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

[mehanizovati]

Funnily enough there's something almost nostalgic about getting a look at someone with a staff and an owl, at least in the sense that Viktor's understanding of mages usually were more around this aesthetic than a lot of the magic types he's seen here. Of course he's never seen a mage in his own world in the flesh, so it's also a little novel. The Trench was a strange place.

"Yes I am, I was about to find a place to set up," he answers, offering a quirk of a smile in greeting. "I'd be happy for the help- do you mean by magic?"

There's a spark of interest there- even months in he finds himself intrigued when he gets to see magic done so naturally and easily.

[imaglyphwitch]

Luz was just happy that she wound up in this place, so riding on her staff was more of a joy than her seeking to see what troubles were happening. Owlbert seemed to think so too, which was why he chose to stay awake and take in the calm of the sanctuary.

"Actually, yes, I did! I figured out how to combine my light glyphs with regular fireworks to make them bigger and even spell out things in the sky! I'm actually pretty surprised that we have fireworks here at all: I didn't think it'd be something people would be interested in!"

Sure, she could make fireworks with her glyphs alone, but this was much better!

"Oh, let me introduce myself: I'm Luz!"

[mehanizovati]

Viktor perks a little, the idea of magic augmenting the mundane fireworks intrigues him a great deal. Maybe a recreational use of it but seeing how magic of any type melded with other magic, technology or the mundane? It's cool and he is a nerd.

"I've made these, the component parts aren't too difficult to get but fireworks themselves don't seem to be available in the market often, if at all. Funnily enough this is the second time I've made some for a gathering, and the first time I had to convince several people they were not magic in the slightest."

His lips quirk, dry and amused as he nods at the introduction. "It's good to meet you, Luz. I warn you I will likely badger you with questions of these... glyphs, you said? I admit, you're the first person I've seen here who looks like what I would imagine of a mage, complete with the owl."

[imaglyphwitch]

Trust, Luz was still shocked her magic COULD WORK in Trench in the first place. Technically that glyph magic was supposed to be a gift from the Titan, and when she'd gone back to Earth for mere minutes, it hadn't worked. Knowing it could here, Luz was trying to figure out as much as she could, both cut off from Eda and the Isles itself.

It brought about some interesting results!

"Right, I guess people don't celebrate things in that way? But Sleepers sure like them, and I know I do! Fireworks, magic? Yeah, I could see that, when you look at the result! I kept that in mind when I was thinking up how to augment them with a glyph."

She'd pretty much expanded on just creating the neon signs she used to do for Eda and then for a few other businesses in Trench.

"Oh, that's no problem! It's kind of odd how they came to be, but to actually make them work takes more than you'd think."

Sometimes it was exhausting.

"Do I? Too bad I didn't come with my witches' wool!"

It was not that kind of situation. Not THIS month anyway. And the owl was...still Eda's, though Luz was still very grateful to the loyal Palisman who still kept her company here.

[mehanizovati]

"The first time I made them I was worried the ruckus might attract unwanted attention," Viktor admits. Beasts and the like. "Maybe a similar caution is why they are not more widespread. Thankfully sleepers have better means to secure an area."

Especially Sanctuary, meant to be its namesake. He nods and gestures towards the steeple at the top of one of the nearby buildings. "I'm going to set up there, though if you need more space for these glyphs we can find a more open area.

"Ha, I can imagine. I work with runes in my world and they are finicky at best." Assuming glyphs are at all similar, just very understanding of magic aspects being trial and error and tweaking. "Witches' wool?"

Another thing he perks a bit at. Will they get any fireworks done or will it be endless questions about magic, we shall see.

[imaglyphwitch]

"I hear what you're saying. There are some creatures I really wouldn't want to attract the attention of! I figure if we're in an area that's not as secluded, we'll probably be better off. I figure animals tend to stay away from the more populated places in Trench."

And it seemed, in general, they tended to avoid all the lights and the loud noises. It obviously helped that the Sanctuary seemed to keep the more ferocious animals out in general.

"I think that'll suffice! It'll be going up anyway, and I can activate it once it hits its apex in the air anyway, thanks to Owlbert here!"

She smooshed her face against the owl happily.

"I keep hearing that runes are pretty difficult, both in fiction and in other people's worlds. Oh, and witches' wool is a material that helps protect against magical attacks! I wish I could tell you what it was made of, but I wasn't the one who made it."

[mehanizovati]

"And at least in this case if a beast rather than an animal came we would be eh... uniquely equipped to handle it." What with all the hunters. "In truth I haven't seen much of the wildlife around here. The blood hounds, the little... cats? With wings?"

Which admittedly are very cute. Regardless he starts moving towards the steeple so they can get up there for set up, eyes going to Owlbert with a quirk of his lips. "Owlbert, is it? Is he your omen? Or I suppose sometimes mages call them familiars."

The stairway is a little narrow and with the cane it's a careful going, but getting to the top isn't so bad. There's a low bench, another box of fireworks already up and the bell taken down for room, just for the night. He takes a seat to put the box down and root through it.

"Even more difficult when you don't have an ounce of arcane talent to your name and all your books on runes are written by old mages in mysterious tomes," he says dryly, pulling out one of the fireworks to show to Luz. "So how do your glyphs work?"

[imaglyphwitch]

"It might depend on the kind of corruption happening. Sometimes they can be talked down! Hunters can help, but I find that some of them can be a little hasty when it comes to taking down beasts."

As in they liked to take them down more than actually help to pacify them.

"I'm still getting used to those! I have a few friends who have them, but I actually have my hands full with my own pets! Omens, pets from people who aren't here, pets from different planets...it can be a lot!"

So much.

"Oh, I should clarify a few things with Owlbert. For one thing, on the world he's from, he's referred to as a Palisman, an animal carved from a kind of wood called Palistrom wood. He can turn immobile and alive when he wants, and when he's immobile, I can fly on him as a staff and I can cast from farther away! The other thing is that he's technically not mine: my mentor was in this other world before me, and when she left, she had me take care of him. He's technically hers, as she carved him and named him herself."

Luz took her time ascending with him, cognizant that the cane would slow him down a bit, and he was the one running the show. She sits with him, watching eagerly.

"That's just magic that's begging to be figured out! You might need a little help, but trust me, it'll happen! So uh, technically, the glyphs are said to be gifts of magic from this beast called the Titan that died a long time ago. His whole body is pretty much the island that makes up where I learned all the magic. Slowly, while I was in the world where all this magic happens, glyphs were revealed to me that, with concentration and dedication of will, brings about elemental magic that can do many things if you know how to assign it!"

[mehanizovati]

"So have I," Viktor agrees with a sigh. "I suppose I understand the resistance to seeing beasts as able to be saved, it makes every kill a hunter has far more wrought and complicated. Not that it is an excuse not to make the attempt."

And it's good to hear people agree with that.

"Incredible, he has a personality and mind of his own?" And he's glancing over to get a better look at the owl- palisman. The wordplay is not lost on him, he's not sure whether to shake his head or let his lips quirk. "How long have you been here, Luz?"

A bit off the topic, but the mention of a mentor came and went has him curious. Given this festival is in part a nod to Ammy and her departure it's certainly on a few minds.

He sets the firework down, the stick of it stuck in some sort of holder as he listens. His lips do ultimately quirk at 'that's magic begging to be figured out.' A shame Jayce wasn't here, he would delight in all this. "That doesn't sound too dissimilar from runes in my world, at least in application. It is almost as though... hm, magic itself is both a living thing and a language, and to speak with it and through it you learn the words, and put will to them.

"Eh, a little metaphorical I suppose, but it still holds true."

[imaglyphwitch]

"I start to think it falls on more of the Sleepers to become those Hunters, and if not, that Sleepers need to try and take on a more proactive role in trying to help their own Sleepers. I was corrupted myself, and I was able to be talked down, though I know that's not always possible."

After all, some people didn't turn into physical beasts. Sometimes they turned into emotional ones, and those were not easily able to talk down.

"He absolutely does! In fact, when I first attempted to ride him it sorta resulted in a pretty disastrous ride that had him hurt, and I had to make it up to him, to make a long story short. Basically, Palisman tend to reflect their witch, even more so if they carved them themselves. The connection is pretty easy to see! Luckily, he's pretty fond of me!"

Because Luz had to imagine that Owlbert missed Eda.

"I've been here since we Sleepers first started to be brought here, early May. But I was also in the other town too. Not as long as some people, but enough to remember why Trench is much better."

It was where she got together with Eda and forged a sister bond with a wolf girl that eventually shaped Luz's omen now.

She did listen eagerly to what he was saying, and nodded along with him.

"You know, for someone who doesn't do magic, you sure do have a good grasp of how you can apply it! That's pretty correct, and I'd say that how well that works depends on the type of person using them in the first place."

Which was why, like a certain Emperor, it took longer to learn.

"Now, that being the case, why don't I show you how I plan to augment these fireworks?"