37B - Beach Episode: Electric Boogaloo

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Beach Party Reward!
When: April 8-10
Where: Honolulu, Hawaii
Summary: Orihime has persuaded the Heavens to grant the Far Shore denizens a reprieve. The people spoke and asked for a beach vacation!






The Far Shore has managed to rent out an entire private beach for the event so that they won't be interrupted by any Near Shore residents. The rented beach is beautiful and well-maintained, at Sand Island State Recreation area, not too far from a certain temple, overlooking the bay and Honolulu itself, depending on the side you're on. The party stretches to all the way around the island so that you can look out over the ocean waves as well.

It's a beautiful late spring day, perfect for swimming and cracking watermelons and playing some beach volleyball. There is a hut with snorkling gear (shallows only) and surfboards too! There's even some soft music permeating the air so that nothing is every silent on this fun-filled day.

You Need Only Ask Permission

Not knowing how to decide which of many beaches to suggest before Amaterasu, Orihime asked her dear friend Fuujin for advice, and of course he suggested the Daijingu Temple of Hawaii. (It's a temple dedicated to him, and one he visits fairly frequently.)

Getting down to Honolulu is treated like a simple affair by Orihime. She tells people that they only have to go to Fuujin's temple in the Far Shore, ask for permission to use it to travel to one of his temples on the Near Shore, and one of his shinki will grant permission on his behalf while he silently watches in the Far Shore. (A satisfied smug look on his face, mainly directed at the new gods, less so the shinki.) His Exemplar, Kaede, will smile and wave as she watches the parade of people exit on the other side in Honolulu, at the Daijingu Temple.

Of course, if you would prefer not to indulge Fuujin and you have another way to get to the party, you're welcome to do so!

Swimwear Strikes Again

Anyone who doesn't have swimwear will be provided with swimwear to fit their needs before leaving the Far Shore, courtesy of Lord Fuujin's memory of how well the Far Shore residents enjoyed their swimsuits last time. Unfortunately, the Heavens don't have access to a lot of swimwear, so you'll likely wind up with something ugly, something old, or something just plain weird.

Picture Perfect

How enchanting are the people posing for all those cute pictures? The Heavens would greatly appreciate proof that the event was a similar hit, so they've asked Orihime to bring back picture evidence of the festivities. Whether you post the picture to the BBS or not, can you get a cool shot while surfing? While eating your favorite treats? While building sand castles? Playing beach games? Possibly a series with a common theme? Make it a challenge with your friends! Maybe that perfect picture isn't something your friend wants to hand over... Feel free to go to great lengths to find that perfect picture.

Barbecue Bonus

This time, more than the basics have been provided, but anyone is welcome to bring a little something to the barbecue as well if they so choose. A wide assortment of fish, a fair bit of chicken, and some beef have all been provided by Orihime and transported by Fuujin's shinki, but it's clearly all been locally procured. So you're more than welcome to grab one of the many grills and start frying things up. Heck, there are even fishing poles available if you feel like hauling in a few fish to grill. Additionally, summery drinks have been provided, including iced tea, lemonade, water, and horribly fruity cocktails. By evening, small desserts on trays will also be brought over, including such Hawaiian specific treats (in bite-sized portions) as Passion Fruit Cheesecake with Toasted Macadamia Nuts, Chocolate haupia pie, and Poi mochi.

Come Join Us!

All of those activities aren't as fun alone! Whether you're preference is swimming, snorkling, or surfing; beach volleyball or sand castles; cracking watermelons or maybe even... games involving other kinds of spirits! Start things off and welcome others in!

In Summary:

• Get some sun
• Go for a swim
• Make sure you're in a swimsuit
• Enjoy the food and activities
• Don't drown
• Have fun~

Comments

[yoshinocherry]

Splish Splash
Whoa, haha!

[Now this, this is the perfect relaxing vacation! While she's sure that she could take a beach trip like this whenever she reasonably wanted to, given the whole 'divine status' she'd been afforded, there's definitely something special about having so many Far Shore residents enjoying the day alongside her. She's definitely ready to take full advantage of the sun, the sand, the surf...]

Hey! Wanna race? [Luckily enough, she's brought her own swimsuit with her today, sparing her from something more ridiculous, and is ready to make good use of it.] We can swim out a ways, then see who can make it back to shore the fastest!


Sandy Shenanigans
[Of course, there's plenty to do on the beach besides swimming! A sandcastle town is being constructed, and while the construction of the buildings isn't pro-tier, there's a lot of care put into decorating them with various shells, twigs, stones... whatever interesting things she can gather up, really!

Anyone who comes around looking interested will be on the receiving end of a cheery smile.] Do you want to help out? Make a building or two?

[On the other hand, there are plenty of games to do, to! Cracking open one of those watermelons sounds like fun! Or starting up a game of volleyball! Of course, you can always make a game out of something else, too.]

Interested in a game? [What Yuna has up her sleeve for this game is pretty simple - a large mound of dry sand, with a twig stuck at the very top of it.] I promise I'll go easy on you if you've never played before!


Tourist Time!
[The beach is fun and all, but it'd be a shame to not take advantage of everything there is to offer in the immediate vicinity. Donning a sundress for wandering around town, checking out the nearby restaurants, going souvenir hunting, or simply enjoying the sights that there are to see...!

Feel free to use this prompt as a wildcard option, though plotting with me over on sandshrew works too!]

sandy shenanigans

[reloves]

[ You honestly don't even have to ask Minako if she's up for a game. She's most definitely up for a game. Always. Anytime. 24/7.

So she looks determined enough once Yuna invites her to play a game with her, only for all that determination to almost comically pause when she sees just what the other girl is intending for them to play said game with. Sand.. and a twig? Minako just looks baffled. ]

What kind of game is this supposed to be?

[yoshinocherry]

[Aha, so she's interested!]

It's pretty simple. The two of us take turns pulling sand away from the mound, however much or little we want at a time, and try to keep the stick from falling over in the process!

[Easy enough, right?]

[reloves]

Oh, you're right! That is pretty simple! [ Minako nods, even though she's definitely underestimating the game right now. Or at the very least how much this sort of game can be about tactical skill as well. ]

So what should the loser do then?

[ Because what fun is a game without stakes! ]

[yoshinocherry]

[That's the spirit! At the question of stakes, though, Yuna pauses pensively for a moment.]

How about... loser gets drinks for the both of us?

[Something simple and easy for a first time challenge!]

[reloves]

[ Definitely simple and easy enough that Minako won't disagree to it. She's done things for way higher and more stupid stakes, this is nothing! ]

You got yourself a deal! I guess drinks would be pretty nice anyway under this hot sun.

[yoshinocherry]

[It would feel so unsporting to suggest anything more ridiculous until the playing field is a little more even, but Minako's got the right idea. Simple, easy, and most importantly, relevant to making the day that much nicer.

So! She grins, obviously pleased with Minako's enthusiasm.] Then it's settled! I can take the first turn, if you want a demonstration. Unless you're feeling bold enough to dive right in...!

[The decision is yours, friend!]

[reloves]

Of course I'm bold enough!

[ Honestly, just that last part by itself feels like a challenge to Minako.. if not just because she gets ridiculous over small games like these. Even giving up the first turn to someone else feels like losing!

And in that same vein, Minako can't only take a little bit of sand. That's too careful, and being careful is not her style! She's not going to pull away the whole heap of sand or anything, but she's still pulling away quite a bit in the first turn already. ]

Here, just look at how bold I am!

[yoshinocherry]

[What a rise to the bait...! She wasn't expecting quite that much gusto, but perhaps she really should know better when dealing with Minako.

Still! Way to make it exciting!] Incredible! [And she means it for sure, and after taking a second to assess her side of the pile, she confidently pulls away a similarly sized scoop of sand.] All right! Your turn again.

[reloves]

Okay!

[ Minako looks like she's about ready to remove the same amount of sand again, but then she stares at the current state of their playing field, slowly realising just how much sand they've already gotten rid of. ]

.. Hey, this situation is dangerous, isn't it? [ If she took that much again, surely it'd fall! ] I guess desperate times call for desperate measures!

[ "Desperate measures" in this case apparently meaning taking only a bit of sand this time. Hey, it's out of the norm for Minako, so it could be slotted into that category if you squint a bit. ]

[yoshinocherry]

[Desperate, truly. Yuna nods a couple of times in approval.]

You gotta get a good feel for how much to take at a time. [Jumping in and grabbing a bunch at once is admirable and cool, but sometimes it's wise to ration it out instead. Which is still cool, just in a different way.] I think you're picking the rhythm of it up really well!

[Being well versed in the particulars of this game, Yuna dares to take another somewhat large handful, though leaving enough to keep the stick propped up should Minako roughly follow suit.]

[reloves]

That's because I can't just lose here! Not even when I'm battling an expert!

[ Or.. relatively more of an expert than Minako herself is, anyway? She has no idea of the exact amount of experience Yuna has with this, after all, but since the other seems to know what she's doing, Minako feels free to just exaggerate and slot her into the expert slot by default.

Also just so.. you know, she can just say she only lost because Yuna is an expert if Minako does end up losing here. Sshh.

She removes sand too after thinking for a moment, but slightly less than Yuna did just now. ]

[yoshinocherry]

[That's a mighty high compliment!! One that Yuna takes with a grin as she watches Minako's next move.

But! Things are definitely starting to look risky now...! She puts on a serious expression for her next move.]

Hmmm, I'm gonna have to be really careful now, aren't I?

[And, to mirror that statement, she takes even less than Minako had. The pile's starting to look pretty thin by this point!]

[reloves]

[ Definitely really thin. Enough so that Minako resists her instinct to immediately grab away some more sand, since it really feels like she's going to just make the thing topple over if she doesn't do this just right. ]

This is beyond careful..

[ .. but then again, Minako isn't Minako without her dramatics. ]

We're now at the point of life or death! [ Because clearly that's what their incredibly high drinks stakes game is about, right. ] Just hold your breath and watch me, Yuna! I'll show you a real expert move as well!

[ (No, she still hasn't gotten around to taking away some sand yet.) ]

Splish Splash

[redmare]

Oh yeah? [ You can bet Chinatsu also prepared her own swim suit. She wouldn't be caught dead in the ones they provided. ]

Whoever loses buys the shaved ice? [ Her lips curl into a smile as she starts to stretch. ]

[yoshinocherry]

[Oh, so confident! How cool...! Yuna gets the feeling she'll definitely be getting a challenge out of this opponent, but that fact doesn't deter her at all.]

Deal! [So, some mild stretches before going out it is!] I'm ready when you are.

[redmare]

Alright, from here to that buoy, then back.

[ That seemed like a good enough distance. ]

Ready..[ She digs her heel into the sand.]

Set..go!

[yoshinocherry]

You got it!

[A good goal, she won't argue!

She tightens her focus when Chinatsu starts counting down, and on 'go', she wastes no time in sprinting out into the water. Truly, she's not taking Chinatsu lightly as an opponent - she's pretty speedy for her size, though whether or not it'll be enough to best this challenger is up in the air...! Let's see how this goes!]

[redmare]

Chinatsu's right by her as they both make their way to the water. Running on sand was a lot harder than on sturdier ground, so it required a bit more effort. More resistance is met once her feet hit the water the waves pushing her back already. Once she's far enough, she'll dive right in and start to swim, keeping all her focus on the target.

She did wonder how far her opponent had gone, though. ]