riverviewlogs | introductory mingle: SAMPREMI

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introductory mingle: SAMPREMI

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

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[Steve, in the interest of fairness, has not been participating in the various games around town. They look fun, but he can tell at a glance that they aren't meant for him. He does notice the small blond kid swearing violently in Russian as he slams the counter of the booth. It makes Steve pause as he goes by, watching the scene play out as the vendor hands the kid a set of baseballs. Steve's brow furrows as he looks to the milk bottles stacked up as targets. After watching Yuri heave his first ball to the set, he walks toward him.]

These kinds of games always have difficult angles.

Difficult angles my ass. [ He grumbles, picking up the second ball and tossing it in his palm, eyeing the bottles like they've personally offended him. Mostly because they have. ]

I hit that stack square in the middle and it didn't so much as teeter. I cry foul. [ He snarled it towards the vendor, who again, just shrugged. Crooked or not, Yuri wasn't leaving without that tiger. ]

[The angry bristle in the young man's answer hits something in Steve. He doesn't know the kid, but his determination and fire are clear as he eyes the bottles like they are his personal enemy. It almost makes him smile. He looks at the bottles and the way they're set up, checking more closely this time for foul play. It's true that a lot of these carnival games tend to be rigged, and Steve moves closer to the counter of the booth, checking to see what the trick might be.]

I'm sure you'll get it. How many turns have you paid for?

[He's conveniently positioned just a bit uncomfortably close, with his size blocking a clear shot so Yuri doesn't take it before he's made sure the game can actually be won.]

Sixteen balls. [ At 2$ each, or 3 for 5. It wasn't a lot of money, yet- but for a kid whose allowance had to cover rent, food, theft of said food, clothing, and everything else, throwing his money away on a rigged game maybe wasn't the wisest of decisions. But Yuri had always been a little impulsive, and the tiger hanging in the corner just screamed for him to take it home. Begging with it's large, deep yellow eyes where it gazed towards Yuri.

He'd win the damn thing if it killed him. ]

I've won garbage, knocking over only the top bottle- but I can't get the rest to fall. [ Yuri gestured towards a small pile of superfluous plastic toys; kazoos and whistles and cheaply made necklaces and other such garbage trinkets.

From outside perspective, the milk bottles seemed innocuous. However, the weights of them, the ballast in their bases steadily increased, with the softballs being a little extra on the 'soft' side, so as to make it next to impossible to throw with enough force to knock them all over. Even with a perfect throw. ]

Move over a bit, you're blocking my aim meathead.

Sixteen, huh?

[Steve's reaction is mild, but he's giving the booth and the vendor a careful look. He's already suspicious, considering the nature of these games, and Yuri doesn't seem like the type of guy that wouldn't at least get in one or two good shots after all of those tries. He folds his arms and steps back out of the way so the kid can use the second ball for yet another try at his prize. He decides to watch the throw in action this time, and gives the vendor across the counter a pointed look as he settles into a position that says he's not going anywhere.]

Sorry. Keep going. I think I'll watch the game if you don't mind. I have a soft spot for target practice.

Do what you want. [ Yuri muttered, squaring his stance and drawing up his shoulders, eyes fixed with purposeful and heated intensity upon the tower of bottles that was giving him so god damn much anguish. He was almost tempted to spit on his ball, just for the show of it- but refrained, rolling his shoulders instead and winding up his throw, taking a few practice swings without release; to make sure he had the trajectory right. He inhaled, exhaled- and then roared as he threw his next baseball, firing it at the stack of bottles as hard as he possibly could. It hit the second row of bottles; the very top bottle teetering a little, but not falling. The row he'd hit wobbled a little as well, but also didn't fall- and the bottom row? Didn't so much as budge. ]

FUCK!!

[Steve watched Yuri wind up a decently strong throw and hit the stack of milk bottles, only to be disappointed. He stood by with a mild expression, just giving the vendor a casual glance as he reached out to pick up the final ball while the young blond-haired skater raged over yet another loss of that plush tiger.]

Can I try?

[Compared to the shouting, Steve's question was quiet, but his grip on the softball was definitely comfortable. The man knew what he was doing.]

[ Chewing on the inside of his cheek for a moment, Yuri reached to snatch up the last of his soft balls, before sneering and tossing it up in the air towards the other. ]

Sure, knock yourself out. [ Because seriously, what could it hurt at this point? If Steve missed, then Yuri would just shell out another pocketful of coin to try again.

He was going home with that tiger if it killed him. ]

[Steve caught the softball, casually eyeing up the pyramid of bottles Yuri had been hitting. He should have gotten them down. Steve tossed the ball once, testing its weight, then pulled his arm back and swung.

He swung harder than he really had to, aiming for the bottom row of milk jugs. It was only fair, considering how much Yuri had already put into the game.]

Which prize was it again?

[Steve looked utterly unapologetic for the bottles that ended up flying hard in all directions. If a few prizes fell in the process, well, that might have been intentionally aimed, but who could tell?]

[ Yuri wasn't sure who was more surprised by the other's demonstration; himself, or the slack-jawed charlatan who was gawking at where the bottles had formerly been. They had gone in every direction, and- had also landed a lot heavier than any milk bottle had any right to be.

Slowly, Yuri turned his head to stare at Steve, both impressed and- admittedly, a little bit intimidated. How the fu- ]

The- the tiger. [ He managed that much, at least. Pointing where the gigantic white striped plush was swinging, having taken a blow from one of the stray bottles.

The carnie didn't move. Either still too shocked from the display of strength, or unwilling to move out of fear. ]

[The man running the booth looked both surprised and angry, but as far as Steve was concerned, this was all fair play. The weighted bottles made a mess of the table displays, and they wouldn't have done as much if they hadn't been so heavy to begin with. Steve didn't wait for the vendor to recover. He reached across the counter himself, picking out the largest plush tiger on display, and unhooking it from the hanging strap.]

We knocked over the bottles. [Steve said it as a confirmation, just to drive home that there wasn't going to be an argument later. He handed the tiger to Yuri, smiling a little.]

It's a good prize. Are you going to name it?

[As if he hadn't just made a wreck of the game.]

[ Despite his continued surprise, Yuri finally managed to recover when the tiger was offered out to him. His arms impulsively reached forward, wrapping around it's plush middle, and pulling it tight, it's head and arms flopping over his own grip. ]

Yeah- I mean. I don't know what, yet. [ He eyed the other a little critically, starting to frown despite the favour the other had just done him. It was a matter of pride; it wasn't like Yuri to just openly confess that he still named his stuffed animals. He chocked it up to how startled he had been in the first place. ]

Thanks, though. [ For someone who was thankful, he sure was scowling a lot. And blushing, just a teeny tiny bit. It was that slip up about naming it, being treated like a child. ]

[If Steve noticed the difference between Yuri's embarrassment and his normal scowl, he didn't react. He just smiled as if it were a casual good deed, like Yuri had perhaps dropped that tiger and Steve had just noticed and picked it up. Nothing that required gratitude.]

Not a problem. I must have gotten a lucky throw.

[He shrugged, again, easily and with a little hint of humor.]

We could start a baseball team with a few more people. You've got good aim.

Bullshit. [ Yuri accused, scoffing loudly even as he gripped the tiger in question more tightly against his chest. ]

I'm not an idiot. If you're one of those superhuman slugfests just say so. It's not like it'll hurt my ego. [ In fact, it probably would've made Yuri feel better about the whole couldn't-topple-the-bottles-over-himself thing. ]

I don't know about playing baseball with you, you'd probably lay me flat on my ass with a gentle pass. [ If one didn't know Yuri well enough, he probably sounded as though he were on the attack. Acerbic and vicious, but that was just... his normal state, really. ]

[Steve raised his head at "superhuman slugfests", eyes widening with innocent surprise. That was one of the more creative descriptions he had heard for them.]

I think your ego is tough enough to handle a lot of things.

[He offered as a professional observation. The younger blond was fierce and stubborn. A lot like Bucky had been in his youth, which was probably part of the reason why Steve appreciated his fire.]

Mm, I have more control than that. If I were throwing a gentle pass, I'd make sure you could catch it.

[Steve's answer was simple fact as well.]

[ He wasn't sure whether or not the observation was meant to be an insult, or a compliment, and it showed on his face. His lips pursed, a debate playing across his features as he made the decision whether or not to be insulted or pleased. In the end, he settled on a stiff shrug, gripping his prize a little tighter. ]

Sure you would. You still have a natural advantage, though. Don't act like you don't. [ Yuri snorted, but then his expression changed a little, became something more playful and teasing despite himself as he grinned. ] Next you're going to tell me you can leap a building in a single bound, and erase any hopes of anyone ever scoring a home run.

[ Playful and slightly fond, Steve shrugged easily at Yuri's retort. Being called out for his games is a relief. Sometimes he couldn't tell what people in Riverview would do in response to him, especially when they used to be people he knew. These days, everyone was a stranger. ]

Well, I can't jump buildings or fly, so you don't have to worry about that. I'm pretty good at catch, though. And if you want someone to climb a building, I could come up with something.

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introductory mingle: SAMPREMI

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