🎉 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

[blastedass]

No. Compound bows and crossbows are different than casual sports bows.

[From a different guard to far different weight to a different hold. Even the ammunition isn't the same. Military grade weapons aren't the same as athletic grade.

She's not entirely wrong. Boken are used to learn first before going to metal swords. But...]

You'll get trained on the weapons before you go into battle.

[mace_pray_love]

Great. Even in another world, I can't escape classes.

[She fires off another arrow. It goes a little too high and misses the target. If she wants to be able to hit things reliably, it's probably going to take practice. Ugh.]

Does everyone have to learn magic too?

[blastedass]

Haa? What, you world doesn't have variation?

[Of course there are different classes! Not all swords have the same grade, not all clubs are the same type! Bakugo aims again and snaps off an arrow. It slams into the target's central ring.]

Tch. [No bullseye.]

Who the hell's gonna teach magic?

[mace_pray_love]

[She meant classes as in lessons, but she shrugs.]

There are plenty of different maces and axes and wands and swords and stuff, so there's probably a bunch of bows, too. It doesn't mean I wanna learn about all of them.

[Hmmm, he got way closer than she did. She adjusts her stance to more closely mimic Bakugo's.]

Is there not a master mage or high priestess in the Outsiders? [Maybe that's why they've been having such a hard time of things.] It doesn't seem fair to make all the magic users learn to use a bunch of weapons and not make the martials learn some spells. What if there's a kaiju that weapons don't work against?

[blastedass]

[Three different ways that word could be taken...]

Then get better with what you have until you don't need different ones.

[Or stick to the medical tents during battles. Her call. Bakugo watches her stance and how she holds the bow and arrow. Hmph, already picking up on the small adjustments he made on her position the first time.]

Haa!? Are you crazy?! Anyone can pick up a weapon, not magic! Magic doesn't natively exist in this world.

[mace_pray_love]

I do just fine with my mace, thanks!

[Honestly, keeping her allies healed and fighting on the front lines is plenty for one girl to do. She doesn't think she needs to ALSO be responsible for ranged combat. The rest of the Outsiders gotta have something to do, right?

She fires off another arrow, and it hits closer to the center than her first shot, but still not as close as Bakugo's. Hmph. He really seems like he knows his way around a bow and arrow.]

Really? Usually if they study hard enough, people can find some sort of magic they're compatible with. Even if it's just magic to enhance your weapon attacks.

[She shrugs. Maybe people on the Silver Star are just better at magic than the people here.]

[blastedass]

Then don't bitch about shooting some arrows!

[This was never intended to teach her how to become a military bowman! And while Bakugo won't say she has to be responsible for ranged combat, one of the ships carrying healers during an ocean battle only survived because one of those healers knew how to man the harpoon gun mounted on the deck.

Bakugo fires again, landing closer to the bullseye and clicks his tongue in annoyance. Dammit. He's really rusty at this. How long's it been since he actually tried archery? Three years maybe? Used to do it as a club before middle school.]

And how are you gonna work that? Chant spells or carve some ritual into the ground?

[Because he's pretty damn sure neither would work outside of the people already using magic.]

[mace_pray_love]

I'm not! This is just for fun.

[Firing off a weapon while yelling at your frenemy- this is what fun looks like! They're doing great at enjoying the festival.]

I don't know that type of battle magic. It's not really compatible with what I do. I just know that's the sort of spell I've seen my friends learn.

[And with nobody here to teach it and apparently a lack of aptitude amongst the people, there's not really a point in dwelling on it.]

How many weapons do you know how to use?

[blastedass]

Che! [At least she finally got over her grump about learning weapons. Bakugo draws back once more, narrows his eyes as his bow's shaft and his finger line the arrow flush with it to the target beyond. Point the tip where you want it to go, mind the shaft's weight, string's tension...

Bullseye! About damn time.]

Is your mace compatible with battle magic?

[Or is she running around swinging a chunk of metal and hoping to bludgeon kaiju to death with a few good smacks? She's gonna have a different idea when Jessica sees the size of these things.]

Bows, guns, blades. I've practiced on everything they have.

[mace_pray_love]

Oh, good job!

[Her arrow is off the mark to the left this time. It doesn't seem to bother her.]

Yeah, in a sense. If someone else enchanted it, I could use it and be able to hit harder with it, but I couldn't enchant it myself. My magic can't be used for harm.

[So, yeah, she is planning on going into the big battle with a normal mace and doing her best to chip away at some Kaijus' ankles when she's not chanting. She knows she can't do copious damage like some of the other Outsiders, but she'd rather contribute any way she can rather than sitting back and twiddling her thumbs.

Although maybe that line of thinking will change once she's been in a kaiju fight or two.]

Do you have a favorite? Which kind of weapon do you use at home?

[blastedass]

HA! Beat that!

[He knows she won't outside of a damn fluke! Smug as fuck he is. But she's improved a lot since her first shot.]

Haa? It's not being used for harm! Your mace is!

[What kind of shitty loophole is that? Enchanting a weapon isn't aggressive magic! Who the hell knows what the weapon's used for? Smash down a tree or open a wall for people to escape! Dammit, if she thinks she can run out with nothing but a giant metal club... Che, guess she can handle the small fry. If she ever needs to come off the arguably-more-important medical back lines.]

I don't use weapons at home. [He holds one hand out and *ka-kaBOOMB* an explosion ruptures in his hand, as if someone set off a combusting fireball out of nowhere.] I'm my own weapon.

[mace_pray_love]

[If she hits a bullseye, Bakugo could just claim it was because of his amazing teaching. Either way, win or lose, she has a feeling he'll still be smug.]

I can't. You're way better than me at this. Give me something I can whack, and I'll beat you for sure.

[She lowers the bow.] It's not about my weapon. It's about my magic. Mine comes from the Goddess. I can't... or, I won't... use it to hurt anyone.

[Jessica is full of contradictions and has a violent temper unbecoming of a priestess, but at least in regards to her devotion, she stubbornly holds firm. The Goddess' gifts shouldn't be abused by using them in ways they were not intended.

Her eyes go wide at the explosion. She's got a friend back home who can use fire magic, but it comes from casting a spell, not just... from her hand. That seems way too dangerous!]

Woah, how have you not accidentally blown yourself up?

[blastedass]

[He just might. Even though he isn't going to waste his teaching efforts on someone who won't improve. For now, he's content to see her getting the target and wavering, mostly consistently, between the inner rings. Not bad for knowing shit all about archery when she started.]

HA! What the hell can you whack I can't break?

[She hasn't seen him use his Quirk offensively yet. But hearing her pacifistic determination earns a small frown as he aims a narrowed look her way. She said "anyone" and kaiju aren't "anyone" ... even if they're living creatures.]

Then stick to healing.

[Because three times now, the kaiju have one way or another pitted the Outsiders against each other. If she refuses to hurt her allies, then she needs to stay off the battlefield until it's confirmed the kaiju can't turn them on each other.]

I'D NEVER BLOW MYSELF UP! I'VE MASTERED MY QUIRK SINCE I WAS FIVE!

[Touchy.]

[mace_pray_love]

We could go find out!

[Hitting things is something she can get competitive about.]

... don't look at me like that. I can defend myself! That's why I have a weapon.

[But if an ally turned on her, her first instinct would be to use her prayers to fix them, not to beat them up. It happens on her world often enough that there's a spell for that sort of thing.]

You could do that since you were a little kid? [His poor parents.] Wasn't that scary?

[blastedass]

Che! Next time one of those bastards attacks, I'll own you.

[Or they can hit the training simulators. He's not gonna start smacking things around the festival.]

Hmph. You're gonna have to tell your goddess to suck it up.

[When it comes to using her magic for offensive purposes. That's between her and ATHENA-with-an-L. Bakugo finishes his quiver with another arrow sunk in the bullseye, then lowers the bow as he eases his string into rest.]

Almost everyone in my world manifests a Quirk between 4 and 6 years old. It's been like that for five generations now.

[mace_pray_love]

...or we could see if there's one of those games with the hammer and the bell anywhere....

[But he he wants to do a training simulation sometime, she'd be down.]

Or you can shut your can and stop trying to tell me how to do my job!

[She's not budging on offensive magic. If people don't think she'll pulling her own weight enough with her healing, then she'll work twice as hard with her weapon.]

That sounds really chaotic. Your preschools must be built like fortresses.

[blastedass]

That won't work! Those shitty things can only score up to a certain weight!

[Though if she wants to find one, it wouldn't be hard to get Bakugo to smash the fucking thing. Certainly would be faster than waiting to get back to the training simulator.]

Ha! Don't bitch at me about it later.

[If she wants to avoid using her magic offensively, that's on her. Don't expect him to swoop in and help her when she opts to leave herself vulnerable. (He still would, and yell at her about it.) Aside, the Outsiders always need healers and hell if Bakugo's gonna encourage her to avoid her stronger suit.]

Some of them were. But you'd get in trouble of you used your Quirk out of turn.

[Which was... not strongly enforced in schools. Out in public, yes, but in the classroom, kids had more free roam, so long as they listened to the teacher.]

[mace_pray_love]

Like I would! I know how to do my job and I'm not going to come running to you to complain about it if I have a hard time!

[She'll take care of herself, and she's not gonna ask for Bakugo's help during a fight... even if she ends up needing it.]

I'm sure you were a perfect angel and always followed the rules. [Not.]

[blastedass]

Good! I don't have time to babysit!

[And he's still going to probably buzz past her at some point in the next battle to make sure she's doing okay. Or if he gets injured and one of his friends manages to force him into compliance, Jessica's going to have an angry growling blonde as a patient. Something they can deal with later.]

Urusei! My record was spotless!

[Ironically. He took care to make sure he didn't have marks against him. Even if he did throw the rule about Quirk usage out the window. Blew up a few people in school...]

[mace_pray_love]

Good, because I'm not a BABY! [😤 😤 😤]

[She'll be fine, what's a couple of light stabbings between friends?

September may see her training in the simulation room to shore up her defenses better.]

That just means you didn't get caught. [Spoken from experience, Jessica was a terror of a child. She dunked a lot of boys' heads in the mud for trying to tell her what she could and couldn't do.]

[blastedass]

No shit!

[WHAT THE HELL'S "FINE" ABOUT STABBING YOUR ALLIES?! FUCK!!

She'll undoubtedly find Bakugo in the simulation rooms; he makes an almost daily habit of working in them when he's not busy with his efforts on the police force.]

Haa?! There was nothing to catch, dammit! [He didn't smoke, do drugs, cheat, or any of those other bullshit habits! Even told off his friends for smoking around him because what if the smell got on his clothes and people thought he smoked?! Bullying and using his Quirk, however...]

[mace_pray_love]

[Look, when you come from a world with confusion status effects, you learn not to hold it against a person when they shank you under the influence.

She pauses.]

So you really were a sweet kid? [What happened?]

[blastedass]

[He is not the kind of person to let shit like that go. Shank him, confused or not, and he'll blast your head so fast you'll be in the stratosphere with his yelling voice coming after your ass to boot!]

ARE YOU DONE WITH THE BOW OR NOT?!

[Lets stop talking about his past, dammit! So nosy!]

[mace_pray_love]

Oh, yeah.

[She puts the bow and quiver of arrows back on the booth. It was fun trying something new, but she was always fine to stop whenever.

Oh, he is embarrassed to talk about his childhood? Fine, she'll leave it for now.]

Thanks for the lesson!

[blastedass]

[Bakugo sets his own on the counter, gruffly thanks the tender for her help, and tips her for the extra time. He's never liked talking about his childhood with people he doesn't know that well. Asides from the occasional comment, usually about classes or picking up skills.]

Yeah, yeah. I'm heading to the temple.

[If she's gonna stick around and do more games, then good luck and try not to fail too hard.]