Light up the Night - [BACKDATED to 2/5]

[mamaterasu]

Who: Ammy + Anyone interested
What: Fireworks show for the Lunar New Year!
When: Evening of 2/5/19
Where: Monkey Compound
Warnings: None so far, tag as needed!



[It's about noon when a message is posted to the Message Rock, as well as over the Stones of Farspeech - an elegant writing in kanji with a translation below. The voice is foreign, not often heard and possibly lost from most peoples' memories, but it sounds...excited? There's definitely a chime-like laughter hidden in the depths of it.]

All interested in a beautiful sight, please show up at dusk at the Hana--eh...the Monkey Compound. Drinks - for the elders among you - and some snacks will be provided, but I encourage you all to pack a box lunch.

Those unable to attend...I'll try to make sure you see it. Thank you.

[How very enigmatic indeed.

Still, those that do show up as the sky begins to change into a purple-blue color, dotted with small, glittering stars, will see that the Monkey Compound has been done up a bit. There's a line of small, flowering cherry blossom trees creating a lovely arch by the entrance, and little paper tags have been hung from a few of the branches, holding pictures of a tiny boar, or piglet, and a prayer written on the opposite side in kanji.

Inside has a very, very pleasant air to it. Much different than what this place used to be. It's laid with fresh, clean, springy grass and flowers, and a bountiful garden off to one side, which looks a little barren...probably because most of the foods have been harvested and laid out neatly on a bushels of palm fronds. Fresh vegetables and fruits from Ammy's garden, ripe for the taking and eating, if you're more the rustic type. There's also fire-roasted fish, skewered on a stick and cooking nicely by a crackling bonfire. Eat, enjoy, converse with neighbors and friends alike! Drinks have indeed been provided for the adults, a large barrel of sake with a ladle to pour it into one of twelve dishes. And yes, a bowl of water has been added to the side to rinse them off.

The centerpiece is a very basic shrine put up with a folding wall, once white in color but painted over with a beautiful portrait of a boar rolling a round firework, and a tiny, ceramic figure on a boar topping a little rock pile. Below the statue is an offering of sake, a single sakura mochi, a grilled fish, and some flowers. That is where the wolf will be when you first spot her.

For...a moment, at least. Because once the sky grows truly dark, and the embers from the bonfire has crept to soft, orange glow, a whistle will wheeze its way through the sky as a streak of light soars up, and up...before it explodes in a puff of white sparks. Nothing exciting, more a call to attention.

A minute passes, then another, and the're movement by the far end of the compound as the wolf readies everything she needs. A few final touches--...there! All ready for the show to begin.

And what a show it is.

The fireworks are beautiful and vibrant, coloring the skies in a vast array of rainbow hues, dancing like they're actually alive. True artistry, and a blessing from the God of Explosions, Bakugami (and the local rabbit god, who provided a number to help make this work). An explosive force meant to open the gate for a blissful new year - full of color, full of life, and bountiful in all things that bring happiness and joy to those with good in their hearts.

Happy Lunar New Year. ♥]

Comments

[journalname]

I always find it interesting hearing about other worlds - what is ordinary or strange in each one. My own has no forces keeping anything in balance. No gods, or anything like that. They seem rather common in other places.

[There's the myth about the angel, but Asgore stopped putting much stock in that a very long time ago.]

[ideismo]

I'd say it's more a facet of the world itself than anything - it's as natural as the systems that control the weather or create earthquakes. Less an entity and more something that simply is.

[So, a literal force of nature, more or less.]

We do have the Goddess, of course, but she's less of an actual deity that affects things and more of a figurehead. She sacrificed herself to save our world many generations ago.

[journalname]

That is a nice way to remember someone, I suppose.

[Maybe making a deity of someone is a little odd? He doesn't have much opinion on that part, but a sacrifice like that deserves to be memorialized.]

We do have one story - of an angel who will come to save monsterkind someday. But it is only a story.

[ideismo]

[Something in that strikes him oddly, though he manages to keep his facial expression more or less neutral; it's something between that and the mention of the Goddess that brings his mind back to Brave Vesperia, and when it connects it connects hard, and wow that would have been great to know before he showed up here, wouldn't it.]

...People tend to like stories like that, regardless of how plausible or realistic they are. We have something like that as well; knowing the truth behind it, however, I can see where people found it preferable to let the public keep their hope.

[He manages to keep his voice even; at the same time, god, the ancients really could have worked on writing that down in a way that wasn't a stupid metaphor. THANKS, OLD DEAD PEOPLE, YOU'RE LITERALLY THE WORST.]

[journalname]

...it is better to keep peoples' hopes up, yes.

[Asgore is Significantly Worse at hiding how that struck him. But he glances away for a moment, and doesn't say anything about it.]

But meeting actual deities of a sort has been interesting. A good friend of mine, in the world I visited before this, was some sort of avatar of Death.

[ideismo]

[In Alexei's case, part of keeping the people's hopes up involved not being allowed to have any public displays of emotion whatsoever, so that's some of it; the rest of it is that he wasn't allowed to have any public displays of emotion whatsoever because the last time he did, people ended up murdered in order to get to him.

When other people's lives depend on you having no discernible feelings no matter what happens to you, you get really, really good at it.

That said, he'll be quiet for a moment, just...let everyone get their bearing for a moment.]

He sounds like interesting company. What was he like...?

[journalname]

His name is Ryoji. He was very kind and friendly towards everyone - he was the first of us to reach out to Alex, I believe, even though she appeared to be our enemy in the beginning. He always did want to take care of everybody.

[god, he misses everyone]

[ideismo]

[Oh, that's...]

He sounds like one of my subordinates. Always reaching out, even to those who would harm or kill him; the sort of person that was dedicated to trying to keep everyone together and save as many as he could. He probably would have liked your friend.

[...]

People like that aren't very common. I do hope he's able to remain that way, despite the role he apparently has.

[journalname]

I do not think he will return to his world to take that role again. It would have destroyed him. He was never meant to have his own personality for long...I do not understand it all, but it is safer for him to remain away. There were many of us who intended to search for new paths like that...

[.....]

He was going to take Alex to try and find real live unicorns. I had planned to travel with them - at least for a little while, I am sure they do not want an old man along for all of it.

[He chuckles, though it fades fast.]

Perhaps I still may someday. They do say time holds still while we are here.

[ideismo]

...I hope you can return to them one day.

[It's one of the few things he's said where the words and what he means actually seem to align; there's no formality to it, no elevated tone that implies that it's something he's saying because he should, it's just surprisingly genuine.]

[journalname]

Thank you.

[.....]

Ah, but I should not be going on. And at a party, of all things! I'm terribly sorry. [He doesn't seem to have entirely bounced back just yet, but you know. Best to make an effort.]

[ideismo]

You don't have to apologize to me; I don't mind hearing people out.

[It's easy; not quite gentle, but that's more because he's not a gentle person.]

Besides, I admit I'm not the best at parties; I've attended a few, but they were largely for formality's sake after I got my title. I didn't know what to do with myself then, and...well.

[He gestures vaguely, just kind of encompassing the...this. The all of this.]

[journalname]

Oh, the sort of party with visiting nobles, and that kind of thing? [Asgore snorts faintly.] I do remember those. They were never what I would call fun.

[He folds his paws, turning to overlook the current party. Their position at the entry trees makes it easy, but then again it's not very large to begin with. People seem to be enjoying themselves.

He's usually not so bad at parties himself. But usually he's among his people, and...well, recently he's started to realize that maybe he's been out of sorts for a while, here. What happened to the Asgore who would have made friends here within the first week or two? The one who arrived at Beacon?]

But that is alright. Not everyone enjoys large gatherings, and it is good for people who do to keep that in mind.

[ideismo]

As long as it isn't the sort with dancing involved, I'm usually fine, if at a slight loss. The rest is...usually manageable.

[because he's commandant and can't get away with just holding up the walls if dancing is involved

and dancing is an archaic form of torture, asgore, there is nothing will convince him otherwise.]

[journalname]

Don't most royal parties involve dancing?

[Theirs always did, at least back in the day when they had formal royal balls. He hasn't really done that since he took the throne, and especially not after the war. They're all far beyond such things.]

[ideismo]

Yes. Yes, they do.

[It was terrible.]

I had to have one of my subordinates teach me. Very quickly, as I had never learned.

[journalname]

[Asgore chuckles.]

I had lessons in such things since I was very young. But I suppose it does sound much worse, to have to learn it all at once later in life.

[ideismo]

[That's...valid, honestly.]

Oh...I was a commoner, actually, before I was accepted into the Knights. So I really had no reason to know such things.

[journalname]

I was the crown prince in a time when we still had contact with other kingdoms. It was important then. Still, I -

[He hesitates, and the decision to go on with what he was saying is visible.]

- I did not raise my own son the same way. Better to let him just be a child.

[ideismo]

...I can understand that, though I don't have any children of my own. I've seen how difficult it can be on them, however, to be raised like that; Princess Estellise was raised in the castle, I've known her since she was...three or four years old, I believe?

[He really doesn't think about the fact that he's known Estellise for at long as she can remember, most likely - the idea that he's been a constant like that is something that's never really occurred to him.

He kind of wonders if she ever thought about that, after everything became more complicated.

Probably not.

Good.]

I can't fault you for the decision, at any rate.

[journalname]

...I am glad I did it.

[It would have been such a waste, if Asriel did not even get to fully enjoy the few years he had. Asgore would have never forgiven himself.

Let's not talk about this anymore.]

That's a shame. It's especially difficult to be a royal child in...tense political times.

[The war didn't start until he was already king, and it was a surprise when they really did attack, but things were tense with the humans for a while before that. Asgore can't even remember when he first learned that, he was so young.

At least the war in Alexei's world is over.]

[ideismo]

The Emperor was still alive at the time, so it was a bit more tolerable for her, I think. She's eighteen now, and she's been all over the world - if anything, we'd quite like it if she adventured a little less...

[I mean. He certainly would have appreciated that before things sort of went to hell; after the fact...honestly, he can't even be mad at her.]

[journalname]

Hahaha. To be honest, I can sympathize. I think I would have very much enjoyed that at her age.

[although he sure is well-traveled now]

[ideismo]

It took three different brigades to retrieve her the first time, and as soon as they turned around for five minutes, off she went again.

[He honestly isn't even properly exasperated at this anymore? This is just what his life looks like.]

She was with two people who used to be knights, however, and one of them was still in frequent contact with me. So I was still able to keep an eye on her, at least, while she went off to have her fun with her friends.

[journalname]

[Asgore smiles. Ohhh, he should be more sympathetic, but that just sounds like so much fun.]

It was good of you to let her do that. The young should have their fun - she'll have more than enough responsibility someday.