MIDSUMMER'S MINGLE

[thewatchers]

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.

Comments

[onebetter]

I know death is a possibility you accept when you're a soldier, but... it's hopeless, isn't it? Regular weapons, against what is coming...

[ Death in battle is honorable to James. He's grown up with a maybe unhealthy degree of military worship after all. But a suicide mission is a suicide mission and no amount of martyrdom can make it look any better. ]

And if we try to protect them too much, we risk our own victory.

[ohgoodgrief]

This is why the Rune Guard is important. At the end of the day, those are the weapons and armor that will keep people alive.

[Yang nods. He hesitates, though, then adds:]

Death is a possibility, but there's nothing good or right about it. It's a fate to avoid, I think.

[onebetter]

Mhm.

[ Avoiding Fate... well, that definitely is a topic here at Daybreak, with all its looming visions and prophecies. James pauses for a moment, then adds: ]

What is it like...? In a real large scale battle.

[ohgoodgrief]

What it's it like? Hm... scary.

[...yeah, Yang is a master of understatement and almost seems to think he can leave it at that.

He knows better, though. He adds to it, after a moment:]

It's ordered chaos. Everyone tries to force themselves to be calm -- to do things that put themselves in danger, or others in danger. The battles I fought in were on ships, so... it was all from a distance. Things happened suddenly.

The one time things got close to us, and we were boarded, it started falling apart. People don't react well -- at least, not predictably -- to surprises.

[onebetter]

[ Another longer silence falls over the conversation as James tries to picture a battle (and Yang in one) before his mind's eye. He knows these things happen. He knows it, he's always known, it's always been on his mind.... so how come nothing ever felt truly real until today? ]

The Herald... is going to surprise us, isn't he? Even though we know when and where, we don't really know what... right?

I apologize, I don't mean to be fatalistic, I just... I'm afraid being too optimistic would be lacking preparation.

[ohgoodgrief]

It's going to surprise us. We can prepare for that -- not that we'll know what it is. But we can know something will happen that we're not expecting. And... then, we can act based on it.

[He looks at James, then he nods.

Fatalistic does not bother him, all things considered.]

You're right. We don't want to be defeatist... but mindset, alone, isn't what wins wars.

[onebetter]

Yeah. Thank you, professor.

[ HE'S NOT SURE HE FEELS BETTER EXACTLY.... but it's still nice to speak about concerns with someone more experienced. ]

[ohgoodgrief]

Any time, James. We just have to hold it together a little longer.