street festival meme

[arclightning]

© TESSISAMESS

the street festival meme

A festival for every occasion! Maybe you're at the Glacier Spirit Festival, maybe you're celebrating Avatar Day, or maybe it's Unification Day in Republic City. No matter what, it's full of lights, food, and games where you can win weird dolls of the Avatar. Have fun, let loose, and cheat with your waterbending to win that plush Appa you covet.

how to play

Comment with your character and your preferences in the subject, maybe add a few lines about what they're doing—it's up to you.

Play some games, get competitive about eating the most unfried dough, join a dance troupe in the middle of the road, take a ride on an ostrich-horse, whatever strikes your fancy.

Comments

Glacier Spirit Festival || OTA

[royalfling]

Around the festival
[ It's Wu's first time to the South Pole, and he's bundled up in sweaters and a jacket, a scarf, a fluffy hat pressing down his hair and mittens on his hand. In spite of all of this, he can't stop grinning, looking around at everything around him with wide eyed amazement. If he knows you well, he's probably holding on to your arm as he looks around. If he doesn't know you, he sidles up with a bright smile, ready to hit up a stranger. ]

Do you think you could bend a sculpture like that?

Games
[ Wu is unsuccessfully trying to toss rings onto jugs. He's missed the last two and only has one more shot. Take pity on the boy? ]

Food
[ Okay, in retrospect, Wu probably should have taken off his mittens before trying to eat meat on a stick. That would have been a good idea. But here he is, with a stick in a mittened hand, and no way to take his other mitten off now because he has nowhere to put the meat stick. He stares at it hopelessly, trying to figure out his next move. ]

food

[arclightning]

[ In his defense Mako is trying not to laugh about this, he's just. You know. Kind of failing, and also kind of standing there, happily eating his own stick full of delicious grilled food with a badly-suppressed grin. ]

You could put the stick in your mouth.

[royalfling]

[ Wu looks up at him with a devastated frown. ]

But I'll get it on my mittens.

[ They're brand new! And expensive! ]

[arclightning]

Should've thought about that before you got the stick, then.

[ Unhelpful boyfriend is being very unhelpful, and he is aware of this, but watching Wu attempt to problem-solve is too funny.

Except he really does look pathetic.

Mako waits a beat more, then sighs and holds out a hand. ]

[royalfling]

[ Wu holds out his free hand instead of the stick, waving it so Mako will take off his mitten ]

Well. I didn't. And my hands will be cold.

[arclightning]

[ Wu is... so Wu sometimes. Mako complies, still trying not to smile, reaching out to very gently pull the mitten off Wu’s hand. ]

Lucky for you, I can just warm them up again. You know we can go sit down somewhere. Eat things not on a stick, maybe? You don’t have to be on your feet the whole time at a thing like this.

Republic City, Night | OTA

[avatar_state]

Watching a Parade

She found herself a high perch to watch from. Sitting on the edge of the awning, she sat with her legs dangling over the side, just watching. Below her, the street performers were performing feats of synchronized dancing, while the marching band behind them played traditional favorites everyone could love.

She sighed, smiling. This was it. She had other reasons, but if you asked her, right then, what she fought for - she'd have said this was it. To see the joy on people's faces. To see them celebrate.

And, these days, to watch the spirits that danced through the crowd, some seeming to enjoy it, too. The better world.

Games

She was going to win that plush Appa. It was as big as her whole torso, not counting the tail. She stood in line, hopping from foot to foot in anticipation. It was a ball throwing game. She could do that. She could do that nine times.

She was also in disguise, and somebody would need to gently take her aside and explain that wearing a hat and a skirt did not, by themselves, a disguise make. But everybody was, so far, too focused on their own lives - for now, she was officially incognito.

Other Scenario? Hit me up!

hello and apologies for the small novel

[burnbrightest]

"I thought I might find you around here." Came a voice from a little beneath the awning.

"Or I guess 'up there' would be a better way to put it." Asami craned her head up as she spoke, sweeping her hair back as she looked up and smoothing her skirts. It probably wasn't that much of a shock to see Asami dressed to the nines for a festival; regardless of changes, this was still Republic City, and she was still a member of the Sato family. There were traditions to uphold... Even if that meant her long scarlet silks made her unsuited for climbing up and into awnings.

"Enjoying yourself?" Asami continued, looking around. "I've... Never really seen a celebration quite like this."

Before, spirits were symbolized as paper or cloth contraptions, or a costume to don. Seeing them as flesh (or whatever some of those spirits were made of) and blood creatures was... Different, to be certain.

Particularly when one of them seemed determined to float after Asami, and kept trying to make a nest in her hair with inquisitive cheeping noises.

Maybe she couldn't climb onto high perches, but Asami WAS pretty capable of nervously dancing and ducking out of the way, and trying not to swat at the blur of violet and red feathers. She shot Korra a quick, imploring look as well. She could REALLY use the mediator between humans and spirits right now, with how she was tensed up.

I love it! Never apologize for quality writing like this, I say :)

[avatar_state]

She looked down, and she smiled. No, it wasn't a surprise. It never was. And, as always, she looked utterly stunning. Remembering as she was, she recalled a time when she'd disliked that about her. Intensely. In fact, she'd resented her very existence - though now she was as essential a part of her day as breathing.

"I like a good view," she replied, "and this way nobody asks me any questions."

Then the pesky little spirit came and, well, that wouldn't do. "Hey you, shoo," she said, waving her hand a little to create a gentle current of air. Then, she moved her arms in a slow circle, generating an orb of air for Asami.

"Step on, I've got you," she said, with a soft smile. The air would lift her up as she needed, where a hand was waiting to help her up the rest of the way.

[OOC: I usually play Korra from end of canon where they're very definitely A Big Thing, but I left this vague enough that you can take it however you wish - it'd be post S4, buuut beyond that is your call. If you're up for shippy gorgeousness, I sure am, but we can do this from any angle you're comfortable with! :)]

aw, thank you!

[burnbrightest]

"I can imagine; I wanted to get away for a little while, myself." Good as it was to be getting Future Industries back on track, to have people seeking her out for partnerships instead of turning her away... It could get overwhelming.

"The crowds are a little... Well, stifling tonight. If that makes any sense." She was still feeling a bit of heat on her skin from where that spirit brushed against her. The spirit itself was now curled up near a closed down dumpling stand, giving an indignant peep. She almost felt sorry for it... But at the same time, she wasn't ready for it to try roosting on her head again.

She gathered up her skirts and tried stepping onto the pocket of air, and tried to remember the basic training; balance and precision could be used for getting lifted into the air, as much as they could be used for precise strikes. (And chi blocking, but she didn't want to dwell on that, or the plans her father used to have for her and that training.)

...Though she also wasn't used to airbending, particularly having it used on her. When she was boosted up, that balance deserted her and left her blindly trying to grab onto Korra's arm.

((OOC: I am absolutely okay with vague timing this or having it be near the end of season 1 or 4. And I am totally on board for shippy gorgeousness.))

[avatar_state]

What she'd find were strong arms ready for her, one hand to take hers, the other to reach for her waist to steady her.

"Whoop! Sorry! It's really weird the first time. I've got you." She smiles. "I'll always catch you." She smiled, letting her step up onto the awning in her own way, in her own time.

"You look wonderful," she added, both sincerely and as a way to make up for the unceremonious arrival.

"Beautiful," she added, with a bit of a blush.

[burnbrightest]

Weird, how that heat only seemed to grow from those words. She was half amazed Korra didn't drop her, with how her skin had to be burning. Her own face felt like it was going to burst into flame at that point.

"Thank you..." Both for the comments, and the reassurance. She hoped that much was conveyed in how she smiled back. She also hoped that none of her nerves or unsteadiness showed in that smile.

"So... How do you like seeing the first spirit and human joint celebration? Everyone else I've seen has been enjoying themselves. Though... I've seen and heard some odd contests and challenges being called out."

She gestured out to one of the squares as she spoke, just visible from the new perch. She could already hear the rev of Satomobile engines starting up, signaling that one of the races was about to begin.

[avatar_state]

For her part, she wondered how Asami didn't see her heart nearly leaping out of her chest, just seeing her smile. They just fell into these moments, time and again; moments to be open, to be vulnerable - knowing the other would be there with a steady hand and reassurance and above all support.

There had been so many reasons that she had been the one Korra wrote to, when she'd been away.

"Oh, right," she said, looking away from her face, finally, with a blush. "It's...strange. But good strange." She laughed, briefly. "Pretty sure most of my life gets sorted into 'strange' in one way or another."

She looked in the direction Asami was pointing.

"Are you going to race later?" she asked, with a grin. "Or is it bad business for the head of the company to mop the floor with her customers?"

[burnbrightest]

"Believe me, I'm tempted!" Asami let out a chuckle at that. "But you're right, it wouldn't be good for the company image. I'll just have to hope the latest models speak for themselves."

This was... Nice. Just nice to not have to worry about an incoming disaster, or uprising, or anything like that. She missed the opportunity to just talk, and appreciate Korra's company.

"And... I could get used to strange. It's a welcome change from dull, or..." Or a familiar pain trying to pry its way into her. She didn't want to think about loss just then; not with the city littered in lights and laughter. "...Well. It's just nice. So, any plans other aside from watching the rest of the city celebrate?"

[kuukokujinjanozenko]

[Late to the party, here, but maybe a thing with a fox-spirit Avatar Aang (and maybe even prior Avatars) once knew, who's showed up to meet/troll the new one?]

[avatar_state]

[It's RP, the party only ends if you want it to. :P And sounds new and different, so sure!]

Parade, then!

[kuukokujinjanozenko]

"Copper piece for your thoughts?"

The question comes from just over Korra's shoulder in a hushed, playful tone, and clearly a woman's voice--or at least, almost a woman's voice, but it has a distinctly otherworldly quality. At the same time as the voice speaks, a hand reaches around her side, holding a Fire Nation copper piece (a rather old-fashioned one but seemingly in mint condition) between two fingers.

The woman perched behind her, leaning down to speak privately to Korra, her face covered by a traditional fox mask. She seemed not to disturb the awning at all despite standing on it, as though she were weightless, and her eyes were somehow almost luminous in the darkness of the night. Something definitely felt strange about her, as well--either familiar, or supernatural, or a bit of both.

The fox-like ears atop her head were rather less subtle; so was her costume, something like a deliberately scandalous version of very old-fashioned Fire Nation shrine maiden vestments.

[Also I only realized halfway through this that Kyoshi's animal guide as a fox, so I'm cackling at that as well.]

[avatar_state]

It was, perhaps, not surprising to run into someone - or something - otherworldly in such a situation, with the blending she had achieved of the human and spirit world.

And she immediately looked down at that weightless sort of thing, which said...quite a lot.

She looked back up, curiously.

"Well, right now, I'm wondering if you know Iroh."

[kuukokujinjanozenko]

The woman laughs lightly, standing upright, which also makes the tails--certainly more than one, totaling five if she stops to count them--swaying lazily behind her visible.

"Iroh..? Mm, well, I've known one or two in my time... but I think you must mean our very own Jasmine Ambassador, hmn?"

She taps a fingertip against her lips pensively, although the way she smiles underneath the mask, it's not hard to tell she's playing around.

"I wonder whether you've put us out of work or made more for us, Avatar."

[avatar_state]

She smiles, and nods.

"That'd be him, then," she replies. "He who helps those who are lost." She looks around.

"And I don't know the implications of what I've done, but...people and spirits, mingling, without fear? I think that's a good thing."

[kuukokujinjanozenko]

"Ohoho, well, it should certainly be an interesting thing, so it's at least good for keeping yours truly entertained."

She smirks, making a bit of a show of half-turning to peer down at the gathering below.

"Although I suppose it'll keep both of us rather busy, as well--won't it, Avatar?"

Republic City | OTA

[maipokerface]

Around the Festival;
[Basically if there's been a game at this festival that required aiming and shooting at anything then Mai's been there. And by the bag tossed casually over her shoulder she's cleaned house when it came to the plush prizes.

This presents a very real problem though and anyone - literally anyone - will find Mai just tossing them a plush. Maybe it's the Avatar, maybe it's a scorpion bee, who knows. And if you look questioningly at her she gives you this bland look and shrugs a shoulder.]

I'm just way too good at everything I try.

Wildcard;
[Hit me with a scenario, idc what it is.]

[avatar_state]

[She'll very, very happily take the plush skybison in hand, with a smile.]

Well, yeah, I've seen your aim - but still! My very own little skybison! Thank you.

[She smiles again, with gratitude, holding the skybison close. She's in disguise, or at least what she thinks passes for one - a big floppy hat and Fire Nation colors. The bare, well-muscled arms and the face, though...may not do too much to keep her incognito. But she'd wanted to show Mai the festival, and to have it be uninterrupted. So she'd tried.]

What are you going to do with them all?

Republic City | OTA

[hightide]

Food
Oh, look, fried dolphin piranha! [It's the smell that catches Katara's attention first, and soon she's jogging to the other side of the street where the stand is set up with the wares on display and that savory smell wafting over the crowd. She grabs two sticks of the chunks of marinated and fried meat, bringing them back to her companion.] I've never seen this outside of the south pole before! Not good dolphin piranha anyway.

Parade
[The masked dancers along the parade line are a delight, and Katara stands aside with the crowd watching them pass, clapping happily along with the beat of their drummers. One with a mask of a woman with a white painted face and red circles on her cheeks and forehead and half-moon upturned closed eyes with so many flowers covering the dancer's hair it's impossible to see its color is pulling people from the crowd to join them, and the next thing Katara knows she's being pulled along too.]

Open!
[Idk come up with your own? OK with Last Airbender timeline or deciding weird timetravel shenanigans to have LoK cast!]

Parade!

[burnbrightest]

[She's not the only one getting pulled along into a dance. Asami has a moment of stumbling as another dancer pulls her into the festivities, but picks herself up quickly enough; she's done her fair share of dancing.

It doesn't take too long for her to get whirled towards someone with Water Tribe heritage. Asami hesitates for a moment, on if she should continue the dance.]

"Are we supposed to continue?"

[She glances around at the dancers, wondering at the face paint.]

"I've never seen this type of dance, or costume before."

[Which is a surprise in and of itself; she thought she'd seen everything Republic City had to offer.]