STARDROP CELEBRATION: FINAL DAY

[starhuemod]

LET'S PARTY!
premise | rules | taken | pick-up

A. Arrivals and Much More

You’re here because you were dropped somewhere that tried sending you home, or you're someone with a call to the heart to explore the vast universe. The buses run at odd schedules, so please pardon any interruptions! I hope you fellas make yourselves at home, here!

[ Marjorie’s whole speech rings through your ears as you begin to explore the area. It seems a few people who arrived on the TDM have already been here for a week, but you’re just a newcomer. So where are you when this all went down? Are you trying to get back on a bus that’ll take you home, or…?

B. Home Sweet Home

[ The dust has settled on the bus ride here, and you can’t help but notice that your farmland… well, it’s a mess. Rocks and grass everywhere, no matter which layout you were set with. You were given a set of tools, and the message that this land is yours to shape or change or build on no matter what you want, so long as it’s yours. The little crate by the edge of the house is what will hold your bounties from farming, collected nightly with money delivered to your mailbox the following day, like some kind of Produce Fairy visited.

The house is in alright shape. It’s not brilliant, but it has a kitchen, a bathroom, and a studio bedroom where all your belongings can be. It’s wide enough to accommodate several things until you upgrade it.

Sometimes you see a stray dog or cat at the edge of your property. Do you adopt it?

Anyway, it’s time to make what you will of your farm. ]


The Last Day Of
The Stardrop Celebration!
FESTIVAL PLAYLIST

[ Down a hill a little ways from Pelican Town is a remarkable festival set-up! Several attractions and vendors line the streets where everything is going down. Where will you go? ]

C. Food Stalls

[ Surrounding the entire property are dozens of food stalls, from all around the universe. Marjorie bussed in caterers from all around with a healthy sum of gold, and they’re happy to sell their wares in this strange place tonight. Where you might find octopus balls, you’ll also find kraken balls. Where you might find corndogs, you’ll find dogs selling corn.

It’s a veritable buffet! And the gold you’ve started with is more than enough to go shopping for food. Have fun! ]

D. Games

[ All manners of Carnival Games are set up! From throwing a baseball at bottles to catching goldfish with a paper net, everything you can dream of is here. There are even some unorthodox games, like dance-offs, karaoke, and a little bit of everything. Apparently, the NPC couldn’t choose who to go with what. It definitely makes for a big festival.

In addition to the above, there’s water gun races, squeaky duck ponds, skee-ball, target shooting, test your strength with a hammer, pitching speed, shooting hoops… and more! ]

E. Three-legged Race

[ You didn’t think this festival was going to go by without tomfoolery, did you? For the prize of 1,000 Gold, you can rally up a partner and get tied to them by the ankle, participating in a no-rules no-bars-held race. The winners will be randomized! But the real gift is going to be the fact that the ties around your ankles? Aren’t coming undone. You’re going to have to be tied together until 11 PM! ]

F. Fireworks

[ Errant magic and mishaps aside, you have to admit, the fireworks show at the end of it all is really something. Marjorie hired a pony for them, and the lights are as ethereal as they are non-traditional. It’s a good moment to snuggle up to someone or enjoy company with a new friend. ]

G. Wildcard

[ Exactly what it says! Make your own prompt. ]

[ OOC; Hello, everyone! This community is L I V E, from now on, you can make both network and action posts on this community, as well as use the notice board pinned to the top of the community! You're also welcome to make IC inboxes for one on one conversation and messaging! We hope you enjoy the community and if you need anything, please leave a note on the contact page! Thank you!

People who want to keep their CR from the test drive; you may! Your characters just arrived a little earlier than others! ]

Comments

[richestduck]

[He scowls.]

I wasn't hiding there.

[And you both know it.]

[moneymatters]

[He dismissed that with a wave of his hand.]

Maybe not specifically, no. But regardless o' the truth of the matter it still makes my point. There doesn't seem to be any isolation short o' digging straight down to the bowels of those Mines I've been hearin' about.

[Noting that he was also chafing under the close quarters, and maybe if they were on friendlier terms he'd admit that. Hell, the other may even guess at it by the look on his face. But he's had to swallow bitter pills before.]

And if I know my nephews- [Plural. Interesting.] -they'd find you even if there were.

[So what is this, then? Conversation? A warning? Or still probing him for information?]

[richestduck]

Nothing a shotgun and a guard dog won't fix.

[At the nephews comment, Scrooge B will see the feathers on the back of Scrooge A's neck fluff up a bit.]

Well, they don't need to harass me anymore now that their Scrooge McDuck is here. They can go diving in your pockets and stop trying to convince me that I'm something I'm not.

[And shifting position to put more space between the two of them.]

[moneymatters]

They don't dive into my pockets anymore than they plan on divin' into yours.

[Yeah, he sees that fluff-up, and he sees the shift, but he chooses to ignore it.]

They work for me, rather than being layabout fools like Gladstone. They earn their living, and they've no handouts from Scrooge McDuck.

[richestduck]

Really? You adopt your employees then? Odd habit to take up. I'm certain that won't cause any problems at all when the inevitable happens.

[moneymatters]

One nephew got foisted on me when he was little, 'long with his two brothers, when Donald needed to take care o' his own work for a while. 'Twasn't 'til he grew up that he decided that he'd work under the McDuck umbrella.

The other started working for me a couple o' years ago when his father- a prior business associate of mine -died, and his mother wasn't in the picture. Nor was she anything to write home about at the time, anyway.

Either way I've seen in them both more than enough to know they'd never beg for beggin's sake, because I've taught them better than that.

[A humorless smirk.]

Besides, I've got- [He paused, but only because this was something he was completely unsure of. His... extended age was due to his own mistake, right? Would that have been repeated in another world entirely?] -o'er 140 years of fighting every cheater, beggar, and deadbeat on the streets and I'm not so easy to monetarily manipulate, even to family.

[richestduck]

140 and that deadbeat didn't run off, eh? Hmph. Guess you're not my future after all.

[Parallel world most likely.]

Though if you're hopin' for a round of applause at all that, you'll be waiting for a long time for it with no payoff. Neither of them seems to understand the word "no"

[moneymatters]

I've got no reason to embellish- [Did any Scrooge ever?] -and no reason to look for praise. I'm just tellin' you what it is.

And believe me, I've noticed that about them. It'll hurt them from time to time, but...

[A pause, to briefly mull over his words.]

It's brought others back from the brink, too.

[richestduck]

Well, you're not going to be adding me to the success stories. I don't want or need saving from the brink.

[He adjusts himself, trying to get his bad leg to stop tormenting him for five bloody minutes.]

[moneymatters]

I know. I know that more than anyone else here.

But I'm also no' just talking about a simple edge of madness or anger. I'm referring to corruption, to dark magic- [He growled that word] -to lifesblood itself spilling out.

[If, and only if, Scrooge A were watching, he'd see B's eyes briefly twitch at that, like they wanted to close but the action were stopped before it got far. He shifted his grip on his cane, just changing his position a little. Nothing more.]

There's times when the inability to say no comes in handy. Something you might've known once, in days past- [He doesn't sling it as an insult, as he could; it's a statement of fact] -so it's not just defending them.

[richestduck]

[Magic. Scrooge sneers at Scrooge B.]

Magic is like family that way: nothing but trouble. Nothing good ever comes out of it.

[As for why he thinks that way, he's not going to say, but you can bet money Magica has something to do with it.]

Not taking "no" for an answer is useful for business, but not in this case. They gain nothing by refusing to leave me alone. I'm not their Scrooge McDuck, and I never will be.

Besides, you're here now. There's no need to bother with me.

[moneymatters]

[His eyes seem to narrow a bit at the mention of magic, as if glaring at it himself, but he says no one way or another his own opinion on it.]

Then let's hope so. I'd hate tae think I'd taught them any worse than that.

[Respecting elders? Leaving well enough alone? Maybe more.]

[richestduck]

[He gives a dismissive snort, letting Scrooge B know just how much he thinks those lessons paid off in the end. He'd been harried and harassed. Hardly respectful.]

[He lapses into silence, mindlessly eating items from the pail from time to time as he gazes sightlessly up at the fireworks. There's no moment of awe and appreciation as the colors explode upon the night sky.]

[moneymatters]

It's not my fault they mistook you for me at first.

[Yeah, he heard that snort, and he's going to read into it all he wants.]

[richestduck]

Mistaking me for you is one thing. The problem is that rather than accept I wasn't you, they tried to make me you.

[moneymatters]

Why, because they're pushing you?

[richestduck]

[He shoots Scrooge B an irritated look.]

Because they were trying to tell me how I should be based on you.

[His voice holds a note of challenge, for Scrooge B to find a way to say that wasn't the same.]

[moneymatters]

I'd say that's because I used to be like you. And their impulse is goin' to be to try and change that, because they know what that kind of life eventually did to me.

[A soft snort of his own, though not necessarily in the other Scrooge's direction.]

But, in deference t'you, I'll keep them busy with other things, then you can live however you want. [His tone is rather dry.] But I don't promise total abandonment.

[richestduck]

[Scrooge A scowls.]

Well, it seems to have turned out all right, didn't it? You've got your boys and apparently are much happier for it. Happy enough to be able to tie yourself to someone.

[He sneers at the ring.]

The old backstabber finally decide she wanted to settle down with your money?

[Because God knows she wouldn't want to be with Scrooge McDuck. Goldie loves gold more than him.]

[moneymatters]

[He caught Scrooge's redirected attention and glanced at his hand, where a simple gold band sat on his middle finger. That hand then closed into a loose fist, the other coming up to rest on it as it neared his body, fingers idly spinning the ring.]

No. It's not Goldie, it's- someone else. Someone I doubt you know.

[richestduck]

[Scrooge A's face temporarily loses its bitterness, taking on instead complete surprise.]

[Then he turns his gaze back towards the fireworks, rubbing at his leg.]

Finally found her own El Dorado, did she?

[moneymatters]

[A half glance up and then he turned his head to the side. What bitterness Scrooge A had lost seemed to all go into Scrooge B's face.]

...You could say that.

[Might as well be to the point.]

She died. Nearly twenty years ago, by my world's clock. So aye, she found her El Dorado.

Permanently.

[richestduck]

[Scrooge A jerks as if stabbed. She's stabbed him in the back so many times--sold him to pirates, left him frozen in a glacier--but he still loved her more than he'd loved the gold that came out of their adventuring together, the opposite of her. He still loved her like a dull ache in his chest that he knows is waiting for a chance to flare up again.]

[He doesn't look at Scrooge B.]

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[There's no ire in his voice, however. Instead, he tries to push past it.]

So who is it?

[moneymatters]

[He's quiet, long enough that it almost seems like he's not going to answer.]

Her name is Jinji. I met her on an adventure in China, a few years ago, though we'd only recently been married.

[Which should also put to bed any potential negative remarks Scrooge A could throw out about "turning right around into a new relationship." Sounded like there was a distance between Goldie and this Jinji person.]

[richestduck]

You're right: Never heard of her.

[He glances at the wedding ring again, fingers subconsciously twitching as if trying to feel for a matching band on his own hand.]