Fall Festival + 13th Hour Log!

[stringmods]

▼ Joint Fall Festival and 13th Hour Log!

 

Who: Anyone
Where: Virgo and all over the city!
When: The 22nd of September and any 13th Hour!
Summary: A combination Fall Festival log and 13th Hour log!
Warnings: Stay away if you are allergic to celebrations and fun. ...Or demons.

▼ As long as Heaven and Earth endure, I offer such to you...

 

The last of the effects of TRIHARDO have faded, and the city has slowly returned to its senses. Sheepish civilians emerge before dawn to restore graffitied property in shame; friends and family alike murmur awkward apologies as they realize the transgressions committed in the previous days. They work quickly. By daybreak of the 22nd, it seems as Hinoto-Ri has largely recovered from the effects of the Zodiac monster...

Just in time for the annual Fall Festival. Close on the heels of the previous event, the attempted feeling was much the same. Booths selling assorted merchandise including lucky bamboo rakes and all manner of gourd-based household items (have you ever wanted a bowl made from a squash?), activities ranging from bobbing for apples to what appeared to be a 'largest squash' competition, and of course, food. Lots and lots and lots of food, from fresh fruits and fresh berries to candied apples and yams to more traditional chrysanthemum candies and taro and rice cakes. Consciously or not, Hinoto-Ri has fused a variety of customs into a single event, allowing for familiar fun for those of any background.

Through it all, though, there hangs a sense of unease and a slightly subdued atmosphere. Painted trees and bushes are still visible, and the destruction of property caused by overzealous citizens has not been fully restored. Whether or not the people of the city blame the Visitors for the events of the previous weeks remains uncertain...

▼ Tis now the very witching time of night

 

Soon enough, the curfew comes and in the blink of an eye, it seems, the festival has disbanded. The memories of the Virgo attack are still too fresh, and citizens and merchants alike retreat to the safety of their homes. Whether or not the private conference from earlier that week had any conclusion, the Visitors, it seems, are still granted free rein of the night.

11:58. 11:59. ...Now. Once again, the night sky is dyed a crimson red as the 13th Hour falls upon the city. And from the ether, the demons come forth, called by the fanatic light of the moon. It is only three days from the full moon, and the monsters remain aggressive.

But the 13th Hour is hardly a unique phenomenon. It comes nightly and by now, both Visitors and citizens alike have doubtlessly learned to accept it. On any night of the week, venturing out during this time will surely result in trouble...

▼ OOC Blurb

 

[ This is a dual log encompassing both the Fall Festival on the 22nd of September and 13th Hour posts running throughout the entire week and even month. We're trying a different format this time with more potential prompts; go ahead and start as many threads as you'd like under the appropriate section! Please tag with your character's name and OPEN. If you respond to the 13th Hour section, please write the days your character is out and about.

You have free rein in this log - join other people's posts, explore the festival, post them fighting monsters and enjoy leveling up/interacting! For this log, you can level up persona ONCE PER IC WEEK, but not in the same thread IC-wise. Please do not abuse this. The conditions are that the fighting must happen on different days. The threads should be long enough that an attack is possible and shouldn't just be a few comments for the sake of leveling up (i.e.: we want effort in them, as much as you would make with a normal log.)

FOR THE CREATURES: The creatures have to be in the Bestiary for you to use them. You don't need to use creatures from your own home worlds either, as long as someone's put in a creature in there! (Also, make sure your characters could logically take on the creatures you pick let's not have them take down a giant creature when they couldn't normally.) ]

DON'T FORGET TO TAG YOUR RESPONSES WITH NAME AND/OR DATE

▼ Quick Links

 

OPEN CHARACTER POSTS
Coming Soon!

Comments

BOBBING FOR APPLES

[stringmods]

[The sound of laughter can be heard as you make your way further in and soon very wet and very cheerful people can be seen leaving some stalls happy. Come and play! The owner beckons you. Every participant wins a prize!]

Open!

[otakuro]

[Nearby the troughs being used for the apple bobbing, someone very wet and very irritated is wringing out a piece of white fabric onto the ground. A rare glimpse at the wild Atsuro sans head covering!]

Darnit. And all I got was an apple...

[He bites into his prize with a sigh.]

A mushy apple.

[mementodagger]

[He really needs to apologize, but how does one do that after trying to kill one of his only friends?

So Yurick lingers a respectful distance away to Atsuro's left, chewing on his lip. Over and over he sees the fire bursting out at his friend's feet, actually hurting him this time....]

[otakuro]

[Atsuro continues to mournfully wring out his sopping wet head before placing it on his head. ...It looks vaguely like a doily.]

Darnit.

[The apple is awful and so he proceeds to glance around for a waste receptacle. Maybe his gaze sweeps in Yurick's direction...!]

[mementodagger]

[The second Atsuro looks his way, Yurick flinches and turns away, praying he's not been noticed. Unfortunately for him, his silver hair and manner of dress is rather distinctive, not to mention the eyepatch.

Coming out here to take his mind off everything was clearly a bad idea.]

[otakuro]

[Way distinctive. Atsuro waves the moment he catches sight of Yurick.]

Hey! Feeling a little better?

[He heads over with mushy apple in hand, the search for the trash can forgotten for the moment.]

[mementodagger]

[As happy as Atsuro looks, Yurick looks utterly miserable. Not even considering the humiliation factor of whatever happened to him, it was one of the worst memories of his life. He's never lost control like that, and to attack a friend with lethal intention is horrifying.]

... how can you smile at me after what I did?

[otakuro]

After...

[Oh right. Atsuro had spent so long here that it all sort of blurred together.]

You mean the night they actually beat the monster for good? Weren't you mind controlled or something?

[mementodagger]

"That's the only explanation I can think of to explain my behavior." Still, he didn't sound happy about the idea. "It doesn't excuse what I did, though. I could've killed you."

[otakuro]

"Actually, I think it excuses it just fine. You probably haven't heard of 'Charm' yet, have you...?"

Atsuro seems to be taking this pretty casually.

"We end up trying to kill each other every time something like this happens. If you beat yourself up about it, you won't be prepared when it happens again. ...And that's probably a 'when', not an 'if'."

[mementodagger]

Yurick gives Atsuro an utterly horrified look at that.

"Y-- you can't be serious...! How can we be expected to... Atsuro, that's horrible!"

To make friends only to be tricked or coerced into doing them harm? What sadistic force would play such games with human lives?

[otakuro]

"Huh. How do I explain this...?"

Yurick honestly seems pretty unhappy about the whole situation. Atsuro pauses for a bit.

"The thing is, no one will think the less of you for it. I don't hate you forever now - it's just something you have to get used to in a battle. The enemy has the ability to control you for a little while. It's not very fun, but... the only thing to do is to defeat your friends and wait for them to get back to their senses.

"After a little while, I guess... you get used to it. It's always embarrassing, and it's never really easy, but no one will think poorly of you for it. ...I mean, I've been mind-controlled twice already and people still talk to me."

[mementodagger]

Yurick just stares in shock for several more seconds before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Remind me again why people say things will be better once I get used to this place? Making friends only to end up nearly killing them...."

It takes a bit longer, but eventually he lowers his hand and nods at Atsuro, looking at least a little better. "Well, I'm certainly glad you don't loathe the sight of me. Though I imagine laughing at that ridiculous outfit took the edge off the situation."

He'll never live that down.

[greatseal]

Well, it is apple bobbing...

[You should just be happy you got even that, Atsuro.]

[otakuro]

I-If we're going to be sticking our heads in cold water, they should give us apples that taste good! It's only fair.

[Atsuro's life was all about fairness.]

[greatseal]

I can agree with you there, but they probably just didn't want to spend a lot on them.

[go buy your own apples if you're gonna complain, Atsuro.]

[otakuro]

It's not really even a prize, then. ...It's like a punishment. If you bob for apples, you have to eat them even though they're gross because you'll feel bad about wasting good food.

OPEN

[helenchanter]

[Apples *A*

Miki is going to win piles of apple stuff even if she spends all of her money here. Sanada stupidity spirit compels her to do so!]

[primordial]

Apple shampoo?

[And don't mind the guy over here (who definitely looks like he needs shampoo, what with that messy mop of hair), giving a confused look at the pile of prizes you've won so far, Miki.]

They're really taking this "apple" thing seriously, aren't they...?

[helenchanted]

Why not! It will go well with the apple soap I have...

[Miki you have. A. Problem.]

About as serious as I am! [Which is to say she has a problem.]

[primordial]

Now I'm worried that you'll be turning into an apple when you wake up tomorrow, what with all the stuff you have. I mean, it isn't that farfetched, here...

[A pause.] Wouldn't you get tired of the smell, anyways?

[themortalhalf]

[Unlike last year, Shinjiro no longer has Miki's sudden unexpected presence to use as a reason to slip out of the festival. And her brother doesn't seem to be intending to take up that mantle, even though a part of him still expects another Sanada to turn up out of nowhere, because he doesn't think he's ever gone this long unharassed. He doesn't know why Japan has to have so many goddamn festivals in the warmer months. Makes gone to enough he feels like he's surpassed some kind of legal limit—though he's sure he's earned a "get-out-of-a-festival-free" card on account of his good behavior. And yet he still finds himself coming to this one, and he finds it it less uncomfortable than he remembers them ever being.

Which is ridiculous.

At least he has a slightly more selfish agenda this time around. And that's taking advantage of the fruit and vegetable market before anything goes out of season. He's bought apples, too—and finds himself wandering around, glancing over the produce, until he spots Miki in the distance and narrows his eyes, trying to get a better glimpse at whatever the hell she's doing.]

I am going to most terrible thing, sorry 2 say

[helenchanted]

[In doing so, he treats himself to what looks like Miki sticking her head in a giant barrel, as she disappears for a few seconds, only to reemerge, splashing water all around her as her teeth are locked holding down her prize; a granny smith amidst all the other red apples.

Triumphantly, she yanks it out, spins it into the air and catches it with her other hand, holding it up there as a few nearby citizen clap. Her hair is dripping everywhere but she doesn't seem to care; this is her hour of glory as far as the festival is concerned.

...What a nerd.]

Re: I am going to most terrible thing, sorry 2 say

[themortalhalf]

[Well, she's certainly taking after her brother more and more each day. Here she just won an apple instead of a goddamn boxing match. He'd feel second-hand embarrassment for her, but she doesn't seem to be feeling an inch of it herself. Which is... good for her, he guesses. And he has to suppress some emotional hybrid response between a laugh and a snort, because the whole thing was pretty ridiculous.

Why would you even—]

You can just buy them, you know.