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, on the other hand, has a lion tail... and wings. Large wings which she tries to keep out of the way. ]

I suppose not. And at least they're not doing anything more threatening than providing us with food and drink?

[sneaksweet]

[He's suddenly very grateful he didn't grow any bigger appendages. All he's really worried about are his ears and claws. Those are easier to keep track of than wings.]

Better than gettin' called out for fights. And the food's good too.

[arturiarex]

True.

[ Saber allows this with a little 'hmm'. ]

Although a little friendly competition can go a long way, can't it? It invigorates you. Makes things interesting.

[sneaksweet]

[He looks like he's never considered the idea that competition like that could even be friendly.]

You uh... got a lot of experience with that?

[arturiarex]

In friendly competitions? Some. I've certainly sparred with others, but I tend to be rather competitive in general.

[ Bit of an understatement. ]

Have you never had a friendly spar or duel?

[sneaksweet]

... No.

[All his fighting experience comes from kids deciding they want to prove themselves and try beating him up.]

That somethin' you do a lot?

[arturiarex]

SOmetimes. Sparring helps keep one's skills up; if you don't train realistically, you won't be able to cope well in the real thing.

[ Very matter-of-fact about it. ]

And sometimes it can be fun. It focuses the body and mind, in any case.

[sneaksweet]

[He kind of gets it. For people who make a living on the strength of their sword, makes sense to keep those skills sharp. But it's really not what Juza wants to be doing.]

I... ain't really a fighter? Just street brawls back home. Not like I was lookin' for them either.

[arturiarex]

Ah, I see.

[ Saber tilts her head with a slight frown. ]

In that case, I'm sorry you had to deal with that. At times combat is unavoidable, but... everyday people should not have to deal with it. That is for the protectors of the people to handle.

[sneaksweet]

It's just how teenagers are, I guess.

[Everybody's looking for a way to be special, and it looks like trying to beat up the apparent "strongest" is how they decided to do it.]

... Didn't mean to bring the mood down.

[arturiarex]

No, not at all.

[ She shakes her head with a little frown. ]

I shouldn't have assumed you shared my era's fondness or need for recreational combat. If anything, I ought to apologize.

[ She clears her throat. ]

Anyway - it feels as if it's been a little while since we last spoke. Are you well?

[sneaksweet]

Don't think it's that serious... [He mumbles that mostly to himself.]

The house is big enough we don't see a lot of each other... I'm alright. Been workin' on acting. Hope I haven't been too loud.

[arturiarex]

Oh, no, you haven't disturbed me. It's been... honestly a little strange living with someone and not seeing much of them.

[ There's a pause. ]

...are you going to be in a play? I hadn't heard.

[sneaksweet]

Maybe we should do somethin' as a house...?

Not yet. It's mostly just practice. We haven't pulled any plays and we don't have a writer.

[arturiarex]

I'm afraid I don't know any writers...

[ Saber shakes her head. ]

But... housewide activities might be pleasant? It depends. I'm not sure what Soren would approve of.

[sneaksweet]

Yeah... We had one back home, but he's not around here.

[He misses Tsuzuru.]

As long as we don't trash the place, I think he'd be fine with it. Maybe some kinda buffet thing? Everybody likes food.

[arturiarex]

[ As it so happens, Saber is one of those people who loves food. ]

That sounds delightful!

[ She can just imagine it... ]

...Would we be purchasing the food or asking people to bring some with them?

[sneaksweet]

Probably the second thing? Uh... Omi likes to cook and Tachibana really likes making curry. So if you want something besides curry, you're probably gonna need to bring it for yourself.

... You like sweets?

[arturiarex]

...I like almost everything.

[ Saber admits this with a hint of sheepishness. ]

Sweets are a favorite though, yes.

[sneaksweet]

[That means Juza has a great excuse to get a whole bunch of sweets and play it off like it's for Saber instead of himself.]

Cool. I'll get some for the meet up.

[arturiarex]

[ Everybody wins! ]

I might know a few people who would be interested in attending; would it be alright if I invited them along?

[sneaksweet]

Yeah. Don't think there's any reason not to add people Soren likes parties.

[arturiarex]

He does, doesn't he? Although I think he prefers his to be... higher volume.

[sneaksweet]

I'm not real used to it but... it ain't bad either.

[arturiarex]

It can be distracting, but that isn't the worst thing in the world.