riverviewmod: (Default)
Riverview Moderator ([personal profile] riverviewmod) wrote in [community profile] riverviewlogs2017-05-01 07:22 pm
Entry tags:

introductory mingle: MEMORIA

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Memoria Commemoration
when: May 1st - May 8th
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

memoria


In the days leading up to May 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: Memoria. A more solemn celebration than Sampremi or the Flower Festival, Memoria is a week-long time of remembrance for those lost in the Great War and the epidemic that decimated Riverview Quarantine's population 10 years ago. Memoria traditions include lighting lanterns for the dead, telling stories about lost loved ones or lost homes, eating meals with loved ones, and a special gathering to send floating lanterns down the river in honor of those lost.

a solemn commemoration of those lost



While the main city-wide event associated with Memoria is the floating of lanterns down the river on the evening of May 8th, the holiday is generally seen as a time of reflection on and appreciation of things that have been lost - people, homes, cultures, and planets. It is also a celebration of the things that remain. Many locally-owned shops will host displays of culturally-significant food, and will hand out informational flyers sharing the unique customs of their own homeworlds. There is a heavy emphasis on sharing time with family, friends, and lovers, and anyone who is able to will cook meals or treats for loved ones, or at least purchase them something good to eat.


i. hanging lanterns


Throughout the entire week of Memoria, residents will be hanging lanterns around the city. Lanterns are generally placed in greater number in places of passage - streets, bridges, and all alongside the train lines are particularly well-decorated, as are any trees alongside paths, and most homes and businesses have a profusion of lanterns around their doors and windows. This tradition is twofold; some people believe that the lanterns are hung in these places in order to guide the spirits of the dead back to those who still love them, other people believe that the lanterns are to give light for living loved ones to find their doors in times of darkness...many people believe both.

No matter what your character might believe, you can be sure they will find themselves offered a lantern for free from various businesses or friendly citizens passing by, and invited to hang it before the sun sets, or they may be handed a bundle of lanterns and asked to help share them with others.


ii. sharing life


Throughout the city, characters will find groups of people gathering to share hot drinks and talk about their loved ones lost, their homes and planets, or their experiences during the Great War and the epidemic. Anyone who has lost someone, who has fought to survive, who is feeling cut off and homesick, is welcome to sit and share their story. If your character chooses to sit and to share their story, they will find that people will gather to listen, will generally be respectful of the telling, and may share their own similar experiences in return. This is an excellent time to air grief in an environment where most people understand and respect grief, and a good time to deepen the connections to others around you, to understand them better.

There is also a very large focus on cooking or purchasing meals or treats for loved ones during Memoria, with many people taking meals with everyone they care about during the week of the holiday. Some go the extra mile and will hand out baked goods (usually chocolate or cinnamon), packets of candy, or other little treats to acquaintances, especially if they would like to form a closer bond with them. This is a great time for characters to reach out to someone they would like to get to know better with a surprise treat!


iii. floating of the lanterns


On the evening of May 8th, just before sundown, many of the city's residents will head toward the banks of the river, where they will light lanterns in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, in honor of their dead loved ones. The types of lanterns vary wildly, based on personality (either of the person floating it or the person they are honoring), culture, and many other factors. Some lanterns are very simple, others are incredibly complex, but the one common feature they all have is that people write on the shades of them - they write about their feelings for their loved ones, their wishes for their relationships and friendships, a memory from childhood or home, or even just lines of poetry or lyrics from songs that express something they miss, or something that hurts them.

Once those emotions are written on the lanterns, the lanterns are set free, floating down the river in the darkening evening, in a cathartic gesture shared by most residents of the city. Waves of lantern floating will start around 7 pm and continue until the sun rises on the morning of May 9th.


iv. roommates or wildcard


Feel free to use this prompt to set up headers for a communal floor, or threads open to roommates for the purpose of getting to know each other. Or if you have an idea for a prompt that isn't in this list, set during Memoria, feel free to write it up!



visual inspiration


click on thumbnails for larger view


Credit: image i: glowconcepts, image ii: by trenchmaker, image iv: cherryorange; image iii: found uncredited on Pinterest - please let the mod know if you find credit!

navigation
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (because I cut the brakes)

iii

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-06 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
[Iris knows the whole city is taking time to grieve for this festival and the lighting involves all ages. She knows this, but it's jarring to see a kid so young letting lanterns go on the river. Hopefully he's just participating and doesn't have to feel that kind of loss. The way he's rubbing his face tells another story though. She's definitely going to go over and make sure he's alright.

She walks over to him and takes a seat, still a couple feet off to his side.
]

Bet they can see this river for miles now. The lights are beautiful.
supersweet: (It is a remarkable dichotomy)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-06 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jon's cheeks heat up as he rubs at his face more furiously, hoping there are no signs before he answers. ]

Yeah. It's all over the place. Everyone's participating.

[ He can even see them beyond the horizon, more lights slowly floating into the air. ]
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (and fire off into job land)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-07 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
[Iris has just enough tact to not comment on how clearly upset he is. She wants to ask or say something, but it doesn't seem appropriate. Yet.]

You're right. Everyone in the city is really into it. Too bad we can't follow them to the end.

[A pool full of lanterns would be a pretty sight.]
supersweet: (I'm the mightiest being on Earth)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-07 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jon could if he had the power of flight. But it's probably for the best. ]

That's probably better. I think we're meant to watch, not follow.
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (a starter car)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-08 02:18 am (UTC)(link)
Guess you gotta point there.

[It's a poignant realization for a kid to have and she agrees with it, even if she still wants to see the lantern pool up close. ]

Looks like they're crossing pretty fast now. I can barely see mine from here.
supersweet: (He made me feel like a giant)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-08 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
[ He blinks. ]

Did you send up a lot of lanterns?
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (couldn't even make I more smarter)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-08 04:07 am (UTC)(link)
A couple.

[She leaves it at that for now and points out towards the group.]

You sent out some too, right? I think I can still see them.
supersweet: (The trust part comes later)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-08 04:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jon scuffs his shoe. ]

For my mom's cat and a few other people no one really knows or remembers. I thought it would be sad to leave them out.
Edited 2017-05-08 04:24 (UTC)
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (give up if the glove doesn't fit)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-08 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
That's thoughtful of you. Must be hard being the only one keeping those memories alive.

[It's not an issue she's ever run into before and now she's grateful that all her friends are able to remember their losses, as sad as they were.]
supersweet: (Or what powers you have)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-09 12:27 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jon bites his lip before nodding. ]

It is hard but I'm glad I do. I think it's important that someone does.
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (stop hiding the pigeon)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-09 01:56 am (UTC)(link)
I'm sure they really appreciate it.

[A part of her wants to believe this festival is more than symbolic and the people know they're being honored, even in another world. For this kid's sake, she hopes even the cat shows its gratitude somehow.

For now, she decides to shift the conversation, in case it's making him sad.
]

Hey, I got some candy earlier. You wanna split it with me?
supersweet: (Believe in justice)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-09 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jon brightens immediately at the prospect of sweets. He's an easy-going child. ]

Yeah!

Oh, but we should introduce ourselves first. What's your name?
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (no wasps do not make honey)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-09 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[Nice. A guy earlier in the week had given her some and she hasn't finished it off yet. While she talks, she begins to rummage through her small purse to search for it.]

My name is Iris. What's yours?
supersweet: (A rare opportunity for me to cut loose)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-10 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jon grins, holding his hand out. ]

I'm Jon Kent. Nice to meet you!
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (i've been poisoned by my constituents!)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-11 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
Nice to meet you too, Jon.

[What a cute kid. Of course Iris is going to shake his hand and right after that, she manages to pull a handful of candy out of her purse. She plops it on the ground between them.]

Alright, eat up!

[There's a pause as she picks out her first piece.]

But not too much, I guess. Don't wanna send you home sick.
supersweet: (They will race behind you)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-11 11:27 am (UTC)(link)
Aww.

[ But he's careful about how many pieces he takes. ]

Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you around.
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (stop hiding the pigeon)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-13 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
[She's gonna let him take the leftovers home anyway.]

Pretty new. I arrived right before the festival started. What about you?
supersweet: (My hearing's very acute)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-13 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
About a month. It's been pretty okay so far.

[ No major incidents or killer robots or aliens or . . . the list goes on. ]
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (hummingbirds are illegal tender)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-15 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
Pretty okay is all?

[That makes her laugh. Get whisked to an alternate world and it's just 'pretty okay'.]
supersweet: (They get retroactively paranoid)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-15 07:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jon doesn't get it, blinking quizzically. ]

What's so funny?
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (it's behind that door marked pirate)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-15 05:16 pm (UTC)(link)
The way you said it, that's all.

[She picks up another piece of candy and pops it in her mouth.]

But you're not wrong. It's peaceful here and that's okay with me.
supersweet: (It's a standard Boy Scout's knot)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-16 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
Is it not peaceful at home?

[ Jon's idea of peaceful is different from most. His life has always busy (to some extent) busy and at times, world-ending. ]
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (bird law is not governed by reason)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-16 04:25 am (UTC)(link)
It's-

[That makes her pause. There's a constant fear of death, war and the starscourge to worry about, but that's not something she needs to bring up with anyone, let alone a child. She doesn't know what he's gone through and erring on the side of caution, decides to make light of it.]

Not always. The birds are really loud outside my room in the morning.

[Another pause and she pushes a piece of candy from the pile towards him.]

There's this funny cat too! Whenever you go outside, all it does is meow.
supersweet: (Superman took to the skies)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-16 08:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jon grabs it without thinking, though her words makes him fumble with the wrapper. ]

We don't see that many birds near our farm. Mostly cows. Dogs. It's usually quiet. Though Deadman's Swamp has more animals.

[ Animals Jon may have accidentally killed. He tries not to think about it too much. ]
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (feel my retinal assessment)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-19 03:55 am (UTC)(link)
[Her eyes light up at the word farm. Before arriving in Riverview, she had attempted to turn a small plot of land in her backyard into something useful for the guys. While her intent was a farm, it ended up as a glorified carrot garden.]

Must be a big place to have cows. Did you help out a lot on the farm? Bet it was fun.

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