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 Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 10:21 am
[ Reserved for Banner Space ]  The Imperial City is always bubbling with energy. Women run around tending to their daily errands, children play and more than a few merchants shout with their customers about so called outrageous prices. Furthermore, the heart of the city is known for its bustling market with stalls strewn about carrying the most curious and eclectic items.
Yet today, many of the stalls have been cleared away to make room for the city's inhabitants to gather. The few remaining stands carry an eye catching collection of kites of varying shapes and sizes and colors. A kite for every Lunarian one could almost say. As the sun begins rising high in the horizon, many begin crowding into the city's market place. Lunarians of all ages gather once more for the city's annual kite race.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 10:22 am
[ Reserved for Banner Space]  .o1 Follow the Gaia ToS.
.o2 Follow the Rules and Guidelines of Lunaria.
.o3 No God-moding, Mary or Gary Sue-ing.
.o4 Please stay in character. OOC chat must be in [[ ]], (( )), or {{ }}.
.o5 Please make your posts pretty, but not difficult to read. Darker fonts, please.
.o6 Do not quote others.
.o7 This is an open RP. That means you may post as you wish.
.o8 You do not need permission to post.
.o9 Please be polite and respectful to everyone in the thread.
.1o Please post any questions in the main thread.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:04 am
[ Reserved for Banner Space ] The Imperial City's kite race is an annual event and one looked forward to by all the citizens. It is a day of little responsibility and much food, games and fun. Women are free of their household duties, and schools are closed for the day. The city's center market plaza is cleared away for the kite runners to gather at the starting position. And despite the name kite race, it's more so a battle between all the runners. In the giant plaza, participants attempt to cut the string of their opponent's kite. And a winner is declared when there is only one kite left in the air.
The rules of the game are:
.o1 Any currently existing lunarian may sign up for the kite race. Just mention in your post about the registering somewhere, and please bold it.
.o2 When enough people have signed up, I will post GO! on the mule.
.o3 You can attack anyone's kite, just write said lunarian's name in BOLD RED. Then, generate a random number between 1 and 2.
1 - attack, 2 - miss
The runner under attack will then also generate a number between 1 and 2.
1 - successfully defend against attack, 2 - fail to defend and string has been cut
.o4 The kite race is over when there is only one kite in the air.
PRIZE: a free full body color chibi of any character of choice your drawn by me.
Sample
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 10:40 am
[ Reserved for Banner Space ] Participants:
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 11:32 am
Yue Lao was buried under mounds of blankets in her den, above the living room in her mothers's home; she was trying to avoid the sun, but no matter how she turned, she seemed to get sun in her eyes. Finally, she smelled cinnamon-- and that was all it took to get her up. She tossed off all the covers and dangled herself off the side of her den, looking down the ladder and into the kitchen. "Chichi!" she called out, her braid swinging down beside her.
"Yes, Yue Lao?" her mother asked, her voice as sweet but also as cautious as ever. Yue was always up to something, and this she knew.
Yue flipped herself over and slid down the ladder using her gloved hands. "What's for breakfast?" she grinned, putting her hands behind her head. She realized she was only in her sleepingwear, but at home, she didn't care much. It was just a loose white shirt and some shorts. Still, she wanted to get dressed eventually, and if she didn't do it now she would just spend the whole day in her home clothing. So while she waited for Chishio to finish what she was making, so that she wouldn't burn anything, she tugged herself back up the ladder and grabbed her wrappings and pants. Shamelessly, she dressed herself while she stared at the food. It looked delicious. Some kind of egg and coconut mixture was cooking on rice, with a little cinnamon.
"So? What's for breakfast!" Yue was being a pest again, suspending herself over Chichi's shoulder. Chishio was short, just like her daughter. Yowai came in through the back, wiping her hands on a soft cloth to remove the dirt.
"I thought you would have gone out by now, Yue Lao," Yowai mused, a soft smile playing across her face. She was always so elegant, so perfect. Not like impulsive Yue. Even though she didn't share many features with her othermother, her personality was the result of Chichi and Yowai together. It had culminated in everything that was Yue Lao and was not her mothers; Yowai was so elegant and perceptive, Chishio calm and kind. Yue Lao didn't know where she had gone wrong, but clearly she was not much like her mothers.
"Why would I?..." Yue asked, confused. Was her othermother complaining she wasn't training enough? Yue was training diligently, she couldn't see why Yowai would begrudge her one lazy day.
"The food is for the kite race picnic," Chishio finally replied, clearly concentrating and a little annoyed her daughter was being a pest when they were already late.
Yue Lao let out a strangled, excited gasp and ran into the storage room, where she had carefully placed the kite Chichi's mother had made for her when she was little. It was beautiful cloth, a dragon kite which had a long and wondrous tail. The cloth was died the same magenta-pink as Yue's eyes had been when she was young, with gold accents. It was clear that the cloth had been died a bright green before, as around the edges of the kite its dye was still visible. When Yue Lao was born, Chichi had dyed it to match her little girl's eyes.
Yue hadn't flown a kite in a long time, but she had been manipulating her meteor hammer for quite some while now. It couldn't be that different, could it? Yue didn't even answer her mothers, just bolted out the door with her kite in hand, the tail wrapped around her shoulder as if it was her meteor hammer. She had forgotten Hime-san, though, so she ran back in, scooped him up in her free hand, and attached him to her shoulders. "Hold on tight, Princess! We're going at top speed!" Yue Lao cackled madly. She raced down the winding streets, and vaulted herself up off some wooden barrels in an alley, onto the rooftops. The market square, that was where she needed to go! She loved to compete, and if she was late, she might miss the signups for the kite race.
So from roof to roof, Yue Lao raced along, her steps light and quick. The tail had unwound itself from around her shoulder as she ran, and streamed out behind her, glinting in the sun.
"Almost there...!" she said, her eyes glinting with excitement and her skin aglow, and launched herself off the roof into the crowded market square. The first thing she would do, once she landed and stopped frightening people (actually, probably before the latter part) was register for the race. Secondly, were her friends here already?
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 12:09 pm
Then all of a sudden she landed. "AHHH!" She screamed as the blur landed in front of her making her jump back and land on her bottom. When her heart rate fianlly steadied she looked up to see the one and only Yue stood infront of her. 'What! where did she come from? Can Yue fly?' She wondered looking up to the open sky, she did not see the logic in someone jumping from a roof - but then again did Lunarians falling from the sky really make more sense? Maybe in most cases but Sara would not be surprised if Yue had found a way.
She exhailed and held her kite close, it was in the shape of a bird with scribblings all over it that the children had painted in all colours, she thought it would make them happy to see something they made soaring in the skies. "A grand entrance as always Neg." She stated with a small chuckle rubbing the back of her head.
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 2:52 pm
Kiran made quick work of his breakfast that morning. His mother rolled her eyes at him as he shoveled in forkfuls of eggs and sausage. His sister ignored his piggish manner of eating as she ate her breakfast with her usual daintiness. His father snorted in amusement as he drink a hot cup of coffee. Kiran couldn't help that he was excited about today. After all, it was the day of the kite race. He planned to participate in it and had worked on a kite to use in the race. His father had helped him build it, and his sister came up with the design of a falcon to paint on it.
"You should really slow down," his mother scolded as she watched him cram a large chunk of his sausage into his mouth. "You're going to choke if you keep shoveling food in like that."
Kiran munched on the sausage until he could manage to swallow the large mouthful. "Can't," he said as he readied another forkful of eggs. "I want to get down there and sign up for the race as soon as possible."
"You don't have to rush. You have plenty of time to get there," his father assured him.
But Kiran wasn't listening. As soon as he finished his breakfast, he grabbed his kite. "I'll see you after the race is over," he told them and snagged a slice of toast for the road. He paused to turn back to his family after reaching the door to the dining room. "You're coming to watch it?"
"Of course," his mother answered, like he shouldn't have any doubts about it. She had already packed a basket of snacks for them to enjoy while watching the race.
Kiran grinned and darted out of the house. He hurried through the streets to the market square, already a hub of activity and excitement. He made his way through, weaving among the crowd. As soon as he had registered for the race, Kiran took the time to glance around at all the Lunarian gathered there so far. His gaze drifted about, searching out any familiar faces in the crowd.
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 10:59 am
Before she was able to get to the registration booth, she heard Sara scream; it was clearly Sara, who else hit that exact pitch? Yue Lao grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. "Sweetpea! I didn't see you there, sorry, sweetheart." Yue Lao apologized for her actions. Mr. Princess leaped over to Sara and nestled firmly against her neck. He began to groom her gently. Yue laughed. "Looks like he's still enamoured with you," she said. She looked around, behind her, as if the 'entrance' would be visible. "A grand entrance?... Oh, hah, you mean the jumping... I just didn't want to be late," Yue admitted. She stretched in the warm sun, kite in hand, and remembered she had just been on her way to register.
She wrapped the kite's tail up better so it wouldn't trail on the ground, and eyed Mr. Princess. "Looks like he's fused to you at the moment. I have to go register for the competition, but do you want to accompany me? If you're not busy," she offered. She waited for the reply and turned to head off, going slower if Sara decided to come along. While she was surely still in earshot, she asked: "What does Neg mean, anyhow, Sweetpea?"
At the registration booth, everything was fairly straightforward. As soon as Yue was done signing up, she realized she was pretty hungry and pressed one hand against her grumbling stomach. There was no time for food when competition was at hand! And then Yue realized how silly that sounded, so she sighed and prepared to look for food. "Is that Kiran I see?" she grinned, spotting him. She called Hime-san over using a banana treat from inside her sash, and sent him over to harass Kiran, whispering things into his little monkey ears. He actually seemed to be grinning as he bounded over towards Kiran.
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:43 pm
As she followed her friend a small proud smirk came onto her lips, it seemed that she was yet to guess the origin and meaning to her nickname. She chuckled slightly and waved her finger. "That is my little secret Yue. I will take it to my grave." She stated. It was not often that she played such games but the fact that Yue was so percipient to find out amused her and made her lips seal tighter. She liked Yue, she admired her and one day aspired to be more like her. Maybe that was the reason she felt close to her, close enough to indulge in friendly banter like this.
Her jewel like eyes caught sight of the silvery green hair of the young man who she had bumped into once a little while ago, it took her a moment realie why the name seemed to familiar. "Kiran, oh yes I remember him from the market." She nodded, tilting her head as the monkey took off and started its charge towards the poor boy. She wondered what evil deeds you had commanded him to preform and gave the magenta eyed women a curious look, trying to work out her scheme.
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 9:21 pm
With the registering done and out of the way, Kiran took a bite from the slice of toast that he brought with him. He walked around, now having time to spare until the start of the race. There wasn't much for him to do for now but wait. All around, he saw people toting around kites, some spectacular in design while others were simple. He spotted a couple with blinding arrays of colors.
He popped the last bit of the toast into his mouth. His eyes continued to scan the crowd while keeping an ear on any nearby conversation. Some people liked to talk a big game, brag about how much they were, and they might let slip some details that would give Kiran an advantage over them. He had been practicing maneuvering his kite in prior weeks and hoped that he had the skill to take down the other opponents.
Hearing some movements behind him, like people hurrying to move aside, Kiran turned around. He caught a glimpse of something furry barreling toward before it leaped, flying through the air. It surprised him too much to move out of the way before the little creature latched onto his face. A momentary panic ran up his spine, but it faded as he realized it wasn't trying to scratch out his eyes with sharp talons. That, at least, told him that Zibaniz hadn't escaped, again, and decided to tear at his face, again.
Kiran grabbed hold of the creature and pried it free of his face. He stared at the monkey. "Now where did you come from?" he wondered out loud. He glanced around to see if he could spot the owner looking for their lost monkey.
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Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:23 am
It had been something of a difficult week, though for once it seemed the misfortune was not falling solely upon her own slender shoulders. In fact, the only worries currently weighing upon her own astute mind was the woes that were plaguing that of her new friend. All too familiar woes. Ironically so, in fact. Of all the people A'Meiya could have come to with tears in her eyes, who but Shin would have understood more? Allegiances, pain and betrayal. Oh yes, the dark noble was well experienced with such matters.
There had been crying, and there had been quiet talks in the dark of Shin-Mu's room when she had insisted the other girl stay for the night, and the secretive young woman had even shared a bit of her own past heartache. Comfortable with her new friend, and their growing bond. Utterly dreary encounters for days on end, but it would help.
The time had come to cheer up though, and when she'd heard of the kite races she had been quick to inform the paler noble. Insisting she accompany Shin into town, and the two of them would have a lovely afternoon.
A'Meiya hadn't really smiled much lately, and though the girl was over excitable and sometimes wild, Shin missed her lighthearted spirit. So it was with arms linked the two girls made their way towards the heart of town. Shin-Mu murmuring covertly beside the other girl's ear. "We'll have fun, you'll see," she breathed, pale eyes crinkling in amusement. "And you'll be the envy of the lot in the dress I've placed you in."
Oh yes, Shin had seen fit to play dress up with her friend. Draping that lovely frame in elegant silks and brocade. A soft tea green with cream and robins egg detail.
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Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 6:35 pm
Liarae was so pleased to finally have a day free of her mother and familial obligations she did not even bother to say good-bye when she left that morning to join the kite race. What better excuse to get away from a group of dysfunctional people like them than to use the annual kite race? To say she was itching for some competition would have been an understatement, and she was glad she had something to do for a change besides clean and act lady-like.
With sketchpad in hand, she made her way towards the Marketplace and enjoyed the scenery before deciding she should stop stalling. Walking up to the booth, Liarae registered to be in the kite race. Only then did she move on to sketching, daydreaming and the like while she waited for the races to begin. It was going to be an exciting day.
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Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 11:25 am
It was a good day, and Yue Lao was back to her normal self. With a few changes. She was clearly stronger, and her brash confidence of her youth had partly transformed into awareness and self-assurance: she knew she could believe in herself, so she did. Not that she wouldn't have before, but before it was kind of like blind faith. As if by believing she could make it, she would. Well, it had worked okay so far, but... time for change! Yue Lao was not one good for stagnation. So in any case, she was constantly moving forward. It could give others motion sickness, though.
She smiled at Sara. "You sure are stubborn, Sweet Pea. I like that," she said, with a wink. Her drunken blush was back in full force, and even when she stood, she seemed to shift her weight every few moments as if swaying. "If Lunarians always gave me what I Wanted, I'd never have any fun. I'll get the secret out of you some day, though! I hope you put up the best fight you've got till then." Yue Lao grinned madly and looked off into the crowd. Was that Shin Mu with Mei..? She looked back at Sara. Must have been an illusion. There were a lot of brightly coloured kites everywhere so Yue wasn't surprised she was being hypnotized into seeing things. "You know him, Sweetpea? Kiran's been through some of my worst," Yue told her. She was clearly fond of him, as she was fond of Sara.
Yue tried her best to look innocent as she strolled off after Hime-san, taking Sara's hand in hers as she wound through the people towards Kiran. Hime-san was displeased to be pried off Kiran's face, but also happy he hadn't screamed. He hated it when they screamed. The fluffy monkey glared at him, crossed its arms and legs even though it was being suspended, and chittered at him. Then, deftly, its little paws shot up and grabbed hold of Kiran's hand, swinging his feet up and using Kiran as a sort of branch. Hime-san clinged to Kiran without budging, chittering all the while, whipping him lightly with his golden tail.
Yue was clearly doing her best not to burst in to laughter as she watched Kiran with Hime-san. "Who's your new girlfriend?" she asked, pointing at the monkey. She was so content at that moment that her joy seemed to be seeping out and enveloping everyone near her. Kites! Colour! Action! There was so much to be happy about that day. Just a nice day out. No fighting. Yue had missed not being afraid for her life and the lives of her loved ones.
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Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:57 pm
A’Meiya was indeed having the week from proverbial hell. Not only had she lost her dearest friend Sara, but now a fighting idol in Yue as well. It couldn’t get or be any worse, if it wasn’t for Shin-Mu understanding nature Mei would have found the bottom of her mothers Pond that little bit more alluring. To say she had become clingy was an understatement. Since the older girl had agreed to chaperone her into the world of high status she had clung to every piece of advice like a life line. Each one was a gem to be carefully analysed and kept for personal growth and if anything this week was indeed made for personal growth, however hard it seemed to be. Every step Mei took and every tear that fell felt like her world would end any second. It broke her heart to know she had been played for a fool. She knew she wasn’t smart, dam, everyone knew it. But she never thought Sara would use this weakness against her, never though she could hurt her like this in the worst possible way. ”Your just a stupid fool Mei…”.
The silk dress she wore was indeed beautiful, it rivalled her own mothers deigns, if anything it was better. But that’s what money could do, buy the best. She gave a half hearted smile as she lifted her eyes from the delicate stitching and nodded, not really listening but just being there.
“I don’t think I could wear it like you would Shin-Mu, you look good in every colour…but thank you. I feel very…pretty and very unrefined …no wait that’s not the right word, I mean am not, not that…I think.” She displayed a sheepish look and allowed her eyes to scan the streets. Beautifully decorated that festival of kites was indeed impressive. Her home knew of the game but rarely celebrated it on this grand scale. A slight wave of anxiety hit her. There were so many people here what if….? The student suddenly held on to her friends arm a little tighter as if she were about to float away with the kites. It wasn’t that she was scared of seeing Sara or even Yue but what she may do. She had never been good at control her temper going for tantrums and screaming matches till she got her way yet luckily violence was never apart of this but then again she had never felt anger like this before. And it scared her that every time she saw a girl with teal hair in the crowd what exactly her clouded judgement would do. She shook her head furiously trying to empty her thoughts out of her ears, if only it worked! and with another forced smile she turned to her dear friend, excitement bubbling slightly under the surface.
“When does the festival start? Can I play...i mean can we play? Are we allowed too? I mean I dont want to get my dress dirty!” A'Meiya actually didn't mind getting dirty, if anything she loved it, the muddier the better. But she was trying hard to be the noble lady her step-father wanted her to be and up till now Shin-Mu was doing an excellent job...as long as she kept the old Mei from resurfacing.
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Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 3:48 pm
Sara held her sleeve to her mouth as she chuckled, tilting her head to the side. When she opened her jewel like eyes again they drifted across the crowed and the teal haired Mongolian found herself looking at the face of her old best friend dressed up like a pretty doll and stood next to a quite beautiful blonde woman. She remained still and her expression did not change. Outside she was perfectly cold even though internally she felt her heart skip a beat and a icy chill overcome her. The moment lingered and then Sara skipped to the side, wrapping her arms around Yue's to cling to her, putting her head on her shoulder, out of the corner of her eye just for a second she shot a glare at Mei. It was a look which was rare for Sara to hand out but one which was filled with disappointment and resentment. If all Mei could do was look at her and see a dog of the Emperor then she did not deserve to be looked on with the respect of any other Lunarian. Mei had stabbed her in the back and the scar ran deep into the chambers of her heart, she felt like she could never forgive her. She never wanted to give he a chance to hurt her again.
'Do not cry Sara. If the sight of death does not bring you to tears she should not. She is dead to you now, just another corpse, she can not hurt you.' Shinto's voice was as clear as it ever was, it rang in her ears and calmed her. He was always there, when she needed him most he would recite the words she wanted to hear, the ones she needed to hear. He was her guardian angel, she was sure. Since she started to carry around his rod their connection had only become stronger, something he held close to his heart in life was now hers and it acted as a channel between them. "Thank you, Master." She whispered to herself. When she was younger she bit her lip when she wanted to reply to the spirits, people used to think her insane however now she was a lot more open in talking to them. She had nothing to fear, nothing to be ashamed of. It was something she had learned over time, where as some people pushed her away back home her talents here were seen in a different light. She was special not different. Reassured by her Master she smiled and then went back to the conversation with Kiran and Yue.
"Kiran, it has been a while do you remember me? It is funny how the world works. Well I guess I have learnt that Neg-Yue knows everyone and everything." She smiled, wondering if he recalled their brief meeting in the market. She had gone back to the conversation like Mei's presence did not even bother her, at the moment it did not. She had her friends, her true friends by her side and that gave her strength. She was sure Yue would be strong enough to just let it be, she would have her head held high and her stride proud as always. She reached out her hand and stroked Mister Princess behind his ears. "You seem to be very talented with animals Kiran, Nori liked you, your Falcons adore you and Hime-San seems in a good mood. Have you signed up for the race? It would be nice to see another familiar face on the field." She asked tilting her head and giving the blue haired boy a kind smile, she was more talkative than she was when she met him before, she could thank Cias and Yue for that. Though she was still her old self and had all the gentle demeanour she did before when socialising.
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