melodiesoflife | Event || Window of Opportunity

Event || Window of Opportunity

Characters: All Heroes of Light.
Where: Aqures Ixen - Everywhere
When: September 25th - From 12:30 to 22:30.
Summary: Heroes of Light will relive the same ten hours over and over again until they find a solution. This may be a blow to what's left of their sanity, but that's also a window of opportunity! The OOC Post is here for more information! It's not too late to sign-up, anyone can still jump right into the event! However, your vote for the total number of loops will not be taken into account any more.

Speaking of which-- Votes are in and this time displacement madness will be solved after 191 loops. Practically speaking, this means characters going through every single loop will live 2 months, 2 weeks, 3 days and 14 hours in the span of half a day. Hopefully they won't mind the food for the day, the clothes they're wearing or what they were doing when the loop started, because that's what they'll be stuck with until the end. There are some events described below, but there will be no NPC replies. Feel free to partake in these events and of course, make your own!

Warning: Too many time loops may be bad for your mental health.

The Flence Salesman
— All Day Long —
There is a salesman from Flence in the city, and he is going for every person he sees in the streets. Adults, children or elders, humans or tarutarus, it doesn't matter to him so long as he can make money! He will try to sell to the characters specialties from Flence and some crystals at absolutely awful prices, but he's open to negotiations and beyond that, he's extremely persistent. Normally, nobody would care about this, but given the salesman isn't be aware of the loop, he'll keep doing the same things over and over again... Hopefully he won't see your characters, otherwise he might just bother them for every single loop.

Moogle Demonstration for the Future of Mognet
— 12:30 => 16:00 —
For a surprise one-day long strike, the Moogles are demonstrating! There are roughly 800 Moogles together (250 according to the government, 5000 according to the striking Moogles) in the demonstration, all singing slogans and some even holding placards with "More Gil and Less Work" or "Give us Kupo Nuts" signs.

They started at 10:00 and left from the 09th District, but they will go throughout every district and explain what their protest is about. They'll finish at 16:00 and will be back to the 09th District to eat Kupo Nuts and drink Chocobo Milk together.

Biggs' Grand Return
— 14:00 => 22:30 —
After a month spent in the hospital, Biggs is finally back! He leave the Hospital at 14:00 and head straight for the Castle of Aqures Ixen. Noticeably he still has a broken and bandaged arm, but he'll pretend to be totally fine and for that matter, he will be as rude and as unfriendly as ever. He will spend most of the day in the Castle, but will go in Palitutu's Lab by 19:00 to meet with Cid. Among other things, he will side-eye everyone and will accidentally splash Cid's coffee on a Hero of Light working there (or on a Moogle, should the Hero have the good sense to avoid Biggs next loop).

Renovation of the Blitzball Stadium
— 15:30 => 20:00 —
The repairs are going steadily and today, a special dome from Trano Golsaucia is being transported and placed on the Blitzball Stadium, brand new and much more modern than what Aqures Ixen used to have! On the downside however, the airship bringing the dome and the work being done on the stadium are all very, very noisy. So noisy that everyone in a two-district radius will be bothered by it.

Under normal circumstances it would have been only for a short time and easilly bearable, but here it will happen for every single loop.

Have You Heard of the Heroes of Light?
— All Day Long —
Throughout the day, a few people are going to go and knock on every doors in the city, to talk about a most fascinating topic: the Heroes of Light! They will speak about how it is said the Heroes of Light are in Crystallis and how they managed to defeat the empire without difficulties back during the attack! Then they will go on and ask for a contribution (hear: money) to help the Heroes of Light in their cause. Of course, these people are dishonest and the money will go into their own pockets, as they don't believe in the Heroes of Light to begin with.

And of course, they'll go knock on doors during every single loop!

The Accident
— 22:29 => 22:30 —
The one minute that started it all. Who is the imbecile who committed the mistake on Palitutu's computer? Is this a Moogle or a Hero of Light, maybe Cid or Biggs? Whoever it is, after the first time, at 22:29 the program will start again on its own and will activate the loop right at 22:30, sending everything back to 12:30. The characters may try to run more programs to block the computer, cut the energy source or even bomb the building if they so wish...

But these archaic and barbaric solutions won't prevent the next loop from happening. Only hard work and scientific solutions shall prevail!

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[Aww. Completely normal. But of course that means that he won't remember anything Manami does now.]

Why not in public? Ne, ne, can I see what you've done so far? [He smells a secret.]

[The Barkeep doesn't visibly flinch, but he's going "noooooo" on the inside. Fanfiction like this wasn't all made to be shared.]

You don't talk about someone's writin' in front of just anyone. What if they ain't gonna finish it? That's disappointin' everyone who heard you blabbin'! That's not to say I'm givin' up on my project, but you're the only one I've mentioned it to. [Because Manami gave him the seed of the idea.</small.] Know what? you help me with rebuildin' my saloon, and I'll let you work on it with me. How's that sound?

[As always, he's unperturbed at being admonished.]

I'm the only one you've told? Ahh, that makes me really happy~

[Manami tilts his head, his expression smilingly neutral, while thinking about that carefully.]

But you know, that sounds kind of like giving work only to get more work. I'm not really interested in writing, you know~ Mmm. But Barkeep-san thinks I might have some good ideas?

[No, he's not telling you this to make you feel special! Ugh.]

Why're you referrin' to me in the third person, you talkin' to someone else? [He leans to look behind Manami and check if a Moogle or other short creature was tagging along.] And I don't know iffen you got any good story ideas, I was only throwin' out a suggestion.

[But if it keeps him from telling everyone that the Barkeep writes, it's a small price to pay.]

[(Too late.)

No one there. After a few loops he got pretty good at shaking Tia.]

It's a good suggestion! I can try! For sure, if I see what you have, maybe I'll think of something good! Let's go! Let's go see it now!

[So he's talking to himself. Not a good sign; he's plotting something.]

Not at the moment, but- [Oh, hell. Sephiroth is here, whose presence makes anyone uncomfortable, but can he trust the other workers to keep an eye on him? What if he breaks something?] I should keep an eye on this.

[It'll take physical coercion to get him to move from his watchpost.]

[(Naw, now what makes you think that?)]

[Manami looks around at the workers.]

On this? I'm pretty sure they know what they're doing, Barkeep-san. But if you say so~! Oh, how about you just tell me where the story is, and I'll go look at it for myself?

[Win-win, right?]

[Always err on the side of caution.]

No, no. Let me lead the way home. I'll take it downstairs and we can work on it together.

[He'll be far away from Sephiroth, Manami will be pacified, and he'll get some writing done. Win-win-win, at least for this loop. Follow him!]

Okay!

[Yay~! Way to change your mind!

Manami follows, easily making irrelevant (and probably nearly one-sided) small-talk all the way there.
Once they arrive he looks around with a faintly curious expression behind his smile.]

Ooh, this is nice! I've never been in one of the A-houses before. It's really big! So, you keep everything upstairs?

[It feels so strange to say so little, especially if a teenager is dominating the conversation. The Barkeep lets Manami chatter away. Anything to get him too tired to investigate his house and poke around his room.]

Big? It's pretty small as far as I can tell. Just the basics and two small rooms for me and Ramza.

[Said roommate was not yet home, and Annie, his Moogle, was off visiting her family for the day. The furniture is still new, as it was just rebuilt after being burned down, but the couches have been rearranged to provide the most empty space. He is planning on hosting parties here eventually.]

Have a seat. I got some stew left over from yesterday if you're hungry. [You know what? Teenagers love food. Why not distract him with more?] Once I grab my notes, I can bake cookies, too. What do you say?

[(Falling asleep on his couch is a definite possibility...)]

Mm. Maybe it's just because you share with only one other person.

[He settles down on a couch and smiles brightly at the offer.]

I haven't eaten in a while! That sounds really good! Wow~ fresh-baked cookies! I can't wait! [He's really happy! Barkeep is so nice to him~]

[It's all a ruse, sadly. The Barkeep sets the pot of stew on the stove - it's been hundreds of years since the last fire stovetop was used; this place was such a backwards planet - and jogs upstairs to grab his opera notes and two blank sheets of paper. He makes sure to lock the drawer of fanfiction before he leaves.

Once returned, he sets the papers on the table.]

I got a new relationship chart laid out. Black Mage with Princess. Thinkin' of the Ancient leader havin' a former relationship with one of the other characters, makin' him more sympathetic. Heck, why not make the leader a woman?

[An idea!] What about switchin' all the genders around? That'd make it more interestin'!

[Truth be told, he's kinda clueless on this whole thing. He did sleep through the opera, after all.
But he nods- he'll stand by the Black Mage getting the Princess, because that never happens, and it'd be kinda cool. His expression starts looking more blank at 'sympathetic', and by that last idea-- completely blank.]

Mmm? I don't see how...

Sure, that won't make it a rewrite, more of a whole new version, but there's not rule sayin' we can't have a bit of fun with brainstormin'.

[Whoops good luck getting this idea out of his head this loop, Manami.]

Trick of the trade: when you can't come up with somethin' just yet, find a gimmick and play around with it. [He gets to writing notes on this brilliant idea.]

[Wow, he didn't think he'd have to work so hard for stew and cookies. He wonders if his instinct about there being some secret about this is off... It could just be the fact that Manami is the only one he's told about the project.

Oh, well! There will still be food! He can smell it warming on the stove. He settles further back into the couch as Barkeep gets writing.]

A gimmick? Like... The bad guy is really a good guy or everything you were fighting for turns out to be wrong? [He's played enough video games to have come across those kinds of things a few times.]

[The smell of beef wafts through the air, right into the living room. The Barkeep excuses himself as he disappears into the kitchen to fill up a bowl with the stew and place it in front of Manami along with a napkin and a fork.]

That's a good twist, but we'll have to see if I can work that into my rewrite. [He's played plenty of video games back in his youth, and he's aware of several tropes. Some of them are pretty good to use!]

Now, are you thinkin' of havin' the Ancients be the good guys, because I don't see why takin' over the planet's anythin' other than trouble.

Edited 2015-10-10 02:27 (UTC)

[Manami claps his hands together with a quick 'thank you for the food' before digging in to the stew.]

Mmmm~! 'S goot-! [It's so good, he didn't even wait to swallow that mouthful before complimenting it. But it's hot!
He swallows quickly and takes up a second spoonful, more carefully blowing on it this time.]

I'll have to come back again~ [He means some other loop, but after this looping thing gets broken would be good too. ...If it ever stops.
As he's chewing the second spoonful he realizes that maybe he'd been asked a question?]

Did you ask me something, Barkeep-san?

[Apart from Manami's manners, the Barkeep ignores his eating to focus on the notes he's written. Well, it looks like he's accidentally let a teenager come over to his house regularly, but at least it's not someone like Sephiroth. It's like inviting one of Harriet's coworkers to his house for dinner.]

Hm? Right, askin' about your idea of havin' the heroes turn out to be the villains. IT could work, but that'd mean we'd have to change the motives of the Ancients, and I'm not rewritin' it too much. [For now.]

[Manami makes a displeased sound around another mouthful of stew and shakes his head. He'll actually swallow before elaborating,]

Heroes are heroes. Even if they're kinda mean people or get nick-names like demon-something-or-other, they're still the heroes, right?

It's not the name that's botherin' me, is that the Ancients are tryin' to destroy the world. How does that make 'em heroes?

[To him, it's not a manner of good vs. evil, but troublemakers vs. those that aren't troublemakers. And the Ancients are firmly part of the former.]

We can add more personality to the main characters so that they're not perfect, if that's what you'd like.

It doesn't... [There's a slight lilt on the end of that, as if he's adding 'why are you asking me how that makes them heroes? They aren't, are they?' (Never mind that Manami was the one to bring up that trope in the first place.)]

Personality is good though! ...Didn't they have personality already? Mmm, that's too bad. No wonder it was so hard to stay awake~

They do have personality, but it ain't enough to create drama. Flaws are what make someone likeable, without 'em, they get borin'. Now, we can have a Hero more perfect than the others, that's fine, but like you said, it's borin' if they ain't got any bad sides to 'em.

For example: Warrior. If he's so good at beatin' up monsters, why would he be great at romancin'? Folks I know [meaning Sparks] have a hard time translatin' them fightin' skills to social skills.

White Mage: let me tell you, bein' in charge of patchin' up bruises while everyone keeps on gettin' hurt gets tirin'. It's dangerous if you got no way to defend yourself in the middle of a fight. Why not have White Mage be sort of a leader or be really tired after most adventures?

[He holds out a hand toward Manami. Your turn to think of ideas.]

[Manami nods along - he sees what Barkeep means! - until the hand gets held out towards him. And he looks down blankly at it.]

Eh? Um... Mm. .... ....

I'll think of something good after I have a nap~!

[And he plops down on his side on the couch. Ah, comfy. And he's sleepy after all that nice warm food...]

[Oh. Well, then. Hopefully Ramza doesn't return home early to find a teenager asleep in their living room. The Barkeep returns to writing notes on the opera for now.

...Until he gets hungry. He picks up Manami's bowl and brings it to the kitchen to wash before getting a bowl for himself and sitting down at the kitchen table, because that's where you're supposed to eat food if you don't have a dining room.

He hopes Manami wakes up before evening ~~not that he has worry about that this loop~~.]

[Manami lies there for a time, not asleep yet, and is a bit surprised that Barkeep is just letting him be.
That's pretty nice of him! Maybe he really will just sleep here then.

It's been very strange (and oddly stressful) not having proper days and nights for so long already, so maybe it's time to catch eight-ish hours.

And if he wakes up then, it'll be good timing to eat some cookies just before the next loop starts!
... So long as Barkeep-san doesn't forget to make the promised fresh-baked cookies.
He won't, will he?]

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forcegalactic - 2015-10-19 00:53 (UTC) - Expand

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