So I was just reading through the posts in this topic: Delphi Carnival needs a fortune teller machine! where people in the community are suggesting that we could have a fortune teller in the carnival stands. I really like this idea and thought it would be great, so I started to add my thoughts.

Suddenly, inspiration struck me.

What if instead of (or in addition to) a fortune teller at the carnival, we have some kind of shrine at Shengui Guo, where you can get your fortune? A lot like the tradition from Japan with Omikuji? But what if we can do more?

As I wondered if this is a separate idea that could be discussed in its own topic, as I feel that it starts to deviate a lot from the fortune teller idea. Furthermore, I am absolutely in love with the aesthetics of Shengui Guo and the lore around it, but I feel that we could do more than what is there right now.

As I wrote up some of my ideas on this in that topic, I started to look up more information on this. I was in Japan for a study exchange a few years ago and I visited a lot of temples and shrines during that time, spending time in some of the most beautiful/memorable places like Itsukushima/Miyajima, and spending my new year visiting shrines/temples around Kyoto and Nara. I can still recall those memories and the excitement/anticipation I had when I was getting my fortunes during new years. Not mentioning the crafts/food/souvenirs/music. But I was also very much in awe of the impact these traditions have and the utmost importance it holds for locals. And it's not just new years. Throughout the year, there are so many shrine/temple fairs and festivals.

More ideas on this: Shrines/temples could be dedicated to 4 deities that correspond to each season - spring, summer, autumn, winter. For instance, there are 4 symbols in the Chinese constellations representing 4 directions / 4 seasons:

East: Azure Dragon (Qing Long / Seiryu) - Spring South: Vermillion Bird (Zhu Que / Suzaku) - Summer West: White Tiger (Bai Hu / Byakko) - Autumn North: Black Turtoise (Xuan Wu / Genbu) - Winter

So the shrines (or maybe it's just one shrine) could be dedicated to them. Thus, each of them only show up in their shrine during the respective seasons. For the rest of the year they will be roaming around Subeta.

At the end of the year, close to new year (or whichever day is new year on the lunar calendar) there will be a gathering of all 4 deities in one single location, to close the old year and open the new.

Throughout the year, the activities/items/etc could change based on the theme/season. We can also have shrine keepers that also act as quest givers that would rotate based on the theme/season.

I don't know if this has been suggested before (I did a forum search but couldn't find anything), but if so please feel free to point me in that direction.

I've copied in my other thoughts on this from the other topic below. Would love to hear your thoughts!

From what I wrote in the other topic:

The thing is, we already have a land who has a shrine, with shrine keepers rotating depending on times of day, and it's in Saherimos/Sacred Lands.

I don't really want another land to have another shrine with other shrine keepers. I also...don't really want Shengui Guo to just be Fantasy Asia(TM). I like the Land of Spirits aesthetics better than lunar calendar stuff, or things rooted in the real world. Or Chinese New Year stuff.

Shengui Guo is not China. It's not Japan.

I mean, we have Kiyo, make Kiyo do something of importance. Have something related to the spirits, and I know something is coming in October concerning that, and I'm glad it will. That would be awesome.

But no. Shengui Guo shouldn't just be Fantasy Japan or Fantasy China, that's just lazy. That's something I wasn't a big fan of when Shengui Guo was released, and now that they're planning to bring the spiritual aspect more forward, it's actually going to be fun and interesting.

Just going with real world traditions would be a MASSIVE STEP BACK.

There's going to be a tea house, of whatever tradition or invention, we know that. Me, I am waiting to see what's it is and what it entails before supporting any other Suggestion for this land.

That's sounds pretty safe. I'd rather staff get their plans for the tea house out before we make a lot of assumptions of what else could go there, especially when we know it's not just going to be a shop. Staff is just super vague about it.

I will say though, that if the carnival fortune teller idea becomes a thing, then we don't really two. For me, it's 'either or' thing for me, despite my passing interest in divination/oracles.

I thought this might be interesting, but it really is just...regurgitating the real world into a world which isn't supposed to be Earth, and I already have pet peeves about their similarities to Earth (why do we even have language books on Earth languages, for example?). I love Asian aspect things, too, but the point of Subeta is to make them uniquely different, not to duplicate them.

Also, we don't need two fortune tellers, I wholly agree with that. Either there's one in the Carnival or there's one in Shengui Guo.

: If you really want to create ideas like this, have a serious look at SUBETA's lore and history, then think about what would fit into it, rather than what you're doing? The aspect of the spiritualism isn't wrong--a lot of people have traditions and cultures they're very attached to and which they follow and celebrate. Applying it to a world or culture which isn't Earth or Earth-based takes research and thought, as well as some creativity to move AWAY from what already exists in our world. Care to try again with actual Subeta lore? You may need to ask staff for some direction to where you'll find the lore you're looking for, but some Shengui Guo lore is in the Humanoid Pets? thread in the General Discussion board. (Sorry, don't know how to make text links yet.)

Searched for ages for somewhere to put my suggestion/request. Please could we get a vending machine in Shengui-Guo....?

there's nothing wrong with starting your own topic.

It's not likely that there will be more Vending Machines though. Vending has been seriously nerfed and the shops that are right now not linked to any particular existing Machine are deliberately not-linked. But who knows, maybe there will be one in the Tea House, when it debuts.

Yes, please, anything for Shengui Guo! It seems so empty.

Oh, come off it, whining about real-world holidays invading Subeta. We have pirates and islanders, clearly ripped off of real-world peoples and history. Beer Fest, Moroside, and Lumanaire are clearly Germany, Halloween and Christmas with new names - Gunter even has a German accent! We also have tons of Aisian food, most of it released very recently (Orange Seaside Roll), kappa and kitsune stuff, hundreds of Asian-style kimonos, headdresses, crates of ninja stuff, and so on.

And these 4 seem to fit Selphina's season animals, don't they?

Subeta could have released a lain, tigern, mahar, and whatever the turtle thing is version, but instead chose to focus on real-world mythology for them. I would love a Shrine of the Niakko (or White Tigern) to visit, and maybe get a bonus or a quest or something once a day.

Basically, don't jump down Selphina's throat for ideas that may have a real-world basis, when staff can't be bothered to make distinctions themselves. Shengui Guo feels very neglected and any ideas are welcome, I'd say. It's up to staff to turn them into appropriate lore, not the users.

: I already don't agree with all the things that are literally 'ripped-off' from Earth, because in reality, you couldn't have two worlds which were so alike in so many things--they would all be uniquely different, even when they were similar. Some things could have cross-over, like the fact that there would be pirates, but those pirates shouldn't just be templates for what's on our world--maybe they'd have a different style of dress/hat and a different icon, have habits which aren't like our world's pirates. That's why I said I already have a pet peeve with all the things which are just like on Earth--they shouldn't be. In that sense, I'm being very critical of Subeta's staff, too, for lack of creativity.

Inb4 someone else nitpicks the "It's not real life China or Japan!"

Yeah, but it's based on RL Japan. That means something last I checked, even on here. That said, I don't see the harm in adding things in. Or we'll have to get rid of a lot of Subeta's holidays as a whole because of the real life ties.

: We can 'add things in', as long as they're also unique to Subeta, not the RL equivalent. The bathhouse and market actually did that well--making them alike but different--and I'd like that trend to continue, rather than effectively duplicating the RL ones. Something as simple as making the '4 beasts' into Subeta creatures would make all the difference. For example, they could use an Arid Tigrean for the white tiger, a Reborn Fester/Lain for the phoenix, a Glade Chelon for the tortoise, and--say, an Aqua Paralix/Rreign or other dragon-ish one for the dragon. Or better yet, they could change the 4 types to something else, maybe even introducing a new Subeta pet for one of them.

As for the holidays--I'd like to see them at different times, or for different things, but like all games, instead of being different, they wanted the holidays to line up with the RL ones so most people would 'have time' to participate in them.

The things they've done uniquely different are the ones I appreciate the most--like the pets being as unique as they are, even though they're very similar to existing creatures in RL. Copy-cats are kinda annoying.

If you're going to throw things back in my face that I type, at least do it in a less condescending manner. If you don't like copycats, don't play. It's that simple. Everything on here is going to have some RL equivalent, it's unavoidable.

And, by the way, it's a vermilion bird in the story. Not a phoenix.

I don't understand why aspects of Subeta can't replicate Earth, seeing as how the lore is literally that human settlers came from Earth to Subeta. Example from the Veta Lake subetapedia page:

But for this particular case with Shengui Guo it's hard to say specifically, since it was isolated until fairly recently and the subetapedia doesn't make mention of Earth influence.

: You raise an interesting point. What we actually need is more lore to have some kind of basis for this, though, because those 'tossed in' comments make no sense just laying around like that.

I could say things can be similar to Earth, but all it takes is for something to transfer from one state to another or one country to another to take on unique aspects in real life. If that happens so easily, why would things on another planet be so much alike to Earth ones, even with some Earth influence?

Things like Earth language books would make more sense with that lore, though, so I guess I can't complain as much about things like English, French, and German language books floating around.

As for the temples to the 4 beasts--the topic of this thread--I'm not against the idea in itself, I just want it to be unique to Subeta rather than a 'mere duplicate' of what we have already in various Asian countries. I guess that's more directed at the staff, though, because they would have to be the ones to develop it, thread ideas aside.