乙巳 004: 大寒
Jan. 24th, 2025 12:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
singlemilletgrain posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
vivala[video broadcast]
Greetings again, Corsairs.
[As usual, following a bow, Shu addresses the video feed with perfect poise and elegance.]
After the... challenging events of the New Year's mission, I wish to call for some levity. In Yan, as the year changes, we visit the temples to have our fortunes told for the coming year. It is just for fun, of course. In Dahuang, I keep a place of worship to... [a faint pause] a Xian of agriculture, Shennong, and occasionally run the festivities.
Please come by. There will be traditional New Year's food, of course.
[If anyone has learned anything about Yan at this point, it is that they have Too Many Holiday Traditions and Too Much Food.]
[option 1: just for fun]
[Shu's doorway is vibrantly decorated in red and gold, and when she ushers you in, the most immediate sight is the table filled with plates and plates of food. Mostly dumplings, for dumplings are easiest for visitors, but also whole fish, noodle dishes, and sticky rice.
To the side, there is a little chest with two sets of burning incense at either side. Fortune seekers are invited to kneel, burn incense if they wish, pray for luck from whatever deity or the general karmic wheel of the universe, and then reach out for a container of what look like sticks. There is a little sign explaining this is the tradition of 'qiu qian,' beseeching insight from the gods.
One must ask a clear question, shake the container a few times, and pull out a stick.]
[option 2: the real thing]
[Shu sits at her 'priest's seat' and laughs lightly at the interpretation of the fortune received. Perhaps she sees something more ponderous in your eyes, for after a moment or two, she clasps her hands together and exhales lightly, bowing her head.
Her red pupils have constricted to tiny dots when she raises her head once more.]
...I could give you a better fortune, if you wish.
((If you pick option 2, Shu will either tell you in very vague prophetic terms something that may or may not happen in the future of your canon, something that happened in the past of your canon, or give you a random item that might be useful to you this year. If you pick option 1, it will be total nonsense.))
Greetings again, Corsairs.
[As usual, following a bow, Shu addresses the video feed with perfect poise and elegance.]
After the... challenging events of the New Year's mission, I wish to call for some levity. In Yan, as the year changes, we visit the temples to have our fortunes told for the coming year. It is just for fun, of course. In Dahuang, I keep a place of worship to... [a faint pause] a Xian of agriculture, Shennong, and occasionally run the festivities.
Please come by. There will be traditional New Year's food, of course.
[If anyone has learned anything about Yan at this point, it is that they have Too Many Holiday Traditions and Too Much Food.]
[option 1: just for fun]
[Shu's doorway is vibrantly decorated in red and gold, and when she ushers you in, the most immediate sight is the table filled with plates and plates of food. Mostly dumplings, for dumplings are easiest for visitors, but also whole fish, noodle dishes, and sticky rice.
To the side, there is a little chest with two sets of burning incense at either side. Fortune seekers are invited to kneel, burn incense if they wish, pray for luck from whatever deity or the general karmic wheel of the universe, and then reach out for a container of what look like sticks. There is a little sign explaining this is the tradition of 'qiu qian,' beseeching insight from the gods.
One must ask a clear question, shake the container a few times, and pull out a stick.]
[option 2: the real thing]
[Shu sits at her 'priest's seat' and laughs lightly at the interpretation of the fortune received. Perhaps she sees something more ponderous in your eyes, for after a moment or two, she clasps her hands together and exhales lightly, bowing her head.
Her red pupils have constricted to tiny dots when she raises her head once more.]
...I could give you a better fortune, if you wish.
((If you pick option 2, Shu will either tell you in very vague prophetic terms something that may or may not happen in the future of your canon, something that happened in the past of your canon, or give you a random item that might be useful to you this year. If you pick option 1, it will be total nonsense.))
no subject
Date: 2025-03-09 03:24 am (UTC)[Shu responds as if she were waiting for such a request. It is possible she was, because those to-go containers seem to appear out of thin air. Did Shu even rise from her seat?]
I will include a little bit of everything, in case you did not get an opportunity to sample the full array. I understand it might have been a bit overwhelming for one meal.
[That sure is a dozen takeout containers being filled to the brim.]
So it is not that one must live an extraordinary life, but one must have... extraordinary feelings for such a thing to happen. When you put it in that way, it makes sense. There is no such phenomena in my world, but it is well known that the lingering strong feelings of animosity of war can create a foul miasma - or the regret of the fallen warriors can lead to the manifestation of shades.
[a pause]
...Did you say 'alien invasion'?
no subject
Date: 2025-03-09 08:34 pm (UTC)Y-You bet. I'm always getting hungry at work, so this'll be great.
[ She flashes Shu a thumbs up, beset by a tiny shudder. ]
Uh, but, yeah. Fallen warriors, huh? I bet there are more than a few yokai who linger around old battlefields. Momo and her grandma are both great at sensing spirits, so at least we can avoid disturbing them in places like that.
[ Aira then lifts a finger, her expression slipping to a frown. ]
Mhm. We have to worry about stupid aliens, too! It's crazy. The Serpo came first, and they were creepy enough— [ she's going to spare Shu the detail about how they target human genitals ] —but then we had to deal with the Kur, who are somehow even worse. They go from planet to planet stealing energy resources, enslaving people, and doing all of the worst things you can imagine.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-10 11:52 pm (UTC)The handles of the bag are slipped into Aira's hands. It is a tad... weighty.]
I... Alien?
[Shu looks faintly bemused.]
Goodness. Your world has certainly attracted its share of problems. Is there... any relationship between this yokai business and alien infiltration?
[Or did the writer run out of ideas.]
no subject
Date: 2025-03-12 12:04 am (UTC)Yeah! Kind of, I mean. What all did Takakura say...? He nerded out about it for a while and I wasn't really paying attention.
[ Everybody has head empty moments sometimes, okay. ]
Well, basically, the aliens are interested in the power of the yokai and want to use it for themselves. So I guess it's not that complicated? They have more advanced technology than us, but for a long time they didn't try to do a full-on invasion because they were worried that they couldn't handle all the yokai.
... Actually, a super powerful and scary yokai that was after Momo totally saved our butts. It wrecked like a ton of their ships all by itself, so they were definitely right to be worried.
[ Some cute characterization, world-building, and foreshadowing all in one early scene! One might say that's good writing, ahem. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-03-16 04:18 am (UTC)Your world...
[Shu pauses to choose the right word.]
...sounds very chaotic. If aliens are trying to harness the power of the yokai, it seems to imply that it can be weaponized for something? But I thought these were ghosts with lingering discontent about their lives - or strong emotions.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-16 09:41 pm (UTC)[ Aira can't deny that in any capacity. And it's all the more chaotic for her being in it. ]
It sure can be. The yokai each have their own special powers, and those can be transferred into physical objects. Or into people, like me. The aliens have some creepy way to extract the power, but no way am I getting more into that.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-17 01:27 am (UTC)This sounds like a great deal for a high school student to take on. ...Or a group of high school students. I hope you have more people supporting you than just the friends you've discussed. If not, then the task that has been placed at your feet is a sorely unfair trial.
Life, of course, is frequently unfair.
...I would be interested in seeing more of this 'yokai power' sometime. I wonder if it is anything like magic - or Arts. But perhaps now is not the right time.
[A faint pause before she suggests -- ]
The food will go bad if it is not refrigerated quickly.
[This is Aira receiving permission to depart the Endless Feast if she wishes.]
no subject
Date: 2025-03-18 12:34 am (UTC)[ Why does she sound a bit put off by that? ]
... Not all of them are keepers.
[ Oh. Actually, wait, now is the time for her to actually talk about Seiko and gush a bit! Considering she's been thinking about her a lot during this conversation, it weirdly sort of feels like a relief. ]
Most importantly, we have Auntie Seiko! [ No actual blood relation. ] She's Momo's grandma, and she's awesome. She's totally badass, she knows a ton about yokai, and she's always cooking us these really yummy meals. You'd both hit it off, for sure.
[ What goes unsaid: Seiko is coarse and brash in all the ways Shu isn't. Still, Aira is pretty sure that wouldn't matter much. She's quite a bit coarse and brash herself, and Shu doesn't seem to mind. ]
Uh, but anyway, you're right about the food. I'll show you my powers sometime soon! Er, I think if I tried now my stomach might cramp up.