🎉 TANABATA FESTIVAL 🎊

[eyescar]

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.

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Comments

[curingidiocy]

[ Veritas tries to push him off, but being so young and a complete bookworm, he lacks the muscles his older self has. ]

I never wanted to be friends in the first place! You would've found me boring after an hour and left anyway, so there's no point in trying!

[ He shoves his hands into Kakavasha's face and pushes really hard. ]

Let go!!!

[ Unfortunately, Kakavasha eventually ends up succeeding and dragging Veritas down with him. Now on the floor, Veritas twists to kick Kakavasha in the leg. ]

Hah!

[stonehearts]

You don’t know that! You don’t know me!

( Kakavasha yelps when Veritas kicks him, though he thinks he should be congratulated on the fact he doesn’t bite the other boy’s hand when it’s in his face. )

If you got your nose out of your stupid book— I bet you don’t even remember my name!

( One of his hands finds Veritas’s indigo hair and he fists his fingers in it, tugging. )

[curingidiocy]

Why would I care to remember your name? It's not like I'm gonna talk to you ever again!

[ But he does remember. Kakavasha. Annoying and loud and won't take no for an answer. He yelps when Kakavasha takes a tuft of hair and pulls, so he reaches out to grab scraggly blond hair and yanks as hard as he can. ]

I'll make sure you never come back!

[stonehearts]

Oh yeah? Just for that I’ll come back every time— ow!

( Kakavasha winces, tears welling up in his eyes at the sharp pain — but he’s not going to be outdone by some mean kid. He shoves his hands at Veritas’ face, trying to grab an ear or his nose or something—

Which is approximately when Aventurine finally manages to find his younger self, having been drawn by the loud voices. He sighs, relieved, but then he realizes what’s going on — and he’s rushing forward to get himself between the fighting boys, hauling Kakavasha up off the dirt. )

There you are, Kakavasha. What has big Sis told you about fighting, hmm? Now why don’t you apologize to—

( He turns slightly, to look at the other kid, and then his mouth drops open slightly. )

Ratio?

[curingidiocy]

[ Now that an adult has appeared and Kakavasha has been pulled off him, Veritas is left with the ache of their fight and the shame of being caught fighting with another kid.

He grips his shirt tightly and keeps his head down, trying in vain to hold back his sniffles. In the end, he bursts into tears and starts sobbing, though he tries his best to muffle his cries by turning around and hunching over. ]

[stonehearts]

( Oh. Aventurine looks at Kakavasha, who seems to be okay and at least slightly chastened for the moment. Squeezing his younger self’s hand, Aventurine turns to Veritas and gently takes his shoulders and pulls him into an awkward hug.

Kakavasha, deciding to follow his older self’s lead, attempts to hug Veritas. Even if he doesn’t particularly understand why. )

It’s alright, Veritas. ( Says Aventurine. ) Kakavasha here just thought you could use a friend.

[curingidiocy]

[ Veritas pushes feebly at Aventurine, trying to squirm out of his grasp as he cries. He manages to squeeze out words in between each heave. ]

I don't... want a friend! I want... I want everyone to leave me alone!!

[stonehearts]

( Aventurine hopes that, should he and Ratio ever have children, that they're going to turn out more like Kakavasha than Veritas. Which isn't to say he doesn't understand small Veritas, he's just less good with crying children about problems that come from being super smart.

Aventurine does let him go, but Kakavasha doesn't, instead opting to hold his wrist instead. )

That's not very fair to other people. ( Aventurine points out, still kneeling in the dirt in his fancy clothes. One of his hands goes to ruffle the head of Kakavasha -- he still has no small amount of fondness for his younger self. ) Kakavasha here might not be as smart as you, but you're not giving him a chance. How are you supposed to help people to improve if you don't give them a chance first, huh?

[curingidiocy]

[ Little Veritas is a product of his environment, just as Kakavasha is. And he was born in a sheltered environment where he got almost everything he wanted, being the darling prodigy that people pinned their expectations on.

Veritas tries to shake off Kakavasha, stepping backward and retreating from the strange pair who won't stop bothering him. He doesn't like this adult who only seems to care about Kakavasha and not about Veritas at all. ]

W-why do I have to help him improve? Why do I have to be fair to other people when they aren't fair to me? You don't even care about me!

[stonehearts]

I don't care about you?

( Aventurine sounds a little shocked -- it's normal for kids to be unreasonable, sure, but that's the last thing he expects from Veritas, tiny or not. Still, he recovers with a laugh, and pulls off the necklace Ratio had made and given him. The one that stores pictures and videos of their time here: he doesn't know how else to convince a scared child that he's not going to do anything he doesn't want to, not really. )

Here. It stores pictures and videos -- I know you'll figure out how to work it. Just don't take it apart, okay? It's special to me. But I do care about you, Veritas.

( And then, with a look at Kakavasha, he stops trying to hold the younger Veritas' hand with a frown. But his younger self isn't done either, blinking up at Veritas with his big ol' eyes. )

I guess you don't have to be fair. But it's not like you've given me a chance to see if I'm gonna be fair or not!

( Veritas called him stupid first, after all. )

[curingidiocy]

[ Little Veritas doesn't know Aventurine at all, so how can he expect Aventurine to care? He eyes the necklace being handed to him for a moment before warily taking it, and when Aventurine says Veritas can figure it out on his own, he finally lights up. Like his adult self, little Veritas likes to be presented with challenges that don't involve people.

Kakavasha is being kind of annoying though. ]

I don't need to give you a chance 'cause you already blew it. You didn't go away when I told you go away.

[ That's all he needs to know to know that Kakavasha won't listen to him when he wants the other to listen.

So he ignores Kakavasha and starts trying to figure out how this necklace that is clearly some sort of device works. If it's well made it will be easy to operate. ]

[stonehearts]

Telling me to go away isn't giving me a chance. ( Kakavasha says, moving to hide behind Aventurine but sticking his face out from behind him to stick out his tongue at Veritas. ) You're just being mean because you think I'm going to not want to be friends!

( Ah, children. Aventurine casts a glance around, hoping for a flash of familiar indigo. No such luck, and he does his best to hide his sigh. )

[curingidiocy]

[ In a moment of triumph, Veritas manages to figure out where the correct button is and turns on the necklace's projection function. A holoscreen appears above the necklace, displaying all the albums that have been created and placed inside the necklace. Without even asking, Veritas clicks the first album and begins to look through the pictures.

There's a lot of pictures of the big blond man. And a few pictures of the blond man with someone who looks kind of like him. He's got indigo hair and sunset eyes just like him. Who is this? He looks over at Aventurine and stares at him for a few moments, and then stares at Kakavasha, and then back at the pictures.

You can almost hear the gears turning in his brain. ]

[stonehearts]

( The best part about dating someone like Ratio is knowing that he's a damn genius, and therefore his kid self is able to put things together at a rate maybe other people would struggle with. As well as using the evidence to draw his own conclusions. But it might help to nudge him along, right?

Aventurine puts a hand on Kakavasha's back, helping him forward with a soft, fond ruffle of hair. )

His name is Kakavasha, just like how it's my name. Though for the sake of clarity why don't you call me Aventurine. You are Veritas Ratio. And he-- ( He gestures to one of the pictures of Ratio. ) is my fiancé, Doctor Veritas Ratio. He's got eight doctorates, you know, and plenty of people who care about him. Friends, even, who like him just the way he is.

[curingidiocy]

[ Veritas is quiet for a moment, digesting the new information. That was the conclusion he was coming to, but now it's been confirmed. He has questions, like how two of the same person from different times can coexist, but the most important thing is: ]

I'm going to marry him???

[ Pointing at Kakavasha and scrunching his face in disgust. ]

I don't want to marry him! He's loud and annoying and dirty and ugly!

[stonehearts]

( Kakavasha scowls back, his hands going to grip Aventurine's sleeve as he sticks his tongue out at Veritas. )

And I don't want to marry someone who's mean! He called me stupid.

( Goddess help him. Aventurine sighs, shooting off a message to Ratio: Found them, and they hate each other. Turning back to the children, he does his best to continue to de-escalate the situation he's found himself in. )

Technically you marry me.

[curingidiocy]

[ In response to Aventurine's text, Ratio only sends his patented: k, and nothing else. But that means Ratio thinks texting is a waste of time and is currently making his way to Aventurine's location with all haste.

Meanwhile, little Veritas scans Aventurine from head to toe with discerning eye and a frown. ]

You're too bright and flashy. You remind me of a peacock.

[stonehearts]

( A peacock is fitting enough, and Aventurine makes a show of flipping his coattails as if he’s preening. Kakavasha laughs, at least, so he’s earned a point there. Maybe not with little Veritas, who’s just as direct and uncompromising as Ratio.

He’s charmed, actually, and intends on teasing Ratio about it when they’re alone. )

Yeah? Do you know why male peacocks have all that colorful plumage? To attract a mate. ( Aventurine, helpless before a six year old Veritas, reaches out to gently bop the child’s nose before laughing. ) It seemed to have worked on you just fine when you’re older.

( Kakavasha takes a step towards the distracted Veritas, peering at the photos still in the air. )

That’s so much water!

[curingidiocy]

[ Veritas yelps and stumbles backwards, gripping his nose, and then frowns even wider at Aventurine, eyebrows drawn down scrunched in an expression that looks comical on the young child but would be very fitting on his adult self. ]

No. I wouldn't like someone just from their looks! That's just stupid. If adult me only likes you because he thinks you're pretty, then he's stupid.

[ With that, he walks up to Kakavasha and dumps the necklace into the other child's hands. ]

I don't want this anymore! You take it!

[stonehearts]

( Not helping his case, Aventurine laughs fondly and the expression on Veritas’s face, though he gently takes the necklace from his younger self. It’s one of the things he wants to be sure comes back with him after all of this, even if he can’t remember he’ll know. Ratio loves him, and Aventurine loves him in turn. )

Unfortunately, he also knows I’m one of the few people who can keep up with him in conversation. I imagine the realization made him make the same face you’re making now.

( Adults, Kakavasha has decided, are weird. So instead he offers his hand to Veritas once more, almost pleading. )

Come on, let’s go see the horses. Or go to the creek! I caught the biggest crayfish earlier, I bet I could find it again and you can tell me all about it if you’re that smart!

[curingidiocy]

[ Veritas squints up at Aventurine, looking unconvinced. Then he looks at Kakavasha, annoyed. ]

Will you stop bothering me if I say yes?

[ It seems, finally, Veritas's stubbornness has been worn down enough, though he doesn't look happy about it. ]

[stonehearts]

Maybe! I have to see if I want to marry you, and I don't know if that's gonna be one day or two.

( Kakavasha is just saying. He's done waiting for Veritas' hand, however, and reaches out to take it with his own. Kakavasha thinks, beneath the meanness and the book, he's a bit silly. Maybe that's what makes him love him in the future? Kakavasha doesn't know.

Aventurine says nothing, just gives them both an encouraging grin. See, that wasn't so hard now was it? )

[curingidiocy]

I still don't want to marry you. I don't want to marry anyone. I don't want anyone bothering me to do stuff I don't want to.

[ Veritas very reluctantly allows Kakavasha to take his hand, though he scowls at the adult with every fiber of his little body's might. It's fine, he'll play along with them just once, they'll realize he's no fun and very boring just like everyone else did, and then they'll finally leave him alone.

At the same time, Ratio, the adult one, approaches the group with haste, brows furrowed.]

Aventurine.

[ His eyes flick over to the two young kids by his side, holding hands and not at all looking like they'd been fighting. He quirks an eyebrow at his beloved, as if to ask what's going on. ]

[stonehearts]

Ratio! You're just in time. I think my charm's finally worked on you.

( Aventurine perks up, visibly so and evident to the three onlookers. Whatever they might think of him, at least it's clear that Aventurine isn't lying about his feelings for Ratio. He flashes him a grin, gesturing to the kids.

Kakavasha, for his part, is looking at Ratio with wide eyes. He's pretty. And a bit shiny, though not as much as Aventurine is. Maybe that's why he marries him? He's pretty sure he can put up with a lot from Veritas if it means he looks like he can lift him up in his arms when he's older. He looks back at Veritas, thoughtful. )

If we're married that means I'm not going to bother you about anything. You'll want me to do it!

( At that, Aventurine can't help but snort as he tries to keep his laughter in, and raises a brow at Ratio. Anything to say in defense of yourself, Doc? )

[curingidiocy]

[ Little Veritas watches the two adults interact with an incredulous look on his face. So this is what he looks like when he's an adult? He's so... brawny. Did he lose his brains somewhere in all that muscle?

And then Kakavasha goes and says that, and Veritas gives him a look that clearly says he thinks the young Avgin is an idiot.

Ratio looks at Aventurine with consternation. ]

What have you been teaching them, damn gambler?

[ At the same time, little Veritas says: ]

Keep dreaming, idiot.