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Halloween The Spooky Candy Festival of YE 46

raz

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RP Date
46.8
RP Location
Kyoto, Yamatai
Kyoto, Yamatai, YE 46

The sweltering heat of planet Yamatai's waning summer months had only recently given way to more comfortable evenings as the sun fell from the sky earlier and earlier with each passing day, the changing of seasons heralded by leaves adorning the capital Kyoto's maples, ginkgo trees, birches, and all the shifting from vibrant greens to warmer ambers and reds. Misty mornings burned away under the lazy autumn sun and returned by nightfall in hazy patches across the city's sleepier, sparser districts, and longer evening hours allowed for the heated rhythm of Kyoto's downtown to pulse proudly with renewed fall vigor.

Tonight, however, the Star Empire's capital city was yet livelier than usual, from its manicured Riverside and Imperial Districts to its extra-packed commercial neighborhoods lined with all manner of pleasures. The annual Candy Festival had begun. Revelers from across Kyoto, the Empire, and the Kikyo Sector itself filled the city in search of sweet treats and joyous mischief. Per tradition, people of all ages took to the streets in costume—each bedecked in some ensemble cute or funny, spooky, or even perhaps sexy—and mingled in celebratory jubilance for the festive day. Even Yamatai's mighty military, the Star Army of Yamatai, contributed to the holiday (and had indeed been part of it from first Candy Festival).

Reservists and active capital garrisons mobilized the week before in concert with Star Army Logistics and local police to decorate Kyoto with jack-o-lantern pumpkins, twinkling purple-and-orange light displays, and other holiday trimmings, tying together the myriad decorations that adorned private homes and businesses all over the city. And more than that, the soldiers themselves had been dispersed all throughout Kyoto to distribute candy to whoever needed it; a monumental undertaking to supply and coordinate itself. Even Star Army Intelligence played its part, digitally tagging each and every person out in public this evening to sort them into three equal groups: Kikyo, Hinomaru, and Plumeria. The information as to which team they were on would be relayed to everyone's digital brain or communications device, and even those without access could unknowingly participate wherever they tread.

Many thousands of carved pumpkins placed throughout Kyoto started the night unlit. Some were emblazoned with the Kikyo roundel, some with the Star Army Hinomaru, and the last with a silhouette of a Plumeria-class Gunship. They sat quiet and cold amidst the other more traditional pumpkin faces, waiting to be illuminated. Proximity detectors within these special pumpkins were rigged to activate the small electric candle inside each when approached by someone whose assigned "team" did not match any given pumpkin's design. When a sufficient number were lit, a special Candy Festival-themed display would light up the sky above Kyoto and be visible from orbit, a feat that could only be achieved if all three groups worked together toward that common goal.

Over in Kaiko Park—where a night market had sprung up near its western entrance featuring extra specialty stalls that produced hand-made hard candies, traditional wagashi confections, and other crafted delights—Ketsurui Aiko stood overlooking the festivities here dressed in a tight black bodysuit painted in rough strokes with a humanoid skeleton on it. Black makeup across her mouth and beneath her eyes, as well as covering her nose, gave her beautiful face the look of a skull. She'd been tasked by Taisho Yui with organizing Kyoto's Candy Festival and, although Aiko still monitored all security concerns and logistical matters via PANTHEON wireless, she felt that things had started off well enough that she could partake.

"Is there anything you would enjoy doing, Captain?" Aiko asked Taiyou Hoshi, her friend and superior officer aboard the YSS Kaiyō II, who had also been given orders by the Mistress-Taisho to make this year's event happen. "We could go find Hanako and support her or see where Candycorn is set up, and then peruse the frenetic districts closer to Kyoto's heart," she offered, the latter referring to the Star Army Logistics Candy Festival mascot. The Ketsurui princess' crimson red Fukuro shuttle was parked on the field nearby, making transit anywhere in the city a breeze. "Or perhaps we remain here. Kaiko Park has become home to many leisure hours for us, but never yet a spooky Candy Fest evening.

"So, Hoshi, do you prefer tricks or treats?"
 
OOC Notes
OPEN RP: This thread is open to any character who wants to come to the annual Candy Festival in Kyoto. Although it is on planet Yamatai, characters from all factions are welcome!

Candy Fest is Yamatai's version of Halloween. Feel free to post at any locale you can come up with throughout the city, from a sleepy neighborhood or delicious restaurant to any of the capital's bumping clubs or raunchy cabarets. Maybe your characters are really into the pumpkin lighting game, or maybe they simply want to party. Have at it! Remember, Kyoto is a "Safe Zone" in RP, so your characters should be generally free from harm.

Have fun and a Happy Candy Festival! 🎃🐈‍⬛🌕
Kaiko Park

"Let's go out and see how the city's taken to the task," Hoshi answered, smiling even as a draped bandage from her costume fluttered against her forehead. It was often that Hoshi and Aiko found themselves using Kaiko Park as a home base from which they set off from and Hoshi wanted wanted to make tonight no exception. As those requested by Yui to oversee the festival, Hoshi expected to be knee deep in logistical work, but the pre-planning she and Aiko had done meant there was little necessitated by them at this point.

There was one thing that Hoshi was more than excited to witness—the teams lighting jack-o-lanterns around the city. There were few directly in Kaiko Park and it was bittersweet to see the plumeria carving was already aglow, having been lit by a bellflower or hinomaru team. But there were many more to be lit and the little pink captain knew there was sure to be joy to be witnessed as some carved pumpkin was proximity lit later on in the night and elsewhere.

"Do you think we could try to track down some of our crew, too," Hoshi asked idly, thinking. "With the year we've had, I'd take a treat over any more tricks. Just this once as you know how I like the fun and challenge of a trick. If I'm answering like that, it surely means I should pick up some wagashi before we set off."

A few moments later, she was carrying a bundle filled with little orange roundels of mostly rice flour that were indented and topped with snaking green bean curd to look like pumpkins. The small bag swung in her hand as the gauzey bandages that adorned her wafted in the wind. She was concealed considerably less than Aiko's costume covered the Ketsurui, but looked happily confident on this night as a mummy.
 
Kaiko Park

Entering the park as Aiko and Hoshi got their things together, a large man in obsidian plate armor strode through the market. His face was obscured by a similarly dark great helm. On his back was a tattered green cloak with a fur-lined collar. The knight slowed, taking in each stall as he walked, enjoying the cooler as he walked. He stopped at one of the shops and bought a bellflower that he pinned to his cloak, then continued deeper into the park.

Stumbling upon the two women, the knight removed his great helm and waved at them. "There you are!" he called, waving at the pair. William smirked at the pair as he walked forward, holding the helmet under his arm as he approached. "A mummy and a skeleton. Very traditional." The ID-SOL remarked as he moved to stand in front of the two.
 
Kaiko Park
The blue skinned Nekovalkyrja Luna Soban grinned as she worked at her work table, working on a watch-like device, and putting in a smaller version of stealth technology. She knew that with the size, it wouldt be able to turn her completely invisible. But for the Candy Festival, she wanted something that could turn her into a ghost by appearance. “alright, and done” she said, and stripped out of her outfit and puts on the cloak, before she puts on the device. Turning to a mirror she activates it, and notes her new transparent appearance and the ghost-like effect. This caused the cloak to become scarier. Luna laughed at her appearance but noted that she appeared to be missing an arm. ‘oh, the watch isn’t letting that show.. oh well” she said and grabbed the prop of the scythe before she hurried out and made her way to the area. “ooooohh Uncle Williiiaam!” She called out, her voice modified to be spooky for the occasion. “I am the ghost of a innocent maiden, here to hhaaaaunt yoou” She said to him as she gently sat on his shoulder like old times.

Then she looked to the others he spoke to, and realized she was able to recognize them, and smiled.
 
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Kaiko Park

It had took some time to apply her makeup and get her costume ready but Rio was positively ecstatic for her first candy festival. The moment she entered the park and seen the market she had begun to collect a bag of various sweets, treats and souvenirs. From a distance she was little more than a maid uniform darting between the various stalls, weaving through the crowd with a slowly growing bag of goodies. It was while Rio slowed down to eat a taiyaki that she spotted William's head above the crowd.

It wasn't until she drew closer to the group that the smaller details of her costume came out. "Konbanwa everyone!" declared Rio cheerfully as she joined the group. The cheery greeting contrasted the zombie maid costume she had decided upon.
 
Kyoto, Yamatai, YE 46

A giddy thrill washed over Morgana as she admired her handiwork. There was something delightful in slipping into the trope of mad scientist, especially when it was for a frivolous, seasonal prank rather than her typical high-stakes pursuits. This side project, this little indulgence for the spooky festivities, held none of the usual gravitas—though, in the wrong hands, the implications could be chilling.

The concept itself was simple, or at least, so she thought; align an array of speakers to emit the same sound, and you’d create what could best be described as an acoustic laser. On the outskirts, sound waves would obliterate each other through destructive interference, but at the centre of the array, the wave fronts would stack, forging a focused beam of sound. Well-timed phasing could allow the sound to be directed while the array remained fixed, creating a stationary, sound-beaming construct that could swivel on command.

Morgana found the effect, in layman's terms, really cool. She could ricochet sound off solid walls, tailor it for just one unlucky listener in a crowd, a whisper crafted for an ear that wasn’t expecting it. Then there was the question of how to deploy it. She had originally considered stationary installations that she’d have to plant around the city herself, however her costume, a form-fitting leotard decked out with pink bat-themed leggings, bat wings perched jauntily atop her back and head, had given her some inspiration.

It was a grotesque creature she had concocted that afternoon with a cooperative PANTHEON AI: a biomechanical bat, every bit as unsettling as it was functional. Smooth sinews and organic grooves in deep, necrotic hues; a fleshy, chimeric marvel that would feel right at home in any Mishhuvurthyar installation. A dense array of organic speakers sat within its belly, each linked by a latticework of neurons. From there, a tangled network wove its way through the bat’s body, branching like grotesque vines into the wings, eyes, and ears. No stomach, no real sensation of pain—these creatures were designed to be transient things, with barely a day to 'live' before they’d biodegrade. The only piece of true machinery was the tiny logic unit nestled in the core of each little monstrosity.

With their phased array, the bats could encircle a target, projecting sounds with pinpoint precision, focused on a solitary victim and mute to those nearby—unless they stood at a conspiratorial whisper’s distance. There was probably a SAINT application there, but Morgana made sure there was only a maximum of 1 minute before the bat selected a new target, lest they actually begin to think they had become haunted or mad.

Once the design had passed through simulations with devilish grace, Morgana uploaded the specifications to a hemosynth tank. Compared to a full-grown Nekovalkyrja, these synthetic nightmares were simple; a mere few minutes, and they were ready. Soon, over a thousand of the dark-winged fiends filled several crates, ready to be unleashed upon the city.

And so, atop a tower overlooking Kyoto’s downtown, Morgana watched as they emerged from their crates, wings beating like dark leaves caught in a gale, scattering into the night to spread dissonance and dread across the city. She allowed herself a rare, unguarded smile as she watched them disappear into the urban abyss.
 
Kaiko Park

"How ever did you find us?" Hoshi asked, enamored with the sight of William's full plate and cape. The question, of course, was rhetorical as Hoshi and Aiko's penchant for the park was undeniably. "Oh and Rio, too. How sweet, what groups are you two in? We can help you with lighting your pumpki—ahk!"

One of Morgana's bats had honed in on the captain, gliding from one side of her to the next. The moment she looked at it, it flew to her other shoulder in a frenetic flapping of its wings that did not inspire peace of mind. All the while, dreadfully ghoulish whispers echoed into Hoshi's pink, triangular ears alone. She looked about, noticing a few other park patrons undergoing the same horror. Had she not gotten warning from that one cooperative PANTHEON, she would have believed some larger conspiracy in place that she and Aiko needed to rectify.

As it was, the captain couldn't quite stifle a giggle and faked a sad moan before she spoke aloud.

"I wish you had your camera, Aiko-sama. I've gotten the best addition I could ask for to my costume!"
 
Kaiko Park

Unlike most of the Kaiyo's crew, Molli hadn't planned to leave her bunk that night. Spooky festivals weren't her idea of a good time, and neither was playing dress-up. Amid conversations about costumes and plans for excursions among the crew, Molli stuck to non-committal responses and half-hearted shrugs when asked what she would do once they arrived at the planet. In her effort to fly under the radar, however, it appeared she attracted the attention of a certain pink captain who took the liberty of "helping" her crewmember find a costume. Needless to say, Molli had to hide her dismay when Hoshi arrived at her bunk unannounced.

The theme of each outfit revolved around the nubs of bone on Molli's forehead, nubs she regularly filed down to preserve the appearance of a 'normal' person, and to throw off anyone looking for a horned Nepleslian. The costumes Hoshi chose reflected this: from an oversized cow outfit, a dinosaur onesie, and strips of black leather that, once Molli thought about how anyone could wear so little, reminded her of a demonic entity of sorts. Much as Molli wanted to turn down Hoshi's offer, she found it difficult to ever say no to her captain.

All of this led to Molli shuffling through Kaiko Park dressed as a fearsome green dinosaur, or as fearsome as one could look in what was essentially pajamas. The hood consisting of its head and lower jaw was pulled down as much as possible to hide her face, which was made easier by the long mouth and rows of lopsided teeth. More problematic was the massive floppy tail that dragged on the ground and was constantly stepped on, nearly pulling the young Nepleslian to the ground every time it happened. She would've found it preferable to sit on a bench and wait out the night, but Molli had a festive job for the night.

Candles and candy, both needed distributing, and Molli was nothing if not diligent. Two bags were hooked under each arm, one full of various sweets that she distributed whenever an eager child decided not to jump on her tail (she refused to give anything to those who did), and the pumpkins spread around the park needed appropriate candles inside them. Molli found that easier than giving candy -- they all lit up whenever she hastily plopped one inside.

This journey eventually brought the Kaiyo crewmember within sight of four familiar faces, even under the veil of costumes. Seeking a break from her duties, Molli shuffled over to them. "...'Ello," she said, shifting her hood so that the glow of her red eyes could be seen. "Bleedin' hot in this thing..."
 
Kaiko Park

Amongst the crowd, a pair of cloaked figures weaved in and out of the crowd. While they shared the same basic look, with thick black garments of Victorian design, a hood and half cloaks with white leather masks that had long beaks and black, circular lenses for eyes, each had their own little trinkets adorning their costumes. One had a chain slung across her shoulder, the end of the loop hung a heavy, leather-bound book with thick pages that looked yellowed with age. This plague doctor carried a basket of white, paper flowers, some of which were tucked into her belt.

The other plague doctor had flasks of glowing fluids adorning her belt and on her back, there was a metallic tank with a hose leading to the contraption she held in her hand: a make-shift flame thrower with a holographic pilot flame. This pair of hooded doctors went up to random people who were dressed up as multiple kinds of undead creatures at which point the one with the flower basket would offer them a flower then pretend to write something on her oversized book, which was followed up by the one holding the flamethrower spraying the undead with a harmless orange smoke that quickly dissipated, declaring "You have been cleansed!" before the pair moved on.

This pair soon found the Kaiyo crew and as they have done before, walked up to them with purpose in their step, with the flower bearer taking two flowers from her basket and offering it to Hoshi and Aiko specifically. "Alas, to see my captain has passed to the next life brings pain to my heart. I offer thee this flower as an offering for the dearly departed." While slightly muffled by the mask, the voice belonged to none other than their very own Sif Ignemar.

The other plague doctor looked to the others present, but her gaze lingered at William, her masked head cocked to one side before turning to the dinosaur-clad Nepleslian. "A healthy specimen, for a creature lost to time" she'd say, nodding approvingly before turning towards the ID-SOL. "Ser Knight, are thou with a beating heart or hasth thy veins stilled by death's grip?"
 
Kaiko Park

D3 scooted out into the park with her collapsible Food cart in tow, and on seeing how many people were around she quickly set up the stand, the menu was up, the tables and chairs set, for customers to use while they eat, and the massive Tomato sign was up as well as D3 scooted around dressed as a lady bug, well truth be told she was adapted to be lady buggy, but only a slight adaptation, she had heard that it was normal for people to be decorated or disguised slightly on this day so she decided to do it this way, she had even sent out a note with a pic of her to a place giving out junk to people and she had gotten quite an interesting haul.

Regardless here she was with a few other D3 who were all adapted and dressed up as different insects, and one was just wearing a large tomato costume, and they were helping her work the food stall! She had considered running Tomato Tower as well, but after looking at the crowds she realized a obstacle course in costume might not be the best Idea so it was just the "Maximum Tomato" food stand and its' wildly varying menu.

Soon with it al set up and ready to serve the public the other D3's were sent out to hand out Fliers as D3 herself stayed stationed at the food cart ready to server up some good food for anyone who wanted it gently bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement at the Idea of being able to participate in the event like this.
 
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