Floor 11: Taft's Spring Festival COMPLETE

[Jomei 0]

Note: Please read the Event information here before posting, so you understand how to get any of the rewards. 

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As the seasons change, and the cold winter is left behind us, we celebrate the coming of the Spring Season. Set between the dates of the start of Spring and the Spring Festival that celebrates The Chinese New Year, Sword Art Online's Festival spans out throughout all of the Floors players can access, various trees sprouting cherry blossoms and other spring flowers, as well as various spring-like decorations.

However, the main celebration can be will be held in Taft, the thriving city found on Floor Eleven. All throughout the town's square, rows upon rows of tents, kiosks, and canopies are set up, housing various vendors of food, trinkets, and carnival games. Voices of cheer and laughter could be heard in all directions, players and NPC's alike lining the open stands for different reasons. Music of different kinds could also be heard, adding to the fun atmosphere that can be seen around you. While the source of the music may not be visible, the glorious sounds that are being created remain continuous throughout the celebrations. Sound and fun is not the only thing that engulfs the festival, however. The scents coming off of different types of food come from all directions, making it hard for one to choose just what to eat to sooth their hungers.

 All of the female NPC's can be seen wearing kimonos of various bright colors, adorned with flowers and ribbons. The men, wearing a traditional Haori, or other types of robes. While some can be seen selling items behind the tented counters, or entertaining others, many walk the streets to to add to the realism of the festival. Entertainers of all kinds, dancers, clowns, costumed characters and the like walk the streets of the festival, bringing a smile to the faces of all. 

Once the sun goes down after a couple of hours, the streets are lined with paper lanterns, strung from tent to tent, hanging above the heads of those walking in between. Finally, at the end of every night to celebrate, fireworks are set off from the mountains a ways off from the city, signaling the end of the festival for the night.

All players are invited to take part in the festivities, and have messages sent to their inboxes, reminding them of the event...

[Darius Verand 0]

Darius got a notification to join the festivities going on to celebrate the coming of spring. What a joke. Comfort, relaxing, reveling in cheer and pleasures. It was a waste of time and energy. There was much to be done and never enough time. He had been put so far behind he might as well give up on the dream of joining the frontlines, but he wouldn't. That is why he skipped the silly festivals with its whimsical dress code and pathetic entertainment. He had to train, to grind, to become stronger in the hope that he might close the gap between him and the strongest, even a little. Despite how hopeless that dream was, he would never give up. He would never rest, and reflecting that viewpoint, he deleted the message without a further thought, returning to his training.

Edited March 1, 2016 by Darius Verand

[Jomei 0]

As players return to Taft on Floor Eleven for the afternoon, they could hear the sounds happy people and celebrations, something that does not tend to be common in the town's square here. As players flock from all directions towards the square, it is revealed that the source of the sound is the opening of Aincrad's Spring Festival. Almost without anyone knowing, rows upon rows of tents and stands had been set up with games, food, and entertainment for all of the players of Sword Art Online to enjoy. Whether the festival was already something programmed into the game or was placed as a sort of "coping method" for players to find a sense of relaxation. As the tents popped up and more and more players began to see what there was to enjoy, chains of messages began to be sent out to pretty much all active players, inviting them to Floor Eleven for the festival...

[Ranmura 0]

"WOAH! IT'S LIKE A FREAK SHOW HERE! I wonder how much jokes I can tell before I'm unconscious! Maybe I'll try an all nighter, then I'll be asleep for reals! What do you call a little boy being attacked by a TON of CROWS! A CAWful situation! Nya ha ha! I bet you it's one HEX of a problem!" Ranmura couldn't help but laugh at her own jokes, they were one of her many (and only) form of entertainment. Some of the NPCs and players were visibly disturbed from the joke she just cracked, some of them even sped away from her. The intuitive type of people would be able to tell something was odd about her today, but sadly there aren't many readers around who don't think she's just plainly insane.

[Lazarus 0]

Lazarus checked his surroundings looking for something sweet to eat, that was when he spotted it; CANDY! "S-Sugar... Delicious sugary honey cakes!" The candy man ran straight to the table with plates full of nothing put sweet honey cakes, in seconds he devoured an entire plate and proceeded to move on to another. While eating he pulled out a glass of milk from seemingly nowhere and put some on his desserts, making them have a different yet still delicious taste. "Man, whoever thought of this was one sugary pal!" Lazarus popped three peppermints in his mouth to clear his taste buds, then he looked over to the other table filled with sweet confections. "Sweet honey cakes, this is the best day of my life! Ermm... Second best day next to the day my little sister was born." Storming to the table, he grabbed loads of sweets and hid them in his clothes quickly, each of the hiding spots contain many various candies of which Lazarus has added to.

[Shizuka 0]

Shizuka smiled. That's right. A smile. For the first time since that incident, she smiled. A weird feeling wasn't it? Indeed, Shizuka was somewhat cheerful and was half-way back to her old self. The transformation had been fast and easy. That fateful day right before Shizuka attempted to jump from Aincrad, Lowenthal was there to prevent her from doing so and from that, Shizuka knew that at least one person in this world had a need for her. That was all there was need for. That was all Shizuka's destiny to fulfill in this world was. Just one person was enough to make her feel needed and sure, she was going to have to explain a lot to the people around her about that period and if they ask her about it, she'll probably just shrug it off and change the topic. No point in explaining as it would only bring back bad memories... Not that anyone would care about her anyway but that's okay. As long as Lowenthal cares. Shizuka thought with a blush and a chuckle as she walked past the piles of cherry blossom trees. Cherry blossoms had had a resemblance towards Shizuka. Her hair was pink and her symbol is one of the cherry blossoms. Sure, the events and games of the festival were very tempting but there was no point for her to go and have fun on her own. She needed someone to be by her side and without a certain someone, there was no point for Shizuka to play those games and instead, Shizuka would wait under the blossom trees that she had loved since a little child. Watching innocently and gently as calming wind blew through the atmosphere, causing the numerous pink colors to fall from the trees and land in the palm of Shizuka's right hand and all around her. Maybe he'll come...... Shizuka thought, waiting patiently. I shall wait until the end of the festival... If not, I will just return. Shizuka thought with a smile.

[Zandra 0]

A few hours ago, Zandra had got a message that there was a spring festival at floor eleven. That sounded like fun. She had quickly went out and got herself a kimono so she would fit in. A red one that would fit the colour off her eyes. She had also grabbed a potion that changes someone's hairstyle.

Now she arrived at the teleportation plaza of Taft. She exited the gate and got amazed off the looked. This was the first time ever she had been to one. She have seen some at TV and puctures. But there was a different feeling to realy be there. Even if it was virtual, you had a 360 view and could touch, see, hear, smell and feel the environment. She took a quick look around but couldnt spot her special one she wanted to spend the evning with. If she went out to search for him maybe they would miss eachother. Or maybe he havent arrived just yet. She sent a quick message telling she was waiting at the border off the teleportation plaza.

Spoiler

 

Ignore the arrow

 

Edited March 1, 2016 by Zandra

[Calrex 0]

"Huh, well this is certainly a change of pace..."

As he received the message saying there was some kind of spring festival taking place on the eleventh floor. After spending so much time in the doom and gloom of the thirteenth and fourteenth floors, the bluenette felt some R&R was certainly needed. With a few swipes he summoned the menu as he reached the teleportation plaza, selecting Taft as his destination. Right as he appeared on the eleventh floor Calrex was greeted by the sight of various stands and booths littering the town, like one would see in many dramas and animated cartoons, "Huh, what do you know."

Swiping on his menu he switched out from his casual combat clothing into the more modern dark blue outfit Teayre had selected for him some time back. Putting his hands into the jacket pockets he gave a small sigh, heading forward into the festivities, "I still wish that Teayre was here. I wonder if she's even gonna show up..."

Shaking his head he gave a small sigh, looking up above as he saw his familiar also materialize above, "Well, let's see if we can find some good eats while we're here."

[Lowenthal 0]

Lowenthal entered the festival grounds. It reminded him so much of home. His neighborhood would get together like this every year when the weather got nice, and celebrate the coming solstice. Lowenthal had caught wind of the event, and had prepared ahead of time. As did a few other people it seemed. Lowenthal was wearing a more, traditional attire rather than his normal black jacket, and leather vest. Instead, he wore a grey hakama, with white lines that created a grid pattern. And to complete the look, it was tied with a white sash around the waist. Not wanting to waste anytime, Lowe went into the Festival.

As he entered smells bombarded his senses. The scents were only made stronger by the warm colours that were cast from the various shops. And to counter act all of those, there was a large bustling of players and NPC's alike. There was someone eye goggling over sweets and other various candies. Lowenthal smiled, and kept walking, only to overhear a poorly tasted joke about ravens, and crows. He chuckled, as the NPC's and by-standing players groaned in unison and rolled thier eyes as they walked away.

Lowenthal stepped into a small shop, and quickly purchased two grilled steak croquettes. He couldn't believe that they actually had them inside of SAO, but then again he guessed everything else was possible. As he exited, he noticed Calrex. With croquettes in hand, Lowenthal stepped up. "Hey Calrex, you've been good?" Lowenthal asked, noting the warrior was in more relaxed uniform then armor. It was odd to see the man without his signature full plate. Looking over Calrex's shoulder, Lowenthal jumped slightly. "Sorry, I'll talk later, gotta go." Lowenthal said, with a massive grin on his face as he walked over to a tuft of pink hair.

Behind Shizuka, Lowenthal tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey there. You look like you're waiting for someone, mind if I wait with you?" Lowenthal asked, sitting beside her. He held out one of his croquettes. "Here. Got this for ya." Lowenthal said giving the pink haired woman a smile.

[Amira 0]

Manta smiled as she walked around the festival, munching on a cinnamon bun. There were games all over the place, but on in particular had caught her eye, and she had walked by it four or five times already, looking at the cat mask prizes. She eventually got up the courage to walk over to it, and picked up the miniature baseball. It was one of those jug games that no one ever won, so she didn't expect to win. She tossed the ball gently, and it wnet right into the jug. A reward screen popped up in front of her with the mask as a reward. She tapped the accept smiling.

 ID# 49807 results:

Loot: 16

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru smiled and wandered around the place for awhile, enjoying the beauty and scenery of it all. The lights, the games, the music, the players all gathered and having fun! He smiled, but he felt lonely, and wished that someone else was here to enjoy the day with. He sat down on a nearby bench and scrolled through his friends list, and his finger stopped on a name that made him feel his cheeks tinge red, "Ariel". He breathed in and out. He had taken her out on a date beforehand, but he hadn't seen her much since then. He clicked on her name, and shot her a message, inviting her to spend the day with him on this occasion. He said to meet him by the middle of the festival, where he would be waiting. He sent it, then sighed and stood up, making his way towards his destination of meeting, where his hopefully soon-to-be date would arrive

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"Geez, I hope I'm not late..." muttered the blonde as she hurriedly made her way through Taft. She would be there a bit earlier but she wanted to made something for herself. Her master tailor skills and Japanese blood demanded of her, guiding her hand through the fabric as she crafted a beautiful blue kimono with flower patterns and a nice red sash to complement it. All these complemented with a flower in her wrapped blonde silky hair, to the left side. Her 'date' left a very vague meeting location so she found herself looking left and right in search for him. He didn't leave any description of the meeting location, stating that it was 'by the middle of the festival'. He failed to realize that Taft was itself as a town, the whole festival area... or he did it on purpose. In either case, she continued her hurried steps as she couldn't run in the geta shoes she had on, exposing her red nails. Indeed she was quite the sight and caught the crowd's attention while asking for directions and such.

Spoiler

 

[Vayrin 0]

"Hrm... Purple or... Y'know I'll just take purple." Vayrin said to the NPC at the tent. She had been observing some rather unique looking fabric that one of the many NPC's had been selling. Of course, this was really the first event Vayrin had participated in, and it was interesting to see what they were all about. Most of the time, she would have usually gone out grinding while all the other players were mingling among themselves in the festivals and what not. One thing that had convinced her to come however was the rumors of some rather cool and rare fabrics that could be sold by NPC's, one she had found. As a tailor, she needed as much as she could get. She paid the man in the tent some Col, before putting the violet fabric in her inventory. She smiled, satisfied with her find. Vayrin then proceeded to walk down the long paths outlined with dozens of tents, all having something unique about them. Although, she realized she may be the only armed person there. The girl looked confused for a moment as she saw all the other players dressed in their casual outfits, and she slowly looked at her weapon and cloak. She still had to find some items that weren't meant for combat. This made her look... Out of place.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru smiled as he saw a familiar face in the crowd of people around him. She had just about passed him when he reached out and grabbed her hand to get her attention. He gave her a small smile as he felt a slight blush tinge his cheeks. Her in her kimono made her look.... beautiful. He laughed lightly and pulled her closer to him

"About time I found you..." He said with a small blush forming more and more with each passing second. He breathed and motioned to the kimono "You look, really beautiful tonight...." He said, then gave a small and shy smile. He wasn't the best at talking when he was embarrassed, or if he was talking to Ariel. She always seemed to make him fluster lately whenever he talked to her. He breathed and stood as tall as he could, and held his elbow out for her to take "Shall we start exploring?" He said with a small smile

[Calrex 0]

"Oh hey Lowe..."

Calrex felt a bead of sweat form on the side of his head as he saw the self-titled Master of Shadows seemingly live up to his name, meeting and greeting the bluenette before promptly excusing himself to spend time with another person. Looking over his deep-sea blue eyes fell upon the young man's companion, recognizing her as Shizuka. With a friendly smile the Ultramarine Knight gave a wave to the two before moving to a different area to give them some privacy.

Moving by another street he looked over to see another couple making their way, this time being Hikoru and Ariel, both seemingly dressed to match the festival theme. A warm smile came across his face to see that his friends seemed to be having a good time, "Well, let's see what else is going on..."

Moving over to one particular booth his eyes fell upon what appeared to be a display of various floral pins, made with exquisite intricacy that seemed almost impossible to do, "Well...why not."

"Excuse me, there are some very lovely pins. How much do they cost?"

"Oh why thank you. Actually if you would like I can make a custom one for you. All I need is one of the flowers from one of the trees around here."

"Oh, sure thing."

With a small bow Calrex turned and began to look left and right, "So...this means I've got to find a floral tree of the right color...Hm..."

[Shizuka 0]

Shizuka smiled delightfully as she saw the orange haired man arrive at the scene. However, Shizuka had not expected the man to provide her with a croquette. Honestly, Shizuka found no appetite in such a food item. She had rather preferred something, uhm, more healthy even though this game was not exactly exercise oriented. Shizuka sighed and took the food item from the man anyway before slowly feeding on it and taking it down her throat. "Thanks for that." Shizuka said gladly in thanks that the man had even offered something for her. Without another second, Shizuka wiped off her mouth with the black cloak that she owns. Eventually, she would get enough Col to get a new armor but for now, she was seeking something else. "Nope! I wasn't waiting for anyone. Does it seem like I was waiting for someone? Come on, I wanna get one of those traditional kimonos. Let's go!" Shizuka said gladly in delight as she took Lowenthal's hand and dragged him along in order to get a kimono for herself.

[Himeko 0]

Himeko looked at all the NPCs and players walking past her with kimonos. She felt out of place since she always wears a kimono, and she wasn't exactly what everyone thought she was. The girl blushed wondering if she looked cute, then spotted the other pinkette. "It's you!" The pinkette smiled and hugged her, still blushing, "I-I missed you!" Himeko was lonely despite her looks and age, most would think she's popular with the boys but it's the exact opposite. Surprisingly, she was popular with the girls, and not that kind of popular. The pinkette was merely a mascot for various groups, and that disappointed her. "U-umm... How do you do your hair?" Himeko asked energetically.

[Jomei 0]

"Oh? A Festival huh.."

The Irishman stood there with one hand in his pocket, the other raised in front of the slightly transparent box, his finger pointed forward as he scanned the lines of the message. Turns out that today marked the beginning of Aincrad's Spring Festival. He had noticed the pink, cherry blossoms growing on scattered trees, as well as festival themed decorations spread out about Urbus. It turned out, however, that sight decor was only a small edition to what SAO had in mind for its players. On Floor Eleven, in the heart of Taft, a celebration was being set up for all to enjoy. Jomei turned his head and smiled at the small brown old on his shoulder, "Guess we should go check it out." As he turned his head back around, he heard the blip of another message being sent to him. His curious look turned into a soft smile when he realized just who it was from. Zandra, who was already at the festival, was inviting Jomei to enjoy the festivities with her and meet her just on the outskirts of the warp gate plaza. Without any hesitation, Jomei hurried to the teleporter in the middle of Urbus.

As Jomei's body materialized onto Floor Eleven, he was met with the wondrous sounds of music and happiness, as well as the lingering scent of various foods. One by one, players materialized into the area and began heading towards the source, many wearing kimonos or other robes. He stepped off of the platform and took a couple of steps forward, looking to see if he could spot Zandra. Jomei did not wear his armor, sword, or cloak. Instead, he wore his usual green, sleeveless town clothes, minus the arm wrap and armored sleeve. His olive eyes scanned the crowds of people walking away from him, until he spotted a familiar noirette, looking beautiful in a red kimono. Jomei's eyes widened and a blush came to his cheeks, before he smiled and began to walk towards her. From his shoulder, Adere hopped and flew over to Zandra to greet her, landing on her shoulder gently and nuzzling her head against the black hair. Jomei soon followed, standing behind her, placing his hand on the girl's opposite shoulder, and leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. "Well hello there beautiful." he said with a smile. "Hope you weren't waiting long." 

[Seul 1]

One of the features he enjoyed most about Aincrad was how it somehow managed to conjure up events like these to entertain those who are trapped within its walls. The change of pace was a wto see the world take on such a peaceful atmosphere. Despite the thrills that came with each battle, taking a break every now and then was a must for even the most experienced of players. After going over the invitation one final time, he finally decided to make his way to Taft where the Spring Festival was already well underway.

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From the moment he left the teleport plaza the overwhelming assortment of sights and sounds drove him to wander into the festival with excitement. No one in particular really stood out. Except him of course, seeing as how he was still dressed in his normal gear compared to most people who chose to change into clothing that suited the festive theme. It didn't bother him much though, its not like it'd matter when everything was over anyway. As he strolled he took note of the various booths that were bustling with activity, but only stopped once he arrived at a certain stand: The strength tester. Finally, a manly game for real men; one that he was sure would impress anyone who saw him play. When the NPC offered the mallet he gladly took the opportunity to try his luck at obtaining one of the prizes on display. Taking a deep breath as he brought the hammer high above his head, he swung it down in the next instant and upon impact with the machine forced the puck to not only hit the bell at the top of the tower but send it  through the roof entirely. "Seems about right-" He mumbled while watching it fly skyward for a brief period of time before the system returned the game to its previous state. A screen appeared soon after explaining how he had won a fox mask and he gladly accepted; equipping it before strolling off to enjoy more of the festival.

ID# 49910 | LD: 20 (SO STRONG)

[+1 Kitsune Mask]

Edited March 2, 2016 by Seul

[Ranmura 0]

Ranmura wondered why everyone groaned, did they not have a sense of humor? Her attention shifted as she looked at certain games others were playing, "Wow! I haven't played these in years! The only thing's I've been doing was trying to see how much worms I'd need to kill to get a bottle full of blood. Nya ha ha!" The girl was an expert at dart games, especially when blindfolded which was another requirement to play the game. "I wonder who's going to die?" Ranmura threw the dart with all her strength and waited for ten seconds before taking off the blindfold and seeing the results.

A scream was let out, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING KID! YOU THREW IT AT ME!" The NPC owner of the booth looked unhappily at Ranmura, and he pointed a finger to another game booth. "Get away from me you monster!" The NPC truly was in pain, after all she threw the dart at his butt unintentionally (Intentionally).

"Nya ha ha! This is soo fun! I wonder how many darts I could throw!" The girl rapidly went over to the next game booth and saw what challenge awaited her, and the results probably wouldn't be too pretty.

 

ID# 49917 results:

Loot 8

Edited March 2, 2016 by Ranmura