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starsand2023-05-03 11:42 pm
( may 2023 mingle )
After two days of rain, the weather in Starsand City clears up. Clear skies full of sun dominate the weather reports for the next few weeks. As does the unique tradition of "Reblooming," which keeps the cherry blossom trees in constant bloom. Starnet finally comes back online as well, just as a number of events begin to liven up the city. And, beneath it all, the past and future haunt as one.
Because by May 10th, a familiar Rumor is spreading... "If you interact with the Fallen Stars, you'll disappear."
On May 3rd, Starnet will come back online. All Starnet connected devices will show a pink screen for ten seconds while they boot up, followed by a message:
Welcome to Starnet, Fallen Stars!
This is the Kami of Love speaking.
I've created a network that will connect your hearts. To sign on, please visit the Shrine of Love in order to tune your devices to the network. Simply being near the shrine should be enough for it to activate!
This network is private for Fallen Stars and the kami, so please don't share your phones with anyone, okay?
Much love!
Kami of Love
Fallen Stars will not be able to access the messaging portion of Starnet until they've visited the shrine.
'Reblooming' is much like Japanese hanami, split into daytime and nighttime picnics. The daytime picnics are just what they sound like: People go to parks where cherry blossom trees are blooming and have a picnic. In Starsand, these picnics will also take place near spirit shrines. They may even be on street corners, outside shops, or other places where a spirit shrine may be found. The goal being to have a little picnic party with the spirit and give them faith. These parties produce a lot of Starling too, making them investments that people repeat throughout the month.
Nighttime 'Reblooming' is where the event's name comes from. At exactly midnight, all of the day's fallen cherry blossoms will float back to their original tree and 'rebloom.' This means that May's night skies are full of cherry blossom petals and are quite spectacular to watch. Businesses stay open until 3am in order to sell food and supplies to the late night picnickers.
Unfortunately, maid week is back. And Berri is copy/pasting last year's description.
The city's atmosphere is unusually bright in the days leading up to May 10th. Gossip about Fallen Stars being 'ill omens' and 'bad luck' is briefly drowned out by the more pressing issues of M A I D S. Specifically: Maid Week. Which, this year, covers two weeks: May 7th until May 14th.
When prompted, cityfolk will explain that the event is actually a citywide cleaning event. Everyone in the city gets together not just to clean the streets, but to repair things and decorate. It's common for walls to be set aside for drawing on with chalk or for entire art projects. People who specialize in repairs or building will loan their skills to the public in order to better the city. Friends often get together to repair and clean each other's homes as well.
These efforts are given mostly for free... "Mostly." You see in Starsand, there is no longer a use for money. Spirits can provide most anything that you need in exchange for prayers, so coin money is becoming irrelevant. But when you work hard and passionately in Starsand, your emotions create something called a "Starling." These magical items look like konpeito and they have the same magical value as an hour of intense prayer. Starlings can be given to spirits for quick miracles, so they've become a sort of "faith currency."
During Maid Week, a lot of Starling is produced. When your character lends their help, they will produce Starling equal to how passionate they were about the task. For example, hating your job will result in one or two tiny Starling pieces per hour. But if you are doing something that you brings you joy, you will create bigger and more pieces. Because of this, people are encouraged to make the act of cleaning and helping as fun as possible. Some turn it into a game or a chance to hang out with friends, while some get playfully competitive.
Oh, but the most important part?
Maid outfits. Normally, the amount of Starling produced when doing household chores is minimal. You get more Starling at licensed places of business, where a special shrine is built to amplify the power. In order to make "Seasonal Cleaning Week" produce more Starling, a special enchantment was made... This enchantment triples the amount of Starling a person produces, which makes Maid Week more profitable (and appealing.) And, you guessed it... The enchantment only works on maid outfits. Wow. Weird.
So grab your maid outfit and earn yourself some magic konpeito! This isn't a fabricated excuse for maids at all!
OOC: Please claim maid outfits over here!
Throughout the month, this Rumor will become more prevalent. Civilians still offer help to the newly arriving Fallen Stars, but by the end of Maid Week they are beginning to lessen their efforts. No longer do they rush to the aid of Fallen Stars, showering them with gifts and advice. They offer the bear minimum, but mostly suggest they visit a shrine for help before running away.
"Fallen Stars have come to bring bad luck to us all."
"Fallen Stars only take and don't contribute."
"Fallen Stars think they're better than us, because they have weird powers."
Those who were here in the last timeloop may remember how this Rumor ended: Civilians melted into piles of starry black goo and many people suddenly went missing, only for it to be discovered that a cherry blossom tree on the lowest level was to blame. Because the lowest floor doesn't practice many spirit-related customs, that tree has been unable to rebloom. Its petals fall slowly. By May 10th, it barely has any left. Those with the ability to hear spirits may hear the Cherry Blossom spirit crying, but they cannot find them...
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[Why is this so hard??]
Person I am romantically with.
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