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

[islandhuntress]

[She takes a deep breath but gives Edelgard a single nod. Still, she doesn't speak right away, trying to gather her thoughts. Her feelings toward Edelgard were confusing and complicated at best.]

You are giving me curiosity... and also frustration.

[Petra stares at the magical string tied around her finger as she speaks, not really looking at anything but rather trying her best to focus on trying to make herself understood.]

I was wanting to have understanding of you but you are having difference from the Edelgard I was knowing. -I think.- Some of the things you were saying were not happening -did not happen- for my Fodlan. That is giving me confusion. But I was having greater confusion when I was first arriving. Many people I am knowing well are having differences.

[Her brow furrows, unsure if she's really giving the magic spell what she's supposed to yet.]

There is seeming to be many Edelgards possible and you are one. You are still Edelgard. I am knowing you... and I am not knowing you at all. I am the Petra you are knowing... and I am not.

You are someone who is giving me confusion... and also sadness and regret.

[unyieldingmarch]

[Edelgard remains silent, affording Petra the opportunity to speak her mind. She can do that, owes her that, for all the turmoil that they've caused one another.

When Petra is finished, she takes a breath of her own and settles her hands in her lap.]

That is all a fair assessment. I know that this is confusing, and I know that it is likely frustrating.

[Edelgard closes her eyes, marshaling herself to lay this all out there.]

I confess, Petra, that I do not know what to think of you. In my version of history, Petra Macneary...the woman that I know...is one of my closest friends and most ardent supporters. She is someone that I would gladly take a blow for, someone that I would give my life to protect, and someone who's dreams I have and will continue to support.

You...are not quite the same person. You are another Petra, every bit as willful and capable as the woman I know.

[She sets herself for an objection, but continues to talk, all the same.]

But you, for whatever reason, made a very different decision and placed yourself at odds with me. I don't know what to make of that, but when we first met, I was stunned. I do not know how to deal with that. I know that you consider a version of me an enemy, and I know that in that timeline when you return home, you are very likely going to kill another version of me.

And that is...hard...to wrap my head around. Do you understand what I'm saying?

[islandhuntress]

Yes... [Petra nods.] I am having understanding.

[The magical string had dissolved out of existence but Petra doesn't notice, too engulfed in the conversation. Both of them seem to coming at it with a more level head, less fresh, raw emotion, more time to think and consider each other's circumstances.

Petra takes a deep breath, brows furrowed.]

I am not knowing why things are not the same. It is like... many tiny pieces and only some are in different places but the effect is great. I was asked to be moving to the Golden Deer class and it was sounding like an opportunity with greatness. It was with shock that you were declaring war...

I hope you will not be taking this wrong. I am not speaking of you, but of my Edelgard... I was not thinking of her as an enemy but she has made herself my enemy. I am not knowing why she -why my Edelgard- was not explaining her reasons for war. Maybe she would be having more allies. Maybe we could all be seeing the truth that you are seeing. But all we can be seeing is her conquest. And our deaths.

And I could not be betraying Byleth... or Claude... even if I was knowing your reasons. Maybe if I was knowing them before the war, I could have been helping you to convince them too. I don't know...

[unyieldingmarch]

[Edelgard shakes her head, touching her forehead and sighing audibly. This part is hard, but it's easier with Petra in some ways than it is with others like Felix. And harder, at the same time.]

You followed the Professor. The fulcrum upon which Fodlan's fate hangs is with Byleth, and which class they chose to lead. I do not blame you for that choice, but please understand that...I find it difficult to be around you, at times. I'm both disappointed that fate in your world pulled us apart, and...that you were placed in a bad spot.

Also, I see a reminder of a failing on my part. A failure to be open, to trust. That trust is all that allowed me, in my world, to open up and unravel Rhea's plans.

[Edelgard frets her lip...drawing a hint of blood as her fang catches it, but she seems not to notice it.]

I don't know what you've been through, Petra. And that isn't fair. I shouldn't consider you based upon the person I know that shares your face, any more than you should the Edelgard from your version of things.

I should be more empathetic. If you can stomach that, from me.

[islandhuntress]

[Petra tilts her head, gaze a little unfocused as she really thinks about what Edelgard is saying. It makes a few things click that she'd previously been confused about.]

You are having great sight- [She shakes her head at herself.] No, insight. You and I did not have closeness in my Fodlan. If I was having more understanding of you... my choices could have had great difference.

[Unlike Edelgard, Petra resists the urge to worry on her lip, knowing her sharp teeth will cause her harm. Instead, she presses her lips together and makes a face as she tries to get her thoughts in order again.]

I am giving you a reminder of failing and you are giving me a sadness in better knowing what I was giving up, a friend and ally I was never making.

Still... I would be liking to know you better.

[unyieldingmarch]

I am...willing...to attempt such a thing.

[She exhales, sucking on her bloody lip to clean it before fishing a jawbreaker from her pocket and setting it into her mouth. It helps soothe her teeth, and while she's aware it may seem strange, they're a vampire and a naga. They have strange on lockdown.]

I told you before that I have no quarrel with you or anyone here from a different path. I meant that.

The situation is complicated...but if Dimitri and I can find common understanding, why not us? That should be easier.

[islandhuntress]

I am also having willingness. Even if it will be giving both of us sadness.

[She means it. of course, she means it. Petra rarely, if ever, says things she doesn't mean. She is interested in getting to know Edelgard better, especially since she knows in some path, somewhere, they are close. Allies. Friends.]

Edelgard, are you believing that we will be remembering this place if- when we are going home?

[unyieldingmarch]

I...cannot say with any certainty. But I can hope.

[She hopes for many things. Hopes that she can solve the mystery of this place and return home. And send Dimitri back with his memories of it too...before it is too late.]

If we are able to, I would dream of a world where Dimitri and Claude have learned the truth of Fodlan, and...perhaps it is folly, but a world where the three of us can stand against the true enemy.

[islandhuntress]

[Again, Petra is quiet a moment, going back and forth in her mind as to whether or not to ask Edelgard the question on the tip of her tongue.]

... Why were you not allying yourself with Dimitri and Claude? I am not knowing Dimitri well but Claude had no allegiance to the church... he was having suspicions too, books missing from the library, missions that were seeming to take advantage of transgressions. If all you say is true, I cannot believe more would not have been fighting for your cause.

If we were knowing.

[unyieldingmarch]

Two reasons each. One for Claude, one for Dimitri, and one the same between the two.

[Edelgard holds up her fingers, seeing no reason not to tell the truth.]

Dimitri is...unhinged. He is not entirely sane and rational at times. I saw signs of his bloodlust and masked rage at the academy. I've seen more signs of it here. He believed that I was responsible for the deaths of his family in some way...yet, I was a child the same age as he was.

Claude is an outsider. He's too secretive to open up to, as I could never guess his motivations or what he might be seeking. He is not from Fodlan, but rather from Almyra. I had my suspicions at the academy, and he confirmed those suspicions later on.

And the reason common for both? Secrecy. If a single word got out while I was preparing what I needed to fight back against Rhea, then she would have had me and all of my friends and allies executed for heresy. I know that you can't have missed how brutal and harsh her methods could be, you're far too perceptive for that. With Dimitri being...at times...irrational, and Claude's motives shrouded in mystery, opening up to trust them was simply not an option.

[islandhuntress]

[Petra isn't sure she agrees but she does feel like she understands. She gives Edelgard a few nods when she speaks about her decision in regard to Dimitri. She doesn't know him well but had seen the man, like a wild animal, on the battlefield where he was cut down. If Edelgard had had some inkling that this was his true nature, then she could somewhat understand her decision not to seek him out.

Her nodding stops with Claude.] An outsider... [Like herself. Just not already under the Empire's thumb. She shakes her head.]

I am not knowing Dimitri... maybe you have right. But Claude would have been keeping your secret. Maybe he would not have been fighting as an ally but maybe he would have been giving you support.

In my Fodlan, your secrecy is your weakness. You are needing more allies. And so many are having suffering. Or being killed.

But maybe confiding in more people would have been hurting you in my Fodlan... There is no way to be knowing.

[unyieldingmarch]

Claude may have kept my secret.

[Edelgard can't help but offer a gentle correction.]

If it was advantageous for him and for his goals, he certainly would have. However, I could not ascertain those goals, and therefore could not take the risk that his goals and mine would have been at odds, Petra. I am certain that you can see why I would hesitate, given everything that was at stake.

[She folds her arms, shaking her head.]

There's no way to know any of this for certain. But what is certain is that Rhea needed to be removed from power.

[islandhuntress]

[She looks down, still unsure if Claude would have been quite as flighty Edelgard thinks. And, even if Claude hadn't remained in Fodlan for the fight against the church, most of the Alliance would have followed him in the fight and stuck around to help even in his absence.

Edelgard seems to have made up her mind, however. Not that it really mattered for either of them now.

But if only... if only there was some other way. There was so much suffering, so much death. Her own hands were covered in blood. She was drowning in it.

Shutting her eyes, she shakes her head, trying to rid herself of the visceral memories.]

No. There is no way for knowing with certainty.

I am only wishing that things could be different. But I cannot think how... So, I am having understanding why... why you were not waiting. Why you were doing what you thought you were having to do. I am understanding because I have also felt that way.

[unyieldingmarch]

Not what I thought I had to do...what I needed to do.

[Edelgard lifts her shoulders in a half-hearted shrug.]

In my world, at least. I...do know that there are a great many things that you and others were not aware of. Rhea's true nature as a dragon, for instance. And...other things...that are of a more personal nature to me.

Perhaps, with time, I can share those with you. For now, know that nothing I did...and doubtless nothing my counterparts would have done...was out of a desire for conquest, greed, or malice. It may not seem evident to you, or to others, but war was the course that would result in the least death, with the information available to me.

[islandhuntress]

[Petra's expression remained neutral. She idly wondered if the Petra in Edelgard's world had ever questioned whether or not a war was necessary. Or had it all made sense.

She looked to the side.] To make war against the church and Rhea. [Petra says it like a correction or maybe a suggestion. She didn't disagree with that part, but she had doubts over the way Edelgard had waged her war, and how many people had been dragged into it.]

Your... your reasons are not what I am... having difficulty with. And I am thinking we will not be agreeing on the war.

[She tilts her head.] Are we needing to agree on that?

[unyieldingmarch]

No. The only things we need to agree on are a willingness to talk, and a willingness to avoid conflict.

[For here, at least.

She raises a finger, continuing.]

I would like it if we could agree that Rhea was...the wrong person...to be in a position of power. But that is not strictly necessary for us to get to know one another.

[islandhuntress]

Good. I am having that willingness.

Was it only Rhea? Or is all the church having blame. Hmm... It was Rhea who was giving the orders but who will be taking her place? The church is holding much power. And they can always use the Goddess as reason for doing things.

[Petra had always found the unquestioning attitude of many of the knights to be a little frightening. To go against Rhea or the will of the church was akin to insulting the Goddess herself. Such a thing seemed to put those who were devout into uncomfortable positions fairly often.]

[unyieldingmarch]

Rhea is the Archbishop, and the Dragon. I...believed that Seteth was like her at one point, but when he and I fought, he didn't transform. He retreated into obscurity with Flayn instead, an outcome I am grateful for.

[Seteth was a kind man, if...strange. And she hadn't wanted to hurt him.]

By removing Rhea, one cuts loose the stranglehold that creature held upon mankind. Things can grow from there, and the knights and the priests can see firsthand just what a monster they were deceived by.

...I don't intend to punish anyone associated with the church, when I return home. Or even abolish it. I merely sought to remove the absolute control that it held over our lives. Control derived from Rhea.

[islandhuntress]

If the only person needing to be removed is Rhea... then why... [Why wage a war? Why not assassinate Rhea and work on reform once Edelgard knew she wouldn't be destroyed for trying to enact change.

She raises her hand to her face, resting her chin on her loosely closed fist with a frown.

Instead, there had been years of fighting, countless lives. She can't help but wonder if her other self, the one in Edelgard's world, knows why they're fighting. Is she truly alright with all of this? Or is there simply no other option. Could she really say no?]

[unyieldingmarch]

...Why go to war?

[Edelgard's expression remains pensive, but not angry or upset. She can understand what Petra's wrestling with, as it was something that she did herself in the years leading up to the event.]

Because revolution, real change, isn't born in shadowy assassination attempts. Removing Rhea by skulduggery, if such a thing were even possible, wouldn't bring about the kind of societal change that was my goal.

I know, Petra, why you're asking. And...believe me, I wrestled with the consequences of what I intended to do, for years. Hubert and I saw no other way.