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

[seemstressed]

_{[Tataru may run away screaming at times, but she wouldn't consider herself a coward either. With the flick of Henry's wrist they're both suddenly back on their lawn and after the Lalafell gets her bearings she's eagerly unlocking the door to enter.]}

Surely you'll have a chance to wear it again. There will be more and more occasions I bet.

_{[And if not, she'll just make sure there are some!]}

They sure did get their fill of you, didn't they? Well you're mine now for the evening. A feast for my eyes alone!

_{[Sephiroth will not be spared. Neither will Henry. No one says no to Tataru Taru.]}

[morbide]

[What a thing to say, claiming possession of him... It imbues in Henry a sort of feeling he can't describe: an effusive warmth from his core, a sort of anticipation he can't put a finger on. So he laughs about it, unsure of how else to react as he follows her inside, closing the door softly behind them and locking it.]

Oh, yeah? Well if it's for your eyes, at least I get to watch you watch me! You know I can't resist your cute, round eyes. I'll melt into a goopy puddle, emulsified Henry blood and ichor!

[Tataru's right. Nobody says no to Tataru Taru, and Henry wouldn't dream of it. Her eyes are one of his favorite things about her...

And he starts thinking about other things he likes about her as he follows her into the house: the persistent warmth of her hands, the sound of her voice when she's pleased or flustered. The way she sways when she's happily at work, the soft curve of her gentle smile, the wicked glint to her luminous, glassy eyes.

...If he thinks too hard in this direction, he'd have to sit down. His heart isn't made to take this kind of softness, unprompted! So he hums.]

But I don't mind being yours for the evening. If that's what you want. Whatever you want, I'll make it come true.

[seemstressed]

_{[Her cute round eyes, huh? It's not the first time she's had men compliment her on her eyes, especially others of another race. To other Lalafell they were standard fair but to others she was exotic, petite and utterly to die for. The attention worked in her favour most of the time but right now she's not trying to charm her way into a bargain or make the best of a deal. She's just trying to enjoy the rest of her evening with Henry - nothing less, nothing more.]}

My, I didn't realize that if I dressed you up like a prince you'd become one Henry.

_{[Her tease is followed by light laughter, the sound squeaky as she hurries to grab two glasses for the two of them, along with the bottle of wine she'd promised.]}

Share this bottle with me and relax in the sitting room. That's what I want.

[morbide]

[Henry makes a good show of laughing right back and... gracelessly flopping down in the sitting room where she can see him, planting his palms between his knees. He doesn't look refined at all, even in this lovely attire.]

A prince, eh? You have some pretty low standards for royalty if you're gonna elevate me to that level. That, or you like your princes dark and gruesome. I won't judge.

[But his place sitting down implies that he'll accept her offer, as he's done. He waits eagerly for Tataru to join him.]

[seemstressed]

If there can be dark knights there can be dark princes, surely?

_{[She'll just ignore his comment on her standards. She likes to think they're relatively high, even if they're a bit...unconventional. With everything on a serving tray she brings it out to him, setting it on the coffee table. Bottle uncorked she pours a glass for each of them, taking hers and holding it up for a toast.]}

Well, shall we?

[morbide]

Oh, sure. I think Plegia was built on dark royalty, anyway. Works for me.

[He would be a dark prince, he supposed... Just maybe not the same kind of insidious as, say, Validar. But Tataru, really, Henry is an unconventional pick with a bit of a feral air to him... He has a lot of housebreaking to be done, in the most figurative sense.

He watches her uncork that wine bottle with ease, which he smiles to with an eagerness that simmers lower, almost as though the sensation of pleasant intoxication's hit him before she's even poured them a glass. Who thought that being in somebody's exclusive company could do that? But here he was, dressed so nicely before his petite Bonded, dressed even nicer than he in her corresponding attire on a day special to many, but special-er to him, he thought.

When Tataru raises her glass for a toast, Henry picks up on the cue and taps his glass against hers as though afraid of breaking it. A pleasant, soft chime resounds between them, and Henry's only response is to nod with a hum of agreement.]

[seemstressed]

_{[Clinking their glasses together lightly Tataru shoots him one last smile before raising her glass to her lips to take a sip of the drink. It's quite good. She chose this bottle well, it seems.]}

To being Bonded!

_{[She chirps out, raising her glass again with a laugh, suddenly animated once more. If there's one thing about Lalafell that Henry surely would've noticed since meeting Tataru it's how much they speak with their bodies. Right now that petite body of hers screams happy. Which she is. Objectively so.]}

[morbide]

[For a moment, Henry's lost in watching her some more, almost enough that he misses what she says... So his response is the hum of a confirmation and a nod at best, trying to play mental catch-up. Tataru's adorned in flowers and white, pinks and lavenders, and it plays off of the darks and violets she picked for him.

And this contrast only serves to highlight the expressiveness of her manner, a raise of arms and a splay of fingers; a gale of laugh. He laughs, too. People commonly say a smile is infectious, even his own, somehow... But he'd have to tell them they haven't seen anything yet.

Following her lead, Henry takes a sip of the drink: something with a note of sweetness, a pick Tataru would make. ...He still doesn't think he'd be adept at picking something for her, though he would try and try if he were put up to the task.]

To being Bonded for real, this time.

[One that he hopes to keep.]

[seemstressed]

<sub>[As far as Tataru's concerned they'll be bonded indefinitely, unless something were to happen to one of them. She's committed, if you will, to seeing Henry grow and flourish, to polishing his rough edges to make him shine and glitter like a jewel in the hot desert sun. Once he sips the drink she follows, delighted by the taste on her tongue.

Lowering her glass she rounds the table to join him, hopping up onto the sofa. It's best to get comfortable and simply enjoy his company. That's the whole reason they came back here, after all.]</sub>

It's as real as it gets.

_{[The feeling in her chest certainly is, at any rate.]}

[morbide]

[Jewelry, a thing on both of their minds. Henry, for an entirely separate reason. Henry, because he has his Bonded's ring size; has her preferences in order, has his eye on ring styles. But neither of them are aware of the way their thoughts align in such a way.

A swig of the liquor already heats him, even though it takes a bit for Henry to get drunk properly. As Tataru seats next to him, Henry exhales; with it, it almost feels as though his muscles unwind with the escape of his breath.

As a gesture of familiarity, Henry slips his forearm around Tataru's shoulders. As gentle as a whisper, his fingers rest upon the shoulder furthest from him.]

...Thanks. [A pause.] For considering me more carefully~

[seemstressed]

<sub>[It's a catch 22 really, when it comes to liquor and Lalafell. For her race she had a relatively decent tolerance but ultimately the size of her body did catch up to her. Another sip and she's swinging her legs over the edge of the sofa, toes hovering above the floor. When she feels him slip his arm over her shoulders she's automatically leaning into the embrace, tucking herself up against his side, careful that her ear doesn't poke into him uncomfortably.

It feels nice to be this close, to be touching like this, especially after renewing their Bond and the connection being so raw and refreshed. There's a soft exhale as she smooths her thumbs over the sides of her glass, smiling softly to herself. Henry isn't the only one feeling warm right now. Good thing he doesn't have as sensitive hearing as she does or else he'd pick up on the pitter patter of her heart thrumming against her ribcage.]</sub>

You're welcome. I should be thanking you as well, you know.