eyescar: 🐾 manga (pic#17020140)
yuji "old man whisperer" itadori. ([personal profile] eyescar) wrote in [community profile] synflux2025-07-17 06:34 pm

🎉 TANABATA FESTIVAL 🎊

WHO: Everyone in Neo Tokyo
WHAT: Tanabata festival! 🎉
WHERE: In the centre of the park
WHEN: 17/07 onwards
WARNINGS: N/A

NEO TOKYO TANABATA
aka operation festival funtime
As the middle of July opens, the streets outside of Neo Tokyo seem to get decorated almost overnight. Colourful origami banners hang from the trees, a mixture of tanzaku, kamigoromo, orizuru and toami.

For anyone who has been to the Sendai region in the midst of the Summer months, the decorations will look almost endearingly familiar; it's time for tanabata!
▶ 001. OPERATION: FESTIVAL FUNTIME.
The savvier of people might notice a particularly bright shock of pink hair running around in the early hours of the morning, taking part in setting up the decorations and putting together a basic layout of tables with tablecloths and various goods and prizes. Each decoration is hand made, and if you look closely you might see little golden traces throughout, giving a clue to who helped made these ones. There's something infectious about his enthusiasm and the delight, even as he gets a little more tired as the day goes on - there's nothing stopping him. Eventually, his section of the festival is set up; there are various stands, some for making decorations (bamboo branches with ornaments, more paper ornaments, origami, and various other cute and traditional arts and crafts), some space for you to take a break and have a fruity and always non-alcoholic drink and an area with a handsome backdrop for the taking of photos.

He's not alone, though!

Raidou's looking livelier than he has than in the last few weeks. He's helping the festival in an organizational capacity, while Yuji handles most other things. He sets up the stands, moves and directs supplies to the right place, picks out spots for decorations, and makes sure both vendors and visitors have everything they need. If you stop to ask him a question or ask for direction, you get a quick, polite answer before he flits off to the next task.

Once things are running smoothly, you'll find him working at one of the food booths, where he's frying up takoyaki and taiyaki. Raidou couldn't be more in his element - serving up fresh food and treats to the Outsiders and the community. You might even get your food handed to you from him with a smile.

At night, the festival is lit up with fireworks and sparklers throughout, lighting up the sky with explosions of little joy and happiness.

Throughout the festival, you can also get a free bento, delivered to you by a cute looking rabbit. The bentos come in many designs, cute, adorable or precious!
▶ 002. A DREAM IS A WISH.
One of the most exciting aspects of tanabata remains the wish-making. In the set-up for the festival, there are little posters left around near one particular booth (manned by local cryptid Choso) to explain the story of the festival and the meaning that it holds. Alongside it are an almost ridiculous amount of paper strips in various colours, left with some pens and calligraphy brushes for people to pick up and use. A big sign next to it declares the following:

Make a wish! If it's a good one, it might come true!

The directions are clear: write your wish on a strip of paper and hang it on one of the bamboo decorations. The harder you wish, the more likely it is to come true - and there are some prompts for the kind of wishes people could make, just in case you're strapped for ideas:
  • Academic or work successes
  • Prosperity or good health
  • Care and love for family and friends
  • Success in love or platonic relationships
  • Fulfilment of a personal goal or ambition
  • You might notice Yuji watching as you're tying your wishes up... Don't worry about that!

    If you require further assistance in your wish-making (or even if you don't at all) Choso seems more than happy to lend a helping hand. When he isn't cutting up paper strips and sorting them out into strangely-organized piles (paper thickness instead of size or colour), he's preparing the calligraphy ink via manual inkstone grinding or offering an absurdly wide variety of coloured (and scented) markers for your convenience.

    The strips of wishes can be as decorative or simple as you like, so don't stress about your artistic genius!

    ( ooc note: If you would like Yuji to take a shot at making your wish come true, please respond to this comment! There will be some RNG "granted wishes" that you can use in your top level and keep as a fond memory, but please note there is only one "granted wish" per character. )
    ▶ 003. AS THE POETS SAY.
    In the centre of the festival, in the midst of a park with vibrant flowers, is a table where Yuji sits for a few hours at a time between breaks. He seems to be practically vibrating out of his seat, and when approached he launches into an explanation of this particular game:

    THE SOULMATE GAME!

    The aim of the game is simple: you are given a ribbon at random with a number on it. Your mission? Find the person with the matching ribbon within a time limit of an hour and win a special prize. Don't worry though... If you lose, there's a prize for not quite making it within the limit. The festival is meant to be a celebration, after all, and Yuji doesn't want anyone to miss out.

    Here's the problem: Yuji isn't making it easy for people to find their soulmate. He's not left a boundary for how far you can go (in case you were tempted to hide...) nor has he done anything to make the festival less distracting. This area is set up with your traditional festival games, such as (fake) goldfish scooping, ring toss and some chairs and tables set out for food and conversation.

    To make it worse? Sometimes, Yuji might pop up and give you a hint to go in a particular direction, only for it to be a total red herring. This is definitely fun, isn't it? Who doesn't love a good chase? The problem is...

    Will you find your soulmate in time...?

    ( ooc note: If you would like to win (or lose) at the soulmate game, please respond to this comment! Go ahead and OOCly decide who your character gets paired with and whether or not you win or lose - there are different prizes for each. You can play the soulmate game as many times as you want ICly, but you will only get one prize roll per character! )
    ▶ 004. TINY FRAGMENTS THAT REMAIN.
    NOTE: THIS PROMPT WILL REFER TO THINGS THAT ARE SPOILERS FOR JUJUTSU KAISEN CHAPTER 264 ( refering to Yuji's powers and how he uses them in a fight ).

    Here's the thing: Yuji wants everyone to have fun. His dream is that people are able to find some joy and peace in the midst of the darkness of the last few weeks, and so he sinks into something that is familiar to him - cursed energy, and his domain expansion. In the early hours of the second day of his festival, you might catch him making a hand sign before a ripple of powers hits, collecting around the area of the festival like a literal bubble. Anyone on the edge of the bubble will see it like a flickering, semi-transparent void, but there's nothing to worry about... Right?

    The power of Yuji's domain expansion is simple enough, in theory: it transports into the memories, digs into the heart of what people want to show. His intention is to share the tanabata of his childhood with the people of Neo Tokyo and spark some joy for the Outsiders who have been through so much. He wants to show them something sweet and nostalgic, but he doesn't quite anticipate the side effect.

    Outsiders who end up stepping into Yuji's domain will find themselves able to come face-to-face with their childhood selves, and enjoy the festival together. If they're together with another Outsider, those childhood versions of themselves (shaped in the way they remember themselves rather than how they actually looked!) are visible and shared, like an extension of their thoughts come to life.

    It's still tanabata, but this particular part of the festival is influenced by what Yuji remembers from his youth, and Outsiders can find themselves seeing and being able to take part in various activities:
  • Crayfish catching (try and get the biggest or rarest one!)
  • Archery (can you beat your friends and get the bullseye?)
  • Horse riding (and you might hear Yuji commenting on how big their faces are)
  • Parades (are you going to join in?)
  • And anything else you can dream up! It's your character's childhood too, right...?
  • As soon as Yuji realises his mistake (at the end of the day, lost in his own memories) he brings down the domain, but it might be too late for some Outsiders who have come face to face with their more adorable versions. Whoops.
    EVENT BREAKDOWN (CLICK TO EXPAND)
    1. OPERATION: FESTIVAL FUNTIME: The festival is being set up by Yuji and Raidou, with support from other Outsiders to make decorations. Food and other entertainment is on offer for anyone who attends, but all drinks are non-alcoholic.

    2. A DREAM IS A WISH: Outsiders are given the chance to take part in the tanabata tradition of wish making. They can decorate paper with their wish and hang it up in the hope it will come true. Yuji will be granting one wish per outsider.

    3. AS THE POETS SAY: The "Soulmate Game" has characters being randomly assigned numbers and tasked with finding their matching pair to win a prize. They have an hour to find their partner and, win or lose, there is a prize for taking part.

    4. TINY FRAGMENTS THAT REMAIN: Yuji uses his domain expansion to bring Sendai tanabata to life, that has the accidental side effect of allowing Outsiders to meet and see their childhood selves. It also allows them to visit Sendai itself and take part in some other minigames that are not tanabata related if they want.
    stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17958319)

    aventurine | revelation

    [personal profile] stonehearts 2025-07-17 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
    ▶ 001. TINY FRAGMENTS THAT REMAIN.

    A.
    ( Where is Aventurine?

    Oh, there he is, running around the domain looking slightly less put together for once. Going from event to event, he seems more intent on trying to find someone rather than enjoying the domain and his younger self. Speaking of the latter--

    If someone nearby is an Outsider, Aventurine will interrupt the moment at whatever activity one might be doing -- even if they have their younger selves with them -- and ask a very simple question:
    )

    Have you seen someone, oh, roughly slightly less than half my height with similar eyes?

    ( He has, in fact, lost himself. Which is lucky for Kakavasha, and slightly less lucky for Aventurine. Ugh. )

    B .
    ( A small child, clearly one of the Outsider's youthful selves, is wandering around the domain -- noticeably without their accompanying adult. He's young, no older than eight, wearing clothes that have seen better days -- a worn, dirty shirt and a jacket that's been cropped from a coat much larger than he is. There's scratches and dirt on his face, but he seems unbothered by it all. It might be hard to guess who's younger self he might be, until someone catches a glimpse of his eyes: vibrant shades of magenta and bright blue, with diamond pupils.

    Near the stream, Kakavasha is delighting in being up to his knees in the running water, eagerly trying his hand at catching the crayfish. Is he using a net? No. He is, in fact, using his hands to try and catch the crustations, and seems to have a lot of luck doing so. Upon catching a rather large and fun looking one, he'll run up to the nearest person -- adult or child -- he sees, holding the crayfish out excitedly.
    )

    Look! Do you think big Sis will like this one? We don't have any of these back home, but I want to give her the best one there is!

    ( Kakavasha can also be found near the horses, staring up at them with wide eyes as he tries to pull himself up on the fence to have a better view of the animals. He's silent for a long moment, eyes tracking the horses and the people riding them before he turns to the person next to him, grinning. )

    What are they? Can I ride them? I think I have enough money--

    ( Which is when Kakavasha pulls out a few coins from his pockets, as well as a shiny turquoise stone. And a well-worn deck of strange playing cards, clearly belonging to Kakavasha rather than picked up here in the domain. Which begs the question: how did he get the yen in the first place?

    At the archery range, Kakavasha is experiencing the joy of projectile weaponry for the first time. While he struggles a little with drawing the child-sized bow back, there's a certain amount of luck to the fact that upon firing, the arrow hits the bullseye. With a happy yelp, Kakavasha turns to whoever might be near in order to share the joy.
    )

    Look! I can't wait to tell everyone back home that I hit it on my first try! Do you think I can do it again? I bet I can.

    ( The grin that spreads over his face is mischievous but otherwise harmless -- he's willing to make a bet if the other person is, after all. )


    ▶ 002. WILDCARD.
    [ aventurine will be around the festival, so feel free to hit me with anything. kakavasha is easily found anywhere in prompt four, so if you'd rather run into him that's fine as well. if you want to plot something specific, feel free to hit me up on discord or send a dm to this account! ]
    stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17960687)

    [personal profile] stonehearts 2025-07-18 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
    The miniature version of myself, yes. Can you believe I was so precocious in my youth? ( Literally everyone could have guessed you'd have been a handful, Aventurine. ) I can't honestly say where he's gone off to, considering my usual method has finally found its match.

    ( Which is his luck won't work against himself, because they'd cancel each other out. A damned problem if he says so himself. )
    stonehearts: 🦚 fanart → <user name="cs_ao3" site="twitter.com"> (pic#17671455)

    [personal profile] stonehearts 2025-07-18 06:01 pm (UTC)(link)
    You wound me. ( He says, pressing a hand to his chest in a gesture that means he's not at all hurt by the implication. ) If you're willing, who am I to say no? Lead on, Yuji!
    likemybooks: Taryon as a boy (Baby)

    002

    [personal profile] likemybooks 2025-07-18 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
    Augh! [The Truscan Vale is not a good environment for crayfish, much less a time-honored tradition like wading through the rivers catching them. A blond boy in fabrics that were chosen to show off the family wealth, even on a young child, pulls away at the crayfish in his face. He clutches the strap of the satchel hanging over his should.]

    Don't they bite? [Seeing that Kakavasha isn't in pain, young Taryon leans in to get a better look at the creature.

    The adult Taryon stands back. He doesn't know whose kid that is, but he's not going to interrupt himself making a rare friend. His younger self deserved this moment.]
    stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17958321)

    [personal profile] stonehearts 2025-07-18 05:34 am (UTC)(link)
    ( Kakavasha laughs, though his eyes give Taryon's clothes a once-over. He's never seen anyone dress in anything so fine before, even all the special clothes everyone wears for the Festival of Kakava are old, no matter how nice they were. But then he asks about the biting, and Kakavasha shakes his head. )

    I don't think so. It looks like maybe it bites people with the things at the front of it-- ( His face wrinkles, trying to find the right word for it. ) Claws!
    likemybooks: Taryon as a boy (Baby)

    [personal profile] likemybooks 2025-07-19 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
    Ooh...I wonder if it can fight off a bird.

    [Its claws are pretty small, but they look like they can pinch a child's fingers if they aren't careful.

    Or if they're cowards. If Taryon want to learn to be brave, he has to show no fear.]
    May I hold it?
    stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17958321)

    [personal profile] stonehearts 2025-08-18 04:28 pm (UTC)(link)
    I bet it could! But the bird would have to be very small--

    ( Kakavasha holds it out eagerly, tail first so that the claws are going to snap at Tary directly. )

    It's not as scary as it looks, promise!
    likemybooks: Taryon as a boy (Baby)

    [personal profile] likemybooks 2025-08-18 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Taryon eyes those claws as he warily reaches out...

    A finger pokes its tail.]
    Oh, wow, it's kinda slippery!
    baeber: (bread)

    1B

    [personal profile] baeber 2025-07-18 02:18 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Saber's on the other side of the fence atop one of the horses and dressed in her jockey gear, and looks over at the boy's questions. She gives the horse a look, then slowly slips off its saddle to speak to him from a similar height. ]

    These are horses, little one. [ She looks back at the horse, which waits patiently for her without moving. ] You may ride mine if you wish. I'm well acquainted with riding on horseback, so I can show you how best to do it.
    stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17960693)

    baeber... wife...

    [personal profile] stonehearts 2025-07-18 05:50 am (UTC)(link)
    ( Kakavasha is confronted with two things at once: someone here is like his sister! Tall and blonde, though she doesn't have his sister's eyes. And also the overwhelming excitement of the promise of riding a horse. He kicks his feet against the wooden bar of the fence before nodding. )

    Yes, please! ( And then, because big Sis didn't raise him to not have manners: ) Thank you, Miss! I've never seen them before -- nothing gets that big where I come from unless it's really lucky.
    baeber: (I guess it's fine)

    he's so baby 🥹

    [personal profile] baeber 2025-07-19 10:50 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Where is he from, she wonders, that a creature the size of a horse is surprising? ]

    Is that so? [ Perhaps she'll learn later, but for now, his wish is of the utmost importance.

    Saber takes the reins of the horse and guides her over to where he sits. The mare snuffles at his clothing before her ears twitch and her attention slips elsewhere. ]


    I believe you'll find horses to be wonderful creatures. The mare I'm riding today is very tame and sweet. I think she'll like you plenty as well.

    Here. [ She holds out a couple cubes of hay for him to take. ] A treat for her, so she can grow used to your scent and your face.
    saudadist: (SKREEM)

    double dipping on 1B

    [personal profile] saudadist 2025-07-18 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
    [ A little girl with a woolen cap pulled low over her head watches quietly as Kakavasha and the others nearby try to catch the crayfish. She's tempted to give it a try. Maybe she can cheat with her secret power. Catch the biggest one and-

    The suddenly wriggling legs of Kakavasha's captured crustacean snap her out of her thoughts, and she yelps. ]


    Bwhaa!! That...that's a big one!
    stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17958322)

    [personal profile] stonehearts 2025-07-18 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
    ( He laughs, making it chase after her before he sets it back down in the shallows of the creek to go free. )

    Uh huh! I want to find the biggest, best one of them all! I bet big Sis hasn't seen anything like this before, so if I'm going to bring one back to her it has to be the best one she's ever going to see.
    saudadist: (event; 29)

    [personal profile] saudadist 2025-07-24 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
    [ The girl stamps her foot but otherwise just pouts. ]

    Haaaa...how are you going to carry one that big? Won't it have even bigger pincers if it's huge?
    stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17960693)

    [personal profile] stonehearts 2025-08-18 04:19 pm (UTC)(link)
    ( That..... is a good question, and Kakavasha looks as if he's giving it ample thought. )

    I guess.... maybe we could put it in something? That way it won't get us!
    thighhighs: (179)

    1B

    [personal profile] thighhighs 2025-07-20 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
    [ And here she is, all of 8 years old, also perched on the fence staring at the horses. She glances over at the jingle of coins, and gasps. ]

    Where did you get that!? Did you steal it!?
    stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17958322)

    [personal profile] stonehearts 2025-07-22 04:35 am (UTC)(link)
    Nope! ( He looks slightly offended at the idea, and tucks it back into his pocket away from someone who looks like she might steal it. ) I won it fair and square.
    thighhighs: (164)

    [personal profile] thighhighs 2025-07-30 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
    Oh. Okay.

    [ That's that, then. She doesn't want his money, she's got her own. Rin turns back to the horses, reaching up to start climbing on the fence. ]

    If you won it, then that's fair. [ She looks at him over her shoulder as she starts to pull herself up. ] How did you win it?
    queenofkur: (daa 001)

    b

    [personal profile] queenofkur 2025-07-20 10:35 am (UTC)(link)
    [ A child...? He must be one of the outsiders' younger self, though whose she couldn't say. Still, even if a child isn't real and only an expression of someone's thoughts and memories - an earth mother goddess has some natural instincts she just can't ignore.

    So he gets a bright smile and she shakes her head when he tries pulling his money together. ]


    I can pay for it, you don't need to spend your own hard-earned money. [She approaches the horses, looking for the smallest one. She's not familiar with those creatures, but she knows for a child, it's best to be on the safe side.] What do you think about this one? I think he's taken a liking to you already!