rekindlemods: (Default)
Rekindle Moderators ([personal profile] rekindlemods) wrote in [community profile] rekindleme2013-07-24 10:48 pm

A Festival of Lights

Who: Everyone
Where: The stable areas of Saeng Seong - mostly in the third district
When: 24th July to 31st July
Summary: The residents of Saeng Seong are celebrating their annual summer festival, and the offworlders are invited to take part!
Warnings: Inbox death may occur. System overload at own risk. SOME NPC RESPONSES WILL BE SLOW UNTIL THE ONE WHO PLAYS THEM IS PRESENT.

It's time to celebrate, to celebrate, to celebrate...

There's been a general sense of excitement among the natives of Saeng Seong for the past week or so, now; anyone who's stopped to question them about it (or has been close enough to hear them discussing it amongst themselves) will hear mentions of "the festival." On the 24th, what they're talking about becomes clear.

Each year, the residents of the city come together to celebrate the summer. Setting the festival up is an all-day affair; taking part in the festival's events will make for an entertaining week; and tearing down the booths and decorations is another extensive process. But in the end, the residents usually agree that it's worth it, and this year they would like for their would-be saviors to take part.

July 24th
On the 24th, the characters will notice that most of the city natives are moving about with a general purpose; they will find that in the Second District, in the very plaza where they all arrived, a committee of sorts is organizing volunteers and assigning them to different tasks in different parts of the open districts.

The committee needs people to help with preparing and placing decorations all over the city; paper lanterns, twinkling strands of lights, and garlands of flowers, though they'll note that the flora is fake. They also need people to set up tables, chairs, and makeshift stages at the riverbanks in the first and second districts, as well as to help redo the outdoor marketplace to make it more accommodating for booths hosting festival foods, games, and trinkets for purchase. Physically stronger characters may be asked to assist with setting up carnival rides in the free spaces - everything from a towering Ferris wheel to a carousel to bumper cars, and many others besides.

During this time, characters can also volunteer to man the booths on certain days, if they have anything they would like to contribute or would like to assist with anything.

Characters who take part in the setup will be awarded with five vouchers, good for use during the festival. These vouchers can be used for the purchase of food, admittance to rides, or to allow them to play some of the games for free.

July 25th
The festival begins early morning on the 25th - that is, the booths are open and ready for business, selling all manner of street food - crepes, kabobs, funnel cake, shaved ice, almost anything you can imagine - along with a wide variety of other things for purchase, like one-of-a-kind clothing, hats, scarves, and the like, as well as jewelry and other trinkets. There are also booths where you can get your face painted, where you can have your fortune told, and all sorts of other activities.

There are also the games. Standard festival stuff: Knock down a milk bottle, win a prize. Throw a dart and pop the right balloon, get a prize. You can play a game to catch and take home a goldfish, if you like, or try your luck at any of the other games that are interspersed with the other booths.

These booths will be operating all throughout the festival, until the closing ceremony on the 30th.

The opening ceremony doesn't actually take place until sunset, despite the fact that the booths have been operating all day. It's a simple ceremony, set at the riverside, with a speech about how summertime begets togetherness and how everyone should be thankful for the opportunities they've been given. All in all, it may be a little boring for characters with shorter attention spans. However, at the end of it, everyone lights a candle, makes a wish, and sets it adrift on the river once the sun has gone down entirely; the flickering candles will drift around the river all throughout the festival, and they never seem to burn down.

July 26th
The rides and games are going on full-force outside from the time the sun comes up, but in the afternoon characters will find that it's not as crowded as the day before. That's because there's dancing going on in the convention center - the afternoon is full of traditional group dances, the kind that are easy to learn the steps for and join in on; the natives will be especially delighted if their visitors teach them some of the dances from their home.

In the evening, it is not quite so energetic, though the dancing doesn't end. The songs slowly fade into slower, perhaps more romantic tunes, and the final dance will end precisely at midnight.

There will be refreshments available for free in the convention center during the dances, though not anything so filling as what characters will be able to purchase from the booths outside - mostly water, lemonade, cheese, and crackers. There is also a bar where specialty drinks and foods may be purchased.

July 27th
This day's special event happens after dark, though it's easy to see the preparations for it happening in the plaza where all the characters arrived - when the sun sets, a massive bonfire is lit, and many people gather, some with benches, to bask in the firelight. Some even write down the things they'd like to accomplish during the rest of the year onto slips of paper and cast them into the flames, in the hopes that the smoke will carry their wishes into the heavens.

Others gather around to toast s'mores and chat. Still others continue the dancing from the night before - off to the side to begin with, though as the night wears on they may expand into a bigger dance that will involve large groups of people circling around the fire in spirals.

Even away from the plaza, there are blazing lanterns throughout the city, and some smaller bonfires crop up in areas where it's not likely that anything important will catch fire.

July 28th
This day's festivities begin early on. The morning and early afternoon are devoted to a cooking contest - there are categories for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, and a winner for each - that both residents and visitors alike can take part in. Characters who cook delicacies from their own worlds may find the natives crowding them and asking for information about the dishes, and recipes to try on their own.

The late afternoon also has to do with food, and the characters are once again invited to take part in a variety of eating contests. There are your standard hot dog, watermelon, and pie-eating contests, as well as many others - the more daring may find themselves taking part in a contest where contestants are blindfolded and made to eat as much of rather... interesting concoctions as they can.

Characters who take part are given a voucher for use at any of the booths or rides in the festival; winners are given additional prizes. The winners of the cooking contest are determined ICly by character vote, so if there's a dish they especially love, make sure to mention that they'd vote for it so a tally can be kept! Winners of the eating contests are determined by RNG after all participants have been confirmed, with characters that have a canonical advantage (IE Maya Fey and her "separate stomachs") having more than one number that would lead to their win. Be sure to note such advantages while having your character take part.

July 29th
The extra activities on this day include showing off your physical prowess and your ability to cooperate with others.

On foot, there are three-legged races; pick a partner and try not to fall as you make your way to the finish line! There are also relay races - in teams of four - and you'll want to pick your teammates' positions well to ensure maximum speed. These races will take place multiple times during the day.

There are some other events to take part in as well: Thumb-wrestling tournaments, arm-wrestling tournaments, and outright wrestling tournaments.

At the end of the day, there will be a massive tug-of-war. Everyone who's mingling around and wants to take part will be sorted into one team or another, and then the two teams will face off.

Participants will receive festival vouchers; winners will receive additional prizes.

July 30th
The last day of the festival continues on like normal - the rides and booths are all operating, at least until the start of the closing ceremony that begins midafternoon and continues until the sun goes down. Winners of the various contests are once again recognized, the people who made the events a success are thanked, and the speech ends with a wish for pleasant experiences throughout the rest of the year.

The ceremony is timed such that there will be about twenty minutes for everyone to position themselves where they would like to be by the time fireworks begin being set off from a barge floating on the river between the second and third districts. There will be spaces on the riverbanks for people to watch from, though they can most certainly be seen from any other vantage point a character might like to try watching from, should they want to avoid the crowds.

July 31st
This day is a blur of activity as well, though not as fun as the past few days. The residents of the city are packing everything away and taking down the decorations, and they could use a little help if the characters are so inclined.

Characters who assist with the teardown will be rewarded with leftovers from the festival - plush prizes, food, maybe even some little trinkets characters have had their eyes on that haven't sold. No one's getting any fireworks, however.

Feel free to put up your own top-level comments, but be sure to put when and where the action is happening in the subject line!
littlewhitelies: (Hmm??)

[personal profile] littlewhitelies 2013-07-30 06:02 am (UTC)(link)
"Wait, maybe you could-"

No, no, she does NOT want to scare or make anyone shy off. At least not if she has any choice or control over the situation. M'gann glances around, looking for something to aid in the conversation and maybe keep things on a slightly more even keel; she's found that sometimes having a task to focus on helps with the conversation.

Which is when her eyes settle on some of those flower garlands. Perfectly colorful, bright, and a good distraction from any awkwardness and blushing! At least in her mind.

"Help me with those?" She points towards them. "They need to get placed, too."
wontdoanyless: (small smile)

[personal profile] wontdoanyless 2013-07-30 09:51 pm (UTC)(link)
He hopes that he hasn't made things too uncomfortable, but she hasn't told him to leave. That's a good sign. Steve looks around as well, until he looks over at the flower garlands. They are definitely colorful and bright, and he welcomes any kind of distraction. Maybe he'll stop putting his foot in his mouth.

"Oh, sure. Those shouldn't be any problem." Steve starts to walk over to them.
littlewhitelies: (Reach)

[personal profile] littlewhitelies 2013-07-31 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
"H-here! I can help you get started with those!" She might be a little too eager to get this project underway, if the way those garlands go flying off the table and M'gann's startled squeak are anything to go by. She hadn't expected them to be that light weight; otherwise she wouldn't have used quite so much force or enthusiasm to lift them up.

Regardless, they're still flying through the air like brightly colored softballs.
wontdoanyless: (Default)

[personal profile] wontdoanyless 2013-07-31 09:31 am (UTC)(link)
Steve stops in his movements to watch the garlands go flying off the table, his expression in shock again. Surely, this is another ability that this lady can use. He tries to overcome his surprise quicker this time, but it's still amazing to see.

"Well, um, no harm done."
littlewhitelies: (Bambi eyes go!)

[personal profile] littlewhitelies 2013-08-01 04:16 am (UTC)(link)
"Sorry, sorry!" She peeps out as they go flying through the air. M'gann just manages to jump and catch one, while shutting her telekinesis off and leaving the others to fall limply to the street. "Too much at once. Way, way too much at once, I guess."

M'gann taps her forehead with her free hand, a quiet bit of chastisement. "I was trying to help you get started...Might have tried a little too hard."
wontdoanyless: (small smile)

[personal profile] wontdoanyless 2013-08-01 08:29 am (UTC)(link)
"It's no big deal." Steve tries to reassure her, it really isn't something to fret about. He bends down to start picking up the other flowers. "Well, trying too hard is better than not trying at all." Well, most of the time least. But that's not here and now.

"I still appreciate the help, not everyday someone uses telekinetic powers to assist me."
littlewhitelies: (Hmm??)

[personal profile] littlewhitelies 2013-08-03 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
"So...Not a normal thing where you're from?" With how her last attempt at hovering went, M'gann decides to gather the flowers by hand as well. "That seems to be the case for a lot of Earths...I mean, assuming you're from Earth?"

She glances up, giving him a careful look. One can never be too sure, after all.
wontdoanyless: (smile)

[personal profile] wontdoanyless 2013-08-03 07:10 am (UTC)(link)
"Not really. But long as people use their powers to help, don't see the big issue about it either." Honestly, it would be swell to have those kind of powers, but no use being down on that. He pauses and looks at her, nodding at the question.

"Yes, I'm from Earth. 1943 to be exact, since a lot of folks I've talked to are from ahead of me." Which is a bit strange in Steve's opinion. But it could be worse, at least the Earth is doing well.
littlewhitelies: (Grin)

[personal profile] littlewhitelies 2013-08-04 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
"Forty...Three? That's-" She tries to do the math, considering how Earth years work before finally concluding. "I think that's a little before my time. I'm from around 2010 from my Earth."

And that gives her a brief surge of pride as she says that; HER Earth! Like it's a place she really belongs to! M'gann doesn't fight down the grin that brings to her face, as she gathers the last of the garlands and holds them out for Steve.
wontdoanyless: (small smile)

[personal profile] wontdoanyless 2013-08-04 10:06 am (UTC)(link)
Another person from the year 2010 and beyond. It seems to be pretty common around here, but it's not a huge deal to him. Maybe he'll meet someone from his own era one day.

"Only about 70 years." He smiles in return as he takes the garlands. "Appreciate the help, Miss. And don't believe I introduced myself, I'm Steve Rogers."
littlewhitelies: (Unravels her love)

[personal profile] littlewhitelies 2013-08-06 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
"It's a nice name." She nods as she considers it; maybe not the usual number of syllables she's used to, but still nice enough. After a second to process that, she gives a little jolt once she remembers herself.

"Oh! And I'm M'gann M'orzz." A pause to consider, before adding. "Formerly from Mars, but I've been on Earth for a while now."
wontdoanyless: (as the view passes by)

[personal profile] wontdoanyless 2013-08-06 06:54 am (UTC)(link)
"Thank you." He too takes a brief moment to say her name in his head before he responds. Steve wants to be sure that he pronounces her name correctly.

"It's nice to meet you, M'gann. That's some distance you traveled to get to Earth." Traveling to different planets is rather amazing though. "How do you find it so far?"
littlewhitelies: (:D face)

[personal profile] littlewhitelies 2013-08-07 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
"I love it!" Well, that's plenty empathetic to start out with, and M'gann throwing her hands out doesn't diminish that much. It's only after the fact that she catches herself and gives a sheepish grin.

"Sorry- But I do love it! Earth is amazing, and I'm so glad that I made it there...Actually, being here isn't too bad, either. It's close to being on Earth, after all."
wontdoanyless: (smile)

[personal profile] wontdoanyless 2013-08-07 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
Steve is definitely glad that M'gann seems to enjoy being at Earth. "Happy to hear it. What part of Earth were you staying at? I'm from New York." He can only imagine how different Mars is from Earth though.

"But you're right, aside from the touching and moons, guess this place isn't too different."
littlewhitelies: (At ease)

[personal profile] littlewhitelies 2013-08-07 04:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Happy Harbor-" The reminder that not everyone has heard of that causes M'gann to add "Around Rhode Island? East coast, which is nice; we got to go to the beach in summer, and enjoy the leaves in autumn. And a little of the snow in...Almost winter. It was actually closer December when I ended up here."

She gives a little shrug at that, willing to write it off as another fiddly bit of dimensional travel. It's actually not much weirder than anything else she's seen in her line of apprenticeship.

"But, what about New York? Do you mean the big city?"
wontdoanyless: (as the view passes by)

[personal profile] wontdoanyless 2013-08-07 11:19 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh, Rhode Island? I haven't been there before, but it seems like a swell area." It isn't too far from New York at least, maybe he'll get the chance to see it one day. Maybe once the war is over and when they have enough income. "Yes, I'm from the Brooklyn area. Got plucked out during the beginning of summer."