╰┈➤ AEVUM ISLES :: JUNE FESTIVAL ❂
Throughout the beginning of summer, Isle residents gather in multitudes during the day and night to celebrate the natural world and the communities that share it. Many traditions find Aercon and Echo alike visiting the shores of the Lunar Coast, cleaning up the environment, and showing goodwill to their neighbors with gifts and unique finds. Please refer to the ARCANUS ISLE COMPENDIUM for creature and plant references.
OVERVIEW:
The Sunflower Festival
The Sunflower Festival is a month long event taking place from the 1st till 30th of June. Although the festivities do not last for all of summer, residents of Arcanus Isle take great care to enjoy the welcoming of the warmer season.
Festivities take place during the daytime and nighttime. In the day, events like the Sunflower Parade or the Lunar Tournament are enjoyed in the Lunar Coast and Downtown Arcanus Districts. When the sun sets, the night comes to life with fireworks. The streets are bathed in the light of the Golden Moon, a phenomena that occurs during this month alone. (see: Notable Legends down below.)
The Solstice Ball
When the Golden Moon is full of light, the Solstice Ball begins. Taking place during the 17th - 30th of June, the ball is an glamorous party that all residents receive invitations to attend. Everyone is welcome to dress in their finest attire and enjoys the live music and provided refreshments.
While visiting the ball, it is encouraged to explore the Observatory and all that it has to offer. The parties begin when the sun sets and lasts until the next days dawn.
Like last year, the ball is hosted in the Viderenox Observatory. See HERE for details on the observatory.
NOTE: Other activities such as sea shell collecting, beach parties, garden parties and so on are all celebrated during the Sunflower Festival. While you may create member-run mini parties and events during the festival, only interactions with the listed activities/areas will be considered valid forms of festival participation.
ACTIVITIES:
For a limited time, a number of Sunflower Festival wares can be purchased (for free!) from the Aevum Marketplace using the Sunflower Festival Voucher.
Some of these wares include:
Shimmer and Glows Sprinkler - An endless sprinkler that sparks and changes color! They are also non-flammable. (found in the Nighttime Shimmers and Glows activity.) Lunar Rod - A gold-flaked fishing rod with a special tackle that is highly attractive to the local aevum fish. (found in the Lunar Tournament activity.) Fish Charm - A small charm in the shape of any fish, made from stones, shells, or wood. (found in the Fish Spy activity.) Olympic Flag - A one-of-a-kind flag with the icon of the sport participated in. (found in the Nighttime Shimmers and Glows activity.) Garden Bracelet - A custom bracelet made with several unique charms and beads of flowers. (found in the Charms of the Garden activity.) Keepers of the Land, Sky, and Sea Shirt - A cool, breathable t-shirt displaying the logo of the volunteer organization. (found in the Keepers of the Land, Sky, and Sea activity.) Homeworld Wares - An item that is custom to each Echo, and are subject to the rules detailed in the event below. (found in the Gateway Flea Market activity.) (New!) Golden Mask - A beautifully decorated and ornate masquerade mask. (found in the Solstice Ball activity.) (New!) Flower Pop - A little popping toy that releases flower petals in a grand display. It resets after a minute, being mysteriously filled with new petals. (found in the Sunflower Parade activity.)
Requests will be processed from June 20th - July 4th. All requests should include a link to the thread, ask, or drabble that shows the participation in said event, in addition to the stats, and thread pages.
NOTE: with the exception of Garden Charms, these items cannot be gifted to other muses.
Downtown Arcanus.
This activity is eligible for festival redemption.
Sunflower Parade
One of the many highlights of the Sunflower Festival is the Sunflower Parade! It is a warm welcome to the summer sun and the influx of Ivurie Aether that comes with it. Downtown Arcanus has been decorated with balloons, paper sunflower petals, and plenty of other party decor (that are all fully recyclable). Music can be heard throughout the streets during the day. Especially nearby the Arcanus University campus.
During the cooler hours of the early evening, a parade of decorated floats are conducted by residents who choose to participate. These floats range from large to small, elaborate to simple, representing the residents of Arcanus and their love for their home.
As usual, to announce the event on her very own float is is Arcanus’ own Opal Luminous.
Notably, the East Tower Company and the West Tower Society are known to be highly competitive during the parade. Each year, they create more and more elaborate floats. The rumor has it that they may even be trying to outdo each other…. While the other rumor has it that they’ve even gone so far as to try and sabotage each other’s floats!
While many floats are crafted by various other notable figures and local businesses of Arcanus Isle, the Echoes are equally encouraged to create floats of their own for the parade. Or join in other floats to assist their performances. (Or sabotage other performances!)
Charms of the Garden
This activity is eligible for festival redemption.
A favorite activity amongst festival-goers is creating unique garden bracelet for their friends and family members. There are dozens of different ornaments to choose from, each with their own meaning. All ornaments for Charms of the Garden are created by students at Arcanus University, and the proceeds return to the school’s funding.
The charms provided are as follows:
Echo Tree Nut ( peace in change )
Field Fish Feather ( brings good people into your life )
Sapeng Wool ( aid with memories )
Moonview Spring Stones ( rejuvenation )
Lunar Coast Shells ( wealth in the summer )
Heavens Mirror Bead ( mourning lost loved ones )
May Flower Bead ( protection )
Zephyr Lilly Bead ( guidance in dark times )
Orb Flower Bead ( good wishes )
Sunflower Bead ( happiness )
Aether Rose Bead ( balance )
There are multiple locations for bracelets to be created along campus grounds.
NOTE: The charm bracelets may be gifted to other Echoes participating in the Summer Festival. Upon voucher redemption, a link to the thread or ask featuring it is required to put this item on your stats page.
The Lunar Coast.
The Lunar Tournament
This activity is eligible for festival redemption.
The Trawler Docks are open and bustling with activity! During this time of year, the ocean is flourishing with many forms of sea life. Some locals offer scuba diving tours of Arcus Cove’s coral reefs, while others will gladly rent out boats for other residents to enjoy the clear blue waters.
Of course, the docks are also host to the largest fishing competition of the year: The Lunar Tournament.
There are three main categories that one could enter into:
Biggest Fish (measured by weight and length)
Most Fish (measured by total weight)
Rarest Fish (judged by leading Marine Biologists of Arcanus Isle).
The competition has a catch-and-release policy upon completion of the final scoring.
Winners of each category will receive a cash prize of 1,000 keys, a trophy representing their category, and a brand-new fishing rod!
Fish Spy
This activity is eligible for festival redemption.
Primarily marketed towards families with younger children, Fish Spy is an event taking place in Arcus Cove. Participants are given a bingo card and taken out the coral reefs. There, they can snorkel in the waters while looking for many breeds of fish on their cards. (The cards are water proof!)
Some fish to find that are native to the Arcanus Isle include:
Comet Fish
Gem Fish
Illumenoctopi
Ripple Kelpies
Successfully filled-out cards can be exchanged for a variety of fish charms.
Nighttime Shimmers and Glows
This activity is eligible for festival redemption.
In brilliant displays of wonder and light, a fireworks show is held every Sunday evening along Halycon Beach. Many gather all across the Lunar Coast just to watch the astonishing display. The firework shows change almost every night, with each display being more even grand than the last.
The show is hosted by Vander Bard of the Comet Promenade. Many enjoy watching the show on the Comets Ferris Wheel, especially with friends and loved ones.
Along the Comet Piers and Comet Promenade many shops offer great selections of fireworks, sprinklers, poppers, and plenty of fantastically sweet and savory treats the likes of fair foods.
The Clearview District.
Aevum Olympics
This activity is eligible for festival redemption.
Attention all sports fans! Hosted at the Clearview Stadium is the most highly anticipated events of the Isle! The Aevum Olympics. Aercon from all over Arcanus joing together to compete in various sporting events and prove their mettle. Sporting events include but are not limited to:
Track and Field (split between marathon and half-marathon sprints)
Swimming
Wrestling and Boxing
Various sports (e.g., soccer, football, baseball, tennis, etc.)
Pole Vaulting
Gymnastics
Ice Skating
Ping Pong
and many others!
Note: The Olympics can also include sports from an Echoes’ homeworld.
All are welcome to come and spectate or participate! There’s just one universal rule:
No Cheating.
Cheaters will be forced to repeat their event against an Olympian Android. (Specifically, one designed by the event’s biggest sponsor, the East Tower Company.)
It never loses.
Of course, Aevum’s Tossup is one of the most popular sports. Over the spring, the four teams have been preparing endlessly for the playoffs that occur during this event. Now, it is finally time for the four biggest teams to compete for the championship title.
See here for information on the local sport.
Make sure to follow Aevum Daily for updates!
Fanalea District.
The Golden Harvests
No people are more excited about the Sunflower Festival than the residents of the Fanalean Farmlands, and Echoes are encouraged to join in! Beneath the Golden Moon, the Fanalean community ensures that their fields are fully revitalized for the coming crops to grow.
Plenty of help is wanted, and Fanalean farmers employ any volunteers to pick up a trowel to clear the fields of Whisper Thistles, care for livestock, harvest the last spring produce, sow summer seeds, and prepare some fields to lie fallow for the season.
Up to 500 keys per day will be offered to participating echoes.
At night, the workers watch in awe as fields of sunflowers begin to glow brightly across the fields, matching the Zephyr Lillies around them. The sunflowers absorb sunlight in their petals, and then under the golden moon, they glow a bright golden color.
Sunflower Feast
During Sunflower Festival, locals will often spend time experimenting with new dishes and flavors. When new recipes have been concocted, chefs of all calibre gather around the bonfire at the center of Fanalea to share them. In fact, the whole community comes together!
Sunflower is a key ingredient in many of the foods found. A glowing, golden tea - called Golden Cortania - is made from the petals of the sunflower. It is especially a fan-favorite. Tins can of Golden Cortania be bought from select shops in the Vesper Town Trading Post.
Some of the foods that can be enjoyed include:
Sunflower Seed Muffins
Pumpkin Sauce Pizza
Eben Root Stew, and many others!
Honeyglow Meadery is also offering Sunflower Wine, which is only available during this festival.
The Aether Reserve.
This activity is eligible for festival redemption.
Keepers of the Lands, Skies, and Seas
As nature is the focal point of the Sunflower Festival, the Padedue Temple, Whisperwind Hacienda, and West Tower Society have combined efforts to create volunteer programs to help clean up and protect the natural world of Arcanus Isle.
Each of the participating groups has a specific focal point for what they bring to the organization. The Hacienda is focused on education, the Padedue Temple is focused on volunteer work, and the WTS is responsible for funding and advertisements.
Information booths with petitions written by the West Tower Society will be posted all throughout Arcanus. Signers will pledge to protect the environment and spread awareness about ways residents can keep Arcanus Isle spick and span.
Those who sign on to the petition pledge will be made automatic volunteers, where they will be assigned a location to clear up any trash and resident-made debris. These trips involve waking up early, and are often an all-day event. Supplies are provided to the volunteers by the West Tower Society, and Willow Westson has designed a cool shirt with “Keepers of the Lands, Skies, and Seas” written on it. —They’re tie-dye!
Most volunteer work will be found along the Lunar Coast. Primarily: Halycon Beach, Arcus Cove and Arcus Reef. Downtown Arcanus’ Quill Pillar Shores, the Aether Reserve’s Moonview Springs, and any of the parks across Arcanus are also available as volunteer locations.
Merchant Town.
Gateway Flea Market
This activity is eligible for festival redemption.
In the center plaza of Merchant Town, a giant, mysterious tent has appeared seemingly overnight! Instead of the various food stalls and market shops, there now sits a wondrous pavilion called the Gateway Flea Market.
This tent houses brand new stalls full of Aercon selling or trading their random assortment of goods to anyone who may find a home for them.
While many of of the prices come cheap, many other items may only be acquired through trading specific items that may take hours to find. An Echo dead set on a ware may find themselves embarking on a long and arduous Exchange Quest.
Curiously, in some of these stalls Echoes may come upon strange wares. Instead of the usual bits and bobbles however, what makes these wares so strange is that they may be familiar to the Echoes themselves.
These items range from books and journals, to trinkets, toys, jewelry and clothes, tools, decorations, and other such similar items. As with any item, these come at a price, and some merchants drive a harder bargain than others. However, as the marketeers love to say: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Be warned if you see one of the Pyrite Pawners triplets! They are all ruthless in their pursuit of unique items to sell in their shop.
Note: The following restrictions apply: The Items can: - Be items that exist in an Echo’s native world - Be pulled from any point in time in the Echo’s world, regardless of an Echo’s current or potential canon points. - Be minor canon items, background items, and major canon items. The items cannot: - Be any belongings found on an Echo’s application, current or future. - be weapons or magical in any way. - be eligible for the Tier Four Homeworld Redemption item. - Be larger than a two-foot cube. - Be items that canonically belong to another character or from a world separate to their own. All items redeemed must not serve a largely important purpose. e.g., Bilbo Baggins could not find one of the Ten Rings. These items must be found in either thread or drabble form in order to keep them. In which, a brief description of what the item is, and may be used is required. The thread or drabble must be submitted to the Aevum Marketplace as proof for approval to put on one’s Stats page inventory. Requests will be processed from June 20th - July 5th.
Viderenox Observatory.
Solstice Ball
This activity is eligible for festival redemption.
During the last two weeks of June, the main event held inside the observatory is the highly anticipated Solstice Ball. At the twin moon’s apex, the ceiling of the conservatory opens, allowing for the light of the Golden Moon to shine upon the dancers below.
In order to attend, the invited must present their golden letter to the attendants at the gate. Inside, arrivals will find the well-decorated room full of people dressed in their finest, fanciest attire.
Attendants walk between guests with trays of drinks and hors d'oeuvre, though larger portions may also be found at the open bar and snack tables. The food has been catered by the famous Chef Trop Chere, owner of the Casa Nova restaurant. The featured wine is, of course, Honeyglow Meadery’s Sunflower Wine.
The telescope is also open to those who may wish for a closer look at the stars. Janus Astrophel can be found assisting visitors with the equipment and teaching them about Aevum’s galaxy. The studies and offices are closed during the event. Echoes who prefer to explore will find these doors have been locked. Fortunately, other exhibits may be explored, creating quieter areas of rest during the party.
Of course, the main activity of the ball is the dance!
A live orchestra fills the hall with beautiful music, while the dancers pair and waltz under the stars. In some of the dance numbers, the floor of the observatory matches the night sky above. In tandem with the floating star lights around the hall, this creates the appearance of literally dancing among the stars.
NOTABLE LEGENDS:
The Golden Moon
The twin moons of the Aevum Isles have always held a certain air of mystery to them. Most scholars agree that these moons are a symbol of Ebenos, while the sun represents Ivurie’s qualities. As Aerconi understanding of the Aether grows, studies have shown that during select periods of time, one Aether may influx so greatly that its influence may even reflects upon its counterpart.
One of these select periods is in the beginning of summer. During this time, Ivurie Aether burgeons so greatly that it reflects in the largest of the two moons, turning it bright golden color. As the light of the golden moon bathes Arcanus in its glow, it can be noted that plants grow much faster than usual, and the wildlife become more active and present in day-to-day lives.
Many speculate that this phenomena is the Aether replenishing itself in all forms of life. There is, after all, no other time of year where Aevum sunflowers glow as they do during the summer nights.
Now, residents of Aevum Isles look to the glowing, golden moon and her many stars for glad tidings, good luck, and rejuvenation.
As usual, questions regarding the Sunflower Festival should be directed to the Masterlist! Happy Summer Aevum Isles~