(open) ☀️ beach bonfire party

[niwabi]

WHO: Everyone! You and you and yes, YOU!
WHAT: Summer Beach Party
WHEN: June 23rd
WHERE: Solarpeak Beach
WARNINGS: none for now!

BEACH PARTY

The sun is shining, a cool, crisp ocean breeze flutters across the shores of Solarpeak Beach. There's not a single cloud in the sky, the perfect day to have a party! Whether you heard about it through Yoimiya's network post, word of mouth or just happen to stumble onto the festivities, everyone is invited to Ellipsa's scorching hot Beach Bonfire Party! Grab your swimsuits, sun dresses, or whatever you feel the most comfortable in, and join in on the fun.

➤

Gonna Soak Up the Sun

Through the combined efforts of Sisu, Yoimiya, and the many kind volunteers who lent their assistance in setting up the venue, the beach party is here and open to the public! Upon arrival, everyone will be given a choice of colorful, handmade hibiscus leis or bracelets to adorn for the party. They aren't mandatory in the slightest, just a cute little thank-you gift to those who are attending. After receiving a warm welcome from the hosts, you're free to set off and have fun! Meet up with friends or introduce yourself to new people from distant worlds, the party is your oyster. Of course, there will be plenty of other activities to partake in as well. Venture forth to the fun!

Feeling brave and daring? Sitting on top of the ocean is an inflatable balance beam built especially for water jousting. Foam joust poles and life jackets (if you wish to wear one!) will be given to would-be challengers looking to scratch the itch for a fight. The goal is to assert your dominance by knocking adversaries into the water and be the last person standing. Show off your strength and become the champion of the beach!

Perhaps you might be in the mood for a bit of fun in the sand. A large area of the beach is sectioned off for the grand Sandcastle Competition. Solarpeak residents from all across the city are bustling with excitement, flocking in to watch the artists do their magic, so go wild with your creations and give them a good show! Buildings, any kind of sculpture, or even just a basic castle are all accepted, let your imagination run free. You can even drag a buddy in for a helping hand if your work of art requires assistance. For the winner, the grand prize is a summer gift basket filled with goodies for a nice relaxing spa day at home. Tucked away inside the basket are gift cards to various restaurants in Ellipsa. Don't fret if you aren't interested in participating! Anyone is welcome to walk around and marvel at the competitor's creations.

➤

A Feast for All

The hosts are bound and determined to ensure that no one leaves this beach hungry. If you're craving a cold tasty treat to stave off the heat, a bustling shaved ice stall is here to cool down roasting attendees. An endless variety of flavors are available for mixing and matching, waiting to quench your thirst. If you are feeling adventurous, there are a few questionable flavors on the menu such as Bacon, Durian, Jalapeño, Ketchup, Mushroom, Pickle juice and Seaweed. Try them at your risk or if your palette is "hungry" for something more on the "unique" side.

For those who made inquiries about alcohol, special arrangements have been made! A small pop-up bar has been set up for today's joyous occasion. The bar's pride and joy is a variety of summer-themed cocktails but you can also find other basic liquor or non-alcoholic drinks if your tastebuds are craving simplicity. To go alongside the refreshing beverages, food is also provided at this small establishment. Some of the dishes on the menu are: kebabs with a hint of rum, peach bruschetta, spring rolls, fish and chips, crab hush puppies, and a spicy jalapeño popper dip (you can also ask for the ghost pepper version of this dip if you are feeling brave). All the hosts ask is that visitors to the bar be mindful of the people who can't or aren't interested in drinking.

Decorated across the shores of the beach are tables, picnic blankets, and sizzling hot grills for the designated picnic area. In a similar fashion to the potluck that took place a while back, several tables have been set up for those who like to go crazy in the kitchen or wish to advertise their food business by bringing samples to share.

Time flies when so much fun is taking place! As the last light of day begins to fade, the stars come out to brighten up the night sky on this clear summer day. However, just because there's no more sunlight, doesn't mean the party is over. Far from it! There's still lots of excitement to be had for the attendees who wish to stick around for the night festivities.

➤

A Midsummer Night's Glow

On the middle of the beach, a blazing bonfire burns ever so brightly inside a log fire pit. Eat snacks, catch up with friends, meet new people, or get cozy with others should one be feeling touch starved. In need of an icebreaker? A game of truth or dare or telling scary stories makes for a good way to pass the time. Maybe you'll have a fateful encounter and land yourself a date before the night is over.

With a sky full of beautiful stars, a bustling bonfire, and a large open space, the atmosphere is perfect for dancing. The DJ for the evening is the bright and energetic Aimoto Rinku, here to bust out an array of sick beats with her turntable. There's plenty of fun to be had in a group conga line or grab a partner for a slow, romantic bolero, and dance to whatever music piques your interest. A small makeshift stage is also set up for those who wish to sing, Rinku will be more than happy to work with any potential performers. From upbeat EDM to ballads, all types of genres fill the air with music. Let loose, enjoy the melody, and dance the night away!

➤

Festive Mementos

For one of the hosts, summer just isn't the same without fireworks exploding across the sky. To end the evening with a bang, a beautiful barrage of fireworks paints the night sky in various colors and patterns. As a final gift to the attendees, Yoimiya has prepared sparklers for everyone to play with. There are a variety of colors to choose from, pink, red, blue, green, orange, purple, yellow, etc. No matter what color catches your fancy, with a little flick of the wand, all of them appear like twinkling stars sparkling and flickering across the stick.

To end off the light show, fireworks representing each of the seasons burst into the sky. Blue snowflakes for Winter, pink cherry blossoms for spring, a yellow sun for Summer, and red maple leaves for Autumn. After the vibrant display, a final golden ray of light flickers and explodes into a bright, heartwarming message for all of the guests. "Thank you for attending! You are all amazing! Let's have a great time in Ellipsa!"

(OOC: Make your own top levels, mingle and have fun! ♡)

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Comments

[mayoninofukucho]

Great! Let's find an empty spot away from the party!

[As they're about to head off he casts a glance at Hange's bucket.]

Best leave that in the shade, else whatever you've got in there is going to be boiled by the time we come back.

[titanscience]

Huh? Oh, right..

[It wouldn't do to cook the poor creature! Hange glances in the bucket, wondering if they should put it somewhere cool or release it back into the water for now, but the bucket is nice and full of water and little crab seems to be happily chilling in the bottom, so it's probably fine.]

[Hange sets the bucket down with the rest of their belongings, placing it behind the random assortment of objects before covering most of it with a beach towel, ensuing that it is properly shaded from the direct sunlight.]

Over there should be good enough, right? There's plenty of open space.

[Just a little further up the beach there seems to be a decent sized spot that nobody is using!]

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata waits while Hange takes care of the bucket, though the Tepig is less patient and squirms and squeals in his grip, as if it somehow understands that the humans are going to let it fight that territorial Sprigatito. It's feeling indignant! No one should pounce it when it's taking care of food that was clearly left out for it!

A few minutes later they've trotted up the beach to where no big umbrellas and lounge chairs have been set up and only some shells litter the sand. The sounds of the party are still wafting over, but there's definitely space here! Hijikata sets the Tepig down, and it immediately snorts some small flames with a cocky oink... before letting out a tiny belch. Maybe that shaved ice was a little much.]

We let them fight until one gives up or gets knocked out, okay? The loser can recover in its pokéball.

[Does he know the rules of a pokémon battle? Has he ever so much as witnessed one before? Is he confident that this won't end in tragedy? No, no, and no - but he isn't about to let that stop him, and the two little creatures are clearly eager to jump each other.]

[titanscience]

That's what I've heard. Apparently we don't need to worry about any permanent injuries, and the pokeballs will allow them to recover fully.

[Hange has also never witnessed a pokemon battle, or even watched this one fight anything, but they at least know some of the most basic rules! Sort of.]

[The area looks as though it has enough space and nobody else is here to potentially get caught in the crossfire, so Hange sets the Sprigatito down on the ground, allowing it to psych itself up and get ready for battle.]

Just a second, Parsley! You have to wait until we say 'go', alright?

["Go"? Haha did I already mention that Hange has no idea how a pokemon battle is supposed to go?]

[mayoninofukucho]

[They've got this!! Clearly!]

Let me count us down! Three... two... one... go!!

[As the two of them shout that together, the pokémon understand instinctively that it's their signal to have at each other. As they roll around, cheered on by their owners, they do employ their attacks - however they are so basic that neither Hange nor Hijikata would likely be able to identify them as pokémon-specific moves.]

Go, Tepig!! Show us how your training paid off!

[Its training... or maybe the fact that its weighs a whole lot more than its opponent, which naturally puts a lot more heft into its tackle attack?]

[titanscience]

Go, Parlsey!

[So, it turns out that Parsley absolutely sucks at pokemon battling. The little guy certainly has the spirit, but his melee attacks just don't have that much effect on a creature thrice its size. Partway through the battle it uses some cool looking grass-type move, leaves swishing through the air towards the Tepig, but it seems to be about as effective as.... leaves hitting a pig. yeah.]

Don't give up, Parsley! You've got this!

[hange's cheers give the cat an extra burst of energy, and soon enough the Sprigatito is using its agility to pounce upon the Tepig, doing its best to strike it with its tail while sitting atop its back. Yeah, take that!]

[mayoninofukucho]

[Friendly as Hijikata's Tepig is by nature, its owner's aggression and competitiveness did rub off on it to some degree already... enough, in any case, for it to tackle Parsley's valiant pounce attack by slamming itself down on him, which it then follows up with that small flame attack. One more body slam, and the little cat it starting to look like he's done dealing with the feisty pig!]

Well done, Tepig!

[He glances at Hange, unsure if the battle is over if one pokémon doesn't want to get up anymore, or only when its trainer calls it quits. He could honestly get used to watching these little creatures duking it out! (Let's see if he'll still be laughing once his Tepig evolves into a creature of 2.5 times his mass and playfully bodyslams him...)]

They really do enjoy fighting, huh?

[titanscience]

[The Sprigatito scrambles in the sand, trying its best to dish out more damage but Hange doesn't need to be a Pokemon expert to tell that the little beastie is beginning to bite off more than it can chew with this particular encounter.]

Alright, that's enough Parsley! Good job, you almost had him!

[The cat thankfully seems to accept its defeat, slinking over back towards Hange to lick its wounds. It could simply return to its pokeball yes, but where's the fun in that when you have an owner who seems perfectly happy to shower you with attention?]

They do! They're feisty little things. Apparently as they gain more and experience and training, they can unlock even more potential. But this is my first time witnessing a "Pokemon Battle" as they call them.

[Come here you poor cute sweet little Sprigatito! Hange picks up the plant cat in their arms, stroking its leafy little head.]

We should definitely try it again some time if you want to! I know somebody else who owns one, but it isn't a good idea for them to battle it out. He told me that his is a high level.

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata likewise pets and praises his Tepig some more as it runs around his legs oinking, seemingly only more energised from the little brawl, but Hange gets his full attention with that suggestion.]

Count me in! Would your acquaintance be Mister Clavell, by any chance? Or Eren?

[Clavell has multiple pokémon, but maybe Hange only met one! Meanwhile Eren likely wouldn't know what level his Yamask is... or would he? Anyone else's new pokémon shouldn't be at too high a level for theirs yet. But then perhaps there are more people with more experienced pokémon around that he realised.]

I'm Hijikata, by the way.

[Leave it to him to only introduce himself after initiating a pet fight...]

[titanscience]

[The mention of a familiar name causes Hange to divert their attention from the Pokemon to the guy in front of her. Hopefully this means that Eren has been making friends, and not enemies...]

Oh. I know Eren. We come from the same "world", so I've known him for a long time!

[Hijikata's thinking would be correct, Eren doesn't necessarily know that his Yamask is a high level, he only said it was a higher level when compared to Hange's fresh-out-of-the-pokeball Sprigatito and suggested that it was not a good idea for them to duke it out.]

You know Eren too?

[PLEASE say he's been behaving himself...]

[mayoninofukucho]

Yeah. We're both summer power holders, so we met at the guild opening.

[Eren has been a very good boy - a quick fire magic learner, a reliable questmate, a good lay. Hijikata slowly starts leading the way back to the party, Tepig in tow, so they can sit in the shade of the umbrella if they want to talk for a while.]

I've known Jean a lot longer, though. We met on Avalon. Did he mention Avalon?

[Hange has to be one of the latest batch of people Jean said arrived from his world, then... but who? Probably not the queen, going purely by vibes.]

Are you also in the Survey Corps back home?

[titanscience]

[Oh.. that sounds like a perfectly normal way of meeting people. Great job, Eren! Hange is honestly pleased that he seems to be making some friends.. though it appears that this guy knows Jean also? Maybe that's how they are acquainted.]

Jean's told me a little about his time there. I knew Mikasa thankfully ended up here with him also, but I didn't know that someone else did. How curious! Were the two of you friends in Avalon? Did you appear here together?

[So many questions! Luckily for Hijikata, mention of the Survey Corps serves as a suitable distraction from trying to unlock the secrets of inter-world travel with your friends.]

Mmm, that's right. I'm the Commander, or rather I was! [Now those duties have been foisted onto Armin! Because of reasons.] I'm Hange! Nice to meet you!

[A friend of Jean and Eren's is a friend of Hange's! Probably.]

[mayoninofukucho]

[Jean didn't introduce them to each other in person, but he vented talked about Eren's arrival beforehand. That's why Hijikata was excited to actually meet the famous titan shifter, humanity's only hope (his conjecture, not Jean's words.

So Hange is the Survey Corps' Commander... for a brief moment Hijikata remembers the blond man who took the novice members on their horrible last ride in Levi's memory portal. It's enough to make his smile waver for a second. He sure as hell wouldn't want to be promoted because his Commander went out like that! But regardless, he gladly shakes Hange's hand as they walk through the sand (trying not to think about what that "I was" might imply, because the Survey Corps doesn't seem like an organisation people get to retire from). Perhaps it's for the best if he focuses on the multiverse adventure stuff for the moment.]

It's as you said. We got to know each other well on Avalon. Honestly, it feels like I've known Jean forever. I attended his and Mikasa's wedding; it was really nice. I think both of them got called here together because of a ritual that was part of the ceremony and meant to prevent them from ever getting separated.

[It felt really good to see them so happy on that day... even if Hijikata has somehow never managed to speak with Mikasa one-on-one despite regarding Jean as a little brother figure. She gives off an intimidating aura, okay?]

We all got here at the same time, right in the first batch. Other people we got to know on Avalon are here as well.

[titanscience]

[Yeah, it really isn't the type of position you get to retire from. Unless your name is Keith Shadis I guess in which case you do get to just yolo out. Talk about lame!]

[Hange shakes his hand enthusiastically, and once the two of them reach the shaded area again the former commander plops themself down on a laid out beach towel, the sprigatito curling up to nap in Hange's lap as they peek into the plastic bucket once again just to make sure the little crab friend seems to be doing okay. It still looks quite alive, so success!]

So the two of you must have known each other for some time, if you were present for the wedding. It's odd that so many of you appeared here after coming from the same place.. you weren't a native of Avalon either, were you?

[Just a hunch, from the way Hijikata mentioned it. Calling it 'on Avalon' and not 'my home' or something similar. But they could be wrong! Also, one little tidbit there is also rather interesting...]

Oh? You think the ceremony had something to do with it? [Dismissing it as a coincidence would be easy, but they are currently on a world that beings the dead back to life after all! Nothing is strictly outside the realm of possibility!]

Did the ceremony include something specific, outside of normal marriage vows? A ritual perhaps? Did anyone else from Avalon undertake it too and show up here with their partners? Hey, Hijikata, are you married..?

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata is about to ask what Hange's got in the bucket - after all the pokémon battle took precedence over that earlier -, but the many questions need to be answered first!]

Yeah-- no-- I, I'm not married. And yeah, I'm from yet another world. One of the Earths.

[Luckily he can focus on the wedding magic instead of his messy personal life or the mess that is the multiverse!]

I don't think anyone else got married on Avalon apart from Jean and Mikasa - no otherworlders, I mean. And yes, it was a ritual. The king personally carried it out. Jean and Mikasa got a ribbon wrapped around their hands, then they got pricked so their blood would be in the fabric... and then the ribbon had a spell cast on it that folded it into a rose, and then the rose crystallised.

[One might think that he'd just hang back smoking at a wedding, but he paid attention!! (Also he hopes Hange doesn't suspect that he's just remembering a magical girl anime here...)]

The rose was at the reception after the ceremony, and people could touch it to feel the-- the love between the two. But I didn't do that.

[During the entire explanation his voice became gradually hastier. He didn't realise that it'd be so stressful to talk about this kind of thing even when it's about other people altogether!]

[titanscience]

Earth? That world is popular here, right? When people on the network talk about home worlds, it seems to me that there are several from 'Earth', but too few from our own world here, in comparison..

[But no other marriages? Damn! There goes that theory. For a moment there Hange considered it a real possibility that more people had traversed the worlds due to this special ceremony, and if it were the case they absolutely would have set about attempting to recreate it just in case something happened here and people were shipped off into yet another isekai arc. Imagine dropping that conversation with Levi...]

[Luckily, Hange has no idea what an anime or a magical girl really is so they take Hijikata's explanation at face value, attempting to remember and file away all the little details. They aren't really one for weddings, members of the survey corps generally had to put survival above romance, but Jean and Mikasa likely enjoyed it a lot.]

Seems a little embarrassing, having the people around you "feel" a couple's love... I don't know that I'd want to do something like that. Then again, I don't think I'd ever get married anyway, so problem solved!

[Haha! There are far too many other important things in the world to be invested in! Such as roombas! And crabs! Speaking of, the bucket is back in Hange's lap once again as they take their phone out to snap pictures of their little friend.]

[mayoninofukucho]

That's how I felt!! It would've been invasive, right?

[Even if the happy newlyweds shared the rose freely, he's just too reserved for that sort of thing!]

But as for Earth, it's kind of a dime-a-dozen word. There are multiple ones. What's your world called, anyway?

[He never learned the name of even just the city! Since there is only one, by all appearances, maybe it doesn't have one? Jean did tell him that there are other settlements out there, but he assumes that they're a lot smaller and more vulnerable... which doesn't say much, arguably, given what happened to the walls.

He leans down to also peer into the bucket. A crab... huh. It's nothing special to him, but maybe Hange has an interest in animals. He should perhaps take his leave instead of hovering around, but meeting a person from that shitty world who seems neither as dickish as Levi nor as traumatised as Jean and Eren makes him wonder if he might have a chance of getting some answers to more questions he's been holding on to.]

[titanscience]

Far too invasive! I might have touched it anyway just to see what it's like, but I don't think I'd do it for myself!

[Kids these days! Honestly!]

[Though right after that, Hijikata poses a good question. What is their world called?]

To be honest, I don't know for certain if it had a name. There were several nations, and landmasses that we came to understand are called 'continents', but for the entire world? It must have had one, but with far greater issues at hand it was never a priority to ask.

[There were far too many things to ask of their new friends from Marley, such as why their island was hated, or what aircraft were, and what the fuck is electricity! Who cares about the planet's name at that point?]

[Hange continues to swish the bucket around and observe the crab, but talking about their experiences with the world serves as a sudden reminder that Jean likely doesn't know any of it.]

Hijikata-kun, you're good friends with Jean, right?

The truth is, I come from a time several years in his future when the knowledge of what is outside our walls isn't known to him yet. And for those of us here who experienced those events, we've come to an agreement of sorts not to discuss it with the rest of them. They have no desire to know, and I'm fine with that.

I don't mind answering your questions, but if you go blabbering to him about it, I'm seriously going to come looking for you!

[mayoninofukucho]

[Wow, the titan world doesn't even have a name... what a shithole!! Or maybe the people just don't know it? What the hell happened there? Something just doesn't feel right about it all, and Hijikata thinks back on how both Ellipsa and Prismatica lost many historical records in their respective cataclysmic disasters. Maybe something like that..?

He perks up at the mention of Jean (and finds the -kun honorific strangely easily to accept from Hange... huh). He listens and eventually nods, expression serious. He understands that Jean doesn't want to hear how many more horrible things happened, how many more of his friends and acquaintances died.]

Don't worry. I won't tell him. I won't ask you about specifics about individual people, either.

[Little does he know how jaw-dropping and worldview-changing even the answers to his "general" questions may be! He hesitates for a moment before continuing.]

...

Is it okay if I ask you some questions about titans? There are a few things that really bother me that I don't understand about them.

1/2

[titanscience]

["Is it okay if I ask you some questions about titans?"]

[Hange had been fiddling with their bucket but suddenly their hands freeze to a halt, looking up at their new friend with confusion, as if they somehow didn't hear him correctly.]

[Somebody... interested in titans...]

[HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN......]

Huh...?

You want to know about titans?

2/2

[titanscience]

[The bucket gets shoved back under the shade (it'll be fine, probably) as Hange scoots closer on the sand. And then even closer, because it's better to have these conversations face-to-face! Like, directly face-to-face. Who needs personal space? Move out of the way, Tepig! We're having a moment here!!]

Wh..What do you want to know?

[You can ask ALL of the things, Hijikata. All of them!]

[mayoninofukucho]

[What did he do?! Why do they have to be so close to each other for this?! He automatically leans back a good bit without actually moving from him spot, and his Tepig indeed does wiggle its way out between the two of them to (probably) bother its new cat friend(????) again. Are Hange's eyes really shiny, or is that just a sunlight illusion?]

Well... for a start, why are there titans in the walls? That's just...

[It gives him the creeps!! It's so wrong!]

[titanscience]

[he only brought up the best topic in the history of EVER, that's what!]

[though as for the answer.. hm... well.. if he promises not to spill things to Jean (and if the two of them have been good friends for so long, this Hijikata must be a good and trustworthy guy, right?) why not tell him the things he wants to know?]

When you say the "titans in the walls...?"

[Are we talking about titan-shifters living within the walls, or the actual titans literally insidethe walls? They are two very different things!

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata is definitely a good and trustworthy guy. Just ask Jean! (Please don't ask Levi.)]

The ones built into the walls meant to keep them out. When Eren fought the Female Titan, the innermost wall got damaged, and there were titans inside, right?

[He knows about the other part and he doesn't want to talk about that!! It'd only get his blood pressure up all over again. There's a reason Eren is "Eren", but Annie, whose name he also knows, is "the Female Titan".]

Jean said that the church just told you guys that it's a secret, but what the hell kind of statement is that?!

[titanscience]

[oh so THOSE titans.]

We eventually found out that the walls were made using a titan hardening ability. The reasons why titans were in the walls, was because they formed the walls themselves by using this ability around them.

[Aaaaand there is of course more to that story, such as why and who did it and what if they break out but maybe he will be satisfied with this answer? (Probably not, Hange wouldn't be if the roles were reversed.)]

Back then, Eren eventually managed to master it too. Thanks to him, we were able to patch up holes in the walls and retake the areas we had lost.