New Badge

Completing the final quest for the Ewok Festival of Love comes the final badge of the event. Always a pleasure. End of the zany moments.

Ewok Love Festival

As far as zany festivals can go, the Ewok Love Festival is probably the winner.

For the second edition of the Festival, celebrations are taking place in Tyrena, Kadaara and the southern Ewok Lake Village. Silliness was expected - after all the Galactic Moon Festival was quite silly too - but this one is beyond silly, it's downright absurd.

Chocolate fountains, flowers, flying hearts and winged Ewoks make it all quite syrupy. Yes, love in the modern depictions is quite syrupy, but the stories associated with the Festival are plain cheesy. So much so, that being used to a more vibrant storytelling the obvious answer to all quests is hard to find (I confess to using the guide). The obvious answer ? Love, of course, as a cure to all issues.

When, on the hour, Kyoopid (sic!) appears at random and asks for a commitment to Love (/cry), the pain is almost unsufferable. SWG writers are usually much better than that; introducing Cupid into the SW lore portrayed as a flying Ewok is really hurting (hopefully, it will not reach cannon level) especially since the Cupid mythos is not as cute as contemporary descriptions show. Cupid a.k.a. Amor, born of Venus and Mars (or Jupiter, depending on the author) is the Roman myth of the Greek myth of Eros and the Indian myth of Kama...So far so good. Kama, however, is extremely well known in the Western world because of the book with which it is associated, the Kama Sutra. I don't know about anyone else's feelings, but I really can't bear the image of Ewoks practicing the Kama Sutra. At least, it explains one oddity in the flying Ewok costume, the heart-shaped tattoo on the right buttock. Naughty Ewoks...

This posts looks a bit like a rant, in a way, it is. I will however grant the Festival, three redeeming features : there are three badges to get (and I'm a badge-whore), and four items that will go into my personal collection, the two flower bouquets, the heart shaped chak from the Great Tree and the camby berries (see the Museum of Natural History post). Finally, when the winged Ewok familiar is summoned, the chocolate-dipped camby berries eaten and the costume donned, it is possible to have a pinkish buff line. It's silly, but it made me laugh.

Wookiee Life Day

Celebrations of Wookiee Life Day in the city of Twin Mountain Base took place over the last few days, provoking the uncontrolled growth of woorshyyyr trees...

Galactic Moon Festival

With the Galactic Moon Festival going on, strange costumes have been tried on and trick or treating has occured in the otherwise peaceful city of Moenia. From a SWG lore perspective, it's an interesting festival to discover, although explanations will have to be given on why and how The Bloated One managed to push this novel event so far from his home base of Tatooine and what unusual generosity encouraged him to mint "Jabba coins" to give.

Still, surprises abound, be they the disturbing Kashyyyk scarecrows with impaled Wookiees, candles in a skull with a humanoid skull sporting unexpectedly large fangs, numerous items related to the natural world (always a Tarn favorite), and a surprinsing foray into Hutts' physiology is uncovered with the help of the Hutt costume. Indeed, when immersed in the Moenian waters, Hutts swim rather gracefully, gracefully ondulating their body in a lateral fashion, not unlike varactyls or legless reptiles.

Empire Day Celebrations

Twin Mountain Base's Mayor, Tarn Pagott, has been decorated during the Empire Day Celebrations by Lord Vader in Theed. This decoration was part of the numerous decorations offered to loyal citizens and Imperial officials whose work contribute to the Imperial rule. This decoration comes as a tribute to General Otto's strategy on Lok of installing strategically located small outposts in order to extend planetary control.

As Mayor of one of the oldest Imperial outposts on Lok, Tarn Pagott was chosen for his continued efforts for the city and the Empire. Mayor Pagott may be considered a controversial choice; self-styled liberal and outspoken critic of Imperial excesses, his work alongside Sean Trenwell in Bestine and author of an open letter to the Emperor his promotion as Hero of Empire Day may be seen as a gesture to Imperial liberals. While the Rebellion is reported to have gained grounds on some worlds, the Emperor may have chosen to woo back potential Rebel sympathizers. Since the dissolution of the Imperial Senate, moderate Imperials have found themselves facing mounting difficulties to express their concerns.