SUMMER FESTIVAL: TEMPLE OF BEGINNINGS

[tranquilforest]

It’s something like summer here at the Temple of Beginnings, or close enough to it. The weather’s been rainy and hazy for the past little while, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find some way to enjoy ourselves, right?

The day dawns cloudy and drizzly, but people seem determined to carry on anyway. The space slowly takes recognizable shape as a festival, even if a small one. There are tents set up outside, some of which are transformed into game opportunities, complete with prizes (some of an...interesting nature), surprisingly sophisticated target shooting games, ring toss, and other activities of skill and chance. A few more become stations for the food and drink that had been prepared, and the rest consist of chairs under canopies for people to sit and talk in case the rain continues.

Luckily, as the day goes on, the rain stops and the clouds move on, until the blue of the sky is visible once again. By early afternoon, there are only a few scattered clouds still remaining, and it seems likely that the weather will hold true for the evening. Strings of paper lanterns and other decorations are brought out and hung between the different stalls, around the makeshift stage, and placed at the tables. Some pots of bamboo are brought out and set in two clusters at either end of the line of tents. Each cluster has a corresponding table with strips of colorful paper and pens laid out carefully on a table and weighted down with rocks to prevent them from flying off.

A handful of figures come out and inspect the set-up, focusing especially on a shallow ditch that had been dug earlier, now drained and lined with weighted down tarp and rocks, running parallel to the tents and curving to end abruptly just beyond the fire pit and the stage at both ends. After some discussion between them, there is a flash of flame, as though something were burning, and then the strangest thing happens. The ditch fills with fresh, clear water. Even after a few hours, the water doesn't drain away or grow stagnant, still flowing somehow despite having nowhere to come from or go to.

The sunset that day is a brilliant, auspicious red, and evening sets in with a cooling breeze refreshing everyone outside. As the first stars appear, the lanterns are set alight, the music starts, and the first performer steps out onto the stage, surrounded by floating light.



SUMMER FESTIVAL
Welcome to the summer(ish) festival for Astoria’s Circle! We hope you have a wonderful time.

Layout
Even from the buildings that are actually being lived in, the lights of the festival are visible. If you strain your ears just a bit, you may even hear some music being played in the distance, muffled by the stone walls. Why don’t you come join in?

Once arriving at the festival itself, you may be struck first by how bright it is. Light seems to be a theme, from the bonfire set up in one of the firepits closest to the rest of the complex, the lanterns strung up between the tents and stalls that are set up in a line leading from the other buildings towards the gated sparring area that you may already have availed yourself of. Just in front of that area is a makeshift stage, little more than a raised platform of wood and stone, also lit up well by additional lanterns.

Opposite the tents is the river.

It might not seem that exciting at first. It’s hardly a river, really, just a shallow trench of water about seven feet wide and one foot deep, lined with rocks along the bank closest to the tents, stretching in a not quite parallel path opposite the stalls and tents that have been set up, beginning at the stage and ending near the bonfire. The water is crystal clear and clean, and murmurs as if it is flowing from some unseen source, but it’s not clear where it is coming from at all. As the night goes on, and more people take the opportunity to make floating paper lanterns at the station located close by, the little stream itself lights up, the water reflecting the lights, and just beyond, the stars in the sky.

EVENTS:

Sign-in
While definitely not mandatory, in the direct path from the living quarters to the festival itself, there’s a table set up with sheets of paper and writing utensils where you can sign-in. Let us know (ICly!) who you are. Maybe add a fun fact about yourself. Or draw doodles all over the pages. Whatever floats your boat.

Wishes
As is traditional in the home countries of some members of the Circle, there are some bamboo trees in pots set up on either side of the little river, and tables close by with colored strips on loops of string and pens. Write down a wish, or anything you’d like, really, and hang it from the bamboo. Or, browse the bamboo yourself and see if you find anything interesting. Later on after midnight, they’ll be burned for luck!

Games
You’ll find the usual games in the various stalls, some with a decidedly cobbled together look, using what materials were available at the temple, and some with a little more sophistication, thanks to the particular gifts of those within the Circle. Try your hand at shooting a target, a game of chance, or take over a stall yourself and introduce your fellow Circle members to something you used to play at home. There may or may not be prizes involved, depending on which stall you find yourself at.

Food
You’ll find your usual fair fare, though with a decidedly cosmopolitan flair. The foods themselves are somewhat limited by what was easily obtainable within the Temple itself (or improvised), and some Circle members may have contributed decidedly experimental dishes. It really is a potluck, so take a look and see what interests you! Strike up a conversation with your fellow diners as you pick up your food and then find a table to sit at, but keep in mind that most of these are home made by others here, so the cook may be close by, listening…

Performance
What’s a festival without any entertainment? In addition to the music being played on speakers in the background by our very capable DJ, there is also a stage where you can show off your gifts. In addition to singing or other traditional performances, this is an opportunity to demonstrate any interesting abilities or gifts you might have, including new ones you may have gained upon arriving at the Temple! There is an additional sign-up sheet near the stage, so write your name down and what you plan to perform, and we look forward to seeing what you can do.

Bonfire
It’s a really big fire. Enough said (hopefully). Sit and relax, or chat with those around you. If you’re lucky, there may even be some additional entertainment. At a little after midnight, the bamboo bearing the wishes will be burned here and the festival closed for the night.

Lanterns
If you’d like to give it a try, there’s a small station set up where you can make your own lantern out of paper! You can choose from one that floats in the air or on the water (or both, no one’s policing this). Make your own design, and let it fly aloft or float on the water with the other lanterns, chat with others who are working, or just settle down by the water and watch the lanterns and the stars.


**If your character (even if you were just accepted!) would like to participate in the set-up for the impromptu festival at any point, or just wander around and ask what’s going on, please feel free! All the set-up would have been occurring in the space between the TDM and this post. If your character would like to handwave having helped set up, this post is also an option!

(( Set Up: Outdoors ✧ Set Up: Indoors ✧ Sign-In ✧ Bamboo Wishes ✧ Games ✧ Food ✧ Tables ✧ Performances ✧ Bonfire ✧ Lanterns ✧ Clean-Up ✧ or your own!))

Comments

[bleps]

[The slightest lift of a brow, maybe only mildly surprised. The visor is noted, of course — impossible not to — and despite the obvious markings on his jacket (“ANDROID” on the back and “RK800” on the front, quite visible), Connor is safe in assuming that it has something to do with asking for his ‘designation’. Everyone else asks for names. It’s too specific of a label, otherwise, to request.

Connor shifts his weight, turning to face Geordi properly.]

I’m an RK800, though model numbers don’t mean much to anyone here. My name, however, is Connor.

[An idle glance at the marshmallow, roasting in the flames, before looking back at the man. Via loose conjecture, he feels comfortable in asking:]

You must have experience with machine entities? No one here has asked for my designation before.

[unimpeded]

[Geordi offers a smile, and his hand. There's no reason to treat Connor like anything or anyone else.]

My name's Geordi La Forge. It's nice to meet you, Connor.

[He huffs, amused.]

And yes, I do. My best friend back home is an android called Data.

[bleps]

[The handshake is still something odd to him — no one really offers such a thing to an android back home, or if they did, Connor is still too hot off the press to know. He’s only 3 months old or so, and his experiences are accordingly limited.

And yet this isn’t the first or even second handshake he’s been offered since his arrival. Thus his pause is brief, before he reaches out to shake Geordi’s hand.]

Good to meet you, too.

[He drops his hand back down, considering. A best friend, interesting.]

So your world is one of the more... advanced ones, comparatively speaking. What was your occupation?

[unimpeded]

I suppose so. It's the 24th century for me.

[Which does make it considerably more advanced than most...]

Seems like the majority here come from around the early 21st century, with a few notable exceptions.

[Lowering his hand to his breast, he taps his Starfleet insignia, the little badge on his left breast.]

I'm the Chief Engineer on the U.S.S. Enterprise, a starship.

[bleps]

The 24th century?

[Connor's LED at his temple flickers briefly, taking this into account. Eyes tracking to the Starfleet insignia, committing the shape and form to memory out of habit alone. He then looks at Geordi again, as if re-evaluating completely what he should say and ask.]

I'm part of that majority; I come from the 21st century, as well, but even then my world seems to have reached advancements that others have not. [He's an example of this.] Tell me, are androids common in your world?

[unimpeded]

[Geordi takes that in stride, having assumed divergent timeline or far flung future...]

Not really. We have robots, and there are cyborg races, but androids capable of mimicking human emotion, being self aware, and expanding beyond simple programs are rare.

[He lifts two fingers.]

I'm aware of only two. My friend, Data. And his brother, Lore.

[bleps]

[Now, that's interesting, and Connor pursues this curiosity without much hesitation on his part.]

And were they created to be androids, or did this self-awareness trigger through some other means?

[unimpeded]

[He has no problems sharing, either.]

No, no, they were created to be androids. Doctor Noonian Soong built them both to act as androids, and to see if he could make them be human-like. Right down to implanting a breathing subroutine and growing hair. [Geordi's pleased to be able to talk about his friend, really.]

I think he succeeded beyond his wildest aspirations. Data's, well. He's not just a machine. He's honestly a whole new life form.

[bleps]

[Connor sets his jaw, something unsaid sparking both discomfort and consideration. It's revealed in a pause that settles between them before he replies again.]

Maybe the difference lies in there being only two androids in your world, as opposed to millions in mine.

[The implication, if Geordi reads between the lines, is clear enough: they're definitely considered machines back in his home.]

[unimpeded]

Probably.

[Geordi can definitely read between the lines. Data's 'humanity' has been a subject of a great deal of debate among Starfleet, the Federation, and interaction with Klingons and Romulans. The only people he can think of offhand who've completely accepted him as a whole new species have been the Borg...]

Just, for the record, if I'm making you uncomfortable, let me know. I'm curious, because you are definitely constructed differently from them, but it's not my business to pry into your personal life.

[bleps]

No. [Connor's quick to clarify. Paradoxically (or maybe not so paradoxically), he doesn't wish to show any brand of uncertainty in tone, words, or expression. It's easier, he thinks, if he's simply to respond to any question in a clinical, straightforward way.

He straightens, clasping his hands behind his back.]

It doesn't cause me discomfort. If you have questions, ask them. Getting to know those you're going to be "working" with is beneficial to both parties.

[unimpeded]

Right.

[Well, with that taken care of, Geordi lets himself relax and smile again.]

Do you need energy, or any other supplement to maintain full functionality? I notice that we're in a rather technically underdeveloped world. Will that cause a problem for you?

lmao god

[bleps]

[Technical questions like these? He doesn’t mind answering them at all. They’re straightforward and explanatory, and Connor will answer them succinctly.]

Assuming I obtain no grievous injury, then I won’t require any sort of energy replenishment for a very long while. You needn’t worry about that.

[But-!]

Yet there’s little in the way of replacement parts or Thirium, the equivalent of my blood, so to speak, in this place. I have considered asking Astoria if something can be done about it — otherwise, I’ll have to rely on what we find when we... visit other worlds.

[unimpeded]

Well...

[Geordi trails off, reaching to his belt for a small metal object about eight inches long. Flipping it open, he turns it around so Connor can see it. A data pad of sorts.]

If you don't mind, I'd like to scan you with this. I'm the chief engineer on my ship, and Data's primary caretaker when he's injured. If something were to happen, this tricorder can store information on your biology and mechanical makeup and give us a starting point.

[He looks a little apologetic...]

Sorry. I just like being prepared.

[bleps]

[Eyebrows lift. A surprising offer, but not necessarily one that's unwelcome. Not if Connor takes a moment to consider the advantages, compared to something adverse happening to him and no one around who understands his mechanical makeup. like during his first world jump]

No, don't apologize. I would prefer to be well-prepared, considering that we're venturing into situations that are made up of unknowns from here on out.

[He eyes the tricorder curiously, though, for a moment more. His LED flickers, curious.]

You can scan me, if you like.

[unimpeded]

Alright.

[Gesturing with the device, he buzzes it up and down Connor once, twice...letting it beep and click. It should give him a general makeup of Connor, his networks and pathways, and all that general biology stuff. Only it's mechanical.]

All done. It's stored, so I should be able to help if something happens. Which, hopefully not. But...you understand.

[bleps]

[Over and done with in a matter of seconds. Not that Connor was expecting anything particularly invasive, but it's impressive all the same.]

Better safe than sorry, as the saying goes. Thank you.

[He gestures at the tricorder.]

That seems like a useful device to have.

[unimpeded]

It is. It's a godsend, really.

[He waggles it, and then tucks it away, as...Prime Directive...]

Basically it's a data recorder and scanner. Unfortunately it's on limited power and can't sync up with the Galactic Network, so it's all internal at the moment.

[bleps]

[That's too bad, he had hoped to take a look at it. But he won't stop Geordi from tucking it away, of course.]

The Galactic Network?

[Sorry, questions will always be a Thing with this particular android.]

[unimpeded]

The internet, I think it's called in your time.

[Though, Federation wide.]

[bleps]

[That makes sense, then.]

Ah, I see. Yes, you're right -- there's no mode of familiar network for me to connect to, either. My databases cannot be updated, and there are even a few processes that have been completely disabled for me.

[Maybe the scan would've picked that much up, but it's worth mentioning regardless.]

[unimpeded]

[It might if it was more familiar with his systems. For now, though...]

What's disabled? Nothing vital, I hope.

[bleps]

Many of my scans; dealing mostly with the ability to glean information quickly and efficiently from the environment around me.

A few other features. My function to analyze forensic samples in real time, for one.

[unimpeded]

So in other words...

[He holds up his tricorder.]

Everything that this does. I wonder why they disabled those...

[bleps]

So seems to be the case.

[It's... not exactly consistent or fair, but he supposes he can take a guess regarding why.]

Others here have had their... ah, various "abilities" deactivated in a similar manner. I guess when the difference is that it's something you are inherently able to do -- whether written into your biology, certain skill sets, or programming -- then it's been rendered dormant for the time being.