Jaskier "old-timey fuckboy" Alfred Pankratz (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cointosser) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
abraxaslogs2023-05-09 08:07 pm
cointosser) wrote in abraxaslogs2023-05-09 08:07 pm
[open] wake up, it's time to gather now
Who: ALL OF THE FREE CITIES.
What: A glorious celebration and a Summoned-powered festival!
When: The second week of May.
Where: The Old Public Hall, the outlaying plaza, spilling into the streets of Cadens.
The Reopening Celebration
The Aquila Portal
The Lunae and Ikorr
The Festival Days
What: A glorious celebration and a Summoned-powered festival!
When: The second week of May.
Where: The Old Public Hall, the outlaying plaza, spilling into the streets of Cadens.
[The flyers appear all at once overnight among all of Cadens, with the front text reading: GRAND RE-OPENING OF OLD PUBLIC HALL. FIVE DAYS OF CELEBRATION WITH MERCHANTS FROM ACROSS THE FREE CITIES AND NOCWICH, ALL TO CELEBRATE THE REOPENING OF ONE OF CADEN'S ARCHITECTURAL MARVELS AND THE FREE CITIES'S OWN FORM OVER FUNCTION FESTIVAL! with the dates given underneath.
The back of the flyers will list the precise details, including the topics of each day of the festival. This festival is to act alongside and celebrate the native Free Cities celebration Form Over Function week that the Cities host every year. As with most things Jaskier and Alucard touch, it has to be a little Extra.
New to the city? Want to change careers? As suggested by the mods, the Summoned can use this festival to look for work or make new connections in the Free Cities with the locals displaying their craft. Artists, artisans, playwrights, theatres, inventors, and scientists will be looking for the next wave of brilliant minds and talented individuals.
Also acknowledged on each flyer are the equipment and food donated by the various Free Cities governing bodies.]
[A big celebratory announcement during the first day of the festival will be made in front of the Hall once the market opens. This is the grand unveiling of the new portal that is being permanently opened to Aquila, agreed to by the Free Cities government. The announcement comes from several of the Free Cities' very own Summoned: Jayce, Claude and Sam.
The portal is intended for leisure and business travel and will have a crossing fee. A portion of the proceeds from the festival will go to providing those of lower incomes with a single paid-for trip to and back from the Aquila portal. Please make use of such generosity, Summoned!]
[Most of the festival is meant to feature the local artists and artisans of the Free Cities. However, many artisans from Nocwich have also been invited and provided with their own space, with water misters set up to keep the wolves and vampires (and visitors, of course) cool in the desert air. Long, shaded walkways keep visitors safe from the sun.
The Lunae have a history of traveling to Solvunn to attend celebrations, so they will arrive in Cadens in greater numbers. While the vampires have less of a presence than the werewolves, they will still offer their wares like blood-infused wines, glowing flowers, and unique meat dishes - similar to what was provided last year!
All three Nocwich ambassadors will make an appearance for at least one of the days.]
[A large open-air market will be open throughout the celebration, which will feature retailers and artisans from Aquila, Cadens, Libertas, the Lunae, and the Ikorr, all set up in the plaza that leads up to Old Public Hall itself. Advertisements will be posted to entice new tourists to Aquila, in the interest of Fallon Marsh's new push for tourism to the coastal city.
Each "day" features a special theme:
- Book and Literature Day includes a seller's market inside and on the steps of Old Public Hall, along with book signings throughout, starting off the five-day celebration. The latest and the greatest works that have come from Free Cities minds are featured, sold, and autographed. If you're an up-and-coming writer, there are small podiums and stages set up on the outdoor stages for you to provide readings of your own work and advertise any exciting new book clubs. There is no promise of quality for the open-mic readings, and there's no withholding criticism when it's bad either.
Large presses and the self-published all share their wares, ranging from the latest scientific journals to the unsurprisingly long line to meet the author of the popular Onion James mystery novels. Near the new bar in Old Public Hall, an informal bookclub will open will be hosted. The evening will feature authors in conversations with each other, offering book signings and writing workshops for nervous young novelists. If you're curious, feel free to join in and show off your newest writing piece!- Painting and the Visual Arts Day marks the second day, which will see the Old Public Hall transform into a gallery for a day. Featured artists are lesser-known independents, working to create monumental-sized paintings, glass sculptures that refract light, tiny drawings that show skill on the smallest scale possible, and more. The Hall provides the ground for artists to lay out sales of local paintings, sculptures, woolen arts, and even the services of artists themselves. All matter of art will be set up for sale in the Old Public Hall, as well as works organized on the main floor of the Hall as a gallery. Clothing designers from Aquila will be showing off the latest fashions, as well as looking for new models among the visitors. Libertas's artists will once again be pushing their counterculture art, supported by Quilleth Kaur and the Arts Restoration Committee.
- Science Day will feature a symposium on the current state of technological developments in Cadens and how they relate to artistic practice on the third day. Within the Hall itself, the maze of the books from the previous day has been replaced with an open floor plan, allowing for a horseshoe-shaped display of inventors and their wares -- and a surprising amount of artisan fashion work. Two large areas feature in-depth talks about recent developments in both fabric production and sewing machines, resulting in more unique fabrics and dyes that will be displayed later that evening.
Keep an ear out, as the names "Jayce" and "Viktor" float among the populace as Summoned inventors to keep your eyes and attention on. Provided by these two fame-collecting talents is a display of their fantastic revolving armillary sphere, modeled after the astronomy of Abraxas, which casts an atmospheric starry light over the area once night falls. This new permanent installation is now available for viewing in front of Old Public Hall as a navigation point and to show the union between art and science.
Further into the night, garments will be shown, with a discussion about new techniques used and how they were made. The beauty of asymmetry is lauded, with the use of coraline plant fibers for boning, experiments with structure and bright fabric dyes, accented with fine details. Shapes and textures are exaggerated and celebrated. A large screen behind the stage allows for some projection magic to focus on all the little details for the whole crowd to see.- Theatre Day arrives on the fourth day. Indoor and outdoor stages will be set up, featuring short plays and costume shows. There are several morning workshops available for perusal; some are writing-focused, led by some of Libertas's leading playwrights.
Outside of the Hall is the brand new romantic comedy All The Wolves You Loved Before, commissioned for the grand reopening by one "J. Alfred" to be performed for the first time ever. It tells the story of an exceptionally handsome, white-furred werewolf from Nocwich with a charming and surprisingly funny demeanor, falling into scraps and eventually into love. Inside the Hall is the classic Murder Among Thieves, a mystery featuring a group of bandits that are picked off by a killer one by one.
That night, Old Public Hall will host the three-act play It Happened In Section 600. The horror piece sells hard on its exquisite special effects (made with a combination of science and magic), telling the story of Miss Harker, a new librarian at the University in the early days of the Free Cities. Ghosts supposedly haunt the library, but just exactly why remains a mystery until Miss Harker starts her first day. The mystery features spirits and a tale of revenge with the early days of the Free Cities as the backdrop.
Local theatres will provide backstage access and classes on special and visual effects. Playwrights will provide signings and host writing workshops as they scope out new or aspiring young actors. For those brave enough, you can find others to help practice your audition or even aid others in theirs!- Concert Day, which marks the end of the event, features live, performed music from 3 p.m. until midnight, acting as a tour de force of the restored Hall's acoustic capabilities where both technology and magic work together. Smaller, independent bands will be highlighted and enhanced with magical special effects, with -- unsurprisingly -- the night ending with a special performance by the Gem of the Phoenix himself, Jaskier! Rumors have it that the appearance of a real phoenix itself may appear, granting supreme luck to all who see it in the future...
The magic of the Old Public Hall is in use for this concert series, where magic birds will explode and fly among the eaves of the Hall's roof, the roof will disappear in view of the night sky, or small explosions of color — named "fireworks" — pop off with every growing crescendo. The final show will feature a performance of Jaskier's ballad to Lfybringr, ballads of bravery in the Free Cities sands, and exciting tales of forbidden lovers meeting in the eternal night of Nocwich.
The final song of the night, ending the Festival, is "The Phoenix Always Rises From The Ashes," a loud and explosive power ballad that sounds strangely like modern rock to some ears, meant to invigorate and inspire all of those who have lost hope. This show features magnificent displays of wildfire magic, echoing the unrestrained strength of Libertas's people. When the final line echoes through the hall — And the people, like the phoenix, will always rise! — a gigantic, illusionary phoenix will appear, covering the roof of the Hall, giving a beautiful, defiant screech before exploding into feathers. These feathers are soft to the touch, quite real, and can be taken home as souvenirs.
As always, thank you for your patronage and interest in the arts, Free Cities. Remember that, in the end, the people will always rise.]
no subject
--he blinks. Slow. Then offers Viktor the wine glass again, given that the tone of the statement makes it seem like he could use the damn thing.
There's nothing to say to that. So the better way to think about the whole mess is to reframe it.]
Do you have everything you want here so you can do whatever ridiculous thing you like?
[Actually no. That's not helpful. Alucard realizes it only after he asks. He exhales, then just. Sits himself on the floor, pausing to fan his cape out behind him.
God how did his father manage wearing one all the time?]
You didn't agree for no reason. Are the politics your only concern?
no subject
[He might not understand why Jayce considers formalizing their relationship in this way to be necessary, but he does know that it would make him happy. He wants to make Jayce happy, in spite of everything, and is willing to put up with a little Piltie nonsense to make it happen. The problem is that Viktor doesn't have everything he wants. Not here.]
This would not have been possible for us back home, so I understand the impulse. But without mastery of the summoning ritual, all of it is just...
[He trails off, slightly. Takes a heavy sip of wine. Tries to concentrate on the pattern of cables and circuits in front of him. At least that makes sense.]
Well, it's a nice dream.
[Something he could wake up from at any time.]
no subject
[He sounds cynical. Alucard knows that, but this politics thing feels like a fault like that could really crack. Neither of them deserve to have something fall apart.]
You're about to have it be your reality. And you need to think about what it means in the long term, assuming that you don't gain that mastery of the ritual. And if you're not in alignment about important things, then...the dream ends regardless, I think.
[He shakes his head, slowly. Feeling like he needs to apologize.]
Sorry, this has been wholly unsolicited--
no subject
[So, he does want this, on some level, but Viktor is a generally uncompromising person. Perhaps that's what makes this so difficult and perplexing--it's going to involve a great deal of compromise, on his part. Alucard is right that the advice is unsolicited, but it isn't necessarily unwelcome, even if Viktor bristles defensively. Who is to say he can't puzzle out the ritual? Jayce should want him to do it, even, because it will secure a future for the both of them, where neither of them has to make a choice and they can simply have each other.]
It's easy, for Jayce to make this his home. I will have to give up mine. [Or, at the very least, come to terms with the fact that they have this because of this strange circumstance and no other reason, and that one day it may simply end. Viktor doesn't like being told to surrender to cosmic forces and relinquish control--he's had so little of it, his whole life.] What does he have to give up, to have everything he wants?
no subject
[And the dhampir looks duly chastened, at the very least.
But he does listen. Tries to understand it, because he's used to parents that really didn't fight about big important things most days. He decides to finish the wine glass he brought for Viktor as well, since he's not partaking.]
....I think that question is a part of a conversation you two really should have.
no subject
[As in, they talked about it after his recovery, so at least he hasn't been sitting here with these feelings bottled up. He does, however, understand that it's something of an impasse, and that he's probably going to be the one to make those compromises, in the end.
He isn't going to give up on the ritual. But perhaps he can look within himself to come to terms with the situation as it is. Maybe it will be easier, to think of everything as just a dream, and enjoy it for however long it lasts.
Viktor deflates a little.]
Sorry, I'm--I've made things sound much more dire than they really are.
no subject
[Alucard notices the deflation. Shakes his head no, that it's fine.]
You clearly needed to talk, although I'm probably the last person to take relationship advice from. And my bias and defense will always be on your side. There's lines my father's people sometimes use - flesh of my flesh; blood of my blood; kin of my kin. There's more, the rest doesn't apply in the same way but...
[That's the sentiment. That's what matters.]
no subject
[Alucard might be better at this than he thinks--or maybe Viktor just opens up so rarely that any outside opinion from someone he trusts proves to be valuable. He can't deny anymore that he did need to talk, and, perhaps selfishly, it's just good to know that he has someone in his corner.
Viktor is no stranger to choosing his family, not coming from the Undercity as he does, but to hear Alucard admit it so openly gives him a moment of pause.]
It's the sentiment. [He says what Alucard is thinking.] I understand. Thank you.
no subject
[That's all he can ask for. If the two of them really do have an underlying ability to feel strong emotions, he might know anyway. But he'd rather hear about it.
The smile on his face is small. A little sad. Hoping that Viktor'll figure it out.]
It's a good day for emotional honesty.
no subject
[Not only because they're friends, but because Viktor trusts Alucard, and his judgement. He knows he's right about all this, but of course much of his relationship with Jayce is hard to explain. He often can't put words to it, himself, which he knows must be frustrating to observe from the outside.
Viktor's expression softens against the sad little smile on Alucard's face. Even after a year, it's still a new feeling to know that other people care about him--not just in the sense that they wanted him to live, but that they want him to be happy, too. Whatever that means, in the end.]
You've been a good friend to me, Adrian. [More than that. A brother. Alucard saved his life in a way that he can never hope to repay, even if it is, apparently, a good day for emotional honesty. Viktor doesn't know how he can be reassuring in this situation, or even thank Alucard properly for listening.
They're mismatched, with Viktor on his stool and Alucard making himself comfortable on the floor, but he turns away from his work in order to offer as much sincerity possible.] I'm not going to do anything that makes me unhappy. I promise.