bravenewworld | Soulfasting Mingle

Entry tags:

Soulfasting Mingle

Who: EVERYONE
What: Soul Fast
When: During Soul Fast
Where: All over Ninetails Vale and in people's houses, etc.
Summary: The Celebrations of Soul Fast Begin!

It's that time of year again, and all throughout Union and in particular the Ninetales Vale, celebrations are beginning. A festival celebrating the passage of another year, of remembering and honoring the dead, and of placating particularly violent spirits has begun. Soulfasting, an old Union tradition, is one of the most popular holidays celebrated, with the Ninetales Vale being overrun with people of all ages.

Children scamper through the streets of the Vale in masks and costumes, begging for candy, while surly teenagers do the same and occasionally play pranks, and adults celebrate in a variety of fashions. Elaborate, highly fashionable costumes are all the rage, and even the nobility slips out into the Vale for a bit of fun. It's not exactly a popular destination most of the year, given the high concentrations of Dark and Ghost-types but during the festival it's most definitely in vogue and teeming with people all happy to help revitalize the area for a week.

The sounds of music drift through the air, celebratory tunes, dirges, jigs, and tunes for all ages. From the Kurain school on it's hill overlooking most of the Vale, a pipe organ solemnly plays out traditional tunes, and is surprisingly cheery for a ghost school. Across the neighborhood on another hill, Hikawa Shrine has it's doors wide open to welcome visitors, with decorations of all sorts set out.

Games are set up at both locations, including Apple Bobbing, Ducklett Pond raffles, and Pin the Scroll on the Spiritomb, though there are others set up all over the Vale's plazas. Skeeball, Target Shooting, Bell-and-Hammer games, and perhaps most strangely a “Whack-the-Diglett” that's been possessed by one of the local ghosts to give the little wooden Digletts faces all hideously angry ones. Eating contests, Pokemon Battle Circles, a Haunted House (with real ghosts!) and dozens and dozens of fortune telling stands all further add to a carnival atmosphere that even the dead can enjoy!

Lanterns and faux Spinarak webs hang from every lamppost and awning, and food stalls line the streets as vendors ply their wares. Food from all over is available, and it all seems to come together around a central square between the two hills. A stage has been set up, with musicians from all over the known world called in to show their stuff. There are dance tunes from Caldera, Union Pop and Jazz songs at work, setting crowds on fire. Sanctuary has sent a full orchestra to play various classical pieces, while Citadel's famous woodwinds and tribal drums surprise and delight. And towards the end of the day, a band from Glacier comes on stage. Their music starts out slow and ambient, but after a few sets they set up electric guitars and the gloves come off. A folk metal concert, complete with an armored warrior-woman doing the vocals and several of the soldiers from the battle weeks prior (some still bandaged) backing her up. It might be a bit shocking, but some of the youth are definitely getting into it...

And then night falls, and the party atmosphere becomes a little quieter. Plays, family meals, Ghost-story tellings, and more subdued activities become the norm though there's still a contingent of rowdies at the heart of the celebration. It's then that the ghosts really come out to play, slipping through walls to greet relatives or tease revelers. For the most part they seem friendly but not always. As usual, some specters of ill-repute have slipped in among the friendly ones, and they're making trouble. Good thing you have a Warp Band to call an exorcist, right?

((OOC: This is a general mingle log, feel free to put up your own top levels and tag around! Welcome to Soulfasting, everyone! We hope you enjoy =D ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Morgiana bounced off a huge man with a foot long beard in a leather jacket and ended up actually stepping on the plushie, which was how she realized it was there at all. Fortunately, she was barefoot, so damage was minimal. Now what was a stuffed animal doing here?

The other moshers, noticing that Morgiana was distracted, gave her a smidgen of space, allowing her to bend over and recover it. She brushed it off, then looked over at the boy and yelled (it was too loud to hear otherwise) "Is this yours?"

[ The boy makes grabby hands for the toy and misses. ] Please--!!

[ He might need more help than just retrieving his Litwick. ]

Edited 2015-11-03 04:23 (UTC)

She shouldered her way through the crowd after him, until she caught up with the crowd surfer, and yelled "Excuse me! I think he wants to be let down!"

It took two more yells of increasing volume (and WOW that girl had some lungs on her) before enough people actually heard her, but once they did, they simply set him back down. No muss, no fuss. Several large, scary looking people patted him on the head and apologized.

[ And just like that, down he goes! The boy blinks shyly but gives everybody a smile all around.

Then he runs up to Morgiana, adjusting the Magikarp mask on the side of his head. ] Thank you so much! You are a truly wonderful person.

"This is no place for a child." She responded, but in a friendly tone. She returned is plushie, then took his hand to lead him out of the mosh pit.

[ Accepting both his plushie and Morgiana's hand, the boy waves his plush at the nice people in the mosh pit as he leaves. Then his attention is all on Morgiana again. ] Where are we going?

She hesitated. Where WERE they going?

"...Do you know where your parents are? We should get you back to them."

[ The boy shakes his head. ] I want to see more things. The things you like best.

"Well..."

She looked back towards the concert grounds where everyone was jumping and screaming. That hadn't worked out too well for the kid. "How about a carnival game? Just one. THEN we find your parents."

[ The boy's face lights up. ] Okay!

[ He shifts his grip to hold onto her hand more tightly, staring up at her as if she'd prepared all of Soulfasting herself. Morgiana will be able to lead him to any game she pleases. ]

Let's see...She could probably destroy the bell and hammer game without difficulty, but the kid might not even be able to lift the hammer. Maybe Whack-a-Diglett? Bobbing for Apples?

"...How do you feel about Skeeball?"

Will you show me first? [ He looks interested, though. It's that thing there? With the balls and the holes?? ]

And so, Morgiana showed him how to play Skeeball.

She wasn't very good at it.

[ The boy applauds anyway, picking up one of the balls and turning it over in his hands before it's his turn (the Litwick being tucked beneath his arm). Then, winding back with the arm unencumbered by a plushie, he tosses the ball.

He isn't very good either. His face falls in time with the ball. ]

"Don't worry, we get three tries!"

She held out the last ball for...uh...

"What is your name, by the way?"

[ The boy accepts the ball, turning it over again. ] "Zale" is good.

What's yours? [ He closes one eye and sticks his tongue out of the side of his mouth, holding up the ball to try and get it lined up properly with the holes. ]

"Morgiana."

She left it at that, for the moment. She didn't want to break his concentration. This was the last throw! All their hopes and dreams were riding on that one ball! You can do it Zale! Morgiana believes in you!

That's a good name.

[ Zale takes a deep breath. He presses his Litwick against himself for luck, lifts the ball, and gives a mighty (?) toss. The ball bounces off the top of the stage -

and drops into the hole for the lowest amount of points. But still. Points!

Zale's whole face lights up when he smiles. ]

"You did it!"

For missing two shots and getting the lowest score on the third shot, they receive the prize of a small lollipop. One of the cheap ones. Morgiana passes it to Zale.

[ Zale takes the lollipop in both hands. From the look on his face, this is the Best Lollipop In Union, if not the Whole Wide World. ] This is for winning?

[ He can't even bring himself to eat it right away. He's too amazed he won it. ]

"That's right. All because that last throw made it in."

She took his hand again. "Now why don't we find your Mom and Dad. I'm sure they'll be very impressed!"

There was the faintest of emphasis on Mom and Dad. She was happy to help a lost child, but she also wanted to get back to dancing.

[ Accepting that hand, Zale sticks his lollipop in his mouth, smiling around it. ] I can get back by myself. Thank you for the lesson, Morgiana!

And he swings their hands, apparently more interested in playing with them than in finding his parents. ]

"Are you sure? There's an awful lot of people here."

Morgiana aka Miss No Fun Allowed. Can't leave well enough alone.

I'm okay!

[ Zale salutes. He looks very professional. The lollipop stick to the side of his mouth really sells the aesthetic. ]

"Alright then...Have fun, Zale."

This didn't feel good to Morgiana, though. She let him wander off, but then followed from a discrete distance for a while, just to make sure he was ok.

If the festival was less crowded, she could have done it more carefully by tracking him by scent, but there were too many smells here, so she settled for just hanging back.

(no subject)

bnw_mari_npcs - 2015-11-11 15:22 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

flying_chains - 2015-11-11 21:07 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only