015 | Sky Full Of Stars

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Tanabata Festival
When: All day July 5
Where: The Near Shore
Summary: The Heavens are throwing a party and you're invited!

Edit: OVERFLOW is here!



With Tanabata drawing close, the Heavens have decided that there is nothing wrong with a little celebration for the annual occasion. So they have invited everyone on the Far Shore as well as a large number of people from the Near Shore to attend a festival for Tanabata. Tanabata festivals are not uncommon in this area, so the Near Shore residents are none the wiser, though some of them are a little uncertain about where this street they've never heard of popped up from...

Tanabata is a festival held to celebrate the one time a year that the lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi can meet across the vast expanse of the Milky Way. Many birds have been working their tail feathers off to create a bridge for the two lovebirds and that bridge - perhaps unsurprisingly - touches down on this street, in the middle of the festival.

The Heavens have prepared entertainment, food stalls, and as many tanzaku as might be needed for everyone to write down wishes, along with plenty of bamboo stalks to hang the wishes from.

New arrivals will find themselves ushered to the festival and offered traditional clothing after their normal briefing at the Meeting Hall.



Stalls

There are festival stalls of every kind present, all run by shinki dressed in white robes and bearing the golden chrysanthemum of Amaterasu. Many of them seem a little bruised still, but they are happy to smile for anyone who comes to the stall they are running. There is food, games, and drinks available of all kinds, so feel free to roam around to your heart's content sampling everything that you can.

Performance

A large stage has been erected at one end of the festival street. The Heavens know that there are many talented gods and shinki present, so they are more than willing to clear spots in the scheduling for those people to perform. Anytime a Far Shore resident isn't on stage, there are plenty of Near Shore acts to go on, ranging the gambit from traditional music and instruments all the way to a rock band that has somehow found themselves here for the celebration.

Wishes

Pieces of paper called tanzaku have been strewn about a number of bamboo shoots all over the festival. There are brightly colored decorations on the bamboo and the papers themselves exist in every color of the rainbow as well. Attendees are encouraged to write down any wishes they may have and hang them from the bamboo, a normal Tanabata tradition. Wishes can range from 'I want a soda' to 'World peace' and anything in between. Obviously, some of these wishes may not be able to be granted during the time of the festival, but gods and shinki alike are encouraged to answer any wishes they can as well.

NOTE: Please report any wishes your characters answers to the first comment on this post along with a link to where the wish is answered. There will be small bonuses awarded for answered wishes.

The Bridge

As stated previously, the bridge that will allow Orihime to meet her lover touches down in the very center of the festival's street. It may be made of tiny pieces, but the bridge itself is sturdy. While it may not be able to take just anyone who sets foot on it across the Milky Way, you are allowed to walk along the bridge yourself, though you will always find yourself turned around after a short time and heading back towards where you stepped on. Lovers in particular are encouraged to walk the bridge together to deepen their bonds, but be cautioned! If you walk onto the bridge with someone, you might start feeling affectionately towards them even if they are your sworn enemy! Such is the power of love on this day.

In Summary:

• Enjoy the festival
• Watch some quality entertainment
• Make and/or answer wishes
• Meet Orihime
• Traverse the bridge
• Have fun~

Comments

2/2

[magickmistress]

[ No, Sakura! She was taught to not judge until she knew everything! Just because that Hades was thoughtless and cruel didn't mean that this one was! She swallowed a bit. Maybe this was her chance. Maybe if she at least knew that this Hades wouldn't bring harm to her... she could rest peacefully... maybe he could even break the curse on her garden... ]

[ ...One thing at a time. ]

...Um, Hades-san, will you...

Will you... please walk the bridge with me?

1/?

[moonlitknight]

No.

2/3

[moonlitknight]

[ The next moment, he's being pushed forward by one of Cerberus heads which has him instantly turning on the hellhound. ]

What's going on with you?

3/3

[moonlitknight]

[ Even as he says that he's being pushed again with enough force to send him forward another few steps, toward the kid. ]

Okay. I'll go. [ He pushes the head back. ] Now, will you stop pushing me!

[magickmistress]

[ She's HONESTLY NOT SO SURE whether she's thankful or frightened at the prospect of actually walking across the bridge with Hades-incarnate, but Cerberus seems to think it's a good idea... and who is she to question a guardian. ] Um, thank you Cerberus!

[ She looks up to the much taller Zero. She holds out her hand. ]

Okay... let's go! [ She has a determined expression on. ]

1/2

[moonlitknight]

[ The expression has him looking at her questioningly. ]

2/2

[moonlitknight]

[ With a sigh, Zero bypasses her hand and sets his own on top of her head for a moment. ]

Don't push yourself.

[ He tells her before walking past her toward the bridge. ]

[magickmistress]

[ Ah. ]

[ She's standing there for a moment, then scowling, because that is something that her older brother would do, before hurrying after him. She catches up, right before the cross of the bridge. ]

[ Here. She was going to do what she needed to... maybe this bridge would give her some insight! And maybe even give her a bit more leniency towards Hades. She can't judge a book by its cover...! ]

[ She stepped on the bridge, taking a few steps into it, dress bustling after her. She looked back towards Zero. ]

Are you coming, Hades-san?

[moonlitknight]

Zero.

[ He corrects her, stepping onto the deconstructed structure. ]

My name's Zero.

[magickmistress]

Zero-san... [ She nods her head. Already, as he steps onto the bridge, she can feel its charms working! She feels herself start to relax around him. ]

My name is Sakura. Um...

It's nice to meet you... though... I was scared to.

[moonlitknight]

[ That admission has him looking up at her, and while he normally wouldn't ask, the effects of the bridge have him uttering the question. ]

You know me?

[magickmistress]

Well, no... I mean, we just met! But... I know of you. Um, or rather, I know about Hades.

I made a wish to meet all of the Greek gods... but I knew that I needed to meet you the most.

... I'm Persephone.

[moonlitknight]

[ He stops. ]

.........

[ The name's not lost on him, he knows her role in the myth of the god he reincarnated and while normally he would have started up conflict, the effects of the bridge curb his remarks. ]

The Goddess of Spring.

[magickmistress]

That's right. [ She looks down for a moment, then back up at him. She offers a smile. ]

You know, when I was walking around I kept thinking about meeting Hades. I was a little scared, because of the legend. I've met a lot of other Greek gods and goddesses tonight! So everyone can be different!

Um... I wanted to walk the bridge with you because even if Hades kidnapped Persephone, she must have still cared for him in the end.

[moonlitknight]

[ Don't be an idiot. His natural response, yet they're curbed by the effects of the bridge and instead of walking away as he normally would have done, Zero stands at the edge of bridge looking out over the water. ]

You can't care for someone you don't know.

[magickmistress]

That's not true. [ Her response is immediate. ]

I don't know Okaasan very well. She died when I was really little... but I still care about her.

[moonlitknight]

You told about her, who she was. By people who cared for her. You have a basis to care for her. It's the same with you. You were told about me, who I am. What I did. You had a basis to fear me.

[ He looks at her. ]

You weren't wrong.

[magickmistress]

[ She can't help but freeze in place a little at his admission that maybe he's not such a good person... that there may be reason for him to have been reincarnated as the god of the underworld. ]

...But...

...Zero-san... [ Could it be? That he's a bad person...? ]

[moonlitknight]

There's a reason I was never given a shinki.

[magickmistress]

Bu... but that doesn't mean... that Zero-san is a bad person...

I-I mean...

It's not as if you would... do anything to... hurt anyone...

[ ...Would he? ]

[moonlitknight]

Don't kid yourself.

1/3

[magickmistress]

2/3

[magickmistress]

[ ...What? Then... ]

[ Sakura knew... she wasn't well-versed in all the gods of Greek mythology... goodness, she didn't know much about Persephone, other than this was the man that she was attached to. That Persephone had become goddess of the underworld, and that Hades was ruler over the entire realm... but then, what did that make her? ]

[ Was Persephone scared of Hades? Was she a spring goddess that was dragged far from where others could reach her? Did she remain frightened of Hades, even though she became wed to him? In short... ]

[ Was this is? Would she have to remain frightened of this Hades, too? Was there nothing she could do to change things? Was Zero-san... just a bad person? ]

....Persephone...

3/4 whoops

[magickmistress]

I don't know much about her... but... there must be a reason why I was her. I might not know abut Persephone, but I know myself.

If I'm her, then I am going to be a great goddess... and even if you've given up on yourself, then...

I won't.

I won't try and make you like me... and you don't have to like me, either...

4/4

[magickmistress]

But Persephone would want someone to watch over Hades in her stead...

So I'll make sure to watch you, wherever you go! If you're as terrible as you say you are...

Then it's my job to make sure you don't cause any undue harm on this world... or the next! That's a job only the queen of the underworld can do!