TANABATA ⟶ July Sanctuary Log

[likethelight]

 

Sanctuary - TANABATA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"SEE YOU AGAIN, MOM"

The "star festival", celebrating the one time of the year when star-crossed lovers could cross over a sea of stars to meet again. One based on hopes, wishes, and the fervent desire to see each other again. Following the departure of Amaterasu back to the sea, wolf momgod of all who is responsible for the Guardian Saplings including the one Sanctuary has been founded around, Sanctuary is hosting the best approximation to a Tanabata celebration as the Trench will allow. Why? Because hope keeps the trees alive and strong, and Tanabata is about people having hope -- and would have been happening around the same time.

And because people miss dogmom and she would have liked it.

The festival is taking place at Sanctuary, but all Guardian Saplings can be paid visits. Paper for wishes and decorations have been set up at each/given to the other caretakers.

A Sea of Stars
The main hall has been transformed into a living night sky, with jars of hope from the moonlit butterflies back in April hung with care high up, each repacked with a single orb of hope per small vial with care, creating a river of starlike glowing lights overhead. The windows have been covered to aid with the nighttime effect, in addition to helping to keep out the light of the Beast Moon after dark. The gentle glow, as they are literally the tactile hopes and dreams of people, provides a small purifying, uplifting effect to everyone underneath. The light ebbs and flows calmly. The hall is cool as well, thanks to the pale/cold bloodstone cooling system that glows like moonstone along the walls and keeps the indoor areas regulated.

In the evening, as the sun sets, the new choir bell will ring out as well, cleansing corruption entirely from all who hear it. The lights gently pulse in time with it.

Wishes and the Guardian Sapling
The sapling is no longer in bloom, but despite the sweltering heat in full glory. Paper wishes are hung in its branches, along with origami streamers in colorful paper of cranes and other shapes. A bustle of activity is in the cloisters around it in particular, with most tables set up there to keep the courtyard itself clear. Origami streamers are hung in all the doorways leading out to it as well, creating the effect of string curtains, and there are paper lanterns as well.

A life-size stone statue of a wolf bearing a striking resemblance to Amaterasu has been erected next to the sapling, with her most radiantly happy canine expression she could sometimes get. There is room to place offerings for her, and people are encouraged that she would like "all the foods."

Colorful strips of paper (tanzaku) have been cut and placed out on a table in the cloisters surrounding the courtyard, where one can write their wishes for the next year down on them and hang them on the guardian sapling. They come in the following colors with a helpful, but... somewhat hard to read note with arcane handwritten note:

Red will help with wishes relating to ancestors and family, and giving thanks.
Yellow is the color of friendship and is the best choice for wishes about relationships.
White is the color for determination and responsibility, and for making personal resolutions.
Blue represents tranquility and trust and will aid wishes aimed at self-improvement.
Purple is the color to choose if you want to improve your brainpower and skills.

Food and Activities
Following all of the best creative recreation methods available to them in Trench, the cooks in the kitchens have been trained by Megumi Fushiguro, among others, on how to best serve culturally appropriate dishes. These foods are served free at little vendor booths in the main hall (with people encouraged to help out and help serve!) and include pawprint mochi (the inside is either chocolate or strawberry), pickled sakura mochi, mitarashi and tricolor dango, chilled somen with a yuzu-soy dipping sauce, various types of filled onigiri, and cut watermelon in a variety of shapes including stars, sunbursts, and pawprints. Many have been made with small amounts of the Paleblood jam from June and have mild corruption cleansing effects as well. Various kinds of tea made from the dried or pickled cherry blossoms and/or leaves of the guardian sapling are being served as well, and they have a corruption-cleansing effect and have been noted as tasting "heavenly". Some of the jams have been cut with fruit juice/lemonade and frozen into popsicles as well... you're welcome, CorruptionPops are now a thing.

Various demonstration and activity tables have been set up including origami, with... questionably penned instructions from Palamedes in an arcane style for several shapes including cranes, sunbursts, stars, and wolves. Various Sleepers familiar with the practice have also been encouraged to set up there and help teach people how, and everyone is encouraged to hang their completed crafts in the guardian sapling. Most of the paper is red, white, pink, and gold. Paper lanterns have been made as well and light up various parts of the whole festivities.

A few vendor booths are set up, including one "selling" white yukata, trimmed in red and gold and bearing a distinctive star pattern on the back of it and intricate embroidery. Most Sanctuary members would receive one for free if they expressed interest, and anyone else can receive one for volunteering their time and helping out. People are encouraged to wear them for the celebration if they didn't have their own; these are styled in honor of Amaterasu.

Koz Orphanage has been specially invited as well, and children from it can be found running around during much of the event and given various activities to do or items to play with.

Sparklers are available for individuals as well, also courtesy of Viktor. Perhaps there might even be glowsticks from someone... :)

Fireworks and Closing Celebrations
On the final night, all the wishes will be gathered from the trees and collected in a ceremonial firepit. The wishes are burnt in order to release them to the heavens to be heard—and perhaps by Amaterasu still at sea—and will be ignited by several Sleepers with fire abilities (Shouto Todoroki, Megumi Fushiguro).

As they're burnt a fireworks display will begin overhead, launched from the steeple up high, courtesy of Viktor and anyone else assisting him in the matter. Anyone outside watching them in the courtyard will have the effects of the Beast Moon diminished by the blessing in effect from Moon Presence. The choir bell will toll a final time at the end, to clear the effects of any lingering corruption, and signal an end to the festivities.

WHAT

Sanctuary is about humane beast purification efforts and corruption relief. Renovations began in May 2022 and room clearing and rebuilding is still in progress. Beast patrol efforts and purification started more in earnest in June-July.

All roles are volunteer on an as-you-can basis up to full time, with time reimbursed by food, shelter, care, and community support. And because it's run by people who BLEED SENTIMENTALITY EVERYWHERE in addition to being founded on discovery of a Guardian Sapling, it's hosting a Tanabata celebration in conjunction with honoring the memory of Amaterasu.

WHEN

Starting July 7, ending after a few days in a final celebration and ceremonial burning of the wishes.

THINGS OF NOTE

Tanabata
➢ Please feel free to presume your character could have helped out with setup if they have any ties to Sanctuary or characters here! If they would provide a food, service, or game they are free to have a table set up.

➢ This event is open to the whole of Trench and would have been freely advertised as such, including as a safe place to treat effects from the Beast Moon and corruption.

General / Member Update
➢ Sanctuary has been blessed by Moon Presence for the month of July, thanks to the efforts of Luna and Sansa. All negative effects of July and the Beast Moon are lessened within its walls, and anyone meaning Sanctuary or the people in it will be physically repelled. Lunar flowers have begun growing up the sides of the monastery in earnest like morning glories as a result.

➢ as of June, coordinated efforts to patrol Trench on their own and save Beasts and people both have begun. Members will be on a group chat in order to coordinate with each other and reach out to purification Sleepers when encountering Beasts. Everyone is encouraged to work in teams, especially to partner with someone who can purify Beasts or corruption.

➢ a training facility has opened up, with currently self-defense hand-to-hand combat classes being taught by Jason and others willing to train others encouraged to come forward. Fighters on patrol and wardens will be contacted to let them know about open sparring times so members can coordinate better in fights. There is an indoor room with training dummies (that fight back courtesy of Viktor) that opens up into an outdoor space between two of the long halls that can also be used.

➢ with the hidden archives now unlocked, scholarly members of Sanctuary are encouraged to help study them and uncover other artifacts—and especially the strange new locked door discovered within.

➢ there is a family of batcat kittens old enough to be crawling everywhere throughout the building now. They might still be learning manners and latch onto you in an overexcitement to taste your blood from time to time.

➢ the large communal baths have been cleared out and renovated, thank god. They run on being open to male-identifying characters for one set of hours, female-identifying for another, and the rest of the time operate on "nobody cares". Privacy screens are hung between the tubs though—one side is regularly cooled down with ice for the hot months.

➢ with more people needing safe harbor during the Beast Moon and rising violence from natives during July, more actual rooms have been cleared out and are free to use for anyone who will also help work to maintain the place (chores, grounds keeping, etc.). There are always spare beds in the infirmary wing as well.

➢ members who patrol or purify beasts/fight in some way now have access to various relic items that have been donated for use for when they are actively on patrol. These will eventually be tracked in the member spreadsheet... eventually. Just give them back when you're done.

➢ Viktor and K's efforts have resulted in the lunar generator coming online and bringing lunar lighting and cooling throughout the building via a cold-pale bloodstone network. Rejoice!

➢ There is now a small, hidden stash of coffee bartered from Dabi. Someone might have to pry it from Viktor's jittery fingers.

 

This log is WIDE OPEN for Tanabata festivities and serves as the general log for Sanctuary for the month. Go wild and do whatever you want, have fun with your top levels, etc. :)

Comments

[stoicsilhouette]

No, it's more like a blooming tea.

[Not sure if she knows what that is either as eyes flicker to the colorful tanzaku hanging off the trees. A gentle wind has the vibrant paper swaying, dancing back and forth. That's something she definitely needs to know about. ]

Have you made any wishes yet?

[danserai]

Not yet! But I'm going to. I'm going to write wishes for all my friends and maybe my friend's friends and people back at home and maybe even strangers that people might have forgotten about.

[stoicsilhouette]

[Aha, wishing for people she doesn't even know, that's the kindness he remembers from the bakery. Motioning to the table with all the crafts and paper.

Grab a whole bunch of yellow tanzaku then, that's the best color for wishes revolving around friends. If you have any family or found family members, you're going to use red.

[danserai]

Found family . . . ?

[stoicsilhouette]

[Her confusion forces him to stop, and think about his statement. Back at home a few very specific faces come to mind. All with extremely different personalities and different significances to him. Vibrant green eyes glance over to the side as a very specific person comes to mind.]

It's the people in your life that you choose to be apart of your family even if you're not actually related.
[Those people who come into your life, and you simply can't imagine what your life would be like without them- eyes flicker back. Quickly pushing the thoughts of home away. Compartmentalized for some other time. ]

For some people, found family ties are even stronger then the ones made by blood.

[danserai]

Oh . . .

[ ahiru looks down at her cup, pensive. ]

I don't really understand family very well. I never had any. I know people consider me their family, but I don't know how to be part of one.

Maybe I just can't do it.

[stoicsilhouette]

[ Megumi shifts his weight. ]

You and me both.

[ The words tumble out of his mouth before swallowing hard and rubbing the back of his neck. ] To be frank it's something that I'm still learning about myself- but I think it has to do with finding people you can trust, and making sure that they are well. Maybe sharing meals together, celebrating special events like birthdays and just being there for each other when times are rough. [ That's how you family right? Eyes shift to Kage and Pepper. ]

It's like having your own pack of people, who you can always return to no matter what. They will always understand and support you, and in return you offer them the same respect.[ Yes he's rambling a little bit. This question definitely caught him off guard. ]

[danserai]

[ she nods slowly, even if she still looks uncertain. ]

You don't think I should be doing more?

[stoicsilhouette]

[By wanting to wish for all those people, Megumi can gleam that Ahiru probably does many things for her friends already. She radiates kindness.

Your family accepts you no matter what. If you want to do more to show appreciation for them, then that's fine, but it's not necessary.

[ A pause.]

You said people consider you apart of their family already, that means you've done enough to prove to them, that they can trust you. That's usually the hardest part. It sounds cliche, but his this is his way of saying: ]

Just be you, I'm sure that's enough.

[danserai]

Mm. You'e probably right.

Thank you. I guess sometimes I still feel unsure . . . but I want to try my best! And maybe, someday, I'll feel the same way.

[stoicsilhouette]

I do too- [said for the both of them.]

You know, the white tanzaku is the color to use when wishing for self betterment and determination.

[ He wasn't intending to use any other color except red, but now he has to think about adding a white one to his small pile.]

[danserai]

Self-betterment?

Like . . . being less clumsy?

[stoicsilhouette]

[Hmm, you're on the right track! ] Kinda. It's a promise you want to make about yourself. It can be anything from maintaining a positive frame of mind to breaking a bad habit. [ He begins to write on a plain piece of paper. There are two small blurbs written in neat handwriting. Pointing to the first.] So instead of saying I wish I wasn't clumsy, [ he puts an X through it,] you would phrase it, I will be more mindful of my surroundings.

[danserai]

Oh, that does sound smarter doesn't it . . .

[stoicsilhouette]

[Sometimes the obvious is hidden in plain sight until someone points it out for us.]

It's about setting yourself up with the highest odds for success. Instead of highlighting your flaw, you focus on how you can fix it.

[ Oh no, where has he heard words like this before. Literally being some ridiculous number of universes away, and that man's words still hold value and are being repeated.]

[danserai]

Do you really think clumsiness can be fixed?!

[stoicsilhouette]

No. But if you actively work on being more alert to your surroundings, you might find yourself tripping less frequently.

Life long habits can be hard to break. Let's shoot towards improvement with baby steps.

[danserai]

Oh, I don't know . . . I think it's because I'm a duck. Ducks aren't really people.

[stoicsilhouette]

[Wait a minute here.] So are you a duck that turns into a person, or a person that turns into a duck?

[danserai]

The first one.

[stoicsilhouette]

[That's really cool, and a first, even for here.] Ducks do have a particular waddle. [A pause.] How did you learn to walk?

[danserai]

I don't know, it just . . . came to me?

[stoicsilhouette]

Hmm well that might explain why you're clumsy, I still think with enough practice you can get better. [A pause.] Can you fly?

[danserai]

A little! I'm more of a duckling.

I can't remember if they ever actually exchanged names 😅

[stoicsilhouette]

[Oh, no that's actually precious. Corners of his lips raise a tad, in a small smile.] If you're a duckling then you still have a ways to go. [Maybe life long habits don't apply here.] So what if you're a little clumsy now, you have time to work on it. But I can assure you, flying is something most people here can't do, and that takes finesse.