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

[valuedstrength]

[Steve laughs despite himself. What a charming guy.] What can I say? I had a good coach. [He'll go ahead and nail another one to drive the point home.]

[winn]

[ look who's talking! ]

Noice! [ not too long ago, winn's reaction would've been to stir clear of the large handsome man; those do nothing good for his self esteem. but he's trying to grow as a person and generally speaking in a fantasy adventure? you wanna stick to the big guys, they make good hiding places.

it definitely helps that from that reaction right there? he seems like a pretty nice guy. ]

If you need any science cheats, I'm your guy.

[valuedstrength]

[Steve laughs again. Winn stop doing that!!! He's going to get attached!!!] I'll have to keep you in mind. Art and math were always my strong suits.

[He's well-aware no one ever thinks that when they look at him. Steve stops chatting enough to focus on the game. Sure enough he gets another pop. That's three in a row. Time for a prize!] Alright, what do you want?

[Clearly Winn deserves it for the tips.]

[winn]

[ not really seeing the downside there, steve - he's usually the one who gets attached, he's ready for some mutual attachment. ]

Hey math counts, man.

[ he gets applause again ] Whoo! That's teamwork right there. [ come on, high five! ]

Mmhm, that weird little robot-looking thing, definitely. [ he didn't make that one and it's funky looking, it appeals to his aesthetic! if you were looking for him to argue and refuse the free stuff - you're looking at the wrong guy. ]

[valuedstrength]

[High-fiving back!! Steve can't stop smiling since again Winn is charming to him and also robots haven't been ruined for him yet. He hands it over quite happily.] Nice choice. I've got a friend that's starting to get me to warm up to the little guys.

[winn]

[ smiling is good! smiling he's comfortable with, smiling keeps the panic inside, where it belongs, bothering no one but himself. ]

Thanks - [ he happily turns his prize over in his hands, admiring the design. ] - are we talking like, the real deal? Do you have a robot-building friend? Cuz sharing is caring -

[valuedstrength]

[Steve nods at the question. The good mood keeps on because in his eyes there's no fallout yet. Tony hasn't let him down. It's the opposite actually. The man has been good to him; maybe too good. It's hard to say no when someone literally hands over items only you can use.] I've got a robot-building friend. Guy is a genius. He made it when he was practically a kid in MIT? Which I'm told is a big deal for anyone to get into. Anyways, I've been spending some time with him and his robots while handle something for another friend of ours. I got attached.

[winn]

[ winn is definitely one of those people who think it's a big deal, if the impressed look in his eyes and the very genuine excitement are anything to go by (and they are. he thinks he's great at keeping his feelings to himself when he tries but the truth is? he sucks at it). ]

Is he here? Are the robots here? [ you can practically see a ghost of a tail wagging, he's so excited. ]

[valuedstrength]

[Steve grimaces. He's about to crush this man's very gentle spirit.] No, they're not here. Trust me you would know. The man is a scene stealer and his robots are.... quirky.

[There's not polite way of describing the chaos they'd cause here by trying to help. Dum-E means well. :(]

[winn]

[ it's okay large handsome man, it takes much more than that to crush winn's spirit! he looks gentle and crushable, but his nerdy soul is made of far stronger stuff, it's been forged by science - and tragedy. mostly tragedy. ]

Quirky? Like they look weird or they do weird stuff? Did he manage to program superpowers? [ it's a leap, but someone happens to always have superpowers on the brain ] Are they like fully developed AIs? [ he said he got attached, and the guy seems normal, you know, not a nerd, not attached to unfeeling tech. ] Do they pass the Turing test? And if so - what version?

[valuedstrength]

[Steve gives this careful thought. He's no expert in any of this, but he tries to explain it well.] I don't know the Turing test, but they were made before he created a fully developed AI as an adult. They try really hard to follow his commands. They have baseline personalities, but kind of like the way a dog would if that makes any sense. The difference is pretty obvious compared to JARVIS. That guy... I mean he's kind of a friend at this point. That's how alive he is.