synflux | 🎉 TANABATA FESTIVAL 🎊

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🎉 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.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[CONK!! Right upside Vash's cranium!]

Don't encourage him!

[Not with your atrocious mixture of coloring, Undercut!]

I'm getting orange and yellow, because they're the colors of my explosions. See?

[And proceeds to demonstrate with a few small ones right there in the store.]

OY!!

( He laughs, rubbing the back of his skull with a small pout forming. From the counter his younger self says I want red! That's Rem's favourite colour. And maybe ... orange too? Ah, sentimental. )

You were so little to have a power like that!

( He knows sometimes that the world doesn't care about things, but he wants to. )

How old were you when you went to the school? This old?

[Both boys are instantly diving into sprinkle distraction, his smaller self quickly trying to suss out his new friend's favorite flavor and whether red and orange go well with said flavor's coloring. At least he's not Bakugo's usual route and shoving his opinions or anything. Far nicer and more cheerful.]

Hmph. Most kids manifest their Quirks between four to six. I got mine when I was four.

[Firs one in his neighborhood to do so, making him the envy of the entire block + school. An amazing and powerful Quirk at that, adding to his rising ego.]

Kids start school at 6. I'd already started reading and writing by that time.

[He wasn't some freakishly advanced brainiac, but did enjoy a small advantage because he liked being first.]

( He'll join the queue while the kids press their hands to the glass, nobody better say anything to them, Vash is ready to helicopter parent. )

What was your favourite part of it? The school, I mean.

[Luckily the woman behind the counter is smitten with the two blonde boys, so they're getting proper service with extra.]

Being the best in my class.

( An indulgent laugh. )

Okay, apart from that. Did you have a favourite class or like, a favourite event?

No. Some were boring, but I could beat anyone at anything in middle school.

[He has preferred classes, but no favorites.]

( He does not know what a middle school is, but he'll go with it. By now the kidlets have come to their ice-cream conclusion, Vash watches the shopkeeper make what looks super interesting. He's going to have to go different from his tiny self and then maybe swapsies, just to make the most of it. )

Do you miss it? Wait, do you have a job back home? Do you get paid for the hero stuff?

( Actually -. )

I don't even know what you do here.

[Bakugo arches a brow when Vash seems to wrestle with something. Disappointed? Nostalgic? Sad? Frustrated? Not the same happiness he had on his face a few seconds ago. Tch, talking about someone else's homeworld is a damn kick in the ass reminder they're not on their own homes. Without the people they lived with or the lives they embodied.]

I work on the police force. [Since the second month here.]

I'm still in school back home, training to be a Pro Hero. Once I graduate and go Pro, I'll get paid.

( He whips around, emotionally devastated. )

You're a cop?!

[Don't snap your neck, Undercut. Bakugo narrows his eyes, brows furrowing at the reaction.]

Yeah? Got a problem?

( Look at his hangdog expression, Bakuboom. Look at it. He's devastated. )

You just don't seem the type.

( Sniffing. Thank god the babies are ignoring them. )

Cops aren't cool.

[WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH THAT FACE, UNDERCUT?!]

Haa?! I'm a hero back home, Undercut!

[Being a police officer was the closet thing he could be to what he aimed for in his own world.]

You trying to piss me off? Or have you only met corrupt ones?

( Blinking. )

There are not-corrupt cops?

[Don't make him hit you again. Cracking his knuckles even now.]

OF COURSE THERE ARE!! You think the world's that black and white?!

Okay, okay.

( Flapping one gloved hand. )

I believe you. And if you're one then I definitely doubly-extra believe you. It just surprised me, that's all.

Che! What the hell made you think that? Are the police in your world all assholes?

[Given what he knows about Vash's world, he didn't think there was enough of a collected group social structure to have something like a police force.

Likely a private militia with bounty hunters and mercenaries. None of which should be trusted to do what a good police officer should.]

I've been arrested a lot.

( A shrug, helpless. They're next in line now the little ones have their ice-cream and Vash makes Bakugo order his first, smiling sunnily at the woman behind the counter. His own is more sedate. He opts for a fruitier flavour than the little him, so they can trade off. Nuts instead of sprinkles. He even grabs a handful of the little plastic colourful spoons, holding his treat carefully. )

Are we sitting?

[Bakugo narrows his eyes, not sure if he entirely believes him. Arrested by bounty hunters or people posing as police? Mah, considering Vash's stupid unwarranted bounty, he's no surprised the guy got nabbed a lot. Wouldn't have much liking for law enforcement because of it.

Bakugo goes for a tangy citrus mix, lemon and orange together, before hitting it with a spicy red sweet sauce. Looks like a bowl of fire when he's done. Like hell is he sharing with his younger self's sweet-smothered bombastic creation!]

They're gonna be bouncing off the walls in a few minutes.

That's fine.

( Unfortunately indulgent with kids, the Vash the Stampede way. Probably why he's still so popular with the ones at the orphanage. He doesn't really know how the magic with all of this works, they probably don't get to leave the confines of the festival. Oh well, he'd have liked to see himself get to play with more kids. A shame.

For now he corals everyone to a table, takes a bite of his ice-cream and immediately trades off with his younger self. They'll keep swapping. Little Vash gets an explanation of fruits, muttered and animated. It's nice. He looks over to smile at the Bakugos, pleased. )

See, prizes and sugar. What more could a couple of guys want?

[He's not surprised. Vash has always been one for kids, spending time at the orphanage and talking to crying children during evacuations to calm them down. Bakugo's watched him for a while, noting how his presence can bring fears to rest and break teary eyes into smiles. A big caring heart people are instinctively drawn to and fawn over.

He takes his own seat and drops an elbow on the table, jaw propped on his fist. Like hell is he sharing his treat with his younger self, who seems to be having no trouble digging into his own sugary mess. They still occasionally glare at each other, but the smaller blonde's starting to crack grins at Vash and his kid's antics.]

You really want me to answer that?

Sure.

( A bright smile, ice cream melting down blue-green metal. Smaller Vash seems to be fascinated by the sprinkles, picking one off to eat separately. Which means he very seriously tells young Bakugo that they don't taste like anything, you're right. ) Humans like the sensory stuff. It's the crunchiness.

( Absentminded, thrown-aside, elbows on the table and his foot notched around a chair leg. )

Bakugoooooo. What can I do to make your day better? You have to tell me.

Ugh, you're dripping all over yourself! [Bakugo lashes a hand out serpent-fast and furiously wipes at Vash's arm with a wet napkin. Dumbass, pay attention to your own melting ice cream! Thorough, fast, meticulous, and done. He stuffs two more napkins in the guy's hand to form a makeshift guard around his cone.

Uh-huh! They're all about sweet, crunch, and color. It's decoration. See? Bakugo's smaller self points to a wall with various toppings listed beneath pictures in a colorful splay of fun and sugar. Ice cream parlor decor...]

Haa? My day's fine! [Asides from having to babysit his younger self. An aggressive tongue wipes up one side of his ball of molten-colored treat, leaving the inside of his mouth almost momentary aflame.] Stay with me until whatever's causing this ends.

[Growling demand because he's not playing babysitter alone!]

Well, duh. Besides, look at them. They're besties.

( Nai's my best friend, a mild protest, a little mouth smeared with ice-cream. Vash just laughs. )

You're allowed more than one. Bakugo's one of mine. ( A nod to the older version. ) He gave me a rice cooker, it's set in stone now.

( Briefly satisfied, his smaller version eyes Bakugo Sr. more carefully. I don't know what one of those is. And then, back to the younger version I wouldn't mind another friend though. ) See! It works out.

Hmph. Kids are gonna play with other kids.

[Not always. "What? You're friends with this grump? How?" His younger self peers at Vash with a suspicious surprise, then to Bakugo with scrutiny, and back to Vash.]

Shut up, brat! You wanna live to finish your ice cream?

["See?" Completely unaware he's going to grow up to be just as mean.]

Ugh, a rice cooker cooks, right; what do you think it is?

["Rice is really good! You should try it! They've got a stall with fried rice and you can even customize what you want in it."]

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i did this on purpose, i'm so sorry

what are you plotting?

he's a big dummy

best dummy

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