(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

Danganronpa spoilers

[corpsewarblade]

...Huh.

[Mukuro's brow furrowed. That definitely didn't ring true with what she knew of Hijikata so far.]

That...can't be right. It's "out of his jurisdiction" if it's not on his world to start with, isn't it?

...

...That's what he told me, before.

[After all, Reiner was not the only one who'd unleashed untold amounts of death and destruction on his homeworld- Mukuro, one of the Ultimate Despair, had as well.]

[rustyhonesty]

["Out of his jurisdiction". Definitely didn't like it was with the way he was talking earlier. Jean looks shocked... and then just more tired and angry.]

... he did visit our memory portals. It could be the memories he saw there left a strong enough impact for him to cross that border and forget that. But didn't he also saw your world, before? So... it still doesn't really make sense.

[Not only saw it, he was basically a member of Mukuro's world for a while.

Jean shakes his head.]

Honestly, I could have handled the situation better. But talking about killing someone or forcing someone to commit seppuku so soon after what happened on our trip... I lost control of my emotions too.

[corpsewarblade]

Maybe...he's been more stressed out than usual recently...or, if he saw the fighting more directly in the memory portal, that could be why.

When he came into my world he didn't watch the worst of it first hand.

[The "Ultimate Swordsman Hijikata" in her world had his memories of that world's destruction taken away, of course, so all he personally saw was some of the events inside the school.

Even so, though...it was a lot.

The fact that Jean lost control was not too great a surprise, given the circumstances. Even she knew that Hijikata was extremely stubborn.]

...Him saying that was unnecessary.

[As was tradition, whilst she didn't know how best to comfort her brother, she gently nudged her Pokémon his way- who quickly hopped over to him and fluttered it's little wings for attention.]

[rustyhonesty]

[Jean noticed the little wings flutter and picks the Rowlet up, gently petting him as he brings him closer.

It's calming, so it's making Jean look a bit more calm as he talks again.]

... it hurts more than I thought at first. Having him so openly talk of that.

[So much he doesn't want to talk to him unless Hijikata apologizes. Whenever that would be.]

Reiner... things with him are complicated. But I don't want to even fight him. I want to be able to look past my hate and accept him on neutral terms. Because I know he's more than just the traitor he became in my eyes.

[corpsewarblade]

[The Rowlet was perfectly happy puffing up and making itself a little feathery ball, very good for cuddling. Evidently, it had learnt from having to take care of Mukuro's emotional needs.]

...If he doesn't hurt you here, I won't take up arms against him.

[Mukuro's priorities were as straightforward as ever.]

You really want to look past everything he did?

...

I guess...the people I've met from my world have done similar for me, even if I don't understand it.

[rustyhonesty]

[Rowlet is the perfect therapy owl. Mukuro had gained a great partner.]

If he wanted to hurt me he would have done so already. He's had plenty of chances and he's used none of them.

[Unlike Jean, who had literally beat him up and even verbally attacked him. Yet Reiner hadn't done anything in return. Not even punched him. Just grabbed him by the collar because he was shocked over his death.]

... yeah. I won't forgive him for the things he's done. I can't forget those things either. But holding onto them constantly would tire me out and it wouldn't help anything at all. So I'd rather learn to accept him.

[Try building something from the ashes of their friendship that clearly hadn't vanished with the winds, even if Jean had sworn they had.]

You both deserve a chance to do something new. Neither of you will forget what you did, back in your worlds, but that doesn't mean you can't move on, here, and do something new.

[corpsewarblade]

[Rowlet tried its best!

Still, that assurance was enough for her. Chasing after the ghosts of Jean's past without orders to do so seemed completely pointless, after all.]

Understood.

I guess hating on him whilst he's just...here won't really do anything. It won't change what happened.

...I still don't know what to do with my 'second chance', or how I feel about everything back home. He's probably the same.

[She had no idea if Reiner was dead back home or not, but the sentiment was the same- they had both been pulled out of worlds where they'd caused no end of death and destruction, and were given the chance to fight for something else.

Whether they 'deserved' that or not, she didn't know where she would even start on that subject.]

[rustyhonesty]

[Jean's glad Mukuro understands so easily. Makes this conversation about it lot more pleasant than what it was with Hijikata just then.]

Yeah... much like you he's always been a Soldier- or a Warrior - ever since a young age. So just to be put into a world without immediate conflict must be confusing. It was like that for you, right?

[corpsewarblade]

[A small nod at the question.]

...Even when I returned from deployment to start at Hope's Peak, I rejoined Junko, and she set her plans in motion shortly after. Then there was the Killing Game. It wasn't peaceful.

Being brought to Avalon and Empatheias at the moment of my death was disorientating. It wasn't a battleground, and in Avalon I didn't have Junko. I wasn't following anyone's command, other than the orders she left me.

...Was Reiner a commander himself, or was he following someone else's orders?

[Maybe he was a little like her- lost without someone's orders to follow.]

[rustyhonesty]

Makes sense. I had a relatively calm point in my life when I was drawn, so I didn't really have problems adapting to a new world as much.

[But all of a sudden being brought to a world after dying sounded... well. Chaotic. Especially how Mukuro died.]

He takes others' orders, mostly. Though while they were infiltrating us I guess he was the one giving orders? But it was always for a mission.

[corpsewarblade]

Really? I didn't think you had many quiet moments like that back home...

[There was still a lot she had to learn about Jean's life from before, wasn't there?]

Understood. That's a difficult position to be in, especially if he did not have contact with his commanders on a longer operation like that.

[Long term undercover ops...she certainly knew about that.]

[rustyhonesty]

There were some. We did have downtimes between some fights... not too long ones, but still moments to just breathe.

[Even if he sometimes made it sound like it was constant hell... but considering everything happened in a span of months, it felt like it.]

Yeah. Honestly, it didn't even occur to me before, what it must have been like.

[corpsewarblade]

...Time like that is important, it helps combat the fatigue even if you're waiting for the combat to start again.

[Even a soldier of her skill knew her body and mind had limits-]

The undercover op I was on was...well, you know how different it was, but it's still stressful.

[rustyhonesty]

It is. The days when we couldn't take a long enough break to sleep a good night sleep were worst. In training, in real combat.

[But that's just war and army life in general.]

And I'm so glad it's over for you.

[corpsewarblade]

Yeah. And having to fight through exhaustion. Adrenaline compensates but only for a while.

[Jean's comment made a small smile come into her face, though.]

...I'm glad too.

I think- I think it would have been a lot worse if you hadn't contacted me. Um. Did I ever thank you...?

[If Jean hadn't reached out to her right at the start, and given her someone she could really talk to as herself...it would have been far more difficult for her to stay sane, in that world.]

[rustyhonesty]

[A smile, a very soft one, appears on Jean's tired face.]

I don't remember, but you don't need to. I'm glad I did, when I did. And just based on a hunch I had.