Event Log: August, Lunasa Celebration

[faileas]

Event Log: Aguril, Lùnasa Celebration

Lùnasa From dusk of Aguril 1st to the dusk of Aguril 3rd, Aefenglom celebrates something fairly special: Lùnasa. Traditionally, Lùnasa celebrates all kinds of traditional marriages sanctioned by Parliament, generally of the arranged kind, and handfastings, a ceremony based more on love and how long it lasts. The Coven's Bonds err on this side of things, though some Witches do have official spouses - Miss Nessie and Mhairi, and Theodore and Sowilo, are examples of this, though not everyone marries their Bonded, either. Many of them are made during this festival, prompting the city to dress for the occasion just in case they find themselves in the middle of a ceremony, and just as many of them are formally renewed. Like during Litha, shops offer lovemaking potions, but only to those renewing vows or taking them; smaller fireworks, like sparklers and fountains, are also a common sight. Lùnasa is also home to the city's largest fashion show, showcasing fun and upcoming trends in the city. No experience is required to sign up to show off designs or to model them, and hundreds of tailors and needlework experts come together to quickly make dreams into reality for the end of the festival, when the show happens in genuine. The clothing is often wild and sorted into three categories: children, where those 14 and younger can submit their designs and model them as well; popular, where those 15 and older can do the same to try and vie for the judges' vote on what's in and what's out; and bonding, where all ages aspire to modify and make personal the traditional garbs of marriage and handfasting.

I. Poppin' Parties With Lùnasa beating bright from day one, there's already a need for celebrations and celebrators alike across the city! Citizens are dressed to the nines just in case the occasion calls for it (and, in true spirit, it usually does) and anything that seems worth celebrating, be it the holiday's weddings and bonding ceremonies or something else, is absolutely celebrated with appropriate noise and fanfare! If you're in a good mood, they are too–– And if you're not, well. All it takes is a wildin' party to bring the mood back up! That means you, yes you, and you and you are all invited! Maybe if you smile a bit and have a good time they'll let you go, but others be prepared to be part of a comedy routine, sung around as you're swung around, and to be cuddled by various furry creatures who're more than happy to be pet and scritched all you'd like. Turn that frown upside down, this is a joyous occasion! They're taking willing volunteers too, of course, as the more the merrier, so whether you're the harasser or harassed it's sure to be a ball! Perhaps you can even earn some tips by joining in to these impromptu parties as needed. It's considered good luck to have as many people as possible celebrating your marriage or Bonding around this time of year, and several natives want to encourage participation in their own little celebrations.

II. Say Yes To The Dress Some of the fashion shows that pop up around the city during and after Lunasa have taken on a new, interesting bent. With many of them having large categories for wedding and handfasting wear anyway, some groups have gone the full mile and set up "mock marriages" to show off a variety of themed outfits or collections all at once. Appropriate wedding guest attire, dresses and suits for brides and grooms, designer robes for those who want to be a little extra with their Bonding ceremonies, they're showing them all, in a variety of patterns and eye-catching colors, from the simple to the overly-embellished. It's not unusual to stumble into one of these 'show' weddings, which usually have the officiant talking about the merits of the collection of clothes and their designer, rather than the usual vows and the like. It's also not unusual to get roped into one of these mock weddings if you aren't careful! Watch out you're not grabbed off the street and manhandled nicely into a changing tent with an array of outfits, and told to play a bride or a groom or some other role at a traditional wedding. At least they're happy to let you keep the clothes you modeled when you're done! The biggest trend this year is a special fabric that magically fits itself to the wearer, draping and tucking in and falling just right, no matter how tall or short you are, no matter if you're human or have pesky Monster parts getting in the way. Most designers are using this fabric now, dyed in a rainbow of colors and embroidered with a whole catalogue of patterns. It means any outfit you get thrust into in the name of impromptu modeling will fit you perfectly, at least. Some designers may also take requests and throw something together at the last minute that's more to your style! Thanks to efforts last month, though, many of the fashion designers are currently really into shoulder-pads and glitter, so maybe keep an eye out that they don't take any liberties with your request... Even if you aren't in the wedding spirit (come on, at least pretend), Lunasa is a good time to fill your closet with the latest and best, so make sure to take advantage!

III. Red-String Strung Along With love in the air, a gaggle of single Witches at the Coven decided it's high time they stop being single! The group of them managed to cast a Red String spell together to find their true loves, wherever they may be - but with the Sisters full in the sky during much of Lunasa, they vastly overestimated the amount of power needed, spreading the effects of their spell city-wide and skewing the results. In such a large area, the accuracy of this Red String spell... may be called into question. A Red String spell, often used by silly Witches searching for their True Love, does exactly that: it causes a softly glowing, semi-tangible red string to appear, tied from your finger to the finger of someone else. The string can be felt by the other party when tugged on, but otherwise will be unobtrusive in the day to day. While normally this spell is only visible to the user and the person their string is tied to, with the spell going a bit out of control, these strings can be seen by everyone, creating quite a chaotic sight in the streets. Luckily, only the strings you yourself are tied to will be tangible. Yes, strings. Another malfunction of the miscast! It's possible for one person to have multiple strings tied to their fingers at once, tying them to multiple people, which is certainly not the norm! What in Geardagas could that mean? Which one is your true love, if any of them? If you wish to make your string disappear, the only way is to track the other person down and state your feelings for them - even if those feelings are only "you're a stranger to me", or "you're just my good friend". Once a mutual admission of feelings has occurred, the string tying the two together will dissolve into a lovely little show of red sparkles. Sadly or not, this isn't necessarily the end, because you might find another string, tied to another person, forming on your finger at any point! Or maybe you're one of those who never find a string tied to their finger; some may look at you with pity in that case, thinking you utterly alone in the world. Regardless, the effects of the spell fade completely one week after Lunasa ends, and any remaining strings will disappear by that point. Your character can have their red string broken and reformed as many times as you'd like, with as many people as you'd like, and it's possible to have multiple strings at once. They'll all disappear when the enchantment fades in a week, but you can play with it as much as you want until then.

Welcome to August's holiday log for Lunasa! As always, please direct your questions here! And as a reminder, this will be the only mod-posted event log this month, as the next events this month are all very exciting player plots that we're happy to give a chance to shine!

Comments

[arturiarex]

[ Saber folds her arms with a low sigh, her wings shifting against her back. Then she shakes her head, as if she's deciding something. ]

Very well; we can talk.

[ Most people are leaving them alone by this point, because no one wants in on this drama. She lifts her chin slightly, face composed. ]

It wasn't anything important; I was asked to help model. I accepted. It was mostly complete in any case - although I suppose you would have delighted in interrupting in any case.

[apocryphas]

Tch, like I care about interrupting anything! I have better things to do!

[ Lies, lies, lies... ]

What's with the suit anyway? I heard you stopped pretending to be a man.

[ Most others, including Edelgard, had been referring to King Arthur as a she. It's not something Mordred was used to at the start, but she is genuinely curious about Saber's view on it. ]

[arturiarex]

I have.

[ Stopped pretending, that is. She adjusts her suit slightly with a frown. She might be a little self-conscious about that, but she refuses to let it show. ]

However, I find this particular fashion suits me and so I wear it. One does not need to feel confined to a particular appearance. I don't see what business it is of yours, however.

[apocryphas]

You're right, I don't really care one way or another, but what if your legitimacy as king comes into question?

[ Mordred is in the same position, after all, no longer hiding underneath a full suit of armor. In a roundabout way, she's probably just asking for advice on how to deal with such a situation.

...She likes the suit for the record and will get one for herself, too! ]

[arturiarex]

I am no longer king.

[ Not quite true; once a king, always a king. But she's not really a king. She has no kingdom any longer. ]

My kingdom has passed. [ And she... does sound sad about that, albeit restrained. ]

But it is enough to be who I am; I was always king, regardless of what my true gender was. It was necessary to hide it, but now... [ She shrugs, fingers tugging at one cufflink. ] There are none here who gainsay me on that.

[apocryphas]

Dammit, quit being so passive about everything!

[ She's still a king to Mordred, even if she tried to dethrone her. Both things can be true. No, they have to be true, for if Saber is no king then it means Mordred isn't the rightful heir either. ]

Last time someone pointed out my gender, I almost killed them. That was my Master.

[ She's saying she has uncontrollable rage issues (no kidding), and wonders why Saber handles things so calmly. ]

[arturiarex]

[ Some of that is the crippling depression, some of that is the fact she spent years of her life bottling her emotions up. It takes a while to unlearn that. ]

Should I fly into a rage at what has been lost? Try to recreate the glories of my kingdom here?

[ Rhetorical questions, really. ]

I... already sought the Grail once in an effort to undo my past mistakes. I cannot do so here. [ Nor would she wish to now. ]

[apocryphas]

Tch, you're twisting my words!

[ She never implied that she should do that, but it wouldn't hurt to show a little emotion, she thinks. The king's emotional distance is partly what caused the people to rebel... dammit, why is she even thinking about this now? ]

Now that you mention it, I heard something else about the Grail. That Archer bastard said it's been corrupted... know anything about that?

[arturiarex]

[ Perhaps it's Sbaer repeating some of the mistakes of the past. She tries to be distant because she knows of no other way to approach Mordred. She doesn't know or think that emotional openness will work. So she defaults to the older ways - even if there's more emotion shining through than in the past. ]

...corrupted? I hadn't heard that. My master forced me to destroy it at the end of my Grail War, but...

[ She shakes her head. It's pointless, isn't it? ]

There's nothing to be done about that now.

[apocryphas]

[ Mordred's not so sure what to believe either. If the Grail were corrupted, she thinks that Saber would definitely know about it at the time. Hell, she'd even want to destroy it without being commanded perhaps.

Wait a sec-- ]

Your Master used their command spell on you against your wishes? What a disgrace.

[ She did say "forced", so... ]

They should be punished for that betrayal.

[arturiarex]

If I ever see him again, I will be demanding answers.

[ There's a flash of anger that crosses Saber's face. Although she's had time to cope with the end of her Grail War, there's still a deep, abiding sense of betrayal. Both on her behalf and others. Her master was not an honorable man and she did not find serving him to be pleasant. ]

You may be assured of that. However, I doubt I ever will, unless he arrives here.

[ Which also seems unlikely, but then again Mordred is here. For a moment there's a smile on her face as she realizes something. ]

Your sympathy is welcome, however.

[apocryphas]

I-It's not sympathy--!!

[ She stammers through her words, unsure how to navigate this sudden friendliness between them. Dammit, she let her guard down!! ]

J-Just treachery is my thing! Your sorry excuse of a master just copied what I'm famous for!

[arturiarex]

You were not always famed for treachery, however.

[ Saber points this out, voice dropping slightly. ]

Once you were known as loyal. [ Which is true. And Saber still kicks herself for not being more sensible about the whole thing, but the past is the past. ]

[apocryphas]

...Then nobody ever really knew me.

[ It's true that Mordred was as loyal as a dog, but she was born to betray the king, even when she desperately tried to change that. The loyalty part is recorded in history as a planned ruse, one designed by her own mother. She'll never shake that off her name, and has stopped trying for a long time. ]