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

A

[fortune_detective]

[The glare nor the young man's overall intimidating aura seems to have little effect on Naoto. She maintains her calm, collected expression as she addresses him.]

Thank you.

I only just recently arrived here, and I was given little explanation as to what exactly is going on. I know that I am apparently deceased, that we are currently in the afterlife, and that I am supposed to find my assigned god. However, I was given no guidance as to how I might be able to locate him. Do you perhaps have some insight you'd be willing to provide?

[revolutionfalcon]

[That's the kind of reaction Shun can respect to some degree, and as soon as she starts talking, his expression shifts to something a little more like understanding. A newcomer, with the typical kinds of questions a newcomer might have - though he admits that particular problem is a harder one to solve than others.]

Your god is supposed to find you - they'll recognise you on sight. If you were given a name to follow, there's a chance I might know who to look for, but as far as I've heard, that's not how they usually do it. The Heavens rely far too much on all gods being reliable.

[The mild derision in his tone makes it obvious what he thinks of that, since there's always going to be people who can't be counted on to give their shinki accurate information, or to seek them out in good time.]

[fortune_detective]

[Naoto notes his slight shift in demeanor, and she mirrors by relaxing some herself. Her tone a little softer.]

They will recognize me on sight. Will the same hold true for me then as well? Will I be able to recognize them in turn?

[She then touches a hand to her chin, attempting to recall the name she'd been given.]

"Ptah?" I believe that was the god's name that I was assigned to.

[revolutionfalcon]

I've never asked, but I don't think so. Some seem to have a vague sense that they've found someone they should have been looking for, but that's all I know.

[As he recalls, Joker had mentioned something along those lines, but since the next shinki he had was one he'd named himself, he's only seen it on that occasion.

When she comes up with the name, Shun inclines his head briefly, because he does actually recognise that one.]

I've met him once before. Tatsumi Kanji, if you want an actual name for him. Average sort of build, blonde, piercings, has a scar over one eye that's hard to miss. [The information is reeled off in a manner as detached what it is - a list of identifying features put to memory.]

[fortune_detective]

The sense that I've found someone I've been looking for... well, that is a stronger lead than what I had before which was practically next to nothing.

[She tilts her head slightly to the side as she listens, taking mental notes of all the descriptors shared.]

Tatsumi Kanji... what kind of person is he?

[revolutionfalcon]

There's always problems with how little information arriving shinki get, but nobody seems all that interested in changing it. [Though admittedly, arriving in circumstances like this or the big meeting hall crowd from last time does make it slightly easier for people to find who they're looking for.

At the question, Shun shrugs slightly.]

We only talked briefly. He was easy enough to get on with, and didn't like the idea of standing down from threats. He was taking his role more seriously than most newcomers seem to that first day as well, so as far as gods go, you probably could have done a lot worse.

[fortune_detective]

Hmmm, so the heavens are rigid in their traditions and formalities. That certainly sounds appropriate, despite how irksome it is.

[She then smiles as the young man further describes Kanji. "She could do a lot worse," huh? Well, small blessings.]

I see. That is actually somewhat reassuring. Thank you.

Ah! My apologies, I have not properly introduced myself. My name is Naoto Shirogane.

[She extends a hand for him to shake if he'd like.]

[revolutionfalcon]

Irksome is one word for it, but I can't say I'm surprised either. [There's certainly a shadow of irritation in his tone there, but he's at least gotten used to it more so than he was when he got here, and knows that some of the traditions aren't purely baseless stupidity.

While Shun doesn't seem to particularly care that she failed to introduce herself - nor care for the thanks, given the slight shrug that comes in answer to it - he does, after a moment of eying her hand, reach out to return the handshake. His grip is firm and confident, but there's a stiffness about his motion that says he's not used to these kinds of polite expressions.]

Kurosaki Shun, or Nekhbet when I have to be. I'm in the same pantheon as your god, for what little that means. [It's how he knows the guy at all, but Shun isn't the sort to hold pantheon relationships up as anything substantial. It's more a note of mild interest.]

[fortune_detective]

[Naoto's smile grows a little warmer as Shun returns the handshake. She can since the rigidity of it though, and understands what that means. A quick, firm shake is all it takes, and she lets him go.]

Is that important here? The pantheons, I mean.

[revolutionfalcon]

[As soon as the grip is released, Shun withdraws his hand a little too quickly. He doesn't like being in contact with people he doesn't know well, even if it's just a handshake.

A somewhat dismissive huff comes in answer to the question.]

Not really. Some people treat people in the same pantheon as if they should be friends or family immediately, but there's no real connection between us other than that we happened to be chosen to take the places of gods from the same area.

[fortune_detective]

Hmmm, I see. There is no type of rivalry or animosity shared between the pantheons, is there?

[Naoto just wants to know what she may more or less be walking into here when she actually does find her assigned god.]

[revolutionfalcon]

Not as far as I know. Nobody takes the pantheon part of this seriously enough to cause that kind of animosity.

[Any threats here are on the basis of a person's individual desire to be one, not on behalf of their pantheon. Shun doesn't think he's met anyone at all who actually cares that much about the history of the god they are to start something like that.]

[fortune_detective]

[A soft sigh of relief from Naoto. Good. That was at least one less thing to worry about.]

Well, you've already been very helpful, Kurosaki-san. Thank you for answering my questions.

[revolutionfalcon]

[The thanks gets a somewhat dismissive sound from Shun. It's force of habit by now to react like that to it.]

The more information newcomers get, the less ignorance there is later. It's not like they give us much to go on coming in.