GENKI SILENT PROTAG. She'll probably strong-arm you into doing something ridiculous, and do so with the cutest smile on earth. She might also poke you with a naginata if you're a punk.
THE SASSY PROTAG. a phantom thief with a heart of gold. lives rebelliously and without regrets, though spends most of his time feigning a very unassuming persona. #nailedit
A true sunshine protagonist. Country bumpkin, slow on the uptake. Wants to be everyone's friend. Swordian Master of fire, incredibly hot-blooded. A GOOD BEAN. Please love him. He's my favorite and I am biased.
The original fabulous Tales science lady. Probably wants to dissect you pretty shamelessly. Loves and adores cute things. Inventor of the Swordians. Definitely the definition of Mad Scientist.
[that part he didn't realize... and naturally, stahn is curious to know what it's all about. of course, he wants to know about the other things that are enjoyable about the festival itself beyond the food...
but knowing there's some actual history to the festival seems really cool to him, and he always likes to learn about new things, even when he doesn't necessarily understand everything to it.]
Of course there is! There's always a great story behind things like these. [She's excited, already barreling straight into the story as she holds up each index finger a few inches apart to demonstrate.]
Okay, so there was a princess named Orihime who used to make clothes by the heavenly river. Her father, the king, used to love the cloth she would make and she loved her father so she worked hard every day to weave it. But because she was constantly working on that she couldn't meet other people and it made her sad. So one day, the king allowed her to meet a boy named Hikoboshi who lived on the other side of the river. When they met it was, like, love at first sight and they got married, but because they were so happy with each other that they both totally started slacking off on their jobs. Her dad got so mad about that that he forced them to stay on their own sides of the river and said they could never meet again. But because Orihime was so upset she begged her father to let her see her husband and the king made her a deal that if she would work really hard on her weaving, she and her husband could meet on the seventh day of the seventh month.
So! That's why all of the celebrations start on the seventh day of July even if the festivals don't. It's a little sad, isn't it? Having to choose between who you love and what you love to do? I'm glad we don't really have to do that.
[stahn takes a moment to process all of that; rise isn't wrong in some respect—maybe it is pretty sad. he understands what she means, but all the same...
it's a choice he understands. he's already had to make that choice before, between his duties as a swordian master and being with the people he loves most all the time. so he can offer a different, brighter perspective.]
I don't think it's that sad. Even if you love someone a lot, it's not really fair to anyone to do badly at the things you need to do... if you love your work, you can't just give that up either, right?
But... not being able to see Hikoboshi made her work really hard so she could see him again. Even if it was for a little bit of time, it was probably worth it to Orihime to do everything she could. So she got to do the thing she loved and got to see him again.
I guess it's kind of sad not to see someone you love all the the time... it's really hard. But I think that it just makes you work harder so that you can appreciate the time you do have together. Right?
[it's definitely a very different take on the tale... but leave it to stahn to find a different way to view it.]
[She opens her mouth to argue, but then she thinks about it and realizes Stahn has a good point. Isn't that why she went back to being an idol in the first place? She loved her work, even if the people she loved needed to remind her of that.
And...yeah, she worked hard to be sure that she got enough done so she could spend Golden Week with her friends. So for a moment she doesn't speak, but she does frown thoughtfully.]
How can you take something so tragic and turn it into something sweet instead? [She laughs to herself.] When you put it that way it doesn't seem as bad at all. I still don't think I could stand only having one day with the people I love. What if a whole year passes and things are too different for two people to still be together? [She knows not all people are like that. She knows she can be separated from most of her friends and still love them dearly, but it's worth entertaining as they continue eying the various stalls and vendors around them.]
It would be tough. But I think if it's something they both want... then it would be worth the waiting, right?
[of course, stahn also has a very simple worldview. to him, it just makes sense that if you have someone you love that dearly... you'd deal with being separated for a long period of time.
and deal with having a limited time together.
(maybe he can just relate to it a little too much.)]
If it's the only choice you really have... you just have to make the best of it and try to be happy with what you've got, don't you think?
I think you're right, but at the same time I don't think it's very fair to let other people be the ones to make that kind of call for people. [She wrinkles her nose.] That's the really lame part about it. It's not so much you're making the choice, it's that you have no choice but to make the choice.
But...you're right. If that was the only choice I had, I'd take it. Even if I'd wish for something else. [With that though she smiles again.] Do you believe in wishes, Stahn?
Maybe it's not fair if it's someone else making the choice. But that's not always the case, right? Sometimes... it's things a lot bigger than that.
[stahn, perpetually speaking from experience here. the life of your best (boy)friend being kind of, you know. dead in their native world and having some extreme workarounds and all.
but that's neither here nor there. he deals with it all just fine—even if it means he can relate to a tale like this far too easily.
he'll focus more on her question anyway, since that's easier.]
Wishes...? Mm! [he's a simple soul.] I don't know if they really work but... I like to believe they do!
Maybe. But I also want to think that anything can be solved if you work together.
[Based on her own experiences with people making choices for her she didn't like. Still, she brightens up and easily latches onto the new subject instead.]
But wishes are the really important part of the festival! They say that if you make a wish and tie it to the bamboo tree on Tanabata it'll come true! It's silly sometimes but...after everything it's one of the things that makes most sense here.
[You know, after all of the extreme circumstances they've both been through.] You've never had a wish come true?
[he can't say that he hasn't—that would be a lie. he's interested in the tradition of making a wish regardless, because stahn is still an optimist. he still wants to believe in all the good the world has to offer.]
But I've had ones that didn't, too. [so honest, so earnest.] So I guess I don't really know if it has anything to do with wishes, but I still want to believe them.
Maybe it's not that those wishes didn't come true. Maybe they just didn't come true yet. Sometimes a little bit of time is all you need as long as you don't give up believing in them. Sometimes...I think maybe it's more risky to stop believing. Like maybe that changes everything.
[She's leading them right past the food and toward a grove of bamboo though where a small crowd of people are hanging slips of paper. She gestures to them once they stop.] Do you think they all still believe, too?
No... I think there were just some things I wished for that couldn't happen, no matter how much I wanted to.
[he's grown enough to just be able to see that not everything he's wished for is plausible. he's had people surround him that could ground him in that kind of reality—
though it certainly hasn't taken away from his optimism on the whole.]
I hope they all still believe. [e's still in good spirits about things, after all. he wants to believe in them, he wants to believe that people aren't just putting their wishes up that way because they think they should.]
[How sad. It's clear that it bothers her given the way she's frowning in response. But she can't be a downer about it. Stahn's optimism is infectious though and she tries for another smile anyway.]
I hope so, too. But you know what? We should set an example for some of the ones who don't. If we hang our wishes and show people we believe in them, maybe they will, too. What do you think?
[it's something they can always talk about later—rise would understand his reasoning a lot more in that case, but he won't dredge it up when they're trying to keep things fun.
it's still a festival, after all.]
That's a great idea, Rise! If we do that, more people will definitely have a reason to believe in it. And maybe if more people believe in it... more of them will come true!
Right! [See this is why Stahn's the best.] It's a little like magic that way, I think. We should find a vendor for the paper...and after that I'll even buy us lunch and we can keep walking. Maybe we can find more people to inspire at the different stalls, too.
[This is part of being an idol, she thinks. Setting examples and being inspiring. Stahn makes her feel a little braver in that regard considering the things she knows he's lost...] In a way, I sorta wish we could have brought some of our other friends with us today.
[she's definitely got him sold at "lunch," even if he doesn't expect her to pay.] Mmm, mm! That sounds like a great idea, Rise!
[he wants to do all of it. eat, but also to try to help other people in their own way. it's just the perfect sort of thing for him.
(and of course, if he can also help rise, he'd be glad for that too.)]
Yeah... it would have been nice to have some of the others with us, right? But... we'll have other chances! Maybe it's just something else we need to wish for?
[is that something worth wishing for when they can probably arrange it? who knows. it's something to consider—but of course, stahn is also just very simple-minded in that way sometimes.]
[And she's already leading to scour the stalls for their items, though she's sticking close to Stahn so she doesn't have to speak so loudly over the crowds.]
It's a wish that could easily come true with or without a little help. [She winks.] Who do you think would enjoy something like this the most anyway?
[Stahn unfortunately gets a stare because from what she knows of Leon he'd complain the whole way...but Leon likes sweets, she knows that by now, and Leon likes being around Stahn (or so she figures.) Maybe that would make the most sense.]
If you really think the grumpy knight would have fun, we'll find a way to bring him along next time! But of course Yu-senpai and my friends would have a lot of fun with stuff like this. But from our world...[The one they shared, she means.] Do you remember Kashuu-san? I think he'd like this best. Lili, too. Lili would never admit it, but they'd have fun with all of the action.
[Then, a thoughtful hum.] Sometimes I forget that not everyone has the same traditions we do.
He would—even if he doesn't say it, Leon really does like a lot of things! He's just really bad at showing it.
[he's a tsun tsun baby. but leon would probably bear with it for him as he had for things in cerealia and find the fun in it, to be sure. but he'll take a second to pause and think about the people he knew well in cerealia.]
I think Kashuu would definitely have the most fun with it! I think Otome would like it, and... oh! Atsushi, and Yata, and probably Sorey and Mikleo too!
Really, really bad. [She smiles though to show Stahn it's not a bad thing and she understands. Leon's always been a complicated person as far as she knows.] I bet Rei-chan and her friends would like this, too. It makes you wonder why we never had anything really like this back there. There was that school festival though! But after that it got so complicated to balance the good times with the bad times.
But sometimes I think we were still lucky to be there. Is that crazy?
I don't think so. I'm glad I could make so many friends in a place like that!
[and more importantly:] I think I learned a lot too. About other people... and about myself. Even if there were a lot of times we were sad or got hurt, there are a lot of things I feel lucky about too.
We all grew up there in different ways. It's hard to think about what would happen if we couldn't remember everything from that world or about each other. Feelings don't change, so without knowing where they came from we'd be really lost.
Besides! It means more reasons to keep in touch and do things like this. [A pause.] Until I met the others in Inaba, I didn't have a lot of friends. And then I met everyone in Cerealia, too. It's amazing.
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bc he's stahn :D
[that part he didn't realize... and naturally, stahn is curious to know what it's all about. of course, he wants to know about the other things that are enjoyable about the festival itself beyond the food...
but knowing there's some actual history to the festival seems really cool to him, and he always likes to learn about new things, even when he doesn't necessarily understand everything to it.]
THATS FAIR
Okay, so there was a princess named Orihime who used to make clothes by the heavenly river. Her father, the king, used to love the cloth she would make and she loved her father so she worked hard every day to weave it. But because she was constantly working on that she couldn't meet other people and it made her sad. So one day, the king allowed her to meet a boy named Hikoboshi who lived on the other side of the river. When they met it was, like, love at first sight and they got married, but because they were so happy with each other that they both totally started slacking off on their jobs. Her dad got so mad about that that he forced them to stay on their own sides of the river and said they could never meet again. But because Orihime was so upset she begged her father to let her see her husband and the king made her a deal that if she would work really hard on her weaving, she and her husband could meet on the seventh day of the seventh month.
So! That's why all of the celebrations start on the seventh day of July even if the festivals don't. It's a little sad, isn't it? Having to choose between who you love and what you love to do? I'm glad we don't really have to do that.
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[stahn takes a moment to process all of that; rise isn't wrong in some respect—maybe it is pretty sad. he understands what she means, but all the same...
it's a choice he understands. he's already had to make that choice before, between his duties as a swordian master and being with the people he loves most all the time. so he can offer a different, brighter perspective.]
I don't think it's that sad. Even if you love someone a lot, it's not really fair to anyone to do badly at the things you need to do... if you love your work, you can't just give that up either, right?
But... not being able to see Hikoboshi made her work really hard so she could see him again. Even if it was for a little bit of time, it was probably worth it to Orihime to do everything she could. So she got to do the thing she loved and got to see him again.
I guess it's kind of sad not to see someone you love all the the time... it's really hard. But I think that it just makes you work harder so that you can appreciate the time you do have together. Right?
[it's definitely a very different take on the tale... but leave it to stahn to find a different way to view it.]
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And...yeah, she worked hard to be sure that she got enough done so she could spend Golden Week with her friends. So for a moment she doesn't speak, but she does frown thoughtfully.]
How can you take something so tragic and turn it into something sweet instead? [She laughs to herself.] When you put it that way it doesn't seem as bad at all. I still don't think I could stand only having one day with the people I love. What if a whole year passes and things are too different for two people to still be together? [She knows not all people are like that. She knows she can be separated from most of her friends and still love them dearly, but it's worth entertaining as they continue eying the various stalls and vendors around them.]
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[of course, stahn also has a very simple worldview. to him, it just makes sense that if you have someone you love that dearly... you'd deal with being separated for a long period of time.
and deal with having a limited time together.
(maybe he can just relate to it a little too much.)]
If it's the only choice you really have... you just have to make the best of it and try to be happy with what you've got, don't you think?
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But...you're right. If that was the only choice I had, I'd take it. Even if I'd wish for something else. [With that though she smiles again.] Do you believe in wishes, Stahn?
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[stahn, perpetually speaking from experience here. the life of your best (boy)friend being kind of, you know. dead in their native world and having some extreme workarounds and all.
but that's neither here nor there. he deals with it all just fine—even if it means he can relate to a tale like this far too easily.
he'll focus more on her question anyway, since that's easier.]
Wishes...? Mm! [he's a simple soul.] I don't know if they really work but... I like to believe they do!
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[Based on her own experiences with people making choices for her she didn't like. Still, she brightens up and easily latches onto the new subject instead.]
But wishes are the really important part of the festival! They say that if you make a wish and tie it to the bamboo tree on Tanabata it'll come true! It's silly sometimes but...after everything it's one of the things that makes most sense here.
[You know, after all of the extreme circumstances they've both been through.] You've never had a wish come true?
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[he can't say that he hasn't—that would be a lie. he's interested in the tradition of making a wish regardless, because stahn is still an optimist. he still wants to believe in all the good the world has to offer.]
But I've had ones that didn't, too. [so honest, so earnest.] So I guess I don't really know if it has anything to do with wishes, but I still want to believe them.
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[She's leading them right past the food and toward a grove of bamboo though where a small crowd of people are hanging slips of paper. She gestures to them once they stop.] Do you think they all still believe, too?
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[he's grown enough to just be able to see that not everything he's wished for is plausible. he's had people surround him that could ground him in that kind of reality—
though it certainly hasn't taken away from his optimism on the whole.]
I hope they all still believe. [e's still in good spirits about things, after all. he wants to believe in them, he wants to believe that people aren't just putting their wishes up that way because they think they should.]
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I hope so, too. But you know what? We should set an example for some of the ones who don't. If we hang our wishes and show people we believe in them, maybe they will, too. What do you think?
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it's still a festival, after all.]
That's a great idea, Rise! If we do that, more people will definitely have a reason to believe in it. And maybe if more people believe in it... more of them will come true!
[#nailedit]
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[This is part of being an idol, she thinks. Setting examples and being inspiring. Stahn makes her feel a little braver in that regard considering the things she knows he's lost...] In a way, I sorta wish we could have brought some of our other friends with us today.
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[he wants to do all of it. eat, but also to try to help other people in their own way. it's just the perfect sort of thing for him.
(and of course, if he can also help rise, he'd be glad for that too.)]
Yeah... it would have been nice to have some of the others with us, right? But... we'll have other chances! Maybe it's just something else we need to wish for?
[is that something worth wishing for when they can probably arrange it? who knows. it's something to consider—but of course, stahn is also just very simple-minded in that way sometimes.]
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It's a wish that could easily come true with or without a little help. [She winks.] Who do you think would enjoy something like this the most anyway?
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and of course.
there's one obvious conclusion.]
I think Leon would! He would have a hard time with so many people, and he'd probably say the wishes are dumb...
[but:] I think he'd really like trying the food and playing the games, too!
[obviously.] What about you, Rise?
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If you really think the grumpy knight would have fun, we'll find a way to bring him along next time! But of course Yu-senpai and my friends would have a lot of fun with stuff like this. But from our world...[The one they shared, she means.] Do you remember Kashuu-san? I think he'd like this best. Lili, too. Lili would never admit it, but they'd have fun with all of the action.
[Then, a thoughtful hum.] Sometimes I forget that not everyone has the same traditions we do.
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[he's a tsun tsun baby. but leon would probably bear with it for him as he had for things in cerealia and find the fun in it, to be sure. but he'll take a second to pause and think about the people he knew well in cerealia.]
I think Kashuu would definitely have the most fun with it! I think Otome would like it, and... oh! Atsushi, and Yata, and probably Sorey and Mikleo too!
[nailed it.]
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But sometimes I think we were still lucky to be there. Is that crazy?
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[and more importantly:] I think I learned a lot too. About other people... and about myself. Even if there were a lot of times we were sad or got hurt, there are a lot of things I feel lucky about too.
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Besides! It means more reasons to keep in touch and do things like this. [A pause.] Until I met the others in Inaba, I didn't have a lot of friends. And then I met everyone in Cerealia, too. It's amazing.