The Watchers of Night (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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daybreakacademy2019-06-21 09:54 pm
thewatchers) wrote in daybreakacademy2019-06-21 09:54 pm
MIDSUMMER'S MINGLE
MIDSUMMER CELEBRATIONS
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As both finals and the first Herald approach, darkness and uncertainty loom on the horizon. The celebrations held on the evening of the 21st serves as a way of cleansing fears and uncertainty - a time for reconciliation, peace, and reflection, purifying the old to make way for the new.
The midsummer celebrations take place in Soleil’s town square and the surrounding woods. Students can join the large bonfires set up by the staff, or have more private bonfires of their own if they so choose. Specially treated fuel and firestarters have been employed for the evening, to prevent accidental (or deliberate) arson; the bonfires that come from this equipment and fuel will never catch alight anything not deliberately thrown into the flames.
A. TOWN SQUARE
While the town square is usually bustling with all manner of people, today it has been cleared in order to build a number of large bonfires. Robed attendants stand quietly by each one with selections of herbs and flowers, as well as paper and wooden charms that can be folded or marked; these can be thrown into the flames in order to burn away symbolic representations of bad luck.
Attendees can freely take these offerings and feed them to the flames, or bring their own offerings - whatever they see fit - to burn.
A small selection of food is also on offer - small cakes and simple buns in both sweet and savory flavours. These, too, can be fed to the fire if you so choose, though they were made to be eaten.
B. THE WOODS
For the solstice, the woods around Soleil have come alive with light and sound. The various unused structures that litter Soleil’s woods are seeing some cleaning, too; you may come across robed attendants, older students and various staff attending to old graves and abandoned ruins, or building bonfires of their own. Many of them hold lamps on poles and sing songs - simple, traditional hymns about the rising of the sun.
If festival attendees desire peace and quiet, or privacy to build their own fires and reflect, the woods are well-suited for that purpose. Those who choose to take fuel and go into the woods will be cautioned that as darkness falls, supernatural visitors may come out to share your fire. Though they are entirely harmless and silent, seeking only to make their own offerings and lost in their own thoughts, their sudden (and strange) appearance may be alarming.
C. REMNANTS OF FIRE
After the bonfires have burned to embers, attendees will be offered the chance to jump or run over the glowing coals, as is traditional practice, for good luck. Whether as a test of nerves or a possible chance for a little extra luck - whatever your beliefs, it probably can’t hurt.
Unless you spend too long dancing around on the coals, of course, but that’s up to you.
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Ready when you are!
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[She grins back, before crouching down and getting ready to take off at a sprint.]
One, two... three!
[And then she's off, darting over the coals.]
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She skids to a stop at the end, laughing.]
Oh, wow!
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And there we have it, a bit of extra luck! At this rate, we're probably gonna need it...
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Adelaide reaches out to steady her, making sure she doesn't fall over, as she giggles. She feels giddy, which is nice.]
It's definitely not gonna hurt to have.
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[Which sobers her up a bit and she frowns. What a mess...]
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Yeah...but things are gonna be okay. We can handle everything that gets thrown at us.
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Yeah! We've got this.
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We've got this.