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AUGUST EVENT PT 1

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→ 8/3-8/4 School Cultural Festival

Good morning!! The crows start cawing at the crack of dawn and they're really noisy, but while they're usually a nuisance on the best of days, perhaps the wake-up call will be appreciated this weekend, as the school gates are open over the weekend for the annual cultural festival the students have been hard at work on for the past few weeks. It's an open event for family and friends to come enjoy themselves, or perhaps get dragged into helping out in a booth or two, as some of the students have called in sick or can't be reached at all. Either way, the general commotion centered around the school is probably even loud enough to be heard all the way over in Castle Ouma if you're quiet enough. I don't know how else to get you guys who still live in the castle ruins over here... Hopefully you've been hearing people talking about it all of last month? Or maybe you're a newcomer who's just woken up in the castle ruins, spent ten seconds with Kokichi, and decided to leave the forest and never return, that's also very plausible.

Involving the elementary, middle, and high school buildings on their shared campus, all the typical sorts of booths can be found, including a school play performed by the elementary school students in the auditorium in the morning, and various concerts or performances held throughout the day. In the classrooms, food stalls and cafes are common, along with haunted houses for the braver souls. Rumors say that sometimes people who enter the haunted houses never come out the other side... but never mind that. It's fine. Sports clubs hold friendly competitions outside on the field, and many cultural clubs have displays of their work to show off in their club rooms, so there's plenty to do and see and eat all around campus. Despite all the preparation, however, some of the stalls appear to be empty, others with students frantic about not having enough people to keep things rolling smoothly. Looks like the strange illness going around town last month hasn't completely resolved yet, but maybe it's best for those who are ill to stay home in a crowded place like this.

For those seeking something quieter, tucked away in a corner of the high school building next to a struggling yakisoba stand is a fortune telling tent which doesn't seem to be getting many customers. The line is short and there's no fee, so why not give it a shot? Inside, a hooded figure sits, head bowed and face completely obscured in shadow aside from their chin, illuminated by a cheap looking crystal ball placed in the center of the table. A stack of cards lays on their left, a bag of something smelling faintly sweet and spicy sitting on their right. Without prompting, the fortune teller speaks in a low soft voice, greeting you by name. Weird. Weirder yet, they go on to address you by the arcana on your omamori, be it The Fool or The Hermit or what have you, and rather than answering any questions you may have about your future, the fortune teller instead offers one of two messages:

『To return to where you hailed, you must return to where you arrived. Take with you that which bears the name of the being you have banded together to defeat, and restore what once was.』
or
『When the moon's face shines full and bright, at the cusp of night and day, return to the place of beginnings. Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai must be played, to return two lost souls to this world.』

Huh... Before you can ask any questions, however, your time is up and the next person in line is already pushing you out the seat to the exit. You can always return to the end of the line to have another go, but... curiously, when you enter the tent any subsequent times, a high schooler in uniform greets you, bright and chipper. Home? Souls?? She has no idea what you're talking about if you repeat the messages from before, but never mind that! She can read your fortune!! Maybe you'll let her show off some palmistry and— oh... your life line is rather short... Unfortunate. Never mind, we'll try tarot instead and- hm. That sure is The Tower. Oh well, time's up, next person please!

On Sunday evening as the festivities wind down, a bonfire has been set up in the middle of the field, adding to the unnaturally hot summer night. It's still pretty, though, with the sky dark and bright stars starting to peek out, blankets laid out across the grass and sweet potatoes being passed around to be roasted by the fire. Take the time to relax and breathe... because it's un/fortunately a festival month and the villagers are hype about their festivals.

→ 8/6-8/8 Tanabata Festival

While the students had been hard at work setting up the school festival, the rest of the town had been preparing for the tanabata festival, with stalls set up encircling the entire lakefront at the center of town. Yukata can be bought or rented, along with traditional hand fans to ward off the heat of the summer, and many of the typical food stalls and carnival games can be found, including stalls where you can test your luck in scooping goldfish/yo-yos/other small plastic toys, shooting targets with cork rifles, attempting the rigged ring toss that's impossible to win without cheating, or playing the lottery with tickets for free food from the stalls as consolation prizes. Maybe your luck sucks and you just want to buy stuff and that's fine too. Come with full wallets and leave with full stomachs filled with yakitori skewers, sweet or savory dango, roasted sweet potato, and the seasonal favorite: shaved ice. It's seasonal because it's summer and summer is so hot. This particular summer feels like hell and halfway through the last day, they run out of syrup, but cups of plain ice are still selling very well, so... yay...

While some of the stalls are already heavy with decoration, others are pretty sparse, with the lack of people running them. Which is fine, or intended, because there are workshops held all around for teaching and encouraging people to make decorations meant to improve different aspects of one's life: paper kimonos for artistic ability, strings of a thousand paper cranes for long and healthy lives, paper purses for wealth, colorful streamers for handicraft, wastebaskets for cleanliness, and of course, tanzaku- paper strips hung up on bamboo trees for a wish to be granted by the gods. Decorations are judged for artistic ability, with a small prize given to the best decoration judged at the end of each night.

In the evenings, stages set out along the lakeside feature folk dance performances, and decorations are collected to be lit on fire and sent off in small boats in the lake, the collection of flames giving off a soft light as the paper burns down and turns to ash, reclaimed by the lake as they sink. A reminder from the townspeople to anybody who stands too close to the lake: please do not touch the water. On the very last evening of the festival, a fireworks show is held, shooting up overhead above the lake and is visible anywhere around town, raining down sparks of gold and red, hell fire from the sky.

...Also hell fire in the woods. It's been windy and dry all month, and a small forest fire has started at the edge of town, be it from arson or by accident. The villagers cut the evening short to go help, as there is no established fire fighting service, so any and all assistance would be appreciated. Somewhere nearby, a child starts to cry, unable to find his mother. With the villagers pulled away, the night ends with the stalls left empty. Nobody comes to clean up the next morning...

→ MOD NOTES

⬥ As mentioned in the OOC plotting post, a heat wave befalls the town and NPC villagers start disappearing until the daitengu from last month is defeated. 2 more dungeon threads must be submitted before 8/11 to secure the ofuda. Lockdown continues to occur each midnight, with the school transforming into the dungeon; details can be found on last month's event log.
⬥ For the cultural festival: characters will receive a hint about either 1) how to return home (take the ofuda received after beating the dungeon boss to the castle ruins), or 2) how to summon the Velvet Room attendants (playing Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai at the castle ruins during the full moon), and are highly encouraged to discuss both messages amongst themselves. Characters may learn more about how to play Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai, date of the full moon, etc. by asking around town.
⬥ On 8/12 (ICly dated on 8/15, the night of the full moon), a mini-log will go up encompassing both of these findings.
⬥ For the tanabata festival: each character may claim one small wish pending mod approval at any time this month (comment below) for writing their wish down on a tanzaku, and 3 characters will be randomly chosen on 8/12 as winners for the decoration judging, and will be contacted at that time for the option of receiving an additional wish.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Whoa--Terry is pulled in, but he doesn't have time to be surprised! Gotta smile at the camera. The shopkeeper takes a picture when both of them are ready and tells them to come pick up their photos tomorrow.

Terry's mood is considerably higher now--not that it was low before, but it's like he's radiating sunshine. ]

I wish I could poke holes into all of them so I can make a mobile or something.

[ Mondo's mood is great too, especially seeing how Terry's smiling so brightly. It's been a while since he's had such a good time like this. He thanks the shopkeeper, before looking at Terry again. ]

Mobile? What're ya talkin' 'bout?

A mobile is one of those, uh... one type is when you dangle stuff by the strings and the top kinda reminds you of an umbrella. They're sometimes used as baby toys above cradles! But they can usually be used as normal decoration too.

[ He'll even make some hand gestures to outline its shape. ]

Aah, so that's what yer talkin' 'bout! We can do that.

[ He'll ask the shopkeeper for a needle and some strings, and once he gets it, he'll let the needle glint from the reflection of the light. Dangerous... don't play with it... ]

Ya wanna do it yourself?

Yeah!

[ That needle sure is shiny... It could probably attract a crow or two. Instead, it attracted this menace here and he is absolutely gonna do this! ... He has never handled a a string and needle before, so he looks a bit puzzled and absolutely frustrated that he can't get the string in the gap at the end of the needle. ]

Why won't it go in?!

[ Mondo just snorts seeing how frustrated Terry is with it. ]

Wanna see an easy way to get it in?

[ Nbd, he'll just snatch the needle and thread from Terry so he can show how to do it The Mondo Way. After placing the thread across his palm, he'll run the needle back and forth into it until the thread slips into the eye of the needle. All he needs to do is now to pull one side of the thread out and voila! ]

There.

[ He'll take it out again, though, and returning both of them to Terry's hand. ]

Now you try.

[ Holy shit. This is like magic!! Terry looks so amazed by this simple trick that he can't wait to do it himself and... wow. It works! He is practically radiating happiness at 200% now. ]

I did it! I didn't think it would be so easy!

[ Oh wow, that's too much happiness, it's blinding and Mondo needs a pair of sunglasses, stat. He'd bap Terry's face with his palm but the guy's holding a needle and that's... dangerous, so no bapping for now. ]

Heh, awesome. How're ya plannin' ta make the mobile like? Stars on the bottom?

Yeah! It can be like they're resting on a cloud of stars... I think that's how the Tanabata story goes? Something something, a couple walks on a river of stars.

[ No, Terry....... ]

Idiot. [ Ok that a bap, he can't resist. Be careful with the needles, Terry. ] Two lovers called Orihime and Hikoboshi weren't allowed to meet, but... [ Shit, how did it go again. ] ...somehow I guess they can meet at this certain date if they get to cross the stars, somethin' like that.

[ He doesn't actually remember either, lmfao. ]

Anyways. I've never tried makin' one before, ya know how ta do it?

Something about the Milky Way! At least the chocolate is delicious.

[ Anyway. ]

No, but it shouldn't be that hard, right?

[ He looks so eager to go at it with a needle in hand. ]

[ What chocolate... With Mondo not knowing of that choco brand he totally doesn't see the flow of the convo but he'll just let that slide. Terry's mind tends to be a goddamn flower bed anyway. ]

...Just don't poke yourself with it.

[ Guy's got a knack in hurting himself, after all...

Mondo's just gonna keep watch, Terry Christ take the wheel. ]

[ Just imagine yourself in that flower bed, Mondo. It'll be relaxing, soothing, and rob you of your ability to think rationally 8) just sleep there forever ]

I won't--

[ He pokes a small hole through the center of the crane's back, but his finger was holding the bottom side where the needle went, and.

The rest is history. ]

Ow...

[ No!!! He will resist!!! ]

Goddammit, Terry.

[ A thwack to Terry's head, but not enough for it to hurt. ]

Can't ya pass a day without gettin' hurt?! [ He growls... he can't believe this happens under his close supervision. Not that Terry will die with a needle poke, but fucking. ] You better don't suck it, you're just gonna irritate it! Let's clean that-- shit, I've got no tissue on me. Wait here, I'll go get somethin'.

[ Overprotective big lil' bro is in operation. ]

You don't--

[ --have to... well, Mondo already left before Terry could finish talking. He gets out a band-aid from his pocket and just slaps it over the needle poke. No big deal. He goes back to poking holes into the cranes one by one while waiting for Mondo to come back. ]

[ He went to a different booth to see if they have any band-aids and some tissues, and when asked what it was for and explained about the needle poke, the lady manning the booth laughed at him and said that he's exaggerating for a simple needle poke. "Oh what a loving boyfriend" she said, and Mondo roared in anger saying that's not it. But she's... right, in that he definitely is getting way too worked up over a needle poke. He can't help but still feel the rawness of the possibility of losing Terry, just a few days ago. He still can't shake it off, even if he knows neither of them won't be here forever... maybe.

It might be longer than Terry might expect when he's back with a plastic bag on his hand. He'll walk towards Terry, about to ask Terry to show his finger when he sees it's already bandaged. ]

The hell, tell me if you've got one. [ You're the one who left before he can say anything... Anyway, he'll drop the plastic bag on their table. ] Bought some dango on my way back.

[ Terry takes out a small box of bandaids, showing that they come in various sizes. ]

I always have them on me--

[ He shouldn't have to say why he does, honestly, but then Terry's attention is directed to the dango. ]

Oh, the pink-white-green mochi thing!

[ lol ]

[ ........ ]

'Sanshoku dango'. [ He then points at the brown one. ] This one's mitarashi dango. [ And this one... ] Never seen this at any other place before, but 's made of Baby Star. Like uh, dried ramen snack. They're prolly experimenting, but it looks good.

[ He'll gesture for Terry to try it. ]

They're both "3 dangos", so does it matter?

[ He takes the one with the dried ramen snack bits and takes the first bite. ]

... Crunchy.

[ mogu mogu

Then he opens his mouth wide and eats the rest of the thing in one go. "Two bites". ]

Tricoloured dangos.

[ Dude's particular about the smallest things, don't mind him... But soon he'll be distracted at how Terry's eating and stop being picky. ]

Heh. Your mouth's surprisingly big, huh. Aight, try to finish the next one in one bite.

[ Is he trying to choke Terry to death... ]

Sanmi dangos!

[ lmao... It sounds cuter to Terry like that. But anyway, he looks at the sanshoku dango, twirling it this and that direction all the while staying in place. ]

... I don't think it'll fit.

Yeah?

[ Well.

Time to just SHOVE it in. No innuendos intended. ]

[ This whole thing is an innuendo now. There's no going back. Terry is startled when that happens and nearly chokes, which tends to generate tons of saliva in his mouth and there's a string of it connected to the stick when he pulls it out of his mouth. He ended up swallowing the dango without even having a chance to chew on them too, but thankfully they're not caught in his throat or clogged in his esophagus. His face is a little red from having to deal with that just now too. ]

Mondo! [ wheezes ] Don't... Don't shove it in like that again...

[ The supervisor is just STARING and might be as equally red in the face because jesus christ you two . ]

[ Oh shit. Oh shit. That actually kind of looks se-- fuck. No!!! It's Terry they're talking about here!! What the hell?! And why did he have Emily's face in his head for a split second there?! The way Terry's eyes narrow earlier-- FUCK. STOP REPLAYING IT, HEAD, IT'S NOT FUNNY. ]

Ye... Yeah. My bad.

[ Oh god he's red to his neck now. What the fuck, his ears and face are burning. He can't look at Terry... ]

Mondo...?

[ Terry isn't sure why Mondo's face is all red like that. Maybe the heat (lol) is getting to him? He's a tough guy, sure, but Terry sometimes worries. ]

You okay? Your face is really red.

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→ 8/3-8/4 School Cultural Festival

→ 8/6-8/8 Tanabata Festival

→ MOD NOTES

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