deercountry | TANABATA ⟶ July Sanctuary Log

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TANABATA ⟶ July Sanctuary Log

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. :)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[viktor chuckles at that, pulling a sparkler out to light it. as it flares to life in white sparks he says,] No, most stories of gods I've heard are eh... vengeful, to say the least. Not much in the way of easy practical jokes.

[he leans to stick the sparkler near the statues paws, leaning heavily on his cane as he lifts himself upright again.] It was quite amusing. I was half convinced she was turned to a statue and she moved just a little every time my head was turned. I feel like she'd find this statue particularly amusing after that.

[ He watches the sparkler come to life, humming quietly. ] I didn't know her, but Amaterasu seemed like a goddess everyone here liked. That always said more to me than the gods themselves.

[ Though Nico is surprised that she was a wolf. Is she the dog at the karate place he heard about, too? ] Stranger things have probably happened here. Still a good joke, though. I hope someone's there to record if she ever comes back and sees this.

Were the gods in your world vengeful ones? [he can't help but ask. even more curious, given the whole demigod thing going on there. he's never heard of a world where gods mix so readily.]

Ah, that would be excellent. I could finally get her back. [just a touch of melancholy before he shakes his head, offers,] So, do you know these foods? I haven't the faintest idea where to start with any of it.

Yeah, they definitely had a short fuse. Don't give them offerings, say something truthful, have a spat with your godly stepmom - they'd punish you. [ A demigod would have to do a pretty big favor for a god to be able to get away with stuff like that. ]

Always have to make sure you give as good as you get when it comes to pranks. [ Especially since she seemed that kind of deity. ] Uh, not really. I've never been to Japan before. I just picked what looked easy to carry around the courtyard.

[ Hence the pawprints. ]

These seem to be sweets though, so maybe not there.

[viktor's lips thin- yeah, fuck that noise. this is exactly why he isn't a fan of the idea of gods in general, but that's another matter.] That's what power does, I suppose. Ammy was a rare exception.

Japan? Ah, from Earth, yes? Most here seem to be from some version of Earth. [odd to him, but there must be something very livable about earth across dimensions. it does make it a learning curve for him though.]

[ Nico nods his head at that, a lot of the deities aren't going to go around making friends. ] Yeah, there's a few that aren't too bad. Pretty humble ones.

That's the one. I'm another Earthling. Where are you from? [ Another version of Earth, or a planet he's never even heard of. That'd be cool. ]

Do you interact much with the gods of your world? [kind of curious about that, given the whole demigod thing.]

Runeterra. It's a very different world to Earth, from what I've seen. Different countries and land masses, for example. Magic is well known though largely reviled. [he gestures vaguely as he speaks, then,] From what I gather magic on Earth is a mixed bag. Some versions have it in secret, some not at all.

Depends on the god. One of them is supposed to be the Camp director as a punishment, demigods get invited up for winter solstice, a god might come ask you for stuff personally. Recently, I helped a god-temporarily-turned-mortal fight off an old Emperor and his minions.

Are there others from your world? Do you use magic? [ Magic might be reviled now, that doesn't mean it always will be. ] My version has it, though most mystical things are hidden from regular mortals by a thing we call The Mist. A sword might be seen as a gun, a monster could look like a normal person.

Sounds like there is eh... politics at play. [oh viktor, if only you knew the fun interpersonal drama of the greek gods.] What do you think of the gods of your world? You have a rather unique relationship it seems.

There is a woman named Vi here who is also from my world, even the same city. And no- well, I can use blood magic here to an extent but I was no mage. In my world it is a talent you are born with. I did help found a technology that utilized the arcane. [so he's always been on the open minded side about magic.]

I see- is the Mist is phenomena or is it purposely done by some being? I would say it's a shame it's hidden but I imagine my world is a good example of how mystical things can be treated.

Yeah, you've got a god at the very top as the leader, his wife, and the other ten Olympians. Then the "lesser" deities, the nature spirits, demigods, and monsters - with some others tossed in here and there. [ The Greek pantheon is a hot mess, Viktor. ] Some of them are decent, pretty down-to-earth and actually cares about us and mortals. A small handful try to understand, but they don't quite get what it's really like. The rest are... well, they're gods. You stand in their presence and you know that they're gods.

[ He doesn't want to say outright, because those are the ones that would smear him on the pavement if they knew. ]

It's good that you're not alone. Mixing technology and magic would be pretty cool. Have you done any of that here now that you can use blood magic? [ Can he help? ]

The Mist is a supernatural force that can be controlled by a goddess and those with the power. My half-sister is one of them, who's also a demigod. [ So it's not just deities that can. ] There might have been a time when mortals didn't need the Mist, but it's all considered mythology now. People would freak if they saw monsters living among them these days. They leaned hard into technology and its advancement.

Interesting. Monster seems a loaded term, are they typically hostile? Or is it just a blanket term for a group? [sorry now he's in Question Mode. time to learn greek myth.] Eh, and that is why I am not usually a fan of gods. Power of that scale is a dangerous thing to have.

[you can help! in fact,] I have- Palamedes and I have been working on it for several months now. We use blood gems as a power source and can utilize certain abilities each blood type has. I can show you some of our work, if you'd like. Some of the prototypes I want to give hunters are ready for proper testing even.

Ha, well given my studies and work I can't blame them there. [amused, but nodding.] That must be difficult, with your foot in two separate worlds.

Yeah, typically. Sometimes you get a nice cyclops or friendly hellhound that someone might see as a monster until they eventually realize different. Sometimes the monsters will work for a deity, Hades has plenty of those. [ He is a huge Greek nerd so Nico's the right person to ask. ] Agreed, but even I have to admit that the gods are a lot better than the beings that came before them.

[ He knows nothing about building stuff, but he has two pairs of hands and plenty of blood. Also plenty of skill to test the stuff in a fight. ] That'd be cool. If there's anything I can do to help out, let me know.

Not really. I mean, maybe it is for those that try to separate their demigod life from their mortal life, but I've never done that.

You know, if you were ever interested I'd like to hear more about the mythos of your world. Or should I say history? It may be useful, given this world is full of beings with godlike power and domains. [a pause and a shrug] And I find it personally interesting.

[he's a nerd. also watch out, viktor will happily try to teach him to build things if he isn't careful.] One of the prototypes is something to put beasts in a trance for easier capture. I'll show you it later, if you'd like.

[and offer him one, for safety if nothing else. given nico's been in wars he can probably hold his own but still.]

Are you allowed to tell normal mortals in your life about being a demigod?

Sure, we can swap history stories whenever we've got time. I hope you're ready for some really crazy and honestly disgusting stuff. It gets weird.

[ Nerds unite. Nico might not catch on to building stuff as quickly as a Hephaestus kid, but he'd give it a try. ] That's cool and I will volunteer to test it out. I've got teleportation powers that will get me and someone else out of there if it still needs tweaking.

[ He will test every single piece of equipment, Viktor. ]

You could, but who would believe it? Your mortal parent might, but sometimes that doesn't work out too well. You could point at a monster and they'd just see something else, on top of thinking you're crazy. So it's easier here, because everyone already believes and sees that kind of stuff.

Oh, gods having unpleasant stories? [a touch dry. familiar, even if the greek gods are Fun.] That sounds good then. Come by Sanctuary sometime, I'll make you lunch.

[unintentionally doing his thing where he tries to feed people he likes, what else is new. the mention of teleportation has him perk though.] Oh that is especially useful. The biggest problem with some of the pieces are they require live testing in the dangerous conditions of hunting beasts. It would make me feel better to know you could easily make an escape. [from beasts and tech problems.]

I see, so it would essentially be asking someone to believe something they are not permitted to see for themselves. [rough.] Did you have any humans in your life who knew?

Yeah, in an uncomfortable way. [ Honestly, they are the most Fun. ] Sure, lunch is good.

[ A meal he doesn't have to forage for himself is always good. ] I can pair up with two other people if there are others interested in testing out your products. Any more than that is a huge strain on me. [ As an FYI, let's not overload the demigod. ]

Basically, which is kind of what religion is like on Earth, but some have just become myths. [ Yep. ] My mom knew who my dad really was. Rachel who's our Oracle, she could see through the Mist even before she became the Oracle. Otherwise, it's a lot of parents of demigods.

[lunch it is, he makes a note in his head. and he nods.] No, I do not want to put you under any duress. Fushiguro maybe, he has some healing abilities incase things do go wrong. Have you met him yet? He can be quite reclusive.

That sounds familiar as well, a lot of god talk where I was born is often considered superstition, though some still believe. [he shakes his head. he is uh, not really one of them.] Oh good, I cannoy imagine the trouble if the human parents were kept blind to it all.

[ Nico duress is definitely not good duress. ] I haven't met anyone named Fushiguro yet. Healing abilities is good.

Does your world have any popular religions? [ Whether they involve gods or not. ] Honestly, I can't say it's always a good thing. Mortals can get fixated on the gods pretty badly, in an unhealthy way.

Hm, you remind me of him in ways. A young man mature beyond his years. [viktor states like a simple fact, and it is. plenty of teenagers here are, sadly, but nico and megumi especially, in his opinion so far.]

Eh, not like other worlds I've found. We have no particularly unifying religions but a great many smaller ones, or aimless. Where I grew up it was superstition around what would be considered a wind goddess. [he shrugs.] I suppose that makes sense, especially when mortals make the mistake of seeing a being like that as of the same mindset. Immortality or even truly long life changes how a person thinks to what some humans would consider unnatural, I found.

I was also "quite reclusive" not too long ago. [ Something that has changed for the better. A lot of demigods would probably fall under that category. ]

So does that make Amaterasu the first goddess you've met? [ He wonders if she was the first for a lot of people. ] Yeah, going from a god to a mortal can change what people think, too. Even the one that had been the god in question.

As long as you don't go to live in the woods without a word. Palamedes would likely fret. [amused. a little melancholy because he's sure that being reclusive like that tends to have some rough baggage attached.]

Yes, I suppose so. I've never even met a mage before coming here, and admittedly it took some time to recognize what Amakko was- or maybe to accept it. [he's not a very spiritual person, he stuck with the idea of some sort of 'guardian spirit' for a time.] Can mortals become gods in your world? And gods mortal?

Probably won't happen. [ He can only say "probably" since there could be one or two reasons that would drive him out of human populated areas. ]

Guess this place is full of opportunity to meet all kinds of people. [ Nico can't blame him for not being all that spiritual and needing time to realize there are deities out there. ] Yes, and yes. Dionysus' wife used to be mortal, and even though demigods half-godly, we could become one too. Gods becoming mortal isn't something that often happens, and is usually a punishment. I think it's mostly temporary, too. Our sun god spent about half a year as a mortal and had just gotten his godly status back.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TANABATA ⟶ July Sanctuary Log

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