[Event] Summer Festival [June 23rd - June 29th]

[rubycitymods]

There is a lot of information here, but please read everything carefully!

IC

It has remained relatively quiet within Ruby City's boundaries for a while now. As the days have been growing both longer and warmer, this fact is made all the more apparent by the way the hours stretch on and on, into picturesque sunsets and temperate, starry nights. Fireflies are beginning to appear in the city's streets at dusk, tempting even the more hesitant folks to try and catch a few, or at least to offer up a hand to present them with a place to rest for a spell.

As of Friday, June 20th the firefly population will begin to subtly increase, almost as though they were gathering in preparation for something... and, this being Ruby City, it just so happens that of course, they are. No ordinary fireflies, these little evening delights bring with them a fun variety of quirks liable to turn the lives of Ruby City's residents right on their ear, should one happen to make direct physical contact with the little guys.

Dulled Senses - Hearing, Sight, Touch, Taste and Smell, depending on where the fireflies land on your body, you might find one of your senses isn't working as well as it should anymore. Can stack for multiple senses!
Devil-May-Care - The affected is suddenly given a careless attitude which may manifest itself as anything from a dreamy lack of suspicion or concerns to the kind of reckless abandon that ends in someone finding themselves about to jump from a roof and suddenly wondering what on earth they’re doing.
The Ghost Effect - A firefly lands on you and suddenly whatever you’re holding drops from your hands! You’re still visible, but incorporeal. Feel free to have fun with it, but try not to get stuck in any walls.
Rhyming Couplets - Exactly what it says on the tin. For an undetermined amount of time, you find you can only speak in rhyming couplets! Entertaining, embarrassing, perhaps both?
Body Swap - You don’t need to know the other party in advance, but you might find yourself knowing them fairly well before all’s said and done; should one of these fireflies land on you while you’re standing within fifty feet of somebody else, you’re going to find yourself walking in their shoes for a while. And by “shoes,” we mean “body.”
Feeling Normal - No, not the way that you’re hoping. Anybody with any sort of “superhuman” abilities will find themselves feeling decidedly less “super” and more “human” if one of these fireflies lands on you. This goes for gifts bestowed by genetics, nuclear incidents, enchanted items, and anything else that grants a resident any sort of gift-- Everything is nullified. Woo hoo!
 

Finally, the real source of the fireflies' strange behaviour will become apparent, but not before they've had a few days to wreak their bioluminescent havoc. On the morning of Monday, June 23rd, the residents of Ruby City will awaken to find their temporary home redecorated, with brightly-blossoming flowers and vividly-painted stalls spread throughout the streets.

While most of these stalls are filled with more flowers, these of the potted variety that one might choose to take home, others offer brightly-colored clothing suitable for summer, peculiar and exotic foods of every imagining, and a few even boast what appear to be specially-brewed summer ales and ciders… and all of it is perfectly safe!

In addition to the seasonal decor and treats, an immense well has, for the time being at least, replaced the ruby obelisk that usually occupies the city's center. Fully ten feet across and at least fifteen feet high, the structure would no doubt be much more impressive were it not for the weathered, rotted boards sealing it closed at the mouth. Through the patchy moss that covers them like a tattered sheet, some words are barely legible just above a single palm-sized circular indentation, their faded paint hard to read in places;

"six fragments must be placed
and a single desire will be granted
for the good all or one"

Aside from the well, several other new structures appear to have sprung up overnight; a variety of antiquated game booths can be found scattered throughout the city, adorned with signs which brag that anybody of sufficient skill might just be able to win a highly-coveted prize. No further details will be revealed, however, unless one steps up to play… and anyone who does will find that any magically enhanced abilities are nullified and participants must rely on natural talent alone.

Faint heart, though, never won fair lady. The games on offer are a rickety assortment;

Horseshoes
Beat the Dealer
High Striker
Archery
Duck Pond (you always wanted a real baby duck, right?)
Ladder Climb

For games where multiple winners are possible, the ‘prize’ (detailed below) will be awarded randomly to the person marked as the ‘winner’ from the people put forward.

And as if this wasn't enough, the change in the city's air has, on top of everything else, drawn the attention of the local Dryad population, usually residing in the forest. From Monday the male residents of the city may, if they're (un?)lucky, find that the Dryads have likewise drawn their attention in turn.. for the usual sort of shenanigans that Dryads tend to try for.

Careful, boys, there's more to these new ladies than meets the eye.

The festival trappings will remain until Sunday, June 29th, but the well will be a fixture until such time as it is used (or not). However, the presence of the well itself will have unexpected consequences in the weeks to come...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OOC

The fireflies and their various effects will precede the event before continuing throughout its duration. How long the individual effects last, however, is entirely up to you!

The "highly-coveted prizes" that the residents will be competing for will turn out to be 6 fragments of a single large, battered, gold coin - one which fits perfectly into the indentation on the boards blocking off the well, upon close inspection. The well will accept this coin, once it is whole, in exchange for a single wish... So choose wisely. There are only six fragments to be won, so if you think that your character might have what it takes (or that they would simply try, in games of chance), feel free to offer them up in the [FRAGMENT WINNERS] comment thread below by no later than Thursday, June 19th. Winners will be chosen at random and notified accordingly.

The winners/city residents on the whole may choose to work together for a wish that benefits everyone, but it is also possible for one selfish person to try and claim it for themselves! Please use the dedicated thread below (which will be put up after the winners are chosen) to decide what will happen. It’s also entirely possible that the end decision is not to utilise the wish at all.

Yes, the Dryads are really trying to do what you think they're trying to do, and they're mighty convincing about it.


This is a CITY-WIDE event. Participation in the festival itself is of course not mandatory, but it will be going on regardless! The event will run from Monday, June 23rd until Sunday, June 29th. If you have any questions, please see the [QUESTIONS] thread in the "comments" section of this entry. There's always a chance that we overlooked something or could make something better. Otherwise, have fun, and thanks for playing!

Comments

[PLOTTING]

[rubycitymods]

General event plotting!

[PLOTTING]

[pocketmobster]

Hahaha oh my god who wants to protect Fuyuhiko's virtue from those wily dryads?

Also Davesprite will absolutely totally get the Feeling Normal effects from the fireflies (because I can never help but depower him when depowering's on the table), so anyone who wants to run into a de-sprited, de-crowed Dave enjoying his legs is more than free to do so.

[magicsprice]

Gold will be Feeling Normal for a day thanks to those fireflies, but if anyone wanted to mess with Body Swap, I'm willing to consider it! Just be aware the man is normally cursed/immortal with magic that is powered by intent and emotion. Otherwise he's perfectly human.

[PLOTTING]

[rayya]

Will is the king of bad decisions, so someone might want to... keep him away from any dryads. I'm also considering hitting him with the Dulled Senses from the fireflies, possibly for sight, which he will not handle very well because vision is very important to him.

As for Tali'Zorah, if anyone wants to experience what it's like to be an alien and to constantly live in a suit where even the air is filtered, knowing that you could die from a simple puncture - I'm absolutely offering her for the Body Swap effect, haha.

[gordianknots]

Waver will be impacted by dull senses, specifically his sense of touch or the feeling normal fireflies - I haven't decided which yet. Either way, he is going to be massively unhappy, and more than a little freaked out.

Also for the sake of hilarity, I'd definitely like to muck around with the dryads, although I think that requires some help/someone please rescue Mr Princess Hair over here.

[neverbeamemory]

Sephiroth will end up Feeling Normal for a few hours at a time, every time one of those glowing bugs lands on him, though I should imagine that by later-dusk on Saturday he'll have decided to stay indoors during the hours when they are most prevalent. He really does get sore about having his powers anulled.

I'd like for someone (in the right position CR wise that is) to be able to convince him to compete in the High Striker game since he is strong naturally even without anything Mako/Jenova enhancements giving him an edge. But -you know- I'm not sure who exactly might be able to convince him to play. He's going to see this whole thing as incredibly childish/beneath him.

I almost feel sorry for any Dryad that might try....I need to think about this more, not even sure if Dryad's can be killed....

[PLOTTING]

[neverfirstclass]

I don't really have any ideas yet, so if you want to do anything with Celty or Cloud let me know!

EDIT: Would anyone want to bodyswap with Cloud. Preferably with him ending up a woman's body. Warning: Cloud has a broken arm and bandaged ribs right now.

[victoriantype]

Alice: will be up for body swap or for ghost effect! She'll also be playing some of the games (but not winning any of the fragments. I kind of want her to win a baby duck though X3)!

Morrigan: Like some of the others in the city, she'll be feeling normal, which will result in lower energy (so she'll be drinking more coffee than usual) and some crabbiness.

If there's anything you'd like to do with my characters, lmk either here or through Plurk! :D

[PLOTTING]

[stylish_hunter]

I haven't decided on his firefly effect yet but Dante is totally going to be wooing the dryads because let's face it, that's exactly what Dante would do.

Besides he needs an excuse to practice his guitar playing and what better than in the entertainment of a bunch of lovely forest spirits?

[PLOTTING]

[provenworth]

Elena has -10000000000 luck. She does. Its totally cannon. Which means that she's going to get a double whammy of Dulled Senses. Stupid bugs will be causing her to loose both sight and smell. Panic to ensue.

She will also likely be seen at the Beat the Dealer and Ladder Climb game. The former much more than the latter. Girl hasn't played a good card game in ages.

[PLOTTING]

[bifroster]

Because I am horrible to Jane, when the fireflies land on her, she is going to be dealing with Dulled Senses! I am totally up for plotting with everything else too :)

Re: [PLOTTING]

[unitesearthandsky]

Putting Link up for the rhyming couplets. Hoping my knowledge of Sugar Hill Gang and the Willie Shakespeare aides me in this.

Might put Peach up for Body Swap if anyone is interested, otherwise I'll be making her a ghost.

Tifa and Yoko might be getting visits from dryads, but more than likely it'll just be Yoko as Tifa will still be recovering in the clinic.

[PLOTTING]

[whereishe]

I am thinking Yuna would body swap with someone she doesn't know. Other than that idea I'm up for any shenanigans!

Other than that Yuna might be feeling a little off with recklessness >.< more so than usual anyway.

Baby Duck!

[likesimpossible]

Ten is going to have to deal with dulled senses, specifically his sense of touch and sight, but if anyone wants him for body swap shenanigans, I'm open to that as well.

[hellburner]

Rider may end up hit with Rhyming Couplets (because i'm apparently a masochist) but otherwise she'll probably be getting a kick out of the whole thing. And lord have mercy on the wish committee if she gets a fragment.

Also she may or may not flirt with a dryad for shits and giggles.

she has devil-may-care on a normal day tbh

[ergine]

Kohaku will be roaming around with the ghost effect. I plan to have this continue into the start of the festival, so she'll probably be going around asking others to gather some flowers for her. You know, for Reasons. No plans to have her participate in any games, currently, but I'm open to whatever!

Re: [PLOTTING]

[questionslinger]

Edward is ex-carnie and used to run game and things, so likely he's going to attempt to find an angle on all the games. This may not make him very popular, especially with his drive to win and "First place is the ONLY PLACE!" as Queenie put it when we were having a laugh about him being a huge tool.

As for fireflies; dulled senses for panic, ghost affect, and body swap are all up!

Jack, on the other hand, will go to enjoy, socialize, and possibly entertain other people because he likes that sort of thing.

Body swap, dulled senses, ghost swap -- and I might let feeling normal and devil may care help him out here (remove the terrifying looks, make him not care about them).

Bruce, on the other hand, will be on the fringes because let's not smash anything.

Hes totaly getting Feeling normal'd, and devil may care.

[PLOTTING]

[goddamnmoron]

Oh my god, Newt Geiszler stuck as a ghost for a few days would be hilarious

I'm totally doin' it.

[PLOTTING]

[leekspins]

I think I might give Orihime the Ghost status (being all incorporeal). She's not a naturally touchy-feely person, so people might not notice...unless THEY are the touchy-feely types.

And if she has any uncomfortable flashbacks to when she was canonly invisible and incorporeal SO BE IT

Orihime is also up for playing some sweet games in hopes of winning fabulous prizes, like fugly stuffed animals or rabbit purses.

[PLOTTING]

[for_redemption]

Richter will be going around to enjoy the fair since he never gets a chance to back home. He'll be playing most of the games and trying his best to win(and take home one or two of the ducklings) and also since it's a festival, he'll be playing music and would attempt to play loud dancing music if someone were to present him with a way to do so.

Other than that, I'm pretty open to shenanigans

[omnishamble]

Gilgamesh may or may not be doing something pertaining to those fireflies for a short spell, but outside of that he's going to be competing with other Sumerian occasionally when it comes to the games available. Some he'll just take up on his own because he's Gilgamesh and browsing through these sort of deals is not exactly all that different from what he usually does! Even with no magic, he is still a good shot and physically strong, so he shouldn't have much of a problem at all.

Also, I for one welcome dryad shenanigans with him, as well.

Otherwise, have at?

Re: [PLOTTING]

[superstylishsquid]

Alastor's going to be flirting with the dryads a bit, playing most of the games and generally having a good time.

As for fireflies, he's going to be spending some time intangible (and getting up to shenanigans). I might also hit him with feeling normal for the panic of being utterly human aaaaand if anyone wants a body swap, he's up for that.

PLOTTING aka TURN DOWN FOR WHAT

[unit031]

Labrys needs to swap bodies with someone stat, we all need to see her freak out when she realizes being human wouldn't be nearly as cool as she thinks it would be. Or being any other kind of something! It would be fun, trust me. eve

Jason is someone I am actually open to suggestions for! But I'm thinking devil-may-care ovo Time for some POOR DECISIONS MAKING

Bucky might get the ghost effect. I mean, he's a ghost already, right? ;>

[PLOTTING]

[bonnypiperlad]

For Jamie, I'm vaguely kicking around the idea of Devil-May-Care or The Ghost Effect, and he will probably wind up getting mixed up with the Dryads as well, even if on some level he knows better. Pretty lasses are hard to resist, alas.

So if anyone wants to do something with that, let me know! Or if you've got other ideas, too. I'm definitely open to plotting here.

PLOTTING for Shounen morons!!

[flashover]

Rin is not getting any firefly stuff, but those dryads are going to be on him like white on rice. He'll also be playing EVERY CARNIVAL GAME... and winning not a single one. Except maybe a baby duck. How cute.

Eren I am still up in the air about. Lost senses? Body swap??? IDK??? But since he's planting a garden, he'll be all about buying plants.