likethelight: (807)
⛧ Aʟʟᴇɴ "ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴘʀɪᴇsᴛ" Wᴀʟᴋᴇʀ ★ ([personal profile] likethelight) wrote in [community profile] deercountry2022-07-13 07:21 am

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. :)

swellter: (Hero: Seek)

[personal profile] swellter 2022-07-17 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ Slowed by the crowds, Shouto takes the time to look through the stalls offering every kind of entertainment, from food to games to works arts of art. He greets a few people he knows, exchanging well wishes before moving on. Dressed in a simple navy blue yukata with red trim and a haori in a lighter shade of blue, he stands out in the sea of white. Even back home, he was always easy to spot in a crowd. The funny thing is, he hasn't realized yet that that may have something to do with his two-toned hair. He simply knows that people tend to find him easily when they're searching for him. He's gotten plenty of odd texts when he's by himself in a crowd telling him to go here or there, which of course, he follows. Few people have his number, and even if it was a malicious person, he can defend himself. He'd feel worse if he ignored a friend who wanted to talk to him. So, when the text comes through, he doesn't question it. He simply looks up, spotting Allen waving at him from up high.

Does he find it odd that he's up there? Yes. Will he say anything about his choice of perch? No. Not at all. Allen can be odd sometimes, and Shouto doesn't question many things. It works for them. He greets his wave with a raised hand of acknowledgment. A more dignified greet, not that that's his reason for doing it, he's just awkward. Speaking of! ]


What are you doing up there?

[ He asks, completely missing his unvoiced invitation. Maybe one day, he won't need things spelled out for him, but that day is not today, unfortunately. Once the message is sent, he looks back up, perfectly content with this mode of communication. Unmoving amid a bustling crowd, he stands out, even more, disturbing the flow of traffic, forcing a few passing festival goers to go around him, not that he notices what an inconvenience he's causing. ]
Edited 2022-07-17 02:06 (UTC)
swellter: (Ice: Engineering)

[personal profile] swellter 2022-07-17 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ Join me. The message leaves him looking down at his Omni with a soft expression. ]

Okay.

[ Like many things about him, he takes the most direct route, executing the feat with an extravagance that's simply a basic use of his quirk. If Allen wanted to remain anonymous, he shouldn't have asked the guy whose art of deceit is hilariously non-existent.

Ice forms beneath his feet, a perfect circle no more than two feet in diameter that shoots up into the skylight before arcing over to his perch. He lands on the ledge of the balcony, a few feet away, and steps down onto the third floor. ]


How long have you been up here?

[ He asks, casually setting his left hand on the jet of ice, turning it to steam. (At least he cleans up after himself.) When the ice disappears, he settles down on the ground next to him with his back pressed against the balcony railing looking up at the living night sky. ]
Edited 2022-07-17 04:52 (UTC)
swellter: Fanart by @kun_MHA (Prince: Rising Sun)

[personal profile] swellter 2022-07-17 03:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Should have, and yet here they are, a spectacle. Not to mention the steam that comes off his ride up. That took him a minute or two to reduce down to nothing. Think anyone noticed? The crowd looking up at them, with some of the kids even pointing, probably answers that question. ]

Were you looking for someone?

[ It's the perfect perch to spot people in the crowd. He's not a people watcher, considering he's usually the one being stared at due to the mass media covering his father's agency and UA's sports festival. He did get over four thousand offers for an internship, after all, with the next highest offer less than four hundred.

He takes the skewer between two fingers, getting used to Allen's love of food. The empty cups are a common sight since the festival started. He never realized it before, but the amount of food he consumes doesn't match his weight at all. Maybe he's like Yaoyorozu. Her quirk requires the constant consumption of food, too. He's never met other Exorcists from Allen's world, so he assumes that's how all their powers work. Maybe he needs three portions instead of one? He thinks to himself as he takes a bite of the dumpling smothered in a sweet soy glaze. It's the kind of sweet he's used to, subtle and not overwhelming. He chews thoughtfully, thoughts on the proper portion size to start giving Allen when he mentions the decorations. ]


Everyone worked hard to set them up in time. [ He looks down at the crowd, noting the kids from the orphanage running around in excitement before following Allen's gaze up to the artificial night sky. ] It was a good idea. Celebrating the absence of a friend like this.

[ Instead of grieving them. He never met Amaterasu, but he knows many whose lives she touched with her guardian saplings, including his. The sapling at the beach was a source of comfort during a trying time for him, and for that alone, he'll always remember her. ]
Edited 2022-07-17 15:31 (UTC)
swellter: Fanart by Unknown Artist (Hero: Rising)

[personal profile] swellter 2022-07-17 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[ That gets his attention, and he swallows the piece of dango, licking off the soy sauce from his lips. ]

You were?

[ He sounds surprised by that but quickly recovers. Looking down at the crowd, he thinks he understands having seen him interact with people that first month he was in a wheelchair. Interacting with people is part of a hero's job, so his intentions were obvious to him. Helping people in a less direct manner, before they had a falling out. It's something he admires about him. That kind of forward-thinking.

He nods, understanding needing his own space. Having grown up alone, yet placed in the limelight every time he went out was difficult to adjust to. He liked being among people, but he also preferred to be separate from them. Enjoying the easy-going atmosphere without necessarily being a part of it, separate but present. It's how he grew up. ]


It's common where I'm from, maybe Fushiguro comes from a similar world to mine.

[ A turn of his head to stare at him. ] For the festival or Amaterasu?
swellter: (Emote: Quiet)

[personal profile] swellter 2022-07-17 05:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Isn't that natural? He has no response to that and stays quiet instead, his eyes shifting to the half-eaten dumpling on his skewer. The glaze has started to move down the stick and he turns it sideways to keep it from sliding onto his fingers. ]

Maybe you can make it a yearly tradition?
Edited 2022-07-17 17:10 (UTC)
swellter: (Emote: Quiet)

[personal profile] swellter 2022-07-17 05:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Neither of them notice the long-term implications of that suggestion when next year feels so natural, offering more of these quiet moments they've grown used to-- he's grown used to.

He shakes his head. ]
I couldn't settle on one.

[ He was hoping something would come to him if he left it alone for a while. ]

Did you make any?
Edited 2022-07-17 17:45 (UTC)
swellter: (Emote: Quiet)

[personal profile] swellter 2022-09-02 08:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Turned lateral, the glaze threatens to drip down from the center of the dango instead of his fingertips. He turns it up again, fighting with gravity in a losing war. ]

They were enough... the wishes I wanted to write down.

[ His eyes focus on the Dango. The mere act of turning the skewer up and down ninety degrees to keep the glaze from making a mess keeps his mind occupied enough to voice his worries. ]

But there's only one paper. One wish.

[ He turns the screwer vertical, the thought of taking another bite to do away with the problem entirely never even enters his mind. He's not very hungry. ]

I didn't know which I should prioritize. [ A horizontal turn. ] My family or my friends.
Edited 2022-09-02 20:42 (UTC)
swellter: (Calm: Thoughtful)

[personal profile] swellter 2022-09-02 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Shouto looks up, monetarily distracted from the syrupy delight. ]

Wouldn’t that make it a half wish?
swellter: (Hero: Power)

[personal profile] swellter 2022-09-02 09:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He immediately shakes his head, the skewer all but forgotten, the syrup allowed to drip onto his fingertips. ]

No. [ His voice is firm, no longer distracted but fully present, mind in tune with itself on this issue. ] It’s not half a feeling.
Edited 2022-09-02 22:00 (UTC)
swellter: (Calm: Huh)

[personal profile] swellter 2022-09-03 04:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[ His head tilts slightly to the left, regarding Allen with a considerate look. ]

I... can write in the back.

[ One paper. One wish. Normally, there was a front and back side, the front prominently displayed. That was an issue when placed on a wall giving one wish more weight than the other, but if he... ]

And tie it to a branch.

[ He nods to himself, eyes a little distant while he works out the mechanics. Deep in thought, he doesn't notice Allen's interested look or how he reaches for his hand, fingers curling around his wrist - that pulls him from his thoughts - holding his hand steady to steal away one of the dumplings. ]

......

[ Shouto stares, perplexed. Expression shifts to one of curiosity. Blinks once and delicately - looking so very curiously - moves against the hand holding his wrist to offer the rest of the sweet to Allen like he would one of the stray cats he often fed. ]
swellter: Fanart by Unknown Artist (Calm: Divergent)

1/2

[personal profile] swellter 2022-09-03 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Oh... he took it. Fascinated, Shouto watches Allen take the offered treat. He doesn't sniff it like the stays do or give it an experiment lick, simply taking it off the skewer like older ones who know him do. The ones who trust him. Perking up at the thought, his eyes gain a bit of sparkle, nothing grand. A shift, lids a little more open, wider than before, a feeling of accomplishment settling inside his chest where Kizu lies sleeping.

Pleased, he makes plans to get another skewer later, remembering his recently made plans to portion out at least three times his portion size to Allen. ]

swellter: Fanart by Unknown Artist (Calm: Scar)

2/2

[personal profile] swellter 2022-09-03 05:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Busy calculating his future meal plans, Allen's statement catches him mid-thought taking him a moment to plant himself back in the present conversation only to find himself the focus of the other boy.

A reason? His thoughts slow, hesitate, and his eyes lose their spark. His brows pinch in slightly as he looks over at Allen with a neutral expression. ]


What reason?
swellter: (Prince: Exquisite)

[personal profile] swellter 2022-09-03 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He can be a stray pup. He feeds them too. He has his checklist and alleyways. Where do you think he found Allen? Abandoned on the beach with no clothes to himself. Following him around, offering to carry him, feed him, and now shelter him. Does it look like he cares that Allen still lives at Sanctuary? He knows some strays want to roam their turf. But he digresses, Allen obviously isn't a stray he opted to bring him home with him from the beach one day. ]

You did?

[ He stares, dumbfounded, having forgotten about the earrings with so many other pressing matters at the time. He watches Allen fumble through his yukata, pulling out a tiny pouch and handing it to him. Shouto takes it after a moment's hesitation turning over to see the small design etched in the center, missing Allen's shy turn when he realizes what he's seeing. ]

... It's the north star.

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