victory_road | The Festival of Wishes!

Who: Everyone!
Where: Pewter City!
When: June 24th
Summary: It's time to celebrate the Festival of Wishes!

Pewter City is one of those towns that doesn't draw a lot of attention. It's nice and has that museum, but it never seems to be the scene of much excitement.

But today, that's different. Because today, Pewter City has been doffed up to the nines, with visitors arriving from everywhere to celebrate the Festival of Wishes. The skies are crowded with uBIRDs flying in people from all over Johto and Kanto. The streets are filled with cheerful noises and many in the crowd have come in their finest yukata and kimono, adding splashes of colour to what might otherwise be a drab crowd. And if you'd like to try out one of these beautiful garments yourself, there are plenty of nearby shops offering rentals for the visiting crowds.

Stalls have gone up all over town, most hawking various forms of street food: Takoyaki, Yakisoba, Kaarage and many others! And for those looking to satisfy a sweet tooth, there's plenty of shaved ice, chocolate-covered bananas and Taiyaki to go around. Hopefully, you brought an empty stomach, because it would be a shame to miss out on all these yummy goodies.

But it isn't just food stalls that dot the streets. A wide variety of festival games are also available. From shooting galleries to ring toss to small lottery games -- whatever you might be in the mood for can be found here. Stuffed animals and sweets are the most common prizes to be won, but who knows, perhaps if you get very lucky, you might even win an Evolution Stone.

And, of course, no festival would be complete without a Test of Courage. Are you brave? Is fear something you only know from the dictionary? Then why not prove it? Why not enter Pewter City most haunted dwelling (usually just an office building) and show your mettle to your friends or even that special someone? Who knows, you might even earn a kiss if you protect them from the many horrors that dwell within (AKA, volunteers in costumes, a few ghost pokemon, and so many 'creepy' paper mache props)

There are also various stalls dedicated to traditional arts and crafts. From Calligraphy to Origami, if you have an interest in these matters, you'd do well to check them out. And you can do more than just buy some nice decorative pieces for your home, or a cute little origami figure of your favourite pokemon partner; many of the stalls also offer visitors the chance to try their own hand at these traditional skills. Are you the type of person who is always looking to learn a new skill? Or have you perhaps mastered these skills already and do you want to show off? Why not come over here and spend some time?

(Who knows, you might even impress someone special!)

And once night has fully fallen, the skies will light up, not just with the light of the stars and the moon, but with the many bright colours of fireworks! If you aren't completely tired out yet from all the festival games, why not sit down, relax, (maybe drink a beer if you are old enough) and enjoy the beautiful spectacle happening above you.

---

But all of that cheer doesn't really answer the big question -- what is the Festival of Wishes?

Keen eyes (and not so keen eyes, really, they are everywhere) will be able to spot various decorations shaped like the pokemon Jirachi dotting the stalls everywhere. From small plush toys to folded origami figures, Jirachi's cheerful face can be found everywhere. There even is a theatre performance explaining the whole tale, but for those too busy stuffing their faces to partake in (ugh) culture, it all comes down to this: Jirachi is the Wish Pokemon. During the festival, people write down their wishes, hoping that Jirachi might fulfil them.

Of course, there is never a guarantee Jirachi will be around. It's been known to sleep a lot. But why not give it a try? It can't hurt, right?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Kimmuriel is not familiar with guns, but the sound and look of someone who clearly knows what they're doing to the point of interfering with other people is unmistakable. Having nothing better to do at this exact moment, he drifts over to watch the commotion happen.

Seeing the man disassemble and clean them is an education in itself. He's never seen a gun in his life. ]

These are for entertainment purposes only, are they not? I would think that alone explains their condition. [ They are in a sorry state, he wouldn't argue that, but at the same time, these aren't exactly vital to any operation. ] They are not vital to much, save for a game or two.

Entertainment or not, it's a crime to let them get this bad.

[The guy has a point; it's not like these guns would be worth anything in a firefight, but they're still guns, and should be treated better.]

Whoever is responsible for them should be ashamed.

[A pointed look at the nearby, quivering attendant.]

[ If Kimmuriel was a compassionate person, he'd come to the clearly cowed attendant's defense in some way or another.

But Kimmuriel is...definitely not that...and is offering no reassurance whatsoever. ]

I suppose it is poor service at the very least. [ He steps over to inspect the dismantled guns more thoroughly, but he doesn't touch anything; he's not going to disturb a professional's work. ] You must use weapons like these often.

[ He's making a guess but he's pretty sure he's like, at least semi-accurate. You don't get this insistent about something without using them a lot. ]

I do.

[Mando keeps a close eye on this new guy, but when he leaves the pile of guns alone, he relaxes. In fact, he even slows down a little, so he can see what Mando's doing.]

Where I come from, weapons are a part of my religion.

It is quite obvious. [ That is almost a compliment.

He gets to learn something? Even better. He keeps his distance, as much for his own benefit of Not Wanting To Get Close To People as it is some residual politeness as anything else. It ends up making him at least look more polite than he is. ]

How so? [ Though life in Menzoberranzan and other varying factors had turned him well off even any small attempts at religion, that doesn't mean he's not interested in it. ] Are they sacred tools?

[Sounds like a compliment to Mando! He's going to take it as one.]

Yes.

[Mando holds up one of the guns so the new guy can see all the gunk and filth inside the barrel.]

You see this? It affects the bullet's trajectory. If it's not clean, you'll miss your target.

[He's just going to ignore the request for further explanation about religion. It's easier to talk about the mechanics of the guns.]

[ He's also totally fine with not talking about religion t b h.

Kimmuriel observes with due conduct. He's genuinely fascinated; he hasn't seen devices quite like this. ]

So what is inside the barrel affects the projectile...simple enough. I suppose that is also a strategy, with these games. [ You wouldn't want it to be too accurate... ]

Yes.

[Mando has reached that conclusion too, and it's just making him saltier.]

It's still not a reason to let them get so filthy.

[A little filth in the name of a challenge, Mando could... no, he wouldn't understand that either.]

If they want it to be more challenging, they should change the size and speed of the targets. Right now, they're too big and too slow.

[Barely even a challenge!]

I suppose that is one way of ensuring difficulty...

[ Changing the targets, hmm? Well, this poor attendant has already had their stall thoroughly commandeered...

Him being who he is, he doesn't ask for permission at all to start getting his hands into the mechanisms for the targets. Even without his equipment, it's well within his field of expertise to figure out simple movement. (Good thing it's one of those very old-school shooting galleries). ]

How fast would these targets have to be in order to pose a sufficient challenge to you?

[Oh yeaaaaah, someone else who takes initiative! These poor attendants and the abuse they're suffering today... they didn't sign on for this!]

[Mando nods approvingly when Kimmuriel starts messing with the targets. A man after his own heart, this one.]

How fast can they go?

[In other words, let 'er rip!]

[ They really should get paid more for the sheer amount of nonsense they're having to put up with today. Alas. ]

The maintenance on the mechanisms is not as poor as the guns, but there is only so much they can take with their current material. [ The attendant has just sort of given up, so Kimmuriel's investigating takes him to the little control panel.

He increases what he's pretty sure is the speed and delicately taps the button. While this does not, in fact, increase the speed, because it is the wrong button, it does significantly increase the amount of bobbing around the targets do on their way past. ]

Hmm. [ He's gonna reach for another dial, that isn't the effect he wanted. The targets are rattling and wobbling around a bit, though, so that technically makes it a better challenge while he's fixing the speed... ]

[Maybe they'll get hazard pay for all this annoyance.]

[Mando snaps the gun he was working on back together and slaps it into place on his shoulder. He doesn't bother to use the sight, which he already knows is hopeless, and simply eyeballs the targets.]

That'll work.

[Ping! Still not a real challenge, but definitely better!]

Do they do anything else?

[ One can only hope.

Kimmuriel hasn't seen anyone shooting before, but he can appreciate a professional. He finds another dial to turn and watches in mild satisfaction as the targets increase their speed, bobbing and waving all over the place. ]

I am not certain of their sturdiness, but they hold up well enough so far. [ He could probably turn the dial up more...this is just encouraging his brain to Press More Button honestly. ]

[Mando is, quite frankly, delighted as the challenge level ramps up. It's still not a real challenge, even with the shitty guns, but this is the most fun he's had in awhile.]

If they break, they break.

[That comment gets a horrified, wide-eyed stare from the attendant, which Mando ignores.]

Do you want to try?

The Festival of Wishes!

shooting galleries

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