[OPEN] Haven Games and Air Show!

[winged_knight]

WHO: OPEN!
WHERE: Games Caldera, Nexus Territory and other parts of Haven
WHEN: Starting Friday (7/05) and running for three days.
WHAT: A festival of games not unlike the Highland Games with a 'junkyard eclectic' carnival feel.
WARNINGS: None, but subject to change.

((ooc: Putting this up early since I'm not sure I'll be able to on Friday. And it gives people a chance to get sub-threads up.))

Over the past few weeks there's been a bustle of activity in an area southeast of the Hub, deeper in Nexus territory, within a crater the First Forged has granted use of for a very specific purpose: the first Haven Games and Air Show.

Now the time has come. Signs are posted on the Link, in every temple and at the Hub, all pointing the way to this location. A path, worn smooth and wide enough for both multiple vehicles, leads from the Hub to the north edge of the Caldera, winding its way down into the crater's basin with twists and turns. That's only one of many paths though--albeit the largest--that allow access to the floor of the crater which serves as the primary grounds for the festival of games, with events spread throughout its large expanse.

Nearest to that wide road entrance is what looks like a start or finish line with a staging area off to the side, set aside for the Scavenger Race. Along the south-east crater wall lies a shooting range, with safety precautions taken into account, where the Marksmanship Competition will occur. To the south-west lies a straight track of sorts and a make-shift sled--something like a barge with skids--filled with useless items from the Junk Pile. Obviously this is where the Hauling Challenge will take place.

The rock walls of the entire north-western section of the crater have been carefully sculpted into basic stadium seating, giving a clear view of the sky mostly unmarred by the Lambda. There is a small platform stage for presenting at the foot of stadium stands, dead center, and far above it on the lip of the crater a special place of honor has been crafted. A seat larger than the rest reserved for Nexus Prime himself, as promised, bracketed by tall pennant flags of tattered blue cloth. It appears that various events could make use of this space, attendees will have to check the program and see.

Interspersed throughout these areas are smaller booths, tents or roped off areas with simpler games like ring toss, potato sack racing or kites to fly, all unmanned but waiting for visitors to start playing. There's even a few areas where people can pick up simple refreshments. Much of what's here is clearly re-purposed from the Junk Pile; very little in the way of precious raw building materials was used.

★ First Annual ★ Haven Games and Air Show Located at the new Games Caldera, Nexus territory, a crater southeast of Haven's Hub. Three days of games: skill, chance and talent. Some food and refreshments available. Medical services onsite if necessary. Program of Events ☆ DAY ONE ☆ Event Time & Location Presider   Opening Ceremonies Morning at the Games Caldera Stadium Wing (with Barricade)   Drag Race Late morning near the Hub Knock Out A short race on the closest thing Haven has to a road, located outside the Hub.   Talent Competition Afternoon at the Games Caldera Stadium ?? Showcase your talents in this friendly competition. All performance acts (legal and safe) are welcome and judging will be by audience participation.   Air Show: Fireworks over Haven Evening at the Games Caldera Stadium Swoop Come and enjoy the spectacle of airborne feats with a little extra flash brought to you by Swoop. (fire retardant clothing suggested for organics) ☆ DAY TWO ☆ Marksmanship Competition Morning at the Games Caldera, south-east Strelok If firearms are your thing, join Strelok and others in a competition for the best aim, be it straight shooting or trick shots.   Scavenger Race Early afternoon at the Games Caldera, north Drift Test your skills as a hunter, both with speed and resourcefulness, in this cross country race to find various items from around Haven. Teams of two are required: One mech and one organic.   Karaoke Evening at the Bar Ravage and Glit A talented voice is suggested but not required for this friendly little singing activity. Pick a song and sing the lyrics provided, hopefully it's one you know! One additional drink beyond the usual ration will be granted per song sung! ☆ DAY THREE ☆ Paintball War All day at the Games Caldera, the Hub & the Junkpile ?? Some mysterious benefactor seems to have left some paintball equipment--some of it Cybertronian weaponry that's been hastily modified--along with some colored strips of cloth that could be worn as sashes or headbands, in a tent next to the Marksmanship Competition.   Hauling Challenge Morning at the Games Caldera, south-west ?? Test your strength by hauling a load of junk! (exciting, we know) See how far you can haul a weighted sled in a specific amount of time. Cross the finish line in time and proceed to the next round with an even heavier sled.   Air Show: Courtly Flight Afternoon (Dusk) at the Games Caldera Stadium Wing An intricate display of sky dancing custom choreographed for this very special event.   Closing Ceremonies Evening at the Games Caldera Stadium Wing + anyone else with well wishes.

Comments

General Mingle + Opening/Closing Ceremonies

[winged_knight]

((General mingling can happen here over all three days, and/or during the opening and closing ceremonies.))

[Opening Ceremony]

The Games open with an enthusiastic Wing hovering over the northern road at the edge of the crater. His words echo the same sentiments as his post on the network, that the good people of Haven deserve brighter times to burn off the pall of past events. With hands clasped in the dark, Haven's refugees can lead each other out of darkness and towards something better. And today, that something better is healthy, friendly competition in the name of community fun! And because such a thing cannot be started without a little fanfare, Wing gives the crowd's attention over to Barricade, who's prepared a little something special. Or, a lot of little somethings. When that little show is done, Wing cuts the red ribbon (which is really something far less grand but we'll pretend okay?) and gives everyone free run of the Games.

[Closing Ceremony]

The closing ceremony consists of a simple expression of gratitude from Wing to all who participated in the games, with special thanks to those who helped make it possible: everyone who helped prepare the crater, the various organizers of different events, Nexus for providing a venue they could shape, and lastly to Drift for his undying support in all things. The knight then encourages others to step up and take the mic to share their own thanks or any other positive well-wishing. When no one else wishes to speak, Wing takes the mic back again and follows this with a plea to take the joy and camaraderie that was had during the games and extend it to every day life in Haven. He closes the Games with an open invitation to return here for the same festivities next year.

Opening Ceremony - A Dance of Dragons (Firelizards?)

[namesnotprowl]

Barricade has been working nearly non-stop for a while... and it was mostly to prepare for this. In a manner of speaking, anyway. Now, everything was ready. He's waiting with a rather large box next to him, and when Wing gives him the floor he starts up a song and opens the box. Out of it flit robotic firelizards of every hue, singly or in pairs. In the meantime, Barricade is turning in slow circles, the tiny dragons joining, circling as he moves.

All of the firelizards are out of the box about three minutes in, just when the song starts to pick up. As the song picks up, so does Barricade's dancing - still fairly slow and languid, but with the movements becoming more intricate as he adds kicks and flips into the mix. His plating shifts near-constantly, flaring and settling in time with the beat and his motions. The firelizards's movements become similarly intricate, twisting in midair and crossing one another's flight paths like birds trying to catch insects in flight, ducking around Barricade's limbs as he moves. With each new verse they completely change pattern - anyone listening particularly closely will be able to hear Barricade whistling to them right before it happens. The song ends with a final burst of motion from the tiny dragons, outward from Barricade's form in all available directions, the creatures creeling.

When the opening ceremonies end, Barricade can be found covered in commissioned firelizards.

((Anyone that ordered a robofirelizard from Barricade can come pick them up here!))

ooooOOOOOOooooo

[sword_redemption]

[Drift's impressed. It's the flight thing, and also how many of the little things there are, that he knows Barricade's made. Drift feels so unproductive compared to that! ]

[Barricade's easy enough to find, afterwards. Well,in a sense. Finding Barricade under all the little flapping wings and whipping tails is a bit tough. But the roughly Barricade-shaped-mass (all those spikes and projections are apparently great perches?) is easy enough to spot.]

[Drift feels sort of, well, stealthy, sidling up to Barricade. Because this is for Wing and he wants it to be a surprise.]

[Also, he's terrible at small talk.]

That was really amazing.

[rungout]

It was an extremely impressive sight, both because of the dance itself and because of the sheer amount of the small creatures that Barricade had created.

This performance alone made Rung glad he had taken Drift's advice and come.

Once the opening ceremonies are over the therapist makes his way down towards where the mech responsible for the impressive show is covered in his creations, smiling softly as he reaches the other.

"You have been quite busy haven't you?" he mused, gaze sweeping over the various firelizards, smile warming some. "I've said it before, but I'll say it again. You are quite a talented mech, Barricade."

Yay firelizards!

[neverputincharge]

That was pretty impressive. How they were timed to the music and moving with it and Barricade. And of course Barricades not too hard to find after the performance either, what with the firelizards all over him and all.

He gives him a wave as he comes closer.

"Hey, that was pretty good."

Eeeeee~ Firelizards!~

[originaldragoon]

Rose was quite taken in by the performance. The way the firelizards flew and the sound of the music reminded her of her home world. A smile formed on her face as she watched, and when it ended she joined in with the applause it deserved.

She waited a while after the performance before she approached the firelizard covered mech, her smile still in place.

"That was quite a show. I imagine you put a lot of work into it."

[tearsofsteel]

Albert wasn't the kind of guy who willingly joined these kind of social events. He just didn't see use of it. But when he heard about the marksmanship challenge, he didn't see a problem with visiting this little event. Besides, he needed to keep an eye on this place.

Those fire lizards were sure something, alright. Amazing that a place like Cybertron had wildlife. Once all the bravado ended, Albert clapped his hands. It was a polite gesture, he felt.]

How many hours it took training them to do that?

[deadlydoctor]

Show off! [Is the first thing Knock Out tells him when he approaches the mech. The amused tone in his voice was unmistakeable.] I did not know you wanted to be exotic dancer. Why you never told me before?

[In a quick movement he reaches for something in his chest compartment and tosses it to 'Cade's direction. It's a blue cube of energon.] You must be thirsty.

So pretttty

[raceme]

[Like the rest of the audience, Blurr was amazed by the great performance. He never saw anything like that in his universe and it was an spectacle to remember.

He goes to see Barricade after the show and him a moment to realize that he's under all those mini robot dragons. It amuses him lots.] I am interrupting?

[rednotbluethx]

Well, Frenzy's gotta give you props, Barricade. You got some smooth moves, despite being a pile of knives glued together with spikes and needles. But it's enough to catch Frenzy's attention for a few minutes, a feat which is pretty hard to achieve. But the dancing and the music and the badass firelizards keep him standing there, watching with a big grin on his face.

Once it's all over with, Frenzy makes his way over, still smiling widely. "Ya weren't so bad out there. Not as good as me, but good," he said. But his attention is now on all those firelizards. "So, ya got my guy?" And he's practically vibrating at this point.

Big Events

[winged_knight]

((If your character is the organizer--or instigator!--of an event, post a sub-thread here with however much description you desire to let people mingle in regards to that event. Impromptu events not included in the program are welcome.))

Scavenger Race

[sword_redemption]

[Drift's waiting, looking nervous at the marked start of the race, holding paper maps in his hands, trying not to fold them. He's done a final round of the course he'd drawn, and made sure there were plenty of sets of items scattered through the course.

[He wishes Rodimus were here: he was always so much better at this public stuff. He checks over his list once more: 'Something a human can eat'--sounds good. 'Something shaped like a triangle'. Also good. He'd thought about circular but that would have been too easy. 'Something musical.' He'd put that one on for Vandal, and as he scans his list again, he really wishes she were here for this. ]

((OOC: so, there you go. PLENTY of leeway in interpreting the three items for your team to find. Check in here and then feel free to either tag out the hunt with your team, because human/bot interaction is awesome) or just write a summary of what items your team brings to the finish line!)

Karaoke!

[im_wavin]

[Ravage was very excited to be hosting the Karaoke event. He's bounced all over the stage at the Bar as he set up the equipment. For someone who didn't have thumbs, he's actually got everything done rather quickly.

[The machine itself had a large variety of songs in a variety of different languages. Some of which Ravage even recognized from his own world. Of course, he programed some more songs that were from his world that he didn't see on the play list. What was karaoke without someone at least singing a Cold Slither or Misfit song at least once?]

[Anyone who comes for the event will notice there are two, nearly identical Decepticon jaguars. One of which is very excited and trying to encourage people to come up and sing.]

((OOC: And there you go! There's a wide variety of songs so feel free to choose whatever song your character will sing. The event is being hosted by both Ravage and Glit, so silliness is bound to happen.))

[uknowuwantmebaby]

[Finally, someplace for Crow T Robot to shine! He felt it was about time he got in on this games shindig and now was his time!

Sure, he was technically in line with Decepticon fundamentalists, but that didn't mean he couldn't have fun, could he? No! So what's keepin him from joining him on this shinding?

Boy, this was sure fun...no bad movies, no responsibilities, no sense of right and wrong. The robot hops on stage to sing this little ditty...Rod Serling, alright. He can dig that.]

Karaoke!

[glitteratimedic]

[One of these jaguar cassettes is not like the other. Most noticeably, the one marked with the 'standard' Decepticon symbol is the grumpy one, and is keeping a bottle of energon wine close at paw.

For another, until the energon wine works it's magic, he'll be doing a very good impression of a certain critical singing game show judge.]

Air Show: Courtly Flight

[winged_knight]

Wing has actually been planning this for quite a while: doing the choreography, practicing in secret, trying to make it as perfect as possible. Then the idea for the Haven Games came around and it seemed like a perfect venue for it. Why not make it public, there was always the potential for a private follow-up later.

Now it’s time. For as nervous as he was directly before this, Wing’s flying is...near flawless. Loops and stalls and tailslides. The ocasional trail of colored smoke, pirouettes nearly on a wingtip: it’s precision areobatics like no normal airframe could, but tied together with the smooth flowing grace of a dance matching the music broadcast with it. Part of that is thanks to Vector Prime’s boon, but Wing has his own share of skill and talent inspired by the deeper meaning of this flight.

And there are some who might catch that meaning. Likely any airframe familiar with the old courtship rituals, or anyone with Alpha Trion’s boon to understand languages. So for those that can understand the movements, there is a telegraphed message within. Not words per say, but a set of meanings, concepts, that cascade one into the next as Wing flies an intricate performance over the Caldera.

The dance begins speaking of joy, a resounding happiness powered by love and camaraderie. It’s very obviously directed at someone, and assumably that person will know who they are, though the keen observer can see that the whole performance is best viewed from a particular angle, centered around a certain spot on the stadium’s main platform.

It’s clearly a courtship ritual, choreographed to be a stunning display of both Wing’s physical endowments and his prowess as a flier. Traditionally, it’s meant to allure and impress a partner, but in this case it’s more a passionate exhibition dedicated to one whose attention he knows he already has. Wing pours his whole being into it, his love of life and freedom, and how much this person makes it all so much better.

But then the dance changes and becomes an arrangement obviously meant for two, courtship joined, the empty space for a partner acting like a invitation. And when taken as a whole with the rest of the performance, it’s not just an invitation to dance, but a message that one’s life, previously solo, could change forever, becoming half of a whole with this conjunction. Not just sensuality and romance but an enduring partnership.

The dance comes to a close, the finale an elaborate construction of stunning movements designed to bring the whole performance together in a sensational proposal. Wing’s flight path brings him in low over the crater floor, over the tents and booth of the games, straight towards the stadium’s main platform. He comes daringly close to the platform’s face, close enough to dip briefly out of sight before he pulls up at the last minute, a near right angle turn. The silver-white of his frame flashes as he tears through a hidden weave of scarlet red ribbons just in front of the platform, the silvery length of his belly displayed to the object of his affection as the red fabric becomes streamers of passionate red flowing off his wings, They twist into a spiral as he rises up in a spin, his speed and momentum slowing into another stall.

Wing cuts his engines then entirely, only the flap of the streamers audible as gravity slows the jet’s ascent, body making a soft turn as his inertia gives over to gravity and he falls, the streamers lifting off of him, graceful and controlled towards the platform. It’s one final message: a dedication that ends in a flash of metal revealing his bipedal mode, wings pushing from his back and jump jets slowing his fall. He touches down gently, one toeplate first as the red streamers slowly fall around him, a grin on his face, broad yet oddly shy, in front of Drift.

((ooc: Feel free to come up to Wing before or a while after the performance or tag and mingle with others while watching the performance.))

[sword_redemption]

Drift has no idea what to say, when suddenly Wing's standing in front of him. He's still halfway through the performance, replaying it in his mind. He'd never seen anything so beautiful. And he knew, in his spark, that part of it was meant for him. It was almost too intimate to share, but at the same time it was something so big, so beautiful, that it was almost selfish not to want to share it with everyone.

And it was for him. He'd never had anything in the gutters, never had anything during the war. But here, this was his, something he thought he'd never have, and something that even now he's not sure he deserves.

His spark throbs in his chassis as Wing lands in front of him, glowing and radiant.

"Wing....I...." He can't even finish, his spark too full for words, his hands hovering over Wing's arms, not daring to touch.

This is your shoulder cheerleader coming in.

[eternallove]

Normally such events would draw Flonne in like a magpie and any serious discussions of the past temporarily forgotten as the lure of fun and shiny new things to look at, and new people to meet would throw such thoughts out of her mind. However there is one conversation that is far too exciting and important to be forgotten, and that happened to be why she had found something tall and easy to climb near where the someone had said the air show was going to happen and was hopefully in the right place for Wing to see her at this better height then at the usual spot of near the ankles of most here.

She had wanted to make a sign or something to show support, but this was suppose to be a secret so instead she'll just have to be extra supportive instead to make up for such.

Air Show: Fireworks Over Haven

[prettyfly4adinobot]

Anyone around Megatronus's and Vector's temples might have noticed a pteranodon flying rather erratically the last few weeks. The reason was this. He'd jumped at the chance to show off without actually having anything prepared, but Swoop was nothing if not tenacious.

When evening finally comes around, he is standing on the edge of the Caldera, flail held in one hand. Along the edges of his wings are strings of orange LED lights, with yellow ones bisecting his beast-mode beak and red on the underside of his crest. He figured he would be much more visible this way, even when he wasn't breathing fire. When the music starts he lights up his flail and starts spinning it, shifting it between hands, and leaps off into the air when the guitar riffs start. He converts midair and the real performance starts.

He twists, dives, rolls, and spins through the air in perfect timing with the music, breathing fire as he goes - sometimes long, thin streams, or huge gouts that lick the leading edges of his wings as he powers through them. He may not have the speed of one of the planes, but he is able to bring his wings fully into the performance as well, letting the LEDs he attached show their movements. Swoop used the play of light and shadow in the performance to his advantage, leaving the light to be star and him only visible in fits and starts. The dark skies are lit with fire that's visible in the entire stadium, no matter where the observer happens to be at the time.

Towards the end Swoop starts to climb into the air, spraying flames upward nearly the entire way. When he finally gets to the point where he would normally stall, he transforms into robot mode and begins a descent where he is twisting in the air, the fireball of his flail whirling around him in near-constant motion. He transforms again into beast mode and pulls himself up with a powerful flap at the last moment, barrel-rolling once and transforming again to land safely on one knee on the main stage, flail grasped in one hand and extended out to the side.

He will whoop and holler about his success later, but nothing it going to contain the wide grin on his face right now.

[Drag Race]

[deadlydoctor]

[The terrain was not as good as Knock Out would have liked it to be but he didn't race with a large group in ages and he missed it. He raised his voice to make sure everyone was paying attention, unlike Drift he had no problems being the center of attention.]

Alright mech from all universes the compeition is about to start, welcome to the most glorious, also the first, Drag Race of this New Cybertron.

As per our previous explanation, the car alt mode is the limiting factor. If you have wings, this is not your place, the flying competition is over there. Follow the screech of the yellow giant lizard for more reference or look for our happy hippy not-autobot-nor-con-mind-you, friend Wing.

[Once he was, Knock Out changed to his alt mode, getting ready.]

Marksmanship Competition

[gtfostalker]

Strelok has been on a scavenger hunt to get the competition together. He never managed to get ahold of the Perceptor that Wing had mentioned, but he'd managed to dig up a few Cybertronian firearm manuals in Alpha Trion's library. Even with that setback, he got everything set up.

He's set up several tests already for both Cybertronians and the smaller residents - taut ropes fifty feet away from tables stocked with ammunition, targets twenty-five feet away with the addition of a mirror on the table for backwards shooting... and for the very bold, blindfolds with targets at a similar distance to the backwards. He even managed to scrounge up clay pigeons and the firing mechanism for them for anyone that wants to try their hand at moving targets.

The biggest set-up, though, is a cabinet full of items ranging from golf balls to milk jugs (full of colored water since the milk had spoiled) to everything in between, with papers tacked under with distances ranging from ten feet to two hundred feet, with numbers adjusted upwards for Cybertronians. On a table adjacent is a small variety of weapons - pistols, rifles, and shotguns, mostly. There is a sign posted next to the cabinet: Call Your Shot. Pick your target and your distance, and your weapon if you so choose, and test your mettle.

Strelok is standing by to award points for each category based on shot difficulty and accuracy.

Medical Tent

[winged_knight]

((Post here for medical aid or to mingle with other foolish injured game goers.))

[rstlsslegsyndrm]

[HEY GUESS WHO'S HERE? GETTING EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES READY ASAP? Yup, it's Ambulon, and he's got on his Uneasy And Annoyed frown. And he checks his chronometer; a moment later, to himself or maybe to anyone nearby:] I give Drift ten minutes in.

Paintball War

[deadlydoctor]

[Did someone say free weapons? Because Knock Out liked those, and he saw a bunch of them just lying around. Upon further investigation he quickly figured out that the rifles and guns had been modified but he was wondering what the bandanas were for.

He grabbed a medium sized gun, aimed it at the floor and fired. Instead of a crater or a bullet hole there was a large stain of neon green paint. Oh, now things would be fun.]

[thermosomatic]

Ooh, destruction and pretty colors?!

[That would be the first thing Blitzwing noticed when he poked his head around the Games, and noticed Knock Out handling a very interesting kind of gun.]

Zhis place truly knows zhe vay into my spark~