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

[sunborne]

[ he smiles at her, grateful for the fact she isn't immediately asking questions or anything like that. he doesn't- he doesn't think he has the energy for that.

he also ends up watching the lanterns drift away, optics fixed on the lanterns that were further down the river, their warm glow barely sheen now thanks to distance and darkness and circumstances. ]

... Thanks, Miss Jing. [ he ducks his helm, rubbing the back of his neck from both shyness and sheepishness. ] I mean that, you know? With all my core and whatnot. Thank you.

[tranquilforest]

[She rests her palm against Daylight's side, pressing against it with a gentle touch, shaking her head as though to acknowledge the thanks and deny their necessity at the same time.]

Have you and Meddy had a good time tonight, Daylight? [She doesn't see Daylight's smaller companion close by, who she'd really only seen in passing thus far.] I wasn't sure you'd be able to find anything to your taste at the food tables.

[sunborne]

[ daylight curls up on himself, leaning against the touch out of habit and out of need because he's been a long, long time since something like this has happened.

he feels silly but, at the same time, feels relieved. even if she can't feel it, daylight sends out a pulse of gratefulness-thanks-heartfelt via his emission field. it's the least he can do. ]

… Yeah. It was really fun. [ he tries to smile and put some pep to his voice. ] Meddy made sure to pick through the food to find something I can eat. There was a lot too so- That was great. Haven't felt this full since I came here.

[ also? pretty sleep. which is new to him. it might explain why his guard is so low. ]

I really liked this bit, the lanterns. I'm glad I was able to help you make the river for this. Reminds me a lot of the remembrance feast. [ he stops, feeling kinda silly for speaking so much. and yet- ] Um... Is there a meaning? To the lanterns, like the way the wishes on the trees have meaning? I might have missed the memo.

[tranquilforest]

[It was still amazing, the way Daylight can express his feelings so clearly. She can't do the same in return, but she accepts it as well as she can, hoping he can read her emotions in return in some way.]

The lanterns? [Ah. It hadn't been quite as traditional as could be accepted or hoped, and she's so happy that most of the people in attendance had enjoyed the little display. But for her, in association with this holiday, the experience is somewhat bittersweet, in this entire other world and universe, away from home and the graves of her ancestors and family.]

Ah. They are quite common in several festivals at home, and in other places as well, it seems. But for the late summer festival, when the lanterns are floated on the water like this...

[She can't cry at this, not when twelve years of uncertainty had been resolved as thoroughly as possible. But there is the slightest catch in her voice as she adds:] The lanterns are for the spirits who wander, especially those long gone or who have been forgotten, to guide them back to the afterlife.

[sunborne]

The lanterns are for the spirits...?

[ daylight needs a moment to comprehend miss jing's words because.

oh wow.

variables and constants indeeds.

this is when he- well. he doesn't laugh. not really. the sound he makes, small and thin and young, is nowhere happy enough to be considered a laugh or a mirthless chuckle. it certainly sounds sad.

he looks further down the river and he can't help but wonder. who was miss jing thinking about when making her lantern, when letting them go down the quiet waters. he wonders who are her spirits, the ones she lead back to the afterlife. found the sort of elusive and enviable sort of peace that those left behind had to look for themselves, when all is said and done.

leaning closer to her touch, he tries to flutter his winglets in what he hopes can be seen as a comforting gesture. he's keeping his hands to themselves, a little scared to touch miss jing because she seems- it's a reminder. how humans, tough and amazing and great as they are, are still fragile and need to be handled with care. he isn't sure if he can say something for her that could turn this around.

but it doesn't mean he can't try: ] We used flowers. The remembrance feast. These special type of flowers - water lilies, bright and blue - that were bred all year for this specific purpose.

When we got them at the end of the night, when we sang and spoke and remembered whoever isn't there with us anymore, we'll take a flower that's meant to represent everyone we miss. Set the inner petals on fire so it could burn inside out. Then we release them down the river. Watch them burn hot, burn bright.

It's supposed to, um, let them know... [ a deep breath. ] Let them know we miss them. We send the flower to show our love. We send the fire to keep them warm.

[ he falls a little quiet when he finishes babbling poor miss jing's ears off. his expression is mildly embarrassed for speaking so much. he had a point with that. he really did. because what he's trying to say is, ] Thank you. Thank you for sharing your lanterns with us, Miss Jing. They must be important where you're from.

... I hope whoever your lanterns are for, I hope they know it's from you. You're a really good person.

[tranquilforest]

[She thinks of the lanterns at home again, and their design, specific to the Ghost Festival - flowers as well, lotus and lily, curved petal cups scribbled with family names and lit in the center - and can't help but smile a little in response, trying to gauge Daylight's thought process. The parallels really were almost uncanny.]

Even if they don't know, as far away as we are... I do not think they will begrudge me if I take my own comfort from it. Perhaps that is enough. Traditions like this are as much for those still living, and the souls of those who love us surely understand our circumstance.

[sunborne]

I like to think they'll understand.

[ he hopes they'll understand. he wants to believe it that they'll understand. they have to.

... now he clears his vocoder, forcefully resetting it so he can chase away the sudden buildup of static and white noise. he has to resist the urge to rock back and forth, back on forth on his heels in this moment. ]

Um. Okay. Umm... [ come on, day. you can do it. ] Miss Jing- I'm going to ask a question and it might be super weird and super strange and... If you're not comfortable, let me know?

Because I totally get it if what I'm going to ask is too weird or stuff. It's... Just... Yeah.

[tranquilforest]

[She shakes her head a little, as though to gently brush away Daylight's insecurities and concerns, smiling encouragement up at him.]

I can't promise I'll understand your question in advance, but if it's within my power to answer it, I would be happy to do so to the best of my ability, Daylight.

[sunborne]

[ this is going to be the third silliest thing he's going to request from someone, but he's going to request it all the same because- ]

Can I hold your hand? [ he feels like a beeper again, ungainly and unsure of the world around him. surrounded by lights and flowers and memories of those who are long gone. ] Um... Ah... I used to that with my Auntie Laura and Uncle Leeds for the celebrations and... You know... You've been super nice to me and stuff so...

[ okay he's going to be quiet now. ]

[tranquilforest]

[She has to briefly duck her head at the request, the contrast of the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes and a widening smile too difficult to explain. Wordlessly, she slides her fingers into Daylight's hand, squeezing gently and trusting in the miracle of his construction to convey the gesture to him. When she looks up at him again, her eyes are dry, her smile steady.]

I hope that's answer enough. It's been some time for me as well. [After all, she'd barely had the raising of her son in his early years, and spent so much of it more or less confined as well. The nostalgia of the festival is as much for her early years as for her home of the past few decades, and the lost might-have-beens, destroyed by power and political maneuvering.]

[sunborne]

It is.

[ there are times that daylight hates being bigger than everyone else. more often than now, he feels ungainly and unwieldy and, frankly, abnormal to everyone else.

in this moment? as he holds miss jing's hand, trying his best to both take and give comfort to her, he's kind of happy he's big. it allows him to think that maybe, just maybe, he can protect those he love if he can shield them, hide them from danger with his frame.

he gives the lightest of squeezes and flashes the shyest of smiles, looking like the kid he seems to be. ]

Thank you, Miss Jing. For everything.

[tranquilforest]

[She shakes her head and smiles again, a little wider, as much in reaction to his expression as anything else.]

It is entirely mutual, Daylight. No thanks are needed in a situation like this.