Orchestra 14 [audio/video]

[wewillwewill]

[Elidibus doesn't have much fanfare for his audio and video posts and this isn't any different. It's him, sitting in front of the ICP presumably in his room.]

Good afternoon. I hope everyone has weathered the voidstorm if not well then at least with quick recovery.

I've been a passenger for about three months and I have noticed something curious. Given mortal propensity to celebrate seasonal festivities nearly every moon, I have not heard anyone make particular mention of doing so. I understand it's likely due to our lack of sense to time within the void other than the train's calendar and seasons as well as any differences from our respective stars.

Yet I would like to propose this changes. Establishing festive occasions not for every moon but with regular intervals will serve good purpose. A sense of anticipation for the upcoming festivity and a boon to community spirit during. To that end, I would open the floor to information on celebrations native to your respective worlds. Speak to me or one another.

I suspect we will find more similarities than differences and can create traditions for the train not just for ourselves, but for those who will inevitably succeed us. I am willing to take initiative in assembling the ideas and giving them a form within the limits of this train.

[Elidibus ends his speech here though he remains open to talking.]


[OOC: Talk about your yearly festivities and holidays! The aim is to try and establish some 'holidays and traditions' that help keep spirits up and improve train morale. Feel free to outline months or seasonal time of year for your world and the holidays (some or whatever you can think of)!

INSPIRATION: This Christmas H&M commercial from a few years back that I absolutely adored (also I kinda like Wes Anderson quirkiness). Please watch, it's a gem and also invokes trainlife.]

Comments

[schrodingersghost]

Yeah, I think its mostly the calendar difference. I mean, its tough even guessing when birthdays would be here.

I wouldn't mind celebrating some seasonal holidays every few months. As long as no one expects me to participate if we do Christmas.

[wewillwewill]

I won't ask you to share why you're against that one unless you wish. But what is Christmas?

[Look, he did mention there were world differences, right?]

[schrodingersghost]

Mid-winter holiday back home. Its supposed to be all about being cheery and jolly and giving gifts and stuff. Even the ghosts call a truce for it, which I guess is nice. I mean they go right back to the usual routine the next day.

[monkeyinthewrench]

I'm from Earth, we've got a bunch. Mostly to celebrate people who don't really deserve it, and over time they morph into family togetherness stuff.

Halloween's by far the best. You get to wear creepy costumes, and my squad would always have a heist. Basically a competition when we play tricks on each other to steal a treasure. It's way cooler than it sounds. Younger kids fill up on candy, and that's fun too.

Thanksgiving: supposed to be a family feast, has some super bloody origins. Also, you have to deal with your racist uncle and deadbeat dad. Do not recommend.

Christmas is...supposed to be nice, I guess. You bake cookies, sing off key, defuse a hostage situation if you're lucky. But again, it's rough if you have a broken family.

So...I guess the point is to strengthen your bonds here and forget the old drama.

[wewillwewill]

[Elidibus takes a moment to process this.]

Most festivals rarely hold true to their exact origins. Also your description of Christmas seems different from the young Daniel Fenton's. I suppose this could be a case of similar names but different worlds or perhaps your line of work.

A feast day may be interesting. When do 'Halloween' and 'Thanksgiving' happen?

[monkeyinthewrench]

Mine's the same as his, minus the ghosts. We know what ghosts are where I'm from, but most people haven't seen one and don't believe in them.

Halloween's in the fall around...I guess you'd call it mid-harvest time? Thanksgiving's at the end of the harvest about a month later, and then Christmas is a month after that as the winter starts.

[thawed_pride]

It is indeed rather difficult to determine when holidays ought to fall when we have no indication of seasons. Beyond that, I am doubtful whether even people such as Santa Claus could reach us in the Void.

[wewillwewill]

Which holiday does this Santa Claus appear on? What does their arrival portend?

It would be unreasonable to expect and world's seasonal entities to extend themselves into the void regardless. But if it is prudent, we may pay homage to the figure of your Star's native patrons.

[thawed_pride]

He is a prominent figure of Christmas celebrations, who travels the worlds which celebrate the holiday to deliver gifts to well-behaved or kind children. It is often considered polite to leave baked goods and milk for him, in return, though he does not demand as such.

video

[catti]

Do 'festivities' include battles to the death?

[Nunh challenges aren't festivals, but it's up to Elidibis to call his bluff.]

[wewillwewill]

[Elidibus isn't here to pass judgement on what you think of as a holiday or festival K'zeka. Though it does seem like he's trying to make a link of battles to the death and seasonal events. Those fates against sentient mochi could qualify...]

Ah, perhaps you speak of your native tribe's customs? I'm not one to judge what you consider a festival. Festivals surrounding displays of virility and strength are not outside of what I've born witness to among mortals.

If you wish to speak about it you should do so. Though remember to mind the context so everyone understands it.

[blitzcheer]

[ ...huh. ]

What's special about season celebrations from other ones? Does it have to be seasons? Only one I know for a time of the year is when it's up. People have a big who-do when it's a new year in Zanarkand.

[wewillwewill]

There isn't and you're welcome to speak of any festivals you can think of.

Though seasonal festivities in particular seem proven to overlap despite the differences in our worlds. If there is any true benefit over a general festival, I believe it will help mortals, particular those used to the changing of the seasons.

Though we are without seasons or years in this voidspace, it would be good to have some landmarks through the months. Like your clocks, these festivals will offer a concrete way to judge time's passing. Think of it as helping to ease the spirits of those which might be out of sorts by making use of patterns they are used to on a subconscious level.

It'd be better to think of seasonal festivals being more useful for the intended result than they are 'better' than festivals of a less specific time of year.

[blitzcheer]

Hmmm- [ He's trying to think about it, a guy who doesn't have much experience with seasons in the sense that Elidibus is talking about them, but... ]

Soo, uh, how are you imagining all this? We get a bunch of plants for some seasons and put them around the place? Make it hot or cold...?

[goingthroughaphase]

Other people have brought up holidays from Earth, but my family celebrates one called Hanukkah. It's a holiday that's celebrated over the course of eight days with the lighting of special ceremonial candles.

[wewillwewill]

How interesting. What do the candles represent, both by themselves and the ritual of lighting them? Is this holiday celebrated near any of the others mentioned from Earth?

[Though given the number that is just a matter of statistical probability at this point, given all the festivities that've been listed thus far.]

[goingthroughaphase]

It's actually celebrated around the same time as Christmas on Earth. [ Conveniently. ]

So a long time ago, there had been a people who had come under oppression by an outside power, but a group of those people led a revolt and managed to drive out the invading party. There was a lot damage, though, and when they were rebuilding their temple, they found that most of the oil they used to light the candles in a special candle holder, called a menorah, was tainted, and it took eight days to prepare the oil according to the conditions to purify it.

The oil that was left should have only lasted for one day. But somehow, the menorah was able to remain lit for those eight days needed to make more. So we light a candle each day, to represent the eight days that the oil was able to last, and to celebrate the miracle.

[yondu]

Don't really got anything I celebrate, but I've come across 'em often enough. I mostly join the party by invitation.

They ain't holidays but Ravagers make big deals out of major victories, but those aren't a regularly scheduled event.

My boy told me about Christmas so I did start schedulin' stops on cold worlds and would get him a couple of things once a year. [Never told his crew what he was doing, though. Or Quill, really. Just sort of let them think those snowy worlds were on a route he'd chosen. So it barely counted as celebrating.]

[wewillwewill]

Oft times that is the nature of victories. Though it may also be interesting to choose a day to celebrate what we have achieved since the first of the passengers in the train's recent history have first boarded.

Christmas seems a pervasive holiday and I doubt you are all from the same version of Earth. Or at least from a place which has the star you call Earth.

[Intentions count even when someone has a roundabout way of doing it.]

But yes, the way you showed regard to your son by adopting a tradition he seemed interested in is similar to what I hope will be achieved by arranging for holidays. Something familiar to enjoy. And perhaps refresh the mind for more serious matters.

[yondu]

Most people where I'm from call it Terra 'cause of a first contact thing, but there ain't a lot of people from there roamin' around space. They ain't developed interstellar travel yet. Kree call it C53. The star it orbits is called Sol. I was born on Centauri IV which is a totally different world, but didn't stay long enough to get acquainted with the holidays.

I don't think he really noticed I was doin' it. But if it floats their boats go for it. It'd be best things be on the easier side for 'em.

[Yondu doesn't really think he needs to be more aware of the passage of time but he does want the kids here to be happy.]

I made all but one of these up THANKS WOOKIEEPEDIA

[averyusefultray]

My crew celebrates holidays from four different worlds. We usually had to change things... it's not so different from the train really.

From my world... we didn't usually mark Longest Night on the ship. It's the night when all three moons are at their lowest phase and some people believed the dead roamed. Figured we had enough of the dead fighting a war. Sometimes we celebrate the opposite, the Night of Light when the moons are all full. Mostly that one's about spending time with your family. We can't always exchange a lot of gifts, but we try.

Zeb preferred to mark the Lasat Day of Remembrance alone, but we'd have a proper meal for the festival marking the end of Lasan's dust season unless supplies were very low.

Most Mandalorian holidays marked important historical battles. I can't guarantee Sabine wasn't making some of them up as an excuse to blow something up though. Or just insisting that the tradition for an unrelated holiday was to blow something up...

It's a little strange to mark harvest or planting festivals on a ship, but if we weren't back on Lothal at the time, we'd try to do at least something. Ezra's the one of us with the least complicated relationship with his homeworld so it helps him to keep that connection up.

Any planet we visit on Empire Day will have festivities that we do our best to avoid since it's not a cause for celebration.

I-- I'm allowed to post here, right? I believe this is threadjacking?

[crowneddragon]

Oh, you have three moons too?!

[Esteban seems to struggle with the screen, but he does his best to follow along.]

D' they have the same cycles? From what I understand? How do they get t' be all full or all new at the same time?

[wewillwewill]

Many of what you speak of sound like founding celebrations and memorials or familial appreciation, am I correct? It may be unwise to encourage wanton destruction as a tradition, though perhaps some will find joy in tamer options. Small fireworks for instance.

Your perspective would be helpful in arranging some festivities as they can be applied to life on a ship in transit, particularly to the passengers of this crew. May I speak with you later once I've compiled a list?

[crowneddragon]

For us on the Moon Mountains, lots of the festivals're guided by the moons, 'cause they bring the floods. Since the floods cover the saltgrass plains, we can't travel around, an' everyone celebrates things in their own towns.

There's the Death Days followed by the Requiem, then there's Hope's birth an' Namin' day, and last is th' Feasting, an' the Day of Plenty~

Lots of the elves used t' be religious, but the ceremonies kinda lost their appeal, an' the humans brought in their dances, an' all the festivals are kind of a mashup o' both cultures.

So sorry this took me so long to get around to. FFXIV Expac swallowed my soul. ;_;

[wewillwewill]

The influence of celestial bodies on one's star seems to remain a constant whomever you speak to.

[But there's the meat of the matter to get to, which is trying to make sense of the tangle of celebrations Esteban just listed off.]

I'm afraid I have little context for the festivals you've listed. Pray repeat them, but with a short explanation for each? And I would like to hear more of the seasons or time of your star's cycle where these celebrations would be held.