bravenewworld | Soulfasting Mingle

Who: EVERYONE
What: Soul Fast
When: During Soul Fast
Where: All over Ninetails Vale and in people's houses, etc.
Summary: The Celebrations of Soul Fast Begin!

It's that time of year again, and all throughout Union and in particular the Ninetales Vale, celebrations are beginning. A festival celebrating the passage of another year, of remembering and honoring the dead, and of placating particularly violent spirits has begun. Soulfasting, an old Union tradition, is one of the most popular holidays celebrated, with the Ninetales Vale being overrun with people of all ages.

Children scamper through the streets of the Vale in masks and costumes, begging for candy, while surly teenagers do the same and occasionally play pranks, and adults celebrate in a variety of fashions. Elaborate, highly fashionable costumes are all the rage, and even the nobility slips out into the Vale for a bit of fun. It's not exactly a popular destination most of the year, given the high concentrations of Dark and Ghost-types but during the festival it's most definitely in vogue and teeming with people all happy to help revitalize the area for a week.

The sounds of music drift through the air, celebratory tunes, dirges, jigs, and tunes for all ages. From the Kurain school on it's hill overlooking most of the Vale, a pipe organ solemnly plays out traditional tunes, and is surprisingly cheery for a ghost school. Across the neighborhood on another hill, Hikawa Shrine has it's doors wide open to welcome visitors, with decorations of all sorts set out.

Games are set up at both locations, including Apple Bobbing, Ducklett Pond raffles, and Pin the Scroll on the Spiritomb, though there are others set up all over the Vale's plazas. Skeeball, Target Shooting, Bell-and-Hammer games, and perhaps most strangely a “Whack-the-Diglett” that's been possessed by one of the local ghosts to give the little wooden Digletts faces all hideously angry ones. Eating contests, Pokemon Battle Circles, a Haunted House (with real ghosts!) and dozens and dozens of fortune telling stands all further add to a carnival atmosphere that even the dead can enjoy!

Lanterns and faux Spinarak webs hang from every lamppost and awning, and food stalls line the streets as vendors ply their wares. Food from all over is available, and it all seems to come together around a central square between the two hills. A stage has been set up, with musicians from all over the known world called in to show their stuff. There are dance tunes from Caldera, Union Pop and Jazz songs at work, setting crowds on fire. Sanctuary has sent a full orchestra to play various classical pieces, while Citadel's famous woodwinds and tribal drums surprise and delight. And towards the end of the day, a band from Glacier comes on stage. Their music starts out slow and ambient, but after a few sets they set up electric guitars and the gloves come off. A folk metal concert, complete with an armored warrior-woman doing the vocals and several of the soldiers from the battle weeks prior (some still bandaged) backing her up. It might be a bit shocking, but some of the youth are definitely getting into it...

And then night falls, and the party atmosphere becomes a little quieter. Plays, family meals, Ghost-story tellings, and more subdued activities become the norm though there's still a contingent of rowdies at the heart of the celebration. It's then that the ghosts really come out to play, slipping through walls to greet relatives or tease revelers. For the most part they seem friendly but not always. As usual, some specters of ill-repute have slipped in among the friendly ones, and they're making trouble. Good thing you have a Warp Band to call an exorcist, right?

((OOC: This is a general mingle log, feel free to put up your own top levels and tag around! Welcome to Soulfasting, everyone! We hope you enjoy =D ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ She thinks for a moment on that. ]

Let's see. I was able to recover a few interesting tomes from Sanctuary, during my extended stay. Of course, I can't talk too much about the details yet, as we are still going through the texts. But it seems like we may have a few similarities in lore, unlike Caldera, for example.

[ They're less into heroic women and more into fire and lava and burning ~~and shirtless men~~. ]

So our experiences were similar. [ That's interesting. She wouldn't have pegged Sanctuary for that one. ]

You came to that conclusion as well?

[ Color her intrigued. Even most of her colleagues refused to see it that way. ]

[ Haruka shrugs. ] Everyone views the world through the mirror of their memories. Why should groups be different?

[ Trust her. She's an Artist.

...okay, an Actor. But a cynical, ~~occasionally~~ observant Actor. ]

How very poetic of you. What is your take then, if you don't mind my asking?

I haven't researched as much as you.... [ Hint to Haruka: don't try to act modest. It's cute, but it also doesn't work. ]

But an opinion, even if it isn't fully researched, is still valued. It might even give us some insight on things to investigate.

[ Agh, she can't dodge that. Haruka laughs, shifting so she'll be out of the way of all this traffic that...

...is passing the Seeker booth by. Sigh. Here goes. ] There's a few possible interpretations. Did people from Union found Sanctuary, or vice versa? Or can we guess that the Savior was active in those two general areas but something about Caldera kept her away?

[ She shrugs. ] It makes good theater.

[ It's as if she's used to maneuvering conversations like this.

Lux pauses, taking in what Haruka had to say. ]

You know...

[ A beat. She draws in closer. ]

It's just a passing theory of mine, and it may be a bit blasphemous to say, but I think that there were multiple women acting as a savior of the people. We see a similar figure depicted in many different civilizations, but she always seems a bit different. This might explain why Caldera was passed over.

No two people have the same impression of anyone, though. [ She's not going to completely discount that theory - it would involve, frankly, caring, and now that the gods have made contact with humanity the past has served its usefulness to Haruka.

Still, on the offchance it can help with the whole greater-loom-weaving thing that Articuno had mentioned: ] I'd be interested in seeing what you find.

Most of the work that I do is confidential...

[ But from the tone of her voice, she might be swayed to bend a bit of that confidentiality. ]

When you're ready to publish, then. [ Haruka grins. This is a show of support, clearly. Not an attempt to get intel before other people. ]

Published, me?

[ This might be the first time you've managed to get her to actually blush, Haruka. ]

W... While that might be nice, that certainly isn't my intent, at least not right away. I'm still young, and not very many people outside of our branch know my work or take it seriously yet.

That'll change. [ Is it too forward to clap Lux on the shoulder lightly as a show of support?

Just in case, she'll keep it quick and then raise the hand in a farewell gesture. ] Keep me updated. And stop by the theater if you need a break.

[ She winks. ] You're not the only one advertising tonight.

Soulfasting Mingle

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