I went to the Lunar Festival on Chandran!

<It took a fair bit more editing than her usual videos, but after the events on Chandran and the Temple of Selune, Eo had found herself with a fair bit more drive than she was used to. She put actual effort into this; thoughtful, planned editing, a clear outline of what she wanted to say, and a goal to not only entertain, but educate. She ended up having to take several hours looking up various tutorials, getting MUUT to help clean things up, and a late night or two working on the ship, but all in all, it was something she could be proud of. Something that she did. Not because it was expected of her or some nebulous "duty", but because she wanted to.>
 
<It even had a thoughtful thumbnail, instead of her usual clickbait tactic of a shocked expression from Rumblebee, or filling half the thumbnail with her tits.>
 
<the video opens with several shots of the Lunar Festival during the eclipse, cutting one after another to the beat of the best royalty-free travel vlog music she could find. There are stalls, lights, fireworks, people celebrating, and a longer, sweeping shot of the festival grounds from high above. Eo is taking full advantage of her wings and is getting angles that other people couldn't. The shot then cuts to longer B-roll footage strolling down a packed street as Rumblebee appears in the corner.>
 
Ahoy! Rumblebee here, and I'm bringing you something a little different today! I know the last part of Sugar Star Story ended on a huge cliffhanger, but I was doing something a little more important. I took a trip to visit the Lunar Festival on Chandran! It's a celebration that happens several times every year, coinciding with a solar eclipse from each of the moons. This one is in Lunasol, which is held in service to Selune, the goddess of moons, beauty, and most importantly here, the inner self. Honestly, I don't know much about Selune, or religion in general, so instead of trying to figure out ho to tell you myself, I found someone who can do a much better job.
 
<Rumblebee flies offscreen as the B-roll shifts to the grounds outside a chapel. Several stalls are lined up, each manned by what looks to be members of the clergy. In the middle of it all is what looks to be a very large bear standing on its hind legs, wearing regalia that marks him as a priest of Selune. A caption appears underneath, naming him "Fergus Arktos: Head Priest of the Lunasol Chapel and Festival Organizer". Despite his imposing figure, he carries a warm, gentle expression, all too happy to talk about his work. It's apparent by the way he speaks that he's given this speech many times before, and yet hasn't tired of his passion in the slightest.>
 
Fergus: This festival dates back many thousands of years, long enough to where we've long sine lost its exact origin. nonetheless, it still continues, because even as the universe changes, even as culture marches on and empires rise and fall, each and every one of us still has the need to find our own identity. Not what you present to others, but who you are, what you are, what you want to be behind the mask of society. This festival is about finding and accepting yourself, both what you like, and what you might not. It's no wonder that therianthropes like myself are drawn here; Selune teaches us to accept all of ourselves, and to accept all of others; this festival is simply a way to help spread that love. That, and, heh heh... maybe let loose a little? You would be quite surprised on how well a good drink or some choice vegetation can lead to a spiritual awakening. Hoo hoo, I remember my first festival after I came of age- or, rather, I don't. I just know I woke up inside the chapel behind us naked with each limb in a jar of honey and using the head priest at the time as a pillow. Good times, good times...
 
<While it's clear that Fergus could talk more, there were other things to get to. Back to the B-roll, this time a little more focused on attendees, showcasing just how varied each and every person was. Rumblebee appears once again in the corner to speak.>
 
After saying goodbye to Fergus, I decided to look into just what sorts of people came to celebrate. It's almost staggering, seeing the variety. Most places I've visited usually tend to have one or two dominant races and some common fashion trends, but here? I mean, just look at it all! I don't even know where to begin. Only thing that's common is those masks you see people wearing. Those are handed out by the festival organizers, and it's meant to be a symbol of revealing your true self to the world by taking off your mask when the eclipse starts. I didn't get a chance to participate, but that's only because I was busy filming it1
 
<Cut to a shot taken just as the eclipse is starting to happen, showing an aerial shot of a crowd full of masked people looking to the sky and counting down. Once they get to 0, all of them reach up and pull off their masks, revealing a staggering array of faces, some therianthrope, others not. The crowd cheers wildly as the masks start to fly everywhere.>
 
I swear, some of those people were just trying to hit me with their mask... All in good fun, though. Like I'm gonna let some face hat ruin my day. I got to talk with a few attendees about their experience with the festival:
 
<Cut back to street level, to a series of people all asked the same question:>
 
Rumblebee: So, what brought you here to celebrate?
 
Thoughtful-Looking Weretiger: My home planet doesn't have a moon, so I only recently learned that both my dad and I were therianthropes. It was a little hard to come to terms with at first, but then I discovered that this festival was happening, so I came to check it out. It's been less than two days and already I've learned so much about both myself and my condition. I was nervous at first, but I think I'm okay with it now!
 
Extremely-stoned Drow: This place is chill, lil' dude. Like, it's the only place I can go and just feel like me, you know? Society puts all these rules on you and makes you do what they want, follow their rules, and stuff... But, as long as I'm not hurting my bros, what's it matter? Here, I get to chill, listen to good music, and talk to people without the man down our backs.
 
Excitable werealpaca: OH. MY. GODS. Like, when I first started transforming, I was like, AAAAAAH! I grew hair everywhere, my neck was super long, and worst of all, you see this fur? I'm totally a summer, but this color just screams late fall! EW! Can you imagine? Absolutely disgusting. I hated it! I hated myself, I hated my mom for making me like this, I hated everyone at school for making fun of me, it SUCKED! I was about to just end it, y'know? But then my super-BFF, Becky, talked me down. Oh my gods, I love Becky! She's the greatest! Pulled me out of the absolute worst part of my life! She's the one that told me about this festival, and we've been going here every year since! It's helped me soooooo much, like, you don't even know! I got a whole new wardrobe, and found the best stylist who took my raggedy-ass fur and turned it into this gorgeous coat! Love it! It's because of all the cool people here that I finally proposed to Becky last year, so instead of my super-BFF She's, like, my super-best-fiance-for-a-little-bit-and-then-she'll-be-my-super-best-wife-forever! I'm soooo excited for the wedding!
 
Nervous-looking Dwarf: Uh... I dunno, man, I was just assigned here by the Authority for security detail, or something? Like, I didn't want to be here with all these were-whatevers, but I think I'm starting to like it. The people are nice, unlike my bosses that send me into the woods to go fight a- ...hey, wait, aren't you that-
 
<Cut back to B-roll>
 
See? All walks of life! There's so many more people I just don't have time to show. Maybe I'll cut those together and release it separately? There's so many cool people here, it's a shame to have to leave them out! Anyway, if you want to see all this for yourself, I have a link in the description with the schedule for each festival, when and where they happen, and things to do at each! It's well worth it to check it out, I can guarantee you'll learn something, either about other people, or yourself! Anyway, that'll be it from me for today. With the amount of traveling I've been doing lately, expect more of these between the normal Let's Plays. Speaking of which, the next part of Sugar Star Story should be out by the end of the week, and unless something happens, I did get my hands on Spirit Sayu Builders! I have a good idea for that one, but you'll have to wait and see! For now, Anchors Aweigh!