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[003] video | un: lyreplayer

[ It's early November when Orpheus posts to the network again, this time sitting cross-legged on the floor of his bedroom with his guitar in his lap and the Omni propped up in front of him. The camera catches him leaning back after having set it to broadcast, and he waves as the recording starts. ]

Hi, everyone! I'm Orpheus, and, I thought of something that might be nice for us to do together? I know we're all busy building new lives here, but I don't think that means we have to forget the places we came from completely, or leave those memories behind. Unless you want to? That's fair too.

[ He pauses briefly, looking thoughtful and a little solemn as he considers that, before shaking his head and getting himself back on track.]

But! In my experience a big part of any place a person calls home is the stories that people tell there and the songs they sing, and it seems like it might be nice to share those with each other, as a way of giving each other a glimpse into where we came from, and of preserving them for the future. It can be anything you want to tell us about, whether it's a piece of history or a legend or a song or even a nursery rhyme you like. You don't have to share anything if you don't want to, of course, but I'd really love to hear anything and everything people are willing to add.

[ OOC: This is a mingle post! Please feel free to comment on other peoples' additions and otherwise tag around. ]

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No, I don't think you did! I'm listening, though.

Edited (words) 2021-11-13 08:25 (UTC)

Okay, great!

So, hundreds of years ago one of the old kings of Corona, Hertz Der Sonne was at war with the neighbouring kingdom, Saporia. He created a complex network of tunnels under the kingdom in order to move supplies to lower the risk of them being attacked by the enemy. He kept the plans of these tunnels in a journal.

[Which he'd steal himself in modern times committing treason but that's not important right now.]

One day, the leader of Saporia - General Shampanier invaded the kingdom, and a long, drawn-out battle took place. She got to Hertz Der Sonne's chambers and fought with him for hours- until she noticed his journal. Because along with his notes was a love confession. For her. She realised she felt the same way as he did, and they lay down their arms and eventually got married, and the two kingdoms merged together.

Every year to celebrate their union, the kingdom has a holiday called the Day of Hearts. Which...is kinda obnoxious really, lots of paper hearts everywhere, fancy food- kinda like Valentine's day? But couples sign their names in the journal as a means to show their love for each other. It's really sappy.

[Which is exactly why he thought Orpheus would like it.]

Oh! That's wonderful! The god and goddess of the seas where I come from have a similar story - about ending their war after realizing they had feelings for each other. It's really nice, isn't it? Knowing that something as big and terrifying as war can be overcome as everyday as love, sometimes.

[ Not always, but. Sometimes. ]

Aww, it's kinda nice to know it goes into other cultures too. And yes, it's kinda comforting. And The Day of Hearts is a big deal back home. Not as big as the Lantern Ceremony, but almost! So much of the Kingdom shows up for it.

I can see how it would be. It's hard to turn down an excuse to celebrate the ones you love.

[ At least for him, as someone prone to making grand gestures of affection at the slightest prompting. ]

What's the lantern festival, though? I don't think I've heard of that one.

I mean, our Kingdom will celebrate if a mouse farts in the wind, but yeah. It's... a special one.

[He brightens, because as sad as the root of this celebration is, it's turned into something lovely. ]

When she was a baby the princess of our Kingdom, Rapunzel, was kidnapped. She was missing for eighteen years, and every year on her birthday the whole kingdom would show up to the capital city and release these paper lanterns into the sky, to- to help lead her home? It's a gorgeous sight, thousands of lights in the sky, and they reflect against the sea and it's just...beautiful.

[As much as he complains about his homeland and their need to celebrate everything, some of his earliest memories are watching the lanterns go off into the night sky.]

Ironically, they DID lead her home, eventually. And now we let them off every year to celebrate her coming back to us.

Haha, well, it sounds like it must be an exciting place to live! We have a lot of festivals too, but most of them are to make sure the gods each receive their due, rather than celebrating anything in recent memory.

[ He listens to Varian's explanation though, with the demeanor of an enraptured schoolchild at storytime, expression lighting up as it draws to a close. ]

Oh, that's great! I'm glad she was able to find her way back, and that does sound beautiful. I almost wish I could've seen it.

See, at least your celebrations make sense! Corona has a whole festival where people try to catch a gopher!

[It's about more than just that, the gopher (while an actual gopher) is more symbolic than anything. But Varian still finds it weird.]

Me too- she's finally where she belongs. And it really is a beautiful sight. I miss being able to see it.

What, really? Any gopher, or a specific one? Is it some kind of contest of hunting skills?

[ He guesses that could make sense, but usually people pick more glamorous quarry for that kind of thing. ]

They keep the same gopher for as long as they can - it's not a special gopher though. The Coronan one is getting pretty old now.

[He laughs.]

Kind of! They get one leg each tied together and they have to work together in order to catch it.

Oh.

[ That takes a half-second to really sink in, but once it does Orpheus laughs too, the mental image too hard to resist. ]

Oh, well! I don't think most of the hunters who take part in the contests people hold back where I come from would tolerate something like that. It sounds like it could be a lot of fun, though!

[It's so fuckin' weird, Orpheus. Corona is so weird.]

It's more a regular person thing than a hunter thing anyway, the gopher survives the ordeal. He gets fed special berries and lives on a fancy pillow and everything. It's a position of high esteem . It's...interesting to watch. I've never taken part in it, I'm not really big on parties and celebrations.

Right! I hope he's not to scared by all the people chasing him, but I guess maybe the special treatment the rest of the year makes up for it? And that's fair, it doesn't sound like something I'd be much good at, so I probably would have sat it out too. Do you know how it got started, or is it just - one of those things?

[ You know, that people have either been doing for so long that no one remembers why anymore or that they just started doing with very little prompting. Or both. ]

Oh no, it's fine. Afterwards, it goes back to the nice cushion and the fancy berries and gets to live like a king.

[He hums softly at the question.]

You know, I'm not sure. Corona will have a party if a mouse breaks wind honestly, so it probably doesn't have any big reason behind it. The people just really like celebrations. All the time.

I guess if you have the time and resources to celebrate, then why not, right? It was like that in some of the big cities where I came from, apparently, when I was really little. One festival rolling into another. But then the seasons started going all wrong, and hardly anyone could afford that kind of thing anymore.

[ He goes kind of quiet and contemplative, at that. It's sort of incredible, how fast that all changed. How fast everything could go wrong, at such a large scale. ]

That's definitely the way Corona looks at things. Things are pretty bountiful there, and they're not afraid of showing it.

[His expression softens as Orpheus trails off.]

...I'm sorry. That must have been really hard. Struggling to get by.

[ Orpheus nods, a little distantly, before shaking it off and smiling again. ]

It was getting better, when I was there last, at least. Spring had come again. [ Just like he'd promised everyone, what feels like a lifetime ago. ] I know the weather won't fix everything, but it'll be - better, with that back in order again.

That's...well, it's good? Spring is a good start- literally. It means things can start to grow again. That's got to be worth something.

It is. I don't think anyone'd had a good harvest in years, when I left? Between the droughts and the hard winters and the dust storms. But with Lady Persephone coming back - really coming back, this time - things should start to turn around. I'm hopeful.

[ He drums his fingers on the body of his guitar, thoughtfully. ]

It's a little sad that I won't be able to see it, but... I have everything I could ask for here. So I really can't complain.

Fingers crossed that it stays that way for you. The idea of the seasons being in the hands of the gods is pretty wild for me still, but it's not any more impossible than anything else, really.

[Magic happens and gods exist and he has to suck it up and accept it. But this is MUCH better to talk about, so:]

That's right! How is everything with Eurydice? Is she settling in okay?

I still don't really understand how it works when they aren't? Martin explained the sun to me, back in Deerington, and I think I get that, but not the seasons? I tried reading a book about it [ for literal children ] but it didn't really make sense.

[ He shakes his head. ]

She seems to be doing really well! She's been doing a lot of scavenging for things to barter, and it seems like she's really good at that, so we haven't had to worry much about supplies or anything. It's been really nice. In some ways it's a little easier living here than it was back where we came from.

Oh. Right. I...I guess that makes sense, given what you're used to. I can always try and explain it to you? If...if you want? Maybe having someone you can ask questions to will help?

[Varian you FOOL, what are you setting yourself up for?]

That's good! That it's...easier, I mean. At least it's easier to get a hot meal here, right? That's...that's gotta be good for her.

It is! The kinds of food here are different, from what we're used to, but I don't think either of us are about to complain about it.

[ After some of the things Orpheus has eaten during particularly rough winters he's really got no room left to be picky. ]

And, well - there was something about how, sometimes the seasons are different, in different parts of the world? And, I understand the weather being different, like between deserts and forests and the coasts, but how could it be winter in one place and summer in another?

Oh yeah, after rough winters, I bet it makes a difference to have all kinds of actually filling foods to enjoy.

[He brightens, excited to share some KNOWLEDGE!!]

OH! That's not too bad. So the Earth is a sphere, right? A ball? [Orpheus is from OLD old times so it's best to check these things.] Now imagine there's a band around the middle- that's the equator- it's...you can see it, it's imaginary, but that's the line we use to judge the seasons. Above the equator is what we call the northern hemisphere and below it is what we call the southern hemisphere. With me so far?

[ Orpheus nods along, listening intently. ]

Right. And the weather's warmer along the equator, because the sun flies closer to it, and colder towards the poles because they're farther away. Unless you're on a mountain? Then it's colder even though you'd think you'd be closer to the sun?

[ He is clearly baffled by this. ]

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