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

[mithrarin]

Hmm.... Catch the body on the outside -- the rim. The paper supports the head, then the tail is hanging over a little. [That's Dust's conclusion: the paper is a trick, for the most part.]

[onerous]

[Yuri considers this a moment before heeding the advice. It takes her a couple tries to get the fish to not wiggle off the scoop first thing, but she does eventually mange to toss one into the bowl.

She perks up a little, a small smile turning up the corner of her mouth] It worked!

[The shinki attendant takes the bowl and fish from her to put it in a bag, and Yuri sits back a little, satisfied.]

That's one down, at least. Thank you.

[mithrarin]

[Man, Dust is glad that worked -- it made sense in his mind, but if he'd suggested it and it had gone poorly for her he would have felt pretty bad. Instead, he gets to smile at her success. And be gratified by her smile in turn, since she looks like she could use one now and then.]

You're going for more?

[onerous]

[Yuri hums thoughtfully, then nods]

I need one more, for my other shinki... But, maybe I should come back a little later. I've been at this for a little too long, it's a little embarrassing.

[mithrarin]

I don't think you have anything to be embarrassed about. You were trying hard to achieve something you wanted, instead of just giving up. How else were you going to succeed?

[Her feeling is understandable, but... really, anyone who wants to give her grief over it is just low.]

[onerous]

Still... People are going to notice I've been here for a while if they come back around and see I'm still here. Not everyone looks at things so optimistically...

[That is, most people she assumes would laugh at her for taking so long.] Besides, I think my knees are going to start cramping if I keep crouching here. I should stretch and take a walk anyhow.

[She stands, stretching her legs a little before straightening up, hands resting on her hips. Belatedly, she realizes she should ask:] Were you going to play too?

[mithrarin]

[The question turns Dust's smile faintly rueful.] I don't even know what I'd do with a fish, honestly. I don't think either Takumi or I are... the type. [The type who would keep fish, whatever that type is.] And the games are pretty short on 'weapons of war' as prizes for some reason.

[onerous]

Probably because they're supposed to be things the majority enjoys... [Who enjoys weapons of war?? Who would even consider that a prize?? Dust, you're strange, and that's saying something coming from Yuri.

But she huffs a laugh at the idea of various weapons being given away in exchange for, say, catching the right goldfish or something.] Maybe they have things in the back. [It's a joke.]

...Is Takumi the name of your god?

[mithrarin]

I'm not gonna hold my breath. [He can at least share the amusement; he's well aware his own preferences and nature in general make him something of an outsider here.]

Right. He's the god... Ninigi-no-Mikoto. [And there's a name Dust still struggles with.]