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

[kokuyoyo]

In that case... What use are gods at all?

[There's no provocation to his words, no aggression- that would require more emotion than Chikusa care to spend, for one thing. It's just a simply stated fact, like the presence of the moon or the location of a stall. Echoes of it are in his blank gaze, uncomprehending of this whole... tradition.]

[fortune_detective]

[Naoto shakes her head.]

I'm not sure I have a good answer to that either... Clearly, they exist, as we are currently attending a festival full of gods.

[She looks upwards, quiet and contemplative for a moment before she continues her response.]

Religion, mythologies, the stories of gods have long been a part of human culture as a way to make sense of phenomena that can seem otherwise explainable. There is also the utility of cleansing, a belief that the gods will absolve one of their misdeeds if they prove faithful. That too can bring comfort. If such comfort can be gleaned from simply believing in the gods existence, perhaps then that alone is enough of a use.

[She sighs, rubbing the back of her neck. She looks uncertain of even her own words.]

I was told that a god and a shinki together have the ability to rend beings known as "ayakashi," demons who corrupt human souls. Protecting innocents by purging such creatures also seems a good enough use for gods.

[kokuyoyo]

[The entire time, Chikusa listens quietly but attentively. Religion, spoken of in such practical terms like this, makes sense. It's foolish, in his mind, but it makes sense.]

[When she finally comes to a finish, words hinting at her inexperience, Chikusa considers everything that's been brought up.]

Then are just the elimination of ayakashi more our purpose, if we can't do things like that wish...?

[fortune_detective]

[Naoto now begins to look more serious and solemn, like she knows she's taking on a charge that is greater than herself yet she does not wish to run from.]

Whatever is within our power to do that helps those in need, that I would say is our purpose. If it is less about granting wishes and more the rending of ayakashi, then yes. Yes, I believe so.

[Naoto crosses her arms, there is less uncertainty about her than there was before.]

I'm a shinki myself, so I cannot presume to know what the gods themselves here are capable of. I only know what I have been told, and what that means I am capable of when it comes to protecting those who deserve such.

[kokuyoyo]

Gods have power that we don’t, that they can use freely… so, in the end, they’re more powerful. As shinki, we’re only useful as tools they can use to deal with ayakashi for once and all… But even then, each god’s power is different.

So for us… Something like that is a little too ambitious…

[And also, frankly, if it’s not in his god’s name, Chikusa isn’t sure he particularly cares.]

[fortune_detective]

[Naoto is quiet for a moment. She's not sure how she feels being labeled as merely "a tool" for the slaying of ayakashi. It's not inaccurate. It's just kind of hollow sounding.]

So, the gods then do have the ability to grant wishes... well, some of them depending on their powers if I am indeed following you correctly. But, as for shinki, our power lies solely in assisting the gods with disposing of ayakashi.

[She sighs, looking again towards the colorful tanzaku hanging from the bamboo. She smiles softly, still a little sad looking.]

I suppose that is enough for me. As long as I can do something...

[kokuyoyo]

[Well... That can't be enough for everyone, he supposes, although Chikusa can't see why. Still, he's said what he wanted to, and he takes a step away... before remembering something.]

...Humans are usually bad enough on their own for their own problems.... But sometimes ayakashi are behind it too.

Just so you know before answering any prayer....

[The more common sense gets spread around, the easier he has it, after all.]

[fortune_detective]

[Continued in the Tanabata Overflow.]