Event | Summer Jubilee | June 22nd-28th

[ironwood]

Characters: ALL! With special guest appearance by Asti
Date: June 22nd-28th, 2014
Location: Keeliai, all sectors
Situation: To celebrate the six month hatching days of the baby turtles that coincides with the arrival of summer, the kedan are throwing a city wide party! And Asti gifts everyone with a happy dream to make up for the badness plaguing Keeliai lately.
Warnings/Rating: TBA

While the kedan have a complicated and extensive system of writing, a good portion of their folklore is oral tradition and there's one prominent tale that's being told over and over this week. Small variances in the tale do occur from telling to telling but the core of the story goes like this:

Long ago before there were any people in the world, the First Family was made in the sky. Sun, the Mother and Moon, the Father were happy but desired children of their own. They watched all the creatures in the oceans, on the land and in the air and wished they could also have a family but they could not, for they didn't know how and so they were sad. They drifted apart, with Mother the Sun only coming out for part of the time and Father the Moon sometimes disappearing from the sky. Not wanting to see them so saddened, the creatures in all the lands and seas and air gathered together and searched their respective domains for children to give into the sky. From the four corners of the world they came with four children: one for the Dawn, one for the Midday, one for the Dusk and one for the Night. Mother the Sun and Father the Moon were overjoyed! They thanked the creatures of the world and promised they would never again abandon their places in the sky and became the First Family. And for a time, all was well. But Dawn and Midday and Dusk and Night grew older and, as children are wont to do, started asking when they could leave their home in the sky to begin their own families. Their parents were afraid of feeling so alone again if that happened so each year they said, "next year, next year". Eventually the children grew tired of this answer and so, sneaking into the place of the Stars where everything that was known was kept and they cut the end off of Time. The next time that their mother and father went to deny then, the children cried "You cannot say next year, for next year does not exist anymore!" And the Sun and Moon were afraid that if the children went away, then Time would indeed run out and so they agreed that their children could have families of their own, if they stayed and became the Second Family. The children agreed and even today, it is said that they are still waiting for the end of Time to grow back so they can visit other places without everything ending.

OOC INFO & LINKS
Subheaders are for various parts of the event and the rest of the post (not in sub headers) is for general mingling and tagging! Questions relating to the event go HERE.

Adopt-A-Foreigner | The Ritual | Dream A Little Dream | Asti's Blessings | Barbecue | OOC Post

Comments

[denyamenti]

Bakura didn't look like he was participating in the ritual but had instead taken up an observational post near the fountain that allowed him to see who came but also, what objects they were passing beneath the surface of the water. Even if he weren't a thief, it said a lot about people, what they treasured.

And of course, he was a thief.

"That's an interesting cloak."

[strategisch]

So absorbed in the ritual and taken in by the quiet morning, Armin spooks at the sound of Bakura's voice. He had hidden himself in plain sight quite well, as he hadn't taken note of him when he first approached the fountain... Armin shakes himself to regain his composure before he addresses the stranger.

"It's from my world," he explains, shaking the last droplets of water off of it, "it's given to those who join Recon Corps-- a branch of the military. The wings of freedom are our insignia."

[denyamenti]

"One light wing and one dark wing, that's a powerful symbol," the thief replied. "One I know very well, in fact-- it's something of a signature of a certain spell, the Change of Heart."

[strategisch]

"A spell?"

Armin looks at the wings on his cape. He loves the insignia; it makes him feel confident, protected, and reminds him who he really is. Even after being here for so long, he can still clearly remember the pride he felt when he received his cape, and the people who were with him when he first put it on. To him, that was a kind of spell.

"Could you explain it to me? I've never heard of that one."

[denyamenti]

"A spell," Bakura repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Haven't you got magic where you're from?"

[strategisch]

"No, actually," he says sheepishly, "although I try to keep my mind open on the matter. I mean I've never heard of that kind of magic before-- "Change of Heart" you said."

[denyamenti]

"Hm," the thief said. "It has always seemed as though there are more worlds with magic represented here than without. But very well... Change of Heart is a spell which takes control of your opponent for a time."

[strategisch]

"'Takes control'? Do you mean like brainwashing?" Armin remembers first being introduced to the concept when they raided the palace, and the Kedan that used to be guards fought against them, "that sounds like a power the Enemy would have."

[denyamenti]

"Hm, right idea though a more specialized. And I wouldn't doubt it, no opponent lasts very long if they don't make full use of their strengths."

Bakura doesn't seem overly concerned about being likened to Malicant, even drawing the parallel himself.

[strategisch]

"I agree. One must fight however they can, even if it means becoming a monster to do so."

He puts his cape back on. Its weight on his shoulders is comforting.

"Are you capable of this spell?"

[denyamenti]

Armin's remark about becoming a monster is certainly worthy of note, though he does not realize it might be literal (for the thief, it's both literal and not) but he certainly agrees with the sentiment.

"And if I could?"

[strategisch]

"It sounds useful," Armin shrugs, quickly thinking of possibilities, "you could perform reconnaissance somewhere you can't be by assuming someone else's identity, or use the body of someone like a King to issue orders you want carried out."

[denyamenti]

"Now that's a refreshing perspective," Bakura replied and meant it. "If only everyone here had that kind of clear thinking."

[strategisch]

"Really? It feels like the obvious conclusion..."

No Armin, you're just kind of awful.

[denyamenti]

Bakura isn't one to be easily put off by awful. "What's obvious to some often gets clouded by personal objections," he answered. "Not everyone can separate emotion from action."

[strategisch]

"Oh. Well, yes, that's true. But personal morals sometimes have to be set aside in order to support a cause you believe in. Ideals are rarely pure."

[denyamenti]

Bakura barked out a short laugh. "I like your thinking," he said. "Perhaps the others should put you in charge."

[strategisch]

"Oh, no. I'm not a leader."

When he thinks of leaders, he thinks of people like Captain Levi or Commander Erwin. Solid, unbreakable men willing to take any risk to move forward. Armin knows he would bend under the pressure they must feel.

"I just... I come from a place where such concessions are necessary in order to survive. Perhaps other worlds are not so severe."

[denyamenti]

"I think that'd largely depend on what sort of life they led," Bakura answers forthrightly, though he acknowledged that modern times were far less harsh than the past he was originally from.

"And you? What would you do with such an ability?"

[strategisch]

"...In my world, there is currently a force opposing the one that I am a part of. If I could assume the identity of their leader, I would issue orders in such a way that it benefits my side... but in a way that looks like a mistake, in order to mitigate suspicion."

"If we could accomplish our current goal, such subterfuge would no longer be necessary. I would only have to bide my time until then."

[denyamenti]

The thief grins sharply at that. "It sounds like you've got more leadership qualities than you might admit," he observes with a smirk. "They have to be ruthless and underhanded like that, you know."

[strategisch]

"I know," the people in his life that he would consider leaders are, "I just... I've never dirtied my hands before. I don't know if I could take it."

He's quite aware, however, that someday he will have to. He will take that day as it comes.

[denyamenti]

"I think you might find you'll surprise yourself by what you can stomach, when it's for a reason," Bakura answered, in a way that suggested he was speaking from experience on it.

[strategisch]

"Yes," he replies, and closes his eyes, recalling his final memory-- that woman pointing her gun at Jean, "that may be what it comes to."

Armin breathes slowly to calm himself down.

"And what are you here for so early, stranger? Did you hear the rumor as well?"

[denyamenti]

"I did, but I came to watch the people rather than participate," Bakura replied. "I have enough happening in my dreams that I don't need the prospect of something else."