Tanabata in Kabuki Street July 8!

[Eri Maeda]

The heat of summer has arrived, and that means it's time for Kabuki Street in Dockside to say Happy Tanabata on Saturday, July 8th!

The excitement has been building, and everyone has been working hard making decorations to prepare for Kabuki's favorite summer festival. Honoring the legend of the meeting of Orihime and Hikoboshi in the heavens one night each year, Tanabata is a huge celebration of the stars and the legendary lovers but also of summer fun.



The festival will begin with a tremendous parade down the Dockside neighborhood's central street starting at the Zama shrine. As this is the sixth year that Kabuki Street has invited all to join them for the celebration and six is an auspicious number, the parade is expected to be even more grand than ever before with elaborate floats.



Everyone looks forward to the games that are set up in stalls all throughout the brightly decorated neighborhood. Senbonbiki, yo-yo tsuri, and of course the famous goldfish scooping game, or kingyo sukui are all favorites. The most rowdy of delinquents and children also delight in suikawari, where participants are blindfolded, given a stick and attempt to smash watermelons.



Partying is hungry work, and Kabuki is well equipped to feed many hungry visitors with food stalls selling treats like okonomiyaki, yakisoba, and of course takoyaki!



Kabuki TV's gossip show reported that as of Sunday, the now famous team of Swiss pyrotechnics experts have been seen checking into the Kabuki Prince Hotel, so it seems certain that another fantastic fireworks show will conclude the festival at midnight.



This will be a live play event to take place in the #streets-of-rhydin channel using Kabuki Street as a setting at 9 pm eastern time. Feel free to post character outfits or participation in this thread!

[Haku Kubo]

Yuina Hirano and Haku Kubo of the idol group Hanami Harmony act as the official Tanabata Ambassadors during the lead up to the festival.

The two make their rounds on multiple morning news shows throughout the weeks leadup, showing different games and activities the festival has to offer, along with video of last years firework show! The newest single from Hanami Harmony, Hanabi Duo, is also previewed with the official release announced for the day of Tanabata as the "official theme of the 2023 Tanabata festival". You may very well hear it from the Kabuki Street sound system throughout the night!

The two will also be seen taking their roles as the announcers of the Tanabata parade that begins the days festivities, all while wearing matching yukata.



As night takes the city the two relaxed and enjoyed the festival not as idols, but a couple. Yuina had to pick up the slack though at the many game booths as Haku seemed to have a bad luck streak when attempting to win a goldfish for herself.

[PC]

It wouldn't be a Tanabata in Kabuki without the Takamine's! After all, they're the ones who made sure there is money squirreled away in the Kabuki Street Rengou-kai coffers each year for the festivities.

Na-rae once more chose to focus her free time in putting her fingers to work in preparing the two modern hanboks to wear. Their daughter, Lisa, was adamant in matching with her best friend and ran about in a yukata, which meant Na-rae had to put in a little extra work before the festival.


Na-rae's attire


Izumi's attire

While participating in the parade as one of the current Heavenly Queens, Izumi wears a sailor-fuku with a flair of the yanki aesthetic fitting a true Majijo delinquent.

[Yuzuki Kuwabara]

Though Rappapa had been busy making their summer vacation plans, Asami and Yuzuki Ito took the whole day off from duties to enjoy the festival. Yukata shopping had taken Yuzuki some time, searching for the perfect pattern to fit the theme of the year. Asami, by contrast, walked into the yukata shop and declared, 'I want red. OK, done'.


Asami's yukata


Yuzuki's yukata

Before changing into her yukata, Asami wore her traditional seifuku to ride in the parade as one of the heavenly queens of the Kabuki Street Rengou-kai. She sat on the float next to fellow sukeban Eri Maeda, giving the whole crowd her familiar salty look. After the parade they made sure that Neko, Koneko, Koro and Chicken Nugget had plenty of food and water and went out to enjoy festival food and games, and finally the fireworks show wearing their yukatas. Yuzuki made sure to stop and speak to any of her karate students they ran into over the course of the night.

[Taiko]

Tomo came to the festival with Reira and to hang out with the rest of the Rappapa gang, and to relive high school mayhem (like greasing up the stick for hitting watermelons in games of suikawari).

It was a time to honor traditions -- though she knew that her friend was an Ito now, Tomo greeted Yuzuki with a muttered "kuwabara, kuwabara" and a clack of her geta like a crack of thunder.

But she wouldn't be a delinquent if she didn't buck tradition somewhat. Rather than a formal yukata, Tomo had fashioned hers into a jacket to wear over a black summer dress. She was handy with a needle and thread (an adjacent skill to putting a hook on a line) thanks to years of sewing patches onto her jackets, and found some patterned fabric to make a kinchaku bag to match Reira's outfit.



She hadn't caught on that Reira was trying to get her to match when she'd shown her the fish-patterned yukata and obi, with matching straps on the geta. But she had been paying attention, in her own way, though it had taken weeks to become clear.

At the end of the night, they secured a rooftop spot for watching the fireworks. Their former classmate known as Best Elvis had occupied the spot, but Tomo evicted him by threatening him with a nice pair of drumsticks she'd bought at the festival.

[Dax]

Hailing from Hawaii and having been stationed in Okinawa before doing…certain things he still couldn’t talk about…throughout Asia, Dax Kincaid was quite familiar with the summer celebration of Tanabata. The Japanese festival was one the former Marine looked forward to each and every year. He’d traveled back to Japan a few times to learn the unique history of, beautiful style rules, and way of tattooing traditional Japanese tattoos. Kincaid even had one such tattoo, done in the traditional wabori style as part of a lower leg sleeve. The rebellious nature of the style’s history in Japan spoke to the Marine and it was a tradition he sought to carry forward into the modern world of tattooing. All of which was to say that Kincaid was excited to join a certain ballerina for the Kabuki Street celebration!

The tremendous parade that began the festival was a sight to behold as Dax gathered alongside Josie outside the Zama shrine for the auspicious beginning. He felt the press of the crowd and, at times, began to feel a bit overwhelmed though the ballerina’s presence at his side, her smile and demeanor helped anchor him in the present as fantastic, colorful, and elaborate floats passed by. It was largely a silent struggle…combating a past that had witnessed far too much violence and stress (to include some far more recent events) …but the company and the atmosphere certainly helped him through the stressful spikes.

The games made for a great break and the pair easily navigated from stall to stall with Dax commenting that Josie, given her carnival history, should dominate every single one. When it came time to scoop goldfish, Dax insisted that no fish would be harmed and that the one they caught together would go to a happy bowl in her new home. When asked for a name Dax offered up the obvious given the fish’s new home and his history: Jarhead. Remember that rebellious streak, well it raced parallel with a rowdy twin which meant Dax would swing away like a blindfolded Merrill Hess for the fun and victory. Claps and cheers would accompany any attempt Josie tried as well. Dax could be competitive at times though it was easy to cheer for her even as she bested him at the yo yo tsuri booth and hooked her colorful water balloon while his paper dissolved each time before he could reel in a catch. He could get Jarhead (he was determined to make the name stick) but not a balloon!

Delightful food was enjoyed throughout the experience that saw Marine and Ballerina sharing and, occasionally, playfully fencing one another with utensils for the last bite. All the treats were sampled, and Dax was grateful for the gustatory distractions as day gave over to night and everyone began to gather for the fireworks. Displays like these weren’t the easiest…the pyrotechnic displays sounded like the booming of artillery at times, and he was grateful that Josie seemed capable of somewhat muting the brilliantly colored explosions so the pair could still watch and enjoy the spectacle. Dax was grateful again when the time came, as it always did, that he felt himself redlining within the crowd and it was time to go. A look without question was enough for Josie to accompany him, without judgment, away from the cluster of festivities, goldfish (Jarhead) bagged and in hand for a bit of quiet.

It was in those quiet moments that he best understood the meaning behind the celebration and could appreciate the present moments the most. It had been a wonderful night and he walked away with good food, good memories, a good idea for a new tattoo and the very best of company.

[Josette Wheeler]

Josie was all too thrilled to celebrate Tanabata again on Kabuki Street as it was always a good time. Conscious of her companion’s issue with crowds, Josie gently guided Dax to the more quiet spaces when necessary to sit in a little sound sanctuary and partake of the delicious food.

She was an absolute smash hitting the watermelons blindfolded—and even asked permission to take some of the smashed fruit home to feed the turtles of Willow Way a cool treat.

Delighted to rescue a new friend, Josie could barely wait to get home to get the fish some newfound freedom. Yet she would stay for the fireworks, using her abilities to muffle the sound for not only herself and Dax, but by any wildlife that might be sensitive to the noise and might want a little help.

[Eri Maeda]

Eri searched for several days for the yukata that felt just right for this summer, and finally found what she was looking for right at Jusco. It must be true, that they really have everything. She was ready to enjoy the parade, riding on a float seated between Rapappa sukeban Asami Ito and former Heavenly Queen Saori Sato. After the parade she was ready to join Mallory and Midori for games and food and a shrine visit. Finally she returned to Riverwatch to have a grand view of the great fireworks show, happy that Na-rae had put aside extra funds to ensure the Swiss team could put on a truly spectacular display as ever.

[Delahada]

As the old saying went, if it ain't broke don't fix it. In this case it was a matter of Salvador Delahada choosing to rewear the same haori he had found the year before, with the help of his companion Gatito Lindo. It was comfortable and suited his own personal style well. He left the leather jacket at home and arrived early so that he could stroll the streets, searching for the perfect, high, out-of-the-way spot to watch the parade from. And when it was over, he and his companion returned to the streets to join in the rest of the festivities.

When it came to the games, he stood back and watched his companion give them a try, a soft but fond smile almost always on his face. He stopped to say hello to any of the delinquents he knew as they roamed the festival, offering a fist bump to Yuzuki Ito in particular if he had the chance. V-for-victory signs were flashed in abundance as well. Any other friends or family they crossed paths were greeted, too. Additional fist bumps were offered where applicable.

Salvador made certain at some point to stop by the Zama shrine to make a donation. He and his companion shared many of the available treats together. And as the day wore down, they found their way to higher ground again, atop a random roof that gave them a great view of the sky. There they reclined to watch the fireworks, heads tilted close so that the Spaniard could listen to the Gatito quietly tell him stories about what they witnessed together.

[Partly Cloudy]

Gatito arrived early in the day with his companion, Salvador Delahada, and quickly found a high spot from which to watch the parade. Later, he made sure to enjoy all of the games and food offerings, staying close to Sal as the day progressed. Once night fell, he again found a high vantage point with his tesoro and settled in to watch the fireworks.




(( More coming when my brain cooperates a little better. ))

[BardGallant]

Governor Driscol put in an appearance at the festival, having this year chosen to wear a blue haori with flowers, paper cranes and fans printed on the material. Naturally, he was always in the company of his loving life partner Rhys Germain. They arrived early to first visit the Zama shrine, where Dris made a sizeable donation, and from there followed the parade on its route across the Dockside neighborhood.

While strolling through the streets afterward, sampling the many delicious foodstuffs, the Governor stopped always to greet his adoring public, shaking hands and signing autographs. He and Rhys spent many hours playing the games multiple times, often helping the less skillful secure themselves a win. By the end of the day, they had rescued a pair of goldfish to take home and add to their menagerie.

As night settled over the district, the Governor gathered up as many friends and family members as he could assemble in one spot to watch the fireworks display. He kept Rhys close at his side, hands held and heads leaned together. When it was over, they bid all their loved ones and Kabuki Street a fond farewell, absconding into the night.

[Rhys Germain]

Rhys arrived early with his life partner Dris and stayed all day. He took in the parade, participated in the games, and enjoyed the food, all the way up until it was time for the pyrotechnics. Then he happily took to a rooftop with his love and stayed close, holding onto Dris as they watched the lights stream across the dark like falling stars.





(( More to come later. ))

[Mallory]

Once again, Mallory met with exiled fashion designer Bungee Maximum for tea and to commission a yukata for the festival. She had infamously and fatally run over her manager in Tokyo with a Vespa, hence her exile, but the witch seemed to enjoy the scandal and admire the unapologetic designer.



In addition, she went to Monster Salon to have her horns buffed, polished and oiled before the festival -- and to catch up on the pre-festival gossip.

During the parade, she rode her Stygian oar like a witch's broom, floating over the crowd and throwing candy to everyone who'd gathered to celebrate the festival.

Later, she joined Eri and Midori for games and snacks, and prayed and made an offering at the shrine to honor Orihimi, Hikoboshi, and the goddess Tsukuyomi, to whom she felt she owed her happy life on Kabuki Street.

[Misaki Ishikawa]

Glow in the dark! There's even a little remote that illuminates the light stripes within the yukata for different color effects. Can't forget the strobe, flash, fade, and smooth light setting too. Ishikawa made sure to be a menace with fireworks too later in the night and got a lecture, again, by the Shinsengumi.

[Kana Tano]

Kana was happy to have been given the day off at the Cafe Neon... it surely would have been a slow shift without many customers anyway. Instead she was out enjoying the festival with Ishikawa. She took a great deal of enjoyment in controlling the remote that activated the glowing and changing stripes on the delinquent's yukata. Kana herself naturally had picked a pink yukata for herself, the better to match her hair. She mostly left the fireworks and being a menace to Ishikawa, and was amused as they got lectured by the shinsengumi for a second year.