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starsand2022-10-20 11:21 pm
starrystorytellers) wrote in starsand2022-10-20 11:21 pm
【MINGLE】 Spirit Day Festival
Spirit Day Festival
.
oct intro
It's October the 31st. And after a month of hard work and preparations, Spirit Day is here!
For the past month, natives and Fallen Stars alike have been working hard to decorate the city for the festival. Once painted in pastel colours, the majority of the buildings are now shades of black, red, orange, purple and green. The spooky vibe includes decorations that resemble bats, skeletons, and pumpkins, accented with glow-in-the-dark paint and strings of lights between the buildings. Once the sun goes down and the festivities begin, the entire city comes to life with lanterns and glowing decor. But the party only lasts until midnight!
Spirit Day is a festival organized and produced by the non-spirit population of Starsand City. The goal is to give thanks to the spirits (and kami) with a night of fun that doesn't rely on their magic. As a result, the majority of the stalls and attractions are run the 'old fashioned way.' Food stalls feature snacks cooked by hand, game stalls are crafted and played without magic, and all of the attractions are made by human hands. There are art galleries, street musicians, sidewalk chalk art, handcrafted candies, and much more. Fallen Stars have also been encouraged to participate and are welcome to assist with or start their own stalls.
All night long, spirits will benefit from a boost in faith. They will have more solid forms than before and be able to communicate their feelings with a limited telepathic vocabulary. At midnight, this magic will wear off. However, spirits in contracts will come away from Spirit Day with a boost in power!
(A) SUNSET START
As the sun begins to set over the horizon, the people of Starsand City rush into action. Last minute preparations cause a flurry of activity around town. You might find yourself drafted to paint a wall or help construct a stall, or even asked to taste test snacks or arrange a display. Everyone is pitching in for the final touches.
For those that aren't helping with prep, there is also the matter of dressing up. In order to help the spirits and kami blend into the crowds, everyone wears extravagant costumes and masks are highly encouraged. There are people on standby who help fit costumes and give suggestions.
The moment that the last drop of sunlight disappears, the entire city will light up and the festivities will begin. Party poppers and loud cheering will make this moment obvious, if the brightly lit decorations and change of atmosphere wasn't enough already.
(B) GENERAL STALLS & GAMES
It's customary for shop owners to run stalls and games. Those that run restaurants typically have stalls that give away a specialized sample, while stores that sell trinkets are giving away their wares as game prizes. There is everything from ring toss to shooting games, goldfish scooping to batting cages. Games will give away small prizes, like stuffed animals or simple clothing or jewelry, all of which can be handwaved in threads.
Food and games aren't the only ways to spend your time. There are plenty of other attractions to visit. There are fashion booths where you can dress up for pictures, art galleries, book exchanges, poetry workshops, haunted houses, dramatic theatre shows, and much more.
In general, it is safe to handwave any sort of attraction being NPC run.
(C) GIVING THANKS
The central focus of Spirit Day is, of course, giving thanks for all that the spirits have done for Starsand City. There are a couple of ways that this is accomplished. The simplest of which is dropping off pieces of Starling at the various shrines around the city. Most city streets have a small shrine where the local spirits can collect Starling, so you don't have to look far to find a donation spot. Even a simple 'thank you' goes a long way for the spirits.
Other ways include hanging written words of thanks on trees, drawing on the sidewalks with chalk, or joining in impromptu music jams. There is also a large canvas in the center of the city, where everyone is encouraged to write something that they're grateful for and maybe doodle a picture.
(D) PLAYER RUN ATTRACTIONS
Fallen Stars are also very welcome to run their own attractions!
Feel free to continue using the planning post to plot out any last minute stall ideas!
When you do a top-level for your character's contribution, please comment here with a link: This way, everyone can quickly find your attraction and tag into your threads!
If you need anything, please direct questions here.
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[ If Mafuyu has noticed the squeak, she doesn't seem to voice it in the slightest. ]
It was the first suggestion after I told them that I was going to work the first aid booth.
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[What's wrong with her? Just what is she feeling? Why is she suddenly so hyper-aware of everything?]
Do you think it's... easy to move around in, if you need to help someone?
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Kanade clears her throat, and it's - strange. The way she keeps glancing at Mafuyu, it's like she's not fully looking at her. Like her gaze drifts to the side or just over her shoulder.]
R-Right...
[There's that crack to her voice again. There's a moment of awkward silence before - right. The reason why she was here.]
Um... do you need any additional help here? There's not much else I can do in most of the other stalls, so... I thought I'd come here.
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[ And Kanade's always been good at keeping track of time, so that would be a good use of skills. ]
Feel free to keep an eye on the crowd as well, in case you see someone that needs help that I miss.
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Okay. There's still some time left before the tournament, so we don't have to worry just yet. Do we need to bring everything there, or just a few first aid kits...?
[As she speaks she moves over to one of the tables; she sets her phone down, barely blinking as it flashes for a moment before the softly glowing form of her nightingale spirit companion emerges from it. The bird chirps once, head curiously tilting from one side to the other, as Kanade then moves to one of the boxes set on the table, opening it and examining the contents.]
This looks like it might be enough to help most of the people that come by before then... but I'll make sure everything's topped off before we leave.
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[ Mafuyu's eyes do flicker at the nightingale spirit when it chirps, acknowledging it. ]
... Thank you.
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Kanade, meanwhile, pauses in her fidgeting with the supplies. At the quiet thanks, her expression shifts; though there's still a lingering sense of embarrassment hanging over her, it doesn't mar that warm, gentle smile that Kanade so often looks at Mafuyu with.]
You're welcome. I... I said it before. Whatever help you need from me, I'll be there.
[It had been a promise she made at a very low point for the both of them, in the aftermath of Tau's otherworld and Mafuyu revealing what she'd said to her mother. But a promise is a promise, especially when it came to Mafuyu, so no matter how big or small the matter is, Kanade will do what he can to help.]
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[ She nods quietly, not really knowing what else to say. Honestly, Mafuyu is fine with just basking in the silence, just being there with Kanade. ]
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But now she feels... jittery. Like she has to keep her hands and eyes busy or else she'd start thinking too much. And if she thinks too much she just falls into that strange state of extreme awareness that had come over her when she saw Mafuyu in that costume, and that's something that she just does not want to think about right now. So she works on organizing the first aid kits, setting aside the right amounts of items that need to go into each one, organizing the bandages by size, then shape... pointless little things that keep her busier than she really needs to be.]
... Do you like doing things like this, Mafuyu? Patching others up and taking care of them?
[Even if she knows Mafuyu's usual answer, she asks anyway. It never hurts to ask, especially if it can help Mafuyu think about how she might feel, the possibility of even the smallest spark catching....]
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She shakes her head. ]
I... don't know yet.
[ Yet - an indicator of being unsure, hesitant. ]
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[Kanade doesn't miss that yet. It makes something jolt in her chest - a feeling similar to how she'd felt when she saw Mafuyu smile, that first time. It was a spark of hope, a sign that perhaps they were going down the right path.]
This world seems to really love festivals and gatherings like this, so maybe... if you wanted to, we can do this again in the future. To see if you really do like it.
[We. As much as Kanade feels like she's useless when it comes to anything besides music, her fierce dedication isn't going to let her failings hold her back from helping Mafuyu. Even if she can only organize like this... she'll be there. Every time.]
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[ Kanade's not wrong on that front. It's so frequent that it feels pretty strange. But to do this again - she supposes that's not something that she's opposed to. ]
Well, the day's only just started... there's still a lot of time to go through.