⠀ ( ͏͏ ͏ ͏ co-written with the spectacular @moonlitdamselette. ͏ ͏ )

preferably, do not repost, like to opt-in! additionally, see the 2024 and 2025 prompts.

XIAO LANTERN, ⠀ did you know the festival is called lantern rite because it isn’t right without lanterns? your choice to let the floating lights drift into the open sky, exchange them with friends, or inscribe well-wishes and hang them throughout the harbor. some have even taken to writing riddles with their lanterns, utterly stumping the locals.

AUSPICIOUS TREASURE TREE, ⠀ they claim trimming the glittering tree yields good fortune, and sure enough the legends are true: golden coins fall right from its branches. with enough of them, it appears you can exchange them with pingxi, a ministry worker who has taken on the role of "god of fortune."

KAMERA BOOTH, ⠀  success begets repetition, and so the ever-popular kamera stands have been set up once more. with various liyue scenery to set as your backdrop, gather your friends and capture a memory with someone important to you. or, hey, maybe even keep the lens' attention for yourself!

SHOPPING, ⠀more than tempting to part with your mora in the land of contracts, what with the merchant district showcasing more goods than fish in fontaine’s waters. but do remember to keep a close eye on that wallet of yours before you return home far lighter than expected. 

BALLOON,⠀ a merchant from nod krai is graciously offering free balloons of all your favorite animals! grab your favorite, one for a friend, or a few hundred if you’d like to set a record —— just take care not to grab so many that you end up floating away!

FIREWORKS, ⠀little compares to watching fire flowers flood the nighttime sky. as midnight arrives, head to an open area to catch the fireworks display, or gather some friends to light sparklers and firecrackers on your own. 

RING TOSS, ⠀  step right up and try your luck! to lure in potential customers, a local merchant set up a game right outside his booth. he claims anyone who can land a ring on the furthest peg will win a prize unlike any other, yet no one’s had any success so far… maybe you can change that?

KARAOKE, ⠀ potentially inspired by a certain rockstar, the yun-han opera troupe has taken to hosting an extra-special event: karaoke! whether grabbing a friend to volunteer, running it solo, or dragged onstage against your will, go and sing your heart out!

TEA ROULETTE, ⠀regular teatime is a liyue custom and, by extension, a lantern rite tradition, but this year heyu teahouse is mixing up the experience with a little gambling. spin a wheel and take a mystery drink —— is it good or bad? only one way to find out!

HALF-MARATHON, ⠀this afternoon, the streets of liyue harbor have been cleared in preparation for a city-wide half-marathon. grab your jogging shoes, remember to warm-up, and get ready to roll out ( or, for the less athletically inclined, simply sit back and cheer from the sidelines ).

BULLETIN BOARD, ⠀the millileth have their hands full sifting out the more serious crimes, so they've turned to posting a few volunteer lists on the bulletin board. if you’re able, help herd lost pets back to their families, collect stray lanterns before they set trees ablaze, and especially keep a look out for any pesky thieves.

MASCOT, ⠀amongst the hectic activity, it’s easy for granny shun and her humble toy shop to be overlooked in favor of flashier products. which is exactly where you come in! donning a stuffy mascot costume, it's your mission to do everything you can to draw eyes towards granny's shop ( and pray your friends don't stop by and subject you to endless teasing ).

HIDE N’ SEEK, ⠀ a cherished tradition the children of liyue take great pride in, many games growing shockingly competitive as seekers and hiders alike up the ante. if you find yourself roped into one of their games, prepare to give it your all! 

SHOW-OFF, ⠀cheers and claps resound a stage bound by scarlet rope. inspired by natlan’s wrestling scene, all fighters are welcome to step up and begin dueling with an opponent. though the aim of the game isn’t to dominate by sheer strength; instead, winners are determined by audience vote, theatrics, finesse, and crowd-appeal critical to securing victory. think you have what it takes to be crowned?

SNEAK AWAY, ⠀ find the festival has grown too much to handle? well, who says you have to stay? plenty of nice, quiet spots to catch some rest, and maybe someone special to share the time with too. never any shame in leaving: if it sucks, hit the bricks!

BLAZING DELIGHT, ⠀  regular food a little too weak for your palate? why not “spice” things up with a little… well, spice! truly living up to it’s name, third round knockout has gathered spices from all across teyvat, offering a special prize to whoever can handle the spiciest of their menu ( and more importantly, bragging rights ). can you beat the heat?

NURSING, ⠀with so much hustle and bustle during the festival, anyone who isn’t careful is bound to sustain an injury or two. if you come across someone in pain, make sure to tend to them before wansheng funeral parlor gains another client!

CROWD DANCING, ⠀all it takes is one ruan player plucking their strings before a pan flute and drums join in, forming a impromptu band and drowning the streets with song. dancers young and old are swept away by the captivating tune, encouraging everyone to join them, and where else will you have the opportunity? it’s time to grab a partner by the hand and throw your cares to the breeze.

TEST OF COURAGE , ⠀interested in a reminder to treasure your precious mortality? well, you’re just in luck because the wansheng funeral parlor has organized a test of courage right outside liyue harbor. simply follow a trail to the golden house, and prepare for a number of carefully-designed eerie scenes to spook the living daylights out of you. also, maybe bring a partner along so that being surrounded by sappy couples isn't the real horror. 

EATING CHALLENGE , ⠀plagued with a ferocious appetite? festive fervor got you feeling bold? well then, head on down to wanmin restaurant and try their mega mora meat challenge! with only one friend to assist, race to finish an 8-pound mora meat bun in under an hour. winners receive all-inclusive tickets to the easy-breezy holiday resort, while losers will have to shamefully foot the bill. 

HUGGING BOOTH, ⠀  amongst the gushing couples and lively friends, it’s easy for loneliness to creep into one’s heart. and that’s where the newly constructed hugging booth enters the scene! anyone is allowed to step up and offer themselves, so why not take a few moments to show some love?

PAINTING, ⠀ with the help of a friendly painter from fontaine, you, too, can contribute to the beauty of lantern rite! smocks, canvases, and paint have all been generously provided, so let your creativity shine! just try to keep the paint ON the canvas, maybe? “paint the town red” is an expression, not a suggestion.

CARRIAGE RIDE, ⠀ what better way to celebrate the white horse adeptus than a horse-drawn carriage ride? alas, as the horses of teyvat are nowhere to be found, a few generous helpers have donned full horse costumes and offered to pull the carriage for you. it’s basically the same thing, right? just get inside.

"Oh, Miss Columbina, do you remember this game?"

A different festival and a slightly different atmosphere, but still there are simularities with the last. One such instance was a simple festival game- last time manned by the little-dragon's story-book friends themselves, this one had naught but wooden pegs to its name.

Still, that doesn't dampen the dragon's excitement, eyes alight.

"Should we give it a try? We had pretty good luck last time, didn't we?"

If he was ignorant or innocent of their last encounter's help, or if he was simply playing the fool was anyone's guess, but either way the little-dragon trots up to the merchant's stand, already eager to begin.

"Do you want to go first?" Politeness came first, and he steps aside to give her room.

“Mhm. Quite well. A day like that would be rather hard for me to forget in even the smallest detail,” Both due to it being the best day of her life, while also marking beginning of some of the worst, but there’s no need to bring down the mood of the festival by dwelling on that. “But with you here, too, it’s like the even the memories of bits I did forget are flooding back. Almost as if we’re still there.”

It’s a far less fun sight this time around, with their littler paper friends replaced by silent wooden pegs without even the tiniest smile drawn onto their faces… but the very real, non-wood-adjacent and comparatively large dragon at her side more than makes up for whatever disappointment she may have felt upon approach.

Columbina nods at the offer, smiling as she steps past to offer her open palms to the game’s owner. “Sure. I’ll do my best.” Rings drop into her awaiting hands — one, two, three — with satisfying little clacks. Wooden, then, most likely. Yet another difference to the ones from Moon Prayer Night, but it was as he said. Their luck was good last time, why wouldn’t it be now?

Extracting one ring from the pile, the moon goddess then turns her attention to the pegs at last. Aiming at them was how she came to miss, before, so just a little ahead should be good, right? Winding an arm back, she takes a deep breath, and…

…The ring soars high over top the pegs, landing far beyond even the furthest one, and decidedly nowhere near close.

“…Ah.” Right, these ones don’t move. “Sorry, let me try again…” A second ring follows soon after the first: much closer this time, but still not quite near anything that could be considered a victory. The third closer still, yet bounces just off the edge of a peg before it can land. And the fourth…

“Hm. It seems I’m out of rings.” Columbina frowns down at her own now-empty hands (both of rings to throw and of prizes to have won), taking a step back from the designated ‘throwing spot’ with a soft sigh of defeat.