22 - Harvest Moon Viewing

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Harvest Moon Viewing
When: September 10, 6 PM
Where: The Meeting Hall grounds
Summary: The Heavens are throwing a moon-viewing party!







Party Games

Children are dashing all over the moon-viewing grounds in the early evening, flying kites or playing tag and other games. Many of them are wearing cute seasonal rabbit masks made of paper, or sporting ink curlicues and scribbles drawn over their faces, if they've lost too many games.

Card games and spinning top battles, a few practice archery butts towards the edge of the park, poetry-composing competitions, and even badminton: there's something for everyone, and anyone who doesn't look too busy may find themselves offered a rabbit mask and a game to play. Or perhaps you'd like to try your hand at drawing people into your own game?

Moon Viewing

The moon rises not long after sunset, looming over the garden in hazy golden and red splendor thanks to the volcanic fumes in the atmosphere. The games are winding down as darkness falls, and the faint scent of burning incense fills the air as people settle to view the moon rise. Shinki in their festival best, adorned with Amaterasu's golden chrysanthemum, are serving the guests. They set out trays of fresh seasonal fruit (Japanese pears, persimmons, and chestnuts) and plates of mochi, serve sake, and light portable grills to cook sweet potatoes and skewers of meat.

Mazed & Confused

Part of the grounds have been rearranged into a hedge-maze made of tall, plumed grasses packed close together. A sign at the entrance reads, "Bring back my ribbon from the center of the maze,
and I'll give you a special prize!"

Unfortunately, that's harder than it sounds. The maze is full of dead ends, confusing turns, and twisty little passages, which all look alike. It's almost magical how easy it is to lose your way inside, and the tufted grass will prove to have painfully sharp edges if anyone tries to cheat by pushing their way through the "walls" of the maze.

Those who successfully find their way to the center will find a white ribbon fluttering from the top of a tall pole. If they can climb the pole, pull the ribbon free, and make it back to the entrance, they will hear the sound of a child's laughter, and the ribbon in their hand will disappear to be replaced by a round cake of mochi. Enjoy the prize!

Wild Moon

One of the children participating most energetically in the games of tag and dashing around the party is wearing an oversized gray hoodie with the hood pulled up right to the edges of his happy rabbit mask. He's not being very careful, either: he keeps bumping into other party attendees and barely taking the time to mutter an apology before he sprints away.

Although nothing noticeable happens at the time, anyone who's been tagged or bumped into by that particular child will begin to feel more emotional, quicker to react, and less self-controlled as the night wears on. Those who he only brushed by won't be too powerfully affected, but the more times that he has run into someone, the stronger the effect will grow.

(Note: This won't cause anyone to have emotions that they wouldn't feel otherwise, but both ongoing moods and temporary reactions could be amplified.)

In Summary:

• Play party games
• Relax with snacks
• Try to solve the hedge maze
• Go wild
• Have fun~

Comments

[museumship]

A: Totally Mazed

[ So uh. She decided to play this game on a whim, but unsurprisingly she ended up getting lost. Try as she might, she cannot navigate the seemingly endless corridors of green hedges. She may turn down this way, and somehow she ends up running into a dead end. She may walk down that way, and she somehow winds up back to where she started moments ago!

But then she hears it: footsteps from another who is braving the maze. Instantly she perks up, nearly sprinting towards the sound of life. Brashly she will charge at your character. ] You gotta help me, I'm lost...!

[ Then if allowed, she'll take a hold of your shoulders and give you a desperate shake. ]

And I haven't had a cheeseburger in two hours!!

B: Moon Viewing and Emotion Shenanigans

[ After somehow getting a cheeseburger and scoffing it down, she'll happily pluck a beer up from one of wandering waiters and plot herself down somewhere to sit. As she looks up at the moon, she can't help but wonder if it's the same moon she would have looked at back wherever she came from--.... but that thought is neither here no there, and there's no point wondering about it. ]

A night like this needs [ A pause. ] fireworks, I think. [ Red, white, and blue ones preferably. ]

B

[minogame]

( He's eavesdropping when he hears her musing about fireworks, )

Eeeeeh, but then you wouldn't see the moon! ( He's a bit of an old fashioned spirit, don't be fooled. ) ... But I miss fireworks a lot.

( And he sighs loudly. Summer is over. )

[museumship]

Right? [ She agrees wholehearted. ] I mean, the moon is pretty an' all, but sometimes it's jus' too quiet.

Besides, the moon'll be there all night. Fireworks'll just last, what, a couple o' minutes?

[minogame]

But it's special tonight. (Even if the moon is there every night. This is the moon's special night.) And I think fireworks would scare the rabbit. So maybe another night would be better.

[museumship]

Er. The rabbit?

[ Have a questioning look at she takes a sip of her beer. ]

[moonlitknight]

[ She comes out of nowhere and suddenly he's being shaken like a rag doll. What the hell! Cheeseburger?! What the Hell is wrong with this girl! ]

Will you let go!

[museumship]

[ OH NO SHE WON'T NOT UNTIL SHE GETS AN ANSWER!! ]

Ya gotta help me, please, please please!! I've been starvin' here!!

[moonlitknight]

[ He's finally had enough and breaks the hold by taking her arm by the wrist. ]

Calm down first!

[ You crazy person! ]

[museumship]

[ Aaaaah, no don't tell her to calm down she won't calm down! ] But-- but---!

[ Breathes heavily.

She can only utter one word in response, desperate: ] Food.

A

[replicatedform]

[He regrets entering this maze. He's pretty sure he's lost at some point? If he could retrace his steps, he should get his bearings again and mentally map the place...

Only to find himself being shaken by someone after turning around a corner?!]

What—Oi! Let go!

[museumship]

[ NEVER.

That only makes her cling harder. ] You-- you must know the way out! You have to show me!

[ She's practically rabid. ]

[replicatedform]

[HELP.

He raise his hand to try and pry her off him. How strong is her grip?!]

Know the way out? I don't know and let go already!

[museumship]

[ At last she lets go, if only reluctantly. ]

Wha--.... ya mean to say that we're [ Pause for dramatic effect! ] both lost?!

[ Oh no. Oh no. It's like that one movie, isn't it? The one being trapped on that mountain and one will have to eat the other to survive this is horrible-- ] I'm too young to die....! [ Note: as a shinki, she doesn't even know what age she is. ]

A

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Grggh!

[Edge doesn't remember any girls from life, but he's pretty sure that he instinctively expects girls to be -- well, not like this! He staggers with that shake, his brain practically rattled loose, then gets ahold of himself with visible effort.]

Uh, cheeseburgers?

[This is not his best effort, but hey, he's totally off-balance here!]

[museumship]

Yes! [ She cries out desperately. ] Cheeseburgers! The glorious slabs of ground meat topped with gooey cheese an'-- oh, an' maybe some peppers an' an egg, throw some extra spices on it, then maybe put some bacon.....

[ There's a loud grumble, sounding almost like the roar of an engine.

It's her stomach. ]....An' I'm gonna die without one.... [ She says pathetically, waving her hands. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Uh. Okay. This is way past what Edge knows how to handle, and he feels adrift in a strange and ominous ocean...]

[...But she's clearly in a bad way, and she's cute, so at the end of the day he can only accept one course of action.]

Then come on! Let's find the center of this maze and earn your freedom to eat! If I let a pretty girl die, I'd never forgive myself!

[He motions to the left-hand passageway neither of them had come from, taking a couple quick steps thataway.]

[museumship]

[ Her savior!

She trails after him like a lost puppy her feet shuffling along the ground tiredly. ] You are godsend if ya get us outta here. It's like this place was endless!

B

[fauxcalibur]

Fireworks?

[He only has a vague idea what they are, but now that she mentions it...]

What a wonderful idea! I've only ever seen them in movies, but I would love to see them in person! Do you think anyone has any?

[Because he'll 100% totally help set them off.]

[museumship]

I have no idea but... c'mon. There's prol'ly someone out here that has some magic voodoo firework powers, right?

[ She shrugs, taking a sip of her beer. ] Or, ya know, just some kinda power that does lotsa explosions. Like Michael Bay.

[fauxcalibur]

[He only understood about half of that, but he'll roll with it.]

I could shoot a beam of light up into sky, but it wouldn't explode...

[His brow furrows a little as he thinks it through.]

I could maybe ignite something that would explode...

[museumship]

Ah! That'll work. [ She is so for this to happen. She stands up at once, looking around. ] Lessee.... what's somethin' that's good at exploding?

[ Her eyes fall upon a tree. ] How 'bout that? I can toss it up waaay into the air, and you can fire a laser at it at will. [ She glances back to him, winking. ] Ya game?

B

[kokuyoyo]

[By this point, Chikusa has gotten more than enough of a full plate. It's besides him on the grass, stacked with various things with no care for any boundaries... And yet, Ken is still off to go get more for the two of them. It explains why the teen is alone as he just sits there, long legs sprawled out in front of him.]

[As Iowa flops down and speaks up, he slowly blinks and looks over at her.]

...That'd be noisy...

[museumship]

[ Of course he would complain about noise. He seems like the type to sit in a dark corner and read Dante's Inferno and/or listen to Linkin Park. ]

Yeah, but ya gotta admit when it's too quiet it becomes creepy.

[kokuyoyo]

....Is this your idea of too quiet?

[A party with dozens of people running around? Chikusa is quietly horrified at the idea.]

[museumship]

Listen.... ya hear that?

[ She brings a hand to her ear. ] That's what boredom sounds like.