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

[spaceforged]

Yes, it is. [He looks out over the water and that sense of peace rolls back over him. Shiro brushes the fingers of his right hand over the water.]

It's about honoring and thanking the spirits of our ancestors as well as the recently departed. They visit during the festival and return with the lanterns.

[He looks at her a little more solemn than before but...at peace. Something he hadn't really thought he'd be. Not during the war.]

We do this every year. I can't remember when it started for my ancestors...it's been a long time since I thought about anything beyond all of you and the war.

[juniberries]

Oh... [Her tone is wistful, looking to the lanterns in a new light. She looks down at her own lantern, one thumb tracing over the crude cutout of the lion she placed on it.] It is a lovely tradition. [And though she remains uncertain of where her ancestors end up, her free hand moves from her lantern to rest against her chest, remembering what it had felt like to be in the embrace of the Ancient on Oriande.

To hear a familiar voice echoed by many resonating within her.]

I wonder...if they'll be able to find us here. [It's a thought worth entertaining at least, and she looks back to Shiro, expression soft.] The war has made it difficult to think about the traditions of old.

We had something similar on Altea

[spaceforged]

[His expression softens further and he mirrors her gesture, his hand resting over his own chest.]

How did it go? [He gently lowers his hand with the lantern in it to the water until the back of his hand meets the surface tension. Little ripples spread out and settle.]

Maybe while we're with the Circle we can spend a little time thinking about and reclaiming those old traditions.

It would make for some nice downtime. Something we haven't had in a while.

[juniberries]

[She's quiet as she reminisces, her own fingers gracing over the water as she sets her own lantern afloat. Drawing back, the lets the current, exacerbated by the rainfall, begin to take her lantern away, and she wraps her arms around her knees, bringing them in close to rest against her chest.]

There was a tree carved from stone we would place at the center of a field at the end of the summer months. We would write the names of those who passed that year on the stone, and then place candles on each branch, lighting each one until the entire tree was lit. It...was tradition, from before Alteans were technologically advanced, but the lighting ceremony was meant to usher the Life Bringer's attention to our people, to encourage a safe winter and to protect the spirit of our ancestors who were no longer with us.

[She rests her chin on her knees, looking out at the lanternss.]

The light would only go out once all the candles burned through.

[spaceforged]

[He pushes his hand down under the water until the lantern has no support and it drifts after Allura's. Her words wash over him, painting pictures as he moves back from the water's edge. He settles at her side, sensing she might need a friend's support as she recalls the past.

The lights drift away heading for their brethren before he finds the words he wants to say.]

Would it...be possible to recreate that? Would you want to?

[They took back this. Why can't they gently stir the sparks and flame of Altea's traditions. He looks at her, putting his hand on her shoulder.]

It wouldn't be the same. But we could try to get it as close as possible.

[juniberries]

[The quiet returns for another moment longer as she lets Shiro's question linger, the weight of his hand at her shoulder a familiar comforting presence. Her gaze remains looking outward, watching as their lanterns drift together.]

I...do not know.

[Her voice is quiet, and she feels small for a moment, not knowing why she feels sad about recounting a happier time and fond memories of lighting candles with her father.

Each time she seems to reach for Altea, it seems to float further and further away, and she's not sure if anyone else here would understand that. She feels she's found her people again, in Oriande, with Lotor, but now here and separated from that ability her father had passed down to her--

She looks to Shiro, but not before swallowing her melancholy and putting on a smile to show that everything is fine.]

I...think it would be too difficult to recreate here. But the thought itself is pleasant enough. [She looks back out towards the lanterns.] I had thought about my father and Altea when making my lantern.

The same sentiments are there, just in a different tradition.

[spaceforged]

[He looks towards the lights on the water and up to the lanterns in the air. An idea bubbles up and he slowly stands up.]

..then let's make one more. One of the floating kind. [He steps back and turns, walking over to the nearest stacks of paper. The idea crystallizes as he looks at the colors arrayed before him.]

White is the color we use for lanterns for the recently departed. But there are a lot of colors here. ...did you use a specific color for yours?

[He taps the paper.]

I usually make simple lanterns. I just prefer them that way for my own. But I can show you how to make other shapes.

[juniberries]

[She remains crouching as Shiro stands, looking up at him. Her smile remains, turning from one out of obligation to keep him from worrying to that of a genuine feeling of...well, not happiness, but a warmth.

She rises, giving one last look to her and Shiro's lanterns floating together before joining him at the table.]

That sounds like a wonderful idea. [She stands near him, looking over the available colours, thinking to what he said.] I used pink. It...is a colour we use to honour those we've lost.

[Her thoughts drift to her reasoning behind choosing pink for her armour colour. It had been for her father, for her people, and...well...for Shiro.]

What other shapes do you know how to make?

[spaceforged]

[Pink. That does get him thinking about shapes and he fingers the colors as his thoughts swirl together. He keeps drifting back to the concept of flames representing lives that have been lived.] Birds, creatures real and mythical.

[The significance of Allura’s armor’s coloring hits him and he weathers that strike with a breath in and out. It’s fitting. There’s a grace and nobility to it that reminds him of everything he respects about her.]

I’m better at anything with wings. That would be birds, some mythical creatures, and aircraft. Or I could make a simple one and paint a shape on it. Then I can do a lot more.

[juniberries]

Perhaps there is a way to make a lantern that is both white and pink...for both traditions, then. [She's looking over the colours, standing beside Shiro with her hands clasped behind her back. She's keeping her more gloomy thoughts at bay, instead focusing on working on a project with a close and dear friend.

Because if this is a lantern they're both working on together, perhaps a combination of cultures would make the most sense. She's already taking sample of pink paper for the lantern.

There's a light laugh at the mention of wings. Of course...the Black Paladin of Voltron turned Black Lion would have an affinity for wings.]

I didn't know you could paint... [She's thinking to her own shoddily created lion face on her floating lantern, and she flushes a bit with embarrassment for her lacking artistry.] Perhaps, on one side of the lantern we could paint a tree.

[spaceforged]

[He takes a sample of white paper and nods, smiling at her with a warmth in his eyes. If this helps her, then that makes it all worth while. He really missed her steady presence.] I can paint a little. I'm no great artist.

[No, his artistry is in the air. Or with his hands on the handle bars of a bike. The mathmetics and aeronautical information spinning together inside his head.] But I think between the two of us a tree is more than possible.

[He shows her how to weave the two types of paper together, to make the framework of the lamp.]

...and both of these colors work for what I was thinking of painting. Have you heard of phoenix?

[juniberries]

[She follows along with his demonstrated handiwork, fingers fumbling a bit over the finer points of weaving. Obviously Altean royalty didn't need to learn the finer handicrafts that are otherwise attributed to female nobility. Her own lantern had been simple out of necessity. Soon they have the workings of a much better lantern than the one she made before.

Still concentrating, she takes a moment to finish before looking up at Shiro.]

No. What is that? Is it something you have on Earth?

[spaceforged]

[He smiles and nods once. Shiro is there to gently correct any fumbles and show her little tricks to make it easier. Their lantern takes shape as he talks,]

There are a lot of versions of Phoenix. The most popular, [His favorite.] is they are bird made entirely of fire. When their fire burns low...

[The lantern's shape is almost finished. He continues, tracing the edge of the lantern with his fingers.]

They build a pyre, a mound of burnable things, usually wood from trees and land in it, setting themselves alight. It renews them and they fly away.