⛧ Aʟʟᴇɴ "ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴘʀɪᴇsᴛ" Wᴀʟᴋᴇʀ ★ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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deercountry2022-07-13 07:21 am
likethelight) wrote in 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.Food and Activities
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.
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.
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.
➢ 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. :)
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A moment or so later she realises that he might not have caught that, as focused as he too seems on folding here, so she quickly switches over to a more verbal answer. ]
Ah, not really.. Um, I think that what they're doing here at the sanctuary is really great, but I always kind of feel like there's not much I could contribute to their work.. I'm just an ordinary person without special talents or powers, after all.
[ Not that she knows whether or not Jason has special powers, or talents, but.. Chizuru does tend to assume better of others than of herself. She figures that Jason is probably very special in his own right. ]
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You don't gotta, but if you did want to help out, I'm sure there's somethin' you can do. Even a simple thing like makin' a hot meal or bandaging a wound helps.
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[ From what she heard, anyway. ]
I thought it was more about keeping people safe. And that means.. fighting to protect people. Or facing people who have turned into beasts. [ She especially remembers the latter from when she heard Allen speak about the Sanctuary and the thoughts behind it. ] There's no way I could do ever something like that.
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This shit is important, too. All I'm sayin' is that you don't gotta be a fighter or a scientist to help out.
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.. even now, she finds it hard. So she swallows, and then speaks up with: ]
I see..
[ She doesn't sound convinced in the slightest.
Chizuru is a really bad liar, after all. Or rather - she's not too good at hiding her feelings. She's obviously still worried, the only difference being that she's now not explicitly saying it. ]
I'll try to remember that, sir.. Thank you for telling me that.
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You can just call me Jason.
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Mister Jason, then..?
[ Apparently it's hard to fully get the politeness out of her. It's just part of Chizuru, which is why she's offering this as a compromise here. It feels like a compromise to her, anyway. Just straight up calling someone by their first name right after meeting them.. well, it's a lot.
At least it gives her the opportunity to turn the conversation away from herself, if not just a little bit. ]
If you don't mind me asking, um.. what did you do back home before ending up here?
[ Might as well get to know each other a little, right? And it does seem like people's occupations vary a lot from world to world. ]
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[He pauses to examine his origami dog. It looks good! He clearly just wasn't putting in the effort of following instructions. He turns back to the girl]
What about you?
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But at least it gives her some frame of reference here. ]
I'm part of the Shinsengumi. Um.. I suppose you could call them a military group.. [ It's not entirely accurate.
But it's becoming more and more accurate by the day back home. ]
The Shinsengumi were appointed by the shougun to protect Kyoto, and the shougun himself. I'm only a page though.. [ She shakes her head a little. ] Nothing as impressive in rank as you.
[ Not even anywhere close. Especially since it's not like Chizuru would have been part of the Shinsengumi in the first place if it wasn't for her very special circumstances. She won't claim to be anyone important there because of that. ]
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I busted my ass to get this rank. Had to pass a bunch of tests. It was hard work, just like anything else.
[Gives her a significant look like "you can do great things too, it would just take hard work"]
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Hold on. Chizuru is quiet for a moment. She's processing something here. One might think it's that look he gives her at the end there, since it's such a sweet little thing to do, but..
No.
No, that's not what Chizuru is thinking about as she's looking increasingly more worried with each passing moment. She looks at him, and then lowers her voice as she speaks up with: ]
Y-You injured your butt..?
[ Sorry, Jason. She's not exactly up to modern lingo, and this is apparently how her mind decided to interpret it. And consequentively make her very worried about the state of his body. The worry seems so genuine too! ]
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It's an expression. It means I worked really hard.
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[ She still looks surprised - but she believes him, at the very least. The laughter makes it pretty clear that it seems like of those things that just goes right over Chizuru's head because her world tends to be a little different from most.. ]
I-I know all about otherworldly expressions! Like.. um.. 'rad'!
[ She says that word the way a 70 year old grandma might say it, rather than an adolescent young girl. ]
As in.. I think it is very 'rad' that you managed to work so hard to get such a high rank..! [ Chizuru is learning.
Slowly. At least she seems very earnest in her praise of him here, even as she's attempting to use Hip Slang. ]
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Well, thank ya kindly, ma'am. [He tips his hat to her] Now, what do we do with these paper animals?
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.. or maybe it's just that Chizuru's mind is more occupied by his question. She seems to consider it for a moment, before speaking up with: ]
How about we leave them with the other offerings?
[ After all, she knows Amaterasu of all people would appreciate their effort.. She was sweet like that. ]
Then some other people will also be able to enjoy looking at them when they leave behind their own offerings! [ Hopefully, anyway. Chizuru thinks they turned out well. ]
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[He picks up his little paper animal. It does look good, though Esfir looks disappointed that she has no more discarded paper to play with. Jason leads the way over to where the offerings are being left and sets down his animal
It feels appropriate to say something]
Thank you, Amaterasu, for watchin' out for so many people and for protecting this place.
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It's only for a brief moment, but it feels appropriate with what he's saying. There's a faint weight to it that she wants to acknowledge that way.
Once he's done, she opens her eyes again, smiling at him. ]
.. You know, I think we did a good thing here.
[ It feels good, anyway. ]
Thank you. For doing this with me, and talking to me.. I'm glad to have met you today.
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You're a good kid. I hope you figure out some way you can help out more, if that's what you wanna do.
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[ She nods her head, perhaps even ever so faintly bowing a tad before fully uprighting herself again. ]
You please keep doing your best too! I'm sure someone as capable and amazing as you can do a whole lot of great things here..
no subject