much different than Sora when he sees them. He's glad Sora had people to rely on, and people who looked out for Sora when he wasn't able to be there.

Also STOP, don't look at the poster, and STOP SMILING SOFTLY at their stuff, and especially do not look at the last photo. The teasing makes his cheeks and ears brighten, and he ends up sputtering when he leans to look at what the HECK Sora is even talking about!!!]

N-No, it's not like that. Sora! [He hates it here.] Maya was just... I had to because she made me. [This explains nothing.] She was dating someone else... Not then! I mean, she... was later.

[Why is he so embarrassed, he's dating two dudes.]

That's Hugo. And that's Iris and Annie. They were the other three who got pulled in by the plot hole like me, who had to be dorm leaders. The school had a party. Hugo never wanted to be friends with anyone, or go to anything really. Iris and Annie convinced him to come, but he was sitting in the corner by himself reading.

How about you explain this?

[He shows Sora the picture of Lup and Blanca.]

[thank you for getting over your casual jealousy, riku. as it is, he's just...going to keep feeling soft. cannot stress enough that he's so glad riku had people to rely on (especially knowing what point in their timeline riku's from.) as far as sora's concerned, everybody deserved to see his awesome best friend for who he was and give him a chance to grow.

likewise, he absolutely deserved to make fun of riku forever, so there's a broad grin as he wiggles his eyebrows teasingly.]

I dunno...you look pretty comfortable for something she forced you into. [he's assessing the faces of the other three though.] ...it sounds like the four of you worked pretty well together. Some of our Leaders were kinda shy, too. Or they were Cloud. [which is synonymous for awkward and kind of shy.] When we had parties and stuff we tried to invite them to spend time with us. During curfews, too. That way they weren't alone when they didn't have to be.

[he peers at the photo of blupca though before shrugging.]

It's blackmail for later.

[THANKS SORA.]

Lup gets all sappy about Blanca, but she hates admitting it.

Summer Festival in the MGU

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