ensorceler: (❧ they'll be the king of hearts)
Anne Boleyn ([personal profile] ensorceler) wrote in [community profile] paradisalogs2014-04-30 09:04 pm

may day masquerade {OPEN!}

what; may day masquerade!
who; Anyone and everyone!
where; Just inside and outside of City Royale.
when; May 1st, early afternoon until late evening
rating; PG to PG-13 to start! If a thread goes into adult territory, please put a warning in the subject.
note; Prefer brackets? Go for it, whatever is most comfortable for you.



Though the May Day of last year had been a grand affair, there had not been enough people attending, because she could not convince more than a few city residents to venture near the castle. This year Anne has brought the party to them, and though a location would have been written on the invitations, there is even more assurance that one won't become lost along the way from the castle. The road is already clear enough, but when it branches away there will be markers, indicated by flower carpets and banners carrying the Tudor rose that will be lit with torches by nightfall, creating a path that leads to the city's outskirts. Here the celebration is spread not only over a grassy incline but also leads into a small square in the merchant's district. Here, free masks decorated with seasonal flowers will be offered in baskets to any who might have arrived without one. Though it is a masquerade, the masks are truly optional.

Light and playful music will begin early in the afternoon, the musicians moving about but most often remaining in the square where the dancing is meant to be, and where merchants are taking advantage of the crowd to sell their wares. The large dais in the center is sturdy but beautiful, with the rose theme continuing in banners that are strung around the base and up into street lamps that won't be lit until dusk arrives. On the dais are makeshift thrones, the same from last year should anyone remember, though they number three instead of four.

Once it seems the majority have shown themselves, Anne will depart from greeting people and lead three masked figures up onto the dais. Even behind ornate masks and striking dress, some might be able to recognize Molotov Cocktease, Brock Samson, and Ben Paul even before she names them. Anne herself is dressed as a phoenix, covered in reds and golds, even in her braided hair, but she is hardly in disguise as she introduces herself (a custom she has gotten used to). Her speech might confuse a few city-dwellers who don't quite understand (or remember) some of what she talks about, but she keeps it as light as she can. ...Which means it's still a mouthful.

"Welcome, beautiful denizens of Cair Paradisa and the City Royale, it is I, Queen Anne. And you are beautiful. All who gather here have come for one reason, and I hope it is for the good of it, as there is not one soul here who does not deserve merriment. This is not only a celebration, but a rebirth! Look around you. Here we are, together as one and still separately unique even after many sufferings. Such different and powerful peoples carry various forms of character, and yet you come together not only against conflict but also to celebrate peace. This gathering is only possible because of the good spirit and hard work of those that hail both from this city and the castle.

"May has come, and as we grow accustom to the changes that have surrounded us, I am reminded that not all surprises must carry fear for us. The year last we were shaken and the ground with us, but in this year the city flourishes in merriment as if untouched. There is much here that is still unknown to us, but some of it is beautiful, and that is what we appreciate now. Spring flourishes, lovers are born, and while we are always aware there to be mystery about, we also discover new truths and these have shaped us. As this city was reborn, so too are we. This will be a year of promise; of a babe's curiosity and scholar's wisdom, but never without God's love.

"Here to lead us in this celebration of newness and adventure is not I, but our May royalty. So many were loved, that again there cannot only be two."

Finally to the point, Anne backs up so that she can motion for each person to sit when she lifts a crown, one woven with roses and other colorful flowers, and two twisted and bent with branches. She names each as she settles the crown upon their head, curtsying after each announcement to playfully show deference to them.

"Queen Molotov. King Brock. And Prince Ben. You honor and delight us, as we defer to you this day."

When they have all been crowned, she'll curtsy again and back off of the stage, allowing them to announce the official start of the partying!

{ Maypole Dance || Dance Floor || The Dais || The Feast || Bonfire }
toyboat: (4)

[personal profile] toyboat 2014-05-05 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"No, there's a pattern, see?" Jenny points at the pole, at the way everyone is starting to move. "We have to see that it wraps right, or else the colors won't look right."

With another glance at her pink ribbon, Jenny's expression changes to one of determination, half-hidden by her mask. "We'll figure it out, they won't hide our colors with their own."
willrememberthat: (wilds)

[personal profile] willrememberthat 2014-05-13 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
"Is that the point?" Clementine laughs, just a little bit, because she has no idea what the point of all of this is, really. May Day, sure. It's just another excuse to dress nice and eat a lot of good food she wouldn't normally eat, but this pole thing is new.

"Ready?"
toyboat: (10)

[personal profile] toyboat 2014-05-13 09:46 pm (UTC)(link)
"On the count of three," Jenny says, nodding, then holds up her hand to count. "One... two... three!"

And she leaps into the fray, trying to follow the pattern as best she can.
willrememberthat: (younger)

[personal profile] willrememberthat 2014-05-15 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Sad, but Clementine can't really remember the last time she ran around for fun. Had she not been so wary or just tired, she would have maybe tried to be a little nicer to Sarah, more than just barely tolerant of the girl's obliviousness. It wasn't her fault she was sheltered.

"I don't know what I'm doing!" She says with a laugh, because this is so silly. She just narrowly avoids stumbling into someone, ribbon not looking very pretty at all.
toyboat: (5)

[personal profile] toyboat 2014-05-15 06:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Jenny glances back, laughing as well, mostly because of the other girl's laughter. Her own ribbon doesn't look so great either, but she can see the pink on the maypole, and that's the important part.

"Neither do I! Just keep going, keep at it!"
willrememberthat: (approach)

[personal profile] willrememberthat 2014-05-18 01:57 am (UTC)(link)
"When do we stop?" She's already getting a little dizzy going around the pole, making sure not to bounce off anyone into the ground.
toyboat: (10)

[personal profile] toyboat 2014-05-18 11:22 pm (UTC)(link)
"When the ribbons are all the way around the pole," Jenny calls, risking getting bumped by reaching out with one hand for her companion. "Hold my hand, don't fall!"
willrememberthat: (crossroads)

[personal profile] willrememberthat 2014-05-20 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
"Don't you fall either!" Clementine isn't the best when it comes to balance. Could be a lot worse, though. She grabs Jenny's hand and tries not to be yanked or tug her too much.

She wonders when playing with other kids got to be such an awkward thing.
toyboat: (2)

[personal profile] toyboat 2014-05-20 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
Jenny isn't used to playing with other kids any more, either -- when all of one's friends are grown-ups, one tends to lose the right mindset. But there's something freeing in running around with another girl, something Jenny only vaguely remembers from when she was young, before her mother was gone.

"We won't fall, neither of us!"