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 Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2025 9:29 pm
2025 Star Festival Prompt The Wishing Tree (1): A Destiny City Star Festival Tradition to be held every year; In Town Square, there is a beautiful tree with spreading branches. It is tall, but the lowest branches are easily reached. The city has decorated the tree with small, starlike ornaments and glistening lights. Thick leaves and beautiful purple flowers dangle from the branches, along with a myriad of different colored papers with handwritten wishes. Next to the tree is a stack of blank paper with twine attached, and a handwritten sign that explains:
Write your wish on a sheet of paper and tie it to the tree. Take one wish off the tree and do your best to grant it. When you have granted the wish, bury the paper in the park.
The papers are biodegradable and filled with seeds. There are no rules for wishing, but you are encouraged to wish for something vague enough that it can be interpreted in many ways so that it can be granted; you do not write your name on it, but it is encouraged to write something that doesn't wish for self gain, but rather something that can make the world a better place. Some wishes dangling from the tree already include things like "I wish there wasn't so much litter in the park,” “I wish someone would clean the graffiti off the old historic buildings,” and “I wish there were more volunteers at the shelter.”
If you choose to use the Wishing Tree, what do you wish for? If your wish is private, you may write it on the paper and choose a spot in the park and bury it yourself instead of hanging it on the tree.
This wouldn’t have been a problem except that, for once, Jack had decided to invite someone else prior to explore the festival with: Mi-Hi, the girl he had only recently discovered was actually Sailor Sadalsuud, a fellow Dark Mirror Senshi. Prior to that, she was probably one of the closest people he had to a friend in the Dark Mirror Court aside from Sailor Ptolemaeus, but he hadn’t heard from that senshi in a while and he assumed he was busy. Besides…he wanted to get to know Mi-Hi more now that he had the opportunity to without being worried about crossing lines regarding discovering civilian identities. After he had accidentally learned his and they’d taken on a crazy, giant bird-thing together, he’d powered down before her and introduced himself to make things fair so she could know who he was as a civilian as well.
If Hanako was coming too, though…things were definitely going to get more complicated. Jack tried to tell Hanako that he had invited someone already in order to give him a hint that he might have been something of a third wheel. But instead of taking said hint, it only seemed to encourage Hanako to want to come more because he got extremely curious about who this other person was and what they were like. Jack wondered if Hanako planned to flirt with Mi-Hi with how much his new roommate seemed to enjoy flirting, but he wasn’t about to let that happen on his watch. In the end, he allowed Hanako to come with him on the condition he stay on his best behavior and not embarrass him in front of Mi-Hi.
Already, though, Hanako seemed to find the idea of Jack and Mi-Hi as a couple hilarious. Especially because the more Jack tried to deny they were together, the worse Hanako would tease him. Jack was about ready to try using a Krav Maga technique to knock Hanako out when they spotted Mi-Hi, who had accepted his invitation. With her there, he couldn’t very well knock Hanako out without giving a bad impression, so he decided to spare his roommate for a little longer.
Beaming when he saw her, Jack pocketed the Opal Star Charm he had picked up for himself from someone who had been handing them out and offered another star charm he had acquired to Mi-Hi – provided she didn’t already have enough of her own. The things were everywhere.
“Hey, Mi-Hi,” he greeted. “Glad you could make it. Sorry for the short notice, but my nuisance of a roommate here decided he wanted to tag along despite my protests, so feel free to ignore him.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 5:45 pm
Mi-Hi had been all too happy to accept Jack’s invitation to wander around this year’s Star Festival–
She’d been planning to go anyway as Star Fest was one of those things that she genuinely enjoyed. There was something fun about the way that the city transformed with colourful star-themed decorations sprouting up on official buildings and local stores alike.
Even some of the neighbourhood homes had gotten in on the act - and Mi-Hi wasn’t ashamed to admit that hers was one of them having spent a couple of evenings making up paper star-shaped decorations from a mixture of different coloured papers and cheerfully taping up the resulting creations in the windows of her tiny apartment.
Having missed out the city festivities last year, she had promised herself that she would at least visit the Wishing tree this year–
Although she’d kind of had to change her wish for the tree, since the original wish which she’d planned to slip up one evening as Sadalsuud, had been about hoping that Sinope - wherever he was, was okay.
It was funny how things had worked out - even if she could have done without the nightmare bird part.
Mi-Hi gave a bright smile as she spotted Jack and stepped towards him, a medium-sized paper bag cradled carefully in her hands.
The light glinting off the star-shaped clip that she’d used to secure the messy bun that she’d pinned her hair up in as a nod to the festival’s theme.
"Hi Jack," she called out cheerfully, smile widening slightly as her green eyes spotted the emerald star charm that he held out to her.
"Thank you," she said brightly as she shifted the bag to one hand so that she could take it, before confessing with a small laugh "I collect them.”
She held out the bag that she held in her hand in turn "I bought some honey cookies…" she started, before belatedly realising somewhat sheepishly that she should have probably checked whether Jack actually liked honey cookies before impulsively buying the bag of star-shaped biscuits.
Mi-Hi’s green eyes flicked curiously to the dark-haired male with Jack, before offering a friendly "Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Mi-Hi" with an easy smile.
Jack’s roommate wasn’t as tall as Jack, but still stood taller than her–
Although that was no surprise because at 4 feet 11 inches most people tended to stand taller than her.
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 6:19 pm
Roka was ecstatic. He wasn't sure if it could be called a date, exactly, and he kept mentally yelling at himself not to think of it that way, but his heart and mind were at odds with each other, so he just did his best to try to ignore both. Which was difficult.
Jackson had agreed to join him at the Star Festival that day and Roka couldn't wait to spend more time with him, seeing the sights and doing activities. He thanked someone who offered him a Crimson Star Charm and then asked for another to give Jackson when he arrived, to which they readily obliged. It was going to be wonderful! So long as he didn't mess anything up.
What could he mess up, though, he asked himself. To silence his anxiously beating heart's responses, Roka reminded his heart that this wasn't supposed to be a romantic encounter of any kind. It was just two guys spending time together at a festival. Maybe meeting other people and just generally hanging out because it seemed that neither of them, as busy college students, got to do that much. They both needed this time to relax, unwind, and enjoy themselves. Not freak out like their lives would end if the smallest thing went wrong.
Sighing, the silver-haired young man took a deep breath and tried to calm himself as he put away the star charms, sat on a bench, took out a ponytail and hair clip, and did up his hair while thinking. He didn't want the outing to be a disaster no matter what, so he had to come up with things to talk about. Ways to entertain Jackson in case there wasn't anything he wanted to do or he had already done all the stuff he had wanted to do. Roka closed his eyes and slapped either hand to either side of himself to wake himself up. He had to think.
Was Jackson the sort to like to talk about himself? It didn't seem like he liked talking much at all, but Roka was dying to know more about him. As he got up and thought about this, he went over to the wishing tree and wrote something on a slip of paper. 'I wish everyone had someone else who loved them and who they could love just as much back.'
It made him think about his first crushes in high school and disasters those had turned out to be. It seemed Roka tended to rub girls the wrong way without meaning to and guys...well, he just felt he had rotten luck with guys. The first one he'd really fell hard for, his first legitimate crush that wasn't just an infatuation, had turned out to have had a child. That had been awkward. And the one after...he'd been a dangerous man that Roka had the feeling might have committed a few crimes that potentially included murder.
But Jackson was different. People always felt different when one first met them, though, it seemed. And maybe they were, but that didn't mean they were good for you. Roka reminded himself he had to be careful with his heart. And then it occurred to him...perhaps Jackson seemed alone so often because he felt he had to be careful with his own, too.
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Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2025 4:55 am
He had little reason to hold so much resentment for the world. After all, whenever he was upset enough, he just had to be a little more creative to find someone else to blame for it. And if there really wasn't any options, he could only rely on himself to ruin someone else's day. Nothing beats bothering someone else to give him great joy. Or at least that's what he told himself when Jack so kindly invited ( he definitely didn't ) him to join his little date. The universe was so kind to tragically charming guys like him. Who for the first time in years, did not manage to secure a date. Not to worry, that was his luck was here for. And his luck - this time around - included his poor romantically awkward roommate going on a date~. Hanako , really - despite what most people thinkg- is a saint. The online quiz he took last week said so. Even if was for the same person that 2 minutes ago just talked about being emotionally fulfilled from ruining someones day. Regardless, he was going to be the best-est third wheel. Ensuring Jack doesn't do anything too embarassing, not missing his one shot, hopefully get the girl to fall head over heels and they both can live happily ever - oh wow she's cute. The whole plan about being a savior or whatever was thrown out the window when who he suspected was jack's date came. Greeting Jack warmly, retrieving the green star charm jack gave her and even talking about bringing cookies. Not.. the type Hanako expected Jack to go for. But the version of Jack he was more familiar with was a version of Jack ages ago back when they were still in school. Perhaps he might've missed something the two had. " Mi-hi~" he smiled kindly, offering a hand to shake. " Cute. What a fitting name for it's owner. Hanako Tone. But you can call me Hana. I'm the third wheel for today. But trust me, I'm a good addition for your date today" he jested lightly with a boyish grin.
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