introductory mingle: SAMPREMI

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Sampremi Celebration
when: March 8th - March 15th
where: In several different locations in the downtown area of the Inhabited City.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

sampremi celebration

In the days leading up to March 8th, new residents may notice advertising around the city, everywhere from digital screens to paper flyers pasted on blank walls, featuring the name of the spring holiday in celebration of new beginnings, new love, and lust: Sampremi. The advertising mentions that there will be street festivals set up at various locations throughout the week and lists where the market will be set up on each day.

street market

The main draw of the holiday is a roaming street market that features special treats and street food that can only be found during Sampremi, a bustling bargain market with any kind of goods you can think of, and fair games that allow a person to win a prize for that special someone.

i. street food

One of the major draws of the festival is the special street food that can only be obtained this time of year. Almost everything you can buy at the Sampremi Festival is meant to be shared - whether it's one piece of meat on two sticks or desserts baked with a narrow part in the middle for convenient tearing, everything is built in twos. The stalls sell everything from cups of soup, sandwiches, roasted or fried meat, deep-fried vegetables and cakes, dumplings, donuts, bagels, turnovers, and anything else you can think of.

Many of the savory dishes are based on the meat of a particular fowl native to the moon Riverview is situated on that has a taste and texture halfway between chicken and duck, cooked to be spicy (ranging from very mild to throat-burning). Many of the desserts are based around a fruit native to the moon that is spherical, red-orange, and has a light sweet taste that is similar to a combination of mango, pineapple, and strawberry. Both ingredients are considered to be aphrodisiacs. Of course, the foods aren't actually aphrodisiacs and any effect is purely placebo.

ii. fair games

The festival features an entire row of fair games ranging from very high-tech games featuring virtual reality and neon holograms to extremely old-fashioned games with darts and balloons or balls and glasses. The games all have prizes in various shapes and sizes, with the standard stuffed animals, but also with goods and special items donated by any business in the city; ranging from tiny prizes to huge and expensive ones.

Due to the nature of the holiday, many of the stalls are set up to cater to winning a prize for your partner, and due to the nature of the Quarantine, a lot of them involve aiming or other aspects of pretending to fight.

iii. shopping

Originally, the part of the street festival that involved an actual market, with stalls and booths set up with goods, was aimed primarily at romantic trinkets like flowers or jewelry, gifts intended to be purchased for a loved one. As time has gone by, however, this aspect of the market has increased, with many businesses participating, though the emphasis is still on small businesses and anything relating to local culture rather than booths for any of the larger more corporate businesses.

There is still plenty of jewelry to be found, for sure, mostly handmade and artisan, but the scope of the Market has widened immeasurably. The Sampremi Market is an excellent place to find specialty foods, clothing, jewelry, art, or other goods that were originally native to cultures on other planets in this reality, or other realities altogether. Many residents in the city use the market to share their unique cultural goods and traditional dress with others.

iv. adult

In a side alley of the Sampremi Market on any day, one can find an area roped off with a red silken cord, attended by members of the Perimeter Guard in casual dress who will ID anyone entering to make sure they are 18+. Once characters are permitted entry, they will find all of the adult offerings that the market has to offer.

Since Sampremi is, historically, a celebration of lust and physical love, the adult offerings are all set up to cater to two or more people of any sex or gender configuration. One can find an adult or sexualized version of almost anything that's featured in the main market, from fair games to adult goods to street food laced with actual aphrodisiacs (there are always warnings for food spiked in this way to avoid accidental consumption).

v. 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 at the Sampremi Festival, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit (left to right): Theo Prins, andreasrocha @ tumblr, hrormir @ deviantart, nkabuto @ deviantart

navigation

Comments

Bucky Barnes (616) | open and closed prompts

[anotheroldsoldier]

[A] Fair Games, OPEN
[Bucky's been to the fair a few times. A long time ago, granted, when he was young first, with his father and sister, and a little later, undercover with Steve tracking German spies. He's always kind of liked the games. At this fair, he stays far away from the high tech and virtual reality style games, sticks to the simple ones like tossing darts at balloons or balls at stacks of milk jars. Things closer to what he vaguely, on a good day, remembers from his childhood.

After a little while wandering, alone, he stops at a booth, a dart game. It almost seems unfair to play, considering, but he's smiling slightly as he pays for ten darts. The worker insists he'll need that many to hit enough targets for even a small prize. Boy howdy, does he have no idea.] Alright. We'll see about that.

[He pretends to take his time aiming, that he doesn't know what he's doing, but the dart flicks from his right hand and hits a balloon dead center with a loud pop. Nine more meet the same fate, in a neat little grouping. Bucky gloats a bit, after that, when the worker shoos him away from the booth after giving him a large, and cumbersome prize.

After a moment, he pauses, then holds it out to the next passing person.] Uh, here, you can have this.

[B] Shopping, OPEN
[He seems a little more melancholy when he browses the markets. They seem to mostly sell things you'd give to a romantic partner - and Bucky left his romantic partner back on Earth. Natasha's absence is an ache that settles in his chest, and it feels like there's an empty space at his side where she should be. He waves off the people who try to hawk their bouquets and necklaces with an increasingly gloomy look, but eventually he does stop at a leather goods stall.

He's currently admiring a jacket made out of soft, supple black leather, decorated with a bit of fringe and occasionally talking with the merchant.] Price is a bit outrageous, don't you think? [Maybe someone could help him haggle.]

[C] Dinner, OPEN to residents of Floor 5
[Bucky is a decent housemate. He rises early but quietly, he cleans up after himself, he does all his own chores without complaint, he leaves the coffee pot full instead of empty after he's had a cup. He's not loud or messy or even terribly unpleasant, not that he spends much time on their communal floor. He prefers to be out anyway, at the gym or with the Perimeter Guard.

He's a much better housemate than certain godlings, at least. One night, he even brings home dinner from a takeout place, large white paper bags containing enough food to feed a small army that he piles on the counter island. It's an eclectic mix of items, from noodles to burgers to Korean barbecue, and some things that are native to the area, because why not. Leaning up into the cabinet to get down a stack of plates, he calls out,] Dinner's here! Come and get it!

[He got nothing for Loki, though. Loki can eat when he washes his own dishes.]

[D] Checking In, CLOSED to Yuri Plisetsky
[After Bucky had mostly gotten settled (he's not settling, he's not going to stay here for any longer than he actually has to), it hadn't taken too much to track down where the kid he had fought at the fence with was living. A two-bedroom, two floors down from Bucky's own (creezus, if there are two-bedroom apartments, why is he living in a dorm situation with everybody he knows?).

It's around noon, and Bucky is fresh out of the gym, his hair damp and his post-workout clothes comfortable. His sleeves are long, but rolled up to the elbows today, casual. When he knocks on the door, he's carrying a takeout bag from a restaurant down the road, from which drifts a warm, doughy aroma. It's the closest thing to Russian food he's found in the city, and while it's not a childhood taste of home for him, he thinks the kid might appreciate it.]

Yuri? It's James.

[bespredel]

[ His stitches itched, and he was still too sore from his collision with the bookshelf to do too much. It hadn't stopped him from going out anyway, from going to scope out the skating rink that Riverview Quarantine offered, to make sure that he could keep up. They had skate rentals, the rink wasn't a total hovel... Yuri would make do.

Today, though, he had decided to take it easy. Curl up on the couch, watch a movie from within the confines of a pile of blankets, and indulge in a little junk food. Do his best not to think of how he was already missing home. From Yakov's demanding shouts to- no. Nope. He definitely still didn't miss Viktor and his ugly piggy.

He's engrossed in the middle of some god awful horror film when someone knocks on the door. His eyes narrow, and he reaches over to pause the movie, before grumbling and getting to his feet. James. Well, there are worse faces to see. Opening the door, Yuri eyes him critically. Frowning, almost scowling. ]

What do you want? [ He asks, his voice gruff even as he glances to the bag of something tasty smelling, back up to the other's face again, an eyebrow risen. He's wearing an oversized t-shirt; black, hanging loose over his skinny frame, and a pair of baggy leopard print sweats. There's bruising along his expose shoulder, the backs of his arms from where he'd hit the bookcase. And then too there was his arm, still wrapped in fresh, white bandages. He was at least, being diligent about keeping his stitches clean. ]

[anotheroldsoldier]

[When he opens the door, Bucky can't help but raise a brow at the state of him, or the glimpses he can get beneath baggy clothes. Bruising on his shoulder, the backs of his arms. The bandages are less worrying, he expected those after the other day, during the storm. Well, he'll ask about it in a few minutes.

He holds up the bag like an offering. The kitchen had custom made a couple of the items inside, but generally, the dishes are pretty similar to actual Russian cuisine. Clear fish soup, three different types of piroshkis, stuffed cabbage. Maybe it's a touch of overkill, but he doesn't care.] I thought I'd see how you're doing. I brought lunch.

[bespredel]

[ He considered. And, for a moment it almost seemed as though he wouldn't let the other in. After a moment though, he blew out a sigh, hauling the door open a little wider, inviting the other in. ]

I'm not starting the movie over for you. [ He comments roughly, waiting for the other to come inside, before closing the door behind him. At least he hadn't gotten very far into the film, ten minutes or so. Bucky hadn't missed much.

Turning his back to the other, he shows off a large purple bruise along the back of his neck- the line of one of the shelves, crossing down along his shoulder. He was lucky he hadn't broken his neck. It's too straight a bruise to have come from the monsters. Most of the wreckage is cleaned up; the broken lamp, the splinters of plywood. Some of the broken boards are still leaning against one wall, though. Waiting to go down to the garbage. Yuri just hasn't wanted to, yet.

He leads the other into the kitchen, pulling down a couple of plates, to start. Some cutlery, so that they have something to eat with at least. ]

C

[ragnarsson]

[No one has to tell Ivar twice. He's one of the first ones there. Rather than using the wheelchair, which he's still having trouble with maneuvering inside, he's doing his usual crawl about the place using his arms. He drags himself into the kitchen, using the edge of the island to pull himself up into a kneeling position. Even that is difficult for his legs, but so long as he's propped up against something, he'll be fine.

He rather resembles a dog looking for table scraps as he looks through the bags carefully, but Ivar's never been much one for appearances. Getting carried around like a sack of potatoes his entire life has kept anything resembling dignity from developing. He turns to Bucky after selecting a burger.]

Did you bring all this?

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Bucky's not sure what to make of the kid with the bed on the other side of the room from him. It's a little odd not to be the least tech-savvy person in a room, but interdimensional travel is like that, he supposes. Never know who you're going to meet. He's pulling down plates and digging out cutlery when the kid crawls over and props himself up against the island. Should he ask? Is that rude? Doesn't hurt to ask.]

Need a lift? [He pulls one of the bar stools over, but otherwise doesn't make a move just yet to help, not without permission.] Yeah, well. I already knew half the people here, and if I was gonna bring dinner for the team, I might as well bring enough for everybody.

[ragnarsson]

I'm fine. [Standard answer for anyone who doesn't know him well. He is grateful Bucky just doesn't assume anything, though he is aware of the glances thrown his way. It's better to do things himself than to look weak. Really though, he'll manage just fine. Day to day tasks aren't so horrendous. Battlefields, now that's where he has to get creative. He pulls himself up onto the bar stool and grabs a plate, leaning over just far enough to grab a burger.

Then he realizes he forgot something to drink, so he's sliding off the stool, and heading over to the fridge. He takes out a beer, a standard Viking drink for his own time period, but perhaps a little disconcerting to someone from a place with a legal drinking age. He pushes himself off the floor and back onto the stool.]

Oh, you're from that same place Loki and the stupid one is from? [The stupid one being Tony. Needless to say, Ivar was not impressed by him.]

C

[rouxgaroux]

[ Being thrown into a room with a bunch of strangers is a bit of a shocker, not that it hasn't happened to him before. It kind of makes Alcide feel like he's in some sort of social experiment gone horribly wrong, truth be told. However, as he's watched people in the room, nothing has gone wrong yet... which makes him a little more willing to reach out to the others. Going at it alone is never a good strategy no matter where you are. That's a lesson Alcide has learned. He's also learned that not all packs consist entirely of wolves.

Alcide's not a bad housemate either, mostly staying out of everyone's way, keeping the place relatively clean and nesting only in his own corner of the room. When he hears someone call out that dinner is here, his stomach growls and that's what prompts him to use the opportunity to meet someone else in the room.

He's very tall and very broad and can sometimes be a little bit intimidating for that alone if someone doesn't know him. Alcide isn't someone to use that in his favor though, so when he approaches Bucky, he offers him a small, crooked smile. ] Hey. Did someone say dinner? I'm Alcide... Alcide Herveaux.

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Yet. Yet is the key word here, and Bucky knows it. Maybe buying dinner is an attempt to win over his other roommates' good will before the sorcerers from his world set something on fire. When Alcide comes into the room, honestly Bucky's not terribly intimidated. He's only 5'9", but he's broad, and trained, and his sleeves are rolled up, revealing a metal left arm instead of flesh.

He's got plates down, and he picks one up off the stack to start helping himself. It's not the kind of dinner where you wait for everyone else to show up, apparently, it's "every man for himself".] James Barnes. Most people call me Bucky. [He returns the slight smile himself, and motions to the spread of takeout.]

Help yourself. I was feeding my team so I figured I'd get enough for everyone.

[rouxgaroux]

Bucky then, if that's what you like better. [ If Bucky likes the name James better, Alcide can go with that. But the tone in which he'd said his name didn't imply that it was something he didn't like as far as he can tell. And truth be told, Alcide's not all that great at reading people anyway. So whatever this guy wants to be called, Alcide will go with it. ]

That's real nice of you. [ Although, now that he knows that the food was for certain someones, he's a little more hesitant about partaking of it than he would have been otherwise. So while he takes a seat near the food, he doesn't get any just yet. It would be pretty rude to take others' food and he's trying to make friends here.

Instead, he looks at the other man, both confused and curious about just one word. ] Team? What's that mean?

B

[amelioraate]

[ Tony isn't sure how he ends up wandering around the marketplace during the festival, but that is where he finds himself around midday. It's crowded and loud and there is far too much focus on romance and partners, but Tony thinks that it is good for research and finding out what this place has to offer. Also, it's better than hiding himself away in the room he shares or trying to get more work done when he is missing more parts than he can even fake work without.

That, and it will be nice to get a sense of how the people around here interact, and also get a feeling for the kind of things Tony can repurpose into far more interesting gadgets.

However, his browsing is cut short (well, shorter) when he comes across a familiar figure at a stall, eyeing a leather jacket. Tony laughs and peers around Bucky, eyeing the jacket before looking at Bucky, the beginnings of his boardroom shark smile creeping onto his face.] Wait, how much are they asking for this?

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Bucky glances up quickly when someone comes up beside him, but when he sees it's Tony, he relaxes again, at ease despite the odd smile on the other man's face. He raises an eyebrow briefly, but he'll go with it. Hell, maybe he's got an idea, because the price on this jacket is just outrageous and Bucky needs a new one. He left his back on Earth, after all.]

Six hundred. Can you believe it?

[amelioraate]

[ The look on Tony's face contorts into something between horror and derision as he leans in a little closer to get a look at the jacket. It is a nice jacket, that much is clear, but there is no way that it is worth six hundred anything. Not unless it is also a magical cape with multiple resistances.

So Tony puts on his game face, steps closer and runs his fingers along the material, as if checking durability and quality of the seams and starts to talk to the vendor like he would a room full of board executives that thought they knew best (they rarely did). ]

While I can admire the quality of the material you have used, the way it has been put together doesn't bode well for a functional piece of clothing. Decorative, sure, but perhaps you don't think that your wares can stand up to trying use?

[ Compliment, insult, taunt. It's basic. The vendor responds and Tony knows, in the way the man leans in, by the slant of his mouth that they can at least half the price of the damned thing. He lets the vendor talk and turns to Bucky, the smallest of grin on his face.]

What do you think, he's either underestimating you, which not a good selling tactic there, or really doens't think highly of his wears. [ C'mon, Bucky, join the circus. ]

Shopping!

[dust_of_life]

[Shopping is Fatima's favorite pastime. Arty's always joking--as much as a Malkavian can joke--that a mall is her native environment.

But she's not really feeling it. Maybe it's the fact that there are far too many PDAs and lovey-dovey looks going around. Or the fact that Fatima has absolutely no interest in buying edible underwear.

Whatever that is.

So she's mostly browsing to get a better sense of the place. Taking notes in her notebook, like an anthropologist. At least until she gets distracted by the not-so-unfortunate-looking guy, admiring a jacket.

There's something...weirdly familiar about him. But she can't place it.]

You don't want that, anyway.

[She walks over, running her finger along the stitching of the seam.]

This doesn't look like a saddle stitch. And that's what you want to look for in leather.

[Her eyes cut over to the merchant, to see if she's having an effect.]

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Bucky Barnes just wants to ignore the couple-y aspect of this festival and just buy a leather jacket. All he wants is a new jacket. When a woman comes over to join him at the table, starts inspecting the seams, he quirks a brow, but lets her interject. Honestly, he wouldn't know a saddle stitch from any other kind of stitch.]

Oh, really? See, I'm lookin' for something that'll be durable. But if it's not even stitched up right, maybe I should just look at another stall.

[The merchant, though, is getting a little nervous at the thought of losing a sale, but at first, he doubles down, claiming leather is best put together with a different sort of stitch, anyway, and his work is the finest at the fair, well worth the price.]

I don't know...

[dust_of_life]

[If Fatima knows nothing else, she knows fashion. The jacket isn't exactly to her taste, but that's beside the point. She knows exactly what to look for. Especially when it comes to durability. Being a vampire hunter will do that for you.]

Look at the edges of this seam.

[She gestures down, somewhat vaguely.]

They look pretty blue-ish to me.

[A sign of poor craftsmanship.]

I'm not sure the tannery allowed the material to properly tan.

A

[inlaid]

[The festival is a welcome event for Bryn. She's quite serious about her work, devoted to it even, but not so much that she's forgotten how to relax and enjoy herself. She wanders the streets between stalls, enjoying free samples of food, shopping through the market and even peering into the adult section.

The fair games are perhaps the most interesting part for her, however. After heading out beyond the fence to fight monsters, it became clear to her that a great many of the displaced here are trained fighters, like herself. Oh, yes, each has their own skills and styles, but it hasn't escaped her notice that there are so many of them. As a result, it's become something of a game for her to try and pick out who might have training based on their approach to the games. At just over five feet, she's the last person to judge purely on height or muscles, so she watches for skill level, instead. A person's comfort in handling the small game pistols and darts--and even throwing axes at one game.

What she doesn't expect is that after watching a man hit all ten of his targets one after another, that he would seek to hand his prize off to another. She stares at the over-sized plush giraffe with an incredulous expression.]

But you just won it.

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Bucky just gives the woman a look like she has two heads, still holding out the offending giant plush giraffe, as if to say "what on earth am I going to do with this?" He's a thirty year old man, and honestly, even when he was a child, he can't remember owning stuffed animals. It seems a much better idea to pawn it off on someone else.]

...I wasn't really playing for the prizes.

[inlaid]

[It's very, very hard to not laugh at the look he gives her as he holds the giraffe out. It reminds her of the look one of her friends gets on his face when he's trying to pass off his sister's squalling infants off to her, even though she's not even family.

She takes the giant giraffe with a twitch of her lips.]

Playing for the fun of it then? Or testing your skills against the way they've rigged them?

c!!

[ikols]

[ Someone trots into the kitchen wearing a towel around his waist, fresh and dripping from the shower. Yes, he heard the call for food all the way from there, it's a talent. ]

Did you fetch the spiced potato wedges, Son of Barnes? [ Well, 'Bucky' tastes a little too over-familiar on his tongue, he has to get creative.

Nimble fingers start picking through cartons and bags, on the prowl as droplets rain off his hair onto whatever burger Tony favours. Fuck that guy. Not for any reason, you know, just accidentally-on-purpose on principle. ]

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Gross. Bucky snatches up a foam container that, indeed, contains spicy potato wedges - but apparently, he's just going to eat those himself.]

I don't know what you're lookin' for. You obviously don't think you're part of the household, since you can't clean up after yourself, so why should you get to eat with the household?

Fair Games!

[fingerstripes]

[ Carnival games are all the same, alternate planes of reality notwithstanding, and so Dick finds himself lingering nearby a little longer than the demands of recon would strictly call for. He's not homesick (he won't need to be, he'll make sure of that) but they're familiar in a way not much else is, just now. An odd little piece of almost-home where nearly everything else is an unknown factor.

And the grand-standers are fun to watch. When the prize is offered up he looks a little startled, but it's gone a second later, and Mr. Grand-stander gets a broad grin. ]

You sure? [ But hey, he'll take it. ]

Not an easy shot to make.

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Bucky had been playing for the nostalgia more than anything. He's a thirty year old man, and he's not sure what he's going to do with a giant stuffed elephant. Granted, he's not sure what this guy will do with a giant stuffed elephant either, but he's holding it out to him all the same, and a tiny bit relieved when he takes it.]

Not really playing for prizes. [He admits with a slightly sheepish smile.] I used to love these games as a kid.

C

[livingsymbol]

[Steve naturally comes when Bucky calls. Not just because there is the promise of food, but because he'll always answer Bucky's calls. He comes to the kitchen to see an impressive spread and moves to get out cups and silverware since Bucky is setting out plates.]

Is this like a housewarming? You're taking care of us?

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Bucky's never surprised when Steve is one of the first ones to show up. They naturally gravitate toward each other like that, and besides, where's the food, there will soon be a super-soldier.]

I'm calling it a preemptive apology to our other roommates, but sure. More like, I was going to feed you guys, and figured it was unfair to leave the other fellas out.